30 Business and Professional Presentations
<A> OBJECTIVES
To understand the differences between a presentation and a speech.
To become familiar with reports and proposals.
To prepare a sales proposal (“sales pitch”) to persuade potential buyers to purchase a service
or product.
To prepare a staff report when informing personnel of developments affecting them or when
reporting on the completion of a task.
To prepare a progress report to offer updates on developments in an ongoing project.
<A> CHAPTER CONTENT OUTLINE
I. Presentational versus public speaking
A. Business and professional presentations are forms of presentational speaking, yet
differences exist in terms of formality, audience, and speaker expertise.
B. Most business and professional presentations are reports or proposals. These are used
to supply information and shape decisions.
1. A report is an objective description of facts and observations related to
business and professional interests, which may also contain recommendations.
a. Preview/summary of reasons for the report, including its scope,
methods, and limitations, and main conclusions and recommendations.
b. Discussion of findings/presentation of evidence.
c. Key conclusions drawn from evidence.
d. Recommendations based on the evidence.
2. A proposal recommends a product, procedure, or policy to a client or
company. They normally advocate for a specific solution, with the presenter
arguing for a particular course of action.
a. Introduce the issue.
b. State the problem.
c. Describe the method by which the problem was investigated.
d. Describe the facts learned.
e. Offer explanations and an interpretation of the findings.
f. Offer recommendations, including time lines and budgets.
g. Leave them with a call to action, reiterating your recommendation
persuasively.
II. Sales proposal
A. A sales proposal or sales pitch attempts to lead a potential buyer to purchase a
service or a product described by the presenter. These types of presentations are
persuasive.
B. General groups of buyers are talkers and mobilizers.
1. The audience can be one or many, depending on who has the authority to
make the purchasing decision.
C. Suitable patterns of arrangement include the motivated sequence, comparative
advantage, and the problem-solution or problem-cause-solution models.
1. Monroe’s Motivated Sequence, also known as the basic sales technique, is
an excellent way to organize a sales presentation.
a. Speakers should draw the potential buyer’s attention to the product.
b. Then, isolate and clarify the buyer’s need for the product.
c. Third, describe how the product will satisfy the buyer’s need.
d. Finally, invite the buyer to purchase the product.
III. Staff reports
A. A staff report informs managers and other employees of new developments that
affect them and their work. This can involve a new plan or a report on the
completion of a project or a task.
B. The audience is usually a group, but it may be an individual.
C. Formal staff reports typically include a statement of the problem or question
under consideration (sometimes called a charge), a description of procedures, a
discussion of pertinent facts, and a statement of conclusions followed by
recommendations.
IV. Progress reports
A. A progress report updates staff or clients or principals on developments in an
ongoing project.
B. The audience can vary greatly and include people outside of the organization as
well as within it.
C. Progress reports are common in staff and committee meetings, and audience
questions are common at the end of progress reports.
D. There is no set pattern to a progress report, though it often begins with a brief
statement of the progress up to the time of the last report followed by a more
thorough statement of new developments.
<A> KEY TERMS
presentational speaking reports delivered by individuals or groups within a business or
professional environment.
report a presentation that includes a systematic and objective description of facts and
observations related to business or professional interests; it may or may not contain
recommendations.
proposal a type of business or professional presentation in which the speaker provides
information needed for decisions related to modifying or adopting a product, procedure,
or policy.
sales proposal (sales pitch) a presentation that attempts to persuade a potential buyer to
purchase a service or product described by the presenter.
call to action a challenge to audience members to act in response to a speech, see the problem in
a new way, change their beliefs about the problem, or change both their actions and their
beliefs with respect to the problem; placed at the conclusion of the speech.
motivated sequence a basic sales technique based on Monroe’s Motivated Sequence, a five-part
process of persuasion.
proposal a presentation that recommends a product, procedure, or policy to a client or company.
staff report a report that informs managers and other employees of new developments relating
to personnel that affect them and their work.
progress report a report that updates clients or principals on developments in an ongoing
project.
CHAPTER STUDY GUIDE
I. SUMMARY QUESTIONS
What is presentational speaking? What are the major differences between public speaking
and presentational speaking?
Presentational speaking includes reports delivered by individuals or teams addressing people in
What are four common types of presentations that might be delivered in the business and
professional arena?
Although there are countless types of business and professional organizations and related
II. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Think back to the most effective sales presentation you have ever witnessed. What was it
about the presentation or speaker that was especially effective? Now, think back to an
ineffective sales presentation that you have witnessed. What made it so unsuccessful?
Allow students the opportunity to discuss advertisements, infomercials, door-to-door
organization of the presentation. This
question also works well for
an online discussion board
prompt.
III. ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS
AND ACTIVITIES
QUESTIONS
The following questions may help you illustrate important points in the chapter and facilitate
students’ learning of this material. These questions can be used as:
homework questions
quizzes
in-class work (individually or in groups)
topics to generate discussion
question-and-answer sessions between instructor and students
Define presentational speaking.
Presentational speaking: Reports delivered by individuals or teams addressing people in the
workplace
Identify the four types of presentations, and give an example of each.
1.
sales presentations
What are the four steps in the motivated sequence (basic sales technique)?
1. Draw the potential buyer’s attention to the product
ACTIVITIES
Business Presentations
Purpose: To provide students with the opportunity
to work as a team and to become familiar
with the four most common types of presentations in the business and professional arena.
Instructions: Divide students into small groups (three to five members), and assign each group
one type of presentation: sales presentation, proposal, staff report, and progress report. Then, as a
class, come up with a type of company; it can be real or hypothetical.
Again, as a class, develop
some demographics of the company: what the
company does/makes/sells, the number of
employees it has, its location, and its current project. Once these items have been established,
each group will work together to develop its report and its presentation. This can be done
as a
brief in-class project or as a larger assignment that entails work outside class.
The Presentations in
Your Future
Purpose: To encourage students to think about the presentations they will likely be asked to
make in their future professions.
Instructions:
Consider the
occupation you hope to work at after receiving
your college degree.
Which kinds of presentations do you think will be required in your job?
Why?
The main goal of this activity is to encourage students to conduct research in their chosen
field or major. It
may help students to write a short paper describing the types of presentations
they
expect to make in the workplace. Some majors are sales-oriented, and therefore will require
more sales presentations. People who aspire to managerial positions may
anticipate giving staff
reports. In addition, group work is a reality more
people are experiencing in today’s workplace,
and it requires employees to be able to make progress reports on the status of group projects to
managers and clients. Have students list other scenarios in which certain types of presentations
will be made. You might consider having students interview a professional in their chosen field
for this activity. This activity also works well for
online courses.
Practicing a Staff Report
Purpose: To encourage students to consider what is included in a staff report; to allow students
to practice presenting a staff report.
Instructions:
Pretend that you are
a manager giving a staff report on a hypothetical project or
task of
your choosing. Make sure to follow the guidelines outlined in the chapter.
This activity can be done in small groups or in front of the entire class. If time permits,
consider requiring
groups to utilize Dewey’s reflective thinking process when decided on their
hypothetical staff report.
IV. GROUP
ACTIVITIES
You Need
This!
Purpose: To allow students the opportunity to practice sales presentations in a creative format.
Instructions: Place students in small groups and tell them that they must come up with an
invented product or service to sell to their classmates. Encourage them to be creative, and to have
fun with the assignment. Once they have selected their product or service, instruct them to
prepare a brief, three- to four-minute sales presentation based on Monroe’s Motivated Sequence
and the guidelines outlined in the chapter. Have
groups present their product or service to the
class, and then hold a vote in which the class selects which group was most effective.