CHAPTER 12 – ORAL REPORTS
CHAPTER SYNOPSIS: This chapter shares basic principles for the preparation and
delivery of oral reports. It gives an overview of expected structural conventions: how to
set up an introduction, body, and conclusion. Since presentations often include a visual
component, this chapter offers guidelines for creating an effective PowerPoint, Prezi, or
Keynote. It includes tips for developing effective slides, while acknowledging the
drawbacks of presentation software. It also offers suggestions to help speakers prepare
well, overcome anxiety, and consider their speaking context. The chapter concludes
with thoughts on presentation delivery.
12.1 – INTRODUCTION TO ORAL PRESENTATIONS: Increasingly, employers report
that they require excellent communication skills, not just in print but also in person. Your
employer will likely call on you to deliver an oral report at some point in your career.
Whether you are an engineer or a writer, a professional or a student, a business person
or a scientist, you will need to communicate well with supervisors, colleagues, clients,
and the public. For most, this includes at least an occasional formal presentation.
Formal presentations in the workplace usually take one of three forms: 1) informational,
2) persuasive, or 3) instructional.
o Informational presentations are useful for reporting on research or giving a
project update.
o Persuasive presentations can be used to make pitches to clients or supervisors.
o Instructional or how-to presentations are formed to teach, explain, or train.
In each instance, you will have a chance to showcase your skills, often hybridizing or
combining different modes of communication based on your past training. For example,
a how-to presentation would connect your ability to write clear technical instructions with
your ability to present well. Your goal as a speak will differ based on context, but the
best presentations share certain characteristics that you will want to consider.
o In technical presentations, like most other genres of technical communication,
good visual information design is essential. (See chapter 5 on document design
for additional tips and guidelines.) Visual aids are useful for increasing audience
understanding of both the subject and the organization of a presentation.
Presenters should remember they have an array of options for visuals, from live
demonstrations and interactive activities to old fashioned white boards; however,
presentation software is the most commonly used option. Of the presentation
software choices, PowerPoint is widely used in the workplace and in educational
settings. Other software like Prezi or Google Slides are becoming more popular
and present many of the same opportunities and challenges. As you think
through your options, be aware that each choice has its strengths and
weaknesses. For example, PowerPoint can be a very effective tool for students
and professionals if used appropriately, but effective use of this tool is not as
intuitive as one would think. The following sections will help you to structure your
presentation well and to consider the pros and cons of each design choice.
12.2 – PRESENTATION STRUCTURE: A clear presentation structure is an essential
aspect of speech presentation. Similar to the academic essay and other genres of
writing, a speech has three parts: an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. Each of
these three parts includes certain patterns or rhetorical moves that the speaker should
incorporate. When structuring your presentation, it may be helpful to first draft an
outline. This method enables you to determine essential content and main points, while
, excluding information that is not strictly relevant to your big-picture goals. You have
different options to ensure that all the essentials are included; for example, you can
place your major points on slides and then illustrate with examples you have prepared.
Other options include carrying notecards or an outline to the podium, depending on the
setup. As you make these decisions, always consider who you are as a speaker, or your
unique speaking style and challenges. If your hands tend to shake a bit, it may be
helpful to hold something to steady them, but if you are concerned about the possibility
of holding multiple materials (and possibly dropping them), you can confine memory aids
to a single sheet of paper. It may be wise to carry a brief outline of some major points
with you to offset the possibility of omitting important information. This strategy also
helps to avoid losing main points in the case of a technology malfunction if you will be
referencing slides.
o INTRODUCTION: Introductions and conclusions are points of emphasis;
psychologically speaking, we tend to remember information presented first and
last more clearly than information that is buried in the middle. The first words you
say will also set the tone for the rest of your speech. There may not be any one
best way to start a speech, but the following are some helpful guidelines that will
make starting a speech much easier.
Capturing the audience’s attention and selecting an opener: Perhaps
most importantly, capture the audience’s attention as you introduce the
topic. If you do not engage the audience at the outset, it will become
more difficult to do so as you continue speaking. Starting a speech with
“Hey everybody. I’m going to talk to you today about soccer” already
sounds boring and will not engage audience members who are not soccer
fans. If your audience has deemed your speech to be boring, trying to
inform, persuade, or entertain them becomes exponentially more difficult.
Instead, consider utilizing some of the techniques suggested below.
When selecting an opener, you want to make sure that the option you
choose is appropriate and relevant to your specific audience. Different
audiences will have different backgrounds and knowledge, so you should
first determine whether specific information you plan on using would be
appropriate for them. For example, if you are giving a speech on family
units to a group of individuals over the age of 65, starting your speech
with a reference to the television show Gossip Girl may not be the best
idea because the audience may be unfamiliar with that show. Also
choose an attention-getting device appropriate for your speech topic.
Ideally, your attention-getting device should have a relevant connection to
your speech. For easy reference, here are some common devices used
as speech openers:
An anecdote or reference to current events engages an
audience with a brief account or story. Notice the emphasis here
is on the word “brief.” A common mistake speakers make when
telling an anecdote is to make it too long. The anecdote should be
short and have a clear point. For example, consider this attention
getter for a persuasive speech on frivolous lawsuits: “On January
10 of this year, Scott Anthony Gomez, Jr., and a fellow inmate
escaped from a Pueblo, Colorado, jail. During their escape
the duo attempted to rappel from the roof of the jail using a
makeshift ladder of bed sheets. During Gomez’s attempt to
scale the building, he slipped, fell forty feet, and injured his
back. Gomez then filed a lawsuit against the jail for making it
CHAPTER SYNOPSIS: This chapter shares basic principles for the preparation and
delivery of oral reports. It gives an overview of expected structural conventions: how to
set up an introduction, body, and conclusion. Since presentations often include a visual
component, this chapter offers guidelines for creating an effective PowerPoint, Prezi, or
Keynote. It includes tips for developing effective slides, while acknowledging the
drawbacks of presentation software. It also offers suggestions to help speakers prepare
well, overcome anxiety, and consider their speaking context. The chapter concludes
with thoughts on presentation delivery.
12.1 – INTRODUCTION TO ORAL PRESENTATIONS: Increasingly, employers report
that they require excellent communication skills, not just in print but also in person. Your
employer will likely call on you to deliver an oral report at some point in your career.
Whether you are an engineer or a writer, a professional or a student, a business person
or a scientist, you will need to communicate well with supervisors, colleagues, clients,
and the public. For most, this includes at least an occasional formal presentation.
Formal presentations in the workplace usually take one of three forms: 1) informational,
2) persuasive, or 3) instructional.
o Informational presentations are useful for reporting on research or giving a
project update.
o Persuasive presentations can be used to make pitches to clients or supervisors.
o Instructional or how-to presentations are formed to teach, explain, or train.
In each instance, you will have a chance to showcase your skills, often hybridizing or
combining different modes of communication based on your past training. For example,
a how-to presentation would connect your ability to write clear technical instructions with
your ability to present well. Your goal as a speak will differ based on context, but the
best presentations share certain characteristics that you will want to consider.
o In technical presentations, like most other genres of technical communication,
good visual information design is essential. (See chapter 5 on document design
for additional tips and guidelines.) Visual aids are useful for increasing audience
understanding of both the subject and the organization of a presentation.
Presenters should remember they have an array of options for visuals, from live
demonstrations and interactive activities to old fashioned white boards; however,
presentation software is the most commonly used option. Of the presentation
software choices, PowerPoint is widely used in the workplace and in educational
settings. Other software like Prezi or Google Slides are becoming more popular
and present many of the same opportunities and challenges. As you think
through your options, be aware that each choice has its strengths and
weaknesses. For example, PowerPoint can be a very effective tool for students
and professionals if used appropriately, but effective use of this tool is not as
intuitive as one would think. The following sections will help you to structure your
presentation well and to consider the pros and cons of each design choice.
12.2 – PRESENTATION STRUCTURE: A clear presentation structure is an essential
aspect of speech presentation. Similar to the academic essay and other genres of
writing, a speech has three parts: an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. Each of
these three parts includes certain patterns or rhetorical moves that the speaker should
incorporate. When structuring your presentation, it may be helpful to first draft an
outline. This method enables you to determine essential content and main points, while
, excluding information that is not strictly relevant to your big-picture goals. You have
different options to ensure that all the essentials are included; for example, you can
place your major points on slides and then illustrate with examples you have prepared.
Other options include carrying notecards or an outline to the podium, depending on the
setup. As you make these decisions, always consider who you are as a speaker, or your
unique speaking style and challenges. If your hands tend to shake a bit, it may be
helpful to hold something to steady them, but if you are concerned about the possibility
of holding multiple materials (and possibly dropping them), you can confine memory aids
to a single sheet of paper. It may be wise to carry a brief outline of some major points
with you to offset the possibility of omitting important information. This strategy also
helps to avoid losing main points in the case of a technology malfunction if you will be
referencing slides.
o INTRODUCTION: Introductions and conclusions are points of emphasis;
psychologically speaking, we tend to remember information presented first and
last more clearly than information that is buried in the middle. The first words you
say will also set the tone for the rest of your speech. There may not be any one
best way to start a speech, but the following are some helpful guidelines that will
make starting a speech much easier.
Capturing the audience’s attention and selecting an opener: Perhaps
most importantly, capture the audience’s attention as you introduce the
topic. If you do not engage the audience at the outset, it will become
more difficult to do so as you continue speaking. Starting a speech with
“Hey everybody. I’m going to talk to you today about soccer” already
sounds boring and will not engage audience members who are not soccer
fans. If your audience has deemed your speech to be boring, trying to
inform, persuade, or entertain them becomes exponentially more difficult.
Instead, consider utilizing some of the techniques suggested below.
When selecting an opener, you want to make sure that the option you
choose is appropriate and relevant to your specific audience. Different
audiences will have different backgrounds and knowledge, so you should
first determine whether specific information you plan on using would be
appropriate for them. For example, if you are giving a speech on family
units to a group of individuals over the age of 65, starting your speech
with a reference to the television show Gossip Girl may not be the best
idea because the audience may be unfamiliar with that show. Also
choose an attention-getting device appropriate for your speech topic.
Ideally, your attention-getting device should have a relevant connection to
your speech. For easy reference, here are some common devices used
as speech openers:
An anecdote or reference to current events engages an
audience with a brief account or story. Notice the emphasis here
is on the word “brief.” A common mistake speakers make when
telling an anecdote is to make it too long. The anecdote should be
short and have a clear point. For example, consider this attention
getter for a persuasive speech on frivolous lawsuits: “On January
10 of this year, Scott Anthony Gomez, Jr., and a fellow inmate
escaped from a Pueblo, Colorado, jail. During their escape
the duo attempted to rappel from the roof of the jail using a
makeshift ladder of bed sheets. During Gomez’s attempt to
scale the building, he slipped, fell forty feet, and injured his
back. Gomez then filed a lawsuit against the jail for making it
