The assignment is to engage in an intense, deep discussion with a partner so that your can practice and analyze your interpersonal communication skills. You will select another classmate, relative, or

Business and Professional Communication 2e Quintanilla & Wahl

Chapter Objectives

After studying this chapter, you should be able to:

1. discuss the importance of professional excellence in public speaking,

2. identify presenting opportunities,

3. define the purpose of a presentation,

4. design an informative speech, and

5. design a persuasive speech.

1. The Importance of Presenting with Professional Excellence

2. Identifying Presentation Opportunities and Purposes

   1. Presentation Opportunities

      1. Formal presentations, such as a sales pitch or a progress report occur in

traditional presentation settings

1. 1. 1. Opportunity presentations have the same preparation that formal

presentations have, but occur in less traditional settings such as group huddles and impromptu presentations at meetings.

1. 1. General Purpose

      1. Informative speeches are filled with facts, with the speaker acting as a

teacher relaying information.

1. 1. 1. Persuasive speeches aim for the audience to agree, disagree, or take some

sort of action.

1. 1. Specific Purpose

      1. A specific purpose is similar to a thesis statement.

      2. Specific purposes are declarative sentences telling

the listeners what you want them to know or believe by the end of the presentation.

1. Speaking to Inform

   1. The credibility of both the speaker and the information must be clear to an

audience. Credibility is part of ethos.

1. 1. Effective informative speeches have clear organizational structure and supporting

evidence, including definitions, examples, statistics, and quotes.

1. 1. Strategies for Informing with Excellence

      1. First, make sure you are informing and not persuading.

      2. Gauge your audience’s knowledge of the topic being presented.

      3. Incorporate supporting material such as examples, quotes, and statistics.

2. Speaking to Persuade

   1. Types of Reasoning (Logos)

      1. Inductive reasoning – building an argument by pulling together individual

pieces of information.

1. 1. 1. Causal reasoning – a type of inductive reasoning based on the cause-effect

relationship.

1. 1. 1. Deductive reasoning – drawing conclusions from general information.

      2. Analogical reasoning – reasoning from an analogy.

      3. Cognitive dissonance – developing an argument based on a contradiction.

   2. Pathos, or emotional appeal, can be a powerful persuasive technique used in

persuasive speeches.

1. 1. Strategies for Persuading with Excellence

      1. The entire presentation should be persuasive.

      2. Support your argument by logical and credible evidence.

      3. Assess your target audience – those members of the audience who do not

already agree with you but may be persuaded.

1. KEYS to Excellence in Professional Presentations

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