The other day, I was going for a run and wanted to listen to some music to keep me motivated. But when I put my earbuds in, they felt strange. I took them out, checked the “L” and “R” marked on them, and everything looked fine. So I popped them back into my ears and continued with my run. When I got home, I put them back in the case as usual and thought nothing more of it.

The following day, the same thing happened. I put the earbuds in at the start of my run, and they still didn't feel right. Once again, I took them out to have a closer look. I saw the “L” and “R”, but this time I realised I’d been putting the “L” earbud into the right ear and vice versa. I’d glanced at them so quickly that first day I hadn’t even noticed.

When “familiar” becomes “a bit too comfortable”

I speak a lot about the importance of m aking sure you’re familiar with the content in your speeches and presentations. Internalising the information you want to share so you can speak about it with ease and flow is always the goal. But the flip side of this, and where we need to be careful, is when familiarity tips over into complacency.

If you’re giving a speech or a presentation you’ve presented many times before, it’s easy to give a cursory glance over it beforehand and think, “Yeah, yeah, it's fine,” without really taking the time to analyse or question it in any detail.

But then you’re entering the danger zone of “familiar” becoming out of date, repetitive and worse still, irrelevant to the audience you’re delivering to.

Every time you prepare to deliver a familiar presentation, look closely at the content and ask yourself if there’s anything you need to tweak or change that will improve the impact and influence of your speech.

Adopt a hole-poking approach and get curious about your content

It’s not always easy to analyse our own content like this. We’re just too close to it, especially when it’s a speech or presentation we deliver often. But there are a few strategies you can experiment with to get a more objective view of your material.

#1 - Ask questions

Put your detective hat on and unpick the structure and substance of your content.

You can ask questions like:

Is that opening line still the best choice?
Will the examples I’ve used resonate with a new audience?
Are the statistics and facts still correct?
Is the information in the slides up to date and relevant?
Should I change anything in the material based on current events or issues?

Go through your content with a fine-tooth comb. What needs to be changed within it to make the strongest connection possible with the audience that’s going to hear it? Breaking your content down like this helps you view it with fresh eyes and spot things you may otherwise have glossed over.

#2- Press record

Another way to put a little distance between yourself and your presentation is to record yourself delivering it. Then watch it back, paying attention to anything you might need to tweak or adjust. The questions I mentioned above can be a good jumping-off point for this review too.

#3- Ask for help

Sometimes the best way to get useful feedback on your speech or presentation is from somebody else. Ask a trusted friend or colleague to give their honest opinion on how you might improve your talk - preferably someone who’ll have roughly the same level of familiarity with the topic as your next audience.

Resources to help you analyse the content of your speech

If you’d like further tips and advice on getting effective, objective feedback on your public speaking, take a look at my blog post on the subject - How to Get the Feedback You Need to Boost Your Speaking Confidence.

I’ve also created a handy guide to walk you through a simple feedback process for fine-tuning your presentations. Download your copy of the Presentation Feedback Guide by clicking below.

Download Your Presentation Feedback Guide Here

These resources will help you to examine your content through the lens of your audience. Take your time, and go through your material slowly and carefully. The result will be a higher-quality, more relevant and engaging presentation that you can be confident will connect with your audience every time.

How to Keep a Fresh Perspective on Your Presentation (And Why It Matters)