Business and Professional Communication, 3rd edition
Kelly M. Quintanilla, Shawn T. Wahl
Chapter 13: Delivering a Speech With Professional Excellence
Lecture Notes
Learning objective:
13-1 Explain how to overcome your fears of public speaking and deliver a presentation with
professional excellence
13-2 Explain how to use supporting aids eectively
13-3 Explain the importance of practicing your presentation
13-4 Discuss how to deliver an eective team presentation
Outline:
I. Introduction
A. Steve Jobs is recognized as one of the great orators of our time.
i. Forget fancy PowerPoint presentations and loads of data.
ii. Use anecdotes.
iii. Use body language that makes you appear comfortable.
iv. Articulate your words, regardless of your natural speaking style.
II. Delivering the Presentation With Professional Excellence
A. The Adrenaline Rush
i. The delivery of presentations gives your body an adrenaline rush.
a. A fight or 0ight response is triggered.
b. An adrenaline rush can be a positive response.
ii. Swea)ng
iii. Blushing
a. People blush in a variety of areas.
b. Adjust, accept, and relax are best ways to adjust.
iv. Hands
a. For some, adrenaline energy comes out in their hands.
b. Move your hands with purpose, not in an uncontrolled manner.
c. If you have shaky hands don’t hold anything, or use thicker index cards.
v. Feet
vi. Vocal Quality
a. Presenters must master several vocal qualities.
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1. Volume—focus on a person in the back and project your voice
to that person.
2. Speaking rate—a li6le faster is ok, but if you are a fast talker,
focus on relaxing before speaking.
vii. Vocal Fillers
a. Vocal 5llers are words like “umm” and “aah.”
b. Solid preparation and lots of time to practice are the best solutions to
the problem.
viii. Eye Contact
a. Making eye contact with the audience is one of the best ways to reduce
nervousness.
ix. Clothing
a. Your appearance is a nonverbal part of your delivery.
B. Sense of Play
i. Viewing a speaking situation with a sense of play can reduce the anxiety.
ii. What if many of the things we worry about actually happened?
iii. If something happens acknowledge it, smile, and continue.
C. Presenting From an Outline
i. We will all eventually develop our own unique style of speaking.
ii. Strive for a delivery style that has a conversa)onal quality, which includes an
extemporaneous speaking style and good eye contact.
III. PowerPoint and Other Supporting Aids
A. Supporting Aids
i. Suppor)ng aids are tools used by a speaker to help support the audience’s
interest in and understanding of the presentation, enhance retention, and
facilitate listening.
ii. Visual learners can see the key points, and demonstrations help them
understand.
iii. Pictures are easier to remember and increase the reten)on of the message of
your speech.
B. Should I Use Supporting Aids?
i. Will the aid enhance rather than distract from my presentation?
ii. Will the aid increase the audience’s interest in the topic?
iii. Will the aid reinforce my message, thereby increasing retention?
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C. Types of Supporting Aids
i. PowerPoint Presenta)ons
a. PowerPoints must be used as a supporting aid.
b. Don’t use PowerPoints as a crutch or as the whole presentation.
ii. Video Clips
a. Take into consideration available equipment.
b. Have clip pulled up and ready.
c. Never have your audience wait for you to /gure out the technology.
iii. Audio Clips
iv. Objects and Models
a. Make sure they are large enough for the entire audience to see.
b. Avoid passing things around because it is distracting.
v. Demonstra)ons
IV. Practice Makes Perfect
A. How do you become excellent?
i. To be an excellent speaker, you do the same that you would with any other skill
—practice until you get it right.
ii. Practice whenever you have the opportunity to practice.
B. Seek feedback from others who will be honest and can help you determine if you are
being eective.
V. Team Presentations
A. In business and professional situations, team presentations are used.
B. The principles for eective individual presentations are the same for group
presentations.
C. The group presentation is one big speech.
i. The speech must have all of the same components of any well-prepared speech.
ii. Research and organization of the speech must be done together as a team.
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vi. The presentation should be planned and practiced well so it looks professional
and polished.
VI. KEYS to Excellence in Delivering a Speech
A. Know yourself—requires that you know what your role is when delivering a speech.
B. Evaluate the professional context—understand the context of your speech and audience
so you can deliver an eective presentation.
C. Your communication interaction occurs—your goal should be to keep your audience
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