First Semester, A.Y.

2023-2024

PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION
MODULE 12
THE ORAL PRESENTATION

(FINALS)

I. LEARNING OUTCOMES:
At the end of this lesson, the students should be able to:
a) Deliver effectively the introduction and conclusion of their oral presentation to create
lasting impression.
b) Employ vocal ang physical factors, eye contact and presentation aids for effective
delivery.

LESSON
Oral Presentations
Oral presentations are a common requirement in many courses. They may be short or long, include slides or other
visual aids, and be done individually or in a group. In your postgraduate studies, you may have the opportunity to
deliver lectures, seminars and tutorials as well, and the more practice you have at any of these, the easier it gets.
Planning and structuring an oral presentation is similar to the process of writing an essay, except you need to be
conscious of a live audience and use spoken language instead of written. However, the final preparation and
presentation differ significantly from editing and polishing an essay.

The major steps in oral presentations are planning, structuring, preparing and presenting. Let's have a look at the key
concerns of each of the stages.
Plan
Like any form of presentation of your research, an oral presentation needs attention to research and planning. If you
follow the usual sequence of idea generation, wider reading leading to narrowed focus, and consideration of your
audience and purpose, the next stage, structuring, should be fairly smooth.

o Purpose
 - What is the aim of your research? Why are you presenting it in oral form? What is important about your
findings? What is the key focus of your presentation?

o Audience

- To whom are you presenting your findings? Are they more or less knowledgeable on the topic than you?
Pitch your data to the appropriate level. What does your audience expect to gain from listening to you?

Structure
Also like an essay, an oral presentation needs an introduction, body and conclusion. In the introduction, you may
like to include a brief (and relevant) anecdote or provocative question to engage your audience from the beginning.
A question that includes your audience will make them want to follow through with you to find out the implications
as they relate to them directly. The conclusion should point to further research or conclusive results if possible. Try
to end with a clear concluding statement, something with rhetorical flourish perhaps, so that you aren't forced to
finish by saying, "um, that's it."

Spoken v. written language

There are both subtle and significant differences in speech and writing, and it's good to know what they are when
preparing an oral presentation. For one thing, a speech should sound more like natural speech.

o First person

One of the most obvious ways in which to achieve this is to speak sometimes in the first person - you can
refer to yourself in an oral presentation, for example, "I'd like to start by..." or "Let me give you an
example...", whereas in written projects it is best to keep the use of the first person to a minimum.

o Jargon and nominalisation

Because your audience needs to be able to follow you without being able to refer back to written text, try to
unpack your language somewhat - don't be too academically dense or use too much jargon.

o Signposting

You will be accustomed to signposting in essays, where you foreshadow or guide your readers through
your argument with phrases such as "The focus of this paper will be..." or "I'd like to move on to..." This
technique is crucial in oral presentations, where the audience does not have the luxury of referring to the
writing in front of them.

Visual aids
Powerpoint
The most common way to incorporate visuals or slides nowadays is through the use of Powerpoint. If you have the
option (that is, you have Powerpoint on your computer and access to a data projector in the room), you should
choose Powerpoint instead of an overhead projector (OHP) and transparencies. It is much easier to manage and
more professional when used appropriately. Having said that, there are some very important tips of what to do and
what not to do when using Powerpoint.
Do

o Ensure in advance that the room has a projector.

o Do a number of practice runs through the presentation before the real thing.
o Be prepared for all technology to fail and either have backup transparencies for images or a full set of notes
in order to give the presentation without any slides.
o Limit how many slides you include - you usually need far less than you think you do. Again, practice will
help you gain confidence to know how many are sufficient.
o Only use keywords and simple phrases.
o Use a large enough, easy-to-read font (and no Comic Sans!).
o Label any graphs, charts, figures and diagrams (again in a readable font size).
o Include images for visual interest occasionally if relevant.

Don't

o Rely too heavily on the Powerpoint presentation, which may experience technical difficulties on the day.
o Include slabs of text - not only is it distracting, you then are tempted to read it verbatim.
o Simply read from your slides - let them be reminders and key points.
o Use amusing fonts - stick to the basics such as Times or Arial.
o Use unnecessary slide or text transitions - it's distracting and slow to watch letters appear one at a time.
o Use Powerpoint sounds or any other sounds unless it's part of the presentation.
o Choose a template that's busy and doesn't relate to the presentation.

Prepare
The more prepared you feel, the less nervous you're likely to be. There are a few key considerations in preparation
for an oral presentation, namely time limits, speaking from notes, body language and use of voice.

o Time limits

Practice the presentation a number of times to get the pacing right and ensure you fit the information into
the time provided. Do not go over time as that doesn't match the audience's expectations and can lead to
impatience, boredom and confusion. Don't finish too early either or it seems that you don't have sufficient
command of the material.

o Speak from notes

It is preferable not to read your entire paper as you will tend to lose eye contact, intonation and good
posture. It's preferable to reduce the original paper to bullet points and then practice filling in the gaps
while practising. Even if you know the material very well, it can help to have a few key points in note
form in addition to the points on a Powerpoint presentation.

o Body language

Try to make a sort of roving eye contact with the audience whilst maintaining good posture and using
appropriate gestures with your hands.

o Voice
 Speak loudly enough for your audience to hear you clearly and slowly enough for them to easily follow
your argument. Use silence and pauses effectively when making particular points, and maintain interesting
intonation patterns - avoid speaking in a monotone.

Nerves
Everybody feels nervous at some point when asked to give an oral presentation. If you're feeling particularly
nervous, take a few deep breaths and focus on speaking slowly. Also try to focus clearly on your message. Acting
horribly nervous just makes you feel worse - it's a difficult cycle to escape. The best antidote to nerves is to act as
though you feel fantastically confident - you'll be amazed at how much more confident it ends up making you
actually feel!

Present
If you've prepared well, you should be ready for a confident presentation. By now you should have the presentation
fitting comfortably into the time limits and you should be speaking fluently just from dot-point notes. When you're
actually in front of the audience, remember your body language and voice projection. Try to relax and enjoy the
experience of sharing information you've gathered and analyzed - and don't forget to welcome questions at the end.
How to Improve Your Public Speaking Skills
By
Arlin Cuncic
Medically reviewed by
Carly Snyder, MD
on May 06, 2020
Even if you don't make regular presentations in front of a group, public speaking is a useful skill
to have from making a speech at a friend's wedding to inspiring a group of volunteers at a charity
event. Developing your public speaking skills can increase your confidence and help you
overcome speech-related anxiety you may have.

Even those who live with social anxiety disorder (SAD) can become confident
speakers with traditional anxiety treatment and by working on public speaking skill
development.

Klaus Vedfelt / Getty Images

Voice Control
Your voice is the most important tool you will use as a public speaker. One simple way to
improve your voice is by learning to breathe fully and deeply from your diaphragm.
Diaphragmatic breathing, or belly breathing, is essential for accessing your most powerful voice.
It is the technique professional singers use to make their voices sound fabulous. It enables them
to hold notes long after most people would be out of breath.

Diaphragmatic Breathing

Practicing diaphragmatic breathing also reduces feelings of breathlessness caused by speech

anxiety. This type of breathing will allow you to better control the following aspects of your
voice:

 Tone (quality)
 Pitch (high or low)
 Volume

Before your speech, place one hand on your abdomen, and breathe into your hand. Count to 10
as you inhale and fill your stomach, then count to 10 again as you exhale. Remember to breathe
from your diaphragm as you deliver your speech.

4 Tips for Practicing Diaphragmatic Breathing for Social Anxiety

Body Language
Simply put, body language is your body's way of communicating without using words. It's the
combination of facial expressions, gestures, and movements that convey what's going on in your
mind. Practice strong, confident body language to fuel your presentation:

 Stand up straight. If you're physically capable of standing up straight, then make sure
you stand tall and straight during your presentation.
 Assume the [power] position. If you're feeling stressed before your presentation, take a
moment to stand in a powerful position. Doing this for just a few minutes will raise your
testosterone and increase your self-confidence while reducing stress, anxiety, and
cortisol.1 One of the most popular power poses is the "superhero" pose: Put your hands on
your hips, keep your chin up, and your chest out.
 Be facially expressive. Your facial expressions should match the message you are
delivering. If you're giving an upbeat speech, try to have a relaxed and joyful look on
your face.
 Plant your feet. Shifting your weight from side to side can lull your audience into a
semi-hypnotic state (also known as sleep). Stand tall and firm.

If you feel that your stage presence is lacking, view clips of speakers you admire. Aim to imitate
parts of their style that you feel could work for you. Then, "fake it until you make it." In other
words, act confident until you feel confident.

10 Ways to Have More Confident Body Language

Delivery
When it comes to public speaking, delivery is everything. Even if you have a great voice
and good body language, your message will get lost if the audience can't easily follow what you
say. Below are some tips for developing good delivery skills:

 Speak slowly, but not too slowly. Talk too fast and your audience will have a hard time
understanding you. Talk too slowly and you risk putting them to sleep. When it comes to
public speaking, talking at a conversational pace is your safest bet.
 Pause between ideas. Great public speakers often pause for two to three seconds or even
longer. A well-placed pause gives the audience time to digest what you are saying. It also
makes you sound more confident and in control.
 Avoid filler words. Words such as "um," "ah," "you know," and "like" diminish your
credibility and distract from your message. Instead, replace these filler words with
pauses.
 Carefully articulate and pronounce your words. A mumbling public speaker is hard to
understand.

How to Read Body Language

Audience Relations
Good public speakers are in tune with their audience. Public speaking is more than standing in
front of a group and talking; you also need to engage your audience.

 Acknowledge your audience as soon as you take the stage. This helps to make you
seem more like a "real" person and keeps a conversational tone.
 Grab their attention immediately. When you speak, you have about 60 seconds to
capture your audience's attention and captivate them before they tune out.2 Use this time
to ask a rhetorical thought-provoking question, tell a captivating story, or share a
shocking statistic—anything that will keep them intrigued.
 Find a friendly face. There's bound to be friendly people in the audience. Find those
people and pretend that you're speaking to only them.
 Make eye contact. Regardless of how big your audience is, try to make eye contact with
as many people as possible. It will make them feel like you are speaking directly to them.

PREPARE AN EFFECTIVE ORAL PRESENTATION

An effective presentation is more than just standing up and giving information. A presenter must
consider how best to communicate the information to the audience. Use these tips to create a
presentation that is both informative and interesting:
  Organize your thoughts. Start with an outline and develop good transitions between
sections.
 Have a strong opening. Why should the audience listen to you? One good way to get their
attention is to start with a question, whether or not you expect an answer.
 Define terms early. If you are using terms that may be new to the audience, introduce them
early in your presentation. Once an audience gets lost in unfamiliar terminology, it is
extremely difficult to get them back on track.
 Finish with a bang. Find one or two sentences that sum up the importance of your
research. How is the world better off as a result of what you have done?
 Design PowerPoint slides to introduce important information. Consider doing a
presentation without PowerPoint. Then consider which points you cannot make without
slides. Create only those slides that are necessary to improve your communication with the
audience.
 Time yourself. Do not wait until the last minute to time your presentation. You only have 5
minutes to speak, so you want to know, as soon as possible, if you are close to that limit.
 Create effective notes for yourself. Have notes that you can read. Do not write out your
entire talk; use an outline or other brief reminders of what you want to say. Make sure the
text is large enough that you can read it from a distance.
 Practice, practice, practice. The more you practice your presentation, the more
comfortable you will be in front of an audience. Practice in front of a friend or two and ask
for their feedback. Record yourself and listen to it critically. Make it better and do it again.

Source: Oral Presentation Tips, GVSU.

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS:
Check your understanding of the input by answering the following questions:
Task 1: Comprehension Questions: Instruction: Check your understanding of the input by
answering the following questions:

1. Why is it important to analyze the audience and know about the logistics involved when
making an oral presentation?

2. What are the major steps in the oral presentations?

3. Why does purpose and audience play a very important role in planning for oral
presentations?

4. Discuss ways on how to improve your Public Speaking Skills.

 WORKSHEET TASK 15
Assume that you are going to speak before an audience composed of professionals on a
perennial and relevant topic for instance, “Smoking.” Find out as much about your
audience by answering the following questions:

1.Who is likely to attend your talk?

______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
2. What is their background (education, profession, age range, gender, etc. ) ?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
3. Why do you think they will come?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
4.How will you convince them o stop their smoking habit?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

SYNTHESIS
1. When preparing a report or speech for oral presentation, make a profile first of your audience and the
logistics involved, i.e. venue and facilities. Then read up and research on the topic so you can write an
effective report, speech, or talk.
2. When making your oral presentations, pay attention to the paralinguistic cues and prosodic features of
the language. Whereas paralinguistic cues involve facial expression, posture, gestures, and movement,
prosodic features include intonation, tone, stress, rhythm, and pause.
3. When making a group presentation, follow strictly the guidelines so you can come up with a good
performance. Be a team player so that the individually assigned parts cohere with each other.
REFERENCES:
 Madrunio, Marilou R.,Martin, Isabel P., Purposive Communication, Using English in
Multilingual Contexts, C&E Publishing Inc. 2018

 Valdez, Suzette F., Dela Cruz, Rommel B., Essentials of Oral Communication Towards
Effective and Responsible Speech

Prepared by:

JANE LUISE G. PASION, LPT

Faculty, CIT