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In a previous post, I wrote about how practicing a talk is the best way to overcome public speaking anxiety. Practice helps you master the content of your talk, reducing the challenge of recalling what you want to say. Just as importantly, practice also gives you the opportunity to have a trusted person provide you with feedback. Getting the right feedback can be extraordinarily valuable. But it shouldn’t be just any reaction. A simple ‘good job’ or ‘great’ may provide some degree of reassurance. But a feedback session that does not go beyond that is a lost opportunity.

How can you get (and give) the most from feedback? The following tips come to mind.

First, the nature of the feedback depends on the stage of preparation. If you are in the early process of preparing your talk, showing a colleague, mentor or advisor an early draft provides an opportunity to discuss the overall structure and story arc. Feedback can help you identify things to leave out or include, such as your strategy for ‘hooking’ the audience right at the beginning. It can also help you to identify the surprising result that plays the role of the story climax after which everything changes.

You can also receive advice on tailoring the content to the expected audience. You don’t want to lose non-specialists with highly technical, jargony detail but you also don’t want to turn off the experts with overly simplistic content. Balance is key and the best advice is provided by someone who has a good ‘read’ of the audience.

Later on, as your presentation takes shape, feedback can focus on the details. Are you presenting data so that it can be understood and advances your message? Are your charts or diagrams clear enough to be absorbed in the time that they are shown? Is your message easy to follow and absorb? Are there gaps in your narrative that forces the audience to ‘work’ to understand what you left out? Are you using language that is accessible, but not boring?

And then when it gets close to your presentation, feedback should focus on the delivery. Does your body language reflect openness? Are you making eye contact? Are you using a comfortable pace? Are you using pauses strategically to both catch your breath and give the audience a chance to absorb what you are saying?

If you are sensitive to criticism, receiving negative comments can be challenging. You should approach feedback from a position of openness, willingness to learn and gratitude that someone is taking the time to provide their thoughts. One additional strategy for dealing with criticism is to have specific questions for the reviewer(s). Was the story easy to follow? Were the slides helpful or confusing? Was your presentation style effective? By asking these questions in advance, you ‘set the agenda’ and the feedback session now becomes more like colleagues working together to enhance your presentation.

If you find yourself on the opposite side i.e. giving criticism, how you frame your comments is critical. They should never take the form of personal attacks. That will just make the presenter defensive. Rather, you should use “I” statements. Say “I was confused when you described that experiment” rather than “your description of that experiment was very confusing”. And always pair a criticism with suggestions for improvement.

I would love to hear your thoughts on receiving and giving feedback. Please comment, like, repost here or at my LinkedIn site. And if you think I can help you in getting your message out, please contact me directly here or at my website for assistance.