My Thoughts

Start with the big idea, not the data dump. If you want your technical presentation to land, the first sentence must do something: promise a problem solved, or threaten a misconception, or simply tell them why the 20 minutes they’ve given you matters. Boring as that sounds, it’s where most technical talks go wrong — buried in slides, rescued by hope. Technical expertise is one thing. Communicating it is another. For over 15 years I’ve watched brilliant technical people deliver talks that read like lab reports or system logs — precise, accurate, and entirely forgettable. Conversely, I’ve seen people with modest technical depth take a compelling idea and turn an audience into advocates. The difference is not more slides. It’s clarity, structure and craft. Why this matters now We live in an era where technical conversations no longer happen only in labs, server rooms or engineering team meetings. Boards in Sydney want to understand AI risk. Finance teams in Melbourne need to grasp blockchain use cases. Clinicians in Brisbane must explain genomics to hospital administrators. The future of work depends on people who can translate complexity into decision-ready insight. The World Economic Forum estimates that by 2025, around 50% of all employees will need reskilling — communication and learning are central to that shift. If you can’t teach someone the why and the how quickly, your work won’t scale. Three things audiences really want - Clarity. Don’t confuse accuracy with complexity. You can be both accurate and simple. Often, simplicity reveals the logic of your data rather than hiding it. - Relevance. If it isn’t tied to a decision, a risk or a tangible outcome, strip it out. People remember things that change what they do. - Credibility. Show your grasp of nuance, acknowledge limitations, and surface the assumptions underpinning your claims. Yes — I’ll say it: slides still matter. And no — you don’t need 70 of them to be persuasive. Some readers will roll their eyes at a pro-slide stance, but when used well, slides support memory and speed comprehension. They should be visual summaries, not scripts. Understand who’s in the room Effective technical talks are audience-led, not ego-led. Start by mapping the room: who makes the decisions, who will use the output, who cares about compliance or cost? That dictates tone, depth and examples. - Experts: use fewer metaphors, show methods, be ready for questions about caveats. - Practitioners: focus on applications, step-by-step logic and trade-offs. - Non-technical stakeholders: translate outcomes into risks, opportunities and ROI. Quick practical step: write three questions your audience would ask and answer them before you begin. Anticipate the objections. If you can answer them in the presentation, you disarm half the Q&A. Do this and you’ll look organised — and trusted. Structure so people can follow Technical content needs scaffolding. Think in layers: foundation, implication, recommendation. Start with a tight one-paragraph set-up: what’s the problem, why it matters now, and what you’ll show. Then build in logical increments. Avoid the temptation to jump into method first — most audiences need the context before the mechanics. Transitions are underrated. A single line — “having shown the model’s accuracy, let’s look at where it fails” — can save an audience from confusion. Make those lines sharp. Storytelling with data Data is stubbornly dull without narrative. Your job is to create an arc where evidence supports a point, not the other way round. - Open with a human anchor. A quick case study, a real-world cost, a small failure that could have been prevented — something relatable. - Use contrast. Show what happens without the insight, then with it. People remember differences. - End with a decision. Leave your audience with a clear next-step or a risk to avoid. Some will say stories dilute rigour. I disagree. Stories create retention. You can be rigorous and human at the same time. Visuals: less noise, more clarity The best visual is one that reduces cognitive load immediately. - Ditch unnecessary axes, gridlines and fancy 3D effects. Keep charts readable at a glance. - Highlight the data point you’re talking about. Use colour purposefully. - Use diagrams to show process or systems; use simplified models for audiences unfamiliar with details. A common mistake: complex visuals + rapid speech. Don’t present a dense chart then narrate three new ideas in thirty seconds. Pause. Point. Let them look. Silence is a tool. Delivery — voice and presence Good delivery isn’t theatrical, it’s intentional. - Pace: speak slowly enough for processing, fast enough to keep attention. Pauses work wonders. - Modulation: vary pitch and volume to emphasise logic. A flat presentation makes even brilliant insights sound dull. - Projection: be audible to the back row. If you’re in a Sydney ballroom or a Melbourne boardroom, assume people will be distracted. Your voice must anchor them. - Body language: open posture, targeted gestures, and purposeful movement. Look at people, not the slides. Eye contact builds trust. Practise like you mean it. Record a run-through, watch the bits you skip, then fix them. Practice is the cheapest rehearsal that buys credibility. Handling nerves Most presenters are more critical of themselves than the room. Rehearsal and a short routine help: warm your voice, sip water, do a five-breath grounding exercise. Remind yourself: your job is to help people make better decisions. That mindset reduces performance anxiety and increases focus. Q&A: the moment of truth The Q&A reveals whether you really understood your audience. - Anticipate the tricky questions and prepare succinct answers. - If you don’t know, say so — then offer to follow up with evidence. Silence and defensiveness cost more than honesty. - Keep answers short. Reframe a complex question into a simple point, then offer to dive deeper offline. A technique I use: answer in two sentences, then say, “If you want the technical detail, I can show the model after the session.” It signals confidence without alienating non-technical listeners. Language: clear, not condescending Jargon is a convenience for insiders — a barrier for everyone else. Use technical terms when necessary, but define them quickly. Better still, use analogies that respect the audience’s intelligence. Some will argue analogies oversimplify. Fair. Use them as entry points, not endpoints. When to deep-dive Always provide a route to the details. Include an appendix or offer collateral. Some senior engineers or analysts will want the equations, the code, the sensitivity analysis. Have it ready, but don’t force it on those who don’t need it. Two contentious opinions — because you asked for them - I think most technical presenters should reduce slide count by at least 50%. Fewer slides force clearer stories. Many will disagree, especially those who equate volume with thoroughness. That’s fine — less is smarter. - I also believe anecdotes are not a distraction; they’re the glue. Yes, a long story is a sin. But 30–60 seconds that humanise the impact? Vital. Practical checklist — what to prepare - One-line problem statement. - One-slide summary of your conclusion and recommendation. (Put it near the start.) - Three slides that explain impact, method, and limitations. - One compelling visual. Clean, labelled, highlighted. - Appendix with data, code snippets, error bounds or methodology. - Short answers to three predicted questions. - A rehearsal where you run to time. Measure success differently Don’t judge a presentation solely by applause or the number of slides viewed. Better metrics: did people ask relevant follow-up questions? Did the audience change a decision or request a pilot? Did they forward your slides? These are action-oriented indicators. A note on technology and remote delivery Remote presentations reset the rules. Audio quality, lighting and screen-sharing etiquette matter more than slide flourishes. If you’re presenting to distributed teams across Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, assume bandwidth variability — keep visuals light and narration tight. Ask for a tech check 15 minutes before and get someone to moderate chat and questions for you. Organisational context In organisations I’ve worked with — from ASX-listed firms to government agencies — the presenters who succeed are those who tie technical findings to business outcomes. When you align your work with decisions (budget, compliance, time-to-market), you’re no longer an academic; you’re a contributor to action. We encourage teams to frame every technical report with the “so what?” question at its heart. Keep learning Crafting technical presentations is an iterative skill. Collect feedback, review recordings, and tweak. Try one new technique per presentation — a different opening, a simpler chart, a shorter Q&A. Small changes compound. One last thought Technical truths are permanent; attention is not. If you want your work to matter beyond the lab, clinic or console, you must design for other people’s brains. Help them see the problem, the consequence, and the decision. Do that and you’ve done more than present data — you’ve enabled better outcomes. Sources & Notes - World Economic Forum, The Future of Jobs Report 2020 — statistic cited: by 2025, around 50% of all employees will need reskilling. Full citation: World Economic Forum (2020), The Future of Jobs Report 2020, Geneva: World Economic Forum.