This article is part of our exclusive career advice series in partnership with the IEEE Technology and Engineering Management Society.
I’ve taught graduate-level communication courses to working professionals in high-tech disciplines for more than a decade. Although students who come to my programs are skilled in technical areas, expertise is only part of the equation for professional success.
The ability to communicate complex ideas clearly and persuasively is critical to the success of any technical professional. Whether presenting to clients, colleagues, or management, take the time to develop and practice your presentation skills so you can make an impression.
Here are five tips for mastering technical presentations.
Know your audience
One size does not fit all in presentations. Not all audience members want or need to know about specific technical aspects of your ideas, recommendations, or conclusions.
Assuming that all stakeholders must receive the same information is a common error among technical professionals. To avoid this pitfall, the presenter needs to do three things:
- Assess the audience. Are they nonspecialists, technical peers, or management? The complexity of the message should be adjusted based on the answer. Not everyone is likely to be as enthusiastic about technical data as you are.
- Understand the goals. What does the audience need from your presentation? Updates? Information about the budget or staffing needs? Shape your presentation to help those in your audience reach their goals.
- Read the room. Don’t continue to power through your presentation if you notice eyes glazing over or people checking their phone. Gauge the audience as you speak. Use the cues to adapt, clarify, or simplify the information.
Mastering presentations means understanding your audience. How you describe your work to your friend, manager, or CTO needs to be different because each person you’re addressing has different needs and expertise.
Keep that in mind, as it can help shape your speech and terminology.
The BLUF principle
The bottom line up front (BLUF) principle is a must when presenting technical information. It is critical that, as a speaker, you define your key takeaways early so the audience knows what you are trying to convey.
The principle has you begin the presentation with your recommendations or conclusions and then structure the rest of your content to support those elements.
“By developing your presentation skills, you are ensuring that you can effectively share your expertise and ideas with others—which is essential for your success.”
Perhaps the biggest challenge for technical presenters is to pare down the actual technical data. It can be difficult to do. But remember that, in most cases, nontechnical people don’t share your passion for the details.
Including only the most relevant information in your presentation helps ensure you don’t get lost in the weeds. Save the data deep dives for supplementary materials or in support of audience questions that arise.
The bottom line depends on the goal of the presentation. Are you delivering a status update on a project, describing a technical problem that needs a solution, requesting funding for equipment or tools, requesting a change in scope for a product specification, or soliciting approval for a key deliverable? Whatever the goal, your audience should be apprised of it right from the beginning.
Become a storyteller
The biggest mistake I see with technical professionals during presentations is failing to provide a human connection—the “so what” behind data. Although people want a firm base of solid technical reasoning, they also want to understand the real-world implications of what you are presenting. How can your proposed solution solve a problem or provide a positive outcome for an end user?
A terrific way to supplement your presentation is to leverage visuals that align with your story to help the audience turn abstract numbers into relatable data. If you are wondering how to start incorporating storytelling into your presentations, use a simple distillation of a linear narrative arc to relay your story with the following elements:
- The challenge: How did you start on this research, project, or journey? Explain the problem you are trying to solve and discuss the catalyst. Perhaps you had a product failure, or a stakeholder faced a complex problem with no existing solution. Use the story to set the stage for your presentation.
- The process: Explain the complexities of the project or issue and the different ways you thought about it. Also discuss any challenges or roadblocks you encountered.
- The resolution: Explain how you solved the problem or completed the journey. What was the impact of your work? How does it relate to what the audience cares about?
Storytelling can be a powerful tool for making a presentation come alive. As a bonus, it can help you think about your presentation’s organizational structure, which is a key element for audience understanding and retention.
Be authentic
Speakers who are genuine and relatable build more audience rapport and engagement. Among technical professionals, the overuse of jargon and overly technical language is a real risk. Make sure you match the tone and knowledge of your audience.
The point of presenting is to clearly communicate, not dazzle the audience with your command of discipline-specific nomenclature.
Some of the best presentations I have heard are those in which the speakers discuss a challenge they personally faced while trying to solve a problem. It requires the speaker to have some vulnerability and openness with the audience.
That can feel uncomfortable to a technical expert, but it can help you build a rapport with your audience.
Practice makes perfect
Being able to communicate your ideas, processes, and solutions is critical for success. Delivering impactful presentations is a skill, and like any skill, it needs to be practiced. Athletes understand that repetition builds muscle memory and confidence. The same is true for presentation skills.
Don’t strive for perfection. Take every opportunity you can to present to people. As you build your presentation skills, seek feedback from trusted colleagues and adjust accordingly. With each presentation you give, you can develop your competence and confidence.
Soft skills are essential
Too often, communication is referred to as a soft skill that is nice to have. But it should be considered essential for success, especially in technical fields where complicated ideas and concepts abound.
By incorporating the five tips in this article, technical professionals can convey complex ideas more effectively and persuasively, leaving a lasting impact on their audience.
To secure buy-in, support, or resources, your ideas must be communicated clearly and compellingly.
As a technical professional, you understand the importance of continuously expanding your knowledge to stay current in your field, and communication skills must be part of the equation. By developing your presentation skills, you are ensuring that you can effectively share your expertise and ideas with others.
Remember: Your ideas are only as good as your ability to communicate them to others.
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