Types of Presenters in Class

With the start of life at university, presentations become an integral part of your educational experience regardless of what major you pursue. Consequently, observing numerous presentations over the first year of my university life, I have noticed a few categories of presenters out there. Here's a list:

The debater: Characterised by rapid hand movements, argumentative facial expressions and a tremendous pace of speech, these individuals know what they are doing. Presenting is their thing and even if they blather their way through the entire thing, no one would lift a finger to object.

The agitated one: All advice regarding presentations consists of encouraging people to walk around and get comfortable. These people, however, take that advice way too seriously. They strut around from one end of the room to the other, like a pendulum on fast forward, often producing a rather unpleasant sight for the audience.

The one with the confusing accent: These people come up with bizarre accents of their own, which often fail to resemble existing languages of any kind. The only logical reason behind this fake accent might be that they're attempting to "spice things up" and surprise the audience, and sometimes, even themselves.

The slow speaker: These people remind me of the sloth scene from Zootopia. Slow and clear presentations are always appreciated due to its comprehensive nature. It becomes problematic, however, when the audience have trouble keeping themselves from dozing off multiple times during the course of a single sentence.

The confident one: These people believe they know what they have to say and how to say it. Their confidence alone acts as an up-lifter, making the presentation great irrespective of its other aspects. You enjoy watching them speak and often find yourself surprised at your wondrous attention span throughout their presentations.

The one in deep thought: There are always those whose presentations get lost in translation at paused intervals. They're found contemplating on seemingly worldly matters, before snapping back to reality and completing their sentences. These people can thus be distinguished by the amount of time they spend standing there doing nothing.

The slide-master: As the name suggests, they are the most creative of the lot. They know what they're good at and make the most of their considerable talent in graphic designing. They use their strong suit to win over the audience, even if their presentation isn't a winner in terms of content.

The nervous joker: These are the people who start and end their presentations with jokes. They use humour to hide their otherwise noticeable nervousness and more often than not, get away with doing so. This tactic, however, isn't helpful in strictly formal presentations.

The showstopper: These are the ultimate presenters. They are smooth public speakers and know how to deliver their content the right way. They often include relatable examples depending on audience and pose insightful questions, thereby opening channels for speaker-audience interactions.

Regardless of the type, each presenter has their unique strong points which, if exploited perfectly, could make their presentations stand out in their own way. It is a matter of trial and error and persistent training, which can facilitate this journey of nearing perfection.