Business Communication Today, 12e (Bovee/Thill)
Chapter 16 Developing Oral and Online Presentations
1) Speeches and oral presentations are much like any other messages in that
A) they require similar planning.
B) they require no planning.
C) the interaction between the audience and speaker is similar.
D) they deal with emotional or personal issues to a similar extent.
2) If you need to design a venue for delivering a presentation to a large audience, ________ will
usually be the best seating arrangement.
A) café style seating
B) conference table seating
C) classroom or theater seating
D) horseshoe or “U” shaped seating
3) If the audience for your presentation will be interested in but neutral to what you have to say,
A) reward their goodwill by speaking in a relaxed, confident manner.
B) dismiss their concerns and persuade them that they are mistaken for feeling that way.
C) consider the indirect approach to find common ground and diffuse skepticism.
D) build your credibility as you present compelling reasons to accept your message.
4) When you’re speaking to an international audience, ________ will enhance the clarity of your
message.
A) keeping the message simple
B) supporting your message with slang and idioms
C) talking fast without pausing
D) avoiding the use of visual aids
5) You want to prepare a speaking outline for an upcoming presentation. Which one of the
following will help you get off to a good start?
A) Ignore your planning outline and chart a new course based on your personal idiosyncrasies.
B) Find your planning outline and remove anything you don’t plan to say directly to your
audience.
C) Keyboard your script onto your presentation slides so you can read each slide word-for-word.
D) Insert additional examples, details, and data into your original planning outline.
6) When you prepare a speech or presentation, your first step involves
A) analyzing the situation.
B) choosing the right words.
C) planning the content, length, and style of your speech or presentation.
D) doing all of the above.
7) The two most common purposes of business presentations are to
A) analyze and synthesize.
B) regulate and validate.
C) inform and persuade.
D) illustrate and entertain.
8) When you’re introducing a presentation, include a ________ to help your audience understand
the structure and content of your message.
A) catalogue of sources
B) preview section
C) bimodal transition
D) contextual pattern
9) One of the steps in analyzing your audience is to
A) determine whether your audience is comfortable listening to the language you speak.
B) remember to keep your speech or oral presentation short.
C) define your purpose.
D) prepare a detailed, informative outline.
10) Selecting the right medium for your presentation is
A) easy—you’re simply giving a speech.
B) an important decision since technology offers a number of choices.
C) only an issue when addressing audiences from other cultures.
D) not something you need to think about early on.
11) When organizing a speech or presentation, your first step is to
A) develop an outline.
B) define the main idea.
C) write the introduction.
D) decide on the delivery style.
12) The best way to clarify your main idea in a presentation is to
A) provide a lengthy handout for your audience to review during your presentation.
B) describe it using jargon and complicated language to emphasize its importance.
C) develop a single sentence that links your subject and purpose to your audience’s frame of
reference.
D) allow your audience to gradually figure it out on their own.
13) For business presentations, time constraints are usually
A) rigid, permitting little or no flexibility.
B) meaningless—audiences expect presenters to take a little more time than they’re allotted.
C) imposed only on lower-level employees.
D) not important if you are presenting to your colleagues.
14) When using conventional structured slides, try to average one slide for
A) each minute you speak.
B) every 3 minutes you speak.
C) every 7 minutes you speak.
D) every 10 minutes you speak.
15) In preparing presentations, keep in mind that audience attention levels and retention rates
drop sharply after ________ minutes.
A) 5
B) 20
C) 45
D) 60
16) If you have 10 minutes or less to deliver a presentation
A) speak as quickly as you possibly can.
B) limit yourself to four or five main points.
C) always use the indirect approach to organize your material.
D) organize your presentation like a brief written message.
17) Longer speeches and presentations are organized like
A) reports.
B) memos.
C) letters.
D) email messages.
18) When organizing a speech, use the indirect approach if your purpose is to ________ and the
audience is ________.
A) entertain; resistant
B) motivate; receptive
C) persuade; resistant
D) inform; receptive
19) When preparing an outline for your speech, keep in mind that
A) it can include delivery cues, such as where you plan to pause for emphasis or use visuals.
B) you should keep each item to two- to three-word descriptions of what you will say.
C) you can leave out all transitions.
D) this is not the place to include “stage directions.”
20) To reduce the formality of an oral presentation,
A) deliver your remarks in a conversational tone.
B) use a large room.
C) seat the audience in rows.
D) do all of the above.
21) Formal speeches differ from informal ones in that
A) formal speeches always include obscure, unfamiliar vocabulary.
B) formal speeches are always much longer.
C) formal speeches are often delivered from a stage or platform.
D) when delivering a formal speech, you should speak more rapidly.
22) An effective introduction to a presentation will accomplish all of the following except
A) arousing the audience’s interest in your topic.
B) establishing your credibility.
C) preparing the audience for the rest of the presentation.
D) telling the audience how to take action based on your recommendations.
23) One effective way to arouse interest at the start of a speech is to
A) always start things off with a joke.
B) unite the audience around a common goal.
C) tease the audience by not mentioning specifically what you’ll be talking about.
D) do none of the above.
24) ________ is not a primary function of the preview section in the introduction to a
presentation.
A) Identifying your main supporting points
B) Establishing your credibility as a speaker
C) Summarizing the main idea of your presentation
D) Revealing the order in which you’ll develop your main points
25) The sentence “Now that we’ve identified the problem, let’s take a look at some solutions” is
an example of
A) a problem statement for a presentation.
B) a transition between major sections of a presentation.
C) a statement of intent for a presentation.
D) a statement of the main idea for a presentation.
26) To hold your audience’s attention during the body of your speech
A) make at least seven or eight main points.
B) include numerous abstract ideas.
C) relate your subject to your audience’s needs.
D) do all of the above.
27) When you’re concluding a business presentation
A) bring up any information you forgot to include during the presentation.
B) briefly restate the main points of your presentation.
C) don’t let the audience know you’re ready to close the presentation.
D) rely on the audience to decide how they feel and what they’ll do about your presentation.
28) When you have covered all the main points in your speech
A) wrap up the presentation as quickly as possible.
B) get ready to to end your message on a strong, positive note.
C) avoid using such phrases as “To sum it all up” and “In conclusion.”
D) conclude with a detailed explanation of how hard you worked when preparing for your
speech.
29) If there is a lack of consensus among the audience at the end of your presentation, you
should
A) gloss over it as quickly as possible.
B) make the disagreement clear and be ready to suggest a method for resolving the differences.
C) identify the individuals causing the disagreement and ask them pointed questions.
D) do all of the above.
30) If the purpose of your presentation is to get your audience involved in an upcoming project,
you should
A) open the floor for questions, as soon as you’ve covered your main points.
B) make sure that your close is ambiguous.
C) close by explaining who’ll be involved and what they’ll do.
D) gloss over any difficulties that will be involved when completing the project.
31) You should always close your speech
A) on an encouraging and memorable note.
B) by leaving the audience with a feeling of incompleteness, which you can resolve in the
question-and-answer period.
C) with something dramatic or flamboyant.
D) by introducing some new ideas for the audience to think about.
32) Except for very short speeches, don’t try to memorize a presentation because
A) you might forget your lines.
B) you’ll probably sound stilted while your talking.
C) you won’t be able to respond to questions during your presentation.
D) all of the above.
33) Delivering your presentation by reading it word-for-word is usually a bad idea except when
A) your presentation is very lengthy.
B) you’re covering policy statements or legal documents that must be presented verbatim.
C) the presentation is humorous.
D) the audience is hostile.
34) The most effective and easiest mode of speech delivery in nearly all situations is
A) memorization.
B) reading from a prepared script.
C) speaking from an outline or notes.
D) impromptu speaking.
35) When speaking from notes, it is best to print them on
A) regular white typing paper.
B) heavy note cards.
C) brightly colored note cards.
D) your smartphone.
36) Rehearsing your presentation on video will
A) help you check your voice, timing, phrasing, and physical gestures.
B) increase your nervousness.
C) most likely ruin your ability to make an effective presentation.
D) rob you of the confidence you need.
37) When checking the location of your presentation in advance, you should
A) not worry about seating arrangements—they have no effect on how you deliver your remarks.
B) always request a whiteboard, even if you aren’t sure you will need it.
C) find out whether the venue offers a projection system that you will be expected to use.
D) do all of the above.
38) Which of the following is not a good way to deal with speaking anxiety?
A) Prepare more material than necessary.
B) Focus on being perfect.
C) Take a few deep breaths before speaking.
D) Have your first sentence memorized and on the tip of your tongue.
39) Answering questions at the end of a presentation gives you a chance to
A) obtain important information.
B) build enthusiasm for your point of view.
C) emphasize your main ideas and supporting points.
D) all of the above.
40) Best practices for the question-and-answer session after a presentation include
A) counting on being able to set ground rules for the session.
B) assuming that you’ll be able to handle questions without some preparation.
C) anticipating likely questions and thinking through your answers.
D) acknowledging that the question-and-answer session is relatively unimportant.
41) If you face hostile or difficult questions during a question-and-answer session
A) enlist the help of the audience to ridicule the questioner.
B) respond honestly and directly while keeping your cool.
C) stand your ground and answer the questions aggressively.
D) ignore anyone who asks such questions and change the subject.
42) The backchannel can present challenges for business presenters because
A) listeners can build support for your message.
B) audience members who disagree with you can have more leverage.
C) you can get feedback during and after the presentation.
D) supporters can spread your message to a larger audience in a matter of seconds.
43) The most important aspect of any presentation is
A) enveloping your message within a cloak of technology.
B) impressing the audience with your knowledge, skills, and abilities.
C) getting the audience to receive, understand, and embrace your message.
D) regarding your audience as passive recipients rather than trying to engage them.
44) In business presentations, the “backchannel” is
A) the “notes” portion of an electronic slide, which only the presenter can see.
B) subtle, nonverbal cues the presenter sends during the presentation.
C) electronic communication among audience members during the presentation.
D) password-protected electronic slides that only certain audience members are allowed to view.
45) Sending preview materials to the audience prior to an online presentation
A) will cause most audience members to ignore what you present later.
B) suggests that you are not confident.
C) can be helpful.
D) is an example of the backchannel in action.
46) Because you can adapt to your audience while you are speaking, don’t worry about analyzing
the audience for an oral presentation.
47) You will communicate more successfully with a multilingual audience if you speak slowly
and distinctly and pause frequently.