Engineering Your Speaking

1. Engineering Your Speaking • Analyze your audience. • Decide on your primary purpose. • Determine your time frame and your key points. • Choose an organizational plan. • Prepare an outline and notes. • Create supporting graphics. • Be careful with presentational software (Powerpoint). • Make your information accessible. • Prepare handouts and outline. • Prepare your conclusion and for questions.

2. Questions to Ask About Your Listeners • Who will the key individuals in my audience be? • • What needs or concerns do they have regarding my topic? • • What are my objectives for this talk? • • How knowledgeable are my listeners about my subject? • • How can I get their attention and interest right away? • • What are their attitudes likely to be? • • Do I need to work on changing their attitudes, and if so, what is the best way to go about it? • • What benefits are they going to get from listening to me? • • What kinds of questions are they likely to ask? • • What kind of feedback do I want?

3. Prepare an Outline and Notes • Outline • Note cards • Script • Visual aids • Backup plan

4. Prepare Your Introduction • Not necessarily in this order: • Introduce yourself. • Explain the context. • State your purpose. • Provide an overview of what you’ll cover. • Generate some interest and/or motivation.

5. Prepare Your Conclusion • Summarize what you have discussed. • • Stress your central idea once more. • • Review your key points. • • Restate your recommendations or decisions

6. Noise in Engineering Presentations • Speaking too softly • Speaking too slowly or rapidly • Speaking monotonously • Using distracting verbal fillers • Becoming a statue, pendulum, or traveler • Blocking the screen • Reading from the screen or from notes

7. Strengthening Your Presentations • Start with a good, well-planned introduction. • Use an informal style. • Make clear transitions. • Repeat key points. • Use a pointer. • Maintain eye contact. • Be Ready for unexpected questions. • Accept Your nervousness. • End with good, well-planned conclusion.

8. Listening to Presentations • Maintain natural eye contact with the speaker. • • Show that you are alert, interested, and well- disposed toward the speaker. • • Ignore distractions such as people talking or other external noise. • • Take notes on the speaker’s most important points. • • Develop at least one question in your mind, and ask it at the appropriate time. • • Be sure to turn off all cell phones and beepers.

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