They do not make someone up – they just access a facet of themselves that is appropriate and consistent with the role. The same is true for aligning your role as a presenter with the room you are presenting to….big room, small room, bankers, children…to connect with them successfully requires showing a different part of yourself (though one could argue about similarities with the bankers/children thing)

Olivia

Playing the role of a customer, a leader, or a competitor allows you to “step outside of yourself” for a bit and provides an opportunity to introduce some thoughts / ideas that perhaps would not have as much impact if they came from you as opposed to your “character”.

This is a scary, powerful tool. I think that if you look for ways to use it correctly then you can still “be true to yourself” AND use a powerful new communication tool. What do you think?

There’s lots of good advice here – but I disagree with your point “Stop being yourself and become an actor playing a role.” I don’t think that works for presentations – people want a sense of authenticity from their speakers. If you’re acting you’re likely to come across as artificial. Actors have many years training to make their acting look natural. Not so presenters. I would recommend – be yourself – like you might be when you’re having a good time with friends or family – and then amplify it a notch for your audience.

Olivia