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Communicating at Work: Principles and Practices for Business and Professions, 7/e
Ronald B. Adler
Jeanne Marquardt Elmhorst

Organizing Your Ideas

Chapter Overview

Presentations must be clearly organized for several reasons: Well-organized presentations are more understandable; they boost the speaker's credibility; they are more persuasive; and they reduce listener frustration.

All presentations ought to follow the same basic structure, containing an introduction, body, and conclusion. After developing a purpose and thesis, the first step in organizing a presentation is to compile a list of all the ideas that might possibly fit into the talk. The purpose statement and audience analysis then serve as devices for choosing the items that are appropriate for this specific presentation. These items ought to be arranged into a series of main points and subpoints, following one of the patterns described in this chapter.

After the body of the presentation has been developed, the introduction, conclusion, and transitions should be added. The introduction should capture the attention of the audience, give the members a reason to listen, set the proper tone, establish the speaker's qualifications, and state the thesis and a preview of the main discussion points. The conclusion should review the thesis and main points and close with a strong statement. Transitions connect the parts of the speech, helping the material to flow smoothly and keeping listeners oriented.