OUMH1303

ENGLISH FOR ORAL COMMUNICATION

OUMH1303
ENGLISH FOR ORAL COMMUNICATION
PROBLEMS FACED IN ORAL PRESENTATION AND
WAYS TO OVERCOME THESE PROBLEMS

1.0

Introduction

Greetings

Our work is the presentation of our capabilities; this is what Edward Gibbon said
around 1737. Well, a warm welcome to everyone, good morning and thank you for coming
today. From where I stand now, it is definitely a pleasure to see many smiling and eager faces
of our young Sales and Marketing staffs here in this room. My name is Anuar Hamid, please
call me Anuar.

2.0

Point 1

Today, I am going to talk about Problems Faced in Oral Presentation and Ways to
Overcome These Problems. Why am I here for you? Because you are the one who
responsible in developing standardize presentations as well as proposals for your company.
Therefore, it is a must for you to master the art of public speaking so that you can
communicate excellently in verbal with all kinds of people. First, we will look at the possible
problems faced in oral presentation and later we will look into the effective solutions that you
could take prior to your presentation so that you can have a professional talk in front of your
colleagues and bosses as well as potential clients. I hope this talk will help you see the key
points that you need to keep in mind. I believe that as young Sales and Marketing staffs in

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this company you should perceive the speech or oral presentation as a challenge and
appreciate this positive opportunity to improve yourself.

When we talk about conducting oral presentation, we may feel anxious and
intimidated. This is something that seems to scare many people and I used to be one of them.
The reason why it is so terrifying is that we are performing in front of people who we may or
may not know well. There really is no logic to this fear that most people feel when giving a
presentation or speech. Let me try to show you why and how you can become a better public
speaker.

Ladies and gentleman,

Swetnam, D. (1997) explained that being under prepare is one of the problems faced
during oral presentation. As an efficient Sales and Marketing staff, this will lead to an
unconvincing presentation and could result in clients retreat in what may seen as a lucrative
investment in paper. This could be a hindrance in your effort to develop and maintain sales
proposals. Preparing for a speech is essential to the success of your presentation. If you do
not thoroughly prepare for your speech ahead of time, it will likely become a disaster when
you step onto the stage or podium. Before you can construct your speech, you need to know
its purpose and the target group at the same time.

Apart than that, a good presenter should fully understand the conveyed ideas so that
they are properly organized and most importantly not overlapping. My point here is already
said by Reesa Wolf in 2007 who also noted that one of the biggest mistakes people make
when presenting their ideas to a group is not organizing their thoughts logically. When
speaking in front of public, too many people jump from topic to topic in a random order. Not
only does this make it difficult for their clients or co-workers to follow, but it also keeps the
speakers from getting their points across effectively. The objective is simply to organize your
thoughts in order to present your message logically. If you could not communicate ideas
plainly then how would you play your role in assisting Marketing Manager in coordinating
various integrated communication and marketing activities?

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The third problem is your confidence level. Abraham Lincoln, in one of his best
quotes said that if once you forfeit the confidence of your fellow-citizens, you can never
regain their respect and esteem. Allow me to further elaborate on that notion. You may feel
confident in some areas of your life, but less so in others. So, for example, you might be a
confident Manager, or a confident Executive, yet you have this slightly lack of confidence
when having to meet people, or talk on the phone to someone you do not know, or go into a
room full of people.

According to Caroline Carr (2011) in Overcome Lack of Confidence with

Hypnotherapy, there are many reasons why presenters may lack of confidence, and it can be
so demoralising to want to do something, but feel unable to because of how you feel. If you
have a deep seated, underlying lack of confidence in yourself and your abilities, your life is
bound to be limited in some way, and this can lead to you having anxious or depressed
feelings.

The fourth problem faced by many oral presenters is that they are being constantly
under pressure while in presentation and thus too fast in pronouncing their words. As a
consequence, this will lead to the use of inappropriate phrases and expressions which could
disrupt audiences attention. Dennis Kwan (1998) in Top 7 Causes of Stress in Public
Speaking, noted that majority of inexperienced speakers are trying to cover too much
materials in their given time.

Well, to be frank here, I would strongly encourage you not to try to accomplish too
much in the naked time you are in. Instead, be realistic with your speech objectives and use it
well in conveying your thoughts and ideas in a simple but straight forward manner without
causing boredom to your listeners. I am sure that after a few times of oral presentations, you
would be able to gain in control in managing your stress.

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Based on my expertise and years of experience, the fifth problem in giving oral
presentation is social shyness. According to Margot Krasne (1997), a behavioral and
communications specialist, and also the author of Say It with Confidence, noted that this
problem can be a hindrance for many people. It impacts interpersonal relationships in both
business and personal lives. When presenting in front of large groups, shyness manifests
itself in a variety of ways. One example is the avoidance of eye contact. Personally, this may
be not looking people in the eye at all or doing so for only short moments. However, for
someone who shoulders the responsibility of public relations, customer communications and
media advertisements such as yourselves here, I suggest you to overcome your shyness
without more ado and set your priority to maintain your position in this company.

All right, so far I have listed five possible problems that faced in oral presentations. I
am sure there are lots more to it to be discussed, but I am more than convinced that by now
you have already figured your way out whenever to come across any difficulties in the future.
Still, for your account I would like to offer you my simple methods of solutions as I was once
right in your shoes.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Before conducting an oral presentation, try to allocate some of your time to rehearse
the speech. I myself find that rehearsing my speech before any actual events provides me a
relaxing and stress free atmosphere which also happened to reduce anxiety and stressful
condition while delivering. An excellent speaker should get the picture that oral
communication is less authentic than written communication as they are informal and not as
organized. If you have to speak in public then rehearse well and gather all the required
information and any related notes in advance so that you will feel well prepared. According
to Dennis Kwan (1997), for every successful oratorical activity, there are three things a
speaker has to put in mind: first is practice, second, practice, and third practice again. No one
can underestimate the power of a constant yet effective speaking drill. This helps you
memorize your lines and master them paving the way to creating adlibs as you go along the
way.

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Your next step is to create an outline of your speech. Creating an outline will enable
your presentation to be organized and focused. At the same time, you will be fully understood
your points and avoid overlapping statements. In the outline, you should highlight the points
that support your message and it should have a logical beginning, middle, and end. To be
more convincing and appealing to your future clients, try to incorporate enough supportive
materials such as handouts or attention-grabbing slides for an effective presentation.

Relying only on oral communication may not be sufficient as business

communication is formal and very organized. I would recommend you to mentally go over
the event and see yourself coping with the situation well. This will help to foresee any
potential problems you may have and see yourselves dealing even with those with complete
confidence. To make sure you keep your presentation on track, make an outline of the key
points you want to address. Whether your outline contains full sentences or just bullet points
is entirely up to you.

Confidence is a word that everyone knows, and yet can be hard to define. When
giving a presentation, it is the feeling of being prepared and reasonably certain that you will
perform well when it counts. If you think you look more confident you will feel more
confident. Always smile and you will look and feel more confident. We gain strength, and
courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face.
We must do that which we think we cannot, Eleanor Roosevelt. Of course everyone would
like to be the best. They would like to hold the audience attention, look and feel confident,
deliver an effective presentation and gain the applause and respect of the audience. We all
strive for perfection!

True confidence is much more than mere attitude, it is an embedded way of thinking
and being that is based on the hard work and effort combined with the skills and a measure of
self-esteem. It is by realizing that you have hidden resources that will rise to the occasion as
required. Not blocked by undue anxiety or fear, the creative mind can be allowed to work
positively in the most demanding of situations. Like an athlete who says they are in the
zone. The speaker who remains calm will find words, phrases and techniques will rise into
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the conscious mind without effort. It is as if the energy that is required when worrying,
fretting and feeling anxious is released and can be used instead positively. The mind and
body will almost go into automatic. Allow your powerful mind to impress you sometimes.

Next, you need to learn to slow down when you are under stress, most people panic
and rush ahead but you need to calm yourself and slow down. Learn to relax your muscles
and remove tension from your body. My advice is to remember to breathe. Anxiety tightens
the muscles in the chest and throat. With a restricted airway and without enough oxygen,
your voice can come out as a squeak! Deep breathing, on the other hand, sends oxygen to the
lungs and brain and expands the throat and chest, promoting relaxation. Therefore, as you
approach the platform, remind yourselves to take a deep breath and relax your mind. Other
than that, why not try to focus on friendly faces. While speaking in the podium, you still need
to maintain eye contact with your listeners. It does not only gives you a confident look but
also the feeling that you are in control and able to manage your stress. Find friendly faces and
focus on them. Smiles and approving nods will give you extra encouragement.

All right, I am sure that everyone in this room has seen a presenter who is so shy that
his face is frozen while his mouth moves. This same person may be quite engaging and
animated when speaking to a loved one. Krasne's advice here is to practice the speech ahead
of time, moving the facial muscles, even if the expressions seem meaningless. While this
may feel strange at first, it creates awareness that facial movement is a necessary part of an
effective presentation. When a shy person avoids a bland expression and is more animated,
he puts the audience at ease and invites social engagement.

Ladies and gentlemen,

As a whole, an outstanding speaker is sure of exactly what to say and when to say it
so as to entice an individual or a group of individual to do a certain action. That would
certainly provide impressive benefits for you and prove that you have already mastered the
art of public speaking. It is crucial that you remember to take into consideration all those that

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were mentioned above or maybe some of it in accordance with your needs because it is
without a doubt that finding all of those qualities on a speaker will truly be hard.
From me to you, please allow each small step to increase your skills, and your
confidence. Just like any other achievement, it will be a bit at a time. Of course training and
learning skills will help give you the tools. You can practice using your new skills in a variety
of different ways and each time you will find yourself more adept. Do not block your success
or even mask it with negatives thoughts, but rather enjoy the process as a lifelong learning
experience. As an adult you can literally enjoy the process. You did not really think about the
process of learning to read, it just happened. With presenting you can enjoy giving the
presentation and enjoy the process of your own learning and development. How satisfying
that is!

Last but not least, accept that the ups and downs of your presentations in the future
are all learning points. Accept that by making conscious efforts even attending this talk you
are already ahead of many people who just give up emotionally and decide that they could
not speak in front of the public. As young Sales and Marketing staffs, I know you know you
have more positive attitudes, so let that flow. Accept you are not infallible, but that with
determination, a positive attitude, some skill development and learning, your abilities and
your confidence in the public speaking arena will grow. Let it happen!

Thats all from me. Thank you very much for your time. Believe this; successful
people develop success from failures. Discouragement and failure are two of the surest
stepping stones to success. Thank you.