Presenting? See what great presenters have in common

At a conference I attended last week, I paid close attention to all the presenters and the audience’s reactions.

Some of the presenters engaged the audience and clearly captured their attention. Here’s what I noticed about those speakers:

  • They used the word “you” frequently, so the audience knew the content was about them.
  • They had prepared for their presentation, so they were able to look at and speak to the audience instead of reading off slides.
  • Speaking of slides, the engaging speakers all had slides the audience could read easily — even from the back of the room.
  • They welcomed questions from the audience.
  • Most importantly, the best speakers focused their content on the benefit to the audience.

Unfortunately, there were also some presenters who failed to engage the audience.

These presenters also had some things in common:

  • They weren’t prepared and read directly from their slides, often stumbling over their words.
  • They referred to the audience as their “client base,” making them seem more like objects than people.
  • They spent a lot of time talking about themselves instead of the topic of their talk.
  • They did not offer Q&A as part of their presentation.

The key takeaway here is that you get what you give. If you take the time to understand your audience and focus your message on their needs, you are much more likely to get your story heard.

If you agree to speak at an event, you owe it to your audience to prepare and deliver relevant content. If you’ve read some of my previous blogs, you know that the best way to do that is by making a Message Map and using it to create your presentation.

Using the Message Map helps you keep your presentation content focused on your audience’s needs, increasing your chances of getting your story heard.

In addition to using a Message Map, the number one thing all presenters can do to improve the chances of getting their story heard is prepare. I don’t care how busy you are. If you agree to speak, then you need to respect your audience and take the time required to prepare.

So, the next time you agree to be a presenter, block your calendar to rehearse at least twice. And if the conference offers one, don’t skip the dry run.

Have questions about marketing and communications? Subscribe to our blog or email me at ariana@crystalclearcomms.com.

Presenters should provide relevant content to get their message heard. (Image designed by Freepik.)