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“Effective Technical Presentations”

How to do effective technical presentations?

“Most presenters are very knowledgeable in their field of expertise and can converse well within the framework of the company or industry.

However, they may be reluctant to and/or are uncomfortable with giving presentations in front of an audience.  Others may be comfortable in giving presentations, but they want to refine and improve their presentation skills so they can be more effective and/or persuasive. 

The following article “Effective Presentations For Technical Professionals” written by Frank S. Adamo is for technical (and non technical) professionals who would like to understand how to become effective presenters.”

Frank is a friend that I have met through this blog.  He is a toastmaster, a trainer as well as an author.

Enjoy!

Yetti
Immediate Club President
Kowloon-Singapore Toastmasters Club

“Helping You To Overcome Your Fear of Public Speaking and Speak With Confidence!”
Website: http://public-speaking-singapore.com
Blog: http://blog.public-speaking-singapore.com

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Effective Presentations For Technical Professionals
By Frank S. Adamo

Though visual aids have changed tremendously since the late ’60s when I gave my first presentation, the presentation style, in my opinion, has not significantly changed - especially for professional techies. As a chemist and as a business/computer consultant for many years, I have given and have seen many technical presentations at conferences, at work, and elsewhere. The presentations were generally quite informative, technically enriching, and the presenters were very knowledgeable on the subject matter. However, many of them (and I include my own), were rather unexciting and ineffective. I have also seen many exciting, motivational, and inspirational presentations for the general public and also for the technical audience. You don’t need to be a professional speaker to spice up your presentation but by both knowing and understanding some of the same principles professional speakers use, you can enhance your presentations.

WRITING YOUR SPEECH

If you are doing a presentation, most likely you’ve written a report or submitted an article for publication. Perhaps you have used the text for your speech and created PowerPoint slides to help outline the structure. However, I would suggest you write your speech from scratch with emphasis on simplicity and conciseness. Read more »

“Presentations - How To Give Good Presentations”

Presentations.  How to give good presentations? 

This video produced by Mohawk College describes some quick pointers on how to do give good presentations.

Enjoy! 

Yetti
Immediate Past Club President
Kowloon-Singapore Toastmasters Club

“Helping You To Overcome Your Fear of Public Speaking and Speak With Confidence!”
Website: http://public-speaking-singapore.com
Blog: http://blog.public-speaking-singapore.com

“Speak Clearly by Heather Hansen - 26 Jan 2008″
- Brought to you by Toastmasters International District 80

This half-day workshop will help you improving your clarity and boosting the quality of your presentation.

It is true that “no matter how much you practise your speech, your message will be lost of you don’t speak clearly and correctly.

This workshop will give you “tips for cleaning up your English pronunciation and grammar - the little things that can make a big difference in not only your presentations, buy your professional success!”

26th January 2008
1.30pm - 5.30pm
Lecture Hall Level 4 National Cancer Centre,
11 Hospital Drive Singapore 169610

Investment: S$2 only

Click Here for more information.

Yetti
Club President 2007-2008
Kowloon-Singapore Toastmasters Club

These days, powerpoint slides are very common for business or sales presentations.

How to conduct effective powerpoint shows?

Here are some powerpoint presentation tips as stated in the Toastmaster International website:

“Keep your visual aids:

• Visible
• Simple
• Colorful, but don’t let them upstage you
• Justified by the content — not too many or too few slides

For effective PowerPoint shows:

• Don’t read the slides to your audience!
• Make your text large.
• Choose colors that make the text easier to read.
• Use bullet points instead of full sentences.
• Don’t let the text or graphics fly around too much.
• Avoid charts and diagrams that are hard to see.

Most Importantly - Remember, you control the presentation; don’t let it control you. PowerPoint should be a “visual aid” – not the entire show.”

In the Basic Competent Communication Manual by the Toastmaster International , there is a project helping you to “Get Comfortable with Visuals Aids”.

Just join a toastmaster club and learn how to conduct effective powerpoint presentations.

Please also find the below video by Don McMillan. He gives a short comedy sketch around powerpoint presentations and the common mistakes that people make.

Enjoy!

Yetti
Club President 2007-2008
Kowloon-Singapore Toastmasters Club
“Helping You To Overcome Your Fear of Public Speaking and Speak With Confidence!”
Website: http://public-speaking-singapore.com
Blog: http://blog.public-speaking-singapore.com

“Just 25 and 21 years old and already coaches in the realm of public speaking.  Say hello to the newest authors in Singapore who have the knowledge and experience of public speaking in the palm of their hands. Stanley Leong, resident deejay of The Living Room, chats with recent NUS graduate and toastmaster Eric Feng & SMU undergrad Andrew Zhan about the launch of their book titled ‘The FAQ Book on Public Speaking’ …”

I have the chance to read the book before the lanuching.

I really enjoy reading The FAQ Book on Public Speaking!
I could not stop reading your book until I finished reading it once.
 
The writers share a lot of insider tips on public speaking in the book.
The writers also share what they have learnt from the experts, such as Ed Tale, Darren La Croix and Jim Key. The experts are World Champions in public speaking.
 
The book is easy to read. It is not written in a boring text-book style.
It is written in FAQ format.
 
I have been a toastmaster for nearly 6 years. This book has answered some of the questions that I have encountered before.  This book has answered some of the queries that I am afraid to ask or don’t know who I should ask. 
 
I highly recommended this book to anyone who would like to improve their public speaking skills.
 
To really benefit from what we have learnt from the book, I suggest the readers should find a platform to practise their public speaking skills.
Practice is the key to helping everyone improves in public speaking.

I strongly recommend the readers to join a toastmasters club, to do their projects in the manuals, and to apply what they have learnt from the FAQ Book on Public Speaking to their presentations.
 
Yetti
Club President 2007-2008
Kowloon-Singapore Toastmasters Club

10 Tips for Successful Public Speaking from Toastmasters International

Feeling some nervousness before giving a speech is natural and healthy. It shows you care about doing well. But, too much nervousness can be detrimental. Here’s how you can control your nervousness and make effective, memorable presentations:

1. Know the room.
   Be familiar with the place in which you will speak. Arrive early, walk around the speaking area and practice using the microphone and any visual aids.
2. Know the audience.
   Greet some of the audience as they arrive. It’s easier to speak to a group of friends than to a group of strangers.
3. Know your material.
   If you’re not familiar with your material or are uncomfortable with it, your nervousness will increase. Practice your speech and revise it if necessary.
4. Relax.
   Ease tension by doing exercises.
5. Visualize yourself giving your speech.
   Imagine yourself speaking, your voice loud, clear, and assured. When you visualize yourself as successful, you will be successful.
6. Realize that people want you to succeed.
   Audiences want you to be interesting, stimulating, informative, and entertaining. They don’t want you to fail.
7. Don’t apologize.
   If you mention your nervousness or apologize for any problems you think you have with your speech, you may be calling the audience’s attention to something they hadn’t noticed. Keep silent.
8. Concentrate on the message — not the medium.
   Focus your attention away from your own anxieties, and outwardly toward your message and your audience. Your nervousness will dissipate.
9. Turn nervousness into positive energy.
   Harness your nervous energy and transform it into vitality and enthusiasm.
10. Gain experience.
      Experience builds confidence, which is the key to effective speaking. A Toastmasters club can provide the experience you need. 

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If you are living in Singapore, you are welcome to visit our Kowloon-Singapore Toastmasters Club (KSTMC).
It is free of charge. Just come and see what toastmasters are all about …

Yetti
Club President 2007-2008
Kowloon-Singapore Toastmasters Club