Oral presentations are vital in the modern age. Why would academics, who could read journals and books by the click of a button travel long distances to hear a speaker in a conference? Why would learners who have textbooks, syllabus, and the course outline get out of their bed to attend lectures? Why would business organizers orally present reports faxed to them in all the branches? Why would the government read out the budget, when it will be published in all articles, magazine, and newspapers in the country? Therefore, oral presentation is a critical and essential form of communication. Hence, the strategies used to convey an oral presentation are also profoundly important because it determines how the message will be communicated to the audience. Speaking is not writing or reading. Therefore, the speaker has some ethical responsibility. The moral responsibilities of the speaker include:
Pacing
The speaker must present material at an appropriate listening rate because the listener cannot press rewind if he/she did not understand or take note of an important point. Taking note of the nervousness that comes with standing in front of a group of people in a formal situation, speed of speech becomes faster. Hence, a conscious effort must be made by the speaker to control the speed of his/her speech.
Attention
Attention is a key element in the process of oral presentation. Therefore, the listener must be actively engaged in order to understand. Nevertheless, because speaking and listening are simultaneous, the speaker needs to be more dramatic in order to hold the audience attention. In addition, provide the audience with cues the writer does not have to consider for example opening and closing signal.
Signpost
Just as a written text has a lay out code, headings, paragraph to indicate the beginning of a new topic so is an oral presentation but a bit different. An oral presentation has nonverbal signals that include, voice and gestures. The speaker should use the signpost to give important signals and emphasize a point.
Information load
The speaker should limit and select essential material for which he/she is presenting. It was an argument that more information and details are absorbed via listening compared to reading, but this is not the case. The listener with one opportunity to listen to the message should not be overloaded with information that he/she will end up forgetting within some few hours. In addition to this, the overload information may drain the main thrust of the presentation. Hence, the speaker needs to present valuable and limited information in a proper way.
Non- content elements
Non-content elements involve speaker rapport with the audience, body language of the speaker, the speakers’ voice, his/her general appearance and grooming. The listeners are influenced by both negativity and positivity; therefore, the attention of the audience is significantly affected by the non-content element. A good example of the impact of non-content on oral presentation is looking back at our former teachers or previous speakers, and the different impact their message had and the role of non-content elements. Many of the criticism lie on the non-content element for example “he mumbled the whole lecturer”. Therefore, the speaker should ensure that the non-content element is up to standards, and he/she can relate with the audience.
Audience
The size and the makeup of the group have an influence on the style of presentation. The bigger the group, the more formal the presentation but if the group is small, the performance can take both formal and informal form. Moreover, the audience is present it makes it possible to create rapport and get feedback while maintaining eye contact. If the speaker is dealing with a large group, he/she could consider using visual aids, microphone because the larger the crowd the fast the attention span wavers. Hence, the speaker should communicate with the audience, and invite the audience to exchange their ideas.
The speaker should use first person perspective, include everyday language and use contractions. In addition, he/she must consider his/her sentences length and use less of passive construction.
Attention span
The speaker must take steps of holding the listeners attention by use of voice variation, voice intonation, facial expression, humor. The speaker has the first 20 minutes to make an impression on the audience, so he/she must creative and interesting, especially when dealing with large crowds. Considerations on the topic needs to be relevant and tailored to meet the needs of the audience. As a result, the speaker should be audience-centered.
Language
The language used by the speaker is very important. Slowing down speech is not the only solution but also the speaker should consider the use of proper English. He/she should avoid the use of slang or idiom that the audience is unlikely to understand. Similarly, the speaker should avoid overly complex construction of sentences and use simple sentence, which are familiar and concrete.
Additional points
In reporting research, the speakers should just outline the essential. In addition, grouping like things together when presenting, makes things easier. Consequently, listing is another way of streamlining ideas. Lastly, the speaker can repeat points to give the audience a chance to take points. Hence, it is important to stop at various points and take a recap.
Conclusion
Oral presentation is a critical and essential form of communication. The speaker must present material at an appropriate listening rate because the listener cannot press rewind if he/she did not understand or take note of an important point. Moreover, the speaker should limit and select essential material for which he/she is presenting. Therefore, for an oral presentation to be effective, the strategies used to convey an oral presentation are also profoundly important.
