In Part 4 we will proceed with presentation skills and public speaking skills.

—4.1. Consider the flow chart below and comment on each part of the presentation.

4.2. Any introduction to a presentation consists of (1) greeting; (2) subject; (3) purpose; (4) outline. Decide which of the phrases below illustrate each of the four parts. Fill in the blanks with the corresponding number.

_____ I’ve divided my presentation into four sections. They are …

_____ We are here to decide …

_____ I’d like to talk to you today about …

_____ Ladies and gentlemen. It’s an honour to have the opportunity to address such a distinguished audience.

_____ This talk is designed to start the ball rolling.

_____ The focus of my presentation is …

_____ Good morning. Let me start by saying just a few words about my own background. I am …

_____ The purpose of this talk is to put you in the picture about …

_____ We can break this area down into the following fields: …

_____ I’m going to present the recent …

_____ First of all … then … next … finally …

_____ I’m going to brief you on …

_____ Welcome to … I know I’ve met some of you, but just for the benefit of those I haven’t, my name is …

4.3. Prepare and give the introductions to the following presentations.

Subject	protectionism and free trade	floating exchange rates	retaliation in foreign trade
Purpose	to inform	to discuss	to describe
Time	3 min	5 min	1 min

4.4. When ideas are linked in the presentation, different phrases are used for (1) ordering; (2) summarizing; (3) highlighting; (4) generalizing. Decide which of the phrases below illustrate each of the four parts. Fill in the blanks with the corresponding number.

_____ let’s start with …

_____ in particular

_____ usually

_____ that brings us to …

_____ in brief

_____ now we come to …

_____ especially

_____ in short

_____ let’s leave that …

_____ to sum up

4.5. At the end of any presentation phrases are used for (1) signaling the end; (2) summarizing; (3) concluding; (4) closing and inviting questions. Decide which of the phrases below illustrate each of the four parts. Fill in the blanks with the corresponding number.

_____ That brings me to the end of my presentation.

_____ Let me just run over the key points again.

_____ As you can see, there are some very good reasons …

_____ Thank you for your attention.

_____ Any questions?

_____ That completes my presentation.

_____ I’ll briefly summarize the main issues.

_____ In conclusion …

_____ I hope you will have gained an insight into …

_____ That covers all I wanted to say today.

_____ Briefly …

_____ So, let’s throw it open to questions.

_____ I’d like to leave you with the following thought.

_____ I’d be glad to try and answer any questions.

4.6. Prepare and give the endings to the following presentations.

Subject	protectionism and free trade	floating exchange rates	retaliation in foreign trade
Purpose	to inform	to discuss	to describe

4.7. Prepare the following presentations. Deliver them following all the rules given in the book.

4.7.1. Protectionism: pros and cons.

4.7.2. Free trade principles.

4.7.3. Exchange rate regimes.

4.7.4. The World Trade Organization and free trade.

@WRITING SKILLS SECTION

Abstracts

In Part 4 we will practice essay-writing and look into writing abstracts.

4.8. Study the following text and answer the questions below.

• What is an abstract?

• Where are abstracts used?

• What types of abstract do you know?

• What is the difference between the two types?

• Where can you find abstracts?

Writing an Abstract

An abstract is a summary of a body of information in a paragraph—100-350 words for a descriptive abstract, 100-250 words an informative abstract. An abstract expresses the main claim and argument of a paper. In most disciplines, it never includes bibliographic citations. An abstract concisely highlights or reviews the major points covered along with the content and scope of the writing.

The practice of using key words in an abstract is vital. Titles and abstracts are filed electronically, and key words are put in electronic storage. Thus, an abstract must contain key words about what is essential in an article, paper, or report so that someone else can retrieve information from it.

Title: An Economic Cycle in Imperial China? Revisiting Robert Hartwell on Iron and Coal. Author: Robert Hartwell Abstract: Robert Hartwell's article published in 1967 in this journal has had an extensive influence in both Chinese and global history. The present article reviews the reception and use made of Hartwell's arguments by secondary sources over the last forty years. It focuses on three aspects: the Song economic revolution; Hartwell's quantitative estimate for iron production; and Hartwell's proposition that coal and iron production and consumption peaked in the Song dynasty, at least on a per capita basis. It argues that a consistent set of estimates are needed for coal and iron development over the last thousand years of imperial Chinese history.

Title: Many Have Claimed To Be Recession-Proof, Few Have Managed It. Author: Cynthia Crossen Abstract: The article discusses the long list of industries that over the years have claimed to be recession-proof. Candy makers, pom-pom-manufacturers, saloon owners, and goldfish purveyors, among others, have at various times declared themselves immune from economic cycles. Even entire cities have made such pronouncements. Professor Robert Whaples of Wake Forest University notes that some businesses may be able to withstand recession better than others, but none can completely escape its impact.

When are abstracts used?

• In analytics.

• Ordinarily part of a research article in a journal.

• For chapters in a book, especially if each chapter has a different author.

• Library reference tools.

• For presentations at scientific meetings.

• Dissertations, some papers in the sciences and social sciences require abstracts

Two Types of Abstracts

There are two distinct types of abstracts: descriptive and informative abstracts.

The typical distinction between descriptive and informative is that the descriptive abstract is like a table of contents whereas the informative abstract lays out the content of the document.