• Post Reply Bookmark Topic Watch Topic
  • New Topic
programming forums Java Mobile Certification Databases Caching Books Engineering Micro Controllers OS Languages Paradigms IDEs Build Tools Frameworks Application Servers Open Source This Site Careers Other Pie Elite all forums
this forum made possible by our volunteer staff, including ...
Marshals:
  • Campbell Ritchie
  • Jeanne Boyarsky
  • Ron McLeod
  • Paul Clapham
  • Liutauras Vilda
Sheriffs:
  • paul wheaton
  • Rob Spoor
  • Devaka Cooray
Saloon Keepers:
  • Stephan van Hulst
  • Tim Holloway
  • Carey Brown
  • Frits Walraven
  • Tim Moores
Bartenders:
  • Mikalai Zaikin

geek's guide to presenting to business people

 
author & internet detective
Posts: 41860
908
Eclipse IDE VI Editor Java
  • Likes 3
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
A teammate forwarded this to me. (It's free; registration required.) A lot of it is common presentation stuff. But my favorite quote is "we geeks ten to cram everything we know into a presentation. It's a huge mistake."

One day we will have knowledge by brain transfer and can just to a dump...
 
Bartender
Posts: 4179
22
IntelliJ IDE Python Java
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator

Jeanne Boyarsky wrote:But my favorite quote is "we geeks ten to cram everything we know into a presentation. It's a huge mistake."


That is absolutely correct. I worked as a technical sales specialist for software/hardware where 50% of the time was field support and 50% was pre-sales. The best way to turn a crowd off (and not just business people, but anyone) is by going into too much detail. I found the best presentations to be sparse - lots of white space, and a 'script' that allowed only 30 seconds to a minute on a slide - too little time to get too detailed. The toughest tight-rope I had to learn to walk was how to answer a question without giving so much info people stop listening but not so little that they think I don't know or am blowing them off...
 
Java Cowboy
Posts: 16084
88
Android Scala IntelliJ IDE Spring Java
  • Likes 1
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator

Jeanne Boyarsky wrote:One day we will have knowledge by brain transfer and can just to a dump...


I think it's more a problem of presenting the right information to your audience - if they are business people, they most likely do not even want to know all the technical details, like a developer would. Even if you could do a direct brain transfer then you'd overload the business person's brain with details they don't want to know.
 
Jeanne Boyarsky
author & internet detective
Posts: 41860
908
Eclipse IDE VI Editor Java
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator

Jesper de Jong wrote:

Jeanne Boyarsky wrote:One day we will have knowledge by brain transfer and can just to a dump...


I think it's more a problem of presenting the right information to your audience - if they are business people, they most likely do not even want to know all the technical details, like a developer would. Even if you could do a direct brain transfer then you'd overload the business person's brain with details they don't want to know.


Aw man! You're right. Even that won't solve the problem.
 
Bartender
Posts: 2407
36
Scala Python Oracle Postgres Database Linux
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
If your audience ask questions like this then you've probably overdone it.

 
Ranch Hand
Posts: 124
Android Eclipse IDE Chrome
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
I would say, in short, talk the language audience speak and understand.
 
Rancher
Posts: 4803
7
Mac OS X VI Editor Linux
  • Likes 1
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Ten words per slide. This includes the title words. Seriously.
 
reply
    Bookmark Topic Watch Topic
  • New Topic