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Measure the success of your
presentation skills
Speaking Tips
By Michelle M. Schick
The audience members
roar at your jokes. They even lean forward in their chairs to
listen intently, and in the entire 90-minute stretch, you do
not utter a single "uh" or "umm." In the end, according to the
feedback form, about 40 percent of the audience can recall the
three customer-service tenets you artfully introduced and 98
percent rate your presentation as very good or excellent.
With such a strong performance, is
it fair to say your presentation was a success? That depends
on how you define success. Were you trying to be entertaining?
Have you been diligently working to avoid filler comments? Did
your storytelling build rapport with your listeners? If any of
these were your goals, then it sounds as though your speech
was a winner.
What if your
presentation's major purpose was to ensure your audience
retained those three key customer-service principles? In that
case, 40 percent is less than half -- not enough to be
considered successful, even though your speaking technique was
flawless.
Often when we prepare
to speak, we think about content and delivery, but how often
do we consider what needs to happen for our presentation to be
a success? By setting measurable goals, looking beyond
traditional feedback tools and developing personal speaking
objectives, you'll be able to judge whether your efforts
accomplish what you intend.
Start with a measurable goal
Although every presentation comes
with a number of objectives, it's important to identify the
primary reason you are in front of the audience. Are you
attempting to persuade, inspire or merely inform your
listeners? Maybe you have been commissioned to alleviate
stress or boost morale. Pin down that central purpose and
write it in a single statement. Now go one step further and
write down what will be different when the goal has been
achieved.
A specific goal and
outcome will not only aid in measuring your presentation's
effectiveness but will give you a target to aim for and
ultimately will help you decide on the best approach and
materials to use.
Question the
feedback sheet
Of course,
even if you believe you've achieved the measurable goal, the
audience's remarks may not indicate that happened. This is
always disappointing to discover when you read the feedback
sheets at a session's end. Yes, the room was too hot,
especially after that heavy pasta lunch. So was it a poor
presentation because the hotel's conference room was too warm
and that's all the audience noticed?
As a presenter, you should take the feedback sheet
with a grain of salt. A problem with typical evaluation
methods is that they often measure the wrong things and, as a
result, your audience may not be able to provide you with the
meaningful feedback you need. Does the sheet ask the audience
about the three main points or any reference to content
retention? If not, then it's hard to judge whether a hot room
prevented them from walking away with plans to implement your
objectives.
If you plan to use a
feedback sheet, take a good look at its questions beforehand.
Will it ask the right questions? Will it provide you with
answers you need to judge your measurable goals? If not, then
change the feedback sheet.
Develop your own criteria
Another way to measure presentation success is by
defining your personal presenting goals. Start with who you
are. If you are just beginning your career as a speaker, one
indicator of success might simply be a lack of visible shaking
or other nervous mannerisms when you are in front of the
crowd. As you hone your presentation skills, you can begin to
expect more of yourself. You might define success based on the
number of creative risks you are willing to take.
If all else fails, use your passion
to personally judge how you are doing. Think about the reasons
that push you to get in front of a group. If you thrive on
motivating others, what evidence do you have of your ability
to influence? Do you pride yourself on being extremely
knowledgeable about a given topic? Pat yourself on the back
when you can address complicated, esoteric questions.
In the world of presenting, feedback
can be a key component in identifying problem areas and
improving techniques for future endeavors. It's important to
remember that you won't know whether you've actually reached
your destination unless you've mapped it out beforehand.
Michelle M. Schick
(schick.michelle@mayo.edu) is an educational specialist at
Mayo Management Services in Rochester, Minn.
Originally
published in the October 2001 issue of Presentations
magazine. Copyright 2001, VNU Business Media.
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