Unit 11 – Presentations DISCUSSION: 1. On what occasions have you given presentations? How long were they? 2. How would you describe your audience? How many were there? 3. What did you manage to do well during your presentation? 4. What areas do you feel needed some improvement / practice? 5. What advice could you give from your experience, or that of others? VISUAL OUTLINE OF KEY PRESENTATION CONCEPTS Task 1 – Put these points into the correct order and discuss. TITLE · Use a sub-heading · Interesting & informative POINT 2 · Concise use of text · Use point form · Supportive images INTRODUCTION · Purpose Statement · Why and how is your topic important? POINT 1 · Supporting ideas · Examples · Evidence SUMMARY · Two or three main ideas (highlights) · More informative than outline at start POINT 3 · · ou may use a shown at the endntures only for decoration. clear lkWhen speaking, use sign-posting language (for smooth transition and organization) · Signal (e.g. to end after your last point) CLOSING · Thanking audience & inviting questions · Sources should be shown (at end) · Several English sources required · For internet sources – include title and date of text (not just link) CONCLUSION · Thesis Statement · Final most important idea · Why and how is what you’ve just said important? OUTLINE* · 3 or 4 main points · Do NOT write general or structural words here like introduction, summary, discussion, sources, comparison, etc. *Note that you do not have to use a slide for all of the above points. Each of these boxes is meant as a concept box to remind you to include the idea in some way. It is not essential to necessarily include, for example, a slide entitled Outline. You can, in many cases communicate your introduction and outline verbally while the title slide is up. When you want to emphasize other key words or sub-concepts, that is when an outline is useful for visual/textual support. STRUCTURE OF THE PRESENTATION – Assertion-Evidence Model Task 2 – Where in a presentation (beginning, main body, ending) would you expect these parts? What should they contain? Match these with the words at right and add comments. Review Introduction Entry point Outline Ending with impact Comprehensive explanation of key topic Main body A map of the presentation Establish credibility Summary Final appeal Conclusion Task 3 – Watch at least 2 presentations and analyse how the presenters introduce their topics. https://www.assertion-evidence.com/models.html (6 students give 8 to 10 minute long talks). Note the following: A) the way the speakers establish their credibility, draw in the audience B) how the speakers introduce their points in the outline and then follow up in the main body C) how they summarize and/or conclude Some key principles of the Assertion-Evidence model: 1. Build your talk on messages (not just topics). 2. Support these messages with visual evidence (not just bullet points). 3. Explain this evidence using relevant examples. INTRODUCTION Present yourself (name & study area). You might use a phrase such as, “As a student of ….., I would like to tell you about….. because…..”. Describe the importance (for you and ideally your audience) of your topic (with a clear purpose statement describing the aim and reason for your talk and context). The introduction should not only arouse curiosity, but also provide an overview of the most important points. It may be useful to give a very brief informative outline of key points, but do NOT include structural words such as introduction, definition, comparison, summary, conclusion, sources or discussion. The audience should get the impression that your topic is well thought out (interesting, informative title), that you have done the audience analysis (well-chosen topic, style and register) and that you have a clear idea about the actual content. A well-planned introduction with purpose statement will “set an objective framework in which the audience will accept the information as accurate and as significant.” (Laster & Pickett 2001:142) Task 4 Use one of the following expressions to replace the synonyms in bold. Then find the outline and purpose statement. don’t hesitate a chance I take care I’m delighted sections communicate go through in more depth my purpose is finally divide emphasise Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. It’s a pleasure to be with you today. My name is Gordon Mathews and I’m in charge of teaching presentation skills. We are here today to review some key ideas about why it is important to learn effective communication skills. As we are living in the information age and may often be overwhelmed with massive amounts of information, it is important to know how to highlight the main ideas and provide a framework for what we are trying to get across. What I intend to do is to break down this presentation into three parts: first, the preparation phase; second, the use of sign-posting language, and third, the actual delivery of the presentation. If you have any questions, please, feel free to interrupt me, but I should also say that there’ll be an opportunity to discuss issues at greater length after my talk. TOPIC SELECTION Students are expected to create a presentation covering “specific problems/questions/issues in an engaging way”. One of the most common mistakes considering presentations is that students choose overly broad topics and they treat them in a superficial way, i.e. the information they provide is far too general. Here are some examples of successful topics from previous semesters: How Archivists Bring Historical Documents to Your Computer Screen A Short History of Brewing in Brno The Early Days of Video Art: Focus on Nam June Paik Heraldry: A Dying Art, or a New Direction for Graphic Design? The Ancient and Modern Olympic Games: Key Differences Popularizing Czech History: Successes and Difficulties in Teaching Ethics: Do Animals Attempt Suicide? Task 5 – Look at the example and improve one of the following very broad and unsuitable topics below. Think of possible and appropriate sub-headings. What key words are missing? EXAMPLE Too broad: Brexit and Democracy Much better: Brexit: A Failure of Democracy and Social Media TED talk: Facebook’s Role in Brexit: A Threat to Democracy Source: https://www.ted.com/talks/carole_cadwalladr_facebook_s_role_in_brexit_and_the_threat_to_democracy Singapore Culture Shock Montessori Schools Karel Čapek PURPOSE STATEMENT By stating your presentation’s purpose in the first few minutes, you shape your audience’s expectations. You also make a commitment to achieving that purpose. This adds to your credibility as a speaker. Exercise: Only ONE of these sentences serves as a good purpose statement for a presentation relevant to this course. Why are the three others inappropriate? a) “My purpose is to persuade the teacher that the topic ‘My Hometown’ is the best and most scientific one, so that I can pass the presentation part of the exam.” b) “My purpose is to illustrate the impact of Brexit on the Czech Republic in light of student mobility, as many students may face new challenges when studying abroad.” c) “My purpose is to inform the audience about concepts of feminism in Great Britain, the USA, France, Italy, and Spain, all compared to Czech feminism, so that they understand the situation in this country.” d) “My purpose is to communicate the greatness of ancient philosophy, so that others can admire it as much as I do.” Task 6 – Prepare an introduction for your presentation topic, including an appealing purpose statement and a reason why your topic is important. ENDING – Signal to End – Summary – Conclusion – Recommendation – Closing – Questions The ending should contain a brief summary of the key data or highlights. There must then be an evaluative conclusion, i.e. a comment on the importance of the findings. An academic presentation often contains a recommendation for further action or future research. After these, we finally arrive at the closing – thanking the audience and inviting questions. Task 7 Complete the following ENDING with words from the list and then find the concluding statement. Find some examples of sign-posting language. questions that’s all secondly discussion meaningful conclude issues briefly finally begin So, ____________I have planned to say about the topic. Let me summarize the main ____________. First, I spoke about the preparation phase, where it’s very important to determine the aim and its relevance to the audience; ____________, the use of sign-posting language, which is used to provide optimal orientation; and ____________, the actual delivery, where it’s good to think about your voice and body language. I’d like to ____________ by emphasizing that many presentations could be greatly improved by providing the audience with a ____________ concluding statement that stresses the position of the speaker on the topic. I suggest we start the ____________, but before we ____________, let me thank you for your attention. I’d be glad to answer any ____________ now. Task 7b Watch 2 of the videos and report back on the key ideas that are most useful to you. · How to End a Speech with Impact; Mary Daphne, viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2 AxIFl6SoUQ (8:31) 19.10.20 · How to End a Presentation; Expert Academy, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5JGl3jZb2M (2 :27) 26.10.20 · How to End a Presentation; Alex Lyon https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBO0riisOzU&ab_channel=CommunicationCoachAlexLyon (2:43) 24.1.2021 Task 8 – Listening – Giving Talks and Presentations Listen to the first part and complete the notes. Part 1 – PREPARATION – key points 1 Objectives – what about them? 2 3 4 5 6 Listen to the second part and list the numbers of the sections that are referred to. Part 2 – TRANSITION LANGUAGE – “SIGN POSTING” Giving Talks and Presentations 1 Introducing Good morning, my name is … I’m … (a student of … Department) This morning I’m going to … (talk about …) Today I’d like to … (describe …) The focus^6 / topic / subject of my paper / presentation is … The aim of my talk this morning is to … (explain …) I’ve divided my presentation into … We can break this area down into the following fields ... First, I’d like to (give you an overview of …) Second, I’d like to focus on^7 … Then, I’ll move on^8 to … After that, we’ll deal with^9 … Finally, we’ll consider^10 … 2 Referring to questions Feel free to interrupt me if there’s anything you don’t understand / you need clarifying. If you don’t mind, we’ll leave questions till the end. 3 Introducing each section So, let’s start with … (objectives …) Now let’s move on to … (the next part …) Let’s turn our attention to … (the question of …) This leads me to … (my third point …) Finally … (let’s consider …) 4 Summarizing a section Let me just run over the key points again. I’ll briefly summarise the main issues:… That completes my … (description of …) To sum up … So, to summarize … (the three key points are …) 5 Referring backwards and forwards I mentioned earlier … (the importance of …) I’ll say more about this later. We’ll come back to this point later. 6 Checking understanding Is that clear? Are there any questions? 7 Referring to visual information This diagram / screen / slide / table / image… shows … When you look at this graph you can see … What is interesting in this slide is … I’d like to draw your attention to …(this chart …) 8 Referring to common knowledge As you may know, … You’re probably aware that… 9 Concluding / justification As you can see, there are some very good reasons … I’d like to leave you with the following thought / idea … In conclusion, … I hope you’ve gained an insight into … 10 Inviting questions and dealing with questions If you have any questions, I’d be pleased / I’ll do my best to answer them. I would welcome any comments or suggestions. That’s a good point. I’m glad you asked that question. Can I get back to you on that later? I’m afraid I don’t have … (the information at present). I’m afraid I’m not the right person to answer that. 11 Closing That concludes my talk. That brings me to the end of my presentation. That completes my presentation. Thank you for your attention / listening. Listen to the last part and complete the key points. Part 3 – DELIVERY – key points 1 Nerves – what about them? 2 3 4 5 Task 9 – Discuss the above presentation in relation to the Visual Outline of Key Presentation Points on page 1. How would you evaluate the ending of the recorded presentation? How could the summary and conclusion be improved? VISUALS AND AIDS – Task 10 – Choose the best answer. 1. Using a computer presentation program is a good practice, because it _____. a) reduces the time required to prepare for the lecture. b) is a good substitution for handouts. c) enhances the lecture and helps the audience to understand. d) allows you to hide behind the computer. 2. In a presentation, the main purpose of music or audio is to _____. a) distract the audience. b) help the audience to focus. c) wake the audience up. d) provide an extra dimension of information. 3. Optimally, the showing of special objects during a presentation _____. a) distracts the audience from what is being said. b) helps listeners to understand what the lecturer is talking about. c) can significantly slow down the lecture. d) All of the above. 4. The clothing that the presenter is wearing _____. a) is not an important issue, unless the lecture is fashion related. b) is important because a formally dressed lecturer is more credible^. c) should be considered and chosen to be appropriate to the particular audience. d) should be comfortable and not too colourful. 5. Doing a computer-assisted proofreading of the final version is essential because _____. a) it ensures you will minimize embarrassing spelling mistakes. b) it prevents you from having your knowledge of the subject discredited. c) it gives an impression of professionalism. d) All of the above. Task 10a – Brainstorm some Do’s and Don’ts for creating slides. DO DO NOT Reading – Task 11 – Read the article below and find out what it says about the following. Do you agree with all the advice? Memorizing Filler words/pausing Mispronouncing terms Non-native audience Voice tone & volume Knowing your slides Gestures Eyes Body posture Reciting The Three Vs of Presenting: Verbal, Vocal and Visual Delivering effective oral presentations involves three components: what you say (verbal), how you say it (vocal), and everything the audience can see (visuals). For all three components, maximize the signal-to-noise ratio: amplify what helps; filter out what hurts. Verbally, do not write down and memorize or read your full text, because then your presentation will sound like what it is: a recited written text. Instead, memorize the outline of your presentation — that is, a tree structure of main points and sub-points — and improvise the words as you go along. As you do, you will occasionally need to think about what to say next and find the most appropriate words. Instead of using filler words (e.g. um, er, you know, I mean, etc.), simply pause. If you say um, you get about half a second of thinking time and the audience is likely to notice the um and be irritated by it. If you keep silent, you can get up to two or three seconds of thinking time without the audience noticing anything. Even if attendees do notice the silence, they will simply think that you are choosing your words carefully — and there is nothing wrong with that. Vocally, vary the tone, rate, and volume of your voice as a function of the meaning, complexity, and importance of what you are saying. You need not invent a new intonation pattern: you simply need to amplify your normal pattern. Visually, control your body. Adopt a stable, confident position; move only when you have a positive reason to do so (for example, move closer to the audience for taking questions), not when your body seems to ask for it. When you make a gesture, make it large and deliberate; between gestures, bring your hands down and do not fidget. Establish eye contact: Engage the audience by looking them straight in the eyes. At all times, make sure you address the audience. Even if you have slides, tell the audience your story in a stand-alone way; do not just explain your slides. In particular, anticipate your slides. You should know at all times what your next slide is about so you can insert an appropriate transition. As a non-native speaker or when speaking in front of a non-native audience, consider supporting your presentation with slides. Effective slides get the message across on their own, so if attendees do not understand what you are saying, they can still get your point from your slides. If your spoken English is imperfect or if their understanding of English is limited, attendees are more likely to get the point from the slides (verbal statements, illustrated visually) than from your spoken text. If you have a strong accent or are prone to mispronounce key terms, you may want to include these terms on your slides, integrating them as naturally as possible with the rest of the slide content. Then, as you say a term for the first time, you might point to it casually on the slide so the audience makes the connection between the term and how you say it. These points could serve as guidelines to better presenting, especially in the context of multi-lingual audiences. Adapted from Delivering Your Oral Presentation at http://www.nature.com/scitable/ebooks/english-communication-for-scientists-14053993/118520916#bookC ontentViewAreaDivID; viewed on 23.9.2019. Click on the link for more information. HANDLING QUESTIONS – Task 12 – Match the following pieces of advice: A GOOD QUESTIONS 1 - try not to sound rude B DIFFICULT QUESTIONS 2 - you’ve already given the information, answer briefly C UNNECESSARY QUESTIONS 3 - ask the audience what they think; admit when you don’t know D IRRELEVANT QUESTIONS 4 - thank people for them Task 12a – Match the following responses with the question type: A) good B) difficult C) unnecessary D) irrelevant: 1. I’m afraid I don’t see the connection. 2. Good point. 3. I think I answered that earlier. 4. Sorry, I don’t follow you. 5. Interesting. What do you think? 6. Well, as I mentioned earlier, 7. I’m afraid I don’t have that information with me. 8. That’s a very good question. 9. I don’t know that off the top of my head. Task 12b – What would you do in the following situations? 1. The person asks a question that will require a very long, complicated answer. 2. The person says that some of your information is inaccurate, and you are not sure whether your information was correct or not. 3. Instead of asking a question, the person strongly, rather angrily, disagrees with you. 4. The person says that some of your information is inaccurate, but you are absolutely sure that you are correct. 5. Instead of asking a question, the person states his viewpoint that agrees with yours. Task 12c – Match the possible responses below to the situations above: A) Do not regard this as an attack. You can say: ‘I appreciate your bringing this to my attention. I’ll have to recheck my sources to see what is correct.’ B) Show how this person’s ideas support your own point of view. You can say: ‘Yes, that fits exactly with what I was saying.’ C) Listen politely, then restate your point of view, with additional evidence, if possible. Do not argue with the person. If s/he repeats their position, you can say: ‘Well, we ‘ll have to agree to disagree on this point.’ Or ‘Unfortunately, there’s no time to go into this more deeply right now.’ D) If possible, give your source of information. If you cannot do so, you can say: ’I believe that my information is correct, but I will certainly recheck my facts.’ E) You can say: ’That’s an interesting question, but it would take much too long to answer it. Perhaps we can discuss it later.’ Video Web Links: · How to End a Speech with Impact; Mary Daphne, viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2 AxIFl6SoUQ (8:31) 19.10.20 · How to End a Presentation; Expert Academy, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5JGl3jZb2M (2 :27) 26.10.20 · Assertion-evidence Talks by Undergraduates (6 students give 8 to 10 minute long talks); v iewed at https://www.assertion-evidence.com/models.html 19.9.2019 · How to End a Presentation; Alex Lyon https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBO0riisOzU&ab_channel=CommunicationCoachAlexLyon (2:43) 24.1.2021 FINAL CHECKLIST – Consider the following when preparing your talk: 1. Organisation - introduction, purpose statement (context and main point) - outline (brief, informative) - sign-posting language (transitions) - summary (key ideas) - conclusion (thesis statement) - closure of talk and handling of questions 2. Content - topic coverage, relevant to humanities and social sciences - engaging, comprehensible, entertaining 3. Language - appropriate to audience, explanation of jargon - grammatical accuracy, correct pronunciation of key words 4. Body language - eye contact (with whole class, not only teacher) - minimal use of notes; not reading the presentation - good stance, enthusiasm - voice – speed, volume, clarity, intonation - pointing/gesturing appropriately (e.g. at the screen, NOT the computer) 5. Visuals - appropriate, supportive, clear 6. Questions - handling the discussion - clear, appropriate responses 7. Sources - reliable, bibliography format - don’t forget the date and text title of internet sources - several good English sources Vocabulary 1. to conduct (an analysis) provádět (analýzu) 2. to refer to (something); reference odkazovat na; odkaz 3. focus, main or central point hlavní bod 4. to focus on zaměřit se na 5. to move on to přejít na 6. to deal with zabývat se 7. to consider vzít v úvahu, uvážit 8. outline náčrt, nástin 9. checklist kontrolní seznam 10. to reduce, decrease zmenšit, snížit 11. to substitute; substitution nahradit; náhrada 12. to enhance obohatit, vylepšit 13. to distract vyrušovat, rušit 14. credible důvěryhodný 15. appropriate vhodný 16. oral presentation ústní prezentace 17. to give a speech přednést řeč 18. to deliver a speech mít řeč 19. to make a speech mít projev 20. to speak in public mluvit na veřejnosti 21. attentive audience pozorné publikum 22. to raise a question položit otázku 23. to discuss some issues diskutovat o některých problémech 24. to clarify objasnit 25. to ask for clarification požádat o objasnění 26. to overcome nervousness překonat nervozitu 27. to present an idea prezentovat myšlenku 28. to show enthusiasm projevit nadšení 29. to go down well with the audience najít odezvu u publika 30. to fail to succeed neuspět 31. to commit a blunder dopustit se velké chyby 32. to do one’s best vynasnažit se 33. to speak up mluvit hlasitě 34. to speak softly mluvit tiše 35. to applaud tleskat Sources: Laster, A.A. & Pickett, N.A. (2001).Technical English: Writing, Reading and Speaking, 8^th Edition, Pearson. Adapted from Presentation Skills (2015). FSS & FA Language Centre, Masaryk University. English Communicaton for Scientists, http://www.nature.com/scitable/ebooks/english-communication-for-scientists-14053993 (viewed 24.4.19) Materials from a lesson on presentations prepared by Agnieszka Suchomelova-Polomska (Assertion-evidence model) Assertion Evidence Talks by Undergraduates, https://www.assertion-evidence.com/models.html (viewed 23.9.2019) Becoming an Effective Presenter, Penn State University, http://www.engr.psu.edu/speaking/ (viewed 24.4.19)