What are the best practices for delivering a technical demo to a non-technical audience?

When delivering a technical demo to a non-technical audience, use simple language and avoid jargon, focusing on how the technology benefits them. Employ visual aids and relatable analogies to make complex concepts easier to understand. Engage the audience with questions and interactions, and practice thoroughly to ensure a smooth, compelling presentation.

As a technical trainer, I've learned that understanding my audience is the first step to a successful demo. Whether I'm teaching students how to use OBS Studio or helping professionals transition from students to young professionals, I always start by understanding their needs and pain points. This allows me to tailor my demo to show how the tools or skills I'm teaching can provide solutions.

Be prepared to adapt to your audience. Don't assume the way your going to deliver will work for your audience. Use something they know about to help get the information across

Technical Trainer uses Tech as well As a technical trainer, I always try to know my audience prior session and prepare / tweek training as per audience understanding level and needs . How I do it? - By disucssing training owner (who is arranging it) - Social media - Requiring partcipatent LinkedIn profiles

Planning is crucial. For instance, when I teach a new technical skill, I start by showing the basics, then move on to more complex tasks, and finally, how to troubleshoot common issues. Each part of my demo is designed to highlight the benefits and practical applications of the skill being taught.

I found it useful to always prepare a Presentation Plan document for a demo. The plan lists all the personas attending the demo, their current workflows, and pain points. We then design the demo by picking and choosing the features to demo that aligns to each personas pain points we want to address. This ensures that the demo is always relevant to the audience.

You will need to frequently regain everyone's attention. Whether you're in person or remote, chances are you're delivering your demo to a group of people who have an open laptop. It's easier than ever for your audience to get distracted by emails, instant messages, or just browsing the web. Certain parts of your demo will be more important than others. Make sure that you have your audience's attention when you need it.

I've followed the Tell-Show-Tell method in my technical demos. Just like in a cooking show, you tell the audience beforehand what you will be showing. It primes the audience on what to expect next. Then you show them exactly what you said. It always good to explain the lay of the land beforehand. In the show, keep it slow and deliberate. Use large mouse cursors and make it highly visible. Even better if you have tools like a Logi Spotlight. Use other cooking show tricks such as pre-completed demo steps in separate screens/tabs. Finally, conclude your demo by telling again what they saw, but this time highlight the value propositions (the why should I care) of the demo. Keep the Tell-Show-Tell (TST) loop to only 1 feature/function.

Sharing Technical information to Non-Techy fellows is a challenge to combat and best practices, I use are - Using common life examples - Avoid techy jargon and/or use jargon with comman name together so people can remember - Relating hard core concepts with daily life examples - Involving everyone in learning, ways can be different

"Make it simple, but significant," said Don Draper. When delivering a technical demo to a non-technical audience, engaging your audience is crucial. Start by explaining the context and purpose of the demo in simple terms, avoiding jargon. Use analogies and relatable examples to illustrate complex concepts. One effective practice is to focus on the benefits and real-world applications rather than the technical details. Encourage interaction by asking questions and inviting feedback. A common mistake is diving too deep into technical specifications. By keeping the presentation interactive and focused on practical outcomes, you can maintain interest and ensure your audience understands the key points.

Involve Everyone in Learning! The best way to get most out of training is to involve everyone in learning, method can be different , some are - Share what you learn method - Ask any question to me - Response to your fellow member's query - Ask me anything which is unclear

I believe in making my demos engaging and interactive. I might start with a real-life story about how a particular skill or tool helped solve a problem. I use visuals to illustrate my points and ask questions to keep my audience involved. My goal is not just to teach, but to inspire and create a connection with my audience.

When I deliver I try to use my own experiences. What went well but more importantly what went wrong. What are their observations and opinions on the information add humour or strange stories

It is always good practice to confirm that you understand the question. You can rephrase the question to make sure you got it right, or you can ask them back to elaborate or give an example by what they mean. Old school method of writing the down the question gives you sensory input to digest it. Use the golden silence to digest and plan your answer. As you answer engage with them to check if they understand your response and if they are aligned or disagree with you.

This can be tricky trying to bring someone to the right answer if they off the mark without destroying their confidence. Not using no but almost or close or let's look at it a different way deflect it back on yourself as maybe miscommunication around the subject