Unit 6. Planning and getting started.
Presentation technique.
Using visual aids.
Unit 7. The middle of the presentation.
Holding the audience’s attention.
Structure of the main body
Unit 8. The end of the presentation.
Summarizing and concluding.
Questions and discussion.
UNIT 6.
PRESENTATION TECHNIQUE AND PRESENTATION
Presentation is a formal talk in which you describe or explain something to a group of people
e.g. to make/give presentation
1. The text below contains several recommendations for giving effective presentation. Scan the text to match the seven points below to the right paragraph, a) – g). You do not have to read the text in detail.
1. Choose visuals to support the presentation.
2. Have a simple, clear structure.
3. Show enthusiasm.
4. Use PowerPoint.
5. Making informal presentation.
6. Consider the audience.
7. Dealing with nerves.
a) ….. The key to a successful oral presentation is to keep thing simple.
I try to stick to three points. I give an interview of the points, present them to the audience and summarize them at the end.
b) ….. My purpose or desired income, the type of audience, and the message
dictate the formality of the presentation the kind of visuals, the number
of anecdotes and the jokes or examples that I use. Most of my
presentations are designed to sell, to explain, or to motivate. When I plan the presentation I think about the audience. Are they professionals or
nonprofessionals? Purchases or sellers? Providers or users? Internal or
external? My purpose and the audience mix determine the tone and the
focus of the presentation.
c) ….. When I make a presentation, I use the visuals as the outline, I will not use
notes. I like to select the kind of visual that not only best supports the
message but also best fits the audience and the physical location.
PowerPoint, slides, overhead transparencies, and flip charts are the four
main kinds of visuals I use.
d) ….. PowerPoint and slide presentation work well when I am selling a product
or an idea to large groups (15 people or more). In this format, I like to use examples and graphs and tables to support my message in a general way.
e) ….. In small presentations, including one-on-ones and presentations where
the audience is part of the actual process, I like transparencies or flip charts. They allow me to be more informal.
Unit 6
f) ….. I get very, very nervous when I speak in public. I handle my nervousness
by just trying to look as if, instead of talking to so many people, I’m walking in and talking to a single person. I don’t like to speak behind lecterns. Instead, I like to get out and just be open and portray that openness: “I’m here to tell you a story.”
g) ….. I try very hard for people to enjoy my presentations by showing enthusiasm on the subject and by being sincere. I try not to use a hard sell – I just try to report or to explain – and I think that comes across. In addition, it helps that I am speaking about something that I very strongly believe in and something that I really enjoy doing.
2. Read the text in detail and answer the questions:
1) What advice from Luis E. Lamela do you think is the most important?
2) What are the key considerations involved in preparing a
presentation?
3. Read the conversation between management trainees talking about the preparation of presentations. They mention eight key areas. What areas do they mention? Number them in the order in which they are mentioned.
George: Right, now let’s think about the preparation of the
presentation. What do you have to do to prepare it?
Sara: The most important thing is to know the audience, find out about them.
Bob: Yes, but you need to make sure about your objectives first,
so decide on the objectives – what you want the talk to achieve.
Sara: Yes, but to do that, you need to know about the audience –
their knowledge, what they want to know, you know,
everything like that.
George: So, audience and objectives.
Hal: And the third thing you have to sort out is content, collect
information, organize it, decide on a structure.
Sara: Yes, get a good structure, I agree. Then once the structure is
okay, you need to visuals, any graphs, you know, that sort
of things.
George: Yes, the visual supports.
Unit 6
Sara: The, you could write it all out. At least the introduction –
just to practice it. Some people write out everything, some
don’t. It depends.
George: I think that’s a good point. But practice is really very
important. A key part of the presentation is to actually
practise it, to give the presentation – practise until you
could go it just from notes. Then well … what else?
Bob: Check all the language, keep it simple, make sure there’re
no mistakes on the visuals. Spelling and all that.
Hal: And I think you should check that the room is okay, check
the equipment is okay. And maybe also PowerPoint. If you
use PowerPoint, make sure your computer and the disc, or
the data projector, make sure it all works.
George: Yes, using presentations software can help enormously.
4. Comment on any of the points mentioned in the discussion you have read. Which do you think are the most important? Do you feel it is necessary to write out a presentation?
5. STARTING PRESENTATIONS
Decide whether each sentence in the Useful Language box is “formal” or “informal”? Write “Formal” (F) and “Informal” (I).
USEFUL LANGUAGE
| Introducing yourself | On behalf of myself and “Focus Advertising”, I’d like to welcome you. | |
| Hi, I’m Dominique Lagrange. Good to see you all. | ||
| Introducing the topic | This morning I’d like to outline the campaign concept we’ve developed for you. | |
| I’m going to tell you about the ideas we’ve come up with for the ad campaign. | ||
| Giving background information. | I’ll give you the background and talk you through the results of the market study. | |
| I’ve divided my presentation into three parts. | ||
| Inviting questions. | If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to interrupt me. | |
| If you’re not clear about anything, go ahead and ask any questions you want. |
Unit 6
6. Read the openings of one formal presentation and one informal presentation. Decide which one is formal and which one is informal.
Presentation 1.
Good morning everyone, on behalf of myself and Focus Advertising, I’d like to welcome you. My name’s Sven Larsen. I’m Commercial
Director. This morning, I’d like to outline the campaign concept we’ve developed for you. I’ve divided my presentation into three parts. First, the background to the campaign, next the results of our market study, thirdly, the concept itself. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to interrupt me.
Presentation 2.
Hi, I’m Dominique Lagrange. Good to see you. As you know, I’m Creative Director of DMK. I’m going to tell you about the idea we’ve come up with for the ad campaign. I’ll give you the background and talk you through the results of the market study and tell you about our concept. If you’re not clear about anything, go ahead and ask any questions you want.
7. Pamela Pickford trains business people to make presentations. Which of the points below does she make? Read and mark each one either “True” (T) or “”False” (F).
1. …. When preparing a presentation, try to find out what your audience already knows.
2. …. Everyone in your audience should be at the same language level.
3. …. Visit the room in which you are presenting before you actually make the presentation.
4. …. The first stage of your presentation is when you should get the full attention of your audience.
5. …. If you memorize the introduction, you will be more confident when making a presentation.
6. …. The whole text of your presentation should be written on postcards.
7. …. If you use an overhead projector, you should remember to turn it off when you don’t need it.
8. …. Remember that the content of the presentation is much more important than your presenting style.
The key is preparation. So the first step is to find out who you’re going to be presenting to. Now you need to do this on two levels. Firstly, how much does
the audience know about the subject? Are they experts or do they know very little?
Unit 6
Secondly, are you presenting to a group from the same or from different countries? And adjust your language so that everybody can understand. If possible visit the room where you’ll be giving the presentation beforehand and organize it precisely to your own requirements. Check you are familiar with the equipment, re-arrange the seating and try to make yourself feel comfortable and relaxed in it.
So, once you know who you’re presenting to and where, you’re ready to start preparing what exactly you’re going to say.
So, stage one is the opening – that all-important first few moments that can make or break the presentation. Then stage two, a brief introduction about the subject of your talk. Then three, the main body of the presentation. And four, the conclusion, which should include a summary of your talk and your final opinion or recommendations. Finally, the question and answer session.
Now the most important stage is the opening minute or so and I’d suggest that people memorize it exactly as if they were actors. Write down the opening with all the pauses and the stress clearly marked, and then record it, listen to it, and practise it again and again. This is so important because if it’s properly done, you not only get the audience’s attention immediately, but you feel confident during what can be the most frightening part of the presentation.
After that, you can start using your notes. So the first step is to write those notes. Write the whole presentation out just like an essay. Then select the key points. But read the full version over and over again until it’s imprinted in your mind. The next step is to buy some small white postcards and write no more than one or two of the key points or key phrases onto each one.
Some visual aids, like overhead transparencies, are very important of course. But most people put far too much information on them. Don’t – because it’s difficult to read and it bores the audience. Limit yourself to a maximum of five points on each. Remember to turn off the projective when you’re not actually using it. And don’t talk to the machine or the transparency, which again lots of people do. Face the audience at all times. Finally, remember that it’s not just what you say. How you say it is just as important. Quite unlike meetings and negotiations, a good presentation is very much a performance.
VOCABULARY
Ex.1. Translate the following word combinations into the Russian language.
1. to know the audience
2. to adjust the language
3. to give the presentation
4. to visit the room beforehand
5. to organize the room to your own requirements
6. to be familiar with the equipment
7. make yourself feel comfortable
8. all-important first few moments
Unit 6
9. the question and answer session
10. to include a summary of your talk
11 the main body of the presentation
12. the opening minute or so
13. to talk to the machine
14. unlike meetings and negotiations
15. to get the audience’s attention
Ex. 2. Use your English-English dictionary to find out the different meanings of the verbs below.
make get talk turn
Ex.3. Form nouns from the following words:
1. meet – ………………………… 6. confident –…………………..…
2. present –…………………....... 7. recommend –……………….…..
3. prepare – …………………….. 8. perform –………………………..
4. conclude –………………........ 9. equip –……………………….….
5. negotiate – ……………………. 10. important –…………………..….
WRITING.
Ex.4. The editor of your Russian company’s in-house magazine has asked you to write an article about a good presentation. Include information from the text given above.
DISCUSSION.
Ex.5. Comment on the following statements. In your opinion are they:
a) essential b) helpful c) unhelpful for a successful presentation?
1. Tell a joke at the beginning. …….
2. Speak more slowly than you normally do. …….
3. Smile a lot. ……
4. Involve the audience. …….
5. Invite questions during the presentation. …….
6. Always keep to your plan. …….
7. Move around during your presentation. …....
8. Use a lot of gestures to emphasize important points. …….
9. Read out your presentation from a script. …….
10. Stand up when giving your presentation. …….
Unit 6
8. Read the following presentation given to a company’s sales team and
define the main topic of the presentation.
Good morning everyone, thank you for coming to my presentation. I know you’re all very busy, so I’ll be as brief as possible. OK then, I’m going to talk about the new chocolate bar we are putting on the market, the St Tropez premium bar. I’ll tell you about the last launch we carried out in the south west of England a few weeks ago. My presentation is divided into three parts. First I’ll give you some background about the launch. After that, I’ll tell you how we got on and assess its effectiveness. Finally, I’ll outline our future plans for the product. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask.
Right, let’s start with the background to the launch. As you know, St Tropez is a mint and nut bar with a distinctive taste. It’s been thoroughly tested in focus groups and special attention was paid to packaging. It’s wrapped in a metallic foil. The colours are rich, strong, to give high visual impact. So, that’s the background. Right, let’s now move on to the test launch. How successful was it? Well, in two words, very successful. If you look at the graph, you’ll see the bar’s actual sales compared with forecast sales. Quite a difference isn’t there? The sales were over 20% higher than we predicted. In other words a really good result. Well above our expectations. The sales show that the pricing of the product was correct. And they show that as a premium line, the St Tropez bar should be successful nationwide. To sum up, a very promising test launch. I believe the bar has great potential in the market.
Right, where do we go from here? Obviously, we’ll move on to stage two and have a national advertising and marketing campaign. In a few months, you’ll be visiting our sales outlets and taking orders, I hope, for the new product. Thanks very much. Any questions?
Ex.6. Read the text again and answer the questions below.
1. What is the name of the product?
2. How many parts of the presentation are there in the presentation?
3. What are these parts?
4. Where did the company carry out their test launch?
5. Was the test launch successful? How successful was it?
6. What can you tell us about the package and the colours of the product?
7. What are the company’s plans for future?
8. How can you explain the company’ success?
PRACTICE.
A. Choose one of the situations below.
Prepare a short presentation of three to five minutes.
Include phrases from the Useful Language Box. (see below).
Unit 6
| Topic | Audience | Suggestions |
| A country you have visited on holyday or done business in. | A group of people who will shortly be working there. | – way of life – customs – transport – weather – accommodation – language – food and drink – people – standard of living – entertainment |
| Your job | A group of high school students at a careers evening | – responsibilities and tasks – the future – perks and special advantages – qualifications – career structure |
| Your company’s main competitors | The board of directors of your company | – who they are – their strengths and weaknesses – how powerful they are in the market relative to you |
B. Now make your presentations in groups.
After each presentation discuss these questions:
1. Was the presentation interesting? Did you manage to hold the audience’s attention?
2. Did the beginning have impact? Did you want to hear more?
3. Did the presentation have a logical structure – a beginning, middle and end?
4. Was it divided into sections? Did you know when the presenter was
moving from one part of the talk to another?
5. Was there a summary or a conclusion?
USEFUL LANGUAGE
| Introducing yourself | Good morning everyone. |
| Let me introduce myself. | |
| My name is … | |
| I am a specialist in … | |
| Referring to visuals | If you look at the graph…. |
| Could I draw your attention to the chart. | |
| If you take a look at the first year, you’ll see…. | |
| Structuring the presentation | I’m going to divide my talk into four parts. |
| First I’ll give you…. | |
| after that….; | |
| finally….. | |
| Changing the topic | Right, let’s now move on to … |
| OK, I’ll now look at … |
Unit 6
| Referring to the audience’s knowledge | As you know… |
| As you are aware… | |
| Inviting questions | If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask. I’ll be glad to answer any questions (at the end of my talk). |
| Concluding | To sum up…. |
| So, to summarize… | |
| Giving background information | I’ll give you some background information. |
| Let’s start with the background. | |
| Ending | Thanks very much. Any questions? |
| Well, that’s all I have to say. | |
| Thank you for listening. |
Task 1. Read the comments from the audience who are listening to a presentation at an international conference. What caused the problem in each case?
a) “What on earth is he talking about?” “I have no idea!”
b) “Hey, Sara! Wake up! He’s finished.”
c) “Read that! I can’t read that! I’d need a pair of binoculars!”
d) “Speak up! I can’t hear a thing!”
e) “Summarize four main points? I only noticed one! Have I been asleep?”
Task 2. Look at the following situations.
| 1. | A medical conference in Tokyo with papers on new techniques in open heart surgery. | 3. | The Purchasing and Product Managers of a Taiwanese company interested in buying some production equipment from your company. |
| 2. | An internal meeting of administrative staff to discuss a new accounting procedure. | 4. | A staff meeting to discuss a charity event for earthquake victims. |
Imagine you have to give a brief presentation in two of the previous situations, plus one other situation that you decide on. Make brief notes on the following:
a) Will your talk be formal or informal?
b) What are the audience’s expectations in terms of technical detail, expertise, etc.?
c) What is the audience’s probable level of special knowledge? Are they experts or non-experts?
d) How long will your talk be: five minutes, twenty minutes, half an hour, half a day or longer?
e) What is your policy on questions? Will the audience interrupt or will they ask questions afterwards? Will there be any discussion?
Unit 6
f) How will you help the audience to remember what you tell them?
Task 3. In any presentation the beginning is crucial. Some things are essential in an introduction and others are useful. Here is a list of what could be included in an introduction. Mark them according to how necessary they are using the following scale:
Essential Useful Not necessary
1 2 3 4 5
Subject / title of talk ………
Introduction to oneself, job title etc. ………
Reference to questions and / or discussion. ………
Reference to the program of the day. ……….
Reference to how long you are going to speak for. ……….
Reference to the visual aids you plan to use. ……….
The scope of your talk: what is and is not included. ………
An outline of the structure of your talk. ……….
Task 4. Read the beginning of a presentation on the marketing plans for a new telecommunications system produced by Telco. Answer the questions:
1. Is it a good introduction?
2. Why? Why not?
3. Is it possible to identify the structure of the talk?
Speaker: Thank you for coming today. As you know, I want to talk about the marketing plans. Brand identity is a key issue and what is means is how we are seen by our customers and how our products are recognized and what our consumers think of us as a company.
And I should also say, what they think of our products and the name …….. what Telco means for them. And advertising is part of it of cause, though not something I am going to talk about now except to say that as for brand image, it’s important in that area too, advertising that is.
Task 5. Read a second example of an introduction to a presentation. This one is about plans to develop a new production plant in Taiwan.
As you read think about these points:
a) Is it a good introduction?
b) Why? Why not?
c) What is the structure of the talk?
Unit 6
Speaker: Okay, thanks. I’m here to talk about the design proposals for the production plant at Taipei. My talk will be in three parts followed by a 30-minute discussion. I’m going to start with the background to each proposal – something about our negotiations with the Taiwanese government – then in the second part I’ll go over the main characteristics of each proposal, Proposal One and Proposal Two. Then in the third part I’ll highlight some key considerations we have to bear in mind.
Finally, I’ll end with an invitation to ask questions or make any comments you like. We’ll discuss matters arising from the talk.
Okay? So to begin with, a few words on the history.
Task 6. Work in pairs. Each of you should suggest a possible phrase of the cues below.
a) Greet your audience.
b) Introduce yourself.
c) Give the title of your talk.
d) Describe the structure of your talk.
e) Explain that the audience can interrupt you.
f) Say something about the length of your talk.
g) Say a colleague will be showing a video later.
Task 7. Read a model introduction based on suitable phrases for (a) – (g).
Speaker. (a) Good afternoon.
(b) My name’s Arnold Layton. I’m a (geophysics) for (ELF Aquitaine) with special responsibility for (analyzing new fields in the North Sea).
(c) I’m going to talk about (some recent research into new methods of detecting oil in shallow waters.)
(d) I’ve divided my talk into three parts First, (research that we have done.) Then, (I’ll report on some published research from other companies), and finally (I’ll talk about what this may mean for our exploration activities).
(e) Please interrupt if at any time you have any questions or something is not clear.
(f) My talk will last about half an hour.
(g) Later my colleague will be showing a video on ….
PRACTICE 1. WRITING.
Use the outline below to prepare a brief introduction to a talk on safety for a manufacturing company.
Unit 6