LECTURE 12: DELIVERING ORAL REPORTS AND BUSINESS SPEECHES CHAPTER 16

MASTERING FORMAL SPEAKING “Business people give an average of 26 presentations a year”

MASTERING FORMAL SPEAKING Oral Report is any objective presentation of facts and their interpretation using the spoken word. Examples- Brief status reports; Elaborate reports.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ORAL AND WRITTEN REPORTS Visual and verbal cues- in written reports, you can use headings or paragraphing to show the structure of the message. Degree of reader control- readers of a written report control the pace of the communication. Listeners of an oral report cannot control the pace of the communication. Formality in oral and written reports- less formal style is accepted in oral reports.

GIVING SPEECHES AND PRESENTATIONS Determining the topic and purpose. Preparing the presentation- Introduction Body Conclusion Choosing the presentation method- Presenting extemporaneously. Memorizing. Reading. Choosing the means of audience feedback.

PREPARING YOURSELF TO SPEAK Appealing personal traits- Confidence Competence Sincerity Friendliness

PREPARING YOURSELF TO SPEAK Appropriate appearance and physical actions- The communication environment. Personal appearance Posture Walking Facial expression Gestures

PREPARING YOURSELF TO SPEAK Common flaws- Lack of pitch variation Lack of variation in speaking speed Lack of vocal emphasis Unpleasant voice quality

SUPPORTING TALK WITH VISUALS Information to present visually- Title slide – point of the talk, speaker’s name, name and logo of sponsors. Outline – List of what will be covered during the presentation. Charts, tables, line art, diagrams – helps to process the information. Photographs – provides concrete image of products or vision of the future. Animation – reinforce a point; show a process. Multimedia – audio/video files; share a story; show an example.

TECHNIQUES FOR USING VISUALS Make certain that everyone in the audience can see the visuals. If necessary, please explain the visuals. When discussing a visual, refer to it with physical action and words. Talk to the audience – not to the visuals. Avoid blocking the listeners’ views of the visuals.

USE OF PRESENTATION SOFTWARE PowerPoint- most commonly used software. Prezi- Cloud application. SlideRocket- popular PowerPoint alternative. Canva- creative, and easy to use. Google Docs’s presentation tools.

USE OF PRESENTATION SOFTWARE Whichever tool you use, stay clear of the following pitfalls: Putting too much on a slide. Making the contents on the slide too small. Using an inappropriate theme or unreadable color combination. Using too much animation Being inconsistent across slides. Reading verbatim what’s on the slides.

GROUP PRESENTATIONS Group presentations present special challenges- They require all the skills of individual presentation. Reduce overlap and provide continuity between the parts. Provide a smooth transition to each presenter. Deliver an effective conclusion and/or conduct a smooth question-and-answer session.