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There are many ways to arrange a
presentation, depending on the audience and
purpose. (Later chapters discuss the specifics of
individual presentations.) But in general, all good
oral presentations begin with a strong introduction
and end with a strong conclusion. The introduction
is the place where you establish your initial
credibility with your audience and outline your
presentation; the conclusion is the place where you
leave a lasting impression and restate your main
points. Chapter 7 of Oral Presentations for
Technical Communication discusses ways in which
you can create effective introductions and
conclusions, covering the following topics:
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The Importance of Introductions and
Conclusions
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The Introduction
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The Conclusion
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Memorize the Introduction and
Conclusion
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These exercises build on the ideas addressed
in Chapter 7:
1. Attend a presentation, speech, or lecture, or
watch one on television. Pay careful attention to
the structure of the presentation, especially the
introduction and the conclusion. From the
introduction, what kind of ethos did the presenter
create? Was it clear what the presentation would
cover? Did you feel compelled and interested in the
topic? If not, why? Make similar notes about the
conclusion and describe how you might have adjusted
the introduction and conclusion to be more
effective.
2. Skim through several magazines and notice
which stories catch your attention and make you
stop and read them. Make a list of the items that
caught your interest: the headlines, graphics,
initial paragraph of information, and other
features. Consider how you might use similar
features in the introduction of a presentation.
Presentations and Cyberspace. Locate the
texts of two or three presentations given at
professional or academic conferences, and analyze
the introductions and conclusions. How did each
presenter introduce and conclude the speech? Were
the introductions and conclusions effective? If
not, revise them to incorporate, as appropriate,
techniques you studied in this chapter.
Presentations and Teamwork. From the list
of topics your team worked with at the end of
Chapter 6, identify one that intrigues everyone on
your team. Have each team member select a different
method for capturing the attention of an audience
and, for the same topic, prepare an introduction
using that method. Listen to and critique each team
member's introduction.
Presentations and International
Communication. In a "high-context" culture, the
way in which a message is presented is often just
as important or more important than what is
actually said or written. In a "low-context"
culture, what is said or written is often more
important than the way in which that message is
presented. How could these context expectations
affect the way in which you would word
introductions and conclusions for different
cultural audiences? In your response, consider
directness, formality, the presentation of
opinions, and the uses and presentations of
examples.
Presentations and Your Profession.
Describe a presentation that you might
realistically give in your profession -- the topic,
purpose, context, and content. For that
presentation, prepare two different introductions
and matching conclusions. Explain the presentation
to your class and give both sets of introductions
and conclusions. Ask them to identify the set they
prefer, and to explain their choice.
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