Oral Communication

Semester 2
Prof. Lahoucine Aammari
Outline

How to Prepare a Presentation

 Preparation
 Delivery
 Finishing
The objective of an oral presentation is to
portray large amounts of often complex
information in a clear, bite sized fashion.
Although some of the success lies in the
content, the rest lies in the speaker’s skills in
transmitting the information to the audience.
1. PREPARATION
It is important to be as well prepared as possible.
Look at the venue in person, and find out the
time allowed for your presentation and for
questions, and the size of the audience and their
backgrounds, which will allow the presentation
to be pitched at the appropriate level.
1. Select a general purpose
A general purpose is the overall goal of your speech.
There are three main purposes for public speaking: to
inform, to persuade, and to entertain. There is some
overlap in these purposes because informative and
persuasive speeches can also be entertaining. With an
entertainment speech, however, the main purpose is to
make people enjoy the subject and your performance.
2. Select a topic
The next part of the design process is to select a topic.
This is generally the hardest part of the public speaking
endeavour. What should you talk about? The first thing to
do is begin brainstorming: write down as many ideas as
you can think of without evaluating them. Brainstorming
is a nonjudgmental, creative process where thoughts
are not necessarily regulated in a logical way. When
Choose a topic that accomplishes your general
purpose (inform, persuade, or entertain).
Choose a topic that fits within the time limit.
Choose a topic that is appropriate for the
audience.
Choose a topic the audience does not know
much about
Choose a topic that interests you.
3. Narrow the Topic
4. Finding the key
The next step in the speech design process is to
find a key. The key is the organizing feature that
describes the similarity among your main points.
Examples of a key are: steps, aspects,
characteristics, parts, areas, or reasons.
Speakers sometimes choose three unrelated
points—or loosely related points—instead of
selecting a key. This makes their speech difficult
to remember.
5. & 6. Writing the Goal/thesis Statement

The thesis statement is an extension of the

specific goal statement. Instructors will call
this a purpose statement, a specific purpose
statement, or a specific goal statement. The
specific goal statement is for design purposes
only. You write it so you know exactly what
you want your audience to remember or learn.
7. Audience analysis
 Since speaking is a receiver-oriented phenomenon, adapting your speech to the
audience is essential. There are numerous choices to make as you design your
speech: structure, language, the performance space, and time of day, to name just
a few. When you think about your audience in each step of the design process, you
create the most effective presentation. The two main considerations in audience
analysis are the characteristics of the people and the characteristics of the
situation.
 Some of the following questions could provide useful insight about audience
characteristics.
 How familiar is the audience with the topic?
 How interested is the audience in the topic?
 Why is the audience there?
 How much experience does the audience have with the topic?
TECHNICAL ISSUES
When preparing the presentation, start with an opening
slide containing the title of the study, your name, and the
date. Begin by addressing and thanking the audience and
the organisation that has invited you to speak. Typically,
the format includes background, study aims,
methodology, results, strengths and weaknesses of the
study, and conclusions.
If the study takes a lecturing format, consider including
“any questions?” on a slide before you conclude, which
will allow the audience to remember the take home
messages. Ideally, the audience should remember three
of the main points from the presentation
 Have a maximum of four short points per slide. If you can
display something as a diagram, video, or a graph, use this
instead of text and talk around it.
 Animation is available in both Microsoft PowerPoint and the
Apple Mac Keynote programme, and its use in presentations
has been demonstrated to assist in the retention and recall of
facts. Do not overuse it, though, as it could make you appear
unprofessional. If you show a video or diagram don’t just sit
back—use a laser pointer to explain what is happening.
 Rehearse your presentation in front of at least one person.
Request feedback and amend accordingly. If possible, practise
in the venue itself so things will not be unfamiliar on the day.
If you appear comfortable, the audience will feel comfortable.
Ask colleagues and seniors what questions they would ask and
prepare responses to these questions.
2. DELIVERY
It is important to dress appropriately, stand up straight,
and project your voice towards the back of the room.
Practise using a microphone, or any other presentation
aids, in advance. If you don’t have your own presenting
style, think of the style of inspirational scientific speakers
you have seen and imitate it.
Try to present slides at the rate of around one slide a
minute. If you talk too much, you will lose your audience’s
attention. The slides or videos should be an adjunct to
your presentation, so do not hide behind them, and be
proud of the work you are presenting. You should avoid
reading the wording on the slides, but instead talk around
the content on them.
Maintain eye contact with the audience and
remember to smile and pause after each comment,
giving your nerves time to settle. Speak slowly and
concisely, highlighting key points.
Do not assume that the audience is completely
familiar with the topic you are passionate about, but
don’t patronise them either. Use every presentation
as an opportunity to teach, even your seniors. The
information you are presenting may be new to them,
but it is always important to know your audience’s
background. You can then ensure you do not
patronise world experts.
To maintain the audience’s attention, vary the
tone and inflection of your voice. If appropriate,
use humour, though you should run any
comments or jokes past others beforehand and
make sure they are culturally appropriate. Check
every now and again that the audience is following
and offer them the opportunity to ask questions.
3. FINISHING
Finishing up is the most important part, as this is
when you send your take home message with the
audience. Slow down, even though time is
important at this stage. Conclude with the three
key points from the study and leave the slide up
for a further few seconds. Do not ramble on. Give
the audience a chance to digest the presentation.
Conclude by acknowledging those who assisted
you in the study, and thank the audience and
organisation.
Answering questions can often feel like the most
daunting part, but don’t look upon this as
negative. Assume that the audience has listened
and is interested in your research. Listen carefully,
and if you are unsure about what someone is
saying, ask for the question to be rephrased.
Thank the audience member for asking the
question and keep responses brief and concise. If
you are unsure of the answer you can say that the
questioner has raised an interesting point that you
will have to investigate further.
Be proud of your achievements
and try to do justice to the work
that you and the rest of your
group have done. You deserve to
be up on that stage, so show off
what you have achieved.