Unfortunately, our brains were constructed to react more intensely to negative events like failure. University of Chicago researcher John Cacioppo, Ph.D., discovered that the brain emits more electrical activity after interacting with negative stimuli. Although negativity drives our recognition of danger and pushes us to combat it, a healthy life requires a healthy balance between positive and negative experiences. According to several studies, 5 positive interactions make up for 1 negative interaction. For a presenter dealing with the mental repercussions of a particularly traumatic presentation performance, it could take 5 flawless deliveries to feel satisfied with your public speaking abilities after 1 disaster. The best method to get back on your feet after sustaining a failing event is to focus on the aspects you can control. Here are four ways to lasso failure and dictate your presentation destiny:
1. Improve planning efforts
There are many cognitive biases aside from the negativity bias that impact presenters after a terrible presentation experience. Some presenters might fall victim to recency bias, which occurs when you are most prone to remembering an event that happened recently. So, if your last presentation bombed, you’ll probably have the instance on replay in your mind. The absolute number one way to quench any presentation anxiety following a subpar performance is to evaluate your planning practices and pinpoint areas you can enhance. For example, if you only rehearsed your presentation a few times prior to delivering it, then double or even triple the amount of times you practice for your next presentation. The day of your presentation, arrive at the venue on-time, or better yet, about 30 to 45 minutes early. That way you are ready for any technological problems that may arise.
2. Expand subject knowledge
Are you the type of presenter who tends to “wing it” during a talk? Do you rarely practice because you assume you know all of the information (even though you likely don’t have a firm grasp on all of it)? Sometimes a presenter experiences the Dunning-Kruger Effect, which means that he or she overestimates their understanding of a topic, but is also completely unaware of their lack of knowledge or ability. This could have been the driving force behind a failed presentation, and it goes beyond a lack of preparation. When you agree to present to an audience, it is your responsibility to do your due diligence and research carefully. Equipping yourself with the knowledge necessary to complement your presentation will minimize a performance failure by easing your anxiety and enhancing the audience experience.
3. Perfect adjustment techniques
If you failed in any part of your last presentation, maybe it is time to overcome status quo bias – a preference for your current environment and a belief that anything deviating from that environment will result in a loss. Perhaps your audience didn’t resonate with the message you were presenting to them. A lack of message customization between different audiences could be a symptom of your status quo bias. The good news is that simple adjustment techniques can drastically improve a presentation and avoid failure. For example, take the extra time to consider who you will be presenting to in your next presentation. What are their needs? Their interests? Will your audience consist of mainly millennials or will it be a more diverse group? Once you have nailed that down, craft new content or edit what you already have to maximize the value you could add to your attendees’ lives.
4. Recognize weaknesses
Recent studies have found that talent has nothing to do with how a person handles adversity. While you may not be the most remarkable presenter that ever lived, as long as you have grit, you will be able to withstand any adversity confronted during presentations. In one specific study, researchers analyzed National Spelling Bee finalists and discovered that those children with the most grit not only spent more hours in practice, but also performed much better when on stage. Grit and resiliency will get you through the immediate pains after enduring a failed presentation. These qualities paired with the ability to reflect on your weaknesses will set you up to achieve success the next go around – despite failure’s way of warping your perception of your presentation skills.
Conclusion
Following a presentation failure, many presenters may suffer from a psychological phenomenon called the Zeigarnik Effect – where an individual most accurately remembers incomplete or unfinished business. A negative presentation experience can feel like an incomplete task, leaving the presenter yearning for some closure to the horrific event. No, you can’t re-give the presentation. I know, It’s tragic that we still can’t time travel in this day and age. But closure can come in many forms, especially for presenters. During the first stage of closure, replay the negative presentation experience until you realize the parts where you need to improve. Then, move on to the second stage of closure and decide the actions you will take to deliver a successful presentation. For more information about how to overcome failure, check out the following articles:
Why You Should Investigate Your Failures Like a Detective
5 Ways Failure Leads to Mastery
Why Perfectionism is Bad for Your Business Presentations
