If you can't figure out why your audience is responding poorly, ask somebody later and fix the problem next time. The best way to become an excellent presenter is to watch really good, experienced speakers and model your talks on theirs. Add those devices to your own repertoire. All should be involved. Try dressing in a uniform fashion.
Transitions are especially important with small group presentations.
Decide where and how you will move from point to point. Make sure that your content does not replicate or even contradict itself from person to person, it needs to be a unified presentation in both content and delivery. Of course, none of these principles can substitute for excellent content. That's effective communication, which is, after all, the whole point.