5. Offering help to clarify information

When handling the questioning phase of a presentation, it may be necessary to clarify points from the presentation. At this stage it is often helpful to show slides and transparencies again.

When responding to requests from an audience you may need to:

A) Agree to a request q: Could we see that slide again?

A: Yes, of course / Certainly. This is the diagram we looked at earlier…

b) Offer further help

This is the chart we looked at earlier, but perhaps it will be clearer if I show you two more charts.

Would you like to see another slide?

It might help if I spoke a little more about …

I have another transparency which gives more details about …

Ex. 25. Make a short presentation about a well-known oil company. Make sure you keep to all recommendations given. Check your presentation for the following:

1. clear structure (appropriate pattern!)

2. clear and effective introduction, including an appetizer

3. transitions between the main points of the body

4. clear conclusion

5. effective use of the typical language constructions

6. extemporaneous mode of delivery

7. well-organized PowerPoint Presentation

Your partners should ask you questions at the end of the presentation. Make sure you use appropriate phrases to answer the questions or evade them.

Ex. 26. Look through the following Evaluation Form and apply it for assessing your groupmates’ presentations. What did you like about these presentation? What recommendations can you give your peers for the next presentation?

Evaluation form

The following list will help you to check that while preparing your presentation you have taken into account all the important aspects. It is also used to evaluate your peers’ presentations.

Evaluate another speaker in your class, using the criteria below. Give the speaker feedback on what you liked about presentation as well as suggestions for improvement.

1. Effective attention getter

2. Thesis statement

3. Clear outline

4. Main points and subpoints were clear, substantive

5. Transition points between the main points were clear

6. Supporting evidence was provided and sources cited

7. Summary of major points was included in conclusion

8. Concluding statement was strong, the presentation ended smoothly

Grammar

Ex. 27. Study the following information.

Modal expressions with perfect infinitive

1. We use could have (done) for things that were possible but did not happen:

e.g. The crew could have started drilling a week ago, but the drilling equipment arrived too late.

e.g. I could have applied for a job in Exxon Mobil but I didn’t because I don’t have the required experience.

2. To express uncertainty about the past, we use may (might) have done.

e.g. I wonder why the manager didn’t arrange the meeting yesterday. – He might have been busy.

e.g. We can’t find our project documentation anywhere. – You may have left it in the production department.

3. To express certainty about the past, we use must have (done) when we are sure that something was true about the past, or can’t have (done), when we are sure that something was not true about the past.

e.g. George applied for a job in Chevron but was rejected. He must have failed to show his best qualities at the interview.

e.g. The drilling rig arrived at the site only a few days ago. They can’t have drilled four wells already.

Ex. 28. Complete the sentences with one of the following modal verbs plus the perfect infinitive of the verbs in brackets.

could may/might must can’t

1. The drilling programme is scheduled for the next year. The seismic data _____ (prove) great volume of reserves.

2. You _____ (be) wrong in your interpretation of the logs. There is little correlation between the core data and the log data you received.

3. The company _____ (start) exploration a year ago, but they didn’t because they didn’t have the license at that time.

4. The night shift _____ (cause) the accident, because at the time of the accident they all were at another facility.

5. The Society of Petroleum Engineers, who have developed its own code of engineering ethics, _____ (be) familiar with some gross violations of safety requirements.

6. I _____ (take part) in Shell competition for young professionals, but I didn’t manage to submit my application in due time.

7. You _____ (be) very busy yesterday. – Yes, I had to finish my annual report.

8. Ted wasn’t at work last week. – He _____ (be) ill, or he _____ (gone) on a business trip, I don’t know it for sure.

9. I left my papers on my desk and now they are gone. Somebody _____ (take) them by mistake.

10. I have heard that there was a blowout on one of the wells in the Northern field yesterday. – That _____ (be) due to equipment failure. I am sure that the personnel did their job properly.

Ex. 29. Write sentences with the words given in brackets, adding “must” or “can’t” + perfect infinitive.

1. The seismic interpretation arrived yesterday but I haven’t seen it yet. (Chief geologist / take it.)

2. The offshore platform personnel were very tired when they arrived. (They / enjoy work very much.)

3. The company has a stable position on the market. (It / gain good reputation with its clients.)

4. I haven’t seen our boss for ages. (He / go away for vacation.)

5. Jeremy passed the interview successfully. (It / be / very difficult.)

6. Tom speaks excellent German. (He / study / German department for a long time.)

7. The results of simulation seem unrealistic. (There / error in input data.)

8. My results were confirmed by three different approaches. (I / make a mistake in calculations.)

9. Gazprom is planning to launch a new pipeline in the Far East next month. (They / finish preparing access roads already.)

Listening

Ex. 30. Watch two video reports on “Exxon Mobil” and “ConocoPhillips” companies. Fill in the table with figures that you hear and put a tick ( ) in the box if the activity is mentioned for the company.

Vocabulary:

1. through-put capacity – пропускная способность, производительность

2. holdings – активы

3. oil sands – нефтеносные песчаники

	Exxon Mobil	ConocoPhillips
is engaged in:
drilling
production
power generation
transportation
exploration
chemicals production
gas gathering
Proved reserves, bln bbl per day
Refining capacity, bln bbl per day