Six Tips for Talking Technical When Your Audience Isn’t Author: Janis Robison Presented by: Dan Bryant

Six Tips for Talking Technical When Your Audience Isn’t 1.Determine the Audience’s Technology Level Before You Speak 2.Put Your Audience at Ease 3.Don’t Be a Techno-Snob 4.Avoid Using Jargon or Acronyms 5.Use Verbal Illustrations 6.Whenever Possible Show, Don’t Tell

Determine the Audience’s Technology Level Before You Speak It is important to know your audience’s familiarity with the subject you are presenting Check with the program coordinator or even a few of the participants Find out what they hope to learn and do with the information you present so you can better tailor your presentation to them Remember, your audience most likely aren’t experts in your field and don’t want to be

Put Your Audience at Ease It is important you and your audience to feel comfortable during the presentation If there is tension in audience members, it inhibits their ability for understanding If you notice someone nervous, take the time before to privately discuss the subject with them Do not publicly address someone unless they volunteer Also, appropriate humor is a good tension breaker for you and the audience

Don’t Be a Techno-Snob Don’t put off the audience with your expertise Avoid phrases like “It obvious,” “It’s common knowledge,” and “As you all know” Don’t make a non-technical audience feel even less technical Leave the audience feeling they learned, not embarrassed for being unfamiliar with the subject “Never forget there was a time when you didn’t understand this technology” (Robinson)

Avoid Using Jargon or Acronyms Don’t use jargon if you can’t explain it in non-technical language Avoid specialized language as much as possible Be prepared to explain any technical terms used A glossary handout can help, but don’t expect it to make your audience fluent in tech-language

Use Verbal Illustrations Connect to the audience through your language and presentation Use analogies, stories and metaphors customized to your audience By planning these examples, you lessen the chance of drawing a blank when put on the spot Even when using common examples, bring color and life to them Let the audience feed off your energy

Whenever Possible Show, Don’t Tell Visuals clarify points and improve the audience’s understanding Save yourself from lengthy explanations and confusion Presentation software and multimedia tools are always an upgrade to static overheads “A picture is worth a thousand words” (Proverb)

References Robinson, Janis “Six Tips for Talking Technical When Your Audience Isn’t.” Technical Writing. Pearson Education, Inc. New York, US. Pg

Conclusion It is important to convey your message by connecting with the audience. Avoid highly technical language while still being informative. The ultimate goal is for the audience to understand the subject matter. Questions or Comments?