Question 1

If someone asks a question that you cannot answer, ________.

Accepted Answer

C) If someone asks a question you cannot answer, don't be afraid to say, "I don't know." Credibility disappears when a speaker gets caught making up an answer. Just admit that you need to find the answer and then follow up with the questioner as soon as possible.

Question 2

An exchange with the audience at the end of your presentation ________.

Accepted Answer

A) This is one of the many benefits of a Q&A session. Others include making the presentation interactive, learning how well your audience understands your points, letting you emphasize or expand on your important points, and diffusing your audience's criticism and objections with skillful replies.

Question 3

Visual aid presentations ideally devote much more space to various forms of illustrations that focus the discussion and demonstrate the points than stand-alone presentations do.

Accepted Answer

In these presentations, the speaker's words carry the main story of the presentation and the slides primarily provide illustration and backup.

Question 4

Less than one-quarter of the graduates entering the workforce excel at oral communication.

Accepted Answer

Only 24 percent of the graduates entering the workforce excel at oral communication, yet employers consider oral communication to be the most important skill in a new hire.

Question 5

Emma is winding down her presentation and is ready for questions. She is excited about this interactive element of her presentation and really wants to encourage participation. Which of the following would be best for Emma to say?

Accepted Answer

B) This encourages participation by asking "what" questions there are, assuming and expecting that there will be some. It is better than asking "if" there are questions, which makes it easier for the audience to remain silent. The other choices make questions sound like an afterthought, not a valuable and planned part of the presentation. They could discourage audience members from asking questions, feeling that asking questions will prolong the meeting when everyone else is ready to move on.

Question 6

A stand-alone presentation should not include an agenda slide.

Accepted Answer

The inclusion of an agenda slide that communicates the main ideas and logic of the presentation is one of the three distinguishing features of a stand-alone presentation.

Question 7

A business presentation generally emerges from a specific business question.

Accepted Answer

Occasionally you may be asked to do a presentation on a specific topic, but presentations usually emerge from specific business questions.

Question 8

If you get a hostile question ________.

Accepted Answer

E) A question like this requires an especially skillful answer. Be careful not to become defensive, and first reframe the question. Then acknowledge the other person's position and try to identify the source of the objection. Work on creating a mutual understanding of the issue rather than trying to be "right."

Question 9

If you will be using computer equipment that is already in the room, you should verify in advance that your material will be projected as you intend it to.

Accepted Answer

It is important to make sure that all the fonts, images, video, and audio perform as you plan them to.

Question 10

If you want your audience to know why the database is currently sluggish and understand how the adjustments being made will lead to better processing times, then your presentation is collaborative.

Accepted Answer

This presentation is informational. A collaborative presentation would be one in which you want your audience to work together with you to reach an answer.

Question 11

Which of the following is NOT a benefit of a Q&A session?

Accepted Answer

E) If someone uses a question to try to take over the meeting, look for an opportunity to regain control of the discussion. Don't dismiss or insult the questioner by indicating that the question is irrelevant or off point. Instead, refer to the meeting agenda or the map of the presentation to get back on track.

Question 12

Your first job when the presentation begins is to get your audience's attention with a strong introduction.

Accepted Answer

Your audience may not be focused on you at the beginning of the presentation. It is your job to start with an introduction that puts their focus on you.

Question 13

When presenting as a team ________.

Accepted Answer

D) During team presentations, each speaker needs to make a connection between his or her content and the next speaker's. This helps the audience follow the flow of your presentation.

Question 14

If you know that your audience is not very familiar with with technology issues, you should refrain from using technical jargon in your presentation.

Accepted Answer

It is important to use what you know about your audience to make your presentation as effective as possible.

Question 15

When used effectively, slide presentations help organize the logic and flow of the presentation.

Accepted Answer

Effective slide presentations offer this and a number of other advantages.

Question 16

The text makes an analogy between a presenter preparing to deliver a presentation and an athlete preparing for an athletic performance. Which of the following best illustrates how this analogy could be applied to the process of a presenter performing audience analysis?

Accepted Answer

D) Figure skating is a subjective sport in which performance is assessed based in large part on how well the judges respond to it. If a skater knows the specific preferences of a judge, he or she can tweak a performance to capitalize on this. Of the choices, this one comes closest to the experience of a speaker performing audience analysis. The speaker can emphasize or deemphasize certain aspects of his material depending on the audience's interests, needs, and biases.

Question 17

Nothing destroys audience attention more than ________.

Accepted Answer

B) A monotone presenter destroys audience attention, so be sure to modulate your voice. One way to animate your voice is to emphasize important words and phrases. The other choices describe ways to use your voice effectively.

Question 18

During a presentation, pausing intentionally ________.

Accepted Answer

A) Silence can be a speaker's ally, not enemy. A quiet moment gives the audience time to process your information and signals that something new is coming. It is also one of the best ways to prevent "ers" and "ums."

Question 19

The time of day you are presenting has no impact on your presentation.

Accepted Answer

Your audience may be more alert in the morning and more sluggish in the afternoon.

Question 20

Rob sees an effective slide in a presentation given by a coworker. The next time Rob has to give a presentation, he remembers that slide and wants to use it. In this situation he should ________.

Accepted Answer

C) Within an organization, it is usually acceptable to share slides to use in presentations made on behalf of the organization. In fact, some companies create slide libraries to encourage employees to use slides that have been preapproved, especially for customer and other public presentations. Since your company "owns" the slide you are borrowing, you do not have to acknowledge the source, although you may want to thank your coworker for bringing it to your.

Quiz 12: Preparing and Delivering Business Presentations