Oral presentation of the report is the final stage of the research, and its purpose is to convey to the intended audience the whole result of the study in sufficient details and to enable each user of research to comprehend the data and to determine for himself the validity of the conclusion. Presentation has become increasingly essential
medium of communication, because report is better understood, if it is accompanied by a presentation. The intended audience can interact with the researcher(s) and share the research process that the researcher(s) has gone through in developing the report9.
3.1. 15.3.1 Technique of Interpretation
10Presentation of report is essential because it helps in:
1. Better understanding of the contents of the report.
2. Improved persuasion and decision making.
3. Entering into a dialogue with the author(s) of the report for clarification of points/doubts.
4. Achieving change in attitude or behavior of the audience
3.2. 15.3.2 Presentation of research report to technical person
11The scientific researcher has to present the findings of his research report, basically to the technical personnel.
The findings of business research are meant for managers. Sometimes, before the presentation of the research findings, the investigator discusses his findings with other scholars. In many cases the discussion is done before the research project has been evolved. So the basic aim of the presentation of the research findings is to make the results available to the peer group of scientists.
For presenting research to a scientific audience, a set of customary procedures have been developed, which considerably facilitate presentation. Such presentation begins as a rule, with the statement of the problem and its relation to theoretical propositions. This is followed by a description of the research design and discussion of the methods of the data collected which have been used. In such cases, the results are presented with an indication of the nature of the analysis which has been performed. In a final section, the results which bear any relation to the original hypothesis, and conclusions are drawn together with their bearing on theoretical precepts.
3.3. 15.3.3 Presentation skill set
12Presentation skills include that ability to mix in the right proportion various elements of:
1. Communication Issues 2. Presentation Handouts
3. Use of audio-visual aids to achieve the interaction with intended audience.
3.3.1. 15.3.3.1 Communication Issues
The main components of communication issues, which are relevant to a presentation are:
1. Aim: The first step to know the clear aim of the presentation and then be able to focus the presentation sharply to achieve this aim. Different types of research reports have different aims. For example a market research report may be presented by a manufacturer to a group of intended distributors with an aim to enthuse them to become the channel partners. In this scenario, first market information is provided to them. Then in the light of research findings they are motivated to sign up as distributors. This implies that a decision making process has been achieved. Such a presentation, therefore, needs to be sharpened by emphasizing on benefits to the distributors and exhorting upon the virtues of the product.
2. Audience: Is another important parameter in the presentation process. Though research presentations are for intended audience, at times audience interest can wane if the presentation becomes a monologue. The presentation must keep the audience interest alive by having a suspense dimension in the presentation or by having interesting anecdotes interspersed in the presentation.
3. Multimedia: In today‟s world multiple medium have merged to give rise to multimedia presentation technology. Here a judicious mixture of visuals, animations, audio and graphics is done to heighten the sensory impact of presentation to the audiences.
4. Time and Place: Time and place of presentation are also very important. Today breakfast presentation is becoming very popular as mind is very fresh in the early morning and perceptive to new ideas. Late evenings are more suited to corporate presentation which could be followed by business socializing over cocktails and dinner. Place is determined by the size of audience and presentation technology being utilized. Obviously large audience would require larger halls and so would television projection systems. Acoustics and seating arrangements also play an important part in determining the use of audio-visual aids.
3.3.2. 15.3.3.2 Presentation Handouts / Give-aways
The presentations are accompanied by handouts and give-aways to strengthen the impact of presentation.
1. Pre-presentation handouts: These include company/research background. Summary of detailed speech, data tables, etc which audience can refer to during actual presentations.
2. Post-presentation handouts: These generally include photocopies of Power Point Presentation (PPT) slides and other visual material used during the presentations.
3. Memorablia/Give-aways: Product samples are generally distributed in product launch seminars. Today, concept of CDs or video-versions of presentation on a pendrive with corporate branding as give-aways is also coming into vogue.
3.3.3. 15.3.3.3 Audio-Visual Aids
In the last few years there has been a dramatic change in range of audio-visual aids available to the presenter. As discussed earlier, the multimedia technology is becoming all pervasive, hence yesterday‘s audio-visual aids have merged into one solid technology.
4. References and further reading
1. Firestone, W. A. (1993): Alternative arguments for generalizing from data as applied to qualitative research.
Educational Researcher.
2. Janet, M. R. (2004): Essentials of Research Methods: A Guide to social science Research. Blackwell Publishing.
3. Rao, K. V. (1993): Research Methodology in Commerce and Management. Sterling Publishers Private Limited: New Delhi.
4. Runkel, P. J., & McGrath, J. E. (1972): Research on human behavior: A systematic guide to method. New York.
10. Generalization in quantitative and qualitative research: Myths and strategies:
www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0020748910002063
11. Interpretation and Report Writing: www.kish.in/interpretation_and_report_writing/
12. Research Methodology: www.iilm.edu/iilm-online/Research%20Methodology%20Self-Learning%20Manual.pdf
13. Statistical Generalization: srmo.sagepub.com/view/encyc-of-case-study-research/n328.xml
5. Questions for Chapter 15
1. What do you understand by the term presentation? What is the need for presentation of report.
2. Explain the objectives/purposes of presentation of a report.
3. Explain the factors to be kept in mind while presenting a report to (a) technical people (b) laymen.
4. What is presentation skill set? Explain the elements of presentation skill set.
5. What are communication issues?