Presentation Skills

Developing an Oral Presentation

Developing an Oral PresentationCreating an effective and engaging presentation is similar to writing a research paper in that it is helpful to follow a step-by-step process. Following a process helps you prepare for the presentation well in advance, and it increases the chance that you will arrive on the presentation day ready to interact with your audience. In this interactivity, click on each of the steps to learn how to create a formal oral presentation.

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Virtual Presentations

If you are completing this course completely online, you may be wondering how you can give an oral presentation in a virtual environment. Your instructor will choose the method through which you will deliver your presentation. Some of the options to present online include:

  • Using a computer, camera, or mobile device to record yourself giving the presentation; or
  • Using an online web conferencing tool to deliver the presentation; or
  • A combination of live presentation and recorded pieces.

Types of Presentation Content

Types of Presentation ContentOne of the biggest questions that you may have while developing your presentation is “what should I include as my content?” The most effective presentations include a variety of content to engage, educate, and entertain audiences. In this interactivity, click on each of speech bubbles more about the different types of content that you can include in your presentation. Click the player button to begin.

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A Word About Word Choice

Part of making sure that your presentation effectively communicates your ideas is using the correct words in the correct places to help convey your message. Semantics is the study of word meanings. When you are creating and practicing your presentation, take into account the factors shown here in the word cloud. Sometimes the difference between winning over your audience is using powerful words that they understand.

Rhetoric and Rhetorical Devices

Rhetoric is the art of persuasion. If you are delivering a persuasive presentation, it is important to utilize rhetorical devices like repetition, parallelism, and rhetorical question. Roll over each of the names of each of these devices below to learn more about what they are and why persuasive speakers use them.

A speaker uses repetition by repeating a word or phrase throughout a presentation. An example is: "What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny compared to what lies within us." - Ralph Waldo EmersonA speaker uses parallelism by employing a similar pattern to his or her speech throughout a presentation. An example is: A speaker asks a rhetorial question when they are trying to make a point, instead of actually seek an answer. An example of a rhetorical question is “why me?”

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