LESSON 2: Oral Communication

1. Define extempore delivery in oral presentations.
   Answer: Extempore delivery involves speaking from a prepared outline or notes, with the exact wording chosen at the moment of speaking, allowing for a natural and flexible presentation.
2. List the four modes of delivery for oral presentations.
   Answer: The four modes are extempore, impromptu, memorization, and reading from a manuscript.
3. What are the two main categories of oral presentations in a professional environment?
   Answer: The two main categories are informative speaking and persuasive speaking.
4. What is the primary goal of persuasive speaking?
   Answer: The primary goal of persuasive speaking is to influence the audience’s thoughts, beliefs, or actions.
5. Name one characteristic of a formal oral report.
   Answer: A formal oral report is usually prepared well in advance and is well-rehearsed.
6. What is an impromptu speech?
   Answer: An impromptu speech is delivered without any advance preparation or notes, as a spontaneous reaction to the topic at hand.
7. Identify one major drawback of delivering a speech by reading from a manuscript.
   Answer: A major drawback is that the speaker communicates with the text instead of the audience, often losing expressiveness and engaging body language.
8. What are two factors to consider regarding personal appearance during a presentation?
   Answer: Two factors are dressing appropriately for the occasion and paying significant attention to personal grooming.

1. Explain the key difference between formal and informal oral reports.
   Answer: Formal reports are prepared in advance, well-rehearsed, and delivered in a structured manner to larger audiences, while informal reports are characterized by small-group settings, high audience interaction, and a relaxed delivery style.
2. Explain why memorization is not a highly recommended method of speech delivery.
   Answer: Memorization is risky because the speaker can forget their place, leave something out, or panic, potentially leading to a disjointed presentation or a reversion to a less effective impromptu style.
3. How does audience interaction differ between written documents and oral presentations?
   Answer: Written documents offer no direct audience interaction, while oral presentations allow for a high level of immediate audience interaction and feedback.
4. Why is knowledge of the audience crucial when preparing an oral presentation?
   Answer: Knowing the audience’s pre-existing knowledge, age, educational level, and interests allows the presenter to tailor the content, language, and examples to ensure the presentation is relevant and understandable.
5. Explain the importance of eye contact during an oral presentation.
   Answer: Eye contact helps to engage the audience, build credibility, and maintain a connection, making listeners feel involved rather than ignored.
6. Compare the use of voice in oral presentations to the use of text in written documents.
   Answer: In oral presentations, the voice (including pace, pitch, and volume) is a primary tool for conveying meaning and emphasis, whereas in written documents, this role is filled by textual elements like syntax, diction, and formatting.
7. How can a speaker effectively use pacing in their delivery?
   Answer: A speaker can use pacing by deliberately pausing at key points to emphasize important ideas and by maintaining a steady, rehearsed speed to avoid rushing and ensure clarity.
8. Describe one strategy for effectively using visual aids in a presentation.
   Answer: One strategy is to keep slides simple with a minimum of information, using large fonts and limiting words to a maximum of 10 per slide to prevent the audience from reading instead of listening.
9. Why is it important to rehearse a presentation?
   Answer: Rehearsal builds confidence, helps the speaker master the timing and flow of the content, and allows for refinement of both the material and the delivery style.
10. You have been asked to give a 10-minute update on your project at a departmental meeting. Which delivery method would be most effective, and why?
    Answer: The extempore method would be most effective, as it would allow for a well-planned and structured presentation that sounds natural and engaging, while still keeping to the time limit.
11. During your presentation, you notice audience members looking confused. What should you do, based on the delivery guidelines?
    Answer: I should pause and ask if there are any questions or if I need to clarify the last point, demonstrating responsiveness to the audience’s body language and ensuring understanding.
12. You are preparing a persuasive speech to convince management to fund a new initiative. What is one specific goal of persuasive speaking you should aim for?
    Answer: I should aim to motivate management to act by approving the funding request, which aligns with the persuasive goal of motivating an audience to act.
13. You are using a PowerPoint presentation in a well-lit room. What is one specific action you should take regarding your visual aids?
    Answer: I should ensure the colors on my slides have high contrast (e.g., avoid yellow on white) and that the font size is large enough to be read from the back of the room, or request that some lights be dimmed.
14. A colleague’s presentation is riddled with “um” and “ah” and he keeps pacing nervously. Which aspect of delivery does he need to improve, and what is one practical suggestion from the lesson?
    Answer: He needs to improve his poise and enthusiasm. A practical suggestion is to practice more to build muscular control and confidence, and to consciously replace filler words with deliberate pauses.
15. You have 30 minutes to present a complex technical report. How would you structure your presentation using the “tell them” formula?
    Answer: I would start by greeting the audience and telling them I will cover the report’s objectives, key findings, and recommendations. I would then present those three sections, and finally, conclude by summarizing what I had just told them.
16. Analyze the following visual aid instruction: “Use a diagram from a technical report in your talk.” Is this advisable? Why or why not?
    Answer: This is not advisable. Diagrams from technical reports are often too detailed and complex to be easily read and understood by an audience during a live presentation, potentially causing confusion.
17. You are scheduled to speak in a large auditorium. Based on guidelines for using your voice, what should you do to ensure you are heard and understood?
    Answer: I should pitch my voice towards the back of the audience, speak clearly and deliberately (not too fast), and avoid mumbling to ensure everyone can hear and understand me.