Basic principles of technical presentation

Following are some basic principles in technical presentations.
  1. You must have something worth presenting
    Ask yourself: what is your story?
  2. Address all levels if possible
    Try to tell a story that everybody can understand, and experts would appreciate.
  3. Speak up, and speak clearly
    Everything you say must be audible.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. 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.
  8. 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