2. Designing Oral Reports: Components of effective presentations

3. Presented by: Julia M. Williams Coordinator of Technical Communication and Associate Professor of English

4. Designing Oral Reports:  Oral Reports and Professional Contexts  Preparing for your Audience  Structuring Technical Information: Text and Visuals  Using and Misusing Powerpoint  Presentation Skills You Need: Space, Voice, and Body

5. Oral Reports and Professional Contexts Presentations in the Classroom and the Workplace

6. Oral Reports and Professional Contexts  Conveying information quickly and efficiently  Variety of situations: team meetings, reports to superiors, presentations to clients  Demanded more often than written reports

7. Preparing for your Audience Presentations for listeners

8. Know Your Audience  Determine their technical level: expert, professional non-expert, student, technician, general  Evaluate their previous experience with the topic  Gauge their attitudes toward the topic  Identify the information they need

9. Structuring Technical Information Text and Visuals

10. Structuring Technical Information  Emphasize the primary topic structure of your research  Preview and review  Use transition words and phrases  Supply a context for clear visuals

11. Emphasize primary topic structure  Written report components: Introduction, Technical Description, Process Explanation, Case Study, Conclusions  Oral report components: same topics, different emphasis, reduced form  Overall strategy rather than specific points

12. Structuring Technical Information  Emphasize the primary topic structure of your research  Preview and review

13. Designing Oral Reports  Oral Reports and Professional Contexts  Preparing for your Audience  Structuring Technical Information: Text and Visuals  Presentation Skills You Need: Space, Voice, and Body

14. Structuring Technical Information  Emphasize primary topic structure of your research  Preview and review  Use transition words and phrases

15. Transition words and phrases

16. Structuring Technical Information  Emphasize primary topic structure of your research  Preview and review  Use transition words and phrases to link ideas  Supply a context for clear visuals

17. Context for Clear Visuals  Labeling charts and graphs

18. Context for Clear Visuals  Labeled, interpreted, contextualized  Timing

19. Using and Misusing Powerpoint Sound Effects Won’t Save You!

20. Misusing Powerpoint UUsing PowerPoint OOverloading slides

21.  Overloading slides  The problem with overloading slides is that you may be tempted to cut and paste portions of your report word for word. Those large blocks of texts can’t be easily read and absorbed by your audience, and they also look overwhelming. It’s better to reduce your report text to key words and phrases. But always be sure to spellcheck!

22. The Presentation Skills You Need: Space, Voice, and Body

23. Presentation Skills: Space  Arrange the room to suit your presentation needs  Check equipment and ensure it is operational; backup plan  Practice with the equipment in presentation conditions  Allow adequate room so you can remain in contact with the audience

24. Presentation Skills: Voice  Speak loud enough to be heard, but don’t shout  Try to be conversational, rather than trying to deliver a “canned” speech  Vary voice tone and pitch; avoid a monotone  Let your voice reflect your enthusiasm for the topic

25. Presentation Skills: Body  Use hand gestures effectively  Avoid using gestures just because you are nervous  Approach the audience to emphasize a point or idea  Avoid shifting or shuffling

26. Designing Oral Reports Components of effective presentations

27. Preview and Review

28. Designing Oral Reports:  Oral Reports and Professional Contexts  Preparing for your Audience  Structuring Technical Information: Text and Visuals  Presentation Skills You Need: Space, Voice, and Body