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CHAPTER 21
Using Presentation Software
CHAPTER CONTENT OUTLINE
I. Give a speech, not a slide show.
A. Use presentation aids to support your speech, not to replace your spoken words and
physical presence.
B. Presentation slides can’t save a poorly planned speech, but, if carefully created,
they can help listeners process information.
II. Develop a plan.
explained with a visual.
III. Avoid technical glitches.
A. Save all presentation files to a reliable source—flash drive, CD, DVD, website, or
email—that you can access on the presentation computer.
B. Save all presentation files (images, sound, videos) in the same folder you will use in
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IV. Find media for presentations.
A. You can import still images, clip art, video, or sound directly into your aids by
downloading your own files or those from the internet.
V. Avoid copyright infringement.
A. Recognize when material is available under fair-use provisions.
1. Even when fair use applies, cite all sources.
CHAPTER STUDY GUIDE
I. SUMMARY QUESTION
What are the benefits of presentation software programs such as Microsoft PowerPoint,
Apple Keynote, and Prezi?
Presentation software programs offer public speakers powerful tools for creating and
displaying professionally polished visual aids. Presentation software allows users to import video
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II. DISCUSSION QUESTION
1. Have you ever been at a presentation at which the presenter used presentation software
inappropriately? Describe what you most disliked about the presentation.
This is a good exercise to use prior to presenting the chapter material in order to initiate
CONTENT PRESENTATION IDEAS
I. STUDENT ACTIVITIES
1. Choose a fictitious presentation topic and create a three-slide presentation. Either present the
slides to the class or turn them in on a disc to be graded.
You could also have students upload their presentation slides to a class website or to
LaunchPad Solo for A Pocket Guide to Public Speaking and, as a homework assignment,
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2. Ask a professor from another class if you could view an old slide show used in his or her class.
II. GROUP ACTIVITY
1. Visit a computer lab on your campus or use other available computers to practice presentation
software as a group.
Each group should turn in a printout of a sample of clip art, a presentation slide template,
III. ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES
(Not a) Presentation Slide Masterpiece
Purpose: To help students gain experience in creating presentation slides.
Instructions: Have students form groups of four or more. Ask each group to create a crazy slide
show that ignores all the guidelines discussed in Chapter 20 of the text. For example, they might
use too many transitions, too many fonts and colors, inappropriate sounds, and so on.
RECOMMENDED SUPPLEMENTARY RESOURCES
Ainsworth, A. J., & Patterson, R. (2010). The essential guide to presentation software. New York,
NY: Bedford/St. Martin’s.
Cyphert, D. (2004). The problem of PowerPoint: Visual aid or visual rhetoric? Business
Communication Quarterly, 67, 80–84.
Cyphert, D. (2007). Presentation technology in the age of electronic eloquence: From visual aid to
visual rhetoric. Communication Education, 56, 168–192.
Hendricks, W. H., Holiday, R. M., & Steinbricker, K. (1996). Secrets for PowerPoint
presentations. Franklin Lakes, NJ: Career Press.
Muir, N. (2010). Microsoft PowerPoint 2010 plain and simple. Sebastopol, CA: Publishing
Studio.
PowerPoint for Windows 95: Step by step. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Press.
Reding, E. E. (1995). Easy PowerPoint for Windows 95. Indianapolis, IN: Que.
Rutledge, P. (2011). Using Microsoft PowerPoint 2010. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Chapter 21, p. 479
SUGGESTED WEBSITES
PHOTOGRAPHS AND OTHER STILL IMAGES
Corbis <www.corbisimages.com>
AUDIO CLIPS AND MUSIC
Apple iTunes <www.apple.com/itunes>
<www.mp3.com>
VIDEO CLIPS
ABC News clips <http:// abcnews.go.com>
Bing Videos <www.bing.com/videos/browse>