CHAPTER 12 Business Presentations Instructor Only Version 2010

CHAPTER 12 Business Presentations Instructor Only Version © 2010 Thomson South-Western

Getting Ready for an Oral Presentation Know your purpose. § What do you want your audience to believe, remember, or do when you finish? © STOCKBYTE / GETTY IMAGES § Aim all parts of your talk toward your purpose. Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8 e Chapter 12, Slide 3

Getting Ready for an Oral Presentation Organize the conclusion Identify your purpose Understand your audience Organize the body Organize the introduction Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8 e 8 e Chapter 12, 1, Slide 4

Getting Ready for an Oral Presentation Understand your audience. § Friendly, neutral, uninterested, hostile? © STOCKBYTE / GETTY IMAGES § 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, 8 e Chapter 12, Slide 5

Organizing Content Capture attention in the introduction. § Grab listeners’ attention and get them involved by opening with a promise, story, startling fact, question, quotation, relevant problem, self-effacing story, or some other tactic. § Identify yourself and establish your credibility. § Preview your main points. Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8 e Chapter 12, Slide 6

Succeeding With Four Audience Types § § Friendly Neutral Uninterested Hostile Click icon for more details. Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8 e Chapter 12, Slide 7

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, 8 e Chapter 12, Slide 8

Ten Techniques for Getting Your Audience’s Attention § 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, 8 e Chapter 12, Slide 9

Ten Techniques for Getting Your Audience’s Attention § 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, 8 e Chapter 12, Slide 10

Organizing Content Organize the body logically. § Develop two to four main points. Streamline your topic and summarize its principal parts. § Arrange the points logically by a 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, 8 e Chapter 12, Slide 11

Organizing Content Summarize in the conclusion. § Summarize your main themes. § Provide a final action-oriented focus that tells listeners how they can use this information or what you want them to do. § Include a statement that allows you to depart the podium gracefully and leaves a lasting impression. Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8 e Chapter 12, Slide 12

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/ contrast (pro/con) Journalism pattern Compare organic farming methods with those of modern industrial farming. Value/size Arrange a report describing fluctuations in housing costs by house value groups (houses that cost $100, 000, $200, 000, and so forth). Organize from most important to least important the reasons a company should move its headquarters to a specific city. Importance Explain how identity thieves ruin your good name by discussing who, what, when, where, why, and how. Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8 e Chapter 12, Slide 14

Pattern Problem/ solution Simple/ complex Best case/ worst case Example Discuss a problem followed by possible solutions. Organize a report explaining genetic modification of plants by discussing simple seed production progressing to complex gene introduction. Analyze whether two companies 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, 8 e Chapter 12, Slide 15

Supporting Your Main Points* Type Use Comments Example Illustrate Introduce in groups of two or three. Clarify Add interest Consider preceding or following with relevant story. Story Prove point Illustrate Adapt to audience. Must support thesis. Control length. *Supplementary lecture. Not included in textbook. Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8 e 8 e Chapter 12, 1, Slide 16

Type Quotation Use Comments Prove point Add credibility Add interest Cite source. Paraphrase or read verbatim. 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, 8 e 8 e Chapter 12, 1, Slide 17

Building Rapport Like a Pro Analogies Worst- and best-case scenarios Metaphors Building Audience Rapport with Effective Imagery Personalized statistics Similes Personal anecdotes Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8 e Chapter 12, Slide 18

Building Rapport Like a Pro Effective Imagery § 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, 8 e Chapter 12, Slide 19

Building Rapport Like a Pro Effective Imagery § 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, 8 e Chapter 12, Slide 20

Building Rapport Like a Pro Other Ways to Connect With Your Audience § Personal anecdotes § Personalized statistics § Worst- and best-case scenarios Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8 e Chapter 12, Slide 21

Using Verbal Signposts to Transition Previewing Now let's look at three reasons for. . . My next major point focuses on. . . Summarizing Switching Directions As you can see, we have two primary reasons explaining. . . Let me review the two major factors I've just covered. . . Up to this point, I've concentrated on. . . ; now let's look at another significant factor. . . I've just discussed three reasons for X. Now I want to move on to Y. Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8 e Chapter 12, Slide 22

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 expressions. Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8 e Chapter 12, Slide 23

Multimedia slides Objects for demonstration Transparencies Enhancing Your Presentation With Visual Aids Video Handouts Flipcharts or whiteboards Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8 e 8 e Chapter 12, 1, Slide 24

Characteristics of Visual Aids Pros § Professional effect § Graphic options § Easy to make and update § Easy to prepare, update, and use § Readily available equipment Medium Multimedia slides Transparencies Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8 e Cons § Requires costly equipment and practice to use § Equipment may fail § May seem outdated § Holds speaker close to projector § Poor photo reproduction Chapter 12, Slide 25

Characteristics of Visual Aids Pros § Encourages audience participation § Enhances recall § Inexpensive § Easy to create, modify, or customize on the spot Medium Handouts Flipcharts or whiteboards Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8 e Cons § Risks unauthorized duplication and loss of audience control § Requires talent § Difficult to see § Cumbersome to transport Chapter 12, Slide 26

Characteristics of Visual Aids Pros § Accurate portrayal of content § Suggests serious preparation § Realistic effects § Increases audience participation Medium Video Props Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8 e Cons § Expensive to create and update § Incompatibility issues § Extra work and expensive to transport and replace § Limited use with large audience Chapter 12, Slide 27

Preparing a Visually Appealing Power. Point Presentation Analyze the situation and purpose. § Live presentation? § Self-running presentation? § Saved on server for anytime viewing? Analyze the situation and purpose. § Bold colors? Animation? § Sound effects? Bells and whistles? Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8 e Chapter 12, Slide 28

Preparing a Visually Appealing Power. Point Presentation Adapt your text and color selections. § 6 -x-6 rule: Maximum of six bullets per screen, six words per bullet § Combine harmonious colors, borders, bullet styles, and fonts. § Use light text on dark background for darkened rooms. § Use dark text on light background for lighted rooms. Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8 e Chapter 12, Slide 29

Preparing a Visually Appealing Power. Point Presentation Organize your slides. § Translate major headings into slide titles. § Use blueprint slides strategically. § Build bullet points with short phrases. Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8 e Chapter 12, Slide 30

Preparing a Visually Appealing Power. Point Presentation Compose your slideshow. § Create a template to serve as background. § Avoid visual clichés; find a fresh template that complements your purpose. § Choose layout and design options. Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8 e Chapter 12, Slide 31

Preparing a Visually Appealing Power. Point Presentation Compose your slideshow. § Alter layouts by repositioning, resizing, or changing fonts. § Consider adding variety and pizzazz but don’t overdo it. § Numeric information is easier to understand when shown in graphs and charts. Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8 e Chapter 12, Slide 32

Preparing a Visually Appealing Power. Point Presentation Compose your slideshow. § Create a slide only if it • helps audience follow your ideas • highlights points you want audience to remember • introduces or reviews key points • provides a transition between points • illustrates and simplifies complex ideas. Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8 e Chapter 12, Slide 33

Preparing a Visually Appealing Power. Point Presentation Revise, proofread, and evaluate your slideshow. § Use Power. Point’s Slide Sorter View to § § rearrange, insert, and delete slides. Edit wording to achieve parallel form. Strive for conciseness and precision. Check for spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Are color choices visually appealing? Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8 e Chapter 12, Slide 34

Preparing a Visually Appealing Power. Point Presentation Use Power. Point effectively. § Allow plenty of time to set up and test equipment. § Always bring backups. § Consider transferring your presentation to a CD or a USB flash drive. § Look at the audience, not the screen. § Do not read from a slide. Paraphrase. Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8 e Chapter 12, Slide 35

Preparing a Visually Appealing Power. Point Presentation Use Power. Point effectively. § 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. Remember that the audience came to see and hear you. Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8 e Chapter 12, Slide 36

Polishing Your Delivery and Following Up Delivery Method § If you are using a slideshow, practice thoroughly so that you can speak extemporaneously without notes. § If you are speaking without a slideshow, use notes but try to talk to the audience conversationally. § Beware of reading from a script: BORING! Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8 e Chapter 12, Slide 37

Stage Fright Symptoms § Stomach butterflies § Pounding heart § Shortage of breath § Sweaty palms Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8 e § § § Dry throat Unsteady voice Trembling hands Tied tongue Wobbly knees Chapter 12, Slide 38

Combating 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, 8 e Chapter 12, Slide 39

Combating Stage Fright § Shift the focus from yourself to your visual aids. § Ignore stumbles; keep going. § Don't admit you're nervous. § Feel proud when you finish. § Reward yourself. Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8 e Chapter 12, Slide 40

Putting It All Together Before your presentation During your presentation Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8 e After your presentation Chapter 12, Slide 41

Putting It All Together Before § § § § During After Prepare thoroughly. Rehearse repeatedly. Time yourself. Dress professionally. Check the room. Greet members of the audience. Practice stress reduction. Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8 e Chapter 12, Slide 42

Putting It All Together Before During After § Begin with a pause. § Present your first sentence from memory. § Maintain eye contact. § Control your voice and vocabulary. § Skip the apologies. § Incorporate pauses when appropriate Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8 e Chapter 12, Slide 43

Putting It All Together Before § § § During After Show enthusiasm. Put the brakes on. Move naturally. Use visual aids effectively. Avoid digression. Summarize your main points. Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8 e Chapter 12, Slide 44

Putting It All Together 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, 8 e Chapter 12, Slide 45

END Instructor Only Version © 2010 Thomson South-Western