Technical Speech & Non-Technical Presentation

Technical Speech

A technical speech is a speech given by an expert to an audience of experts. It’s not expected that members of the general public will attend or understand the speech. The speaker can assume a general understanding of basic ideas in the audience, and does not need to explain basic concepts.

A technical speech is one which provides information or presents an idea to a specialized group. For example, describing the design and/or function of a “data warehouse” to other Information Technology folks.

Technical presentations serve engineering, scientific and high-tech purposes, describing advances in technology, problem resolution, product design and project status. In general, technical presentations serve one of two purposes:

(1) To inform (e.g., knowledge transfer, classroom instruction)

(2) To persuade (e.g., convincing others to adopt a design approach or accept the results of an evaluation process).

Technical presentation is meaning less most of the time when non-technical presentation is not there because when we are informing to the people about anything but sometimes, they don’t understand because of Symantec barrier but if there is one video or slides which shows about the topic weather it is in the form of written or in animation video it will clearly understand to the other person.

Characteristics

• The use of statistics: this may not be compulsory, depending on the subject matter. Nevertheless, if the report is based on some research findings, there will always be need to present the data in tables and graphs. This will help the audience to easily grasp what is being discussed. Here, it should be noted that statistics should not be used for the sake of impressing the audience; rather, it should be used for the sake of simplifying the information being presented. The use of statistics in technical speech will be discussed in details subsequently.
• There is opportunity for questions or contributions: this is one of the few types of speeches that allow the audience to ask questions from the presenter after the presentation. Because it involves sharing professional knowledge, there is also an opportunity for fellow professionals or senior colleagues to make contributions. During the Annual General Meetings (AGM) of corporations, the President of the organisation makes a presentation on the activities of the company for the past one year. The accountant also presents the financial details of the report. Copies of the reports are given to the stakeholders because these presentations are technical in nature. After listening to the speeches and carefully studying the documents, the listeners are encouraged to seek for clarification in any area that such is desired.
• The use of technical aids: though it may seem obvious, it is still important to mention that the “technical” in the name of the speech does not only refer to the complexity of the idea being discussed; it also refers to the technical assistance needed for conveying the message. Because of the nature of the speech, there is usually the need to substantiate the abstract idea being discussed. Hence, technical aids such as handouts and multi-media presentations are needed for easy dissemination of the information. The handouts are usually distributed to the audience so that they can follow the presentation and also make meaningful contribution.
• Research based: one of the major characteristics of a technical speech is that it is research based. This is not just about the background information you gather so as to enrich your speech; the speech itself is a scientific (so to speak) report. You must have conducted an inquiry in your field and you wish to share the findings with your peers. You may be given the task of assessing the performance of your company’s products in the market. Or, you may be asked to create a new brand for the Nigerian market.

Non-Technical Presentation