Presentational versus Public Speaking

Rather than being a formal public speech, presentational speaking—reports delivered by individuals or teams addressing people in the workplace (or in the classroom)—has much in common with formal public speaking, yet important differences exist:1

Apart from these differences, the rules of public speaking described in this text apply equally to both oral presentations and public speeches.

Five of the most common of these presentations in the workplace are the sales presentation, proposal, staff report, progress report, and crisis-response presentation. The case study, described next, is unique to the classroom environment.