Business Communication: Successful Oral Presentations
Susan H. Irons Business Communication Kenan-Flagler Business School
Your Goal
To develop strategies and skills for delivering effective and professional business presentations
Susan H. Irons Successful Oral Presentations
For a successful presentation:
Analyze the situation Organize your ideas Develop effective delivery techniques
Susan H. Irons Successful Oral Presentations
Analyze the Situation
Speaker: What is your relationship to your audience? Purpose: What is your goal? (To inform? To persuade? To entertain?) Audience: Who are they? What do they know? How will they react?
Susan H. Irons Successful Oral Presentations
For a successful presentation:
Analyze the situation Organize your ideas Develop effective delivery techniques
Susan H. Irons Successful Oral Presentations
Organize Your Ideas
Opening Purpose Preview of main ideas Development of main points Review/summary Closing
Susan H. Irons Successful Oral Presentations
Organize Your Ideas: Opening
Gain attention (unusual fact) Give bottom line Show benefit(s) to listeners Introduce yourself Show your qualifications Clarify topic
Susan H. Irons Successful Oral Presentations
Organize Your Ideas: Purpose
Develop a purpose slide Explain your purpose orally
Susan H. Irons Successful Oral Presentations
Organize Your Ideas: Preview
Offer a table of contents, an agenda, an outline Make this preview slide your “moving blueprint” for the presentation
Susan H. Irons Successful Oral Presentations
Organize Your Ideas: Main Points
Each point needs an oral signpost
Now that I’ve discussed the salary increase, I want to move on to health care options. The last point I want to make involves implementing the flex-time policy.
Susan H. Irons Successful Oral Presentations
Organize Your Ideas: Main Points
Each point needs development Support your generalizations with specific information
Use logically persuasive tools to shape opinions (such as facts, history, analogy, appeals to needs and values)
Susan H. Irons Successful Oral Presentations
Organize Your Ideas: Conclusion
Provide an oral signpost
“In conclusion . . .” “To summarize . . .”
Susan H. Irons Successful Oral Presentations
Organize Your Ideas: Conclusion
Review/summarize your main points Then- Refer to opening or End with actions steps or Refer to audience benefits
Susan H. Irons Successful Oral Presentations
Organize Your Ideas
Why so much repetition?
Susan H. Irons Successful Oral Presentations
Organize Your Ideas
PowerPoint Presentations
Font Design: 6X6 rule Visuals
Handouts
Remember: YOU are the presentation!
Susan H. Irons Successful Oral Presentations
Organize Your Ideas
Use visuals that enhance your message Visuals should
relate to your message help make your point be consistent
Susan H. Irons Successful Oral Presentations
Organize Your Ideas
Effective PowerPoint slides are simple uncluttered consistent
Susan H. Irons Successful Oral Presentations
Organize Your Ideas
Audiences understand your point an average of 25% faster when communicated via a graphic representation than a text version.
Susan H. Irons Successful Oral Presentations
For a successful presentation:
Analyze the situation Organize your ideas Develop effective delivery techniques
Susan H. Irons Successful Oral Presentations
Develop Effective Delivery Techniques
Eye Contact Non-verbal communication Speaking voice Notes Handling questions Team Presentations
Susan H. Irons Successful Oral Presentations
Eye Contact
Effective eye communication
5 seconds x and z patterns
Avoid:
Eye dart Slow blink Gazing out the window Lighthouse scan
Susan H. Irons Successful Oral Presentations
Develop Effective Delivery Techniques
Eye Contact Non-verbal communication Speaking voice Notes Handling questions Team Presentations
Susan H. Irons Successful Oral Presentations
Non-verbal Communication: Posture
Upper body posture
Lower body posture
Susan H. Irons Successful Oral Presentations
Non-verbal Communication: Movement
Eliminate barriers
Do the 2-step
Susan H. Irons Successful Oral Presentations
Non-verbal Communication: Gestures
Use appropriate hand and arm gestures Be natural and open Avoid these pitfalls:
Figleaf Parade Rest Sisters of Mercy Jangler
Susan H. Irons Successful Oral Presentations
Non-verbal Communication: Facial Expressions
Look pleasant
Smile whenever appropriate
Susan H. Irons Successful Oral Presentations
Non-verbal Communication: Energy
Start strong Show enthusiasm End with high energy
Susan H. Irons Successful Oral Presentations
Develop Effective Delivery Techniques
Eye Contact Non-verbal communication Speaking voice Notes Handling questions Team Presentations
Susan H. Irons Successful Oral Presentations
Speaking Voice: Inflection
Affects Meaning Effective communication is essential to organizational success.
Susan H. Irons Successful Oral Presentations
Speaking Voice: Pace
The most effective rate of speed for a presentation is between 175 and 190 words per minute.
Susan H. Irons Successful Oral Presentations
Speaking Voice: Volume and Clarity
Articulate well Don’t swallow ends of sentences Don’t drop voice at end of presentation
Susan H. Irons Successful Oral Presentations
Speaking Voice: Verbal Clutter
Uh Ummmmmm Er You know Like Okay
Susan H. Irons Successful Oral Presentations
Develop Effective Delivery Techniques
Eye Contact Non-verbal communication Speaking voice Notes Handling questions Team Presentations
Susan H. Irons Successful Oral Presentations
Notes
Format Appearance
Do not use the screen as your notes!
Susan H. Irons Successful Oral Presentations
Develop Effective Delivery Techniques
Eye Contact Non-verbal communication Speaking voice Notes Handling questions Team Presentations
Susan H. Irons Successful Oral Presentations
Handling questions
Acknowledge audience members explicitly. Why? Repeat the questions. Why? When answering, don’t look just at questioner. What if you don’t know the answer?
Susan H. Irons Successful Oral Presentations
Develop Effective Delivery Techniques
Eye Contact Non-verbal communication Speaking voice Notes Handling questions Team Presentations
Susan H. Irons Successful Oral Presentations
Team Presentations
Transitions and cues Handling technology Handling questions
Susan H. Irons Successful Oral Presentations
Remember Basic Logistics!
Check out your presentation space Confirm the presentation time length Ask about the size of your audience Prepare a back-up plan Practice! Arrive early
Susan H. Irons Successful Oral Presentations
For a successful presentation:
Analyze the situation Organize your ideas Develop effective delivery techniques
Susan H. Irons Successful Oral Presentations