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IEEE-USA E-Books

Technical Presentations
A series of four books discussing how to prepare, write and effectively deliver technical presentations.

1
Book Strategy -
Preparation and Planning

Book 2 Structure - Anatomy


of a Successful Presentation

Book 3 Style - Dynamic Delivery Techniques

Book 4 Effective Visual Aids

By Nita K. Patel
Published and Hosted by IEEE-USA.
Copyright 2010 by Nita K. Patel. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America
Edited by Georgia C. Stelluto, IEEE-USA Publishing Manager, g.stelluto@ieee.org
Cover design and layout by Josie Thompson, Thompson Design
This IEEE-USA publication is made possible through funding provided by a special dues assessment of IEEE
members residing in the United States.
Copying this material in any form is not permitted without prior written approval from the IEEE.
Table Of Contents 3

Importance of Effectively Delivering Your Presentations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4


Five Ws (and one H) A Preparation Technique . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Who? Know Your Audience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Who is the audience? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
What are the demographics? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
How many? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
What do they know? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Why are they there? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
What do they think? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Who are they? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
When? Know the Occasion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Occasion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Duration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Where? Scout the Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Room . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Audio/Visual (A/V) equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
What? Determine Your Focus (Content) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Your Interests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Audiences Interest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Intersection of Interests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Why? Identify the Importance (Message) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Brainstorm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Identify . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Craft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
How? Determine the Best Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Presentation Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Informative Presentations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Persuasive Presentations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Entertaining Presentations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Preparation Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Appendix A Sample Audience Analysis Questionnaire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Technical Presentations: Book 1. Strategy - Preparation and Planning


4 Importance of Effectively
Delivering Your Presentations

E ngineers and scientists are frequently required to present technical information to a broad
spectrum of individuals, including co-workers, executives and potential clients in a variety
of formats, such as conference papers, training materials and funding proposals. Even if you do
not present conference papers or other formal presentations, you must present your ideas and
opinions daily.
Most technical experts present facts in-depth and in their frame of
reference. Technical experts frequently think that facts are self-evident; Facts are not
that is, facts, statistics and data speak for themselves. Not so! Facts self-evident.
require analysis, assessment, and evaluation. Facts require translation
and interpretation from your knowledge base to that of the audience
(Witt, Presentation Tips).
As a technical expert, you must know and understand the technical facts. But, to ensure that
others interpret this complex data the same way you do, you have to present the facts through
clear, concise and correct speech.
When presenting, you should filter just enough of the data, research and information necessary
for the audiences comprehension and understanding, both of which are prerequisites for
acceptance. If your audience does not understand, they will not accept your ideas.

Figure 1: Speakers Purpose Funnel Data for Understanding

Technical Presentations: Book 1. Strategy - Preparation and Planning


Simply providing the facts is not sufficient to 5
convey the cause of system failures,
convince your colleagues to adopt your coding standards,
persuade your manager to fund your program,
explain the complex interactions of your experiment or
train a new engineer.
You are responsible for extracting the essential components from a large quantity of complex,
technical data and then translating this data for the background and knowledge of your
audience. You must present the information in such a way that others can understand, care
about and use it.
The key to successfully presenting complex information is not what you say or do but what
your audience hears and sees. Your ability to communicate simply, passionately and clearly
will often determine whether your idea is accepted, your proposal is funded or your training
is understood.
Planning and preparation are the most important elements to effective presentation and
communication. Preparation is a better determinant of presentation success than knowledge,
experience or even talent. Preparation is also the best way to reduce nervousness, combat
fear and ensure success.
As a result, professional speakers recommend preparing thirty minutes for each minute of the
presentation. Preparation does not simply mean practicing. Preparation means defining a strat-
egy. Preparation involves planning, researching and understanding the audiences needs and
your message.
Technical Presentations Book 1: Planning and Preparation describes how to properly plan and
prepare your presentations.

It takes more than three weeks to


prepare a good impromptu speech.
- Mark Twain

Technical Presentations: Book 1. Strategy - Preparation and Planning


6 Five Ws (and one H)
A Preparation Technique

W hen asked to present, most people procrastinate. The remaining people begin with
writing and talking. I recommend you start with thinking and information-gathering
(and not procrastinating). Without a strategy and appropriate preparation, a presentation will
be unfocused, not apply or fail completely.
The next sections outline a framework for you to prepare for your next presentation. The
framework is based on the information-gathering technique taught in my fourth grade history
class. Journalists frequently use this technique to convey all the important information of a
story. The technique is the Five Ws (and One H):
Who? Quis? Who is involved?
When? Quando? When does the story take place?
Where? Ubi? Where does the story take place?
What? Quid? What is the story?
Why? Cur? Why did the story happen?
How? Quomodo? How did the story happen?
For a final exam, my history teacher required us to research and write about a topic of our
choice using this technique. I honestly cannot remember much about the research (other than
my selected topic was Alexander the Great). However, the technique has remained with me
all these years.
This technique ensured that my report covered the full story (for which I got an A). You
will be properly prepared, too, if you answer these six simple questions at the onset of your
next presentation.

There is nothing impossible to him


who will try.
- Alexander the Great

Technical Presentations: Book 1. Strategy - Preparation and Planning


Who? Know Your Audience 7

K nowing whom you will address may be more important than knowing what you will pres-
ent. It is imperative that your presentation be appropriate for your audience. You intuitively
know that you would not present the same speech at your parents 50th anniversary celebration
as you would at your friends bachelor party. So why would you present the same information
at a management funding request and at a technical design review?
Knowing your audience is critical to developing your speech,
particularly with complex technical topics. You must frame Presentations focus on
your information in such a way that the audience will the audience, not you.
understand. Presentations are not for your (or your egos)
benefit. Presentations are about the audience, their needs,
perspectives and desires. As a result, you must understand your audience.
Analyze the audience to help you understand them. Discover information that will create a
link between you and the audience. The more you know and understand about your audience
and their needs, the better you can align your material to their needs. The better aligned your
information is to their needs, the better they will respond, remember and react.
Professional speakers send multi-page questionnaires (example provided in Appendix A) to
conference organizers to gather enough information about the audience and the speaking
event to properly customize their speeches. Whether or not you use a questionnaire, you
must assess your audience.

Who is the audience?


Identify the audience and its individual members. Determine if the audience is a group of
fellow design engineers, the board of directors or end-users. Each type of audience will
require not only different information, but also a different presentation technique.
Begin by answering the following questions:
Who are they?
What do they have in common?
What are their differences?
Is it a mixed group?
Who are the decision-makers?
What is their learning style?

Technical Presentations: Book 1. Strategy - Preparation and Planning


When presenting at a large technical conference, you may not know who will be in the audi-
8
ence. To find out, greet audience members as they arrive. Discuss the upcoming presentation
and topic with them to understand their perspectives. In addition, ask your audience a few
quick questions at the start of the presentation to learn about them. Getting to know audience
members will also alleviate some of your presentation nervousness. It is easier to speak to a
group of people you know (even minimally), rather than to a group of strangers.
When presenting to a mixed audience, identify the audience
members and rank them in terms of importance; that is, Present important
importance with respect to the presentation purpose. Identify information to key
the key individuals and decision-makers in the group. Identify
any individuals that are dominant or influential. Identify those decision-makers first.
in the audience who agree with you and determine whether
you would benefit by having them agree with you more. Once you have identified the more
important or influential people, give them their information first.
For example, consider presenting at a design review that is a government-contract gate such
as a System Test Readiness Review. Your peers, your boss, maybe one additional level of your
companys management team, government subject matter experts (SMEs), and contracting
officers are attending. The contracting officer may ultimately make the decision to continue the
contract. However, he will likely rely heavily on recommendations provided by the government
SMEs. As a result, your primary audience is the group of SMEs, not the contracting officer. Do
not worry about impressing your boss or peers with your technical expertise. Focus on making
sure the SMEs understand where you are in the design and assure them that you are ready to
pass through the test-readiness gate.

What are the demographics?


What are the demographics of the audience?
Age
Gender
Occupation
Nationality
Income
Hobbies
Social status
Beliefs
This information is necessary for you to construct an audience-appropriate presentation. With
this knowledge, you will be able to choose relevant examples, facts and stories to convey
your information to the audience. You will find common characteristics between you and the
audience. With this information, you can construct your presentation to focus on shared traits
or emphasize differences to illustrate points.

Technical Presentations: Book 1. Strategy - Preparation and Planning


Obtain demographic information so you can frame your message in terms of your audiences 9
range of needs. Sometimes the demographics do not align with your message. You must
decide whether to shift your message to meet the demographics or to proceed with your
original intent.
Consider the following examples in which the presentation topic is the same, but the presenta-
tion is vastly different due to audience demographics:
(1) P
 resenting image stabilization concepts to high-school math students interested in
engineering versus a group of college professors researching the topic
(2) P
 roviding a tour of your engineering lab to a group from the local senior center versus a
group of section IEEE members
(3) Discussing leadership skills with a girl-scout troop versus industry executives

How many?
How many people will be in the audience? Speaking to a small group of five to ten people in
a conference room is different from speaking to 200-300 people in a ballroom. With a small
group, you can be more informal in your tone, use smaller gestures and be relaxed in your
presentation style allowing you to connect more with the audience. With a larger group, you
must be more formal, use larger gestures, and speak with more authority.

What do they know?


Whether you are trying to teach a concept, persuade or inform an audience, knowing how
much they know about your topic will determine what details you include, what you omit and
how you structure the material.
Consider the following questions:
What do they already know specifically about your topic?
Are they technical or non-technical?
Are they experts or novices?
Do they view you as an expert, outsider, peer, boss or subordinate?
Will they understand the technical jargon or should you avoid jargon?
Do you need to provide details?
Do you need to review fundamentals?
Avoid jargon for those outside your field of expertise.
You do not want to find yourself talking over their
Do not talk over or under heads and completely losing the audiences interest.
peoples level of experience Nor do you want to talk under their level of educa-
or understanding. tion. Do not spend time telling the audience what is
obvious to them. On the other hand, do not overlook
basic terms simply because they are obvious to you.

Technical Presentations: Book 1. Strategy - Preparation and Planning


Technical presenters often present in very detailed, jargon-filled, precise terms. Only do so if
10
your audience is technical. Otherwise, it is your responsibility to not only bridge but also narrow
the gap between your audiences knowledge and yours. Interpret the facts and information,
rather than providing them in excruciating detail.
For example, if you are presenting at an IEEE conference on laser driver technology, you need
not explain the difference between active or passive Q-switching. However, if you are talking to
a general group of IEEE members at a section meeting, explain the fundamental principles of
lasers before discussing the details of your laser driver design.

Why are they there?


People attend presentations for different reasons. Answer the following questions as you
prepare:
Why are they attending?
What is their interest in the subject?
Do they have a stake in the presentation?
What do they expect to learn or hear from you?
Did they come voluntarily or were they required to attend?
If you are providing a tour of your lab, IEEE members may be interested in the systematic
details of the experiment. A group of high-school students simply wants to look at the cool
gadgets and understand one or two concepts. Knowing how interested your audience is allows
you to plan material appropriate to their interest level.
Vary the level of information you present based on the interests and backgrounds of the
audience. Technical people like details. We assume that everyone else likes details. In a sense,
they do. However, the details differ with the reason why people are listening. For example,
the CEO probably wants details about the opportunity costs about a project, rather than details
about test methodologies.
A voluntary audience, that is, a group of people who have chosen to come to the presentation
of their own volition, is easier to address because they are interested in hearing your presenta-
tion. Voluntary audiences are more homogeneous, that is, their demographic similarities, rather
than their differences, characterize them.
Mandatory audiences, a group of people required to attend, require a greater understanding
of their motivation and biases. Mandatory audiences are more heterogeneous, that is,
demographic differences among individuals characterize the group (Adams).
For example, you would structure your presentation differently when addressing your staff in a
mandatory meeting about software-coding standards versus a brainstorming session to develop
new coding standards. Understand why your audience is attending as you prepare so that you
can present material appropriate to those interests.

Technical Presentations: Book 1. Strategy - Preparation and Planning


What do they think? 11
Understand what your audience thinks about your topic and about you. You should consider
their biases, opinions and prejudices. Determine whether the group is open to new ideas.
Consider if you need to change their views or if they already agree with you. Determine how
credible they think you are.
If the audience believes you are a credible expert, you will sway them with your message. If an
audience does not believe you are a credible expert, you will need to spend time at the start of
the presentation explaining why you are a credible source for the information you will present.
Establish trust, so they are receptive to your information.
Understanding their perception of you and the topic is particularly important for persuasive
speeches. To persuade the audience, you must address their biases before you can persuade
them of the benefits of your perspective.

Who are they?


Understanding the audience is a critical preparation step. Your goal is to categorize and
understand your audience to define a common set of characteristics. However, do not lose
sight of the fact that the audience consists of unique individuals with unique needs, wants
and expectations.
Each individual will learn, understand and interpret your
The audience consists information differently. Each individual will listen with
of individuals. a different bias, perspective and knowledge base.
Consider how each individual will organize and process
the information. When you prepare your material, you
will want to provide information in different formats.
Think about the audience in broad categories when selecting your topic and organizing the
presentation. Tailor your material to their individual needs and expectations with personal
examples and stories when writing the presentation. Incorporate material that will be
meaningful for unique, specific individuals when delivering your talk.

The best audience is intelligent,


well-educated and a little drunk.
- Alben William Barkley

Technical Presentations: Book 1. Strategy - Preparation and Planning


12 When? Know the Occasion

I dentifying when means defining the time, duration and occasion for the presentation.
Time and duration will affect the length of your presentation and how many items you can
cover during the presentation. The occasion will significantly affect how you structure your
presentation.

Occasion
Identify the speech occasion. Know if you are presenting The occasion determines
at a holiday party, conference or training session. Each
the speech structure.
occasion requires different content and structure.
Remember that no presentation, even a highly technical
briefing, should be the medium for delivering fine details. The purpose of a presentation is
communication. To communicate effectively, you must state your facts in a simple, concise
and interesting manner.
Types of technical presentations:
1. B
 riefing (typically 10-30 minutes) This is a no-nonsense speech conveying technical
ideas in such a way that the audience can grasp them quickly, understand their applica-
tion and use them to make decisions. This presentation is the most common type of
technical presentation. The audience composition varies between highly technical and
non-technical.
2. Proposals (variable length) Consider this presentation as a type of a persuasive
briefing. Proposals advocate a product, service or course of action. The purpose of
the proposal is to convince the audience that you are qualified and that your solution
is workable. The audience can range from highly technical to non-technical.
3. Conference papers (15-20 minutes) This is a specific type of briefing. The goal is to
share research, results and potential applications of a specific technology. The goal is
to share information for discussion among and education of colleagues. The audience
is typically highly technical but often technically diverse. That is, the group may work in
the same broad field (e.g., radar) but with different specific components (e.g., receiver
design, filtering algorithms, material composition). Therefore, be sure to relate how the
knowledge you are presenting will be of value to the group.
4. T
 raining (variable length) In a training presentation, your purpose is to explain techni-
cal information to an audience unfamiliar with the information. Use simple language
without jargon and rely heavily on examples, metaphors and comparisons relevant to
your audience. Although the audience might be technical, they are likely unfamiliar with
the presentation topic.
5. Demonstration (variable length) In a demonstration, team members show the
benefits of product features. Do not simply go through a laundry list of product features.
Highlight audience-relevant examples for product use. It is difficult to simultaneously
perform a live demo, answer questions and talk coherently. Plan to have an assistant
who provides commentary for the presentation and fields questions while you
demonstrate. The audience is typically non-technical, but can be a mix.

Technical Presentations: Book 1. Strategy - Preparation and Planning


6. Team Review (variable length) In a team review, team members present their 13
contributions on a particular project. Presentations include multiple disciplines, such as
mechanical, optical and electrical. One challenge in this type of presentation is coordinat-
ing all speakers to focus on a common purpose. Another challenge is balancing technical
content for the technically diverse audience.
7. Panel discussion (30-60 minutes) Each panelist covers a different aspect of a specific
subject. The goal is to provide different perspectives and information so that material
does not overlap. The audience composition varies.
Types of special-occasion presentations:
1. Entertaining speeches (typically 30-45 minutes) The most common type of
entertaining speech is the after-dinner speech. The after-dinner speech is a lighthearted
speech delivered after, before or during a meal. Even if the audience is highly technical,
the presentation is geared towards a non-technical audience because the audience
is relaxed and in the mood for a light topic after a nice meal.
2. K
 eynote address (45-60 minutes) A keynote address sets the underlying tone or
summarizes the core message of an event. An opening keynote address at a political
convention outlines the issues under consideration. If you are presenting a keynote
address at the start of a conference, you should energetically set the tone for the
conference. If you are presenting a keynote address at the end of a conference, tie
all the events together and look forward to a future meeting. The audience is typically
very diverse. Address them as a non-technical group.
3. Commemoration (45-60 minutes) A commemoration recognizes important events,
people or places. The commemoration address is celebratory and marks an important
milestone. An example is a commencement address at a graduation. The audience is
typically very diverse.
4. S
 peaker introductions (1-3 minutes) Speaker introductions are necessary in all pre-
sentation settings. The introduction can be as short one sentence or as long as a three-
to five-minute speech. An introduction prepares the audience for and motivates them
toward the upcoming speaker. When introducing another, you should not upstage the
speaker; therefore, the introduction is typically brief, focusing on the speakers topic and
credentials. The audience varies according to the presentation purpose.
5. Award presentation (1-3 minutes) When presenting an award, communicate the
importance of the award. Explain why the recipient is receiving the award. Present an
award in simple, non-technical language with illustrative examples.
6. Award acceptance (1-5 minutes) Express gratitude and honor for recognition in an
acceptance speech. You should present as though the audience is non-technical.
7. T
 ribute (2-5 minutes) A tribute, also known as a toast, is a brief recognition of a person
or event. A roast is a humorous tribute to a person. A eulogy is a tribute to a deceased
person. All tributes are brief and highlight positive attributes of the event or person. The
audience varies.

Technical Presentations: Book 1. Strategy - Preparation and Planning


14 Time
Find out what time of day you are presenting. If you get nervous presenting during a meal, have
a snack beforehand and skip the meal during the presentation. If there is a presenter before
you, consider how to condense the presentation, in case the previous speaker goes over time.
If you are giving an inspirational presentation after a long day of technical talks, plan how to
energize the group.
Arrive 30-60 minutes before your presentation. If you are
presenting at a conference, upload your presentation slides Arrive early. Stay late.
well in advance of your presentation time. If given the
opportunity to test the microphone, take it.
Allow at least 20 minutes before your presentation to mingle with the audience. You can
find out why they came to your presentation, what they hope to learn and to hear their stories.
You never know, you may hear a story or get an idea from an audience member to use in your
presentation.
Allow another 20 minutes after the presentation for audience members to ask questions or pro-
vide comments. You will get immediate feedback through this process. If no one approaches
you to ask a question, take this action as specific (although not necessarily positive) feedback.

Duration
Identify the duration of your presentation. Will you have 20 minutes, four hours or two days to
present your information? Determine if the time includes a question-and-answer session.
For longer presentations, you have more freedom to explore your topic in depth. Allow partici-
pants to explore concepts through exercises and provide extra examples. Remember that the
audience members can only absorb a limited amount of information at a time. They have only
one opportunity to hear the presentation. They cannot go back to review the information that
you share. Therefore, you should take frequent breaks to allow the audience to think about the
key points presented in each segment of a longer presentation.
A short presentation, on the other hand, needs to be very clear, concise and direct. You must
work harder to focus your information to a central message, with relevant examples for short-
duration presentations. It takes longer to prepare a short, focused presentation than a longer
presentation. Be sure to factor the extra time into your planning.
Never exceed your speaking time, whether you have only five
minutes or five days. When you go over time, you break the Do NOT exceed
contract you have with your audience. Negative emotions creep your allotted time.
out when you go over time, no matter how interested you think
the audience is in your topic. Nobody will complain if you finish
a few minutes early.

A winning effort begins with preparation.


- Joe Gibbs

Technical Presentations: Book 1. Strategy - Preparation and Planning


Where? Scout the Location 15

A s a presenter, you must know where you are presenting and understand how the location
will affect your delivery. Identify your audio/visual needs and ensure those needs are met.

Location
Location is both geographic; that is, location on the world map, and spatial; that is, location in
relation to the audience.
When considering the geographic components of location, ask yourself:
Are you presenting in another country?
Are their special travel constraints you should take into consideration (visa, passport)?
Will you be staying nearby or will you need to travel to the meeting location?
Are there any unique cultural differences of which you should be aware?
Will language be a barrier to clarity?
Do you know the appropriate etiquette for the international audience?
Should you worry about seasonal weather?
If you need to travel to your presentation location, do not wear your presentation clothes while
traveling. They will wrinkle. Carry one set of your handouts and your presentation in your carry-
on just in case your luggage gets lost. You could also mail your materials to the facility ahead of
time and ensure their arrival.
When considering the spatial components of location, ask yourself:
Where will the audience be?
Where will you be in relation to your audience?
Will you be in outside or inside?
Is this a conference call or webinar?
Will everyone be able to see and hear you?
Presenting a webinar (in which you definitely want a script) will require different preparation
than presenting in a stadium seating 5,000 (in which dynamic delivery is important).
If the room is not full, encourage people to move towards
Ask people to sit the front of the room. Having people sit toward the front
together to encourage and close together will encourage the audience to respond
as a unit. If the number of seats is greater than the number
a sense of community. of people attending, remove a few chairs from the back of
the room.

Technical Presentations: Book 1. Strategy - Preparation and Planning


16 Room
Consider the following questions regarding the presentation room:
How big is the room?
Is it relatively quiet?
Is there a lectern (a reading stand behind which a speaker stands)?
Will you present from a podium (a raised platform on which a speaker stands)?
Does the heating and air conditioning work?
Is the room cluttered?
What is the seating layout?
Do people have a writing surface with pen and paper handy?
Is there adequate lighting?
Can you easily control the lighting?
If the room is small (seating 20-30 people) you will not need a microphone. If the room seats
more than 50-100 people, then you should use a microphone so that everyone can hear you
evenly.
Clear out any equipment or chairs that may clutter the speaking area. Remove easels, posters
or any other furniture that has nothing to do with your presentation. These items can be
distracting and divert your audiences attention away from you during the presentation.
Identify how you would like to have the room organized. If you plan to have people break into
small group discussions, request round tables so that each table can be a team. If you need
people to take notes, organize the room in a classroom format. If you would like the audience
to feel connected, request the room be setup in a theater format where the chairs are closer
together. Identify how much of the seating arrangement can be changed if you need people to
move around during the presentation.

Audio/Visual (A/V) equipment


Know your equipment, its capabilities and requirements before you present. Determine if
you need a whiteboard, chalkboard, laser pointer, wireless mouse or flip chart. If no lectern is
present or you want something less intrusive, consider a foldable music stand. The stand will
easily hold your notes and you can put the stand to the side to allow more stage area.
Determine if you have easy access to props, electrical
Know your equipment outlets, internet connections and/or your computer.
and its capabilities Identify the location of the screen, projector or pointer
in relation to where you will be. Determine whether you
before you present. will have assistance in case equipment fails during the
presentation.

Technical Presentations: Book 1. Strategy - Preparation and Planning


Find the switches and experiment to get the maximum lighting for your presentation. If you 17
want to present slides or a video, make sure people at the back of the room can see the slides.
Verify that you can turn down the lights without turning off all the lights. You do not want to
speak in a dark room. Only turn down the lights over the slides and try to avoid lighting that
creates shadows.
You should also consider any demonstration props that
you have. Test out the demonstration in the location and Practice all product
in connection with the A/V equipment you will be using demonstrations.
during the presentation. You should practice all items
in a demonstration, especially when there are multiple
presenters with different components. If you are
demonstrating software (or any technical product), do not make any last-minute tweaks without
going through the entire demonstration to verify all features are still working.
After identifying details regarding the room and A/V equipment, visit the location prior to writing
your presentation if possible. You will have a better idea of what delivery techniques will or will
not work. Arrive early and walk around the room on the day of your presentation. Test out the
equipment if you have the opportunity, and make sure you have everything needed before the
start of the presentation.

If you dont know where you are going,


any road will get you there.
- Cheshire Cat, Alice in Wonderland

Technical Presentations: Book 1. Strategy - Preparation and Planning


18 What? Determine Your Focus (Content)

U nderstanding your audience, where you will present and the occasion completes only half
the planning required. You must define what you want to say. It seems obvious that you
should know the focus of your presentation. However, most speakers fail to define their core
purpose in simple, concrete language before spending time writing the presentation.
Differentiate what from why. What is the content. Why is the
message. The content is the topic, idea or information. The
message is the meaning of the content. The message explains What = Content
how the information ties together, how the audience can use
Why = Message
the content or what the content means. Technical presentations
tend to be heavy on content; as a result, the message gets lost
in the data.
Design all presentations, regardless of their complexity, with a single purpose. State that pur-
pose at the beginning of the preparation process and keep this purpose in mind throughout the
presentation development.
Unfortunately, there is an infinite number of presentation topics. How do you choose the
one best suited for you and the audience? First, identify your areas of expertise and passion.
Second, understand your audience. Third, clarify the occasion. With these three items of
information, brainstorm topic ideas you know and care about, and that the audience is
interested in.

Your Interests
To identify your interests, consider these questions:
What technology or topics are you knowledgeable about?
What topics are you excited about?
Which topics will you enjoy researching?
- What related experiences do you have?
What is your point of view?
What problem exists? What are its causes? How has it been addressed in the past?
Take time to identify which topics you know. Select a topic with which you are familiar. Memo-
rizing material for a presentation is not the same as knowing the material you will present.
Selecting a topic in which you are knowledgeable will give you confidence in preparing and
presenting the material.
Select a topic about which you are passionate. Audience members can feel your excitement (or
indifference). If you are not passionate about your topic, it will show.

Technical Presentations: Book 1. Strategy - Preparation and Planning


Most technical presenters spend lots of time brainstorming
19
Know what and what and researching their topic. This results in lots of information
not to include in your and little interpretation. If your topic is too broad, you cannot
discuss it in depth. If there are too many points, your audi-
presentation. ence will not remember the information. Brainstorm until
you have a focused topic. If you have a long list of topics,
think about combining potentially similar ideas into an overarching theme.
As the expert, you must know what information to include and, more importantly, what not to
include. Know your topic well, so that you can explain it in a way that is easy to understand and
remember.

Audiences Interest
Ask yourself the following questions to determine your audiences interests:
What is important to your audience?
Which topics are relevant to your audience?
Which topics are applicable to their lives?
Does the topic fit the audience?
What one idea does your audience need to know most?
Based on your analysis of the audience, identify topics that are specific, practical and relevant
to them. Once you have identified the topic, simplify. Decide how much of the information
is relevant to the audience. Do not include material that is not relevant to the audience you
identified.
Technical professionals have a tendency to cram as
much information as possible into the time allotted Understand your topic so
to impress their audience. Instead of cramming thoroughly that you can
information and boring the audience, reframe your simplify it for your audience.
thinking. It is your responsibility to understand your
topic so thoroughly that you can make it simple
enough for the audience. Your job is to identify the relevant information and align it to the
audiences interests.
Use the information you gathered during the audience analysis to help identify a central topic.
Your audience will remember items that resonate with them. The audience hears and absorbs
information if they see a connection between what you present and what they feel.
If they can connect personally to the topic, they are likely to pay attention. If the information is
directly applicable to them, they are likely to use it.

Technical Presentations: Book 1. Strategy - Preparation and Planning


20 Intersection of Interests
Andrew Dlugan suggests you think about the intersection of your interests, the audiences
interests and your passions (see figure 2). Choose a topic in this region for maximum effect. If
you speak on a topic where you have no knowledge, your content will be empty and shallow.
If you are passionate but the audience is not interested, your audience will tune you out. If you
talk about the audiences interest but are not excited about the topic, your delivery will be flat.
Figure 2: Topic Selection

Fortunately, most technical presentations, especially conference papers, meet the intersection
criteria. You present a conference paper on a topic about which you are confident, interested
and familiar. Additionally, the audience is interested in your topic or they would not attend your
session.

Be Prepared.
- Boy Scout Motto

Technical Presentations: Book 1. Strategy - Preparation and Planning


Why? Identify the Importance (Message) 21

W hy are you going to present? You might present to get the audience to volunteer their
time, renew your grant or implement your process. Why describes the response that
you want from your audience.
Work to focus the general topic into a specific message. Focusing the content (i.e., what) into a
concrete message (i.e., why) is a necessary step in the preparation process.
Questions to consider include:
Is your objective to motivate? Inform? Persuade? Recommend? Report? Teach?
Entertain?
Which message do you want to convey?
What is the purpose of this speech?
What do you want to accomplish?
Do you want to convey an idea, evoke an emotion or elicit a specific response?
Do you want the audience to challenge your assumptions or confirm your data?
Presentations, regardless of their complexity, must
What reaction do you want have a single purpose. A core purpose is the main
from the audience? action, thought or feeling you want your audience
to remember, think or feel because of your
presentation. The core purpose will provide focus
for the presentation. Information incorporated into the presentation should support, explain or
emphasize the core purpose.

Brainstorm
Jot down in one concise sentence what you want the audience to know, do or feel. This is
rarely a question of what you know. Rather, it is a question of what they need to know.
Brainstorm for a while (a few hours or a couple of days) to identify your core message. Do not
try to be clever, perfect or catchy when brainstorming. Write down whatever comes to your
mind. Pare down the ideas later.

Identify
Identify your core message by focusing on the audience, not on you or generalities. Do not
succumb to the temptation to insert your objective into your core message. You must stay
focused on your audiences objective.

Technical Presentations: Book 1. Strategy - Preparation and Planning


As you work to identify your core purpose, ask yourself these questions:
22
Which message is the most interesting, appropriate and relevant to my audience?
If the audience remembers only one item from the presentation, what should it be?
W
 hat surprised me while I was thinking about or researching this topic? Would it be
interesting to the audience?
What one item does my audience need to know most?
What one action do I want the audience to take when they leave here?
Table 1 presents a comparison of core-purpose statements from a general, speaker and audi-
ence perspective.
Table 1: Core Purpose Comparisons
Generic Purpose You-Centric Audience-Centric
Statement Statement Statement
To inform others on how Convince people to use a Explain how to use a
they can use my technology blackberry to track e-mail blackberry to track e-mail
to improve their lives to stay connected when
out of the office
To engage people in my Persuade people to help Provide opportunities to
project me with the project tasks expand skills by helping
with monthly project
reports
To get people to change their Motivate people to turn off Demonstrate how people
daily habit the lights when leaving a can affect the environment
room and save money by turning
off lights

Technical Presentations: Book 1. Strategy - Preparation and Planning


Craft 23
Once you have identified the core purpose, craft it. Make
the message specific and concrete. Eliminate jargon. Be An audience retains
direct, accurate and concise. Try to make the message as only one or two points.
short as possible, but no shorter. The shorter the message,
the easier it will be for you to repeat and the audience to
remember. However, brevity should not come at the expense of meaning.
You will have identified an appropriate core message when you can identify the relevance to
your audience. Memorize the message. If you cannot, it should not be the essence of your
presentation. Ask others to judge your key message for you. If someone woke up in the middle
of the presentation and heard just the core message, would they have a clear understanding of
your purpose?
The reality of any presentation is that the audience will retain only one or two points. Unlike a
written article or book, the audience does not have the luxury of reviewing material or referring
to a passage again. You must design your speech so that your audience remembers your core
message.
You can effectively convey only one message to an audience in a single presentation. You are
responsible for identifying that single focus.

Success demands singleness of purpose.


- Vince Lombardi

Technical Presentations: Book 1. Strategy - Preparation and Planning


24 How? Determine the Best Format

O nce you know what you want the audience to do, you can focus on how you will present
the information. Consider whether you will present the information in an informal chat, a
seminar or a training workshop. Identify the presentation approach that will best convey your
message. Consider whether you should be direct or beat around the bush.
Once you are ready, organize your thoughts
in one of the three basics types of speeches: A clear line does not exist
(informative, persuasive or entertaining).
between educating, persuading
Realize that the line between these types of
presentations is neither clear nor straight. and entertaining.
Informative speeches can be highly entertaining.
Persuasive speeches, by their nature, must inform
to be effective.

Presentation Types
The three basic types of speeches are:
1. Speeches that Educate (Informative) - This speech serves to provide useful informa-
tion to your audience. Even if your goal is to inform, you must define what action you
want your audience to take with this information.
For example, a seminar about circuits; a speech explaining how to bake brownies; a
corporate briefing outlining the status of an acquisition
2. Speeches that Motivate (Persuasive) - This speech works to convince people to
change how they think, how they act or what they believe.
For example, a candidates election speech; recruiting a volunteer to IEEE; a coachs
speech to the team before a big game; a business proposal to potential investors
3. Speeches that Entertain (Entertaining) This speech strives to amuse the audience.
The after-dinner speech is a typical example of an entertaining speech. You provide
enjoyment for the audience.
For example, a water-cooler story about your weekend; a fable; a toast in celebration of
the 4th of July

Technical Presentations: Book 1. Strategy - Preparation and Planning


Informative Presentations
In an informative speech, you influence how the audience sees a subject or makes sense of
the world. You should research facts and present material in an organized manner, if your goal is
to inform. There are four major types of informative presentations:
1. Explanatory (about Objects) This speech focuses on reports of current or historical
people, places, events, inventions or products. The objective is to explain or define.
For example, analysis of Ronald Reagans Berlin Wall speech; a lecture on the military
formations used during the Civil War; a discussion about the filaments used in light
bulbs
2. D
 efinitional (about Concepts) This speech defines the meaning of concepts, theo-
ries, philosophies or issues that may be unfamiliar to the audience. Typically, these
concepts are abstract so you must provide real-life, applicable examples.
For example, an explanation of Tesla coils; a discussion about Keynesian economics; an
introduction to Jainism
3. Descriptive (about Events) This speech describes in vivid detail a person, animal,
place or object. Determine the characteristics, features or functions you want to
describe.
For example, a layout of Heisenbergs lab; a description of the Sahara desert; a story
about the Tortoise & the Hare
4. D
 emonstrative (about Processes) This speech demonstrates (shows) how a task is
done. You may simply explain the process or walk the audience through the process.
For example, the steps to baking brownies; steps to building a web page; an explanation
of a pulse-measuring experiment

Persuasive Presentations
The essence of persuasion is matching your message to exactly what your audience values,
wants or needs. The aim of the speech is to influence values, ideas or attitudes. In a persuasive
speech, you emphasize benefits, rather than features or specifications. Persuasive presenta-
tions typically incorporate statistics, expert testimony and stories appealing to the audience.
The structure of a persuasive speech typically consists of three components:
1. Identifying the need (problem)
2. Providing a plan or solution (plan)
3. Proving the solution (practicality)

Technical Presentations: Book 1. Strategy - Preparation and Planning


There are three common proofs used in persuasion as originally defined in Aristotles Rhetoric:
26
Ethos Ethos is an appeal to credibility. You appeal to the audience by highlighting your
education level, articulation and/or presentation skills.
Pathos Pathos is an appeal to emotion. You appeal to the emotions and values of the
audience.
L
 ogos Logos is an appeal to rational thought. You appeal to the intellect or rationality
of the audience.

Entertaining Presentations
In an entertaining speech, you seek to amuse the audience. The speech does not have to be
explicitly funny. It could be a drama, a poem or another form of diversion. The speech should
not require great depth of thinking or concentration. The speech can have a message but the
message should not be the central part of the presentation.
Entertaining speeches must include simple, vivid details in a narrative format. In a typical
entertaining speech, you are trying to bring people together for a shared occasion or experi-
ence. As a result, most entertaining speeches are special-occasion speeches such as toasts,
roasts, award presentations or after-dinner speeches.
In an entertaining speech more than any other, the
The audience reflects audience will reflect your mood. If you are not passionate,
the audience will not be passionate. If you are not smiling,
the speakers mood. the audience will not smile. If you are not enjoying
yourself, the audience will not enjoy themselves. Smile.
Laugh. Have fun. Be personable.
Different purposes require different presentation styles. Choose your speech style before
writing your material. Your style will determine the structure of your outline and influence your
delivery techniques.

Spectacular achievements are always


preceded by unspectacular preparation.
- Roger Staubach

Technical Presentations: Book 1. Strategy - Preparation and Planning


Preparation Process 27

P reparation ensures readiness for the writing process. Most technical professionals
delve immediately into writing. Only later, if at all, do they think about how to present the
information. To improve your presentations, invert the process. Research who, what, when,
where, why and how, first. Keep notes. Analyze the data. Formulate plans. After these steps
are complete, create an outline and begin the writing process.
Plan and prepare with the Five Ws (and One H) technique. Once you have defined the
audience, message and speech type, the details of the presentation and delivery will follow.
In Book II: Structure - Anatomy of a Successful Presentation, we will explore the details
of how to structure your material in a clear organized manner.

Normal sequence of product design


1. Management announces the product
2. Technical writing publishes the manual
3. Engineering begins designing it
- William Horton

Technical Presentations: Book 1. Strategy - Preparation and Planning


28 Appendix A Sample Audience Analysis
Questionnaire

General Logistics
1. Date, start time and duration of presentation
2. Meeting location (address, phone number, room)
3. Contact person for presentation (name, phone number, e-mail)
4. Attire (business, business casual, formal)
5. Room setup (round tables, classroom, theater)
6. A/V (lectern, microphone, flip chart, whiteboard, projector, lights)
7. What options are available if the A/V fails?
8. Will the presentation be taped for broadcast?
9. Is this a teleconference, web presentation, or in-person presentation?
10. Who (audience, organizer, executive) will evaluate the presentation?
11. Will food and/or beverages be served?
Group Demographics
1. Approximate ages, percentage of males/females, educational backgrounds
and occupations
2. How many people will be attending?
3. Will there be special guests in the audience?
Group Interests/Needs
1. What are the three main challenges/concerns faced by members of your group?
2. Why is this presentation being coordinated for the group?
3. What is the groups overall opinion about attending this meeting?
4. What is the groups overall opinion regarding this subject?
5. How much does the audience know about this topic?
6. What specifically are you trying to accomplish with this meeting?
7. Are there any specific topics you feel I should include?
8. Are there any specific topics you feel I should exclude?
9. What actions do you want your group to take?
Historical Information
1. Is this a recurring meeting?
2. What speakers have presented in the past?
3. What topics have been presented before?
4. What three most significant events have occurred in the group in the past year?

Technical Presentations: Book 1. Strategy - Preparation and Planning


Bibliography 29

Adams, Tyrone and DeCaro, Peter. Public Speaking: the ACA Open Knowledge Online Guide.
n.d. Web. 3 January 2010.
Booher, Dianna. E-Writing: 21st Century Tools for Effective Communication. New York: Pocket
Books, 2001. Print.
Dlugan, Andrew. The Speech Preparation Series. Six Minutes. 28 February 2008. Web. 31
December 2009.
Maxwell, John. The 17 Essential Qualities of a Team Player. Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, Inc.,
2002. Print.
Mitchell, Olivia. How to Craft a Memorable Key Message in 10 Minutes. Speaking about
Presenting. n.d. Web. 31 December 2009.
Sloan, Trey. Know Your Audience to Deliver an Effective Presentation. Video Professor. n.d.
Web. 28 December 2009.
Technical Presentations, Advanced Communication and Leadership Program, Toastmasters
International, 1992
Witt, Chris. Presentation Tips, Strategy. Life after PowerPoint. n.d. Web. 31 December 2009.

Technical Presentations: Book 1. Strategy - Preparation and Planning


30 Acknowledgements

T hank you for taking time to learn about preparing and planning for a technical presentation.
Your presentation proficiency will not improve overnight. However, by incorporating and
practicing the suggestions provided in this book, you will improve. For those wishing to improve
their presentation skills significantly, I strongly recommend Toastmasters International, a sup-
portive and positive organization in which you will learn communication and leadership skills.
Thank you, Alex. Your constant support and willingness to give up many evenings, and the rare,
free weekends made it possible for me to write this book.
Thank you, Mom and Dad. You taught me the solid principles of excellence, persistence and
focused work, without which I would not be where I am.
I am grateful to Bob Macemon for listening, editing and freely sharing ideas.
I am grateful to Deb Nowak for reviewing, commenting and providing thoughtful feedback.
I am grateful to Lucy Paine Kezar for providing experienced, writing advice.
I am grateful to Audrey Selig for providing helpful, stylistic comments.
I am grateful to the many Toastmasters members who have helped me improve my presenta-
tion skills, and have continually inspired me to incorporate feedback to achieve excellence.
I am grateful to Georgia Stelluto, IEEE-USA Publishing Manager, for encouraging and editing
this book.

Technical Presentations: Book 1. Strategy - Preparation and Planning


About the Author 31

N ita Patel, P.E., PMP, DTM, is a practicing systems/software engineer and an active IEEE and
Toastmasters International volunteer. Nita is a Distinguished Toastmaster, the highest level
of certification in Toastmasters, and typically presents thirty to forty speeches each year. She
received her BSEE, BS Mathematics and MSCpE degrees from Southern Methodist University,
Dallas, TX. Nita can be reached at nita.patel@ieee.org.

Technical Presentations: Book 1. Strategy - Preparation and Planning


2001 L Street, NW, Suite 700 Washington, D.C. 20036-5104
+1 202 785 0017 www.ieeeusa.org
www.ieeeusa.org/communications/ebooks

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