Giving Feedback On A Presentation

I received a call to swing by someone's office and provide some feedback on a presentation that "is a lot like ones that you do!"

That got me interested so I leaped up and power walked over to this individuals office.  While I walked I reminded myself of my "Rules for Giving Feedback."

1. Very few people really want feedback - Most want you to tell them they are amazing.
2. When you find someone that actually wants your feedback DO NOT overwhelm them with 83 items.
3. Think two great items and one item that will improve the presentation
4. Finally, DO NOT talk about small things like where they put their hands, pacing, saying "uh" etc.  Give the individual something BIG that can really help them.

I arrived at the office and my colleague pulled up the presentation and started walking through it.  I looked at their face and saw how excited they were, which was my first clue on how much feedback to give and how blunt to be. (A tiny bit and be kind)

The presentation was very good and was on par with the principles of Presentation Zen  by Garr Reynolds.  I started talking about how exciting it was to see a fellow convert and how sharp the pictures were.  I asked, "How many total slides do you have?"  They answered, "28 right now."  I asked, "How long is the presentation?"  They said, "40 minutes."  

28 slides in 40 minutes is a filmstrip.  If the individual giving the presentation slows down at all they are going to fall behind, realize that they are behind, rush several slides and blow the end.

My rule is 10 slides per hour.

Yup! 10 SLIDES PER HOUR

I asked who was giving the presentation and found out it was someone I knew that did a very good job.  They told great stories and held the audience's attention.  

With all this data in my head I made my move with a question.

"Joe (not real name) is a great in front of an audience, why does he feel he needs the 8-10 slides with graph's and charts on them?"

This was my tiny attempt to warn my friend about the feedback that was coming.

"Well, they are in front of a crowd that sees them as an expert so this data will confirm that."

I said, "But they are already billed as the expert, so why don't we cut this down to 10 of the best slides and go with that?"

Their response was a teaching moment for me: "They are giving the presentation today, and we don't have time to change it.  Plus they like these charts and graphs."

I blew that - I should have asked one more question before giving some feedback.

I should have said, "This is really great. I enjoying working with people who understand the importance of building presentations that educate."

Then I would leave.

Instead I continued to blow it by saying, "Why don't you take the final chart, slim it down to it's most educational elements and use it, instead of using three slides that progressively add data?"

That comment flustered the individual and caused them to get defensive and repeat back to my why they created the presentation a certain way.

The Lesson


Before giving feedback ask enough questions to understand if you are in a true feedback environment.