Presentations Professional and Business Writing in the Workplace

Presentations

Professional and Business Writing in the

Workplace

Today’s Presenter

Adelheid L. J. Thieme 1994: Ph. D. English Literature

(Arizona State University)

1976: M. A. English, French

(University of Münster, Germany)

1995-present: Instructor at Arizona State University:

• Business Writing, Writing for Professions

• Creative Non-fiction, Composition

2000-present: corporate training, editing, business writing for local

chapter of non-profit organization

Today’s Topics

1. Analyzing the situation2. Selecting the right media3. Outlining the presentation4. Creating effective slides5. Preparing to speak

Analyzing the situation

Consider your audience:o Previous knowledgeo Goalso Reasons for listeningo Attitude to speakero Familiarity with vocabularyo Cultural background

Analyzing the Situation (cont.)

Consider specific circumstances of the presentation:

o Audience sizeo Presentation locationo Environmento Equipment

Selecting the Right MediaVisual Benefits Limitations

Electronic Slides

• Easy to edit/update• Can be modified by sound, video, animation, photos• Can be used in online meetings/ webcasts• Can be distributed via e-mail

• Can require complex equipment• Entails risk of hard- ware/software failure• Makes it easy for novices to create poor slides

Overheads • inexpensive to create• can be written on during presentation

• impossible to edit once printed• limited to static displays

Selecting the right media (cont.)

Visual Benefits Limitations

Whiteboards

• Can record points made during meeting• New electronic boards can capture information and print or distribute via e-mail

• Have a low-tech appearance• Old boards fail to capture the information written on them

Flipcharts • Great for recording comments and questions• Inexpensive and 100% dependable

• Have a very low-tech appearance

Outlining the Presentation

A. Introduction

1. Title of presentation2. Today’s presenter (introduction, establishing

credibility)3. Purpose of presentation4. Advance Organizer5. Program details (e.g. breaks, wireless connections,

handout information)

Outlining the Presentation (cont.)

B. Body of presentation

1. Discussion of main points 2. Transitions to connect main ideas 3. Illustration of ideas with visual aids 4. Using clear, vivid language

C. Close

1. Restatement of main ideas 2. Ending on a strong note (encouraging or memorable remarks, quote, call to action)

Creating Effective Slides

Results of behavioral research

o Visuals can improve learning by 400% (humans process visuals faster than text)

o 83% of what we learn derives from what we see, 11% from what we hear

Creating Effective Slides (cont.)

A. Selecting design elements observing the

principles of1. Visibility 2. Legibility3. Simplicity4. Clarity5. Correctness

B. Writing readable content1. Limiting text2. Writing lists


Is this text the same size?

Is this text easy to read?








Using color effectively

o Grabs viewers’ attentiono Emphasizes important ideaso Increases willingness to reado Improves retentiono Stimulates emotions

Visibility


Sufficient Contrast

Insufficient Contrast


Color Emotional Associations

Best Uses

Neutral, pure, wise Font color for business presentations with dark background

Peaceful, soothing, cool, trusting

Background for business communication; safe and conservative

Warm, bright, cheerful, enthusiastic

Text bullets and headings with dark background

Passionate, dangerous, active, painful

Promote action or stimulate audience, seldom used as background

Assertive, prosperous, relaxed, envious

Highlight and accent color


Colors have different meanings

in different cultures

U.S./Europe: mourning

China: trust,

high quality

U.S./Europe: purity,

cleanliness

Japan: mourning

U.S./Europe: danger, warning

China: good luck, fortune


o Avoid script or decorative font.o Limit fonts to one or two per slide. (e.g. one for headings, one for slide text)o Avoid italicized type because it is difficult to

read.o Avoid all CAPITALIZED words and phrases.o Allow sufficient space between lines of text.


Why New Businesses Fail____________________________• Management incompetence• Inadequate financing• Poor planning• Unrealistic goals• Uncontrolled growth

Why New Businesses Fail

____________________________

• Management incompetence• Inadequate financing• Poor planning• Unrealistic goals• Uncontrolled growth

Times New Roman font, Serif Ariel font, Sans Serif

Legibility


Making Teamwork Work

o Choose functional artwork

o Use matching colorso Select quiet background o Avoid gimmicks

Respect your teammates

Agree to compromise

Value different perspectives

Simplicity


oTitle (40 - 44 point in bold, centered )

o Heading ( 24 - 28 point heading in bold, left aligned)

o Text (no smaller than 20 point regular)

Consistent use of point size to indicate level:

Clarity


Correctness

Product Strategies, The Big 5

1. Identify high potential market segments

2. Protect share through flawless execution

3. Innovate through knew technology

4. Strive for total customer expereince

5. Refine based on customer feed back

Find 5 errors in the slide below

1.Product Strategies: The Big 5 (Use colon before subtitle.)

2.high-potential market segment(Use hyphen to signal that the adjectives “high” and “potential” together qualify the following noun.)

3.knew (“new” is opposite of old; “knew” is past tense of “know.”)

4.experience5.feedback (one word)

Corrections


Limit text by choosing appropriate graphics

o Table: numerical data with several variables o Bar graph: relative values of two or more itemso Line graph: changes of quantity of item over timeo Pie chart: relative size of parts of a wholeo Organization chart: lines of authority and responsibility in

organization


Benefits of graphics:

o Increase retention of information (People remember 43% more if document includes graphics)

o Communicate logical, numerical, and spatial information more effectively than words alone

o Can facilitate comprehension for international audiences

o Save space

90 percent of the U.S. population aged 18 to 34 watches movies on a VCR or DVD player. They watch an average of 2.88 movies a week. Among 35- to 49-year-olds, the percentage is 82, and the average number of movies is 2.19. Among the 50- to 64-year-old age group, the percentage is 67, and the number of movies watched averages 2.5. Finally, among people 65 years old or older, the percentage is 48, and the average number of movies watched weekly is 2.71.

Age % watching movies Movies watched per week

18-34 90 2.86

35-49 82 2.19

50-64 67 2.50

65+ 48 2.71

Text version: bulky

Table: concise


What is Supply-Chain Management

Developing long-term partnerships among channel members working together to create a distribution system that reduces inefficiencies, costs, and redundancies while creating a competitive advantage and satisfying customers.

What is Supply-Chain

Management

• Partnering with channel members

• Reducing channel inefficiencies

• Creating a competitive advantage

• Satisfying customers

Inefficient paragraph style

Efficient bulleted phrases

Creating effective slides (cont.)

Limit text by writing listso All lists need to be introduced o Items in a list should be parallel (same grammatical

pattern, e.g. nouns, verbs, adjectives)

Example #1:

The board of directors met to discuss the revised annual budget. To keep expenses in line with declining sales, the directors voted to

Cut everyone’s salary by 10% Close the employee cafeteria

Reduce travel expenses

Introductory part of list(no punctuation)

Creating effective slides (cont.)

Example #2:

The decline in company profit is attributable to four factors:

Slower holiday sales Increased transportation and fuel costs Higher employee wages Slower inventory turnover

If introductory part of list is a complete sentence (use a colon)

Exercise: Convert text to list

Owning your own business has many advantages. One is the ease of establishment. Another advantage is the satisfaction of working for yourself. As a sole proprietor, you also have the advantage of privacy because you do not have to reveal your information or plans to anyone.

Text Converted to List

Owning your own business has three advantages:

Ease of establishment

Satisfaction of working for yourself

Privacy of information

Owning your own business has many advantages. One is the ease of establishment. Another advantage is the satisfaction of working for yourself. As a sole proprietor, you also have the advantage of privacy because you do not have to reveal your information or plans to anyone.

Preparing to Speak

Techniques for overcoming anxiety

o Practice, practice, practice.o Think positively and visualize your success.o Concentrate on audience and message, not yourself.o Maintain friendly eye contact with audience members.

Preparing to Speak (cont.)

Be aware of five aspects of vocalizing

o Volume (observe acoustics of room)o Speed (vary tempo to keep listeners engaged)o Pitch (use natural pitch)o Articulation (speak clearly and distinctly)o Non-fluencies (avoid fillers such as you know, like, okay,

right, uh, um)

Preparing to Speak (cont.)

Use body language effectively

o Maintain eye contact.o Use natural gestures.o Be aware that gestures have cultural meanings.o Avoid mannerisms (e.g. jiggling coins in pocket).o Stand off to side of the screen to avoid blocking view.o Control the audience’s attention (e.g. coordinate spoken

text and visuals).

Characteristics of Successful Presentations

o Excellent audience awareness (background, knowledge, attitude)

o Clear and logical structure (introduction, body, close)

o Carefully designed visual materials (visibility, legibility, simplicity, clarity, correctness)

o Positive personal characteristics (confidence, sincerity, enthusiasm)

Documents

Presentations Professional and Business Writing in the Workplace