Giving a Technical Talk

This is very closely based on a presentation that I saw as part of the Oak Ridge Science Semester in the Fall of 1989.

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In the beginning there was

TERROR

Too much or too little
Too complex or too simplistic
Too long or too short
And a multitude of "what ifs."

One approach is to start at the beginning

Getting started is the hardest part
Start and Beginning are synonyms
Technically it makes sense

BUT...

Planning a talk is different from giving one

Nobody is watching ...

You can be:

Silly
Illogical
Begrimed

You can also:

Scratch
Eat or drink
Procrastinate
Curse

And nobody but you will know.

Perhaps a better approach is to start at the end

Your destination is crystal clear
The path is easier to discern
Extraneous side trips fall away
You get where you are going
- Faster
- More efficiently
Your audience will bless you

Presentation Commandment 1

"Before thou starteth, knoweth whither thou goeth!"

Plot the course from where they are,
to where you want them to be

Is there a necessary sequence?
Define the key points
Support with evidence
Avoid unnecessary asides

Presentation Commandment 2

Sticketh to the straight and narrow!

You only want to inform, not produce experts

Data: trends not details
Vocabulary: English, not jargon
Content: brochure not encyclopedia

Presentation Commandment 3

Thou shalt not overwhelm an audience with detail!

There is an optimum pace at which people absorb data

6 or 7 facts per minute
Giving more results in lousy digestion
You defeat your purpose by force feeding

(They forget, hence they miss the destination.)

Presentation Commandment 4

Be not a purveyor of gluttony!

Tell them where you're going each step of the way

Your conclusion vs. theirs
Excursion and Fantasy avoided
Saves repetition and time

Punch lines are for comics - not communicators.

Presentation Commandment 5

Thou shalt not bear false witness to the point!

Two of the senses are readily available to the speaker

Some are lookers
Some are listeners
Most can do both (under certain circumstances)
Cash in on the "stereo" opportunity

Touch, taste, and smell are rarely appropriate vehicles for a technical talk - unless your material stinks!

Presentation Commandment 6

Have faith in the serendipity of two-channel reception!

The audience must be able to see and to hear your material for it to work

Print too small
Confusion from profusion
"Real men don't need a mike"
Bad enunciation with a mike equals load bad enunciation
Respect your audience; see also http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/11.09/ppt2.html
and

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/14/magazine/14POWER.html

Presentation Commandment 7

Honor thou the eyeglass and hearing aid set!

Failure to adhere to your time limit sends a variety of signals

You're rude
You're an egotist
You lack compassion
You can't tell time

Presentation Commandment 8

Violate not the clock!

Reading or memorizing your text is an invitation to disaster

It sounds stilted, hence insincere
You are shackled to your script or notes
Murphy's Law decrees that
- You will lose your place
- You will forget the next line
- You will come unglued
And then what?

Presentation Commandment 9

Thou shalt not read or memorize!

When you know:

Where you are going,
The shortest direct route,
The appropriate speed,
How to maximize retention,
That your material can be seen and heard,
You will meet or beat your schedule,
You will need no notes,

only then should you move to the tenth commandment.

Presentation Commandment 10

Goeth!