20_25 pages research paper and research presentation 10 slides

Chapter 21: Presenting Research

S Overview

S Fundamentals of presentations

S Audiences for public affairs research

S Written presentations

S Slide presentations

Fundamentals of Presentations

S Know your audience S What do they know? S What do they want to know?

S Know your mode of communication S What type of information does your mode of communication

facilitate? S What type of information is difficult to communicate with

your mode of communication?

S Know your argument – what are the “take-aways”

Audiences of Public Affairs Research – Internal Audiences

S Internal audiences are within your own organizations S What will they know that an average person from the

outside would not know? S What are the traditions of communication within the

organization?

S Internal managers

S Line and staff

Audiences for Public Affairs Research – External Audiences

S External audiences include everyone outside of your own organization S What sort of language (jargon) will you have to avoid? S What level of familiarity with the subject can you assume?

S Academics

S Political officials

S The public

Strengths and Weaknesses of Written Communications

S Strengths S Consistent S Asynchronous S Plenty of opportunity for revision

S Weaknesses S Static/inflexible S Permanent

Strategies for Written Presentations

S Structure and sectioning: S Help readers understand the big picture within the body of

the text

S Formatting – use your options for formatting IMPORTANT terms

S Integration of figures

Strengths and Weaknesses of Slide Presentations

S The “rules” are the same whatever software one uses

S Strengths S Interactive S Captivating

S Weaknesses S Management of technical issues S Setting: timing with other presenters, etc. S Difficult to prepare for all possible questions

Strategies for Slide Presentations

S Balancing visual and oral elements S The speaker should always be the focus of the presentation

S Agenda

S Repetition

S Simplicity

S No more than 40 words / slide

S Font size

The Three Times to Tell Your Audience Anything

S Preview: S “Tell them what you are going to tell them”

S Argument / Material: S “Tell them”

S Review: S “Tell them what you told them”