Preparing a Speech or Oral Report

Vocabulary flashcards covering considerations, structural components, techniques, and preparation steps for delivering an effective speech or oral report.

Audience Profile

The demographic and background information of listeners, including their age, gender, educational background, religion, economic status, interests, and existing knowledge of the topic.

Logistics

Essential event details every speaker must know, including who is organizing the event, who will introduce the speaker, and who speaks beforehand to ensure a coherent presentation.

Venue

The presentation space where a speaker must determine proper posture, personal positioning, movement, and placement of movable visual aids.

Facilities

The pieces of equipment available at the event location, such as projectors, which must match the speaker's presentation aids and require troubleshooting if technical issues arise.

Informative Speech Content

Speech content used in events like conventions, conferences, or training-seminars where the primary objective is to contribute new information.

Entertainment Speech Content

Speech content designed to be lighthearted, amusing, and lively.

Persuasive Speech Content

Presentation content designed to sound convincing enough to persuade the listeners.

Body of Presentation

The section of an oral report that emphasizes major points backed up by supporting statements and arranged in logical sequence using transitional or cohesive devices.

Opening and Closing Techniques

Strategies used to begin or end a presentation, which include using a startling statement, asking a question, quoting, narrating an anecdote, singing a song line, or presenting statistics.

Rehearsal

The preparation stage of practicing a talk aloud and gathering feedback and comments from mock audience members to make improvements before the actual event.

Introduction Gambits

Opening expressions used in a speech, such as 'I would like to talk about…', 'I believe that the topic is…', or 'Let me relate a…'

Conclusion Gambits

Expressions used to signal the end of a speech, such as 'Summing up the points I discussed earlier…', 'To summarize…', 'In conclusion…', 'To conclude…', 'Finally…', or 'To end my talk or speech…'

Visual Aids

Technology tools—including pictures, graphs, tables, charts, maps, and key-word slides—used sparingly to enhance a presentation rather than displaying verbatim speech text.