13. Now you practice writing your own cv, covering and unsolicited letters, and a letter accepting the post.

MAKING PRESENTATIONS

‘The best way to sound like you know what you’re talking about is

to know what you’re talking about.’

Author Unknown

1. Answer the questions.

1. When and why do people give presentations? What do they usually make presentations about?

2. Have you ever had to give presentations? Were they in English or in Russian?

3. What is the most difficult thing about giving presentations?

2. Which of these suggestions do you agree with?

To make an effective presentation, you should:

1. find out as much as possible about your audience.

2. introduce yourself (name, position, company).

3. start with a joke.

4. outline the structure of your talk.

5. vary the tone of your voice.

6. refer to your notes as often as possible.

7. use clear visual aids.

8. summarise your main points.

3. A company boss is presenting his company to potential investors. The presenter does not follow the usual tips for presentations and irritates the investors. Match the tips 1 to 6 that the presenter does not follow with the audience’s reactions a) to f).

Presentation tips	Audience’s reactions
Find out about your audience and adapt your presentation accordingly. Introduce yourself. Use humour carefully. Outline the structure of your talk. Vary the tone of your voice. Use clear visual aids.	This is no time for jokes. Is he still in his introduction or is he on to the main part? He’s talking to us as if we were his customers, not potential investors. His slides contain too much information – all those boring figures! Who is this guy anyway? I’m falling asleep. He talks in the same tone the whole time.

4. Study the information below about the main principles of a successful presentation.

If you want your audience to understand your message, your language must be simple and clear. Use short words and short sentences. In general, talk about concrete facts rather than abstract ideas.

Most presentations are divided into 3 main parts (+ questions):

1	INTRODUCTION	(Questions)
2	BODY
3	CONCLUSION
	Questions

As a general rule in communication, repetition is valuable. In presentations, there is a golden rule about repetition:

• say what you are going to say,

• say it,

• then say what you have just said.

In other words, use the three parts of your presentation to reinforce your message. In the introduction, you tell your audience what your message is going to be. In the body, you tell your audience your real message. In the conclusion, you summarize what your message was.