Brian On Software

Recently, a user group held a conference whose subject was Domain-Driven Design with nHibernate. Now, this is a really cool topic of discussion! So, I decided to attend the conference in order to improve my perspective and knowledge on the subject. Little did I know that the speaker was an introverted programmer who greatly lacked in public speaking skills. Many people, including myself, left early, as the presentation became unbearably tedious and awkward.

What follows is a list of tips which I feel to be important when it comes to giving a presentation. This is not an exhaustive list, so I hope you would add your own comments to elaborate on these ideas or to add to the list. [I am also looking to improve my communication and presentation skills, so these rules and principles also apply to me].

Tip #1: Introduce yourself properly

When I was a kid and people asked me what my name was, I used to reply “My name is Brian…don’t you know that?” You see, back then, I thought everybody knew my name: it’s a common name, it’s easy to remember and it’s simple to pronounce. However, in reality, this is not usually the case. Therefore, before beginning a presentation, introduce yourself to your audience. What is your name? What do you do for a living? Why do you want to talk to us about your subject? How can we contact you? Do you have a Web site or a blog?

Tip #2: Make eye contact

Bear in mind that the audience came to see YOU. Therefore, you should be mindful of the fact that we have decided to take time out of OUR day to see YOU, when we could be somewhere else (at home, a friend’s party, a late night dinner, etc.) That being said, PLEASE acknowledge this fact by at least looking at your audience. Don’t stare at the ceiling, the floor or the walls. Don’t stare at your PowerPoint slides either. I think it costs about two calories to move your eyes from one direction to another at variable intervals. In other words: it doesn’t hurt and it doesn’t take a lot of energy to do that. I know some developers are very introverted, and that is in their nature, but would you ask someone out on a date while staring at the wall or the ceiling instead of looking into his/her eyes? This takes practice, but the resulting impact on your audience is well worth the effort!

Tip #3: Talk with a smile

Do you know that the human being is the only living being in Earth that can smile to express different emotions? There are hundreds of muscles and nerves that are being contracted when you smile. Yet it doesn’t hurt. In fact, smiling at an audience changes the atmosphere and the ambience of the room to make it more natural, more humanized and more comfortable. Again, would you ask someone on a date without smiling? I don’t think so.

Tip #4: Move around a little

Just like a shark cannot stay alive without swimming around, so should you be moving and walking around a little on the platform. That platform is yours and you should feel free to walk on it so the whole audience can have a chance to feel your presence and to see you. Don’t stay near the computer just because you want to be there for clicking that button to go to the next slide. The computer is just a tool, not an altar.

Tip #5: Carefully prepare your presentation

Take the necessary time and resources to prepare your material: watch out for grammatical errors which can compromise your credibility, don’t go overboard with the information for a slide. Just like a good class design, your slide should be highly cohesive. What is your intent for a given timeframe? That answer should be reflected on your slide. I personally don’t care much for PowerPoint slides as a participant. What you’re telling me should be enough to understand your intent. I’ll look at your slide to complement your vision or your intent, not to get a second understanding of what you just said. Another thing you can do is to make your PowerPoint presentation available to everyone or by request. That way, the audience can focus on you in a more relaxing manner because they know that your presentation is there for them to look at anytime.

Tip #6: Anticipate obvious questions that could arise and prepare your answers

If your audience is at all interested in your subject, be sure that some people will ask you questions about it. For this, I like to imagine myself as part of the audience and see another projection of myself giving a talk. What kind of question could I ask the speaker right about now? Maybe something I said wasn’t clear or needed an example to better complete the picture. For some abstract or complex subjects, you can try answering some questions related to the 5Ws (Who? What? Where? When? Why? How?). You can also ask a friend what he thinks about your material. Prior feedback is always a good thing!

Tip #7: It’s okay to admit that you don’t know it all (However, do not use this as an excuse to come unprepared!)

This one is simple, but very hard to act on. If you are asked a question which you are unable to answer, just say these three little words: I don’t know. It doesn’t mean that you are completely ignorant. It just means that you don’t know. Even the greatest world leaders don’t have all the answers…no one does! Don’t sacrifice your credibility and your professionalism by risking an incorrect answer or solution. I remember someone once told me “Brian, it is better to remain silent and thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.”

Tip #8: Have a plan B in case something goes wrong

Over the years, I have come to realize that Murphy’s Law is true and no one is safe from it. Not even developers. The law states that whatever can go wrong will go wrong. Therefore, prepare a second plan (or more!) in case things don’t go as planned. For example, if you’re modifying code in front of your audience and your system crashes, you shouldn’t take time out of your presentation to fix the problem. You will lose your audience!!! Just scrap the code and use the duplicate that you have as a backup.

There are many (free) resources online about how to improve presentation skills. I strongly suggest you to visit Kathy Sierra’s blog on human usability. It’s really worth it!