Analyzing a Presentation

38714Locate and analyze a business professional’s oral presentation. Ensure that your presentation (video) is of an actual business presentation and not one designed to teach others about how to prepare a business presentation.

Business men and women spend a lot of time standing up and giving presentations to a wide variety of different audiences. Whether delivering a report before a board of directors or delivering a sales pitch in front of a group of potential customers, effective business presentations can make or break an organization. According to psychologist Albert Mehrabian (1971), when it comes to how people interpret a speaker’s message, 7% comes from the words they choose, 38% comes from the speaker’s tone of voice, and 55% comes from the speaker’s nonverbal behavior. You don’t want to downplay the importance of words here, but how a speaker says them and the way they present them is crucial to ensure you create the meaning you desire in an audience’s mind.

Reference:

Mehrabian, A. (1971). Silent messages. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Go to YouTube.com and find a speaker delivering a business presentation. Try searching for “business presentation,” “sales presentation,” or “business speaker.” Watch a couple of videos.

Respond to the following:

What stood out to you about the way the speaker spoke in her or his presentation?
Was the speaker’s paralanguage effective? Why?
Was the speaker’s nonverbal delivery effective? Why?
Did the speaker’s use of visual aids enhance or detract from the overall effectiveness of the speaker’s delivery? Why?
Provide a link to the video you watched. Please ensure that your video is of an actual speaker’s presentation and not one designed to teach others about business speaking.