Want to Get Better?
Embrace Peer Feedback
I have a presentation coming up at work and it’s nerve wracking. I do not like talking in front of more than 5 people at a time. I mentioned this to a couple of my colleagues and they are very supportive. Yet, with each expression of support, I would feel worse. It took me about 3 days to figure out why.
I didn’t need someone to tell me I was going tot be great. I know that I’ll put together the best presentation I can, because that’s my work ethic. I needed someone to help me level up my best until it became better. Here are three things I learned in the process of asking for feedback.
Asking for honest feedback meant I had to be prepared for whatever the person said.
One person told me that my introduction was too long and they got bored. Ouch. But I needed to hear it. I would rather know beforehand and have the chance to shorten it, then be presenting and have people tune out early because they discounted me in the first couple of minutes.
Sometimes, things that make sense to me, makes no sense at all to anyone else.
I didn’t understand what you meant in this section was another piece of feedback. I had written one thing on the slide and talked about it in a completely different way. I made the connection in my head, but I was failing to articulate it.
If more than one person tells you something good, keep it.
There was one point in my presentation that everyone called out. It was good. They liked the wording and the emotion it created. It made sense on multiple levels. Yep, that piece stayed in. I didn’t change it at all. Why mess with something that is already good?
Am I still a touch nervous about the presentation, of course. Feedback can’t change my emotions or my feelings. But embracing feedback, did help my be more confident in the work I produced.
