1

Speaking: Verbal Structure

 2

Speaking: Verbal Structure

• Tell/Sell presentations
• Questions and Answers
• Consult/Join meetings
 3

Tell/Sell Presentations

1. Preparing what to say

▫ Use an effective opening
 Tell them why you’re speaking
 Grab their attention
 Show “What’s in it for them”
 Build your credibility
 Use humor
▫ Give a preview
 An outline, roadmap statement or an overview of
your presentation
 4

Tell/Sell Presentations (cont)

▫ State your main points clearly:

 Limit your main points
 Use strong transitions
 Use backward look/forward look transitions
▫ Keep their interest high:
 Include stories
 Incorporate names
 Change personal energy
 Ask and Get them to speak questions
or write
 Do something unexpected
 Tell them you will be asking for their input at the end
 5

Tell/Sell Presentations (cont)

▫ Use an effective closing

 Summarize
 End with action steps
 Refer to the opening
 End with Q&A session
 Do not rush through every point
 6

Tell/Sell Presentations (cont)

2. Remembering your content

▫ Prepare notes
 Use simple short sentences
 Tie your notes to slides
 Use large enough lettering
 Leave enough white space
 Add reminders
▫ “Own” your content
 Go through the content multiple times
▫ Use cards or papers
 7

Questions and Answers

• When to take questions

▫ Inform your audience about when you will take
questions
▫ Hold questions until the end
▫ Take questions throughout
• How to take questions
▫ Prepare in advance
▫ Show your understanding
▫ Stick to your objective and your organization
▫ Keep everyone involved
 8

Questions and Answers (cont)

• What to say if you don’t know the answer

▫ You don’t know
 Do not guess
▫ You need time to think
 Repeat
 Turn the question around
 Reflect
 Write
 9

Questions and Answers (cont)

• How to answer challenging questions

▫ Confusing questions
 Paraphrase
 Postpone
▫ Controlling questions
 Thank
 Regain control (If you are answering a large group of ppl)
 Change your focus (according to audience needs)
▫ Hostile questions
 Answer without emotion
 Find common ground
 Agree to disagree
 10

Questions and Answers (cont)

• How to deal with the backchannel (the channel

through which audience members, during the
presentation, connect online with others inside
or outside the room. Backchanneling usually
occurs via tweets or emails)
▫ Consider advantages/disadvantages
▫ Decide how to deal with it
▫ Use it before the presentation
▫ Use it during the presentation
 11

Consult/Join Meetings

1. Preparation before the meeting

▫ Set the objective
▫ Set the agenda
▫ Delegate roles
 Facilitator
 Timer
 Minutes writer
 Scribe
 12

Consult/Join Meetings (cont)

2. Participation during the meeting

▫ Opening the meeting
 Start on time
 Explain the agenda
 Involve audience
▫ During the meeting:
 Ask questions
 Record and paraphrase responses
 Use minimal encouragers
 Handle disagreement carefully
 Don’t talk too much
 13

Consult/Join Meetings (cont)

3. Decision making and follow up

▫ Decision making
 By one person or majority
 By consensus (Consensus involves hearing all points of view and
incorporating these viewpoints into the solution; it is time consuming
and requires group commitment to the process.)
▫ Follow up
 Permanent record (Most meetings should be documented with a
permanent record of some kind, usually called the “minutes,” to record
what occurred and to communicate those results)
 Action plan
 Actions to be taken
 Person responsible
 Time frame for each action