Chapter 22
Presentations
Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Presentations
Help solve problems by communicating with your
audience face-to-face, in-person
Are an essential part of the workplace Use many of the same techniques of effective
written communication
Often involve interaction between the speaker and
audience
Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Informal Presentations
Make up the majority of workplace presentations Often occur without a great deal of preparation
or rehearsal
Are sometimes spontaneous
Can also be improvised
Are generally not supported by sophisticated
written or visual aids
Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Formal Presentations
Could be the principal factor in determining
whether your ideas, products, or services are used and accepted
May actually be the service you and your
company provide
Are generally longer and more complex than
informal presentations
Are usually delivered in a set-aside place
Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Formal Presentations
Are usually supported with various tools,
ancillaries, and equipment
Usually includes computer-supported slideshows
Are often delivered to potential clients, members
of your own organization or profession, supervisors or managers, and sometimes the general public
Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Preparing for a Presentation
Requires careful planning and preparation Requires knowing the purpose for the
presentation
Understands the audience
Knows the physical context for the presentation
Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Appropriate Visual Aids
Are influenced by audience, location, the time
available
Are even more important the longer and more
formal your presentation will be
Make the audience perceive speakers as more
professional, more persuasive, easier to understand, and more interesting when they include visual aids
Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Appropriate Visual Aids
Should be higher-quality
Mesh seamlessly with the material Reinforce and strengthen information
presented, not overwhelm or take the place of quality information
Are those that explain, emphasize, interest,
and guide
Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Handouts
Can be duplicates of written material or
slides, summaries of key points, supporting matter in graphs, charts, or tables, or other supplementary information
Should be distributed to each member of
your audience
Can be easy and inexpensive to prepare and
can reinforce what youve said
Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Posters and Flipcharts
Can be effective methods for displaying visual
information to smaller groups
Can be written on by the speaker, which
keeps audience members interested and involved in the presentation
Are especially useful in brainstorming
Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Boards
Can be used to display and create information Range from the basic chalkboards and erasable
dryboards to wireless, digital smartboards
Allow presenters to create graphics and charts
on the fly
Are best suited to small groups
Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Slides and Overheads
Are readily available in most offices, easy to
use, and inexpensive
Can project texts or images onto a blank wall or
a screen
Are seen as outdated and plain when compared
to computer projections
Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Computer Projections
Are the primary visual aid used in
presentations today
Can use web-based or presentation software
Can import content, graphs, and charts from
other programs
Can incorporate sound, video, and web links Are becoming ubiquitous and user-friendly
Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Creating Effective Visuals
Enhance an audiences interest and
understandingnot inhibit it
Depend on the context; effectiveness is the
product of circumstance
Consider the five principles of effective visual
design
Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Principles of Effective Visual Design
Signaling groups information together using headings Segmenting presents information in bite-sized
segments
Narrating describes the visual rather than just reading
from a slide
Showing and telling combines text and images for a
more effective presentation
Streamlining keeps visuals concise, simple, and to-thepoint
Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Additional Suggestions for Creating Slides
Use text and visuals that can be read and seen at the
back of the room
Use bulleted or numbered lists that contain phrases and
keywords
Be consistent with font styles, sizes, spacing, and
backgrounds
Dont read text word for word from a slide
Avoid the excessive use of enhancements in slideshows
Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Plan Your Speech
By deciding what you will say By writing a formal speech if it is a highly
stressful presentation
By creating an outline that is highly organized
or loosely structured
By using notes to guide you through the
presentation
Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Organize Your Presentation
By including an introduction, body, and conclusion By realizing that listeners have less attention for
detail than readers
By understanding that listeners generally require
more overlap than readers
By knowing that listeners generally require more
explicit signals than readers, like transitions and summaries
Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Deliver the Presentation
Using effective vocalization: moderate volume,
varied pitch, steady pace, and clear articulation
Avoiding filler phrases and non-fluencies Using effective body language: face the
audience, make eye contact, and use movement and gestures
By fielding questions
Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.