Basic principles of technical presentation
Following are some basic principles in technical presentations.
- You must have something worth presenting
Ask yourself: what is your story?
- Address all levels if possible
Try to tell a story that everybody can understand, and experts would appreciate.
- Speak up, and speak clearly
Everything you say must be audible.
- What should the audience bring away?
Sometimes the audience have already heard 5 presentation before yours. They may not be able to absorb too much from your talk.
Try to summarize your work within 20 words; use bullet points if that helps.
- Common mistake: too much information
New presenters tend to present too much information in too little time.
You probably have a lot to tell the audience, but try to be selective, because no matter how much you tell the audience, you are wasting time if what you say is unclear.
- WHAT are you talking about?
One of the common mistakes is failing to explain what you have done before explaining why you are doing it and why it is good.
- Everything that you put up will be read
The audience could feel frustrated if they cannot finish reading all the points in a slide before it is taken away.
- How many slides should I present?
Present as many slides as you want, as long as you have time to clearly address all the material that you put up.
The above advice is a personal view, given by
Edward Tsang; last updated 2010.03.12