Business Communication Planning a Presentation

Planning a Presentation Analize the Situation Gather Information Select the Right Medium Organize the Information

Planning a Presentation Prepare your outline Organize your information for your speech.

Stages for a Presentation State your purpose. Organize points and subpoints. Identify major points in the body. Outline the introduction and close. Prepare bibliography and source notes. Choose and interesting title.

Effective outline for a 10-minute presentation Here is an outline of a short presentation that updates management on the status of a key project; the presenter has some bad news to deliver, so she opted for an indirect approach to lay out the reasons for the delay before sharing the news of the schedule slip.

Developing a Presentation Adapt to Your Audience The venue (in person, online) Your subject Your purpose Your budget Casual presentation (small group) Formal presentation (large audience)

Composing Your Presentation The introduction The body The close

The Introduction Arouses interest in your topic. Establishes credibility. Prepare audience for the body.

The Introduction Get your audience’s attention Tell a story Pass around a product sample Ask a question that will get your audience thinking about your message.

The Introduction Build credibility Introduce yourself “I’m Karen Whitney, a market research analyst with Information Resources Corporation. For the five past years, I’ve specialized in studying high-technology markets. Your director of engineering, John LaBarre, asked me to talk about recent trends in computer-aided design so that you’ll have a better idea of how to direct your research efforts”.

The Introduction Preview your message Summarize the main idea. Identify major supporting points. Indicate the order you’ll develop these points.

Presentation of The Body Organization should be clear Use transitional words to link sentences and paragraphs (therefore, because, in addition, in contrast, moreover, for example, consequently, nevertheless, or finally). Illustrate ideas with visuals.

Presentation Close Summarize your main idea Repeat key ideas

Repetition of Key Ideas “We can all be proud of the way our company has grown. However, if we want to continue that growth, we need to take four steps to ensure that our best people don’t start looking for opportunities elsewhere: First, increase the overall of compensation Second, establish a cash bonus program Third, offer a variety of stock-based incentives Fourth, improve our health insurance and pension benefits By taking these steps, we can ensure that our company retains the management talent it needs to face our Industry’s largest competitors”.

Business Communication Slide and Visuals

Slide and Visuals Create interest. Explain points difficult to explain in words. Use Microsoft PowerPoint, Apple Keynote, Google Docs, or similar software. You can add photos, sound, video and animation

Structured Slides Fast and easy to create (project status update, routine presentations).

Free-Form Slides Advantages Help viewers understand, process and remember the message. Provide complimentary information. Limit the amount of information delivered. Help viewers process information by identifying priorities and connections.

Free-Form Slides Disadvantages More creatively demanding, time consuming. The speaker needs to convey more content. Difficult to present complex subjects in a cohesive, integrated manner.

Selecting Design Elements Color Colors have meanings themselves, based on both cultural experience and the relationships that you established between the colors in your designs.

Selecting Design Elements Typefaces and Type Styles Sans serif fonts (Calibri) Use uppercase and lowercase letters with generous space between lines of text. Limit the number of fonts to one or two per slide. Choose font sizes that are easy to read from anywhere in the room, between 28 and 36 points.