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1 5.280 Communication for Managers
Fall 2008
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Minto Pyramid: Organizing Your Ideas
Oral Presentations: Part One

Agenda
ƒ Minto Pyramid: Organizing Your Ideas
ƒ Keys to Effective Presentations
ƒ Craigstone Corporation: Team Exercise
ƒ Coming Attractions

Minto Pyramid: Organizing Your Ideas
Recommending Strategy
Adopt New Strategy
Why?
Argument 1 Argument 2 Argument 3
Why?
Evidence Evidence Evidence Evidence Evidence Evidence

Minto Pyramid: Organizing Your Ideas
Recommending Change
Change
Why?
How?
Strategy 1 Strategy 2
Argument
1
Argument
3
Evidence Evidence
Strategy 3

Minto Pyramid: Organizing Your Ideas
Recommending Strategy X
Adopt Strategy X
Over Y and Z
Why?
X fulfills
Criterion 2
X fulfills
Criterion 3
X excels on
Criterion 1
Why?
Evidence Evidence Evidence Evidence

Keys to Effective Presentations
1 Strategy
2 Structure
3 Delivery
4 Visual Aids

Keys to Effective Presentations
Purpose
1
Strategy:
Analyze the
Situation
Audience
Credibility
Cultural Context

Keys to Effective Presentations
2
Structure:
Organize the
Presentation
Indirect Structure
ƒ Start with question and end with recommendation
ƒ More typical in academic and technical settings
Direct Structure
ƒ Start with recommendation, support it, then reiterate it
ƒ More typical in business settings and to managerial audiences

Keys to Effective Presentations
3
Delivery:
Convey
Your
Message
Vocal Channel
Nonverbal Channel

Keys to Effective Presentations
3
Delivery:
Convey
Your
Message
Vocal Channel:
How You Sound
ƒ
Strive for natural variation in tone, pitch, rate
ƒ
Use pauses for emphasis
ƒ
Convey enthusiasm
ƒ
Avoid filler words

Keys to Effective Presentations
3
Delivery:
Convey
Your
Message
Nonverbal Channel:
How You Look
ƒ
Project confidence and knowledge
ƒ
Connect with the audience
ƒ
Leverage nonverbal tools
9
Posture and stance
9
Gestures
9
Movement
9
Facial expressions
9
Eye contact

Keys to Effective Presentations
4
Visual Aids:
Enhance
Your
Presentation
Visual Aids Can Help
ƒ
Clarify structure
ƒ
Emphasize important ideas
ƒ
Illustrate relationships or objects visually
ƒ
Enhance and maintain interest

Keys to Effective Presentations
4
Visual Aids:
Enhance your
Presentation
Visual Aids:
Checklist For Use
ƒ
Check equipment and room in advance
ƒ
Have alternatives in case of equipment failure
ƒ
Avoid blocking audience's view
ƒ
Interact with visuals effectively
ƒ
Focus on your audience, not the visuals

Keys to Effective Presentations
4
Visual Aids:
Enhance your
Presentation
Visual Aids:
Important Design
Considerations
ƒ
Maintain consistent and simple template
ƒ
Keep uncluttered and readable
ƒ
Title appropriately
ƒ
Limit use of color
ƒ
Avoid distortion of special effects

Coming Attractions
15.311 Organizational
Processes
15.280 Communication for Managers
15.277 Special Seminar in Communication
ƒ Social Psychology
ƒ TEAM DAY
ƒ LEC 4: Oral Presentations: Part Two
Visual aids; Handling Q&A; Giving and
Receiving Feedback
ƒ DUE in class LEC 4: Visual Aids exercise
ƒ Giving and Receiving Feedback
ƒ Structuring an Impromptu