Presentations are critical for educating and motivating people. But informative presentations and engaging speakers are not always easy to find. Here are nine tips on how to identify great speakers:

Name Recognition. Does the speaker you’re considering have an established reputation within the industry? Is he or she an active writer or communicate via social media?

Confidence. Does the speaker have the confidence that is driven by qualities such as accuracy, competency, creditability, knowledgeability, and likability? Audiences are quick to determine if a speaker is “the real deal” or just “winging it.”

Content. Great presentations require great presentation skills and great content. The content must be factual, accurate, up to date, well-organized, and presented clearly.

Charismatic. Even if a speaker is extremely knowledgeable about a subject, he or she may not necessarily have the stage presence to really captivate the crowd. When hiring a speaker, always research the person’s past speaking engagements. Is the person enthusiastic? Is he humorous? Able to hold audience interest while providing informative content?

Credibility. Has the speaker worked in the industry, in the trenches and does he or she have a deep understanding of the issues?

Authority. What makes the speaker an authority on the topic? Frontline experience? Market research? Interviews with key industry figures? Extensive Internet searches?

Authenticity. An inauthentic speaker will be unlikely to adequately inform, motivate, inspire, or have an impact on your audience. A speaker needs to “walk the talk.” If the speaker is not genuine, the audience will pick it up.

Story Telling. One of the best ways for a speaker to engage the audience is through story telling. It is not just having good experience, but being able to tell a story in a compelling way to help connect with the audience.

Dependability. All the great presentation skills in the world are of no use if you cannot depend on the speaker to deliver what is promised. Is the speaker willing to listen to the overall strategy of the meeting, the aim you have for the presentation, and customize the content?

Why Howie Fenton?

Howie Fenton’s presentation skills have been honed over many years of engagements at the industry’s leading conferences and programs at many of its major manufacturers. They keep asking Howie to return because he delivers: Cutting-edge content, engaging stage presence, customized programs.

His popularity is attested to by his record: Howie has spoken at every Graph Expo and Print show since 1994. He has made presentations for major industry manufacturers such as Canon, HP, Konica-Minolta, Ricoh, Pitney Bowes, and Xerox. And he has presented internationally in France, Sweden, The Netherlands, Brazil, Italy, The Dominican Republic, and Trinidad and Tobago.