The Secrets of Effective Technical Talks: How to Explain Tech without Tucking Them In!

1. SESSION CODE: SIA334 The Secrets of Effective Technical Talks: How to Explain Tech without Tucking Them In! Presented by Mark Minasi and Mark Russinovich

2. Slide 2 Why Learn to Present Technical Topics? • Well, how many of you are technical educators? • Okay, let me ask again… how many of you are technical educators? • We think that most presentations are actually persuasions in some senses • So if we're going to talk tech, why not try to get just a little better at it?

3. Slide 3 What We'll Talk About • Give them some structure • The better you know Your audience, the easier it is not to waste their time • "Doh!" Speaking "don'ts" • Prepare or fail • Humor • Time Management • Speaking tics: Eradicating "um" • Know your topic • Stage fright • Getting audience interaction • Handling questions • Helping attendees understand the tough stuff • Helping attendees keep what they learned • Pointers on PowerPoint

4. Slide 4 Caveat: • We actually have no formal education in the science of presentation • These are just things that seem to work for us • You are all teachers already, so take what you hear from us with a pinch of salt and incorporate anything that you can into your presentation style • And heck, we can't hardly cover everything about presenting in just 75 minutes, so if we don't mention some concept that you think is important, then please don't think that we deem it unimportant!

5. Slide 5 Starting Things: Give Them Structure • Tell them what to be ready to learn – an outline, agenda or the like • It's also a great way of confirming that folks are in the right place – they know what to expect, and you know what they expect • It's an obvious concept, but it's far easier to learn something if it's got a context and a structure • Sometimes it's also necessary so that you can reshape a presentation on the fly to better fit the audience • And if you can get free to meet the attendees as they come in, that's even better

6. Know (and Respect) Your Audience • Have a clear notion of who you've created the talk for • Don't be afraid to build talks that spend a little time at "200" level and that move from there to "300"-land with a few side-trips to "400"-land • (For example, TechEd has both large IT Pro and developer populations… but a talk for one often fit the other) • Make them feel that "I know who you are, and I won't waste your time" • Try to avoid "freezing out" hunks of the audience by being careful about "as we all know…" statements

7. Ways To Show 'Em You Care • If you use a phrase, define it, even if once and briefly • (If you've got time, a collected glossary of acronyms will warm the hearts of some attendees) • If you do a demo, make sure it works • If you write a lab, the steps must be right • We're not suggesting that any of that is easy… but isn't it what you'd like? • Modern desktop virtualization software makes this a whole heck of a lot easier

8. The "Duh" Page: The Easy Stuff • Don't… • Turn your back to the audience and talk to the screen • Block the screen • Scratch on stage or chew gum • Use a phrase/acronym without defining it • Hug the podium; walk around • Slouch or lean • Use The Seven Words • Run over time • If you're working in front of a big screen, wear a contrasting color • Slow down, don't mumble

9. Prepare Or Fail • We've already talked about getting the demos etc right • Don't let anyone tell you that a "demo script" is a bad idea • Lay out an expected schedule: where do you plan to be in the presentation at what time? • Try to do a dry run or two beforehand as a ranging exercise • Lay out what you'll need: if you're doing demos, what do your demo machines need (OS, apps, settings)?

10. Slide 10 Humor • Is humor in a talk necessary? • Helps break the mental barriers and (Minasi thinks) gets us more ready for learning • Be careful about using classical-style jokes, as humor has a down-side… • Using humor • Oddball observations • Self-deprecating humor • "Oh, yeah" humor • Humor helps soften an unfortunately necessary observation

11. Humor • Look for the funny – technology is full of it • When you log onto Windows Server 2008/R2, why do you just see a big head with no face? • When you get an IPv6 address in Windows (sometimes), you get three pre-installed DNS server addresses of FEC0:0:0:FFFF::1, 2, and 3. Boring, right?

12. Time Management • Decide on a topic • Generate a "soup to nuts" PPT • Go back and guess how long it'll take • Adjust accordingly • Create sections • Estimate how long each session takes • Generate some sort of rough schedule • Keep the schedule close to hand at the podium

13. Speaking Mistakes: Eradicating "Um" • We've all got speaking tics • Idiosyncratic phrases • Getting past "um" • It can be painful (but effective), but record yourself and listen to/watch yourself

14. Know Your Topic • It's very hard to be successful talking about a topic that you don't know well • It's much easier to be successful talking about a topic that you love than one that you don't • (And remember, just because we're experts doesn't mean that we shouldn't be humble... after all, the chances are good that the collected wisdom in the room exceeds ours!)

15. "I'm Afraid Of Talking To Crowds!" • Remember: no one in the room wants to see you fail • But truthfully, you'll always have some jitters… and that's good • If you truly fear public speaking, try this: • Do the presentation in character to a friend • Put him/her in the front part of the room • Start doing the presentation to him/her • As you get more comfortable, start looking at the rest of the audience • If the fear returns, return to the friend • This won't make a great speaker, but it can help many so-so speakers with crowd-o-phobia become good speakers

16. Interaction I: Getting Them To Respond • Folks are uncomfortable with drawing attention to themselves • That includes asking questions or responding • (I mean, doesn't this auditorium sort of suggest a movie theater… and watching movies is passive, right?) • Types of questions • Polls

17. Interaction II: Handling Questions • Should you take questions during the talk or afterward? • Taking questions and managing time • The answer to never give

18. Sneaking The Learning inreinforcement techniques • Human memory and learning is a complex thing, and our goal is usually to make that learning stick • People think they're learning, but without reinforcement they usually lose it • Sometimes, though, making things understandable takes a trick or two, like • Examples / demonstrations • Hands-on would be fantastic, if it's possible • Analogies • Skits

19. Cementing the Knowledge • "Flash and dash" is fun, but we're all here to make long-term, positive changes in our attendees' lives (or at least I think so) • Once you get it in their heads, how do we make it stay? • Human memory types • Reinforcement

20. Plotting Your PowerPoint • On PowerPoints… • Thick is it: wordy is good, no matter what people say • Pictures are essential and illustrative, or just glossy time-wasters • Know the topic, speak the topic, and the PPT is just visual reinforcement

21. And Finally… • There's more to do, but we're probably about out of time by now • But remember this: have fun while you're presenting… we think it's about the most fun you can possibly have • And watch out… you just might get bitten by the Speaker Bug! • Best of luck, and please fill out an evaluation form • Mark M is teaching a "Windows 7 Support for XP Support Experts" class in Seattle June 21/22

22. Required Slide Resources Learning • Sessions On-Demand & Community • Microsoft Certification & Training Resources www.microsoft.com/teched www.microsoft.com/learning • Resources for IT Professionals • Resources for Developers • http://microsoft.com/msdn • http://microsoft.com/technet

23. Required Slide Complete an evaluation on CommNet and enter to win!

24. Sign up for Tech·Ed 2011 and save $500 starting June 8 – June 31st http://northamerica.msteched.com/registration You can also register at the North America 2011 kiosk located at registrationJoin us in Atlanta next year

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