Informative Presentations: Plan Research, Organize, and
Deliver
Chapter 11
Communicating for Results, 10th edition
• Plan your presentation by contrasting informative and persuasive presentations
• Research your topic• Organize your presentation to best
communicate clear content• Deliver your speech in a natural,
enthusiastic, and confident manner
Chapter 11 Objectives
Communicating for Results, 10th edition
• The higher you advance in your career past the entry level, the greater the chance that you will need to be skilled in giving presentations
• When you first begin working in an organization, most of your oral presentations will be done in-house unless you are in sales
Informative Presentations
Communicating for Results, 10th edition
• Informative presentations promote understanding of an idea, concept, problem, event, procedure, person, thing, place, or body of related facts
• Persuasive presentations influence behaviors or opinions
• Although persuasive presentations inform, as well as persuade, the two types require different approaches
Informative Versus Persuasive Presentations
Communicating for Results, 10th edition
• Oral briefing– Designed to present summary of facts in
short period of time•Briefing may be given to an individual,
to a small group, or to an entire department
•Many briefings are informal•Other briefings are more formal•Longer presentations require visuals
Types of Informative Presentations
Communicating for Results, 10th edition
• Oral report– Designed to present complete details
and is longer than a briefing– Usually more formal– Often decision-making teams are
required to prepare both written and oral reports on a problem and their recommendations for solving it
Types of Informative Presentations
Communicating for Results, 10th edition
• Knowing your audience is critical to giving a successful presentation– Business audiences not always the same– You must be able to relate your
presentation to their interests and needs
Audience Analysis
Communicating for Results, 10th edition
• How many people will be present?• Are they coming by choice?• Who are they?• What do they know about your topic?• Do they know you?• Any negative biases they have?
Audience Characteristics
Communicating for Results, 10th edition
• Identify them as one of four basic types:– Friendly– Neutral– Uninterested– Hostile
Audience Types
Communicating for Results, 10th edition
• The general topic is usually predetermined• If you are asked to select your own topic,
be sure to pick a topic that fits your audience, that highlights your knowledge, and that is of real interest to you
Topic Selection
Communicating for Results, 10th edition
• You are ready to narrow your topic by focusing on a specific goal or objective– Objective should answer three
questions:•What do you want to accomplish?•What do you want your audience to
take away?•What do you want your audience to
do with the information?– Write exact purpose statement
Topic Selection
Communicating for Results, 10th edition
• To find new information• To add to personal credibility• To prepare for Q&A• To find content to support main points
Why and What to Research
Communicating for Results, 10th edition
• What to search for– New ideas, new authors, and newly
published or posted information– Novel ways to present important but
older information– Charts, graphs, pictures, and photos you
can use or adopt– Materials that add interest, clarify, and
prove
Why and What to Research?
Communicating for Results, 10th edition
• Where to research– Inexperienced speakers often make one of two
mistakes:•Do too little research because they plan to
rely on their personal knowledge and experience
•Use only the Internet to do their research• You need to present research from additional
sources– Using information from other respected sources
shows you are an objective and informed speaker
Why and What to Research?
Communicating for Results, 10th edition
• Must keep three facts in mind:– Not all information on the web is
authoritative– Unless you know where to look, it is
possible to spend hours on the Internet without finding the information you need
– Many valuable sources are not available on the web
The Internet
Communicating for Results, 10th edition
• Before going online– Do your homework
•Prepare a rough-draft outline of the main points and supporting points you think you might use in your speech
•When you visit the library looking for print materials and electronic databases, make a list of keywords and phrases ahead of time
•Search one or more electronic databases
The Internet
Communicating for Results, 10th edition
• Searching with Boolean operators– Keyword searches will be more effective
if you link your search terms with Boolean operators•The number of hits a search produces
is important, quality of hits is most important
The Internet
Communicating for Results, 10th edition
• Electronic databases include books, magazines and journal articles, government documents, and more– Keep in mind that commercial
databases give you the option of avoiding general interest magazines
– Databases also make available back issues at no charge
Licensed Electronic Databases
Communicating for Results, 10th edition
• If you are relatively unfamiliar with your topic, it’s a good idea to begin your search for information with the following print materials:– Books– Magazines/journals– Refereed journal articles– Newspapers– Specialized dictionaries and encyclopedias– Other library resources
Printed Materials
Communicating for Results, 10th edition
• Blogs or weblogs – Personal opinion journals posted on Internet
• Tweets– Messages of 140 characters or less posted on
Twitter.com• Blogs and tweets can be used by speakers in
various ways:– As attention-getting narratives in introduction– As supporting examples during speech– As clarification of pro and con arguments
• Be careful how this information is used – much of it is opinion
• Remember to cite sources
Blogs and Tweets
Communicating for Results, 10th edition
• After you decide on likely candidates, you should plan your questions and conduct interview following these steps:– Introduction– Body– Conclusion
• Use results of interview carefully• Be sure to keep all matters confidential
that you agreed not to reveal
Personal Interviews
Communicating for Results, 10th edition
• Plagiarism is using the ideas of someone else without giving credit– Even if you only paraphrase the content
– you are plagiarizing•Don’t be tempted to buy a speech
from a website or from a friend–You will be on dangerous ethical
ground
How to Avoid Plagiarism When Researching
Communicating for Results, 10th edition
• There are many reasons to avoid using someone else’s speech:– It’s unethical– The consequences can be severe and
long-lasting– You won’t learn the successful speech
skills needed for business success– It’s very difficult to deliver a speech you
didn't write
How to Avoid Plagiarism When Researching
Communicating for Results, 10th edition
• Speakers should definitely be concerned with organization for several reasons:– Organized information is easier for listeners
to comprehend, to remember, to take notes from, and more likely to keep their attention
– Organized information causes listeners to judge speakers as being more credible
– Organized information is easier for the speaker to remember
– Organized information gives the speaker confidence
Informative Presentations: Organizing
Communicating for Results, 10th edition
• The basic organization of an oral briefing or report is basically the same:– Introduction– Body– Conclusion
• When preparing a presentation, the body is usually planned first, then the conclusion, and finally the introduction
Informative Presentations: Organizing
Communicating for Results, 10th edition
• You have three main tasks:– Finalize your main points– Select the best pattern for organizing
those main points– Expand your main ideas into an outline
Organizing the Body of the Presentation
Communicating for Results, 10th edition
• Finalize your main points– Most speakers cover three main points
•If you include more than five, you may lose listeners
–Research on memory suggests that five bits of information is about all the average person can remember with accuracy
Organizing the Body of the Presentation
Communicating for Results, 10th edition
• Main points can be organized in a variety of ways– Topical pattern– Spatial/geographical pattern– Chronological/time pattern– Causal pattern
• In order to tell which pattern will be best for your topic, make four mini-outlines with a purpose and main points – one for each pattern
Select the Best Pattern for Organizing Your Main Points
Communicating for Results, 10th edition
• Do not write out the speech word for word– It is much faster and easier to work with
a simple sentence or keyword outline•An outline tells you at a glance how
the main points are organized
Expand Your Main Ideas into an Outline
Communicating for Results, 10th edition
• The introduction has four important steps:– Capture the attention of your audience– Motivate them to listen by showing your
presentation's benefit to them– Convince them that you are qualified to
speak on the subject– Make your purpose and main points
clear in a thesis statement
Organizing the Introduction of the Presentation
Communicating for Results, 10th edition
• Capture audience attention– Reveal one or more startling facts– Ask a question– Tell a joke or humorous story– Briefly cite two or three specific
incidents or examples– Refer to the specific occasion– Quote or paraphrase– Briefly demonstrate the item or skill you
will be discussing
Organizing the Introduction of the Presentation
Communicating for Results, 10th edition
• Although humor can be effective in a presentation, self-disparaging humor can have a negative effect
• Humor directed at one’s occupation or profession does not harm a speaker’s image
Organizing the Introduction of the Presentation
Communicating for Results, 10th edition
• Motivate the audience to keep them listening– The purpose of step 2 in the introduction
is to keep their attention•Convince them that the presentation
will help them satisfy personal or job-related needs
Organizing the Introduction of the Presentation
Communicating for Results, 10th edition
• Make your purpose and main points clear– A good thesis statement has two parts:
general statement of purpose and a preview of the main points to be covered•The average listener finds it much
easier to follow and remember the ideas contained in your presentation when your introduction previews key points
Organizing the Introduction of the Presentation
Communicating for Results, 10th edition
• Many business speakers suggest you start your presentation with your recommendations or conclusions– This direct method helps you keep the
attention of the typically rushed, tired, and stressed-out business audience
– If your conclusion is bad news, sensitive information, or a controversial proposal, it would be better to use the indirect method and report background data and events before stating your conclusion
Organizing the Introduction of the Presentation
Communicating for Results, 10th edition
• The conclusion has two steps:– Provide a final summary of your purpose
and main idea– End with a memorable closing thought
to refocus audience attention
Organizing the Conclusion of the Presentation
Communicating for Results, 10th edition
• Final summary– Can be general or specific
•The intent is to clarify for the listeners any confusion about the purpose and main points of your presentation and to refocus them on what they have learned
Organizing the Conclusion of the Presentation
Communicating for Results, 10th edition
• Closing thoughts– Serves as a final attention-getter
•Purpose is to give audience a thought or challenge that will keep them thinking about your presentation long after it is completed
–Any attention-getters that can be effective in your introduction can also be used successfully to conclude your presentation
»One method is to refer back to your opening remarks
Organizing the Conclusion of the Presentation
Communicating for Results, 10th edition
• Transition is word, phrase, or brief sentence used to link ideas, main points, or major parts of a speech– They add polish and flow to
presentation, highlight main points, add interest, and create anticipation
Adding Transitions to the Presentation
Communicating for Results, 10th edition
• Speaking extemporaneously with or without notes– This is preferred method of delivery for most
business speeches• Speaking using visual aids
– Instead of using note cards, speakers use their PowerPoint slides as a memory device
• Speaking from memory– Business and professional speaker seldom use
this method•Takes a great deal of time to memorize•Makes it difficult to react to listener
feedback
Methods of Delivery
Communicating for Results, 10th edition
• Speaking from a manuscript– Much more difficult for most people
•Must read a prepared presentation word for word but make it sound conversational and personal
– There are advantages•When speaker is given very strict time limit•Allows upper management to read and okay
the presentation before it is given•Protects speaker from saying something
unintentionally and from blatant misinterpretation
Methods of Delivery
Communicating for Results, 10th edition
• Speaking without prior preparation and without notes or manuscript– When asked to speak impromptu, try the
following:•Appear confident•Decide on your conclusion first•Begin with a general statement•Introduce your supporting reasons with
the word because •Answer the question directly and
honestly
Impromptu Speaking
Communicating for Results, 10th edition
• Look confident and relaxed– Look directly at your listeners and smile
occasionally– Dress in a professional manner– Use natural gestures– Add occasional movement
Characteristics of Effective Delivery
Communicating for Results, 10th edition
• Sound conversational, natural, and enthusiastic– Vary your volume– Vary your pitch– Vary your emphasis– Vary your rate
Characteristics of Effective Delivery
Communicating for Results, 10th edition
• Use language that is informal, vivid, and specific– One of the most serious mistakes a
speaker can make is to try to impress listeners by using long or extremely technical words or jargon
Characteristics of Effective Delivery
Communicating for Results, 10th edition
• Several suggestions professional speakers follow:– Don’t overlook the importance of
practice– Videotape a practice session when
possible– Don’t apologize – Prepare speaking notes
Maintaining a Confident Delivery
Communicating for Results, 10th edition