Overview

Technical communication hits its greatest challenge in the oral presentation. Everyone has heard the story of the mathematician who stood with his back to the class and spoke to the equations on the board the entire hour. Clearly this is not the best way to communicate technical material.

But shyness is a real issue for people who choose to go into technical fields. Perhaps they choose the field because it suits a more introverted personality, someone more at home with test tubes or lines of code than socializing at a party.

Yet technical communication needs good oral communicators. Where would we be without the dynamic lectures of the celebrated physicist Richard Feynman? Some very technical ideas have to be explained right there, interactively, to be understood.

And for those who would beg shyness, consider Stephen Hawking's courage as a public speaker, in a wheelchair, speaking through a voice synthesizer.

The higher you rise in your profession or community standing, the more likely (and more often) you are to be asked to make an oral presentation. Indeed, oral presentations can determine how well you do in your career. With preparation and planning you can give a presentation that connects with your audience. And now PowerPoint and laser pointers can keep you from being tempted to talk to the equations on the board.

Much goes into an oral presentation before you step before the audience. When asked to give an oral presentation, think first of your audience and your situation before planning your content. You will need to consider what style of delivery is appropriate, what visuals you will need and a host of other questions.

Most importantly, you need to know what your closing line or closing point is, to anchor the talk, to keep yourself from rambling, and to go out with a bang on a high note. But time invested in such questions will be well spent, along with a few quick rehearsals to ensure you don't run over your allotted time when your time to speak comes up.