Oral Reports

Remember that although oral presentations share many goals with the written reports they accompany, there are firm distinctions between the two.

Oral presentations may have long-term goals, such as establishing the credibility of the company or creating ongoing awareness of its mission, as well as short-term goals, such as engaging listeners' participation or interest in a project.

In your opening, communicate confidence and respect and establish credibility by clarifying who you are, what your talk is about, and why it's relevant to listeners.

Engage listeners' attention by opening with

a brief story
a startling statistic or fact
a vivid example of a workplace problem
dissonance
a specific question
a quotation
a direct statement of your intent

Adapt your message to the limitations of your listeners' short-term memory.

Limit your information to five main ideas if you want listeners to remember them.

Repeat at least three times any idea you want listeners to remember.

Prepare to answer questions listeners will probably have.

Analyze the needs and interests of your listeners so that you know how to frame your arguments for them and accomplish your goals.

Although the argument for your oral presentation will rely heavily on the argument of your written report, you'll need to streamline that argument to meet time constraints and limitations on your listeners' memory.

Structure your presentation to aid listeners' retention by relying upon selective repetition:
Provide a brief overview of what you'll cover in the introduction of your talk
Foreshadow what's coming next
Use bridging between chunks of the talk
Use backtracking to review what's been covered
Close by summarizing your main points

Consider developing your oral presentation using one of these approaches:
a problem/reasons/solution approach
a question/answer arrangement
a cause/effect structure
a chronological approach
spatial organization
a jigsaw puzzle approach

Make your talk lively by using examples and illustrations, relating personal stories, using humor selectively, offering analogies, and showing visuals.

Support what you say and emphasize your key ideas through carefully crafted visuals.

Present detailed information in handouts your listeners can review after your presentation.

Write and illustrate your ideas as you go, using whiteboards, chalkboards, or flipcharts.

Use overheads to generate text or illustrations as you go or to show visuals you've prepared in advance.

Project images you want listeners to see; slide projectors are particularly useful if you're presenting to a large audience and have reasonable lead time.

Provide action video or motion picture clips -- again for formal presentations with adequate preparation time.

Develop professional multimedia materials using sound, motion, and color to present complex ideas simply--especially if presentation time is sharply limited and preparation time allows development.

Design visuals to support your presentation, not for their own sake.

Use summary visuals to establish the goals or agenda for a talk, underscore key ideas as they're introduced, and review key points in the closing.

Focus each visual on one idea.

When possible use graphics or illustrations, rather than text, to support your argument.

Use no more than one-half of the viewing area -- or no more than four words per line and six lines per visual.

Select type fonts and sizes that will be readable to anyone anywhere in the room.

Use color to add interest and emphasize your key points.

Make sure the presentation software you plan to use is compatible with the computer available for your presentation.

Select the simplest method of presenting visuals that is appropriate for your listeners, your argument, and your goals.

During a question-and-answer-session, repeat the question and then pause to think before you answer it.

Maintain openness and encourage your listeners' active involvement by acknowledging their contributions when they ask questions.

Stay focused when people ask irrelevant questions.

If people ask loaded questions, be tactful and avoid arguing.

Prepare for question-and-answer sessions by reviewing and rehearsing your facts, data, and analysis.

Match your clothing to that of your listeners' in general style and formality so that it won't distract them or you.

Transmit your confidence and credibility through relaxed, natural posture and gestures.

Underscore your message through gestures and facial expressions.

Use eye contact to connect with your listeners and maintain their attention.

Speak in the natural style that enables you to vary tone, pitch, and emphasis.

Use your voice to emphasize important language and ideas.

Minimize verbal distractions, such as mispronunciations and filler sounds and words ("ums," "uhs," "okays," and "you knows"), by practicing.

Practice and thorough preparation also lessen the anxiety and nervousness that come naturally when people make oral presentations.

Use mental rehearsals and physical relaxation techniques to reduce your nervousness and increase your confidence.

For questions and suggestions, please e-mail us at kilbornj@stcloudstate.edu or rinkster@stcloudstate.edu.

The print version of the Instructor's Manual for The Writing of Business
was written by Robert P. Inkster and Judith M. Kilborn for Allyn and Bacon.
This web version of the manual was coded by Judith M. Kilborn.