Toolkit
Preparing Summaries
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Summaries come in two general varieties:
Because the summary provides one last opportunity to remind people about the key points you want them to remember, you should always use a descriptive summary at the end of your presentation.
For example, suppose that you plan to speak about employment opportunities in technical communication. Following is the purpose of your presentation:
After hearing this presentation, seniors in technical communication should develop a focused strategy to search for their first jobs after graduation.
Following are the key points in this presentation:
A topic summary of this presentation:
| ý In this presentation, I described hot and cold job opportunities, as well as hot and cold markets for technical communicators who are graduating in the coming year. Match the characteristics of the jobs and markets with your personal needs to focus your job search. |
Notice how the topic summary only names the key points of thepresentation; it does not tell participants what to remember. Participants who missed the earlier discussion must ask the speaker to repeat the points. For fear of embarrassing themselves, some participants will not choose to do so.
A descriptive summary of this presentation would be:
| þ Let's recap. [Name hot and cold oppportunities.]
You'll find that the hottest opportunities for new technical communicators are in the
computer software and medical device industries--the coldest opportunities are in
environmental and defense industries. [Name hot and cold markets.] The hottest markets for technical communicators are the San Francisco Bay area and Atlanta; the coldest markets are those in the Dakotas, Montana, and Wyoming. [Match characteristics.] But what's the right opportunity for you? You need to match your own career interests with what's "hot" and "cold" to develop an appropriate job search. If you're searching for a hot job, you'll likely have an easier time. If you're searching for a cold job or in a cold market, give yourself more time and allow more flexibility in seeking a position. |
Notice how the descriptive summary provides key details that participants should remember. If participants happened to miss those points earlier, it gives them one last chance to hear them. They do not need to ask the speaker to repeat the points.
Because the descriptive summary provides more "value" for the listening effort, it is the preferred approach to summarizing a presentation,(especially in this class).
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