978-0073403267 Chapter 20 Key Lecture Points, Teaching Tips, and In-Class Exercises

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Module 20 – Making Oral Presentations

Module 20

Making Oral Presentations

LO 20-1 Apply strategies for good presentation plans.

LO 20-2 Apply strategies for strong openers and closes.

LO 20-3 Apply strategies for best vocal delivery.

LO 20-4 Apply strategies for good presentation organization.

LO 20-5 Apply strategies for effective presentation delivery.

LO 20-6 Explain techniques for audience question responses.

LO 20-7 List guidelines for group presentations.

Module Overview

As Module 20 explains, oral presentations are common in the workplace, and learning to

comfortably speak in front of an audience is a valuable skill—whether at a sales meeting, while

giving a speech, or when leading a group of visitors on a tour. Yet, many people will admit that

they feel uncomfortable speaking in front of people, especially strangers. Some will let their fear

of speaking in public keep them from succeeding as speakers or advancing in their careers.

 Teaching Tip: Use the techniques in this module in your own classroom

presentations. Where possible, bring working professionals who are good public

speakers into your class and have them present to your students on relevant business

topics. Alternatively, use video presentations (provided you have permission, of

course).

Tell your students the good news is that public speaking is a learned skill. Even accomplished

speakers had to begin somewhere. The key is to know and practice the skills that make a person

an effective speaker. While some people may seem to have a natural talent while giving an oral

presentation, anyone can learn to give oral presentations.

 Teaching Tip: Share with students some of your own challenges and successes while

learning to be an effective public speaker.

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Module 20 – Making Oral Presentations

In-Class Exercise: Some cultures may seem to negatively reinforce public speaking

in young people. For instance, American high schoolers sometimes ridicule

assembly speakers or shun the student who frequently answers teacher questions in

class. Ask students to share for 10-15 minutes experiences they may have had or

witnessed where public speaking was negatively reinforced. What were these

experiences? When did they occur? What specifically did people do? After

students have shared negative experiences, ask them to think about positive ones.

When were they rewarded for public speaking? What did they learn about

themselves afterward? Did their positive experiences lead to others? Many students

may be surprised to learn that despite their negative perception of public speaking,

they’ve actually had many—perhaps significantly more—positive experiences, too.

Oral presentations have the same three basic purposes as written messages: to inform, to

persuade, and to build goodwill. Like written messages, most oral presentations serve more than

one purpose.

As PP 20-4 shows, oral presentations can:

Inform

Persuade

Build goodwill

 Teaching Tip: Unit 2 covers strategies for building goodwill. For more information

on informative messages, students should read or review Module 10. For

information on persuasion, students should review Module 12.

What’s in This Supplement

This supplement is organized around the major questions posed in Module 20. It covers

Part 1: Key Lecture Points, Teaching Tips, and In–Class Exercises Page 325

Part 2: Answers to Textbook Assignments Page 338

Part 3: Appendix of Handout/Transparency Master Page 339

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Module 20 – Making Oral Presentations

PowerPoint presentations can be found at our Web page at www.mhhe.com/bcs6e.

Questions (with answers) suitable for quizzes are in the Instructor’s Test Bank. For student

practice quizzes with answers, see our Web page.

Part 1: Key Lecture Points, Teaching Tips, and In-Class Exercises

What decisions do I need to make as I plan a presentation? LO 20-1

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.

Teaching Tip: Ask students if it’s OK to use jargon with audiences that understand

it. Does jargon simplify things for audiences that understand it? When would using

jargon be a bad idea? What might be strategies to use jargon if audiences include a

mix of people familiar and unfamiliar with it?

Planning a presentation involves several steps, as indicated on PP 20-6:

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.

As PP 20-7 and PP 20–8 also show, there are three basic kinds of

presentations:

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Module 20 – Making Oral 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.

In-Class Exercise: Ask students to share for 10-15 minutes what they believe are the

strengths and weaknesses of each type of presentation. Which would be appropriate

for which business situations, such as introducing a new product, teaching staff a

new skill, appealing to local government leaders for a change in zoning, or

presenting awards to employees? Which would work better for large audiences?

Smaller audiences? Which give the speaker the best opportunity to inform?

Persuade? Build goodwill?

In-Class Exercise: Have students write a 1- to 2-page memo describing the most

effective public speaker they’ve seen. What made that person’s approach effective?

Use of visuals? What was it about the person’s behavior—use of eye contact, tone

of voice, use of gestures, and so forth—that worked? What can the student learn

from that individual about making an oral presentation?

Ways to involve the audience include using visual aids, such as transparencies, PowerPoint

slides, and video or multimedia.

 Teaching Tip: Have students read or review the principles on designing slides and

screens in Module 5. If you are in a computer-equipped classroom, build time into

your class for students to learn PowerPoint or similar presentation programs. Have

students test their slides out on each other.

As PP 20-9 also shows, 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.

Use animation schemes to control how the information is

displayed.

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Module 20 – Making Oral Presentations

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.

 Teaching Tip: Use the videotape on making oral presentations that came with your

text to help students experience some of the techniques in practice. If you did not

receive a video, contact your local Irwin McGraw-Hill representative or go to the

web site at w ww.mhhe.com/bcs6e.

In-Class Exercise: Have students review and practice the principles in this module’s

Building a Critical Skill box (p. 333). If possible, have students practice using

your college’s video facilities or speech lab.

How can I create a strong opener and close? LO 20-2

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, as

illustrated on PP 20-11:

Startling Statement

 Teaching Tip: What qualifies as a startling statement for one group of people may

not for another. Ask students how they believe audience affects a person’s choice of

what are and what aren’t appropriate startling statements. How can speakers know

ahead of time? Are some statements that are startling nonetheless inappropriate for

any audience?

Narration or Anecdote

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Module 20 – Making Oral Presentations

In-Class Exercise: Good stories rely on such factors as detail, description,

characters, action, and plot. Help your students to understand what works by

reminding them of these storytelling elements (most of which they likely would have

learned in their composition courses). Go around the room and let students share for

10-15 minutes what they believe are good anecdotes. Ask students which they

believe could be appropriate for a speech to businesspeople.

Question

 Teaching Tip: Ask students if there are any questions the speaker should not ask the

audience. Why? What about asking more than one question?

Quotation

 Teaching Tip: Ask students what the ethics are of using a quote out of context. For

instance, the famous line “To be or not to be . . .” begins Hamlet’s soliloquy on

suicide. Yet, taken out of context, the quote could be used to mean any number of

things—e.g., what will happen will happen. When using quotes, what responsibility

do speakers have to stay true to the meaning of the original text? Should they? Can

speakers use the quote to mean something different if they tell their audience?

 Teaching Tip: Ask students what they believe are the potential pitfalls of using

humor in a presentation. Why must speakers have a good sense of audience before

using humor? What kinds of jokes are inappropriate for most, if not all, audiences?

In-Class Exercise: Give students 10-15 minutes to write strong openers for one of the

problems in Exercise 20.8 (p. 338). Afterward, have students share their openers

with the rest of the class. Which ones work best?

Speakers can use an overview of the main points immediately after the opener to further

strengthen their presentations.

PP 20-12 also shows 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.

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Module 20 – Making Oral Presentations

Finding your best voice LO 20-3

While some people are fortunate to be born with a good voice, many others can learn to make

their voice sound as good as possible. A good voice supports and enhances good content, and the

best voice will manipulate pitch, intonation, tempo, and volume.

As PP 20-13 shows, to find your best voice:

Sound energetic and enthusiastic.

Focus on

Pitch: whether a voice sounds high or low.

Intonation: variation in pitch, stress, or tone.

Tempo: speed.

Volume: loudness or softness.

 Teaching Tip: Students need not take voice lessons to find their best speaking voice.

Instead, they can learn by imitation. Who do they believe has a good speaking

voice? What are its characteristics? Students might try mimicking that voice and

recording themselves using computer web cams (bearing in mind that a recording

does not always faithfully reproduce a person’s voice).

How should I organize a presentation? LO 20-4

Start with the main point. Often, one of five standard patterns will

work.

PP 20-14 through PP 20-16 show five basic patterns for organizing a

presentation:

Chronological

Problem-Causes-Solution

Excluding Alternatives

Pro-Con

1-2-3

 Teaching Tip: Some, if not all, of these patterns will be

familiar to students from their composition courses. To

review, have students get into five groups and have each one

explain a pattern, using an example they’ve created (not the

one in the text). Have them spend 10 minutes brainstorming

what business situations their group’s pattern would work

best in.

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Module 20 – Making Oral Presentations

In-Class Exercise: Have students in groups of 3-5 do a short presentation based on

Exercise 20.9 (p. 338) in class. In particular, make sure they organize the

presentation to best use time and address the needs of their audience.

What are the keys to delivering an effective presentation? LO 20-5

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.

 Teaching Tip: Ask students what kinds of behaviors feel unnatural when they’re

giving oral presentations. What behaviors might they replace them with? Are any of

these replacement behaviors acceptable in a business environment? Would doing so

make giving a presentation more comfortable for students?

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.

As PP 20-17 shows, effective speakers learn to successfully

Transform fear.

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Module 20 – Making Oral Presentations

 Teaching Tip: The “adrenaline rush” that comes from fear can also come from

excitement. Share with your students that many people learn to turn fear into

excitement, whether it is through such “extreme sports” as snowboarding or

skydiving, acting on the stage, or even giving a speech to room full of strangers.

Use eye contact.

Stand and gesture.

 Teaching Tip: Gestures and eye contact are not universal. Have your students read

or review the principles in Module 3 for more information on how different cultures

may interpret gestures and eye contact.

Use notes and visuals.

Anticipate questions.

In-Class Exercise: Encourage your students to visit your college’s video facility or

speech lab, if you have one. Have them write a short presentation and perform it

before cameras. Afterward, have them write a 1- to 2-page memo critiquing their

performance. What did they do well? What could they do better? How might they

enhance their abilities?

 Teaching Tip: Have students read or review the information on culture in Module 3.

Are there some cultures where maintaining strong eye contact would be considered

negative? Talking too loud? Gesturing? What can speakers do to better understand

what forms of behavior might be inappropriate for cultures different than their own?

How should I handle questions from the audience? LO 20-6

Anticipate questions that might be asked. Be honest.

Rephrase biased or hostile questions.

As PP 20-18 suggests, 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.

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Module 20 – Making Oral Presentations

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.”

 Teaching Tip: Have your students review the tips on paraphrasing questions in

Module 18.

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.

What are the guidelines for group presentations? LO 20-7

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. Use PP 20-19 and PP 20-20 to show them methods.

 Teaching Tip: The choice for group members to take turns

or integrate their individual efforts depends on the group.

Ask you students to brainstorm the pros and cons of each

approach. Is one better than the other in some situations?

Which? How do groups decide? (Hint: Have them think

“audience.”)

 Teaching Tip: Have students read or review the principles on

working in groups in Module 18.

Last Word: While speaking in public may not be the most pleasurable experience

for some people, learning to do it effectively is possible, even for people who at the

beginning don’t enjoy public speaking. In time, many people learn to be quite

comfortable giving oral presentations, and some even learn to enjoy it! Help your

students to understand that whatever trepidation they feel now may be overcome with

time and practice.

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