What kind of presenter are you? Do people hang on to every word you say or do you send them to sleep? Do your words motivate action or inaction?
If you wonder what it takes to present with impact and charisma, regardless of the size of the audience, here are the crucial ‘ingredients’:
1. A charismatic presenter is confident. They are sure of their ability, and they know that people are interested in what they have got to say. When they talk, they project certainty, hence people feel at ease and are compelled to listen. While some people are naturally confident, many top presenters had to learn it. They went through a personal development curve, eliminating internal limitations, rewriting what they believe about themselves, obtaining self-belief.
2. A charismatic presenter knows how to build a connection with their audience. They know what to say or ask, so that people listening to them can relate to them immediately. They are masters at rapport building.
3. A charismatic presenter can get in touch with their feelings. They are able to associate themselves in any state very quickly, and guide their audience to feel what they feel. Top public speakers know how to elicit curiosity, excitement, passion, interest, enthusiasm and other powerful states from their audience at will.
4. A charismatic presenter uses a vast range of tonality. While a ‘boring’ speaker will use a clinical tone of voice, presenting with impact requires a vocal range from melodious, through to dramatic, ‘making a point’ and soft voice. They know how to transition from one way of talking to another for the greatest impact.
5. A charismatic presenter is in full control of their body. The world-class public speakers would not walk aimlessly from one part of their stage to another, or talk with their hands like an air traffic controller. All of these can act as distractions. Instead, top presenters make only deliberate movements for a purpose. They know how to use their body to communicate with their audience non-verbally, they are aware of the impact of every single movement they make.
6. A charismatic presenter is an excellent story-teller. They know how to get their message across capturing the imagination of the whole audience and creating a memorable experience.
7. A charismatic presenter is an excellent communicator. They know how to use their language for the greatest impact. They are aware of influence of every word they say, they know what words are useful to use, and what words are useful to avoid. They know how to format their presentation so every single person will find it interesting. They know when it’s useful to talk in ‘artfully vague’, big picture language, and how,and when to transition to details. Top presenters are aware of the tremendous power of language they use.
8. A charismatic presenter has a purpose. The top presenter will have a higher purpose than for making money, or looking good on the stage. The most incredible presenters consider their audience far more important than themselves.
There is a charismatic presenter inside of each of us. It only needs to be awakened!