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Presentation software, described in the
previous chapter, is becoming the most popular
technology to use in conjunction with oral
presentations for technical communication. But
there are several other technologies with which you
should be familiar. Like presentation software,
each has its advantages and disadvantages. Chapter
18 of Oral Presentations for Technical
Communication looks at the following
presentation technologies:
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Overhead Projectors
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35 mm Slides
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Flip Charts
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Multimedia and Computer-Based
Training
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Teleconferencing
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Video Tapes
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Web
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These exercises build on the ideas addressed
in Chapter 18:
1. If you can, attend an interactive video
broadcast of a live presentation. If this is not
possible, watch a television broadcast of a
political or other type of presentation (C-SPAN
is a good channel for this, as are local public
access cable channels). How is delivery (our
physical features, body language) enhanced or
weakened when a presentation is broadcast via
television?
2. Do a cost comparison of the same presentation
using 35mm color slides, overhead transparency
slides (color and black and white), and flip
charts. Present your findings to class.
Presentations and Cyberspace. Look at
various Web sites that accompany or augment live
presentations. The Web site for National
Public Radio
is a good place to start. Several of NPR's shows,
such as "Talk of the Nation" or the National Press
Club, often provide Web sites for listeners to
learn more, email questions and comments, and
listen after the fact.
Presentations and Teamwork. As a class,
discuss the difficulties that different
presentation technologies might add to a group
presentation. Determine what strategies you might
use to avoid these problems. Form teams of 3-4
people, and select one of the technologies
discussed in this chapter. Use this technology to
give a short informative presentation. Afterward,
write a short critique of the presentation,
commenting on the technology and how it affected
the presentation.
Presentations and International
Communication. Contact someone from a
government office, an educational institution, or a
corporate office all of which are located in a
country outside the United States. Ask about what
kinds of technologies and facilities they have
available for giving a presentation and what kinds
of visual and technological aids they expect to be
a part of a presentation. Use these responses to
design a list of technological expectations that
presenters can use for planning and giving speeches
in these different cultures and to these different
institutions.
Presentations and Your Profession. Make a
list of the presentation technologies listed in
this chapter plus any others you can think of, and
ask a professional in your field to rank this list
from 1-10, with 1 being the least commonly used
technology and 10 being the most. Have 1-2 students
collect these surveys and report the findings to
class.
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