Business Communications and
Presentations Skills
Today’s Agenda
• Introduction
• Business Communication Model
• Handouts
• 10 Common Presentation Mistakes
• PowerPoint Presentation Tips
• Questions
• Conclusion
Generally, people retain
• 10% of what they READ
• 20% of what they HEAR
• 30% of what they SEE
• 50% of what they SEE and HEAR
• 70% of what they SAY
• 90% of what they SAY and DO
Business Communication
Process
Noise
Sender Encoding the Message Decoding the Receiver
message message
Feedback
Trans. 15-4
Business Communication Goals
• Receiver Understanding
• Receiver Response
• Favorable Relationship
• Organizational Goodwill
Sender is responsible for these goals.
Parts of a presentation
• Introduction
• Body
• Conclusion
• Questions
Say what you are going to say, say it,
then say what you have just said.
Guidelines for Effective Introductions
• Always prepare your opening
• Tell people what the presentation is about
• Keep the opening short and simple
• Only use anecdotes that are relevant
• Use caution with personal experiences
• Stay away from inappropriate humor
Guidelines for Effective Closings
• Always prepare a closing
• Always restate the main point, and, perhaps,
the key supporting points
• Say clearly what happens next
• If appropriate, make a call to action
• Thank the audience
Business Communication
Process
Noise
Sender Encoding the Message Decoding the Receiver
message message
Feedback
Trans. 15-4
Communication Barriers/Noise
• Word choice
– too difficult, too technical, etc.
– overused words such as, “good”, “excellent
value”, etc.
• Connotations VS Denotations
– Examples sender denotes rec. connotes
– “Cheap” inexpensive poorly made
– “Flexible” offers choice no standard
– “Compromise” adjust give in
Communication Barriers/Noise
• Inferences
• Pace of the delivery
– Speaking too fast or too slow
• Poor grammar, spelling, etc.
• Appearance and performance of the presenter
• Use of gender bias terms or stereotypical terms
• Positive VS Negative terms
– We have a full year warranty. VS Warranty is only for the
first year.
Handouts
• When to use and distribute handouts
– @ beginning if audience needs them during
presentation
– during presentation, have someone else hand
them out
– at end if possible
• Running handouts two, three or six to a
page
10 common presentation mistakes
(and suggestions for avoiding them)
• #1 Accepting an inappropriate invitation
– personally decline, retain opportunity for
company
• #2 Neglecting to research the audience
– take the time to find out who you are talking to
What you should know about
your audience
• How large is the audience?
• What are the audience members’ relevant
characteristics?
• Why are people attending?
• What are the audience’s specific needs, interests,
and concerns?
• How much do people already know?
• How are people likely to respond to your message?
10 common presentation mistakes
(and suggestions for avoiding them)
• #3 Procrastinating, then punting.
– Do not try to organize your talk and create your
slides simultaneously.
• #4 Getting a late start.
– Always plan to arrive early for your
presentation.
10 common presentation mistakes
(and suggestions for avoiding them)
• #5 Assuming all projectors are the same.
– Be sure you know the equipment or bring your
own.
• #6 Failing to heed Murphy’s Law
– Always assume the equipment will NOT work.
10 common presentation mistakes
(and suggestions for avoiding them)
• #7 Backing up to the wrong media
– Check your back-up media before leaving for your
presentation.
• #8 Telling tasteless or offensive jokes
– A greater awareness of your audience can determine if
they will find your sense of humor funny or offensive.
10 common presentation mistakes
(and suggestions for avoiding them)
• #9 Relying on the World Wide Web live
Web connection
– Create a copy on your hard drive.
• #10 Having too little to say
– Be prepared!
Tips on PowerPoint Presentations
• Always use a title slide. Put it up about five
minutes before your presentation begins.
• The presentation should set the tone of the
message.
– If you are sharing good news, your presentation
can use a lot of fun art, audio and video. If you
have bad news, stick to the points.
Sample Slide
• Sales are down!
• We are going to have to down size.
Tips on PowerPoint Presentations
• Keep the presentation look simple. You don’t
want to distract from the content of the
slide/presentation.
• Keep a consistent look from slide to slide.
• Create high contrast between the background
and the text.
• Consider creating a company specific
background for sales presentations.
Same slide
• Keep it simple. You don’t want to distract
from the content of the slide.
• Be consistent from slide to slide.
• Create high contrast between the
background and the text.
• Consider creating a company specific
background for sales presentations.
Tips on PowerPoint Presentations
• Clip art should match your audience.
• Art should match a key word or phase in the
slide.
• When using art, keep the images balanced
on the page. Use the rule of thirds.
• Use art judiciously.
• All of the rules apply to sound (even more
so!).
Tips on PowerPoint Presentations
• One of the significant advantages of using
presentation software packages is that you have
access to color. Use it wisely and judiciously.
– Keep it simple and consistent.
– Use no more than five colors for charts or graphs.
– Choose no more than two colors for text.
– Be careful with the use of red because the eye will
naturally go there first.
Tips on PowerPoint Presentations
• One of the significant advantages of using
presentation software packages is that you have
access to color. Use it wisely and judiciously.
(cont)
– Use complimentary colors together.
– Never use red and green together unless you want
your audience to think of Christmas!
Same slide
• One of the significant advantages of using
presentation software packages is that you have
access to color. Use it wisely and judiciously.
– Keep it simple and consistent.
– Use no more than five colors for charts or graphs.
– Choose no more than two colors for text.
– Be careful with the use of red because the eye will
naturally go there first.
Tips on PowerPoint Presentations
• Limit your bullet points to three or four
items.
• Try to have no more than 24 words on any
one slide.
• Be careful when using abbreviations,
acronyms, and special phases on your slides.
Explain them quickly or you lose your
audience.
Tips on PowerPoint Presentations
• Fonts are like colors, just because you have a
lot of them to choose from you don’t have to
use them all! No more than two or three per
slide.
• Be consistent from slide to slide.
• Don’t overdo the use of italics, bolding and
shadows and like e-mail, do NOT use all
caps.
Same slide
• Fonts are like colors, just because you have a
lot of them to choose from you don’t have to
use them all! No more than two or three
per slide.
• Be consistent from slide to slide.
• Don’t overdo the use of italics, bolding and
shadows and like email, DO NOT USE ALL
CAPS.
Tips on PowerPoint Presentations
• It is important to explain how to read your
chart or graph as soon as you put it on the
screen.
• Do not say anything important within ten
seconds of putting up a chart. People won’t
be listening, they’re too busy figuring out
the chart.
Tips on PowerPoint Presentations
• Have a final slide that lets the audience
know that the presentation is over.
Questions?
Presentation Pet Peeves
Final slide. Presentation is over.
Thanks for your attention!
Have a good Sunday!!