Engineering Management Institute

Speech Preparation

Developing a Plan B When Giving Engineering Presentations

By

Developing a Plan B When Giving Engineering Presentations is a guest post by Shoots Veis, P.E.

The mutter of the crowd begins to subdue as the moderator asks people to settle into their seats for the next engineering presentation.  After a brief intro, the presenter steps to the front of the room.  After a smooth speech introduction, the speaker is just going to his first slide when the projector light goes out.  While the projector’s light is now dim, the look on the speaker’s face resembles that of a deer in the headlights.

We have all seen something like this happen.  If you are unlucky, it has happened to you.  What happens next depends on your speech preparation.  If you included a Plan B as part of your speech preparation, then you can move on from the mishap with little disruption.  Most likely, you will impress the audience with your grasp of the subject matter and your ability to carry on without the projector.

[Read more…] about Developing a Plan B When Giving Engineering Presentations

Actions Speak Louder than Words in Your Presentation

By

Actions Speak Louder than Words in Your Presentation is a guest post by Shoots Veis, P.E.

Presentation
Most engineers, and most people, will tell you that giving a presentation is not something they look forward to.  However, given our love of efficiency, engineers should have a different outlook.  One reason we give a speech to an audience is because it should be the most efficient way to share information.  The presenter has information they need to disseminate to a lot of people, so why not get them all in a room and tell everyone at the same time?  Doing so might even generate questions that you can answer for the group that wouldn’t come up if there wasn’t a group of people in that room.

[Read more…] about Actions Speak Louder than Words in Your Presentation

Speech Preparation: Preparing and Not Preparing for Presentations

By

Speech Preparation is a guest post by Shoots Veis, P.E.

Speech Preparation

I’m always excited when I get to deliver a speech, so I sent in an application to speak at a conference of operators on one of my favorite subjects.  I had spent two months with speech preparation and would be able to deliver it a couple of times for practice, between the acceptance at the conference and the day I would speak.  My proposal was accepted and I celebrate each time I get to convey the message, because I want my audience to walk away with a heightened appreciation for infrastructure.

Developing the presentation was not a burden because I believe in the issue and expended the effort necessary to develop a good speech.  I focused on defining the scope and objectives to fit them into a 30 to 45-minute time frame.  I found just the right story to open the speech and used graphical slides to reinforce each point.  I practiced several times before my first delivery and made small adjustments to the presentation after each delivery.  I have given the speech many times and it has never failed to be a hit.

[Read more…] about Speech Preparation: Preparing and Not Preparing for Presentations