Someone has just finished a presentation and turns to you: "Any feedback?" You liked parts of it. A few things bothered you. What usually comes out is "Great job, maybe slow down a bit." It's kind, and it's almost useless. The presenter can't act on "great," and "slow down" doesn't say where or why.
Good presentation feedback isn't harsher feedback. It's more specific feedback. That matters more than people expect. In the largest review of feedback research, covering 607 effect sizes, feedback improved performance on average, but more than a third of feedback interventions actually made performance worse (Kluger and DeNisi, Psychological Bulletin, 1996). The difference was mostly about where the feedback pointed attention: at the task, or at the person.
This guide gives you a method for the task-focused kind. Here it is in order:
- Ask what the presenter wants feedback on before you start watching.
- Take notes on observations, with timestamps or slide numbers, not verdicts.
- Pick your top three points, at most. One thing to keep, one or two to change.
- Write each point as observation, effect, next step.
- Check every point is about the talk, not the person's personality or ability.
- Choose the time and place: soon after, in private, never just before they go on.
- Give it out loud first, then send it in writing so they can come back to it.
- Follow up at their next talk on the one thing they chose to work on.
Why does most presentation feedback not help?
Most presentation feedback fails for one of three reasons. It's too vague ("good energy," "a bit long"). It's too much (fifteen notes on a five-minute talk). Or it's about the person rather than the presentation ("you're a natural," "you seem nervous"). Each one leaves the presenter with nothing they can practise.
The research points the same way. A review of 196 studies with 6,972 effect sizes found that feedback telling people how to do the task better had some of the largest effects on learning. Praise, rewards and punishment had the smallest (Hattie and Timperley, Review of Educational Research, 2007). A later re-analysis of 435 studies put the overall average lower but found the same pattern: the more information the feedback carried, the more it helped (Wisniewski, Zierer and Hattie, Frontiers in Psychology, 2020).
So "great job" isn't wrong. It just doesn't carry information. Compare these two notes on the same moment:
- "Your opening was great."
- "You opened with the customer complaint instead of the agenda. The room went quiet and people looked up from their laptops. Keep doing that."
The second one tells the presenter exactly what to repeat. That's the whole skill.
What should you do before the presentation starts?
The best feedback starts before the talk. Ask the presenter one question: "What would be most useful for me to watch for?" Most people already know their weak spot. They'll say "I think I rush the ending" or "I'm not sure the data section makes sense." Now you're watching for something they care about, and your feedback will land on a question they've already asked.
This also helps you match the feedback to the person's experience. In a series of studies, novices were more motivated by positive feedback, while experts sought out and responded to negative feedback (Finkelstein and Fishbach, Journal of Consumer Research, 2012). A student giving their first class presentation needs to hear what to keep. A seasoned presenter rehearsing a keynote wants you to find the problems.
While you watch, take notes as observations with a location. Write "slide 4: read the bullets word for word, ~40 s" rather than "too much reading." Write "2:10: first eye contact with the left side of the room" rather than "good eye contact." Timestamps and slide numbers make your feedback checkable, and they stop you from relying on your overall impression, which is mostly shaped by the first and last minutes.
If the talk is recorded, even better. You can point to the exact moment, and the presenter can watch it themselves. The self-review method in how to record yourself speaking works well alongside outside feedback.
How to give feedback on a presentation: the three-part formula
To give constructive feedback on a presentation, turn each point into three parts: what you observed, what effect it had on the audience, and one next step. The observation keeps it factual. The effect explains why it matters. The next step makes it something they can practise before the next talk.
Here's the formula used on a few common problems:
| Vague version | Three-part version |
|---|---|
| "You talked too fast." | "In the results section you went from slide 7 to slide 10 in about a minute. I lost the second chart before I'd read the axis. Next time, pause for two seconds after each new chart appears." |
| "It was a bit long." | "You were at 14 minutes in a 10-minute slot. The history section took four of those, and it didn't change your recommendation. Try cutting it to one sentence." |
| "Good eye contact!" | "When you answered Priya's question you looked at her, then the rest of the room. It made the answer feel like it was for everyone. Keep that." |
| "Maybe less 'um'?" | "There were a lot of 'ums' at the start of each new slide. It made the transitions feel unplanned. Try saying the first sentence of each slide before you click to it." |
Notice what's missing from the right-hand column: adjectives about the person. Kluger and DeNisi found feedback got less effective as it pulled attention away from the task and toward the self. "You seem nervous" sends attention inward. "Your hands were in your pockets for the first two minutes" doesn't.
Why limit it to three points? Because the presenter can only work on a few things at once. Fifteen notes produce a list they'll skim. Three produce a plan. If you have more, keep them in reserve in case they ask.
Presentation feedback examples for each part of a talk
Most lists of presentation feedback examples sort them by tone: praise, criticism, tips. It's more useful to sort them by the part of the talk they're about, so you can find the right phrase for what you actually noticed. Each row has a "keep" example and a "change" example, both in the three-part form.
| Part of the talk | Positive feedback example (keep) | Constructive feedback example (change) |
|---|---|---|
| Opening | "You opened with the question the client asked you last week. It got everyone's attention straight away. Keep starting with a real question." | "The first two minutes were the agenda and introductions. People were still on their phones by slide 3. Try opening with your main finding and doing the agenda after." |
| Structure | "You said 'three things' at the start and then counted them off. I always knew where we were." | "I couldn't tell when the problem section ended and the solution began. Try a one-line signpost: 'So that's the problem. Here's what we'd do.'" |
| Content and evidence | "The one number you repeated, 40% of churn from small accounts, is the thing I'll remember." | "The chart on slide 8 had four lines, and you only talked about one. Highlight that one and grey out the rest." |
| Slides | "Your slides had one idea each. I listened to you instead of reading." | "Slide 5 had about 80 words. I read it instead of listening. Cut it to a headline and say the rest." |
| Voice and pace | "You slowed down for the recommendation. It made it sound like the important part." | "Your voice dropped at the end of most sentences, and the back row lost the last few words. Try keeping your volume up through the final word." |
| Body language and eye contact | "You moved to the side of the screen for the demo, so nobody's view was blocked." | "You looked at the slides for most of the middle section. Try glancing at the slide, then turning back to say the point to a person." |
| Ending | "You ended with the decision you needed from us. It made the next step obvious." | "The talk ended on 'so, yeah, any questions?' The recommendation got lost. Finish with one sentence that restates it, then take questions." |
| Q&A | "When you didn't know the answer, you said so and promised a date. That sounded more confident than guessing." | "The answer to the budget question took about three minutes. Try giving the short answer first, then asking if they want the detail." |
If you're the one presenting, the rows in this table also make a good self-check. Several have their own guides: how to start a presentation, how to stop reading off your slides, and how to end a presentation.
Does the feedback sandwich actually work?
The feedback sandwich (praise, criticism, praise) is the most common advice on giving presentation feedback. The evidence for it is weak. In two studies of medical students giving written peer feedback, one with 20 students and one with 350, students rated sandwich feedback as more useful, but it didn't predict better performance (Parkes, Abercrombie and McCarty, Advances in Health Sciences Education, 2013).
There's a practical problem too. Once people know the pattern, they wait for the "but" and discount the praise. And the closing compliment can bury the one thing they needed to hear.
You don't need to swing to the other extreme. Positive feedback is useful when it's specific, because it tells the presenter what to repeat. The fix is to make the praise as concrete as the criticism, and to keep them separate rather than wrapping one in the other. "One thing to keep, one thing to change" does the same job as the sandwich, without the disguise.
There's also a better way to make critical feedback feel safe. In a study of seventh-grade essay feedback, teachers attached one of two notes to the same critical comments. One note said the comments were there "so that you'll have feedback on your paper." The other said, in effect, "I'm giving you these comments because I have very high expectations and I know that you can reach them." Among Black students, 64% of those who got the high-expectations note revised their essay, compared with 27% of those who got the neutral note (Yeager et al., Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 2014). That was one small study in one setting, but the principle carries: say why you're giving the feedback and that you think they can act on it.
How should feedback differ for a teacher, a peer and a manager?
Who gives the feedback changes what kind of feedback works. In a study of 144 first-year university students learning to present, feedback from teachers did the most to improve actual presentation behaviour. Self-assessment had less effect on behaviour and attitude than outside feedback (van Ginkel et al., Studies in Higher Education, 2017).
If you're a teacher, you're the most useful source the student has, so make it count. Use the same criteria every time (a short form helps, see below), tie each point to the rubric, and give one thing to work on for the next assignment. A review of 52 studies on teaching presentation skills listed the timing and intensity of feedback, alongside practice, modelling and peer and self-assessment, among seven design principles for developing the skill (van Ginkel et al., Educational Research Review, 2015). In practice that means feedback soon after the talk, before the next one, not a grade at the end of term. For assignment-specific advice, see how to give a class presentation.
If you're a peer (a classmate, a colleague at a rehearsal), your advantage is that you were in the audience. Stick to what you experienced: when you were confused, when you were interested, what you remember. "I lost track during the methods section" is valid peer feedback even if you can't say why. Leave the technique diagnosis to the presenter or a coach.
If you're a manager, watch the power gap. Feedback from a boss right before a big meeting can rattle someone. Give it after the dry run, not five minutes before the real thing. Keep it to the outcome you need ("the board needs the ask on slide 1"), and let them decide how to get there. For presentations to senior people specifically, how to present to executives covers what that audience looks for.
When and where should you give presentation feedback?
Timing matters as much as content. Give feedback soon after the presentation, while both of you still remember specific moments. The same day is ideal, and within a few days at most. Give critical feedback in private, even if the praise was public. And never give a list of changes just before someone goes on stage. At that point they can't practise anything, and you've only added nerves.
Do it in two steps. Say it out loud first, briefly, so the presenter can ask questions. Then send the same points in writing, so they have something to check against at their next rehearsal. Written feedback on its own can read colder than you meant. Spoken feedback on its own gets forgotten.
For a virtual or recorded presentation, use the timestamp. "At 6:40, when you shared your screen" is far more useful than "when you shared your screen." If the talk was recorded, send the link with the timestamps attached.
What should a presentation feedback form include?
A presentation feedback form should be short enough to fill in during the talk and specific enough to be useful afterwards. Five criteria on a 1–4 scale, plus two open boxes, is plenty. More than that and people start ticking boxes without watching. Here's a form you can copy:
| Criterion | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | What I saw (time or slide) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opening: got attention and made the purpose clear | |||||
| Structure: easy to follow, clear transitions | |||||
| Content: evidence and examples supported the main point | |||||
| Delivery: voice, pace, eye contact and gestures helped | |||||
| Ending: finished with a clear message or next step |
- One thing to keep: ____________________
- One thing to change next time: ____________________
The two open boxes matter more than the scores. A row of 3s tells the presenter almost nothing. The keep/change boxes force the person filling it in to name something specific.
For class settings, adapt the criteria to the assignment rubric so students practise against the same standard they're graded on. For workplace rehearsals, you can drop the scores entirely and keep only the "What I saw" column and the two boxes.
How do you ask for feedback on your own presentation?
If you're the presenter, you can make the feedback you get much better by asking for it the right way. Don't ask "any feedback?" Name the two things you want watched: "Can you tell me where I lost you, and whether the ending was clear?" Specific questions get specific answers, and they give people permission to be honest.
Ask more than one person if you can, and look for overlaps. One person saying your pace was fast might be their preference. Three people saying it is a pattern. Then pick one thing to work on before the next talk, practise it on its own, and ask the same person to check it next time.
Between talks, record a rehearsal and give yourself feedback using the same form. It won't replace an outside view, but it catches the obvious things so your reviewers can focus on the harder ones. The broader routine is in how to practice public speaking, and the bigger picture of what to work on is in how to improve public speaking.
Key takeaways
- In the largest review of feedback research, more than a third of feedback interventions made performance worse. Feedback works best when it points at the task, not the person.
- Ask the presenter what they want feedback on before the talk, and take notes as observations with a time or slide number.
- Give at most three points. Make each one an observation, its effect on the audience, and one next step.
- Make positive feedback as specific as criticism, so the presenter knows what to repeat. Sort your notes by part of the talk: opening, structure, content, slides, voice, body language, ending, Q&A.
- The feedback sandwich makes feedback feel nicer but didn't improve performance in studies of medical students. Keep "keep" and "change" separate and say why you're giving the feedback.
- Teacher feedback improved presentation behaviour most in one study of 144 students. Peers should report what they experienced, and managers should give feedback after the dry run, not just before the real thing.
- Give feedback soon, in private, out loud first and then in writing.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good example of feedback on a presentation?
A good example names what happened, what it did, and what to try next: "On slide 6 you read the bullets aloud, and people started reading ahead instead of watching you. Next time, cut the slide to one headline and say the details." It's specific enough to act on, it's about the talk rather than the person, and it gives one clear change to practise.
How do you give constructive feedback on a presentation without being harsh?
Describe what you observed instead of judging the person, explain the effect on the audience, and suggest one next step. Say why you're giving the feedback, for example that you think they can make the next talk even stronger. Pair it with one specific thing to keep. Give it in private and soon after the talk, not right before their next one.
How do you give peer feedback on a classmate's presentation?
Report what you experienced as an audience member: when you were interested, when you got confused, and what you remember. Use the class rubric or a short feedback form so everyone works to the same criteria. Give one thing to keep and one thing to change, each tied to a specific moment or slide. Leave grading and technical diagnosis to the teacher.
Does the feedback sandwich work for presentations?
Not very well. In two studies of medical students, one with 350 participants, students rated sandwich feedback (praise, criticism, praise) as more useful, but it didn't lead to better performance. People also learn to expect the "but" and discount the praise. Specific positive feedback and specific constructive feedback, given separately, tend to be clearer.
What should a presentation feedback form include?
Keep it to about five criteria (opening, structure, content, delivery, ending) on a short 1–4 scale, with space to note the time or slide where you saw each thing. Add two open boxes: one thing to keep and one thing to change next time. The open boxes matter most, because they force the reviewer to name something specific rather than just ticking numbers.
Conclusion
Giving feedback on a presentation comes down to being specific and choosing a few points. Ask what the presenter wants watched, note what you saw with a time or slide, and give no more than three points, each with an observation, an effect and one next step. Try it on the next talk you sit through, and say your first point out loud before you write it down.