You’re giving your presentation. You see arms folded, fidgeting, surreptitious phone checks. Oh no! You’re in the middle of explaining the third quarter data and all you can think about is whether your message or its length is off.
Or, you get high on your own supply. You see happy head nods, notes being taken, engaged eye contact, and think you are an inspiring genius. You get high on your own supply and blather well beyond your allotted time.
It can be SUPER challenging not to over-rotate on how your audience is receiving what you’re saying when you’re in the middle of saying it. Sometimes we walk out of the room so exhausted that we want to just hurl all of that feedback out of our heads.
BUT, the data you pick up from your audience can be quite useful in a mini-postmortem. Who was bored? When? Who was thrilled? Why? The more you learn from your audience, the better you become as a presenter, especially if it’s an audience to whom you present all the time.
So hold onto that data. Use it. And get a little bit better every time you deliver your slides.
Not sure how to crush your next presentation? Navigate tough questions? Need some pragmatic, actionable communications advice? Consider Office Hours with Lisa, a great way to get bite-sized, personalized coaching. And there are tons of resources in poseycorp’s newsletter – subscribe here. Get some skills! Because it’s the great communicators who create the change they want to see in the world!
