Delivering a project and presenting to a multi-level audience

Delivering a project you worked so hard on and presenting it, can be stressful, maybe even the most stressful phase in your project. However, it might not be the case, and it probably should not be. 

When you and  your team are done with a project, it is possible that your team do not deliver that project to a specific client. As a software engineer, you will have chances to present your idea or product to the users and customers. It is harder than delivering your product to a client because your client has at least some general knowledge about the product. Remember, not everyone are software engineers, some would say that software people are speaking in a different language than others. Stapa, Murad and Ahmad pointed out “engineers of the 21st century need to possess an adequate knowledge of effective communicative competence in ‘presentation skills’ and other ‘attributes’ required in technical oral presentation.” (2014, p.464)

There are few simple things you can do to make your presentation so interesting that people will actually talk about it after. It is called the Five W's (and one H), here are some tips from Nita K. Patel, from the Ohio State University:

Who? – Know Your Audience - Knowing whom you will address may be more important than knowing what you will present. It is imperative that your presentation be appropriate for your audience. You intuitively know that you would not present the same speech at your parents’ 50th anniversary celebration as you would at your friend’s bachelor party. So why would you present the same information at a management funding request and at a technical design review? Knowing your audience is critical to developing your speech, particularly with complex technical topics. You must frame your information in such a way that the audience will understand. Presentations are not for your (or your ego’s) benefit. Presentations are about the audience, their needs, perspectives and desires. As a result, you must understand your audience.

• When? – Know the Occasion - I dentifying when means defining the time, duration and occasion for the presentation. Time and duration will affect the length of your presentation and how many items you can cover during the presentation. The occasion will significantly affect how you structure your presentation. 

• Where? – Scout the Location - As a presenter, you must know where you are presenting and understand how the location will affect your delivery. Identify your audio/visual needs and ensure those needs are met.

• What? – Determine Your Focus (Content) - Understanding your audience, where you will present and the occasion completes only half the planning required. You must define what you want to say. It seems obvious that you should know the focus of your presentation. However, most speakers fail to define their core purpose in simple, concrete language before spending time writing the presentation.

• Why? – Identify the Importance (Message) - Why are you going to present? You might present to get the audience to volunteer their time, renew your grant or implement your process. Why describes the response that you want from your audience.

• How? Determine the Best Format - Once you know what you want the audience to do, you can focus on how you will present the information. Consider whether you will present the information in an informal chat, a seminar or a training workshop. Identify the presentation approach that will best convey your message. Consider whether you should be direct or beat around the bush.

Idrus, Salleh and Abdullah say in their article that “employers prefer to hire new graduates that not only possess technical competencies but also possess the non-technical skills required for project management. He lists interpersonal communication as one of the six most sought after skill-attributes by employers.” (2011, p.108). As you can see, communication skills are very important in life and at work.

References:

Idrus, Hairuzila, Rohani Salleh, and Muhammad Abdullah. "ORAL COMMUNICATION ABILITY IN ENGLISH: AN ESSENTIAL SKILL FOR ENGINEERING GRADUATES." ORAL COMMUNICATION ABILITY IN ENGLISH: AN ESSENTIAL SKILL FOR ENGINEERING GRADUATES26.1 (2011): 107-23. Asia Pacific Journal of Educators and Education. Web. 22 Nov. 2015.

Patel, Nita K. Technical Presentations: Book 1. Strategy - Preparation and Planning. N.p.: IEEE-USA, 2010. Ohio State University. Web. 22 Nov. 2010.

Stapa, M., Murad, N. A., & Ahmad, N. (2014). Engineering Technical Oral Presentation: Voices of the Stakeholder. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 118, 463-467. Retrieved 22 Nov, 2015.