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Time
10 - 20 hours
Module Description
This optional module provides students with experience in preparing and delivering informational talks designed to explain or demonstrate. Students will learn to engage an audience, present information clearly, facilitate audience retention of information, and raise interest in their topic. The module also introduces the techniques of demonstrating.
Purposes
Foundational Objectives
Specific Learning Objectives
Suggested Topics
Audience Analysis
Reports
Informational Talks
Demonstrations
Suggested Resources
Teacher Information For Module 4
This section includes information that may be of use to teachers selecting Module 4. However, teachers should keep in mind that the information provided here is basic; that the field of communication is an evolving one; and that new resources, including multimedia resources, will continue to become available. For more information on preparing, rehearsing, and delivering a speech, teachers should refer to the English language arts bibliography for grade 11. In addition, they might wish to consult with people who work in the field of communication in their own community.
To prepare and deliver informational talks, students should:
| Note: It is not intended that the information here be taught routinely, outside of the context of students' communication experiences. Teachers may incorporate the information in mini-lessons or other learning activities, as need arises. Such mini-lessons may be conducted with the whole class, small groups, or individual students, depending upon need. |
Audience Analysis
When delivering informational talks and demonstrations, it is essential for students to know their audience in order to determine how much information to present and in what degree of detail it should be presented. If the demonstration or information is intended to result in sales, then the presenter must know the audience needs. For example, if a presenter is demonstrating personal stereo equipment and discovers that 95% of the people in the audience prefer CDs to cassettes, he or she may conclude t here is no point in demonstrating cassette players. An audience analysis, then, can have a major effect on the presentation.
Reports
A report is a presentation of factual information that is delivered as the result of an expressed need. Oral reports may be casual or very formal, depending on the situation. As a rule, an oral report should not be long, as audience members will lose interest after fifteen or twenty minutes, no matter how well it is delivered.
The following are important considerations for preparing and delivering an oral report:
Informational Talks
Speaking to inform is the process of orally delivering information to an audience. This process may require the speaker to give instructions, relate an experience, explain an idea, or describe a skill.
The purposes of informational talks include:
Three broad categories of informative speaking are:
Demonstrations
The organization and preparation for a demonstration is very similar to that for an informational talk about a process. However, when speakers are demonstrating, they are explaining a process so the audience can do it. For example, if the purpose is to teach the audience how to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), the speaker wants the listeners to be able to reproduce the technique as a result of the demonstration, or at least learn the process well enough to become skilled with practice.
In demonstrating a process so the audience can learn to do it, you should:
Remember to use audio-visual aids and graphics to your advantage to improve the pacing of your speech and to facilitate audience understanding. When possible, have a person from the audience help with your demonstration. If you need a volunteer, however, arrange for this in advance to ensure co-operation and to avoid the potential embarrassment of not having anyone come forward.
A demonstration is interesting and instructional when:
In order for students to learn how to conduct a proper demonstration, it is best if they choose a topic about which they are knowledgeable. For example, a hockey fan or a hockey player might demonstrate the signs and signals that a hockey referee makes. A dancer might demonstrate a particular dance technique.
The Product Demonstration
The goal of a product demonstration is to show as many of the product's functional uses as possible within the limits of the space and time allowed. When the demonstration is finished the audience should have enough understanding, not only to use the product, but to understand why it fulfils their needs.
The audience for a product demonstration is generally a company's sales people or the potential customers. However, a product demonstration might also be appropriate if a person knows of a piece of equipment that might be valuable for peers, other club members, other employees, etc.
| Tip for Students: Before giving a product demonstration, check out all your equipment to make sure it works. Do this in the room where you will be presenting so that you know if there is a problem before you begin (e.g., not enough power outlets). |
Suggested Activities for Module 4
This section includes brief descriptions of activities that teachers can use for this module. The activities are suggestions only, and teachers should adapt and add other activities appropriate for their students and teaching styles.
| Note: Teachers should take care to introduce all activities within the context of their applicability to effective communication in personal life, work, and lifelong learning. Activities and projects should be relevant to students' lives, and whenever possible students should create their own scenarios for communication projects. Mini-lessons related to module content and language processes should be taught to individual students, small groups, or the whole class as demanded by need. |
Activity: Choosing Topics for Informational Talks
Have students choose three of the topic areas below. Ask them to divide their paper into three sections and write one of the topic areas at the top of each section.
Have students spend about five minutes jotting down subtopics for each of the three areas they choose. Then ask them to underline the one subtopic in each area which is of most interest to them. From the three underlined subtopics, have them select the one for which they have the most information or can find the most information, and which they can adapt to their specific audience.
(Adapted from Nelson & Pearson, 1981, p. 65)
Activity: Making Points and Presenting Evidence
Have students research and then prepare an outline for a talk on a current topic-something which has been in the news in the past few months. Have them state their purpose and their audience. In their outline they should include:
Have students exchange their outlines with a peer and comment on each other's outlines-in writing to begin with, and then in person. Have them discuss the comments in their pairs. Revisions may be made to the outline following this interchange.
Students should consider the following:
Activity: Organizational Patterns
Have students watch any speaker on television, or find an audio recording or a transcription of a famous speech. Have the students take notes as they watch, listen, or read, and then decide which organizational pattern or combinations of patterns the speaker has used. Choices include:
Activity: Visual Aids to Accompany a Talk or Speech
Have students create an appropriate visual aid to accompany an oral presentation that they will be giving in this or any other class, or as part of an extra-curricular or volunteer activity.
Activity: Report
Arrange students in small groups. Have students present to their group a three- to five-minute report on an activity with which they have recently been involved. This might be the activities of a sports group, club, volunteer organization, course they are taking, etc. The purpose is to have students practise preparing a brief report and presenting a report orally.
Activity: Report
Create with the students a number of scenarios in which a report might be required. Have each student choose a scenario and prepare a five-minute report accordingly. Students might come up with their own scenarios, although the teacher should review them to make sure the report topics are manageable. Have students present their reports to the class.
Activity: Parallelism in the Description of a Process
Ask students to recall a past experience in which they organized something (e.g., a ski trip, a birthday party, a youth conference, a school spirit week). Have them list the steps in the process of organization and revise them until they are in parallel form. Next, have them create subheadings under each of these steps, and be certain the subheadings are put into parallel form as well.
This activity is valuable because when students are presenting steps, they will probably do so on an overhead display of some kind. Understanding parallel structure will help them put together a high quality presentation.
Activity: Explaining a Process
Have students prepare a five-minute talk about a process. Their aim will be to explain the process clearly enough so that the audience will understand and remember it. They should choose a topic they are interested in and that they believe will interest the audience (other students). For practice, have students conduct an audience analysis.
Have students prepare an outline for their talk. They should limit the main points to four; if the process consists of more than four steps, they should condense the information. Have them pay particular attention to reinforcing the message and have them find ways to use visual aids. Remind them that their message will be assessed on the clarity of the outline, the explanation of the process, and the delivery.
Activity: Presenting a Descriptive Talk
After students have used the method described above for making a topic choice, have them prepare and present an informational talk of five to eight minutes in length. Ask them to pay attention to the specific aspects of research, organization, preparation, and delivery.
Activity: Concept Talks
Have students plan and deliver a short informational talk about a concept with which they are familiar. Students may wish to refer to a planning checklist. Be sure they have clear evidence and that they have analyzed their audience. This talk may be delivered to a small group of students rather than to the whole class, or it may be videotaped for viewing at a later date. Click here for a sample assessment.
Activity: Demonstration
Using a topic from the list below, or choosing one of their own, have students plan and present a five-minute demonstration. Some "how to" topics which have been used successfully by students for demonstrations include the following.
How to:
Activity: Product Demonstration (Small Group)
Have students demonstrate a product with which they are familiar to a group of sales people (the other group members). Ask them to plan their demonstration carefully and rehearse it several times before actually presenting it. Remind students that they are "in role" as sales people and should ask relevant questions relating to sales.
Activity: Listening to a Speaker
Invite an architect or a real estate developer from your community into your classroom to discuss a proposed development. Students should be prepared to ask well-thought-out questions concerning the presentation (e.g., questions about construction, costs, safety, environmental concerns, timelines).
Activity: Practising Effective Listening
Make arrangements for your class to listen to a speaker's talk scheduled for a particular date and
time in your area (e.g., a political candidate's address to voters, a keynote address at a high school awards night, a public health nurse speaking about teens in crisis). Review listening skills with students and discuss the purpose of this task (to listen effectively). Have each student complete the Self-assessment Checklist for Effective Listening (see page 86), either during the talk or shortly after the talk.
| Note: Teachers should conclude each module with discussion or other reflective activity that encourages students to make and understand connections between the module and communication in people's personal lives, work experiences, and lifelong learning. |
Sample Checklist for Planning
Informational Talks
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____ Have you provoked interest in your topic early in your presentation so that the audience is ____ Have you designed your talk to meet audience needs? ____ Have you organized your information with audience comprehension in mind? ____ Have you taken steps to help the audience remember the important parts of your talk? ____ Have you told your audience how they can apply the information? ____ Have you told the audience how you are associated with the topic? ____ Have you related the topic to the audience (e.g., shown them how it will enrich their lives)? ____ Have you related your new information to what the audience already knows (the strange to ____ Have you used audio or visual aids in your talk (film, slides, pictures, posters, graphs, audio ____ Have you placed important information strategically in your talk, to achieve maximum ____ Have you made your information rewarding or beneficial to the audience, or provided for ____ Have you followed the basic procedure for planning a talk (e.g., topic selection, audience |
(Adapted from Nelson & Pearson, 1981, pp. 212-213)
Sample Assessment for Informational
Talks
Following is a checklist that a teacher may use or adapt for the purpose of assessing an informational talk.
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Name of Speaker: _________________________ Date: _________________________ Specific Purpose of Talk: __________________________________________________ Purpose Was it clear? ____________________________________________________________ Was it sufficiently narrow? __________________________________________________ Was it accomplished? _____________________________________________________ Introduction Did it state the purpose? ____________________________________________________ Did it motivate listeners? ____________________________________________________ Did the speaker explain his/her qualifications to speak on the subject? __________________ Body of the Speech Did it follow a clear organization? _____________________________________________ Did it provide new and useful information? _______________________________________ Was an attempt made to relate unfamiliar information to familiar knowledge? ______________ Were main points adequately developed? ________________________________________ Were transitions used between main points? ______________________________________ Were visual aids used effectively? ______________________________________________ Conclusion Did it summarize important data or reinforce audience learning? ________________________ Did it end with a well-planned forceful closing? ____________________________________ Comments:
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Sample Self-assessment Checklist
for Effective Listening
After you have listened to a speaker's talk, complete the following:
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Listener's Name ______________________________ Speaker's Name ______________________________ Purpose of Speech ____________________________ Topic ______________________________________ Statement of Thesis _________________________________________________________
Main Points 1. ______________________________________________________________________ 2. ______________________________________________________________________ 3. ______________________________________________________________________ 4. ______________________________________________________________________ What did the speaker say to describe his or her expertise regarding the topic, or to show familiarity with the topic?
What response was the speaker wanting from the audience?
Did you have trouble completing this checklist? ____ If so, tell why.
Describe the barriers to effective listening, if any, which interfered with your ability to concentrate.
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