Deck 11: Oral Presentations

Question 1

Reading your speech is not recommended because you must keep your eyes on the paper rather than making eye contact with your audience.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

It is okay to tell a "dumb blonde" joke if your presentation topic supports it.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Presentations filled with an abundance of facts and figures help the audience absorb your points.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

The first five minutes of a presentation are critical because the audience is looking for clues about you and your topic in your posture, gestures, and voice qualities.

Question 5

Your conclusion should summarize the main points of your presentation.

Question 6

For direct-plan presentations, you should make sure your main point is right up front.

Question 7

For most business presentations, you should let the audience know up front what you expect of them.

Question 8

A memorized speech helps you adapt to the audience and ensures that you don't omit supporting evidence.

Question 9

Your opening should lead into the body of your presentation by previewing your content.

Question 10

If the audience does not know you, you need a more creative opening than if you have addressed this audience in the past.

Question 11

Do not use capital letters when you type your notes because they are harder to read during a presentation.

Question 12

Memorizing the first or last section of a presentation is often effective.

Question 13

You should define the scope of the topic during the opening so the audience does not ask unnecessary questions.

Question 14

If you aim to convince listeners that climate change is a reality, your purpose is to explain.

Question 15

Just as you do when planning a report, brainstorm ideas for your presentation in sequential order to organize your material.

Question 16

The purpose of your oral presentation may be to report, to explain, to persuade, or to motivate.

Question 17

When choosing an organizational plan, you must make sure the audience knows from the beginning where you are going and are able to follow you easily through the presentation.

Question 18

Don't start your presentation with an apology or an excuse.

Question 19

You should prepare the audience for the upcoming joke so they will be ready for it.

Question 20

When new ideas are presented with humor, the audience is more likely to remember what you said.

Question 21

If you are an inexperienced speaker, you should plan for many visual aids so the audience focuses on the aids, not on you.

Question 22

You should use a little humor to lighten an especially serious presentation.

Question 23

Slides are perfect for every presentation.

Question 24

Bulleted lists are effective for showing the sequence of items on a slide or transparency.

Question 25

Team presentations are common for communicating about complex projects.

Question 26

When you need the audience to focus on an especially important point in your oral presentation, consider blanking the slide temporarily.

Question 27

When you make a presentation, avoid mentioning information that is likely to weaken your argument.

Question 28

It is useful to provide your audience with a handout so that they may follow the presentation.

Question 29

When you critique the performance of someone who is participating in your team's presentation, use tact to maintain goodwill.

Question 30

When making a formal presentation, you should avoid using handouts as visual aids.

Question 31

The first task that the leader of a work-team presentation should tackle is assigning roles and responsibilities in preparation for developing the basic framework of the presentation.

Question 32

To prepare for a team presentation, have each member practice individually and then report to the group about suggested changes and improvements.

Question 33

The best use of humor in a presentation is to show the audience that you can laugh at yourself.

Question 34

When presenters use visual aids, they are more likely to successfully persuade their audiences.

Question 35

A slide tracker shows the major divisions of your presentation and is repeated on all slides after the agenda.

Question 36

Whenever possible, take advantage of the many template presentation designs available.

Question 37

The visual aids developed by team members for a presentation should have diverse backgrounds, font styles and sizes, and colors to enhance unison.

Question 38

As the presenter, you will be perceived as the person in control.

Question 39

An effective closing for a business presentation should summarize the main points, the conclusions, and any recommendations.

Question 40

If visuals are not done well, they may detract from the presentation.

Question 41

When choosing an appropriate design for your presentation, remember that visual appeal can affect your credibility and the audience's understanding.

Question 42

When presenting, use a conversational style and many contractions, but speak slightly slower than in normal conversation.

Question 43

Practice the introduction, summary of key points, and conclusion the most.

Question 44

When your handouts contain complex data or extensive information that the audience should read as background before your presentation, distribute them as people enter the room prior to your speech.

Question 45

Before a presentation, focus on the main points that you want to make rather than using mental imagery to visualize yourself giving your speech.

Question 46

For important presentations, practice at least three run-throughs.

Question 47

As a presenter, you should dress less formally than the average audience member.

Question 48

When preparing handouts, you should help the audience remember your presentation by including a miniature copy of every slide or transparency you used.

Question 49

For more traditional presentations, avoid slide after slide of bulleted text.

Question 50

Memorizing the first few sentences of your presentation can boost your confidence when anxiety is highest.

Question 51

Much of your credibility as a presenter is based on body language, which is why you should videotape yourself rehearsing and check your posture, expressions, and gestures.

Question 52

Including video in a presentation is a good way to engage the audience, illustrate a point, and make an emotional appeal.

Question 53

If you plan to refer to handouts, you should distribute them immediately before beginning the presentation.

Question 54

It is a good idea to record your practice session.

Question 55

When rehearsing a presentation, simulate the actual speaking conditions as much as possible.

Question 56

As a speaker, you can emphasize important points with periodic pauses.

Question 57

Use natural gestures in a presentation, just as you would in a conversation.

Question 58

When practicing the presentation, use appropriate language, voice qualities, gestures, and good posture.

Question 59

If you lose your place during a presentation, refer briefly to your notes.

Question 60

Two advantages of printed handouts are that they help the audience to follow your presentation and serve as a permanent record of key points.

Question 61

When planning the opening of your presentation, your aim is to do all of the following except

A) capture audience interest.
B) build rapport with your listeners.
C) make a good first impression on the audience.
D) apologize for your inexperience as a speaker.
E) preview the content.

Question 62

To avoid anxiety, practice, develop a positive attitude, and concentrate on friendly faces.

Question 63

Immediately after every presentation, evaluate your performance so you can pinpoint what worked and what didn't work.

Question 64

Presentations to small groups

A) require more of a "you" attitude than talks to larger groups.
B) increase the presenter's options for visual aids.
C) require very emphatic gestures to oversell the key ideas.
D) are delivered in a more formal tone than normal conversations.
E) require time to understand any heterogeneous listeners.

Question 65

When critiquing your performance, concentrate only on how well you delivered the material during the presentation, not on pre-presentation activities.

Question 66

You may be extremely effective if you memorize the ____ of your presentation.

A) first or last section
B) body
C) supporting details
D) key phrases
E) script

Question 67

If you believe your listeners are likely to be hostile to you or your message, your presentation will have to

A) include few examples to avoid overwhelming the audience.
B) be more modest, downplaying your credentials.
C) use language that is familiar to the majority of the audience.
D) establish your credibility and possibly quote other experts.
E) use complex terminology to demonstrate your mastery of the material.

Question 68

Why should you meet with some members of your audience as you do your planning before making a presentation?

A) to evaluate the quality of the data they have provided
B) to gather data supporting your main points
C) to control the space and time allotted to your talk
D) to oversell yourself and your idea
E) to understand and be able to address their specific concerns

Question 69

Identify a psychological need that you should analyze when learning about the audience for an oral presentation.

A) age
B) organizational status
C) attitudes
D) education
E) demographics

Question 70

Which organizational plan would be most effective for the body of a presentation discussing various alternatives based on certain conditions or standards?

A) criteria
B) order of importance
C) direct sequence
D) chronology
E) cause/effect/solution

Question 71

Knowing your purpose enables you to ____ after you deliver your presentation.

A) analyze your audience
B) understand your audience's motivations
C) evaluate the quality of data
D) review the quality of visual aids
E) assess your effectiveness

Question 72

Which statement about the degree of formality for a presentation is correct?

A) Presentations for small groups should be more formal than presentations for large audiences.
B) Your presentation should be less formal when you expect the audience to include individuals from other countries.
C) When you anticipate repeating a presentation, you should make the presentation more formal.
D) Routine topics require a more formal presentation.
E) Complex topics or proposals concerning critical issues require a more formal presentation.

Question 73

A presentation in which sales representatives receive up-to-date information on new products has the purpose of

A) reporting.
B) explaining.
C) lecturing.
D) persuading.
E) motivating.

Question 74

When you plan an oral presentation, you should do all of the following except

A) understand your audience's needs and knowledge.
B) write out what you will say.
C) decide on the timing.
D) decide on the delivery method.
E) define your purpose.

Question 75

A presentation that first mentions unsafe working conditions and how unsafe conditions contribute to high employee turnover, followed by suggested remedies, follows the ____ organizational plan.

A) criteria
B) order of importance
C) direct sequence
D) chronological
E) cause/effect/solution

Question 76

If no one asks a question during the question-and-answer period, you might want to break the ice by discussing questions that other audiences have posed.

Question 77

Which of the following is not an effective attention-getting opener for a business presentation?

A) quoting a well-known individual
B) building interest by not defining the scope of your remarks
C) presenting a hypothetical situation to stimulate thought
D) stating a startling fact or statistic
E) discussing a personal experience related to the topic

Question 78

A publisher's presentation to a group of authors to describe how the publishing process works has the purpose of

A) reporting.
B) explaining.
C) persuading.
D) motivating.
E) enhancing.

Question 79

Which of the following is not a typical purpose of most business presentations?

A) explaining
B) motivating
C) reporting
D) persuading
E) enhancing

Question 80

If you memorize your presentation for delivery, you may

A) include too many details in the body of the speech.
B) have greater flexibility than with other delivery methods.
C) sound mechanical and lack spontaneity.
D) have your eyes on the PowerPoint and not on the audience.
E) read from your notes to prompt your memory.