Monday, March 5, 2018

Presenter feedback tips and thoughts

Dear conference and workshop attendees past, present, and future:

If you have never before presented, you may be unaware of what happens with the feedback you submit. That feedback goes to the organizers of the event, but it also goes on to the presenters. As a presenter, I assure you, I read the feedback I receive. In fact, I count on it. As I present, I am constantly looking at how certain aspects go and making mental notes. Once I have completed my presentation, I make notes on things I want to change. Many things can factor into this: reaction to certain pieces, flow of the presentation, questions asked, how different topics develop organically, and how I feel about the information I have presented. Then, once I receive feedback passed on to me from the organizers, I incorporate that into how I make adjustments to my presentations. I never have presented the same thing exactly the same as the time before because I update my presentations each time.

As a presenter, I rely on your feedback. Other presenters do as well. What I am sharing with you here, I share on behalf of presenters everywhere who have had similar experiences.

When you submit your feedback following a session, the words you say can be incredibly helpful. I welcome constructive criticism. I need it in order to be better. I want to improve. I want the things I present to you to be the best I can make them. If something works, I need to know, just as I need to know if something doesn't work. I welcome any supporting statements to your reactions that you may offer. Please tell me why something just did or didn't work for you. That will help immensely.

On the other side of this coin, though, I have found hurtful comments that do nothing to help me improve the information I bring to you nor my presentation style. If you simply write something such as "boring and uninspiring," you have successfully hurt my feelings and told me nothing of why you felt that way or how I could do better. Just the same, if you think something is "fantastic," I need to know why.

Recently, my ten-year-old son has started presenting with me. We developed "If you give a kid a camera" originally for a (future) conference that would target parents, home-school parents, and alternative educators (think independent study, for example). We based it on our experiences as the #EdTechFamily which include family experiences, lesson designs, projects he has created as a student, and student creations from my classes. When we presented this at the end of February, he was an official presenter with his own email correspondence from the event organizers. This meant that feedback would go to him too. Ladies and gentlemen, let me say again that the feedback you give goes to the presenters for review. This time, I was stunned. The email came through and mixed in with some great feedback and constructive criticism, I found some blunt, hurtful comments. The people in the room, I assume, are educators. Before you fill out those feedback forms, whether the presenter is 10 or 40 or 70, please stop and ask yourself if you would respond to a student the same way. Ask yourself if it is potentially helpful. I was able to filter what my son saw eventually and I am thankful for the help I had with that. That said, if you would not say it to a student, then probably you should rethink your phrasing.

Allow me a moment to translate the "boring and uninspiring" example from above. "This session was not what I expected and I didn't get anything useful from it because..." "Next time, try to liven things up a little more." "The son needs some more practice, but good for him for stepping out and trying to present this." "I really would like to see more (such and such)..." See the difference?

Another tip for attendees:
I subscribe to the EdCamp way of thinking. If you're in a session and it isn't working for you, then please feel free to go check out another session. Yes, I will notice that you're walking out the door, but I won't take it personally. If my session is different than you were expecting and you need something different, that's ok. I understand. Heck, I've been there. You need to get the most out of your conference and workshop experiences that you possibly can.

Be kind and thoughtful in your feedback. Do what you need to do to maximize your conference experiences. And, please remember that your feedback can potentially help make a presentation better.

Those of us who attend conferences as presenters do so to try to offer you something. We are educators, just like you. Some things work, some things do not. Tomorrow is a new day.

As the big Spring CUE Conference approaches, I hope you will take some of what I have said here to heart. I hope you have a fabulous experience in Palm Springs! If you see me there, please say hi and, if you're so inclined, let's take a selfie. I don't have any sessions this year, but I will be presenting my "big idea" on Friday afternoon as a Leroy Finkel Fellowship finalist. Come on by and check it out if you don't have another session to attend at that time.

#CUE #CCCUE #WeAreCUE #ETC2018 #IfYouGiveAKidACamera #Eduawesome #Adventure #wheresmsrnow

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