I’ve worked with over 600 different speakers in a one-on-one context over the past three years. One of the top questions I keep hearing from speakers is: “How do I really tell when my audience loves my content?” Applause, laughter, audience members looking up at you instead of at their phones, those are all good signs you’re at least interesting.

However, I’ve found one tip that works incredibly well, no matter your industry, experience, or setting. Create a video recording of your audience while you give a presentation. You don’t need to see how you look on camera - you already know how you look. What you’re doing is watching to see how your audience responds throughout your presentation.

You will know where you’re at in your presentation because you’re the presenter, so take note of any moments in your presentation when your audience responds. You may expect them to laugh at one of your jokes and you may even hear laughter, but you can tell from facial expressions when audiences are giving a genuine laugh versus a courtesy laugh.

You may also notice people leaning in and looking up more during different parts of your presentation. Pay attention to the content you shared that caused those reactions. Include more of that type of content in your talk.

Those are just a couple of ways you can use your audience’s video to help you grow as a speaker. Have fun with your next presentation and remember, your Message matters.

The Keynote Clarity for Thought Leaders Flash Briefing is presented by Jon Cook, founder of Keynote Content. Jon and his team help thought leaders, namely speakers, coaches, and consultants, craft and share their messages to better serve their audiences. Connect with Jon and his team at Keynote Content by visiting keynotecontent.com. You can subscribe to The Keynote Clarity for Thought Leaders Flash Briefing by visiting bit.ly/KeynoteClarity and enabling it there. Then, all you have to say is, “Alexa, what’s my flash briefing?”