Becoming a Great Presenter

As you strive to become a great presenter, you are on a journey of countless steps. This is a long-term experience. Each presentation is like a segment of the larger adventure which leads toward your hope.

In each segment, you have a presentation.  You have an audience.  And you connect the audience to the content in ways that lead them toward the goal. You have learned that you can adapt methods and content from previous experiences to the current assignment. You are continually doing, learning, and becoming. So, what are you becoming? What kind of presenter will you be?

Do Many Things to Be a Great Presenter

Great presenters have a long checklist. As you prepare, practice, and deliver effective communications, there are myriad things to consider. 

You clarify your goal and get to know your audience. You compile information and then narrow and structure that information. Perhaps you schedule pre-wire meetings that equip you further to improve the focus and quality of your data. You repeatedly practice so that the content familiar enough to allow for confident interactions. And then you deliver your message with appropriate engagement and energy.

Each one of the items listed in this progression has sub-tasks associated with them. There is a long list of things to accomplish. And you want to do them well. The doing is important. But there is something even more essential because it will guide the actions. It will limit options and raise the bar on quality. It requires wisdom and self-control.

Do many things, but be one thing.

Be 1 Thing to Be a Great Presenter

To be a great presenter, be trustworthy.

Being leads to doing.

You tell the truth.  Why? Because you are honest.

You show up early. Why?

Because you are punctual.

You seek facts rather than settling for assumptions. Why? 

Because you are accurate.

You are not defensive, condescending, or rude. You give voice to the people in the audience. Why?

Because you are respectful.

You seek to understand and meet needs. Why?

Because you are compassionate.

You seek win-win situations. Why?

Because you are caring and equitable, and you seek the good of all involved.

What you do reveals who you are—your character.

When actions confirm impressive character, then you will be—and this is the ultimate characteristic—trustworthy.

Do many things to be one thing: trustworthy.

Effectiveness is not always Trustworthy

My wife and I recently bought a used car. For years, we have used one used-car lot because they offered a low-pressure sales approach. This time, we wanted to shop around a little. It was incredibly frustrating. I felt like we were on a sitcom. Their high-pressure sales and the blatant manipulations would have been funny if I watched them on a comedy. The tactics were not at all funny when I was experiencing them.

I experienced many actions. Those actions were based on research.  The sales approach was well-rehearsed, and the steps were carried out with precision.

They were doing a lot of things. But they were not being the one thing I was looking for.  They were not being trustworthy.

In one place, I made the mistake of trusting them with my driver’s license. They did not return my license until they were sure that I was not going to buy a car.

In another place, I trusted the accuracy of the price presented.  It was too much.  And then the price changed. This happened repeatedly.  Each one was “the final offer.”

As I write this blog in January of 2021, there is a new car sales company buying up advertising on streaming platforms.  It is called Vroom. It is a competitor of Carvana. It seems that Carvana’s success is creating competition. What is leading to that success? The frustration with traditional car sales. Carvana calls it “The Dance.”

I did not fully understand the attractiveness of this approach until I experienced frustration for myself. 

Will these companies succeed in the long run?  It depends. If customers discover that they deliver what they advertise, then they will probably do well. Their actions will prove their character. They will be trustworthy companies.

My used car purchase is sitting in the driveway.  After the frustrations of shopping around, I returned to the low-pressure lot and bought my car. They are not manipulative. I can trust them. I appreciate that, and I reward them with my business.

Do Things to Prove You are a Great Presenter

Greatness involves more than doing. You can work hard and do effective things, but if they are not done with the right motivations—or if they are carried out in ways that make it appear like they are not done with the right reasons—it will damage your reputation. People might respect your ability. They might even reward that ability. But they will not trust you.

Doing the right things for the right reasons is the greatest challenge with the greatest reward.

To look back on a life of trustworthiness is a priceless gift.  It is worth the sacrifice.

To be a great presenter, do many things while being one thing: trustworthy.

For more guidance in becoming a great presenter, continue reading here!

For even more information order Big Presentations in Small Rooms.

So,

What is a company that has earned your trust?  What actions earned that trust?

As a presenter, what do you do to earn the trust of your audience?