The Top Qualities of a Great Presenter

Communication is easily one of the most important qualities of a great presenter. You may be an expert in your field or at the top of your game, but if you can’t effectively communicate your ideas or solutions, your talent will never be fully recognized. This can feel extremely frustrating to someone who has worked really hard. Fortunately, there are things you can do to improve your presentation skills. It begins with understanding the qualities that all great presenters have in common. Whether you have given multiple presentations or you are preparing for your first one, a great presenter should possess the following qualities. 

Knowledge

Obviously if you have been asked to give a presentation, it implies that you are an expert on the topic. The audience is certainly expecting you to know far more than they do. Therefore, make sure you have done ample research to ensure that you are well-prepared and knowledgeable so you can educate your audience. You don’t have to know everything there is to know, but the last thing you want is to get stumped during the Q&A session. 

Confidence

If you want to be a great presenter, you need to speak with confidence. Although public speaking can be very nerve-wracking for most people, you can learn to be a more confident presenter. Building confidence is much like building a muscle, it takes practice and repetition. There are also a number of tricks to help you appear more confident, such as walking around instead of standing behind the podium. Don’t slouch and stand tall with your shoulders back. Slow down your pace and project your voice. These simple strategies will help you command attention and become a more dynamic speaker.

Strong Body Language Awareness

Nonverbal communication is extremely important in helping you connect with your audience. Strong presenters are aware of their body language and how this can affect the way they are perceived by the audience. They carry themselves with poise and confidence and treat the presentation more like a personal conversation. Here are some ways to communicate strong body language: 

• Make eye contact
• Smile
• Stand in a powerful pose
• Move around the stage
• Posture and shoulder positioning
• Use hand gestures effectively

Passion

Great presenters are the ones who speak with conviction. You can feel how much they care about what they are saying. When a speaker is passionate about something, this excitement feels contagious and it makes the audience excited too. This helps the speaker make an emotional connection with the audience. 

Memorable

You have likely sat through many presentations in your life but how many can you actually remember? Think about the ones that do stand out? What did they do to make them so memorable? Maybe it was the speaker’s ability to make an emotional connection with you. Maybe it was their sense of humor. It could have even been their ability to leave you feeling inspired. Think about what makes presentations unique and memorable and try to emulate those techniques.