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he key to a successful oral presentation is to keep things simple.I try to stick to three points. I give an overview of the points,present them to the audience, and summarize them at the end.

My purpose and the audience mix determine the tone andfocus of the presentation, the kind ,of vi-

suals,the number of anecdotes, and the jokes or ex-amples that I use. Most of my presentations are de-signed to sell, to explain, or to motivate. When I planthe presentation, I think about the audience. Are theyprofessionals or nonprofessionals? Purchasers or sell-ers?Providers or users? Internal or external?

When I make a presentation, I use the visuals as the outline. I will not usenotes. I like to select the kind of visual that not only best supports the messagebut also best fits the audience and the physical location. PowerPoint, slides,overhead transparencies, and flip charts are the four main kinds of visuals I use.

PowerPoint and slide presentations work well when I am selling a productor an idea to large groups (15 people or more). In this format, I like to use ex-amples and graphs and tables to support my message in a general way.

In small presentations, including one-on-ones and presentations where theaudience is part of the actual process, I like transparencies or flip charts. Theyallow me to be closer to the audience and to be more informal.

Luis Lamela makes presentationsto a variety of internal and externalaudiences including medicalprofessionals, providers, clients.CAC Medical Centers,headquartered in Coral Gables,Florida, is a comprehensive medicaldelivery network comprised of 28single- and multispecialty medicalcenters in south Florida. It is afederally qualified healthmaintenance organization (HMO).Its parent company is UnitedHealthCare Corporation, a nationalleader in health care management.

"My purpose and the audience mix determine

the tone and focus of the presentation. "

I get very, very nervous when I speak in publk. I handle my nervousness byjust trying to look as if, instead of talking to so many people, I'm walking in andtalking to a single person. I don't like to speak behind lecterns. Instead, I like toget out and just be open and portray that openness: ''I'm here to tell you a story. II

I try not to lecture but to use anecdotes, and I think that people find theminteresting and relate better to them. For example, our multispecialty medicalcenters differ according to the demographics of the area. In Hispanic areas,examination rooms need to be bigger because as Hispanics we bring the con-cept of the extended family right into the examination room. But if we're go-ing to build a center in an Anglo area, exam rooms will be smaller ..

I try very hard for people to enjoy my presentations by showing enthusi-asm on the subject and by being sincere. In addition, it helps that I am speak-ing about something that I very strongly believe in and something that I re-ally, really enjoy doing.

Make Your MessageMemorable*

At a beverage conference in Spain,Nick Rosa, then president of The Nu-traSweet Company, began, "Everytime I practice soccer with my sons,aged seven and eight, I am remindedof the generation game. When I con-sider my area of expertise, my boysrepresent this new generation per-fect~y.First, they're young. Second,they're thirsty. Third, they have grownup with diet drinks in the fridge."Then Nick launched into his speech.Six months later he met a confer-ence delegate who greeted him bysaying, "How's it going? I haven'tseen you since that great speechwhere you talked about your kids."

By adding a personal touch, Nickhelped make his speech memorable.

-Quoted from Elizabeth Urech, SpeakingGlobally: Effective Presentations AcrossInternational and Cultural Barriers(Dover, NH: Kogan Page, 1998),31.

The power to persuade people to care about something you believe

.

in is crucial to business success. Making a good oral presentation ismore than just good delivery: it also involves developing a strategythat fits your audience and purpose, having good content, and or-ganizing material effectively. The choices you make in each of these

areas are affected by your purposes, the audience, and the situation.

Purposes in Oral PresentationsOral presentations have the same three basic purposes that written documentshave: to inform, to persuade, and to build goodwill. Like written messages,most oral presentations have more than one purpose.

Informative presentations inform or teach the audience. Training sessionsin an organization are primarily informative. Secondary purposEls may be topersuade new employees to follow organizational procedures, rather than do-ing something their own way, and to help them appreciate the organizationalcultuni(:lCICp. 62). '.

Persuasive presentations motivate the audience to act or to believe. Givinginformation and evidence is an important means of persuasion. In addition,the speaker must build goodwill by appearing to be credible ancisympatheticto the audience's needs. The goal in many presentations is a favorable vote ordecision. For example, speakers making business presentations may try to per-'suade the audience to approve their proposals, to adopt their ideas, or to buytheir products. Sometimes the goal is to change behavior or attitudes or to re-inforce existing attitudes. For example, a speaker at a meeting of factory work-ers may stress the importance of following safety procedures. A speaker at achurch meeting may talk about the problem of homelessness in the communityand try to build support for community shelters for the homeless.

Goodwill presentations entertain and validate the audience. In an after-dinner speech, the audience wants to be entertained. Presentations at salesmeetings may be designed to stroke the audience's egos and to validate theircommitment to organizational goals.

Make your p'urpose as specific as possible.Weak: The purpose of my presentation is to discuss saving for retirement.Better: The purpose of my presentation is to persuade my audience to put their 401 K funds in stocks

and bonds, not in money market accounts and CDs.or: The purpose of my presentation is to explain how to calculate how much money someone

needs to save in order to maintain a specific lifestyle after retirement.Note that the purpose is not the introduction of your talk; it is the principle thatguides your choice of strategy and content.

Comparing Written and Oral MessagesGiving a presentation is in many ways very similar to writing a message. ~of the chapters up to this point-on using you-attitude and positive emphasls/developing reader benefits, analyzing your audience, designing slides, over-coming objections, doing research, and analyzing data-remain relevant asyou plan an oral presentation.

A written message makes it easier to

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Oral and written messages have many similarities. In both, you should

,Adapt the message to the specific audience., Show the audience how they would benefit from the idea, policy, service,orproduct.

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Astrategy is your plan for reaching your specific goals with a specific audience.In all oral presentations, simplify what you want to say. Identify the one idea

you want the audience to take home. Simplify your supporting detail so it'seasy to follow. Simplify visuals so t~ey can be taken in at a glance. Simplifyyour words and sentences so they're easy to understand. 4

An oral presentation needs to be simpler than a written message to the sameaudience. If readers forget a point, they can turn back to it and reread the para-graph. Headings, paragraph indentation, and punctuation provide visual cuestohelp readers understand the message. Listeners, in contrast, must rememberwhat the speaker says. Whatever they don't remember is lost. Even asking ques-tions requires the audience to remember which points they don't understand.

Analyze your audience for an oral presentation just as you do for a writtenmessage. If you'll be speaking to co-workers, talk to them about your topic orproposal to find out what questions or objections they have. For audiences in-side the organization, the biggest questions are often practical ones: Will itwork? How much will it cost? How long will it take?l

Think about the physical conditions in which you'll be speaking. Will the au-dience be tired at the end of a long day of listening? Sleepy after a big meal?Will the group be large or small? The more you know about your audience, thebetter you can adapt your message to them.

For example, Matt Hession knew that his audience of pharmacists didn'twant to talk to salespeople. So he devised·.a one-minute presentation which heoffers as entertainment-and as a challenge. Figure 17.1 gives his script. Hetakes off his watch to drive home the point that he really will take only a minuteof the pharmacist's time. He starts off with reader benefits (=c p. 72) and usespsychological description (=c p. 233) so that the pharmacists can see them-selves enjoying those benefits. Because the commission structure is compli-cated, that goes in a handout rather than in the presentation itself. When he callsthe next week, he says, "This is Matt. I did the one-minute presentation .... They

Ialways remember me." And 90% of them eventually sign contracts.

Choosing the Kind of Presentation

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Choose one of three basic kinds of presentations: monologue, guided discus-sion, or interactive.

What CEOs Learn aboutPresentations*

Executives preparing to take theircompanies public make scores ofpresentations in dozens of townsover a few short weeks. The pur-pose of this "road show" is to intro-duce the company to investmentprofessionals--persuading them tobuy, or at least to chart, the stock.

To prepare for these crucial pre-sentations, many CEOs take lessons.Four days of intensive training fromone expert costs $20,000. Here aresome of the lessons three CEOsleamed:

• Trip Hawkns, CEOof The 300 Co.'I had to suppress my 'ums' and'ahs'-people don't know howmany times they use those inconversation. And I have a ten-dency to look around toomuch-my eyes were ziggingand zagging around the room. '

• Scott Cook, Chairman of Intuit'If I got negative questions, I'dget defensive and put a chill onthings .... He taught me thatwhen somebody asks a nega-tive question, restate it posi-tively, answer it positively' '.

• Timothy Koogle, CEO of Yahoo!'He had me ... loosen up. Getrid of the podium deathgrip .... Connect with the audi-ence physically, with my eyes.Encourage them to drink in areally important slide by havinga big pause in my speech.:

'Quotations quoted from Quentin Hardy,"Meet Jerry Weisman, Acting CoaCh toCEOs," The Wall Street Journal, April 21,1998, B1.

(The clerk acknowledges and relays the request. But the pharmacist has overheard theconversation. "I'll be with you in a bit," he says. A couple of minutes later, he motions forme to step behind the counter. As we shake hands, I introduce myself again and hold upthe watch.) .

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*"When 1walk into 11 store, 1 spot the clerk closest to the pharmacist. Because the pharmacist is behind thecounter, 1 can't get to him directly. So 1speak loudly, and I know he is overhearing what's going on. If 1walkin looking like a salesman, the pharmacist immediately thinks, 'I don't want to buy anything or talk to you.' Inullify that feeling right off the bat. The pharmacist thinks, 'He's entertainment. It's only a minute, and itdoesn't cost anything.' I'm not threatening anymore. Customers smile; they want to hear what I have to say. Itake off my watch to show that I'm serious."

My name is Matt Hession with Key Medical. I know the pharmacist is real busy. Butwhen he has a moment, I have a one-minute presentation. (Start to take off watch.) Andhe can leave his wallet in his po!:ket.

*"As I walk behind the counter, I try to 'assess how promising a partner this would be. How busy is the place?Is it handling any medical equipment--.iike walkers-already? Is the back of the store neat, clean, and wellorganized? I'm also thinking of anything I can quickly add to personalize the presentation. For example, ifthere is a pediatrician next door, I'll point out that we handle nebulizers-small machines used by kids withasthma-and that we can get same-day approval on Medicaid. I hold up my watch again to emphasize that I'mserious about this taking only one minute."

*"I am telling the pharmacists that this is something the chains do not have. This strikes an immediate note.Independent pharmacists, who are usually also the store owners, complain that chains like Wal-Mart havecertain advantages. Now, they think, they will have an edge. They have two questions: How much time will ittake? How much will it cost me? I answer those right up front."

We're in the home-medical-equipment business. Our company has developed aprogram just for independently owned community drugstores. Our program costs younothing and takes up very little of your time.

Here's how it works: a customer walks into your store and sees one of the signs that weprovide to you, indicating that you can get customers any type of home-medicalequipment. The customer inquires about a home oxygen system that her father needs.You answer, "Let me get our equipment partner on the phone for you." You dial our BOOnumber and tell us who you are, the name of your store, and its location. Then you giveus your customer's name and her question. We either talk to the customer right there orcall her at home-your choice. We see if we can answer her questions and help to meether needs. If it results in a sale or rental, we deliver the equipment, and we teach thecustomer how to use it. We do the insurance filing or billing. We service the equipment.The whole nine yards. Your job is to educate your customers that they can obtain home-medical equipment through you.

*"It would take longer than a minute, obviously, to explain the commission structure. There are three differentscenarios--a sale, a rental, or a lease-to-own option--and I can't cover those in under two minutes. And withcustomers in earshot, we don't have privacy, anyway. But I will give answers on two questions thepharmacists often ask: Where is your home office, and how do you deliver these things? The details are veryclearly spelled out in the material I give them. "

Here's a copy of our partnership agreement. It spells out your commission structure aswell as other important concerns.

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In a monologue presentation, the speaker speaks without interruption;questions are held until the end of the presentation, where the speaker func-tions as an expert. The speaker plans the presentation in advance and deliversit without deviation. This kind of presentation is the most common in class sit-uations, but it's often boring for the audience. Good delivery skills are crucial,since the audience is comparatively uninvolved.

Linda Driskill suggests that guided discussions offer a better way to presentmaterial and help an audience find a solution it can "buy into." In a guided dis-cussion, the speaker presents the questions or issues that both speaker and au-dience have agreed on in advance. Rather than functioning as an expert withall the answers, the speaker serves as a facilitator to help the audience·tap itsown knowledge. This kind of presentation is excellent for presenting -the re-sults of consulting projects, when the speaker has specialized kIlowledge, butthe audience;must implement the solution if it is to succeed. Guided discus-

I sions need more time than monologue presentations, but produce mor~ audi-I ence response, more responses involving analysis, and more commi1:l:Tienttothe result?

An interactive presentation is a conversation, even if the speaker stands upinfront of a group and uses charts and overheads. Most sales presentations are

. interactive presentations. The sales representative uses questions to determinethe buyer's needs, probe objections, and gain provisional and then final com-mitment to the purchase. Even in a memorized sales presentation, the buyerwill talk at least 30% of the time. In a problem-solving sales presentation, topsalespeople let the buyer do 70% of the talking up until the action close(xz p. 286).3

Measure the message you'd like to send against where your audience is now.Ifyour audience is indifferent, skeptical, or hostile, focus on the part of yourmessage the audience will find most interesting and easiest to accept.

Don't seek a major opinion change in a single oral presentation. If the audi-encehas already decided to hire an advertising agency, then a good presenta-tioncan convince them that your agency is the one to hire. But if you're talkingtoa small business that has always done its own ads, limit your purpose. Youmaybe able to prove that an agency can earn its fees by doing things the ownercan'tdo and by freeing the owner's time for other activities. A second presen-tationmay be needed to prove that an ad agency can do a better job than thesmallbusiness could do on its own. Only after the audience is receptive shouldyoutry to persuade the audience to hire your agency rather than a competitor.

Make your ideas relevant to your audience by linking what you have to saytotheir experiences and interests. Showing your audience that the topic affectsthemdirectly is the most effective strategy. When you can't do that, at least link·thetopic to some everyday experience. .

Whenwas the last time you were hungry? Maybe you remember being hungry while you were on adiet,or maybe you had to work late at a lab and didn't get back to the dorm in time for dinner.

Speech about world hunger to an audience of college students

Planninga Strong Opening and Close~e beginning and end of a presentation, like the beginning and end of a writ-aen~ocument,are positions of emphasis. Use those key positions to interest the~qlenceand emphasize your key point. You'll sound more natural and more

Adapting the Presentationto the Audience*

When Jerry Stackhouse turned pro,many companies made presenta-tions designed to sign him to repre-sent their products. Fila won, in partbecause of a presentation and visu-als specifically adapted to Mr.Stackhouse.

During his initial presentation toMr. Stackhouse, Fila executive HoweBurch placed a poster directly

. across from where Mr. Stackhousewas sitting. It listed the names of 18NBA Nike endorsers in fuzzy, hard-to-read type. But there was no mis-taking the slogan printed in big let-ters: "Looks like the Swoosh [Nike'slogo] is becoming a blur. At Fila,Stackhouse will be a Standout."

Mr. Burch also brought along aprototype of the Stackhouse shoe, amodel that was ready to go intoproduction but just needed a name.At a second meeting, Mr. Burch ar-rived carrying a paper bag that heplaced on a side table. Mr. Stack-house asked, "Is that my shoe inthe bag?"

Fila knew right then that it hadMr. Stackhouse in the bag, too.

'Paragraphs 2-4 quoted from RogerThurow. "A Rookie Guard Scores Big atMarketing," The Wall Street Journal,February'9, 1996, A6.

Strategy for a CorporateSpeech*

Security directors of the 50 mostprominent international banks meetperiodically to discuss commonproblerns. BankAmerica's Bob Beckwanted to talk to the group aboutchemical dependency andBankAmerica's approach to theproblem.

Audience's initial position: Re-sistant. Most favored testing, nottreatment.

One point to leave with audi-ence: Treatment is a practical al-ternative that works.

Adapting message to audi-ence: Used terrns frorn sports,banking, and security to make iteasy for audience to identify withmessage. Backed up points withdetails and statistics. Explainedproblems of drug testing. Did notask for action.

Opener: Hard-hitting statistics onhow much chernical dependencycosts US businesses- $26 billiona year.

Outline: (1) Chemical dependencyas a disease; the size of the prob-lern; testing as the usual response.(2) BankArnerica's treatment ap-proach: policy, prograrn design, andeducation in the workplace. (3) Thebusiness advantages of treatment:protects investment in trained peo-ple; confines business lossescaused by chemical dependency.

'Based on RobinWeliing, No Frills, NoNonsense, No Secrets (SanFrancisco:InternationalAssociationof BusinessCommunicators,1988). 290-93.

effective if you talk from notes but write out your opener and close in advanceand memorize them. (They'll be short: just a sentence or two.)

Consider using one of the four modes for openers that appeared in Chapter 11:startling statement, narration or anecdote, question, or quotation. The moreyou can do to personalize your opener for your audience, the better. Recentevents are hetter than things that happened long ago; local events are betterthan events at a distance; people they know are better than people who are onlynames.

This presentation to a company's executive committee went on to show thatthe company's distribution system was inadequate and to recommend a thirdwarehouse located in the Southwest.

A mother was having difficulty getting her son up fQr school. He pulled the covers over his head."I'm not going to school," he said. "I'm not ever going again.""Are you sick?'! his mother asked."No," he answered. "I'm sick of school. They hate me. They call me names. They make fun of me.

Why should I go?""I can give you two good reasons," the mother replied. "The first is that you're 42 years old. And

the second is you're the school principal. ,,4

This speech to a seminar for educators went on to discuss "the three knottiestproblems in education today." Educators had to face those problems; theycouldn't hide under the covers.

This presentation to a group of potential clients discusses the value of usingthe services of a professional financial planner to achieve one's goals forretirement.

According to Towers Perrin, the profits of Fortune 100 companies wouid be 25% lower-they'd godown $17 billion-if their earnings statements listed the future costs companies are obligated to payfor retirees' health care.

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Your opener should interest the audience and establish a rapport with them.Some speakers use humor to achieve those goals. However, an inappropriatejoke can turn the audience against the speaker. Never use humor that's di-rected against the audience. In contrast, speakers who can make fun of them-selves almost always succeed:

Humor isn't the only'way to set an audience at ease. Smile at your audiencebefore you begin; let them see that you're a real person and a nice one.

The end of your presentation should be as strong as the opener. For yourclose, you could do one. or more of the following: (1) restate your main point;(2)refer to your opener to create a frame for your presentation; (3) end with avivid, positive picture; (4) tell the audience exactly what to do to solve theproblem you've discussed. The following close from a fund-raising speechcombines a restatement of the main point with a call for action, telling the au-dience what to do.

Plain and simple, we need money to run the foundation, just like you need money to develop new prod-ucts. We need money to make this work. We need money from you. Pick up that pledge card. Fill itout. Turn it in at the door as you leave. Make it a statement about your commitment ... make it a bigstatement.6

When you write out your opener and close, be sure to use oral rather thanwritten style. As you can see in the example close above, oral style uses shortersentences and shorter, simpler words than writing does. Oral style can evensound a bit choppy when it is read by eye. Oral style uses more personal pro-nouns, a less varied vocabulary, and more repetition.

Planning Visuals and Other Devices to Involve the AudienceVisualscan give your presentation a professional image. As more and morebusinessesbuy computer graphics packages, more and more presentations useslidesor overhead transparencies, which, confusingly, are often called slides,too.You design the graphics on your computer, then give the disk to a servicebureauthat produces slides. As color printers become more common, businesspeoplewill be able to produce color overhead transparencies in-house.

One study showed that presenters using overhead transparencies were per-ceivedas "better prepared, more professional, more persuasive, more credible,andmore interesting" than speakers who did not use visuals. They were alsomorelikely to persuade a group to adopt their recommendations? A studyC~l1lparingthe use of different kinds of visuals found that presenters usings~desappeared more professional, but presenters using overhead transparen-CIesseemed more interesting. Colored overhead transparencies were most ef-fectivein persuading people to act.8. Useat least 14-point type for transparencies; IS-point is even better. If pos-8J.ble,use a square area for your text or visual, rather than the whole verticalPage,so that your transparency will fit on the screen without your having to~oveit. For PowerPoint slides, use 44-point type (or larger) for titles and main

ads.Your smallest subheading should be no smaller than 2S-point type.

Cultural Styles ofPresentations*

When you make an Internationalpresentation, be sensitive to yourhost country's cultural preferencesfor presentations.

4n Japan, speak in a modest, per·so~al, conversational sjyle. Look atthe· whole group; remember that theoldest person is probably the mostimportant Plan carefully so thatyour presentation fits in the avail-able time-and remember that in·terpretation cuts your actual speak-ing time in half.

In Sweden, don't save points for aqU8stion-and-answer session.Swedes consider it rude to ask ques-tions at the end of a presentation: todo so suggests the speaker has notbeen clear. Instead, include all yourmaterial in the body of the presenta-tion. The best close is a well-craftedquestion that applies the materialfrom the presentation, leaving theaudience something to think about

*Based on Bronwen Jones, Doing Busi-ness in Japan: An ABC for Better Com-munications ([Tokyo:] JETRO. 1991), 16;and H. Ned Seelye and Alan Seelye-James, Culture Clash (Lincolnwood, IL:NTC Business Books, 1995), 30-31.

Well-designed visuals can serve as an outline for your talk (see Figure 17.2),eliminating the need for additional notes. Plan at most one visual for everyminute of your talk, plus two visuals to serve as title and conclusion. Don't tryto put your whole talk on visuals. Visuals should highlight your main points,not give every detail.

Use these guidelines to create and show visuals for presentations:

• Make only one point ","ith each visual. Break a complicated point downinto several visuals.

• Give each visual a title that l1l.akes a point.• Limit the amount of information on a visual. Use 35 words or less; use.

simple graphs, not complex ones.• Don't put your visual up till you're ready to talk about it. Leave it up until

your next point; don't turn the projector or overhead off.

See Chapter 6 for information on designing slides and Chapter 16 for infor-mation on how to present numerical data through visuals. r- .

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Visuals work only if the technology they depend on works. When you givepresentations in your own office, check the equipment in advance. When youmake a presentation in another location or for another organization, arriveearly so that you'll have time not only to check the equipment but also to trackdown a service worker if the equipment isn't working. Be prepared with abackup plan to use if you're unable to show your slides or videotape.

You can also involve the audience in other ways. A student giving a presen-tation on English~French business communication demonstrated the differ-ences in US and French handshakes by asking a fellow class member to comeup to shake hands with her. Another student discussing the need for low-saltproducts brought in a container of salt, a measuring cup, a measuring spoon,and two plates. As he discussed the body's need for salt, he measured out threeteaspoons onto one plate: the amount the body needs in a month. As he dis-

! cussed the amount of salt th~ average US diet provides, he continued to mea-sure out salt onto the other' plate, stopping only when he had IX pounds ofsalt-the amount in the average US diet. The demonstration made the dis-crepancy clear in a way words or even a chart could not have done.9 To makesure that his employees understood where money went, the CEO of a specialtyprinting shop in Algoma, Wisconsin, printed up $2 million in play money andhanded out big cards to employees marked Labor, Depreciation, Interest, and soforth. Then he asked each "category" to come up and take its share of the rev-enues. The action was more~dramatic than a color pie chart could ever havebeen.lO Another speaker who was trying to raise funds used the simple act ofasking people to stand to involve them, to create emotional appeal, and tomake a statistic vivid:

[A speaker] was talking to a luncheon club about contributing to the relief of an area that had been hitby a tornado. The news report said that 70% of the people had been killed or disabled. The room wasset up [With] ten people at each round table. He asked three persons at each table to stand. Then hesaid, "... You people sitting are dead or disabled. You three standing have to take care of the mess.You'd need help, wouldn't you?""

ChoosingInformation to Include in a PresentationChoosethe information that is most interesting to your audience and that an-swersthe questions your audience will have. Limit your talk to three mainpoints.In a long presentation (20 minutes or more) each main point can havesubpoints.Your content will be easier to understand if you clearly show the re-lationshipbetween each of the main points. Turning your information into a~toryalso helps. For example, a controller might turn charts of financial dataUltothe following story:

Theincrease in sales income is offset by an increase in manufacturing costs. Why? Because the costof material is out of line. Material costs for product #503 tripled last month. An analysis of the threeshifts shows that the cost of materials jumped 800% on the second shift. Now, the problem is tofind out why the second shift uses so much more material than the other shifts making the sameproduct,'2

How do you persuade investors,bankers, and securities analysts towant to invest in your company?You tell t~em a story.

Presentation coach JerryWeissman leads business peoplethrough an entire day on identifyingthe best ~tory. Presentation skills0ike building in pauses so listenerscan absorb information) come later.

Before coaching, client DavidAngel described his company likethis: "Information Storage Devicesprovides voice solutions using thecompany's unique, patentedmultilevel storage technique .... "

After coaching, Angel started hispresentation this way: "We makevoice chips. They're extremely easyto use. They have unlimitedapplications. And they last forever."

'Based on Dan Gillmor, "Putting on aPowerful Presentation," Hemispheres,March 1996. 31-32.

"B~ckup each point with solid support. Statistics and numbers can be con-\Ulcu:gif you present them in ways that are easy to hear. Simplify numbers byteducmgthem to two significant digits.

An Alternativeto PowerPoint*

[Once Barbara Waugh had analyzedher survey data-po 367-she hadto plan a presentation,] But howcould she capture and communi-cate what she'd learned? Howcould she share this powerful cri-tique with senior management? Thelast thing she wanted was topreach through PowerPoint. So in-stead of creating bullet-point slides,she drew on her experience withstreet theatre and created a "play"about HP Labs. She worked pas-sages from the surveys into dia-logue and then recruited executivesto act as staff members, and juniorpeople to act as executives. Thetroupe performed for 30 senior.managers. "At the end of the play,the managers were very quiet,"Waugh remembers. "Then theystarted clapping. It was exciting.They really got it. They finally un-derstood."

'Quoted from Katherine Mieszkowski, "IGre'w Up Thinking That Change WasCataclysmic. The Way We've Done itHere is to Start Slow and Work Small."Fast Company, December 1998, p. 152.

Hard to hear: If the national debt were in pennies, it would take 17,006,802,720 people, eachcarrying 100 pounds of pennies, to carry all of our debt.

Easier to hear: If the national debt were in pennies, it would take 17 billion people, each carrying 100pounds of pennies, to carry all of our debt.13

In an informative presentation, link the points you make to the knOWledgeyour audience has. Show the audience members that your information an-swers their questions, solves their problems, or helps them do their jobs. Whenyou explain the effect of a new law or the techniques for using a new machine,use specific examples that apply to the decisions they make and the work theydo. If your content is detailed or complicated, give people a written outline orhandouts. The written m~terial both helps the audience keep track of yourpoints during the present~tion and serves as a reference after the talk is over.

Quotations work well as long as you cite authorities whom your audiencegenuinely respects. Often you'll need to paraphrase a quote to put it into sim-ple language that's easy to understand. Be sure to tell whom you're citing: IIAc-cording to Al Gore," II An article in Business Week points out that," and so forth.

Demonstrations can prove your points dramatically and quickly. During theinvestigation of the space shuttle Challenger disaster, the late physicist RichardFeynrnan asked for a glass of water. When it came, he put a piece of the spaceshuttle's a-ring into the cold water. After less than a minute, he took it out andpinched it with a small clamp. The material kept the pinched shape when theclamp came off. The material couldn't return to its original shape.14 A techni-cal explanation could have made the same point: the a-ring couldn't functionin the cold. But the demonstration was fast and easy to understand. It didn'trequire that the audience follow complex chemical or mathematical formulas.In an oral presentation, seeing is believing.

Tobe convincing, you must answer the audience's questions and objections.

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Some people think that working women are less reliable than men. But the facts show that womentake fewer sick days than men do.

However, don't bring up negatives or inconsistencies unless you're sure thatthe audience will think of them. If you aren't sure, save your evidence for thequestion phase. If someone does ask, you'll have the answer.

Organizing Your InformationMost presentations use a direct pattern of organization, even when the goalisto persuade a reluctant audience. In a business setting, the audience is in ahurry and knows that you want to persuade them. Be honest about your goal,and then prove that your goal meets the audience's needs too.

In a persuasive presentation, start with your strongest point, your best ~ea-son. If time permits, give other reasons as well and respond to possible obJec-tions. Put your weakest point in the middle so that you can end on a strongnote.

Often one of five standard patterns of organization will work:

• Chronological. Start with the past, move to the present, and end bylooking ahead. .

• Problem-causes-solution. Explain the symptoms of the problem, identlfyits causes, and suggest a solution. This pattern works best when theaudience will find your solution easy to accept.

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• Excluding alternatives. Explain the symptoms of the problem. Explain theobvious solutions first and show why they won't solve the problem. Endby discussing a solution that will work. This pattern may be necessarywhen the audience will find the solution hard to accept.

• Pro-con. Give all the reasons in favor of something, then those against it.This pattern works well when you want the audience to see the weaknessesin its position.

• 1-2-3. Discuss three aspects of a topic. This pattern works well to organizeshort informative briefings. "Today I'll review our sales, production, andprofits for the last quarter."

Make your organization clear to your audience. Written documents can bereread; they can use headings, paragraphs, lists, and indentations to signal lev-elsof detail. In a presentation, y.:ouhave to provide explicit clues to the struc-ture of your discourse.

Early in your talk-perhaps' immediately after your opener-provide anoverview of the main points you will make.

First, I'd like to talk about who the homeless in Columbus are, Second, I'll talk about the services TheOpen Shelter provides, Finally, I'll talk about what you-either individually or as a group-ean do tohelp.

An overview provides a mental peg that hearers can hang each point on. Italsocan prevent someone from missing what you are saying because he or shewonders why you aren't covering a major point that you've saved for later. IS

Offer a clear signpost as you come to each new point. A signpost is an ex-plicitstatement of the point you have reached. Choose wording that fits yourstyle.The following statements are four different ways that a speaker could usetointroduce the last of three points:

Nowwe come to the third point: what you can do as a group or as individuals to help homeless peo-ple in Columbus.

rea-ljeC-ong

Creation1. Think of your last summary slide

first-then make sure each ofthose key bullet points areclearly explained in the body ofyour presentation.

2. Use simple,1:lear graphics andpictures of iamiliar people tocapture attention and build au-dience identification.

3. Get someone else to checkspellings and the logical flow ofyour slide show. Another pair ofeyes will often pick up an errorthat you have missed.

Presentation .1. Practice, Practice, Practice,

Rehearse several times-aloudand standing up, with the sameequipment you will use for yourpresentation.

2. Make eye contact with morethan one audience member dur-ing the course of your presenta-tion,

3, Always carry backup disks ofyour presentation program, yourslide show, and any specialfonts that were used in its cre-ation.

"Quoted from Shonan Noronha and JohnRhodes, "Power Presentations,"Presentations, special advertising sec-tion, n.p,

Deliveringan Effective Presentation~diences want the sense that you're talking directly to them and that you careup ~ they understand and are interested. They'll forgive you if you get tangled

IlL a sentence and end it ungrammatically. They won't forgive you if you

Being Interviewedby the Press*

Business people and communityleaders are often interviewed by thepress. To appear your best on cam-era, on tape, or in a story,

• Try to'ilnd out in advance whyyou're:being interviewed andwhat Information the reporterwants.

• Practice answering possiblequestions in a single sentence.A long answer is likely to be cutfor TV or radio news.

• Talk slowly. You'll have time tothink, the audience will havemore time to understand whatyou're saying, and a reportertaking notes will record yourwords more accurately.

• To reduce the possibility of be-ing misquoted, bring along acassette recorder to tape the in-terview. Better still, bring two-and offer to give one tape to theinterviewer.

'Based on James L. Graham, 'What toDo When a Reporter Calls," IABCCommunication World, April 1985, 15;and Robert A. Papper, conversation withKitty Locker, March 17, 1991.

seem to have a "canned" talk that you're going to deliver no matter who theaudience is or how they respond, You can_cop.vey a sense of caring to your au-dience by making direct eye contact with them and by using a conversationalstyle,

Feeling nervous is normal. But you can harness that nervous energy to helpyou do your best work. As one student said, you don't need to get rid of yourbutterflies. All you need to do is make them fly in formation.

To calm your nerves before you give an oral presentation,

• Be prepared. Analyze your audience; organize your thoughts, preparevisual aids, practice your opener' an~ close, check out the arrangements.

• Use only the amount of caffeine you-TlOrmally use. More or less may makeyou jumpy.

• Avoid alcoholic beverages.• Relabel your nerves. Instead of saying, ''I'm scared," try saying, "My

adrenaline is up." Adrenaline sharpens our reflexes and helps us do ourbest.

Just before your presentation,

• Consciously contract and then relax your muscles, starting with your feetand calves and going up to your shoulders, arms, and hands.

• Take several deep breaths from your diaphragm.

During your presentation,

• Pause and look at the audience before you begin speaking.• Concentrate on communicating well.• Use body energy in strong gestures and movement.

Using Eye ContactLook directly at the people you're talking to. In one study, speakers wholooked more at the audience during a seven-minute informative speech werejudged to be better informed, more experienced, more honest, and friendlie~than speakers who delivered the same information with less eye contact.1

An earlier study found that speakers judged sincere looked at the audience63% of the timet while those judged insincere looked at the audience only 21%of the time. I? .

The point in making eye contact is to establish one-on-one contact with theindividual members of your audience. People want to feel that you/re talk-ing to them. Looking directly at individuals also enables you to be more cOJscious of feedback from the audience, so that you can modify your approachnecessary.

Developing a Good Speaking VoicePeople will enjoy your presentation more if your voice is easy to listen.to·~~find out what your voice sounds like, tape-record it. Also tape the v01ce;ewpeople on TV or on campus whose voices you like and imitate them. Inllweeks, tape yourself again.

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George Fluharty and Harold Ross suggest three ways to find your bestspeaking voice:

• Close your ears with your fingers and hum up and down the scale untilyou find the pitch where the hum sounds loudest or most vibrant to you.This pitch will be near your optimum pitch.

• Sing down the scale as far as you can go without forcing. Call this note doand sing up the scale to sol. This note will be near your optimum pitch.

• If you have a piano, locate the lowest note you can produce and also yourhighest falsetto note. Your optimum pitch will be approximately one fourthof the distance from your lowest note.18

When you speak to a group, talk loudly enough so that people can hear youeasily.If you're using a microphone, adjust your volume so you aren't shout-ing.When you speak in an unfamiliar location, try to get to the room early soyoucan check the size of the room and the power of the amplification eqUip-ment.If you can't do that, ask early in your talk, "Can you hear me in the backofthe room?"

The bigger the group is, the more carefully you need to enunciate, that is,Voiceall the sounds of each word. Words starting or ending with f, t, k, v, and~areespecially hard to hear. "Our informed and competent image" can soundlikeflOur informed, incompetent image."

Toenunciate, use your tongue and lips. Researchers have identified 38 dif-~rent sounds. Of these, you make 31 with your tongue and 7 with your lips.,oneare made with the jaw, so how wide you open your mouth really does-

I 1lt matter. If the tongue isn't active enough, muscles in the throat try to com-pensate,producing sore throats and strained voices.19

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When you make a presentation onvideo, be informal and friendly.Look at the camera when you talkto create the effect of making eyecontact with the audience.

Since the sound repruductionequipment may deaden voices,make a special effort to-vary pitchand expression. Don't interrupt an-other speaker. Two people talking atthe same time on camera producegibberish.

Dress for the camera.

• Don't wear white. Only very ex-pensive cameras can handlepure white. .

• Don't wear bold stripes, checks,plaids, or polka dots.

• Don't wear large accessories.

• Red, blue, and green photo-graph well. If an entire outfit inred seems too bold, considerwearing a red tie or blouse.

'Based on Robert A. Papper, conversa-tion with Kitty Locker, March 17, 1991.

Tongue twisters can help you exercise your tongue and enunciate moreclearly. Stephen Lucas suggest~ the following:

• Sid said to tell him that Benny hid the pem1y many years ago.• Fetch me the finest French-fried freshest fish that Finney fries.• Three gray geese in the green grass grazed.• Shy Sarah saw six Swiss wristwatches.• One year we had a Christmas brunch with Merry Christmas mush to

munch. But I don't think you'd care for such. We didn't like to munchmush much.2°You can also reduce pressure on your throat by fitting phrases to your ideas.

If you cut your sentences into bits, you'll emphasize words beginning withvowels, making the vocal cords hit each other. Instead, run past words begin-ning with vowels to emphasize later syllables odater words:21

Choppiness We must take more responsibility nothurts vocal Only forcords: Ourselves

AndOur families but forOur communitiesAndOur country.

We must take moreResponsibilityMt only for ourselves and ourFamilies but for ourCommunities and ourCountry.

You can reduce the number of uhs you use by practicing your talk severaltimes. Filler sounds aren't signs of nervousness. Instead, say psychologists atColumbia University, they occur when speakers pause searching for the nextword. Searching takes longer when people have big vocabularies or talk abouttopics where a variety of word choices are possible. Practicing your talk makesyour word choices automatic, and you'll use fewer uhs.22

.

Vary your volume, pitch, and speed. Speakers who speak quickly and whovary their volume during the talk are more likely to be perceived as compe-tent.23 Sound energetic and enthusiastic. If your ideas don't excite you, whyshould your audience find them exciting?

Smoothphrasingprotectsthroat:

Standing and GesturingStand with your feet far enough apart for good balance, with your kneesflexed. Unless the presentation is very formal·or you're on camera, you canwalk if you want to. Some speakers like to come in front of the lectern to re-move that barrier between themselves and the audience.

Build on your natural style for gestures. Gestures usually work best whenthey're big and confident.

Using Notes and Visuals «

Unless you're giving a very short presentation, you'll probably wan.t to~:notes. Even experts use notes. The more you know about the subJect, aJ1e.greater the temptation to add relevant points that occur to you as ,You \U1Adding an occasional point can help to clarify something for the audIence,

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Put your notes on cards or on sturdy pieces of paper. Most speakers like touse 4-by-6-inch or 5-by-7-inch cards because they hold more information. Yournotes need to be complete enough to help you if you go blank, so use longphrases or complete sentences. Under each main point, jot down the evidenceor illustration you'll use. Indicate where you'll refer to visuals.

Look at your notes infrequently. Most of your gaze time should be directed, to members of the audience. Hold your notes high enough so that your head

doesn't bob up and down like a yo-yo as you look from the audience to yournotes and back again.

If you have lots of visuals and know your topic well, you won't need notes .If possible, put the screen to the side so that you "von't block it. Face the audi-ence, not the screen. With transparencies, you can .use colored marking pens tocall attention to your points as you talk. Show the entire visual at once: don'tcover up part of it. If you don't want the audience to read ahead, prepare sev-eral visuals that build up. In your overview, for example, the first visual couldlist your first point, the second the first and second, and the third all threepoints.

Keep the room lights on if possible; turning them off makes it easier for peo-ple to fall asleep and harder for them to concentrate on you.

Prepare for questions by listing every fact or opinion you can think of that chal-lenges your position. Treat each objection seriously and try to think of a way todealwith it. If you're talking about a controversial issue, you may want to saveonepoint for the question period, rather than making it during the presenta-tion.Speakers who have visuals to answer questions seem especially well pre-pared.

During your presentation, tell the audience how you'll handle questions. Ifyouhaye a choice, save questions for the end. In your talk, answer the ques-tions or objections that you expect your audience to have. Don't exaggerateyourclaims so that you won't have to back down in response to questions later.

During the question period, don't nod your head to indicate that you un-derstand a question as it is asked. Audiences will interpret nods as signs thatyouagree with the questioner. Instead, look directly at the questioner. As youanswer the question, expand your focus to take in the entire group. Don't say,"That's a good question." That response implies that the other questions havebeenpoor ones.

If the audience may not have heard the question or if you want more time totltink,repeat the question before you answer it. Link your answers to the pointsyou made in your presentation. Keep the purpose of your presentation inmind,and select information that advances your goals.

If a question is hostile or biased, rephrase it before you answer it. "You'reaskingwhether .... " Or suggest an alternative question: "I think there are prob-lemswith both the positions you describe. It seems to me that a third solutionWhichis better than either of them is.... "

Occasionally someone will ask a question th~t is really designed to state thespeaker's own position. Respond to the question if you want to. Another op-tionisto say, ''I'm not sure what you're asking," or even, "That's a clear state-~entof your position. Let's move to the next question now." If someone asksa Outsomething that you already explained in your presentation, simply an-~er the question without embarrassing the questioner. No audience will un-erstand and remember 100% of what you say.

On behalf of Greenpeace USA,Christopher Childs gives more than100 presentations a year toschools, colleges, and churches,

"For the question-and-answerperiod, I try to stay in touch withour campaigners to find out what'smost important. But I also try tostay aware of my personal motiva-tions, When I'm very clear aboutwhat I want to accomplish, thequestions take care ofthemselves, , ..

"Occasionally Iget hostile ques-tions, and while I try to deal on afactual level with the issues, I lookto see if I can tell what's going onwith the person, Oftentimes they'renot hostile at all, but very con-cerned. When it's workable in apublic forum, I might suggest tothem what I hear them really say-ing. Often they really appreciate theeffort."

'Quoted from Jess Wells, "StagePresence: Professional Speakers ShareTheir Techniques," PUblish, December1990,82.

If you don't know the answer to a question, say so. If your purpose is to in-form, write down the question so that you can look up the answer before thenext session. If it's a question to which you think there is no answer, ask if any-one in the room knows. When no one does, your "ignorance" is vindicated. Ifan expert is in the room, you may want to refer questions offact to him or her.Answer questions of interpretation yourself.

At the end of the question period, take two minutes to summarize your mainpoint once more. (This can be a restatement of your close.) Questions mayormay not focus on the keypoint of your talk. Take advantage of having the floorto repeat your message briefly and forcefully.

I7lan carefully to involve as many members of the group as:possible in speak-ing roles. ",. The easiest way to make a group presentation is to outliDe the presentationand then divide the topics, giving one to each group member. Another mem-ber can be responsible for the opener and the close. During the question period,each member answers questions that relate to his or her topic.

In this kind of divided presentation, be sure to

• Plan transitions.• Enforce time limits strictly.• Coordinate your visuals so that the presentation seems a coherent whole.• Practice the presentation as a group at least once; more is better.

The best group presentations are even more fully integrated: the groupwrites a very detailed outline, chooses points and examples, and creates visu-

als together. Then, within each point, voices trade off. See the BAC Website for links to advice on giving this sophisticated kind of team pre-sentation. This presentation is most effective because each voice speaks

only a minute or two before a new voice comes in. However, it works onlywhen all group members know the subject well and when the group planscarefully and practices extensively. .

Whatever form of group presentation you use, be sure to introduce eachmember of the team to the audience and to pay close attention to each other. Ifother members of the team seem uninterested in the speaker, the audience getsthe sense that that speaker isn't worth listening to.

• Informative presentations inform or teach the audience. Persuasivepresentations motivate the audience to act or to believe. Goodwillpresentations entertain and validate the audience. Most oral presentationBhave more than one purpose.

• A written message makes it easier to present extensive or complex 'tinformation and to minimize undesirable emotions. Oral m~ssages make 1

easier to use emotion, to focus the audience's attention, to answer tquestions and resolve conflicts quickly, to modify a proposal that may nObe acceptable in its original form, and to get immediate action or response.

• In both oral and written messages, you should• Adapt the message to the specific audience. .' .• Show the audience how they benefit from the idea, policy, serVIce,or

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• Overcome any objections the audience may have.• Use you-attitude and positive emphasis.• Use visuals to clarify or emphasize material.• Specify exactly what the audience should do.

I An oral presentation needs to be simpler than a written message to thesame audience.

I In a monologue presentation, the speaker plans the presentation inadvance and delivers it without deviation. In a guided discussion, thespeaker presents the questions or issues that both speaker and audiencehave agreed on in advance. Rather than functi'oning as an expert with allthe answers, the speaker serves as a facilitator to help the audience tap itsown knowledge. An interactive presentation is a conversat~on usingquestions to determine the buyer's needs, probe objections;:and gainprovisional and then final commitment to the purchase. .

I Adapt your message to your audience's beliefs, experiences, and interests.I Use the beginning and end of the presentation to interest the audience and

emphasize your key point.I Using visuals makes a speaker seem more prepared, more interesting, and

more persuasive.I Use a direct pattern of organization. Put your strongest reason first.I ~imit your talk to three main points. Early in your talk-perhaps

immediately after your opener-provide an overview of the main pointsyou will make. Offer a clear signpost as you come to each new point. Asignpost is an explicit statement of the point you have reached.

I To calm your nerves as you prepare to give an oral presentation,I Be prepared. Analyze your audience, organize your thoughts, prepare vi-

sual aids, practice your opener and close, check out the arrangements.I Use only the amount of caffeine you normally use.I Avoid alcoholic beverages.I Relabel your nerves. Instead of saying, "I'm scared," try saying, "My

adrenaline is up." Adrenaline sharpens our reflexes and helps us do ourbest.

Just before your presentation,

I Consciously contract and then relax your muscles, starting with your feetand calves and going up to your shoulders, arms, and hands.

I Take several deep breaths from your diaphragm.

During your presentation,

I Pause and look at the audience before you begin speaking.I Concentrate on communicating well.I Use body energy in strong gestures and movement.

• Convey a sense of caring to your audience by making direct eye contactwith them and by using a conversational style.

• Treat questions as opportunities to give more detailed information thanyou had time to give in your presentation. Link your answers to the pointsyou made in your presentation.

• Repeat the question before you answer it if the audience may not haveheard it or if you want more time to think. Rephrase hostile or biasedquestions before you answer them.

, • Thebest group presentations result when the group writes a very detailedoutline, chooses points and examples, and creates visuals together. Then,Withineach point, voices trade off.

When a student took a job at Intel,her first assignment was to presenta strategic plan to CEOAndy Grovetwo weeks later.

Five minutes into her presenta·tion, he interrupted her: "Please flipto page 22. That's what I need toknow."

'Based on Evelyn Pierce, Thomas Had·juk, and Richard Young, "Using VerbalProtocol Research to Determine WhatBusiness Audiences Want in Docu-ments," Association for Business Com·munication Conference, Chicago, IL, No-vember 6-9, 1996.

-~-----------,,---Exercises and Problems

Getting Started

. 17.1 Analyzing Openers and Closes

The following openers and closes came from class pre-sentations on information interviews. .

Does each opener make you intereste,d in hearing therest of the presentation? ..Does each opener provide a transition to theoverview?Does the close end the presentation in a satisfyingway?

a. Opener: I interviewed Mark Perry at AT&T.Close: Well, that's my report. .

b. Opener: How many of you know what you wantto do when you graduate?Close: So, if you like numbers and want to travel,think about being a CPA. Arthur Andersen can takeyou all over the world.

Presentation Assignments

17.2 Making a Short Oral Presentation

As Your Instructor Directs,Make a short (three- to five-minute) presentation, withthree to eight Power Point slides, on one of the followingtopics:

a. Explain how what you've learned in classes, incampus activities, or at work will be useful to theemployer who hires you after graduation.

b. Profile someone who is successful in the field youhope to enter and explain what makes him or hersuccessful.

c. Describe a specific situation in an organization inwhich communication was handled well or badly.

d. Make a short presentation based on anotherproblem in this book.1.6 Introduce yourself to the class.3.10 Analyze your boss.3.11 Analyze your co-workers.7.5 Explain a "best practice" in your

organiza tion.7.12 Explain what a new hire in your unit needs to

know to be successful.8.10 Tell your boss about a problem in your unit.

c. Opener: You don't have to know anything aboutcomputer programming to get a job as a teclmicalwriter at CompuServe.Close: After talking to Raj, I decided technicalwriting isn't for me. But it is a good caree.t if youwork well under pressure and like learnil}g newthings all the time.

d. Opener: My report is about what it's like to workin an advertising agency. .Middle: They keep really tight security; I had towear a: badge and be escorted to Susan's desk.Close: Susan gave me samples of the agency's adsand even a sample of a new soft drink she'sdeveloping a campaign for. But she didn't let mekeep the badge.

9.15 Recommend a co-worker for a bonus or anaward.

10.6 Motivate employees in your unit to do theirbest work.

10.9 Ask for more resources for your unit.11.11 Make a sales presentation for a product or

service.13.18 Describe your choices in creating a brochure.18.2 Tell the class in detail about one of your

accomplishments.19.4 Explain one of the challenges (e.g., .,

technology, ethics, international competition)that the field you hope to enter is facing.

19.5 Profile a company you would like to work forand explain why you think it would be agood employer. '.

19.6 Share the results of an information interVIeW20.2 Share the advice of students currently on the

job market.. t rviewa!!20.3 Share what you learn when you 111 e

interviewer.20.4 Explain your interview strategy.

17.3 Making a Longer Oral Presentation

As Your Instructor Directs,Make a 5- to 12-minute presentation on one of the fol-lowing. Use visuals to make your talk effective.

a. Show why your unit is important to theorganization and either should be exempt fromdownsizing or should receive additional resources.

b. Persuade your supervisor to make a change thatwill benefit the organization.

c. Persuade your organization to make a change thatwill improve: the organization's image in thecommunity. -.:

d. Persuade classmates to donate time or money to acharitable organization. (Read Chapter 11.)

e. Persuade an employer that you are the best personfor the job.

f. Use another problem in this book as the basis foryour presentation.

3.12 Analyze an organization's culture.

17.4 Making a Group Oral Presentation

As Your Instructor Directs,Makea 5- to 12-minute presentation on one of the fol-lowing.Use visuals to make your talk effective.

1.5 Explain the role of communication in one ormore organizations.

12.6 Report on another country.

17.5 Evaluating Oral Presentations

Evaluate an oral presentation given by a classmate orgivenby a speaker on your campus. Use the followingcategories:

Strategy1.Choosing an effective kind of presentation for the

situation.2.Adapting ideas to audience's beliefs, experiences,

and interests.3. Using a strong opening and close.4. Using visual aids or other devices to involve

audience.

ContentS.Usingspecific, vivid supporting material and

language.6. ProVidingrebuttals to counterclaims or objections.

Organization7. ProVidingan overview of main points.8. Signposting main points in body of talk.

3.13 Analyze a discourse community.5.1 Describe the composing process(es) of a

writer you've interviewed.6.5 Evaluate the page design of one or more

documents~6.6 Evaluate the design of a Web page.7.8 Present a Web page you have designed.8.16 Analyze rejection letters students on your

campus have received.10.15 Persuade your campus to make a change.11.3 Analyze one or more sales or fund-raising

letters.12.4 Analyze international messages that your

workplace has created or received.14.15 Summarize:the results of a survey you have

conducted.15.10 Summarize the results of your research.

13.10 Recommend whether a mall should hire ethnicSantas.

13.18 Present brochures you have designed to theclass. .

13.19 Describe the listening strategies of workers youhave interviewed.

9. Providing adequate transitions between points andspeakers.

Delivery10. Making direct eye contact with audience.11. Using a conversational style.12. Using voice and gestures effectively.13. Using notes and visuals effectively.14. Handling questions effectively.

As Your Instructor Directs,a. Fill out a form indicating your evaluation in each of

the areas.b. Share your evaluation orally with the speaker ..c. Write a memo to the speaker evaluating the

presentation. Send a copy of your memo to yourinstructor.

17.6 Evaluating Team Presentations

Evaluate team presentations using the following ques-tions:

1. How thoroughly were all group membersinvolved?

2. Did members of the team introduce themselves oreach other?

3. Did team members seem interested in what theirteammates said?

4. How well was the material organized?5. How well did the material hold your interest?6. How clear did the material seem to you?

17.7 Evaluating the Way a Speaker Handles Questions

Listen to a speaker talking about a controversial subject.(Go to a talk on campus or in town, or watch a speakeron a TV show like Face the Nation or 60 Minutes.) Ob-serve the way he or she handles questions.

• About how many questions does the speakeranswer?

• What is the format for asking and answeringquestions?

• Are the answers clear? responsive to the question?something that could be quoted withoutembarrassing the speaker and the organization he orshe represents?

• How does the speaker handle hostile questions?Does the speaker avoid getting angry? Does thespeaker retain control of the meeting? How?

7. How effective were the visuals?8. How well did the team handle questions?9. What could be done to improve the presentation?

10. What were the strong points of the presentation?

.As Your Instructor Directs,a. Fill out a form indicating your evaluation in each of

the areas.b. Share your evaluation orally with the speaker.c. Write a memo to the speaker evaluating the

presentation. Send a copy of your memo to yourinstructor.

• If some questions were not answered well, what (ifanything) could the speaker have done to leave abetter impression?

• Did the answers leave the audience with a more orless positive impression of the speaker? Why?

As Your Instructor Directs,a. Share your evaluation with a small group of

students. .b. Present your evaluation formally to the class.c. Summarize your evaluation in a memo to your

instructor.