This document provides guidance on technical presentations and demonstrations. It discusses the challenges of technical presentations including use of jargon, rigid procedures, fear of technology, necessary background knowledge, and safety procedures. It then discusses effective demonstrations and types of demonstrations. The teaching demonstration is highlighted as an excellent selling tool if rules are followed like introducing the demo clearly and explaining technical terms. The document contrasts presentations with demonstrations and provides tips for opening and closing demonstrations effectively.

1. TECHNICAL PRESENTATIONS And
DEMONSTRATIONS
Introduction to
Presentation Skills for
Professionals

2. TECHNICAL PRESENTATIONS
 tech.ni.cal: having special and usually practical
knowledge esp. of a mechanical or scientific subject.
 b: of or relating to a particular subject esp: a practical
subject organized on scientific principles.

3. CHALLENGES
 Technical language (jargon). In most presentations,
jargon should be avoided; however, in technical
sessions the users must become familiar with the
technical terms needed in order to ask other specialists
for advice, fault reporting to manufacturers and
indeed talking to other specialists in a language that
they all understand.
 Fairly rigid(hard) procedures. There are always
several ways of using technology – however some
are more efficient than others and these are the ones
that need to be shared with your audience.

4. CHALLENGES
 Fear. New users of technology are terrified of it – they are afraid
of failing, afraid of looking stupid, afraid of damaging
something, or afraid that they will lose their old skills.
 Necessary background knowledge. It is important for the user to
understand the basic principles behind the technology, or the
learning is only ‘parrot fashion’, and useless in a situation where a
mistake needs rectifying.
 Safety and legal procedures. There is often a need to know about
and perform several procedures that are time-consuming
and not particularly interesting (backing up computer disks
for instance, or telling the audience where the fire exits are).
Making people realize the importance of these is difficult, since
most of us would prefer not to undertake the extra effort they
require.
 So, how to overcome these potential problems?

5. Sound knowledge on the part of the demonstrator.
 You must know your stuff, and understand it fully.
 Preparation is the key here.
 When learning new technologies yourself, keep a notebook by you
and note down which things you found the hardest – these are the very
things your trainees will find difficult, and where you will need to
spend extra time on the course.
 A section in your presentation entitled ‘Technical Language. A
Glossary of Terms’ is essential – put the main technical
terms up on a large flip chart, with their meanings.
 Whenever you need to introduce a new term, give a full explanation of
it and reinforce this several times.
 It is amazing how many technical terms we use as if they were familiar
to the entire world.

6. Demonstration
 dem.on.strate : to show clearly; 2a: to prove or
make clear by reasoning or evidence; 2b: to
illustrate or explain esp. with many examples; 3: to
show or prove the value or efficiency of to a
prospective buyer.

7. Good demonstration
 to show visually how things link together;
 to simplify what may at first seem complicated;
 to show cause and effect;
 to explain what sequence of events is needed to use the
product;
 to allay any doubts or worries about the product;
 to encourage the group/person to use the product;
 to discover the user’s needs in detail;
 to show the most efficient way of using the product;
 to show the capabilities of the product.

8. Types of demonstrations
 There are basically three types of demonstration:
 the PERFORMANCE DEMO or ‘watch my
magic fingers’,
 the INTERACTIVE DEMO or ‘what would you
like to see next?’
 the TEACHING DEMO where you pass your
expertise on.

9. THE PERFORMANCE DEMO
 This is where the accomplished operator sits
down at the technology and gives a virtuoso
rendition of that old favourite – ‘I’m doing this
so fast that no one can tell what I’m up to but
my goodness – the results look impressive!’
 There is no place for this in a presentation. It
scares the daylights out of the inexperienced
and makes the kit look difficult to use.
 It communicates absolutely nothing.

10. THE TEACHING DEMO
Excellent selling tool as long as these simple rules are
followed:
 Introduce the demo very clearly: ‘What I am going to show you is ...
 this will be useful to you when you need to do …’
 Do not attempt to do too much but try to link the new skills to
existing skills: ‘Now that we know how to log into the system we are
going to create a file to work in ...’
 This is particularly true when you are demonstrating any
machinery that is potentially dangerous.
 Explain all technical terms in plain English or relevant
language.
 Make sure you can be seen and heard.
 Don’t hurry, but don’t take too long – the trainees will want
to try it for themselves.

11. THE INTERACTIVE DEMO
 Here, the user and the demonstrator sit and
work together.
 This is an excellent tool both to introduce
new skills and to help cure any faulty skills.
 The secret of a good interactive demo is to
allow the user to do most of the talking,
only joining in to explain or set tasks.

12. HOW TO DO IT?
 Find out from the audience what they need to learn.
 Find out how much they already know (you can do this by asking
them to show you a particular technique).
 Set a new task, explaining clearly why they need to know this
and what the outcome will be.
 If there is no way that the trainee can work out the new task,
then demonstrate slowly, using teaching demo techniques.
 Ask the user to try it – at least twice. Get them to explain what
they did.
 If they make a persistent mistake, show them again using
positive reinforcement.
 Move onto the next task, linking it to the one just learned.
 Keep an eye on the time – don’t let them work for more than 20
minutes without a break
 At the end of the session, ask them to tell you what they have
learned.
 Praise when they do well – but be specific.

13. Differences between Presentations & Demos
• Presentations need a clear and
compelling start
• Presentations need a clear and
compelling end
• Presentations link new information
to old
• You can always see the presenter
• The presenter is the focus of a
presentation
• The audience can interrupt a
presentation if they need to
• The presenter needs to concentrate
on
only their words and the audience
• Any visuals back up the presenter’s
words
• Likewise
• Likewise
• Some demos show entirely new stuff
• You can’t always see the demonstrator
• The demo is the focus, not the
demonstrator
• Most complicated demos have a fixed time
and pattern
• The demonstrator needs to concentrate on
words, audience AND the kit.
• The demonstrator’s voice backs up the
demonstration
Presentations Demonstrations

14. Presentations Demonstrations
• If the equipment breaks down it’s
under the presenter’s control
• The presenter can see the audience’s
reactions
• The presenter can move about
• The volume of most presentations is
based on the presenter’s voice
• Only a few presentations need a
change in the ambient light
• Presenters usually know a great deal
about their audiences
• A presentation is always tuned finely
to audience needs
• Most presenters feel comfortable
with what they are saying
• If the kit breaks down you may need help
• The demonstrator must concentrate on
the kit
• You are tied to your kit!
• The demo may be so loud that your voice
will sound weak in comparison
• Some demos need to have the lights
lowered
• Sometimes you don’t know who is in the
audience until it’s too late
• It should be the same
• A demonstrator may be comfortable with
the kit and the demo but a little unsure
about the business issues

15. DEMONSTRATIONS
 Demonstrations need a clear and compelling start.
 What are they going to see/hear?
 Why are you showing them this?
 What will fascinate them?
 What will amaze them?
 What questions will the demonstration raise in their
minds?
 Use the start of the demonstration to tell them all this
– prepare them and put them into a state of active
looking and listening.

16.  Demonstrations need a clear and compelling end. Try to
end on something that will show them that what you are
demonstrating can do something for their business.
 The demonstrator needs to concentrate on words, audience
and the kit. Talk about multi-tasking!
 If you know the demonstration well, look for the following:
 the audience suddenly sits up (interested);
 the audience leans back (comfortable and reassured);
 the audience gasps and draws breath (interested);
 people whisper to their neighbours (interested).

17. The sales cycle
 It is very useful to know where the customer is in terms
of the sales cycle.
 There are lots of sales models to choose from, but they
can all be condensed into the stages shown
AWARENESS INTEREST DESIRE ACTION

18. What might a demonstration contain at each
point? What would the purpose of the
demonstration be at each point?
 Awareness
 Here, the customer doesn’t really know exactly what they
want. They need to be made aware of what is available.
 Interest
 The customer is becoming interested in what is on offer, and
would like to investigate further.
 Desire
 Here the customer is beginning to want to buy, but probably
has a great many questions that need answering.
 Action
 The sale is nearly in the bag, the customer just needs helping
towards the decision. Here objections and worries will
surface.

19. Opening a demonstration session
 Try focusing the audience’s minds and eyes on what
they are about to experience.
 You will need to cover at least these things:
 What you are going to show them?
 Why you are going to show it?
 How does what you are showing them relate to their business
needs?
 How long will it take?
 What should the audience look out for in particular?
 Give interesting details of how the demo was created and
why.
 What more might you add?