3937112 Business Communication Successful Oral Presentations

Business Communication: Successful Oral Presentations Susan H. Irons Business Communication Kenan-Flagler Business School

Your Goal To develop strategies and skills for delivering effective and professional business presentations

Susan H. Irons

Successful Oral Presentations

For a successful presentation: ■ ■ ■

Analyze the situation Organize your ideas Develop effective delivery techniques

Susan H. Irons

Successful Oral Presentations

Analyze the Situation ■

Speaker: What is your relationship to your audience?

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Purpose: What is your goal? (To inform? To persuade? To entertain?)

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Audience: Who are they? What do they know? How will they react? Susan H. Irons Successful Oral Presentations

For a successful presentation:  ■ ■

Analyze the situation Organize your ideas Develop effective delivery techniques

Susan H. Irons

Successful Oral Presentations

Organize Your Ideas ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

Opening Purpose Preview of main ideas Development of main points Review/summary Closing

Susan H. Irons

Successful Oral Presentations

Organize Your Ideas: Opening ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

Gain attention (unusual fact) Give bottom line Show benefit(s) to listeners Introduce yourself Show your qualifications Clarify topic

Susan H. Irons

Successful Oral Presentations

Organize Your Ideas: Purpose ■

Develop a purpose slide

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Explain your purpose orally

Susan H. Irons

Successful Oral Presentations

Organize Your Ideas: Preview ■

Offer a table of contents, an agenda, an outline

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Make this preview slide your “moving blueprint” for the presentation

Susan H. Irons

Successful Oral Presentations

Organize Your Ideas: Main Points Each point needs an oral signpost Now that I’ve discussed the salary increase, I want to move on to health care options. The last point I want to make involves implementing the flex-time policy.

Susan H. Irons

Successful Oral Presentations

Organize Your Ideas: Main Points Each point needs development ■ Support your generalizations with specific information ■

Use logically persuasive tools to shape opinions (such as facts, history, analogy, appeals to needs and values) Susan H. Irons

Successful Oral Presentations

Organize Your Ideas: Conclusion Provide an oral signpost “In conclusion . . .” “To summarize . . .”

Susan H. Irons

Successful Oral Presentations

Organize Your Ideas: Conclusion Review/summarize your main points Then-■ Refer to opening or ■ End with actions steps or ■ Refer to audience benefits Susan H. Irons

Successful Oral Presentations

Organize Your Ideas Why so much repetition?

Susan H. Irons

Successful Oral Presentations

Organize Your Ideas PowerPoint Presentations Font ■ Design: 6X6 rule ■ Visuals ■

Handouts Remember: YOU are the presentation! Susan H. Irons

Successful Oral Presentations

Organize Your Ideas ■

Use visuals that enhance your message

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Visuals should relate to your message ■ help make your point ■ be consistent ■

Susan H. Irons

Successful Oral Presentations

Organize Your Ideas Effective PowerPoint slides are ■ simple ■ uncluttered ■ consistent

Susan H. Irons

Successful Oral Presentations

Organize Your Ideas Audiences understand your point an average of 25% faster when communicated via a graphic representation than a text version.

Susan H. Irons

Successful Oral Presentations

For a successful presentation: Analyze the situation  Organize your ideas ■ Develop effective delivery techniques 

Susan H. Irons

Successful Oral Presentations

Develop Effective Delivery Techniques ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

Eye Contact Non-verbal communication Speaking voice Notes Handling questions Team Presentations

Susan H. Irons

Successful Oral Presentations

Eye Contact Effective eye communication 5 seconds ■ x and z patterns ■

Avoid: Eye dart window Slow blink Susan H. Irons

Gazing out the Lighthouse scan Successful Oral Presentations

Develop Effective Delivery Techniques  ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

Eye Contact Non-verbal communication Speaking voice Notes Handling questions Team Presentations

Susan H. Irons

Successful Oral Presentations

Non-verbal Communication: Posture Upper body posture

Lower body posture

Susan H. Irons

Successful Oral Presentations

Non-verbal Communication: Movement Eliminate barriers Do the 2-step

Susan H. Irons

Successful Oral Presentations

Non-verbal Communication: Gestures ■

Use appropriate hand and arm gestures

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Be natural and open

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Avoid these pitfalls: Figleaf Sisters of Mercy Parade Rest Jangler Susan H. Irons

Successful Oral Presentations

Non-verbal Communication: Facial Expressions ■

Look pleasant

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Smile whenever appropriate

Susan H. Irons

Successful Oral Presentations

Non-verbal Communication: Energy ■

Start strong

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Show enthusiasm

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End with high energy

Susan H. Irons

Successful Oral Presentations

Develop Effective Delivery Techniques Eye Contact  Non-verbal communication ■ Speaking voice ■ Notes ■ Handling questions ■ Team Presentations 

Susan H. Irons

Successful Oral Presentations

Speaking Voice: Inflection Affects Meaning Effective communication is essential to organizational success.

Susan H. Irons

Successful Oral Presentations

Speaking Voice: Pace The most effective rate of speed for a presentation is between 175 and 190 words per minute.

Susan H. Irons

Successful Oral Presentations

Speaking Voice: Volume and Clarity ■

Articulate well

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Don’t swallow ends of sentences

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Don’t drop voice at end of presentation

Susan H. Irons

Successful Oral Presentations

Speaking Voice: Verbal Clutter ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

Uh Ummmmmm Er You know Like Okay

Susan H. Irons

Successful Oral Presentations

Develop Effective Delivery Techniques Eye Contact  Non-verbal communication  Speaking voice ■ Notes ■ Handling questions ■ Team Presentations 

Susan H. Irons

Successful Oral Presentations

Notes ■

Format

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Appearance

Do not use the screen as your notes!

Susan H. Irons

Successful Oral Presentations

Develop Effective Delivery Techniques Eye Contact  Non-verbal communication  Speaking voice  Notes ■ Handling questions ■ Team Presentations 

Susan H. Irons

Successful Oral Presentations

Handling questions ■

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Acknowledge audience members explicitly. Why? Repeat the questions. Why? When answering, don’t look just at questioner. What if you don’t know the answer? Susan H. Irons

Successful Oral Presentations

Develop Effective Delivery Techniques Eye Contact  Non-verbal communication  Speaking voice  Notes  Handling questions ■ Team Presentations 

Susan H. Irons

Successful Oral Presentations

Team Presentations ■

Transitions and cues

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Handling technology

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Handling questions

Susan H. Irons

Successful Oral Presentations

Remember Basic Logistics! ■ ■

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Check out your presentation space Confirm the presentation time length Ask about the size of your audience Prepare a back-up plan Practice! Arrive early Susan H. Irons

Successful Oral Presentations

For a successful presentation: Analyze the situation  Organize your ideas  Develop effective delivery techniques 

Susan H. Irons

Successful Oral Presentations