Technical Presentations Skill

Create compelling technical presentations that educate, persuade, and engage developer audiences.

Keywords

presentation, slides, talk, demo, speaking, pitch, architecture review, tech talk, brown bag, lightning talk, conference, meetup, powerpoint, keynote, google slides

When to Use This Skill

This skill provides guidance when developers need to:

• Structure a technical presentation or talk
• Create effective slides for developer audiences
• Plan and execute live demos
• Present architecture decisions or proposals
• Deliver knowledge-sharing sessions
• Pitch technical solutions to stakeholders

Core Framework: What-Why-How

Every technical presentation should follow this structure:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  WHAT (10% of time) - The Hook                              │
│  "Here's the problem/opportunity we're addressing"          │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  WHY (30% of time) - The Context                            │
│  "Here's why it matters and why you should care"            │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  HOW (50% of time) - The Solution                           │
│  "Here's how we solve it / how it works"                    │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  CLOSE (10% of time) - The Call to Action                   │
│  "Here's what you should do next / key takeaways"           │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

WHAT: The Hook (First 2-3 Minutes)

Goal: Grab attention and establish relevance.

Techniques:

• Start with a problem the audience recognizes
• Open with a surprising statistic or fact
• Ask a provocative question
• Tell a brief story that illustrates the pain

What to avoid:

• "Today I'm going to talk about..."
• Agenda slides before you've hooked them
• Starting with definitions or background
• Apologizing for anything

WHY: The Context (Next 30% of Time)

Goal: Build the case for why this matters.

Include:

• Background that's essential to understanding
• The stakes (what happens if we don't act)
• The opportunity (what's possible)
• Why now (urgency or timing)

Calibrate for audience:

• Technical peers: Less context, more depth
• Mixed audience: More context, less jargon
• Leadership: Business impact focus

HOW: The Solution (Main Body - 50%)

Goal: Deliver the substance.

Structure options:

• Chronological (the journey)
• Problem → Solution → Proof
• Three key points with examples
• Before → Change → After

For technical content:

• Architecture diagrams
• Code examples (simplified)
• Live demos (with backups)
• Metrics and data

CLOSE: The Call to Action (Final 10%)

Goal: Make it stick and drive action.

Include:

• Summary (3 key takeaways max)
• Clear next steps
• Resources for going deeper
• Time for Q&A

Presentation Types

Type 1: Architecture Review / RFC

Purpose: Get feedback on technical approach.

Structure:

1. Problem statement (2 min)
2. Constraints and requirements (3 min)
3. Options considered (5 min)
4. Proposed solution (10 min)
5. Trade-offs acknowledged (3 min)
6. Open questions (2 min)
7. Discussion (15+ min)

Keys to success:

• Share materials beforehand
• Focus on decisions, not implementation details
• Explicitly call out what you're NOT doing
• Prepare for tough questions

Type 2: Demo / Walkthrough

Purpose: Show how something works.

Structure:

1. What problem this solves (2 min)
2. Quick overview (3 min)
3. Live demonstration (15-20 min)
4. Under the hood (optional, 5-10 min)
5. Q&A (5-10 min)

Keys to success:

• Always have a backup (screenshots, video)
• Use realistic but safe data
• Explain what you're doing as you do it
• Have rollback plan for failures

Type 3: Knowledge Share / Brown Bag

Purpose: Teach something useful.

Structure:

1. Why this topic matters (3 min)
2. Core concepts (10 min)
3. Practical application (10 min)
4. Gotchas and tips (5 min)
5. Resources and Q&A (5 min)

Keys to success:

• Know your audience's level
• Include actionable takeaways
• Provide follow-up resources
• Make it interactive

Type 4: Decision Pitch

Purpose: Get buy-in for a proposal.

Structure:

1. The problem/opportunity (3 min)
2. Options we considered (5 min)
3. Our recommendation (10 min)
4. Why this over alternatives (5 min)
5. Risk mitigation (3 min)
6. Ask for decision/next steps (2 min)

Keys to success:

• Lead with recommendation (don't bury it)
• Anticipate objections
• Have data to support claims
• Be clear about what you're asking for

Slide Design Principles

The Rules

1. One idea per slide - If you need "and" in the title, split it
2. 5-7 words per bullet - Slides are cues, not scripts
3. Visual > Text - Diagrams, screenshots, code
4. Consistent design - Same fonts, colors, layouts
5. Readable from the back - 24pt minimum for body text

What Works

Element	Good	Bad
Titles	Action-oriented, specific	Generic, vague
Bullets	Keywords and phrases	Complete sentences
Diagrams	Simplified, labeled	Busy, tiny labels
Code	Highlighted key lines	Full files
Data	One clear point	Multiple charts

Slide Types

Title slide: Topic, your name, date, context

Agenda slide: Use sparingly, after hook

Content slides: One point with support

Diagram slides: Visual with minimal text

Code slides: Syntax highlighted, key lines marked

Summary slides: 3 key takeaways

Q&A slide: Signal for questions

Live Demo Best Practices

Preparation

• Test everything the morning of
• Have screenshots/video backup
• Use realistic but safe data
• Increase font size (18pt+ for terminal)
• Disable notifications
• Pre-stage browser tabs/windows
• Have recovery plan

Execution

• Narrate what you're doing
• Pause to let audience catch up
• Point out what to look at
• Acknowledge when things go wrong
• Have "get out of jail" plan

When Things Break

1. Acknowledge it briefly
2. Try one quick fix (30 seconds max)
3. If still broken, switch to backup
4. Continue with confidence
5. Don't apologize excessively

Handling Q&A

Techniques

Repeat the question: Ensures everyone heard and gives you time to think.

Clarify if needed: "Are you asking about X or Y?"

Acknowledge good questions: "That's a great point..."

It's okay to not know: "I don't have the answer to that, but I can find out."

Defer if needed: "That's a bigger topic—let's discuss offline."

Bridge to your message: "That relates to the point about..."

Difficult Questions

Type	Response
Challenge to your approach	"That's a valid concern. Here's how we thought about it..."
Out of scope	"Good question—that's outside what we covered. Let's take it offline."
Hostile tone	Stay calm, address the content, not the tone
Show-off question	"Interesting point. Let me address the practical aspect..."
Rambling non-question	"Let me make sure I understand your question..."

Timing and Pacing

Time Allocation

Duration	Content	Q&A
5-10 min (lightning)	8 min	None or 2 min
20-30 min (standard)	20-25 min	5-10 min
45-60 min (deep dive)	35-45 min	10-15 min

Pacing Tips

• Start strong (don't waste opening minutes)
• Vary energy (not monotone)
• Build to key points
• Use silence strategically
• End on time (or early!)

Practice Routine

1. Read-through: Time yourself reading slides aloud
2. Talk-through: Practice without looking at slides
3. Full run: Present to someone or record yourself
4. Cut ruthlessly: If over time, remove content

References

For detailed guidance, see:

• references/slide-design-guide.md - Comprehensive slide creation guidance
• references/demo-playbook.md - Live demo preparation and execution
• references/presentation-checklist.md - Pre-presentation preparation list

Related Commands

• /soft-skills:structure-presentation - Generate presentation outline
• /soft-skills:write-cfp - Write conference proposals

Anti-Patterns to Avoid

• Starting with "Today I'm going to talk about..."
• Reading slides verbatim
• Too much text on slides
• Live demos without backup
• Running over time
• Apologizing for content
• Skipping Q&A
• No clear takeaways