In your presentations – just like in your relationships – there comes a time when you have to decide whether you should fight for your presentation content, or let it go. The signs are always there. They may seem hidden at first, but once you begin thinking about it, you’ll notice the subtle hints you simply overlooked. At first, you’ll feel utterly ignorant that you never picked up on anything out of the ordinary. Then, you’ll blame yourself for all of the wasted time and missed opportunities. Like the woman who suddenly finds herself receiving the cold shoulder from her significant other, the problem doesn’t always lie within you. Sometimes, it’s just that you aren’t with the right person or targeting the right audience. First things first, you need to assess whether you are actually seeing the signs that it’s time to give up.
1. Your audience stops responding
Is the room quiet during your Q&A sessions? Is the response to your call to action underwhelming, at best? If you answered “yes” to either of the previous questions, your audience has likely stopped responding to your presentation content. It’s a similar situation to when your partner avoids conversations with you – in person or over the phone. A person or audience that has stopped caring about you or your message is a person or audience that craves a different direction.
2. The number of attendees starts dwindling
When your significant other has found another person to invest their time and energy in, it probably means that they have lost interest in you and what you have to offer. The same scenario can occur with your presentations. If your content no longer satisfies your listeners, they will go to another source to get the information they need or want.
3. You are no longer enthused to present it
So, your audience has lost interest in what you are saying. But the moment you also become disenchanted with your presentation content is the moment that it may be time to walk away. If you feel like you have to work too hard to keep your audience engaged in your message, you need to find a new message. It shouldn’t be like pulling teeth to present your presentation content and receive a response.
You could try and salvage your presentation content – grasping for the pieces that are still intact. But that won’t solve anything if you aren’t listening to the needs of your listeners. You could make excuses for your presentation content – justifying its inclusion in your deck. But that won’t solve anything if it isn’t the right content for your audience in the first place.
