Chapter Introduction

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FOCUS ON PROCESS: Preparing an Oral Presentation

Preparing the Presentation

ANALYZING THE SPEAKING SITUATION

ORGANIZING AND DEVELOPING THE PRESENTATION

GUIDELINES: Introducing and Concluding the Presentation

PREPARING PRESENTATION GRAPHICS

TUTORIAL: Creating Presentations with PowerPoint and Prezi image

TUTORIAL: Audio Recording and Editing with Audacity image

TECH TIP: How To Create a Master Page Design in Presentation Slides

TECH TIP: How To Set List Items To Appear and Dim During a Presentation

DOCUMENT ANALYSIS ACTIVITY: Integrating Graphics and Text on a Presentation Slide

CHOOSING EFFECTIVE LANGUAGE

GUIDELINES: Using Memorable Language in Oral Presentations

REHEARSING THE PRESENTATION

THINKING VISUALLY: Delivering the Presentation

Answering Questions After a Presentation

ETHICS NOTE: Answering Questions Honestly

SPEAKER’S CHECKLIST

EXERCISES

CASE 15: Understanding the Claim-and-Support Structure for Presentation Graphics and image

A RECENT SEARCH FOR “death by PowerPoint” on Google returned some 1,410,000 hits. Apparently, a lot of people have been on the receiving end of boring presentations built around bullet slides. But an oral presentation—with or without slides—doesn’t have to be deadly dull.

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And the process of creating and delivering a presentation doesn’t have to be frightening. You might not have had much experience in public speaking, and perhaps your few attempts have been difficult. However, if you approach it logically, an oral presentation is simply another application you need to master in your role as a technical professional or technical communicator. Once you learn that the people in the room are there to hear what you have to say—not to stare at you or evaluate your clothing or catch you making a grammar mistake—you can calm down and deliver your information effectively while projecting your professionalism.

There are four basic types of presentations:

  • Impromptu presentations. You deliver the presentation without advance notice. For instance, at a meeting, your supervisor calls on you to speak for a few minutes about a project you are working on.

  • Extemporaneous presentations. You plan and rehearse the presentation, and you might refer to notes or an outline, but you create the sentences as you speak. At its best, an extemporaneous presentation is clear and sounds spontaneous.

  • Scripted presentations. You read a text that was written out completely in advance (by you or someone else). You sacrifice naturalness for increased clarity and precision.

  • Memorized presentations. You speak without notes or a script. Memorized presentations are not appropriate for most technical subjects because most people cannot memorize presentations longer than a few minutes.

This chapter discusses extemporaneous and scripted presentations.

FOCUS ON PROCESS: Preparing an Oral Presentation

When preparing an oral presentation, pay special attention to these steps.
PLANNING You will need to prepare effective presentation graphics that are visible, legible, simple, clear, and correct. Choose the appropriate technology based on the speaking situation and the available resources.
   
DRAFTING Choose effective and memorable language. Your listeners will not be able to read your presentation to help them understand your message.
   
REVISING

Rehearse at least three times, making any necessary changes to your transitions, the order of your slides, or your graphics.
   
EDITING
   
PROOFREADING