Debrief

It may sound a bit on the side of Le Carre but a debrief session is essential in developing your presentation skills, especially after a successful event; after all it’s good to know what you are doing right so you can do it again.

How would you define a successful presentation?

You might be concerned with your audience’s responses, were they appropriate to the material presented? Did they nod at the right bits, were there signs of notes being taken, were they relieved when you finished or enthusiastic in asking follow up questions?

If the response wasn’t what you hoped for, don’t blame the audience; look at your material, consider the way you presented the information, try to work out what that audience needed from you.

There will be times when you are sent to speak to an unreceptive audience or there is a mismatch between your topic and the people present, nonetheless it is your job to speak to the audience you have, not the one you think you should have.

Check out identifying the elements of a successful presentation at skillpresentations.com.

P.S. if they didn’t laugh at your jokes it is probably because they are not funny.