TECHNICAL WRITINGNovember 28th , 2012

TodayPresenting a proposal.

Giving an effective presentation

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Giving an effective presentationIf you follow a SIMPLE, organized presentation style, you will be more successful than most presenters.

- Format and organization.

- Media (i.e,. PowerPoint).

- Non-verbal elements.

- Verbal elements.

Three basic parts of a presentationIntro

Body

Conclusion

Proposal Presentation FormatIntroduction:

- Hook (something related to your topic and grabs the audience’s attention). - Brief background information on the topic.

- Purpose of the proposal.

- Outline of the presentation.

Proposal Presentation FormatBody: Two main sections:

1. The problem.

2. The solution

Proposal Presentation FormatBody: The problem - Provide any necessary background info to help the audience understand the problem.

- Identify the problem. - What the problem is, specifically.

- How you identified it (i.e., research you conducted and research results) - How it is affecting the university. - What will happen if the problem is not addressed.

Proposal Presentation FormatBody: The solution - State the solution.

- Discuss the solution in detail: - How it will solve the problem (be specific). - The timeframe for the solution. - Emphasize its strengths! - Discuss possible limitations (but minimize them). - Discuss 1 -2 alternatives and why your solution is better (re-emphasizing the benefits of your solution).

Proposal Presentation FormatConclusion: - Brief summary of the problem and solution.

- Re-emphasize the most significant benefit of the solution.

- Thank the audience.

- Indicate that you are open for questions.

Sample outline: Hiring an additional assistant

1. Hook

2. Speakers’ intro

3. State the purpose

4. Brief background

5. Outline of the presentation

6. The problem

7. The solution

8. Conclusion

Sample outline: Hiring an additional assistant

1. Hook

- “I need 30 copies of this.” “It looks like you need some help yourself.” “Can you contact the administration office for me?” “It’s too bad YOU don’t have an assistant.” “ I know you’re busy, but can you get me 30 more copies?” “You look exhausted.” “I need to you stay late today.”

These are some of the most common things the KAC office assistant hears everyday.

Sample outline: Hiring an additional assistant

2. Speakers’ intro

Good afternoon, ___________ - everyone - members of the board. - members of the committee - Sir

I’m Ex Ample, from administration, and this is my partner Dem Onstration, from accounts.

Sample outline: Hiring an additional assistant

3. State the purpose

We’re here today to propose that KAC hire an additional assistant to ease the workload of our current assistant and help things run more smoothly.

Sample outline: Hiring an additional assistant

4. Brief background (this gives some context to the proposal)

Currently, KAC has only one assistant, shared between 13 professors and 5 administration staff.

Her duties include…

Lately, she has had to work an average of 5 overtime hours a week just to keep up with her work demands. However, faculty members still complain that it takes too long to get assistance.

Sample outline: Hiring an additional assistant

5. Outline of the presentation

For the next 10 minutes, we will discuss this proposal for hiring an additional assistant for KAC. We will start by identifying exactly what the problem is and how it is affecting KAC and then move on to talking about a clear solution to address this problem. Finally, we’ll finish by taking any questions you might have.

Sample outline: Hiring an additional assistant

6. The problem

Background:

We currently have only one assistant at KAC… - over-worked, one assistant makes things move slowly, etc.

- Include any research data you might have related to this:

i.e., The current assistant works an average of 5 overtime hours a week…

Sample outline: Hiring an additional assistant

6. The problem

Identify the problem.

- Mention research:

We conducted a survey and some interviews with several staff members to look into this matter.

- Identify the problem based on the research

We found that sharing only one assistant among 17 people decreases our efficiency, making basic tasks like getting copies or drafting memos take over 1 day.

Sample outline: Hiring an additional assistant

6. The problem

Identify the problem.

Refer directly to your figures (on-screen) to discuss results.

- As you can see by this figure… - As you can you see from figure 1… - This table shows… - This figure illustrates…

Sample outline: Hiring an additional assistant

6. The problem

- How it is affecting the university. - What will happen if the problem is not addressed.

Sample outline: Hiring an additional assistant

7. The solution

To improve this situation, we propose…

We feel, the best approach to this problem is to…

To address this problem, we propose…

_____________, is the most effective way to…

Sample outline: Hiring an additional assistant

7. The solution

- Discuss the solution in detail: - How it will solve the problem (be specific). - The timeframe for the solution. - Emphasize its strengths! - Discuss possible limitations (but minimize them). - Discuss 1 -2 alternatives and why your solution is better (re-emphasizing the benefits of your solution).

Sample outline: Hiring an additional assistant

7. The solution

- Possible limitations.

To minimize the disadvantages:

1. Say that they are minor or easy to overcome.

2. Are less serious than disadvantages of other solutions.

3. Will likely be reduced over time.

Sample outline: Hiring an additional assistant

7. The solution

- Discuss the solution in detail: - How it will solve the problem (be specific). - The timeframe for the solution. - Emphasize its strengths! - Discuss possible limitations (but minimize them). - Discuss 1 -2 alternatives and why your solution is better (re-emphasizing the benefits of your solution).

Sample outline: Hiring an additional assistant

7. The solution

Another proposed way to deal with this…

An alternative way to address this problem is…

HOWEVER…

Overall, <YOUR SOLUTION> is the most efficient/effective… <re-emphasize its advantage>.