Presentation Media that Match the Audience A speaker must choose the appropriate medium or combination of media to accomplish the purpose of a presentation and to meet the needs of a specific audience. Caleb is developing a two-hour supervisory workshop

Question

on effective techniques for conducting performance appraisals. The previous trainer relied solely on providing information through use of a PowerPoint presentation. Caleb wants to integrate several presentation visuals to effectively provide the training information and maintain the interest of the audience. Required: Discuss the appropriate presentation visuals for Caleb's supervisory workshop on performance appraisals that will best achieve his purpose with the audience.

Answer 1

Caleb should provide handouts which can include important detailed information that the supervisors can examine closely. This will reduce the need for extensive note taking by the participants. However, since participants will probably start to read the handouts while Caleb is talking, he will need to time the distribution of the material and work to retain the attention of the group. Blackboards or whiteboards and flip charts will also be effective for this type of training workshop. They are easy to use, inexpensive, and facilitate interaction among the participants. Supervisors can share experiences and interact with Caleb as he writes comments and information. Overhead transparencies can also be useful and can be prepared ahead of time. Caleb may use an electronic presentation tool such as PowerPoint and be careful to meet the audience's expectations for professional design and delivery. The PowerPoint slides may interfere with group interaction since participants may be more passive recipients of the information. Models that demonstrate role-playing scenarios could also be effectively used in the workshop.