Tips from Andrei Alexandrescu on speeches with presentations on technical topics

Several times I managed to speak in public with reports on technical topics, and more often I attended such events. This allowed me to discover both positive and negative patterns of speeches. Some of them are not discussed or not fully discussed in articles of various online publications. In addition, the ingenuous adherence to the letter of instructions for public speaking (slides, flow, appearance, body language, working with the audience) does not always relieve you of embarrassment. Next, I will try to expose my experience, typed on both sides of the microphone, in a few tips.

Speeches to an audience are described in books (most of which I have not read), and experts teach this in courses (which I did not attend). Therefore, take the free advice level corresponding to their value. But since I am a computer programmer like you, I write directly, on business, and in order to help fellow hackers.
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Tips apply to speeches lasting longer than 30 minutes. Short (up to 20 min) performances are also difficult, but their complexity is different. Short tactical performances - he must be well rehearsed and clearly conveyed to the audience. They are popular in academic circles and are of good quality material to which I have nothing to add. Long speeches are distinguished by a strategic approach, improvisation and adaptation.

1. You must have something that you want to convey to listeners.

It is very important to have something that needs to be conveyed to the audience. Your main goal is to share something that you find interesting. This means that you believe that you have some unique thoughts and ideas that your audience cannot reach on its own in a reasonable time using, for example, reading an article.

Consider a counterexample. Most corporations have an orientation process that includes presentations from HR, security, technology, and so on. These presentations do not have to meet the criterion designated by me - their goal is to convey some information to new employees so that they still have the opportunity to ask questions. The speaker at such events is not bound by the need to make them interesting and unique, because it is so unique for you personally. Therefore, your presentation should not be based on such reports.

Unfortunately, many speakers do just that - they wander around the presentation, like lunatics, with the enthusiasm and predictability of printed instructions. They may not make factual mistakes. Dark suit? There is. Stand on both legs? There is. Looking at the audience left, right and center? There is. Take questions? There is. Finish on time? There is. But if you have not made any mistakes, this does not mean that you did everything correctly. You must have what to say - and at the same time, something quite interesting.

I once visited a report at a conference that was done by a gifted and experienced speaker. But I did not enjoy the report - it seemed to me boring and banal. Since I was familiar with the speaker, after the next dinner I delicately brought my impression to him. He explained that the organizers offered him a report in exchange for a free visit, so he chose the topic, read something about it and prepared for the report. It was a simple hired job, and, despite all his talent and experience, the essence of the work still became visible.

Therefore, go into the audience, being sure that you have something to share with the audience, and that it will be interesting to her. Let this message clearly and clearly be in front of your inner eye.

2. Understand that the odds are already in your favor.

Public speaking is communication with people, in connection with which it contains some social dynamics. Most fears of inexperienced speakers are based on fear of shame. You can say something stupid and they will laugh at you. Someone will point out your fatal mistake. You can stumble, fall, burp or fart during a presentation. Etc.

The good news: the fact that you are speaking already gives you some advantage. It is unlikely that you have seen many speeches in which the speaker was ashamed. On the contrary, the audience always behaves politely and tries to help, especially nervous speakers. The bottom line is that, other things being equal, people will prefer good feelings to bad ones. Comfort and discomfort are transmitted very well from speaker to audience. Therefore, the audience tends to forgive some awkwardness and usually treats the speaker tolerantly. If the speaker is comfortable, then the audience is also comfortable - and this is what everyone needs.

In general, you do not start your game from scratch. You already have a good credit, and you benefit from the natural predisposition of people for a cofmort.

3. Go straight through your fear of speaking

Fear of performance is an irrational psychosomatic reaction from the category of “fight or run.” It sometimes happens to me and, as far as I know, from other experienced speakers. It usually results in rapid breathing, acceleration of the pulse, thirst, excessive agitation and muscle spasm. The spasm puts pressure on the vocal cords, and your voice becomes more hoarse and high.

You can combat this phenomenon by overcoming the symptoms - walk more slowly, breathe more slowly, drink water and control your voice. It works: somehow I had a strong attack before the performance, when I walked around the room in which an audience of 500 people was waiting for me, from the entrance to the stage. People turned their heads to look, and I thought: “What can I say to these people in order to interest them?” The slowdown of the gait worked: I just started to go slower, and with each step calm came, and my self-confidence grew. When I got to the stage, I was ready to give a talk.

Sometimes this technique does not help. But there is a secret that is often unknown to beginners: the fear of speeches disappears with time. It takes not so much time, and when you are sure that it will disappear, this knowledge helps it to disappear even faster. When starting a report, ignore the symptoms.

Find a video of a famous speaker, watch his voice for the first 30 seconds, and then rewind to the middle. You can often hear changes in pitch and body language.

4. Accumulate backup power

People usually listen to music at a power of 1-3 watts. But they prefer more powerful amplifiers. Since a 3 watt amplifier playing at 3 watts sounds worse than a 20 watt amplifier playing at 3 watts. Unscrewed to the limit the amplifier distorts the sound, it lacks the dynamics and clarity. This is because he does not have a reserve capacity.

So you should understand your material at a level much higher than your report. The report should give the audience about 10% of your knowledge on the issue. Only this will give you backup power. First, it helps you answer questions. Many of them will go beyond the presentation, so you will need additional knowledge. Secondly, the reserve capacity gives you the opportunity to adapt the material presented to a specific audience. Thirdly, it helps you better convey the essence of your report. If you know more about the subject as a whole, then you know better what you can not talk about.

For example, I once spoke to students. The speech was on some rather complicated topic, and it began with the presentation of alternative approaches that were regarded as incorrect or not recommended. It soon became clear that the students were not familiar with the pitfalls of the described approaches. The problem was not with their level of training - they simply were not closely acquainted with software of such magnitude to face certain problems. Therefore, the meaning of my report could not be fully appreciated by them. And then, right on the spot, I decided that I would build the entire report on one of the presentation slides. Starting from there and using the board, I discussed a set of topics that they found interesting.

If you understand the details of the topic you are talking about, you can take the story in any direction that the audience wants to go to. Many speakers try to insert additional material into their presentation, which they do not really understand. You need to avoid this temptation. I imagine it this way: I should be able to take any item from any of my presentations, and defend it in court. If you stick to this rule, it will well affect your reputation.

Get to know the material within a wider framework than your presentation. Knowledge is no substitute for anything: since you will be a speaker, it is your direct responsibility to understand the topic. Be prepared to reveal any topic and any suggestion from your slides.

5. Unwavering self-confidence

Since you have already read point 4, you are well versed in the material. Therefore, approach the report from the standpoint of complete confidence.

Many people confuse self-confidence with self-esteem, so if they have such a feeling (and many hackers have it), they think that everything is fine. In fact, this is not so: self-confidence is related to your opinion of yourself, and self-esteem is your opinion about what other people have about you. If you think you're okay, then you are confident. If you think others think you are okay - you have self-esteem.

It happens that one feeling exists without the other. A stereotypical example of a self-confident person without self-esteem is a talkative upstart, who subconsciously is afraid to seem like a deceiver. Accordingly, the shy geek who can arrange a date with a girl only “after she recognizes him well” has a sense of self-esteem, but does not have self-confidence.

Self-confidence is not arrogance. Self-confidence is the feeling of your value in the eyes of others. Arrogance is your value compared to others. Confidence is the statement that you are good; arrogance is a statement that you are better than others.

To make a good report, you need to be confident. Confidence will make you balanced and relaxed, and inspire people with confidence and peace of mind. Knowledge of the material - a necessary condition for the acquisition of confidence. Therefore, in paragraph 4 and stated that knowledge can not be replaced. But you must radiate comfort in relation to the situation.

Fortunately, confidence is one of those qualities with which you can pretend that you have them, until you really have them. Hence the advice in paragraph 3 - acquire body language, attitudes and thoughts corresponding to self-confidence, and she will come to you. No need to make too much of a fever - you decided not to solve the NP-completeness problem. Relax and convey enthusiasm just as you would with a friend and colleague - with all the passion and persuasiveness, but at the same time modestly.

6. Find contact with the audience and keep it.

This popular advice for public speaking is usually too vague to be useful. Without explanation, it seems that this should be some kind of feeling that will magically arise between you and your listeners.

I define this item pragmatically. First, you need to immediately understand the degree of familiarity of the audience with your material. Secondly, you need to engage the audience at key points of the presentation, asking questions and interacting with it in general.

I saw many speakers who did not realize that the audience did not know some things that, according to the speakers, she should have known - or, on the contrary, meant a strong lack of awareness of the audience.

The easiest way to ask questions to your listeners. I often ask to raise the hands of those who "use the language X", "OS Y", "technology Z" in their work. What about W, T, U? At the same time you need to ask for positive notes, not negative ones. Such questions often saved reports. It often became clear that the planned report would not have been sufficiently effective, and I had to dwell on some points or completely omit others.

Having a contact gives many other benefits. It involves people in the process and encourages them to join it. People become more attentive. They feel that you are interested in their knowledge and their thoughts, and that you are trying to convey valuable information for them. After a good report, ideally, each visitor feels that he is an active participant in the process, and not a passive receiving party.

Interaction with the audience takes the time allotted for the report, and may lose its usefulness if 1-2 active listeners participate in it. In this case, you need to learn from the experience of press conferences, and not give the same listener a word twice in a row. In addition, you need to directly contact groups that are not participating in the conversation. I usually joke with something like: “People on the right, what is your opinion on X? Something you are reluctant today. "

Complicating the search for contact can be different things. If you stand on the stage, it builds a distance between you and the audience. Or in the culture of listeners it can be considered rude to interrupt a person (in Asia it often happens), or an event can be recorded on video. In such cases, have to work with what is. You can always ask to raise your hands. You can even leave the stage and give someone a microphone. Remember that people tend to welcome unusual behavior on your part because of item 2

7. Manage time

Good time management is a must-have for a good speaker. This is a complex science, and many speakers, ideal in other ways, cannot cope with it.

First, strictly adhere to the rule of finishing on time. You might think that there are exceptions - for example, if you are the last speaker. But in practice, situations in which this rule could be ignored are practically excluded.

Each listener in advance draws up in his head a plan for listening to the report, a certain internal timer. "I will sit until the end of the report at 15:00, and then I will call my wife about the existential crisis of our hamster." Or something like that. Time limit is a strong social contract between the speaker and the audience. A report, good or bad, must end at the allotted time so that everyone can go about their business.

The timely end of the report is an excellent climax for the speaker and listeners. You said everything you wanted, finished, now it's 15:00, and everyone is happy. As in other situations of life, timely completion is ideal.

Of course, in many situations, communication outside the scope of the report may be necessary. Often you will report last, or there may be a long break before the next report. In these cases, you can announce that you will be nearby to answer questions and lead discussions on free topics. The social contract was fulfilled, the climax was reached, and one can enjoy spending time with his audience.

A late ending can be very rude. My friend somehow had to give a report at the conference, but the speaker in front of him did not even think about stopping. My friend made gestures and pointed at his watch, and, in the end, he had to get up and say: “You took away from my report 15 minutes!”. And what is surprising, that goat on him also took offense. My friend’s time was tightly limited to the dinner that began immediately after his report, so he had to be content with two thirds of the time he was destined for. Naturally, his speech was a failure.

Suppose you are sure that you will always finish the report on time. The bad news: you need not only to finish it on time, but also to manage time throughout the duration of the report.

I recently visited a 90-minute talk by a very fascinating speaker. He stretched the introduction to the report for 80 minutes, continuing the funny beginning with a few jokes, and then found that the essence of the report was 10 minutes. He tried to run through the slides, which never saved the situation. The report started off fine, but ended horribly (albeit on time).

You should always keep under control the balance of time and material. Out of sync can occur for various reasons, most often - because of questions from the audience. If you are heavily out of the schedule, announce it decisively. “Since we are very enthusiastic about topic A, I’ll skip the following slides on topic B. You can find out about it from the distributed materials and ask me any questions. Let's go straight to C, which we should be interested in discussing. ” It always works - listeners understand: they have access to information, and you have complete control over the situation.

Time management is a challenge. I have no ready-made recipes. It helps a wealth of experience. The rehearsal of the report helps to build a schedule, but it does not help you much, because the reports never go according to plan. A rough talk in front of a small audience helps a lot if it can be organized.

Time management is a powerful tool. If you master it, you can create an expectation - a powerful psychological device. "Total, X is best used with W. I understand that this is rather strange, but I will explain everything in more detail in a few minutes." The listeners have the impression that a plan of the report unfolds in your head, and besides, they have curiosity.

Learn how to feel the time at any time of the report, make and announce decisions on material skipping, if such a need arises.

8. Remember that this is a presentation, not a presentation.

Look at them: twenty, fifty, one hundred, one thousand people sitting there waiting for you to hit them. You have material. I am sure that it is amazing - but they can be amazed, and after reading the article. What really makes people come to your reports is the impression you make. The report is not a presentation, it is a creative event.

Queen was famous for its concerts, which beat attendance records and sales records, and received critical acclaim (as well as the award for the best concert in the history of Channel 4 for the Live Aid concert in 1985). The secret was that if the majority of singers and groups tried to play all the songs as close as possible to the records, Queen specifically treated each concert as a unique phenomenon. What mattered was not only the list of songs, but also the general show. They never tried to imitate themselves. They played the songs in the best possible way right there, just for this audience. This and remember their concerts.

I’m not saying that you need to grow hair or open a performance with a downhole guitar reef. But consider each report as a presentation as unique as possible for you and the audience. A simple awareness of this fact leads you to the right mood. Many talented hackers made boring presentations because they focused on the “let's not make mistakes” style. Their material was interesting, the slides were rich - but they tried to make a presentation. And you have to give a speech.

Add in the report of enthusiasm, eloquence, humor and creativity. This will allow your material to come to life - and that is what your listeners will remember about you.

Total

To make a good long technical talk: Have something to say on the merits; understand that you are initially in a better position; go through your fear of speaking; have much more knowledge on the subject than you give out; shine confidence; communicate with the audience; manage time; Do not forget to give a presentation, not a presentation.