Sr. Jeanette M.

Formentera BSA-1 January 24, 2017

ASSIGNMENT # 3
A. BASICS OF PRESENTATION

A presentation, like all communication forms, requires a specific organizational pattern to be

effective, and just as letters, memos, and reports follow certain conventions formats, presentations
also follow certain conventions influencing the delivery of information. These include the following:

Opening. The opening of a presentation is usually designed to help both the speaker and the
audience feel comfortable and to orient the audience to the purpose of the presentation. The
following are typical openings: A joke. / A story. / Background information. /A preview. /
A benefit. / A special goodwill statement.

Body. The body of the presentation consists of the facts, figures, and principles you wish to convey.
Because your organizational pattern must be clear to your audience, use explicit transitions from one
point to the next.

In an oral presentation, some redundancy is essential. Repeat important points. An oral message is
not the same as a written message in this regard. Because your audience cannot “look back” to see
what you said before, you will need to repeat important points to help them remember.

Closing. Because it is a natural point of emphasis and because it is the last impression your audience
will have of you, the closing of your presentation deserves special attention. >Avoid quitting before
you are finished. >Invite questions. >Summarize key points. >Be specific about desired actions. >Be
positive and forward-looking. >Conclude when you say you will. If you have been allotted a specific
time for your presentation, finish on time. Once you have said “In conclusion,” be sure that you
conclude—restate your main point, specify an action, and quit.

Steps

1. Know your audience and understand its perspective. Whether your goal is persuasion, or
simply to inform, you need to understand your audience, its level of expertise and how your
message will resonate.
2. Research thoroughly. You absolutely must be an expert on the subject.
3. Document your sources. Where you get your information is as important as the
information itself. Without solid, peer-reviewed data, you’re just a person with an opinion.
The audience, in this exercise, is expecting facts and projections.
4. Write your speech. Off-the-cuff talks are fine if you’re on a soap box in a park. In a large
room with hundreds of attendees, you just can’t afford that.
5. Prepare the slide show. If you're going to use a slide show, the visuals you will show to the
audience need to be designed to support what you’re saying. 
6. Rehearse alone. Do this repeatedly. Read your speech and watch your presentation dozens
of times. This needs to be so familiar to you .
7. Do a dress rehearsal. Enlist some people that you trust to give honest opinions. These
should be people that are reasonably representative of your expected audience.
8. Tweak the presentation. Take what you learned in the dress rehearsal and make
modifications. Try to put yourself in the audience when you do this.
9. Prepare yourself. So far, the steps have all been about preparing your presentation. Now,
it’s time to think about you. Unless you do this for a living, you’re going to be nervous. 
10. Introduce the presentation. You’ve done a great job preparing, you know the material,
you’ve rehearsed, you’ve visualized perfection – in short, you’re ready.
 11. Present the material. Obviously, this is the meat of the subject. Remember you are the
expert. Also remember… you will be nervous.
12. Question and answer. This is optional, but can be an important way to clarify key points
and be certain that your audience received your message.
13. Exit the stage. Thank everyone for their attention, tell them the presentation is available in
printed form. If you will be available for personal consultation, make sure you mention that.
Don’t spend a lot of time in the exit; you’re finished – exit graciously.

B. MAIN TYPES OF PRESENTATION

1. Narrative is, in the words of Anne Fadiman, editor of The American Scholar, “a way of ordering
events and thoughts in a coherent sequence that makes them interesting to listen to.”

The narrative is the presentation’s design or overall structure. It gives meaning, focus, and
purpose (coherence) to the information you’re presenting. And it makes that information interesting
to your audience. A narrative is essential.

Narrative speeches involve standing up in front of an audience and telling a story. As with a
written narrative, a narrative speech should include a clear opening, middle and conclusion, and an
important part of the speech is the signal that one of these sections is beginning. Ideally, a narrative
speaker is able to deliver the presentation extemporaneously, with just a few notes jotted down,
giving the speaker the ability to use nonverbal language to express emotional impressions freely.

2. Informative speech is a fact-based speech intended to teach its audience about a specific
topic. Informative speeches must have thesis statements and reliable sources for each claim. Some
presenters opt to use slides, photographs or other visual aids to enhance their informative speeches.

An informative speech is different from a persuasive speech because an informative speech

provides just the facts and allows the audience to draw their own conclusions. In a persuasive
speech, the speaker includes his conclusions and opinions in the speech alongside the sourceable
facts.

>The topic options for informative speeches are nearly limitless and are not limited to non-fiction
ideas.

>An informative speech is one that one that intends to educate the audience on a particular topic.
This type of speech uses descriptions, demonstrations, vivid detail, and definitions to explain a
subject, person, or place the audience wants to understand.

>An informative speech makes a complex topic easy to understand or offers a different point of view.

>Unlike persuasive speeches, an informative speech relies less on pathos and more on
communicating information, providing knowledge, especially useful or interesting information.

C. USING VISUAL SUPPORT IN A PRESENTATION

Using Visual Aids- can powerfully help the effectiveness of a speech. Many speeches benefit from
having objects, images, key quotes, or data presented in a clear and dramatic fashion.

Visual aids vary in kind, but there are similar benefits and tips for dealing with any kind of
supplementary evidence that is shown to an audience.

Reasons to Use Visual Aids : 1. Improves audience understanding and memory 2. Serves as notes
3. Provides clearer organization 4. Facilitates more eye contact and motion by the speaker
5. Contributes to speaker credibility
Types of Visual Aids

People Graphs
-pie
Maps -bar
Objects -line

Charts Photographs, Pictures, Diagrams, Sketches

-flow Projected Images
-tree  -overhead projectors
-sequence  -Powerpoint presentation
pictographs  -film
-flip

Tips for Using Visual Aids

Stand to the side of the visual aid. Do not obscure the visual aid if at all possible.
Traditionally, speakers have the visual aid on their left.

Maintain eye contact. While the visual aid will be tempting to many speakers, the
audience should still be their main focus.

Introduce a visual aid before talking about the information contained in

it. Giving background on where the information for the visual aid was obtained from
provides the audience with more resources for understanding the content of the speech.

Practice with a visual aid. The visual aid adds an additional focus for the audience,
and the speaker should be able to effectively and smoothly interact with the aid to minimize
distractions.

Make sure the visual aid supports the message. Consistency between what is
being said and what is being seen is crucial to a speaker's credibility.

Supplement, do not supplant, the speech with the visual aid. Do not allow the
visual aid to overwhelm the speech itself.

Ensure the logistics of the setting are conducive to the visual aid. Make sure
that everyone can see the visual aid, that any electronic equipment necessary for the visual
aid is functioning and that the visual aid is set up before the speech .

Point out key elements in the visual aid, especially if it is complicated. Pictures,

charts, graphs, and some objects, are often so complex, with so much "going on," that the
audience might need to be directed to the area of the visual aid that the speaker is
referencing.

Avoid distributing materials before the speech. If there are supporting materials
to assist the audience, they should be passed out either before or after the speech.

Limit lists. If the visual aid utilizes lists to communicate the central ideas of the
speech, do not overwhelm the audience with endless lists on one slide or page.
Remember that simplicity is a good design principle. Do not overload a visual aid with
unnecessary information, color, font changes, or superfluous images.