Life Lessons from an Engineer #4
By: Dipendra J. Mistry
Tags: STEM, Career Advice, Engineering, Public Speaking

Image Credit: Forbes Magazine

It was 5pm on Tuesday 19th November 2019, and I was in the audience for Day 1 of the annual ARMMS (Automated RF & Microwave Measurement Society) conference in Bedfordshire.

I was the final speaker of the day, and I should have started my content 10-mins before, but the speaker before me over ran. I glanced at my watch for what seemed like the hundredth time. When was this guy going to finish??? :(

After what seemed like an eternity, the speaker finished. There was an audible sigh from the audience, the tension in the air was palpable. I could see everyone itching to finish the session and get to the bar for a well earned pint. Add to this, the fact that I was full of cold and had dosed up on paracetamol all day, I just wanted to get his presentation over and done with! It felt like all the odds were stacked against me…

The conference chair thanked the speaker and announced me as the final person for the day. I walked nervously to the stage and took another throat lozenger. As I did so I thought how I should best adjust my game plan to deliver a successful technical presentation given the circumstances. My challenge became to make the audience enjoy the last talk more than they did the first. A big feat…

Below I share some of the tips which helped me to deliver a successful technical presentation under these challenging circumstances. Not only did a get a big round of applause but I also won a prize for the 2nd best speaker for the 2-day event. In the end it all worked out! :)

The Art of Technical Presentations

Keep it simple

Even if you are talking about a very complex topic, you should do your best to simplify the content. I like to use a diagram or SmartArt to deliver points one by one and build up to a bigger picture. Another useful technique is to use an analogy, depending on your audience and the type of event.

The best way for me to focus the content in this regard is to start with a simple plan for the presentation. I normally start with a blank sheet of paper thinking about my presentation title, 3 things I want to leave the audience with and what my key points are. This serves as a backbone for me to build the content around and I can then decide on the breadth and depth of the technical material.

2. Remember you are the expert

A common issue for scientists and engineers when presenting their material is “imposter syndrome”. The feeling of “Am I good enough?” or “Do I know enough to talk about this subject?”. We have all been there and this is a natural feeling. In my case above I had only worked on the project for 12months, so by no means an expert.

However, only I know what I have achieved in that time, and the goal of my presentation is to effectively convey this to the audience in a way in which they can engage. So remember that you are the “expert” on the material you are presenting, and the audience don’t know what you are going to say. My advice is to own your material, and prepare for questions as best as you can. And if you can’t answer it, be honest and endeavour to get back to that person with an email response.

3. Include Relatable statistics

Let’s be honest — we all love a good statistic! However, how many times have we heard a figure that is so large or small that we can’t even relate to it. An example being 600 million cargo containers are shipped around the world each year. So what?

What about if I told you that if you stacked these side by side lengthways from the Earth all the way to the Moon, you would need to stack them six high. Now isn’t that more interesting as a diagram to emphasise the magnitude of this number, as opposed to writing 600,000,000?

4. Add a splash of Humour

This is like a secret weapon that should be used sparingly and without forcing it. For some speakers this comes naturally so be sure to match your own speaking style and ensure it is appropriate for the audience/event. (That being said I have yet to see a cat meme fail!!!)

5. Enjoy it!

This is the key to any presentation! You can as soon as someone approaches the stage, whether they bring a positive vibe and you make a split second judgement if you like them or not. So smile, enjoy the moment and do your best!

Take-Aways

Remember there is nothing worse for your audience than a presenter who is not comfortable with their material, or one who shows their nerves!

Most people who present technical material exhibit these characteristics, so if you can be different and show some of the qualities above you will be remembered. Your audience wants to enjoy your content as much as you do, after all they have sit through your whole presentation. So leave them with something to remember you by…

Thanks for reading.

Take Care and Kind Regards,

Dipendra