Chapter No. 15 : Public Writing

 

 

Chapter No. 15

                      Public Writing

 

Defining "public writing:"

The definition of public writing is what it sounds like; writing for the public. So that could be anything from an advertisement to a public speech. A speech that the President delivers could be public writing. An advertisement for Colgate could be public writing. Public writing is a message that someone expresses through writing and is revealed publicly. It's writing that the author wants the public to see or hear so it's done on purpose. It's writing that's done for a reason. In order to gain a large public audience (which is probably ideal for the public writing author), the message may have to appeal to large amount races, religions, ethnic groups, and both genders. Public writing must be clear, concise, and simple to a certain degree.

Before incorporating a "public writing" assignment into a course, it is important to be clear about what is meant by "public." 

§  Is the word "public" understood in terms of audience for or in terms of the purpose of the writing?

§  Is the goal to create assignments that will help students write for a broader audience than the classrooms, a sort of "real-world" audience"? To perhaps have students located writing in a public space of sorts?

§  Is the goal to expose students to "written discourse that attempts to engage an audience of local, regional, or national groups or individuals in order to bring about progressive societal change”?

§  Is public perhaps a substitute for "digital" writing (in so far as writing on the web is "public," i.e. seen and read by others)?

Ultimately, how one defines public writing should be reflected not only in the assignment's design, but also in the ways the assignment is articulated to students. However, if it is understood, to draw from Weisser, as writing for change, then we will want to do the following with our students: 

·         examine how examples of public writing are influenced by the context in which they emerged;

·         reflect on how social inequalities shape public writing.

·         consider the multiplicity of the "public" in public writing.

·         reflect on the definitions of "public" and "private." (Weisser, 2004).

Our definitions of public writing interlink with our goals for a writing assignment. If your definition of public writing is writing for change, then your definition is closer to Weisser's. This type of writing occurs both on and off the web but always for a public audience. If your definition of writing is writing professionally, then your definition will center on public writing as web-based writing, and it will be concerned with how the form and style match the content and appeal to the audience. And then if your goal is to teach students to express themselves (including expressing their opinions on academic topics) and to find their voice in the classroom, then their writing will include expressive elements as well as academic elements.

Goals of public writing

The reason for writing any plan is to provide a map of where we are, where we want to be in the future and how we are going to get there. This simple aim can sometimes be obscured by the sheer breadth of a Municipal Public Health and Wellbeing Plan (MPHWP), as well as time pressures and political or organizational considerations.

Writing measurable objectives means stating what council will do in a way that allows a reader to tell whether it has succeeded. The more measurable the objectives are, the more likely they are contributing directly to long term goals.

This tip sheet is designed to assist heath planners to write objectives that provide clear guidance to business units responsible for implementing the plan and clear information to partners and community audiences.

 

What are objectives?

For the purposes of this tip sheet objectives are statements that explain how plan goals will be achieved. When considering health and wellbeing, plan goals are broad statements related to improving health and wellbeing status, through changes in mortality and morbidity, disability, quality of life and equity. These are statements about long-term benefits.

Consequently, the goal of improved health and wellbeing status is achieved through a range of objectives that increase awareness and change behaviors; influence public policy and organizational practice; deliver more effective services; and create healthier environments. The actions taken to reach these objectives are called strategies.

The language of planning can vary widely between councils so that objectives in some cases might be termed ‘goals’, ‘strategic priorities’ or ‘key result areas’ and so on.

It is not necessary to use the same terms to use this tip sheet, but you will need to identify what level your statements relate to.

How can we check our objectives?

A good way to test your objectives is to use the SMART technique. SMART statements have the following characteristics.

S       specific: it indicates clear action on a determinant, population group and setting.

M      measurable: it includes features that will help you tell whether it has succeeded.

A       attainable: it can be realistically achieved on time and within available resources.

R       relevant: it is a logical way to achieve your goals.

T        time-framed: it indicates a timeframe for action.

 

Public audience

Target audience

 If PR stands for public relations, it stands to reason that a vital part of PR is determining who your public is – that is, your target audience. PR is a targeted approach to getting your business’ messages in front of the people you want to see them, and clearly a defined target audience is a key tool for achieving this. Your target audience comes down to who you are speaking to – the people most likely to be interested in what your business offers. Understanding your target audience is about determining who might be looking for your product or service. PR is most effective when it is focused on one area. If your get PR coverage in all major media, most people won’t be listening. A better tactic is to be seen regularly in the media that is read by your relevant audience. Chances are, your business has key messages that are integrated into your marketing materials. Those key messages were written with a specific customer in mind. When you start working with a PR agency or doing your own PR, it’s a good idea to specifically determine who your target audience is. That way, PR professionals will be able to target their efforts for maximum results. In order to define your target audience, focus on three elements:

 1. Type of profession or person: Often, you will be able to determine your target audience based on their profession or industry. However, sometimes this doesn’t apply, and you might separate by geography, interests or age.

2. Associations: This is important because associations reach the public directly through magazines that they produce and events that they run. PR professionals will use these tools to get your brand in front of your target audience.

3. Media: PR professionals will apply their knowledge of the media landscape to your business needs. They will work with you to develop a media list that reflects how your target audience gathers information, whether it is online, in print, on radio or television.

 For example, if you sell farming equipment, your targeted people/professions would be farmers and people living in regional outskirts with larger properties, and a relevant association would be the NSW Farmers’ Federation. Your target media might be rural and regional newspapers, community radio stations, regional television stations and industry magazines such as Farm Weekly. Clearly defining your target audience when you begin PR activities will help you get the best results because your efforts will be targeted to the people who are most likely to respond positively. So take the time at the beginning, and your efforts will really pay off.

Public writing tasks

Lots of freelance writers pay their bills by writing documents for the general public: brochures about health problems, consumer surveys, and instructions for assembling machines and appliances, and voting information, to name just a few. To those who haven't tried it, these jobs may sound easy, but this is not the case. In order to write for the general public, the writer has to master both the subject matter and the art of producing easy-to-read text.

Text for the general public has to be easy-to-read because it is a very diverse group; think of how many different races, classes, religions, languages, cultures, lifestyles, and educational levels we have in Canada and the US. One of the most important differences writers must consider is reading ability.

These stats about the range of reading skills among adults may surprise you:

• At least 110 million adults in the US and Canada are strong readers who can read most things they run into. Most of you reading this article belong in this group.

• At least 48 million in the US and Canada are essentially non-readers; they can't be reached with print materials in English (or French in Canada) no matter how easy-to-read they are.

• The remaining 58 million are limited skilled readers. These people can read, but not well. They can read as long as the material uses familiar vocabulary, logical organization, and an uncluttered layout. These are the folks writers for the general public tend to overlook. Despite the Fat Man's sinister motives, his advice bears repeating: plain speaking and plain writing are in short supply.

Making a good match

The goal for any writer is to make a good match with the needs, interests, and reading abilities of the audience. To illustrate what I mean, think about any computer manual or tax guide you've tried to read. You probably found them hard going, and the reason was not your reading skills. You had a hard time because you do not have the same specialized knowledge, vocabulary, logic, and life and work experiences as the authors of these documents. In other words, you and your background did not make a good match with the text.

People writing for the general public often make the same mistake that writers of computer manuals and tax guides do. They forget that their background knowledge, experience, education, and cultural background are not universal. They assume -- incorrectly -- that we are all just "ordinary" folk who know the same things and speak in the same way, and live our lives in similar ways. Of course, they are very wrong.

Plain speaking

Here are two pieces of nutritional advice. The first one is taken from a published brochure for the general public. Read them both, and think about what kind of audience each one would be most appropriate for.

A. Populations like ours with diets high in total calories, saturated fats and cholesterol have a greater risk of developing coronary heart disease and increased blood cholesterol levels. It is sensible and prudent to reduce your daily consumption of fat from all sources. This suggestion is especially appropriate for individuals who have other cardiovascular risk factors such as family history of premature heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes.

B. People who eat a lot of fat are more likely to have heart disease and high cholesterol. If you want to prevent these problems, cut down on the amount of fat you eat. This is very important if you have heart disease, high blood pressure, or diabetes in your family.

Which one would you rather read?

Which one would health professionals rather read?

Which one would be more readable and accessible?

Which one makes a better match with the general public?

Here are two more examples:

A. Strict and vigilant compliance with the safety regulations will ensure the continued health and safety of all concerned.

B. Obey the safety regulations, and keep everyone safe.

Which one would work better in the employee newsletter?

Which one would you prefer to read?

What to do?

If I'm convincing you that there is a gap between lots of text written for the general public and the reading abilities of the general public, then we have two ways to address the problem: teach people to read, or write more readable text.

Solution One: Teach everyone to read.

One obvious answer to the literacy problem in North America is to teach people to read well. Although everyone deserves this opportunity, and literacy programs deserve secure funding and community support, adults do not learn to read well overnight. Literacy classes are long-term solutions, and they are not the answer to the gap in accessible information for the general public.

Solution Two: Produce easy-to-read text.

Instead of waiting for those who are not strong readers to "catch up", it makes much more sense to start right now to produce more readable information. This information would reach more people, including seniors and immigrants, and it would give a great many disadvantaged people greater access to the information they deserve.

How to produce easy-to-read text

The key to writing readable text is to focus on your audience. The more you know about them -- their interests, their needs and their abilities -- the more you will be able to select and organize your ideas in a clear and logical way.

Here are some simple guidelines for producing easy-to-read text:

• Purpose: State why your audience should know this information. Think in terms of need-to-know," asking yourself if your goal is, for example, to provide information, or to offer comfort, or to ask for support, or -- in terms of political campaign material -- all three. For example, if you are writing for people who have just discovered they are HIV positive, is their interest going to be how HIV is transmitted or how the virus replicates in the body, or is it going to be their fears about how long they are going to live? Or, another example: if people want information about how to test their drinking water, do they need to know the history of their local water company, or, as I saw in one such pamphlet, a history lesson about the aqueducts in ancient Rome? Keep yourself focussed by asking yourself what you want your readers to be able to do with the information you are giving them.
• Context: Explain things in a familiar context, linking the information to familiar things in your audience's life. Being sensitive to cultural differences within your audience is hard, as you can't include references to every cultural group. However, you can refrain from making every family you depict the mommy-daddy-and-two-kids kind, or having everyone able to afford five servings of fruit and vegetables a day, or having everyone belong to a church, or portraying every woman as white, glamorous, and thin.
• Logic: Choose a straightforward logical system. When in doubt, go chronological. In case your readers are not going to read the whole text, put the main ideas first. 
• Manageable Units: break the information into pieces, such as numbered steps or directions. Provide headers that capture the main point and make things easier to follow.
• Summary: summarize the information, and repeat the most important points at the end.
• Style: use a familiar, conversational style, sounding like one friend talking to another. Use the active voice as much as is possible and sensible. Use a friendly, not a bossy or paternalistic, tone, and make few of your sentences longer than two clauses. Aim to sound like normal speech, and check this by reading it aloud and listening to how it sounds. 
• Vocabulary: use familiar, everyday words that are sensitive and relevant to your audience's cultural, economic, and educational background. If you need to use new words (including jargon) or new concepts, explain them using familiar words.
• Human interest: be sure to connect the information to your audience's daily life. Of course, this is hard when writing for a large audience, but writing in the second person, as in both examples "B" above, goes a long way towards making a text personal. 
• Design: layout and design can make or break the readability of a piece, so be sure yours is as uncluttered and easy to follow as possible. Type sizes and styles should be familiar and uncomplicated with no Old English or strange decorative fonts. Don't use a point size less than 12, especially for seniors, and use easy-on-the-eye paper and ink colors. Keep Italics and underlining to a minimum, and keep the text uncrowned with lots of white space.
• Illustrations: choose clear, simple illustrations, and place them carefully in the text. Don't expect people to read text superimposed over an illustration. Choose illustrations that are sensitive and relevant to your audience's cultural, economic and educational backgrounds.

One last thought: many people think easy-to-read text should test out at Grade 6 or Grade 8 or even Grade 10, and they depend on their word processing programs for "proof" that they've achieved their goal. Even if experts could agree on which grade level to aim for, grade levels are of little value because the current tools used to measure grade levels do not adequately measure readability. Word processing programs only measure two of the many factors involved in readability -- word length and sentence length -- and omit vital factors such as context, style, human interest, organization, and layout.

Types of Public Audience:

 

Almost every article or web page related to public speaking and the sorts will tell you to keep your audience in mind before preparing a speech and that will take your speech to the next level and yet the irony remains! Our audiences are the least of our worries!

There will always be a certain set of audiences that are sure to be present in at least one of your presentations (there also might be a mix bag of all of them). If you understand the character and the temperament of the audience it will become very easy for you to handle situations.

 

Neutral Audience

These will be the kind of people who are directly or indirectly interested or don’t want to invest in your idea. Let’s say that these people are on the fence, i.e. neither here or there about the idea that you are trying to sell. You need to be extremely careful not to offend these audiences and still get them to invest in your idea or philosophy.

Hostile Audience

These are the people who are in strong disagreement with your idea. Don’t panic! Not everybody in the world will want to agree with or listen to you; therefore, you need to come up with a common ground, a starting point to relate to your audience. Try to think of reasons why they don’t agree with your view point, play the devil’s advocate with yourself and ask yourself what you might be leaving out. Always consider why people are not agreeing with your point of view.

Uninformed Audience

These are people who are unfamiliar with the topic of discussion at hand. You as the speaker need to provide them with everything they need to know about the topic. Here you need to figure out how much information to provide them depending upon their level of knowledge about the topic. Be cautious of not bogging down the audience with too much information. Pick and choose the key points that will help your audience wrap their head around the topic without being mentally exhausted.

Expert Audience

The audience here is already intangent with what you are telling them so the biggest mistake you can do is to give them a background of the topic. The people that you are catering to have all the required information, therefore, you need to tread a cautious path while delivering that speech giving the audience something new that they are uninformed about.

Business Audience

Time is money for this audience and they don’t have the patience to sit through your story telling, therefore, keep it short. You need to be polite and concise, brevity is an absolute vital. Make sure they understand that you are talking about them and not yourself, especially if it is something that they wouldn’t want to hear.

The key to a successful presentation is never to think that your audience is over informed or under-educated!

Understanding your audience:

An important part of any public engagement work is to think about the people you want to engage with. A common answer to this question is the 'public' – but who are the public and how can you ensure that you engage with them effectively?

Whether you are interested in disseminating your research findings, or working in partnership with community groups to collect data you will need to consider ways to ensure your planned activity is appropriate and relevant to the target audience so they can effectively contribute to your research.

Often people talk about engaging with the public. However, the 'public' is everyone: your family and friends, your line manager, a school pupil, potential future funders or members of your local community. It is often helpful to break this down into different types based on categories such as age, gender, ethnicity, location and interests. 

Examples include: 

• Schools and colleges (primary, secondary and further education)
• Families and children
• Young people (aged 18-25)
• Adults
• Local communities, community groups
• Business and industry
• Government and policy makers

Types of public writing

Have you ever noticed how some stories sound completely different from others? There are many different types of writing out there, all with different aims and meanings. By knowing the different types of writing you will start to recognize them in everything you read. This helps you understand the meanings of the things you read and why they were written. There are five main types of writing: expository, descriptive, narrative persuasive and creative. There are many other subtypes that fall under these titles but it's easiest to starts here. Expository writing is where the author intends to inform, explain, describe or define their subject to you. This is the most common type of writing you will find in text books and online. As the author is mostly trying to tell you all about the subject, their opinions are left out leaving you with facts and figures instead of trying to defend or support an opinion. An example of expository writing is "How-to" articles, where the author is explaining how to build or do something yourself.

·

 

Descriptive writing uses a lot of great visual words to help you see the person, place or thing they are writing about. The writing can be poetic at times, and explain things in great detail. When you are reading descriptive writing you feel as if you are there or can actually picture in your mind what they are describing. Metaphors, similes and symbols are often used in descriptive writing.

Narrative writing is very common in novels, poetry and biographies. The author puts themselves in their characters shoes and writes as if they were that person. They tell life stories and involve plots and storylines. Narrative is fun to read because you can replace the author with yourself and it will seem as if the story is happening to you.

Persuasive writing takes on the opinion of the writer or issue the writer is writing for. This is considered biased material and is most often found in advertising. You know all of those commercials you see on television? Behind all the talk and messages is a persuasive writer. Always make sure you do background research when reading this type of material, as every story has two sides!

Creative writing is perhaps the most fun type of writing. Anything you think up in your head can be turned into creative writing. Creative writing is often thought provoking, entertaining and more interesting to read than say persuasive writing is. Short stories, poetry, novels and plays often fall into the creative writing category. It doesn't necessarily need to follow any line of facts, just as long as it's interesting to read.

Now that you know the main different types of writing you can try some of your own. Even jotting down a few sentences for each topic will help you better understand what they entail. Read all different types of writing so that you have a broad knowledge of them and can point them out within the first few sentences. Happy reading!

 

Public Flyer

A flyer or flier, also called a circular, handbill or leaflet, is a form of paper advertisement intended for wide distribution and typically posted or distributed in a public place or through the mail.

Flyers may be used by individuals, businesses, or organizations to:

·         Advertise an event such as a music concert, nightclub appearance, festival, or political rally

·         Promote a good or service, such as a restaurant or nightclub.

·         Persuade or send a social, religious, or political message, as in evangelism or political campaign activities on behalf of a political partyor candidate. Flyers have been used in armed conflict: for example, airborne leaflet propaganda has been a tactic of psychological warfare.

·         Recruit members

Like postcards, pamphlets and small posters, flyers are a low-cost form of mass marketing or communication. There are many different flyer formats. Some examples are:

·         A4 (roughly letterhead size)

·         A5 (roughly half letterhead size)

·         DL (compliments slip size)

·         A6 (postcard size)

 

Common Sense was a pamphlet that was distributed preceding the American Revolution

Flyers are inexpensive to produce. Their widespread use intensified with the spread of desktop publishing systems. In recent years, the production of flyers through traditional printing services has been supplanted by Internet services; customers may send designs and receive final products by mail.

But flyers are not a new medium: prior to the War of American Independence some colonists were outraged with the Stamp Act (1765)and gathered together in anti-stamp act congresses. In these congresses they had to win support, and issued handbills and leaflets, pamphlets, along with other paraphernalia, to do so.

Today, some jurisdictions have laws or ordinances banning or restricting leafleting or flyering, and owners of private property may put up signs saying "Post No Bills"; this occurs particularly on wooden fences surrounding building sites or vacant lots.

Distribution and use

Flyers are handed out on the street (a practice known as flyering or leafleting), posted on bulletin boards, or given away at events. Bulletin boards are found on college campuses, in cafés, community meeting houses, Laundromats and small markets.

Cheap to produce, contemporary flyers are frequently produced in 300 g/m² glossy card, whereas a leaflet might be produced on a 130 g/m²–170 g/m² weight paper and can be a very effective form of direct marketing.

San Francisco has a long history of flyering. The first flyer company was The Thumbtack Bugle, which has been around for over twenty-five years.^{[citation needed]} Haight Street is very popular for posting on telephone poles.^{[citation needed]} Flyers have become an integral aspect to the Edinburgh Fringe, where flyers are handed to people on the Royal Mile.^{[citation needed]}

More recently, there is also the process of sending flyers through email, a tactic that businesses and event promoters may choose to use to avoid spending money on paper and other resources required for printing. The flyer may be embedded into the body of the email or added as an attachment to be opened.

 

TECHNICAL REPORTS: Flyers, Brochures and Manuals | How to Design Brochures

Flyers

Ø  also rightly known as a leaflet or a handbill

Ø   best for small scale marketing

Ø   handed out or hung in public places • cheap way to get info out to a large number of people

Purpose of the Flyer

·         Announcements of events, especially concerts or club openings.

·         Product info, such as specs for a new car

·          Fact sheets handed out at trade shows or conferences.

Brochures  

§  also known as pamphlets and are more expensive to print

§  created to be kept and referred to again and again (opposite of flyers)

§   Kinds of Folds – Bifold – Trifold

Purpose of the Brochure

§  To follow up after an initial sales contact.

§   To give more-detailed information than a flyer.

§   Brochures are used in direct mail campaigns as the follow-up to a postcard that was mailed out to generate interest.

Manuals

o   also commonly known as user guide or user’s guide

o    a technical communication document intended to give assistance to people using a particular system.

o   most commonly associated with electronic goods, computer hardware and software.

Purpose of the Manual

o   to provide information.

o    to give someone instructions on how to do something.

CREATE A PLAN Throwing a brochure together without a plan can result in type, images, and a layout without a consistent tone. Your plan needs to include thinking through how you will be using your brochure and who your audience will be. You may decide to tailor your design to a specific event or product, or you may need a more versatile design that can be used as a direct mailing, a handout, and as a response to inquiries. Whatever your purpose, your brochure needs to be designed with a specific audience in mind so that everything - the information, the layout, even the size and fold type - appeals to their specific needs, desires, and general taste.

CHOOSE YOUR FORMAT Format choices for your brochure printing include size, paper type, folding, and possibly the coating. Choose a size and fold that will allow you to include all of your information while also remaining practical for the purpose of your brochure. For instance, a big size is definitely more noticeable but may not be practical for mailing purposes. A tri-fold is great for a direct mail brochure but not the best fold choice when you need an open spread presentation.

CHOOSE A PAPER TYPE that is durable yet still fold-able. Keep in mind that a heavier paper type makes your company seem more professional to clients. Some paper types can only handle a glossy coating, but others allow for a matte. Gloss makes your colours and images more brilliant while a matte coating provides a softer look, so if available choose the one that matches the image you are creating.

GATHER YOUR CONTENT. Write your copy in a consistent voice, use language that is easy to read, and create short sentences. Your headline should be both interesting and informative so that readers want to find out more. Don't forget the all important call to action and contact information in a noticeable yet appropriate location in your brochure.

USE PHOTOGRAPHS that reinforce your message. Graphics include artwork, your company logo, charts, and graphs. Make sure that all of your images are at 300 dpi for a crisp appearance when printed. An order form or response card should be perforated for easy removal. These forms work best when they are mailable as is - no need to place in an envelope - so include a space for a stamp and your address.

LAYOUT THE CONTENT: Of course, different brochure formats differ in their layouts, but there are some general layout tips to follow for any brochure type. The first is to break up long paragraphs of text into bullet points and use boxes (not too many) for setting apart extra/important information. Make your margins slightly off-center to avoid an amateurish look, and use white space to create a natural flow from section to section. Use headers and sub headers to make your brochure easy to skim over since most readers don't have the time or patience to read long blocks of text.

SEND TO PRINT. To get professional results, you need a professional printer. Be sure to choose an online printing company that has experience with brochure printing and that can also offer the custom options and services you need. Before sending in your file, contact your printer to find out their file format, file versions, and other file preferences.

 

Letter to the editor

Letters to the editor of your local newspaper are a great way to build public interest around an issue. Writing about pending legislation is one important way to get the attention of elected officials. Letters to the editor are fairly easy to get published if you follow the tips listed below.

Tips for writing your letter

 

Consider how to send your letter

Many newspapers prefer to have letters to the editor e-mailed to them. By e-mailing, the staff can cut and paste the text rather than retyping your letter. Some papers have a separate e-mail account for letters to the editor, call or look on the newspaper’s website to confirm where you should send the letter. NEVER include attachments in e-mails to the media. Many newspapers have a policy of deleting all mail with attachments. Instead, include your letter in the text of the e-mail.

You may also fax or mail your letter.

Include contact information

 Newspapers follow up with people who submit letters to the editor before printing the letters (to verify the identity of the author). Be sure to include your full name, address, and daytime phone number when submitting your letter.

Keep it brief

 Most papers have a policy of only printing letters that are 200-300 words long. Try to focus on one major point in your letter. If you attempt to tackle too many issues in a single letter your main point may be diluted or confused.

Make it timely

 Newspapers are most likely to print a letter that refers or responds to an issue that has been in the news lately, especially if it has appeared in their paper. If you are not responding to such an issue, try to find a way to relate your letter to a recent news topic to make it appear timely and relevant.

Back it up

 Provide brief, logical arguments why you are supporting a certain position on an issue.

Try to include specific facts and personal anecdotes whenever possible. If you can tell a story about how the issue you are writing about will affect you or your family, be sure to include that information. The more personal your letter, the more likely it is to impact the reader.

Make it local

 Local newspapers typically focus on news and letters that will affect their readership. The more you can show that your issue will have a local impact, the more likely it is that the paper will print your letter.

Follow up

Call the newspaper and inquire about whether they received your letter and if they are considering publishing the letter. If they say that they are not interested, be sure to ask why and, if possible, make any suggested changes to your letter and re-submit the piece.

Pass it on

 Send a copy of your letter to your state representative and senator and to the OEC.

It is very helpful for the OEC to keep track of which letters are being written across the state. Also give copies of your letter to friends and family and ask them to use it as a sample from which to write their own letters.

 

Oral presentation

 

 Oral presentations are one of the most common assignments in college courses. Scholars, professionals, and students in all fields desire to disseminate the new knowledge they produce, and this is often accomplished by delivering oral presentations in class, at conferences, in public lectures, or in company meetings. Therefore, learning to deliver effective presentations is a necessary skill to master both for college and further endeavors.

Oral presentations typically involve three important steps: 1) planning, 2) practicing, and 3) presenting.

1. Planning

Oral presentations require a good deal of planning. Scholars estimate that approximately 50% of all mistakes in an oral presentation actually occur in the planning stage (or rather, lack of a planning stage).

Make sure to address the following issues:

 

 Audience:

·         Focus your presentation on the audience. Your presentation is not about how much you can say, but about how much your audience can understand.

·         Organize your information into three to five points/categories. Audiences can only easily remember a maximum of three to five points.

·          Build repetition. Listening is much different than reading. Your audience cannot go back and read over something they missed or did not understand. Build repetition through internal summaries, transitions, analogies, and stories.

 

 

 Introduction:

o   Introduce yourself if needed, providing your affiliation and/or credibility.

o   Create an effective opening that will interest your audience: pose a question, give an amazing fact, or tell a short, interesting story.

o   Reveal your topic to the audience and explain why it is important for them to learn about.

o   Give a brief outline of the major points you will cover in your presentation.

 

Main Body:

§  Explain your points. Give clear explanations. Provide sufficient evidence to be convincing.

§  Use transitions between sections of your presentation (introduction, body, and conclusion) as well as between points in your main body section. The Writing Studio’s handout on Roadmaps provides a great explanation of how to create clear signals and “signposts” that will guide the audience through your presentation.

§  Use analogies and stories to explain complicated ideas and to build repetition.

 

Conclusion:

·         Signal your conclusion with a transition.

·         Summarize your points.

·          Refer to future action if needed.

·          End with, “Thank You.”

·         If answering questions, tell your audience, “I’ll now be happy to answer any questions.”

 

2. Practicing

Practicing your presentation is essential. It is at this stage of the process that you figure out word and phrase emphasis and the timing of your sections and overall presentation.

§  Record your presentation and review it in order to know how you sound and appear to your audience. You may notice that you are pausing awkwardly, talking too fast, or using distracting gestures.

§  Consider using different colored highlighters to remind yourself when to pause, when to emphasize a particular point, when you have a slide change on your PowerPoint, etc.

§  Practice in front of peers and elicit feedback. Ask your peers to comment on your delivery and content. What aspects of your delivery work well to convey the information and argument of the presentation, and what aspects of your delivery are not working as well as they could? Also, are there moments in your presentation in which your peers become confused, bored, or distracted?

§  Remember that the more you practice, the more comfortable you will become with the material. As a result of repeated practice, you will appear far more polished and professional while delivering your presentation.

3. Presenting

·         As the person in charge of the situation when presenting, it is your job to make your audience feel comfortable and engaged with both you and the material of the presentation. Maintain eye contact: Only look at notes or slides very briefly. Sweep the room with your gaze, pausing briefly on various people.

·         be aware of your body posture.

·          be enthusiastic about your topic.

·         Smile.

·         Slow down your speech. We naturally talk faster when we are nervous. Include pauses to allow your listeners to keep up and time for you to think ahead.  Use gestures to emphasize points and move about the space if possible.

·         Calibrate the volume of your voice so that people in the back of the room can hear you.

·         Avoid fillers, such as “Ah, uh, I mean, like, okay, um….”

·         Act as natural and relaxed as possible.

·         Dress appropriately.

·         Visual Aids - help explain your points, act as supporting evidence, and add visual interest.

·         Do not turn your back on the audience to look at the visual or block the visual with your body.

·         Provide an orientation to the visual (explain the X and Y axis, etc.).

·          Highlight what you would like the audience to focus on, and then make sure you fully explain the information you are highlighting.

·         Make your visuals readable and visually pleasing.

·         Above all, make sure your visual aids augment what you are saying rather than compete with what you are saying. Try not to include too much text or too many images in your visual aid. Your spoken words and your visual aid should work together so the audience’s attention is never divided between the two.

 

Questions and Answers – Do not underestimate the challenge of running a successful question and answer session. They are unpredictable by nature. In your planning, try to anticipate possible questions your audience might have. Follow this four-step process to successfully answer audience questions:

 

Acknowledge the question. (“Good Question!”) This polite gesture shows your interest.

·         Rephrase the question. This important step allows you to: make sure you understand the question, ensure all audience members hear the question, phrase the question into one you want to or are willing to answer, and gain time to think about your answer.

·         Answer the question as clearly and concisely as possible.

·         Check for comprehension with the questioner and your audience. (“Does that make sense? Is that clear?”)