How to review your presentation performance by Nicole Soames

Picture the last time you gave an important presentation. No doubt you spent hours putting your slides together and rehearsing your delivery before the big day. However, how much time did you spend asking yourself how well your performance went? In today’s fast-paced world, it can be tempting to tick your presentation off your to-do list and move on without a backward glance. Inspirational presenters, on the other hand, adopt a growth mindset and review their performance so they can make improvements going forward. So, the next time you give a presentation, follow the three steps below to help you review your performance and take your presenting skills to the next level.

BE BRAVE AND ASK FOR FEEDBACK

A great way to assess how you did is to ask yourself what impression you made on your audience. Encourage people in the audience to give you feedback either formally or informally. If your presentation was filmed, make sure you watch it back, then identify what you could start to do differently, what you could stop doing and what you could continue to do. Don’t just focus on the delivery aspect of your performance – take into account the preparation and content of your presentation so you can assess the overall impact it has made on your audience. Remember to follow up with your key influencers to double check that your messages have landed and that they are taking the right action as a result of what you have presented.

DRAW ON YOUR RESILIENCE

If you’re unhappy with your presenting performance, you need to draw on your resilience by taking the lessons from the situation. It’s entirely normal to feel disheartened at first, but recognise that not everyone is the finished article and harness your ambition and optimism to move forward. Break down your performance into bite-sized chunks so you can identify the specific aspects you need to work on. Then put a plan in place to help you keep developing your presenting skills, whether this means going on a presenting skills course or finding a mentor or coach to boost your self-confidence.

PUT THE PRESENTING THEORY INTO PRACTICE

The final step is to practise the areas of presenting your find most difficult on a daily basis so you can become a truly inspirational presenter. As the saying goes, it takes at least 21 days to develop a habit, so don’t procrastinate, start applying these presenting principles to every interaction you have with people, whether it’s on social media, via email, in online meetings, on the phone or in face-to-face meetings. Don’t make the mistake of saving your new skills for big, formal presentations. The most lasting way to form a habit is to take simple and easy steps, review how these steps benefit you and then repeat them as part of your everyday life.

By following these three steps and taking a rigorous approach to reviewing your presentation, you will quickly reap the rewards of increased presenting confidence and skill, enabling you to make a great impression on those around you.