Peter Fogel's "The Importantance of Critiquing Your Public Speaking Presentation!"

After you have given a presentation, and especially at the beginning of your career (and even when you are at a level of expertise), you should critique your presentation skills to improve. It’s safe to say the more proficient a speaker you are, the better the communicator you are. The better the communicator you are, the more engagements you will get!

So who should critique your speech or presentation? Well, of course, you should. Of course, your toughest critic will most likely be yourself. That is why you it is vital for you to video tape or record your presentation so as to pick up the blatant flaws in your presentation.

I know a lot of speakers who don’t want to do it for that reason, which is precisely why you should. Real growth will come once you get out of your comfort zone and deal with the parts of your platform skills that need to be honed.

That said, besides yourself, the ideal person(s) to critique your speech should be someone who makes up the ideal audience you are addressing.

According to my colleague, Bob Bly, author, copywriter and speaker, the more technical your subject matter is, the better to get someone to vet your notes or draft (before your presentation.) Naturally, you don’t want to present technical material that is out dated or could be easily challenged by your audience for accuracy.

Here are Bob’s 10 guidelines you can use to help critique yourself. In fact, you might want to use this format for your own speaker evaluation forms that could handed out to your audience after your presentation.

1.Was the content clear and understandable?

2.Was it written at the right level for the intended audience?

3.Did the speakers maintain good eye contact with your audience?

4.Was the content fresh, useful and practical?

5.Did the speaker tell you not just what to do, but how to do it, or at least where to find out how to do it?

6.Were the points covered actionable– ideas the audience can take back to the office and pout to work immediately.

7.How was the pace of the presentation – too fast, too slow, just right
8.Did the speaker articulate well? (Did his or her voice project so everyone in the room can hear them?)

9.How were the sight lines? Was everybody in the room (including those in the rear) able to see the power-point and the speaker?

10.Did the speaker’s presentation match the expectations of the listeners and attendees? (Were all the important points in the outline covered in the presentation.)

When getting the evaluation forms or critiques back – notice which common areas your audience keeps either complimenting you on, or which problem areas they comment on that wasn’t up to par!

Remember: You are never as great as you think are, and you are never as poor a speaker as you think you are. Some where in the middle is the truth.

If an audience member comes up to you and compliments you are your work, thank them of course, but ask which specific area of your speech resonated with them. Specificity is important!

Peter Fogel is “The Reinvention Guy”. He is the editor and publisher of “The World’s Best Public Speaking Secrets!” For more information on this e-book and the two cool FREE bonuses that come with it, go to
http://www.publicspeaklikeapro.com/public-speaking-secrets.html