Speaking with confidence

Chapter 15

Speaking With
Confidence

Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication:
Process and Product, 5e
Copyright © 2006


Preparing an Oral
Presentation

Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 5e
Ch. 15, Slide 2


Preparing an Oral
Presentation
• Identify your purpose.
• Who is the audience?
• Decide what you want your audience to
believe, remember, or do when you
finish.
• Aim all parts of your talk toward your
purpose.
• WIIFM? What’s in it for me?
Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 5e
Ch. 15, Slide 3

Preparing an Oral
Presentation
• Identify your purpose, cont.
• Begin with the Conclusion
• Develop strong Introduction and
Closing

Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 5e
Ch. 15, Slide 4


Preparing an Oral
Presentation
• Organize the introduction.
•
•
•
•

Get the audience involved.
Let them know why they are there
Grabs their attention
Capture attention by opening with a
promise, story, startling fact, question,
quotation, relevant problem, or selfeffacing story.

Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 5e
Ch. 15, Slide 5

Preparing an Oral
Presentation
• Organize the introduction.
• Establish your credibility by
identifying your position,
expertise, knowledge, or
qualifications.
• Introduce your topic.
• Preview the main points.

Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 5e
Ch. 15, Slide 6


Preparing an Oral
Presentation

• Organize the body.
•
•
•
•

The heart of the message – details, facts
Keep it simple – don’t bog them down
Develop two to four main points
Streamline your topic and summarize its
principal parts.
• Arrange the points logically:
chronologically, from most important to

least important, by comparison and
contrast, or by some other strategy.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 5e
Ch. 15, Slide 7


Preparing an Oral
Presentation
• Organize the body.
• Arrange the points logically: chronologically,
from most important to least important, by
comparison and contrast, or by some other
strategy.
• Prepare transitions.
• Use “bridge” statements between major parts (I’ve just
discussed three reasons for X; now I want to move to
Y).
• Use verbal signposts (however, for example, etc.).
Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 5e
Ch. 15, Slide 8


Preparing an Oral
Presentation
• Organize the conclusion.
• Reinforces WIIFM
• Review your main points – helps them
remember.
• Provide a final focus. Tell your listeners
how they can use this information, why

you have spoken, or what action you
want them to take.
• Plan a graceful exit.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 5e
Ch. 15, Slide 9


Preparing an Oral
Presentation
• Organize the conclusion.
• Review your main points.
• Provide a final focus. Tell your listeners
how they can use this information, why
you have spoken, or what you want
them to do.
• Plan a graceful exit.

Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 5e
Ch. 15, Slide 10


Preparing an Oral
Presentation
Nine Techniques for Gaining and Keeping
Audience Attention
1. A promise
By the end of this presentation, you will be able to . . . .

2. Drama
Tell a moving story; describe a serious problem.

3. Eye contact
Command attention at the beginning by making eye contact
with as many people as possible.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 5e
Ch. 15, Slide 11


Preparing an Oral
Presentation
Nine Techniques for Gaining and Keeping
Audience Attention
4. Movement
Leave the lectern area. Move toward the audience.

5. Questions
Ask for a show of hands. Use rhetorical questions.

6. Demonstrations
Include a member of the audience.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 5e
Ch. 15, Slide 12


Preparing an Oral
Presentation
Nine Techniques for Gaining and Keeping
Audience Attention
7. Samples/gimmicks
Award prizes to volunteer participants; pass out samples.

8. Visuals
Use a variety of visuals.

9. Self-interest
Audience wants to know “What’s in it for me?”

Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 5e
Ch. 15, Slide 13


Types of Effective
Attention-Getters

14-14
Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 5e


Types of Effective
Attention-Getters

14-15
Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 5e


Types of Effective
Attention-Getters

14-16
Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 5e

Building Audience
Rapport
•

Use effective imagery.
Analogies,anecdotes, statistics, worst-and
best-case scenarios

•

Include verbal signposts.
Previewing, summarizing, switching directions

•

Send positive nonverbal messages.
Look terrific, animate your body, punctuate
your words, move about, vary your expression

Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 5e
Ch. 15, Slide 17


Overcoming Stage Fright

Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 5e
Ch. 15, Slide 18

Overcoming Stage Fright
Symptoms of Stage Fright
• Stomach butterflies

• Wobbly knees

• Pounding heart

• Tied tongue

• Shortage of breath
• Sweaty palms
• Dry throat
• Unsteady voice
• Trembling hands
Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 5e
Ch. 15, Slide 19


Overcoming Stage Fright
Ways to Overcome Stage Fright
• Select a familiar, relevant topic. Prepare
150 percent.
• Use positive self-talk.
• Convert your fear into anticipation and
enthusiasm.
• Shift the focus from yourself to your
visuals.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 5e

Ch. 15, Slide 20


Overcoming Stage Fright
Ways to Overcome Stage Fright
• Give yourself permission to make an
occasional mistake.
• Ignore stumbles; keep going. Don’t
apologize.
• Make the listeners your partners. Get
them involved.
• Just before you speak, practice deep
breathing.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 5e
Ch. 15, Slide 21


Responding to
Questions
Focus on the
Questioner

Respond
Respond
Appropriately
Appropriately

Maintain
Control

Survive
Survive the
the
Hot
Hot Seat
Seat

Encourage
Questions

Conclude
the Presentation

Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 5e
© Prentice Hall,


End
Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 5e
Ch. 15, Slide 23