Analyzing a Business Presentation Discussion Question

M5D1: Analyzing a Presentation

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Locate 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.