Chapter 11—Oral Presentation
TRUE/FALSE
1. For direct-plan presentations, you should make sure your main point is right up front.
2. When you plan an oral presentation, your first step is to analyze your audience.
3. The purpose of your oral presentation may be to inform, to persuade, to recommend, or to motivate.
4. For most business presentations, you should let the audience know up front what you expect of them.
5. If you aim to convince listeners that global warming is a reality, your purpose is to persuade.
6. Your opening should lead into the body of your presentation by previewing your content.
7. Your conclusion should summarize the main points of your presentation.
8. When new ideas are presented with humor, the audience is more likely to remember what you said.
9. It is okay to tell a “dumb blonde” joke if your presentation topic supports it.
10. A memorized speech helps you adapt to the audience and ensures that you don’t omit supporting
evidence.
11. Memorizing the first or last section of a presentation is often effective.
12. Reading your speech is not recommended because you must keep your eyes on the paper rather than
making eye contact with your audience.
13. You should prepare the audience for the upcoming joke so they will be ready for it.
14. You should type your notes in all capital letters for ease of reading during a presentation.
15. Just as you do when planning a report, brainstorm ideas for your presentation in sequential order to
organize your material.
16. The first 90 seconds of a presentation are critical, because the audience is looking for clues about you
and your topic in your posture, gestures, and voice qualities.
17. When choosing an organizational plan you must make sure the audience knows from the beginning
where you are going and are able to follow you easily through the presentation.
18. If the audience does not know you, you need a more creative opening than if you have addressed this
audience in the past.
19. If you are not an experienced speaker, you can gain credibility with your audience by beginning with
an honest, sincere apology.
20. Two effective ways to open an oral presentation are to present a hypothetical quote and to state a
startling fact.
21. You should define the scope of the topic during the opening so the audience does not ask unnecessary
questions.
22. When organizing a presentation using the direct sequence approach, you should state your reasons
directly before discussing your conclusions.
23. Presentations filled with an abundance of facts and figures help the audience absorb your points.
24. When you make a presentation, avoid mentioning information that is likely to weaken your argument.
25. An effective closing for a business presentation should summarize the main points, the conclusions,
and any recommendations.
26. You should use a little humor to lighten an especially serious presentation.
27. The best use of humor in a presentation is to show the audience that you can laugh at yourself.
28. All the members of a work-team presentation should be assigned equal responsibility for the project.
29. The first task that the leader of a work-team presentation should tackle is assigning roles and
responsibilities in preparation for developing the basic framework of the presentation.
30. Team presentations are common for communicating about complex projects.
31. To prepare for a team presentation, have each member practice individually and then report to the
group about suggested changes and improvements.
32. When you critique the performance of someone who is participating in your team‘s presentation, use
tact to maintain goodwill.
33. During a team presentation, each presenter should respond to questions as they arise, even if another
team member will be covering that information in a subsequent segment.
34. As the presenter, you will be perceived as the person in control.
35. Whenever possible, take advantage of the many template presentation designs available.
36. When presenters use visual aids, they are more likely to successfully persuade their audiences.
37. The visual aids developed by team members for a presentation should have diverse backgrounds, font
styles and sizes, and colors to enhance unison.
38. Slides are perfect for every presentation.
39. If you are an inexperienced speaker, you should plan for many visual aids so the audience focuses on
the aids, not on you.
40. If visuals are not done well, they may distract from the presentation.
41. Bulleted lists are effective for showing the sequence of items on a slide or transparency.
42. It is essential to provide your audience with a handout so that they may follow the presentation.
43. When you need the audience to focus on an especially important point in your oral presentation, step
in front of the projector to block the view for a moment.
44. When making a formal presentation, you should avoid using transparencies or handouts as visual aids.
45. A slide tracker shows the major divisions of your presentation and is repeated on all slides after the
agenda.
46. When choosing an appropriate design for your presentation, remember that visual appeal can affect
your credibility and the audience’s understanding.
47. Two advantages of printed handouts are that they help the audience to follow your presentation and
serve as a permanent record of key points.
48. When preparing handouts, you should help the audience remember your presentation by including a
miniature copy of every slide or transparency you used.
49. For important presentations practice at least three run-throughs.
50. If you plan to refer to handouts, you should distribute them immediately before beginning the
presentation.
51. When your handouts contain complex data or extensive information that the audience should read as
background before your presentation, distribute them as people enter the room prior to your speech.
52. For more traditional presentations, avoid slide after slide of bulleted text.
53. When presenting, use a conversational style and many contractions, but speak slightly slower than in
normal conversation.
54. Including video in a presentation is a good way to engage the audience, illustrate a point, and make an
emotional appeal.
55. More than half of your credibility as a presenter is based on body language, which is why you should
videotape yourself rehearsing and check your posture, expressions, and gestures.
56. Plan to rehearse important presentations in private at least three times so you can identify and correct
any problems before you face an audience.
57. When rehearsing a presentation, practice keeping both your volume and the rate at which you speak
steady.
58. As a speaker, you can emphasize important points with periodic pauses.
59. If you don’t feel comfortable making hand gestures during a presentation, grip the lectern lightly.
60. As a presenter, you should dress less formally than the average audience member.
61. When practicing the presentation use appropriate language, voice qualities, gestures, and good posture.
62. If your mind goes blank during a presentation, keep talking, even if you repeat some of the information
from earlier in your talk.
63. If you “talk with your hands” that is okay as long as it is presented as natural.
64. Memorizing the first few sentences of your presentation can boost your confidence when anxiety is
highest.
65. Before a presentation, focus on the main points that you want to make rather than using mental
imagery to visualize yourself giving your speech.
66. It is a good idea to record your practice session.
67. Unless your presentation is complex or informal, save any question-and-answer period until the end.
68. Practice the introduction, summary of key points, and conclusion the most.
69. If you anticipate that the audience will have many questions about your presentation, you should allow
extra time at the end so you can provide complete answers.
70. You should repeat each question from the audience before you answer it, to ensure that your listeners
hear both question and answer.
71. If no one asks a question during the question-and-answer period, you might want to break the ice by
discussing questions that other audiences have posed.
72. Immediately after every presentation, evaluate your performance so you can pinpoint what worked and
what didn’t work.
73. When critiquing your performance, concentrate only on how well you delivered the material during the
presentation, not on pre-presentation activities.
74. To avoid anxiety, practice, develop a positive attitude, and concentrate on friendly faces.
MULTIPLE CHOICE
75. Which statement about the degree of formality for a presentation is correct?
a.
Presentations for small groups should be more formal than presentations for large
audiences.
b.
Your presentation should be less formal when you expect the audience to include
individuals from other countries.
c.
When you anticipate repeating a presentation, you should make the presentation more
formal.
d.
Routine topics require a more formal presentation.
e.
Complex topics or proposals concerning critical issues require a more formal presentation.
76. Which of the following is not a typical purpose of most business presentations?
a.
explaining
b.
motivating
c.
reporting
d.
persuading
e.
enhancing
77. A publisher’s presentation to a group of authors to describe how the publishing process works has the
purpose of
a.
reporting.
b.
explaining.
c.
persuading.
d.
motivating.
e.
enhancing.
78. A presentation in which sales representatives receive up-to-date information on new products has the
purpose of
a.
reporting.
b.
explaining.
c.
lecturing.
d.
persuading.
e.
motivating.
79. Knowing your purpose enables you to ____ after you deliver your presentation.
a.
analyze your audience
b.
understand your audience’s motivations
c.
evaluate the quality of data
d.
review the quality of visual aids
e.
assess your effectiveness
80. When you plan an oral presentation, you should do all of the following except
a.
understand your audience’s needs and knowledge.
b.
define your purpose.
c.
decide on the timing.
d.
decide on the delivery method.
e.
simulate the actual presentation conditions.
81. Identify a psychological need that you should analyze when learning about the audience for an oral
presentation.
a.
age
b.
organizational status
c.
attitudes
d.
education
e.
demographics
82. Presentations to small groups
a.
require more of a “you” attitude than talks to larger groups.
b.
increase the presenter’s options for visual aids.
c.
require very emphatic gestures to oversell the key ideas.
d.
are delivered in a more formal tone than normal conversations.
e.
require time to understand any heterogeneous listeners.
83. If you believe your listeners are likely to be hostile to you or your message, your presentation will
have to
a.
include few examples to avoid overwhelming the audience.
b.
be more modest, downplaying your credentials.
c.
use language that is familiar to the majority of the audience.
d.
establish your credibility and possibly quote other experts.
e.
use complex terminology to demonstrate your mastery of the material.
84. Why should you meet with some members of your audience as you do your planning before making a
presentation?
a.
to evaluate the quality of the data they have provided
b.
to gather data supporting your main points
c.
to control the space and time allotted to your talk
d.
to oversell yourself and your idea
e.
to understand and be able to address their specific concerns
85. You may be extremely effective if you memorize the ____ of your presentation.
a.
first or last section
b.
body
c.
supporting details
d.
key phrases
e.
script
86. If you memorize your presentation for delivery, you may
a.
include too many details in the body of the speech.
b.
have greater flexibility than with other delivery methods.
c.
have your eyes on your speech rather than on the audience.
d.
sound mechanical and lack spontaneity.
e.
read from your notes to prompt your memory.
87. Which of the following is not an advantage of delivering a presentation by speaking from notes?
a.
You can compose the exact wording as you speak, so you sound more conversational.
b.
Your notes ensure that you cover the main topics.
c.
Referring to notes keeps you focused and organized.
d.
You will be able to cover every detail of a complex, technical, or controversial topic.
e.
You can adapt your talk based on nonverbal cues from the audience.
88. Which of the following is not a recommended guideline for preparing notes for a presentation?
a.
Number the pages or index cards.
b.
Use large letters on your note cards.
c.
Type the notes in all capital letters for easy reading.
d.
Write on only one side of the note card.
e.
Consider including notes about emphasis and pauses.
89. When planning the opening of your presentation, your aim is to do all of the following except
a.
capture audience interest.
b.
build rapport with your listeners.
c.
make a good first impression on the audience.
d.
introduce the topic.
e.
make excuses for your lack of time or preparation.
90. Which of the following is not an effective attention-getting opener for a business presentation?
a.
quoting a well-known individual
b.
building interest by not defining the scope of your remarks
c.
presenting a hypothetical situation to stimulate thought
d.
stating a startling fact or statistic
e.
discussing a personal experience related to the topic
91. Which opening sentence weakens your credibility as a speaker?
a.
Give us liberty, or give us death.
b.
During the next hour, 30 people will die in car crashes.
c.
How many people feel tied to their cell phones?
d.
I wish I had had more time to prepare for this presentation.
e.
Today, I’ll cover three ways to get the most from your paycheck.
92. Which organizational plan would be most effective for the body of a presentation discussing various
alternatives based on certain conditions or standards?
a.
criteria
b.
order of importance
c.
direct sequence
d.
chronology
e.
cause/effect/solution
93. A presentation that first mentions unsafe working conditions and how unsafe conditions contribute to
high employee turnover, followed by suggested remedies, follows the ____ organizational plan.
a.
criteria
b.
order of importance
c.
direct sequence
d.
chronological
e.
cause/effect/solution
94. Which of the following is not credible evidence that you can use to support a point in your
presentation?
a.
specific examples
b.
actual experiences
c.
facts and statistics
d.
emotional language
e.
quotations from experts
95. When you know that a proposal you are presenting has several negative aspects, you
a.
must address each point in great detail to avoid losing credibility.
b.
should disregard or discredit the negative points as you build your case.
c.
should mention important pros and cons and show that your proposal is still valid.
d.
can effectively weaken the argument against any unsupportive evidence.
e.
should wait to discuss these points if questions about them arise.
96. The ending of your presentation should
a.
summarize the main points you made.
b.
include a quotation from a famous person.
c.
refer to the lack of time for more supporting evidence.
d.
avoid conclusions and recommendations that could bias the audience.
e.
fade out slowly to leave your audience on a high note.
97. Which of the following is not a correct guideline for using humor in presentations?
a.
Avoid humor when covering very serious topics.
b.
Offensive language and singling out one ethnic group are never appropriate.
c.
“I heard a funny story the other day” is not an effective lead-in to humorous remarks.
d.
Avoid directing humor at yourself, which hurts your credibility as a speaker.
e.
Humor is most effective when it comes as a surprise to the audience.
98. The role of the team leader in a collaborative presentation is to
a.
manage planning and handle delivery for coherence purposes.
b.
have overall project responsibility and develop a cohesive strategy.
c.
assign roles early in the process to avoid running out of time.
d.
provide a presentation template for consistency in visual aids.
e.
ensure that all group members participate equally in all aspects of the presentation.