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.