USA Communication > Presentations
  • Tell the audience you're going to say, say it, and then tell them what you said.
  • Americans do not require much background data and may get impatient if too much time is devoted to explaining the history or how the situation developed.
  • Since Americans are optimists, it is important to begin a presentation by clearly stating the opportunity and the reason that your plans and strategies will work.
  • Americans will not hesitate to ask blunt questions that can seem aggressive to people from indirect cultures.
  • If you plan to have a Q&A session at the end of the presentation, it is best to state so at the outset. Even then, people may interrupt to ask for clarification.
  • If presenting to a large group, everyone will believe that they have the right to ask questions. They will not defer to the most senior person and may even challenge something that person says.
  • As a self-confident culture, Americans are comfortable with a modest degree of hyperbole.
  • Americans prefer to finish a presentation with a summary of what was agreed to, an outline of next steps, and a list of who is responsible for each, where applicable.