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Oral Communication

(E408)
1st Session
Communicating in Person

In spite of modern communication


technologies, face to face
communication is still an essential
skill in the world of business. It is
richer & more effective.
Face to face communication has
many advantages

Advantages
More persuasive & expressive (you can
use voice & body language).
Less likely to be misunderstood (you can
read feedback & make adjustments).
When settling a conflict, you can reach
solutions more efficiently when
communicating face to face.
Seeing each other face to face satisfies a
deep human need for social interaction.

Voice as Communication Tool


Pronunciation: saying words clearly &
correctly with the accepted sounds &
accented syllables.
Voice Quality: it sends a nonverbal
message to audience, identifies your
personality & mood (whether you are,
friendly, enthusiastic, controlling , angry,
etc). Try to record your voice & listen to
it critically to make sure it projects a
positive quality about you.

Voice as Communication Tool


Pitch: Pitch refers to the sound vibration
frequency, the highness or lowness of a voice
(not the volume). Avoid flat, monotonous
pitches.
Volume & Rate: Volume relates to the degree
of loudness of a sound. Rate refers to the pace
(speed) of your speech. Avoid speaking too
slowly or too quickly (Normal rate 125 words a
minute).
Emphasis: stressing certain words can change
the meaning & effect.

Oral Presentations
Organizations today are increasingly interested
in hiring people with good presentation skills.
To guarantee success, verbal skills are as
important as technical skills;
You need to be able to communicate ideas
effectively in presentations to customers,
vendors, members of your team, and
management.
Your presentations will be made to inform,
influence, or motivate action, that is to
PERSUADE

Before an oral presentation, you probably


feel a great deal of anxiety.

According to most studies, peoples


number one fear is public speaking.

The good news is that for any


presentation, you can reduce your fears
and lay the foundation for a professional
performance by focusing on five areas:

Getting Ready:
1- Know your purpose

To reduce the fear and anxiety you may have


before making a presentation you must
prepare well.
Knowing Your Purpose: The most
important part of your presentation is
deciding on your purpose. What is your goal:
to persuade, inform, advise, or entertain?
At the end of your presentation, what do you
want your listeners to believe, remember, or
do?

Getting Ready:
2- Know your Audience
analyze your audience, which will
help you anticipate their reaction &
make appropriate changes.
Your audience analysis should
consider elements like age, gender,
education, & professional
background.

Know Your Audience


To determine organizational pattern,
delivery style, and supporting materials,
ask these questions:

Who is my audience & how will this


topic appeal to them?
How can I relate this information to
their interests & needs?
How can I gain credibility & respect?

What supporting tools would be


most effective? Facts?
Statistics? Personal
experiences? Expert opinion?
Humour? Cartoon? Graphics?
What should I do to ensure
that this audience remembers
my main points?

Organizing Content
Good Organization & Conscious
Repetition are the two most powerful keys
to audience comprehension & retention.
The following plan is recommended:
Step 1: Tell them what you are going to
say
Step 2: Say it
Step 3: Tell them what you've just said

Introduction: Capture Attention


Capture listeners' attention: consider
some of the techniques used to open
sales letters (a question, a startling
fact, a joke, a story, a quotation)
Identify yourself & establish your
credibility: describe your position,
knowledge, education, or experience
Preview your main points

Keeping Audience Attention


A Promise: promise the audience to
sustain their interest till the end of
your presentation.
Drama: begin by telling than an
emotionally moving story or incident,
keep them in suspense.
Eye Contact: Try to establish eye
contact with as many of your
audience as possible.

Movement: Don't stand still all the


time, move around the hall & walk
between the aisles whenever
possible.
Visuals: give your audience
something to look at besides
yourself. Use a variety of visual aids.

Dress: enhance your credibility with


your audience by dressing
professionally.
Self-interest: review your
presentation to ensure that it meets
the needs of the "What's-in-it-forme?" kind of audience.

Oral Presentation Outline


1- Introduction:
a. Capture attention (question, joke,
story, quotation, etc)
b. Involve audience ( promise, eye
contact,self-interest)
c. Identify speaker & establish
credibility (what qualifies you to give
this speech)
d. Preview main points

2- Body:
Establish main points & develop
coherence with planned transitions.
3- Conclusion:
Summarize main points
provide final focus

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