Business Communications Chapter 12

Which of the following statements about business presentations and speaking skills is most accurate?

Effective speaking skills and career success go hand in hand

To help his listeners keep track of where he is in the presentation, Dominic has just said, Next I will discuss three plans for reducing waste. What verbal signpost is Dominic using?

Previewing

Effective speakers must be aware of their nonverbal messages. Nonverbal means

appearance, movements, and vocal qualities

Irina will make her presentation to a large audience of members whose negative attitudes range from displeased to outraged. What advice should Irina follow in preparing her presentation for this audience?

Present objective data and expert opinion in a calm, controlled delivery style.

What is the best advice for composing a PowerPoint slideshow?

Occasionally convert bullet points to diagrams, charts, and other images to make your slideshow more interesting

Your task in audience analysis is to

anticipate the audience’s reactions and adjust to its needs, if necessary

Malinda wants to be certain that her audience remains engaged during her PowerPoint presentation at today’s business meeting. What should she do?

Use a laser pointer to highlight slide items to discuss

Choose the best example of a statement of purpose for an oral presentation.

To persuade the management team to offer flexible work schedules to all executive-level employees.

When selecting and preparing your visual aids, keep in mind your goals as a speaker:

to make listeners understand, remember, and act on your ideas.

Which of the following is the best recommendation for delivering an effective oral presentation?

Use the notes method, using note cards or an outline containing key sentences and major ideas.

In her presentation on improving employee morale, Jillian makes this statement: So far, you’ve heard only about the problems we have with morale; let’s move to some solutions. Jillian has employed the verbal signpost called

switching directions

According to a major study on public speaking,

the No. 1 predictor of success and upward mobility is how much you enjoy public speaking and how effective you are at it.

Julio is designing a PowerPoint slide show that he will present in a darkened conference room. What should Julio do?

Use light text on a dark background.

The body of a short, 20-minute presentation should focus on

approximately two to four main points.

Because the presenter can create dynamic, colorful presentations that incorporate Web links, music, and video, one of the most popular visual aids is

multimedia slides.

Nearly every speaker must overcome stage fright; one of the most effective techniques to decrease stage fright is

knowing the subject thoroughly.

In an effective presentation conclusion, you will strive to accomplish three goals:

summarize the main themes, give the audience a memorable take-away, and include a statement that allows for a graceful exit.

Follow all of these guidelines to deliver your presentation effectively except

begin speaking immediately; that is, speak as soon as you are behind the lectern.

Jessica tells her audience about her five years’ experience as a social networking professional helping over 100 local businesses learn to use social networking as an effective marketing tool. Jessica is attempting to

identify herself and establish credibility.

In the conclusion of your speech, you say, I recommend developing and posting high-quality video podcasts on our Web site to recruit new employees. You are using the conclusion to

provide a final action-oriented focus.

Audience analysis issues you should consider when preparing your presentation include size, age, gender, and which of the following?

Experience, attitude, and expectations

Paul is explaining to upper-level management how converting to a four-day workweek can solve their budget woes by decreasing expenses. How will he most likely organize his presentation?

Problem/solution

Some repetition in oral presentations

is helpful because it increases audience comprehension and retention.

Presentations are given to many types of audiences. According to your text, what are the four categories of audiences?

Hostile, friendly, neutral, and uninterested

You should do all of the following in the introduction of a presentation except

develop the main points with adequate explanation and details.

Speakers build audience rapport by

forming a bond with the audience by entertaining as well as informing.

For effective presentation slides, you should apply the 6-x-6 rule to most slides. The 6-x-6 rule means that

each slide has no more than six words per line and no more than six lines.

When preparing your speech, you should

prepare a little more material than you think you will actually need.

Tyrone has just told his audience that engineering a hostile business takeover is similar to conducting guerilla warfare. He is using what technique?

Analogy

Like it or not, speakers are judged on their appearance. Which of these is the best advice on choosing your attire for a business presentation?

For everything but small, in-house presentations, dress professionally.

After determining your purpose for the presentation, what is your next important step?

Analyzing the audience

Anxiety about a presentation is normal. You can reduce your anxiety and set the groundwork for a professional performance by focusing on five areas:

preparation, organization, audience rapport, visual aids, and delivery.

Your audience analysis reveals that audience members will be friendly and interested in your topic. You should be

warm, pleasant, and open; and you should use a lot of eye contact and smiles.

All of these are good advice for nonverbal messages during a presentation except

use a variety of gestures planned and rehearsed in advance.

Which of these tips regarding the use of handouts as a visual aid is most accurate?

Handouts should be discussed during the presentation, but you should delay distribution of the handouts until your presentation is finished.

Your speech will be more effective if you have audience rapport. Rapport can be defined as

a bond connecting the speaker with the audience.

The most important part of preparing for an oral presentation is

determining the purpose.

Niccolo is nervous about his upcoming presentation. Which of these techniques will overcome his case of nerves and allow Niccolo to deliver a good presentation?

Ignore any stumbles and keep going.

Two of the most effective techniques to improve your audience’s ability to understand and remember your speech are

good organization and intentional repetition.

The best techniques to establish your credibility in a business presentation include

describing your knowledge, position, or experience.

What is the biggest problem with most oral presentations?

Failure to focus on a few principal ideas

Which of these is the most accurate description regarding the use of pauses and silence in a presentation?

Silence is preferable to meaningless fillers.

During a business presentation, an effective visual aid will

do all of these.

Connor opened his presentation to an audience of business owners with this statement: If you want to reduce employee benefit costs by at least 15 percent without hurting employee morale or impacting your work environment, please stand up right now. By asking them to stand, Connor is

capturing listeners’ attention and getting them involved.

If you have agreed to speak to an audience with which you are unfamiliar, you should

obtain the names of several audience members, and contact them to ask questions about their backgrounds, attitudes, and expectations.

Choose the most accurate statement about business presentations.

If you are like most people, you may be apprehensive about making informational or persuasive oral presentations.

After you determine your purpose and analyze your audience, your next step is to

collect information.

If you will take questions at the end of your presentation, which of these is the best advice?

Begin each answer with a repetition of the question.

Which of the following statements about preparing for an oral presentation is not accurate?

The key element in successful preparation for an oral presentation is assessing your knowledge and related technical skills.

For a smooth start to your presentation, you should prepare thoroughly, rehearse repeatedly, dress professionally, and

practice stress reduction.