Presentations

If you want me to speak for five minutes - I need two weeks to prepare. If you want me to speak for an hour — I need a week to prepare. If you don't mind how long I speak, I'll get up and do it now.

Everyone is interested who is a great speaker. You may answer: “The person who can speak on any theme”. That’s true. But it’s hard to learn how to be a really great speaker, how to be effective in front of a group. After all, great speakers are made, not born. So how can a speaker gain the attention of the audience and successfully get his message across?

Every executive needs to know how to prepare and make a presentation. Success of it depends on correct preparation and skilled delivery. It is important to realize that public speaking is a creative performance. You should order your material in a way that communication between you and your audience must not be complicated. The basic principle of the presentation: “Tell them what you are going to tell them, then tell them it and, finally, tell them what you have told them.”

One of the best ways to organize a presentation is following: “introduction-body-conclusion”. The function of the introduction is to gain attention of the audience and provide them with an overview of the subject you will be discussing; in the body the main points are presented; the conclusion summarizes the information, demands questions, and provides parting with the audience.

All speakers need to rehearse their presentations. It is known that presidents of large companies practice by video-taping and reviewing their performance before delivering it to the audience.

Reading aloud is not a good way of presenting information to the audience, it is better to speak to them. You can just read some facts and figure statistics.

While preparing your presentation, stick to words normally used in daily conversation. Pay attention to the meaning. Be sure you emphasize nouns and verbs, not prepositions and other helpers.

Long spoken sentences are generally understood. Short sentences, in fact, are generally a virtue in writing but a problem in speaking. When the music in speech is ruined by short, abrupt sentences, we resist listening. You should be able to speak the sentences as easily as you do in a normal conversation. Always be aware of what you are saying and your voice will be as expressive as you can make it.

Exercise 51. Put five questions of different types to these sentences:

1. Every executive needs to know how to prepare and make a presentation.

2. One of the best ways to organize a presentation is following: “introduction-body-conclusion”.

3. The function of the introduction is to gain attention of the audience and provide them with an overview of the subject you will be discussing.

Exercise 52. Study the structure of presentation. Discuss every component of it:

1. Opening part:

Greeting

Introduction (name, position)

The subject/theme

The purpose

The outline of the structure (main points)

Timing

Reference to questions

Visual aids

2. Main part

1. point

2. point

3. point

3. Closing part Summary Conclusion

Invitation for questions/discussion

Parting

Exercise 53. Read and translate the tips below. Explain them.

Tips

☻Appearance, movements and body language

Check your clothes and general appearance. Adopt open, relax posture and keep calm.

☻Voice

Concentrate on speaking and make sure people can hear you. A tip from the professionals is to deliver lower the tone of your voice. It would sound more pleasant and will help to keep you calm.

☻Visual aids and use of the overhead projector

Make sure that they are clear, easy to read, and relevant. The rule is: one new slide for each main point you want to make. Practice operating before you start your talk and check that everybody in the room can see the screen.

☻Content and structure

People pay most attention to the beginning and to the end of presentation. Say what you are going to say, say it, and then sum up the main points. Limit what you want to say maximum to 5 main points.

☻Audience perception

Speak directly to the audience, every member of the audience, maintain constant eye contact with them. If you have to speak to a large audience, imagine that you're talking to a group of 3 or 4, and speak to a small group. Put yourself into the audience shoes.

Exercise 54. Translate into English. Then make the sentences negative and interrogative:

1. Ми збираємось провести презентацію нашої продукції для наших майбутніх клієнтів наступного тижня.

2. Представники компанії відвідали виставку і зацікавились новими видами плодових і декоративних дерев

3. Після презентації аудиторія задала багато питань.

4. По цьому питанню я маю порадитись з моїми колегами по бізнесу.

5. Людина, яка веде презентацію, повинна бути творчою особистістю.