Apply Your Knowledge of Face-to-Face Speaking

Online presentations require the same basic elements of planning and delivery as in-person presentations. As in traditional public speaking, an online speaker will select among the three general speech purposes of informing, persuading, or marking a special occasion (see Chapter 7, “Identify the General Purpose of Your Speech”). Both online and in-person contexts call for careful audience analysis, credible supporting materials, a clear organizational structure, and a natural style of delivery. And whether presenting electronically or in-person, as a speaker you must continually engage the audience; when separated physically, this focus becomes all the more critical (see Figure 28.1).