21 Making Oral Presentations

Understanding the Role of Oral Presentations

Printed Page 577-578

Understanding the Role of Oral Presentations

An oral presentation has one big advantage over a written one: it enables a dialogue between the speaker and the audience. Listeners can make comments or ask questions, and the speaker and listeners can talk before and after the presentation. As a technical communicator, you can expect to give oral presentations to five types of audiences:

Clients and customers. You present the features of your products or services and their advantages over those of the competition. After concluding the sale or landing the contract, you might provide oral operating instructions and maintenance tips to users.
Colleagues in your organization. You might instruct co-workers on a subject you know well. After you return from an important conference or an out-of-town project, you might brief your supervisors. If you have an idea for improving operations at your organization, you might write an informal proposal and then present it orally to a small group of managers. Your presentation helps them determine whether to study the idea.
Fellow professionals at technical conferences. You might speak about your own research project or about a team project to professionals in your field or in other fields.
Government agencies. You might speak before local, state, or federal government officials to explain a project your organization carried out. Or you might explain a proposed project so that the government officials can assess its implications. For instance, if you represent a developer, you might need to speak about the possible environmental impacts of a project your organization is proposing.
The public. You might deliver oral presentations to civic organizations and the general public to help these audiences understand your organization’s activities and plans. Oral presentations can help your organization reinforce its brand.