Choose your main point, the kind of presentation,
and ways to involve the audience.
Oral presentations must be simpler
than written messages because audiences for oral presentations are unlikely to
be able to absorb as much information as audiences for a written document. And unless the presentation is recorded,
they have no way of reviewing it later if they have questions.
Therefore, the key to
planning a presentation is to simplify.
Keep the supporting details simple, the language simple, and the
visuals simple. Beyond simplifying,
though, speakers must carefully plan the presentation they intend to give.
Planning a presentation
involves several steps:
·
Your
main point.
·
The
kind of presentation.
·
Ways
to involve the audience.
Speakers obviously must
understand what overall point they wish to make prior to making it. They must make that point clear to the audience—as
simply as possible.
There are three basic kinds
of presentations:
·
Monologue
Presentations
·
Guided
Discussions
·
Sales
Presentations
Monologue presentations are
what students typically learn in high school and some college public speaking courses. As the name suggests, the speaker speaks
without interruption to an audience, who may ask questions after the
presentation is over. Guided
discussions are similar to classroom discussions, in that the speaker acts as a
facilitator, interacting with the audience.
Sales presentations are what many people envision when they think of
business presentations—opportunities to discuss an idea or proposal before a
group of people, usually in a formal but still conversational format.
Speakers should follow these guidelines when using
visuals:
·
Make
only one point per visual.
·
Give
each visual a title.
·
Limit
the amount of information on each visual—35 words or less.
·
Don’t
put your visual up until you’re ready to talk about it.
Where possible, speakers should try to involve their
audience in the presentation. Keeping
strong eye contact, speaking clearly, and using appropriate props—such as
product samples or models—when speaking can help.
Brainstorm several possibilities.
The following four modes can
help.
The beginning and end of presentations are positions
of emphasis—therefore, speakers should plan on creating strong openers and
closes. Like written documents, there are
many ways to create strong openers and closes.
Kitty and Steve have chosen four that seem to work well:
·
Startling
Statement
·
Narration
or Anecdote
·
Question
·
Quotation
Speakers can use an overview
of the main points immediately after the opener to further strengthen their
presentations.
Four methods for a strong close:
·
Restate
your main point.
·
Refer
to your opener to create a frame for your presentation.
·
End
with a vivid, positive picture.
·
Tell
the audience exactly what to do to solve the problem you've discussed.
How
should I organize a presentation?
Start with the main
point. Often, one of five standard
patterns will work.
Five basic patterns for organizing a presentation:
·
Chronological
·
Problem-Causes-Solution
·
Excluding
Alternatives
·
Pro-Con
·
1-2-3
Turn your fear into energy,
look at the audiences, and use natural gestures.
Sometimes students are taught in public speaking
classes to behave unnaturally in front of audiences. They may be told to stand stiffly behind a lectern, rely heavily
on note cards, and minimize natural gestures or movements. While speakers must maintain professionalism
in front of their audiences, a more comfortable and natural approach to
speaking usually is better in business situations.
What is professionalism in business speaking? Professionalism means being prepared,
communicating effectively, using time well, and making audience members feel
that the speaker is talking to them.
Speakers can still use note cards but should rely on them minimally,
if at all. Gestures are OK if they’re
part of the speaker’s natural style and not distracting.
The more unnatural the presentation, the less
effective speakers are likely to be with business audiences. But being natural in front of an audience,
particularly one composed of strangers, is no easy task. To do so means to learn behaviors that make
a speaker effective, while capitalizing on one’s own natural strengths.
Effective speakers learn to successfully
·
Transform
fear.
·
Use
eye contact.
·
Stand
and gesture.
·
Use
notes and visuals.
·
Anticipate
questions.
Anticipate questions that
might be asked. Be honest. Rephrase biased or hostile questions.
Speakers should always anticipate questions from
their audiences and build time into their presentations to answer
questions. Before a presentation, the
speaker should brainstorm as many questions as possible—as well as the
requisite answers.
Sometimes speakers believe they should have an
answer for every question, even if the answer’s not accurate or even
truthful. Remind students they should
never “make up” the answer to a question—not only is it unethical, but there’s
a good chance someone in the audience will know they’re being untruthful. A good response when a speaker doesn’t know
the answer to a question is “I don’t know the answer to your question, but I’d
be glad to find out and let you know.”
After the question session
is over, speakers should briefly summarize their main point before concluding
their presentation. They can also thank
the audience for attending.
In the best presentations,
voices take turns within each point.
As with individual oral presentations, planning is
the key to giving successful group presentations. Group members should decide on how to organize their
presentation, as well as how it will open and close.
Speakers can take turns or integrate their
individual efforts into a more holistic approach.