WorksheetsChapter 13 MCQ
Total questions: 60
Worksheet time: 30mins
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
Presentations are given to many types of audiences. According to your text, what are the four categories of audiences?
Informed, uninformed, intelligent, and stupid
Hostile, friendly, neutral, and uninterested
Workplace, education or school-related, community, and political
Manuscript, extemporaneous, impromptu, and memorized
Your audience analysis reveals that audience members will be friendly and interested in your topic. You should be
warm, pleasant, and open; and you should use a lot of eye contact and smiles.
be calm and controlled, and you should speak evenly and slowly.
controlled and do nothing showy; you should use confident, small gestures.
dynamic and entertaining; you should also use large gestures and move around.
If you have agreed to speak to an audience with which you are unfamiliar, you should
obtain the names of several audience members, and contact them to ask questions about their backgrounds, attitudes, and expectations.
imagine for yourself what an average audience in this part of the country might be like.
use a search engine to collect as much information about the region and its people as possible and then base your audience analysis on this.
ask the person sponsoring the event to complete your audience analysis worksheet for you.
Irina will make her presentation to a large audience of members whose negative attitudes range from displeased to outraged. What advice should Irina follow in preparing her presentation for this audience?
Include plenty of personal stories, several anecdotes, and lots of jokes or humor.
Use facts, statistics, and expert opinions along with an energizing, upbeat delivery style.
Be humorous, add colorful visuals and startling statistics, and keep the presentation brief.
Present objective data and expert opinion in a calm, controlled delivery style.
After you determine your purpose and analyze your audience, your next step is to
practice your delivery.
collect information.
organize the ideas.
choose your topic.
Two of the most effective techniques to improve your audience's ability to understand and remember your speech are
good organization and intentional repetition.
eliminating repetition and removing obvious signposting.
startling statistics and colorful visuals.
striking quotations and well-placed gestures.
Some repetition in oral presentations
is necessary because speaking speed is much greater than listening speed.
is helpful because it increases audience comprehension and retention.
bores listeners and should be avoided.
encourages daydreaming and makes the speaker sound unprepared.
You should do all of the following in the introduction of a presentation except
preview the main points of your presentation.
capture your listeners' attention and get them involved.
develop the main points with adequate explanation and details.
introduce yourself and establish your credibility.
The best techniques to establish your credibility in a business presentation include
describing your knowledge, position, or experience.
telling the audience your salary, age, and hometown.
revealing your ethnicity, cultural heritage, and religious background.
discussing your love for public speaking.
Jessica tells her audience about her five years' experience as a social networking professional helping over 100 local businesses learn to use social networking as an effective marketing tool. Jessica is attempting to
capture her listeners' attention and get them involved.
preview the main points of her presentation.
present the main goals of her presentation.
identify herself and establish credibility.
Connor opened his presentation to an audience of business owners with this statement: If you want to reduce employee benefit costs by at least 15 percent without hurting employee morale or impacting your work environment, please stand up right now. By asking them to stand, Connor is
identifying himself and establishing credibility.
previewing the main points of his presentation.
capturing listeners' attention and getting them involved.
misleading his audience.
What is the biggest problem with most oral presentations?
Failure to focus on a few principal ideas
Use of too many visuals
Poor eye contact
Unprofessional attire
The body of a short, 20-minute presentation should focus on
at least five to eight main points.
up to ten main points.
approximately two to four main points.
as many points as necessary to convey your message.
Paul is explaining to upper-level management how converting to a four-day workweek can solve their budget woes by decreasing expenses. How will he most likely organize his presentation?
Geography/space
Chronological
Problem/solution
Value/size
When preparing your speech, you should
aim for 20 percent past the time limit when rehearsing because most speakers speed up during actual delivery
eliminate one third of the body to prevent speed talking, a common hazard among novice public speakers.
remove about 10 percent of your content because most speakers exceed their time limits.
prepare a little more material than you think you will actually need.
In an effective presentation conclusion, you will strive to accomplish three goals:
state your recommendation, prove your persuasion, and reinforce the purpose.
remind the audience of your credibility, review the attention getter, and restate the purpose.
summarize the main themes, give the audience a memorable take-away, and include a statement that allows for a graceful exit.
promote your primary claim, advance your supporting claims, and elevate the most viable evidence.
In the conclusion of your speech, you say, I recommend developing and posting high-quality video podcasts on our Web site to recruit new employees. You are using the conclusion to
introduce one additional main point of interest to the audience.
review the main themes of the presentation.
include a statement that allows you to depart gracefully.
provide a final action-oriented focus.
Your speech will be more effective if you have audience rapport. Rapport can be defined as
a bond connecting the speaker with the audience.
the awareness of topic importance.
an understanding of key points.
the ability to hear clearly.
Speakers build audience rapport by
researching thoroughly and organizing the speech effectively.
establishing credibility and demonstrating authority.
forming a bond with the audience by entertaining as well as informing.
speaking loudly, clearly, and rapidly.
Tyrone has just told his audience that engineering a hostile business takeover is similar to conducting guerilla warfare. He is using what technique?
Personal anecdote
Metaphor
Personalized statistic
Analogy
To help his listeners keep track of where he is in the presentation, Dominic has just said, Next I will discuss three plans for reducing waste. What verbal signpost is Dominic using?
Summarizing
Previewing
Switching directions
Enumeration
In her presentation on improving employee morale, Jillian makes this statement: So far, you've heard only about the problems we have with morale; let's move to some solutions. Jillian has employed the verbal signpost called
summarizing.
previewing.
switching directions.
revealing.
Like it or not, speakers are judged on their appearance. Which of these is the best advice on choosing your attire for a business presentation?
Dress only as well as the best-dressed person in your audience, even if that means shorts and a t-shirt.
For everything but small, in-house presentations, dress professionally.
Wear formal business attire for all presentations, both internal and external.
Clothing makes the man but not the woman; therefore, men must wear a suit and tie for all presentations, but experts indicate women may dress casually for most presentations.
Effective speakers must be aware of their nonverbal messages. Nonverbal means
content delivered by visual aids.
information included on the outline, but not in the speech.
appearance, movements, and vocal qualities.
body language only.
All of these are good advice for nonverbal messages during a presentation except
avoid being planted behind the podium.
use a variety of gestures planned and rehearsed in advance.
punctuate your words by varying your tone, volume, pitch, and pace.
maintain appropriate eye contact to show you are confident and prepared.
When selecting and preparing your visual aids, keep in mind your goals as a speaker:
to make listeners understand, remember, and act on your ideas.
to observe your audience, adjust your delivery, and continue your presentation.
to inform, to entertain, and to persuade.
to plan and collect information, organize and rehearse, and deliver your presentation.
During a business presentation, an effective visual aid will
emphasize and clarify main points.
increase audience interest.
help to jog the memory of a speaker.
do all of these.
Which of these tips regarding the use of handouts as a visual aid is most accurate?
Handouts should be discussed during the presentation, but you should delay distribution of the handouts until your presentation is finished.
Savvy speakers no longer distribute handouts because audiences view the lowly handout as outdated and environmentally unfriendly.
If you choose to use a handout, the most appropriate information for a handout is the speaker's biography only.
Handouts should be included in the registration packet, along with name tags, lunch tickets, and other event materials distributed prior to the presentation.
Because the presenter can create dynamic, colorful presentations that incorporate Web links, music, and video, one of the most popular visual aids is
overhead transparencies.
flipcharts.
multimedia slides.
handouts.
Julio is designing a PowerPoint slide show that he will present in a darkened conference room. What should Julio do?
Place the greatest focus on the visual component of his slides because this will be his audience's focus.
Use as many special effects (animation, sound effects, and so on) as possible to maintain his audience's interest.
Use light text on a dark background.
Use at least five different font colors to provide visual impact.
For effective presentation slides, you should apply the 6-x-6 rule to most slides. The 6-x-6 rule means that
the entire presentation has no more than six slides.
each slide has no more than six words per line and no more than six lines.
each main idea has no more than six bullet points.
each slide is discussed for six minutes.
What is the best advice for composing a PowerPoint slideshow?
Always design your own template to show your creativity and uniqueness.
Occasionally convert bullet points to diagrams, charts, and other images to make your slideshow more interesting.
When including numbers, use lists rather than charts or graphs.
Make sure that every point has at least one bullet point and one visual.
Malinda wants to be certain that her audience remains engaged during her PowerPoint presentation at today's business meeting. What should she do?
Keep a careful eye on the computer monitor or screen to make sure she doesn't miss anything.
Read the bullet points word for word to make sure her audience understands the information.
Use a laser pointer to highlight slide items to discuss.
Make the room as dark as she can to make her slides more visible.
Which of the following is the best recommendation for delivering an effective oral presentation?
Memorize the entire oral presentation so that you don't have to use notes.
Read the entire oral presentation to the audience so that nothing important will be overlooked.
Use the notes method, using note cards or an outline containing key sentences and major ideas.
Wing it!
Niccolo is nervous about his upcoming presentation. Which of these techniques will overcome his case of nerves and allow Niccolo to deliver a good presentation?
Hold his breath as long as he can to clear his head.
Tell the audience that he's nervous to get them to empathize with him.
Ignore any stumbles and keep going.
Have a stiff drink right before presenting
Nearly every speaker must overcome stage fright; one of the most effective techniques to decrease stage fright is
wearing comfortable, relaxed clothing to enhance self-confidence.
knowing the subject thoroughly.
displaying a fully animated PowerPoint presentation.
picturing the audience naked.
Which of these is the most accurate description regarding the use of pauses and silence in a presentation?
Don't pause when you first approach the audience because you will appear unsure.
Fill awkward silences with short phrases such as 'you know' or 'basically.'
Words always carry more impact than a silent pause.
Silence is preferable to meaningless fillers.
For a smooth start to your presentation, you should prepare thoroughly, rehearse repeatedly, dress professionally, and
practice stress reduction.
avoid personal contact with audience members before the presentation.
remove barriers (lecterns, podiums, tables, etc.) between you and the audience.
pump yourself up to build some tension, pressure, power, and enthusiasm.
Follow all of these guidelines to deliver your presentation effectively except
present your first sentence from memory.
begin speaking immediately; that is, speak as soon as you are behind the lectern.
control your voice and your vocabulary.
show enthusiasm.
If you will take questions at the end of your presentation, which of these is the best advice?
Announce the question-and-answer period in the conclusion of your presentation.
If you don't know the answer to a question, you should offer your best guess or make up an answer.
Begin each answer with a repetition of the question.
Direct your answer just to the person who asked the question.
Guidelines for adding multimedia and other effects to your presentation include all of the following except
make numeric data easier to grasp by presenting a listing of numbers.
use animation to introduce elements of a presentation as they unfold in your spoken remarks.
include multimedia effects or visual enhancements only if they enhance your message and engage your audience.
avoid overuse of bulleted lists by adding sound, animation, video, or other elements to your presentation.
Building audience rapport includes using effective imagery. Which of the following is not a type of effective imagery?
A verbal signpost that indicates when the speaker is previewing, summarizing, or switching directions
A personal anecdote that tells a story related to the topic of the presentation
A best- and worst-case scenario that explains the worst that could happen to drive home a point
An analogy that compares similar traits between dissimilar items
Presentations delivered using the "notes" method are
likely to confuse the speaker and the audience because no clear pattern is established.
more convincing than those that are read or memorized.
less effective than those delivered from a complete manuscript.
appropriate only for experienced speakers.
Good speakers take advantage of a PowerPoint feature called Rehearse Timings in the Slide Show tab because this function
ensures bulleted items are parallel.
encourages speakers to add off-topic conversations.
provides animation and sound to their presentations.
measures the length of their talk as they practice.
A good strategy for designing optimally effective slides is
avoid long, boring bulleted points.
follow 6 by 6 rule.
make sure bulleted items are parallel.
All of these choices are strategies for developing optimally effective slides.
Pros for selecting handouts as a visual aid in a presentation include all of the following except
encourages audience participation.
enhances recall.
easy to transport.
easy to maintain and update.
Tips for controlling your stage fright include breathing deeply, knowing your topic, using positive self-talk, and
converting your fear to enthusiasm to share your ideas.
admitting your nervousness to the audience during your introduction.
apologizing briefly for any stumbles.
shifting the spotlight from the visuals to yourself.
The simplest option for moving your multimedia presentation to the Internet is
posting your slides online for others to access.
holding a Web conference to allow anyone with Internet access to attend your presentation.
creating a Website with links to your narration and slides.
broadcasting live on the Web with slides, narration, and speaker control.
You can avoid the biggest problem of most presentations by
varying your vocal pattern to avoid sounding monotonous.
focusing on a few principal ideas.
maintaining eye contact at least 75 percent of the time.
slowing down and pronouncing each word carefully.
Which of the following elements is most essential to effective preparation of a speech?
Collecting credible research
Developing an authoritative and persuasive delivery style
Identifying your purpose
Stating your thesis clearly and concisely
