Developing Oral Business Communication Skills Unit 6 Developing Oral Business Communication Skills Unit 6 Business Communication

Unit Outline Advantages of oral communication Oral business presentations Steps in making presentations Using visual aids to support presentations Unit 6 Business Communication

Advantages of Oral Communication Channel Advantages Oral face-to-face Personal nature Use of body language Problem solving Oral non face-to-face - Teleconferencing Overcomes distance factor Oral non face-to-face - Telephone Immediate contact Use of non-verbal cues - tone of voice Oral non face-to-face – voice mail Saves time Control over message Permanent record

Oral Business Presentations Persuasive Immediate attention and feedback Approval of important ideas Internal and external audiences Different types Varied purpose Unit 6 Business Communication

Steps in making Oral Presentations Define purpose General purpose – inform, analyze, persuade Specific purpose – “whom, what, when, where, how?” 2. Develop key idea – main message for audience Unit 6 Business Communication

Steps in making Oral Presentations 3. Audience analysis Designations and areas of expertise Preferred styles of presentation Demographic factors Audience size Familiarity with topic Attitude towards speaker and topic Unit 6 Business Communication

Steps in making Oral Presentations 4. Self analysis knowledge level conviction level 5. Analysis of constraints infrastructure time context

Steps in making Oral Presentations 6. Presentation outline Introduction – grabbing attention Body – main points Conclusion – summary 7. Information collection - secondary sources - primary sources Unit 6 Business Communication

Steps in Making Oral Presentations 8. Organization of Body - main points - organizational plan 9. Development of Introduction - attention getting techniques 10. Planning of Conclusion - length of conclusion - reinforcement and summary - memorable closing Unit 6 Business Communication

Steps in making Oral Presentations 11. Selection of delivery style Speaking impromptu – speaking without preparation Speaking extemporaneously – speaking without support Memorizing – delivering word for word Reading from notes – reading word for word Speaking from notes – referring to “trigger words” Unit 6 Business Communication

Using Visual Aids to Support Presentations Types of visual aids Product “demos” Photographs Diagrams Lists and tables Pie charts and graphs Unit 6 Business Communication

Media for Presenting Visual Aids Medium Advantages Disadvantages Flip Charts Easy to prepare and use Unsuited for large audience Wear and tear Transparencies Quicker to produce Suited for large Convenient for reuse Unwieldy Complicated Power Point Slides Good for illustrating ideas Easy to produce and store Detracts attention from presentation Unit 6 Business Communication

Media for Presenting Visual Aids Medium Advantages Disadvantages Handouts Permanent record Add value Reduce need for notes Distracting Computerized Displays Inexpensive Convenient Unsuited for large audience Videotapes Audio-visual impact Illustrate action Quality concerns

Guidelines for Using PPT Avoid clutter Limit number of slides Plan time on each slide Watch font size, number of words and lines Pay attention to overall appearance Ensure consistency Keep text to a minimum Add value to PPT Unit 6 Business Communication

Guidelines for Using Visual Aids Value addition Appropriate level of sophistication Clarity Simplicity Minimum text Numbering and captions Synchronization with presentation Testing in advance Rehearsal Unit 6 Business Communication