Presentation Language in English 1.

Language Say what you are going to say Simplicity and Clarity If you want your audience to understand your message, your language must be simple and clear. Use short words and short sentences. Do not use jargon, unless you are certain that your audience understands it. In general, talk about concrete facts rather than abstract ideas. Use active verbs instead of passive verbs. ctive verbs are much easier to understand. !hey are much more powerful. Consider these two sentences, which say the same thing" #$ !oyota sold two million cars last year. %$ !wo million cars were sold by !oyota last year. &hich is easier to understand' &hich is more immediate' &hich is more powerful' (o. # is active and (o. % is passive.

Signposting &hen you drive on the roads, you know where you are on those roads. )ach road has a name or number. )ach town has a name. and each house has a number. If you are at house ( o #**, you can go back to (o #+*. ,ou can look at the signpost for directions. nd you can look at your atlas for the structure of the roads in detail. In other words, it is easy to navigate the roads. ,ou cannot get lost. -ut when give a presentation, how can they know the structure of your presentation' .ow can they know what is coming ne/t' !hey know

because you tell them. -ecause you put up signpost for them, at the beginning and all along the route. !his techni0ue is calles 1signposting2 3or 1signaling2$. During your introduction, you should tell your audience what the structure of presentation will be. ,ou might say something like this. 1I4ll start by describing the current position in )urope. !hen I4ll move on to some of the achievements we4ve made in sia. fter that I4ll consider the opportunities we see for further e/pansion in frica. 5astly, I4ll 0uickly recap before concluding with some recommendations2. member of date the audience can now visuali6e your presentation like this " Introduction -ody &elcome )/planation of structure 3now$ )urope sia frica Summing up 7ecommendations

conclusion

.e will keep this image in his head during the presentation. .e may even write it down. nd throughout your presentation. ,ou will put up signpost telling him which point you have reached and where you are going now. &hen you finish )urope and want to start sia, you might say" 1!hat4s all I have to say about )urope. 5et4s turn now to sia.2 &hen you have finished frica and want to sum up, you might say " 1&ell, we4ve looked at the three continents )urope, I4d like to sum up now2 sia and frica.

nd when you finish summing up and want to give your recommendations, you might say " 1&hat does all this mean for us' &ell, firstly I recommend82 !he table below list useful e/pression that you can use to signpost the various parts of your presentation. Signposting Function Introducing the subject Language I4d like to start by8 5et4s begin by8 9irst of all, I4ll8 Starting with8 I4ll begin by8 9inishing one subject8 &ell, I4ve told you about8 !hat4s all I have to say about8 &e4ve looked at8 So much for8 8and starting another (ow we4ll move on to8. 5et me turn no to8 (e/t8. !urning to8 I4d like now to discuss8

 5et4s look now at8 naly6ing a point and giving recommendations &here does that lead us' 5et4s consider this in more detail8 &hat does this mean for -C' !ranslated into real terms8 :iving an e/ample 9or e/ample8 good e/ample of this is 8 s an illustration8

!o give you an e/ample8 !o illustrate this point8 Dealing with 0uestions &e4ll be e/amining this point in more detail later on8 I4d like to deal with this 0uestion, if I may8. I4ll come back to this 0uestion later in my talk8 ;erhaps you4d like to raise this point at the end I won4t comment on this now8 Summari6ing and concluding In conclusion8

 7ight, let4s sum up, shall we' I4d like now to recap8 5et4s summari6e briefly what we4ve looked at8 9inally, let me remind you of some of the issues we4ve covered8 If I can just sum up the main points8 <rdering 9irstly8 secondly8 thirdly8 lastly8 9irst of all 8 the8ne/t8 after that8 finally8 !o start with 8 later8 to finish up8

2. The presentation 8say it =ost presentation are divided into > main part 3? 0uestions$" # % > Introduction -ody Conclusion Question Questions

s a general rule in communication, repetition is valuable. In presentations, three is a golden rule about repetition. Say what you are going to say Say it !he say what you have just said. In other words, use three parts of your presentation to reinforce your message, in the introduction, you tell your audience what your message is going to be. In the body, you tell your audience your real message. In the conclusion, you summari6e what your message was. &e will now consider each of these parts in more detail. Introduction !he introduction is a very important @ perhaps the most important @ part of your presentation. !his is the first impression that your audience have of you. ,ou should concentrate on getting your introduction right. ,ou should use the introduction to " #. &elcome your audience %. Introduce your subject >. <utline the structure of your presentation A. :ive instruction about 0uestion !he following table shows e/amples of language for each of these functions. ,ou may need to modify the language as appropriate. Function #. &elcoming your audience Possible Language :ood morning, ladies and gentlemen :ood morning, gentlemen

 :ood afternoon, ladies and gentlemen :ood afternoon, everybody %. Introducing your subject I am going to talk today about 8 !he purpose of my presentation is to introduce our new range of 8 >. <utlining your structure !o start with I4ll describe the progress made this year. !hen I4ll mention some of the problem we4ve encountered and how we overcame them. fter that I4ll consider the possibilities for further growth ne/t year. 9inally, I4ll summari6e my presentation 3before concluding with some recommendation$. Do feel free to interrupt me if you have any 0uestion. I4ll try to answer all of your 0uestions after the presentation. I plan to keep some tome for 0uestions after the presentation.

A. :iving instruction 0uestion

about

Body !he body is the 1real2 presentation. If the introduction was well prepared and delivered, you will now be 1in control2. ,ou will be rela/ed and confident. !he body should be well structure, divided up logically, with plenty of carefully spaced visuals. 7emember these key points while delivering the body of your presentation. Do not hurry -e enthusiastic :ive time on visuals =aintain eye contact =odulate your voice 5ook friendly Beep to your structure Use your notes Signpost throughout 7emain polite when dealing with difficult 0uestions Conclusion Use the conclusion to " #. Sum up %. 3give recommendations if appropriate$ >. !hank you audience

A. Invite 0uestions !he following table shows e/amples of language for each of these functions. ,ou may need to modify the language as appropriate.

Function #. Summing up

Possible Language !o conclude 8 In conclusion 8 (ow to sum up 8 So let me summari6e C recap wwhat I4ve said 9inally, may I remind you of some of the main points we4ve considered

%. :iving recommendations

In conclusion, my recommendations are 8 I therefore suggest C propose C recommend the following strategy.

>. !hanking your audience

=any thanks attention.

for

your

=ay I thank you all for being such an attentive audience A. Inviting 0uestions (ow I4ll try to answer any 0uestions you may have Can I answer 0uestions' any

re there any 0uestions' have any any final

Do you 0uestions' re there 0uestions'

Questions Duestions are a good opportunity for you to interact with your audience. It may be helpful for you to try to predict what 0uestions will be asked so that you can prepare your response in advance. ,ou may wish to accept 0uestions at any time during your presentation. <r to keep a time for 0uestions after your presentation. (ormally, it4s your decision, and you should make it clear during the introduction. -e polite with all 0uestioners, even if they ask difficult 0uestions. !hey are showing interest in what you have to say and they deserve attention. Sometimes you can reformulate a 0uestion. <r answer the 0uestion with another 0uestion. <r even ask for comment from the rest of the audience. . !e"ie#s 8then say what you have just said. In this seminar, you have learned" !o allow plenty of time for preparation !o ask the allEimportant 0uestionsEwords, why' &here' &hen' .ow' nd what' !o structure your presentation conclusion and 0uestions into introduction, body,

 !o write notes based on keywords 7o rehearse your presentation several times and modify it as necessary !o select the right e0uipment for the job !o use e0uipment effectively !o make use of clear, powerful visual aids that do not overload your audience !o use clear, simple language, avoiding jargon !o use active verbs and concrete facts !o e/plain the structure of your presentation at the beginning so that your listeners know what to e/pect !o link each section of your presentation !o signpost your presentation from beginning to end so that your listeners know where they are !o say what you are going to say, say it, and say what you have just said !o overcome your nerves !o establish audience rapport !o be aware of your body language !o understand cultural differences !o control the 0uality of your voice !o maintain interest by varying the speed, volume and pitch of your voice.

 !o deal with listeners 0uestions politely !o respond to your audience positively