Guidelines of Oral Presentation

Oral Communications

Discuss on the following points in a pair

 What is oral communication ?
 what are its distinctive features?
 Can you tell the types of oral

communications?
An oral presentation

 is generally a speech or vocal performance,

occasionally accompanied by visually based
presentations such as a slideshow.
 is where you show your knowledge on a

particular subject.
 You might be able to choose your topic, or

maybe you have been given something to

research and talk about to an audience or
tutor.
Speech
Four types of speech delivery: Manuscript,
Memorized, Impromptu, and Extemporaneous.

 Manuscript speaking like it sounds, involves

reading your speech word-for-word from it is
written form.
 Memorized like it sounds, involves committing

your entire speech to memory.

 An Impromptu speech is one that you are asked

to deliver with little or no preparation.

 Extemporaneous speech is a speech delivered

with some prepared structure, such as notes or

an outline.
 Discuss on the questions below in pair

 What
 do you need to make a speech ?
 How do you prepare a speech if you re


ordered to make a speech?

 What are major points you take into


consideration to prepare a speech ?

 What sorts of materials are needed to make


or prepare a speech?
Speech preparation

 Genuine speech preparation means looking

with in you.
 You need to gather facts and arrange these

thought.
 The following tips will put you on the path to

successful speech giving.

Tips to prepare successful speech

 A speech needs time to grow- prepare for

weeks.
 Sleep on your topic, dream about it, and let

your ideas sink into your subconscious.

 Ask yourself questions.
 Write down your thoughts.
 Keep adding new ideas
Selecting a Topic

A great speech starts with a great topic.

 It is so important that you select a topic that interests

you and your audience.

 Once you have a topic ask yourself the following

questions:

◦ Am I interested in the topic?

◦ Will I enjoy researching this topic?
◦ Will I enjoy talking about this topic and
sharing my information with my audience?
◦ Will my audience be interested in my topic?
◦ Am I passionate about this topic?
Structure your speech

As you prepare each speech, choose a simple

structure

 Sequential – put ideas in chronological order

or how the event happened
 Categorical – put ideas according to their

categories most important points first or at

last
 Problem and Solution
 Compare and contrast – focus on similar and

differences between among your main point

Outline

Regardless the length your speech should

contain the following main sections:

The Introduction
 It consists of the following points:
Introductory grabber, the purpose and the
agenda

The body
 This is the meat of your speech or
presentation, where you present and discus
main ideas.
Cont’d . . . outline
The conclusion

 Your conclusion serves as a brief review and

should leave the listeners thinking about what
you said. It is usually divided into three parts:
-The review this section reiterates the
purpose of the speech and highlights the
answer the answer to the audience
question “what is in it for me?”
-The call for action during the segment tell
the audience what to do with the
information you have presented
-The closing grabber this consists of your
closing remarks and should leave listeners
with at least one memorable thought.
Develop Speech Content

 Gather all the information possible on the

subject from different sources
 Analyse the information you have grouped or

categorized to determine what information

you want to use.
 Organize information you want to present in

a coherent sequence
 Prioritize the most important points in your

speech
Cont’d …Develop Speech Content
 Fine-tunethe organization of your
presentation content

-Tell your audience what your

presentation will cover
-Highlight a few main points to capture
their interest
-Begin your presentation
-Conclude your summery points that you
want your audience remember
Preparation
 Preparation is the key to giving an effective
presentation and to controlling your
nervousness.
 Good preparation and the realization that you

are the expert will boost your self-confidence.

 It will allow you to compose :

-a good introduction
-to distil out the main
-most important points to be made
-to finish with a strong conclusion
Preparation tips
 Know your topic and become an expert 
 Learn as much about the topic as you can to

boost your self-confidence

 Have an idea about the background your

audience; in turn it helps:

-how much detail to go into and
-what kinds of things you need to define
 Prepare an outline of topic. Bullet or number

the main points

Equipment tips:

 Workout details with equipment before the

day of your presentation
 Know how to operate the equipment you

choose to use
 If you are using PowerPoint, have a backup

copy on a disk 
 Consider making print duplicates of your

slides or transparencies in case there is a

problem with electricity
Visual aids

 Visual aids (maps, photos, film clips, graphs,

diagrams, and charts) can enhance a presentation.
  -Keep visual aids simple and uncluttered. 
-Use colour and contrast for emphasis
but use them in moderation
-Use a font large enough to be seen from
the back of the room
-Slides should be readable from the back
of a room if PowerPoint is used and
strongly resist the temptation to use
sound effects and dramatic slide transitions
Practice

 Practice giving your presentation to yourself

 Speak out loud and time yourself
 Practice using your visual aids. 
 It is absolutely important that you adhere to

your time limit

 Your goal is to inform, not overwhelm
Audience analysis

Discuss the questions below with your partner

 What does audience analysis mean?

 How does this can be done ?
 What is the importance of audience

analysis ?
 What are the points to be focused on?
Audience analysis
 Properly preparing your material is not
enough to assure that your speech is well
received.
 Your speech preparation must also include

gathering information about your audience

and their needs.
 Your speech preparation must also include

gathering information about your audience

and their needs.
Cont’d . . .Audience analysis
 The more you know and understand about your
audience and their needs, the better you can
prepare your speech to assure that you meet
their needs.
 Speech preparation should use what I like to

call the 9 P's.

Prior Proper Preparation
Prevents Poor Performance of the
Putting on the Presentation.
 There are six basic aspects that the speaker

should take into consideration before making a

speech in relation to the audience.
Cont’d . . . Audience analysis
Speaker audience relationships-this deals how the
speech is made;
-is speech face to face ?
If it is face to face
the speaker has the chance to control
interaction, the length of the interchange and
other variable in the communication process.
-is the speech made with out the presence of the
speaker physically?
If not someone else (the director,
the sound engineer) will have the control over
these factors. Thus, the speaker should be
aware and plan the speech accordingly.
Cont’d . . . Audience analysis

 Audience level of knowledge about the

subject
 Audience attitude towards the subject
 Socio economic character of the audience.
 Relating to listeners’ needs and
 Promoting audience unity
Cont’d . . . Audience analysis
 Properaudience analysis will assure that you
give the right speech to the right audience

 A-nalysis - Who are they? How many will be

there?
 U-nderstanding - What is their knowledge of

the subject?
 D-emographics - What is their age, sex,

educational background?
Cont’d . . . Audience analysis
 I-nterest - Why are they there? Who asked
them to be there?
 E-nvironment - Where will I stand? Can they

all see & hear me?

 N-eeds - What are their needs? What are your

needs as the speaker?

 C-ustomized - What specific needs do you

need to address?
 E-xpectations - What do they expect to learn

or hear from you?

The role of the audience
 Presentations involve both a speaker and the
audience. 
 People in the audience play a role in how well

a presentation goes. 
Audiences’ Role
 Listen politely  Do not put your head
 Make occasional eye down on the desk or tilt
contact with speaker your head back to sleep
 Expect a Question &
 Take notes or jot down

interesting facts Answer period to be part

 Control negative facial
of the presentation
 Participate in Question &
expressions
Answer period either by
 Control bored body
listening or by posing a
language question.
 Control the impulse to  Remain seated until the
constantly check watch speaker is finished
Delivery
 Deliver is how you say what you say to convey
your thought to your audience.
 The way a speaker presents the speech helps

audiences understand and retain message

better because the speaker is perceived as
being more credible.
 Good preparation should allay most of your

nervousness; realizing that everyone feels

nervous before a presentation should also
help.
Con’ t . . . Delivery

 The speaker must choose the mode of

delivering speech from the four primary types
of speech delivery mood:
Manuscript
Memorized
Impromptu and
Extemporaneous.
Delivery tips:
 Begin your presentation  Do not wear a hat of any
by telling your audience kind
the topic and you  Stand up straight, don’t

coverage slouch or drape yourself

 Avoid reading your around the podium. 
remarks  Move around, it causes

 Dress neatly and the audience to pay

appropriately.   attention
 Don’t do things that will
 Speak in a clear, audible

voice, loud enough to distract from your

be clearly heard in the content: rocking your heels
back and forth, taping a
back row.  pencil and playing with
pencil or pointer
Cont’d … delivery tips
 Never apologize to your  If you use slides or
audience for the state of PowerPoint avoid the
your knowledge or your tendency to speak to the
degree of preparation screen instead of to the
 Never mention anything audience.  
that could have been in  Adhere strictly to your

your talk but wasn’t time limit. 

 Make frequent eye  At the conclusion of your

contact with the presentation ask for

audience.  questions. 
 Never turn your back on  Encourage questions

the audience and try to with your eyes and your

avoid walking in front of body language.
the projector
Cont’d … delivery tips

 At the end of your presentation, summarize

your main points and give a strong
concluding remark that reinforces why your
information is of value.
 Show some enthusiasm
Fear and nervousness
Discuss the following points with your friends

 What is fear ?
 What
 is nervousness?
 How do fear and nervousness affect one’s


speech ?
 What is the importance of knowing them?


 How can one overcome these problems?


Fear and nervousness
 Accept nervousness for what it is part of the
preparation for speaking and it is a good
thing.
 It heightens your senses and gets your blood

pumping.
 You will think clearly and move faster.
 A good preparation will increase your self-

confidence.
 Your good preparation will kick in and before

you know it, your presentation will be over. 

Symptoms of Anxiety

 Sweet palm
 Nausea
 Accelerated heart rate
 Short of breath
 Chest pain
 Tingling or numbness /lack of sensation/
 Anxiety or uneasiness
Causes of nervousness

 Novelty - becoming new or unfamiliar

 Conspicuousness- when the speaker stands

out from the audience

 Audience characteristics- this includes size,

status familiarity, similarity and behaviour

 Dealing with Nervousness
 Firstof all, the very best way to deal with
nervousness is too practice & rehears
 Practice your speech so much that you can do

it while on autopilot
 While speaking, concentrate on breathing

slowly and deeply

 Hum a key before you begin to speak and

lower your voice just a tiny bit.

 Put the whole thing into perceptive
Language use
Discuss on the following questions in pair

 What
 does language use refer to?
 What is its importance?


 How does it affect your



speech/communication/?
 What sorts of language does a speaker need


to use?
Language use

 Itrefers to the language that a speaker.

 Language uses has great impact on the

effectiveness of the speech.

 The speaker should be careful in the

language usage.
 The language should exhibit

-clarity,
-vividness and
-appropriateness.
Cont’d…Language use
 Clarity

Choose simple familiar words that are concrete

and specific instead of abstract and general.

 Vivid
Language
Such languages are active, energetic, compelling,
urgent, forceful, exciting lively and involving.

 Appropriateness

The language should be appropriate to the

speaker, to the audience and to the occasion.
Gender Neutral Language
 The key rule of thumb is to avoid using
gender-specific language
 Use alternatives like "he or she" only if there is

no way to write without pronouns.

 The consistent use of masculine pronouns

leaves the impression that women could not be

among the group to which the writer/speaker
is referring.
 some may respond that the masculine

pronouns "he" and "his" refer to both men and

women, but the impression is left in the eye of
the reader, not that of the writer.
Cont’d…Gender Neutral Language

 Incorrect:
A good judge takes their job very seriously.
 Undesirable:

A good judge takes his or her job very seriously.

 Better:
A good judge takes the job very seriously.
 OR

A good judge takes judging very seriously.

Cont’d…Gender Neutral Language
 If necessary, use "one" instead of "he or she" or "his or
her." The use of "one" can be awkward.
A person who masters the basic rules of
grammar, punctuation, and good writing is
likely to impress his or her supervisors.
More desirable:
 One who masters the basic rules of grammar,

punctuation, and good writing is likely to

impress one's supervisors.
Cont’d…Gender Neutral Language
 Ifnecessary, change the subject from singular to
plural if you are not referring to a specific
individual
Incorrect: A teacher must communicate clearly
with their students.
 Also Incorrect:
 A teacher must communicate clearly with her

students.
 Better: A teacher must communicate clearly with

his or her students.

 Best: Teachers must communicate clearly with

their students.
Cont’d…Gender Neutral Language
 Avoidthe use of "s/he" as a substitute for a
proper pronoun

Incorrect: The successful lawyer discharges all

responsibilities. S/he also manages tasks that
are not his/her duty.

Correct: Successful lawyers discharges all

responsibilities. They also manages tasks that
are not assigned.
 Cont’d…Gender Neutral Language

 Poor Choices  Better Choices

-Chairman -Chair, chairperson, leader
-Congressman Member of
-Policeman -Congress, Representative
-Stewardess, Steward -Officer, police officer, police
-Cameraman official
-Flight attendant
-cameraperson, Crew
member
Cont’d…Gender Neutral Language
 Use the terms "Ms." and "Mrs." properly
 if you don't know the individual's preference,

you should use "Ms." Women should not be

required to reveal their marital status by the use
of "Mrs." or "Miss."
 Undesirable:

Mrs. Hillary Clinton; Mrs. Clinton; Ms. Clinton

 More Undesirable:

Mrs. William J. Clinton

 Better Choices:

Hillary Rodham Clinton; Ms. Hillary Rodham

Clinton; Ms. Rodham Clinton
Cont’d…Gender Neutral Language
 Use last names properly
 If a woman chooses to use her maiden name

instead of her married name, or to use her

maiden name and her married name, (with or
without a hyphen), you should respect that
choice.

 Undesirable:

Justice Ruth Ginsburg; Justice Sandra O'Connor

 Better (and wiser) choices:

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg; Justice Sandra Day

O'Connor
Evaluation
Discuss and come up with ideas on the points
below

 What
 is an evaluation?
 What does its importance for the speaker?


 Who does make the evaluation?



 How does evaluation can be done?


Evaluation
 Presentations always undergo some type of
evaluation
 You may receive a grade.
 you may make sales or
 your performance may be reviewed by your

colleagues/evaluators/ friends
 evaluation criteria can give you a roadmap for

measuring your effectiveness focusing on the

following points:
Cont’d…Evaluation
 Organization and Development of Content
• Purpose of presentation made clear?
• Previewed contents of speech?
• Main ideas stated clearly and logically?
• Organizational pattern easy to follow?
• Main points explained or proved by
• supporting points? Variety of supporting
points (testimony, statistics, etc.)
• Conclusion adequately summed up main
points, purpose?
Cont’d…Evaluation

 Delivery
• Presenter owned the space and was in
control?
• Held rapport with audience throughout
speech?
• Eye contact to everyone in audience
• Strong posture and meaningful gestures
Cont’d…Evaluation
 Visuals
• Visuals clear and visible to entire audience
• Creative and emphasized main points
• Presenter handled unobtrusively and focused on
audience?

 Voice
• Volume
• Rate (pacing)
• Pitch
• Quality
• Energetic and included everyone in dialogue?
By: Tesfaye A.
Communicati
Thank You Very
Much&
on Skills
Asegedew S.