Module 20

Module 20 is about giving you the skills to deliver an effective oral presentation. Most oral presentations have more than one purpose: they can be informative, persuasive, and/ or goodwill presentations.  When planning your presentation it is important to choose what kind you want to give.  You can give a monologue; where you talk without interruption, a guided discussion; where you present questions and issues, or a sales presentation; where the tone is more like a conversation.  Always think about the audience and what their reaction might be to your presentation.  Visuals are a great way to involve the audience.  Use a program like PowerPoint to enhance your presentation.  Strong openers and closers to presentations are hard to think of; it may help to use a startling statement, narration/ anecdote, question, or quotation.  When organizing your presentation it can be helpful to use one of these five patters: chronological, problem- causes- solution, excluding alternatives, pro- con, or 1 -2 – 3.  One useful aspect of the module is the section on keys to delivering an effective presentation.  The book suggests transforming your fear, using eye contact, standing and gesturing, and using notes and visuals.  I also thought it was important to try and anticipate any questions you might be asked.