Phew glad that’s Over! That speech was a turkey!
And Boy it was bad.
OK so it wasn’t the most awful speech in the history of speeches but…….
I’ll guarantee I won’t be winning any awards with it. If you have ever felt like that after you have spoken, this is for you.
Right now – when you finish, your emotions are in a mess. You feel embarrassed, you feel humiliated, upset with yourself, your inner voices are screaming ‘get me out of here.’
Now you’re looking for somewhere to hide. I know how you feel, I’ve been there and it’s not a nice feeling. Now is the time to take a few deep breaths and if you can, reflect on the death of your speech. But please don’t dwell on it. It’s just like falling of a horse or a bicycle, the quicker you get back on the easier it will be.
No one’s perfect, for example how many times have you seen a top sportsperson give a poor display? No one can be on top of their game all the time.
We are all fallible at times, sports people are, politicians are, CEO’s are Teachers are, so you can be.
Once you have come back down to earth, the most important thing you can do is: take a dispassionate look at how you did. Take a step back and take a seat in your audience. Please try and keep your emotions and your inner voices in check. What you need right now is a little objectivity.
There are some questions to ask yourself that should help you:
Why was your presentation ineffective and what went wrong? This is a way of saying it without using the word B**. Take a few moments to identify where you can improve it.
What parts of your presentation were out of your control? Technical stuff happens, such as the projector not working or the microphone playing up. This can upset the audience as much as you but remember they are on your side – highlight the distraction so it does not happen again.
If you can change one part of the presentation what would that be? Did you have impact? Was it pitched at the right level? Were the visuals/PowerPoint appropriate? Did you leave them with powerful last words? How were the Questions and Answers? It’s odds on it was one of these that cause some problems. Now is the time to look at the section causing you trouble and re-work it.
How prepared were you to speak? If the answer is not really- , then what more could have been don to prepare you? Had you researched the audience? Did you try to speak flying by the seat of your pans? Were you not fully briefed on your topic? If one of these issues caused you problems, it’s time to correct the error.
Were you the only one responsible? Just like point two being prepared for all eventualities is the number one rule. Check everything before you start, it’s too late afterwards!
Hope these pointers helped you. Please feel free to share your experiences in the comments below.
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Take a few moments to think about these questions. You may find that jotting down what you feel went wrong will help you next time. Always in life we learn from our mistakes and this is no exception.
Now you have organised your thoughts there is an important step. Now is the time to take a step back. You need time for everything to sink in. Just like writing an important letter or proposal – we all make changes the following day.
Without a break from your perceptions you are likely to rush into making unnecessary changes. What is required is time to reflect and time to amend. Once you have done that, it’s time to rehearse the speech again. My suggestion is two days away from your notes.
The only reason you would break this rule is if you have a presentation to make the next day. But take a break from it for a few minutes, go for a walk, make some phone calls whatever, you do have a break!
This mental break will give you time to shore up your esteem and clear your mind.
Refreshed by your change you can return to your notes. You’ll never rewrite what went wrong. You do have personal power to change the future.
Remember – every speaker has a rough day. And you’ll never be alone in that. Best advice is get back on the horse and learn from your mistakes.
Or in the lines of the old song “Pick yourself up, Dust yourself down and start all over again”
You never know you may even use your past experiences in a future presentation, how good wood that be?
If you would like t0 engage Paul as a coach or mentor please check the Training and Seminars Page
Next Time: PowerPoint is Bull S***
To your Speaking Success
Paul M Johnstone is a Public Speaking Coach, who helps people Overcome the fear of Public Speaking a Communications skills mentor,Executive Coach and Public Speaker. He is the founder of the On The Money© an easy to master presentation system allowing you to deliver Killer Presentations every time.
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Paul M Johnstone© Is a Public Speaking Expert
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