Organize Identify
the your
conclusion purpose
Getting Ready
Organize
for an Oral Understand
Presentation
the your
body audience
Organize
the
introduction
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 12, Slide 1
Identify Your Purpose
What do you want
your audience to
believe, remember,
or do when you
finish?
Aim all parts of your
talk toward your
purpose.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 12, Slide 2
Understand Your Audience
Friendly, neutral, uninterested,
hostile?
How to gain credibility?
How to relate this information to
their needs?
How to make them remember
your main points?
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 12, Slide 3
Succeeding With
Four Audience Types
Friendly
Neutral
Uninterested
Hostile
Click icon for more details.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 12, Slide 4
Organize the Introduction
Capture listeners’ attention and
get them involved.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 12, Slide 5
Ten Techniques for Getting
Your Audience’s Attention
A Promise
“By the end of my talk,
you will . . . .”
Drama—tell a moving
story; describe a problem.
Eye contact—command
attention by making eye
contact with as many
people as possible.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 12, Slide 6
Movement—leave the lectern area. Move
toward the audience.
Questions—ask for a show of hands. Use
a rhetorical question.
Demonstrations—include a member of
the audience.
Samples, gimmicks—award prizes to
volunteer participants; pass out samples.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 12, Slide 7
Visuals—use graphics
and other visual aids.
Dress —professional
dress helps you look
more competent and
qualified
Appeal to the
audience’s self-
interest —audience
members want to know,
“What's in it for me?”
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 12, Slide 8
Organize the Introduction
Capture listeners’ attention and
get them involved.
Identify yourself and establish
your credibility.
Preview your main points.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 12, Slide 9
Organize the Body
Develop two to four main points.
Streamline your topic and summarize its
principal parts.
Arrange the points logically by a specific
pattern.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 12, Slide 10
Patterns for Organizing the
Body of Your Presentation
Pattern Example
Chronology Describe the history of a problem,
organized from the first sign of trouble to
the present.
Geography/ Arrange a discussion of the changing
space demographics of the workforce by
regions, such as East Coast, West
Coast, and so forth.
Topic/function/ Organize a report discussing mishandled
conventional airline baggage by the names of airlines.
grouping
Pattern Example
Comparison/ Compare organic farming methods with
contrast those of modern industrial farming.
(pro/con)
Journalism Explain how identity thieves ruin your
pattern good name by discussing who, what,
when, where, why, and how.
Value/size Arrange a report describing fluctuations
in housing costs by house value groups
(houses that cost $100,000, $200,000,
and so forth).
Importance Organize from most important to least
important the reasons a company should
move its headquarters to a specific city.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 12, Slide 12
Pattern Example
Problem/ Discuss a problem followed by
solution possible solutions.
Simple/ Organize a report explaining genetic
complex modification of plants by discussing
simple seed production progressing
to complex gene introduction.
Best case/ Analyze whether two companies
worst case should merge by presenting the best
case result (improved market share,
profitability, employee morale)
opposed to the worse case result
(devalued stock, lost market share,
employee malaise).
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 12, Slide 13
Organize the Body
Develop two to four main points.
Streamline your topic and summarize its
principal parts.
Arrange the points logically by a specific
pattern.
Prepare transitions to guide the audience.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 12, Slide 14
Up to this point, I've concentrated
on . . .; now let's look at another
Switching significant factor . . .
Directions
I've just discussed three reasons
for X. Now I want to move on to Y.
As you can see, we have two
primary reasons explaining . . .
Summarizing
Let me review the two major
factors I've just covered. . .
Now let's look at three reasons
Previewing for . . .
My next major point focuses on . . .
Using Verbal Signposts to Transition
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 12, Slide 15
Organize the Body
Develop two to four main points.
Streamline your topic and summarize its
principal parts.
Arrange the points logically by a specific
pattern.
Prepare transitions to guide the audience.
Have extra material ready. Be prepared
with more information and visuals if
needed.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 12, Slide 16
Supporting Your Main Points*
Type Use Comments
Example Illustrate Usually best in groups of
Clarify two or three.
Add interest Consider preceding or
following with relevant story.
Story Prove point Adapt to audience.
Illustrate Must support thesis.
Control length.
*Supplementary lecture. Not included in textbook.
Type Use Comments
Quotation Cite source.
Prove point
May paraphrase or read
Add credibility
verbatim.
Add interest
Follow up with restatement
or explanation.
Comparison Improve Link familiar with unfamiliar.
understanding Be sure comparison or
Add figurative analogy is valid.
interest
Statistics Prove point Link to audience needs.
Add credibility Use sparingly; round off.
Support with visuals,
handouts.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 12, Slide 18
Organize the Conclusion
Summarize the main themes of the
presentation.
Provide a final action-oriented focus.
Explain how listeners can use this
information or what you want them to
do.
Include a final statement that leaves a
lasting impression.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 12, Slide 19
Putting It All Together
Click icon at
right to view a
presentation outline.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 12, Slide 20
Analogies
Worst- and
best-case Metaphors
scenarios
Building Audience
Rapport with
Effective Imagery
Personalized
Similes
statistics
Personal
anecdotes
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 12, Slide 21
Analogy
a comparison of something familiar with
something unfamiliar
To understand how the heart is divided,
imagine a house with two rooms upstairs
and two downstairs.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 12, Slide 22
Metaphor
an implied, nonliteral comparison
The old office building became
a money pit.
Simile
a comparison that includes the words
like or as
His mind works like a computer.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 12, Slide 23
Personal anecdote
Reveal your own experiences related
to a topic in your presentation.
When my son and I were
waiting to board our plane last
week, . . .
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 12, Slide 24
Personalized statistics
Help audience members remember
statistics by relating them to their world.
Worst- and best-case scenarios
You can drive home your points by
describing scenarios at each extreme
related to your topic.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 12, Slide 25
Sending Positive
Nonverbal Messages
Look professional.
Animate your body.
Punctuate your words.
Use appropriate eye
contact.
Get out from behind
the podium.
Vary your facial
expression.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 12, Slide 26
Multimedia
slides
Objects
for Transparencies
demonstration Enhancing Your
Presentation
With Visual
Aids
Video Handouts
Flipcharts
or
whiteboards
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 12, Slide 27
Pros Medium Cons
Professional Requires costly
effect equipment and
Multimedia
Graphic options practice to use
slides
Easy to make and Equipment may
update fail
Easy to prepare, May seem out-
update, and use dated
Transparencies
Readily available Holds speaker
equipment close to projector
Poor photo repro-
duction
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 12, Slide 28
Pros Medium Cons
Encourages Risks unauthorized
audience duplication and
participation Handouts loss of audience
Enhances recall control
Inexpensive Requires talent
Flipcharts
Easy to create, Difficult to see
or
modify, or
whiteboards Cumbersome to
customize on the transport
spot
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 12, Slide 29
Pros Medium Cons
Accurate portrayal Expensive to
of content create and update
Suggests serious Video Incompatibility
preparation issues
Realistic effects Extra work and
Objects
Increases audience for
expensive to trans-
participation port and replace
demonstration
Limited use with
large audience
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 12, Slide 30
Designing an Impressive
Multimedia Presentation
Add
Create an
multimedia
appropriate
and other
template
effects
Build
bullet
points
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 12, Slide 31
Create an Appropriate Template
Combine harmonious colors, borders,
bullet styles, and fonts.
Avoid visual clichés.
Use light text on dark background for
darkened rooms.
Use dark text on light background for
lighted rooms
Alter layouts by repositioning, resizing, or
changing fonts in placeholder slides.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 12, Slide 32
Selecting a Slide Template
You may choose from
a variety of predesigned
templates or design
your own.
Lighter backgrounds are
better in darkened rooms.
Darker backgrounds are
better in lighted rooms.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 12, Slide 33
Selecting a Slide Layout
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 12, Slide 34
Build Bullet Points
Focus on major concepts only.
Use concise phrases balanced
grammatically.
Add graphics to illustrate and add
interest.
Avoid using too many transition
effects.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 12, Slide 35
Revising Slide to Improve Bullet
Points and Add Illustration
Does not use Improves wording and
parallel wording. includes an illustration
for added punch.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 12, Slide 36
Add Multimedia and Other Effects
Consider adding sound, animation,
and video.
Include hyperlinks ("hot spots" on
the screen) to jump to sources
outside your presentation.
Avoid too many "bells and
whistles."
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 12, Slide 37
Converting a Bulleted List to an
Animated Diagram
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 12, Slide 38
Using a Bar Chart to Illustrate a Concept
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 12, Slide 39
Avoid Being Upstaged
by Your Slides
Perfect your handling of the visual aids
and the operation of any equipment or
remote controls you may be using.
Use your slides only to summarize
important points.
Look at the audience, not the screen.
Do not read from a slide. Paraphrase.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 12, Slide 40
Leave the lights as bright as possible.
Use a radio remote control to advance
slides.
Use a laser pointer to highlight slide items.
Don't rely totally on your slides to deliver a
presentation. Remember that the audience
came to see and hear you.
In case of equipment failure, bring backups
of your presentation.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 12, Slide 41
Delivering Your
Presentation Effectively
Speak from (a) note cards, (b) an
outline containing key sentences
and major ideas, or (c) printed
speaker's notes.
Practice using your notes while
using a remote control to advance
your slides.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 12, Slide 42
Memorize
significant parts
such as the
introduction,
conclusion, or
a meaningful
quotation.
Talk to the
audience
conversationally.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 12, Slide 43
Reacting to Stage Fright Symptoms
Stomach
butterflies
Pounding heart
Shortage of
Dry throat
breath
Unsteady voice
Sweaty
Trembling hands
palms
Tied tongue
Wobbly knees
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 12, Slide 44
Overcoming Stage Fright
Just before you begin to talk, take some
deep breaths.
Convert your fear into anticipation and
enthusiasm.
Select a familiar, relevant topic.
Prepare 150 percent.
Use positive self-talk.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 12, Slide 45
Shift the focus from yourself to your
visual aids.
Ignore stumbles; keep going. Don't
apologize.
Don't admit you're nervous.
Feel proud when you finish.
Reward yourself.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 12, Slide 46
Eight Serious
Presentation Blunders*
Being dull. Relying on only one or two
illustrations to make your points.
Not repeating your main point often
enough.
Not answering the audience's most
pressing question: “What's in it for me?”
Failing to use signal phrases to focus on
main points.
*Supplementary lecture. Not included in textbook.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 12, Slide 47
Neglecting to practice and time your
presentation out loud.
Forgetting to check your visual aids for
readability.
Answering hypothetical questions after
your presentation.
Getting distracted just before you speak.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 12, Slide 48
Putting It All Together
Before During After
your your your
presentation presentation presentation
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 12, Slide 49
Before During After
Prepare thoroughly.
Rehearse repeatedly.
Time yourself.
Request a lectern.
Check the room.
Greet members of the audience.
Practice stress reduction.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 12, Slide 50
Before During After
Dress professionally.
Begin with a pause.
Present your first sentence from memory.
Maintain eye contact.
Control your voice and vocabulary.
Show enthusiasm.
Put the brakes on.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 12, Slide 51
Move naturally.
Use visual aids
effectively.
Avoid
digressions.
Summarize your
main points.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 12, Slide 52
Before During After
Distribute handouts.
Encourage questions.
Repeat questions.
Reinforce your main points.
Keep control.
Avoid Yes, but answers.
End with a summary and appreciation.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 12, Slide 53