7 things that make us authentic – or inauthentic – while presenting

The key to engaging and persuading an audience is authenticity.

Authenticity means bringing our true selves to the dais. If we bring an alter ego or some other personality to the stage, audience members will quickly sense the infidelity. When an audience realizes it’s not seeing the real you it creates distrust, and that undermines our ability to persuade, to be influential.

There are seven key areas we can take into account while trying to ensure we are presenting our authentic selves. They are:

• Voice
• Content
• Facial expressions
• Attire
• Body language
• Eye contact
• Passion

Let’s explore in that order.

Voice. What did people think of Madonna when she was running around speaking in that deplorably fake British accent while hitched to Guy Ritchie? What a phony was probably our first thought. Sometimes when we take the stage we think in terms of being something we think the audience is looking for, or something we think is appropriate for the subject matter. But we don’t need to sound like actor John Houseman when talking about law, or former Black Sabbath front man Ozzy Osbourne when talking about heavy metal. Use the voice god gave you. It’s the most believable.

Content. People know when we’re saying things we don’t really believe, or saying it in a way that doesn’t jibe with who we are. If the company line makes you squirm, find a way to reframe it in terms you can assert with confidence and integrity.

Facial expressions. Forced smiles and other forms of feigned sincerity and enthusiasm are easily detected by audience members. They’re a form of dishonesty that throws into question everything we’re telling them.

Attire. Imagine rock legend Steven Tyler showing up for his induction ceremony at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in a business suit and tie. People wouldn’t buy it. They’d consider it a joke. Most of us probably cannot even imagine him looking comfortable in such garb. Steven Tyler isn’t Steven Tyler without his Melrose Avenue rags. That’s the guy we know, and that’s who he really is. The same would be true if Warren Buffett took the stage at a shareholders’ meeting in Steven Tyler’s wardrobe. Obviously, those are extreme examples. A common example is the guy who shows up in a business suit and tie and looks like he’s bound in a straightjacket. Or the woman whose self-image is Coco Chanel suits but wears khaki slacks and a TJ Maxx blouse to a presentation because she’s trying to look more casual, only to physically stiffen because she feels out of her skin. This is what happened to Bob Dole when running for president. His campaign advisors suggested he loosen up by wearing an open color, and even a polo-style short-sleeve shirt. The opposite happened. Dole stiffened and looked uncomfortable and inauthentic at his campaign appearances.

Body language. Think of the non-demonstrative person forcing himself or herself to gesticulate in ways that are not part of their style, or the demonstrative person restraining natural arm movements.

Eye contact. When we look others in the eye do we connect and communicate warmth, or is it dodgy hit-and-run eye contact? We need to make eye contact that is direct and prolonged enough to say, I see you and I’m paying attention to you.

Passion. We are more influential when we’re passionate about our subject, but we don’t have to effuse to show passion. It might be contained in the quality of our content, the cool confidence of our delivery, the incandescence in our eyes, or simmering facial expressions.

The bottom line is contained in this quote I recently discovered on the wall of my local library: “Be yourself. Everyone else is taken.”

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