Speaking / business skills

1. Useful language: Giving presentations /(taken from Market leader, advanced, unit 7 p.66-67)

Opening remarks

• I’m very pleased to welcome you all here this morning

• Thank you very much for coming along to today’s presentation

• It’s my great pleasure to be here today.

• I’m here on behalf of …… , an organization which …

Purpose of the talk

• My aim for today’s presentation is to …

• I want to talk to you about …

• Our company is particularly proud of …

• We firmly believe that …

• As I’m sure you’ll agree … .

When to take questions

• I’ll answer any questions at the end of my talk.

• Feel free to interrupt if you have any questions.

• Please stop me any time you have a question or if you need clarification.

Ex.1. Listen to an introduction to a presentation and complete the speaker’s notes. What expressions does she use to engage the audience’s interest?

Good morning. My name’s Diana Holden. I’m the Finance Director for BZ Systems. I’m here today 1. ……. , our shareholders, about the bright future ahead for our company. I’ll 2. ….. on last year’s financial results. Then I’ll talk about our recent performance in the past quarter. Finally 3. ……. our projections and the company’s expansion plans for the future. 4. ……. Agree that BZ is growing from strength to strength. There’ll be an opportunity at the end of my presentation to 5. …. You might have.

Presentation tips

Preparation

• Know your audience and visualize your presentation as a dialogue with them.

• Rehearse your presentation – it will help you to feel relaxed on the day.

Visual aids

• Make visual aids clear and simple. Label graphs and figures.

• Add a short sentence or two to a graph describing the conclusions to be drawn.

Delivery

• Pay special attention to your introduction – aim to engage the audience’s interest.

• In the opening lines, establish who you are, what organization you represent and why you are here.

• Briefly explain the purpose of your talk and provide an overview.

Ex.2. Describing financial performance: Listen to Mark Wyllie, CME’s Vice President for Tax and Planning, presenting some figures. Complete this description of the company’s performance and projections.

We’ve got here is a chart showing how our markets are expected 1. …. Western Europe over the 2. … . the data comes from Zenith Optimedia, who do independent forecasting for TV ad markets, and what you can see from year one through to year seven is that Western Europe is expected to 3. … in advertising terms, but that Eastern Europe, as shown indexed to year one, by year seven will be 4. …… the year-one market, i.e. over the next five to six years, our sales are expected to double as well.

Ex.3. Look at these extracts from company performance reports in the financial press. What expressions are used to describe trends?

1. The firm sank deep into the red during the technology slump.

2. Renault has seen profits leap to worldwide demand for cars from its partner Nissan.

3. The retail chain is in crisis after its shares plummeted on Wednesday.

4. Shares in oil giant have slipped after the company was hit by strikes.

5. Shares in the company dropped sharply after it made losses of $3m this year.

6. Passenger numbers climbed from 1,54 to 1,68 million in a month.

7. Samsung Electronics’ profit surged 81 % in 2004 with profits almost tripling in the last quarter.

8. Apple profits soar due to IPod sales. Apple has seen profits rise four-fold this year.

Ex.4. You are Vice President of CME. Write the introduction to your presentation about the company’s financial performance for your investors. Use the expressions from this section.

B. Comment on:

• An economy that does not have a strong venture capital sector is one that displays symptoms of deeper economic problems.

• Venture Capital is the engine fueling innovation in the economy.

• The venture capital business is a batting game. If you hit one out of four, you're a solid player. But in the equity buyout business, since we're putting larger chunks of money into each deal, we can't afford to swing and miss. David Roux

• Nothing Ventured, Nothing Learned.

C. Role play I: Investing in start-ups

Imagine that you are investment managers for a large financial institution such as a pension fund or an insurance company that has decided to invest up to 2% of its assets in start-up companies.

It will not be difficult to find companies in which to invest, because you regularly receive propositions from venture capital firms. But first, you want to establish a strategy. Which industries or industry sectors do you think you should invest in? Which industries have the most potential? Which industries or technologies probably present the fewest risks? If you are going to invest in companies in your own country, in which industries does it have expertise or a competitive advantage?

Choose three of the sectors listed. Prepare a short presentation of your strategy in small groups. Then change groups and explain your strategy to your colleague, and then present your decisions to the class.

Industry sectors and their production computer and video game technology DNA sequencing and genetic medicine fuel-efficient aeroplane (Br.E) or airplane (AmE) technology genetically modified food high-speed rail transport hybrid (petrol and electric battery) automobile technology microprocessors using nanotechnology mobile telephone technology nuclear energy nuclear medical imaging solar energy technology wind energy technology other?

Writing

After presenting your ideas in class, write a 100-150 word summary of your group’s investment decisions.

Role play II: Venture Capital and Entrepreneurial Management

Imagine you are a venture capitalist, and an entrepreneur approaches you with a pitch for a new business. He wants to create an online marketplace for chemicals used by researchers in labs at universities, businesses and government agencies. The website would operate like Amazon. But instead of linking buyers and sellers of books, compact discs and other consumer goods, it would link scientists with sellers of substances such as proteins and antibodies. In order to do it you need to evaluate the online chemical marketplace first. Would you invest?

D. Discuss the following issues:

- the essence of venture capital;

- advantages and disadvantages of obtaining venture capital;

- venture capital vs seed/risk capital;

- venture capitalists – basic characteristics;

- business angels – basic characteristics.

- stages of venture capital investing