DevelopingOralBusinessCommunicationSkills

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Unit6DevelopingOralBusinessCommunicationSkills
Structure
6.1 6.2 Introduction Objectives AdvantagesofOralCommunication SelfAssessmentQuestions 6.3 OralBusinessPresentations 6.3.1 StepsinmakingOralPresentations SelfAssessmentQuestions 6.3.2 UsingVisualAidstoSupportPresentations SelfAssessmentQuestions 6.4 Summary TerminalQuestions AnswerstoSAQsandTQs 6.1 Introduction Irrespective of your field or the type of job that you choose to take up, developing good oral communication skills is a must. Oral skills are needed for making effective presentations, participating in and conducting meetings, dealing with customers and interacting on a daytoday basiswithyoursuperiors,peersandsubordinateswithintheorganization.Youroralcommunication skillsoftenrevealyourpersonality.Speakingeffectivelyalsogivesyougreatvisibilityandconfidence andcancontributetoyourcareersuccess. As you go up the corporate ladder, presentation speaking skills become more important than technical skills. Your ability to organize your ideas, present them and sell them to others is what determinesyoursuccess.Surveyshaverevealedthatbusinessexecutivesspendagooddealoftime makingpresentationsofdifferenttypes.Whateverthenatureofthepresentation,itrequiresplanning, developingastructureandstrategyandusingsupports,tomakeiteffective.Thisunitprovidessome detailedguidelinesforenhancingtheeffectivenessofbusinesspresentations.

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LearningObjectives: Afterstudyingthisunit,youshouldbeableto.

1. Understandtheadvantagesoforalcommunicationskillsinabusinesscontext 2. Classifyoralcommunicationintodifferentcategories 3. Understandtheneedforpreparationoforalpresentations 4. Developastepbystepapproachformakingpresentations 5. Usevisualandotherpresentationaidsformaximumeffect

6.2AdvantagesOfOralCommunication TorecapbrieflywhatwasdiscussedinUnit2,oralcommunicationhassomeadvantagescompared towrittencommunication.Theseincludeitspersonalquality,highinteractivity,possibilityofmaking immediatecontact,instantaneousfeedbackandcontroloverthereceiversattention. Oral communication was also classified into oral facetoface communication (meetings and presentations) and oral non facetoface communication ( teleconferencing, telephone and voice mail).While facetoface meetings are more effective than non facetoface communication in most ways,theyareexpensiveandimpracticalsometimes,duetothedistancefactor.Thankstoadvances in technology, meetings today can still take place without being facetoface, through teleconferencing. Teleconferencingallowsparticipantsatdistant locations to speakand sometimes toseeeachother.Apartfromthehighcostandthedifficultyinsettingitup,teleconferencinghasthe sameadvantagesasoralfacetofacecommunication. ExampleSeveralretailerslikeWalmart,theworldslargestretailer,makeuseofteleconferencing tokeeptheirUSheadquartersintouchwiththeirstoremanagersworldwide.Someheadhuntersalso make use of the facility to conduct preliminary interviews and shortlist candidates based in other countries,beforeinvitingthemforafacetofaceinterview. ManymultinationalcorporationsandlargeIndianorganizationsalsousethisfacilityextensively. Inspiteofitsadvantages,teleconferencingwillnotreplacefacetofacemeetingscompletely,sinceit isunsuitableforcertaintypesofcommunicationthatinvolvebrainstorming,negotiations,persuasion andproblemsolving. Telephonecommunication,anotherformofnonfacetofacecommunication,hasthebiggest advantageofbeingabletocontactareceiverwhowouldbeimpossibletoreachinperson.Today,
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mobile phones have made it even easier to contact people who are on the move. Telephone communication also has a personal quality and permits the use of some nonverbal cues such as toneofvoice,toenhancethecommunication. Voicemailisatypeoftelephonecommunicationandissimilartoanansweringmachine.Althoughit is generally inferior to speaking in person to the other party, it has some advantages. When you leave a recorded message, you can make your point felt and save time that might be wasted in exchanging pleasantries. Invitations can also be declined without having to give an explanation or reason,orhavingtheotherpersontalkback.Thus,thereisgreatercontroloverhowthemessageis composedanddelivered.Besides,voicemailalsomakesitpossibletokeepapermanentrecordof thecommunication,unlikeothertypesoforalcommunication.Inspiteoftheseadvantageshowever, voicemailhasnotcaughtoninIndia. SelfAssessmentQuestion1 Arethefollowingstatementstrueorfalse? 1.Conflictsbetweencoworkerscanberesolvedthroughteleconferencing. 2.Askingforafewdaysofleavefromworkmaybedonethroughvoicemail. 3.Telephonecommunicationhastheadvantageofprovidingimmediatefeedback. 6.3OralBusinessPresentations Oralbusinesspresentationsareapowerfulwayofpresentingyourideastoothersandareusually calledforwhenawrittenmemoorreportwillnotbesufficienttodothejob.Awrittenreporttendsto be less persuasive and may also be set aside without being read, whereas an oral presentation commandsattentionandfetchesimmediatefeedback.Besides,approvalforimportantideasisrarely givenwithoutafacetofaceexplanation. Presentationsmaybemadetobothinternalaudiencessuperiors,peersandsubordinates,aswell as to external audiences consumers, intermediaries, bankers, suppliers etc. Presentations may also be of different types, each with a different purpose. Some of the most common types of presentationsandtheaudiencestowhomtheyareaddressedarementionedinthetablebelow

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Type/Purposeof Presentation

Example

Audience

BriefingandInformation

Newonlineleave applicationprocedure

Employees

OrientationonDistance Orientation EducationTerminology

Employees

Howtooperateanew Training software

Employees

Consumersatisfaction ReportingResearch Findings survey

Superiors

Reportofweeklysales ReportingProgress

Superiors

Reportingawardswonby Highlightingcompanys Achievements Describingcompanys TVandRadioInterviewsto describecompany Viewpoints positiononenvironmental issues thecompany

Media

Societyatlarge

Overviewofthecompany

Newemployees

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Introduction

Highlightingfeaturesofa ProductPresentation newproduct

Consumers,Intermediaries

Newprojectundertakenby ProjectProposal thecompany

Bankers

Newmobilereimbursement PolicyProposal policy

Superiors

Presentationatcompany MarkingSpecialOccasions anniversarycelebrations

Internalandexternal audiences

6.3.1StepsInMakingOralPresentations Thetableaboveindicatesthatoralpresentationscanrangefromsimpletomorecomplexones,each with a different purpose. Whatever the nature of the presentation however, the same steps in planningandpreparationaretobefollowed.Inthissection,weshalldiscusseachofthesestepsin detail. 1.DefinitionofthePurposeofthePresentation Beforepreparingforthepresentation,itisimportanttobeclearonthegoalofthepresentation.A statementofpurpose,expressingwhatyouwanttoachievethroughthepresentationshould beframed,sothatitbecomeseasytomeasurewhetherthegoalhasbeenaccomplishedornot. Thepurposeofthepresentationmaybestatedinbroadorgeneralterms,orinmorespecificterms. Ageneralstatementofpurposecouldbeexpressedintermsofoneofthefollowing

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To Inform A presentation that seeks to inform would merely create awareness about developmentsandprogressonspecificfronts,ortrytospreadknowledgeaboutsomethingnew. In the table above, the first eight types of presentations are aimed at informing different audiences about something or the other new procedures, new terminology, new software, findingsofastudy,salesprogress,companyachievements,viewpointsandbackground.

ToPersuadeApresentationthataimstopersuadewouldtrytochangetheattitudeorbehavior of the audience. It usually involves selling either a product, or an idea. In the above table, the productpresentation,projectproposalandpolicyproposal,areallpersuasivepresentations.The product presentation seeks to persuade consumers to try a new product, the project proposal tries to persuade bankers to provide funds for a new project and the policy proposal tries to persuadetopmanagementtoadoptanewpolicyofreimbursingmobileexpenses.

ToEntertainApresentationwiththispurposeismeanttomaketheaudiencerelaxandhavea good time. In the table above, presentations marking special occasions such as the company anniversary,maymerelyfocusonmakingpeoplefeelgoodaboutthemselves.

Althoughitisusefultodefinethegeneralpurposeofapresentation,itismoreimportanttoframea specificstatementofpurpose,whichclearlyspellsouttheanswerstothefollowingquestions 1. WhomdoIwanttoinfluence? 2. WhatdoIwantthemtodoattheendofthepresentation? 3. HowdoIwantthemtodoit? 4. When? 5. Where? ExampleIwant50%ofmyprospectivecustomerstobeconvincedenoughtowalkintothestore andtryoutthenewproductonatrialbasis,withinthenextoneweek. Theabovestatementofpurposedescribesthereactionthatyouareseekingfromyouraudienceand alsodescribesthegoalinmeasurableterms.Thenumberofcustomerswhowalkintothestoreand

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sampletheproductduringtheoneweekperiodwouldindicatewhetherthegoalhasbeenachieved ornot.Asfaraspossible,thegoalshouldbequantified,sothatitismeasurable. Presentation goals should alsobe realistic, keeping in mind the limitations of time, thetopic of the presentation and the nature of the audience. For example, a presentation that aims to train employeesontheuseofacomplicatedsoftwareshouldnotexpectthemtobecomeexpertsatthe endofthesession. 2.DevelopmentoftheKeyIdea Thekeyideaofapresentationisastatementthatexpressesthemainmessagetobeconveyedto youraudience.Itisdifferentfromastatementofpurpose,inthatthepurposeisgenerallymeantfor yourselfas the presenter, while the key idea is mentioned to the audience at thebeginningof the presentation. ExampleIfthepurposeistopersuadeaprospectivecustomertotryoutyourcompanysbrandof vacuum cleaner, the key idea or message may be to explain how your brand is superior to other brands,featureforfeature. Oncethekeyideaisclearlystated,itbecomeseasytodeveloptherestofthepresentation. 3.AudienceAnalysis Makingagoodpresentationaloneisnotenough.Italsohastobetailoredtoyourlisteners,insucha way that they understand andappreciate it. The following information should be gatheredabout youraudience,evenbeforeyoubeginpreparingforthepresentation

Job Designations and Areas of Expertise You need to find out whether the audience comprisesofspecialistsinaparticularareasuchasinformationtechnology,orgeneralists.Ifthey are specialists,your presentation could include technicalaspects and jargon, which they would be able to understand. If not, you may have tomake the presentation more simple, or explain someofthetermselaborately.

PreferredStyleofPresentationItwouldalsoberelevanttoknowthepersonalpreferencesof youraudience,withregardtothestyleofpresentationthattheyaremostcomfortablewith.Some

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peoplemaypreferamoreinformalorconversationalstylewithsomehumorthrownin,toamore formal style. Others may like the presentation to be made at a slower pace. It should be rememberedhowever,thathumorshouldbeusedwithcare,sothatitisrelevantanddoesnot offendtheaudience.Analyzingallthisinadvancewouldhelpindetermininghowthepresentation shouldbedelivered.

Demographic Characteristics of the Audience The gender, age, cultural background and economicstatusoftheaudiencealsoneedstobestudiedinadvance,sothatthepresentation maybetailoredtoappealtothatparticularaudience. ExampleAfinancialplanneraddressinganaudiencecomprisingofseniorcitizens,islikelyto suggest investment options that would be different from those that might be suggested for a youngeraudience.

Sizeofthe AudienceThesizeoftheaudiencewoulddetermineyourpresentationstyle,the timesetasideforquestionsandanswers,thesizeofvisualsandsoon.Withasmallergroup,the presentationcouldbemadelessformal,thetimeforquestionsandanswerslessandthevisuals smaller,thanforalargergroup.

TheLevelofKnowledgeontheSubjectYouneedtoknowhowfamiliaryouraudienceiswith thesubjectofthepresentation.Iftheaudiencecomprisesofexpertsinthatparticulararea,basic explanationsmaynotbeneeded.Ontheotherhand,iftheleveloffamiliarityisnotsohigh,alot ofbackgroundinformationandexplanationwillberequired.

The Attitudeofthe AudienceTheattitudeofyourlisteners,bothtowardsyouasaspeaker and towards the topic of the presentation, needs to be studied in advance. If the audience is prejudiced towards you for some reason, you may have to alter your style of presentation considerably. If thepresentation happens to be on a sensitive topic, you mayhave to proceed verytactfully.Thisisespeciallytrueofpresentationsthataimtopersuade.

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4. AnalysisofYourselfasaSpeaker Apart from analyzing your audience, you also need to do a selfanalysis to determine your own purposeofmakingthepresentation,yourlevelofknowledgeonthesubjectandyourfeelingsabout thesubject.Asexplainedearlier,aclearstatementofthespecificpurposeofthepresentationshould bedeveloped.Ifyouhaveachoiceofsubject,itisalwaysbettertospeakonasubjectonwhichyou areanauthority.Ifthechoiceisnotgiventoyouandyouarelessknowledgeable,thenitisimportant to research the subject thoroughly, so that you are in a position to anticipate and answer any questions.Finally,youneedtoassessyourfeelingsaboutthesubjectandmakesurethatyouare convinced enough to be able to persuade others as well. This is similar to a salesperson being convincedaboutaproducttobesold.. 5. AnalysisoftheCircumstances This includestaking intoconsideration any limitationsof infrastructure, time and contextthat might affectyourpresentationinanyway.Forexample,ifyouwillbespeakinginasmallroomwherethe lightingandtheacousticsareinsufficient,youmayhavetoovercometheselimitationsbyalteringthe seating arrangement,using brighter visuals andspeaking loudly. If the presentation is to be made afterlunch,itmayhavetobemademoreattentiongetting,sothattheaudienceiskeptalert.Ifyou aremakingapresentationaspartofateam,yourstyleofpresentationhastobeconsistentwiththat ofyourteammembers. 6. PreparationofOutline Oncetheinitialgroundworkhasbeendone,youwillneedtodevelopanoutlineofyourpresentation. Irrespectiveofthenatureandpurposeofthepresentation,astandardformatisgenerallyfollowed, includingthefollowing

Introduction This should include an attention getter to get the audience involved and interested in the presentation topic. Several techniques may be used to command attention, whichwillbediscussedlater.Thekeyidea,ormainmessagewhichwasdiscussedearlier,will alsobeconveyedtotheaudienceduringtheintroduction.

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BodyorMainSectionThisiswherethemainpointswillbepresentedandelaboratedupon.It isbesttolimitthenumberofmainpointstofive,soasnottooverloadthelistenerswithtoomuch information.

Conclusion A brief summary of the presentation, along with concluding remarks would be includedinthissection.Theconclusionshouldhaveasmuchpunchastheattentiongetterin theintroduction. 7. CollectionofInformationandMaterial

Oncetheoutlineofthepresentationhasbeendeveloped,youwillneedtostartgatheringtherelevant material.Thisisatimeconsumingprocessandrequiresafairamountofresearch.Theinformation cangenerallybegatheredfromexistingsourcessuchasmagazines,newspapersandtheinternet. Sometimes,youmayneedtodooriginalresearchintheformofasurveytogatherfreshdata.For example,ifyouaremakingapresentationonanewproduct,youmayhavetoconductasurveyto findouthowconsumersfeelaboutthatproductconceptandalsoaboutsimilar,competingproducts. 8.OrganizationoftheBody Thebodyofthepresentationshouldalwaysbepreparedbeforetheintroduction.Organizingthebody consists in identifying the key points that will support your main idea and then selecting an organizationalplantodevelopthesekeypoints. Let us take our earlier example of a sales presentation on a vacuum cleaner to prospective customers,wherethekeyideaistohighlightthatitissuperiortocompetingbrands.Themainpoints inthiscasemaybe 1. Ithasgreatercleaningpowerthanotherbrands. 2. Itismoreaffordable 3. Itiseasiertousethanotherbrands. Once the main points have been determined, sub points can be developed to expand on each of these.

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Thenextstepistochooseanorganizationalplantopresentthesemainandsubpoints. Example In the caseof a sales presentation such asthe above, a problemsolution pattern or planmaybefollowed,wherethecustomerisconfrontedwithaproblemandtheproductisofferedas asolutiontotheproblem. 9.PlanningtheIntroduction Since the introduction is where you make the first impression, it should be planned with care. It shouldtakeupbetween10and15percentofyourtotalspeakingtime.Attheoutset,youneedtotry and establish your credibility, by showing that you are qualified to speak on the subject of the presentation. An attention getting opener should be developed, using techniques such as humor, dramaticquestions,aninterestingstory,aquotationorastartlingstatement. ExampleDoyouknowthatthenumberofroadaccidentslastyeartouchedthe100,000mark? Once audienceattentionhas been captured,the main idea shouldbestated clearly,followedbya previewoftheentirepresentation,sothatpeopleknowwhattoexpect. 10.PlanningtheConclusion Theconclusionofapresentationshouldbeshorterthantheintroductionandoccupyonly5percent oftheentirepresentation.Generally,everyconclusionshouldhaveareviewandaclosingstatement. The review is essentially a reinforcement of the key idea and a summary of the main points. The mainpointscanbeenumerated,asintheoutlineofthepresentation.Theclosingstatementshould be as strong as your opening statement, so that your audience will remember the presentation. Therefore,thesametechniquesusedtocaptureaudienceattentionmayalsobeusedtopreparea goodclosingstatement.Inthecaseofpersuasivepresentations,theclosingstatementcanincludea callforimmediateaction. ExampleNowthatyouhaveseenwhatourvacuumcleanercando,walkintoourstoretodayto placeyourorderandavailofanearlybirddiscount!

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11.SelectionofaDeliveryStyle Onceyourpresentationhasbeenadequatelypreparedintermsofcontent,youalsoneedtoensure thatitwillbedeliveredeffectively,byselectinganappropriatestyleofdelivery. Fivedifferentdeliverystylesareavailabletospeakers SpeakingImpromptuInthiscase,thespeakeriscalledupontosayafewwordswithoutany warningoradvancenotice.Sincethereislittleornotimegivenforpreparation,itissuitedforonly expertspeakers.Impromptuspeechesshouldbebrief,simpleanddirect,comparedtoprepared speeches. Speaking Extemporaneously This is different from speaking impromptu. While impromptu speechesaredeliveredonthespotandnotrehearsed,anextemporaneousspeechisprepared andrehearsedinadvance,butdeliverednaturally,withoutthesupportofnotesorotheraids.This is the delivery style used by experienced professionals, who have sufficient knowledge of the subjecttobeabletospeakwithoutrelyingonnotes. Memorizing the Presentation This is the least appealing style of delivery, since it comes acrossasunnaturalandmonotonoustotheaudience.Aspeakerwhomemorizesanddeliversa presentationwordforwordwillalsobeatadisadvantageifheforgetsapartofthespeech,since heorshewillbeunabletospeaknaturally. ReadingfromWrittenNotesThisconsistsinreadingtheentirepresentationfromnotes.Itisa methodusedbygovernmentorbusinessofficialsandmaybeappropriatewhenthematerialto bepresentedishighlytechnicalorcomplex.However,ithassomelimitations.First,itgivesthe impression that the speech is very long and heavy. Secondly, it prevents the presenter from makingeyecontactwiththeaudience. SpeakingfromNotesThisisgenerallythemosteffectivestyleofdelivery.Itconsistsinjotting downthemainideasinpointformonindexcardsandthenreferringtothesecardsmerelyasa trigger while speaking. If the main ideas are put down briefly on the cards, the speaker can elaborateontheseideasinhisownwordsandspeakforanylengthoftime.Thepresentationis likely to be more effective, since it comes across as natural and permits eye contact with the audience.

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SelfAssessmentQuestion2 Matchthefollowing 1. Generalpurposestatement a.Demographics

2. Quantifiedgoalb.Topersuade 3. Audiencesize,ageandgenderc.Specificpurposestatement

4. Useofhumor

d.Speakingfromnotes

5. Triggerwordse.Openingandclosingstatements

6.3.2 UsingVisualAidsToSupportPresentations
Theuseofvisualaidsenhancestheeffectivenessofapresentationandinvolvestheaudiencemore thanapureoralpresentation.Asthesayinggoes,Apictureisworthathousandwords.Several studies have indicated that presentations made with visual support have been more successful in persuadingaudiencesthanpresentationswithoutvisuals.Visualshavealsobeenfoundtomakethe informationinpresentationsmorememorable.Inaddition,graphicshelpspeakerstoillustrateideas andtoanswerquestions.However,visualaidsshouldbeusedonlywhererelevantandnotjustfor the sake of it, since they may distract the attention of the audience from the speakers main message.

A speaker has a wide varietyof visualaidsto choosefrom. Someof the commonly used typesof visualaidsare

Product Demonstrations Since seeing is believing, a sales presentation can be more effectiveandconvinceaprospectivecustomertotryaproduct,ifitisshowninactualuse.

PhotographsPhotographsaretruetolifeandareaneffectivewayofillustratingproductsand avarietyofotherimages.Theyarehighlycredibleandcanbeusedasprooftosupportfacts.

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Diagrams These are two dimensional drawings which can convey information about size, shapeandstructureforexample,floorplans.

ListsandTablesTheseareaneffectivewayofhighlightingfactsandfiguresandofmaking comparisonsforexample,comparinglastyearsprofitswiththisyearsprofits.

PieChartsandGraphsPiechartshelptoillustratepercentagesofasingleitemforexample, thepercentageofthetotalstudentsineachareaofspecializationofanMBAprogram.Graphs aregoodforillustratingtrends,orgrowthinsalesandprofitsovertime.

Oncethetypeofvisualaidhasbeendecided,themediumforpresentingthevisualaidneedsto be selected. Again, a variety of media are available to thepresenter. The relative advantages and disadvantagesofeachofthesemediaandsomeguidelinesforuseofthesemediawillbediscussed. 1.FlipChartThisconsistsofalargepadofthickchartpaperattachedtoaneasel,wheredifferent pictures are shown on separate charts one at a time, by turning the pages. At the end of the presentation,the charts can beflippedoverto recapthe session,hencethename flip chart. Flip charts are commonly used during sales presentations and business meetings. They have the advantagesofbeingeasytoprepare,use,carryandsetup.However,theyareunsuitedformakinga presentationtoalargeaudience.Theyarealsoclumsyandcanbecomewornoutafterrepeateduse. 2.TransparenciesTheseareclearsheetsusedwithanoverheadprojectortoprojectanimageon thescreen.Itispossibletotransfertextorvisualsfromothersourcesontoatransparency,byusing a copy machine. It is also possible to write directly on the transparency with special marker pens, duringthepresentation. Transparencies have a number of advantages. Unlike flip charts, they are better suited for large audiences.Unlikeothervisualaids,theyarealsoeasierandquickertoproduce,sinceyoucancopy visualsfromothersources,insteadofcreatingthemfromscratch.Youcanalsowriteonthemasyou speakandlatererasewhatyouhavewrittenandreusethem. The disadvantage of using transparencies is that they are unwieldy and require an overhead projectorthatmaynotalwaysfunction.Thespeakeralsohastopositionhimselforherselfinsucha waythattheprojectordoesnotblockanyonesview.

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Somedosanddontsofusingtransparenciesforapresentationare

Switchofftheoverheadprojectorwhenyouarenotshowingtransparencies. Useapieceofpapertocoverthepartsofthetransparencythatyouhavenotyetdiscussed. Revealtheinformationonthetransparencyasandwhenyoudiscussthatpoint,sothatthe audiencedoesnotgetaheadofyou.

Useapointertorefertotheinformationonthetransparencyasyouspeak. Facetheaudienceandpointtothetransparencyontheglasstopoftheprojector,insteadof turningyourbackandpointingtothescreen.

3.PowerPointSlidesThisisaneffectivevisualaid,sinceitlendsatouchofsophisticationand professionalismtothepresentation.Itisidealforpresentationswheretechnicalpicturesand elaboratediagramsareneededtoillustrateideastotheaudience.Powerpointslidesareeasyto store,sincetheyarelessunwieldythanflipchartsandtransparencies.Itisalsopossibletotransfer photographs,logosandothervisualsdirectlyontotheslide. Thedisadvantageofpowerpointisthatittendstobeoverusedforthesakeoftechnology, gimmickryandspecialeffects.Thistendstodistracttheattentionoftheaudiencefromwhatthe speakerissaying.Therefore,powerpointslidesshouldbepreparedcarefullyandusedjudiciously. Thetablebelowlistssomedosanddontsofpreparingandusingpowerpointslidesfor presentations CheckpointsforUsingPowerPointSlides

1.DonotmakethelayoutofthePPTslidestooclutteredorcrowded.

2.Donotpreparetoomanyortoofewslides.Around12slidesshouldbesufficientfora onehourpresentation.

3.Plantospendabout23minutestalkingoneachslide,excludingthetitleandoutline

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ofthepresentation.

4.Payattentiontothefontsize,numberofwordsandnumberoflinesonaslide.7 wordspersentenceand7linesperslideisageneralruleofthumb.

5.Maketheslideslooksoberanddignified,notoverdecorated.

6.Ensurethatthestyleandformatusedintheslidesareconsistent.

7..Makethetextontheslidecrisp,avoidingunnecessaryarticlesandprepositions. Choosekeywordsandphrases,insteadoflongsentences.

8.Addvaluetowhatisontheslide,byexplainingkeypoints.Avoidreadingdirectlyfrom theslide.

9.Balancethetimespentoneachslide.Donotspendtoomuchtimeonsomeslides and rushthroughtherest.

10.Coordinateyourexplanationwiththeslidenumbers.

11.Focusonthemainpointsmentionedintheslides.Avoidneedlessfrillsand trivialities.

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4.HandoutsTheseareprinteddetailsonthetopicofthepresentationthataredistributedtothe audience. They have the advantage of providing a permanent record of your ideas. They also provide extra information which you may not be able to cover during your oral presentation. For example,ifyouaremakingapresentationonanewproduct,thetechnicalfeaturesoftheproduct, along with some illustrations, could be included in the handout for the audience to study later. Handoutscanalsoreducetheneedforthelistenerstotakenotesduringyourpresentation.Thisway, theirattentionwillbecompletelyfocusedonwhatyouaresaying.

Oneproblemwithhandoutsisthattheaudiencemaystudythemduringthepresentation,insteadof listeningtoyouspeaking.Thiscanbeavoidedbytellingthemtostudyitlater,orbydistributingthem attheendofthesession. 5.Computerized Displays These are images stored on your own computer screen or laptop, whichcanbeshowntotheaudiencetoillustrateyourideas.Thisisaninexpensiveandconvenient type of visual aid and requires little effort or advance preparation. However, it is suitable only for small audiences, due to its small size. One way of overcoming this and using it to make a presentationtoalargeaudience,istouseanLCDprojectortoprojecttheimagesontoabigscreen. 6.VideotapesTheseareaudiovisualaidsthatexploittheattentiongettingpropertiesoftelevision for maximum impact. Using videotapes to support a presentation canadd value when you wish to illustrate action for example, to show a sportsperson in action, a product demonstration in a TV commercial,oraspeakersgestures.However,likeothervisualaids,theyshouldnotbeusedforthe sakeofentertainment.Attentionshouldalsobepaidtoproducingthemcarefully,tomakesurethat thequalityisofahighstandard. Nomatterwhichtypeofvisualaidyouchoosetosupportyourpresentation,somebasicrulesneedto befollowedwhenusingthem 1. Use Visual Aids only if they Add Value Make sure that you have a reason tousea visual, rather than using it for its own sake. If your ideas are better explained through words, avoid the visual,sincethiswillonlydistracttheattentionoftheaudience.

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2.MatchyourVisualswiththeLeveloftheAudienceYourvisualaidsshouldbemademoreor lesssophisticated,dependingonyouraudience.Forexample,ifyouaremakingapresentationtotop management, the graphics should be extremely polished. For less formal presentations, simple graphicscreatedonyourowncomputerorlaptopshouldbesufficient. 3.Make theVisuals Clear and Large enoughAvoid creating visuals that are so small that that they have to be described. It is better to usenovisual support, than to use visualsthat cannot be seen. 4.MaketheVisualsSimpleWhencreatingvisuals,avoidmakingthemtoointricateanddetailed, sothattheaudiencecanunderstandthemwithoutdifficulty. 5.AvoidTooMuchTextwithVisualsVisualsshouldhaveshortcaptions,usingonlykeywords andsimpletypefaces,sothatattentionisdrawntothevisualalone. 6.GiveeachVisualaTitleandNumberForthesakeofeasyidentification,makesurethateach visualisgivenanappropriatecaptionandisnumbered. 7.ShowaVisualOnlyWhenYouDiscussitRevealingavisualbeforeyouarereadytodescribe itwillonlydistracttheattentionoftheaudiencefromwhatyouaresayingnow. 8.RemoveVisuals AfterUseSimilarly,blankout,erase,orturnoffvisualssoonafteryouhave explainedthem,sothattheaudiencecanfocusattentiononwhatyouaresayingnext. 9.CheckifVisualswillWorkBeforehandRemembertocheckallthefacilitiesinthepresentation roombeforethesession,toensurethatthevisualscanbeshownwithoutanyproblem. 10.RehearseSettingUpVisualsPracticeusingthevisualsbeforethepresentation,sothatyou arefamiliarwiththesequence,whentoshowandremovethem,withoutanyconfusion.

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SelfAssessmentQuestion3 1.Twotypesofvisualaidsthatcanmakepresentationsmorecredibleare ___________________and_______________________________________. 2._________________arebettersuitedforlargeaudiencesthan_______________. 3.Powerpointslidesshouldnotbe____________________and_______________. 4.Ingeneral,visualsshouldbepreparedtomatchthe__________________. 5.Twotypesofmediaforpresentingvisualaidstoasmallaudienceare _______________and____________________.

6.4 Summary
Themainadvantagesoforalcommunicationareitshighinteractivity,personalquality,possibilityof making quick contact, immediate feedback and command over the listeners attention. Oral communication may be classified into facetoface (meetings and presentations) and non faceto face(teleconferencing,telephoneandvoicemail)communication.Whilefacetofacecommunication is superior in most ways, it is also time consuming andexpensive, whenpeopleare separated by distance. Teleconferencing is a good substitute for facetoface communication and has the same advantages, except that it is unsuitable for certain types of communication. Telephone communication makes it possible to contact people who would otherwise be impossible to reach. Voicemail makes it possible to keep a permanent record of the communication and to control the contentofamessage. Oralbusinesspresentationsareneededwhenwrittencommunicationalonecannotdothejob,such aspersuadingaudiencesandgettingapprovalforideas.Oralpresentationsareofdifferenttypesand mayhavedifferentpurposes.Theymaybemadetobothinternalandexternalaudiences.

Irrespectiveofitsnatureandpurpose,thestepsinvolvedinpreparingapresentationarethesame andincludethefollowing

Definingthegeneralandspecificpurpose Developingthekeyidea,ormainmessage Analyzingtheaudiencetheirareasofexpertise,preferredstyleofpresentation,demographic characteristics,knowledgelevelsandattitudes

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DevelopingOralBusinessCommunicationSkills

Unit6

Analyzingyourknowledgeandattitudeasaspeaker Analyzingthelimitationsofinfrastructure,timeandcontext Preparingapresentationoutline Collectinginformation Organizingthebody,introductionandconclusion Selectingastyleofdelivery

Presentations should try to use visual aids wherever relevant, since visuals are more attention getting,persuasiveandmemorable.Severaltypesofvisualaidsmaybeusedinpresentations,such as product demonstrations, photographs, diagrams, lists and tables, pie charts and graphs. These aidsmayalsobepresentedthroughavarietyofmedia,includingflipcharts,transparencies,power pointslides,handouts,computerizeddisplaysandvideotapes. Eachoftheabovemediahasitsadvantagesaswellasitslimitationsandshouldbeuseddepending on thenatureof thepresentation andthe characteristics ofthe audience. The guidelinesfor using these aids shouldbe carefullyfollowed, soas to achieve maximum impact. In general, visualaids shouldbeusedonlywhentheyarerelevant.Attentionshouldbepaidtothedesign,toensurethat visuals are kept simple, yet sophisticated enough, depending on the audience. The presentation shouldberehearsedtomakesurethatvisualsaredisplayedattherighttime. TerminalQuestions 1.Selectacompanyofyourchoiceinasectorthatyouwouldliketoworkin.Imaginethatyou havetomakeabriefpresentationonthiscompanytobusinessschoolstudents. Developa)Ageneralandspecificstatementofpurposeb)Thekeyideac)Yourstyleof delivery. 2.Takingthesameexampleabove,listoutthetypesofvisualsandmediaforpresentationof thesevisualsthatyouwillselect.Whywouldthesevisualsandvisualaidsbemost appropriate? 3.Prepareanoutlineofapresentation,encouragingprospectivestudentstoenrollintheSMU MBAprogram.

SikkimManipalUniversity

117

DevelopingOralBusinessCommunicationSkills

Unit6

AnswerstoSelfAssessmentQuestions SelfAssessmentQuestions1

1. False 2. False 3. True

SelfAssessmentQuestions2

1. b 2. c 3. a 4. e 5. d
SelfAssessmentQuestions3

1. Photographs,productdemonstrations 2. Transparencies,flipcharts 3. Cluttered/overcrowded,overdecorated 4. Audience 5. Flipcharts,computerizeddisplays

AnswertoTerminalQuestions 1.Refer6.3.1 2.Refer6.3.2 3.Refer6.3.1

SikkimManipalUniversity

118