Presentation Tips

[Chris Charabaruk]

Well, when we had our club elections back in June, it was suggested I run for President (by our current Pres, no less), but I've only been a member since April and so was wary of shooting straight for the top just like that. I'll probably run for VP Membership next year, though. By the way, mind if you ask where you are in the curriculum? I'm almost half-way done my first CC, and about 1/5 of the way through the new CL program.

Christopher S. 'coldacid' Charabaruk E-mail: coldacid at gmail dot com Web: http://coldacid.slylabs.com/

[kevinlinzy]

Don't get me wrong--I'm a fan of PowerPoint, it's just the animations that I hate. "The first 90% of the code accounts for the first 90% of the development time. The remaining 10% of the code accounts for the other 90% of the development time." -- Tom Cargill

[Colin Angus Mackay]

I have my CTM, and I'm two speeches away from the old style CL (there is a grace period, I have until June 2007 and I'll easily manage it by then). I'm also one speech into my AC-Bronze although I've been taking a bit of a back seat doing speeches at the moment. It was suggested to me also that I go for President, but I was more interested in the VPE role because I like helping people and it seemed more appropriate. By the way, a trick on the TMI website when ordering stuff is that you can get 20 leaflets for free (any more than that and you have to pay). Every time I have to order things I add in the 20 free leaflets and then we can use them for advertising.

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Upcoming Scottish Developers events: * UK Security Evangelists On Tour (2nd November, Edinburgh) * Developer Day Scotland: are you interested in speaking or attending? My: Website | Blog

[MayankT]

I have faced the same problem. So now at the beginning I set some ground rules for the audience. Its not that I spell them out like rules. It would be something like.. "da da da.... and we will wind up with a question and answer session. Of course if you are faster than me please do wait for me to catch up so we can pop your quesion and plug in the answer :)" ( ':)' means to give a big smile here) also i keep enough optional content for time management.

---------------------- Mayank Thakore Learning C++ - since 1998 They didn't print my card right; so I resigned.

[MayankT]

Jay Nelson wrote:

Practive your presentation several times

this is my golden rule too. i am so used to the contents of my presentations that i only focus on presenting it. the content comes automatically.

---------------------- Mayank Thakore Learning C++ - since 1998 They didn't print my card right; so I resigned.

[MayankT]

Guy Kawasaki has great tips (and not just for presentations) though its not always possible. for ex. some of my presentations have around 30/40 slides and last upto 3 hours. but since all of my audience are people from my own organisation i can get them to play a short game to get everyone energised :) It works most of the time.

---------------------- Mayank Thakore Learning C++ - since 1998 They didn't print my card right; so I resigned.

[MayankT]

if possible make the full presentation and make a video recording of it. when you watch it you will find mistakes and weak points that simply cannot be pointed out by your self. of course the best thing is if you can get a shameless and bold critic to scrutinize your presentation and pinpoint each and every error you make or anything else for that matter. however small it might be. (you could also try learning from bad experiences :))

---------------------- Mayank Thakore Learning C++ - since 1998 They didn't print my card right; so I resigned.

[Neutromancer]

Ok, to sum up, I think we all agree on these things: -Either avoid humour completely, or try to use humour in your presentation. -Speak very slowly, or very fast, or at a normal speed. -Use a high volume of voice, or not. -Never deviate from your script, or ad-lib if you want. -Let people ask their questions during your presentation, or make them wait till the end. If you follow very closely all, some or none of these guidelines, you definitely cannot go wrong. Maybe. ;)

[Amar Chaudhary]

kiss ( keep it simply stupid) not in the sence of content or intent but in the term of language as a observer i passed through the conditions when presenter said such an alien word that i simply cant understand or look it to the dictionary so make it easily understandable images use them at max they usually fill the communication gap and we also love to see them as far as they are not complex charts (no body is intrested in them)

[Colin Angus Mackay]

I think it comes down to "everything in moderation". If you've seen a presenter race away without ever pausing and letting the audience take in the message then you'll naturally advise people to slow down. If you've experienced the David Brent (from The Office [original UK version]) style of humour in presentations you'll tell people to not use humour. But, did that person actually notice when a person speaks at the correct rate for the situation, or uses humour appropriately. A person won't notice negative things about a good presenter because the presenter will have you thinking about their message more than the delivery. Therefore * Use humour moderately - not too much, not too little * Talk at a moderate speed - not too fast, not too slow. * Vary the volume at which you speak. Some people raise their voice to get across an important point. Others lower it. And sometimes, talking in a loud whisper will really get the point across. * Keep to a script because it helps keep you to time. But if some situation arises that you can use to your advantage, or something goes wrong, then ad-lib to keep the audience interested. * If time is tight then make sure you wait until the end for questions. If time is flexible then go ahead and allow people to ask questions. The audience can show their respect to the speaker by waiting if necessary. At the end of the day, there are no hard and fast rules. As long as you get to know your audience and vary your presentation to fit them, then you will do great.

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Upcoming Scottish Developers events: * UK Security Evangelists On Tour (2nd November, Edinburgh) * Developer Day Scotland: are you interested in speaking or attending? My: Website | Blog

[Mark Petty]

I find it really depends on the type of presentation you are giving. I find interactivity in my presentations allow me to get a feel for and tailor the content to the audience. It also removes a lot of the dryness. Things like "what are you thoughts on [topic]" or "[how do you / what would you do to] solve that problem currently". The key is directed questions to prevent open discussions. If of course there is a possiblity for the presentation to go off on a tangent and you should be confident enough to bring it back on subject. If you are against time constraints or not confident of questions through out; I have found something along the lines of "Please leave questions until the end, but if you do have a buring question you are busting to ask or think you might forget, I'll be happy to answer" This stress the fact that you do want questions at the end, but at the sametime has created an initial rapor with your audience and has put them at ease. A good use of animation during a presentation is to put emphasis on key points or to bring the audience's focus back on you. It is suprising how well a light clap of the hands works in a sentence, or when reading short list stressing each item with your fingers. Volume, pace and tone of your voice is extreemly important, of course you should be heard at the back, however they way you speak should add interest. Vary the volume and tone, if you have some thing important to say that you really want your audiance to hear or perhaps you can feel yourself loosing them, try lowering your voice and slowing the pace of speaking just a tiny bit. And the number 1 most important thing that you can bring to your presentations is enthusiasum. Do not expect your audiance to be intrested in what you have to say if you have aboslutly no passion for the subject.

[alex barylski]

Perhaps, but making an attempt at humor (what I got out of it) is IMHO a potential bad thing, because you really have no idea what a stranger finds funny or not. Making fun of yourself is about the only universal "funny" someone can make with zero chance of offending anyone.

It's frustrating being a genius and living the life of a moron!!!

[alex barylski]

Those are good points...thanks for that man...

It's frustrating being a genius and living the life of a moron!!!

[Seth Spearman]

This is obvious and very related to the pacing question, but DON'T go long. I REALLY respect a presenter who covers all of the materials and finishes right on time. And the better you are at presenting the HARDER it is to do this. You have to be in tune to your watch AND the audience and that is sometimes difficult. But finishing on time is one of the ways you respect your audience.

[HakunaMatada]

Sure Anytime.....:)

--- :beer: Hakuna-Matada :beer: It means no worries for the rest of your days... It's our problem free, Philosophy :jig:

[nilotic]

The best lecturer I had at Uni used to start quite quietly. By 5 minutes in, he was clear but he didn't get loud until halfway through. With longer presentations, this is a good tactic. Pity the front row when someone gets up and immediately SHOUTS in an attempt to take control of the room, and then leaps around bellowing. Aim for a calm, slow preamble which helps YOU relax as you get comfortable and introduce yourself.... Minimalism is next to Godliness. Remove the clutter from the presentation and put it in your 'questions/discussions' (final) slides, which you don't want to show -- except in emergencies. Humourous imagery (or comparisons/metaphors) can be perfect, but any more than two in ten minutes --- dodgy. You need them to stay with you through it - keep it minimal. Cut a clear path with clear headings. If you get certain slides/topics which are difficult to place in the order, make a decision and stick with it, and practise it a lot. If you have the flow of it sussed, you're more than halfway to a good presentation, because it's then quite easy to actually empathise a bit with the audience and respond - say things to give perspective if you're about to switch topic. If you get interrupted, and need to prompt yourself from the current slide, you'll soon find out if you 'know da flow' or not. During practice, I recommend Northern Lights inebriation to make things more difficult, like training at high altitude :-) When you then give the real thing, make sure you're only a little bit inebriated by comparison, for obvious reasons. Hand flapping ? Not unless necessary. Don't swear and don't, don't, don't question the management when holding the floor because they will hate you forever onward.

'All there really is, is: virtue and vice' ...Black Crowes

[rhp8090]

> What makes a good presentation? Hard to say. Q: What makes a good political speech? What makes a good book report. What makes a good sermon? What makes a good news story? A: It holds their attention, conveys info at their level of understanding, makes them think, and they remember a few of your key points the next day. Decide what the subject matter and goal of your presentation will be. Try to determine what the main goal of the majority of your audience will be. Analyze both to determine points of common ground. Research the subject, outline a handful of main points, and order them logically. Add supporting info to reinforce your main points. Draw a conclusion. Now go back and create your introduction. In our visual age, just putting WORDS on a slide is no longer enough. And reading those same words to me is even worse. Since the slide area is limited, use only short phrases on the slide. When you speak, your words will give the complete sentences. Find a meaningful way to incorporate charts, graphics, pictures, etc. anything visual into the slides. Research the works of Edward Tufte as he is a master at this. http://www.edwardtufte.com/tufte/ If feasible, demonstrate the product, or concept. Talking about network switches? Don't just show a picture - hold one up, pass it around. USE PROPS wherever possible, especially to convey a concept. (At a marriage conference, they passed around a 4 inch Diamond replica, rose colored glasses, a mirror, a heavy rope with lots of knots in it, and many other unusual items, to help people get a handle on concepts like Worth, Bias, Forgiveness, etc.). Do anything you can to help the audience tangibly grasp an abstract concept. If you have to give a l-o-n-g presentation, try to arrange for a bio break sometime during. This can be real tricky, and you may lose people, they may straggle back in. Think of a way to get them back in on time - for example, maybe give away a promotional trinket (keyring, etc) to those who come back on time. Be creative. Be classy. I have passed around a bowl of AfterDinner mints during a long session. If you desire feedback, have a form you pass out at the end, and to ensure you get them back provide some incentive (maybe give away a book or gadget to one of the randomly chosen forms). Focus on the goal - which is to have most of your audience REMEMBER a few key points, 24 hours after your presentation. Go get 'em