How Engineers Can Master Effective On-The-Job Communication Skills

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How Engineers Can MasterEffective
On-The-JobCommunication Skills

• James E. Vincler Nancy Horlick Vincler

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Engineering Your Presenting Success

• Chapter 18 Planning Your Presentation
• - oral presentation technical lecture
• - those are the natural part of an
  engineers job
• It takes three weeks to prepare a good
  impromptu speech.
  Mark Twain (18351910)
• Chapter 19 Presenting Front and Center
• This is it. Your show time!

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Chapter 18. Planning Your Presentation

• Control The Key to Successful Speaking
• The Persuasive Tools of a Presentation
• How to Organize Yourself and Your Presentation
• Selecting Your Audiovisual Equipment
• Your Script The Foundation of Your Presentation
• Developing and Controlling Easy-to-Use Materials

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1. Control The Key to Successful Speaking

• ???? presentation? ??? control?? ? 5 ??
• ? yourself - a knowledgeable speaker
• ? your material - clear materials that
  reinforce
• your message
• ? your equipment easy-to-use and effective
  equipment
• ? your environment a conductive presentation
  environment
• ? your audience a responsive audience

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1. Control The Key to Successful Speaking

• Good Presentation well-controlled
  well-written script
• The script ( or ???/?? ) is the starting
  point !
• An oral presentation is just a writing
  job taken into
• account another dimension.
• Enjoying Two-Way Communication !
• speaking is on-the-spot two-way
  communication
• ??? ???, body language, ?? ?? ?? ????
• ??? ???? ??? ???? ????? ? ? ??.
• Making the Whole Greater Than the Sum of Its
  Parts !

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2. The Persuasive Tools of a Presentation

• ? voice with all its inflections
• ? gesture with all their verve
• ? visual aids with all their emphasis
• ? handouts with all their details
• ?? ??? Tool? speaker ? yourself
• Knowing your subject is the key to controlling
  yourself.
• Knowing your subject is your greatest
  confidence builder.

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3. How to Organize Yourself and Your Presentation

• The first step of presentation is to plan your
  presentation.
• ? plan your script ( or ??/??? )
• ? plan your materials
• ? plan your equipment
• Analyze your audience.
• - How are you supposed to know what an audience
  wants?
• Just Ask and Give them some feedback
  !!!
• Know your purpose.
• - Are you informing, persuading, or
  teaching?

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4. Selecting Your Audiovisual Equipment

• The first rule is Keep it simple !
• - Only board chalk ? Seems to be O.K.!
• - All high-tech multimedia equipment cannot be
  replaced
• by speaker, yourself.
• Stand-up presentations are about
• human
  communication !
• - not about reading words on a screen or
  watching a movie.
• To be believed, to be persuasive, we have to show
  up !

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4. Selecting Your Audiovisual Equipment

• As you consider your equipment,
• - should first ask yourself whether you need
  visuals at all ?
• - if you do, keep to the simple formats
• like flipcharts, overheads, and handouts
• - Think of multimedia last, not first.
• - No eye contact in the dark room
  communication disaster
• But what simple yet reliable equipment is
  available,
• - choose easy-to-use equipment that will fit
  your need

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4. Selecting Your Audiovisual Equipment AV
Choices

• Overhead projector is simple but versatile
• Slides can Enlighten or Keep Audience in the Dark
  !
• - short slide show can have a strong impact on
  an audience
• - dark room is the place for sleeping so
  slide is risky
• Viewing Screens with Tilt Option Work Best
• - keystone image vs. square image
• - projector ?????? screen ??? ???? keystone ??
• Boards, Flipcharts, and Posters Augment
  Projectors
• Microphones Vary to suit Your Purpose
• - wireless handheld microphones are good for a
  large group

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5. Your Script The Foundation of Your
Presentation

• An Easy Script Structure
• Writing Your Script
• Deciding How to Present Your Script Smoothly
• Reducing Your Script to a Handy Key-Point Outline

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5. Your Script The Foundation of Your
Presentation

• An Easy Script Structure
• - orientation introduce the main points to
  orient the audience
• ??? ??? ??? ???? ?????
  ?? ??!
• - body explain all your points in
  the same order you
• introduce them
• - close summarize your key points,
  answering for your
• listeners any
  leftover So what? questions that
• are probably in
  their minds

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5. Your Script The Foundation of Your
Presentation

• Writing Your Script
• - The entire time that you are writing your
  script, keep imaging
• yourself saying every word that you are
  write
• - strong script ? strong presentation
• strong lecture note ? strong lecture
• ? ??? ??? ??? ???? ??? ??? ???? ??? ? ?? ??!
• ? ??? ???? ??? ??? ??? ?? ?? reviewing simulation
  ??
• - ?? ??? ?? ??? ???? ??? ????
• - ??? ?? ??? ?? ??? ??? ????
• - ?? ???? ?? ???? ?????? ??? ????
• - ??? ?? ????? ??? ???? ??? ??? ????

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5. Your Script The Foundation of Your
Presentation

• Deciding How to Present Your Script Smoothly
• ? memorize your paper ?
• ? read your paper ? (??? ???? ??)
• ? speak extemporaneously ?
• ? spoken without any preparation
• spoken with some preparation but not
  written
• out or memorized

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5. Your Script The Foundation of Your
Presentation

• Reducing Your Script to a Handy Key-Point Outline
• - Recite your presentation out loud to the
  mirror.
• Practice enunciating!
• - After youre comfortable with your script,
  make a copy, and
• reduce the copy to an outline of key
  points.
• - Just using your outline as a prompt, give
  your speech to the
• mirror again.
• ? You will use this key-point outline, along with
  your visuals, to give an extemporaneous
  presentation.
• ? GOOD PRESENTATION random-access
  memory
• 
  with the key-point outline
• 
  ? read-only memory

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6. Developing and Controlling Easy-to-Use
Materials

• The visuals handouts should not be the primary
  focus of your presentation.
• Your talk is the primary focus !
• The best visuals Visible, Simple, and
  Controllable

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6. Developing and Controlling Easy-to-Use
Materials

• Visible visuals light blue is eye-friendly
• - use a 24- to 30-point Helvetica font or
  equivalent.
• its simple and easy to read.
• - light-blue-background slides are
  frequently recommended
• Simple visuals The One-Six-Six Trick
• - One idea per visual
• - No more than six words per line
• - No more than six lines per visual

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6. Developing and Controlling Easy-to-Use
Materials

• Horizontal Visual vs. Vertical Visual
• - landscape orientation vs. portrait
  orientation
• - horizontal (or landscape) orientation may
  help you to limit the
• number of lines
• Break down the complex ideas hierarchically on
  several visuals
• - overall idea ? specific major component
• - top down approach

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6. Developing and Controlling Easy-to-Use
Materials (Examples)

• Fuel Types
• - solid fuels
• - liquid fuels
• - gaseous fuels

• Gaseous Fuels
• - coke-oven gas
• - blast-furnace gas
• - water gas
• - enriched water gas
• - producer gas

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6. Developing and Controlling Easy-to-Use
Materials (Examples)

• Blast-Furnace Gas
• Discharged from blast furnaces
• 55 nitrogen
• 20 carbon monoxide

• Blast-Furnace Gas was your point !
• You break down the complex ideas hierarchically.
• This is top down approach.
• Start from the overall idea and guide your
  audience to the specific major
• component.

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6. Developing and Controlling Easy-to-Use
Materials

• When to hand out the handout?
• ? types of materials to distribute
• - note-taking materials such as course outlines
  or workbooks
• - supplementary materials such as graphs,
  charts, or copies of
• your visuals
• ? The supplementary materials are divided into
  
• - handouts needed during the presentation
• - handouts needed after the presentation
• The best policy is to hand out materials as they
  are needed !

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6. Developing and Controlling Easy-to-Use
Materials

• By controlling your materials, you can control
  your audience!
• Your simple but well-controlled equipment and
  your well-organized materials are value-added
  peripherals that help you sell your ideas to your
  audience.
• You are the center of the presentation!

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Chapter 19. Presenting Front and Center

• What Sets You Up for a Good Show
• The Wrap-Up to a Well-Packaged Talk
• Enjoying the Question-and-Answer

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Chapter 19. Presenting Front and CenterWhat
Sets you Up for a Good Show ?

• Youve already prepared the set.
• - lecture note digital file, handouts,
  notebook computer,
• multimedia classroom, etc.
• Giving yourself the energy edge.
• - ???? ??? ??, ??? ??? ??? ???? ?? ?? ???!
• Dressing for credibility.
• - power dressing?
• - a black suit with a red tie can make magic
  ?
• - looking good will gain you a measure of
  respect !
• - Avoid vest suits in the presentation.
  Psychologically, the
• formal vest puts a barrier between you and
  the audience.

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Chapter 19. Presenting Front and CenterWhat
Sets you Up for a Good Show ?

• Rechecking the room and equipment.
• - With your key-point outline or brief notes
  already up front with
• your other materials.
• Preparing to start and building rapport.
• - ??/?? ?? ? ??/??? ??? ??? ?? ????? ?????
• ??? ???? ??? ? ??.
• Engineering your audience control.
• - speaker? ???? ? ??????? audience control?
  ???.
• - Dealing with people (or audience) is
  always nebulous!
• - You can keep experimenting until you find out
  which solutions work
• most consistently over the long run !!!

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Chapter 19. Presenting Front and CenterWhat
Sets you Up for a Good Show ?

• Engineering your audience control.
• - Eyecontact Establish two-way
  communication.
• - Do not-absolutely do not-talk down to your
  audience!

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Chapter 19. Presenting Front and CenterWhat
Sets you Up for a Good Show ?

• What Audiences Complain About Most Often
• ? speakers who arent prepared
• ? speakers who read their scripts
• ? use key-point outline on stage
• ? big hype little or no substance
• ? speakers who mumble ? please enunciate
• ? speakers who dont take control
• 
  ? self-confidence preparation
• ? participants who hog attention
• 
  ? disperse attention fairly

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Chapter 19. Presenting Front and CenterThe
Wrap-Up to a Well-Packaged Talk

• Example Presenting a Technical Proposal to
• Your Top
  Management
• - in opening remarks
• present your justification, three options, and
  recommendation for upgrading your companys
  computer system
• - in the body
• explain why your company needs the upgrade, and
  you compared three computer systems
• - in the wrap-up
• summarize your justification,
• highlight the main thing your three-product
  comparison revealed,
• recommend the most cost-effective system upgrade
  stressing the business benefits
• Stay within your time limit.

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Chapter 19. Presenting Front and
CenterEnjoying the Question-and-Answer Period

• Enjoy the spotlight. But stay alert!
• - ??? ??. ?? ??? ?? ??? ? ?? ?? ?? ??
• ??? ????? ???? ?? ??? ??? ????.
• - ?? ?? ??? ???? ?? ??, ? ??? key word?
• ???? ?? ??? ?? ????.
• - ??? ???? ? ?? ??? ??? ???? ??.
• ??? ???? ?? Review
• - Enjoy the praise!
• - Look for constructive criticism.

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?????? ?? ?? ??
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?????? ?? ?? ??
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?????? ?? ?? ??