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FEEDBACK - RECORDED
If you're having even the smallest thoughts about enhancing your presentation skills, at some point you'll be examining your observable behavior. You'll be asking yourself how you're doing in regards to how you look (your movements, your expressiveness, your eye contact, etc.) and how you sound (your voice, the words you choose, how you deliver them, etc.).
As a quick experiment, freeze! Don't move anything except your eyes as you continue reading. Become aware of your posture. If someone were observing you right now, what message would your body be sending? What about your facial muscles? Is there any tension? Any expression at all on your face? Would someone who doesn't know you well be able to read your face accurately? (Okay, you can relax now!)
| The problem is we can never really know for sure how other people read us. |
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Creating reliable feedback systems is imperative if you are going to improve as a presenter. There are two paths to follow. One is recorded feedback, the other is interpersonal feedback.
Recorded feedback can use either video or audiotape. Audio recording is certainly less intrusive. You can bring a small cassette recorder into a staff meeting and get permission to record your ten-minute presentation. If you have a video camera at home, set it up on some books and rehearse while it's running.
When you're using any kind of recorded feedback, there will be a hurdle to overcome jumped: staying objective about yourself.
It used to be that some people weren't ever able to use recorded feedback to its fullest potential because they couldn't get past the discomfort of watching or listening to themselves. Over the years that's changed. With the proliferation of voice mail messages and home video, most of us have come to accept that our recorded self is actually us. We may not like it, but we accept it.
That separation from our recorded self is actually a good thing. It helps make the feedback a bit more removed from ourselves.
THE BUILDING YOUR PRESENTATION MENU
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