MNG 112: BUSINESS COMMUNICATION



MNG 112: BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

STUDENT NOTES 3

MAKING EFFECTIVE PRESENTATIONS

Irrespective of your field or whatever your job, you will have at sometime to speak to an audience in the business environment.

Some common types of presentational speaking are: briefing and informational announcements (announcing a new health insurance plan); orientation sessions; training programmes; research and technical reports; progress reports; civic and social presentations ( making a speech at a local service club); conventions and conference presentations; TV and radio interviews; introductions of new workers; sales presentations; project and policy proposals; and ceremonial occasions (speaking at the retirement of a longtime employee). Having good presentational speaking skills become a must (sine qua non). In knowing how to make effective presentations the four areas we will cover are:

a. Developing the Presentation.

b. Organising Your Ideas

c. Verbal and Visual Support in Presentations.

d. Delivering the Presentation.

DEVELOPING THE PRESENTATION

In developing a presentation one must do the following:

a. Analyse the situation.

b. Establish a purpose

c. Develop the thesis.

ANALYZING THE SITUATION

1. Analyze your audience to know: (Asking yourself a number of questions about your listeners will shape the way you adapt your material to fit their interests, needs and backgrounds.)

a. What are their positions? (are they specialists, non experts, or generalists).

b. What are their personal preferences? (formal presentations, casual presentations, humour in presentations, or straitlaced presentations. Violating the standards of what your listeners find acceptable can antagonize your audience and destroy your credibility. Audience attitudes can be hard to anticipate ).

c. Which demographic characteristic is significant – age, sex, cultural background, or economic status of your audience?(Not every characteristic is important in planning every speech, but it is important to recognize which is important and profile those characteristics accurately).

d. What is the size of the group?

e. Why is the audience there? (if you are addressing an audience hostile to the introduction of a new system then your job will be to convince them).

f. What does the audience know? (do they need background information).

g. What are the listeners’ attitudes? (the attitude to the subject should influence your approach).

2. Analyze yourself as a speaker and consider:

a. Your purpose for speaking.

b. Your knowledge of the subject.

c. Your feelings about the topic (sincerity is the greatest asset a speaker can

have. When you are excited about a topic your delivery improves, your voice more expressive, your movements more natural, and your face reflects more enthusiasm).

3. Analyze the speaking occasion and consider:

a. The speaking facilities.

b. The time of day and length of time you have to speak.

c. The context in which your remarks will occur (a previous speaker

covering areas you were meant to do)

ESTABLISHING A PURPOSE

1. Purposes can be general such as to: inform, educate, or persuade.

2. Purposes can also be specific. The specific purpose:

a. Describes the outcome you are seeking. A specific purpose statement.

b. Describes whom you want to influence.

c. What you want them to think or do.

d. How, when and where you want them to do it.

3. The purpose statement combines them into a single statement: “I want (whom) to (do what) (how, when, where).”

Example: “I want the people who haven’t been participating in the Aids awareness campaign to sign up.”

DEVELOPING THE THESIS

1. The thesis statement, sometimes called the central idea or key idea, is a single sentence statement that summarises your message.

2. Since you will repeat it throughout the presentation, it is essential to design it carefully.

3. The thesis of a presentation is different to the purpose. The purpose is a note to yourself outlining what you hope to accomplish while the thesis tells your audience your main idea.

Examples:

Thesis Purpose

Switching to Bakewell bread will increase sales. I want Nigel’s supermarket to order Bakewell bread.

You don’t have to accept sexual harassment Audience members will be able to respond to sexual harassment instead of accepting it.

ORGANISING YOUR IDEAS

1. Irrespective of the subject or goal most presentations follow a well known pattern: a. Introduction (attention getter, thesis) - You tell them what you’re going to tell them.

b. Body (no more than five main points; each main point should contain only one idea) – You tell them.

c. Conclusion (review, closing statement) – You tell them what you have told them.

2. In organizing your ideas one must do the following:

a. Gather Ideas and Material.

b. Organise the Body.

c. Plan the Introduction.

d. Plan the Conclusion.

e. Add Transitions.

GATHERING IDEAS AND MATERIAL

It is necessary to do research to gather ideas and material for your presentation. Some sources to consider include: company files; interviews with knowledgeable people; libraries and the internet; formal and informal surveys.

ORGANISING THE BODY

1. The body is the place to start your organizing. (Inexperienced speakers make the mistake of starting to plan a talk by first writing the introduction.) Organising the body first helps provide information and ideas for both the introduction and conclusion. This consists of two steps:

a. Identifying the key points that support your thesis and help you to achieve

your purpose.

b. Deciding what organizational plan best develops those points.

2. To help in identifying the main points it is good to apply the “one-week later” test. Ask yourself, “What main points do I want people to remember one week later?”

3. After identifying the main points then identify sub points that expand on each main point.

4. There are five basic ways in choosing the best organizational pattern:

a. Chronological pattern – this arranges your points according to their

sequence in time and it is good for explaining a process or giving instructions:

Thesis: Logging unto the email system is easy.

1. Click on the networks line under the server menu.

2. Enter your password in the pop-up box that appears.

3. Click on the email icon in the same pop-up box.

4. When the email window appears, click on either Read message or send a message, depending on what you want to do.

It is also useful for discussing events that develop over time:

Thesis: We need to stay on schedule if we are to get the magazine out in time for the anniversary.

1. A list of articles must be ready by March 1.

2. Photography and magazine outline have to be completed by May 6.

3. Page proofs nave to be read and corrected by July 30.

4. Final proofs have to be reviewed by department heads by August 30

5. Magazines must be delivered no later than October 5.

It may be used for discussing history.

Thesis: A review of the last five years shows that we’ve been moving towards empowering our entire workforce to make decisions.

1. Five years ago, management introduced the Employee Advisory Council.

2. Four years ago, we started using project teams that include people from every level of the company.

3. Two years ago, the company started allowing department supervisors to make purchases within their areas without getting the approval of their managers.

4. Over the last year, the company has followed the suggestions of several workers at the field level in making changes in our billing process.

b. Spatial pattern – this organizes material according to how it is put

together or where it is located physically. You might sell a house with a spatially organized presentation like this:

Thesis: This home provides all the space you need.

1. The upstairs has enough bedrooms for every member of the family,

plus a private study.

2. The main floor is spacious, with a large living room, a formal dining room, and an eat in kitchen.

3. The basement has a finished playroom for the children and a utility room.

4. The yard has large trees and lots of space for a garden.

You can also show the geographical nature of a subject by citing examples from many places.

Thesis: Business is better in some areas than in others.

1. North West District sales are 50 percent ahead of last year’s.

2. Lethem regional sales are 10 percent ahead of last year’s.

3. Sales in Corentyne are about the same as last year’s.

4. In West Demerara sales have declined dramatically from last year’s.

c. Topical pattern – this groups your ideas around some logical themes or

divisions in your subject that makes it easy for the audience to follow. (An accountant might organize a proposal for a new inventory sustem this way:)

Thesis: A just-in-time inventory system has three major benefits.

1. It eliminates excess inventory that may result from long-term

ordering.

2. It cuts down on waste resulting from supplies becoming outdated or shopworn.

3. It saves on storage and computer records costs.

The topical approach is sometimes called the catchall approach because people usually describe a list of points topical if they cannot think of another pattern that will work. However a genuine topical approach has elements logically related according to some scheme an audience can easily recognize.

d. Cause and Effect/Effect and Cause – this pattern shows that certain

events have happened or will happen as a result of certain circumstances.

Thesis: Redecorating the offices before raising salaries (cause) will damage morale and affect productivity (effect).

1. When employees see the offices being redecorated without having

received a cost-of-living raise over the past year they will be discouraged.

2. Discouraged employees aren’t as likely to give the company their best efforts during the year.

An alternative to the cause and effect structure is an effect and cause structure which focuses more on results. It can be used to explain how a problem has been created:

Thesis: The decline in our car rental profits (effect) is the result of several problems (cause).

1. Our profits have decreased 35 percent this year.

2. Several factors are responsible for this:

a) Our competitors are offering better service at lower prices.

b) Our maintenance costs have nearly doubled on newer cars.

c) Our advertising is not effective.

e. Problem/solution – this is usually used when a change is being

proposed. You describe the problem and then show how your plan will solve it.

Thesis: The new method I propose is better than the present method of partially automated machine drilling.

1. There are many problems with the current system:

a) The handling time is almost 5 minutes per part.

b) The rate of errors is about 4 percent per part.

c) Our accident rate is very high.

2. The new system will solve these problems:

a) The handling time is almost eliminated.

b) The error rate is less that 1 percent.

c) Workers are no longer involved in the most dangerous part of the process.

RULES FOR MAIN POINTS

Whichever pattern of organization is used, your main points should meet the following criteria:

1. Main Points Should Be Stated as Claims. A claim is a statement asserting a fact or belief. By stating your claims in full grammatical sentences, they will probably satisfy the one-week later test and be remembered by your listeners. Full grammatical sentences are clearer and more effective than simple three or four-word statements.

Incorrect: Choosing a physician.

Correct: It’s essential to choose a health care provider from a list of approved

doctors.

Incorrect: Sexual and ethnic discrimination.

Correct: Allowing sexual or ethnic discrimination to intrude into our hiring decisions isn’t just bad judgment; it’s illegal.

2. All Points Should Develop the Thesis.

Thesis: Allowing employees more latitude in choosing their work hours is good for the company and for the workers.

a. Flexible scheduling is a relatively new idea.

b. Flexible scheduling improves morale.

c. Flexible scheduling reduces absenteeism.

While a. may be true it does not say anything about its value to the thesis and should therefore be dropped.

3. Presentations Should Contain no More than Five Main Points. Because people have a difficulty in recalling information when it is presented orally limit main points to no more than five.

4. Each Main Point Should Contain Only One Idea. Combining ideas or overlapping them will confuse audiences.

Thesis: Many local businesses continue to discriminate against job applicants.

a. Businesses discriminate on the basis of ethnic background.

b. Businesses discriminate on the basis of disability.

c. Businesses discriminate on the basis of age and sex.

In c. age and sex could be treated as separate points and should not be in the same category.

PLANNING THE INTRODUCTION

1. Introductions should take 10 to 15 percent of the speaking time.

2. An introduction should have an attention-getter, a thesis statement, and preview.

3. It should:

a. Capture the listeners’ attention.

b. Give the audience a reason to listen.

c. Set the proper tone for the topic and setting.

d. Establish your qualifications.

e. Introduce your thesis and preview your presentation.

4. The opening statement in the introduction will depend on your analysis of the speaking situation. Some of the most common and effective ways to begin a presentation are to:

a. Ask a question.

b. Tell a story.

c. Present a quotation.

d. Make a startling statement.

e. Refer to the audience (I know you are all worried by rumours about who

will be the next supervisor. I called you here today to set the record straight.)

f. Refer to the occasion. (We are gathered here today to…)

g. Use humour.

PLANNING THE CONCLUSION

1. This should not take up more than five percent of the speaking time.

2. A conclusion should have two parts: a review and a closing statement.

3. The review should contain a restatement of your thesis and a summary of the main points. The closing statement could use the same seven techniques used in the introduction.

4. Additionally, other types of closing statements can:

a. Return to the theme of your opening statement.

b. Appeal for action (asking your audience for some action).

c. End with a challenge that demands action.

ADDING TRANSITIONS

1. Transitions are words or sentences that connect the segments of a presentation by working like a bridge. They should occur:

a. Between the introduction and the body.

b. Among the main points within the body.

c. Between the body and the conclusion.

Transitions: promote clarity; emphasize important ideas; and keep listeners interested.

VERBAL AND VISUAL SUPPORT IN PRESENTATIONS

To back up your well organised points you need supporting material.

FUNCTIONS OF SUPPORTING MATERIAL

1. Supporting material is anything that backs up claims made in a presentation and it is vital to the presentation.

2. It serves to:

a. Provide clarity by making the speaker’s abstract or complicated ideas

more understandable.

b. Make the material more interesting, vivid or meaningful.

c. Provide proof of any claims you make to make the presentation more

convincing.

3. Supporting material could be either verbal or visual.

VERBAL SUPPORT

1. The most common types of verbal support in the business and professional settings are:

a. Examples. These are brief references that illustrate a point.

b. Stories (factual or hypothetical). These which give a detailed account of

an incident.

c. Statistics. These are numerical representations of a point.

d. Comparisons. These make a point by showing how one idea resembles

another.

e. Citations. These give the opinions of an expert or articulate a source. In

using citations remember to: cite the source in a way that adds to the credibility of your presentation; cite sources that have credibility with your audience; paraphrase lengthy or confusing citations; and restate the point of long citations.

VISUAL AIDS

1. The cliché “a picture is worth a thousand words” is true for presentations as visual aids:

a. Show how things look.

b. Show how things work.

c. Show how things relate to one another.

d. Emphasize important points.

2. There are several types of visual aids: objects and models, photographs, diagrams, lists and tables, pie charts, bar and column charts, pictograms, and graphs.

3. Visual aids can be presented via a number of media such as: flip charts and poster board displays; transparencies; slides; chalkboard; handouts; computerized displays; and videotapes.

GUIDELINES FOR USING VISUAL AIDS

1. Ensure you have a reason for using a visual aid. (Images must explain the point)

2. Match the sophistication of your visuals to the audience. (Always seek professionalism though)

3. Make sure the visual is large enough to see. (A distracting or unclear visual is worse than none at all)

4. Keep the design of your visuals simple. (One exhibit per visual and avoid unnecessary details)

5. Use only a few words. (Avoid excessive text, as the visual should speak for itself. Captions should contain key words or phrases, not sentences. Follow “Rule of Seven.” – each slide should contain no more than seven lines and each line no more than seven words.

6. Use only horizontal printing.

7. Label all items for clear identification. (Each visual must have a descriptive title)

8. Don’t display a visual until you are ready for it.

9. Remove a visual after discussing it.

10. Ensure your visuals will work in the presentation area.

11. Practice using your visuals.

12. When using the computer always set up in advance; bring two of everything in case of equipment failure; back up programmes; have back up technical support available; beware of the internet for real time usage; and have a contingency plan.

DELIVERING THE PRESENTATION

TYPES OF DELIVERY

There are four ways to deliver a presentation:

a. Manuscript Presentations. Speakers read their remarks word for word from a prepared statement. If not properly done they can be boring.

b. Memorized Presentations. This is dangerous as it not only sounds memorized but missing one word can throw the entire presentation off.

c. Extemporaneous Presentations. This is one that is planned and rehearsed but not word for word. The speaker uses briefing notes, which should be brief, legible, and unobtrusive.

d. Impromptu Presentations. This is an unexpected or off the cuff talk.

GUIDELINES FOR DELIVERY

Good delivery involves effective use of the verbal, the vocal, and the visual elements. (Albert Mehrabian of Silent Messages breaks down the communication impact:

a. Verbal messages (what is said) – account for 7% of what audience believes;

b. Vocal messages (how it is said) – account for 38% of what audience believes.

c. Visual messages (what audience sees) – account for 55% of what audience believes.)

1. Guidelines for improving verbal effectiveness include:

a. Use an oral style of speaking by keeping most sentences short and using personal pronouns freely

Instead of “People often ask.”

Use “You might ask.”

Instead of “The sales staff found.”

Use “Our sales staff found.”

b. Use the active voice

Instead of “It was decided.”

Use “We decided.”

Instead of “The meeting was attended by 10 people.”

Use “10 people attended the meeting.”

c. Address your listeners directly.

d. Don’t emphasize mistakes. Adjust your remarks to make the error less

noticeable.

Figures are incorrect “Let me correct that.”

Equipment fails “The chart with those figures seems to be missing. Let me summarize it for you.”

e. Use proper vocabulary, enunciation, and pronunciation.

2. Guidelines for improving vocal effectiveness include:

a. Speaking with enthusiasm and sincerity.

b. Speaking loudly enough to be heard.

c. Avoiding disfluencies (uh, eh, um).

3. Guidelines for improving visual effectiveness include:

a. Dressing effectively.

b. Stepping up to speak with confidence and authority.

c. Getting set before speaking.

d. Establishing and maintaining eye contact.

e. Beginning without looking at your notes.

f. Standing and moving effectively.

g. Not packing up early.

h. Moving out confidently when finished.

QUESTION AND ANSWER SESSIONS

1. You need to decide whether to invite questions during or after the presentation.

2. Handling them during the presentation allows you to clarify points as they arise, although you run the risk of being sidetracked.

3. Responding to questions after lets you keep control of both the time available and the way the information is introduced. However, listeners who hold questions can be distracted and not follow your other points carefully.

4. You can manage questions by:

a. Starting the ball rolling.

b. Anticipating likely questions.

c. Clarifying complicated or confusing questions.

d. Treating questioners with respect.

e. Keeping your answers focused on your goal.

f. Buying time when necessary.

g. Addressing your answer to entire audience.

h. Following up the last question with a summary.

SPEAKING WITH CONFIDENCE

In learning to speak with confidence you should:

a. Accept a moderate amount of nervousness (helps you to prepare carefully).

c. Speak more often.

d. Rehearse your presentation.

e. Focus on your topic and audience, and not yourself.

END

MNG 112: BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

EXAMPLE OF A COMPLETE PRESENTATION OUTLINE

Purpose: After hearing this talk, the prospective customer will sign up to use Fed ex as its

exclusive overnight delivery service.

Thesis: Fed ex is the best service to deliver your high-priority packages on time.

I. INTRODUCTION

A. Overnight delivery services aren’t cheap, but they are worth the expense if they do

the job of getting important materials into the right hands quickly (Attention-getter).

B. After comparing Fed Ex with the other delivery services, you’ll see that it is the best one to do the job (Thesis).

C. As I’ll explain in the next few minutes, Fed ex is more reliable, convenient, and economical than the competition (Preview).

Transition: Let me start by explaining why Fed ex is best with the most important features of any delivery service: reliability.

II. BODY

A. Fed ex is more reliable that other services.

1. Fed ex’s 98 percent trouble free record beats every other service.

2. Other services have held up deliveries for as much as 1 week.

3. Other services have damaged packages.

4. In some cases, other services have even lost packages.

Transition: Besides being reliable, Fed ex is the best service in another important way….

B. Fed ex is more convenient than other services.

1. Fed ex picks up and delivers items to individual offices, not just to the mail room like ABC, overnight.

2. Fed ex picks up or delivers packages any time between 7:00 a.m. and midnight, instead of only coming by once a day like International Air freight.

3. Fed ex is the only service that will bill departmental accounts separately, saving you bookkeeping time.

Transition: Because it’s so convenient and reliable, you might think that Fed ex is more expensive than other services, but it’s not.

C. Fed ex is more economical than other services.

1. It doesn’t charge extra for oddly shaped services.

2. It charges less than every other service for heavy packages.

3. The shipping fee includes insurance.

Transition: By now you can see why it’s worth considering Fed ex as the provider of your overnight mail service…..

III. CONCLUSION

A. Fed ex is reliable, convenient, and economical (thesis/review).

B. With Fed ex you won’t just pay for the best service ….you’ll get it.

MNG 112: BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

CHECKLIST FOR ORGANISING AND SUPPORTING A PRESENTATION

1. INTRODUCTION

a. Captures attention of audience.

b. Gives audience reasons to listen.

c. Sets appropriate tone.

d. Establishes speaker’s qualifications, if necessary.

e. Introduces thesis and previews content.

2. BODY

a. Body uses clear, most effective organizational patterns:

(1). Chronological.

(2). Spatial.

(3). Topical.

(4). Cause –effect/ Effect- cause.

(5). Problem – solution.

b. Main points should be stated in complete sentences.

c. All points help develop the thesis.

d. Body contains no more that five main points.

e. Each main point contains only one idea.

3. TRANSITIONS

a. Refer to both recent and upcoming material, showing relationship between the two.

b. Clarify structure of speaker’s ideas:

(1). Exists in all necessary parts of presentation.

(2). Between introduction and body.

(3). Between main points within body.

(4). Between body and conclusion.

4. CONCLUSION

a. Reviews thesis and main points.

b. Concludes with effective closing statement.

MNG 112: BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

INSTRUCTIONS FOR GROUP PRESENTATIONS

1. You are required to deliver a business presentation on a topic of your own choice that is appropriate to a business or professional setting having completed the lecture in Making Effective Presentations. The aim of this presentation is for you to apply the strategies, principles, and techniques taught.

2. Each presentation must last 10 – 15 minutes and failure to adhere to this time limit will result in the group being penalized (five points deducted for every extra minute over time or under the time limit).

3. All presentations must be done utilizing power point presentation software as your visual support. A multimedia projector will be provided but students, if they so desire, are encouraged to bring their own laptop to present their work. You are free to use any additional media for presenting visual aids, but bear in mind that too many media can create confusion if not properly managed.

4. Each group must contain no more than five to eight persons and students are responsible for organizing themselves into their own groups. Before each presentation you are required to submit the text of your presentation, along with the names in alphabetical order and registration numbers of every member in the group.

6. It is advisable that students use a flash drive or CD to record their presentations since experience has shown that floppy discs oftentimes malfunction. Additionally, do not use power point with the Windows 98 operating system since this has often proven unsuitable.

7. In preparing your presentation you should be guided by the grading scheme that was issued to you.

POSSIBLE TOPICS FOR PRESENTATION

8. A range of possible issues is provided as a guide to selecting a topic. You are not duty bound to use any of them and you are free to modify any as you see fit. Appropriateness of the presentation is the key requirement.

a. Announcing new health insurance procedure.

b. Conducting new employee orientation.

c. Explaining how to operate new computer software.

d. Describing a market research survey.

e. Presenting a product to potential customer.

g. Proposing new ideas to management.

h. Explaining new product lines to sales force.

i. Accountant giving financial report to superiors.

j. Staff reporting on methods, progress, and results of a project.

k. Recruiter explaining to fifth formers on opportunities in his company.

END

MNG 112: BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

GRADING SCHEME FOR PRESENTATIONS

| |Yes |No |Points |Remarks |

|Introduction (12 points) | | | | |

| | | | | |

|a. Does it capture attention of audience and give reasons to listen? | | | | |

|b. Does it introduce the thesis? | | | | |

|c. Is thesis a single sentence statement that summarises the message? | | | | |

|e. Does introduction preview the presentation? | | | | |

|Body (35 points) | | | | |

| | | | | |

|a. Is there use of a clear and effective organisational pattern? | | | | |

| | | | | |

|b. Does body contain more than five main points? | | | | |

|c. Do main points develop thesis? | | | | |

|d. Are main points clearly stated as claims? | | | | |

|e. Does each main point contain only one idea? | | | | |

|Conclusion (12 points) | | | | |

| | | | | |

|Does it review thesis? | | | | |

|b. Does it review main points? | | | | |

|c. Is there an effective closing statement? | | | | |

|Transitions (9 points) | | | | |

| | | | | |

|Are there any between introduction and body? | | | | |

|b. Are there any among main points in body? | | | | |

|c. Are there any between body and conclusion? | | | | |

|Use of Verbal Support (4 points) | | | | |

| | | | | |

|Was there adequate use of verbal support? | | | | |

|(examples, stories, statistics, comparisons, and citations) | | | | |

|Use of Visual Support (8 points) | | | | |

| | | | | |

|a. Was there adequate use of visual support? (photographs, diagrams, lists and tables, pie charts,| | | | |

|etc.) | | | | |

|b. Did slides contain too much script? | | | | |

|Delivery (12 points) | | | | |

| | | | | |

|a. Verbal effectiveness (short sentences, addressing listeners, proper vocabulary, speech loud | | | | |

|enough to be heard)? | | | | |

|b. Vocal elements (enthusiasm and sincerity, and disfluencies)? | | | | |

|c. Visual effectiveness (dress, confidence, posture eye contact)? | | | | |

|Technical Flaws (8 points) | | | | |

| | | | | |

|a. Do slides contain irrelevant captions such as purpose, thesis, introduction and body? | | | | |

|b. Does presentation have too many presenters who detract from presentation? Is time limit | | | | |

|exceeded? | | | | |

|TOTAL HIGHEST POSSIBLE SCORE 100 | | | | |

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