chap 12

Choose the most accurate statement about business presentations.

• At some point nearly half of businesspeople have to inform others or sell an idea.

• Good speakers are born, not made.

• If you are like most people, you may be apprehensive about making informational or persuasive oral presentations.

• Information and persuasion are seldom conveyed in person because e-mail, memos, and letters are more effective.

Which of the following statements about business presentations and speaking skills is most accurate?

• Speaking skills are useful only for individuals in upper-level positions.

• Effective speaking skills and career success go hand in hand.

• For many positions only technical skills, not communication skills, are needed.

• Oral presentations in the workplace are necessary only when you must motivate action.

According to a major study on public speaking,

• the No. 1 predictor of success and upward mobility is how much you enjoy public speaking and how effective you are at it.

• everyone fears public speaking, and overcoming that fear is impossible; instead you must learn to focus your fears.

• presentation skills measure the success and pay of middle and upper management but have little correlation to entry-level employment.

• job seekers who highlight public-speaking skills in their application materials are more than twice as likely to receive an interview.

Which of the following statements about preparing for an oral presentation is not accurate?

• Many people feel a great deal of anxiety when getting ready for an oral presentation.

• You can lay the foundation for a professional performance by focusing on preparation, organization, audience rapport, visual aids, and delivery.

• The key element in successful preparation for an oral presentation is assessing your knowledge and related technical skills.

• For many people fear of speaking before a group is even greater than fear of dying.

Anxiety about a presentation is normal. You can reduce your anxiety and set the groundwork for a professional performance by focusing on five areas:

• audience clothing, your clothing, seating arrangement or pattern, sight lines, and lighting.

• volume, pace, pitch, tone, and pattern.

• adequate rest, driving time (or commuting time), parking arrangements, building identification, and name tags.

• preparation, organization, audience rapport, visual aids, and delivery.

The most important part of preparing for an oral presentation is

• analyzing the audience.

• determining the purpose.

• gathering research.

• creating a professional appearance.

Choose the best example of a statement of purpose for an oral presentation.

• To persuade the management team to offer flexible work schedules to all executive-level employees.

• To persuade my listeners in a brief, interesting, and effective speech.

• This effective presentation will be both entertaining and informative for my audience about my chosen subject.

• We made fiscal mistakes that we can't afford to repeat that caused the economic downturn and created widespread business closures and the collapse of the housing market in several major metropolitan areas.

After determining your purpose for the presentation, what is your next important step?

• Conducting research

• Examining the room where the presentation will be made

• Preparing your PowerPoint slides

• Analyzing the audience

Your task in audience analysis is to

• select a presentation topic and a purpose best suited to your audience.

• anticipate the audience's reactions and adjust to its needs, if necessary.

• determine your needs and develop your visual aids.

• begin information research and organization.

Audience analysis issues you should consider when preparing your presentation include size, age, gender, and which of the following?

• Height and weight

• Race, religion, and culture

• Stereotypes, biases, and prejudices

• Experience, attitude, and expectations