Presentation Skills for Technical Professionals

Naomi Karten is a highly experienced professional speaker and seminar leader, and an established writer of books for technical professionals. Before forming her training and speaking business, Naomi earned degrees in psychology and gained IT experience in technical, customer support and management positions. Drawing on her psychology and IT background, Naomi now helps organizations strengthen communication and presentation skills, improve customer satisfaction and manage change. She has given seminars and presentations to more than 100,000 people throughout Europe, the US and Canada, and is known for her ability to put across serious material with a light touch.

INTRODUCTION: Please Join Me in Welcoming What's in it for you? Naomi as a formerly panicked speaker Thus, this book DBut I'm not a performer A-- Introverts and extraverts as presenters If I can do it PART I: BECOMING A SKILLED PRESENTER Chapter 1: Overview of the Basics Get started Develop the presentation Prepare for the presentation Give the presentation To recap In conclusion Chapter 2: Finding Your Voice Dare to aim high Be yourself Believe in yourself Recognize the imposter syndrome Understand the 3 Ps of presenting To recap In conclusion Chapter 3: Attributes of Good and Bad Presentations An example of a good and bad presentation The excellent, the mediocre, and the let-me-out-of-here Attributes of the worst presentations Attributes of the best presentations Learn from role models To recap In conclusion Chapter 4: Presentation Anxiety and How to Tame It Speak - don't die! Draw comfort from high-level presenters Identify your fears Understand what really matters to the audience Don't announce your nervousness, minimize it! To recap In conclusion PART II: DEVELOPING ENGAGING CONTENT Chapter 5: Key Steps in Shaping Your Presentation Get started - now! Establish your presentation goals Identify your audience Organize your ideas Incorporate supporting material Accommodate differences in learning style Tailor your material to fit the context Edit your presentation Create slides (if you'll be using slides) Take a break To recap In conclusion Chapter 6: Openings and Closings How to deliver a strong opening How to deliver a strong closing To recap In conclusion Chapter 7: Interaction and the Adult Attention Span Types of interaction Other types of interaction Planning your interaction To recap In conclusion Chapter 8: The Powerful Impact of Stories How stories make facts interesting Why stories work How to craft a story Where to find stories for your presentations Stories as interaction Pointers for storytelling To recap In conclusion Chapter 9: Using (Without Misusing) PowerPoint PowerPoint: a solution - and a problem A few simple guidelines for preparing slides Supplement your presentations with handouts Seek alternatives to slide-driven presentations Additional resources To recap In conclusion PART III: PREPARING TO PRESENT Chapter 10: Logistical Preparations Dress to unstress Review your audio-visual requirements Confirm the location and date Meet your deadlines Be on site well ahead of time Be prepared to end on time Take care of yourself before your presentation Determine what you need to bring with you To recap In conclusion Chapter 11: Presenter Survival Kit To recap In conclusion Chapter 12: The Vital Role of Practice Why practice? How to practice To recap In conclusion PART IV: PRESENTING WITH CONFIDENCE Chapter 13: How to Make a Winning Impression Build rapport with the audience Open with confidence Speak in your own natural voice Make eye contact - and you contact Don't become dependent on your notes Use a microphone Present standing Avoid the need to read Monitor your pace Use humor judiciously Observe your presentation as you give it To recap In conclusion Chapter 14: How Not to Annoy Your Audience Physical mannerisms Vocal mannerisms Cliches Speaking too fast Excessive apologies Treating the audience disrespectfully Tentativeness Mumbling To recap In conclusion Chapter 15: How to Handle Audience Questions Facing audience questions Preparing to answer questions Responding when you're unsure of the answer Responding when you don't know the answer To recap In conclusion Chapter 16: How to Manage a Difficult Audience When is a difficult audience not a difficult audience? How to cope with a challenging audience To recap In conclusion Chapter 17: How to Conquer Nervousness Practice deep breathing Do qigong exercises Eliminate stressors Use visual imagery Relive feelings of confidence Mentally rehearse Use positive affirmations Create anchors Put it all together for the presentation To recap In conclusion PART V: TIPS FOR SELECTED CONTEXTS Chapter 18: Presenting to Management Tailor your presentation to their perspective Get to the point Incorporate an appropriate level of complexity Accommodate their communication preferences Be cautious about using humor Anticipate possible questions and objections Rehearse To recap In conclusion Chapter 19: Presenting to Customers Consider your customers' perspective Guard against potentially ambiguous terminology Show that you understand their business Watch your attitude Allow ample time for questions Be careful how you sell Remember that appearances count To recap In conclusion Chapter 20: Presenting to Your Team Benefits of presenting to your team Presentation anxiety, team-style Presentations to on-site teams Presentations to geographically dispersed teams To recap In conclusion Chapter 21: Presenting to a Foreign Audience Language and cultural differences Cultural differences that create misunderstanding Parlez-vous francais? When the presenter is a non-native speaker To recap In conclusion Chapter 22: Presenting at Conferences Identify conferences where you might present Submit a proposal to present Meet your deadlines Be on site early Be careful setting up Chat with audience members Don't be distracted by people who walk out Respond to questions astutely Behave professionally at all times Thank the conference director To recap In conclusion Chapter 23: Presenting Webinars Webinar positives and negatives How to prepare a successful webinar How to deliver a successful webinar To recap In conclusion Chapter 24: Presenting with Co-Presenters Co-presenting: a team effort Prerequisites to co-presenting Succeeding with presentation partners To recap In conclusion FINAL THOUGHTS Bibliography ITG Resources