Great speakers use a three-step AAA framework when criticized: Appreciate the feedback to lower tension, Ask for specifics to understand the issue, and Acknowledge what you heard. Most people freeze instead.
Hey, I did not like your presentation. Most people freeze when they hear a criticism from someone. But the great speakers, the smart speakers, use a framework AAA to handle criticism like a pro. So here is what they do. If somebody says, hey, I did not like your presentation, they start with the first A, which is appreciate. Thank you for saying that. Even if you don't agree, This is going to lower the tension. Number 2 is ask. So you can say, out of curiosity, what made you think that this presentation was not good? What is it that you were looking for that was not there? So maybe that person said that, okay, maybe we need more audience engagement. And the third A that you can employ is called acknowledge. So you can say, okay, so just to be clear, you wanted more audience engagement for this presentation.
