Technical Presentation Skills for STEM Professionals

This two-day course for scientists, technologists, engineers and mathematicians (STEM) covers all the basics of sound technical presentation preparation and delivery. It includes how to construct a technical presentation, gain the attention of your audience, deliver effective openings and closings, tell stories to make a point, prepare technical slides, establish and maintain eye contact with audiences, plan and execute meaningful gestures and other body language, establish and maintain credibility with audiences, handle audience questions, engage with your audience, and much more.

This course requires all students to have their audio and video working at all times during the course.  The reason for this is all students will be preparing and presenting their own presentations. Additionally, each student's presentation will be evaluated by the other students and the instructor.  This is a course based on learning by doing."

It is fast-paced course with instructor-student and student-student interaction and discussion. After presentation skills instruction, students will prepare a short presentation, deliver it, receive constructive evaluation from the instructor and other students, and, time-permitting, revise their presentation, and deliver it a second time.

Students will receive a presentation skills checklist and a PDF of the course slides. Two signed books will be given away.  Students may opt into a FREE subscription to Frank DiBartolomeo’s weekly presentation skills ezine.  Those opting into the FREE subscription will also get a FREE PDF electronic copy of Frank’s new book Speak Well and Prosper: Tips, Tools and Techniques for Better Presentations

1. Good Presentation Skills are Essential in Technical Fields:

• Why great technical leaders are great speakers
• How to gain power by speaking positively
• Great technical writing =  Great technical speaking

1. Technical Presentation Preparation:

• How to create a technical presentation
• How to prepare and present openings and closings
• How to develop the body of a technical presentation
• How stories add to a technical presentation
• How to prepare technical slides

1. Technical Presentation Delivery:

• How to conquer your fear of public speaking
• How to engage your audience
• How to establish and maintain eye contact
• How gestures add to your presentation
• How to establish and maintain credibility
• How to handle audience questions

1. Technical Speaking in the Virtual World:

• Tips for virtual speaking
• Use of technology in the virtual world
• How speaking basics apply in the virtual world

1. Student Presentation:

• Prepare short technical presentation
• Deliver short technical presentation

1. Revised Student Presentation:

• Revise short technical presentation
• Revise and re-deliver short technical presentation

• Reduce your fear of delivering a technical presentation
• Remain calm when something goes wrong
• Develop a technical presentation topic
• Answer audience questions with confidence
• Establish and maintain eye contact with your audience
• Use your body language to emphasize your presentation
• Use stories to emphasize your presentation
• Practice different opening and closing methods
• Reduce “ahs,” “ums,” and other verbal fillers
• Building technical slides
• “Rule of Three”

Lt Col, USAF (Ret) Frank DiBartolomeo, Jr. retired from the U.S. Air Force in 1999.  He holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Electrical Engineering and a Master’s degree in Information Technology.  Frank is also a graduate of Squadron Officer School, the Air Command and Staff College, and the Air War College. 

His expertise as an engineer and technical leader in the military and industry led to a variety of leadership assignments as a program manager and senior systems engineer including assignments at the Air Force Research Laboratory, the Pentagon and, in industry, as the Deputy Lead Engineer on a 300-person national security program.

Frank is also an award-winning speaker, Distinguished Toastmaster, and Professional Member of the National Speakers Association.  In his over thirty years in Toastmasters and as a technical speaking coach, Frank has evaluated and coached hundreds of technical speakers.