Ch 7 - Preparing and Delivering Presentations

preparation outline

- A full-sentence outline that is used during the planning stages to flesh out ideas, arrange main points, and to rehearse the speech; could be used as a script if presenting a manuscript style speech. - should include the general purpose, the topic, the specific purpose, and the main idea statements; NEXT, label the parts of speech introduction, body, conclusion-and start with a new set of Roman numerals in each of the three parts of the speech; develop a consistent pattern of symbolization for the main points and subpoints: 1.) main headings are designated with Roman numerals 2.) first-level subheads are indicated by capital letters 3.) the following subheads are Arabic numerals and lowercase letters in that order

source credibility

- Perceived competence and trustworthiness of a speaker or writer that affects how the message is received - speaker's expertise. trustworthiness, and dynamism

supporting materials

- The materials used to support a speaker's ideas. The three major kinds of supporting materials are examples, statistics, and testimony. - main ideas need examples, statistical support, and quotations from experts for clarity and proof

comparison

- a statement of the similarities among two or more people, events, ideas, etc. - look for comparisons that make the statistical information more meaningful

preview main ideas

- allows listeners to anticipate and listen to those main ideas - like connectives, previews provide a helpful mapping function for listeners - it is often useful to enumerate each point in the preview

Statistics

- are a collection of individual examples delivered as raw numbers or averages - the typical method of averaging raw numbers is by calculating the mean: the mathematical average of a list of figures - speakers should avoid confusing listeners with too much statistical information - if your speech includes many statics, use visual aids too make the data concrete - statics are more meaningful when combined with comparisons

interviews

- are face-to-face, telephone, or internet conversations with experts - in general, they should wait until the end of the research process so you have thorough knowledge of the topic prior to taking someone's time with an interview - avoid yes/no questions

transitions

- are full-sentence statements that are inserted in parentheses between the introduction and the body, between the body and the conclusion, and between all the main ideas in the body of the speech

connectives (conjunctions)

- are linguistic devices that link ideas - 5 kinds of connectives are common in business presentations - serve as maps; they let audiences know where they have been and where they are going

Topics

- business or professional topics are determined by superiors, the organization, or the expectations of the audience

justify the topic

- by informing the audience why the issue is important or revenant - explain how it affects their interests - direct appeal to the audience - make use of "us" and "we" pronouns - clarify the specific purpose; why are you speaking and what you want them to understand, believe, or do at the end of the speech

problem-solution structure

- defines a difficulty and suggests a remedy - extremely popular in proposal and sales presentations, the problem-solution structure can be employed in technical and risk communication - as with cause-effect structure, problem-solution structures should include two, and only two main ideas

cause-effect and Effect-cause Structures

- describes how one event leads to another - this structure is especially useful in technical presentations - some topics warrant placing the effect first and the cause second - a cause-effect structure should be limited to two main ideas, one dealing with the cause and the other coving the effect; if there are several causes or effects, theses should be grouped as subpoints under the main idea

topical structure

- dividing the subject into its logical parts - each topical category becomes a main point n the speech - a clear structure organizes information logically so the speaker can lead the audience to the desired conclusion

specific purpose statement

- focuses on the speech on the one aspect of the larger topic - does not specify what the speaker intends to say in the body of the speech, instead it states the audience outcome that the speaker desires - the specific purpose statement phrasing of the statements, each of which focuses on a single audience outcome for the presentation 1.) purpose statements should be used to formulate a clear, specific purpose statement 2.) purpose statements should be written as full infinitive sentences, not as phrases or questions 3.) limit your specific purpose statements to one district idea. 4.) should be worded so that they are sharp and precise.

chronological order

- follows a time pattern that moves from the earliest to the latest or from first to last - used in historical speeches that narrate events or process speeches that demonstrate how something is done

periodical indexes and there purpose

- help quickly identify articles. -tell you the who/what/where of published items -don't always have links to full-text -contain information from more journals than just ones owned by ISU -some contain more than just articles (books, audio files, etc.)

audience expectations about the occasion

- if the presentation is part of serious discussion of an agency's problems, a lighthearted informative presentation is clearly inappropriate

general purpose

- in professional settings is often determined for a speaker in advance everyone knows that sales presentations are persuasive and that corporate training seminars focus on instruction - two general purposes common to speaking in business and professional situations: 1.) to inform: - informative speeches teach, demonstrate, or instruct an audience on some topic or process 2.) to persuade: - persuasive speeches induce an audience to accept a belief or action. - some presentations include a bit of both, it is usually possible to settle on one overriding purpose - technical presentations are primarily informative - proposal presentations, sales presentations, and crisis presentations are largely persuasive - risk communication can be either informative or persuasive, depending on the situation.

Forecasting

- in which a speaker develops main ideas that they preview subpoints - is a valuable source of clarity for listeners a second form of connective

transitional phrases

- indicate the relationship between subpoints - some transitional phrases illustrate such relationships as comparison and contrast: in comparison, similarly, instead, in contrast, and nevertheless - other transitional phrases list things in sequence: first, second, after, before, during, and finally - physical description is another form of transitional phrase: above, below, on the left, on the right, and alongside

research

- involves collecting supporting material for the specific purpose and main idea statements - typical research tools for professional presentations are the library, the internet, and the interview

personal experience and interest

- involves gaining knowledge by being personally involved in an event, situation, or circumstance - it is difficult to create interest in an audience if you are bored by the topic or lack the necessary experience to address it - audience interests are also critical

testimony

- is a direct quotation or paraphrase of witnesses, experts, or other informed people - quotations can make ideas memorable or add credibility to your persuasive appeal - the use of quotations can add interest and impact to presentations - build your credibility by selecting testimony from sources your audience considers expert - briefly cite the source of your testimony so the audience can evaluate its strength - developing supporting material requires an understanding of basic research techniques

Main idea statement

- is a precise statement of the two to five main ideas in the speech body - often emerges only after extensive research on the subject - serves as a guide for outlining the body of the speech - with minor word changes, the main idea statement can be used as the preview of main ideas in the introduction - the main idea should be stated precisely in a declarative sentence, NOT a question!!!

Internet

- is a set of linked computer networks that began as a federally funded project to maintain military communication during a nuclear war - most common web browsers are: google chrome and Mozilla Firefox - popular search engines: google, Baidu, Bing, yahoo!, DuckDuckGo - advanced search tool for Yahoo!= the use of AND in your key phrase "xxxxx" AND "xxxxx" including the quotient marks to help narrow the search and avoid irrelevant results - advanced search tool for Yahoo!= the use of OR in your key phrase "xxxxx" OR "xxxxx" including the quotient marks to help narrow the search and avoid irrelevant results - using google scholar

delivery outline

- is an abbreviated version of the preparation outline - its brevity forces the speaker to select words an phrases on the spot, enabling a more spontaneous presentation than if the speaker read from the preparation outline

parallel order

- is an organizational device that should be used throughout the speech

gain attention

- it can be done by opening with a rhetorical question, one that does not require a verbal answer or one that requests a response from the audience - another way is a startling statement - a quotation can draw an audience into a speech; make the quotation short and directly relevant to the topic - stories are examples that almost always draw an audience into a speech; stories have a protagonists, antagonists, and a problem to be resolved; story may be hypothetical or real-but audience MUST be told if it is HYPOTHETICAL

computerized catalog

- library's computerized catalog can run book searches by the title, author, or subject - more advance systems at most libraries allow combined searches, such as subject and title search or a subject and author search - effective search is to develop a list of key terms or phrases from your specific purpose statement - periodical indexes and abstracts are paper or electronic databases that list and/or abstract (summarize) articles in popular and academic periodicals (searches for most professional speech topics should probably start at a general index such as "the Reader's Guide" (university=EBSCO; by checking the "Full text" box you limit your search to only those articles

parallel language

- means that you apply a consistent grammatical pattern across a sentence or paragraph - means that the same words or phrases are repeated in previews, main ideas, and subpoints

the conclusion

- puts the speech back together by tying the end back to the beginning. - 2 steps: reviews the main ideas in the body of the speech and ends with a capstone statement

capstone statement

- reinforces the specific purpose - by gaining attention previously mentioned - effective way is to tie back to the introduction - for persuasive presentation make an appeal to a belief or action

Conclusion

- reviews main ideas and emphasizes the specific purpose statement

Examples

- specific instances that illustrate a larger point - factual=meaning that the instance really happened -hypothetical=meaning that instance is a composite of real incidents or the speaker's guess about a future event

body

- the main section of a speech - main ideas reside in the speech body - try for 3 to 5 main ideas; these should be stated in full sentences rather than phrases or key words

Introduction

- the opening section of a speech - should gain attention, justify the topic, clarify the speaker's credibility, and preview the main points in the body of the speech

Audience Outcomes

- the outcome is related to the general purpose of the speech and may include understanding (if the general purpose is to inform) or belief or action (if the general purpose is to persuade) - the specific purpose statement phrasing of the statements, each of which focuses on a single audience outcome for the presentation

Audience Interest

- the relevance and importance of the topic to an audience; sometimes related to the uniqueness of the topic - is the audience interested in the subject? - at a minimum, can an interest be developed? - audiences are usually interested in novel, timely, or useful topics - if audience interest can't be generated, the topic should be reconsidered

review

- ties the speech together by summarizing the main ideas

Key Terms

- words about or relating to a research subject

Speaking Directions

- write important speaking directions in brightly colored ink - speaking directions include underlines for points that require emphasis, two (//) for important pauses, or words in the corner that correct common delivery errors such as going too slowly, too rapidly, or filling dead space with such vocalized pauses as um and ah

spacial structure

-follows a geographic or directional pattern when someone covers something from top to bottom or right to left - a speech to convince a sporting goods store to carry your company's tennis racket can be organized specially

Preparing a Presentation

1. know your audience analysis 2. Topic - select a topic 3. Purpose - develop a specific purpose statement 4. Main Purpose - develop a main idea statement 5. Supporting points - gather supporting material -research the topic 6. Sentence outline 7. Practice

5 patterns of structuring speech content

1.) chronological order 2.) spatial structure 3.) cause-effect and Effect-cause Structures 4.) problem-solution structure 5.) topical structure

rehearsal and delivery considerations

1.) few vocal and physical cues - volume and rate - presentations always need to be louder and slower than normal conversation - make sure you can pronounce all the words and terms in your presentations - changes in the their voice stress important points 2.) eye contact - direct, rather than over people's head - inclusive of the entire audience 3.) generally, speakers stand stand still, feet planted; weight evenly distributed; stand straight rather than sloughing or leaning 4.) delivery through practice - improve delivery, focus on rehearsal and attitude - MUST practice at least 12-15 times 4.) develop proper attitude toward the topic and the audience - be enthusiastic for your topic - have an intense desire to be understood by the audience - develop a concern for audience comprehension to understand idea

4 basic purposes introduction

1.) gain the audiences attention 2.) justify the importance of the topic to the particular audience 3.) build the speaker's credibility or authority on the subject 4.) preview the main points in the body of the speech

3 major parts of a speech

1.) introduction, 2.) body, 3.) conclusion

5 kinds of connectives are common in business presentations

1.) transitions 2.) forecasting 3.) parallel order 4.) parallel language 5.) transitional phrases