CHAPTER 10

Developing and Organizing the Presentation

Chapter Objectives and Integrator Guide

The opening page of each chapter in Communicating at Work lists desired learning outcomes.
The Integrator Guide will assist you in locating activities and resources relevant to each
objective.

Integrated Objectives Resources

Develop an effective strategy for a specific In the text:
presentation based on a complete analysis of the Page references: 325-336
situation. Activities: 1,2,6
Career Tip:
How Much Time Does It Take to Plan a
Presentation?
Speaking to International Audiences
On Your Feet:
Adapting to the Situation

Instructor's Manual online:

Personal Reflection for Journaling
Discussion Launchers: 1-8
Classroom Activities: 1

Student Online Learning Center:

Internet Exercise 1
Identify general and specific goals for a given In the text:
speaking situation. Page references: 336-339
Activities: 3
Key terms: general goal; specific goal Career Tip:
Invitational Rhetoric: Presentations as Dialogue
Ethical Challenge:
Keeping Your Goals Private

Instructor's Manual online:

Discussion Launchers: 9-13
Classroom Activities: 2

Student Online Learning Center:

Internet Exercise 2
Construct a clear thesis based on an analysis of a In the text:
specific speaking situation. Page references: 339-341
Activities: 4,5

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Key terms: thesis statement
Instructor's Manual online:
Discussion Launchers: 14,15
Classroom Activities: 3
Video Activity: 1
Choose and develop an organizational plan for the In the text:
body of a presentation that best suits its goal and Page references: 341-355
the audience Activities: 7-9
Self-Assessment:
Key terms: cause-effect pattern; chronological Checklist for Organizing a Presentation
pattern; claim; comparative advantages pattern;
motivated sequence pattern; problem-solution Instructor's Manual online:
pattern; spatial pattern; topical pattern Discussion Launchers: 16-18
Classroom Activities: 4-8
Video Activity: 1
Create an effective introduction and conclusion for In the text:
a presentation, following the guidelines presented Page references: 355-361
in this chapter. Activities: 10

Key terms: rhetorical question Instructor's Manual online:

Discussion Launchers: 19,20
Classroom Activities: 9
Video Activity: 1

Student Online Learning Center:

Internet Exercises 1 & 2, Chapter 11
Design a presentation that contains effective In the text:
transitions between the introduction and body, Page references: 362-366
between points in the body, and between the body
and conclusion. Instructor's Manual online:
Discussion Launchers: 20,21
Key terms: transition Classroom Activities: 9
Video Activity: 1
Other resources found on the Online Learning Center:
Student online center
Glossary
Key Term Flashcards
Key Term Crosswords
Self-Quizzes
Instructor online center
PowerPoint Files

About Chapter 10

This chapter introduces students to many types of presentational speaking that are common
in business and professional settings. The chapter focuses on five tasks necessary for developing
a presentation: (1) analyzing the speaking situation, (2) setting a goal and developing a thesis,

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(3) organizing the body of the speech, (4) planning the introduction and conclusion, and (5)
adding transitions.

The chapter highlights three essential factors students must attend to as they analyze the
speaking situation: the audience, themselves as speakers, and the occasion. In analyzing the
audience, students can use the concepts taught previously regarding gender and culture.
Information from Chapter 1 on context and from Chapter 3 on time and environment correlates
with the advice on analyzing the occasion. Defining goals and developing the thesis involve the
use of low-level abstractions and clear, specific language as taught in Chapter 4.

This chapter also describes why and how to brainstorm and organize ideas for a presentation.
To help students identify main and supporting points, review the information on high- and low-
level abstractions from Chapter 4. The types of organizational patterns described are
chronological, spatial, topical, cause-effect, problem-solution, criteria-satisfaction, comparative
advantages, and the motivational sequence. The chapter also covers various ways of beginning
and ending a presentation. The functions of introductions, conclusions, and transitions are
described and clarified with examples.

Personal Reflection for Individual Journaling Assignment

Think of a presentation you attended in which you felt as though the speaker had not
accurately analyzed the audience or the occasion. As a listener, how did this mismatch
make you feel? What will you do as a speaker to prevent your audiences from feeling
that you did not accurately analyze their needs, interests, and knowledge levels?

Discussion Launchers

1. What types of presentations will your career demand of you? Describe as many as you
can. Why might YOU be selected as the speaker in these situations, rather than one of
your coworkers? If you are called upon to speak, what can you to do ensure that your
presentation is the best it can be?

2. What do you believe a presentation can accomplish that written communication never
can? What are the disadvantages of relying on a written document when compared with
an oral presentation?

3. As a listener, what are the biggest clues you have that a speaker has not taken the time to
adapt the presentation so it is appropriate for a particular situation? Think of examples of
speeches you have seen that did not take into account the situation (audience, speaker,
and occasion). What was the impact of this negligence?

4. Describe some speeches in which the speaker clearly analyzed and fine-tuned the
presentation by considering the uniqueness of the audience, the occasion, and the speaker.

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 Explain how you knew the preparation was thorough. What was the impact of the
speakers mindfulness?

5. What are the most significant drawbacks of not taking the time to analyze your audience
before preparing a presentation?

6. Which demographic and cultural factors of an audience do you think a speaker should
pay most attention to during audience analysis? Explain your answer, giving examples.

7. Choose a topic that you have a strong opinion about, such as abortion, gay/lesbian rights,
our country's stance about going to war, physician-assisted suicide, or a local
environmental issue. What is your typical reaction when a speaker attempts to persuade
you to accept an argument that is antithetical to your view? Now, put yourself in the
shoes of your audience. Consider how your audience might react if you attempted to
persuade them to accept a view that directly opposes their current position. Suggest
ways you might interest them in your stance without turning them off.

8. What can you learn from analyzing yourself as a speaker? Describe how you can apply
this knowledge, using two very different presentational speaking situations.

9. Since your specific goal statement will not be stated out loud in the speech but is "a note
to yourself outlining what you hope to accomplish," why bother to write it down?

10. Why is it useful to audience members to know the speakers goal?

11. The text states that a specific goal should describe your desired outcome and should be
stated in measurable terms. Explain this statement in your own words. Construct two
hypothetical specific goals that meet these criteria.

12. Since you won't be stating your specific goal out loud to your audience in your speech,
how can audience members tell if you have a clear purpose? What verbal and nonverbal
cues can you use to signal a clear, specific purpose?

13. Are there times when a speaker might avoid describing his or her true goal yet still be
ethical? Explain your answer. How can you differentiate an ethical omission of a goal
from an unethical omission?

14. In your own words, contrast the following: general goal, specific goal, and thesis
statement. Give an example of each.

15. The text suggests that you will probably repeat your thesis several times during your
presentation. Will this make a speech seem boring or mechanical? Why or why not?
Give examples of how a speaker could repeat a thesis without sounding overly repetitive.

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 16. What do you think of this advice, usually credited to the military: "Tell them what you're
going to tell them, tell them, then tell them what you told them." Does it have any
relationship to the text's ideas on organizing presentations?

17. In what ways do your expectations about the organization of a speech reflect a particular
culture?

18. Have you ever sat through a presentation that seemed disorganized? Illustrate with a
specific example. What impact did the lack of organization have on your ability to
understand and retain the material? What advice would you give to the speaker about
improving the organization of the presentation?

19. Recall an effective speech introduction that you have heard. Why was it effective?
Recall an ineffective introduction. Why was it ineffective?

20. Sometimes students add the words Well, thats about it or Questions? (when there is
no time for a question-and-answer session) at the end of their speech. Have you ever
ended with such apologetic phrases? Why did you feel it was necessary to add those
words? Did they add to or detract from the conclusion? Can you suggest a more-
effective way to signal to the audience that you have ended your speech?

21. As a listener, are you aware of transitions? Do you listen for them? Do they help you?

22. As a speaker, how can you create transitions that clearly guide the listener through the
speech but do not sound tedious? Write out one or two examples.

Classroom Activities

1. Demographic Data

Objective: This activity helps students understand realistic ways of analyzing an audience
before giving a presentation.

Procedure: Divide the class into five groups. Assign one of the following potential
audiences to each group:
parents of children at a daycare center
a high school athletic team
a group of coworkers from your workplace
a community council meeting
a community activity club (gardening; hiking; bird watching; arts & crafts, etc.)
The task of each group is to select a topic they would be qualified to talk about. They
should then construct a plan for analyzing the audience and the situation. Based on that
analysis, how would they tweak their topic to be of interest to their particular audience?

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 Since these are hypothetical audiences, students will have to use their imaginations to
construct a description of the audience they expect to encounter.
You may wish to point out to students that trying to take a survey of audience interests
might sound like a nice idea, but in real life it is rarely feasible. Thus, they should devise
other means of finding out about their audiences knowledge level, interests, and attitudes.

Class Discussion: Ask each group to

describe the strategies they would use to obtain information about their assigned
audience
suggest probable characteristics of the assigned occasion and audience
explain how they would tweak their topic based on the results of their hypothetical
analysis

2. Purpose Statements

Objective: First, after completing this activity, students should be able to develop specific
and general purpose statements for a variety of topics. Second, students will be able to
distinguish between purpose statements used for informative and persuasive speeches. Third,
students should gain an understanding of the elements that are relevant to the development of
a thesis statement when developing their own presentations.

Procedure: On a separate piece of paper, have each group write a purpose statement for
each of the following scenarios.
Informative
An architect talking to a client (owner of an industrial company) about a new
building design
A dental hygienist presenting information to a patient regarding sores in the
mouth resulting from drug use
A United Way manager presenting a training session to volunteers
Persuasive
A money manager making a presentation to a board of directorspersuading them
to use his investment plan
A recently promoted supervisor of eight employees talking with a former
coworker, who is now a subordinatetrying to persuade the employee to begin
working in the new relationship without resentment
A personnel director with an employee who has had a dramatic drop in work
performancetrying to persuade him to seek professional help for his drinking
problem

Class Discussion: Class discussion could center on the various strategies groups used in
creating their purpose statements.
What is the difference between a purpose statement and a thesis statement? Why
would you develop both for a presentation?
What strategies do you use when developing purpose statements for informative
speech topics? For persuasive speech topics?
Which of the two presentation styles is it easier to develop a thesis for?

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3. Specific Purpose, Thesis Statement, and Preview

Objective: After completing this activity, students should be able to distinguish among a
general purpose, a specific purpose, and a thesis statement.

Procedure: Divide the class into groups of three or four. Each group is responsible for
selecting one topic that each member is knowledgeable about and could make a presentation
on if asked. Discuss the importance of narrowing the topic and developing a clear specific
purpose.
Each group should then develop a highly focused specific purpose for the selected topic
(one that would be manageable for a five-minute speech). Ask groups to share their purpose
statements. The class will evaluate whether the statements pinpoint desired outcomes and are
expressed in measurable terms. If necessary, allow the class to help each group modify the
statements until they meet the criteria.
Then, ask each group to develop a thesis statement corresponding to the stated purpose.
Now, ask groups to share their theses. Again, allow the class to help modify them as needed.
Finally, ask groups to suggest two to five main points relevant to the thesis. They should
arrange these points into a preview statement. Share previews, and modify them as needed.

Class Discussion: After you have completed the procedure above, extend the discussion by
asking questions such as
Which steps of this process did you find most difficult?
How, when, and where might you state your thesis in your speech?
How can you word a thesis statement so it doesnt sound too canned?
How can you emphasize the thesis in your introduction so the audience knows it is
your thesis, without sounding too mechanical?

4. Principles of Outlining

Objective: The purpose of this activity is to allow students an opportunity to acquire skills
for organizing and outlining the main points and supporting points for a topic.

Procedure: Using the handout titled "Principles of Outlining" located at the end of this
section, have students organize the various sentences into coherent outlines. The evaluation
form for outlines, located in Section 5 of this manual, may also be useful.

Class Discussion: After completing this activity, the following questions could be used to
facilitate class discussion.
What organizational pattern works best for each of these speeches?
How would the order change if you utilized a different organizational pattern? Would
it be possible to do and still develop a coherent speech?
What about these speech topics makes it difficult to arrange the sentences?

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5. Organizing a Presentation

Objective: This activity will allow students to practice creating main points and to begin
using the various types of organizational patterns.

Procedure: Collect several sets of information (enough for one per student or one for every
two students) on your city from the chamber of commerce. Distribute the information to your
students, ask them to create groups of four or five, give each group blank transparencies and
pens, and give them the following directions:

Instructions for Students: Using the information provided, construct an outline for four
different informative speeches about your city. Your general purpose is to inform a group
of newcomers about one interesting facet of your city. Specify your target audience (e.g.,
foreign students, business executives, families who have moved to your city recently,
historians visiting the area, conventioneers here for a week, etc.) Design each of the four
speeches with a different organizational pattern. Create your main points, and show
briefly what information you would use to support each point. Put your skeleton outlines
on the transparencies or poster board provided. Be ready to show your outlines to the
class.
Variation 1: If you want this activity to take less time, instruct students to select
only one organizational pattern and to justify their choice.
Variation 2: If you want to spend more time on this activity, assign a general
topic to each group to develop into a presentation. Let the groups determine a
general and a specific purpose. Inform your students that their audience will be
their class, so they can do some audience analysis. Allow the students to decide
which organizational pattern is appropriate for their topic, their general and
specific purpose, the occasion, and their audience.

Class Discussion: The following questions could foster class discussion.

How can the same information be organized differently?
When would each organizational pattern be appropriate?
How does the information required to present influence the organizational pattern you
will choose?
How does the audience influence the organizational pattern you will choose?

6. Practice with Organizational Patterns

Objective: Students will become familiar with the basic organizational patterns
presented in this chapter.

Procedure: Divide the class into eight teams. Assign each team one of the
organizational patterns presented in this chapter (chronological; spatial; topical; cause-effect;

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problem-solution; criteria satisfaction; comparative advantages; motivated sequence). Allow
groups 10 minutes to plan a 3- to 5-minute presentation to the class. The presentation will
consist of a definition of the organizational pattern (in the students' own words), illustrated by an
example. The example should be brief---just a thesis statement and a list of main points.
Students can choose any topic they wish for the illustration. You will need to circulate among
groups as they work on this exercise to ensure they understand the various organizational
patterns.

Class Discussion: After each group delivers its presentation, allow the class to help the
group modify any incomplete or incorrect information. In addition, elicit questions and
comments from the class regarding the organizational pattern in question.

7. Functions of Various Organizational Patterns

Objective: This activity should allow students to recognize how the organizational patterns
function in an actual speech and to classify organizational patterns.

Procedure: Using the same speeches from Activity 3, ask students to identify the
organizational pattern evident in the presentation. Instruct them to create a skeleton outline
that shows the organizational pattern. Request that they identify any difficulties they have in
recognizing the organizational pattern and explain why it was difficult or easy to do so.

8. Selecting the Most Effective Organizational Patterns*

Objective: Students will select the most effective organizational patterns for a variety of
topics and then develop main points.

Procedure: Distribute a list of possible topics to individual students or to small groups of

students. Instruct students to define the purpose of their presentation and to specify
information about the audience and the setting. They should then select an organizational
pattern, justify why they chose that pattern, and identify main points they could use. If you
are short of time, you could assign one topic to each group and then share the results.

Examples of topics:
You are planning campus tours for prospective students on your campus
Your boss wants a status report on why the computer system crashed on your shift
and the consequences of the crash
You are presenting a synopsis of the history of community colleges in your
education class
You are explaining to a group of Boy Scouts how to "leave no trace" when they hike and
camp

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 You want your neighbors to hire you for their lawn care in the summer and their snow
removal in the winter
You think your friends should switch to a less-expensive cell phone service
You think your little sister (who is just old enough to start driving) should learn how to
fix a flat tire

Class Discussion: Ask each group to share its recommendations with the class. Critique the
pattern choices, paying particular attention to students justifications. In your discussion,
refer students back to what they learned in Chapter 10 about situation analysis.
What is your overall purpose in this situation?
What is your relationship to the audience? How does this affect your credibility?
How do the specific occasion and setting affect your choice of pattern?
What other considerations influenced your choice of pattern?
Why did you choose these particular main points?

*Adapted from an activity by Ron Adler, Santa Barbara Community College

9. Introductions, Conclusions, and Transitions

Objective: To classify various types of introductions, conclusions, and transitions and to

analyze how they function in an actual speech.

Procedure: Provide each student or each pair of students with a copy of Vital Speeches. If you
can get a year's discards from the library, it makes a great classroom set. If you can't get copies,
you may want to use a variety of sample speeches from other places. You can find speeches
online at http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speechbank.htm or at
http://www.americanrhetoric.com/top100speeches.htm .

Instructions for Students

1. Read or skim one or more of the speeches your instructor has distributed to you.
As you read the introductions, pencil in the margin to code the parts of the
introductions that you can identify, and label the attention-getting method used if
it fits into one of the categories in your text.
2. Underline or highlight the transitions, and be ready to read to the class some of
the best examples of transitions. Write each transitional word or phrase used on a
post-it note. These will be posted on a large sheet for use in the class to give you
ideas for your own presentations.
3. Look for various techniques in the conclusions. Can you find examples of several
types of closing? Which ones? Be prepared to read to the class any particularly
effective closings you find.
4. After these elements of introductions, transitions, and conclusions have been
identified, evaluate their effectiveness in this particular speech.

Class Discussion: The following questions could be used to lead class discussion.
Which introduction seemed most effective to you? Why?

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 Did you find any types of introductions that don't fall neatly into one of the categories
in the text? If so, list these on the board or paper provided.
Which transitions seem especially effective? What makes them effective?
Which criteria for transitions do they meet?
Which types of closing statements are used?
Which conclusions seem most effective? Why?
If you identified any weaknesses in the introductions, transitions, or conclusions you
read, recommend changes.

Video Activities

1. Identifying Thesis Statements, Previews, Main Points, Transitions, Organizational

Patterns, and Conclusions

Objective: The purpose of this activity is to provide students with an opportunity to identify
thesis statements, previews, and organizational patterns in presentations. This activity helps
boost students confidence as they view actual examples of rhetorical devices used in short
presentations.

Procedure: Bring several brief, videotaped presentations to class for the students to watch.
These could be presentations by former students that you have collected (with permission),
presentations delivered by politicians or business leaders on C-SPAN, college orientation or
commencement speeches, or motivational speeches.
For each presentation, start by showing the introduction. Ask students to identify the
thesis and preview. Next, play the body of the speech. Ask students to identify the main
points and note the transitions. Inquire whether the main points match the points listed in the
preview. If students have easily identified main points and transition, you may also ask them
to classify the type of organizational pattern being used. Finally, show the conclusion. Ask
students to identify which functions of the conclusion were filled.

Class Discussion: As a wrap-up, ask students which speech elements they found most
effective and why. When appropriate, spend some time discussing differences in the
students' perceptions. This can lead into a discussion of various learning styles and audiences
with mixed preferences.

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 Principles of Outlining
For a speech titled "Making Reading Your Hobby," rearrange the following points and supporting
points in proper outline form for the body of a speech presentation.

I.
A.
B.
II.
A.
B.
III.
A.
B.
1. Low-cost rental libraries are numerous.
2. Reading is enjoyable.
3. It may lead to advancement in one's job.
4. Books contain exciting tales of love and adventure.
5. Many paperback books cost only $.95 to $1.25.
6. People who read books are more successful socially.
7. Reading is profitable.
8. One meets many interesting characters in books.
9. Reading is inexpensive.
Organize the following six sentences into the body of an outline. There are two main points and
two supporting points for each. Place the number that corresponds to each sentence in the blanks
provided. Each sentence can only be used once.

I.
A.
B.
II.
A.
B.

Expensive settings and costumes, once used over and over, were not designed specifically for
each new production
By the turn of the 1920s, Hollywood had become a big business as well, the newest major
industry in the U.S.
As the companies grew in size and power during the early 1920s, so, too, did the cost of
production.
By the end of World War I, the American film industry had come to dominate the world market.
By the mid-1920s, fully 40 percent of a films budget went to pay for studio overhead.
Studio stocks began to be listed on Wall Street.

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Additional Resources

Print
Axtell, R. E. (1992). Do's and taboos of public speaking: How to get those butterflies flying in
formation. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Axtell addresses the basics of public speaking with emphasis on organization, delivery, humor,
using AV equipment, and speaking on TV.

Bell, A. H. (1992). Oral Presentations. In Business communication: Toward 2000 (pp. 403435).
Cincinnati: South-Western Publishing Co.
Distinguishing what is needed bet to make an interesting and effective long and short business
presentation is explained in this chapter. Tips for business speeches summarize some of the
nonverbal dos and don'ts. There are also tips for planning, organizing, and using visual aids.

Downey, S. "Audience Analysis Exercise," The Speech Communication Teacher 2 (Winter, 1988),
Deborah Tannen, Talking from 9 to 5, p. 2932.

Kroeger, L. (1997). The complete idiots guide to successful business presentations. New York:
Alpha Books.

Kushner, M. (1996). Successful presentations for dummies. Foster City, CT.: IDG Books
Worldwide, Inc.

Leech, T. (1993). How to prepare, stage, and deliver winning presentations. New York:
AMACOM.
Addresses the role of presentations in business today. Adopts a systematic approach to
presentations, covering how to plan, organize, support, stage, and deliver presentations. Also
includes chapters on team presentations and international presentations.

Sprague, J., & Stuart, D. (1992). The speaker's handbook (3rd ed.). Fort Worth, TX: Harcourt
Brace Jovanovich.

This excellent handbook covers the basics of public speaking in a way that is easy to reference
and find just the point of information you are looking for. It is extremely functional and well
organized. The book is an extraordinary help for planning and presenting informative, persuasive,
and special-occasion speeches.

Video
Be Prepared to Speak. 30 min. Toastmasters.
A classic Toastmasters video, it shows the preparation and presentation of a speech, and it gives
practical ideas for success. The only problem is that it illustrates writing the introduction before
writing the body of the presentation. Toastmasters is an organization dedicated to helping
individuals improve their public-speaking skills. A wide array of resources is available from
http://www.toastmasters.org/.

Face To Face: A Common-Sense Approach to Developing Effective Business Communication Skills. Vol.
I. Part 2: Planning, Organizing, and Developing the Presentation. 30 min. The Educational Video Group.

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 Excellent information on beginning steps for presentational speaking.

Great Moments from Great Speeches. 108 min. The Educational Video Group.
Uses 30 three-minute film clips from 25 speakers from FDR (1933) to William Clinton (1993).
Organizing the Speech. 30 minutes. VTAE.
Develops the ideas of three parts of a speech, gaining attention, patterns of organization, four
types of delivery, and methods of conclusion.
Planning Your Speech. 13 min. Coronet.

Researching a Topic. 11 min. McGraw-Hill.

The Speaker's Purpose and Occasion. 30 min. VTAE
Reviews three purposes of speeches, types of speeches, requirements of each type of speech, and
the way a speaker must consider the occasion in preparing for a speech.

Web
Alliant Solutions
http://www.presentingsolutions.com/effectivepresentations.asp
An article titled The Art of Communicating Effectively summarizes key elements of successful public
speaking.

American Rhetoric Online Speech Bank

http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speechbank.htm
Includes text, photo, and audio versions of famous speeches.

American Rhetoric Top 100 Speeches

http://www.americanrhetoric.com/newtop100speeches.htm

University of Kansas
http://www.ukans.edu/cwis/units/coms2/vpa/vpa.htm
This page provides a tutorial to help students organize and deliver their first speech.

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