What Did You Think of My Presentation?

As a speaker expert, I hear that question over and over when I talk to speakers after they’ve shared their presentation. The thing is, when I’m sitting in someone’s audience, I’m not there with my speaker-expert hat on. I’m there for the same reason everyone else is. I want to learn more about the speaker’s topic.

This means that my answers wouldn’t be about how well someone presented, or how good their presentation was. It would be from my first-hand experience as a member of the audience, and how well their presentation did when it came to helping me achieve the goals I had when I sat down. That perspective is what inspired me to sit down and create a list of audience goals speakers can use when they’re building their presentations.

The first thing I want to know is what kind of presentation I’m about to sit through. To review, there are four major categories for presentations.

1. Persuasive: We come to this type of presentation from one of three positions. We agree, disagree, or are on the fence. In a persuasive presentation, the speaker’s goal is to provide thoughts, ideas, information, etc., that speak to the benefits of their position. My goal from my seat in the audience is to have a better understanding of their side of the topic—whether I agree or disagree with what the speaker shares.
2. Inspirational/Motivational: Generally, these talks share life stories and experiences to illustrate how the speaker (or someone they care about) successfully worked through a hardship. Their goal is to inspire us to believe that it’s possible for us to work through our similar situation. My goal in this audience is to walk away feeling inspired and/or motivated.
3. Instructional: This presentation’s goal is to provide us with actionable knowledge we didn’t have before we sat in the audience. My goal here is to feel confident that based on what the speaker shared, I’ll be able to take action on the concrete step-by-step instructions they provided.
4. Informative: Presentations in this category are usually aimed at providing background information and/or an overview of something within the speaker’s expertise. Their goal is to inform and increase both the audience’s awareness and knowledge. My goal is to be presented quality content that both holds my attention, and adds to my knowledge.

Can you combine categories? Yes, with care… because if I’m sitting in someone’s informative presentation, I’m not going to be happy when the speaker starts giving detailed instructions instead of pros, cons, and other considerations.

Back to my goals when I’m in the audience. Here’s my list of questions. The first three are general questions anyone might ask themselves. They’re also questions you might find on a feedback form.

• Did I learn something I didn’t know?
• Was I emotionally engaged, enlightened, or moved?
• Am I leaving with thoughtful and/or physical takeaways?

As a speaker expert, I’m going to dig a little deeper into my audience experience with these next three questions.

• Did the speaker and their presentation hold my attention?
• Did the conclusion of the speaker’s presentation deliver on what was promised at the beginning?
• Did the methods they used to deliver their presentation enhance or detract from my audience participant goal of learning more?

Now comes the moment when my speaker-expert hat goes on whether I want it to or not. I think about the “aha” moments I experienced. They are hands down one of the best indicators of whether or not your presentation helped me achieve my goal of walking away with something I didn’t have before I sat down.

So, back to the original question of, “What did I think?” If people in your audience had the aha moments you built into your presentation, and they’re connecting with you after you speak, then I think your presentation was a success.