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Business Communication: In Person, In Print, Online
INSTRUCTOR’S GUIDE
Chapter 11
Oral Presentation
Overview
The purpose and audience will determine the form and delivery
method of a presentation. The presentation structure includes the
opening, the body, and the closing—all clear, logical, easy to follow, and
relevant for the audience. Team and online presentations require extra
care in planning and practicing, as they depend on other people and
technology.
Learning Objectives
• Plan a presentation.
Quick Links for Chapter 11
PPT Slides | Solutions to Exercises | Handouts | Video Suggestions | Company Examples | BizCom in the News
9e
Teaching Suggestions
Resources
LO1: Plan a presentation.
INTRODUCE the importance of carefully planning business
presentations: determining the purpose of the presentation, analyzing
the audience, and selecting a delivery method.
INSTRUCT students to work in teams to plan a presentation. Assign to
or ask each team to choose one of the following situations:
• To report on the sales of a new product or service
• To explain details and features of a new product or service
• To persuade buyers and clients to purchase a new product or
service
Resources
LO2: Organize a presentation.
INTRODUCE the three main parts of a presentation: opening, body, and
ending.
INSTRUCT students to work in teams. Refer to the handout, “Typical
Organizational Plans for Presentations.” Ask each team to suggest a
business speech scenario for each organizational plan. Students may
consider recent news or think about their own work experience.
Resources
LO3: Plan a team and online presentation.
INTRODUCE team and online presentations.
Resources
LO3: Plan a team and online presentation.
• Prepare and practice outside of the classroom a five-minute team
presentation on any business-related topic. Use the guidelines for
team presentations.
INSTRUCT students to work in teams. Refer to guidelines for online
presentations. Instruct each team to complete the following:
• Have each team member prepare and practice outside of the
classroom a five-minute online presentation for the rest of the
team on any business-related topic. Use the guidelines for online
presentations.
Resources
LO4: Develop effective visual support.
INTRODUCE the ways visual support can complement a message,
increase comprehension, and make a presentation easier to follow.
Resources
LO4: Develop effective visual support.
they have found these useful.
INSTRUCT students to spend some time practicing using these tools.
Instruct students to compare the programs and write a one- or two-
page memo with their analysis of the program usability, function
features, limitations, and appropriateness for business audiences.
Encourage students to think of possible situations when one program
may be preferable to the others.
INSTRUCT students to look through PowerPoint slides they previously
prepared for school or work. Ask students to choose a few slides and
revise their design to eliminate unnecessary text to let the visuals
deliver most of the message on their own.
For another activity, instruct students to convert previous slides with
heavy text to more graphical designs. Students may use SmartArt in
PowerPoint or other tools.
Resources
LO5: Practice and deliver a presentation.
INTRODUCE techniques to practice and deliver a successful
presentation.
INSTRUCT students to work in teams. Ask each team to find video clips
of a person they admire as a good public speaker. Instruct teams to
watch the videos, analyze the speaker’s delivery skills, and complete
the following:
• Prepare a group memo to your instructor describing successful
delivery skills you have learned from the videos; include
suggestions on how these skills can be achieved.
• Prepare and deliver in class a five-minute team presentation of the
lessons learned from this speaker. Incorporate a short video clip in
your presentation. Consider imitating the speaker’s style while
presenting.
Solutions to Exercises
The 3Ps in Practice: Preparing for an Industry Conference Presentation
Process
1. What is the purpose of your presentation?
To address concerns about the trading software problem that almost doomed
Knight Capital Group
2. Describe your audience.
3. What level of knowledge is your audience likely to have about your topic?
The audience is aware of the price distortions in almost 150 stocks and the
4. How will you capture your audience’s attention in the first minute of your
presentation? Draft your opening section.
In this scenario, as Joyce did, the best option may be to start on a positive
5. What points will you cover in the body of your presentation and in what
order?
An explanation of what happened should occur after the positive introduction.
6. Write a closing section that summarizes your points and reinforces the
purpose of your presentation.
7. What delivery techniques will you use to make your presentation as dynamic?
(Delivery techniques should be extemporaneous and natural but will vary
8. What visuals will you use? Try to avoid traditional presentation slides with
heavy text in favor of a simpler, more graphical style.
A PowerPoint presentation can be effective with strong organization, well-
9. If you were to give your presentation via Skype to the class, how would you
prepare?
(Students should practice, ideally with a video recording, and receive feedback
Product
Student presentations will vary based on information presented. Provide students with feedback
on their responses to the process questions, and evaluate their presentation and visuals.
1. Adapt a presentation for different audiences.
Students are presenting to persuade their audience to take the bus instead of park on campus.
2. Prepare a presentation to a Brazilian audience.
In this presentation, students must adapt to an international audience. Students must use
3. Prepare a presentation to a South Korean audience.
Again, students can refer to Chapter 2 for a better understanding of how to adapt a presentation
4. Identify methods of delivery.
Situation
Ideal Delivery Method
The HR director asks you to present to a
group of new employees starting next month
to explain what your department does.
Extemporaneous—this enhanced
conversational style is ideal for conveying
information to this team of new employees.
Situation
Ideal Delivery Method
product accurately to the clients.
You’re extremely nervous about an upcoming
presentation and are preparing your first two
sentences.
Memorized—this may be a good time to
memorize. With just the first two sentences
well prepared, you can then speak in an
extemporaneous style for the rest of the
presentation, following an outline to help you
lessen your nerves.
5. Practice different delivery styles.
6. Plan a presentation for a job interview.
a. The topic chosen for the presentation will vary based on each student’s preferences
and knowledge, but it should be narrowly focused for a short presentation.
b. The purpose of this presentation is to successfully deliver a presentation to the hiring
manager, three people who work on her team, and two representatives from HR to
demonstrate students’ skills. Ultimately, the presentation could land students the job.
7. Prepare an outline for a report presentation.
Students are asked to prepare a presentation outline from a report. They may choose the same
8. Prepare presentation notes.
Students’ presentations will vary based on the topic selected. Evaluate the complete script for
9. Develop an opening for a presentation.
For this exercise, students may use a presentation previously delivered for class or prepared for
10. Deliver a response to the interview question, “Tell me about yourself.”
This exercise serves as a good introductory exercise for making oral presentations and prepares
students for future interviews. Encourage students to brainstorm using the suggestions and
11. Deliver a speech as part of a team panel.
The two-minute speech should be prepared in advance by every student. This could be a
homework assignment. Students bring the note cards for their speech to class on the day of the
exercise. Select six or seven students at random to be at the head table.
Select one of these students to be the host (or moderator). Have him or her collect names and
The host should be on the opposite side of the podium. Other members of the head table can be
seated randomly, two or three on each side of the speaker and host. Each person at the table,
except the host and the speaker, should be given a company title.
This activity can then be repeated with other people being the speaker, the host, seated at the
head table, or seated in the audience. Everyone should turn in his or her note cards, even if not
selected to speak. Evaluate the speeches (both the two-minute ones and the impromptu
acceptance speeches), as well as the introductions of the host. This exercise can be video
recorded to let students see how they did.
12. Divide speaking responsibilities for a team presentation.
This exercise calls for organizing, not completing, the presentation. How much research is
necessary in order to create a well-developed outline? Students should strive to achieve
13. Prepare and deliver a team presentation.
Students should have enough time for this assignment so that they can collect the data they
14. Prepare for an online presentation with remote offices.
This exercise is an opportunity to walk through the process of preparing for an online
presentation. Students may refer to suggestions for an online meeting from Chapter 3. Students
should include the following in their list of steps:
• Determine the purpose.
• Analyze the audience.
• Prepare for questions.
• Invite participants and include instructions (e.g., how to log in or call in).
• Schedule a room for participants at your location.
15. Practice delivering and participating in an online presentation.
Have students practice giving short presentations over the web. Students should pay particular
16. Prepare for an online presentation to fail.
Technology often fails at inconvenient times. Encourage students to transition smoothly from the
17. Convert a report to slides for an oral presentation.
In this exercise, students must convert heavy text to graphics, convert tables to charts, and edit
text until it’s concise and readable. Visuals should be clear, easy to follow, and attractive. The
18. Reduce text on a slide.
This exercise provides students with the opportunity to make a text-heavy slide into useful visual
19. Convert paragraph text to graphics.
Again, this exercise provides students with an opportunity to create a useful visual. The slide
20. Create a customized slide template.
For this customized slide, students should keep in mind the elements of an attractive and
21. Evaluate visuals used for a presentation.
Students should evaluate the visuals based on the text and the questions presented in the
22. Embed a video into a presentation.
Students should follow the instructions provided in the exercise to learn how to embed a video
into a presentation program and demonstrate to the class how they accomplished it. They may
search for tips online (e.g., step-by-step YouTube videos or help pages).
23. Integrate a video into a presentation.
This exercise builds skills practiced in earlier exercises. Evaluate students’ work based on the
24. Analyze how a video is managed in a presentation.
Kai Tan’s video segment is in the instructor’s PPT. Students may say that Kai did a good job
introducing the video as part of his presentation. He directly addressed the audience’s skepticism
25. Discuss whether to use a handout.
Handouts are useful to deliver statistics and numbers that the audience will not be able to gather
26. Create a handout.
The handout for the job interview should summarize the student’s main points in the
27. Research speech anxiety.
Students’ slides will vary based on the material they selected to include in the presentation.
Ensure that students have incorporated proper citations where necessary. Evaluate the slides on
the criteria discussed in this chapter.
28. Practice a presentation and track your progress.
29. Anticipate and respond to questions about textbook content.
This exercise helps students practice anticipating and responding to impromptu-style questions.
Students should prepare for questions by thinking beyond their prepared outline for additional
30. Analyze how a question is handled in a presentation.
Michael Lieberman’s video segment is in the instructor’s PPT. The presentation is about closing a
call center at Starwood, so it’s a difficult, sensitive topic. In the first two minutes of the segment,
Michael did a good job arguing his points with data about declining calls to the center.
31. Prepare a presentation and respond to questions from prospective
employees.
Consider asking students to form groups and brainstorm a list of questions that could arise at the
Southern Massachusetts Job Fair. Sample questions:
• What kinds of products are made in the New Bedford plant?
• How many employees are currently employed at Ahead, and how has the size of the work
force changed in recent years?
• What are the opportunities for advancement and career development at Ahead?
32. Provide feedback.
Review with the class how to provide positive, constructive feedback. You may screen feedback
forms for appropriate, constructive feedback before passing them on to the student who
delivered the presentation.
33. Practice using the backchannel.
This is a challenging exercise because using the backchannel—and using Twitter—may be new
for some students. For the entire class, it’s good practice for writing short messages and giving
