How to Evaluate Your Conference Presentations

A fully prepared conference presenter invests the time to evaluate every presentation and rehearsal session. As soon as you step off stage, there is a wealth of information available to evaluate for the purpose of elevating your message delivery skills.

In this article, I'll share the feedback framework we use at the Heroic Voice Academy to prepare conference presenters for their journey to the stage. During our Presentation Gym sessions, or 1-1 Coaching workouts, we use this framework to identify best practices, to remove inefficiencies and to explore creative options.

Part 1 - Lock in Best Practices

The Challenge

"We are each our own worst critic." Our inner critic shows up the moment we step off stage. They are ready to share a comprehensive list of all the mistakes you made, all the details you forgot, all the content that caused confusion.

The best thing to do is to press the pause button on the negative feedback. When you quiet the voice of the inner critic, you can intentionally sequence the framework of your personal feedback session. We always start with what worked.

Identify "What Worked"

While the presentation is fresh in your mind, recall all of the successful moments on stage. It's okay if nothing immediately comes to mind. Be patient. You will find a silver lining in every presentation. When it appears, write it down. Sometimes, identifying that first item creates a pathway to recall additional moments of success.

When you have completed your list of what worked, take a brief moment to review the list. Some items on your list are a result of practice. Others items may appear for the first time - inspired by your audience, the moment, or your creative state. The process of review shifts these best practices to long-term memory and makes them available for future presentations.

Part 2 - Remove Inefficiencies

The Challenge

Your inner critic has been patiently waiting and now has the opportunity to speak. The challenge is to be in the best state of mind to receive corrective feedback. While taking in the list of what didn't work, what is the best way to avoid taking the feedback personally? How can you use the information to elevate your message delivery skills?

Think about professionals and the way they experiment. A musician experiments with notes and lyrics. A programmer experiments with lines of code. An athlete experiments with muscle movements. When their experiments fail, these professionals are easily able to process the negative results, using them to shape the next version of their work.

Identify "What Didn't Work"

As a presenter, you are always experimenting. When you rehearse. When you create content. When you are in front of an audience. In this part of the feedback framework, identify anything that was inefficient or ineffective: A story went too long. A joke fell flat. A slide caused overwhelm. The audience looked bored and confused, with some of them leaving the room.

As you review the list of what didn't work, have the mindset of a professional experimenter. This allows you to avoid taking the feedback personally, and instead use them as prompts to compose the next version of your presentation: shorten your story, tell a different joke, simplify your slides, and use skills from the Connection Triangle to engage your audiences.

Part 3 - Explore Creative Options

The Challenge

The process of receiving feedback involves the head and the heart. Intellectually, it is quite simple to process what to keep and what to remove. Remember that emotions play a significant role in the ultimate impact of a feedback session.

While locking in best practices, each item triggers feelings of joy, confidence and excitement. While removing inefficiencies, each item can trigger negative emotions that include frustration, anger and disappointment. Instead of ending the feedback on a negative note, make an intentional shift to a creative space.

Identify "Things to Explore"

Remember that the final part of feedback is creative, NOT corrective. We are searching for creative options to explore in future iterations of your presentation. What if you told a different story, shared a simpler slide, or used a different voice of leadership?

Complete each feedback session with a list of creative options to explore. Your mind will expand with the spark of new ideas. Your heart will be filled the anticipation of successful outcomes. Your body will have renewed energy and motivation for your next time on stage.

Expand the Capacity of your Heroic Voice

To accelerate your mission and magnify your impact, consider joining our Presentation ROI MasterClass. This program prepares you for your most important presentations and conversations. Compose 7 leadership presentations, elevate 6 essential message delivery skills, record your signature presentation.

Schedule an appointment with one of our executive communications coaches, and learn how the MasterClass will prepare you to generate money, support and reputation from all of your leadership presentations.