Giving Better Technical Presentations Simplified

Many engineers and coders who have lots of data to present find it hard to present it in front of an audience. Some are even wary about not brining enough substance to the table. Does this sound familiar?
Once you are done reading this post, you can put your presentation woes to rest – and no – no part of the process involves visualizing your audience naked.
If you are wondering what’s the worst that can happen in case you make a poor presentation, answers can range from a disappointed audience, to a less-than-favorable appraisal, to even having to look for a new job. Fortunately, how your presentation goes is largely in your control.

Make it About Content, Not People

Understand that you have been selected to give a presentation because you are meant to have the required knowledge to put forth any given idea or data. With the expertise to back you, you need to view all those in your audience as the same, irrespective of their designations. Remember that you need focus on your content, and not the audience.

Objectivity Matters

Making a technical presentation is not the same as conventional public speaking. Objectivity plays a crucial role in the former. If you are trying to talk through your hat while offering no real substance, there is a good chance your audience will look through your act. Being a good public speaker is not enough; you also need to have the required technical knowhow.

Cater to Everyone

While you need to have the required technical knowledge, you should not assume that your audience is on the same page. When you are giving a technical presentation, you need to cater to the least knowledgeable people in the group as well, especially when part of your audience is from other verticals.

When possible, get information about your audience ahead of time, using which you can tweak your presentation’s level of detail and depth. If part of the audience is non-technical, highlight the what, why, and how, and don’t bother talking about coding.

What Else Can You Do

Here are more pointers that can help you change the course of your technical presentations for the better.
Explain how your presentation supports a product’s USP.

• Use relevant graphics in the form of photos, diagrams, and charts – but keep them simple.
• Include a Q&A session at the end.
• Use cue cards if you cannot remember the flow of your content.
• Use a transcription app that runs in the background.
• Speak in complete sentences.
• Pause after important points, giving your audience time to absorb your message.
• Carry out a test run with colleagues and get feedback.
• Make videos of your trial runs and view them from the perspective of your audience.
• Start a YouTube channel to get feedback from others.
• Join Toastmasters – most clubs are meeting online because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Take professional public speaking classes.
• Practice, practice, and practice some more.

What You Should Not Do

Don’t be too harsh on yourself if you mumble or pause from time to time. Even the best are not perfect. In addition:
Don’t include too much textual content in the presentation because you are there to do the talking.
Don’t keep reading off the screen because your audience can do this on its own.
Don’t worry about making eye contact with people – if anything, it helps draw in your audience.
In some cases, people find giving presentations stressful because they suffer from performance anxiety. In any such scenario, seeking professional assistance would be the obvious way to go.

If you can manage to keep these pointers in mind, giving your next presentation should become considerably simpler, and you’ll also have the pleasure of leaving your audience satisfied.
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