PRESENTATION SKILLS This material which is based on the sources mentioned below has been compiled exclusively for the internal courses run by the Faculty of Economics and Administration and is offered to its students free of charge. The below material has been based on the following books: (listed in the order of importance) • Mark Powell: Presenting in English - How to Give Successful Presentations, Thomson Heinle 1996. • Mario Klarer: Působivá prezentace a přednáška v angličtině, Grada 2007. (translated from the original titled: Präsentieren auf Englisch - 3., aktualisierte und überarbeitete Auflage, Redline Wirtschaft, Germany 2006). 2 CONTENTS paqe Types of Presentation 4 I. HOW TO AROUSE THE INTEREST OF THE AUDIENCE 5 I.l.Statinq Your Purpose 6 1.2. Introduction - Phrases 7 II. INTRODUCTION FOR ADVANCED PRESENTERS 10 II. 1. Effective Openinqs 11 III. HOW TO WORK WITH THE ATTENTION OF THE AUDIENCE - ROLE OF SUMMARY 12 III.l. Siqnpostinq 14 III.2. Survival Tactics 14 IV. HOW TO USE MEDIA IN PRESENTATIONS 15 IV.1. Commentinq on Visuals 17 IV.2. Chanqe and Development 18 V. HOW TO USE YOUR VOICE PROPERLY AND EFFECTIVELY 20 V.l. Articulation i 20 V.l. Articulation ii 21 V.2. Chunkinq 22 V.3. Intonation i 22 V.3. Intonation ii 23 VI. BASIC TECHNIQUES OF PRESENTATION 24 VI.1. Emphasis i 24 VI.1. Emphasis ii 24 VI.1. Emphasis iii 24 VI.2. Focusinq 25 VI.3. Softeninq 26 VII. FURTHER TECHNIQUES OF PRESENTATION 27 VII.1. Rhetorical Questions i 27 VII.1. Rhetorical Questions ii 27 VII.2. Dramatic Contrasts i 28 VII.2. Dramatic Contrasts ii 29 VII.3. Triplinq 30 VII.4. Machine Gunninq 32 VII.5. Build-ups 32 VII.6. Knock-downs 33 VII.7. Creatinq Rapport i 34 VII.7. Creatinq Rapport ii 35 VIII. USEFUL LANGUAGE OF PRESENTATION 36 VIII. 1. Useful Expressions i 36 VIII.1. Useful Expressions ii 37 VIII.1. Useful Expressions iii 38 IX. HOW TO IMPACT THE MEMORY OF THE AUDIENCE - N EARING THE END OF PRESENTATION 39 X. QUESTION AND ANSWER SESSION - HOW TO DEAL WITH UNPREDICTABLE SITUATIONS 41 X.l. Clarification 43 X.2. Dealinq with Questions i 44 X.2. Dealinq with Questions ii 45 X.2. Dealinq with Questions iii 47 X.2. Dealinq with Questions iv 48 X.2. Dealinq with Questions v 50 XI. PRESENTATION TECHNIQUES IN MEETINGS 52 XII. PRESENTATION TECHNIQUES IN WRITING REPORTS 54 Some Questions to Ask when Critiquinq a Presentation 56 Self Critique Form 57 Types of presentations =tTASK 1 Try to complete the types of presentations defined. The first one has been done for you as an example. • press conference = two chief executives tell journalists why their companies have merged. • b___________= a senior officer gives information to other officers about an operation they are going to undertake. • d________________= the head of research and development tells nontechnical colleagues about a new machine. • p_______I__________= a car company announces a new model. •________________= a university professor communicates information about torts to 300 students. • t__________= a member of a stamp-collecting club tells other members about 19th century British stamps. • s___________= a financial adviser gives advice about investments to eight people. • w ___________ = a yoga expert tells people how to improve their breathing techniques and gets them to practise. =tTASK 2 Try to list at least ten tips how to become a good presenter (in your list try to include: preparation, structure of the presentation, its beginning and ending, audience, questions from the audience, time, visuals). The first one has been done for you: I. LEAVE NOTHING TO CHANCE 2.___________________________________________ 3._____________________________________________ 4.__________________________________________ 5._____________________________________________ 6._______________________________________________ 7._____________________________________________________ 8._____________________________________________________ 9.______________________________________________________ 10.________________________________________________________ II. ____ 4 I. HOW TO AROUSE THE INTEREST OF THE AUDIENCE ???? Questions to think about 1. What do you consider the most important part/s of a presentation? - Why the beginning and the end? - Why the main part? 2. Is it wise to rely only on your expertise during the presentation or should you try to involve and win the the audience as well? 3. Are you supposed to acquaint your audience with the structure of the presentation only at the beginning of the presentation? 4. How much time should you devote to introducing yourself, should you mention your position or function in the company/institution you work for? When should you do this? 5. Is the subject of the presentation the same thing as the title of the presentation? 6. What do you understand by personalizing a topic? How will you personalize your topic? 7. Do you know why it is advisable to divide your talk into THREE pars? Why is it recommendable to use number three throughout your presentation? 8. What are the two basic ways of letting your audience ask you questions? What are the advantages and disadvantages of both of them? 9. Should you tell your audience how long your presentation will take? What is the ideal length of a presentation? Source: Mario Klarer: Působivá prezentace a přednáška v angličtině, Grada 2007. 5 B>I.l. STATING YOUR PURPOSE It is essential to state the purpose of your presentation near the beginning. To do this clearly and effectively you need a few simple presentation verbs: • take a look at, report on, give an overview of, etc. =tTASK 1 Below you will find a number of ways of stating the purpose of your presentation. Complete them using the words given. Combining the sentences with the number 1 will give you a complete introduction. Then do the same with those numbered 2 etc. • OK, let's get started. Good morning, everyone. Thanks for coming. I'm.... This morning I'm going to be: showing talking taking reporting telling 1._____________to you about the videophone project. 2.___________you about the collapse of the housing market in the early 90s. 3._____________you how to deal with late payers. 4.___________a look at the recent boom in virtual reality software companies. 5._______________on the results of the market study we carried out in Austria. • ............so, I'll begin by: making outlining bringing giving filling __________you in on the background to the project. 2._________a few observations about the events leading up to that collapse. 3._____________company policy on bad debt. 4._____________you an overview of the history of VR. 5.______________you up-to-date on the latest findings of the study. Vocab. to fill sb in on sth = give sbfull details about sth • .........and then I'II go on to: put discuss make highlight talk what I see as the main advantage of the new system. ____the situation into some kind of perspective. 3.___________you through our basic debt management procedure. 4.___________detailed recommendations regarding our own R&D. 5.________in more depth the implications of the data in the files in front of you. Source: Mark Powell: Presenting in English - How to Give Successful Presentations, Thomson Heinle 1996. 6 \E>1.2. Introduction - Phrases The following expressions come from a standard expressions used in introductions to presentations. Give each set of phrases a label from the box below. 1. Relevance of topic 2. Topic of presentation 3. Parts 4. Personalizing of topic 5. Questions after the presentation 6. Questions during the presentation 7. Sequencing 8. Media 9. Timing a) O My presentation won't last more than 20 minutes, o It'll take me less than half an hour to cover these points, o This will take about 15 minutes of your time, b) O You might be interested in why I chose this particular topic. o I should tell you how I became interested in this topic. o There is a personal story connected to the topic of today's presentation. o The first time I thought about this issue was when I..... o I've divided my presentation into three parts..... o I'll focus on three major issues... o I'll look at three points in particular... o Today's topic is (the new sales campaign for the spring). o As you all know, my presentation today will focus on__ o What I'd like to present to you today is... o As you can see from your handout, I'll be concentrating on...... o Firstly,......secondly,__and thirdly__ o First, we'll look at.....; then we'll__; and finally, we'll take a look at o Point one deals with__, point two...; and point three ... o I'll start out with...; next I'll move on to__; and I'll end with... o To illustrate my points, I'll rely mostly on the latest product samples. 7 o I've prepared a number of graphs and a short promotional video.Source: Mario Klarer: Působivá prezentace a přednáška v angličtině, Grada 2007. o My presentation will be accompanied by a live demonstration of our new computer database. o I'd like to ask you to hold your questions till the end. o There will be time for questions after my presentation. o We will have at least fifteen minutes for questions during the discussion period. o Because of the tight time schedule, I'd like you to hold your questions till the end. o Since the subject matter is rather complex, I'd appreciate it if you'd save your questions until after the presentation, o In order to bring everybody to the same level of understanding, I'd like to give you a general overview first, and answer questions in the discussion period after my presentation. h) o My topic is of particular interest to those of you who..... o Since you'll have to deal with this particular issue soon, my presentation will help you in__ o Today's topic will be very important for you because..... o If you have any questions, feel free to interrupt me at any time, o Don't hesitate to ask questions during my presentation. o Please share your questions with us as they come up; I'll be happy to answer them right away. =t TASK 2 Put the stages of this presentation introduction in the most likely chronological order and match them with their names. Then try to invent the most suitable name for the presentation: Stages: QUESTIONS PARTS NAME AND FUNCTION OF THE PRESENTER RELEVANCE OF TOPIC TIME TRANSITION TO MAIN PART LEADING TO TOPIC WELCOME AND RAPPORT MEDIA Standard introduction Title: _______________________________________________ G: I've divided my presentation into three major parts: firstly, our old system of evaluation, including it main flaws; secondly, the new system, including its improvements over the old one; thirdly, and finally, I'd like to point out some of the possible consequences of this new system for your overall performance. B: For those of you who don't know me, my name is Peter Walsh. I'm the Human Resources Manager at GlaxoSmithKline, here in North Carolina. Source: Mario Klarer: Působivá prezentace a přednáška v angličtině, Grada 2007. H: Because of rather complex subject matter which requires a step by step explanation, I'd be grateful if you'd hold your questions till the end. We should have ample time for discussion in the 15-minute questions and answer period following my presentation. A: My presentation is very relevant for all of you present here today because you, as division leaders, will have to put this new method of evaluating candidates into practice right away. The new system should improve considerably the efficiency and accuracy of our candidate selection process. D: First of all, I'd like to thank you all for being here. I'm very happy that so many of you could make it today, especially since this is probably the busiest time of the year when you all have to put together the annual report. C: I've prepared some sample evaluation forms as well as a short video clip from an authentic job interview, which should give you a firsthand experience of new procedure. E: If that's OK with all of you, I'll begin with my first point. F: My actual presentation should last no more than 20 minutes. I: In my presentation today I'd like to familiarize you with our company's new procedure in evaluating job candidates. As you all know perfectly well, our staff is our most precious asset and the selection of qualified personnel is crucial for maintaining our high standards. 9 II. INTRODUCTION FOR ADVANCED PRESENTERS To make the introduction more interesting you can use rhetorical or real questions: => Rhetorical questions to indicate subpoints, 1 example o To give you a general idea of our company, I've divided my presentation into four major questions. When did it all start? — in other words, our company history. What is it that we do? — meaning our product range and services we provide. Who is responsible? — our organizational structure. And finally, how can we cooperate with you in the near future? That means some possible synergy between our two companies. => Introducing the topic and its relevance through questions, 1 example o Before I get started with my topic on "How to Save the Planet and Stay at Home at the same Time," I'd like to ask you a question that seems unrelated to our topic. Have you ever given much thought to the question of which plant or crop is number one monoculture in the U.S. today? No, it's not corn, wheat, cotton, or tobacco. It's your lawn. Millions of acres of land are planted and meticulously maintained by millions of homeowners all over North America. Have you ever thought about the ecological consequences of this seemingly normal activity? The impact on the environment is dramatic. Think about the amount of chemicals we put on our yards in order to keep the weeds under control and the grass greeen. Think about the pollution from gasoline-powered lawn mowers. No governmental agency sets limits for the exhaust of lawn mowers, consequently leaving lawn mower exhaust 30 to 50 times worse in terms of pollution than regular car engines. As you can see from these facts, environmental preservation doesn't mean you have to become an activist. Actually, my presentation today focuses on the question: How can I contribute to a healthier environment in my immediate surroundings? — a question that should be of interest and relevance to us all. => Introducing the topic and its relevance through an amazing fact, 1 example o I'm very happy to be able to give you my report on the first six months of operation of our new production site at Ft. Lauderdale. Some of you pitied me when I had to leave New York to do research down in Florida. Those of you who were skeptical that I wouldn't have enough excitement after leaving the Big Apple, were wrong. Ft. Lauderdale is being put on the map as the number one city as we speak. To prove this, I have here in front of me the latest statistics of the U.S. Postal Service claiming that, and I quote, "With 2,800 letter carriers bitten by dogs last year, Ft. Lauderdale is the town with the highest number of dog attacks against postal employees in all of the United States." I think that should definitely do away with the image of a retirement area that is not at the pulse of our time. But to come to the serious part of my talk today, I'll show you that our choice of location was a good one, for reasons other than those stated in the U.S. Postal Service report. To demonstrate this, I've divided my presentation into three major points:... Source: Mario Klarer: Působivá prezentace a přednáška v angličtině, Grada 2007. 10 B>II.l. EFFECTIVE OPENINGS Communications experts are all agreed that the first three minutes of a presentation are the most important. They talk about "hooks" - simple techniques for getting the immediate attention of the audience. A good start makes you feel more confident. Here's how the experts suggest you "hook" the audience. • 1 GIVE THEM A PROBLEM TO THINK ABOUT • 2 GIVE THEM SOME AMAZING FACTS • 3 GIVE THEM A STORY OR A PERSONAL ANECDOTE =tTASK 1 Look at the presentation openings below and divide them under three headings. PROBLEMS AMAZING FACTS STORIES 1. Did you know that Japanese companies spend four times more on entertaining clients than the entire GDP of Bulgaria? 40 billion dollars, to be precise. You know, that's twice Colombia's total foreign debt. You could buy General Motors for the same money. 2. Suppose your advertising budget was cut by 99% tomorrow. How would you go about promoting your product? 3. According to the latest study, by 2050 only one in every four people in Western Europe will be going to work. And two will be old age pensioners. 4. You know, R&D is 90% luck. When I think about creativity, I'm reminded of the man who invented the microwave oven. He spent years messing around with radar transmitters, then noticed the chocolate in his pocket was starting to melt! 5. Statistics show that in the last ten years more people have legally emigrated to the United States than to the rest of the world put together - about half a million of them a year, in fact. Now, over ten years, that's roughly equivalent to the population of Greece. 6. Have you ever wondered why it is that Americans are easier to sell to than Europeans? And why nine out of ten sales gurus are American? You have? Well, if I could show you what stops Europeans buying, would you be interested? Source: Mark Powell: Presenting in English - How to Give Successful Presentations, Thomson Heinle 1996. 11 III. HOW TO WORK WITH THE ATTENTION OF THE AUDIENCE - ROLE OF SUMMARY ???? Questions to think about 1 1. Is it advisable to subdivide your presentation into too many subpoints? What is the recommended number of subpoints? How do we subdivide the topic if it is too complex? 2. Can you see any similarities between a good presentation and a good advertisement? 3. What is the function of the summary? Where do we put it in a presentation? Is one summary per presentation sufficient? => Indicating the end of a section o So this is all I have to say about...... o This brings me to the end of my first point. o So much for point one. o This is all you need to know about__ => Summarizing a point o Let me briefly summarize the major issues. o The important things to remember here are__ o In a nutshell,...... o To make a long story short,..... o Let's wrap up the most important issues at stake here. =tTASK 1 Put the sentences taken from a summary of a point in the main part in the most likely chronological order and label the ending of each of the three stages of this summary: Stages: 1. INDICATING END OF SECTION 2. SUMMARY OF POINT 3. TRANSITION TO NEXT POINT A: This leads me directly to my next point — a report of our latest project — in which you see communication mechanisms at work in an authentic case. B: Over the past decade the matrix structure has proven to be the ideal basic organizational form to guarantee the fast set-up of new communication patterns within existing teams C: The important issue is that our company believes in a very simple matrix pattern to make internal processes run as efficiently and smoothly as possible. D: Given the nature of our highly specialized, in most cases tailor-made, appliances, the flexibility to reorganise teams on demand is crucial. E: This is all I have to say about my second point, our organizational structure. Source: Mario Klarer: Působivá prezentace a přednáška v angličtině, Grada 2007. 12 1111 Questions to think about 2 4. Why is it necessary to be able to connect individual points of the presentation to achieve a smooth transition between them? => Transitions o Okay, this brings me to my next point__ o This leads directly to my next point__ o I'd now like to turn to my second major point__ o Let us take a closer look at the question in my next point__ => Transitions, 1 example o As you can see from my short survey of our company history, we've always been very strong in highly specialized electrical machinery for industrial use. This is the field in which we've been the market leader over the past 60 years, and this is also the area in which we see our core competence for the present as well as the future (summary). Obviously, our product range has changed considerably over time, thereby showing our continuous effort to adapt to new markets and trends. Our current products are very indicative of this flexibility combined with our longstanding experience in this field (transition). This actually brings me to my main point - our current product range (announcing next point). =tTASK 11nsert the following words and phrases to complete the text below: brings up provide subject notion concise Obviously, I can only 1.______________you with a very 2._______________survey of our detailed product range. However, by picking some of the major lines as examples, I think that you'll be able to get a pretty solid 3.________________of where we stand and where we are going with our appliances (summary). Talking about our different products inevitably 4._________the question: How do we manage and coordinate the production, distribution, as well as the after sales services for such a large variety of highly specialized pieces of machinery? (transition). We've been able to tackle this problem by developing our own and very idiosyncratic company organization, which will be the 5.____________________of my third and final point in today's presentation (announcing next point). Source: Mario Klarer: Působivá prezentace a přednáška v angličtině, Grada 2007 13 [x>III. 1. SIGNPOSTING In a good presentation, what you say - the content- is much more important than anything else. But a clear structure helps. When you move on to your next point or change direction, tell the audience. You can do this easily and effectively, using simple phrases as "signposts" to guide the audience through your presentation: • to move on to • to 30 back to • to summarize • to expand on • to recap on • to turn to • to digress from • to conclude • to elaborate on =tTASK 1 Choose one of the "signpost" expressions from the box above for the following situations: when you want to make your next point change direction refer to an earlier point repeat the main points give a wider perspective do a deeper analysis give the basics depart from your plan finish your talk IH>III.2. SURVIVAL TACTICS Giving a presentation in a foreign language is a challenge. Concentrate too hard on the facts and you make language mistakes. Concentrate too hard on your English and you get your facts wrong.__________________________________________________________________ =tTASK 1 If you have problems during your presentation, don't panic. Pause. Sort out the problem and continue. Here are the eight common problems people face. Match what you think with what you say: WHAT YOU THINK WHAT YOU SAY 1. I've got my facts wrong! A. So, so let's just recap on that. 2. Too fast! Go back. B. So, basically, what I'm saying is this .... 3. I've forgotten to say something! C. Sorry, what I meant is this....... 4. Too complicated! Make it simple. D. Sorry, I should just mention one thing. 5. I'm talking nonsense. E. So, just to give you the main points here..... 6. How do you say this in English? F. Sorry, let me rephrase that. 7. Wrong! Try again. G. Sorry, what's the word / expression? 8. I'm running out of time! H. Sorry, perhaps I didn't make that quite clear. Source: Mark Powell: Presenting in English - How to Give Successful Presentations, Thomson Heinle 1996. 14 1. What is the primary function of using visual aids during the presentation? What is their aim: to show, or to illustrate? 2. Some presenters give their audience handouts which are identical with slides they show. Do you think this is good? Is there any difference between slides and handouts? 3. Which approach to visuals will you choose and why? To show it and then to talk about it, or vice versa? => Preparing the audience for visuals - teasing o The graph on the following slide gives you a rough outline of... o On the next slide you'll see something quite remarkable, o The next graph might come as a surprise to some of you. o The next visual contains the key information that most of you came here to hear about. => Preparing the audience for visuals - teasing, 3 examples o The next graph will show you the inflation rate of the U.S. from the late 1920s to the year 2000. You'll be surprised when you see the overall development since there are several movements in this graph that I imagine some of you won't have anticipated. o The next slide shows a cartoon by the famous cartoon artist Gary Tarson — a cartoon that, in a humorous way, captures the very problem we 're facing with our after sales services. o The next set of figures and statistical data on our production costs in Asia will be somewhat of a shock to those of you who haven't seen them yet. 4. When presenting a graph, it is absolutely essential to acquaint the audience with its p________________. => Explaining the p___________________. o On the horizontal axis you see the... o On the vertical axis we have... o The figures on the vertical axis are units of one thousand... 5. Is the point of the presentation for the audience to remember all facts and details? What does that mean for the presenter? Source: Mario Klarer: Působivá prezentace a přednáška v angličtině, Grada 2007 15 => S_________________ graphs o This graph shows three distinct developments. o I'd like to draw your attention to two major phases of the overall graph movement. o The turning point in the performance of the graph is___ o What this complex line boils down to are three major developments. =tTASK 1 Let's now practise the graph language. Insert the words and phrases from the box to complete the text below. a) axis f) fluctuations k) surprised b) covers g) growth 1) told c) detail h) movements m) trends d) divide i) show n) vertical e) fall j) spans The next graph will L_______you the inflation rate in the U.S. from the late 1920s to the year 2000. You'll be 2.________when you see the overall development since there are some 3._________________in this graph that I imagine some of you won't have anticipated. (1. preparing and teasing). Let's have a look! (2. showing graph) As I 4.______________you, this graph represents the American inflation rate of the last 70 years. On the horizontal iL_____________you see the time period in decades; on the 6._______________axis you see the inflation rate in percent (3. explaining the parameters). Roughly speaking, we can 7.________________________the graph into three major parts or time spans: the first includes the period before, during, and shortly after the war, the second time frame 8.______________the years from the mid-1950s up to the 1980s, and the last period 9.___________the past twenty years (4. simplifying the graph). Let's now look at these three parts in more 1th_________. The first section of the graph representing the time span from the 1930s to the mid-fifties is characterized by strong 11.______________with a number of distinct peaks of 12% or more. The all-time low of the inflation rate in 1933, the most significant deflation in US history, is a direct consequence of the Great Depression following the Stock Market crash in 1929... The second phase from the mid of the century to the 1980s shows consolidation and modest 12.________________with an alltime high in 1980 resembling the peaks before and during the World War II. The reason for this rise in the inflation rate is .....After 1980, we notice a sharp 13._____________with a slight recovery in the mid-1980s due to..... (5. looking at details). In sum, we have three major 14.______________: enormous fluctuations in the first two decades, followed by relatively stable conditions until the 1980s with a decisive plunge of the inflation rate (6. summary). USA Inflation Rate % 10 . I A 8 l A 4 rl\l\L jJ\j \^~*----^ 0 \ -4 V -8 1 1 1 1 1 1 i 1940 1960 1980 2000 Source: Mario Klarer: Působivá prezentace a přednáška v angličtině, Grada 2007 16 [x>IV.l. COMMENTING ON VISUALS Visuals help you to give a lot of information in a short space of time. They are really "quick snapshots" of situations, developments, events and processes which would take a long time to explain fully in words. Good visuals speak for themselves and require little or no description, but you often need to draw your audience's attention to one or more key points before you discuss them in more detail: • 1 HIGHLIGHTS Which parts of the visual are most significant? • 2 COMMENTS Why? • 3 INTERPRETATIONS What conclusions can you draw? =tTASK 1 These expressions highlight important information in a visual. Complete them using the following words: on; to; at; out; about I'd like us to look this part of the graph in more detail. us to focus our attention one particularly important feature. you to think the significance of this fiqure here. to point one or two interesting details. to draw your attention to the upper half of the chart. =tTASK2 These expressions comment on important information in a visual. Complete them using the following words: if; as; whatever; whichever; however _ you can see, there are several surprising developments, you look at it more closely, you 'II notice a couple of apparent anomalies. _____you try to explain it, this is very bad news. ______the reasons for this, the underlying trend is obvious. way you look at it, there are some of our best results ever.______ =tTASK 3 These expressions interpret important information in a visual. Complete them using the following words: lesson; message; significance; conclusions; irr iplications 1. to be drawn from this are 2. to be learned from this is I'm sure the 3. of this are 4. of this is 5. here is clear to all of us. Source: Mark Powell: Presenting in English - How to Give Successful Presentations, Thomson Heinle 1996. 17 [x>IV.2. CHANGE AND DEVELOPMENT Except in complex technical and scientific presentations, you don't usually need to quote precise figures. It is better to include these in handout or report given out before or after your talk. It can be helpful, however, when describing very detailed visual aids, to mention overall trends and approximate figures. 3TASK1 Below you will find an extract from a presentation comparing stock market performance in four European countries. Complete is by using the words given in the lists. PART 1 around at downs so upward of First, let's have a look at this graph, which shows us the ups and 1)________in the "footsie" over the last three months. As you can see, the overall trend is 2) ______________with the index finishing up 3)______4)_____________3,200 in mid-May. This trend, however, can't hide the fact that there was a fall 5)_____some eighty points or 6)________between the middle of February and the beginning of March. We'll be looking at the reasons for this unexpected dip in a moment. London PART 2 at about of over to from In Paris it's been the same story, with CAC falling 1)_________just 2)_________1850 in mid-February 3)________4)__________1720 three weeks later. Again, though, overall performance has been good, the CAC putting on roughly 120 points over the three-month period, peaking 5)__________just short 6)________2020, give or take a point. MT jfiUKJuj Source: Mark Powell: Presenting in English - How to Give Successful Presentations, Thomson Heinle 1996. 18 PART 3 down between over of by downward As you can see, the picture in Milan is rather different. The early trend was decidedly 1)_________. In fact, the MIBTel had already fallen 2)_______in excess 3)______ 1400 points by mid-March. It then fluctuated 4)__________9700 and 9300 for the best part of a month, before partially recovering to end up well 5)________a hundred points 6)________on the figure for mid-February. Vocab. in excess of = more than down on = less than for the best part ofsth = almost all ofsth, esp. a period of time PART 4 for in below near down up If anything, the DAX has fared rather worse. In mid-February it was well 1)________at getting on 2)________2200 and looking strong. But by the end of March it was way 3) ________the 1950 threshold and nowhere 4)________where our forecasts had put it. And it's still well 5)__________at somewhere 6)_______the region of 2080. Vocab. to fare = used for saying how well or how badly someone does something, to do Frankfurt Source: Mark Powell: Presenting in English - How to Give Successful Presentations, Thomson Heinle 1996. 19 V. HOW TO USE YOUR VOICE PROPERLY AND EFFECTIVELY IH>V.l. ARTICULATION i Make sure you know how to say any long or technical words you may need. In English some parts of a word sound weak, some strong and some very strong. • e.g. presenTAtion ecoNOmical producTlvity techNOIogy It is particularly important to know which part of the word has the strongest stress. Bad stress is more likely to make you difficult to understand than bad pronunciation. =tTASK 1 Highlight the part of each word which has the strongest stress. The first one has been done for you as an example: 1. presenTAtion 5. decision 9. politician =tTASK2 Do the same with these: 2. collaboration 6. expansion 10. optional 3. negotiation 7. supervision 11. provisional 4. recommendation 8. technician 12. unconditional 1. strategic 5. bureaucratic 2. dynamic 6. typical 3. systematic 7. analytical 4. problematic 8. economical =tTASK 3 Do the same with these: 1. efficient 5. experience 2. deficient 3. sufficient 6. inconvenience 7. efficiency 4. proficient 8. deficiency =tTASK4 Do the same with these: 1. essential 5. gradual 2. potential 6. individual 3. beneficial 7. actual 4. commercial 8. eventual =tTASK 5 Do the same with these: 1. flexible 2. incredible 5. responsibility 6. productivity 3. impossible 7. modify 4. probability 8. diversify Source: Mark Powell: Presenting in English - How to Give Successful Presentations, Thomson Heinle 1996. 20 =tTASK 6 Do the same with these: 1. obvious 5. simultaneous 9. trainee 2. ambitious 6. instantaneous 10. employee 3. industrious 7. ambiguous 11. guarantee 4. spontaneous 8. superfluous 12. interviewee B>V.l. ARTICULATION ii Many of the business words you already know will combine to form useful phrases or word partnerships. market share do business sales forecast bank charges product manager cut prices recruit staff raise productivity Learning lots of word partnerships, instead of just words, reduces the amount of thinking you have to do in a presentation. It also helps you to sound more fluent and businesslike. But it is important to know which word in a word partnership is stressed. =tTASK 1 Underline the stressed word in each of these partnerships. The first one has been done for you as an example: 1. cost control 4. price war 7. profit margin 10. consumer spending 2. sales volume 5. parent company 8. trade barriers 11. market share Now do the same with these verb-noun partnerships: 3. production team 6. board meeting 9. marketing mix 12. market forces 13. fix prices 14. process orders 15. promote sales 16. reduce costs 17. train staff 18. fund research 19. agree terms 20. offset costs 21. market products 22. give discounts 23. quote figures 24. talk money Now do the same with these adjective-noun partnerships: 25. net profit 28. fixed assets 31. annual report 34. low profitability 26. corporate client 29. technological lead 32. managerial skills 35. scientific research Now do the same with these noun-noun partnerships: 27. multinational company 30. economic outlook 33. free trade 36. cultural awareness 1. research and development 4. training and development 7. pros and cons 2. stocks and shares 5. aims and objectives 8. ups and downs 3. time and motion 6. trial and error 9. ins and outs Vocab. ins and outs = details time and motion study = a study that measures how effective a method or system of working is Source: Mark Powell: Presenting in English - How to Give Successful Presentations, Thomson Heinle 1996. 21 =tTASK2 Now underline the letter which is stressed in the following: 1. USA 2. UN 3. EU 4. CIA 5. FBI 6. IBM 7. IMF 8. CNN 9. BBC 10. UAE 11. GDP 12. R&D =tTASK 3 Now try these longer word partnerships. Underline the stressed words. 1. increase profit margins 2. employ temporary staff 3. enter foreign markets 4. create new opportunities 5. annual sales figures 6. competitive performance record 7. stock market report 8. high-technology industry 9. long-term goals 10. far-reaching consequences IH>V.2. CHUNKING To give an effective presentation in English you must learn to think and speak not in individual words, but in complete phrases. This means pausing in the right places: • Dull: Anyone can become a successful manager. But, of course, the unprepared, the untrained, and those given too much responsibility before they're ready will fail. That's what this morning's presentation is all about. • Interesting: ANYONE can become a successful MANAGER. But, of course, the UNPREPARED, the UNTRAINED, and those given too much RESPONSIBILITY before they're READY will FAIL. That's what this morning's PRESENTATION is all ABOUT. IH>V.3. INTONATION i =tTASK 1 Listen to the following presentation extract. Notice how the speaker keeps their voice up or level in the middle of statements, and lets it drop at the end: As a business EVOLVES it goes through FOUR BASIC STAGES. And at every stage of the business LIFE cycle your company's financial needs are going to CHANGE. So, what are those FOUR STAGES? Well, obviously, when your business is NEW what you need most of ALL is INVESTMENT capital and a detailed BUSINESS plan. But once your business is established and GROWING and you 've got a solid CUSTOMER base, then it's time to look into INVESTMENT and the proper use of your RESOURCES. Source: Mark Powell: Presenting in English - How to Give Successful Presentations, Thomson Heinle 1996. 22 Companies that fail to GROW simply DECLINE. So as your business EXPANDS, you're almost certainly going to need additional FINANCING. And FINALLY, by the time the business is MATURE, you 'II want to get an accurate VALUATION so that, should you WANT to, you can sell off the company at a decent PROFIT. Notice how a dramatic rise in your voice creates anticipation and suspense, but a sharp fall gives weight and finality to what you have just said. Keeping your voice up tells the audience you are in the middle of saying something and mustn't be interrupted. Letting your voice drop lets them know you 've completed what you wanted to say. B>V.3. INTONATION ii A good presentation involves more than just giving information. It also involves interpreting that information, showing your listeners exactly what it means, giving it significance. Your intonation - the rise and the fall of your voice - tells your audience exactly what you are thinking. Good intonation lets them see your attitude and your enthusiasm for your subject. Monotonous speakers bore an audience. So, a golden rule when you give a presentation is to VARY the tone of your voice._______________________________________________________________ =tTASK 1 Below are well-known sayings. Present them, paying particular attention to pausing, stress and the rise and fall of your voice. Remember that in a presentation it is better to vary your voice too much than too little. 1. Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. 2. The easier it is to do, the harder it is to change. 3. Teamwork is twice the results for half the effort. 4. Don 't let what you can 't interfere with what you can 't. 5. Humour is always the shortest distance between two people. 6. Anyone can make a mistake, but to really mess things up requires a computer. 7. People always have two reasons for doing things: a good reason and the real reason. 8. People who think they know it all are a pain in the neck to those of us who really do. Source: Mark Powell: Presenting in English - How to Give Successful Presentations, Thomson Heinle 1996. 23 VI. BASIC TECHNIQUES OF PRESENTATION IH>VI.l. EMPHASIS i You can dramatically change the significance of what you say in a presentation by stressing words which would normally be unstressed or contracted. Look at the following examples.__________________________________________________________________ NEUTRAL REMARK EMPHATIC REMARK It's our best chance of success. It IS our best chance of success. We were hoping for a better deal. We WERE hoping for a better deal. We're doing the best we can. We doinq the best we can. We've tried to limit the damage. We tried to limit the damaqe. We can't go ahead with this. We qo ahead with this. I see what you mean. I see what you mean. They promised completion by June. They promise completion by June. It isn 't cost-effective. It's cost-effective. Do we or don 't we believe in service? Do we or do we believe in service? B>VI.l. EMPHASIS ii You can make a presentation more persuasive by using simple intensifies to emphasize your points. Look at the following examples: I'm afraid it just isn t good enough - the entire system needs updating. We really need to rethink our whole recruitment procedure. Paying off such a substantial loan is going to be extremely difficult. We ve done much better than we expected - even better than we did last year. There's absolutely no chance at all of us going into profit in the first two years. We now lead the market, even though it's still so highly competitive. IH>VI.l. EMPHASIS iii Some emphatic expressions are very common in more formal presentations. A typical pattern is: SUBJECT INTENSIFIER I completely We firmly MAIN VERB agree oppose COMPLEMENT with everything you've said so far. any suggestion that the company be sold. Notice that the intensifier and verb form a strong word partnership. It's a good idea to learn some of these word partneships by heart. Source: Mark Powell: Presenting in English - How to Give Successful Presentations, Thomson Heinle 1996. 24 =tTASK 1 Match up the threee parts of the sentences below to make twelve emphatic expressions. The first one has been done for you as an example: 1. We strongly A reject 1 any suggestion that we should sell. 2. We totally B admit 2 you withdraw the product. 3. We deeply C recommend 3 having to lay off 2,000 workers. 4. We freely D regret 4 that the buyout was a bad idea. 5. We sincerely E refuse 1 what the board is trying to do. 6. We enthusiastically F accept 2 that profits will continue to recover. 7. We utterly G endorse 3 that there will have to be changes. 8. We readily H hope 4 to back down on this crucial issue. 9. We categorically I encourage 1 that this is in everyone's interest. 10. We fully J believe 2 having anything to do with it. 11. We positively K deny 3 the difficulties they've been having. 12. We honestly L appreciate 4 initiative-taking at all levels. I can't emphasize enough just how difficult this is. was. has been. will be. would be. might be. critical risky impractical important vital dangerous essential significant inconvenient problematic crucial IH>VI.2. FOCUSING If you really want to get the attention of your audience, simple emphasis may not be enough. In English there is a way you can focus key points so that everyone knows you want them to listen to what you have to say next. Look at these examples. • We can't expect too much too soon. What we can t do is expect too much too soon. • I'd like to approach this question from two different angles. What I'd like to do is approach this question from two different angles. Notice how the "What......is........"pattern builds up the anticipation of the audience. Source: Mark Powell: Presenting in English - How to Give Successful Presentations, Thomson Heinle 1996. 25 =tTASK 1 Focus the following in the same way to draw attention of the audience: 1. I 'm going to talk about motivation. 2. I 'd like to move on to the question of cashflow. 3. I 've tried to put our recent difficulties into some kind of pespective. 4. We have to consider what the start-up costs might be. 5. I 'II be making a case for getting in a team of specialists. =tTASK2 Now try these. Add the words you need to focus the second statement. Highlight the words you would stress. 1. We want higher productivity. What we_________________is higher costs. 2. We've increased sales. What_______________________is increase turnover. 3. We're in a good position to improve working conditions.___________________ __________________is raise salaries. 4. I 'm prepared to discuss the takeover bid._____________________________get into an argument about it. 5. We're not trying to change everything.__________________________is this. 6. It doesn 't matter how difficult it is.______________________________ expensive it is. B>VI.3. SOFTENING As well as being able to emphasize important points, you sometimes need to reduce the force of points which are of less immediate significance: a great improvement <=> a slight improvement a major problem <=> a minor problem a total success <=> a partial success Look at the following extract from a presentation. See how the highlighted words and phrases have a softening effect. We've more or less completed the first round of negotiations in Osaka, and we're pretty certain they like what we're offering, although with the Japanese, it is quite difficult to tell sometimes. It's a little too soon to say whether we'll get an exclusive contract. Exclusivity is probably rather too much to hope for. But we've just about reached agreement on price and, all in all, we're fairly happy with the way things are going. "Softeners", like these, are extremely useful when you are uncertain of your facts or want to be diplomatic. Source: Mark Powell: Presenting in English - How to Give Successful Presentations, Thomson Heinle 1996. 26 VII. FURTHER TECHNIQUES OF PRESENTATION B>VII.l. RHETORICAL QUESTIONS i Sometimes a good way of introducing an emphatic statement is to ask a rhetorical question first: So, just how big IS the market? ......eNORmous. Notice how the adjective in the question is reinforced with a stronger adjective in the answer. Notice also how the verb and strong adjective are stressed. =tTASK 1 Match the rhetorical questions on the left with their one-word answers on the right: 1. So, just how bad IS the situation? A. 100% Positive. 2. So, just how difficult IS it? B. totally unPREcedented. 3. So, just how sure AM I that we can do it? C. impossible. 4. So, just how competitive ARE we? D. utterly specTACular. 5. So, just how good ARE the results? E. simply STATE-of-the-ART. 6. So, just how unusual IS this trend? F. absolutely unBEAtable. 7. So, just how small IS the risk? G. cataSTROphic 8. So, just how new IS this technology? H. absolutely NEgligible IH>VII.l. RHETORICAL QUESTIONS ii You can make a rhetorical question much more powerful by repeating key words. The following pattern is common: Statement + Rhetorical Question + Answer The fact is, cheap imitations of our leading product are flooding the market. So, what's the SOLUTION? The SOLUTION is to push fortigher CONTROLS. Notice the repetition of solution linking question and answer. =tTASK 1 Complete the presentation extracts below using the following words. In each extract the same word fills both spaces. result; problem; objective 1. We Ve made fifteen different improvements to the basic product and the customers are still complaining. So, what's the______________________? The_______________is the product itself is out-of-date. Source: Mark Powell: Presenting in English - How to Give Successful Presentations, Thomson Heinle 1996. 27 2. We Ve spent twice as much money marketing the product in Mexico as we have in the States. And what's the__________________? The_________________is we've badly neglected home market. 3. Let's turn to the question of sales targets. What's our main_______________? Our main___________________is to reach the three million mark within the next six months. IE>VII.2. DRAMATIC CONTRASTS i Good presenters frequently make use of dramatic contrasts to reinforce the point they are making. Ten years ago we had a reputation for excellence. Today we're in danger of losing that reputation. While our competitors have been fighting over the European market, we've been establishing ourselves as market leaders in the Middle East. People are very aware of simple opposites - good and bad, past and present, us and them. And if you can make your point with two strongly opposing ideas, you will immediately get the attention of your audience. =tTASK 1 Match up the two halves of the contrasts below: 1. If we don 't take care of the customer, a. it's a question of money. 2. While our competitors are still doing the feasibility studies, b. than correcting stupid mistakes later. 3. Instead of just sitting here saying nothing can be done, c. and an extraordinary one is that little extra. 4. Asking difficult questions now is a lot easier d. we've actually gone ahead and developed the product. 5. In the 80s the shelf-life of a new PC was three years; e. or we'll be downsizing by 50% in eighteen months time. 6. Remember, it can take years to win new business, f. but we went ahead and did it anyway. 7. The only difference between an ordinary manager g. why don 't we get out there and actually do something? 8. Everyone said we'd never do it, h. but it only takes seconds to lose it. 9. Either we downsize by 25% now i. these days it might be obsolete in three months. 10. It's not a question of time; j. someone else will. Source: Mark Powell: Presenting in English - How to Give Successful Presentations, Thomson Heinle 1996. 28 [x>VII.2. DRAMATIC CONTRASTS M Contrast is one of the most common presentation techniques. And a lot of amous quotations take the form of dramatic contrasts: That s one small step for man. One giant leap for mankind. /Neil Armstrong/ The difficult: that which can be done immediately. The impossible: that which takes a little longer. /George Santayana/ =tTASK 1 Look at the following famous quotations. Each consists of a dramatic contrast. Can you guess how they finish? 1. Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you______________________________________________. JFK 2. To decide not to decide is a decision. To fail to decide________________________________________. Gen. George Patton 3. It's a recession when your neighbour loses his job. It's a depression when_____________________________________ Harry S. Truman 4. If you owe your bank a hundred pounds, you have a problem. But if you owe it a million,______________________________. J.M.Keynes 5. Everything has been thought of before. The problem is to think______________________________. J. W. Goethe 6. I like the dreams of the future better than the history_________ Thomas Jefferson 7. I 'd rather be a failure at something I enjoy than a success at__________________________ 8. Wise men talk because they have something to say, fools because they have to_________________________ 29 Plato 9. Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting________________________________. Benjamin Franklin 10. Many a man owes his success to his first wife, and his second___________________________________. Jim Backus 11. You can 't win them all. But you sure can_______________________________. Anonymus George Burns Source: Mark Powell: Presenting in English - How to Give Successful Presentations, Thomson Heinle 1996. B>VII.3. TRIPLING List of three are especially memorable. And, throughout history, some quotations in all the languages of the world have been lists of three: of the most famous Government of the people, by the people, for the people Abraham Lincoln 1 came, 1 saw, 1 conqured. Julius Ceasar Tell me and 1 forget; show me and 1 remember, involve me and 1 understand. Ancient Chinese proverb 30 =tTASK Study the following well-known quotations and try to say them so that they have an impact. Mark the pauses with a slash (/) and highlight the words you want to stress. 1. Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few. W. Churchill 2. You can fool all the people some of the time and some of the people all the time but you cannot fool all the people all the time. A. Lincoln Source: Mark Powell: Presenting in English - How to Give Successful Presentations, Thomson Heinle 1996. 3. What is a committee? A group of the unwilling, picked from the unfit to do the unnecessary. R. Harkness 4. People can be divided into three groups: those who make things happen, those who watch things happen and those who ask "What happened?" John Newbern 5. This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning. W. Churchill 6. Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success. Henry Ford 7 Organisations don't have new ideas. Teams don't have new ideas. Individuals have new ideas. That's why you come first. John Adair 8. There are three types of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics. Benjamin Disraeli 9. The other man's word is an opinion; yours is the truth; and your boss's is law. Anonymous 10. Most presentations have three basic stages: tell them what you're going to tell them; tell them; tell them what you told them. Anonymous 31 11. The old believe everything; the middle-aged suspect everything; the young know everything. Oscar Wilde 12. All the things I really like to do are either immoral, illegal, or fattening. Alexander Woollcott B>VII.4. MACHINE - GUNNING MHBBB Three important points seem to be the most an audience can comfortably keep in their heads at one time. And if you make four or five, people will probably forget some of them. But make six or seven or eight points and, although no-one will remember them all, you will impress your audience with the force of your overall argument. It's cheaper, newer, faster, bigger, cleaner, safer AND better designed than anything else on the market. WHAT MORE CAN I SAY? Notice how the list of points is delivered at speed with each point stressed to create a machine-gun effect - bang, bang, bang, bang, bang! Notice also the powerful remark at the end. B>VII.5. BUILD - UPS One very effective way of emphasizing a point is to present several connected pieces of information which build up to a short and simple conclusion. As far as this contract in the Emirates is concerned, we 're pretty tied up with a lot of other projects at the moment, so there's no way we could meet their deadlines. We have very little experience of this kind of work, anyway. And, to be honest, they're not prepared to pay us what we'd want......BASICALLY, it's out of the question. The last sentence is a simple summary of the situation in a word or phrase. The main message is clearly delivered after a short pause. 32 =tTASK 1 Complete the presentation extract below using the following words and an appropriate summary from the list. (2 summaries are not used) access; price; costs; road; requirements; grant; impression; dividends SUMMARIES A To put it simply, we're getting nowhere! B To put it briefly, it's our best year ever. C In a nutshell, the contract is as good as ours. D In short, it's the ideal location E In a word, quality. 1. Sales are up, exports are up, profits are up, shareholders' ___________________are up and___________are down. Summary:______________________________________________________. 2. The product presentation went well. We were able to meet all their________________, we know they were happy with the_________, and frankly I don't think the opposition had made a very good_____________on them. Summary:______________________________________________________. 3. Rapallo has easy_____________to the port of Genoa and has good__________ and rail links with La Spezia, Milan, Turin and the South of France. And as Rapallo is an EU-assisted area, we might be in line for a_____________to help with start-up costs. Summary:______________________________________________________. B>VII.6. KNOCK-DOWNS A popular technique with presenters who want to sound provocative is to carefully build up a series o points which seem to oppose their main argument and then knock them all down in a single sentence. • Of course, the experts said that a palm-top computer could never succeed. They did market research which showed that people would just see it as a gimmick. They said its memory capacity would be too limited for serious business users. And they did feasibility studies which showed that the keyboard would be too small for even the fingers of a five-year-old! • So, how come it sold more than a million units in its first year?_______________ 33 =tTASK 1 Complete the presentation extracts below using the following words and an appropriate knock-down from the list below. trade; ground; system; model; management; backing; competition; access; quality; programs; pursuing; reviews; persuade; storm; confidential; well- ________________________________established________________________________ KNOCK-DOWNS A But it didn 't stop us going ahead, and to date the project has saved us DM100 million. B But what I want to know is, how do they compare with the suppliers we use now. C And yet all we did was reduce the market share of our existing product. D The problem is that any system is only as secure as the people who use it. 1. I admit they're a_____________supplier with a reputation for__________and after-sales service. Their products are competitively priced. They're number one in Europe. Knockdown:_____________ 2. We prevent unathorized__________to____________files in the database by running specially encrypted_______________. Passwords are regularly changed. And we've had a state-of-the-art data protection__________installed. Knockdown:_____________ 3. As you know, it was extremely difficult to________________senior_______________ that our idea was worth________________. And I have to say that we got virtually no financial_______________for this project because nobody believed we'd ever get it off the___________. Knockdown:_____________ 4. The introduction of the new___________took the market by_____________. It received some of the best_____________we've ever had in the_________press. And in terms of technological innovation, it left the__________standing. We were expecting great things. Knockdown:_____________ B>VII.7. CREATING RAPPORT i Building up a good relationship or rapport with your audience is important, especially in the early stages of your presentation. Personality plays a part, but some simple language patterns help. 1 Use the words we (all), us (all), our and ours as much as possible. Basically, we all share the same goal. And our goal is increased profit. 2 Use questions tags to push for agreement. And we all know what that means, don t we? 3 Use negative question forms to appeal to your audience. Haven t we all had similar experiences at one time or another? These involve your audience. Remember eye contact is also important._________________ 34 [x>VII.7. CREATING RAPPORT M Many of the best presentations sound more like conversations. So, during your talk, try to keep referring back to your audience as individuals. There are a lot of expressions you can use which help you to do this. Use them regularly and you can make even a more formal presentation sound conversational.______________________________________________ =tTASK 1 Match up the following to make a complete presentation extract. Then highlight the most useful expressions:_________________________________________________________________ 1. If you're anything like me, a. that's just where you're wrong. 2. And if I were to ask you what makes a successful entrepreneur, b. And in many ways, all of us are already entrepreneurs. 3. Now, I know what you 're thinking. c. When was the last time you did something without clearing it with the boss, because it was quicker? 4. But you see, d. you'd probably say it's 90% luck. 5. Because there aren 't any secrets. e. you'd never dream of calling yourself an entrepreneur. 6. Let me ask you something. f. You're thinking: oh no, here we go. He's going to tell us the secrets of entrepreneurship. =tTASK2 Now do the same with these: 1. Exactly. I can see some of you A. don 't we? No promotion prospects. 2. Because I'm sure everyone in this room B. there's a lot more to entrepreneurism than the ability to take risks. 3. It's true, isn't it? Given the chance, most of us are happy to take risks and initiatives. Do you see C. But isn't it also true that it's often the really enterprising managers who find it hardest to fit in? 4. Now, I'm sure you don't need me to tell you D. has gone behind their boss's back at some time or another. 5. And it's certainly true that good managers don't necessarily make good entrepreneurs. E. what I mean? Everyone has an entrepreneur inside them, fighting to get out. 6. And we all know what that means, F. know what I 'm talking about. Source: Mark Powell: Presenting in English - How to Give Successful Presentations, Thomson Heinle 1996. 35 VIII. USEFUL LANGUAGE OF PRESENTATION \E> VIII.l. USEFUL EXPRESSIONS i You can cut down the amount of thinking you have to do in a presentation by learning in advance some of the most common expressions you might need. Simple verbs like make, do, give and take are the basis of many of these. 3TASK1 Complete the following extracts from a presentation using the appropriate forms of make, do, give and take. Part 1 First of all, I'd like to a)_________this opportunity to welcome you all to our new plant here in Alfortville. In a few moments you'll be b)___________on a tour of the main laboratories, which will c)__________you a general overview of the research we're currently d)____________and you'll be able to see some of the many improvements we've e)_____________to the IT unit. In each department you visit this morning there will be people on hand to answer any questions you may have to help you f)__________ the most of your day with us. Part 2 Perhaps I could just a)___________a few minutes to b)__________you the background to the work we're c)___________in the search for an AIDS vaccine, because this is an area where we're finally starting to d)___________real progress. As you know, it e) __________time to get a drug through pre-clinical trials, and it's far too early to say whether we've f)__________the major breakthrough we've been all hoping for. But what we have done is g)___________an important step toward finding a preventive solution to AIDS. Part 3 I'd like to a)______________a distinction here between what I call innovative and imitative research. Of course, it's the innovative companies who consistently b) _____________the lead in pharmaceutical research and c)_______________the biggest contribution to the development of new medicines. But let's not forget that improving existing drugs can d)_____________a difference, too. For one thing, it can make a prohibitively expensive drug affordable. It's easy to think that research is all about e) ___________initiatives, and f)_______________an impact on the world of science. But when research is your business, you can often g)_____________more damage to company profits by h)_____________a chance on something new and i)_____________a mess of it than by settling for j)__________a good product better. Part 4 There's an important point that needs a)__________here. While it's true in terms of European over-the-counter sales we're b)_____________headway, in the Far East illegal copies of our drugs have c)___________a real bite out of OTC profits. To d)___________ you some idea of the extent of the losses, you have only to e)_______________a comparison between projected and actual sales. We may have f)_________________a good job of protecting your patents in the West, but what action can you g)___________ against countries where the law virtually permits pharmaceutical piracy? Three years ago a survey was h)___________and, as you might expect, China came out as the worst offender. Now, I don't want to i)_______________you the impression that the situation is hopeless, but I could j)_________________you hundreds of examples of Chinese copies of our bestselling drugs turning up all over the Far East. Believe me, we've really k) _______________our homework on this one, and China poses a serious commercial threat. Source: Mark Powell: Presenting in English - How to Give Successful Presentations, Thomson Heinle 1996. 36 [x>VIII.l. USEFUL EXPRESSIONS M English is full of useful fixed expressions which native speakers use all the time, almost without thinking. The ability to use some of these will make your talk sound more confident and idiomatic. =tTASK 1 Complete the following extracts from a presentation using the appropriate forms of go, take, and get. PART 1 OK, lets's a)____________down to business. Three months ago we were well ahead of schedule on the Buenos Aires contract. Six weeks ago we'd fallen behind it. Now it's b) __________ ridiculous! Work has virtually come to a complete halt. True, one of our suppliers let us down at the last minute. But, frankly, that's c)____________nothing to do with it. No, I 'm afraid, there's no d)_____________away from it - we've e)__________ real problems here. So, let's stop wasting our time. We need to f)__________to the bottom of this as quickly as possible. After all, we g)_____________ourselves into this mess, so we ought to be able to h)__________ourselves of it..... PART 2 So much for Argentina. We knew we were a) _________ a risk when we went over there and now it looks as though we'll just have to b) _________ the consequences. Fortunately, I can report good progress in Sao Paulo. It has c) ___________a great deal of hard work but it looks as though things are finally starting to d) ____________shape. To be honest, we knew there was an undersupplied market in Brazil and we were quick to e)_________advantage of the situation. It'll be a year or more before we see the real benefits, but we're in no hurry. These things f)_________time. And you can g)_____________it from me, the medium-term prospects look very good indeed. You can expect things to really start h)_____________off within too years..... PART 3 Finally, Santiago. Well, everything was a)_________fine until last quarter. But, as you know, that's when things started to b) __________wrong. And, to be honest, since then things have just c)___________from bad to worse. Obviously, we've done everything we can to put things right. That d) __________without saying. But there's still a long way to e)______. It could take six months to get things running properly again. Anyway, there's no f) ___________ back now. And if we can get our act together, we might just manage it. So, I say, let's g) __________for it. What have we got to lose? Source: Mark Powell: Presenting in English - How to Give Successful Presentations, Thomson Heinle 1996. 37 [x>VIII.l. USEFUL EXPRESSIONS Mi Most arguments you put forward in a presentation depend on several factors e.g. time, money, manpower, the competition, the state of the market. Sentence qualifiers are short phrases: in theory on average up to a point They put the rest of what you say into context.___________________________________ =tTASK 1 Match the pairs of statements below and add in, on, at, as and up. The first one has been done for you as an example: 1 E in 1. In theory, there's always a market for quality. A. least we know there's market for it there. 2. Forget about the number of unsold units. B. averaqe, everything takes three times longer than it does here. 3. Why don't we sell the system in Mexico? C. to now we've been lucky -the product has virtually sold itself. 4. It's not easy doing business in Kuwait. D. a last resort, we can always sell them at cost. 5. It's time to start thinking about advertising. E. practice, people want low prices. Name the five above mentioned sentence qualifiers. 3TASK2 1. We need to rethink the whole project.______________________________ A. things stand, our system is only as safe as the person operating it. 2. The recession hasn't harmed us at all. B. to a point, it's been success, but there's still room for improvement.________________________ 3. Direct selling has proved ineffective. the contrary, we've actually benefited from it. 4. Let's look at the problem of data security._____________________________ present, staffing levels are unacceptably high. 5. We propose to downsize al departments.________________________ E._______ don 't work. general, mailshots just Name the five above mentioned sentence qualifiers. Source: Mark Powell: Presenting in English - How to Give Successful Presentations, Thomson Heinle 1996. 38 IX. HOW TO IMPACT THE MEMORY OF THE AUDIENCE - NEARING THE END OF PRESENTATION A typical English speaking listener will expect the following parts of the end of the presentation. Checklist: the final part of the presentation ■s indication of the end ■s summary of main points s outlook ■s thanking the audience s transition to discussion => Indicating the end of the main part o This brings me to the end of my presentation. o This is all I wanted to say about__ o Having covered this final point, I'm now approaching the end of my presentation. =tTASK 1 Put the sentences forming the final summary in the correct order and fill the gaps with the following words:. before; finally; consequently => Summarizing, 1 example A.___________, we took a closer look at the processes involved in our new system and estimated that efficient outsourcing of prescreening procedures should save us at least 50% of the time traditionally spent on these matters. B.___________I stop, let me go through the major issues once more. C.______________, we weighed the pros and cons of immediately implementing this system and found very strong arguments in favor of switching to the new format right away, particularly given the massive volume of hiring ahead of us when we open our new plant by the end of the year. D. We started out analyzing our old system of candidate evaluation and came to the simple but overwhelming conclusion that we waste probably up to 5% of our top executives' time by using an outdated mode of screening and selecting staff. Source: Mario Klarer: Působivá prezentace a přednáška v angličtině, Grada 2007. 39 ???? Questions to think think about 1. Why do many presenters include an outlook in their final part of the presentation? 2. What does such an outlook include? => Outlook O In my opinion,__ o I'm convinced that.... O I'm quite certain that .... o As I read the facts and figures, ... What does it all mean for us? =^ Outlook, 1 example o Based on the research we have done and the facts and figures I've presented to you today, I'm convinced that outsourcing the prescreening procedures for staff selection is the key to much more effective time management for our top executives. I also think that the time saved should be put into a new project, to enhance cross-departmental communication, which in turn should speed up internal information exchange and, in the long run, save even more time. =tTASK2 Put the stages of the sample conclusion in the correct order. Complete the gaps in the longest passage with the given verbs. INDICATING END OF PRESENTATION FINAL SUMMARY OUTLOOK THANKING AND INITIATING QUESTION PERIOD A. This brings me to the very end of my presentation. B. I'm convinced that these three strenghts of ours — uninterrupted family tradition, unique product, and organizational efficiency — are also a solid basis for future expansion. This way we can continue to maintain our constant growth rate in the years to come. With the prospect of having your company as a new partner in the Far East and being able to join our strenghts in production and development with your distribution network and intimate familiarity with the market, I'm certain that our cooperation will prove mutually beneficial. C. point out; enhance; prove; cater; stem In conclusion, I'd like to L________________to you once more how our company history, our product line, and our organizational structure form an interdependent intricately interwoven network. It is these three main assets that make us what we are — one of the market leaders in highly specialized electrical machinery. Our long-standing experience and uninterrupted high standard of quality for more than half a century make us one of the most reliable, if not the most reliable, supplier on the market. Also, our specialized but highly adaptable product line, 2._________________________to more than two dozen different industries, is unmatched, which 3;________________our overall flexibility. This flexibility 4. ____________ from a modern organizational structure that evolved over half a century in which we continuously 5.___________________internal processes through careful modifications and structural improvements . D. I'd like to thank you all for your attention and your patience. I'm aware that I've done all the talking so far, but now we should have at least 20 minutes for discussion before the coffee break. I'll be happy to answer any questions you may have at this time. Source: Mario Klarer: Působivá prezentace a přednáška v angličtině, Grada 2007. 40 X. QUESTION AND ANSWER SESSION - HOW TO DEAL WITH UNPREDICTABLE SITUATIONS ???? Questions to think about What strategies will you use before answering a difficult question? =t TASK 1 Complete the gaps with the most suitable verbs: => Repeating or parahrasing questions o If I__________you correctly, your question is... o __________in a different way, your question is__ o Just to__________if I got everything right — you want to know... o In other words, you're asking__ o This is a rather complex question. Let me see if I understand what you said. => Repeating or parahrasing questions, 2 examples o Let's see. This is a rather complex question. If I understand you correctly, you would like to know why sales performance for this year fell short compared to last year's figures? Is that correct? o In a nutshell, your question seems to be whether we'll keep our alliance with you under these new conditions? 2. If despite your request your audience do ask questions during your presentation, what will you do? =t TASK 2 Complete the gaps with the most suitable words: => P___________questions o I'll__________upon this particular issue later in my presentation. o If you_____________with me for a few minutes, you'll see that... o I '11 answer this question as we_______along. o In__________the next point of my presentation doesn't answer your question, feel free to ask me again during the question period. => P___________questions, 1 example =t TASK Complete the gaps with the most suitable words. o This is a very interesting question,____________. It's probably one of the most crucial questions connected with this topic. However, I'll _________upon this issue as I __________along. So if you'll _________with me a little longer I'll ____________this problem_________length in my next point. In case I don't ___________answer your question during the presentation, I'd____________it if you'd ask me again during the question and answer session. Source: Mario Klarer: Působivá prezentace a přednáška v angličtině, Grada 2007. 41 3. What will you do when during the Q&A session you are asked a question to which you have no answer? Will you promise to find out the right answer for the questioner and contact him later? =t TASK 3 Complete the gaps with the most suitable words: => Admitting that you do not know o I'm afraid I don't know the answer to your question. o Unfortunately, I'm not in a___________to answer this question. o I'm not sure if I can answer this, since I'm not directly__________in this area. However, ľ 11 be very happy to find out and___________to you later. o The person who would know is not here today, but I'll try to___________for you. =t TASK 4 Complete the gaps with the most suitable words: => Admitting that you do not know, 2 examples o Obviously, this is a very interesting question. Unfortunately I don't know the answer, particularly since this isn't really part of my area of_____________. ______________giving you a possibly wrong answer now, I'd___________to check with my colleagues and get back to you with the correct information, o I'm afraid that I'm not able to answer this question. I know that it's pertinent/relevant to what we've been talking about but the ____________ on this aspect isn't here today. I'd be happy to find out and get this information to you as soon as possible. 4. For what reasons do members of the audience usually ask questions? How do you treat dominating participants? =t TASK 5 Complete the gaps with the most suitable words: => Avoiding dominating participants, 2 examples o I very much appreciate your interest in these matters and think that your ____________questions about these issues are of great___________to all of us. I _________ I could go into more _________ here, but I __________ that we continue our discussion during the coffee break. At this point however, I'd like to give other members of the audience a __________ to ____________ their concerns. I've seen somebody__________there trying to ask a question for a long time. Obviously, it would be a___________to continue our discussion on these issues that are of_____________interest to both of us. Unfortunately, we have only ten minutes of discussion time_______________and I know that a___________of other people have been waiting patiently to ask questions, too. Therefore, I'd like to give the__________to Jean Morris who has had her hand_________for quite some time now. Source: Mario Klarer: Působivá prezentace a přednáška v angličtině, Grada 2007. 42 [x>X.l. CLARIFICATION In an informal presentation being able to interrupt a speaker politely and effectively to ask for clarification is an important professional skill. A large audience may not get the chance to ask questions until the presenter has finished the talk. So, if you want to clarify something the presenter said, first focus their attention on the subject you are unclear about. 1 FOCUS You talked about concentrating on our core business. 2 CLARIFICATION Could you say a bit more about that? In a longer presentation you may need to contextualize your question more 1 CONTEXT When you were talking about raising capital,.... 2 FOCUS......you mentioned the possibility of a flotation. 3 CLARIFICATION Could you clarify your position on that?_______________________________ 3TASK 1 Below you will find the requests for clarification which followed a presentation about foreign investment in China. Complete them using appropriate verbs from the lists. Combining the three parts of number 1 will give you a complete question. Then do the same with numbers 2,3,4, and 5. WHEN YOU WERE...................... dealing; talking; telling; describing; showing; summing up 1.___________about the current level of foreign investment in China,....... 2.___________to us what kind of future you see for China,........... 3._____________with the issue of China 's communist administration,........... 4._____________China 's economic prospects over the next five years,.... 5._______________us China 's trade figures for the last three years,.............. _______________us why there's so much interest at the moment in Asian-Pacific markets,...... YOU. commented; spoke; referred; quoted; made; said 1.__________a figure of $34 billion. on the importance of Hong Kong. 3.___the point that they had created a free market within a command economy. 4.__________something about hundreds of billions of dollars still being needed. 5.________about private enterprise gradually taking over from state ownership. 6 ._____to a decline in foreign investment elsewhere, particularly in Latin America. COULD YOU. explain; run; be; tell; elaborate; say _us how you arrived at that figure? a bit more about that? to us exactly what you meant by that? _______a little more specific? _____________on that? _____us through that again? Source: Mark Powell: Presenting in English - How to Give Successful Presentations, Thomson Heinle 1996. 43 ^PRESENTATION - QUESTION FRAMES 1. What exactly did you mean by.....................................................? 2. Could you go back to what you were saying about...................................? 3. How did you arrive at the figure of..............................................? 4. I think I misunderstood you. Did you say...................................................? 5. You spoke about.......................Could you explain that in more detail? 6. Going back to the question of.............................Can you be more specific? 7. You didn 't mention...............................Why not? 8. If I understood you correctly,..................................Is that right? 9. I'm not sure I fully understood...............................Can you run through that again, please? 10. There's one thing I'm not clear about................Could you go over that again, please? B>X.2. DEALING WITH QUESTIONS i When someone in the audience asks a question, it's a good idea to comment on it before you actually answer it. This gives you time to think. There are four basic types of question. GOOD QUESTIONS DIFFICULT QUESTIONS UNNECESSARY QUESTIONS IRRELEVANT QUESTIONS =tTASK 1 Put the following responses into four groups: responses to good questions, difficult questions, unnecessary questions and irrelevant questions: 1. I 'm afraid I don 't see the connection. 2. Sorry, I don 't follow you. 3. I don 't know that off the top of my head. 4. Can I get back to you on that? 5. I think I answered that earlier. 6. Good point. 7. Interesting. What do you think. 8. Well, as I said... 9. I 'm afraid I 'm not in a position to comment on that. 10. I wish I knew. 11. I 'm glad you asked that. 12. Well, as I mentioned earlier,................ 13. To be honest, I think that raises a different issue. 14. That's a very good question. 15. I 'm afraid I don 't have that information with me. Source: Mark Powell: Presenting in English - How to Give Successful Presentations, Thomson Heinle 1996. 44 [x>X.2. DEALING WITH QUESTIONS ii The exchange of questions and answers at the end of your presentation is something you need to prepare for. Simple questions can be easily answered. But the answers to more complex questions are often negotiated between the presenter and the questioner._____ =tTASK 1 A financial analyst has just given a presentation to a group of international bankers on the prospects for ten key industrial sectors. Here is the question-and-answer session that followed her presentation. Put the following exchanges in the right order and highlight useful expressions. The first expression is always the first. EXCHANGE 1 - INVITING QUESTIONS 1. Are there any questions you 'd like to ask? 2. Well, obviously the airlines would be one; telecommunications probably another. 3. Could I ask you which industries this is most likely to affect? 4. That's right, we see that as a general trend over the next five years. 5. Yes, I have a question. You spoke about increased deregulation and privatization. Correct order: 1______ EXCHANGE 2 - QUERYING A POINT 1. When you were looking at the agricultural sector, you mentioned Japan. 2. Quite. Did you say there might be some relaxation of the restrictions on imports? 3. Well, considering the way the GATT talks went, that's good news. 4. Yes, it's difficult not to mention Japan in the context of agriculture. 5. I did. Japanese farmers are not the political force they were. Restrictions could go. Correct order: 1 Source: Mark Powell: Presenting in English - How to Give Successful Presentations, Thomson Heinle 1996. 45 s> EXCHANGE 3 - ASKING FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION 1. While we're on the subject of Japan, who would you say are the companies to watch? 2. Which is, no doubt, why so many Japanese car makers have set up factories there. 3. Good question. Certainly not the computer companies and the car manufacturers. 4. Well, the fact is, their capacity's being severely cut as pressure mounts from Europe. 5. Computer companies, I can understand, but why not the car companies? Correct order: 1 <3> EXCHANGE 4 - REFERRING TO AN EARLIER POINT 1. Going back to what you were saying about the German car components industry, .... 2. Yes, and from Western countries like Spain and Britain too. 3. Ah, yes, I thought someone might pick me up on that. 4. I see. So it looks as though a lot of German components firms could go under. 5. You suggested it was in decline. Competition from Eastern Europe, I suppose. Correct order: 1______ EXCHANGE 5 - MAKING A CRITICISM 1. I want to take you up on what you said about Asia being a high growth area. 2. No, not really. Surely this Asian boom is just the result of low pay and long hours? 3. Even so, I still think you 've exaggerated its short-term potential. 4. You 're not convinced? 5. Not at all, it's actually a result of great improvements in education and infrastructure. Correct order: 1 Source: Mark Powell: Presenting in English - How to Give Successful Presentations, Thomson Heinle 1996. 46 [x>IX.4. DEALING WITH QUESTIONS i i i It sometimes seems as if the person asking the questions has all the power. But try to remember that, by giving your presentation, you have set the agenda._________________ =tTASK 1 Put these exchanges in the right order. Highlight any useful expressions: EXCHANGE 1 - PUSHING FOR AN ANSWER 1 What kind of a future, if any, do you see for European electrical consumer goods? 2 Yes, that's all very well, but what I want to know is, can they become competitive? 3 So, what you 're saying is, the future of the industry in Europe depends on the yen. 4 Competitive? It's difficult to say. If the yen continues to be strong, it'll obviously push up the price of imported Japanese goods, and that'll help. 5 Well, with cost cutting and decentralization, they should, at least, stop losing money. Correct order: 1 s> EXCHANGE 2 - ASKING FOR PROOF 1. On what basis do you forecast a future for oil? Surely, gas is the fuel of the future. 2. Sure. Right now in the Gulf of Mexico oil is being pumped at incredible depths. 3. Well, I 'm not so sure. Can you give us an example of this new technology at work? 4. Mm. That may be so. But I still think there are limits to what technology can do. 5. Only in Europe. New technology is going to extend the life of many of the world's oil fields. Correct order: 1______ EXCHANGE 3 - REPHRASING A QUESTION 1. You mentioned the construction of power stations in Asia. Can you expand on that? 2. Oh, I see. So what you 're asking is how many Asian countries will go nuclear? 3. No, I mean will countries like Thailand be looking for alternatives to coal and gas? 4. Do you mean, when do I expect them to be built? 5. That's what I 'm asking. Correct order: 1 47 s> EXCHANGE 4 - VOICING CONCERN 1. Just one thing worries me about investing in the French advertising industry. 2. So I said. But the growth in the number of European TV stations isn 't going to make all that much difference, surely. 3. I understand your concern. But let me reassure you that the prospects are still good. 4. And what's that? The ban on tobacco advertising? 5. Well, yes. I mean it's cost the industry billions already. Correct order: 1______ EXCHANGE 5 - ACCEPTING A COMPLIMENT 1. Can I just say that I thought your analysis of the media business was excellent. 2. Yes, as I said, the problem with satellite is that you can't regulate what is transmitted, and that obviously won 't be popular in Islamic countries. 3. And with sixty million homes on cable by 2005, I'm sure that's the area to invest in. 4. And I totally agree with what you said about cable outselling satellite TV, especially in the Middle East. 5. Well, thank you very much. It's certainly an interesting area. Correct order: 1______ B>IX.5. DEALING WITH QUESTIONS iv Try to see the question-and-answer session at the end of your presentation as an opportunity to relax and share more of your ideas with your audience._________________ =tTASK 1 Put these exchanges in the right order. Highlight useful expressions. EXCHANGE 1 - AVOIDING AN ANSWER 1. Do you agree that, with low interest rates and fierce competition from building societies, British banks are going to have a fight on their hands? 2. Of course, but I think you'd better to ask one of the people sitting next to you. 3. Maybe not. But I 'm sure you have an opinion on that matter. 4. Well, to be honest, I'm not really the right person to ask about that. 5. OK. Point taken. Perhaps we can talk about it later. Correct order: 1 Source: Mark Powell: Presenting in English - How to Give Successful Presentations, Thomson Heinle 1996. 48 ^ EXCHANGE 2 - CONCEDING A POINT 1. Wouldn't you agree that in pharmaceuticals R&D spending is coming under increasing pressure? 2. Right, I see what you're getting at. And, of course only one percent of those that do make it to market ever recover their R&D costs. 3. But surely you realize that only a tiny fraction of patented drugs ever make it to market. About one in five thousand, in fact. 4. Yes, but to some extent strategic alliances between companies compensate for that. 5. Exactly. Correct order: 1______ # EXCHANGE 3 - DEALING WITH HOSTILITY 1 Do you really expect us to believe that big insurance companies are on the way out? 2 Yes, yes, but you still haven 't answered my question! 3 Frankly, yes. New laws have been passed. And the EC is very keen on deregulation. 4 Nonsense! It's the little telesales companies that have given insurance a bad name. 5 Sorry, could I just finish? Deregulation means the smaller companies will benefit most. Correct order: 1______ # EXCHANGE 4 - CLEARING UP A MISUNDERSTANDING 1. If I understood you correctly, you said the computer industry had burned itself out. 2. Don't get me wrong. Innovation will continue, but a surplus of products clearly can't. 3. OK, fair enough. I see what you mean. 4. No, perhaps I didn 't make myself clear. What I was trying to say was the rate of new product launches will have to slow down. 5. How do you mean? Product innovation is what the computer industry is all about. Correct order: 1______ # EXCHANGE 5 - WINDING UP THE QUESTION SESSION 1. Are there any more questions? 2. Right, if there are no other questions, perhaps we should wrap it up here. Thank you. 3. Of course. I think we all agree the Asia-Pacific region is the one to look at. Thanks. 4. Yes, I do. Particularly in the developing countries in the Far East. 5. Just one. Can I ask you if you expect to see an increase in cross-border investment? Correct order: 1 49 [x>IX.5. DEALING WITH QUESTIONS v One thing all presenters worry about is hostile questions on difficult subjects. It's a particular problem when you're presenting in a meeting. In this situation it's best to be diplomatic but firm. You can disagree strongly, but try to avoid saying "No". Keep your answers short and simple. If necessary, be vague.__________________________________ =tTASK 1 Complete the following exchanges by writing in the appropriate expressions: EXCHANGE 1 • Hopefully not • To some extent • True • Not yet 1 Have you reached an agreement on the Saudi contract yet? ______________. There are still one or two things we need to discuss. 2 But you 've had six months to discuss them already. _____________. Six months does seem like a long time, but Arabs are very cautious. 3 Mm. Hasn 't the fact that ours is the cheapest tender helped at all? _______________. But they didn't like the first construction phase completed by July. 4 July! But then that's going to create all kinds of problems. ______________. We've rescheduled things and it might just be possible. EXCHANGE 2 • Yes, I know • Not quite. • Not as a rule • Not necessarily 1 So, we lost all record of our accounts when the network went down, did we? _______________. Just the last six months. 2 I see, I suppose it's too late to do anything about it now? ________________. There might still be a way of getting into some of the files. 3 What I don't understand is why the accounts department didn't back up the system. _____________. That is the standard procedure. 4 Does this kind of thing happen a lot? ________________. It was just one of those things. source: Mark Powell: Presenting in English - How to Give Successful Presentations, Thomson Heinle 1996. 50 EXCHANGE 3 • Granted • Not really • Not at all • Not entirely 1 You have to admit, the people in marketing have really made a mess of this launch. _______________. They've done a good job of it. It was a difficult brief. 2 But wouldn't it have been a good idea to get an agency in to do the creative work? ________________. For one thing, it would have cost considerably more. 3 But it was you who said we should be spending more on promotions. __________. But we just don 't have the budget for that right now. 4 So, you 're happy with the way the launch went, then? ________________. But I think it went pretty well, given the circumstances. Vocab. granted = fair enough, used when admitting sth is true EXCHANGE 4 • It depends. • Yes and no. • On the whole, yes. • Not if we can help it. 1 So, it's going to be another year of cuts, then? _________________. There will be cuts, but an upgrade in lab facilities is long overdue. 2 Won 't we need to get authorization for that? ______________. Only if we exceed the budget. 3 But we will exceed it, won 't we? _______________. We've costed the whole thing pretty accurately. 4 But the facilities we already have are quite adequate, aren 't they? ______________________. But that doesn't mean there aren't areas where we can't improve. Vocab. cost-costed-costed = to calculate exactly how much sth will cost 51 Meetings =tTASK Complete the opening and ending of a meeting with the most suitable words of your choice (one word per gap, phrasal verbs seen as one word): => Opening a meeting I think we should start (indicate beginning). I 'd like to welcome all of you to our main office here in Paris for the meeting of the human resources managers of our different subsidiaries in Europe (welcome). For those of you who don't know me, I am Roger Coach, head of our logistics division, which, 1._________________other things, is responsible for the larger strategic planning that 2.______________human resources management in our different companies (name and function of moderator). We have a few new 3._____________here so I'd like to quickly go 4._____________the room and introduce everybody. To my right is Miryam Rose, our new HR manager at the Austrian plant.... (introducing members). Before we get into the subject of today's meeting, let me just make sure you all got the materials I've sent you (materials). John, my assistant, has 5.____________agreed to take the 6.__________. As you all know, the reason we are here today is to exchange ideas concerning the 7.___________merger with Mulinin, one of our major competitors (goal). I don't have to remind you how important this meeting is, since the outcome of our discussion will have a 8.___________impact on the decision making process here at headquarters and will therefore, to a considerable 9.___________________________, determine the 10.__________________of all of us (relevance of topic). In order to tackle this complex issue of human resources management in the event of a merger, I 11.___________________an agenda with four major points. The first item on the agenda deals with the current situation. I've asked each of you to 12._____________in three-minute 13._______________what you consider to be the most important project in your individual HR-department. This should give us a rough overview of what our 14.___________________aims and strategies are at the moment. Secondly, I've asked each of you to think about possible benefits for your departments in the 15._____________of the merger. Thirdly, I'd like to provide an opportunity for you to 16._____________your fears and to point out possible 17.______________in this scenario. The fourth and last point on the agenda is connected to this; namely, to think of constructive solutions to some of the problems that you've anticipated (agenda). Each of these items covers enough problematic areas to keep us busy an entire day. However, in order to make this meeting as effective as possible, I have 1& _________________________20 minutes for each point, which means that we should be done in about 2 hours. That way, those of you who have to catch flights should have ample time to pick up your luggage at the hotel (time and rapport). Source: Mario Klarer: Působivá prezentace a přednáška v angličtině, Grada 2007. 52 => Closing a meeting This brings us to the end of our meeting. Some of you who have to catch flights have asked me to end the meeting on time (indicating end and rapport). We've covered a lot of ground in these 2 hours. Before we all leave, I'd like to summarize once more the results of our discussion. The first item on our agenda was the question concerning the individual projects we, as HR managers in different companies all over Europe, are currently 1._______________as top priority issues. As 2.__________________as our individual national and company backgrounds are, we all seem to 3.______________in our attempt to improve the training and well-being of our staff. The second item we discussed 4._____________________around positive effects of synergies for our departments in the event of a merger. The common 5._________________of this discussion was definitely centralized training facilities, as well as the prospect of drawing on a larger 6^ _____________________________of qualified staff from more companies that will be part of our group. The third point seemed to be a tricky one but turned out to be no problem at all. The fears that you voiced appeared to be rather 7._____________and were 8.____________easily in our final 9._______________in which we were looking for solutions to these problems (summary of points). 10.________my mind, the outcome of this meeting will actually provide our board with very strong arguments to go 11.______________with the planned merger. With very few concerns from the HR divisions and a number of highly 12.____________________solutions to potential problems, I'm confident they'll give a 13.________________light on the merger; the other reason 14.______________, of course, that the production divisions have basically come up with a similar estimation of the situation and favor possible collaboration with Mulinin (outlook). If there are no more questions, I'd like to bring our meeting to an official close. I want to thank you all for your cooperation and the time you've spent here at headquarters. I wish those of you who flew in for the meeting a safe journey home and I hope to see you back here for our next meeting in March (questions, thanking, rapport). Source: Mario Klarer: Působivá prezentace a přednáška v angličtině, Grada 2007. 53 I. Reports — Introduction =tTASK Have a look at this report introduction and unscramble the jumbled up words. This report discusses different procedures in evaluating job candidates, including a new system that could improve 1. IRYOCBLADENS________________________ the efficiency and 2. YUAACCCR______________________of our candidate selection process (topic). To deal with this complex issue this paper focuses on three major areas: firstly, our old system of evaluation, including its main 3. WAFSL_________________ ; secondly, the new system with its improvements over the old one; thirdly, and finally some of the possible 4. QEESECCSNNUO _________________________ of this new system for our overall performance (itinerary). By drawing on a large amount of 5. LSSTTTIIAAC____________________________data derived from in-house studies and external sources, it is possible to come up with a surprisingly accurate cost performance ratio of these systems for our specific needs (method). II. Reports — Conclusion =tTASK Put the sentences from the conclusion in the correct order. A. The new system, based on outsourcing many of the preliminary steps of candidate screening, would give us a considerable advantage over our old method, both in terms of time and accuracy. B. This would mean that our top executives could concentrate on other tasks that are more immediately related to their level of expertise. C. After closely analyzing our current candidate selection procedures, it's apparent that we're losing valuable time from our top executives and, despite the time-consuming process, they are yielding inadequate results. D. It would also position our company at the forefront of a new development that eventually will be taken up by our competitors as well. E. All in all, we estimate a savings of about 1,200 man-hours by implementing this simple change. 54 III. Executive summary: =tTASK 1 These three passages come from an executive summary. Put them in logical order. a) After closely analyzing our current candidate selection procedures, it has become apparent that we are losing valuable time from our top executives and, despite the time-consuming process, this is yielding inadequate results. The new systém, based on outsourcing many of the preliminary steps of candidate screening, would give us a considerable advantage over our old method of selection, both in terms of time and quality. All in all, we estimate a savings of about 1,200 man-hours by implementing this. b) This would mean that our top executives will be able to concentrate on other tasks more immediately related to their level of expertise. It would also position our company at the forefront of a new development that eventually will be taken by our competitors as well. c) This report discusses different proceduces for evaluating job candidates, including a new system that could considerably improve the efficiency and quality of our candidate selection process. =tTASK 2 After you have put the passages in logical order, assign a label to each group of sentences using the following terms. outlook ; summary with answers; topic + relevance Source: Mario Klarer: Působivá prezentace a přednáška v angličtině, Grada 2007. 55 Some Questions to Ask When Critiquing a Presentation Introduction: • Does the speech begin in an interesting way? • Did the introduction make you want to keep listening? • Are the expectations by the introduction fulfilled in the body of the presentation? i.e., does the introduction function effective as a "contract" between speaker and audience? Content: • Was the topic focused? Was it too broad? Too narrow? • Was the topic relevant to and suitable for the audience? Was it too technical? Too trivial? • Was the research appropriate for the topic? Were primary source used where possible? Time limit: • Did the speaker stay within the assigned time limits? Organization: ( parts, transitions, summaries) • Was the thesis easy to identify? Were the main points clear? • Was the overall organization easy to follow? • Were the relationships between ideas clear? • Were there smooth transitions between main points? • Were the main points well developed, well balanced and well summarizied? Conclusion: • Did the conclusion summarize the thesis and main points? • Did it provide a sense of closure? • Does the presentation have a definite concluding sentence, rather than trailing off or ending abruptly? • Did it contain outlook? • Was the message convincing? Delivery (body language, rate of delivery): • Did the speaker's nonverbals add to or detract from the speech? Consider posture, gestures, bodily movement, dress and facial expression. • Did the speaker have good eye contact with the entire audience? • Did the speaker use notes appropriately? • Did the speaker use visual aids? If so, were they smoothly integrated into the speech? • Was the rate of delivery too fast? Too slow? • Was the speaker's voice loud enough for everyone to hear? • Were the words pronounced so they were clear and comprehensible? • Were terms pronounced correctly? 56 Self Critique Form Name Presentation___ Date of Presentation__________ Instructions: Your task is to review your speech and attempt to reach a full, objective assessment of its major strengths and weaknesses. Answer the following questions as they apply to your particular presentation. Ql: Did you select an interesting topic for the audience and the occasion? How did the audience receive your presentation? Q2: Were you well organized in creating an easy format for your audience to accept? Did you meet your time limit? Q3: Did you complete adequate research and supporting examples? Q4: Did you utilize effective delivery techniques to create audience interest? Q5: Did your visuals aids help or hinder your presentation? Q6: What were you most pleased about with this speech? Q7: What were you least pleased about with this speech? Q8: If you had the opportunity to deliver this speech again, what changes would you make? 57 58