How To Give Speech Feedback
Giving speech fedback is not that easy because of so-called negativity bias.
It’s risky leaving the cave.
Negativity Bias
Over millions of years we have become hard-wired to look for danger, to see threats to our safety. However, this survival instinct can also mean that we see negatives where none are intended.
That negative perspective can create a challenge when giving feedback on a speech or presentation.
Maybe it’s why most people when asked, “What did you think of my presentation, was it any good?” will just say, “It was fine/good/great.” (Insert your own description.)
But response like that on its own isn’t going to help the speaker much, is it?
So how do we go about it giving balanced feedback that the speaker will take onboard in a measured way and learn from it?
Helpful Speech Feedback
Don’t just give a vague response when asked for your view on a presentation. For your input to have any value to the speaker you need to identify what you thought worked well and what adjustments could be made to the content or the speaker’s delivery that would make the overall speech better.
Be Positive
Rather than just pointing out what the speaker did wrong in your eyes, look for what they did well. What did you like? Give examples of what worked well and explain why it worked.
Positive feedback can help the speaker feel more confident and more receptive to taking onboard aspects that could be improved.
Be Constructive
It is likely that there will be aspects of the speaker’s performance that could be improved. Just being critical and telling them that they need to improve A, B and C is unlikely to be helpful.
A more constructive approach would be to highlight one or two areas where changes could make the presentation even better. But only mention the points if you can explain clearly how the change could be brought about and you can demonstrate it.
There are no rights and wrongs; everybody’s style of presentation is different. Rather than stating the changes that are required, “I think it might work even better if you tried X, Y and Z” is a more empathetic approach.
How To Approach Speech Feedback
A Feedback Sandwich
It is a good idea to start your feedback by mentioning a few aspects that went well; that you liked. That will help the speaker to relax and pay close attention to what you are saying.
You can then mention a couple of elements that could be approached differently to make the presentation even better.
And then round off by reminding of the positives and adding one or two more.
Sandwiching suggestions for improvement between what went well is more likely to leave the speaker willing to try to incorporate your suggestions when next they speak.
Feedback Context
If it is a training environment, such as a speakers’ club, your feedback also needs to consider whether the speaker met the objectives of the speech. If they did, it might be beneficial to highlight it at the beginning of your feedback. This will make the speaker feel positive and encouraged and is likely to help them see your suggestions for improvement in a more positive light.
If you don’t think they achieved the required level, you could mention it at the start and say that you will explain why after you’ve highlighted the positive aspects of the speech.
An alternative would be to use the sandwich method, highlight the good aspects first before addressing the need for improvement and offering guidance on how they might make the necessary changes.
Conclusion
What style of feedback works best will depend on the speaker and the context of the speech. But keep in mind that your objective should be to be positive, encouraging and to help the speaker to believe that they are good and can become even better.
(This post was last updated 9th January 2025)
Find Out More
Read about negativity bias, thoughts on how to overcome it plus cavemen and more.
And when negativity turns into a fear of public speaking, here’s how to overcome it.
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