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Chapter 12

Types of Business Presentations

Resource Guide

The opening page of each chapter in Communicating at Work lists desired learning outcomes. The

Resource Guide will assist you in locating activities and resources from the text and Instructor Manual

that are relevant to each objective.

Chapter Objectives

Resources

Prepare and deliver the following types of

informative presentations: briefing, feasibility

report, status report, final report, training session.

Key terms: briefing, feasibility report, final report,

report, status report, and training

In the text:

Activities: 1-3

Career Tip: Technical Reports

Case Study: Using Training to Retain Employees

Technology Tip: Going Mobile with Training

Instructor’s Manual online:

Discussion Launchers: 1-3

Classroom Activities: 1-4

Video Activity: 1

Choose the most persuasive organization plan for

your topic, audience, and situation.

In the text:

Activities: 4-6

Career Tip: How to Request a Raise

Ethical Challenge: Principled Persuasion

Self–Assessment: Persuasive Strategies

Instructor’s Manual online:

Discussion Launchers: 4, 5

Classroom Activities: 5

Video Activity: 2

Understand the elements of and be able to construct

motivational speeches, goodwill speeches,

proposals, and sales presentations.

Key terms: benefits, features, goodwill speech,

motivational speech, proposal, and sales

presentation

Instructor’s Manual online:

Discussion Launchers: 6-9

Classroom Activities: 6, 7

Design a persuasive appeal that is ethical and

effective.

Key terms: anchor, credibility, fallacy, latitude of

acceptance, latitude of noncommitment, latitude of

rejection, and persuasion

Instructor’s Manual online:

Personal Reflection for Individual Journaling

Assignment

Discussion Launchers: 10–16

Video Activity: 3

Distinguish persuasive strategies (problem–

solution, comparative advantage, criteria

satisfaction, and motivated sequence) and use each

in appropriate presentations.

Key terms: comparative advantages, criteria

satisfaction, motivated sequence, and problem–

solution

Work with others to plan and deliver a group

presentation.

Instructor’s Manual online:

Discussion Launchers: 18

Classroom Activities: 8

Prepare and deliver remarks for these special

occasions: welcoming remarks, introducing another

speaker, honoring a person or institution, giving a

toast, and presenting and accepting an award.

Key terms: award presentation, speech of

introduction, toast; tribute, and welcoming remarks

In the text:

Activities: 7, 8

Ethical Challenge: Honoring a Less–than–

Honorable Person

Career Tip: The Show Must Go On

Instructor’s Manual online:

Discussion Launchers: 19

Video Activity: 4

About Chapter 12

Chapter 12 examines both informative and persuasive presentations that are standard in business

settings. Throughout the chapter, students will be able to incorporate previously taught skills as they

plan and deliver contemporary business presentations that are both ethical and effective.

Informative presentations covered include briefings, several types of reports, and training sessions.

Students are prompted to apply specific strategies for constructing informative presentations that are

suitable to their audiences. As in previous chapters, the information presented encourages students to

The section about persuasive presentations reviews four patterns of organization that were introduced

in Chapter 9: problem–solution; comparative advantages; criteria satisfaction; and motivated sequence.

The text then compares the purposes of four types of persuasive presentations typical of business and

professional settings: motivational speeches, goodwill speeches, proposals, and sales presentations.

Suggestions are given for selecting organizational patterns that match each purpose.

This chapter continues with a discussion of ethical persuasion, developing students’ sensitivity to the

The chapter concludes with an overview of various types of special occasion speeches that students

may be called upon to present in their academic, personal, civic, and workplace experiences. These

include welcoming remarks, introducing a speaker, honorary remarks, toasts, and presenting and

accepting awards. When covering this portion of the chapter, it is useful to review the material about

impromptu speeches and managing anxiety from Chapter 11, to assist students in feeling more

comfortable and confident on these special occasions.

Personal Reflection for Individual Journaling Assignment

Envision yourself as having studied the characteristics that contribute to effective speaking, developed a

positive mind–set, and dedicated enough hours of practice to have become competent at presenting ideas

in front of an audience. (If you are already competent, envision yourself as you are now!) As a

competent speaker, what will be some of your personal lifelong contributions to your workplace and your

community?

Discussion Launchers

1. Select one type of informative presentation described in the text. Choose a topic you are

knowledgeable about and, using the text’s guidelines for your chosen format, explain how you

2. What does it mean to “use signposts” in your speech? What examples of signposting have you

heard in presentations you’ve attended? How did it contribute to the clarity of the message?

3. Recall a presentation you‘ve attended in which the speaker covered more information than was

necessary (or not enough information). How did this impact the audience? Do you think the

speaker was aware of the impact on the audience? If so, what clues helped you notice this? How

can you prevent such an awkward experience when you are presenting to a group?

4. Discuss potential advantages and disadvantages of each of the patterns of organization identified

5. “There is an informative element to most, if not all good persuasive talks.” Agree or disagree

with this statement. Support your stance with examples.

6. Consider effective and ineffective motivational speeches you have heard. Compare aspects of

these speeches, such as organization, content, length, and delivery. What have you learned from

7. Think of a goodwill presentation that you have attended. What strategies did the speaker use to

create a positive image of the cause that was being represented? How successful were these

strategies? Can you think of any suggestions you could give this speaker for enriching the

positive image?

8. Recall a proposal you have made that the receiver didn’t agree to. After having read this chapter,

how might you rework your presentation? Do you think this revised proposal might be more

successful if you had a chance to present it over again to the original audience in the original

9. The first three headings in the section about Sales Presentation exhort you to focus on your client,

not your product. Why is this so?

10. When have you felt that you have been the object of someone’s persuasion? Someone‘s coercion?

Someone’s manipulation? Before reading this chapter, how would you have explained the

differences among these concepts? Do the differences lie in what the speaker intends or in how

you perceive what the speaker is doing?

11. According to the text, what distinguishes an ethical from an unethical attempt to persuade? Do

you agree or disagree with the text? Why?

12. What will be the topic of your next persuasive presentation? How can you assure the audience

that you have sufficient credibility (ethos) to address this topic?

13. Think about various speakers you’ve listened to. Which ones did you perceive as most credible?

14. Have you ever given a speech in which you felt that you didn’t have much credibility as a

speaker? Why didn’t you have credibility? How did the audience react? How did you feel? If

you could present this speech again, how would you build more credibility?

16. Which kind of evidence is more persuasive to you, logical or emotional? Which is less

persuasive? Does your response vary with the claim and the context? With the speaker? Explain.

17. How can you identify your audience’s psychological needs so you can address them in your

presentation?

18. Recall several effective group presentations you have watched in any of your classes. What

made these presentations effective? Now recall several group presentations that you thought

were not very effective? What suggestions for improvement could you offer to these groups?

Classroom Activities

1. Drafting a Report

Objective: Students will apply information from this chapter as they construct an outline for a report.

Procedure: Review with the class the sections of this chapter covering status, final, and feasibility

reports. Be sure students understand the differences among the types and how each can be organized.

Divide students into six groups, so that each type of report can be assigned to two different groups.

Instruct groups to think of a topic suitable to their type of report. They should then develop an outline,

Class Discussion: Ask each group to share its recommendations with the class. Critique the pattern

choices, paying particular attention to students’ justifications.

• What is your overall informative goal in this situation?

• What is your relationship to the audience? How does this affect your credibility?

• How does the specific occasion and setting affect your choice of pattern?

• What other considerations influenced your choice of pattern?

• Why did you choose these particular main points?

2. Covering Only the Necessary Information, AKA “Less Is More”

Objective: Students will practice focusing their presentations, emphasizing only what is necessary for

their audience to know. Students will learn the value of developing a few points in depth instead of

glossing over so many points that the listener becomes confused.

Procedure: Arrange students in groups of three or four. Ask each group to select a topic that one of the

students is quite familiar with and that is interesting to the entire group. The group will then narrow the

topic. Instruct each group to create a mind map, as follows. Write the topic, and draw a circle around it.

For every related idea that you think you should include, draw a line branching off from the main circle,

and write the concept on the branch. Next, the group will choose the one concept they find most

interesting. They will now repeat the process by drawing a new circle with this word as the centerpiece.

From this second diagram, students will select one of the branches to use as the main topic of the

Class Discussion: After groups have created their key word outlines, ask them to present to the class the

process they used in narrowing their topics. Find out whether the class agrees that the narrowed topic is

more interesting and informative than the original. If there is no class consensus, elicit a variety of

suggestions regarding what types of information are necessary and unnecessary. Use this opportunity to

point out that sometimes, with an audience of mixed levels of background knowledge, the speaker’s best

tack is to include a few elements that will appeal to each segment of the audience.

3. Informative Presentations in the Workplace

Objective: This assignment helps students become more familiar with various types of informative

presentations used in business settings.

Procedure: Divide the class into groups. Assign each group one type of informative presentation. For

their assigned type, students should identify the following:

• purpose

• suggested length

• typical type of content

• recommended organizational pattern or format

• other considerations

As time permits, students should choose a topic they have knowledge of and develop a brief outline

that illustrates this type of presentation.

Class Discussion:

After groups have presented their results, you could follow up with questions such as:

• Which types of presentations are you most familiar with?

• Do some types seem to correlate with various types of job positions?

• Which types require the most care and planning?

4. Constructing Clear Explanations

Objective: Students will gain skills in explaining concepts clearly, using language that aids the interest

and understanding of the audience.

Procedure: Review with students the guidelines for avoiding jargon and linking the familiar to the

unfamiliar in the section of this chapter titled “Delivering the Training.” Next, instruct each student in the

class to write down one jargon term and one procedure they are familiar with. They should draw the

Place students in groups of three. Each group will (a) devise alternative language for expressing their

jargon words (without obscuring the original meaning), and (b) explain the procedures in lay terms by

comparing them to concepts most students are familiar with.

5. Organizing Persuasive Messages

Objective: Students will select the most effective organizational patterns for a variety of topics and then

develop main points.

Procedure: Distribute a list of possible topics to small groups of students. Instruct students to define

their persuasive goal and specify information about the audience and setting. They should then choose an

organizational pattern, justify their choice, and identify main points they could use. If you are short of

time, you could assign the same topic to each group and then share the results.

Examples of topics:

• Your boss has asked you to report on how sales of three products have changed over the past

five years.

• You are trying to persuade a large business to switch from its present temporary service

agency to your company.

• You want to persuade selected students who will be graduating from college to work for your

Class Discussion: Ask each group to share its recommendations with the class. Critique the pattern

choices, paying particular attention to students’ justifications.

• What is your overall persuasive goal in this situation?

• What is your relationship to the audience? How does this affect your credibility?

• How does the specific occasion and setting affect your choice of pattern?

6. Drafting a Proposal

Objective: Students will apply skills from this chapter to draft an outline of a proposal.

Procedure: Review with the class the section of this chapter titled “Proposals.” Then, have students

form groups. Each group should choose an initiative they would like to propose, along with an audience

and a setting where they would present the proposal. Groups should choose either the problem–solution,

Class Discussion: Have each group present their outlines to the class. Invite classmates to raise

additional points or to question the effectiveness of the group’s strategies. After all groups have

presented, you may wish to stimulate further discussion:

• What do you think makes a proposal effective?

• What features might reduce the chances that a proposal will be accepted?

7. Planning a Sales Presentation

Objective: Students will apply skills from this chapter to draft an outline of a sales presentation.

Procedure: The day before this assignment, ask students to bring an item they would like to “sell” to

their classmates. If possible, they should bring product documentation such as feature descriptions and

user manuals.

Review with the class the section of this chapter titled “Sales Presentations.” Then, have students form

Class Discussion: As each group presents, invite classmates to raise additional points or to question the

effectiveness of the group’s strategies. After all groups have presented, you may wish to reinforce the

importance of putting audience needs first by pursuing additional questions:

• Have you ever attended a sales presentation?

• Did it seem to follow these guidelines? Explain why or why not.

• If so, was your reaction positive or negative? Explain.

• What would you suggest to salespersons who want to leave a positive impression on their

8. Organizing a Group Presentation

Objective: Students will become familiar with two ways of organizing group presentations.

Procedure: Review the text section titled “Approaches to Organizing Group Presentations.” Assign

students to groups of seven students. Ask each group to select a section of the text they are familiar with.

They will imagine that they have been assigned to deliver a 20–minute presentation about this material to

the class.

Class Discussion: Ask groups to share with the class the group presentation formats they constructed.

As each group presents their organizational patterns, encourage class members to analyze one another’s

patterns:

• Which of the group’s suggested patterns do you think works best for this topic? Why?

• Can you suggest modifications that would improve the group’s organization?

Written Application Exercises

1. Avoiding Logical Fallacies

Study the section in Chapter 12 titled “Using Logical Arguments.”

Explain why it is important to recognize and avoid using logical fallacies, especially for manipulative

ends. Choose several types of logical fallacy, and illustrate them with examples you’ve recently run

across. (They are easy to find … just read a few political blogs or editorials!) How will you use this

information in your speech for this class and in future situations to improve the credibility of your

communication?

Video Activities

1. Using Organization to Emphasize Important Points in Informative Presentations

Objective: This activity should enable students to better assess a speaker’s efforts to emphasize the

important parts in an informative presentation.

Procedure: Review the techniques used to “emphasize the organization of your material” in the chapter

section titled “Delivering the Training.” Then watch an informative presentation. Ask students to take

notes on the techniques of emphasis used. Below are some informative presentations from YouTube (skip

the preceding advertisements):

(This speech covers six steps, which is more than the recommended number of main points for a

speech. Ask students how they could categorize the steps into fewer main points.)

Class Discussion: After showing the speech, engage students with the following questions:

• What did the speaker do to highlight his or her important ideas?

• Did the speaker provide a clear thesis and preview of the main points of the presentation?

Why would this have been helpful?

• Did the speaker add transitions?

• Did the speaker use other types of signposts, interjection, repetition, or redundancy?

• Did the speaker provide both personal tips and cautions about what to avoid?

• Would you suggest anything to help the speaker make the important ideas even more

2. Analyzing Persuasive Strategies and Speaker Credibility

Objective: This activity provides students with an opportunity to identify strategies for persuasion and

speaker credibility in a business or professional presentation.

Procedure: Distribute to each student a copy of the handout titled “Persuasive Strategies and Speaker

Credibility” located at the end of this section. Show a video of a presentation from C–SPAN of American

Rhetoric (available at http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speechbank ). Instruct the students, individually

Class Discussion: After a brief discussion about the various strategies students identified in the speech,

pose the following questions to help students critically analyze the effectiveness and quality of the

persuasive appeals used.

• Which strategies did you view to be most effective?

• How do persuasive strategies affect a speaker’s credibility? Can persuasive strategies be used

to make a non–credible speaker appear credible? If so, how?

• What impact did these strategies have on the speaker’s credibility as a presenter?

• Could the speaker have drawn upon different persuasive strategies to appear even more

3. Other People’s Money

Objective: The purpose of this activity is to enable students to apply the principles of the different forms

of proof, arguments, and audience analysis as they relate to the text.

Procedure: Other People’s Money portrays a rival investor, played by Danny DeVito, attempting to take

over a local steel-manufacturing company. During a meeting with the stockholders of the company,

• How does each speaker use credibility, psychological appeals, and evidence in his

presentation?

• What types of arguments does each speaker use?

• How does each speaker use audience analysis?

• Did you notice any logical fallacies?

• Which arguments would you classify as ethical or unethical? Explain.

• Whom would you vote for? Why?

4. Analyzing a Speech of Acceptance

Objective: This activity gives students a chance to apply principles from the text in analyzing real–world

special occasion speeches.

Procedure: Give students audio, video, or print transcripts of authentic special occasion speeches, such

as:

• Robert Kraft’s 2004 Super Bowl Victory Speech, available at

Class Discussion: Ask students to analyze the speech(es) using the following questions:

• Which type of special occasion speech does this represent?

• Which guidelines from the text does this speech incorporate?

• Which guidelines does it ignore?

• Was the speech successful? Why or why not?

Persuasive Strategies & Speaker Credibility

Does the speech show:

Quote from speech that demonstrates this

or explanation of how this was done

Persuasive Strategies

Appeal to audience needs.

Set realistic goal.

Focus on critical audience

segment.

Defer thesis for hostile

audience.

Present ample evidence.

Cite opposing ideas.

Adapt to cultural style.

Maximize Speaker

Credibility

Demonstrate competence.

Earn audience trust.

Emphasize similarity with

audience.

Increase appeal to audience.

Demonstrate sincerity.

Additional Resources

Bettinghaus, E. P., & Cody, M. J. (1994). Persuasive communication (5th ed.). Fort Worth, TX: Harcourt

Brace.

This classic includes sections on theories of attitude change, ethics of persuasion, components of

persuasion, language, and nonverbal communication. Discusses persuasion in formal

organizations, conflict, interpersonal settings, and in groups.

Both, D., Shames, D., & Desberg, P. (2010). Own the room: Business presentations that persuade,

engage, and get results. New York: McGraw Hill.

Strategies for making a business presentation come alive. Includes tips for group presentations.

Jaffe, C. (1995). Reasoning. In Public speaking: A cultural perspective (pp. 340–373). Belmont, CA:

Wadsworth.

What may be a “good reason” in one culture is not necessarily so in another. Understanding

cultural influences on reasoning is a pervasive theme in this chapter, and the engrossing and

enlightening examples will broaden student perspectives in choosing reasoning strategies that

make sense for various cultural groups.

Pearce, T. (1995). Leading out loud: The authentic speaker, the credible leader. San Francisco, Jossey–

Bass Publishers.

This book is an “antidote to our media–driven world” of superficially sounding good but

communicating little authenticity. The author believes you can use speech as a leadership tool to

articulate a vision, communicate with a passion, and connect authentically with the audience.

Pierce, H. (2004) Persuasive proposals and presentations. New York: McGraw–Hill.

Robbins, J. (1997). High–impact presentations: A multimedia approach. New York: Wiley Publishing.

Chapter 13 includes information and advice about handling questions within a presentation.

Rusk, T. (1993). The power of ethical persuasion: winning through understanding at work and at home.

New York: Penguin Books.

The premise of this book is that persuasion must be preceded by understanding the other person’s

point of view and that ethical persuasion treats others with respect, fairness, and care.

Video

Building Arguments. (2007) 30 min. Insight Media.

How to analyze the arguability of a thesis, develop support, and present evidence.

Great Speeches. Volumes I–XI. and Great Speeches–Today’s Women. 90–140 min. each. The Educational

Video Group.

Each volume contains five speakers representing the U.S. in the Twentieth Century. Wonderful

for analysis and enjoyment.

Great Moments from Great Speeches. (118 min) The Educational Video Group.

A rhetorical introduction to speeches of key history makers.

Learning Fallacies and Arguments. (2001) Insight Media

Gives insights into the structure and form of argument, including concepts and examples of

logical fallacies.

Communicating Successfully: How to Give a More Persuasive Presentation. 23 min. Time–Life Films.

Reporting and Briefing. 16 min. Centron.

Speaking Persuasively. RMI Media.

Covers purposes and preparation of persuasive messages, consideration of internal and external

Web

Ferguson Center for Public Speaking

http://www.hsc.edu/Academics/Speaking-Center/For-Students/Types-of-Oral-Presentations.html

Compares informative and persuasive presentations.