Online Instructor-Led Technical Presentation Skills Training

Course Outcomes

This three-part virtual technical presentation skills training course will:

• Outline what makes technical presentations different from other presentations.
• Identify the essential components of an effective technical presentation.
• Introduce an audience analysis and why it is a necessary step in a presentation.
• Suggest a methodology for organizing information clearly and concisely.
• Offer best practices for creating slides.
• Provide methods for visualizing data.
• Recommend strategies for simplifying complex ideas.
• Share best practices for effective delivery.

Course Overview

“Could he not see we were totally lost? I’ll never get that hour of my life back, and I still don’t understand the information. Frustrating!” “That took 102 slides? Get to the point already!” Comments such as those often follow a poorly designed or poorly delivered technical presentation. Fortunately, there’s hope and training available. This three-part course aims to help participants improve their ability to present complex ideas and connect the dots for both technical and non-technical audiences alike. The program can be delivered in a single day, over several weeks, and anything in between. Each segment lasts approximately two hours for a total of six hours of instruction.

Segment One Objectives

At this segment’s conclusion, participants should be able to:

• Explain the challenges people face when presenting technical information.
• Apply tactics for overcoming those obstacles.
• Create audience groups.
• Anticipate what is important to each cohort.
• Articulate a presentation’s goal(s).
• Present information at an appropriate and meaningful level.
• Build a presentation map.
• Customize a presentation map using material created by others.

Segment Modules

• Knowing the Challenges: What Makes Technical Presentations Different
• Identifying the Destination: Where Are We Going?
• Analyzing an Audience’s Attitudes and Needs: To Whom Are We Talking
• Creating a Map: Choosing and Organizing Information
• Boiling It Down: Writing a Kernel Sentence
• Deciding the Game Plan: Playbook Pointers

Segment Two Objectives

At this segment’s conclusion, participants should be able to:

• Segment content into logical modules, units, or blocks.
• Craft framing statements.
• Explain the value of information in an easy-to-understand way.
• Choose meaningful stories, examples, and illustrations to support an argument.
• Create clean charts and graphs.
• Select pictures that support a message.
• Develop effective speaker notes.

Segment Modules

• Blocking the Plan: Structuring the Deck
• Using Framing Statement: One Message Per Slide and Other Considerations
• Bringing Data to Life: Stories, Examples, and Illustrations
• Showing the Way: Using Charts, Graphs, and Pictures
• Staying on Track: Effective Speaker Notes Made Easy

Segment Three Objectives

At this segment’s conclusion, participants should be able to:

• Apply best practices for giving the presentation.
• Give and receive feedback using the LLC model.
• Put together all the pieces of delivering a better technical presentation.

Segment Modules

• Venturing Out: One Minute on Stage
• Learning One Success at Time: The LLC Feedback Method
• Using Your Voice, Hands, and Body: You Are the Presentation
• Showing What You Know: A Little More Time Under the Microscope
• Practicing Continuous Improvement: A Look at the Greats

By the conclusion of this three-part technical presentation skills workshop, participants should have command of the fundamental skills they need to present technical information to both technical and non-technical audiences.