1. 1 Six Steps for Talking Technical When Your Audience Isn’t By Janis Robinson Presented by Roderick Bautista

2. 2 Talking Technical to a Non- Technical Crowd What’s common to you ≠ common to them – Some may be experts, but not in your field Don’t lose your “non-technical” audience at the beginning Assuming your audience knows everything Too much jargon No visual aids If you do, you may lose the audience for the rest of your presentation

3. 3 1. Before You Speak: Determine the Audience’s Technology Level Research who’ll be at your talk Try to associate your work with the audience’s work. Ask yourself… – What do you want your audience to get from this?

4. 4 2. Put Your Audience at Ease Tension, fear, nervousness can prevent the audience’s receptiveness & understanding Talk to people, especially those who look particularly nervous before your talk Use humor & other methods to break the tension

5. 5 3. Don’t Be a Techno-Snob Sounding condescending – i.e. “It’s obvious,” “ “It’s common knowledge,” “As you all know” – Causes non-technical audience to feel even less knowledgeable. Remember: You were once in the audience – Make the audience glad they came instead of feel bad about what they don’t know.

6. 6 4. Avoid Using Jargon or Acronyms Whenever possible, eliminate use of highly specialized language. It’s ok to use technical terms, but only if you can explain them – i.e. Telophase, TCP/IP, Newtonian Fluids, Coriolis Force Provide a glossary handout if necessary.

7. 7 5. Use Verbal Illustrations For each presentation point: Plan to tell stories, metaphors, analogies, etc. customized for your audience. – Think about what will get your audience’s attention based on their demographic (i.e. students, businessmen, etc.) – Planning will avoid the “going blank” moments during a talk Ideally, you want EVERYONE in your audience to understand what you’re saying.

8. 8 6. Whenever Possible Show, Don’t Tell. Pictures help in clarifying information, especially to non-technical audience members. Ex: The cell – Nucleus -… – Plasma Membrane -… – Cytoplasm -… – Mitochondria -… – Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) -…

9. 9 The Cell

10. 10 Conclusion 1. Anticipate the audience’s needs 2. Put your audience at ease 3. Don’t sound condescending 4. Easy on the jargon & acronyms 5. Use verbal illustrations 6. Picture = 1000 words. 7. Last tip: Present with enthusiasm, & (hopefully) your audience will be enthusiastic as well.