Presenting & evaluating: oral presentations (MR, unit 11)

Structure:

1. Introduction (establishes credibility & rapport, get interest, give overview of shape)
   
2. Explanation of research methodology
3. Key findings
4. Conclusions/recommendations (clarifies & draws together into one main idea, states what you expect audience to do, reinforce recall to make main message memorable)
   
5. Questions

AUDIENCE
Their motivations & expectations:

• Need specific info. Motivated therefore better for speaker. Find out what they want and why?
• Interested in topic. Hold their attention by satisfying desire for relevant information. Do they have prior knowledge? Balance not boring them with assuming too much.
• Required to be there 'a captive audience' (compulsory or recommended by supervisor). Got to stimulate motivation and interest or can create resistance. Less likely to listen attentively or cooperatively.
• Expect to be entertained. Use of humour to illustrate. View as rest or recreation. Ensure you don't fulfil expectations at expense of primary objectives. May be possible to arouse more motivated interest.

Message must be: interesting (relevant to needs), congenial (supportive or helpful), credible, accessible (audible, visible, understandable)

PHYSICAL PREPARATION - consider physical factors that will affect audience's concentration
Listening conditions, freedom from interruption, heating and lighting, seating, audibility, visibility, seating layout (formal enhances speaker's credibility, informal is more congenial and encourages involvement), time (build in breathers if long using repetition, summary, Q&A breaks, time in day), speaker's appearance

CONTENT

• Prioritise - select key points and storyline. fewer points results in clearer direction.
• Structure - make notes that illustrate the logical order of your key points
• Outline - flesh out with supporting evidence, examples, notes where visual aids will be used
• Practise - rehearse and gauge length
• Cue - small cards with key words, reminder when to use visual aids, full text of any detailed info

CLARITY

• Cues clarify logical order, helping the audience to follow.
• Signal logical links with linking words or phrases, set out framework, use examples, anecdotes, questions (rhetorical or requiring audience to answer), explanation, description, definition, facts/stats to prove point
• NB. Importance of vocabulary and style

ADDING EMPHASIS - repetition, rhetorical questions, quotation, statistical evidence, exaggeration

ADDING INTEREST - analogies & metaphors, anecdotes, curiosity or surprise, humour (use cautiously)

CONTROLLING NERVES - reduce stage fright by preparing thoroughly, keeping notes to hand

NON-VERBAL MESSAGES - Look confident and relaxed, purposeful and dynamic movements, relevant gestures to reinforce, eye-contact (involve all)

VISUAL AIDS

• Film/video - realism, impact but can't interrupt or speed up to meet audience needs
• Presentation software - multimedia impact, professional design, can emphasise and link but risk of technical problems, often over-used and over complex "DEATH BY POWERPOINT"
  
• Flip charts - low-cost, low-risk, allows use during session but smaller, less impact, interrupt
• Handouts - audience doesn't need to take as many notes but no notes can mean passive listening
• Demonstrations - enhances credibility and impact but risk of hitches

Should not distract. Will impose practical requirements.
Must be: appropriate, easy to see
show each image long enough to be absorbed
maintain voice and eye contact
hand out supporting materials either well before or at relevant point (may distract)

HANDLING QUESTIONS

• Give opportunity to clarify any misunderstanding or gaps, or address doubts which you may not have anticipated
• Manner you field questions is crucial to credibility
• Anticipate them and have prepared answers

Why people ask? seek additional info, clarify, add information of their own, lead discussion into another area, display their knowledge, undermine your authority

Answering them... seek feedback throughout talk to check message getting across. Keep Q&As to end to prevent disruption. If question based on false premise, correct it. If rambling, interrupt and clarify it. If hostile, show understanding then reinforce your view. Admit your limitations with honesty. Repeat any that may not have been audible to everyone. Answer briefly. Keep time limit.

Presenting & evaluating: presenting findings (MR, unit 11)

Tables, bar charts, line graphs, pie charts, flow diagrams, pictograms, product positioning maps

TABLES

• Easier to understand large amounts of data, simple way of presenting numerical information.
• Must be clearly labelled, numbers should be right aligned with comma for 1,000s. If appropriate need subtotals and right-hand total column for comparison. Total figure at the bottom of each column).
• Usually better to have long thin table as easier to read across short lines but it's easier to compare across rows than down columns (so sometimes longer is more appropriate).
• Two-dimensional (rows & columns), can only show two variables

LINE GRAPHS

• Usually used to illustrate trends over time. Conventional to show time on the horizontal axis.
• Can show multiple variables or trends by using different colours of symbols at the plotted points.
• Important to consider vertical axis scale, should be just large enough to tell with reasonable accuracy.

BAR CHARTS
Common, each bar represents different item, height differs. Vertical or horizontal presentation possible.

• Vertical - if showing trends over time
• Horizontal - if showing differences at a single point in time (e.g. figures at end 2005)

PIE CHARTS - shows relative size of things that make up a total.
Most effective where number of slices small enough for easy analysis.

FLOW CHARTS (AND OTHERS) - present information that involves a series of steps or relationships between items.

• Consistency (flow: yes downwards, no to right). Connecting lines minimal and never cross. Labels brief.

Organisation chart
Pictogram: data represented by picture. Often used on TV as simple and appealing. Not appropriate if need to give precise figures.

PRODUCT POSITIONING MAPS

• Really form of scatter diagram.
• Two key product attributes (e.g. speed & size) taken and competing products graded to fit in between.

Presenting & evaluating information (MR, unit 11)

AUDIENCE THINKING SEQUENCE

a) Respect the client's importance (don't waste their time)
b) Consider the client's needs (need to make a marketing decision)
c) Demonstrate how your information helps the client (relate findings to original objectives)
d) Explain detail that underpins your information (why should findings be believed)
e) Remind client of key points
f) Suggest what client should do now (variety of options, give recommendations)
(Wilson 2002)

Important to communicate impartially: assumptions and recommendations should be clearly signposted, points should not be overweighted, facts and findings should be balanced against each other, firm conclusion should be reached, if possible.

Recognise needs and abilities of the audience: beware of jargon, keep sentence structures simple, use level of detail relevant to purpose, note range of audience (junior operational to lay, non-executive director)

RESEARCH REPORTS
Relative importance of points should be signalled by headings, each point should be numbered, should be easy on the eye with different font sizes, bold, italics and spacing.

SECTION A 1. HEADING 1.1 Sub-point 1.1.1 Sub-sub-points

Structure

1. Title page (with contact info)
2. List of contents (major headings & sub)
3. Executive summary (summarise findings)
4. Introduction/problem definition (similar to objectives set out in research brief & proposal)
5. Research method and limitations (similar to approach in proposal)
6. Research findings (main body)
7. Conclusions (implications of the findings with reference to initial problem)
8. Supporting appendices (questionnaire used, tables of figures, list secondary sources)