It’s common knowledge that practice and rehearsal, combined with relevant feedback, will improve your presentations. If you’re willing to put in the work, your talks can be transformational. This will open doors to new opportunities and connections.
But there’s a common trap that many professionals and speakers fall into:
They seek feedback only from their peers.
The Problem
While it’s comfortable and convenient, this approach has a significant drawback. Your peers know your world; they speak your language, understand your jargon, and are familiar with your examples. They may even know your presentation style as well as you do.
Because of this, they have inherent blind spots. They’re too close to the material and industry lingo. This leads to overlooking elements that might be confusing or alienating to those outside your circle. It’s like the image above. If you’re stuck in the orange, you can’t see into the aqua and beyond.
The Solution
So, to most effectively refine and elevate your presentation skills, include feedback from people outside your immediate professional sphere—those who aren’t experts in your field or don’t know your style at a deep level.
Their fresh perspective is valuable. They’ll point out the confusing parts, question the jargon, and challenge you to clarify and simplify.
This broader feedback sharpens your message and makes it accessible and engaging for a wider audience.
By embracing this approach, you enhance your presentation skills and significantly increase the impact of your message.
If you’d like a fresh perspective on your presentations, schedule time to talk with Michael: https://calendly.com/speakingcpr/30-minute-call
Michael’s mission is to help leaders, managers and sales professionals communicate with more confidence, impact, and influence. This passion is born from his own communication difficulties early in his career.
Fortunately, he discovered that public speaking is like riding a bike, swimming or driving a car - it’s a learnable skill. Once he discovered this ‘secret’ he became a voracious student of the craft. He took courses, studied some of the world’s best speakers and storytellers and continues to study presentation and business storytelling skills.
He is hired by companies and organizations, leaders, managers and sales professionals, and TEDx speakers to help them become more confident, impactful and influential communicators.
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