Page 390 - Effective group discussion theory and practice by Adams, Katherine H. Brilhart, John K. Galanes, Gloria J

Making Public Presentations of the Group’s Output 373

TABLE B.5
Humor Tell a tasteful, relevant joke to get the Ways to capture
audience to laugh. the audience’s
Ask a Question “How many of you have been late to attention
class because you could not find a
place to park?”
Striking Statement “I can guarantee you an A in this course
and in every other course you take this
semester.”
Striking Quotation I have heard it said that “A theory is a
thing of beauty, until it gets run over by
a fact.”
Tell a Story People enjoy and can relate to stories
about other people; such stories help
capture an audience’s attention.

■ Problem- Solution: This format follows the same kind of logic you used to analyze
your group’s problem (see Chapters 9 and 10). This kind of speech pattern is used
most often when trying to persuade an audience to accept a recommendation. The
problem is described, history discussed, and solution justified. You can also use
this pattern to inform an audience about a problem that has already been solved.
■ Chronological: This kind of organization follows a time pattern. It is useful for
talking about how something is made, explaining a historical event, or listing the
steps to a process.
■ Spatial: This kind of pattern best describes locations in space. Showing an
audience the best ski areas in California could be done by using a map and
moving north to south.
■ Cause and effect or effect to cause: This kind of pattern is useful for explaining
why something has occurred. For example, it can be used to show how the Asian
bird flu can move from birds to humans and then affect millions of people. You
can reverse the pattern by talking about effects first, then explaining their causes.
■ Topical: A topical organization follows the key parts of the topic. The U.S. system
of government has three parts: executive, legislative, and judicial. You then dis-
cuss each component, in order.
No one organizational style is always correct and styles may be combined. Be
careful, though; use styles to clarify, not confuse. Selecting the most effective pattern
is a matter of matching the characteristics of your topic with those of the audience.
Conclusion If your purpose was to inform, summarize your main points. What do
you want the audience to remember? Your summary is similar to your introduction,
but should be more concrete.

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