Losing Weight - Importance of Research, Outlines, Visual Aids, and Practice - Assignment Example

Losing Weight - Importance of Research, Outlines, Visual Aids, and Practice Abstract After the presentation of the topic “Losing Weight,” it is important to assess its effectiveness that will boost the criticism and presentation skills of the presenter. The presenter’s choice of topic is losing weight and her purpose is to inform the audience about specific steps in losing weight and to wipe out some myths about dieting. The presentation is considered effective because of the clear way that it has been presented, its selection of appropriate visual aids, and its well-supported arguments. The presenter believes that she can develop the process next time by having more time in finding the right visual aids and practicing the presentation orally. A checklist has been provided to aid future presentations. The analysis should significantly improve future presentations because it determined the speaker’s strengths and weaknesses, which helped identify opportunities for improvement. After the presentation of the topic “Losing Weight,” it is important to evaluate its effectiveness that will enhance the analytical and criticism skills of the presenter. This process will also contribute to the development of the presenter’s presentation-making and communication skills. The presenter was nervous when she started the presentation, but her nervousness dissipated as she continued with the topic. She felt confident because she has conducted good research and produced a persuasive outline. Her outline supported her presentation and helped her select the right visual aids. The presentation is effective in informing the audience about the process of losing weight that involves a holistic lifestyle approach, and the analysis of the presentation showed the importance of research, outlines, drafts, visual aids, and practice to its effectiveness. The presenter’s choice of topic is losing weight and her purpose is to inform the audience about specific steps in losing weight and to destroy some myths about dieting. Her intended audience consists of her classmates in the university. It means that they have college education background and possess different interests. The presenter wants her audience to know new information about losing weight and to possibly help them deal with their body image beliefs. Specifically, she emphasizes the importance of losing weight gradually through the right mindset, practices, and rewards. The presenter’s central idea is that losing weight in a sustainable manner requires changing mindsets and lifestyles, as well as celebrating milestones. In order to produce a compelling presentation, valid research sources are important. In the book A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, Turabian (2007) asserted the significance of assessing the reliability of print and non-print sources. She argued that the authors must be “reputable scholars” with “academic credentials” (p.33). The presenter chose sources that have credible authors, such as Bidgood and Buckroyd (2005), who are counselors. They wrote the article “An Exploration of Obese Adults’ Experience of Attempting to Lose Weight and to Maintain a Reduced Weight.” Bruce Fife is a naturopathic doctor and certified nutritionist and the presenter used his book Eat Fat Look Thin. Weiss is also a convincing source because she lost 28 pounds using her own weight loss methods and principles. Gursche contributed to the industry of healthy foods, as a pioneer of the health food movement in Canada. His book Coconut Oil: Discover the Key to Vibrant Health supported the claims of Fife. Cynthia Holzapfel and Laura Holzapfel have authored several books on nutrition and wellness. They also backed up the presentation’s claims regarding the dieting effects of coconut oil in the book Coconut Oil: For Health and Beauty. Tossy is an author of health and wellness books, including Refuse to Diet: Weight Loss Success Starts With Your Mind, Not Your Mouth. These are valid sources that supported the primary ideas of the presentation. The presenter prepared a well-organized outline, which flowed well, because she used a complete-sentence outline that helped her connect and support her different ideas on losing weight. Coopman and Lull (2011) explained the functions of complete-sentence outlines in their book Public Speaking: The Evolving Art. This kind of outline provides details for the speech and shows how ideas are related to one another (Coopman & Lull, 2011, p.213). This outline further shows the thinking process and research used to support her claims. The introduction is important in hooking the interest of the audience, and the presenter did this through the sharp contrast between people saying that they will lose weight and the actual increase in the number of overweight and obese individuals in America. After that, the thesis is introduced, followed by the supporting claims. The presenter ensured that there are transitional sentences for every new point that she introduced to her audience. These transitions prepare them for the next point and show them how these points are related to one another. The outline is the basis of the presentation, which assisted the presenter in producing a coherent and engaging presentation. The visual aids are appropriate because they are related to the topic and support the claims of the presenter. Bienvenu (2000), in her book, The Presentation Skills Workshop, stressed that appropriate visual aids support the words of the text and are proper for all cultures (p.75). The presenter used a picture of a woman in three stages of losing weight. This is a proper visual aid, because it shows the physical changes in people as they lose weight. A visual aid should also be clear to the audience. The presenter used a graph that shows possible plateau periods in losing weight. It illustrates how people may stop losing weight for sometime, which means that they need to change something in their workout to continuously lose weight. The presenter also used several tables to highlight some examples of food and non-food rewards. These visual aids are consistent and supported the ideas of the presentation. The presenter believes that the PowerPoint presentation is effective and appropriate, because it was clear and objective and everyone expressed their support through providing an excellent feedback. She got her message across, because she ensured that her ideas are clear and relevant to the audience. She is able to do this because she made an outline first. A complete-sentence outline is critical to an effective informative speech, because it includes the details of her ideas and the transitions from one idea to the next. She also used section transitions, which summarizes the last main idea, before proceeding to the subsequent major idea. In The challenge Of Effective Speaking, Verderber, Sellnow, and Verderber (2012) described that section transitions “hold the macrostructure” of the speech together (p.135). Indeed, the presenter had maximized section transitions that helped her glue her presentation together. Moreover, the audience is also swayed by the conclusion, because it summarizes the main points and kept them thinking. The conclusion also underlines the “adventure” quality of losing weight, which makes it an exciting process for all. Making presentations is not an overnight event, and it requires steps that have met some challenges. The presented admitted ease in choosing the topic and outlining and drafting the presentation; however, she had some difficulties in finding and making visual aids and presenting it orally. Finding and producing the right visual aids can be a real challenge, because sometimes, it is easier to just choose any visual aid. After reading several books on presentation and public speaking skills and processes, however, the presenter realized that visual aids have to be appropriate, concise, consistent, and dynamic (Bienvenu, 2000, p.82). The presenter rejected numerous kinds of visual aids, because they are not appropriate or concise enough to fit the needs of the presentation. Aside from the concern for visual aids, the presenter also had problems in presenting the topic orally, because of initial nervousness. In order to become more confident in speaking, the presenter significantly prepared for the presentation, from making the outline to practicing the presentation (McMahan & Duck, 2012, p.359). This helped her feel more in control of the situation, and this feeling can reduce anxiety. She prepared for the speech by learning more about the audience, improving knowledge about the topic, and practicing the speech several times in front of the mirror and with a small audience (McMahan & Duck, 2012, p.359). During the presentation, the presenter became more confident and used a clear and loud voice. Every presentation can be improved after evaluating its strengths and weaknesses, and the presenter believes that she can improve the process next time by having more time in finding the right visual aids and practicing the presentation orally. It is possible that more relevant and dynamic visual aids can be taken from other sources, if enough time is given to it. Also, more tables would have improved the effectiveness of some points. For example, losing weight data can be connected with the rewards and exercised used for each week. Finally, the presenter can also reduce nervousness through additional practice in front of other people, as well as recording the presentation. The recording can help her identify unnecessary fillers and remove them accordingly. A checklist will be most helpful in developing written or oral presentation material. This checklist comes from the personal experience of the presenter. The checklist consists of the following points:   Find a topic interesting to the presenter and the audience.   Know the views and practices of the audience regarding the topic through informal interviews or conversations through forums and other avenues.   Conduct research on the topic.   Evaluate the credibility of the sources.   Create the first complete-sentence outline.   Determine points that need further research.   Create the second and final draft of the outline through revising and then editing it.   Prepare the presentation.   Select or make appropriate visual aids, which are concise, dynamic, and consistent.   Practice the presentation and record it.   Evaluate the recording with others and also through self-criticism.   Improve the content and look of the presentation.   Practice several more times and record it until the presenter feels confident enough that she/he knows the topic fully and can speak in clear, loud, and compelling manner. This analysis has helped the presenter evaluate the effectiveness of the presentation. The presenter’s choice of topic is losing weight and her purpose is to inform the audience about specific steps in losing weight and to wipe out some myths about dieting. The presentation is considered effective because of the clear way that it has been presented and the topic has well-supported arguments. Every presentation can be improved after evaluating its strengths and weaknesses, and the presenter believes that she can develop the process next time by having more time in finding the right visual aids and practicing the presentation orally. A checklist has been provided to aid future presentations. The analysis should significantly improve future presentations by determining the speaker’s strengths and weaknesses, which helped identify opportunities for improvement. References Bienvenu, S. (2000). The presentation skills workshop: Helping people create and deliver great presentations. New York: AMACOM. Coopman, S.J., & Lull, J. (2011). Public speaking: The evolving art. Massachusetts: Wadsworth. McMahan, D.T., & Duck, S. (2012). The basics of communication: A relational perspective (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE. Turabian, K.L. (2007). A manual for writers of research papers, theses, and dissertations (7th ed.). Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Verderber, R.F., Sellnow, D.D., & Verderber, K.S. (2012). The challenge of effective speaking. Massachusetts: Wadsworth. Read More