I’ve worked with quite a few people who in normal conversation are exceptionally expressive and personable, but seem rigid and emotionless when asked to give a presentation or speak in public. In general, your audience will be much more receptive of your message and will be more engaged if your presentation or speech is delivered conversationally, with emotion, as this makes them feel as though you’re speaking with them instead of at them. Many of us don’t even realize that our mannerisms change when speaking in front of a group though, so how to fix this problem? My #1 recommendation for improving your public speaking skills (or at least, the first thing I’d recommend trying) is to film yourself practicing your presentation in front of a small group of friends, coworkers, family – whoever you have on hand. Take a look at the recording afterwards and discuss with your audience the differences in your demeanor when presenting compared to how you act in everyday conversation. Understanding what needs improvement is the first step to actually improving!

Take a look at this brief article from publicwords.com for a few more tips on how to be more engaging once you’ve taken a look at yourself on camera: http://bit.ly/1NCtPmA