Linh Pham

Technical Writings
June 8th 2017
Annotated Bibliography Paper
The technical communication topic that I have chosen is the different types of presentation
methods and different types visual aids. The first article is about deciding the presentation
method based on several different aspects. These six aspects are the technology available, the
venue and occasion, the audience, speakers experience, speakers familiarity to the topic, and
speakers personal preferences.Ultimately, these important features can be combined in order to
produce a suitable presentation. When it comes to decide on the presentation method, the article
suggested that there are six aspects a speaker must consider. The first one is the technology or
facilities available in order to provide visual aids, sound systems, etc. Given if the venue does
not have a projector, then it would be best to prepare a speech, handouts, or flipboards. It also
depends on the location as well, if the presentation will be consisted of 300 there will be extra
materials in order to help the large audience keep up with the presentation. Depending on the
audience, the speaker will have to adjust the method. The next one is audience, because
depending on the demographic of the audience, the speakers speech can also changes. The
experience of the speaker is also important because they need to be able to work around their
weak points. It also goes without saying that the more speaker is familiar with the topic, the
easier itll be for them to present. The last aspect is the speakers personal preferences, in which
they can be as detailed as they want with their presentation. The article also included a figure that
help speaker decide on the necessary methods depending on whether it is formal or informal. If
the occasion is very formal large conference, then the speakers purpose is provide information
to a large number of people, while if it is very informal, then it will only provide general
information for a small meeting. The article also recommended that the speaker presenting at
formal to very formal events should provide audience with copies of their slides, but it is not
necessary for informal events.

The article is a reliable source because as I recalled go through all resources, this one was the
most detailed and valid. The core team that created the website for the article are people who
have had experience in researching, higher education and writing. The founder and editor of the
website has worked many years in universities, teaching students effective communication skills.
The leader write holds and MBA and she has worked as a civil servant. On top of that, they also
have a team of specialist writers, designers, advisors and experts within the educational field.

I think that the article and the information within is relevant and it can act as a good checklist for
preparing a presentation. It is important for a speaker to evaluate the different requirements and
aspects prior to constructing a presentation. They need to be aware of whether or not they can
have a presentation using slides or other technologies. It is also important to consider the type of
audience and the amount of experience that the speaker. The different aspects that the article
have covered construct a stable platform for the speaker to build the presentation upon. The
figure that they have provided was also interesting because they also went into details of where
the speaker should stand depending on the formality of the presentation. Audience interaction
also varies depending on if the presentation is formal or informal. I think that this point is
especially truth because within a smaller group it is easier for a speaker to get the audience to
interact with them. However, if it is a large audience, it will take too long for the audience to
provide their feedbacks, and not everyone will have the chance to share their opinion. Formal
settings should mainly consisted formal question session, when audience can ask questions.

I can apply the things that I have learned from this article such as choosing the type of
interactions, resources for the audience, visual aids, and the type of venue. Within my field, there
will be time that I will have to give a presentation. I am not too keen on talking in front of a large
audience, but I think if I were to follow the different aspects that the article have suggested then
it will be a good starting point for my presentation. There will be time that I will have to present
with a small team, in which I can be more laid back and easy going in order to encourage more
interaction among the team members. I believe that informality of a small team allows for trust
and relationships to growth, that is why interactions between speaker and audience within a
small group is important. On the other hand, I will probably have to talk in front of a large crowd
one day, and it will mostly presenting new research and/or information. Large presentations
often reminds me of the fact that the speaker is working towards representing the smaller team
that they were part of, therefore, formality and respect is important when it comes to presenting
to a large audience

The second article that I found was from github, titled Types of Presentations Aids. The article
suggested that it is important to choose and use the correct presentation aids in order to enhance
the information and improve appearance. It stressed that presenter should visit the location of
where they planned on giving the presentation in order to ensure that the equipments are working
properly. If there are problems, the presenter should have backups or at least know how to solve
the technical problem in a timely manner. If presenters are planning visual contents, it is crucial
that they explain them rather than leaving it to the audience to figure it out. The article
discouraged presenters from using more than one different type of presentation aid, but if the
presenter want to use more than one then they should ensure that all of those are coherent. The
article continued with the different visual aids, such as charts and graphs. The article explained
that it is important to choose the right graphs or charts for the specific presentation. There can be
more than one graphs or charts that contains the same data or numbers, but the content and
purpose should be related to the presentation. Furthermore, there should be short description that
explain the charts or graphs. When it comes to videos, the article suggested that it should only be
part of the presentation, not the whole presentation itself. Presenter should rehearse their
presentation along with the video in order to ensure that it will be within the time limit or not too
lengthy. It is important for the presenter to be knowledgeable of the technology that they want to
use for their presentation. Spending time fixing technical difficulties can cause the audience to
lose interest in the information. It can also have a negative impact on the credibility of the
information that the presenter is trying to deliver

This article is a reliable source because it is a HTML version of a textbook published by Saylor
Academy. It also comes with a license for Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-
ShareAlike 3.0 License. Saylor Academy is a nonprofit initiative that offer free and open online
courses to anyone who wants to learn. They are also a member of the Open Education
Consortium, which is a global network supporting open education. They have academic
consultants from universities, most of their consultants and reviewers have M.A or Ph.D degrees.

I think that this article can act as a helpful checklist for anyone who are nervous about having an
important presentation. I also think that everyone should begin utilizing the tips and advice that
this article has provided in order to ensure that they will avoid some of the problems listed. Prior
to reading these articles, I thought some of these points are common sense, such as using the
correct presentation types. However, I was enlightened because choosing the correct types of
presentations and having the necessary components for the different types of aid can drastically
improve my presentation. Something that I found interesting was rehearsing and testing the
equipments at least more than twice is important. Reflecting on my previous experiences as a
presenter and an audience, I believe that this is something many presenters, including myself
tend to forget.

I believe some of these tips will be useful for my field since I want to become a software
developer and then a project manager. I will probably be expected to give presentations in front
of an audience, and I will want to avoid all of the technical conflicts while enhancing my
presentation. As a developer, it is easy to forget that things that are easy for myself to
comprehend might be difficult for others. Therefore, I must be able to explain things in greater
details but still stay within the time limit. In order to be productive when it comes to explaining
computer science research, I think it is important for the presentation to be straightforward with
little to no confusion for the audience. Also, it is important to test out the technology since it is
easy to expect that the technology will operate 100% correctly at all time. Since I am a computer
science major, I can make the mistake of being overconfidence with the technology that I use.
However, in order to ensure that my presentation will come across as professional and credible, I
need to eliminate or at least prevent as many potential difficulties as possible.

Work Cited

2011-2017, (c) Copyright Skillsyouneed.com. "Deciding the Presentation

 Method."SkillsYouNeed. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 June 2017.

https://www.skillsyouneed.com/present/presentation-method.html

Schmitz, Andy. "Types of Presentation Aids." Github. Saylor Academy, 2012. Web. 2017.

https://saylordotorg.github.io/text_stand-up-speak-out-the-practice-and-ethics-of-public-sp

aking/s18-presentation-aids-design-and-u.html