1. Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved. Chapter 23 Presentations

2. Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved. Presentations  Are an essential part of the workplace  Help solve problems by communicating with your audience face-to-face, in-person  Use many of the same techniques of effective written communication  Often involve interaction between the speaker and audience

3. Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved. Informal Presentations  Make up the majority of workplace presentations  Occur in any situation when people discuss or explain their ideas and thoughts  Can be spontaneous or improvised  Can be supported by short documents or rudimentary visual aids

4. Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved. Formal Presentations  Could be the principal factor in determining whether your ideas, products, or services are used and accepted  Are generally longer and more complex than informal presentations  Are usually supported with various tools, ancillaries, and equipment, especially computer-supported slideshows  Are usually delivered in a set-aside place

5. Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved. Complexities in Presentations  Varied Presentations  Workplace writers often use combinations of informal and formal presentations to solve a single problem.  Varied Audiences  Clients or customers  Colleagues  Supervisors and employees  The Public

6. Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved. Preparing for Presentations  Good presentations require:  careful planning  diligent preparation  meticulous assessment of the situation

7. Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved. Focusing on Audience  Understand exactly what your audience wants or needs to know  Provide solutions for audience's problems  Know the number and sorts of people attending  Account for varying levels of expertise and interest in your audience

8. Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved. Assessing the Physical Location  Visit the location ahead of time  Consider rehearsing under simulated conditions  Know where you'll be, relative to your audience  Familiarize yourself with the equipment

9. Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved. Determining the Time Available  Budget one to two minutes for each slide  Use leftover time to expand on main points  Limit your presentation to the time allotted  Save time for setup, interruptions, and questions

10. Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved. Gathering and Evaluating the Information  Determine what information is available and what you'll have to gather  Understand the materials at your disposal  Find or create appropriate visual aids  If working collaboratively, establish what members are best suited for certain tasks

11. Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved. Choosing and Creating Visual Aids  Account for audience, location, and time  Incorporate sophisticated visuals for more complex or formal presentations  Use visuals to reinforce information without overwhelming it  Plan a specific purpose for each visual  to explain information, to emphasize, to generate interest, and/or to guide audience attention

12. Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved. Types of Visuals  Handouts  Can duplicate or summarize slides or written material  Can be easy and inexpensive to prepare  Provide audiences with something to take away  Posters and Flipcharts  Are effective in small groups  Can visualize a procedure  Can be written on by the speaker, which keeps audience members interested and involved

13. Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved. Types of Visuals  Boards  Display and create information  Range from whiteboards to wireless, digital smartboards  Allow presenters to create graphics on the fly  Slides and Overheads  Are readily available, easy to use, and inexpensive  Can project texts or images onto a wall or screen  Are seen as outdated and plain when compared to computer projections

14. Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved. Types of Visuals  Computer Projections  Are the primary visual aid used in presentations today  Can import content from other programs  Can be exported in a variety of formats  Internet Presentations  Allow presenters to reach remote audiences  Can incorporate slides, video, and animations

15. Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved. Creating Effective Visuals  Signal the material with clear headings  Segment each visual so that it is “bite-sized”  Narrate the visual as you present it  Combine text and images for dynamic effect  Streamline visuals for conciseness and simplicity

16. Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved. Visuals and Transnational Audiences  Be aware how audiences can differently interpret colors, images, and gestures  Know that not all audiences read left-to-right  Use multiple examples to reach multiple audiences

17. Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved. Additional Suggestions for Creating Slides  Use text and visuals that can be read and seen at the back of the room  Use bulleted or numbered lists that contain phrases and keywords  Be consistent with design elements  Don’t read text word for word from a slide  Avoid the excessive use of “enhancements”

18. Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved. Planning Your Speech  Write a formal speech for highly stressful presentations  But, reading word-for-word decreases spontaneity and interaction  Create an outline that is highly organized or loosely structured  Consider converting it to a slide show  Use note cards to guide you through the presentation  Insert page numbers & avoid reading word-for-word

19. Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved. Organizing Your Content  Include an introduction, body, and conclusion  Realize that listeners have less attention for detail than readers  Repeat information for better retention  Incorporate explicit signal language, like transitions and summaries

20. Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved. Delivering the Presentation  Vocalization  Use adequate volume  Vary pitch  Pace yourself  Articulate words carefully  Avoid filler phrases (“um,” “uh,” “like)

21. Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved. Delivering the Presentation  Body Language  Face the audience  Make eye contact  Use movement and gestures  Fielding Questions  Address format ahead of time  Answer questions by referring back to the presentation  Be prepared to deal with unclear or biased questions