Analysis of the Presentation of Educational DVD's - Assignment Example

Influencing Introduction The definition of influencing is to engage individuals and bring about a change in their behaviour and thinking with the use of pressure and persuasion (Guirdham, 2002). With this definition, it becomes easy to say that the presentation concerning specialist DVD recordings may not influence greatly. Certain changes which are in line with the theories concerning influencing the behaviour of others need to be applied to the presentation before it can be taken as a valuable input in influencing behaviour. The Presentation The presentation about educational DVDs does not appear to understand the audience as well as their requirements concerning the approach taken by the individual. Instead of following the recommendations laid down by Gilbert (2004) which ask the presenter to connect with the audience on an intellectual level and way them to a particular viewpoint, the presenter seems to simply be giving information rather than influencing the behaviour of the listeners. The introduction shows just that as the presenter uses an overhead slide to give the outline of his speech instead of engaging the listeners. The presentation is missing the strong, compelling statement which Hart (2000) suggests as the foundation of a persuasive presentation. Moving forward from the introduction of the presentation, the description of who actually buys or rents DVDs in Europe is not a compelling argument either. In fact, the first really compelling argument comes after the introduction in which the presenter gives actual facts and figures which show that the size of the market is 2 percent of 1.2 billion Euros. The presentation could have been improved if this figure had been mentioned at the offset to show the size of the market to the audience. It might have been used to increase their interest and to get them engaged since it is a business presentation and the use of figures becomes important in such cases (Gilbert, 2004). Of course, the presenter does not give any source for his information and this may make it appear to the listeners that the presentation lacks the proper research. This is important because Guirdham (2002) notes that sources become important for listeners when it comes to a presentation; these allow the speakers to build a feeling of trust and credibility with the audience. This trust becomes essential when it comes to persuading the audience towards taking certain actions as investing in a business plan. The presenter should have known that the elements which increase credibility with regard to influencing behaviour include things such as expertise and reliability which can be gained through numbers and names of other experts who support the argument being made by the individual. While the clarification of motives can be a good method for gaining influence over the audience, the presentation makes no real attempt to clarify the motive of the speaker and the Q&A session at the end of the presentation hints that the speaker is not sure about the motive either. However, the speaker is certainly very confident, full of energy and warmth and to some extent, the energy might be overwhelming. For example, within the Q&A session, the presenter interrupts a question to give an answer to an unfinished question. The questioner asks about other companies such as TVmatic but before the question is finished; the presenter assumes what the question is going to be and responds accordingly. This can be very dangerous as the attempt to give an answer the question without knowing the full question may lead to the wrong answer based on assumptions (Hassall & Joyce, 1997). Moreover, as pre the reinforcement theory, if the answer agrees with the ideas in the questioners mind, the influence of the presenter would be reinforced but if there is disagreement, the questioner might be put off by that. Since the presenter does not know the question the interruption could be a negative influence. This is because the questioner might be asking about anything ranging from possible takeover bids to future merger situations but the presenter’s assumption does not let the question be completed therefore the answer becomes a lost opportunity for persuasion. Similarly, the presentation shows that there is something lacking in terms of researching relevant information on the topic. Guirdham (2002) notes that research becomes very important when individuals are to be influenced towards some behaviour but the research done for the example of informational-educational material is not enough. The presenter notes that the example being given is not the best which is certainly a drawback. If this example is not the best then research should have been conducted to find out a better example. On the other hand, the research done into the possible customers certainly shows depth as well as breadth as the presenter knows where these individuals live, what age groups they belong to, their income levels and even their marital status. This collection of data falls in line with the recommendations made by Guirdham (2002) since they show that the presenter is intimately familiar with the group being discussed even if there are no sources provided for the information which is being given to the audience. The presentation concerning the DVD market seems to be a mix of the presentation styles used by a friendly helper and a logical thinker since it mixes facts with optimism. As described by Beaver (1999), the central purpose of all presentations is to inform, to entertain and to bring about an emotional response which guides them towards making a decision which is the one which the presenter wants them to make in the first place. A very positive point which can be noted about the presentation is that while the presentation is that even though the presenter was running out of time, he managed to gain a little bit more by acknowledging that he was running out of time and would soon be finished. As described by Beaver (1999), this brings out the person behind the presenter and shows a softer side to the audience which may happily make allowances to the person giving the presentation. Conclusions Overall, while the presentation does not follow all the rules as well influencing theories which have been discussed, the presenter does have a few positive points going in his favour. The simplicity of the presentation is one such ideal since it allows the presenter to not complicate things and give the audience just the bare facts regarding what he knows and what he seeks to find out in the real world. Of course the presentation might have benefited tremendously from additional research and the application of the relevant theories but even without them, the presentation does not become a total disaster. As for improving the same presentation, the presenter should look towards getting the sources for the facts given by him and should also look towards making a more emotional appeal towards the audience. Instead of giving them the same information in terms of print material which has been read to them by the presenter, additional material should be supplied so that the audience has something to take away from the presentation. In conclusion, the presentation would benefit tremendously from additionally planning and further engagement of the audience. These can be easily injected into the presentation if the presenter takes a little more care regarding what is said to the audience and how the questions from the audience are handled by the presenter. Works Cited Beaver, H. 1999, ‘How not to Conduct a Presentation’, ABA Banking Journal, vol. 91, no. 7, pp. 76. Gilbert, J. 2004, ‘Are you a Good Presenter?’, Sales & Marketing Management, vol. 156, no. 8, pp. 42-44. Guirdham, M. 2002, Interactive Behaviour at Work, Prentice-Hall. Hart, M. 2000, ‘A Compelling Introduction Leads to a Good Presentation’, Presentations, vol. 14, no. 8, pp. 82. Hassall, T. & Joyce, J. 1997, ‘Presentation Skills for Accountants’, Management Accounting, vol. 75, no. 11, pp. 38-40. Read More