8.2.1 Planning
As stated above, the most important stage in a public presentation is planning. There are many factors to consider in this stage.
1. Purpose
Ask yourself: the following crucial questions:
- Why are you there?
- Why are they (the audience) there?
- What do you want the audience to take away?
- What is the purpose: to inform, persuade or entertain?
2. Audience
The composition of every audience is different and you must consider their unique needs. Apart from considering the interests and knowledge level of the group, you should consider such things as their age, educational level and position in business or society. These should give you an insight into their attitudes and values. This may help you to structure your speech so it is more successful and you are more able to develop a relationship with your audience. You should also consider what level of audience interaction and participation is appropriate and when you will take questions.
3. The presentation environment
Different contexts will present different presentation environments. For example, are you the only speaker or are you part of a panel? Are you one in a series of speakers? If so, where are you placed in the program? Knowledge of when and where you will speak is important so there will be no surprises for you on the day.
Other environmental factors include:
- the time of day. Presentations later in the day may require more activity to stimulate a tired audience. Being the first in a series of speakers requires an approach that is different from that when you are last of three or four, too.
- the physical environment. This includes factors such as the size of the room; the amount of lighting; the availability or otherwise of air-conditioning: the quality of the acoustics and effectiveness or otherwise of a PA system; and the amount of external noise such as traffic. (Much of this with practice you will be able to assess if you are being introduced by a speaker. Incidentally, often, you can get an idea of the level of receptiveness of your audience while you are being introduced.)
- the equipment. Is the lectern too high or too low? Is a microphone necessary? Is the equipment you require available, present and working? (As many of these as is possible should be checked prior to the presentation.)
Sometimes things happen that are beyond your control. For example, the equipment fails mid-presentation. There is no point panicking in such situations. You need to be confident and flexible enough to continue the presentation without the use of the equipment or stop if this is more appropriate. Whatever the case, communicate your intentions to the audience.
4. Content
The main purpose of the presentation is to transmit information. You need to determine what it is you want to say. Be clear about the following:
- What message do you have?
- What does the audience know about the subject matter?
- What do they need to take away from the session?
5. Preparation of the message
Good presentations are usually well-researched and prepared. Use creative techniques, for example brainstorming with colleagues, to generate ideas for the presentation. You will need to identify the main ideas to be delivered, research them and develop an appropriate structure for the presentation.
6. Structure
Ideas in a speech should be logically sequenced. There are a number of sequencing methods that could be used and you need to select the most appropriate. This will be dictated by the topic, the audience and the purpose of the speech. Whatever the case, however, all presentations should have an introduction, middle and conclusion. A memorable introduction and conclusion are absolutely vital because your audience is far more likely to remember these portions of your speech than the body. In fact, they are unlikely to listen at all if they are not persuaded to do so by the introduction. You must give them a reason to listen by showing them that the speech is going to be relevant and interesting to them.
The introduction sets the scene and creates a first impression on the audience. You may start with an 'attention grabber' such as a dramatic story, interesting fact or statistic or question. Be creative here. However, be careful with humour as the audience must share your belief that the humour is funny! The middle provides the message that you are delivering. You need to be aware of the interest of the audience throughout this section and be flexible enough to change your style to maintain their interest. The conclusion should summarise the message and encourage the audience to take action if you're delivering a persuasive message.
Remember that, like writing, tone and rhythm are important. Vary the sound of your voice, sound interested in what you are presenting and make the openings and lengths of your sentences different. Monotonous is the word that describes speeches where these things are replaced by lack of changes of rhythm and tone!
Activity 8b
- Read through the section on preparing a speech on pages 604-608 of the textbook.
- Design two five minute speeches:
to inform You have been asked to inform a group of school children aged between five and seven years old of the benefits of a healthy diet. Remember you are informing not persuading the children.
to persuade You have been asked to persuade the board of directors of a large mining company to be more environmentally friendly. - Read the mini-case in Reading 8.1 and answer the questions at the end.
- Read through reading 8.2. Modify your 'speech to persuade' from 2 above for a multi-cultural audience. Were there many changes? Explain why.
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