Presentation tips

Question

Presentation tips

karthik M

One Orange Chip

Points: 29139
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June 16, 2008 at 5:58 am

#96316

All,
I hope i can get some good answer from your side. Thats why i have posted this question here and expecting good suggestions quickly.
I have to give a presentation to my manager, my manager's manager, again, his manager ( upto 3 level) over my tuning work tomorrow. Duration is just 30 minutes.
How to start my inital conversation with them ?
Shall i give some examples ?
shall i explain about some technical concepts ?
Inputs are highly appreciable !
if i missed any point, and also anbody wants to add some more points and suggestions then it would be appreciable.
karthik

Viewing 10 posts - 1 through 9 (of 9 total)

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Grant Fritchey SSC Guru Points: 398716 More actions · Answer 1

Start by succinctly explaining the problem you're trying to solve. Absolutely show hard number examples. Be very careful of using technical jargon, these aren't tslq coders, they're managers. Focus on the business problem and the solution, not the technology. This will minimize the amount of technical explanations you have to give. Which brings up the point, any technical stuff you introduce, you will have to explain. If you keep the focus on numbers, results, tests, results, you should be OK. If you go off on explanations of hash tables vs. loop joins and scans vs. seeks and oh boy, we were getting index lookups... you're in serious trouble.

Rehearse it at least once in a room by yourself with a stop watch. Then rehearse it again in front of an audience with a stop watch.

"The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood"
- Theodore Roosevelt

Author of:
SQL Server Execution Plans
SQL Server Query Performance Tuning

Gail Shaw SSC Guru Points: 1004504 More actions · Answer 2

Tomorrow. You're leaving things a bit to the last minute, aren't you?

Write up a high-level summary on what you need to say. Include major points and some rough notes on what to include under those points. Unless you're very, very practised at giving speeches, don't try to present without preparation.

Have some notes with you. You will forget your points half way through. It's called stage fright.

If you have time, rehearse the presentation a couple times. In front of colleagues of possible, or in front of a mirror. Make sure it will fit into 30 minutes. Most people under estimate how long presentations will take.

Gail Shaw
Microsoft Certified Master: SQL Server, MVP, M.Sc (Comp Sci)
SQL In The Wild: Discussions on DB performance with occasional diversions into recoverability

We walk in the dark places no others will enter
We stand on the bridge and no one may pass

Jeff Moden SSC Guru Points: 1003913 More actions · Answer 3

karthikeyan (6/16/2008)
I have to give a presentation to my manager, my manager's manager, again, his manager ( upto 3 level) over my tuning work tomorrow.

What have you done in the area of tuning? What improvements have you made? What improvements can you make? What is the basis of your improvements? What proof do you have that these are actually improvements? Why hasn't anyone done this before?

And, like Gail asked... why did you wait until the night before? 😉

--Jeff Moden

RBAR is pronounced "ree-bar" and is a "Modenism" for Row-By-Agonizing-Row.
First step towards the paradigm shift of writing Set Based code:
________Stop thinking about what you want to do to a ROW... think, instead, of what you want to do to a COLUMN.

Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.

Helpful Links:
How to post code problems
How to Post Performance Problems
Create a Tally Function (fnTally)

Jeff Moden SSC Guru Points: 1003913 More actions · Answer 4

Basically, explain what you did here and expound upon how this technique can be applied elsewhere... you will be successful...

http://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic511356-61-1.aspx

--Jeff Moden

RBAR is pronounced "ree-bar" and is a "Modenism" for Row-By-Agonizing-Row.
First step towards the paradigm shift of writing Set Based code:
________Stop thinking about what you want to do to a ROW... think, instead, of what you want to do to a COLUMN.

Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.

Helpful Links:
How to post code problems
How to Post Performance Problems
Create a Tally Function (fnTally)

Ian Massi SSCertifiable Points: 5931 More actions · Answer 5

All good advice above, I also recommend that you bring a glass of water with you. I find that if I'm presenting for any length of time, my mouth dries out and I have difficulty speaking. Also, if someone has a question, you can have a drink while you think about the best answer.

Good luck

jcrawf02 SSC-Insane Points: 24198 More actions · Answer 6

All good tips, the one thing to remember at all times when speaking to any level of management is to represent in black and white how what you are presenting is a benefit to the organization's business.

It's always about the money, even if it's not.

---------------------------------------------------------
How best to post your question[/url]
How to post performance problems[/url]
Tally Table:What it is and how it replaces a loop[/url]

"stewsterl 80804 (10/16/2009)I guess when you stop and try to understand the solution provided you not only learn, but save yourself some headaches when you need to make any slight changes."

karthik M One Orange Chip Points: 29139 More actions · Answer 7

Thanks a lot for all of your suggestions and advices.

I have done my presentation very well. They are quite happy. My offshore manager also appreciated me.

As you people suggested, i prepared very well,marked some important points in a paper,rehearsed the presentation a couple times.

So the result is very good.:)

Thanks a lot giving prompt answers.

🙂

karthik

Grant Fritchey SSC Guru Points: 398716 More actions · Answer 8

Congratulations. Good work.

"The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood"
- Theodore Roosevelt

Author of:
SQL Server Execution Plans
SQL Server Query Performance Tuning

Jeff Moden SSC Guru Points: 1003913 More actions · Answer 9

Ditto... congrats, Karthik!

--Jeff Moden

RBAR is pronounced "ree-bar" and is a "Modenism" for Row-By-Agonizing-Row.
First step towards the paradigm shift of writing Set Based code:
________Stop thinking about what you want to do to a ROW... think, instead, of what you want to do to a COLUMN.

Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.

Helpful Links:
How to post code problems
How to Post Performance Problems
Create a Tally Function (fnTally)