Making Effective Technical Presentations

1. Making Effective Technical Presentations Rob Kremer Adapted from original slides byDavid Maulsby

2. Why Presentations? • Incite decisions • Achieve closure • Motivate, educate • Build relationships

3. Why Be a Presenter? • Make contacts • Promote yourself • Promote your organization • Master your subject

4. Planning a Presentation

5. Research Audience Introduce Speaker Select Material Introduce Topic Prepare Visuals Develop Ideas Write Text Answer Questions Rehearse Draw Conclusions The Presentation Process Preparation Presentation

6. Introduce Speaker Introduce Topic Develop Ideas Answer Questions Draw Conclusions Understanding the Audience Research Audience Select Material Prepare Visuals Write Text Rehearse

7. Research Audience Select Material Prepare Visuals Write Text Rehearse Audience Composition • The Chair • The Head Honcho • The Critic • Your Champion • The Masses

8. Research Audience Select Material Prepare Visuals Write Text Rehearse The Chair Their Role • Keeps the meeting on track • Protects the speaker & You • Establish your relationship • Refer problems to the chair

9. Research Audience Select Material Prepare Visuals Write Text Rehearse The Head Honcho Role • Decision-maker & You • Make sure s/he understands • Marshall the audience to help you

10. Research Audience Select Material Prepare Visuals Write Text Rehearse The Critic Their Role • To debunk your story & You • Anticipate objections in your talk • Have extra slides ready • Rehearse questions and answers • Counteract with yourchampion

11. Research Audience Select Material Prepare Visuals Write Text Rehearse Your Champion Their Role • Advocate for you & You • Identify your champion • Attentive, nodding, interested questions • Get his/her endorsement • Third-party more believable

12. Research Audience Select Material Prepare Visuals Write Text Rehearse The Masses Their Role • A. Keen to learn, validate • B. There on orders, bored & You • Acknowledge them • Earn their trust • Appeal to their experience

13. Research Audience Select Material Prepare Visuals Write Text Rehearse Understanding the Audience • What do they know about the topic? • What do they know about you? • Why are they in thismeeting?

14. Research Audience Select Material Prepare Visuals Write Text Rehearse Understanding the Audience • Aim to discover your champion • Teach the audience something new • Reflect their intelligence • Keep it simple • Challenge but don’t overwhelm

15. Research Audience Select Material Prepare Visuals Write Text Rehearse Respecting the Audience

16. Research Audience Select Material Prepare Visuals Write Text Rehearse Dress Code Dress to flatter your audience • For peers, dress up a little • For management, business casual • For customers, dress for success • Jacket and tie • You’re judged by your shoes

17. Research Audience Select Material Prepare Visuals Write Text Rehearse Dress Code “But I’m a poor student, I only have T-shirts!” So what would you wear to a wedding? Or a funeral?

18. Research Audience Select Material Prepare Visuals Write Text Rehearse Clothing Communiqué Clothing sends messages • What you wear • How you wear it • Manners and gestures

19. Research Audience Select Material Prepare Visuals Write Text Rehearse Professional Deportment • Watch your language • No slang • Avoid grandiloquent sesquipedalian circumlocutions • Watch your body language • Relaxed, not sloppy

20. Research Audience Select Material Prepare Visuals Write Text Rehearse The Best Proof of Respect Be prepared ! • You studied your topic • You researched the audience • You rehearsed your presentation

21. Introduce Speaker Introduce Topic Develop Ideas Answer Questions Draw Conclusions Selecting Material Research Audience Select Material Prepare Visuals Write Text Rehearse

22. Research Audience Select Material Prepare Visuals Write Text Rehearse Selecting the Content • Help your audience reach their objectives • Understand an issue • Answer a question • Make a decision • Focus on what they needto learn

23. Research Audience Select Material Prepare Visuals Write Text Rehearse Organizing the Talk • Acknowledge the objectives • Yours and theirs • Establish common ground • From You and Them to We • Provide a roadmap • Outline / graphic • “Say what you’re going tosay…”

24. Research Audience Select Material Prepare Visuals Write Text Rehearse Organizing the Talk • The storyline • History, process, relationship • The argument • Thesis / antithethis / synthesis • The contribution • Problem / solution

25. Introduce Speaker Introduce Topic Develop Ideas Answer Questions Draw Conclusions Visual Aids Research Audience Select Material Prepare Visuals Write Text Rehearse

26. Research Audience Select Material Prepare Visuals Write Text Rehearse Visual Aids • Graphics reveal relationships Introduce Speaker Introduce Topic Develop Ideas Answer Questions Draw Conclusions

27. Research Audience Select Material Prepare Visuals Write Text Rehearse Visual Aids • Introduce speaker • Introduce topic • Develop ideas • Answer questions • Draw conclusions

28. Research Audience Select Material Prepare Visuals Write Text Rehearse Visual Aids Introduce Speaker Introduce Topic Develop Ideas Answer Questions Draw Conclusions

29. Research Audience Select Material Prepare Visuals Write Text Rehearse Color Schemes Bad Good Too Little Contrast Good Contrast Too Little Contrast Good Contrast Too Little Contrast Good Contrast Complementary Colors OK for Accent;Tiring Too ManyColors Best for Colorful Diags • Use very dark or very light background • High contrast • Avoid red, green

30. Research Audience Select Material Prepare Visuals Write Text Rehearse Color Connotations Formal and methodical Cool and rational Mysterious and intriguing Exciting marketing message Another exciting message The plain old facts

31. Research Audience Select Material Prepare Visuals Write Text Rehearse Special Effects

32. Research Audience Select Material Prepare Visuals Write Text Rehearse Uses of Special Effects • Wake up the audience • Turn on imagination • Illustrate an idea • Drive home your point • Demonstrate your prowess

33. Research Audience Select Material Prepare Visuals Write Text Rehearse Special Effects • Decoration • Animation • Sound • Video • Demo /scenario

34. Research Audience Select Material Prepare Visuals Write Text Rehearse Effects • Illustrate relationships, processes • Favorite of s a l e s m e n • Demos make effects unnecessary

35. inform ack(Bob,Alice,x) request reply(Bob,Alice,x) ack inform ack ack(Alice,Bob,x) reply agree act(Bob,Alice,x) ack ack(Alice,Bob,x) inform ack reply reply-propose-discharge(Alice,Bob,x) propose-discharge propose-discharge(Bob,Alice,x) done ack ack(Bob,Alice,x) ack inform reply Research Audience reply-propose-discharge Select Material confirm ack Prepare Visuals Write Text Rehearse Effects Bob Alice • Use to build up complex ideas/diagrams

36. Introduce Speaker Introduce Topic Develop Ideas Answer Questions Draw Conclusions The Text Research Audience Select Material Prepare Visuals Write Text Rehearse

37. Research Audience Select Material Prepare Visuals Write Text Rehearse Slide Formatting • Number your slides! • One topic per slide • Minimal text • Graphics where possible • 3 points

38. Research Audience Select Material Prepare Visuals Write Text Rehearse Using the Web • Archive and distribute material • Elaborate slide content • PowerPoint is much easier to maintain

39. Introduce Speaker Introduce Topic Develop Ideas Answer Questions Draw Conclusions Rehearsal Research Audience Select Material Prepare Visuals Write Text Rehearse

40. Practice, Practice, Practice • Rehearse to a live audience • Once is not enough! • Practice the mechanics • Set up • Roles and signals • Introducer, speaker, slidecontroller • Handoffs Research Audience Select Material Prepare Visuals Write Text Rehearse

41. Introduce Speaker Introduce Topic Develop Ideas Answer Questions Draw Conclusions Giving the Presentation Research Audience Select Material Prepare Visuals Write Text Rehearse

42. Introduce Speaker Introduce Topic Develop Ideas Answer Questions Draw Conclusions Remember… • You’ve been granted the privilege of speaking • Your audience is spending a lot of valuable time on you • The speaker is remembered long after what s/he says isforgotten

43. The Speaker Introduce Speaker Introduce Speaker Research Audience Introduce Topic Introduce Topic Select Material Develop Ideas Develop Ideas Prepare Visuals Answer Questions Answer Questions Write Text Draw Conclusions Draw Conclusions Rehearse

44. Introductions • Have the chair introduce you • Implicit endorsement • Greet and acknowledge the audience • Introduce your team • Your qualifications Introduce Speaker Introduce Topic Develop Ideas Answer Questions Draw Conclusions

45. Presenting Yourself • You are an authority • You inspire others • You can act on what you say Introduce Speaker Introduce Topic Develop Ideas Answer Questions Draw Conclusions

46. Presenting Yourself • Speak up! • Self-confidence • Speak smoothly • Hesitation, nervousness implies incompetence • Eye contact • Honesty, trust Introduce Speaker Introduce Topic Develop Ideas Answer Questions Draw Conclusions

47. Coping with Nerves • Shake ‘em off • Be well prepared • Nothing new • Backups • Thank the audience • Find a friend • Stand tall Introduce Speaker Introduce Topic Develop Ideas Answer Questions Draw Conclusions

48. Inspiring Others • Project enthusiasm • Demonstrate teamwork • Wake up the audience Introduce Speaker Introduce Topic Develop Ideas Answer Questions Draw Conclusions

49. Walk the Talk • Mention your track record • Demo! • Propose action, incite decision Introduce Speaker Introduce Topic Develop Ideas Answer Questions Draw Conclusions

50. The Topic Introduce Speaker Research Audience Introduce Topic Select Material Develop Ideas Prepare Visuals Answer Questions Write Text Draw Conclusions Rehearse