There are 7 aspects people must deal with when preparing and delivering presentations. An effective speaker learns to deal with all 7 aspects at the same time. Failure to pay attention to all of these aspects can result in an ineffective presentation. Failure to pay attention to too many of these can result in disaster.

ASPECT No.1—The speaker

One of the major components of any speech or presentation is the speaker himself/herself (the source of the message). Many people forget THEY are the presentation and NOT the visual aids. Many presenters today put so much effort into the visual aids and they forget that those are just aids to the speaker.

There are three factors we need to consider about any speaker:

· His / Her motivation in giving the presentation

· His / Her credibility as a speaker

· His / Her delivery or speaking style

A Speaker's motivation can be approached in terms of two considerations:

- Whether direct personal reward (e.g. $$$) or indirect rewards (feeling good about helping others) are involved.

- Whether immediate rewards ($$ today) or delayed rewards (getting a college degree after 4 years of college) play a part.

In essence, a speaker may be motivated by one or BOTH of these factors. Before speaking you should consider what YOUR motivations are.

Speaker's credibility. A speaker's ideas are accepted as believable only to the degree that the speaker is perceived to be credible. The speaker's credibility depends on his or her trustworthiness, competence, and good will. The speaker who is well organized will usually be considered competent. The speaker who is attractive and dynamic will be seen as more credible than one who is not. The most fundamental factor a speaker projects is the attitude they have toward himself.

Speaker's delivery. The delivery, the way the message is presented, should compliment the speech's objective. A well written speech delivered poorly can quickly lose effectiveness.

ASPECT No. 2—The message

The message refers to EVERYTHING a speaker does or says, both verbally and non-verbally. The verbal component may be analyzed in terms of 3 basic elements:

· Content

· Style

· Structure

Content—is what you say about your topic. The content is the MEAT of your speech or presentation. Research your topic thoroughly. Decide on how much to say about each subject.Then decide on the actual sequence you will use. It is important that you consider the audience's needs, time factors, and other items as the content of your speech or presentation is prepared and presented.

Style—-The manner in which you present the content of your speech is your style. Styles can vary from very formal to the very informal. Most presentations fall between these two extremes and in EVERY case, the style should be determined by what is appropriate to the speaker, the audience, as well as the occasion and setting.

Structure—The structure of a message is its organization. There are many organizational variations, but in each case, the structure should include an introduction, a body and a conclusion.

The introduction should include:

- an opening grabber such as a quote or shocking statistic

- an agenda

- the purpose or main message of your presentation

The body should include:

- your main points or ideas

- points which support your main message

The conclusion should include

- a summary of your main points

- a closing grabber

- time for questions & answers, if appropriate

When speeches and presentations are poorly organized, the impact of the message is reduced and the audience is less likely to accept the speaker or the speaker's ideas.

ASPECT No. 3—The audience

As a speaker you should analyze your listeners and then decide how to present your ideas. This analysis might include considerations related to:

- Age

- Sex

- Marital Status

- Race

- Geographic location

- Group membership

- Education

- Career