Ch. 12 Delivering Business Presentations and Speeches

True or false: PowerPoint remains the only reliable option for presentation software.

False

Which sentence applies to informative presentations?

A lengthy introduction is usually unnecessary because the topic of the talk is known.

Of the following, what is the best choice regarding the type on your slides?

Use 32-point type for headings and 24-point type for text.

The colors in the Hot Wings logo are red, black, and yellow, so of the following, the best design for your slides would be

black type on a pale yellow background, with the Hot Wings logo in one of the corners.

Grammatical errors in a presentation affect listeners' impression of your ______.

competence

Storyboards are especially useful for planning presentations that ______.

incorporate visuals, sound, and action

Of the following, the best option for opening your talk would be to

introduce yourself and describe the purpose of your talk.

Storyboards are most useful for presentations that are ______.

long and complex

When presenting, your posture should make you appear ______.

poised and alert

Of the following, the best way to end the presentation's introduction would be to

preview the topics you will cover in your report, the last of which will be your recommendations.

A hybrid presentation can be used if ______.

the situation calls for more than one purpose

In order to meet audience expectations for an introduction, inexperienced speakers should consider ______.

writing the introduction word for word

Graphics have become more common in presentations because ______.

audiences have become more visually oriented

Marcus has just finished giving a presentation about a new corporate ethics policy. During the question-and-answer session, an audience member begins to talk about an ethical dilemma that came up at her child's school. What should Marcus do?

Use body language to communicate that it is time to move on

What are you doing when you say short, meaningless words during pauses in a presentation?

Using fillers

Quiz

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Which of the following is associated with informative oral presentations?

An indirect structure

Which of the following is a guideline for walking during a presentation?

Avoid walking away from the microphone.

What is the first step in preparing for a webinar?

Choosing the technology

What is the best way to deal with people who arrive early for an online presentation?

Create related content for them to read or watch until your presentation begins.

Which of the following is considered the most communicative physical movement?

Facial expressions

True or false: The need for oral communication skills has decreased as the use of email, blogs, and social networking tools has increased.

False

True or false: When including a concluding summary in a group presentation, each member of the team should summarize his or her part of the presentation.

False

Which of the following is an effect of speaking as though you are relaxed and assured?

Feeling relaxed and assured

You recently reviewed some videos of yourself making presentations, and you noticed that you often pause and use words such as um, uh, and like. What are these words called when you use them in this manner?

Fillers

Which of the following should be avoided when giving a presentation?

Flashy jewelry

The key questions on your survey asked the respondents to indicate which features of Hot Wings were most important to them and how likely different promotions would be to bring them in on non-sale nights. Of the following options, which would be the best way to present the answers to these questions?

For each question, display a graph showing the breakdown of the responses.

Which of the following is primary when giving an informative presentation?

Giving audience members information they need

Which of the following is common during training presentations?

Giving participants a chance to practice

Why is it important to plan your use of graphics when presenting?

Graphics play a role in the retention of information.

When you use presentation software, what do you primarily use to create a balanced layout?

Grids

Which kind of presentation is best if you have multiple purposes for your talk?

Hybrid

Of the following, what is the best wording for your title?

Increasing Sales at Hot Wings on Non-sale Nights

Which of the following statements about collaborative presentations is true?

It is important to coordinate physical aspects of the presentation.

Which of the following is an important factor in the control of BOTH the physical and online communication environments?

Keeping extraneous noise to a minimum

What is one possible reason why oral reports are more likely to be delivered indirectly than written reports?

Listeners expect an oral report to be like a story.

Why is an oral presentation likely to have a longer conclusion than a written report?

Listeners need help in tying together what they have learned.

Which of the following is a guideline that helps avoid a common slide-design pitfall?

Make use of your slides to represent content visually.

Which of the following is most important when concluding a presentation?

Offering a clear summary

In which of the following are participants most likely to expect two-way communication?

Online presentations

What should you do to prepare your communication environment when giving a virtual presentation?

Test the lighting and backdrop to see how you'll look on camera

At the meeting, your boss will briefly introduce you and your topic, and then you will speak. Of the following, what is the best option for opening your talk?

Thank the audience for having you and then start explaining why and how you did the study.

Which of the following statements about oral communication in business is true?

The presentation is a heavily used form of oral communication in business.

You work at Hot Wings, a restaurant that specializes in spicy chicken wings, to help pay your way through school. Your marketing course required that each student conduct a study to increase sales at a local establishment of their choice, so you chose your own place of employment for your study. In consultation with your boss, the manager of the campus Hot Wings, you decided to explore which marketing strategies might bring more business to the restaurant on non-sale weeknights. You performed three kinds of research. First, you studied the marketing literature to see what comparable restaurants have done to increase sales. Then you designed an online survey, which you sent to the students in all your business classes (a total of 210 students). Finally, you approached customers on a sale night at your Hot Wings restaurant to ask them what might bring them in on a non-sale night (a total of 34 respondents). You delivered your findings and recommendations to your boss in a written report. He loved it so much that he wants you to come to the next regional managers' meeting, which will be held in your city, and present your report to the other managers. Their restaurants aren't near campus, but they tend to serve a largely young-adult clientele, so your findings could be quite useful to them. A computer and projector will be available, so you decide to create slides to support your talk. Use the chapter's advice about preparing an oral report and designing effective presentation visuals to make additional decisions.

The opportunity to present your work to your bosses or clients is an opportunity not to be squandered! Not only can your presentation make a difference to the business, but it can also yield professional benefits for you if you do it well. This activity will enable you to practice preparing such a presentation. You will need to apply what the chapter says about -Planning an oral report -Designing effective visuals to support your talk -Projecting appealing personal traits -Interacting with your audience

For the past six months, you've been training as a communications consultant for Renner Communications, a firm that advises companies on how to improve their communication practices. As part of your training, you've been helping your boss, Jack Thomas, conduct a study of internal communication at FireUp, Inc., a company that manufactures and sells its own line of stoves, fireplaces, and accessories. The study consisted of surveying FireUp's 100 U.S. employees, who work in all areas of the company (e.g., design, production, sales, customer service), as well as its 25 offshore employees, who manufacture most of FireUp's lightweight products. You asked both groups how well informed they felt they were on a variety of work-related topics, and you also asked how satisfied they were with the information they were contributing. Today you and Jack analyzed the results of the survey and developed appropriate recommendations for improving FireUp's internal communication. Jack then informed you that you'll be preparing not only a written report but also an oral presentation to deliver to the top FireUp executives. You're excited about the presentation, but a bit scared. This is your first major assignment as a Renner employee, so the professional stakes are high. But an additional challenge is that you have to convey some negative news in a tactful way. The U.S. employees felt fairly well informed on most topics, but the offshore employees felt that they were really out of the loop. They indicated that they felt poorly informed about company operations, employee benefits, opportunities for advancement—in fact, almost every work-related topic. They also felt that they had little opportunity to share their ideas or voice their concerns. You'll need to use good judgment when designing your presentation slides and planning your talk.

This activity will enable you to practice making good decisions when planning a business presentation. You will need to apply what the chapter says about -Planning an oral report, including determining your purpose, choosing a structure, and planning the interaction with the audience -Choosing the delivery method -Projecting appealing personal traits -Designing appropriate, readable visuals and integrating them into your talk

Which presentation format has become increasingly popular in recent years?

Webinars

Which question will best help you plan your strategy for a persuasive presentation?

What evidence will convince the audience?

When is a quick-reference sheet an appropriate handout?

When information can be easily distilled

In which of the following scenarios should you hand out copies of your presentation at the end of your talk?

When you want to make use of the element of surprise in your speech

Which of the following is a guideline for preparing an extemporaneous presentation?

Write an outline and rehearse your presentation.

Which of the following describes appropriate posture for a presentation?

You should appear comfortable but not limp.

Which of the following is most important to consider when asked to choose a topic for a speech?

Your knowledge and experiences

Which of the following is most likely to involve an uninterrupted presentation by the speaker?

ceremonial talk

Oral reports are more likely than written reports to be ______.

delivered indirectly

When considering your personal appearance for your presentation, avoid anything that could ______.

distract your audience

Unlike informative presentations, persuasive presentations require ______.

strategy

When citing a book on a presentation slide, use ______.

the author's name and the book's title

As you begin to prepare a presentation, one of your first decisions should be ______.

what kind of presentation to make

As you develop an informative presentation, it is important to find out what your audience knows and ______.

what they want to learn from you

Projecting confidence when projecting is closely tied to ______.

credibility

Audiences of ceremonial speeches are most likely to appreciate

entertainment.

Considering the occasion of your speech is most helpful in determining its content and ______.

formality

When walking to the place where you speak, you should be sure to ______.

project confidence

Acting bored by your topic can threaten listeners' impression of your ______.

sincerity

A presentation's structure can often be determined by its ______.

topic and purpose

Which of the following are frequent mistakes people make when they design slides?

-Making slide contents too small -Using unreadable color combinations -Putting too much on a slide

Which of the following elements can be used in presentation software to enable quick comprehension of how the elements on each slide go together? (Choose every correct answer.)

-Proximity -Alignment -Repetition -Contrast

What are characteristics of webinars, or live Web presentations? (Choose every correct answer.)

-They can reach small audiences. -They eliminate travel expenses for speakers. -They eliminate travel expenses for participants.

The type of web presentation that is most like an in-person presentation is a ______.

webinar

Which of the following is recommended for citing sources within a presentation?

An abbreviated form

Match each type of web presentation on the left with its description on the right. 1. Webcast 2. Web meeting 3. Webinar

1. Live video with no audience participation 2. An online get-together 3. Most synonymous with the term presentation and allows audience participation

Which of the following is a good alternative to reading directly from presentation slides?

Alluding to key points and offering commentary

Ladonna is giving a training presentation about conflict resolution in the workplace. A member of the audience who has experience on the topic interrupts repeatedly to demonstrate his expertise. What should Ladonna do?

Let him speak briefly, then offer to talk to him more after the presentation

Which of the following can help you project sincerity?

Showing that you care about the topic

What is the central purpose of visuals in a presentation?

To help you communicate content

Because audiences expect speakers to be knowledgeable, it is important to ______.

anticipate audience questions

Facial expressions are an important way of showing your audience that you ______.

are interested in them

One question on your survey asked how employees felt about 12 different communication topics. When printed, the bar graph comparing the answers of the U.S. and offshore teams to this question takes up a full 8 1/2 by 11-inch page. To present this information during your talk, your best option would be to

break up the graph into two or three smaller graphs to put on your slides and refer to the comprehensive graph in the written report.

When planning the body of the report, you consider describing the research method for the study before presenting the findings. Of the following, the best option for discussing how you conducted the survey would be to

briefly describe how and when you distributed it, the topics it covered, and the response rate.

Google Slides is a good software choice for presenters who want to ______.

collaborate with others

Extemporaneous presentations are valued for their ______.

conversational feel

After roughing out the structure of a presentation, the next step is to ______.

gather information

Business guide publisher Bob Adams described defining a presentation as ______.

half the battle

Of the following choices, the best plan for delivering your talk would be to

have your comments well prepared but be ready to alter your delivery based on audience feedback.

Audiences for most presentations will expect presenters to begin by ______.

making a personal connection

The most difficult type of speech to deliver is a(n) ______ presentation.

memorized

One risk of giving a memorized presentation is that you ______.

might forget part of the speech