It seems that no matter how good something is, there’s always an unhappy camper in the crowd. Unfortunately, our human nature tends to focus on that one negative person instead of the other ninety-nine percent positive responses. Ugh!
I’ve gotten into the habit of not reading my program evaluations on the day of the presentation. I prefer to enjoy my “speaker’s high” and bask in the residual energy of working with an excited, engaged group. There was one time I made an exception to my rule – and it reminded me of WHY I wait.
All the evaluations were outstanding, except for one. The person didn’t “strongly disagree” with the statements, just turned in a “neutral” response. Huh. In years past, those less than positive responses would have devastated me. “What could I have done to make that person like me?” “How could I have made the program better?” etc. etc
I’ve learned that there are some people who are not going to like you, no matter who you are or what you do. You don’t have control over them. The only person you can control is YOU.
Instead of focusing on the negative, give yourself kudos for the great feedback, the positive interactions, and the friendly relationships you’ve built with the REST of the people. You’ll save yourself a lot of time, aggravation, and stress!
