Professional Communication(Course Code: MBB 3443) Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA)
Professor Dr. Ahmad Bin Othman
School of Business and ManagementUniversity College of Technology Sarawak (UCTS)
96000 Sibu, Sarawak
1
Today’s Agenda (Week #7)
2
Preparing and delivering presentationsDecide on the general purposeSelect a topicDevelop the specific purpose statementDevelop the main idea statementGather supporting materialResearch the topicApply the information learned from the audience analysisStructure the main ideas in the body of the speechOutline the speechDevelop the introduction and conclusionRehearsal and delivery considerations
There are two general purposes to speaking in business:
To inform – teach, demonstrate, or instruct and audience on
some topic or process. Eg. Corporate training seminars,
technical presentation.
To persuade – induce an audience to accept a belief or
action. Eg. Sales presentations, proposal presentations, crisis
briefings.
Decide on the general purpose
When selecting a topic for presentation, consider personal experience and interest.
Also, the speaker should consider the audience’s expectation about the occasion.
If the presentation is part of serious discussion, a lighthearted, informative presentation is inappropriate.
If audience expects a brief review, an extensive persuasive appeal is also wrong.
Select a topic
5
Once the speaker has a topic, the real work of creating the presentation begins.
The next step in the process is the specific purpose statement which focuses
the speech on one aspect of a larger topic.
The specific purpose statement does not specify what the speaker intends to
say, instead, it states the audience outcome that the speaker desires.
The outcome is related to the general purpose of the speech – may include
understanding (if the purpose is to inform) or belief (if the purpose is to
persuade).
Develop the specific purpose statement
6
Example:-
.. I want my audience to understand pollution… (the important term is pollution, is
vague. What kind of pollution will the speech cover – surface, water, groundwater,
soil or air pollution?
A better speech…. I want my audience to understand the sources of groundwater
pollution in our town. (this purpose is precise ecause it narrows the subject)
Develop the specific purpose statement
7
After the specific purpose has been clarified, it is time to consider the main ideas.
The main idea statement is a precise statement. Eg.
Main idea: in this speech, I will cover the five categories of nuclear waste: high-level, low-
level, transuranic, mill tailings and mixed waste.
The main idea statement serves as a guide for outlining the body of the speech.
Develop the main idea statement
8
As you develop and refine the main idea statement, it is appropriate to collect
supporting material. Main ideas need example, statistical support and
quotation from experts for clarity and proof.
EXAMPLES. – Examples are specific instances that illustrate a larger point. An
example can be factual (the instance really happened), or hypothetical (the
instance is a composite of real incidents or speaker’s guess about a future event).
Gather supporting material
9
Factual example:-
“the major risk in area 5 involves the large compressors. As many of you recall, 5
years ago a malfunction in one of the large compressors caused it to begin
belching smoke. When an employee entered the building to investigate, the
compressor exploded, causing second-degree burns to 20% of employee’s body
and a fire in the building that shut down the plant for 2 days”
Gather supporting material
10
Hypothetical example:-
“what would have happened if you had invested $5000 in a mutual
fund last year, and over that year the fund had risen from a value of
$21 a share to a value of $32? That equals more than a 52% increase
in the value of your stock. A 52% increase on $5000 equals $2600.”
Hypothetical examples are more useful for illustration than persuasion
because they do not prove anything. So, if you have choice, use factual
rather than hypothetical examples
Gather supporting material
11
STATISTICS – statistics are a collection of individual examples
delivered as raw number or averages
Example – raw figure
“employers cut a more-than-expected 263,000 jobs in September as
major industries such as manufacturing and construction continued to
shed tens of thousands of workers”
Example – raw numbers are averaged
“despite the latest drop, job losses continue to moderate from earlier this year. An
average of 307,000 jobs were lost monthly May through September, verses
645,000 from Novemver to April”
Gather supporting material
12
TESTIMONY – testimony is a direct quotation or paraphrases of
witnesses, experts, or other informed people. Quotation can make
ideas memorable or add credibility to your persuasive appeal.
Gather supporting material
13
Research involves collecting supporting material for the specific
purpose and main idea statements.
Typical research tools for professional presentations are the library,
the internet, and the interview.
USING THE LIBRARY – computerized catalog can run book searches
by title, author or subject.
USING THE INTERNET –
CONDUCTING INTERVIEWS – Interviews can be face-to-face,
telephone, or internet conversations with experts.
Research the topic
14
After the initial research, it is time to consider audience feedback.
Questions on the audience analysis checklist features relevant to
professional presentations
Apply the information learned from the audience analysis
15
Situation Analysis
•Occasion
• Why has the audience gathered to hear this speech? What expectation?
• What level of formality is expected?
• Are other speakers making presentations?
•Organizational culture
• Are there any informal conventions or norms for speakers?
• How will questions be handled?
• Who makes decisions? Will decision makers be present?
Audience analysis checklist
16
Situation Analysis
•Environment
• How large is the room?
• What is the layout?
• What visual aids can be used?
•Time
• How long should the speech last?
Audience analysis checklist
17
Audience analysis checklist
Listener Analysis
•Demographics
• Are there any relevant demographic features you need to adapt to?
•Captivity
• Is the audience voluntary or captive?
•Predisposition toward the speaker
• Is your credibility high, low or neutral?
• Does the audience believe the speaker is trustworthy?
• Does the audience believe the speaker displays goodwill?
18
Audience analysis checklist
Listener Analysis
•Predisposition toward the topic
• You can have a quick survey by distributing survey questions to audience
• Knowledge
• Have you heard about this topic before?
• Briefly discuss what you know about this topic
• Describe any previous experience about this topic
• Meaning
• Describe your basic attitude toward this topic
• What is you opinion of this topic?
19
Structure the main ideas in the body of the speech
Speeches are divided into three major parts:-
The introduction
The body
The conclusion
The introduction – should gain attention, justify the topic, clarify the
speaker’s credibility and preview the main points in the body of the
speech.
The body – contains the main ideas
The conclusion – review main ideas and emphasizes the specific purpose
statement.
The most common mistake made in developing presentations is
information overload.
20
Structure the main ideas in the body of the speech
There are five patterns for structuring speech content.
CHRONOLOGICAL STRUCTURE – the chronological structure follows a
time pattern that moves from earliest to latest or from first to last.
SPATIAL STRUCTURE – the spatial structure follows a geographic or
directional pattern when someone covers something from top to bottom
or right to left.
CAUSE-EFFECT AND EFFECT-CAUSE STRUCTURE – the cause-effect
structure describes how one events leads to another. This structure is
especially useful in technical presentations.
21
Structure the main ideas in the body of the speech
PROBLEM-SOLUTION STRUCTURE – the problem-solution structure
defines a difficulty and suggests a remedy. Extremely popular in proposal
and sales presentations, the problem-solution structure can also be used
in technical and risk communication.
TOPICAL STRUCTURE – the topical structure is used when the speaker
divides a topic into logical categories.
22
Outline the speech
Two outlines – one for preparing the speech, and the other one
for delivering the speech.
THE PREPARATION OUTLINE – the preparation outline is a full-sentence
outline of virtually everything the speaker intends to say.
THE DELIVERY OUTLINE – the delivery outline is an abbreviated version
of the preparation outline.
23
Develop the introduction and conclusion
The Introduction – the basic introduction should accomplish four
purposes:-
Gain the audience’s attention
Justify the importance of the topic to the particular audience
Build the speaker’s credibility or authority on the subject
Preview the main points in the body of the speech.
The Conclusion – the conclusion puts the speech back together by tying
the end back to the beginning.
24
Rehearsal and delivery considerations
The verbal portion of the message accounts for as little as
10% of the total meaning of that message, non-verbal cues
account for the rest (90%).
Therefore, attending to a few vocal and physical cues will
ensure strong delivery.
Observe appropriate volume and rate. – need to be louder
and slower than normal conversation.
Top Related