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Chapter 15 of Oral Presentations for
Technical Communication continues the
discussion of advanced concepts and techniques for
making complex technical information accessible to
your audience. Chapter
13 discussed introductions;
Chapter
14 discussed theories you can use to
make the body of your presentation more directed to
a mixed audience. This chapter offers another
technique, using analogies, that will make your
technical information appealing and understandable.
In specific, this chapter covers:
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What are Analogies?
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The Power of the Familiar
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Analogies in Scientific and Technical
Communication
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Using Analogies Wisely
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These exercises build on the ideas addressed
in Chapter 15:
1. One of the easiest ways to practice using
analogies is the following: select a topic that you
know well but that would be new, slightly difficult
knowledge for a class of sixth graders. Make a list
of possible analogies you could use to explain your
topic to this audience. Your analogies should be
suited for a sixth grade audience, so if you are
not familiar with children of that age group,
you'll need to do some audience analysis to
determine what these children know and understand.
But because most people have some exposure to
children, it is very natural to explain new
concepts to them and to do so via analogy.
2. Take the same topic in exercise #1, but
choose a new audience: adults, not children. Select
an audience you are familiar with (classmates,
neighbors, co-workers). Make a list of the
analogies you might use to teach them about this
new topic. Note how these analogies differ from the
ones you selected to present to children.
Presentations and Cyberspace. Perform a
search on the Web for a scientific or technical
topic that interests you. Locate 10-12 site related
to the topic and look at these for uses of analogy.
Examine these analogies with a group of your
classmates: for what sort of audience were each of
these analogies created? Are there some analogies
that work well but others that do not? Why? Are
there some Web sites that encourage better
presentations of technical material? Why or why
not?
Presentations and Teamwork. With other
classmates, attend a lecture or presentation on a
scientific or technical topic. (At most
universities, it's easy to find such presentations
on campus.) Take notes about how the presenter uses
analogies to explain the topic. As a team, present
your findings to class.
Presentations and International
Communication. Analogies, especially metaphors
and similes, are very culturally dependent, because
they rely on common understandings about what
things mean. A metaphor that might make sense to
someone from the U.S., for example, might not mean
anything to a person from France, Japan, or India,
even if that person speaks fluent English. And, if
the metaphor is translated into the person's native
language, it may make even less sense. Select
several metaphors you might use while giving a
presentation, and discuss these with a non-native
speaker of English in your field. Get feedback on
the effectiveness of using the metaphor in a
technical presentation, and share this feedback
with your class.
Presentations and Your Profession.
Interview a professional in your field, and ask how
he or she explains certain technical topics using
analogies. Read magazine or journal articles in
your field, or attend presentations, and listen for
uses of analogic language. Note how you might use
similar analogies in your own presentations.
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