Presentation skills were the focus of my session at SQL Bangalore on May 3, 2014. The session was called Performing an Effective Presentation. This time, I spoke about public speaking rather than SQL Server.
An Evening With the SQL Bangalore Community
The meetup celebrated the community launch of SQL Server 2014. More than 250 people attended, and I enjoyed the sessions by Amit Banerjee, Balmukund Lakhani, and Vinod Kumar. It was a good evening of learning and meeting people from the SQL community.
SQL Bangalore user group audience
My session took a different direction from the technical talks. I wanted to share how I learned to speak in public and the people who inspired me. You can read the original session announcement on this blog.
The photographers at the event
What I Shared in the Session
I told stories from my life, including stories about two people who inspired me. Those experiences helped me explain my approach to speaking. The session was not recorded, but these photographs and slides offer a glimpse of the evening.
Pinal Dave presenting at the SQL Bangalore user group
The slides below use pictures and very little text. They gave me a starting point for each part of the talk. The explanation came from the conversation with the audience.
The Story Time slide introduced that part of the session. The next slide introduced three friends and their friendship. A simple picture can help the audience follow a story without reading a long paragraph on the screen.
The Exercise slide marked a change of pace. Giving people something to try creates room for participation. It also gives the speaker a chance to hear how the audience understands an idea.
The final slide shown here uses eleven cartoon monkey faces without any text. It leaves room for the spoken explanation. A picture still needs a clear purpose, even when it gets a smile.
Presentation Skills for Your Next Technical Talk
Choose a clear message. Before building the slides, write down what the audience should understand or do afterward. Use that sentence to decide what belongs in the talk. A detailed session can cover several ideas while still having a clear direction.
Use a true, relevant story. Explain the problem, the choice, and the outcome. Keep the details that help the audience understand your point. A story should support the subject instead of taking over the session.
Keep slides readable. Use enough detail to support the explanation without filling every corner. Technical audiences need to see code, diagrams, and results clearly. Make them large enough to read, and explain where people should look.
Practice out loud. Reading notes silently is different from delivering a talk. Rehearse with a timer, including the demonstrations and transitions. If a section takes too long, simplify it before the event.
Invite participation. Ask a question or include a short exercise when it helps the lesson. Give people time to think before expecting an answer. Participation should have a purpose beyond filling a pause.
Leave time to absorb the point. Pause after explaining an important idea or showing a result. Your audience is seeing it for the first time. A moment of silence can be more useful than another sentence.
Repeat audience questions. Restate the question before answering so everyone can follow the discussion. Check that you understood it correctly. That small step helps both the speaker and the person asking.
Why Discuss Speaking at a SQL Meetup?
A SQL user group has good reasons to focus on technical subjects. I value that focus too. Still, explaining our work is part of the job, whether we are discussing a query or presenting a solution.
Presentation skills help us share technical knowledge with teammates, managers, and community members. The setting changes, but the need for a clear explanation remains. You do not need a stage to practice.
One Habit to Try
For your next talk, choose one habit from this list and practice it. You could rehearse a demonstration, simplify a crowded slide, or leave more time for questions. Thank you to SQL Bangalore and everyone who joined the session.
A good presentation is not about slide count, it is about what the audience understands.
Published by Pinal Dave on SQLAuthority. More of my work at pinaldave.com.
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