Types of Oral Presentations

BUSINESS professionals often find it necessary to make oral presentations. The purpose of most oral presentations will be either (a) to inform the audience of certain facts or (b) to persuade or  motivate the audience to accept a point of view or take a certain action. Occasionally, you may be asked to deliver a presentation designed solely to entertain. Regardless of the purpose of a  presentation, your career and your organization will benefit when you prepare and deliver it effectively.


Oral presentations in business take many forms. Depending on your position, you may be asked to address a group of employees about a new policy or a recently implemented procedure or be  asked to report to company officers on the status of the development of a new product. You might be called on to introduce a speaker, give an interview to the media, facilitate a focus group, or  present at a professional meeting. Generally, making such presentations will serve you and your organization well.

Business presentations may be formal or informal, internal or external, short or long, delivered to small groups or to large ones. The situation will help guide you in selecting a delivery style. The  four delivery styles from which you may choose are manuscript, memorized, impromptu, and extemporaneous. The features of each are described in the following paragraphs.

MANUSCRIPT

A manuscript oral presentation is written word for word and then read to the audience. Used frequently in broadcast journalism, in high-level politics, or in situations where the audience is  extremely large, this style is rare in business. Exceptions occur when precise wording is required, as during a crisis; when a speaker must give several different presentations to various audiences  within a short time frame; or when an exact record of the speech must be kept. One of the difficulties associated with this presentation style is maintaining eye contact with the audience without  losing your place in the text or being aware of audience feedback. Speakers who read their manuscripts also risk having the pages get out of order. Finally, it is very difficult to prepare a  manuscript that sounds conversational; writing usually has more complex than simple sentences. Complex sentences do not translate well into an oral format.

MEMORIZED

As the name implies, a memorized oral presentation is one in which the speaker has memorized the content verbatim. This style virtually eliminates the need for notes, but the delivery may appear  “canned.” In addition, a speaker risks forgetting parts of the presentation. Disadvantages include not being able to adapt the presentation to feedback from the audience and having the speaker’s  concentration broken by a question from the audience. Memorizing a speech typically requires a large investment of time. A better method is to memorize parts (for example, the opening and  closing) rather than the entire presentation.

IMPROMPTU

A presentation given without the benefit of time to prepare is referred to as an impromptu oral presentation. The advantages of an impromptu presentation are the natural feel of the delivery, the  large degree of eye contact, and the opportunity to respond to audience feedback. For example, in a meeting of the company’s sales force, a sales manager might be asked to say a few words  about the sales efforts of his or her staff for a particular period. There are disadvantages to this type of speaking situation, including the lack of organization, increased speaker anxiety, increased  use of verbal fillers, and the inability to prepare visual aids to support the presentation. Remaining calm and thinking quickly are keys to doing a good job in an unexpected speaking situation.

EXTEMPORANEOUS

An extemporaneous oral presentation is prepared and delivered from notes or an outline. The extemporaneous style works well in interactive small-group settings as well as in predominantly  one-way, large-group settings. It is a spontaneous, natural way to relate to an audience. It permits good eye contact, allows free movement, allows advance preparation, and enables the speaker  to respond to audience feedback