Putting Communication

Skills to Work
Jeremy Ralya
Persuasion
The process of creating, reinforcing, or changing
people’s beliefs or actions.
Our Agenda:
• Preparedness: Get Ready, Get Set, Go
• Maximizing the Impact of the Content
• A Lesson on Visual Aids
 Preparedness:
Get Ready
• Audience-Centeredness:
• Know the audience’s Interests & Attitudes
• Align the topic and main points to them.
• Adjust, suppress, and adopt the
audience’s views.

• Analyze the Situation & Physical Location-

Dictates:
• Tone,
• Appropriateness of Topic
• Presentation Length.
Preparedness: Get Set
• 5-Step Method of Rehearsal:
1. Full Speech Outline: Write speech out word-for-word.
2. Speaking Outline: At-a-glance, visual framework w/ cues.
3. Practice w/ Speaking Outline – Out loud!
4. Practice in the Mirror: Focus on Eye Contact & Mannerisms
5. The Dress Rehearsal: Setting, Technology & a Live Audience.

• Result: Ability to speak “Extemporaneously"

 5 Tips for Q&A Prep:

1. View questions as signs of genuine interest.

2. Give the questioner your full attention-

Preparedness: 3. Technical topic? non-technical answers
Get Set 4. Don’t try to bluff.

5. Pro Tip #5 Stay on Track-

• Result: Solidify speaker credibility.

Preparedness: Go!
• Vocal Tone
• Volume: UP!
• Inflection: Avoid Monotone
• Pauses:
• Leverage Silence
• Avoid Vocalized Pauses (Uh, er, and um)

• Body Language
• First Impressions Matter
• Eye Contact is Key
• “Make sure your hands don’t upstage your ideas.”
 Content: Maximize Impact!

Balanced Vocabulary: Organization Results:

Colorful Language: ie. Office Jargon Tell them, Tell Them, Told Them. Quantitative : Statistics
Plain Language: K.I.S.S “Problem-Cause- Solution” Order Qualitative: Testimonials
Visual Aids:
Risks
• Distractions:
• Avoid Zooming, Panning, Animations and
Sounds!
• Beware: ”Death by PowerPoint”

• Technical Issues & Logistics Challenges:

• Setup 1 day in advance.
• Good Location?
• Appropriate Size?

*Remember - a visual aid is useless if no one

can see it.
Visual Aid: Best
Practices
• Rule #1: Simple Slides with
consistent:
• Typeface
• Colors
• Themes

• #1 Mistake: Cramming too much

text on 1 slide.
• 3X5 Rule: No more than 3 lines
with five words per line (per
slide)
Visual Aids: Statistics

Graphs: Charts:
City Population
Chicago 2.7M
Miami 440 K

Disagree Neutral Denver 711 K

Austin 965 K
San Francisco 815 K

Agree
Visual Aids: Audience
Participation

• Challenging to coordinate
• Effective for helping the audience
remember.

"I hear and I forget, I see and I remember, I

do and I understand.” - Confucius
References:
Lucas, S.E. (2020) The art of public speaking (13th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill
Thank you.