By Laura Stack, MBA, CSP
Once you’ve completed your presentation successfully, you may think you’re done. But don’t let go just yet! You still have to handle what some observers call “the presentation after the presentation.” What are the actions and practices that will help you maximize the impact of your presentation and/or improve future ones?
Some of these items are plain common sense, though others may not be quite as obvious:
- Thank the organizers. If you have time, thank the people who organized the event for their hard work and for inviting you. If you can’t do this at the podium, make sure to do so in person. Doing both won’t hurt, and it won’t take much extra time.
- Turn off your microphone. We’ve all heard about people making unflattering comments when they thought their microphones were off, from the President of the U.S. on down. Don’t let this happen to you. Even ordinary comments or noises made when you think the mike is off can damage your credibility.
- Be considerate of the next speaker. Unless you’re last in the lineup, immediately turn off your computer and pack it away, along with your other equipment. Then get out of the next speaker’s way. Move chatty people off to the side or to the back of the room to make it easier for the next speaker to set up.
- Talk to participants who want to speak personally. Network with those who come up after the presentation, hand out your card, and promise to connect by phone or e-mail later. During the Q&A period, you may have had questioners who asked such long, detailed questions you had to cut them off. Now you have time to speak to them in more detail.
- Sell. If you have the opportunity, bring or ship copies of your books, CDs, and DVDs to sell in the back of the room after your presentation. No selling from the platform is necessary; if you gave a good presentation, some audience members naturally will want to “take you home” with them. Ask the person who will thank you after your speech to say you’ll be in the back to meet and greet and sign your books.
- Solicit feedback. If the meeting planner didn’t create an evaluation, create your own and place one on each seat before your talk. Ask the audience to fill out and return them in the back of the room. Or you could follow up later on with an online survey. Feedback is a valuable gift, so you know how to do even better next time. Ask participants what they would like to hear more about, so you can make a case to return.
- Self-evaluate. As soon after the presentation as possible, go to your favorite quiet place and think about the presentation. Write down your thoughts on your weaknesses and strengths, as well as any ideas that came to you during the presentation. Were were you exceptionally funny? What story came to you that you want to repeat? What was the best part of your presentation? What can you improve on? How do you feel overall about the presentation, and how did you feel while giving it? Use this evaluation to improve your next speech.
- Review the recording of the speech. If your presentation was recorded, watch it with the audio muted to review your body language and facial expressions. Do you look stiff or unsettled? Do your expressions and body language match and convey your message, or at least help do so? Next, turn off the video and listen to the audio. Analyze the rate and pitch of your speech as you present. What emotions come through in your voice, and do they contribute to your message? Do you sound enthusiastic and excited? Did you emphasize the right things at the right times?
The period immediately after your presentation represents an invaluable opportunity to network with audience members who want to meet you personally and learn more about your message. Later on, spend some time on self-reflection. Focus on the key aspects of your performance, so you can do even better the next time around.
Laura Stack, MBA, CSP, is an expert in productivity. For more than 20 years, Stack has worked with business leaders to execute more efficiently, boost performance, and accelerate results in the workplace. Her company, The Productivity Pro, Inc., provides productivity workshops around the globe to help attendees achieve Maximum Results in Minimum Time. Stack is the bestselling author of six books, with more than 20 foreign editions, published by Random House, Wiley, and Berrett-Koehler, including her newest work, “Execution IS the Strategy”(March 2014). An expert in the field of performance and workplace issues, Stack has been featured on the CBS Early Show,CNN, the Wall Street Journal,and The New York Times. Connect via her website, Facebook, or Twitter.
