Effective Presentations = Эффективные презентации. Практикум
.pdf5.The ″Me″ Paradigm. Presenters often scan a table or graphical image directly from their existing print corporate material and include it in their slide show presentations. The results are almost always suboptimal. Print visuals are usually meant to be seen from 8–12 inches rather than viewed from several feet. Typically, these images are too small, too detailed and too textual for an effective visual presentation. The same is true for font size; 12 point font is adequate when the text is in front of you. In a slideshow, aim for a minimum of 40 point font. Remember the audience and move the circle from ″me″ to ″we″. Make certain all elements of any particular slide are large enough to be seen easily. Size really does matter.
6.Reading. A verbal presentation should focus on interactive
speaking and listening, not reading by the speaker or the audience. The demands of spoken and written language differ significantly. Spoken language is shorter, less formal and more direct. Reading text ruins a presentation. A related point has to do with handouts for the audience. One of your goals as a presenter is to capture and hold the audience’s attention. If you distribute materials before your presentation, your audience will be reading the handouts rather than listening to you. Often, parts of an effective presentation depend on creating suspense to engage the audience. If the audience can read everything you’re going to say, that element is lost.
7. Faith in Technology. You never know when an equipment malfunction or incompatible interfaces will force you to give your presentation on another computer. Be prepared by having a back-up of yourpresentationonaCD-ROM.Betteryetisacompact-flashmemory card with an adapter for the PCMCIA slot in your notebook. With it, you can still make last-minute changes. It’s also a good idea to prepare a few color transparencies of your key slides. In the worst-case scenario, none of the technology works and you have no visuals to present. You should still be able to give an excellent presentation if you focus on the message. Always familiarize yourself with the presentation,practiceitandbereadytoengagetheaudienceregardless of the technology that is available. It’s almost a lost art.
Dr. Joseph Sommerville has earned the title ″The Presentation Expert″ for helping professionals design, develop and deliver more effective presentations. He is the Principal of Peak Communication Performance, a Houston-based firm working worldwide to help professionals develop skills in strategic communication.
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1.6. Useful Information6
Beginning
•Audience quickly decide whether they are going to like or even listen to a presenter. This is influenced by the way the presenter is dressed, the expression on his or her face, the way he or she stands, or whether he or she establishes eye contact during the first sentence.
•Speak slowly at the beginning as nervousness speeds us up.
•It is normal to begin a presentation in a cheerful way with a
smile.
•Allocating enough time for presentation is essential. If you have not had enough time for whatever reason, never tell the audience. They will lose confidence in you and not be receptive to whatever you have to say.
•Unless the length of your presentation has already been announced, it is always a good idea to tell them how long they can expect to be there.
•Keep it relevant to the presentation and audience, and avoid giving any other information.
•With a small audience you should encourage ″interruptions″. Your aim is to communicate clearly and any questions during the presentation will allow them to clarify what you are saying. With a very large audience you may want to ask them to keep their questions until the end of you presentation.
•Telling jokes is risky. Many cultures find this unacceptable and even if they don’t, you risk offending someone in the audience.
•In most cases you should prepare handouts (at least of your transparencies)andifyoudon’ttellthemattheendofyoupresentation, many of them will spend their time taking notes rather than watching you.
Language
• When people write out their presentation, they tend to use more formal words. This distances them from the audience and is easily avoided if they use keywords as notes.
6 Useful Information // Goodale M. Professional Presentations. A video-based course. — Cambridge Univercity Press, 1998.
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•Think of presentation as a conversation, a little one-sided, but a dialogue nonetheless.
•The aim is to communicate, so using words the audience may not understand does not help.
•Usingjargonisfineiftheaudiencearespecialistsandunderstand the words you are using. If not, avoid jargon or explain simple terms.
•Sentence length: avoid reading your text — this should help keep the sentences fairly short. In spoken language we do not speak in sentences. If you find your sentences have a large number of words in them,thereisareasonablechancethattheaudiencewillhaveforgotten the beginning by the time you reach the end.
VisualAids
•Visuals support a presentation and should not replace it — the presenter is the main visual.
•As a rule of thumb, you should use a maximum of one slide or OHT per three minutes.
•The audience can’t read and listen at the same time.
•Visuals should be simple.
•Don’t use all capital letters as it makes it difficult to read.
Body Language
•Posture: stand up straight, feet slightly apart, one foot slightly in front of the other.
•Gestures, such as use of hands, body movements, and facial expressions hold an audience’s attention.
•Eye contact: imagine you are a lighthouse, its beam constantly moving round the whole audience.
•Hands: one palm holding the other hand is a relaxed, confident position.
•Physical mannerism to avoid: playing with pens, pointers, or papers; jingling money in pockets, fiddling with hair; avoid eye contact.
Voice
• Volume: this is largely a question of voice projection. Speak up so that the voice bounces off the back wall. This does not mean shouting.Vary the volume.Aquiet part can contrast with a louder part.
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•Expressiveness:varythepitch(highpitch=soprano,lowpitch= bass). A good way of varying the pitch is to introduce questions into your presentation. This should force you to raise the pitch a little.
•Pauses: vary the speed and get the audience thinking about individual points. If you have a problem pausing, count to three.
•Pace: speed up to excite; slow down to emphasize. Don’t talk at the same pace all the time.
•Emphasize important words.You can underline on highlight key words in your notes.
•Emphasizers / Minimizers: it’s always a good idea to exaggerate a little — it will help to get your message across persuasively.
•Articulation: the sounds will be clearer if you don’t rush your words. If you anticipate difficulty in pronouncing certain key words, practice them beforehand. Usually the problem is the syllable stress.
Ending
•The ending should be memorized so that the presenter has maximum impact.
•Never rush through the ending as the audience remembers this part more than anything else.
•Include a summary before the conclusion. It helps the audience to remember the main points.
•Try to relate interesting ending to the beginning. This wraps up the message neatly and effectively.
•Ideally, you will have left enough time to answer more than two questions. Remember you are there to communicate.
•Never apologize. You obviously have some knowledge of the subject and that is one of the reasons people have given up their time to hear you speak.
Questions
•Tricky or nasty questions are rare, most questions are real questions asking for clarification or further information.
•Questions help the presenter achieve his or her objective.
•Thepossibilitytoaskquestionsisahighpointformostaudience.
•Questionsduringthepresentationgivefeedbacktothepresenter, so it is good to take questions during the presentation as well as at the end.
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•The presenter should never put down or criticize a member of the audience.
•Use the 80:20 rule for eye contact. When listening to the questioner, 80 % to him or her, 20 % to the audience. When replying, 20 % to questioner, 80 % to audience.
•If you don’t know the answer to something, say so — be honest. Anyattemptatcoveringupwillbeimmediatelynoticedbyanaudience and they will lose confidence in everything else you have said or will say. You can offer to find out the information and send it to the people who are involved.
•You should paraphrase most questions before you answer them. This means that everyone will be able to understand the question and your answer, and it also gives time to think. If the question is brief and loud enough for everyone to understand, you do not have to para phrase it.
•You have to remember that you are there for the whole audience. If someone asks a very long and involved question that goes on and on, there is a good chance that no one will understand it, including you. Look around the audience to see if they are following it. It is better to interrupt this person (when he or she takes breath) and paraphrase what he or she has said.
•A presentation question and answer session is not a place to go into detail. This is the end of your presentation and the audience will remember this part more than the rest. Always keep in mind your purpose and if the question requires a long answer, say so and offer to talk to anyone interested after your presentation.
Part 2. LANGUAGE FOCUS
2.1. Beginning7
Saying Hello
Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.
Good morning (evening, afternoon) everyone.
Ladies and gentlemen, may I welcome you on behalf of … Friends and colleagues,
Hello, everyone (everybody), and welcome to …
Self-Identification
On behalf of … , may I welcome you to … . I’d like to welcome you to … on behalf of … . My name is …
I am …
For those of you who don’t know me already, … . I’m responsible for … .
As you know … . I’m in charge of … .
Let me introduce ourselves, that’s … . Our company … . It’s my privilege today to be talking to you about … .
Saying Hello and Self-Identification
Good morning. My name is … . I’m the new … Manager.
Ladies and gentlemen. It’s an honour to have the opportunity to address such a distinguished audience.
Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Let me start by saying just a few words about my own background. I started out in … .
Welcome to … . I know I’ve met some of you, but just for benefit of those I haven’t my name is … .
7 Comfort J. Effective Presentations. — Oxford University Press, 2000; Goodale M. Professional Presentations. A video-based course. — Cambridge University Press, 1998.
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Signals to gain audience’s attention
Perhaps we should begin … .
OK, let’s get started.
Let’s make a start.
Let’s start.
Expressing purpose
My purpose (objective, aim) today is to present the recent (explain our position, brief you on, inform you about, describe, analyse, review, identify, consider) … .
I’d like to talk to you about … .
The subject (focus, topic) of my talk (presentation) … . We are here today to decide (agree, learn about) … .
Thepurposeofthis(my)talkistoupdateyouon(putyouinthepicture about, give you the background to) … .
This morning I’m going to be talking to you (telling you, showing you) about … .
This morning I’m going to be reporting on (taking a look at) … .
Signposting
I’ve divided my presentation into four parts (sections). They are … . This talk is divided into four main parts: firstly … etc.
The subject can be looked at under the following headings: … . We can break this area down into the following fields:
Firstly / first of all … . Secondly / then / next … .
Thirdly / and then we come to … . Finally / lastly / last of all … . Let me begin with … .
To start with … .
Firstly, I’d like to look at … . Then, I’ll be talking … . Secondly, … .
My fourth part will be about … . Finally, I’ll be looking at … .
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So, I’ll start off by filling you in the background to (bring you up-to- date on, giving you an overview of, making a few observations about, outlining) … .
And then I’ll go on to highlight what I see the main (put the situation into some kind of prospective, discuss in more depth the implications of, talk you through, make detailed recommendations regarding) … .
Schedule
My presentation (talk) will take (last) about 20 minutes. We’ll be having a coffee break at about … .
We’ll be stopping for lunch … .
I shall only take 20 minutes of your time. I plan to be brief.
This should only last 20 minutes.
Inviting questions
If anyone has any questions, please feel free to interrupt at any time. If you have any questions, please stop me at any time, and I will be happy to answer them.
Please stop me at any time if you have any questions. I’d be glad to answer any questions at the end of my talk.
Please interrupt me if there’s something, which needs clarifying. Otherwise, there’ll be time for discussion at the end.
If you have any questions you’d like to ask, I’ll be happy to answer them.
Feel free to ask any questions you like as we go along.
Perhaps we can leave any questions you may have until the end of the presentation.
EXERCISES
Exercise 1. Rewrite these extracts in the future continuous.
1. And then I’m going to show you that English is the world’s most widely-spoken language.
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2.Secondly, I’d like to talk a bit about the Finance Department.
3.Finally, I want to look at the possible commercial applications of this revolutionary product.
4.First of all I’d like to say a few words about the organizational structure of Rossomon.
5.Firstly, I’d like to look at the R & D Department — research and development — which works with five regions on the new product development.
6. And then I’ll make detailed recommendations regarding the Regional Managers.
7. Lastly discuss in more depth the responsibilities of the Managing Director.
8.Secondly, I’ll go on to highlight what I see the main the Human Resources Manager.
9. Next I’m going to bring you up-to-date on the most used languages on the Internet.
10. And then I’d like to give you an overview of other top languages used on the Internet.
Exercise2.Transform thesestatements intoquestions byusing the question prompts below.
1.Two out of three marriages end in divorce. How many … ?
2.We need more powerful computers for everyone in the office. Do … ?
3.This is how we can achieve more with less.
How … ?
4.All good managers have one thing in common. What … ?
5.Recruitment involves seeking and attracting a pool of people. Does … ?
6.Recruitment is concerned with providing a pool of people who are qualified to fill these vacancies.
What … ?
7. These organizations normally have an employment office within the human resource department.
Do … ?
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8. The employment office has recruiters, interviewers, and clerical personnel who handle the recruitment activities both at the organization’s offices and elsewhere.
Who … ?
9. Job applicants’impressions about the organization are significantly influenced by the knowledge and expertise of the recruiter.
What … ?
10. In small organizations, the recruitment function is normally handled by one person — frequently, the office manager.
Who … ?
Exercise 3. Re-order the words in the exercise below to make questions.
1.problem / we / this / solve / can / how?
2.to / so / do / what / we / do / need?
3.year / profits / our / drop / last / so / did / why?
4.day / phone / how / the / anyone / us / on / tell / every / spend / much / can / time / they?
5.the / owning / what / of / are / franchise / advantages / a?
6.work / a / their / does / truly / difference / make?
7.ignore / you / the / problem / do?
8.on-line / been / you / using / have / banking / long / how?
9.useful / feature / do / find / you / most / which?
10.this / you / do / to / should / operating / start system / what?
Exercise4.Hereisthebeginningofpresentation.Usethefollowing verbs to complete the sentences: stop, give, make, focus, have, do, want, hesitate, take.
1.What I … to … this morning is to …
2.My talk will … about 30 minutes.
3.I’ll be … ing out copies of my overhead transparencies at the end.
4.If you … any questions, or comments you’d like to … , please don’t … to … me.
5.During my presentation, I’m going to be …ing on four main areas. Firstly …
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