Chapter 12

Business Presentations

Go to
cengagebrain.com
and use your access code to
unlock valuable student
eResources.

Andresr/Shutterstock.com
OBJECTIVES
After studying this chapter, you should be able to
• Discuss two important first steps in preparing effective oral presentations.
• Explain the major elements of a presentation: the introduction, body, and conclusion.
• Identify techniques for gaining audience rapport, including using effective imagery, providing
verbal signposts, and sending appropriate nonverbal messages.
• Discuss types of visual aids, including multimedia slides, handouts, overhead transparencies, and
speaker’s notes.
• Explain how to design an impressive multimedia presentation, including adapting template and
color schemes; organizing, composing, and editing your slideshow; rehearsing your talk; and
keeping audiences engaged.
• Specify delivery techniques for use before, during, and after a presentation.

Preparing Effective Oral Presentations

Perhaps you have admired the speaking skills of such well-known orators as moti-
vational expert Anthony Robbins, self-help guru Zig Ziglar, and the late Apple
CEO Steve Jobs. Few of us will ever talk to an audience of millions—whether
face-to-face or aided by technology. We won’t be introducing a spectacular new
product or motivating millions. At some point, however, all businesspeople have to
inform others or sell an idea. Such information and persuasion are often conveyed
in person and involve audiences of various sizes. If you are like most people, you
have some apprehension when speaking in public. That’s normal. Good speakers
are made, not born. The good news is that you can conquer the fear of public
speaking and hone your skills with instruction and practice.

Speaking Skills and Your Career

Many future businesspeople fail to take advantage of opportunities in college Effective speaking skills and
to develop speaking skills. However, such skills often play an important role in career success go hand in hand.

Chapter 12 Business Presentations 365

 a successful career. In fact, the No. 1 predictor of success and upward mobility,
Office according to an AT&T and Stanford University study, is how much you enjoy
insideR public speaking and how effective you are at it.1 Speaking skills are useful at every
career stage. You might, for example, have to make a sales pitch before customers
“Presentation skills are a or speak to a professional gathering. You might need to describe your company’s
primary differentiator among expansion plans to your banker, or you might need to persuade management to
you and your peers. Master support your proposed marketing strategy.
your presentation skills, and
become the master of your As you have seen in Chapter 11, technical skills aren’t enough to guarantee
career options.” success. Speaking skills rank very high on recruiters’ wish lists. In a recent survey
—Andrew Dlugan, of employers, spoken communication took the top spot as the most desirable
communication coach
and public speaker
“soft skill” sought in job candidates. It even ranks above a strong work ethic,
teamwork, analytical skills, and initiative.2 Another employer study reported that
70 percent of executives considered oral communication skills very important for
high school graduates entering the job market; 82 percent for two-year college
graduates, and a whopping 95 percent for four-year college graduates.3
This chapter prepares you to use speaking skills in making effective and pro-
fessional oral presentations, whether alone or as part of a team. You will learn
what to do before, during, and after your presentation; and how to design effective
visual aids and multimedia presentations. For any presentation, you can reduce
your fears and lay the foundation for a professional performance by focusing on
five areas: preparation, organization, audience rapport, visual aids, and delivery.

Knowing Your Purpose

Preparing for an oral
The most important part of your preparation is deciding what you want to accom-
presentation means plish. Do you want to sell a health care program to a prospective client? Do you
identifying your purpose and want to persuade management to increase the marketing budget? Do you want to
understanding the audience. inform customer service reps of three important ways to prevent miscommunica-
tion? Whether your goal is to persuade or to inform, you must have a clear idea
of where you are going. At the end of your presentation, what do you want your
listeners to remember or do?
Nicholas Gilmore, a loan officer at First Fidelity Trust, faced such questions
as he planned a talk for a class in small business management. (You can see the
outline for his talk in Figure 12.3 on page 370.) Nicholas’s former business profes-
sor had asked him to return to campus and give the class advice about borrowing
money from banks in order to start new businesses. Because Nicholas knew so
much about this topic, he found it difficult to extract a specific purpose state-
ment for his presentation. After much thought he narrowed his purpose to this:
To inform potential entrepreneurs about three important factors that loan officers
consider before granting start-up loans to launch small businesses. His entire presen-
tation focused on ensuring that the class members understood and remembered
three principal ideas.

Knowing Your Audience

Audience analysis issues include
A second key element in preparation is analyzing your audience, anticipating its
size, age, gender, experience, reactions, and adjusting to its needs if necessary. Audiences may fall into four
attitude, and expectations. categories, as summarized in Figure 12.1. By anticipating your audience, you
have a better idea of how to organize your presentation. A friendly audience,
for example, will respond to humor and personal experiences. A neutral audi-
ence requires an even, controlled delivery style. You would want to fill the talk
with facts, statistics, and expert opinions. An uninterested audience that is forced
to attend requires a brief presentation. Such an audience might respond best
to humor, cartoons, colorful visuals, and startling statistics. A hostile audience
demands a calm, controlled delivery style with objective data and expert opinion.
Whatever type of audience you will have, remember to plan your presentation so
that it focuses on audience benefits. The members of your audience will want to
know what’s in it for them.

366 Chapter 12 Business Presentations

 Figure 12.1 Succeeding With Four Audience Types
Audience Members Organizational Pattern Delivery Style Supporting Material

Friendly
They like you and your Use any pattern. Try something Be warm, pleasant, and open. Include humor, personal
topic. new. Involve the audience. Use lots of eye contact and examples, and experiences.
smiles.

Neutral
They are calm, rational; Present both sides of the Be controlled. Do nothing Use facts, statistics, expert
their minds are made issue. Use pro/con or problem/ showy. Use confident, small opinion, and comparison and
up, but they think they solution patterns. Save time for gestures. contrast. Avoid humor, personal
are objective. audience questions. stories, and flashy visuals.

Uninterested
They have short Be brief—no more than three Be dynamic and entertaining. Use humor, cartoons, colorful
attention spans; they points. Avoid topical and pro/ Move around. Use large visuals, powerful quotations,
may be there against con patterns that seem lengthy gestures. and startling statistics.
their will. to the audience.

Avoid darkening the room, standing motionless, passing out handouts, using boring visuals, or
expecting the audience to participate.

Hostile
They want to take Organize using a non­ Be calm and controlled. Include objective data
charge or to ridicule the controversial pattern, such Speak evenly and slowly. and expert opinion. Avoid

© Cengage Learning 2013

speaker; they may be as a topical, chronological, or anecdotes and humor.
defensive, emotional. geographical strategy.

Avoid a question-and-answer period, if possible; otherwise, use a moderator or accept only written
questions.

Other elements, such as age, gender, education, experience, and the size of the
audience will affect your style and message. Analyze the following questions to
determine your organizational pattern, delivery style, and supporting material.
• How will this topic appeal to this audience?
• How can I relate this information to my listeners’ needs?
• How can I earn respect so that they accept my message?
• What would be most effective in making my point? Facts? Statistics? Personal
experiences? Expert opinion? Humor? Cartoons? Graphic illustrations?
Demonstrations? Case histories? Analogies?
• What measures must I take to ensure that this audience remembers my main points?
If you have agreed to speak to an audience with which you are unfamiliar, ask
for the names of a half dozen people who will be in the audience. Contact them
and learn about their backgrounds and expectations for the presentation. This
information can help you answer questions about what they want to hear and how
deeply you should explore the subject. You will want to thank these people when
you start your speech. Doing this kind of homework will impress the audience.

Organizing the Content for a Powerful Impact

Once you have determined your purpose and analyzed the audience, you are ready Good organization and
to collect information and organize it logically. Good organization and conscious intentional repetition help
repetition are the two most powerful keys to audience comprehension and reten- your audience understand
tion. In fact, many speech experts recommend the following deliberately repeti- and retain what you say.
tious, but effective, plan:
Step 1: Tell them what you are going to tell them.
Step 2: Tell them.
Step 3: Tell them what you have just told them.

Chapter 12 Business Presentations 367

 In other words, repeat your main points in the
introduction, body, and conclusion of your presen-
tation. Although it is redundant, this strategy works
well because most people retain information best
when they hear it repeatedly. Let’s examine how to
construct the three parts of an effective presentation:
introduction, body, and conclusion.

© Randy Glasbergen www.glasbergen.com

Capturing Attention in the Introduction
How many times have you heard a speaker begin
with, It’s a pleasure to be here. Or, I’m honored to be
asked to speak. Boring openings such as these get
“Always start your presentation with a joke, but speakers off to a dull start. Avoid such banalities by
be careful not to offend anyone! Don’t mention striving to accomplish three goals in the introduction
religion, politics, race, age, money, technology, to your presentation:
men, women, children, plants, animals, food....”
• Capture listeners’ attention and get them involved.
• Identify yourself and establish your credibility.
• Preview your main points.
If you are able to appeal to listeners and involve them in your presentation
right from the start, you are more likely to hold their attention until the finish.
Consider some of the same techniques that you used to open sales letters: a ques-
tion, a startling fact, a joke, a story, or a quotation. Some speakers achieve involve-
ment by opening with a question or command that requires audience members to
raise their hands or stand up. Ten techniques to gain and keep audience attention
are presented in Figure 12.2.
Attention-grabbing openers To establish your credibility, you need to describe your position, knowledge,
include questions, startling or experience—whatever qualifies you to speak. Try also to connect with your
facts, jokes, anecdotes, audience. Listeners respond particularly well to speakers who reveal something
and quotations. of themselves and identify with them. A consultant addressing office workers
might reminisce about how she started as a temporary worker; a CEO might tell a
funny story in which the joke is on himself. Use humor if you can pull it off (not
everyone can); self-effacing humor may work best for you.
However, a joke at one’s own expense can also backfire and defeat its purpose,
which is to allow the audience to identify with the speaker who thus demonstrates
that he or she is not pompous or arrogant. Netflix CEO Reed Hastings set off
Office
a storm of criticism after making an ill-conceived joke in an interview with The
insideR Hollywood Reporter. Hastings had said that Americans are too self-absorbed to
notice the price disparity between Netflix’s cheaper new Canadian subscription
service and rates in the United States. A red-blooded American himself, Hastings
“Stories and punch-lines pack thought he could score points by invoking yet ridiculing the stereotype of the
power. Humor anchors key
points. Humor makes your uninformed American. Nevertheless, instead of appearing likeable and funny by
message memorable.” poking fun at his compatriots and himself, the speaker alienated his audience.4
—Dianna Booher, After capturing attention and establishing yourself, you will want to preview
communication
consultant and author
the main points of your topic, perhaps with a visual aid. You may wish to put off
actually writing your introduction, however, until after you have organized the
rest of the presentation and crystallized your principal ideas.
Take a look at Nicholas Gilmore’s introduction, shown in Figure 12.3, to see
how he integrated all the elements necessary for a good opening.

Organizing the Body

The best oral presentations
The biggest problem with most oral presentations is a failure to focus on a few prin-
focus on a few key ideas. cipal ideas. This is why the body of your short presentation (20 or fewer minutes)
should include a limited number of main points, say, two to four. Develop each main
point with adequate, but not excessive, explanation and details. Too many details can
obscure the main message, so keep your presentation simple and logical. Remember,
listeners have no pages to leaf back through should they become confused.

368 Chapter 12 Business Presentations

 Figure 12.2 Gaining and Keeping Audience Attention

seconds to linger on individuals to avoid fleeting, unconvincing

eye contact. Don’t just sweep the room and the crowd.
• Movement. Leave the lectern area whenever possible. Walk
around the conference table or down the aisles of your audience.
Try to move toward your audience, especially at the beginning
and end of your talk.
•
Dmitriy Shironosov/Shutterstock.com

Questions. Keep listeners active and involved with rhetorical

questions. Ask for a show of hands to get each listener think­
ing. The response will also give you a quick gauge of audience
attention.
• Demonstrations. Include a member of the audience in a dem­
onstration (for example, I’m going to show you exactly how to
­implement our four-step customer courtesy process, but I need a
volunteer from the audience to help me).
• Samples/props. If you are promoting a product, consider
Experienced speakers know how to capture the attention of an using items to toss out to the audience or to award as prizes
audience and how to maintain that attention during a presentation. to volunteer participants. You can also pass around product
You can spruce up your presentations by trying these ten proven samples or promotional literature. Be careful, though, to
techniques. ­maintain control.
• A promise. Begin with a realistic promise that keeps the audience • Visuals. Give your audience something to look at besides your­
expectant (for example, By the end of this presentation, you will self. Use a variety of visual aids in a single session. Also consider
know how you can increase your sales by 50 percent!). writing the concerns expressed by your audience on a flipchart or
• Drama. Open by telling an emotionally moving story or by on the board as you go along.
describing a serious problem that involves the audience. • Dress. Enhance your credibility with your audience by dressing
Throughout your talk include other dramatic elements, such as professionally for your presentation. Professional attire will help

© Cengage Learning 2013

a long pause after a key statement. Change your vocal tone or you look more competent and qualified, which will make your
pitch. Professionals use high-intensity emotions such as anger, audience more likely to listen to you and take you seriously.
joy, sadness, and excitement. • Self-interest. Review your entire presentation to ensure that it
• Eye contact. As you begin, command attention by surveying the meets the critical What’s-in-it-for-me audience test. Remember
entire audience to take in all listeners. Give yourself two to five that people are most interested in things that benefit them.

When Nicholas Gilmore began planning his presentation, he realized imme-

diately that he could talk for hours on his topic. He also knew that listeners
are not good at separating major and minor points. Therefore, instead of sub-
merging his listeners in a sea of information, he sorted out a few main ideas.
In the banking industry, loan officers generally ask the following three ques-
tions of each applicant for a small business loan: (a) Are you ready to “hit the
ground running” in starting your business? (b) Have you done your homework?
and (c) Have you made realistic projections of potential sales, cash flow, and
equity investment? These questions would become his main points, but Nicholas
wanted to streamline them further so that his audience would be sure to remem-
ber them. He summarized the questions in three words: experience, preparation,
and projection. As you can see in Figure 12.3, Nicholas prepared a sentence
outline showing these three main ideas. Each is supported by examples and
explanations.
How to organize and sequence main ideas may not be immediately obvious Organize your report by
when you begin working on a presentation. The following patterns, which review time, geography, function,
and amplify those discussed in Chapter 10, provide many possible strategies and importance, or some
examples to help you organize a presentation: other method that is
logical to the receiver.
• Chronology. Example: A presentation describing the history of a problem,
organized from the first sign of trouble to the present.
• Geography/space. Example: A presentation about the changing diversity of
the workforce, organized by regions in the country (East Coast, West Coast,
and so forth).

Chapter 12 Business Presentations 369

Figure 12.3 Oral Presentation Outline

© Cengage Learning 2013

• Topic/function/conventional grouping. Example: A presentation discussing

mishandled airline baggage, organized by names of airlines.
• Comparison/contrast (pro/con). Example: A presentation comparing organic
farming methods with those of modern industrial farming.
• Journalistic pattern (the six Ws). Example: A presentation describing how iden-
tity thieves can steal your money and ruin your good name. Organized by who,
what, when, where, why, and how.
• Value/size. Example: A presentation describing fluctuations in housing costs,
organized by prices of homes.
• Importance. Example: A presentation describing five reasons a company
should move its headquarters to a specific city, organized from the most impor-
tant reason to the least important.
• Problem/solution. Example: A company faces a problem such as declining
sales. A presentation offers a solution such as reducing staff.

370 Chapter 12 Business Presentations

• Simple/complex. Example: A presentation explaining genetic modification of
plants such as corn, organized from simple seed production to complex gene
introduction.
• Best case/worst case. Example: A presentation analyzing whether two compa-
nies should merge, organized by the best-case results (improved market share,
profitability, employee morale) as opposed to the worst-case results (devalued
stock, lost market share, employee malaise).
In the presentation shown in Figure 12.3, Nicholas arranged the main points
by importance, placing the most important point last, where it had maximum
effect. When organizing any presentation, prepare a little more material than
you think you will actually need. Savvy speakers always have something useful in
reserve such as an extra handout, transparency, or idea—just in case they finish
early. At the same time, most speakers go about 25 percent over the allotted time
as opposed to their practice runs at home in front of the mirror. If your speak-
ing time is limited, as it usually is in your classes, aim for less than the limit when
rehearsing, so that you don’t take time away from the next presenters.

Summarizing in the Conclusion

Nervous speakers often rush to wrap up their presentations because they can’t An effective conclusion
wait to flee the stage. However, listeners will remember the conclusion more than summarizes the main points
any other part of a speech. That’s why you should spend some time to make it and allows the speaker
most effective. Strive to achieve three goals: to exit gracefully.

• Summarize the main themes of the presentation.

• Leave the audience with a specific and memorable take-away.
• Include a statement that allows you to exit the podium gracefully.
Some speakers end limply with comments such as I guess that’s about all I
have to say or That’s it. Such lame statements show little enthusiasm and are not
the culmination of the talk that listeners expect. Skilled speakers alert the audi-
ence that they are finishing. They use phrases such as, In conclusion, As I end this
presentation, or, It’s time for me to sum up. Then they proceed immediately to the
conclusion. Audiences become justly irritated with a speaker who announces the
conclusion but then talks on for ten more minutes.
A straightforward summary should review major points and focus on what
you want the listeners to do, think, or remember. You might say, In bringing my
presentation to a close, I will restate my major purpose . . . , or, In summary, my
major purpose has been to . . . . In support of my purpose, I have presented three
major points. They are (1) . . . , (2) . . . , and (3) . . . . Notice how Nicholas
Gilmore, in the conclusion shown in Figure 12.3, summarized his three main
points and provided a final focus to listeners.
If you are promoting a recommendation, you might end as follows: In conclu-
sion, I recommend that we retain Matrixx Marketing to conduct a telemarketing
campaign beginning September 1 at a cost of X dollars. To complete this recom-
mendation, I suggest that we (a) finance this campaign from our operations budget,
(b) develop a persuasive message describing our new product, and (c) name Riley
Robinson to oversee the project. Avoid using phrases such as I think, I believe, or I
feel, which state the obvious and will weaken your presentation.
A conclusion is like a punch line and must be memorable. Think of it as the
high point of your presentation, a valuable kernel of information to take away.
The valuable kernel of information, or take-away, should tie in with the opening
and present a forward-looking idea. Avoid merely rehashing, in the same words,
what you said before. Instead, ensure that the audience will take away very specific
information or benefits and a positive impression of you and your company. The
take-away is the value of the presentation to the audience and the benefit audi-
ence members believe to have received. The tension that you built in the early
parts of the talk now culminates in the close.

Chapter 12 Business Presentations 371

 In your conclusion you might want to use an anecdote, an inspiring quota-
tion, or a statement that ties in the opener and offers a new insight. Whatever you
choose, be sure to include a closing thought that indicates you are finished. For
example, This concludes my presentation. After investigating many marketing firms,
we are convinced that Matrixx is the best for our purposes. Your authorization of
my recommendations will mark the beginning of a very successful campaign for our
new product. Thank you.

Building Audience Rapport Like a Pro

Use analogies, metaphors,
Good speakers are adept at building audience rapport. They form a bond with the
similes, personal anecdotes, audience; they entertain as well as inform. How do they do it? Based on observa-
personalized statistics, and tions of successful and unsuccessful speakers, we learn that the good ones use a
worst- and best-case scenarios number of verbal and nonverbal techniques to connect with the audience. Their
instead of dry facts. helpful techniques include providing effective imagery, supplying verbal cues, and
using body language strategically.

Effective Imagery
You will lose your audience quickly if you fill your talk with abstractions, gener-
alities, and dry facts. To enliven your presentation and enhance comprehension,
try using some of the following techniques. However, beware of exaggeration or
distortion. Keep your imagery realistic and credible:
• Analogies. A comparison of similar traits between dissimilar things can be
effective in explaining and drawing connections. For example, Product develop-
ment is similar to the process of conceiving, carrying, and delivering a baby. Or,
Downsizing or restructuring is similar to an overweight person undergoing a regi-
men of dieting, habit changing, and exercise.
• Metaphors. A comparison between otherwise dissimilar things without using
the words like or as results in a metaphor. For example, Our competitor’s CEO
is a snake when it comes to negotiating, or My desk is a garbage dump.
• Similes. A comparison that includes the words like or as is a simile. For exam-
ple, Our critics used our background report like a drunk uses a lamppost—for
support rather than for illumination. Or: She’s as happy as someone who just won
the lottery.
• Personal anecdotes. Nothing connects you faster or better with your audience
than a good personal story. In a talk about e-mail techniques, you could reveal
your own blunders that became painful learning experiences. In a talk to poten-
tial investors, the founder of a new ethnic magazine might tell a story about
growing up without positive ethnic role models.
• Personalized statistics. Although often misused, statistics stay with people—
particularly when they relate directly to the audience. A speaker discussing job
searching might say, Look around the room. Only one in four graduates will find
a job immediately after graduation. If possible, simplify and personalize facts.
For example, The sales of Coca-Cola beverages around the world totaled nearly
24 billion cases last year. That means that every man, woman, and child on this
planet consumed 3.5 cases of soda and other Coca-Cola products.
• Worst- and best-case scenarios. Hearing the worst that could happen can be
effective in driving home a point. For example, If we do nothing about our
computer backup system now, it’s just a matter of time before the entire system
crashes and we lose all of our customer contact information. Can you imagine
starting from scratch in building all of your customer files again? However, if we
fix the system now, we can expand our customer files and actually increase sales
at the same time.

372 Chapter 12 Business Presentations

Verbal Signposts
Speakers must remember that listeners, unlike readers of a report, cannot control Knowledgeable speakers
the rate of presentation or flip back through pages to review main points. As a provide verbal signposts
result, listeners get lost easily. Knowledgeable speakers help the audience recog- to indicate when they are
nize the organization and main points in an oral message with verbal signposts. previewing, summarizing,
They keep listeners on track by including helpful previews, summaries, and transi- or switching directions.
tions, such as these:
• Previewing
The next segment of my talk presents three reasons for . . . .
Let’s now consider two causes of . . . .
• Summarizing
Let me review with you the major problems I have just discussed.
You see, then, that the most significant factors are . . . .
• Switching directions
Thus far we have talked solely about . . . ; now let’s move to . . . .
I have argued that . . . and . . . , but an alternate view holds that . . . .

You can further improve any oral presentation by including appropriate tran-
sitional expressions such as first, second, next, then, therefore, moreover, on the
other hand, on the contrary, and in conclusion. These transitional expressions
build coherence, lend emphasis, and tell listeners where you are headed. Notice in
Nicholas Gilmore’s outline in Figure 12.3, on page 370, the specific transitional
elements designed to help listeners recognize each new principal point.

Nonverbal Messages
Although what you say is most important, the nonverbal messages you send can A speaker’s appearance,
also have a powerful effect on how well your audience receives your message. How movement, and speech affect
you look, how you move, and how you speak can make or break your presenta- the success of your presentation.
tion. The following suggestions focus on nonverbal tips to ensure that your verbal
message resonates with your audience.

• Look terrific! Like it or not, you will be judged by your appearance. For every-
thing but small in-house presentations, be sure you dress professionally. The
rule of thumb is that you should dress at least as well as the best-dressed person
in the audience. However, even if you know that your audience will be dressed
casually, showing up in professional attire will help you build credibility. You
will feel better about yourself too!
• Animate your body. Be enthusiastic and let your body show it. Stand with good
posture to show confidence. Emphasize ideas to enhance points about size,
number, and direction. Use a variety of gestures, but don’t consciously plan
them in advance.
• Speak extemporaneously. Do not read from notes or a manuscript, but speak
freely. Use your presentation slides to guide your talk. You will come across as
more competent and enthusiastic if you are not glued to your notes or manu-
script. Use note cards or a paper outline only if presenting without an elec-
tronic slideshow.
• Punctuate your words. You can keep your audience interested by varying your
tone, volume, pitch, and pace. Use pauses before and after important points.
Allow the audience to take in your ideas.
• Use appropriate eye contact. Maintaining eye contact with your audience
shows that you are confident and prepared. In addition, looking at audience
members, rather than looking at your notes or your computer screen, helps
them feel more involved.
• Get out from behind the podium. Avoid being planted behind the podium.
Movement makes you look natural and comfortable and helps you connect
more with your audience. You might pick a few places in the room to walk to.

Chapter 12 Business Presentations 373

 Even if you must stay close to your visual aids, make a point of leaving them
occasionally so that the audience can see your whole body.
• Vary your facial expression. Begin with a smile, but change your expressions
to correspond with the thoughts you are voicing. You can shake your head
to show disagreement, roll your eyes to show disdain, look heavenward for
guidance, or wrinkle your brow to show concern or dismay. To see how speak-
ers convey meaning without words, mute the sound on your TV or streaming
video clips online and watch the facial expressions of a talk show personality,
newscaster, or politician.
Whenever possible, beginning presenters should have an experienced speaker
watch them and give them tips as they rehearse. Your instructor is an important
coach who can provide you with invaluable feedback. In the absence of helpers,
record your talk and watch for your nonverbal behavior on camera.

Planning Visual Aids and Multimedia

Presentations
Before you make a business presentation, consider this wise proverb: “Tell
me, I forget. Show me, I remember. Involve me, I understand.” Your goals
as a speaker are to make listeners understand, remember, and act on your
ideas. To get them interested and involved, include effective visual aids. Some
experts say that we acquire as much as 85 percent of all our knowledge visually:
“Professionals everywhere need to know about the incredible inefficiency of
text-based information and the incredible effects of images,” says developmen-
tal biologist John Medina.5 Therefore, audiences are far more likely to grasp
and retain an oral presentation that incorporates visual aids than one lacking
visual enhancement.
Visual aids clarify points,
Good visual aids serve many purposes. They emphasize and clarify main
improve comprehension, points, thus improving comprehension and retention. They increase audience
and aid retention. interest, and they make the presenter appear more professional, better prepared,
and more persuasive. Well-designed visual aids illustrate and emphasize your
message more effectively than words alone; therefore, they may help shorten a
meeting or achieve your goal faster. Visual aids are particularly helpful for inex-
perienced speakers because the audience concentrates on the aid rather than on
the speaker. However, experienced speakers work hard at not allowing their slide-
shows to eclipse them. Good visuals also serve to jog the memory of a speaker,
thus improving self-confidence, poise, and delivery.

Types of Visual Aids

Today, speakers have many forms of visual media at their fingertips if they wish to
enhance a presentation. Figure 12.4 describes the pros and cons of several visual
aids and can guide you in selecting the best one for any speaking occasion. Three
of the most popular visuals are multimedia slides, overhead transparencies, and
handouts.

Multimedia Slides. With today’s excellent software programs­­—such as

Microsoft PowerPoint, Apple Keynote, Lotus Freelance Graphics, Corel
Presentations, and Adobe Presenter or Adobe Ovation—you can create dynamic,
colorful presentations with your computer. The output from these programs is
generally shown on a computer monitor, a TV monitor, an LCD (liquid crystal
display) panel, or a screen. With a little expertise and advanced equipment, you
can create a multimedia presentation that includes stereo sound, videos, and
hyperlinks, as described shortly in the discussion of multimedia presentations.
Multimedia slides can also be uploaded to a Web site or broadcast live over the
Internet.

374 Chapter 12 Business Presentations

 Figure 12.4 Pros and Cons of Visual Aid Options
Medium Pros Cons

Multimedia slides Create professional appearance with Present potential incompatibility issues.
many color, art, graphic, and font options. Require projection equipment and
Easy to use and transport via removable practice for smooth delivery. Tempt user
storage media, Web download, or e-mail to include razzle-dazzle features that
attachment. Inexpensive to update. may fail to add value.

Transparencies Give professional appearance with little Appear to some as an outdated

practice. Easy to (a) prepare, (b) update and presentation method. Hold speaker
maintain, (c) locate reliable equipment, and captive to the machine. Provide poor
(d) limit information shown at one time. reproduction of photos and some
graphics.

Handouts Encourage audience participation. Easy Increase risk of unauthorized duplication

to maintain and update. Enhance recall of speaker’s material. Can be difficult
because audience keeps reference material. to transport. May cause speaker to lose
audience’s attention.

Flipcharts or whiteboards Provide inexpensive option available at Require graphics talent. Difficult for
most sites. Easy to (a) create, (b) modify or larger audiences to see. Prepared
customize on the spot, (c) record comments flipcharts are cumbersome to transport
from the audience, and (d) combine and easily worn with use.
with more high-tech visuals in the same
presentation.

Video Gives an accurate representation of Creates potential for compatibility issues

the content and a strong indication of related to computer video formats.
forethought and preparation. Expensive to create and update.

© Cengage Learning 2013

Props Offer a realistic reinforcement of message Lead to extra work and expense in
content. Increase audience participation transporting and replacing worn objects.
with close observation. Limited use with larger audiences.

Overhead Transparencies. Some speakers still rely on the overhead projector

for many reasons. Most meeting rooms are equipped with projectors and screens.
Moreover, acetate transparencies for the overhead are cheap, easily prepared on
a computer or copier, and simple to use. Because rooms need not be darkened, a
speaker using transparencies can maintain eye contact with the audience. Many
experienced speakers create overhead slides in addition to their electronic slides to
have a backup plan in the case of malfunctioning presentation technology. More
important, though, overhead transparencies are ideal if the speaker needs to draw
on the images or data using a marker. A word of caution, however, when using
transparencies: stand to the side of the projector so that you don’t obstruct the
audience’s view.

Handouts. You can enhance and complement your presentations by distributing

To maintain control,
pictures, outlines, brochures, articles, charts, summaries, or other supplements. distribute handouts after
Speakers who use multimedia presentation software often prepare a set of their you finish speaking.
slides along with notes to hand out to viewers. Timing the distribution of any
handout, though, is tricky. If given out during a presentation, your handouts
tend to distract the audience, causing you to lose control. Therefore, you should
discuss handouts during the presentation but delay distributing them until after
you finish.

Chapter 12 Business Presentations 375

 Speaker’s Notes. You have a variety of options for printing hard-copy versions
of your presentation. You can, for example, make speaker’s notes, which are a
wonderful aid for practicing your talk. Beneath the miniature image of each slide
is space for you to key in your supporting comments for the abbreviated material
in your slides. You can also include up to nine miniature versions of your slides
per printed page. These miniatures are handy if you want to preview your talk to
a sponsoring organization or if you want to supply the audience with a summary
of your presentation. However, resist the temptation to read from your notes dur-
ing the slide presentation. It might turn off your audience and make you appear
insecure and incompetent.

Designing an Impressive Multimedia Presentation

Microsoft PowerPoint
Few corporate types or entrepreneurs would do without snazzy colorful images to
has become the business make their points. Electronic slideshows, PowerPoint in particular, have become a
standard for presenting, staple of business presentations. However, overuse or misuse may be the downside
defending, and selling ideas. of the ever-present multimedia slideshow. Over the more than two decades of
the software program’s existence, millions of poorly created and badly delivered
PowerPoint presentations have tarnished PowerPoint’s reputation as an effective
communication tool. Tools are helpful only when used properly.
Imagine those who sit through the more than 30 million PowerPoint presen-
tations that Microsoft estimates are made each day. 6 No doubt, many of them
would say this “disease” has reached epidemic proportions. PowerPoint, say its
detractors, dictates the way information is structured and presented. They say
that the program is turning the nation’s businesspeople into a “mindless gaggle of
bullet-pointed morons.”7 If you typed death by PowerPoint in your favorite search
engine, you would score millions of hits. However, text-laden, amateurish slides
that distract and bore audiences are the fault of their creator and not the software
program itself.
In the last few years, several communication consultants have tried to show
business how it can move “beyond bullet points.” The experts recommend creat-
ing slideshows that tell a story and send a powerful message with much less text
and more images.8 Presentation guru Garr Reynolds urges readers to unleash
their creativity: “Do not rely on Microsoft or Apple or anyone else to dictate your
choices. Most of all, do not let mere habit—and the habits of others—dictate
your decisions on how you prepare and design and deliver your presentations.”9
When you are ready to explore highly visual, less text-laden design choices, con-
sider the advice of the authorities on presentation skills, Cliff Atkinson, Guy
Kawasaki, Garr Reynolds, and Tad Simons.
Critics say that PowerPoint
In the sections that follow, you will learn to create an impressive multimedia pre-
is too rigid and produces sentation using the most widely used presentation software program, PowerPoint.
“bullet-pointed morons.” With any software program, of course, gaining expertise requires your investment
of time and effort. You could take a course, or you could teach yourself through
Dilbert © Scott Adams. Used by permission
of Universal Uclick. All rights reserved.

376 Chapter 12 Business Presentations

an online tutorial such as those found at http://office.­microsoft.com. Another way
to master PowerPoint is to read a book such as Faithe Wempen’s PowerPoint Office
2010 Bible. If operated by a proficient slide preparer and a skillful presenter, insideR
PowerPoint can add a distinct visual impact to any presentation.
“Don’t blame PowerPoint
Preparing a Visually Appealing PowerPoint Presentation for the millions of poor
presentations that are
Some presenters prefer to create their slides first and then develop the narrative delivered every day. The
around their slides. Others prepare their content first and then create the visual hundreds of millions of
component. The risk associated with the first approach is that you may be tempted dollars wasted every year in
boring meetings with mind-
to spend too much time making your slides look good and not enough time pre- numbing presentations [are]
paring your content. Remember that great-looking slides never compensate for the fault of professionals and
thin content. In the following discussion, you will learn how to adjust the content organizations not wanting to
put in the hard work it takes
and design of your slides to the situation or purpose and your audience. You will to craft a clear, compelling
also receive detailed how-to instructions for creating a PowerPoint slideshow. message.”
—Dave Paradi,
presentation
Analyzing the Situation and Purpose. Making the best content and design consultant
choices for your slides depends greatly on your analysis of the presentation situa-
tion and the purpose of your slideshow. Will your slides be used during a live pre-
sentation? Will they be part of a self-running presentation such as in a store kiosk?
Will they be saved on a server so that Internet users can watch the presentation at
their convenience? Will they be sent as a PowerPoint
show or a PDF document—also sometimes called a
deck—to a client instead of a hard-copy report? Are
you converting PowerPoint slideshows for viewing on
smartphones or tablets?
If you are e-mailing the presentation or posting it
online as a self-contained file, the slides will typically
© Randy Glasbergen www.glasbergen.com

feature more text than if they were delivered orally.

If, on the other hand, you are creating slides for a live
presentation, your analysis will prompt you to choose
powerful, telling images over boring text-laden slides.

Anticipating Your Audience. Think about how you

can design your presentation to get the most posi- “My presentation lacks power and it has no point. I
tive response from your audience. Audiences respond, assumed the software would take care of that!”
for example, to the colors you use. Primary ideas are
generally best conveyed with bold colors such as blue,
green, and purple. Because the messages that colors
convey can vary from culture to culture, presenters must choose colors carefully.
In the United States, blue is the color of credibility, tranquility, conservatism,
and trust. Therefore, it is the background color of choice for many business pre-
sentations. Green relates to interaction, growth, money, and stability. It can work
well as a background or an accent color. Purple can also work as a background
or accent color. It conveys spirituality, royalty, dreams, and humor.10 As for slide
text, adjust the color in such a way that it provides high contrast and is readable
as a result. White or yellow, for example, usually works well on dark backgrounds.
Just as you anticipate audience members’ reactions to color, you can usually
anticipate their reaction to special effects. Using animation and sound effects—
flying objects, swirling text, clashing cymbals, and the like—only because they
are available is not a good idea. Special effects distract your audience, drawing
attention away from your main points. You should add animation features only
if doing so helps convey your message or adds interest to the content. When your
audience members leave, they should be commenting on the ideas you conveyed—
not the cool swivels and sound effects.

Adapting Text and Color Selections. Adapt the amount of text on your slide
to how your audience will use the slides. As a general guideline, most graphic

Chapter 12 Business Presentations 377

Follow the 6-x-6 rule and
designers encourage the 6-x-6 rule: “Six bullets per screen, max; six words per
select background and bullet, max.”11 You may find, however, that breaking this rule is sometimes neces-
text colors based on the sary, particularly when your users will be viewing the presentation on their own with
lightness of the room. no speaker assistance. For most purposes, though, strive to break free from bul-
leted lists whenever possible and minimize the use of text.
Adapt the colors based on where you will give the presentation. Use light text
on a dark background for presentations in darkened rooms. Use dark text on a
light background for presentations in lighted rooms. Avoid using a dark font on a
dark background, such as red text on a dark blue background. In the same way,
avoid using a light font on a light background, such as white text on a pale blue
background. Dark on dark or light on light results in low contrast, making the
slides difficult to read.

Organizing Your Slides. When you prepare your slides, translate the major
headings in your presentation outline into titles for slides. Then build bullet points
using short phrases. In Chapter 4 you learned to improve readability by using
graphic highlighting techniques, including bullets, numbers, and headings. In pre-
paring a PowerPoint presentation, you will use those same techniques.
The slides you create to accompany your spoken ideas can be organized with
visual elements that will help your audience understand and remember what you
want to communicate. Let’s say, for example, that you have three points in your
presentation. You can create a blueprint slide that captures the three points in a
visually appealing way, and then you can use that slide several times throughout
your presentation. Near the beginning, the blueprint slide provides an overview
of your points. Later, it will provide transitions as you move from point to point.
For transitions, you can direct your audience’s attention by highlighting the next
point you will be talking about. Finally, the blueprint slide can be used near the
end to provide a review of your key points.

Working With Templates. All presentation programs require you to (a) select
or create a template that will serve as the background for your presentation and
(b) make each individual slide by selecting a layout that best conveys your mes-
sage. Novice and even advanced users choose existing templates because they are
designed by professionals who know how to combine harmonious colors, borders,
bullet styles, and fonts for pleasing visual effects. If you prefer, you can alter exist-
ing templates so they better suit your needs. Adding a corporate logo, adjusting
the color scheme to better match the colors used on your organization’s Web site,
or selecting a different font are just some of the ways you can customize existing
templates. One big advantage of templates is that they get you started quickly.
Overused templates and clip
Be careful, though, of what one expert has labeled “visual clichés.”12 Overused
art produce “visual clichés” templates and even clip art that ship with PowerPoint can weary viewers who
that bore audiences. have seen them repeatedly in presentations. Instead of using a standard tem-
plate, search for PowerPoint template in your favorite search engine. You will see
hundreds of template options available as free downloads. Unless your employer
requires that presentations all have the same look, your audience will most likely
appreciate fresh templates that complement the purpose of your presentation and
provide visual variety.

Composing Your Slideshow. During the composition stage, many users fall
into the trap of excessive formatting and programming. They fritter away pre-
cious time fine-tuning their slides. They don’t spend enough time on what they are
going to say and how they will say it. To avoid this trap, set a limit for how much
time you will spend making your slides visually appealing. Your time limit will be
based on how many “bells and whistles” (a) your audience expects and (b) your
content requires to make it understandable. Remember that not every point nor
every thought requires a visual. In fact, it’s smart to switch off the slides occa-
sionally and direct the focus to yourself. Darkening the screen while you discuss

378 Chapter 12 Business Presentations

a point, tell a story, give an example, or involve the audience will add variety to
your presentation.
Create a slide only if the slide accomplishes at least one of the following
purposes:
• Generates interest in what you are saying and helps the audience follow your
ideas
• Highlights points you want your audience to remember
• Introduces or reviews your key points
• Provides a transition from one major point to the next
• Illustrates and simplifies complex ideas
In a later section of this chapter, you will find very specific steps to follow as you
create your presentation.

Designing for Optimal Effect. Try to avoid long, boring bulleted lists in a pre-
sentation. You can alter layouts by repositioning, resizing, or changing the fonts
for the placeholders in which your titles, bulleted lists, organization charts, video
clips, photographs, or other elements appear. Figure 12.5 illustrates two of the
many layout and design options for creating your slides. The figure shows that you
can make your slides visually more appealing and memorable even with relatively
small changes.
Notice that the bulleted items on the first slide in Figure 12.5 are not parallel.
The slide looks as if the author had been brainstorming or freewriting a first
draft. The second and sixth bullet points express the same thought, that shopping
online is convenient and easy for customers. Some bullet points are too long. The
bullets on the improved slide are very short, well within the 6‑x‑6 rule, although
they are complete sentences. The photograph in the revised slide adds interest and
illustrates the point. You may use stock photos that you can download from the
Web for personal or school use without penalty. Alternatively, consider taking
your own pictures if you own a digital camera or a camera-equipped smartphone.
Figure 12.6 shows how to add variety and pizzazz to your slides. Notice that
the same information that appeared as bullet points in Figure 12.5 now appears
as exciting spokes radiating from the central idea: Why You Should Sell Online.
This spoke diagram is just one of numerous SmartArt graphics in the Illustrations

Figure 12.5 Revising and Enhancing Slides for Greater Impact

Before Revision After Revision

Reasons for Selling Online Why You Should Sell Online

Your online business can grow globally. Grow business globally.
Customer convenience. Offer convenience to
Conduct business 24/7. customers.
No need for renting a retail store or Conduct business 24/7.
hiring employees. Save on rent and staff.
© Cengage Learning 2013

Reduce inquiries by providing policies Create policies to

and a privacy statement. reduce inquiries.
Customers can buy quickly and easily.

The slide on the left contains bullet points that are not parallel and that overlap in meaning. The second and sixth bullet points say the same thing.
Moreover, some bullet points are too long. After revision, the slide on the right has a more convincing title illustrating the “you” view. The bullet
points are shorter, and each begins with a verb for parallelism and an emphasis on action. The photo adds interest.

Chapter 12 Business Presentations 379

 Figure 12.6 Converting a Bulleted Slide Into a Diagram
Revised With a SmartArt Graphic SmartArt Graphics Options

© Cengage Learning 2013

The same content that appears in the Figure 12.5 slides takes on a totally different look when arranged as spokes radiating from a central idea.
Add a 3-D effect and a muted background image to the middle shape, for example, and you depart from the usual boring template look. When
presenting this slide, you can animate each item and control when it is revealed, further enlivening your presentation. PowerPoint 2010 provides
SmartArt graphics with many choices of diagrams and shapes for arranging information.

tab in PowerPoint. You can also animate each item in the diagram. Occasionally,
try to convert pure text and bullet points to graphics, charts, and other images to
add punch to your slideshow. You will keep your audiences interested and help
them retain the information you are presenting.
Use animation to introduce
Your audience will grasp numeric information more easily in charts or graphs
elements of a presentation than in a listing of numbers. Moreover, in most programs, you can animate your
as they unfold in your graphs and charts. Say, for instance, you have four columns in your bar chart.
spoken remarks. You can control the entry of each column by determining in what order and how
each column appears on the screen. The goal is to use animation strategically to
introduce elements of the presentation as they unfold in your spoken remarks.
Figure 12.7 shows how a chart can illustrate a concept discussed in the presenta-
tion about selling online.

Revising, Proofreading, and Evaluating Your Slideshow. Use PowerPoint’s

Slide Sorter view to rearrange, insert, and delete slides during the revision pro-
cess. This is the time to focus on making your presentation as clear and concise
as possible. If you are listing items, be sure that all items use parallel grammati-
cal form. Figure 12.8 shows how to revise a slide to improve it for conciseness,
parallelism, and other features. Study the design tips described in the first slide
and determine which suggestions their author did not follow. Then compare it
with the revised slide.
Notice that both slides in Figure 12.8 feature a calm blue background, the color
of choice for many business presentations. However, the background swirls on the
first slide are distracting. In addition, the uppercase white font contributes to the
busy look, making the image hard to read. Inserting a transparent overlay and
choosing a dark font to mute the distracting waves create a cleaner-looking slide.
As you are revising, check carefully to find spelling, grammar, punctuation,
and other errors. Use the PowerPoint spell-checker, but don’t rely on it without
careful proofing, preferably from a printed copy of the slideshow. Nothing is as
embarrassing as projecting errors on a huge screen in front of your audience.
Also, check for consistency in how you capitalize and punctuate points through-
out the presentation.
Finally, critically evaluate your slideshow. Consider whether you have done
all you can to use the tools PowerPoint provides to communicate your message
in a visually appealing way. In addition, test your slides on the equipment and in
the room you will be using during your presentation. Do the colors you selected

380 Chapter 12 Business Presentations

 Figure 12.7 Using a Bar Chart (Column Chart) to Illustrate a Concept

Growth in Online Sales

© Cengage Learning 2013

This slide was created using PowerPoint’s Insert, Chart function. The information presented here is more
exciting and easier to comprehend than if it had been presented in a bulleted list.

work in this new setting? Are the font styles and sizes readable from the back of
the room? Figure 12.9 shows examples of slides that incorporate what you have
learned in this discussion.
The dark, purple-colored background and the green and blue hues in the slide-
show shown in Figure 12.9 are standard choices for many business presentations.
With an unobtrusive dark background, white fonts are a good option for maxi-
mum contrast and, hence, readability. The creator of the presentation varied the

Figure 12.8 Designing More Effective Slides

Before Revision After Revision

DESIGN TIPS FOR SLIDE TEXT Design Tips for Slide Text
1. STRIVE TO HAVE NO MORE THAN SIX
BULLETS PER SLIDE AND NO MORE THAN Six or fewer bullets per slide*
SIX WORDS PER BULLET.
Six or fewer words per bullet*
2. IF YOU USE UPPER- AND LOWERCASE TYPE,
IT IS EASIER TO READ
Upper- and lowercase type
3. IT IS BETTER TO USE PHRASES RATHER
THAN SENTENCES. Concise phrases, not sentences
© Cengage Learning 2013

4. USING A SIMPLE, HIGH-CONTRAST TYPE

FACE IS EASIER TO READ AND DOES NOT Simple type face
DETRACT FROM YOUR PRESENTATION
5. BE CONSISTENT IN YOUR SPACING, Consistent spacing, capitalization, punctuation
CAPITALIZATION, AND PUNCTUATION.
* Exception: More words may be needed for presentations without a speaker.

The slide on the left is difficult to read and understand because it violates many slide-making rules. How many violations can you detect? The slide
on the right illustrates an improved version of the same information. Which slide do you think viewers would rather read?

Chapter 12 Business Presentations 381

Figure 12.9 PowerPoint Slides That Illustrate Multimedia Presentations

Business Presentations  PREWRITING  WRITING

and the
3-x-3 Writing Process  Identify purpose of
  presentation  Illustrate content in
 PREWRITING  WRITING  REVISING fresh ways.
 Find suitable colors
Analyzing Researching Revising Analyzing Researching  Use blueprint slides.
Anticipating Organizing Proofreading Anticipating  Create effective Organizing
Adapting Composing Evaluating Adapting animations Composing  Follow six steps in
your presentation.
 Choose images over
text

Include Start
Develop Content With Each Slide Must
interactive with the Templates and Themes Serve a Purpose
elements text

Create visual interest.

Add Select
Creating a Highlight memorable points.
special Multimedia background
effects Presentation and fonts Introduce or review key points.
Provide transitions.
Create Choose Illustrate ideas.
graphics images
Simplify complex thoughts.

 REVISING Before Delivering Your During Your

Multimedia Presentation Multimedia Presentation

 Rearrange, insert,  Address the audience, not slides.

© Cengage Learning 2013

and delete slides.  Set up and test  Paraphrase, don’t read.
equipment.
Revising  Proofread and  Keep room lights fairly bright.
 Bring backups in
Proofreading correct errors.  Strike B to toggle image off.
Evaluating case of equipment
 Evaluate content. failure.
f ilure.
fa  Supplement with other visual aids.

slide design to break the monotony of bulleted or numbered lists. Images and
animated diagrams add interest and zing to the slides.

Using PowerPoint Effectively With Your Audience

A fabulous slideshow can be
Technology glitches or the presenter’s unfamiliarity with the equipment have sab-
ruined if you are unfamiliar otaged many promising presentations. Fabulous slides are of value only if you
with the equipment. can manage the technology expertly. The late Apple CEO Steve Jobs was famous
for his ability to wow his audiences during his keynote addresses. Communication
coach and author Carmine Gallo credits extensive preparation for Jobs’ amazing
impact. “Steve Jobs spends hours of grueling practice before a keynote presenta-
tion. Superstar performers in all fields leave nothing to chance. If you want to
thrill any audience, steal a page from the Jobs playbook and start practicing!”13
At a recent Macworld rehearsal, for example, Jobs spent more than four hours
on stage practicing and reviewing every technical and performance aspect of his
product launch.

Practicing and Preparing

Solid preparation and practice are crucial. One expert advises presenters to com-
plete their slideshows a week before the actual talk and rehearse several times
each day before the presentation.14 Allow plenty of time before your presentation
to set up and test your equipment.15 Confirm that the places you plan to stand

382 Chapter 12 Business Presentations

are not in the line of the projected image. Audience members don’t appreciate
having part of the slide displayed on your body. Make sure that all video or Web
links are working and that you know how to operate all features the first time
you try. No matter how much time you put into preshow setup and testing, you
still have no guarantee that all will go smoothly. Therefore, you should always
bring backups of your presentation. Overhead transparencies and handouts of
your presentation provide good substitutes. Transferring your presentation to a
CD or a USB flash drive that could run from any available notebook might prove
useful as well.

Keeping Your Audience Engaged

In addition to using the technology to enhance and enrich your message, here To keep your audience
are additional tips for performing like a professional and keeping the audience interested, maintain eye
engaged: contact, don’t read from your
slides, use a radio remote and
• Know your material. This will free you to look at your audience and gaze at the a laser pointer, and turn off
screen, not your practice notes. Maintain genuine eye contact to connect with an image after discussing it.
individuals in the room.
• As you show new elements on a slide, allow the audience time to absorb the
information. Then paraphrase and elaborate on what the listeners have seen.
Don’t insult your audience’s intelligence by reading verbatim
from a slide.
• Leave the lights as bright as you can. Make sure the audience
can see your face and eyes.
• Use a radio remote control (not infrared) so you can move
freely rather than remain tethered to your computer. Radio
remotes allow you to be up to 50 feet away from your laptop.
• Maintain a connection with the audience by using a laser
pointer to highlight slide items to discuss. Be aware, however,
that a dancing laser point in a shaky hand may make you
appear nervous. Steady your hand.
•
www.CartoonStock.com

Don’t leave a slide on the screen when you have finished dis-
cussing it. While you are running your presentation in Slide
Show mode, strike B on the keyboard to turn on or off the
screen image by blackening it. Pushing W will turn the screen Before PowerPoint.
white.
Some presenters allow their PowerPoint slides to steal their thunder. One expert
urges speakers to “use their PowerPresence in preference to their PowerPoint.”16
Although multimedia presentations supply terrific sizzle, they cannot replace the
steak. In developing a presentation, don’t expect your slides to carry the show. You
can avoid being upstaged by not relying totally on your slides. Help the audience
visualize your points by using other techniques. For example, drawing a diagram
on a white board or flipchart can be more engaging than showing slide after slide
of static drawings. Demonstrating or displaying real objects or props is a welcome
relief from slides. Remember that slides should be used only to help your audience
understand the message and to add interest. You are still the main attraction!

Eight Steps to Making a Powerful Multimedia Presentation

We have now discussed many suggestions for making effective PowerPoint pre-
sentations, but you may still be wondering how to put it all together. Here is a
step-by-step process for creating a powerful multimedia presentation:
1. Start with the text. The text is the foundation of your presentation. Express
your ideas using words that are clear, concise, and understandable. Once
the entire content of your presentation is in place, you are ready to begin
adding color and all the other elements that will make your slides visually
appealing.

Chapter 12 Business Presentations 383

 Department of Defense
Workplace in Focus
“W hen we understand that slide, we’ll have won the war.” General Stanley
McChrystal, former U.S. commander in Afghanistan, echoes the military’s ambivalence
about fuzzy PowerPoint slides in briefings. Other critics in the military, General
McMaster among them, suggest that PowerPoint reduces complex issues to simplistic
bullet points. Decisions may be made hastily in the absence of well-developed
written orders and without much time to think. Too much information on slides and
an emphasis on style over substance may create dangerous confusion in the armed
forces. Junior officers, called “PowerPoint Rangers,” occupy most of their time with
creating slideshows. General McMaster cautioned that PowerPoint “can create the
illusion of understanding and the illusion of control.” Why are confusing slideshows
bad news in the armed forces? How could the use of PowerPoint be improved?

For a powerful presentation,

2. Select background and fonts. Select a template that will provide consistent
first write the text, and font styles and sizes and a background for your slides. You can create your
then work on templates, own template or use one included with PowerPoint. You can also download
font styles, and colors. free templates or pay for templates from many online sites. You can’t go wrong
selecting a basic template design with an easy-to-read font, such as Times New
Roman or Arial. As a general rule, use no more than two font styles in your
presentation. The point size should be between 24 and 36. Title fonts should be
larger than text font. The more you use PowerPoint and find out what works
and doesn’t work, the more you can experiment with bolder, more innovative
background and font options that effectively convey your message.
3. Choose images that help communicate your message. Images, such as clip
art, photographs, and maps, should complement the text. Never use an image
that is not immediately relevant. Microsoft Office Online can be accessed
in PowerPoint and contains thousands of clip art images and photographs,
most of which are in the public domain and require no copyright permissions.
Before using images from other sources, determine whether permission from
the copyright holder is required. Bear in mind that some people consider clip
art amateurish, so photographs are usually preferable. In addition, clip art is
available to any user, so it tends to become stale fast. Consider the drastic,
yet eloquent photograph shown in Figure 12.10. A striking image can tell a

384 Chapter 12 Business Presentations

 Figure 12.10 Harnessing the Appeal of Powerful Images
Office
insideR

“Keep it simple. Limit the

number of illustrations and
reduce the number of words.
One concept on a slide is
sufficient. Remember: Less is
iStockphoto.com/Nicholas Monu

PLEASE BOAT RESPONSIBLY better!”

DON —Joyce Kupsh,
’T
WRE
C PowerPoint expert
YOUR K
SUM and coauthor of
MER Presentation Design
and Delivery

The image of a toe-tagged body used in the left slide is shocking to most viewers. The purpose of the two
slides is to create a strong emotional appeal for boating safety. The message of these two sparse slides is
more eloquent than bulleted text ever could be.

persuasive story, as the United States Coast Guard’s photograph does in the
service of boating safety. Inserted in a slide such as the one in Figure 12.10,
this picture is indeed worth a thousand words.
4. Create graphics. PowerPoint includes a variety of tools to help you simplify Learn to simplify complex
complex information or to transform a boring bulleted list into a visually information in visually
appealing graphic. You can use PowerPoint’s Illustrations tools in the Insert appealing graphics.
tab. The SmartArt graphic options in particular will help you create organiza-
tion charts (Hierarchy), cycles and radials (Cycle), timelines (Process), as well
as pyramids, matrixes, Venn diagrams, and more. With the Chart function in
the Illustrations group, you can select 11 types of chart including line, pie, and
bar charts. All of these tools require practice before you can create effective
visuals. Remember that graphics should be easy to understand without over-
loading your audience with unnecessary details or too much text. In fact, it’s
a good idea to put such details in handouts rather than cluttering your slides
with them.
5. Add special effects. To keep your audience focused on what you are discuss-
ing, use PowerPoint’s Animations tab to control when objects or text appear
on the screen. Animate points in a bulleted list to appear one at a time, for
example, or the boxes (or circles) in a radial diagram to appear as you are
discussing each box. Keep in mind that the first thing your audience sees on
every slide should describe the slide’s content. With motion paths and other
animation options, you can move objects to different positions on the slide; or
to minimize clutter, you can dim or remove them once they have served their
purpose.
In addition, as you move from slide to slide in a presentation, you can
select transition effects, such as Fade or Dissolve. The animation and transi-
tion options range from subtle to flashy—choose them with care so that the
visual delivery of your presentation doesn’t distract from the content of your
message. An option at this step is to purchase a PowerPoint add-in product,
such as Adobe Ovation or Presenter, that can add professional-looking spe-
cial effects to your presentation with very little effort.
6. Create hyperlinks to approximate the Web browsing experience. Make your
presentation more interactive and intriguing by connecting your PowerPoint
presentation, via hyperlinks, to other sources that provide content that will
enhance your presentation. You can hyperlink to (a) other slides within the
presentation or in other PowerPoint files; (b) other programs that will open
a second window that displays items such as spreadsheets, documents, and
videos; and (c) if you have an Internet connection, Web sites.

Chapter 12 Business Presentations 385

 When you finish discussing the hyperlinked source or watching the
video that opened in a second window, close that window. Your hyperlinked
PowerPoint slide will come into view again. In this way, you can break up
the monotony of typical linear PowerPoint presentations. Instead, your
hyperlinked show approximates the viewing experience of a Web user who
enters a site through a main page or portal and then navigates at will to reach
second- and third-level pages.
7. Engage your audience by asking for interaction. When you need audience
response and feedback, interactive tools are useful. Audience response sys-
tems may be familiar to you from game shows, but they are also used for
surveys and opinion polls, group decision making, voting, quizzes and tests,
and many other applications. To interact with your audience, present poll-
ing questions. Audience members submit their individual or team responses
using handheld devices (“clickers”) read by a PowerPoint add-in program.
The audience immediately sees a chart that displays the response results. If
you would like to know more about audience response systems, visit the Web
sites of commercial providers—for example, Audience Response Systems or
Turning Technologies.
Internet options for slide
8. Move your presentation to the Internet. You have a range of alternatives, from
presentations range from simple to complex, for moving your multimedia presentation to the Internet
posting slides online to or your company’s intranet. The simplest option is posting your slides online
conducting a live Web for others to access. Even if you are giving a face-to-face presentation, attend-
conference with slides, ees appreciate these electronic handouts because they don’t have to lug them
narration, and speaker control.
home. The most complex option for moving your multimedia presentation to
the Internet involves a Web conference or broadcast.
Web presentations with slides, narration, and speaker control have emerged
as a way for anyone who has access to the Internet to attend your presentation
without leaving the office. For example, you could initiate a meeting via a
conference call, narrate using a telephone, and have participants see your
slides from the browsers on their computers. If you prefer, you could skip the
narration and provide a prerecorded presentation. Web-based presentations
have many applications, including providing access to updated training or
sales data whenever needed.17
Some businesses convert their PowerPoint presentations to common
video formats. Alternatively, they save their slides as PDF documents or
send PowerPoint shows (file extension *.ppsx), which open directly in Slide
Show mode, ready to run. Simple slideshows are highly suitable for e-mailing;
larger files can’t be e-mailed. They need to be posted online in some form for
streaming or downloading.

Polishing Your Delivery and Following Up

Once you have organized your presentation and prepared visuals, you are ready to
practice delivering it. You will feel more confident and appear more professional
if you know more about various delivery methods and techniques to use before,
during, and after your presentation.

Choosing a Delivery Method

Presentations delivered using
Inexperienced speakers often believe that they must memorize an entire presenta-
the “notes” method are more tion to be effective. Unless you are an experienced performer, however, you will
convincing than presentations sound wooden and unnatural. What’s more, forgetting your place can be disas-
that are memorized or read. trous! That’s why we don’t recommend memorizing an entire oral presentation.
However, memorizing significant parts—the introduction, the conclusion, and
perhaps a meaningful quotation—can be dramatic and impressive.

386 Chapter 12 Business Presentations

 If memorizing your business presentation won’t work, is reading from a manu-
script the best plan? Definitely not! Reading to an audience is boring and ineffec-
tive. Because reading suggests that you don’t know your topic well, the audience
loses confidence in your expertise. Reading also prevents you from maintaining
eye contact. You can’t see audience reactions; consequently, you can’t benefit from
feedback.
Neither memorizing nor reading creates very convincing business presenta- Extemporaneous delivery
tions. The best plan, by far, is to present extemporaneously, especially when you results in more convincing
are displaying an electronic slideshow such as PowerPoint. Extemporaneous presentations than those that
delivery means speaking freely, generally without notes, after preparation and are memorized or read.
rehearsing. It means that in your talk you comment on the electronic slide-
show you have prepared and rehearsed several times. Remember, PowerPoint
and other presentation software have replaced traditional outlines and notes.
Reading notes or a manuscript in addition to PowerPoint slides will damage
your credibility.
If you give a talk without PowerPoint, however,
you may use note cards or an outline containing
key sentences and major ideas. At the same time,
beware of reading from a script. By preparing and
then practicing with your notes, you can talk to
your audience in a conversational manner. Your

© Randy Glasbergen www.glasbergen.com

notes should be neither entire paragraphs nor single
words. Instead, they should contain a complete sen-
tence or two to introduce each major idea. Below the
topic sentence(s), outline subpoints and illustrations.
Note cards will keep you on track and prompt your
memory, but only if you have rehearsed the presenta-
tion thoroughly. “Fear of public speaking is quite common. If dressing up as
Speaker Man makes you feel more confident, then so be it.”

Combating Stage Fright

Nearly everyone experiences some stage fright when speaking before a group.
“If you hear someone say he or she isn’t nervous before a speech, you are talk- Stage fright is both natural
ing either to a liar or a very boring speaker,” says corporate speech consultant and controllable.
Dianna Booher.18 Being afraid is quite natural and results from actual physi-
ological changes occurring in your body. Faced with a frightening situation, your
body responds with the fight-or-flight response, discussed more fully in Figure
12.11. You can learn to control and reduce stage fright, as well as to incorporate
techniques for effective speaking, by using the following strategies and techniques
before, during, and after your presentation.

Before Your Presentation

Speaking in front of a group will become less daunting if you prepare adequately Thorough preparation,
and practice sufficiently. Interacting with the audience and limiting surprises such extensive rehearsal, and
as malfunctioning equipment will also add to your peace of mind. Review the fol- stress-reduction techniques
lowing tips for a smooth start: can lessen stage fright.

• Prepare thoroughly. One of the most effective strategies for reducing stage
fright is knowing your subject thoroughly. Research your topic diligently and
prepare a careful sentence outline. Those who try to “wing it” usually suffer the
worst butterflies—and make the worst presentations.
• Rehearse repeatedly. When you rehearse, practice your entire presentation, not
just the first half. In PowerPoint you may print out speaker’s notes, an outline,
or a handout featuring miniature slides, which are excellent for practice. If you
don’t use an electronic slideshow, place your outline sentences on separate note
cards. You may also wish to include transitional sentences to help you move
to the next topic as you practice. Rehearse alone or before friends and family.

Chapter 12 Business Presentations 387

Figure 12.11 Conquer Stage Fright With These Techniques

Ever get nervous before giving a speech? Everyone does! And it’s not all in your head, either. When you face something threatening or chal­
lenging, your body reacts in what psychologists call the fight-or-flight response. This physical reflex provides your body with increased energy
to deal with threatening situations. It also creates those sensations—dry mouth, sweaty hands, increased heartbeat, and stomach butter­
flies—that we associate with stage fright. The fight-or-flight response arouses your body for action—in this case, making a presentation.
Because everyone feels some form of apprehension before speaking, it is impossible to eliminate the physiological symptoms altogether.
However, you can reduce their effects with the following techniques:
• Breathe deeply. Use deep breathing to ease your fight-or-flight • Take a sip of water. Drink some water to alleviate your dry
symptoms. Inhale to a count of ten, hold this breath to a count of mouth and constricted voice box, especially if you are talking for
ten, and exhale to a count of ten. Concentrate on your counting more than 15 minutes.
and your breathing; both activities reduce your stress. • Shift the spotlight to your visuals. At least some of the time the
• Convert your fear. Don’t view your sweaty palms and dry mouth audience will be focusing on your slides, transparencies, hand­
as evidence of fear. Interpret them as symptoms of exuberance, outs, or whatever you have prepared—and not totally on you.
excitement, and enthusiasm to share your ideas. • Ignore any stumbles. Don’t apologize or confess your nervous­
• Know your topic and come prepared. Feel confident about ness. If you keep going, the audience will forget any mistakes
your topic. Select a topic that you know well and that is relevant quickly.
to your audience. Test your equipment and arrive with time to • Don’t admit you are nervous. Never tell your audience that you
spare. are nervous. They will probably never notice!
• Use positive self-talk. Remind yourself that you know your • Feel proud when you finish. You will be surprised at how good

© Cengage Learning 2013

topic and are prepared. Tell yourself that the audience is on your you feel when you finish. Take pride in what you have accom­
side—because it is! Moreover, most speakers appear to be more plished, and your audience will reward you with applause and
confident than they feel. Make this apparent confidence work congratulations. Your body, of course, will call off the fight-or-
for you. flight response and return to normal!

Also try an audio or video recording of your rehearsals so that you can evalu-
ate your effectiveness.
• Time yourself. Most audiences tend to get restless during longer talks.
Therefore, try to complete your presentation in no more than 20 minutes.
If you have a time limit, don’t go over it. Set a simple kitchen timer during
your rehearsal to keep track of time. Better yet, PowerPoint offers a function
Rehearse Timings in the Slide Show tab that can measure the length of your
talk as you practice.
• Dress professionally. Dressing professionally for a presentation will make you
look more credible to your audience. You will also feel more confident. If
you are not used to professional attire, practice wearing it or you may appear
uncomfortable in formal wear.
• Request a lectern. Every beginning speaker needs the security of a high desk
or lectern from which to deliver a presentation. It serves as a note holder and
a convenient place to rest wandering hands and arms. Don’t, however, lean on
it. Eventually you will want to interact with the audience without any physical
barriers.
• Check the room. If you are using a computer, a projector, or sound equip-
ment, be certain they are operational. Before you start, check electrical outlets
and the position of the viewing screen. Ensure that the seating arrangement is
appropriate to your needs.
• Greet members of the audience. Try to make contact with a few members of
the audience when you enter the room, while you are waiting to be introduced,
or when you walk to the podium. Your body language should convey friendli-
ness, confidence, and enjoyment.
• Practice stress reduction. If you feel tension and fear while you are waiting
your turn to speak, use stress-reduction techniques, such as deep breath-
ing. Additional techniques to help you conquer stage fright are presented in
Figure 12.11.

388 Chapter 12 Business Presentations

During Your Presentation
To stay in control during your talk, to build credibility, and to engage your audi- Eye contact, a moderate tone of
ence, follow these time-tested guidelines for effective speaking: voice, and natural movements
enhance a presentation.
• Begin with a pause. When you first approach the audience, take a moment to
make yourself comfortable. Establish your control of the situation.
• Present your first sentence from memory. By memorizing your opening, you
can immediately establish rapport with the audience through eye contact. You
will also sound confident and knowledgeable.
• Maintain eye contact. If the size of the audience overwhelms you, pick out two
individuals on the right and two on the left. Talk directly to these people. Don’t
ignore listeners in the back of the room. If you are presenting to a smaller audi-
ence, try to make genuine, not fleeting eye contact with everyone in the room at
least once during your presentation.
• Control your voice and vocabulary. This means speaking in moderated tones
but loudly enough to be heard. Eliminate verbal static, such as ah, er, like, you
know, and um. Silence is preferable to meaningless
fillers when you are thinking of your next idea.
• Skip the apologies. Don’t begin with a weak open-
ing, such as I will not take much time. I know you
are busy. Or: I know you have heard this before, but
we need to review it anyway. Or: I had trouble with
my computer and the slides, so bear with me. Unless
the issue is blatant, such as not being able to load
the presentation or make the projector work, apol-
ogies are counterproductive. Focus on your presen-
tation. Dynamic speakers never say they are sorry.
•
© Ted Goff www.tedgoff.com

Put the brakes on. Many novice speakers talk too

rapidly, displaying their nervousness and making
it very difficult for audience members to under-
stand their ideas. Slow down and listen to what
you are saying. “This is where you all went wrong, causing my plan to fail.”
• Incorporate pauses when appropriate. Silence can
be effective especially when you are transitioning
from one point to another. Pauses are also effective in giving the audience time
to absorb an important point.
• Move naturally. If you have a lectern, don’t remain glued to it. Move about
casually and naturally. Avoid fidgeting with your clothing, hair, or items in
Office
your pockets. Do not roll up your sleeves or put your hands in your pockets. insideR
Learn to use your body to express a point.
• Use visual aids effectively. You should discuss and interpret each visual aid for
the audience. Move aside as you describe it so that it can be seen fully. Use a “Don’t be afraid to show
pointer if necessary, but steady your hand if it is shaking. enthusiasm for your subject.
‘I’m excited about being here
• Avoid digressions. Stick to your outline and notes. Don’t suddenly include today’ says good things to an
clever little anecdotes or digressions that occur to you on the spot. If it is not audience. It generally means
part of your rehearsed material, leave it out so that you can finish on time. that you are confident, you
have something of value to
Remember, too, that your audience may not be as enthralled with your topic say, and you are prepared
as you are. to state your case clearly.
• Summarize your main points and arrive at the high point of your talk. Conclude Boredom is contagious.”
—Dianna Booher,
your presentation by reiterating your main points or by emphasizing what you communication
want the audience to think or do. Once you have announced your conclusion, consultant and author
proceed to it directly.
• Show enthusiasm. If you are not excited about your topic, how can you expect
your audience to be? Show passion for your topic through your tone, facial
expressions, and gestures. Adding variety to your voice also helps to keep your
audience alert and interested.

Chapter 12 Business Presentations 389

 After Your Presentation
The time to answer questions,
As you are concluding you presentation, handle questions and answers compe-
distribute handouts, and tently and provide handouts, if appropriate. Try the following techniques:
reiterate main points is
after a presentation.
• Distribute handouts. If you prepared handouts with data the audience will not
need during the presentation, pass them out when you finish.
• Encourage questions. If the situation permits a question-and-answer period,
announce it at the beginning of your presentation. Then, when you finish, ask
for questions. Set a time limit for questions and answers. If you don’t know the
answer to a question, don’t make one up or panic. Instead, offer to find the
answer within a day or two. If you make such a promise to your audience, be
sure to follow through.
• Repeat questions. Although the speaker may hear the question, audience mem-
bers often do not. Begin each answer by repeating the question. This also gives
you thinking time. Then, direct your answer to the entire audience.
• Reinforce your main points. You can use your answers to restate your primary
ideas (I’m glad you brought that up because it gives me a chance to elaborate
on . . .). In answering questions, avoid becoming defensive or debating the
questioner.
• Keep control. Don’t allow one individual to take over. Keep the entire audience
involved.
• Avoid Yes, but answers. The word but immediately cancels any preceding mes-
sage. Try replacing it with and. For example, Yes, X has been tried. And Y works
even better because . . . .
• End with a summary and appreciation. To signal the end of the session before
you take the last question, say something like We have time for just one more
question. As you answer the last question, try to work it into a summary of
your main points. Then, express appreciation to the audience for the opportu-
nity to talk with them.

www.cengagebrain.com
Available with an access code, these eResources will help you prepare for exams:

• Chapter Review Quizzes • PowerPoint Slides

• Personal Language Trainer • Flash Cards

Summing Up and Looking Forward

This chapter presented techniques for making effective oral presentation by using templates, layout designs, bullet points,
presentations. Good presentations begin with analyses of your and multimedia elements. Don’t allow your PowerPoint slides,
audience and your purpose. Organizing the content involves however, to “steal your thunder.”
preparing an effective introduction, body, and closing. The Before delivering your presentation, rehearse repeatedly. Check
introduction should capture the listener’s attention, identify your equipment before the talk. During the presentation consider
the speaker, establish credibility, and preview the main points. The beginning with a pause and presenting your first sentence from
body should discuss two to four main points, with appropriate memory. Dress professionally, make eye contact, control your
explanations, details, and verbal signposts to guide listeners. The voice, show enthusiasm for your topic, speak and move naturally,
conclusion should review the main points, provide a final focus, and avoid digressions. After your talk distribute handouts and
and allow the speaker to leave the podium gracefully. You can answer questions. End gracefully and express appreciation.
improve audience rapport by using effective imagery including The final two chapters of this book focus on your ultimate
analogies, metaphors, similes, personal anecdotes, statistics, and goal—getting a job or advancing in your career. In Chapter
worst- and best-case scenarios. In illustrating a presentation, use 13 you will learn how to write a persuasive résumé and other
simple, easily understood visual aids to emphasize and clarify employment documents. In Chapter 14 you will discover how to
main points. If you choose PowerPoint, you can enhance the ace an employment interview.

390 Chapter 12 Business Presentations

Critical Thinking
1. Why should even practiced speakers plan their presentations when addressing a business audience instead of just “winging it”?
2. “Communicate—don’t decorate.” This principle is one of 20 rules that graphic designer and educator Timothy Samara discusses
in his book Design Elements: A Graphic Style Manual. How could you apply this principle to the design of your PowerPoint
presentations?
3. What are detractors saying about PowerPoint, and why are they condemning it? Can you present a counterargument?
4. Communication expert Dianna Booher believes that “Humor anchors key points” and “makes your message memorable.”19 Discuss
the role of humor in business presentations.
5. Communication expert Dianna Booher claims that enthusiasm is infectious and “boredom is contagious.”20 What does this mean
for you as a presenter? How can you avoid being a boring speaker?

Chapter Review
6. How do speaking skills affect promotions and career success?

7. Why is redundancy—usually condemned in business communication—a smart strategy in organizing the

main points in the introduction, body, and conclusion of your presentation?

8. How can you learn more about an unfamiliar audience before creating your presentation?

9. Can speaking skills be improved, or do we have to be “born” communicators?

10. Why are analyzing an audience and anticipating its reaction particularly important before business
presentations, and how would you adapt to the four categories of listeners?

11. In preparing an oral presentation, you can reduce fears and lay a foundation for a professional performance
by focusing on what five areas?

Chapter 12 Business Presentations 391

12. Why should speakers deliver the first sentence from memory?

13. List suggestions that would ensure that your nonverbal messages reinforce your verbal messages effectively.

14. Name specific advantages and disadvantages of multimedia presentation software.

15. How can speakers overcome stage fright? Name six helpful techniques.

Activities and Cases

12.1 Critiquing a Speech
Your Task. Search online for a speech that was delivered by a significant businessperson or a well-known political figure. Consider
watching Steve Jobs’ excellent 15-minute “Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish” commencement speech at Stanford University on YouTube.
Transcripts of that well-known speech by the CEO of Apple, Inc., are also available online. Write a memo report or give a short presen­
tation to your class critiquing the speech in terms of the following:

a. Effectiveness of the introduction, body, and conclusion e. Effectiveness of supporting facts (use of examples, statistics,
b. Evidence of effective overall organization quotations, and so forth)
c. Use of verbal signposts to create coherence f. Focus on audience benefits
d. Emphasis of two to four main points g. Enthusiasm for the topic

12.2 Knowing Your Audience

Your Task. Select a recent issue of Fortune, The Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, The Economist, or another
business periodical approved by your instructor. Based on your analysis of your classmates, select an article that will appeal to them
and that you can relate to their needs. Submit to your instructor a one-page summary that includes the following: (a) the author, article
title, source, issue date, and page reference; (b) a one-paragraph article summary; (c) a description of why you believe the article will
appeal to your classmates; and (d) a summary of how you can relate the article to their needs.

T TEAM W WEB
12.3 Hiring a Business Tycoon Who Is an Accomplished Public Speaker
Have you ever wondered why famous business types, politicians, athletes, and other celebrities can command high speaking fees?
How much are they really making per appearance, and what are factors that may justify their sometimes exorbitant fees? You may also
wonder how a motivational speaker or corporate trainer might benefit you and your class or your campus community. Searching for
and selecting an expert is easy online with several commercial speaker bureaus vying for clients. All services provide detailed speaker
bios, areas of expertise, and fees. One agency even features video previews of its clients.
The three preeminent agencies for booking talent are All American Talent & Celebrity Network, BigSpeak, and Brooks
International Speakers & Entertainment Bureau. All American represents, for example, the likes of economist Nouriel Roubini,
Donald Trump, Jack Welch, Richard Branson, and Suze Orman. BigSpeak standouts are Deepak Chopra, Dr. Susan Love, and dis­
tance swimmer Diana Nyad. Brooks International features financier and philanthropist Mike Milken and TV commentator and

392 Chapter 12 Business Presentations

personal finance expert Terry Savage, among others. Imagine that you have a budget of up to $100,000 to hire a well-known
public speaker.

Your Task. In teams or individually, select a business-related category of speaker by visiting one of the speaker bureaus online. For
example, choose several prominent personal finance gurus (Orman, Savage, and others) or successful entrepreneurs and venture
capitalists (Branson, Trump, Jack Welch, and so forth). Other categories could include motivational speakers, philanthropists, or famous
economists. Study their bios for clues to their expertise and accomplishments. Comparing at least three, come up with a set of quali­
ties that apparently make these individual sought-after speakers. Consider how those qualities could enlighten you and your peers.
To enrich your experience and enhance your knowledge, watch videos of your chosen speakers on YouTube, if available. Check talent
agencies, personal Web sites, and Facebook for further information. Write a memo report about your speaker group, or present your
findings orally, with or without PowerPoint. If your instructor directs, recommend your favorite speaker and give reasons for your
decision.

W WEB T TEAM
12.4 Twitter: Follow Your Favorite Entrepreneur or Tycoon
Your Task. Go to http://twitter.com and sign up for a Twitter account if you don’t have one yet, so that you can follow businesspeople
and examine the topics they like to tweet about. In the Search window on top of the page, enter the name of the businessperson
whose tweets you wish to follow. Donald Trump, Jack Welch, Richard Branson, Suze Orman, Guy Kawasaki, and other well-known busi­
nesspeople are avid Twitter users. Over the course of a few days, read the tweets of your favorite expert. After a while, you should be
able to discern certain trends and areas of interest. Note whether and how your subject responds to queries from followers. What are
his or her favorite topics? Report your findings to the class, verbally with notes or using PowerPoint. If you find particularly intriguing
tweets and links, share them with the class.

W WEB
12.5 Exploring the New World of Web Conferencing
Your boss at the Home Realty Company is interested in learning more about Web conferencing but doesn’t have time to do the
research herself. She asks you to find out the following:

a. In terms of revenue, how big is the Web conferencing industry?

b. Who are the leading providers of Web conferencing tools?
c. What are the typical costs associated with holding a Web conference?
d. What kind of equipment does Web conferencing usually require?
e. How are other realtors using Web conferencing?

Your Task. Using electronic databases and the Internet, locate articles and Web sites that will provide the information your boss has
outlined. Be prepared to role-play an informal presentation to your boss in which you begin with an introduction, answer the four
questions in the body, and present a conclusion.

T TEAM
12.6 Overcoming Stage Fright
What scares you the most about making a presentation before class? Being tongue-tied? Fearing all eyes on you? Messing up?
Forgetting your ideas and looking silly?
Your Task. Discuss the previous questions as a class. Then, in groups of three or four, talk about ways to overcome these fears. Your
instructor may ask you to write a memo (individual or collective) summarizing your suggestions, or you may break out of your small
groups and report your best ideas to the entire class.

12.7 Investigating Oral Communication in Your Field

Your Task. Interview one or two individuals in your professional field. How is oral communication important in this profession? Does
the need for oral skills change as one advances? What suggestions can these people make to newcomers to the field for developing
proficient oral communication skills? Discuss your findings with your class.

Chapter 12 Business Presentations 393

12.8 Outlining an Oral Presentation
One of the hardest parts of preparing an oral presentation is developing the outline.
Your Task. Select an oral presentation topic from the list in Activity 12.15, or suggest an original topic. Prepare an outline for your
presentation using the following format:

Title
Purpose
I. INTRODUCTION
State your name A.
Gain attention and involve the audience B.
Establish credibility C.
Preview main points D.
Transition
II. BODY
Main point A.
Illustrate, clarify, contrast 1.
2.
3.
Transition
Main point B.
Illustrate, clarify, contrast 1.
2.
3.
Transition
Main point C.
Illustrate, clarify, contrast 1.
2.
3.
Transition
III. CONCLUSION
Summarize main points A.
Provide final focus or take-away B.
Encourage questions C.

W WEB

12.9 YouTube: Critiquing a Satirical Clip Lampooning PowerPoint

Your Task. Watch Don McMillan’s now famous YouTube hit “Life After Death by PowerPoint” from 2008 or the expanded version “Life
After Death by PowerPoint 2010.” Which specific PowerPoint ills is McMillan satirizing? Write a brief summary of the short clips for
discussion in class. With your peers, discuss whether the bad habits the YouTube videos parody correspond with design principles
introduced in this chapter.

W WEB E E-MAIL
12.10 Evaluating and Outlining Podcasts of Apple Keynotes
To learn from the presentation skills of one of the best corporate speakers today, visit iTunes and watch one or more of the Apple
keynotes posted there. They mostly cover Steve Jobs’ famous product launches, including that of the iPad, and other important
announcements.
Your Task. Download iTunes if you don’t yet have a copy of the software and search for apple keynotes. If your instructor directs, watch
one of the keynotes and outline it. You may also be asked to critique Steve Jobs’ presentation techniques based on the guidelines
you have studied in this chapter. Jot down your observations either as notes for a classroom discussion or to serve as a basis for an
informative memo or e-mail.

12.11 Creating an Oral Presentation: Outline Your Job Duties

What if you had to create a presentation for your classmates and instructor, or perhaps a potential recruiter, that describes the multiple
tasks you fulfill at work? Could you do it in a five-minute PowerPoint presentation?
Your instructors, for example, may wear many hats. Most academics (a) teach; (b) conduct research to publish; and (c) provide
service to the department, college, university, and community. Can you see how those aspects of their profession lend themselves to
an outline of primary slides (teaching, publishing, service) and second-level slides (instructing undergraduate and graduate classes,
presenting workshops, and giving lectures under the teaching label)?

394 Chapter 12 Business Presentations

Your Task. Now it’s your turn to introduce the duties of a current position or a past job, volunteer activity, or internship in a brief,
simple, yet well-designed PowerPoint presentation. Your goal is to inform your audience of your job duties in a three- to five-minute
talk. Use animation features and graphics where appropriate. Your instructor may show you a completed example of this project.

12.12 Creating an Oral Presentation: Pitch to Guy Kawasaki

Venture capitalist and angel investor Guy Kawasaki believes that persuasive PowerPoint presentations should be no more than
10 slides long, last 20 minutes at most, and contain 30-point fonts or bigger (the 10/20/30 rule). Kawasaki is convinced that presenta­
tions deviating from this rule will fall short of their purpose, which is typically to reach some type of agreement.
Could you interest an investor such as Guy Kawasaki in your business idea? The venture capitalist believes that if you must use
more than 10 slides to explain your business, you probably don’t have one. Furthermore, Kawasaki claims that the 10 topics a venture
capitalist cares about are the following:

1. Problem 6. Competition
2. Your solution 7. Team
3. Business model 8. Projections and milestones
4. Underlying magic/technology 9. Status and time line
5. Marketing and sales 10. Summary and call to action

Your Task. Dust off that start-up fantasy you may have, and get to work. Prepare a slideshow that would satisfy Kawasaki’s 10/20/30
rule: In 10 slides and a presentation of no more than 20 minutes, address the 10 topics that venture capitalists care about. Make sure
that the fonts on your slides are at least 30 points in size.

12.13 Delivering an Impromptu Elevator Speech

“Can you pass the elevator test?” asks presentation whiz Garr Reynolds in a new twist on the familiar scenario.21 He suggests this tech­
nique as an aid in sharpening your core message. In this exercise you need to pitch your idea in a few brief moments instead of the
20 minutes you had been granted with your vice president of product marketing. You arrive at her door for your appointment as she
is leaving, coat and briefcase in hand. Something has come up. This meeting is a huge opportunity for you if you want to get the OK
from the executive team. Could you sell your idea during the elevator ride and the walk to the parking lot? Reynolds asks. Although this
scenario may never happen, you will possibly be asked to shorten a presentation, say, from an hour to 30 minutes or from 20 minutes
to 5 minutes. Could you make your message tighter and clearer on the fly?
Your Task. Take a business idea you may have, a familiar business topic you care about, or a promotion or raise you wish to request
in a time of tight budgets. Create a spontaneous two- to five-minute speech making a good case for your core message. Even though
you won’t have much time to think about the details of your speech, you should be sufficiently familiar with the topic to boil it down
and yet be persuasive.

T TEAM
12.14 Researching Fortune List Information
Your Task. Using an electronic database, perform a search to learn how Fortune magazine determines which companies make its
annual lists. Research the following lists. Then organize and present a five- to ten-minute informative talk to your class.
a. Fortune 500
b. Global 500
c. 100 Best Companies to Work For
d. America’s Most Admired Companies

12.15 Choosing a Topic for an Oral Presentation

Your Task. Select a report topic from the following suggestions or from the expanded list of Report Topics at www.cengagebrain
.com. Prepare a five- to ten-minute oral presentation. Consider yourself an expert who has been called in to explain some aspect of
the topic before a group of interested people. Because your time is limited, prepare a concise yet forceful presentation with effective
visual aids.
a. How can businesses benefit from Twitter? Cite specific examples in your chosen field.
b. Which is financially more beneficial to a business, leasing or buying company cars?
c. Tablet computers are eroding the market share previously held by laptops and netbooks. Which brands are businesses
embracing and why? Which features are a must-have?
d. What kind of marketing works with students on college campuses? Word of mouth? Internet advertising? Free samples?
How do students prefer to get information about goods and services?
e. How can consumers protect themselves from becoming victims of identity theft?

Chapter 12 Business Presentations 395

 f. How could the lunch line in a school cafeteria be redesigned to encourage healthier menu choices?
g. Should students be required to pay for college athletic budgets in their fees?
h. How could an intercultural training program be initiated in your school?
i. Companies usually do not admit shortcomings. However, some admit previous failures and use them to strategic advantage. For
example, Domino’s Pizza ran a commercial with its customers saying its pizza tasted like ketchup and cardboard. Find three or
more examples of companies admitting weaknesses and draw conclusions from their strategies. Would you recommend this as a
sound marketing ploy?
j. How can students and other citizens contribute to conserving gasoline and other fossil fuel in order to save money and help slow
global climate change?
k. What is the career outlook in a field of your choice? Consider job growth, compensation, and benefits. What kind of academic or
other experience is typically required in your field?
l. How could students in the United States be motivated to learn languages and study abroad in greater numbers?
m. What is telecommuting, and for what kinds of workers is it an appropriate work alternative?
n. What criteria should parents use in deciding whether their young child should attend a public, private, or parochial school, or be
home-schooled?
o. What is the economic outlook for a given product, such as hybrid cars, laptop computers, digital cameras, fitness equipment, or a
product of your choice?
p. What are the Webby Awards, and what criteria do the judges use to evaluate Web sites?
q. What franchise would offer the best investment opportunity for an entrepreneur in your area?
r. How should a job candidate dress for an interview?
s. What should a guide to proper cell phone use include?
t. Are internships worth the effort?
u. Why should a company have a written e-mail and social media policy?
v. Where should your organization hold its next convention?
w. What is the outlook for real estate (commercial or residential) investment in your area?
x. What do the personal assistants for celebrities do, and how does one become a personal assistant? (Investigate the Association of
Celebrity Personal Assistants.)
y. What kinds of gifts are appropriate for businesses to give clients and customers during the holiday season?
z. What scams are on the Federal Trade Commission’s List of Top 10 Consumer Scams, and how can consumers avoid falling for them?

W WEB
12.16 Creepy Crawlies—Unwanted Souvenirs
North America is rapidly becoming infested with bedbugs, blood-sucking pests that seem to be experiencing a comeback. Hotels in
particular, but many private homes and business offices as well, have fallen victim to the pesky insects. For example, Time magazine
headquarters and former President Clinton’s Manhattan offices have suffered infestations.
Recently, the nation’s two largest pest extermination companies, Orkin LLC and Terminix, “crowned” America’s most infested cities. Not
surprisingly, they are densely populated urban areas that attract many tourists: New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Washington,
DC. Strangely enough, the most infested state is Ohio. Canada, too, has a bedbug problem, most prominently in Vancouver, BC.22
You work for a midsized local boutique hotel that is not part of a national chain. You have just read an alarming article about bed­
bugs conquering the United States. As far as you know, your hotel has not yet been affected, but after what you’ve read, it may be only
a question of time. Your boss suggests that you prepare a briefing for hotel staff to alert the employees to the problem. You decide to
check the Orkin and Terminix Web sites. In addition to an article search, you may want to visit the Web sites of the National Pesticide
Information Center, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Consider these and similar questions: How serious is the situation? Who or what is affected? How do the pests spread? How does an
infestation manifest itself? What has caused the reappearance of bedbugs after decades of dormancy? Can your employer do anything
to prevent an infestation? Once infested, what can a hotel do to eradicate the pests?
Your Task. Create an informative PowerPoint presentation that briefs the hotel staff and addresses the issues raised here.

12.17 Self-Contained Multimedia Activity: Creating a PowerPoint Presentation

(No additional research required)
You are a consultant who has been hired to improve the effectiveness of corporate trainers. These trainers frequently make presenta­
tions to employees on topics such as conflict management, teamwork, time management, problem solving, performance appraisals,
and employment interviewing. Your goal is to teach these trainers how to make better presentations.
Your Task. Create six visually appealing slides. Base the slides on the following content, which will be spoken during the presentation
titled “Effective Employee Training.” The comments shown here are only a portion of a longer presentation.
Trainers have two options when they make presentations. The first option is to use one-way communication in which the trainer
basically dumps the information on the employees and leaves. The second option is to use a two-way audience involvement approach.
The two-way approach can accomplish many purposes, such as helping the trainer connect with the employees, helping the trainer
reinforce key points, increasing the employees’ retention rates, and changing the pace and adding variety. The two-way approach also

396 Chapter 12 Business Presentations

 encourages employees to get to know each other better. Because today’s employees demand more than just a “talking head,” trainers
must engage their audiences by involving them in a two-way dialogue.
When you include interactivity in your training sessions, choose approaches that suit your delivery style. Also, think about which
options your employees would be likely to respond to most positively. Let’s consider some interactivity approaches now. Realize,
though, that these ideas are presented to help you get your creative juices flowing. After I present the list, we will think about situations
in which these options might be effective. We will also brainstorm to come up with creative ideas we can add to this list.
• Ask employees to guess at statistics before revealing them.
• Ask an employee to share examples or experiences.
• Ask a volunteer to help you demonstrate something.
• Ask the audience to complete a questionnaire or worksheet.
• Ask the audience to brainstorm or list something as fast as possible.
• Ask a variety of question types to achieve different purposes.
• Invite the audience to work through a process or examine an object.
• Survey the audience.
• Pause to let the audience members read something to themselves.
• Divide the audience into small groups to discuss an issue.

12.18 Improving the Design and Content of PowerPoint Slides

Your Task. Identify ways to improve the design and content of the three slides presented in Figure 12.12. Classify your comments
under the following categories: (a) color choices, (b) font choice including style and point size, (c) 6-x-6 rule, (d) listings in parallel
grammatical form, (e) consistent capitalization and punctuation, and (f ) graphics and images. Identify what needs to be improved
and exactly how you would improve it. For example, if you identify category (d) as an area needing improvement, your answer would
include a revision of the listing. When you finish, your instructor may show you a revised set of slides.

Figure 12.12 PowerPoint Slides Needing Revision

Webcasting Basics Voice Quality During Webcast

• Inexpensive way to hold conferences and • The Three Ps are

meetings
• Presenter broadcasts via one of many critical
Webcast platforms available today. Pacing
• Participants access meeting from anywhere Pausing
via Internet connection and free software.
• Capabilities include live Q&A sessions and Passion
live polls of audience members.
• Those who missed the event can access
stored presentations when convenient

Webcasting Pointers

• To engage audience early on, tell

personal stories.
• Standing while webcasting adds energy to
your voice.
• Remember, smiles are audible.
© Cengage Learning 2013

• Change slides frequently.

• Prepare a brief summary conclusion to
follow Q&A session.

Chapter 12 Business Presentations 397

Video Resources
Video Library 1: Building Workplace Skills
Effective On-the-Job Oral Presentations
Watch this video to see how businesspeople apply a writing process in developing a persuasive oral presentation.

Grammar/Mechanics Checkup—12
Capitalization
Review Sections 3.01–3.16 in the Grammar/Mechanics Handbook. Then study each of the following statements. Draw three underlines
below any letter that should be capitalized. Draw a slash (/) through any capital letter that you wish to change to lowercase. Indicate
in the space provided the number of changes you made in each sentence, and record the number of the G/M principle(s) illustrated. If
you made no changes, write 0. When you finish, compare your responses with those provided at the back of the book. If your responses
differ, study carefully the principles in parentheses.

5(3.01) Example The consumer product safety act was revised specifically to ensure the safety of
–– – ––
Children’s toys. –

1. Employees of bank of america had to evacuate their Headquarters in suite 200 after the scottsdale
fire department units arrived.
2. Americans are reluctant to travel to europe because of the weak dollar; however, more british and
french citizens are traveling to the United States, according to Maurice Dubois, Vice President at
Hilton hotels.
3. Once the Management Team and the Union members finally agreed, mayor Faria signed the
Agreement.
4. The boston marathon is an annual sporting event hosted by the city of boston on patriot’s day.
5. Luis was disappointed when he learned that the university of new mexico eliminated italian from
its curriculum; now he must take history, geography, and political science classes to learn about
italy.
6. The most popular sites on the internet are those operated by google, facebook, and youtube.
7. According to a Federal Government report issued in january, any regulation of State and County
banking must receive local approval.
8. The position of director of research must be filled before summer.
9. The Vice President of MegaTech Industries reported to the President that the securities and
exchange commission was beginning an investigation of their Company.
10. My Uncle, who lives near surfrider beach in malibu, says that the Moon and Stars are especially
brilliant on cool, clear nights.
11. Our marketing director met with Adrienne Hall, Manager of our advertising media department,
to plan an Adwords campaign for google.
12. During the Fall our Faculty Advisor explored new exchange and semester-abroad opportunities
in asia, australia, and china.
13. Last february my Father and I headed south to visit the summer waves water park located on
jekyll island in georgia.
14. On page 6 of my report, you will find a list of all instructors in our business division with Master’s
degrees.
15. Please consult figure 5.1 in chapter 5 of the book analysis of population growth for the latest U.S.
census bureau figures regarding non-english-speaking residents.

398 Chapter 12 Business Presentations

Editing Challenge—12
As the employee with the best communication skills, you are frequently asked to edit messages. The following outline of a presenta­
tion, written by your office manager, has problems with capitalization, grammar, punctuation, spelling, proofreading, number expres­
sion, and other writing techniques you have studied. He may need to submit this to management, and he asks you to clean it up.
You may (a) use standard proofreading marks (see Appendix B) to correct the errors here or (b) download the document from www
.cengagebrain.com and revise at your computer.
Your instructor may ask you to use the Track Changes feature in Word to show your editing comments. Turn on Track Changes on the
Review tab. Click Show Markup. Place your cursor at an error, click New Comment, and key your edit in the bubble box provided. Study
the guidelines in the Grammar/Mechanics Handbook as well as the lists of Confusing Words and Frequently Misspelled Words to sharpen
your skills.

© Cengage Learning 2013

Chapter 12 Business Presentations 399

 Collaboration

Communication Workshop
Techniques for Taking Part in Effective and
Professional Team Presentations
You may have to join a team that will prepare and deliver an oral presentation. This can happen in
the classroom and on the job. If you have been part of any team before, you also know that such
projects can be very frustrating—particularly when some team members don’t carry their weight
or when members cannot resolve conflict. On the other hand, team projects can be harmonious
and productive when members establish ground rules and follow these steps:
• Prepare to work together. First, you should (a) compare schedules of team members in order
to set up the best meetings times, (b) plan to meet often, and (c) discuss how you will deal
with team members who are not contributing to the project.
• Plan the presentation. Your team will need to agree on (a) the specific purpose of the presen­
tation, (b) your audience, (c) the length of the presentation, (d) the types of visuals to include,
and (e) the basic structure and content of the presentation.
• Make assignments. Once you decide what your presentation will cover, give each team
member a written assignment that details his or her responsibilities for researching content,
producing visuals, developing handouts, building transitions between segments, and show­
ing up for team meetings and rehearsals.
• Collect information. To gather or generate information, teams can brainstorm together, con­
duct interviews, or search the Web for information. The team should decide on deadlines for
collecting information and should discuss how to ensure the accuracy and currency of the
information collected. Team members should exchange periodic progress reports on how
their research is coming along.
• Organize and develop the presentation. Once your team has gathered all research, start
working on the presentation. Determine the organization of the presentation, compose a
draft in writing, and prepare PowerPoint slides and other visual aids. The team should meet
often to discuss the presentation and to decide which team member will be responsible for
delivering what parts of the presentation. Be sure each member builds a transition to the next
presenter’s topic and launches it smoothly. Strive for logical connections between segments.
• Edit, rehearse, and evaluate. Before you deliver the presentation, rehearse several times as a
team. Make sure that transitions from speaker to speaker are smooth. For example, you might
say, Now that I have discussed how to prepare for the meeting, Ashley is going to discuss how to
get the meeting started. Decide who will be responsible for advancing slides during the presen­
tation. Practice fielding questions if you plan to have a question-and-answer session. Decide
how you are going to dress to look professional and competent. Run a spell-check and proof­
read your PowerPoint slides to ensure that the design, format, and vocabulary are consistent.
• Deliver the presentation. Show up on time for your presentation and wear appropriate
attire. Deliver your part of the presentation with professionalism and enthusiasm. Remember
that your audience is judging the team on its performance, not the individuals. Do what you
can to make your team shine!

Career Application. Your boss named you to a team that is to produce an organizational five-
year plan for your company. You know this assignment will end with an oral presentation to
management and stockholders. Your first reaction is dismay. You have been on teams before in
the classroom, and you know how frustrating they can be. However, you want to give your best,
and you resolve to contribute positively to this team effort.
Your Task. In small groups or with the entire class, discuss effective collaboration. How can one
contribute positively to a team? How should teams deal with members who aren’t contributing
or who have negative attitudes? What should team members do to ensure that the final presenta­
tion is professional and well coordinated?

400 Chapter 12 Business Presentations

Endnotes
1
Hooey, B. (2005). Speaking for success! Speaking success. Retrieved from Toastmasters International Web site http://members.shaw
.ca/toasted/speaking_succes.htm
2
Korn, M. (2010, December 3). Wanted: Good speaking skills. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from Hire Education blog at
http://blogs.wsj.com/hire-education/2010/12/03/wanted-good-speaking-skills
3
Barrington, L., Casner-Lotto, J., & Wright, M. (2008, May). Are they really ready to work? The Conference Board. Retrieved from
http://www.conference-board.org/pdf_free/BED-06-Workforce.pdf
4
Vlessing, E. (2010, September 23). What Netflix CEO hopes U.S. won’t notice. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved from http://www
.hollywoodreporter.com/news/what-netflix-ceo-hopes-us-28218
5
Dr. John J. Medina quoted in Reynolds, G. (2010). Presentation Zen design. Berkeley, CA: New Riders, p. 97.
6
Pope, J. (2007, August 5). Business school requires PowerPoint. Oakland Tribune, p. 1. Retrieved from http://proquest.umi.com
7
Journalist Tad Simons arguing against Ian Parker’s The New Yorker article: Simons, T. (2001, July). When was the last time PowerPoint
made you sing? Presentations, p. 6. Retrieved from http://www.presentations.com; Parker, I. (2001, May 28). Absolute PowerPoint:
Can a software package edit our thoughts? The New Yorker. Retrieved from http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2001/05/28
/010528fa_fact_parker; see also Tufte, E. R. (2006). The cognitive style of PowerPoint: Pitching out corrupts within. Cheshire, CT:
Graphics Press.
8
Atkinson, C. (2008). Beyond bullet points (2nd ed.). Redmond, WA: Microsoft Press.
9
Reynolds, G. (2008). Presentation Zen. Berkeley, CA: New Riders, p. 220. See also Reynolds, G. (2010). Presentation Zen design.
Berkeley, CA: New Riders.
10
Booher, D. (2003). Speak with confidence: Powerful presentations that inform, inspire, and persuade. New York: McGraw-Hill
Professional, p. 126. See also http://www.indezine.com/ideas/prescolors.html
11
Bates, S. (2005). Speak like a CEO: Secrets for commanding attention and getting results. New York: McGraw-Hill Professional, p. 113.
12
Sommerville, J. (n. d.). The seven deadly sins of PowerPoint Presentations. About.com: Entrepreneurs. Retrieved from
http://entrepreneurs.about.com/cs/marketing/a/7sinsofppt.htm
13
Gallo, C. (2010). The presentation secrets of Steve Jobs: How to be insanely great in front of any audience. New York: McGraw-Hill,
p. 194; Burrows, P., Grover, R., & Green, H. (2006, February 6). Steve Jobs’ magic kingdom. BusinessWeek, p. 62. Retrieved from
http://www.businessweek.com
14
Kupsh, J. (2011, January 21). Presentation delivery guidelines to remember. Training. Retrieved from http://www.trainingmag.com
/article/presentation-delivery-guidelines-remember
15
PowerPoint pre-show checklist. (n.d.). TLC Creative Services. Retrieved from http://www.tlccreative.com/images/tutorials
/PreShowChecklist.pdf
16
Ellwood, J. (2004, August 4). Less PowerPoint, more powerful points, The Times (London), p. 6.
17
Boeri, R. J. (2002, March). Fear of flying? Or the mail? Try the Web conferencing cure. Emedia Magazine, p. 49.
18
Booher, D. (2003). Speak with confidence. New York: McGraw-Hill, p. 14.
19
Ibid., p. 106.
20
Ibid., p. 9.
21
Reynolds, G. (2008). Presentation Zen. Berkeley, CA: New Riders, pp. 64ff.
22
Based on Brennan, M. (2010, December 22). America’s most bed bug-infested cities. Forbes. Retrieved from http://www.forbes
.com/2010/12/22/worst-cities-bed-bugs-real-estate-personal-finance.html

Acknowledgments
p. 366 Office Insider cited in Dlugan, A. (2008, April 10). 10 ways your presentation skills generate career promotions. Six Minutes.
Retrieved from http://sixminutes.dlugan.com/2008/04/10/career-promotions-presentation-skills
p. 368 Office Insider cited in Booher, D. (2003). On speaking. Quotes by Dianna Booher. Booher Consultants. Retrieved from
http://www.booher.com/quotes.html#speaking
p. 377 Office Insider cited in Paradi, D. (2004). PowerPoint sucks! No it doesn’t!! Think Outside The Slide. Retrieved from http://www
.thinkoutsidetheslide.com/articles/powerpointnotsucks.htm
p. 385 Office Insider cited in Kupsh, J. (2010, November 4). 15 guidelines to effective presentations. Training. Retrieved from
http://www.trainingmag.com/article/15-guidelines-effective-presentations
p. 389 Office Insider cited in Booher, D. (2003). On speaking. Quotes by Dianna Booher. Booher Consultants. Retrieved from
http://www.booher.com/quotes.html#speaking
p. 384 Photo Essay (Is PowerPoint the Enemy?) based on Bumiller, E. (2010, April 26). We have met the enemy and he is PowerPoint.
The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com; Hammes, T. X. (2009, July). Essay: Dumb-dumb bullets. Armed Forces
Journal. Retrieved from http://armedforcesjournal.com/2009/07/4061641; Burke, C. (2009, July 24). The TX Hammes PowerPoint
challenge (essay contest). Small Wars Journal. Retrieved from http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/2009/07/draft-draft-draftpowerpoint-1

Chapter 12 Business Presentations 401