Giving Presentations

Giving Presentations

When done well, oral communication can be an effective tool in the workplace. To be successful, it needs a clear structure and should be concise (Alred, Brusaw, and Oliu 498). Here is a breakdown of the main components that make up this workplace skill, adapted from Writing That Works by editors Alred, Brusaw, and Oliu.

What’s your goal?

Before putting together your presentation, you need to determine your purpose for giving it. You can do this by creating a purpose statement that answers these two questions: “what?” and “why?” (Alred, Brusaw, and Oliu 499).

Here’s an example:

The purpose of my presentation is to explain to my coworkers the reception our company products received during my business trip to Hong Kong (what) so that they will consider expanding the company to Hong Kong permanently (why).

It is important to do this step first so that your presentation will have clarity. Your purpose statement will serve as a thesis around which to build your presentation.

Know your audience

Your audience will affect how you approach the delivery of your information. Answer the following questions about your audience which are detailed in Writing That Works (500):

• What is their level of experience or knowledge about your topic?
• What is their general education level and age?
• What is their attitude toward the topic you are addressing and, based on that attitude, what interests, concerns, fears, or objections might they have?

Everything in its place

The structure of your presentation operates on an understanding of the human attention span. The most important information should go first and be re-introduced at the end.

The three parts of any presentation are the introduction, body, and closing (Alred, Brusaw, and Oliu).

Here is a closer look at each:

Introduction

·      Begins with an attention-grabbing statement that is relevant to the issue

·      Identifies the issue that will be presented and what the audience can expect to gain from your presentation

·      Provides necessary background information on the issue

    (501)

Body

·      Offers a solution to a problem that maybe have been stated in the introduction

·      Proves your point – presents any data and facts from reliable sources that will defend your claims

    (502)

Closing

·      Should achieve the purpose of your presentation – convinces your audience to agree, change their minds, or to do something you’re asking

·      Wraps up – gives an overview for those who may have lost attention

·      Invites questions and objections – anticipate any confusion or resistance and be ready to respond

·      Thanks the audience for their time and attention

                             (502)

Something shiny

It’s proven that visual aids greatly increase audience attention and understanding (Alred, Brusaw, and Oliu 504). Consequently, providing charts, graphs, or illustrations are a necessity and can save you from filling all of your slides with explanatory text (Alred, Brusaw, and Oliu 504).

Approach the use of visuals with caution. Keep them simple. Avoid special effects and bright colors whenever possible since they can turn a visual aid into a distraction.

Practice Makes Perfect

In conclusion, be sure to practice your presentation out loud and while standing to adequately prepare yourself (Alred, Brusaw, and Oliu 513). If you apply each of the above components to your presentation you should find that it goes very smoothly, and with a bit of practice you will be able to effectively communicate to your audience.