Presentation Energy: Why ‘Being Dynamic’ Backfires

Early in my banking career, a well-meaning mentor gave me the worst presentation advice I’ve ever received: “You need more energy. Be dynamic!”

So I tried. I gestured bigger. I varied my pitch. I smiled more. I practically bounced on stage.

The feedback after my next presentation was brutal: “You seemed nervous.” “It felt like you were selling something.” “Hard to take seriously.”

I wasn’t being dynamic. I was performing energy I didn’t feel—and everyone in the room could tell.

It took me years to understand what my mentor actually meant. He wasn’t asking me to perform. He was pointing at a symptom (low energy) without understanding the cause (disconnection from my content).

Here’s what I’ve learned from coaching over 5,000 executives on presentation confidence: energy can’t be faked.

Why Forced Energy Always Fails

When you try to project energy you don’t feel, three things happen—all of them bad.

Your Signals Become Misaligned

Your words say “This is exciting!” but your eyes look terrified. Your gestures are big but your shoulders are tense. Your smile is wide but your jaw is clenched.

Audiences process these mixed signals as “something is wrong here.” They may not consciously identify the mismatch, but they feel it. Trust erodes. Engagement drops.

You Exhaust Yourself

Performing takes enormous cognitive resources. While you’re monitoring your energy level, you’re not present with your content or your audience. You can’t think clearly, respond to questions naturally, or adapt to the room.

I’ve seen executives finish “high-energy” presentations completely drained—not from the content, but from the performance.

You Look Desperate

There’s a specific quality to performed enthusiasm that reads as desperation. It’s the energy of someone trying too hard. Audiences instinctively pull back from it.

The irony: the harder you try to seem confident and dynamic, the less confident you appear. Real confidence in presentations looks almost effortless.

Where Real Energy Comes From

Authentic presentation energy has one source: conviction about what you’re saying.

When you genuinely believe your content matters—when you care about whether your audience understands and acts—energy happens naturally. Your voice becomes animated because you have something to say. Your gestures emerge because you’re emphasising what matters. Your eyes engage because you want to connect.

This is why preparation matters so much. The more deeply you understand your content and its importance, the more natural energy you’ll have. It’s not about memorising scripts—it’s about connecting to meaning.

Before your next presentation, ask yourself: Why does this matter? Who benefits if I communicate this well? What happens if I don’t?

Those answers create energy that no performance technique can match.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I have more energy when presenting?

Stop trying to manufacture energy. Forced enthusiasm reads as desperate. Instead, connect to why your content matters—genuine conviction creates natural energy that audiences trust. Build this foundation with our guide to presentation confidence.

Why does my presentation energy feel fake?

Because it probably is. When you perform energy you don’t feel, your voice, face, and body become misaligned. Audiences detect this instantly. Authenticity always beats performance.

Can I be low-energy and still give a good presentation?

Absolutely. Quiet conviction often outperforms loud enthusiasm. The goal isn’t high energy—it’s appropriate energy that matches your content and feels genuine to your audience. See our tips on building authentic confidence.

Mary Beth Hazeldine spent 24 years at JPMorgan, PwC, RBS, and Commerzbank. She’s a clinical hypnotherapist and MD of Winning Presentations.

Mary Beth Hazeldine

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