Power Pointers

I often get asked how I go about doing a technical presentation, so I thought I'd put down a few pointers for those who would like to do some presenting but think it's all a bit intimidating.

1. Have something you want to say. This is generally not a problem for most serious geeks, although it's surprisingly common to find many who have incredible experience and insight but think nobody is interested in what they might say. That is almost never the case, either, since all of us are sponges for good stuff of all kinds.
2. Care about your audience. It's important to really want to connect with the audience and make them feel important. Even in a stand and deliver situation, I often survey the audience to get a feel for their likes, dislikes and interests. This can help you focus on what they need and want over what you thought they might like.
3. Don't start in PowerPoint. I never, ever begin my presentations by opening PowerPoint and looking at a blank slide. I always open a Word document instead and switch to Outline View. Then I just start brainstorming, imagining I'm having a one-on-one conversation with someone, explaining the topic at hand. No structure is present yet. It's all about noting down all the things you might want to say first. Then it's a matter of learning to use the outline view's features of indenting, outdenting, dragging and dropping to apply some structure to the thoughts. This is very much like the test, code, refactor cycle in development of code. The test is that you can explain the idea. The code is recording the points you need to do that. The refactoring is cleaning up the structure. And just like coding, it works really well if you treat these as distinct tasks and switch between them cleanly.
4. Generate the slideshow from the outline. Once you're done in Word, just hit File->Sent to->PowerPoint and voila! All your top level headings become slides, and the subpoints become bullet points underneath them. You can then click Format->Apply Design Template, go looking for a pre-canned  slideshow and bingo! your show is just about done without a single tedious minute in PowerPoint itself. If you have time, add some pictures and animation, but remember they're the icing, not the cake.
5. Less is More. I much prefer slides with fewer words on them. I do not consider a slide to be of any value without me in front of it to turn it into the presentation experience. Resist the temptation to turn a slideshow into a whitepaper. It's just there to remind you what you wanted to say and help the audience to follow; it's not there to say it for you!
6. Remember that nobody finds it easy. Public speaking is daunting for everyone, and I do mean everyone. I sweat bullets for days before an important presentation, but once it starts it's almost like it's someone else doing it, not me, and in a way it's easy. If you're serious, look into Toastmasters for some training (I did it 20 years ago and am still grateful) or try your hand at a low-risk venue like a user group or other friendly and supportive environment.
7. Have fun!