Home > How to Present> Personality Types
Are there different presenter personality types?
The question kept nagging our mind as we witnessed thousands of presentations made by various presenters over the years.
We saw people successfully using cold facts and statistics for emotional subjects like female infanticide. We also saw presenters successfully using pure emotions in the board room while presenting on organization strategy.
The more we observed, the more we could see that the tools used by presenters to convey and support their ideas depended more on their personality, rather than on the nature of message.
That was our inspiration for attempting this classification of presenter personality types.
This is not a doctoral thesis but a simple attempt to give you a useful model to understand your strengths and areas of concern as a presenter.
Model for Presenter Personality Types:
You’ll understand this model better, if you start classifying your own presentation character type. So, pick up a pencil and paper and start from the basis of classification…
Are you Facts based or Feelings based Presenter?
How do you support your talk?
Do you rely more on providing facts to appeal to the logic of your audience or do you evoke feelings to appeal to the emotions of your audience?
While the extent of usage of facts or feelings depends on the objective of a presentation, we found that most presenters have fixed preferences, irrespective of the nature of their presentations.
So, take a look at your past presentations and see if you are a facts based presenter or a feelings based presenter.
Are you Expressive or Restrained?
How animated are your expressions when you present?
Do you tend to use a lot of superlatives like amazing, wonderful etc. in your talk, and use free hand gestures to emphasize your points? Or
Do you just run through your points in a matter of fact way?
Take a moment to recollect your past few presentations to note your style.
Now, you are ready to place yourself in one of the 4 quadrants of the model. Let’s explore each quadrant in detail.
Understanding the Personality Type Quadrants:
Type 1: Persuader – expressive presenter who relies on facts
These presenters have the ability to make high-voltage and persuasive presentations. Whether it is an investor presentation or high-profile client presentations – they know how to win the deal.
Their strengths are:
- Confidence and carriage
- Orientation to solve problems
- Willingness to take risks
Their areas of concern are:
- Their tendency to make lengthy presentations and to repeat information
- Their eagerness to over-generalize and stretch the facts
- Their overbearing style which might offend some audience
Suggestions for the Persuader:
If you are of this type…
- Structure your presentations around the needs of your audience
- Build credibility before launching a full length sales pitch
- Present the potential risks in your suggestion and how they are mitigated
Are you a Persuader type? Share your experience with us…
Type 2: Motivator – expressive presenter who evokes emotions
Motivator-type presenters can stir the audience emotions and move them into action. Their instinctive approach motivates people to give it their best.
Their strengths are:
- Their infectious enthusiasm engages the audience
- Their ability to read people and their feelings helps them connect with the audience
- Their optimism drives people to action
Their areas of concern are:
- Their presentation lacks details
- They focus on putting up a ‘show’ rather than presenting a logical argument
- They take rejections personally
Suggestions for motivator:
If you are of this type…
- Learn how to include data to support your talk
- Support your claims with testimonials and records
- Show how your suggestions are ‘practical’ to implement
Are you frustrated with spending hours to make a presentation? Still not feeling happy with the result? If you are interested in sharpening your presentation skills, we recommend…
…Powerful Presentations Skills Training Video. Learn how to make remarkable presentations step-by-step and at your convenience.
Let’s look at the other presenter personality types…
Type 3: Lecturer – Restrained presenter who relies on facts
These presenters are thorough in their preparation and want to be ‘correct’. They do their homework and hence sound credible.
Their strengths are:
- Their attention to detail inspires confidence in the audience
- Their presentations are organized with a clear structure
- Their suggestions are specific and their claims are backed by research
Their areas of concern are:
- They may overwhelm audience with excess information
- They may come across as cold and insensitive
- Their presentation style makes it difficult to connect with the audience
Suggestions for lecturers:
If you are of this type…
- Learn to simplify information using visual slides
- Spend time with the audience before and after the presentation to connect with them
- Remember to present the emotional benefits of your product
Are you a lecturer type personality? Share your feedback with us…
Type 4: Philosopher – Restrained presenter who appeals to feelings
These presenters are friendly and hence connect with the audience quickly. They empathize with their audience and hence earn their trust.
Their strengths are:
- They are good listeners and hence can engage their audience
- They present an unbiased view and hence gain audience trust
- They can make audience ‘open up’ with their empathetic approach
Their areas of concern are:
- They don’t inspire confidence in the audience to provide innovative solutions
- They don’t challenge audience assumptions and hence lose control of their presentation
- They tend to get disturbed by tough and unruly audience
Suggestions for philosophers:
If you are of this type…
- Have sufficient data back up to handle tough questions from audience
- Talk specifics and take a clear stance when you make a claim
- Ask for the business or seek the next step while concluding your presentations
To conclude…
Knowing your presenter type will help you play on your strengths and protect your weaknesses. When you back your awareness with strong content made in the Minimal® way, you’ll make a lasting impression on your audience.
Return to How to Present Main Page