A2 SEMINAR 1 Presentations Quotations – How could some of the ideas in these quotations apply to giving presentations? 1 "The more you say, the less people will remember." – Anatole France (1844-1924), French novelist. 2 "Judge each day not by the harvest you reap^1, but by the seeds you plant." – Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894), Scottish novelist. 3 "If you can't serve as a good example, you'll just have to serve as a horrible warning." - Catherine Aird (b.1930), English writer. Task 1 – Try to answer these multiple choice questions. 1. What is the main type of presentation found at international academic conferences? a) informative b) instructional c) persuasive^2 2. When is the best time to ask questions during a presentation? a) during the conclusion b) after the conclusion c) after the introduction 3. What is the purpose of the main body of a presentation? a) to introduce the presenter b) to develop the main ideas and supporting sub-ideas of the presentation c) to conclude the presentation 4. When should a presenter conduct^3 an audience analysis? a) after the presentation b) during the presentation c) before the presentation 5. Which of the following sentences would be used in the conclusion of a presentation? a) “Our purpose today has been to …” b) “I’d like to introduce myself. My name is …” c) “Could you repeat that, please?” 6. When making a presentation, the speaker should look at: a) the floor b) his/her notes c) the audience 7. An introduction should: a) state the purpose of the presentation b) give suggestions^4 for future research c) develop supporting ideas 8. In presentations, visuals are used to: a) illustrate important ideas b) provide an attractive background c) show examples VISUAL OUTLINE OF KEY PRESENTATION POINTS TITLE You may use a sub-heading Make it interesting & informative POINT 1 Give supporting ideas and examples SUMMARY Give one sentence for each main point, not just a list of the main points (i.e. do not repeat your original outline) INTRODUCTION Purpose Statement Why and how is your topic important? POINT 2 Give supporting ideas and examples CONCLUSION Thesis Statement In one or two sentence, why and how is what you’ve just said important? OUTLINE main points: 1 2 3 Don’t write structural words here like introduction, summary, discussion, sources POINT 3 ou may use a shown at the endntures only for decoration. clear lkSignal to end after your last point CLOSING Thanking audience and inviting questions Sources should be shown at the end INTRODUCTION Present yourself (name & study area) and your topic (with a clear purpose statement describing the aim of your talk); provide an informative outline* of the main points (don’t put structural information such as the words introduction, summary, conclusion, discussion into the outline); you may state to your audience when and how you would like to handle questions. An introduction is a very important part of a presentation. It should not only arouse curiosity, but also provide an overview* of the most important points. The audience should get the impression that your topic is well thought out (an interesting, informative title), that you have done the audience analysis (well-chosen style and register*), and that you have a clear idea about the actual content of the presentation. A well planned introduction will “set an objective framework in which the audience will accept the information as accurate and as significant.” (Laster & Pickett 1996:442) Task 2 As introductions can become repetitive, it is important to have a choice of words and expressions ready. Use one of the following expressions to replace the synonyms in bold. Find the purpose statement. don’t hesitate a chance I take care I’m delighted sections to communicate go through in more depth* my purpose is finally divide to emphasise Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. It’s a pleasure to be with you today. My name is Gordon Mathews and I’m in charge* of teaching presentation skills. We are here today to review* some key ideas about why it is important to learn effective communication skills. As we are living in the information age and may often be overwhelmed with massive amounts of information, it is important to know how to highlight the main ideas and provide a framework for what we are trying to get across. What I intend to do is to break down* this presentation into three parts: first, the preparation phase; second, the use of sign-posting language, and third, the actual delivery of the presentation. If you have any questions, please, feel free to interrupt* me, but I should also say that there’ll be an opportunity to discuss issues at greater length* after my talk. ENDING – Signal to End – Summary – Conclusion – Recommendation – Closing – Questions The ending should contain a summary of the data, where the main points of the presentation should again be stressed. There must be an evaluative conclusion, i.e. a comment on the importance of the findings*. In an academic presentation there should be a recommendation for future research, development, proceedings*, etc. and a closing – thanking the audience and inviting questions. Task 3 Complete the following ENDING with words from the list and find the concluding statement. questions that’s all secondly discussion meaningful conclude issues briefly finally begin So, ____________I have planned to say about the topic. Let me summarize the main ____________. Very ____________, they are four. First, I spoke about the preparation phase, where it’s very important to determine the aim and its relevance to the audience; ____________, the use of sign-posting language, which is used to provide optimal orientation; and ____________, the actual delivery, where it’s good to think about your voice and body language. I’d like to ____________ by emphasizing that many presentations could be greatly improved by providing the audience with a ____________ concluding statement that stresses the position of the speaker on the topic. I suggest we start the ____________, but before we ____________, let me thank you for your attention. I’d be glad to answer any ____________ now. Task 4 – Listening – Giving Talks and Presentations Listen to the first part and complete the notes. Part 1 – Preparation – key points 1 Objectives 2 3 4 5 6 Listen to the second part and list the numbers of the sections that are referred^5 to. Part 2 – Language – “Sign Posting” Giving Talks and Presentations 1 Introducing Good morning, my name is … I’m a … (student … ) at … (Masaryk University) This morning I’m going to … (talk about …) Today I’d like to … (describe …) The focus^6 / topic / subject of my talk / paper is … The aim of my presentation this morning is to … (explain …) I’ve divided my presentation into … We can break this area down into the following fields ... My talk will be in … (three parts.) First, I’d like to (give you an overview of …) Second, I’d like to focus on^7 … Then, I’ll move on^8 to … After that, we’ll deal with^9 … Finally, we’ll consider^10 … 2 Referring to questions Feel free to interrupt me if there’s anything you don’t understand / you need clarifying. If you don’t mind, we’ll leave questions till the end. 3 Introducing each section So, let’s start with … (objectives …) Now let’s move on to … (the next part …) Let’s turn our attention to … (the question of …) This leads me to … (my third point …) Finally … (let’s consider …) 4 Summarizing a section Let me just run over the key points again. I’ll briefly summarise the main issues That completes my … (description of …) To sum up … So, to summarize … (there are five key points …) 5 Referring backwards and forwards I mentioned earlier … (the importance of …) I’ll say more about this later. We’ll come back to this point later. 6 Checking understanding Is that clear? Are there any questions? 7 Referring to visual information transparency^13 This diagram shows … screen If you look at this graph you can see … What is interesting in this slide is … I’d like to draw your attention to …(this chart …) 8 Referring to common knowledge As you know … As I’m sure you’re aware … 9 Concluding / justification As you can see, there are some very good reasons … I’d like to leave you with the following thought / idea … In conclusion … I hope you’ve gained an insight into … 10 Inviting questions and dealing with questions If you have any questions, I’d be pleased / I’ll do my best to answer them. I would welcome any comments or suggestions. That’s a good point. I’m glad you asked that question. Can I get back to you on that later? I’m afraid I don’t have … (the information at present). I’m afraid I’m not the right person to answer that. 11 Closing That concludes my talk. That brings me to the end of my presentation. That completes my presentation. Thank you for your attention / listening. Listen to the last part and complete the key points. Part 3 – Delivery – key points 1 Nerves 2 3 4 5 Task 5 Discuss the above presentation in relation to the Visual Outline of Key Presentation Points on page 2. How would you evaluate the ending of the recorded presentation? How could the summary and conclusion be improved? VISUALS AND AIDS Task 6 – Choose the best answer. 1. Using a computer presentation program is a good practice, because _____. a) it reduces^14 the time required to prepare for the lecture. b) it is a good substitution^15 for handouts. c) it enhances^16 the lecture and helps the audience to understand. d) it allows you to hide behind the computer. 2. In a presentation, the main purpose of music or audio is to _____. a) distract the audience. b) help the audience to focus. c) wake the audience up. d) provide an extra dimension of information . 3. Optimally, the showing of special objects during a presentation _____. a) distracts^17 the audience from what is being said. b) helps listeners to understand what the lecturer is talking about. c) can significantly slow down the lecture. d) All of the above. 4. The clothing that the presenter is wearing _____. a) is not an important issue, unless the lecture is fashion related. b) is important because a formally dressed lecturer is more credible^18. c) should be considered and chosen to be appropriate^19 to the particular audience . d) should be comfortable and not too colourful. 5. Handouts are important because _____. a) they help the audience understand the main idea. b) they serve as a basic reference. c) they are useful for writing comments and notes on. d) All of the above. 6. Doing a computer-assisted proofreading of the final version of the presentation is essential because _____. a) it ensures you will minimize embarrassing spelling mistakes. b) it prevents you from having your knowledge of the subject discredited. c) it gives an impression of professionalism. d) All of the above. Language Exercises Task 7 – Complete these sentences by choosing the correct verb. 1. I’d like to _________ you of the latest news. a) speak b) inform c) describe 2. Could you _________ up? We can’t hear you at the back. a) talk b) say c) speak 3. I’ll have to _________ the place as I don’t have any photos with me. a) explain b) describe c) present 4. He’s going to __________ the latest results. a) describe b) inform c) present 5. Let me __________ why we need to cut costs. a) explain b) describe c) talk 6. We’ll have time to __________ about this over lunch. a) discuss b) say c) talk 7. I couldn’t __________ how long it will take. a) talk b) speak c) say 8. We will __________ you when the project comes to an end. a) say b) describe c) tell 9. I´d like to __________ about social work in the Czech Republic. a) mention b) tell c) talk 10. Let´s __________ this issue later. a) tell b) discuss c) say Vocabulary 1. to reap harvest sklidit úrodu 2. *persuasive přesvědčivý 3. *to conduct (an analysis) provádět (analýzu) 4. *suggestion návrh 5. *to refer to (something); reference odkazovat na; odkaz 6. *focus, main or central point hlavní bod 7. *to focus on zaměřit se na 8. *to move on to přejít na 9. *to deal with zabývat se 10. *to consider vzít v úvahu, uvážit 11. *outline náčrt, nástin 12. checklist kontrolní seznam 13. transparency, slide diapozitiv 14. *to reduce, decrease zmenšit, snížit 15. *to substitute; substitution nahradit; náhrada 16. *to enhance obohatit, vylepšit 17. *to distract vyrušovat, rušit 18. *credible důvěryhodný 19. *appropriate vhodný Word bank 1. oral presentation ústní prezentace 2. to give a speech přednést řeč 3. to deliver a speech mít řeč 4. to make a speech mít projev 5. to speak in public mluvit na veřejnosti 6. attentive audience pozorné publikum 7. to raise a question položit otázku 8. to discuss some issues diskutovat o některých problémech 9. to clarify objasnit 10. to ask for clarification požádat o objasnění 11. to overcome nervousness překonat nervozitu 12. to present an idea prezentovat myšlenku 13. to show enthusiasm projevit nadšení 14. to go down well with the audience najít odezvu u publika 15. to fail to succeed neuspět 16. to commit a blunder dopustit se velké chyby 17. to do one´s best vynasnažit se 18. to speak up mluvit hlasitě 19. to speak softly mluvit tiše 20. to applaud tleskat Video Web Links: A) How to use PowerPoint: · http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OC1OixM_118&feature=related (Powerpoint extreme makeover) · http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLpjrHzgSRM Don McMillan, How not to use ppt B) Public speaking song: · http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xv6kZM0Le-w&mode=related&search= (I hate public speaking) C) Some theory on presentations · http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whTwjG4ZIJg&mode=related&search= (Killer Presentation Skill s) · http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcMOzkne8ko&mode=related&search= (5 Quick Tips to Effective Public Speaking) D) How to give or how not to give presentations: · http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rud9jb6uUAU&mode=related&search= (Video tip # 1 – The impor tance of Presentation Skills) Presentation Assessment Criteria Consider the following criteria before making your presentation: 1. Organisation - preparedness - logical sequence - introduction - purpose statement - outline - sign-posting language - key points - summary - conclusion - closure - timing 2. Content - topic coverage - relevant to humanities and social sciences - informative - understandable - interesting - entertaining 3. Language - appropriate to audience - explanation of jargon - voice - speed - volume - clarity - intonation - grammatical accuracy - correct pronunciation of key words 4. Body language - eye contact ( with the whole class, not only the teacher) - good use of notes; not reading large parts of the presentation - stance, enthusiasm 5. Visuals - appropriate - supportive - clear 6. Questions - handling of the discussion - clear, appropriate responses 7. Sources - reliability - bibliography format