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.