Technical Presentation

Presenting yourself infront of audience is called process of presentation.

Presentation skills are the skills you need in delivering effective and engaging presentations
to a variety of audiences. These skills cover a variety of areas such as the structure of
your presentation, the design of your slides, the tone of your voice and the body language you
convey.
Technical presentation: serves engineering, scientific and high tech purposes, describing
advances in technology, problem resolution, product design and project status.
In general, technical presentations serve one of two purposes: (1) to inform (e.g., knowledge transfer,
classroom instruction) or (2) to persuade (e.g., convincing others to adopt a design approach or accept the
results of an evaluation process).
Subject Matter Experts (SMEs), individuals who are well-versed in the topic being presented, generally
make technical presentations. Audiences may range from highly technical (fellow engineers and
technologists) to non-technical, and part of the challenge of preparing and presenting technical material is
gauging the knowledge level of the audience.
One reason for this is that, unlike other public speaking occasions, technical presenters are not usually
expert presenters. Instead, they’re usually experts in the material, but not in projecting, engaging the
audience, demonstrating enthusiasm, using humor and other best practices successful presenters use. They
may have little or no preparation for, or background in, public speaking, yet they are required to do so.
Often they present material as if the material should speak for itself, no additional enthusiasm or
expression required.
Before you start preparing a talk, you need to know your goal and know your audience. You will have to
customize your presentation to its purpose. Even if you have previously created a talk for another venue,
you may have to make a new one, particularly if you have done more work in the meanwhile

Here’s how to plan a technical presentation so it is clear and convincing.

1. Limit your Subject

If you’re like most technical experts, you probably spend too much time doing research. Then, because
you haven’t allowed yourself enough time to pull it all together, you end up cramming everything you
know about your subject into your presentation. You produce many more slides than you can possibly do
justice to in the allotted time.
With most presentations, you won’t have the time you need to say everything you want to say. So you
have to prioritize. It’s your job to know what to say and, just as importantly, what not to say.
While non-technical speakers are often “light” on content, technical presenters more commonly present
— or try to present — too much material.
The message is delivered not just by the spoken word(verbal communication) but can be
augmented by techniques such as voice projection, body language, gestures, eye contact (non
verbal communication), and visual aids.
The message will also be affected by the audiences expectations. For example, if you have been
billed as speaking on one particular topic . and you choose to speak on another, the audience is
unlikely to take your message on board even if you present very well. They will judge your
presentation a failure, because you have not met their expectations.
2. Understand your Audience
Knowing who you’re talking to – your audience – is as important as knowing what you’re talking about –
your subject. Your audience’s knowledge level, experience, learning style, and attitudes will – or should –
affect how you shape and present your material.
Find the answers to these questions:

 What does you audience already know about your subject?

 Are they experts like yourself or neophytes?

 How much knowledge can you take for granted?

 How much background will you have to explain?

 Will they understand basic jargon?

 What is their learning style?

 Are they accustomed to sitting through lectures and holding their questions to the end? Or will
they expect to interact with you, asking questions throughout your presentation?

 Do they like lots of PowerPoint™ slides and handouts? Or are they expecting you to be more
interactive?

 What are their opinions, prejudices, preconceived notions, agendas?

 What is their stake in the subject?

 How will your presentation affect their research or work?

3. Determine your Objective

What do you want to accomplish? What do you want your audience to do as a result of your presentation?
Do you want them to

 Challenge your assumptions or data or to confirm them?

 Implement your procedure or technique?

 Renew your grant?

 Approve your proposal?

 Give you the go ahead for the next step of your research?

Once you know what you want them to do, ask yourself what they need to know and to feel in order to do
it.
 4. Prepare your Outline
If possible, break your presentation into three basic sections. (You can divide each section into more,
smaller units.)
Here are some 3-section outlines you might find helpful:

 The problem, its causes, and the solution.

 The illness, the symptoms, and the treatment

 The current situation or standard operating procedure, the problems associated with it, and an
alternative

 The state of your research, questions raised by your research, and the next steps

 A product, its composition, and its application

Once you’ve “clumped” the various elements of your talk into their major sections – I strongly
recommend three sections, but you could have as many as five – add an introduction and conclusion.
5. Create your Slides
Now you can turn on PowerPoint™ and begin creating your slides.
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See also 10 Tips for Using Visual Aids and How to Improve a Technical Presentation.
Chris Witt, a coach based in San Diego, works with technical experts who want to give more effective
presentations. If you’re interested in learning more about how you could benefit from his coaching,
contact him for a complimentary call.
How can you make a good presentation even more effective?
 Show your Passion and Connect with your Audience. ...
 Focus on your Audience's Needs. ...
 Keep it Simple: Concentrate on your Core Message. ...
 Smile and Make Eye Contact with your Audience. ...
 Start Strongly. ...
 Remember the 10-20-30 Rule for Slideshows. ...
 Tell Stories