Enthusiasm Is the Most Important Presentation Technique

Enthusiasm and a positive tone will win over the crowd. People are attracted to positive people. Nothing is different in public speaking. You have to sincerely care about your presentation topic. Audiences will respect you and your message if you display genuine enthusiasm. Most speakers do not have the energy needed to excite the audience. The audience feeds on energy and you must supply it. Write down the word “ENERGY” at the bottom of each page of your presentation to always remember to bring the energy!

Management guru Tom Peters is an energetic presenter. You may not like his style because he is brash, loud and outspoken but he injects energy into every minute.

His body language is dictated by quickly pacing around the stage. He also constantly uses hand gestures. At 1:10 of the clip you can watch him open his arms wide as he proclaims “I am not into quotas.” He then points his finger and shakes it up and down like a school teacher scolding a student when he criticized corporate governance in America. This is an example of how your body language must be consistent with your message. Another feature of Peters’ high octane presentations are A LOT of facial expressions. For example, when he is confused about a particular issue he will crinkle his forehead to emphasize his confusion.