{"id":154,"date":"2023-05-11T12:12:35","date_gmt":"2023-05-11T12:12:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-technicalwriting\/chapter\/preparing-your-informative-speech-2\/"},"modified":"2023-05-23T22:58:01","modified_gmt":"2023-05-23T22:58:01","slug":"preparing-your-informative-speech-2","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-technicalwriting\/chapter\/preparing-your-informative-speech-2\/","title":{"raw":"Putting It Together: Preparing An Informative Speech","rendered":"Putting It Together: Preparing An Informative Speech"},"content":{"raw":"<div class=\"textbox learning-objectives\">\r\n<h3>Learning Objectives<\/h3>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Describe components of an effective informative presentation<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<h2>Presentations<\/h2>\r\nIn college and beyond, you\u2019ll find that you often need to present information from your research or other writing activities in the form of a presentation. A presentation gives your audience a quick overview of your work and provides visual support for your ideas and information.\r\n\r\nPresentations are common in all levels of college courses because your professors know presentations are so critical to demonstrating and sharing your learning. The most common presentation assignments are PowerPoint assignments, but you may also use other programs such as Google Slides or Prezi.\r\n<h2>Preparing for a Presentation<\/h2>\r\nJust as different writing assignments have unique expectations from you as a student, presentations will also vary depending on the assignment. Carefully read the assignment and directions before you try to create an outline for your presentation. For example, you may be asked to give an argumentative presentation, and that will follow a similar structure as an argumentative essay. Here are some things to keep in mind:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Remember to\u00a0<strong>present your thesis statement or main idea clearly<\/strong>.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Provide the<strong> highlights of your evidence<\/strong> from your essay\u00a0(if you are building from an essay) or simply focus on the <strong>key points<\/strong> of evidence from your research. Don't try to cover everything!<\/li>\r\n \t<li>You may be asked to\u00a0<strong>address the opposition<\/strong>. How you do this will depend upon your goals and the type of argument you are making.<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Use images relevant to your points<\/strong>\u00a0as evidence. Images are powerful and are important pieces of an effective presentation. Think about how you can use images to amplify your thinking!<\/li>\r\n \t<li>And always\u00a0<strong>cite your sources<\/strong>!<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<h3>Creating Effective PowerPoint Presentations<\/h3>\r\nPowerPoint presentations are quite common in both academic and professional settings, and, because they are such an important part of how you\u2019ll likely present your ideas and information to an audience, it\u2019s helpful to have some basic information on how to create an effective PowerPoint presentation.\r\n\r\nThe basic purpose of a PowerPoint presentation is to give you a way to present key ideas to an audience with visual support. Your PowerPoint presentation shouldn\u2019t be full of text. It is meant to provide you with speaking points, and detailed notes should be kept from your audience. You want to keep your slides clear, clean, short, focused, and you want to keep your audience from using the expression that we sometimes hear in reference to long, boring PowerPoint presentations, \u201cdeath by PowerPoint.\u201d\r\n<div class=\"teal-example \">\r\n<div class=\"example\">\r\n\r\n<strong>TIPS:\u00a0<\/strong>Here are some tips to keep in mind when creating an effective PowerPoint presentation:\r\n<ol>\r\n \t<li><strong>Remember to avoid too much text.\u00a0<\/strong>You should keep your text brief and include talking points only. Detailed notes can be inserted into the notes section of PowerPoint (or you can use some other form of notes as you present), but only you should see those notes, unless a professor asks to see your notes to evaluate your PowerPoint as an assignment.<\/li>\r\n \t<li value=\"2\"><strong>Be consistent and clear with your font choices.<\/strong>\u00a0Helvetica is a nice font for presentations. Make sure your font is large enough that an audience in a room would be able to see your text, even if audience members are sitting in the back of the room.<\/li>\r\n \t<li value=\"3\"><strong>Be careful with your color choices for text and background.<\/strong>\u00a0You want to make sure your audience can read your text easily. Black on white text is easiest to read but is also boring for a presentation. Still, when you add color, just be sure you are adding color that works and doesn\u2019t distract.<\/li>\r\n \t<li value=\"4\"><strong>Add images.<\/strong>\u00a0Text on slides for every slide is boring. Add appropriate images to your slides. Relevant charts and graphs are excellent, as are pictures that will connect to your content. Think about moments where an image can more easily convey information or a message. A powerful image on a slide with no accompanying text can be a powerful way to capture your audience's attention.<\/li>\r\n \t<li value=\"5\"><strong>Make sure your main points are clear.<\/strong>\u00a0Remember to connect your ideas well and provide background information and transitions when necessary.<\/li>\r\n \t<li value=\"6\"><strong>Keep your audience in mind.<\/strong>\u00a0Your audience will affect the overall tone and appearance of your presentation. Sometimes, humor can be appropriate. Other times, a more serious tone may be necessary. Just as you evaluate your situation any time you write a paper, you should evaluate your situation for creating a PowerPoint presentation.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"textbox examples\">\r\n<h3>Watch It<\/h3>\r\nWatch this video to review some important tips for giving effective presentations.\r\n\r\n[embed]https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/i68a6M5FFBc[\/embed]\r\n\r\nYou can view the <a href=\"https:\/\/course-building.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/English+Comp\/Transcripts\/HowtoGiveanAwesome(PowerPoint)Presentation(WhiteboardAnimationExplainerVideo)_transcript.txt\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">transcript for \"How to Give an Awesome (PowerPoint) Presentation (Whiteboard Animation Explainer Video) here (opens in new window)<\/a>.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"textbox tryit\">\r\n<h3>Try It<\/h3>\r\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/lumenlearning.h5p.com\/content\/1291025525451818688\/embed\" width=\"1088\" height=\"637\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><script src=\"https:\/\/lumenlearning.h5p.com\/js\/h5p-resizer.js\" charset=\"UTF-8\"><\/script>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\nFinally, don't forget the key to success at everything: <strong>practice, practice, practice<\/strong>. Don't spend all your time preparing your slides and forget to practice making the presentation. Some people use the notes section to outline what they plan to say. Others write out a detailed script. There is no one way of preparing what you will say during a presentation. Just remember, you need to prepare yourself to speak just as you have prepared your slides.","rendered":"<div class=\"textbox learning-objectives\">\n<h3>Learning Objectives<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Describe components of an effective informative presentation<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Presentations<\/h2>\n<p>In college and beyond, you\u2019ll find that you often need to present information from your research or other writing activities in the form of a presentation. A presentation gives your audience a quick overview of your work and provides visual support for your ideas and information.<\/p>\n<p>Presentations are common in all levels of college courses because your professors know presentations are so critical to demonstrating and sharing your learning. The most common presentation assignments are PowerPoint assignments, but you may also use other programs such as Google Slides or Prezi.<\/p>\n<h2>Preparing for a Presentation<\/h2>\n<p>Just as different writing assignments have unique expectations from you as a student, presentations will also vary depending on the assignment. Carefully read the assignment and directions before you try to create an outline for your presentation. For example, you may be asked to give an argumentative presentation, and that will follow a similar structure as an argumentative essay. Here are some things to keep in mind:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Remember to\u00a0<strong>present your thesis statement or main idea clearly<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Provide the<strong> highlights of your evidence<\/strong> from your essay\u00a0(if you are building from an essay) or simply focus on the <strong>key points<\/strong> of evidence from your research. Don&#8217;t try to cover everything!<\/li>\n<li>You may be asked to\u00a0<strong>address the opposition<\/strong>. How you do this will depend upon your goals and the type of argument you are making.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Use images relevant to your points<\/strong>\u00a0as evidence. Images are powerful and are important pieces of an effective presentation. Think about how you can use images to amplify your thinking!<\/li>\n<li>And always\u00a0<strong>cite your sources<\/strong>!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Creating Effective PowerPoint Presentations<\/h3>\n<p>PowerPoint presentations are quite common in both academic and professional settings, and, because they are such an important part of how you\u2019ll likely present your ideas and information to an audience, it\u2019s helpful to have some basic information on how to create an effective PowerPoint presentation.<\/p>\n<p>The basic purpose of a PowerPoint presentation is to give you a way to present key ideas to an audience with visual support. Your PowerPoint presentation shouldn\u2019t be full of text. It is meant to provide you with speaking points, and detailed notes should be kept from your audience. You want to keep your slides clear, clean, short, focused, and you want to keep your audience from using the expression that we sometimes hear in reference to long, boring PowerPoint presentations, \u201cdeath by PowerPoint.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"teal-example\">\n<div class=\"example\">\n<p><strong>TIPS:\u00a0<\/strong>Here are some tips to keep in mind when creating an effective PowerPoint presentation:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Remember to avoid too much text.\u00a0<\/strong>You should keep your text brief and include talking points only. Detailed notes can be inserted into the notes section of PowerPoint (or you can use some other form of notes as you present), but only you should see those notes, unless a professor asks to see your notes to evaluate your PowerPoint as an assignment.<\/li>\n<li value=\"2\"><strong>Be consistent and clear with your font choices.<\/strong>\u00a0Helvetica is a nice font for presentations. Make sure your font is large enough that an audience in a room would be able to see your text, even if audience members are sitting in the back of the room.<\/li>\n<li value=\"3\"><strong>Be careful with your color choices for text and background.<\/strong>\u00a0You want to make sure your audience can read your text easily. Black on white text is easiest to read but is also boring for a presentation. Still, when you add color, just be sure you are adding color that works and doesn\u2019t distract.<\/li>\n<li value=\"4\"><strong>Add images.<\/strong>\u00a0Text on slides for every slide is boring. Add appropriate images to your slides. Relevant charts and graphs are excellent, as are pictures that will connect to your content. Think about moments where an image can more easily convey information or a message. A powerful image on a slide with no accompanying text can be a powerful way to capture your audience&#8217;s attention.<\/li>\n<li value=\"5\"><strong>Make sure your main points are clear.<\/strong>\u00a0Remember to connect your ideas well and provide background information and transitions when necessary.<\/li>\n<li value=\"6\"><strong>Keep your audience in mind.<\/strong>\u00a0Your audience will affect the overall tone and appearance of your presentation. Sometimes, humor can be appropriate. Other times, a more serious tone may be necessary. Just as you evaluate your situation any time you write a paper, you should evaluate your situation for creating a PowerPoint presentation.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"textbox examples\">\n<h3>Watch It<\/h3>\n<p>Watch this video to review some important tips for giving effective presentations.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"oembed-1\" title=\"How to Give an Awesome (PowerPoint) Presentation (Whiteboard Animation Explainer Video).\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/i68a6M5FFBc?feature=oembed&#38;rel=0\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>You can view the <a href=\"https:\/\/course-building.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/English+Comp\/Transcripts\/HowtoGiveanAwesome(PowerPoint)Presentation(WhiteboardAnimationExplainerVideo)_transcript.txt\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">transcript for &#8220;How to Give an Awesome (PowerPoint) Presentation (Whiteboard Animation Explainer Video) here (opens in new window)<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"textbox tryit\">\n<h3>Try It<\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/lumenlearning.h5p.com\/content\/1291025525451818688\/embed\" width=\"1088\" height=\"637\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><script src=\"https:\/\/lumenlearning.h5p.com\/js\/h5p-resizer.js\" charset=\"UTF-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Finally, don&#8217;t forget the key to success at everything: <strong>practice, practice, practice<\/strong>. Don&#8217;t spend all your time preparing your slides and forget to practice making the presentation. Some people use the notes section to outline what they plan to say. Others write out a detailed script. There is no one way of preparing what you will say during a presentation. Just remember, you need to prepare yourself to speak just as you have prepared your slides.<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t <section class=\"citations-section\" role=\"contentinfo\">\n\t\t\t <h3>Candela Citations<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t <div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <div id=\"citation-list-154\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <div class=\"licensing\"><div class=\"license-attribution-dropdown-subheading\">CC licensed content, Shared previously<\/div><ul class=\"citation-list\"><li>Presentations. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: Lumen Learning . <strong>Located at<\/strong>: <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/chapter\/presentations\/\">https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/chapter\/presentations\/<\/a>. <strong>Project<\/strong>: English Composition I . <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/\">CC BY: Attribution<\/a><\/em><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t <\/section>","protected":false},"author":395986,"menu_order":5,"template":"","meta":{"_candela_citation":"[{\"type\":\"cc\",\"description\":\"Presentations\",\"author\":\"Lumen Learning \",\"organization\":\"\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/chapter\/presentations\/\",\"project\":\"English Composition I \",\"license\":\"cc-by\",\"license_terms\":\"\"}]","CANDELA_OUTCOMES_GUID":"","pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-154","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"part":149,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-technicalwriting\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/154","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-technicalwriting\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-technicalwriting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-technicalwriting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/395986"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-technicalwriting\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/154\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":478,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-technicalwriting\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/154\/revisions\/478"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-technicalwriting\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/149"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-technicalwriting\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/154\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-technicalwriting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=154"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-technicalwriting\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=154"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-technicalwriting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=154"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-technicalwriting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=154"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}