5. Restate main point
Refer to opener
End with positive picture
Give exact solution
6. Prepare for a challenge
Save questions until the end
Include the whole audience
Summarize your main point
Steer positively
7. All pictures courtesy of clip art at
microsoft.com.
Locker, K., & Kienzler, D. (2008). Business and
administrative communication (8th ed.). New
York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Follow these guidelines for a successful oral
presentation.
Editor's Notes
INTRODUCTIONMy presentation today shortly involves how to build and deliver a successful oral presentation. First, write down your purpose for the oral presentation. Remember to stay positive, use you-attitude, explain benefits, analyze the audience, be simple and direct with research and data, and answer all questions at the end to build consensus. (Locker and Kienzler, 2008)
Every presentation needs a strong opening to grasp the audience’s attention. There are a few different ways you can do this: shocking statement, humorous narration or anecdote, asking a question, or a quotation and basically anything that will build the audience’s interest in the topic of discussion. (Locker and Kienzler, 2008)
Between a monologue, guided discussion, or an interactive presentation, you should secondly choose what kind of presentation you will be using. Remember to adapt any ideas you are presenting to your audience’s feelings, linking your topic to their life experiences.
There are 5 patterns of organization. One of them can usually be used to organize the information in any kind of presentation. The “chronological” pattern should start with the past, to the present, and finalize with the future. The “problem-causes-solution” pattern should explain the problem, identify any causes, and present solutions to solve the problem. If the correct solution to the problem is hard to accept present the “excluding alternatives” option. With this pattern, you should explain the obvious solutions first and tell why they will not work, then end with the correct solution. The “pro-con” pattern works to show the weaker reasons of a solution. First, show the strengths in favor of something, then show the weaknesses against the other solutions. For short, informative presentations use the “1-2-3” pattern. It consists of only discussing 3 aspects of a topic.
Strong closings, as well as openings, use oral style and these four objectives: Restate your main point, refer to your opener, end with a memorable, related, and positive graphic, and give the exact solution to the problem you presented.
If you prepare yourself to handle challenging questions there will be no surprise when they are asked. If time to think about the answer is needed, you can repeat the question back to the questioner. Saving all questions until the end will give the audience a chance to learn the answer to their question within the presentation and this will also save you from getting sidetracked or losing your train of thought. When an audience member asks a question and you do not know the answer off hand, ask the rest of the audience if they might know the answer. This way your ignorance can be justified. At the end of questioning, summarize your main point again while you still have your audiences attention. Last, always steer all questions with a positive answer.
There are many different guidelines on building an oral presentation. These can be easily remembered. From open to close, while choosing and delivering the correct, organized information in between, you can make an effective and informative presentation in no time.
