If you want to become a better speaker, you need feedback.
Feedback from people who understand speaking. Feedback from people who understand your audience. Even feedback from people who know absolutely nothing about speaking but know what they like, what they didn’t understand, and when they stopped paying attention.
Unfortunately, as I've discovered, giving practice speeches to hundreds of small audiences over the years, specifically for feedback: The more feedback you get, the more confusing it can become.
One person tells you to add more stories. Another tells you that you have too many stories. Someone loves your opening. Someone else thinks you should start with a question. One person thinks your humor is your greatest strength. Another thinks you need to be more serious.
And everybody is absolutely certain they’re right.
This is one of the reasons I believe having a coach is so important.
A good speaking coach isn’t simply another person giving you feedback. My job as a coach is to help you sift through ALL the feedback you’re receiving and determine what actually helps you accomplish the purpose of your speech - including my own!
There IS tremendous value in putting your speech in front of different people.
Give it at a Toastmasters meeting and listen to both the formal evaluation, and comments you ask for after the meeting. You might even ask for a round-robin evaluation, where each person in the room gets a chance to say something helpful. Try parts of it in front of a networking group. Run it by a few experienced professional speakers. Pay attention to the comments you hear from audience members afterward.
They may not know WHY something worked or didn’t work, but they know how they responded to it.
“I didn’t understand that part.”
“That story really hit me.”
“I wanted to know what happened next.”
“I thought you were wrapping up, but then you kept going.”
That’s valuable information. But feedback is data. It isn’t a command. This is where your coach becomes particularly valuable.
I know what my clients are specifically trying to accomplish. I understand your message, your audience, your goals and, ideally, your business. When ten people give you ten different opinions, I can help you separate personal preference from useful information.
Together, we can work to identify patterns. If one person says your opening doesn’t work, maybe they simply didn’t like it. If six people tell you they were confused during the first three minutes, you probably have something worth examining.
Together, we'll ask the right questions.
Not, “Should I make the change they suggested?” but, “What is their feedback telling us?”
Maybe their suggested solution is completely wrong, but they’ve identified a very real problem. That distinction is huge.
Without discernment, speakers can end up rewriting their speeches by committee. They take every suggestion, make every change and eventually create something that doesn’t sound like them anymore.
I work with each client to help them stay focused on what YOU want the audience to think, feel and do. They help protect the core of your message while challenging you to improve how effectively you deliver it.
Ultimately, it’s still your speech.
But a great coach, whether it's me or another top-notch coach, gives you an experienced set of eyes and ears to help you decide which feedback deserves your attention, which feedback reveals a larger issue and which feedback you can simply thank someone for and leave behind.
So get lots of feedback. Listen to experienced speakers. Listen to Toastmasters. Listen to your audiences. Listen to people who understand your business and people who have never heard you speak before. But don’t try to navigate all those opinions alone.
Because getting feedback will make your speech better. Knowing what to do with that feedback will make YOU better.
Looking to improve your presentations, get paid from the stage, or even get paid to speak on stage? Email me at rich@richhopkins.com!
I also invite you to join me every Wednesday at Noon Eastern Time for Speakers Speak Live - a weekly zoom meeting for speakers to meet each other, build rapport and referrals, as well as hear and provide feedback for the Showcase Speaker! Register at http://www.speakersspeaklive.com.
