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NATURE OF FORMAL
PRESENTATIONS

Valenzano III, J. M., Broeckelman-Post, M. A., & Sahlstein Parcell, E. M. (2016).

Communication Pathways.  Southlake, TX: Fountainhead.
Presenting in Public
• Formal presentations are often part of life
• Various occasions, formal/informal,
planned/unplanned, that call for a presentation
• Public speaking instruction dates back to
classical times
• Aristotle identified three types of speeches
– Deliberative
– Forensic
– Epideictic
Canons of Rhetoric
• Invention
• Arrangement
• Style
• Delivery
• Memory
Topic Selection
• What is my purpose?
• What topics are appropriate?
• Is the topic appropriate for my
audience?
• Is the topic appropriate for me?
• Is the topic narrow enough?
Audience Analysis
• Demographics
• Artifacts
• Informants
• Interviews
• Surveys
• Polling the audience
• Direct observation
Researching the Topic
• Sources of Information
– Peer reviewed academic journal articles
– Books
– Magazines and newspapers
– Web and media sources
– Interviews
Types of Supporting Evidence
• Numbers and statistics
• Examples
• Testimony
– Expert
– Peer
• Definitions
– Denotative meanings
– Connotative meanings
Evaluating Information
• How recent is the source?
• Is the source reliable?
• Is the source biased?
• Is it consistent with other sources?
Dialogic Public Speaking
• Identify with your audience
• Respect differences
• Keep an open mind
• Strive for audience understanding
• Talk with, not at, your audience