7 Secrets of Highly Effective Presenters

You have probably attended several presentations throughout your life both personally and professionally. Some of them put you to sleep while others had you on the edge of your seat. What was it about those presentations that had you hanging on every word? How can some presentations be so dull while others are so enthralling? The reason is that some presenters are charismatic, engaging, and excellent at communicating their message. This allows them to command the attention of audiences during presentations. If you want to learn how to captivate an audience in this same way, let’s start by looking at some of the secrets of highly effective presenters. 

1. They Know Their Audience

A great presenter knows their audience very well. They know the demographics, professional background, and personal interests of the people they will be speaking to. This allows them to tailor their presentations to make the greatest impact. Imagine, for example, citing a reference that is far too old or too young for your audience to grasp. What if you are using technical jargon that no one in the audience is familiar with? Understanding simple things like the educational and professional background of your audience helps you better understand how best to reach them. 

2. They are Aware of Their Body Language

Nonverbal communication is extremely important and can help you connect with your audience. Effective presenters exude confidence with a power stance and they carry themselves with poise and assertiveness. They make use of the space by moving about the room and they focus on their audience by making eye contact rather than reading from slides. They use facial expressions to convey emotions and they avoid distractions like fidgeting with their hands and arms. 

3. They Exhibit a Positive Energy

There’s no specific way to do this but you have probably experienced the feeling of listening to a passionate speaker. You could feel their excitement and it made you feel excited too. They share their enthusiasm with the audience through stories, anecdotes, and personal experiences. 

4. They are Engaging

The most effective presenters are certainly not standing behind a podium reading from a slideshow. Instead, they are moving about the stage, supporting their ideas through stories, infusing humor, and interacting with the audience. They are able to pivot on their feet, answering questions and offering feedback to the audience. 

5. They Interact with the Audience

The best presenters know how to make their audience feel like they are part of the presentation. They do this by finding ways to interact with them. For example, they may ask for a show of hands, ask people to answer a question, tell them to imagine something they describe, invite them on the stage for a demonstration, or even play games with them. Even if you are presenting on a serious topic, that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for interaction. Increasing audience participation also increased engagement. 

6. They Make Their Point

Effective presenters understand that they need to make their point and support it in a clear and concise manner. They have a clear understanding of their main objective and they steer the presentation in a way that guides the audience to this objective. They avoid going off on tangents, being too wordy, and using filler words that are distracting. Instead, they get straight to the point and they make sure the audience continues to focus on the main objective. 

7. They are Comfortable on Stage

Great presentations don’t have to be perfect. Audience members can interrupt, technical difficulties happen, and presenters forget their train of thought. However, great presenters learn how to go with the flow despite these challenges and they recover quickly from mishaps. They aren’t afraid to be vulnerable and they don’t take themselves too seriously. They lean into the audience, knowing that ultimately the audience is on their side.