#Stage presence professional#

These were the performers who could really connect and make eye contact with the audience because they weren’t looking around at each other. It was obvious who had practiced until they knew each step by heart and didn’t need to look at others on stage for guidance. The performers who knew what they were doing were far more confident and as a result had far more stage presence. In a large room it is important to maintain eye contact with someone for slightly longer than it might feel comfortable (as long as you’re not staring!) This ensures you really connect with that person and the energy generated from that interaction will radiate to the people around them even if you can’t make eye contact with each individual in the room. When public speaking, regardless of the size of an audience engage with as many people as you can. Eye contact is the key to this and not all of the performers in the show were able to demonstrate this. The most important part of connecting with an audience is to acknowledge them. When giving a presentation, make sure you are passionate about the subject because it will be very clear to your audience if you’re not.

The performers in the show that were committed to their performance and passionate about ensuring that the audience enjoyed the experience were the ones that stood out and therefore the audience was drawn to watching them over other less enthusiastic cast members.

One of the first characteristics that strikes an audience is how much passion someone has. But a few had incredible stage presence and it got me thinking about what makes someone stand out from the crowd when in front of an audience and how we can use this to engage our audience and enhance our message when public speaking.

#Stage presence professional#

Apart from the choreographer (who performed in every show) very few of the cast were professional performers and in most cases it showed despite their enthusiasm. The cast was made up of volunteer members of staff whose day jobs varied from receptionists to sports coaches and activity organisers to business interns. This week I have had the pleasure of staying at a holiday resort where the employees put on a show for guests most evenings.