Writing for Your Readers
Preparing Oral Reports—the Basics
CHAPTER OBJECTIVES
The objectives of this chapter are to
· Discuss the similarities between speaking and writing and
between preparing written documents and oral reports.
· Explain the necessity of analyzing the audience, the context
in which the presentation is to be given, and the goal of the
presentation, so that it will succeed.
· Explain the importance of choosing content to meet one’s
goal(s), shaping that content to appeal to the audience, and using
narrative to help keep the audience’s attention and interest.
· Present guidelines for designing the segments of the
presentation, keeping in mind that audiences do not have a chance
to “rehear” what is said.
· Discuss the importance of choosing an appropriate speaking
style and how one may need to alter that style for multicultural
audiences.
· Present techniques for enhancing an audience’s
comprehension.
· Discuss how to use visuals to enhance one’s purpose and
meaning.
· Discuss how to design and present the written paper version of
an oral presentation.
· Emphasize the importance of practicing an oral
presentation.
TEACHING STRATEGIES
Most technical writing courses have an oral-report component,
which students often wonder about. After all, this is a technical
writing class—why the speech? The oral-presentation component is
one of several good reasons why technical writing courses should be
called technical communication courses. The other reason is that
technical writers work in audio, video, and online
information-delivery media, often going far afield from the
traditional written document.
Students should know that employers are looking for evidence of
training or education not only in writing skills but in
oral-presentation skills as well. Employer surveys have repeatedly
demonstrated this.
If you consider your technical communication course as
structured to channel technical information through a variety of
audiences, situations, purposes, document types, and applications,
then channeling technical information through an alternate delivery
medium makes perfect sense. With the oral report, we explore the
principles and techniques involved in reporting technical
information over the oral-presentation channel. We practice writing
memos, letters, articles, reports; oral reports are a natural
follow-on. And all of the types of communication—oral reporting no
less than written—are essential for success in the business and
professional world.
This chapter has significantly changed from the previous
edition. The new version shifts the discussion from primarily
focusing on the oral report itself (how it should be organized,
what it should look like, and how it should be presented) to
focusing on the considerations that should shape it: audience,
context, and purpose. It then discusses how the oral report should
be designed in response to these considerations. The updated
chapter also contextualizes the oral report within technical
communication as a whole by discussing its relationship to written
documents, thus giving students a broader understanding of
communication in the professional world.
As for the timing of the oral report during the semester, you
can use it as a change of pace from intense written projects or as
a lighter assignment at the end of the semester when your students
are completing their final reports.
WORKSHOP ACTIVITIES
Here are some ideas for in-class activities to help students
learn about oral reports.
Traditional Classroom
1. Bring taped five- to eight-minute oral presentations to
class. See if you can get some audio or video recordings of oral
reports. School board and city council sessions, which are often
shown on local cable channels, may be a good source. Consider
taping your own classes and building a library of oral
presentations. When you play these tapes, ask students to listen
especially carefully for the use of narrative, for the key elements
of the introduction, for effective use of repetition in the body of
the report, for effective conclusions and use of visuals, and for
other considerations discussed in this chapter. Consider having
students fill out an evaluation form for each taped oral report
they hear.
2. Discuss giving an oral presentation of a written report. For
a group-brainstorming session, select one of the short reports in
the book, from the Companion Web Site (www.oup.com/us/houp), or
from your own collection for re-presentation as an oral report. In
the in-class planning session, apply the principles and techniques
discussed in this chapter.
3. Discuss the Gettysburg PowerPoint Presentation. The
Gettysburg PowerPoint Presentation Web site
(http://www.norvig.com/Gettysburg/) is a marvelous spoof of oral
reports! It takes one of the most famous and arguably best speeches
of all time and creates a PowerPoint version of the speech that one
might see/hear in a modern business/political setting. The spoof is
great fun because the slides follow all of the guidelines we teach
for good oral reports, yet they are clearly inferior to the
original text (which is reproduced in the speaker notes). You may
need to give a little history lesson to your classes, and whether
you show—or read—the original speech before or after the
presentation, is up to you.
Your students should readily see the humor of the presentation;
ask them why it is funny. This can be a great way to discuss the
limitations of technology. A PowerPoint presentation is hardly
appropriate in such a context—imagine if President Bush had given
such a presentation as he stood on the rubble of the World Trade
Center. Also, the standard guidelines for oral reports utterly fail
in this context—again, imagine President Bush giving an
introduction/3 main points/conclusion presentation on that
September day. Allow your students to explore the impact of
audience, context, and purpose of an oral report and to consider in
what contexts the standard guidelines just don’t apply.
Computer Classroom
1. Experiment with creating a short PowerPoint presentation, and
compare the results with a more traditional overhead projector
approach. One of the traps many speakers, both students and
professionals, fall into is the use of distractingly fancy
multimedia presentations to support a speech (refer to Activity 3
above). The fireworks on the computer screen end up being a
distraction from rather than a complement to the important
part—what the speaker has to say. Divide students into small teams,
and have some use a plain word processor to create three speech
overheads on a pre-determined topic while others use fancier media
to create the same. Then have them take turns presenting in front
of the class and critiquing each other’s work in terms of
effectiveness and ease of use.
2. Using a chat room or discussion board, anonymously discuss
oral-report experiences, public speaking fears, etc. Students may
alleviate some of their fears, at least in your course, by
expressing them and seeing that we all generally share the same
discomforts when addressing an audience. They may also have
pointers to offer each other. Small groups, of no more than four,
will work best here. Make sure to draw the end of the discussion
back to the chapter or the assignment in order to make it most
practical. You can even require students to summarize their chat
session and to share that summary with the class, emphasizing
conclusions and future applications.
3. Find a streaming video oral presentation online and critique
it. The proliferation of Web sites with multimedia components has
made this a relatively easy assignment to complete. Most major news
organizations have front-page access to audio and video files. Let
students use the oral-presentation rubric and act as an instructor
reviewing a product. This may offer valuable lessons in what to do
and not to do. Such critiques may be oral, short informal reports
(via e-mail, for example), or lengthier and more formal
reports—this choice is up to you.
ORAL PROJECTS
Many of the chapters in this instructor’s manual suggest
possibilities for oral reports. Schedule the oral report according
to your sense of how your technical writing class is progressing,
when students need a change of pace, or when they need some relief
from intense written projects. Here are some ideas for oral-report
projects.
Traditional Assignments
1. Give an oral presentation of the final report. A common place
in the semester for the oral report is during that time when
students are working on their final reports. Have them present
highlights or an overview of their written reports (which will
still be in draft stage). They shouldn’t have to gather any
information to do this assignment.
2. Give an oral presentation of the progress report. Consider
having your students give an oral presentation of their progress
reports. Their progress report can be strictly oral or it can be
both oral and written. Doing so will give everybody a chance to
compare notes and vent a little and give you, the instructor, a
chance to help or clarify things.
3. Re-present a short written document orally. Have your
students select a written report or article to re-present
orally—one that they have themselves written earlier in the
semester, one they select from some published source, or one that
you supply out of your files. Having students select from published
sources can make for a lively oral-reports week if you can trust
your students to pick interesting technical reports or articles in
their fields. Challenge them to present the technical information
in their articles in a way that educated but nonspecialist
listeners can understand. You can bill the whole unit as a
collegewide conference entitled “What’s Hot in Science and
Technology”—and charge an admission fee!
4. Present a product or process idea to senior management. As
suggested by Exercise 1 in the textbook, you can have your students
assume they are head of a development team that is attempting to
sell management on a new-product idea. Or they can assume they are
attempting to convince management to buy a new technology or adopt
a new process.
Distance Learning Assignments
1. Draft a short speech along with complementary, coordinated
presentation overheads. Even in a distance class, students can get
a feel for the preparation of oral presentations by drafting the
speech and the overheads. They simply indicate where in the speech
each visual should appear. Make sure to indicate a time constraint
and possibly technology constraints for this project. In the near
future, students may actually be able to complete the presentation
using webcams.
2. Attend any live presentation; then report on the techniques
used and critique the speaker. Much like the streaming audio/video
exercise, this will simply give the student a heightened
perspective of what being in the audience’s shoes is like.
Encourage students to share plans about who, what, and when they’ll
attend. If time and geography permit, seeing a comparison of
interpretations would be fun and could offer interesting insight
into how different audience members, even with similar purposes,
may react differently to the same speaker.
3. Find a streaming video oral presentation online and critique
it. This is the same as computer classroom Activity 3 above. See it
for more detail.
RELEVANT LINKS
· Some Tips for Making Effective Presentations
(http://www.siam.org/meetings/tips.htm)
· LJL Seminars: Using Visual Aids as Notes
(http://www.ljlseminars.com/visuals.htm)
· Rice Owl Online Writing Lab: Designing Effective Oral
Presentations (http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~riceowl/oralpres.html)
· Jeff Radel, University of Kansas Medical Center: Preparing
Effective Oral Presentations
(http://www.kumc.edu/SAH/OTEd/jradel/Preparing_talks/TalkStrt.html)
· Ethel M. Cook on Business Know-how.com: Making Business
Presentations Work
(http://www.businessknowhow.com/manage/presentation101.htm)
· David Birdsell: Presentation Graphics
(http://www.mhhe.com/socscience/comm/lucas/student/birdsell/birdsell1.htm)
· Support4Learning: Interviews and Presentations
(http://www.support4learning.org.uk/jobsearch/interviews.htm)
WORKSHEETS
You may wish to reproduce the following worksheets for use in
class or as homework.
Evaluating Visual Aid Types
Type of Aid
Pros
Cons
Graphs
Tables
Representation art
(i.e., line drawings)
Photographs
Words & phrases
Cartoons
Hardware
Think in terms of audience needs, expectations. Think in terms
of visual aid design and presentation tool.
Evaluating Visual Presentation Tools
Type of Tool
Pros
Cons
Computer
Overhead projector
Slides
Charts
Movies/videos
Chalkboards
Other
Think in terms of trouble-shooting in case your planned tool
doesn’t work.
Oral Report—Sample Assignment 1
After you’ve studied the oral-reports unit in the textbook,
prepare an oral report of your own, using the guidelines discussed
below:
· Prepare a script for a seven-minute oral report to present in
person to the class on some aspect of the topic on which you are
writing your technical report.
· Do not try to summarize your report—just hit the highlights,
the interesting or key points, and direct listeners to the written
report. Give them a sense of what the report covers, but don’t try
to provide all the details.
· Identify a realistic audience, purpose, and situation for your
oral report, and explain this briefly before your talk. (This
explanation does not count as part of the seven minutes and should
not last more than one minute.)
· Find a reliable way to rehearse your presentation, preferably
by recording and listening to yourself. Find a reliable way to
refer to your notes or outline. Avoid heads-down reading off a
script. No points off for nervousness!
· Use at least one visual in your presentation; plan to discuss
it in your talk. (Your instructor can help you prepare
transparencies.) Standards of clarity, appropriateness to audience,
grammar, usage, punctuation, and spelling apply to these visuals
just as they do to your other written work.
· Work on the substance and clarity of your technical
discussion: make sure you present detailed information and that
your explanations of technical aspects of the report are
understandable to nonspecialists.
· Plan your introduction and conclusion carefully. Include a
purpose statement and overview in your introduction; attempt to
gain some interest. Don’t just trail off into a mumble at the
end.
· Use verbal headings during the oral report to signal listeners
when you are moving from one section of your talk to the next. Make
sure your presentation is well organized and doesn’t seem to
ramble. Make sure your presentation style is clear, audible, and
understandable and that gestures and posture are under control.
As you listen to other students’ oral reports, evaluate them
using a special form that will be handed out (You get a letter
grade added to your oral report grade for listening to and
evaluating all the other oral reports.).
Oral Report—Sample Assignment 2
Read the chapter in Reporting Technical Information on oral
reports; then prepare a speech that will be a well-organized,
well-prepared, and carefully delivered presentation on a serious,
informative topic of your choice. Your speech should be no shorter
than four minutes and no longer than seven minutes.
Put your name and the title of your speech on the board before
the beginning of your speech. Other visuals can highlight key
words, diagrams, and other aspects of your speech; but be sure to
refer to your visuals as you give your speech.
For diagrams, use overhead transparencies, drawings, or posters.
You may use notes as you deliver your speech.
Avoid reading a written manuscript. Speeches read from
manuscripts will not be acceptable.
Your speech will be judged by these criteria:
· Its delivery time is between four and seven minutes.
· The speech is well prepared and well organized.
· The speaker performs but does not read the text.
· The speaker’s delivery is clear and audible.
· The speech has a careful introduction to its topic and purpose
and a careful summary and conclusion at its end.
Careful preparation and practice at home will increase your
chances of an excellent grade.
Helpful things to do:
· Use overhead projections or PowerPoint slides and
illustrations if they will make your topic clearer.
· Refer to illustrations when you discuss them.
· Use your notes as reminders, not as something to read.
Things not do to:
· Never turn your back on an audience.
· Never draw on the board during a speech. (Prepare your visuals
ahead of time.)
· Never try to speak on a topic you have not prepared
carefully.
Class members will evaluate speeches on a special evaluation
form. Each speaker will receive all of the forms about her or his
speech. Be close observers and specific but tactful critics. Your
comments will help speakers improve on future speech
performances.
When you listen to the speech presentations, listen for the
following:
Content. A good speech must have a well-defined and limited
topic, a stated purpose, and clear development. The focus of the
presentation should be the topic of the speech, not the
personality, wit, or role of the speaker. Remember, a good speaker
always puts the audience’s understanding of the topic first.
Organization. Good speeches stress organization. It’s much
harder to follow a speech than a piece of written communication. As
a result, carefully drawn introductions and closings, transitions,
and brief reviews are especially helpful for listeners.
Performance. An effective public speaker talks to an audience,
not at an audience. Look for eye contact; a steady, slow pace of
speaking; an audible, relaxed voice; and the ability to avoid
nervous mannerisms, awkward gestures, and an unsteady posture.
Speakers should never turn their backs on audiences during speech
presentations.
Visual Aids. Large, easy-to-read visual aids and well-planned
demonstrations can make a speech much more interesting and
understandable to an audience.
Evaluation Form: Oral Reports
Name
Topic/Title
Date
Interesting Title
1 2 3 4 5
Introduction
Connects with the audience; builds interest.
1 2 3 4 5
States topic and purpose.
1 2 3 4 5
States main points that will be covered.
1 2 3 4 5
Body and Conclusion
Clearly demarcates and announces each point.
1 2 3 4 5
Covers a reasonable number of points.
1 2 3 4 5
Conclusion reinforces the main points or perspective of the
report.
1 2 3 4 5
Delivery
Speaking style (volume, pitch, rate) is effective.
1 2 3 4 5
Movement and gestures are effective.
1 2 3 4 5
Has characteristics of conversation rather than written
speech.
1 2 3 4 5
Visual Aids
Provide effective support and focus.
1 2 3 4 5
Are visible, clear, simple, and controlled.
1 2 3 4 5
Are introduced and discussed.
1 2 3 4 5
Presentation Tools
Make effective use of overhead projector, flip charts,
chalkboard, charts, slides, movies or videos, computer technology
(circle one or more).
1 2 3 4 5
Rate each element, with 1 being completely ineffective and 5
being excellent.
OVERHEADS
The figures on the following pages may be reproduced as overhead
transparencies or simply shown on a computer. The following set of
discussion questions associated with each of the figures may be
used to elicit student reflections on the concepts.
Discussion Questions for Figure 19-1
· How might each of the elements listed here differ between
written documents and oral reports? How might audiences differ? The
context?
· Have you ever had to write a document, such as a report, and
then give an oral report on that document? How did you adapt the
written document for the presentation?
Discussion Questions for Figure 19-2
· Have you ever sat through a presentation that failed to keep
your attention or to meet your needs as an audience? How might the
presentation have been improved if the speaker had analyzed his/her
context this way?
· How/why do you think considering each of these things can be
vital to the success of a presentation? Can you imagine situations
in which failure to consider one/some of these might be disastrous
for the outcome of the speech?
Discussion Questions for Figures 19-3 through 19-5
· Quite often when planning presentations, student speakers only
consider the content of the presentation, ignoring the planning
stages described in these figures. What are the weaknesses that you
often see in your peers’—and your—presentations? How might
considering the things discussed in these figures help correct
those problems?
· Which of these things have you considered before when planning
presentations? Which are new considerations for you? Which do you
think will be most valuable to you as a speaker?
· Consider these guidelines in light of a multicultural or ESL
audience; which of the guidelines do you think will be most crucial
to consider in order to ensure a successful presentation for that
audience?
Discussion Questions for Figure 19-6
· Visuals can be a challenge in a presentation; what visuals
have you used or seen used that you especially appreciated?
Why?
· What visuals have you used or seen used that were especially
ineffective? Why?
· What is your biggest challenge in terms of choosing/designing
visuals for presentations?
Discussion Questions for Figures 19-7 & 19-8
· Have you ever heard a presentation read as described here? Why
was it read? Was it effective for the context? How did you respond
to it?
· Have you ever written a speech that would have to be read? How
might the guidelines in Figure 19-8 have helped you?
Discussion Questions for Figure 19-9
· Do you practice presentations before you give them? Why or why
not?
· How might practicing your presentation help you improve
it?
· Have you ever sat through a presentation that was clearly not
practiced? What were the problems? How did you react to it?
Requirements of Writers/Presenters
· Analyze your audience
· Understand the context in which the presentation will be
received
· Understand and articulate your purpose clearly
· Develop sufficient and appropriate supporting material
· Organize and arrange content so that it is easy for the
audience to follow
· Choose a speaking style suitable to your role as well as to
your audience or purpose
· Select the presentation format and visuals that will enhance
your audience’s understanding of your message
Analyzing the Context for an Oral Report
· What is the broader concern underlying the need for the
presentation?
· What primary issues underlie the presentation?
· How does your presentation relate to these issues?
· What will be happening in the organization when you make your
presentation?
· How does your presentation fit into the organizational
situation?
· If you are one of several speakers, what kinds of
presentations will the other speakers be making?
· In what surroundings will you be making the presentation?
· If your report contains confidential or proprietary
information, what can you include in your actual presentation that
will not compromise the integrity of the information?
Designing Oral Report Segments
· Choose an interesting title
· Develop the presentation around three main divisions:
· Introduction: Tell them what you are going to tell them
· Body: Tell them
· Conclusion: Tell them what you told them
· Plan the introduction carefully; it should:
· State the topic, the purpose, and the main points
· Catch the audience’s attention
· Provide any necessary background
· Motivate your audience to listen to you
· Establish your credibility, if necessary
· Design the body to help readers comprehend your ideas
· Design the conclusion to reinforce your main ideas
Choosing an Appropriate Speaking Style
1. When planning your presentation, ask the following questions
about your relationship with your audience:
· Does the audience know you?
· Is your rank in the organization above or below them?
· Are you speaking to an audience of individuals from all levels
within the organization?
· What demeanor, approach, and level of formality does the
organization usually expect from those giving oral
presentations?
· Is the audience composed of people who understand English? How
well do they understand English?
2. When giving the presentation and the audience is
uncomfortable with English, do the following:
· Speak slowly
· Avoid idiomatic language
· Choose concrete words
· Speak in relatively short sentences
3. When giving the presentation and the audience is an
international or multicultural one, do the following:
· Do research to understand how people from other cultures are
likely to interpret what you say, how you say it, how you dress,
and how you act in your dealings with them
· Change graphics and visuals as necessary, especially to use
symbols appropriately
4. When giving the presentation for any audience, do the
following:
· Avoid long, cumbersome sentences
· Avoid overuse of abstract, polysyllabic words
· Avoid overuse of jargon, unless you are sure that the audience
is familiar with specialized terms
· Use sentences that follow natural speech patterns
Techniques to Enhance Audience Comprehension
1. Clearly demarcate the beginning and end of each point and
segment of your presentation
2. Speak slowly and enthusiastically
3. Use gestures to accentuate points
4. Maintain eye contact with the audience
5. Do not memorize the presentation, and do not write your
presentation
6. Rehearse your presentation until you are comfortable
7. If possible, record your speech
8. Listen for tone, attitude, and clarity
9. If you develop a PowerPoint presentation, use a notes format
and distribute these before you begin the presentation
10. Make your slides clear but simple
11. Determine how you will handle questions
12. Prepare for questions your audience may ask, and determine
how you will answer each one
13. Keep the question and answer time moving briskly
Planning Visuals to Enhance Purpose
and Meaning
· Avoid too much information on any single slide
· Use a font size that can be easily read
· Use sans serif font
· Limit the fonts to two per visual
· Avoid all caps
· If possible, provide a copy of your slides with an area for
notes
· Avoid visuals that are too busy or complex
· Do not talk and present a slide at the same time
· Avoid talking too fast and showing too many slides
Reasons for Reading Presentations
· A presentation that discusses company policy, a sensitive
issue, or a topic that must be approved by someone in the
organization before the presentation is carefully written and read
from the approved, written manuscript to ensure accuracy
· A presentation that will be circulated or filed as
documentation may be read by a spokesperson, especially if there is
a possibility that the material may be misused by the audience
· Inexperienced speakers who must deal with a difficult problem
may be more comfortable reading from a prepared manuscript
Writing the Speech
1. Be sure that each section is clearly demarcated from other
sections
2. Limit each section and each paragraph within it to one
idea
3. Avoid excessive detail
4. Use enumeration to help your audience follow your main points
and to know when one point has ended and the next point is
beginning
5. Avoid long sentences
6. Prune every sentence to make it as concise as possible
7. Use active voice whenever possible
8. Type your presentation in a large type
9. With a marker, draw break lines
10. Underline or highlight important phrases and ideas
11. Consider using visual aids
Practicing the Presentation
1. Read each sentence aloud; rewrite those that are difficult
for you to say
2. Try to look directly at your audience and to speak important
phrases or sentences directly to the audience
3. Use overviews and topic sentences to announce each major
topic, and accompany these with pauses and looks to the
audience
4. Recast sentences and paragraphs that do not sound organized,
logical, and clear
5. Speak slowly and enunciate clearly and distinctly
6. Time the presentation to be sure that it fits within the time
limit
7. Read the speech into a recorder
