Language
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. Active verbs are much easier to understand. They are much more powerful. Consider these two sentences, which say the same thing:
Toyota sold two million cars last year.
Two million cars were sold by Toyota last year.
Which is easier to understand? Which is more immediate? Which is more powerful? #1 is active and #2 is passive.
Signposting
When you drive on the roads, you know where you are on those roads. Each road has a name or number. Each town has a name. And each house has a number. If you are at house #100, you can go back to #50 or forward to #150. You can look at the signposts for directions. And you can look at your atlas for the structure of the roads in detail. In other words, it is easy to navigate the roads. You cannot get lost. But when you give a presentation, how can your audience know where they are? How can they know the structure of your presentation? How can they know what is coming next? They know because you tell them. Because you put up signposts for them, at the beginning and all along the route. This technique is called 'signposting' (or 'signalling').
During your introduction, you should tell your audience what the structure of your presentation will be. You might say something like this:
"I'll start by describing the current position in Europe. Then I'll move on to some of the achievements we've made in Asia. After that I'll consider the opportunities we see for further expansion in Africa. Lastly, I'll quickly recap before concluding with some recommendations."
A member of the audience can now visualize your presentation like this:
Introduction
Welcome
Explanation of structure (now)
Body
Europe
Asia
Africa
Conclusion
Summing up
Recommendations
He will keep this image in his head during the presentation. He may even write it down. And throughout your presentation, you will put up signposts telling him which point you have reached and where you are going now. When you finish Europe and want to start Asia, you might say:
"That's all I have to say about Europe. Let's turn now to Asia."
When you have finished Africa and want to sum up, you might say:
"Well, we've looked at the three continents Europe, Asia and Africa. I'd like to sum up now."
And when you finish summing up and want to give your recommendations, you might say:
"What does all this mean for us? Well, firstly I recommend..."
The table below lists useful expressions that you can use to signpost the various parts of your presentation.
Signposting
Function
Language
Introducing the subject
I'd like to start by...
Let's begin by...
First of all, I'll...
Starting with...
I'll begin by...
Finishing one subject...
Well, I've told you about...
That's all I have to say about...
We've looked at...
So much for...
...and starting another
Now we'll move on to...
Let me turn now to...
Next...
Turning to...
I'd like now to discuss...
Let's look now at...
Analysing a point and giving recommendations
Where does that lead us?
Let's consider this in more detail...
What does this mean for ABC?
Translated into real terms...
Giving an example
For example,...
A good example of this is...
As an illustration,...
To give you an example,...
To illustrate this point...
Dealing with questions
We'll be examining this point in more detail later on...
I'd like to deal with this question later, if I may...
I'll come back to this question later in my talk...
Perhaps you'd like to raise this point at the end...
I won't comment on this now...
Summarising and concluding
In conclusion,...
Right, let's sum up, shall we?
I'd like now to recap...
Let's summarise briefly what we've looked at...
Finally, let me remind you of some of the issues we've covered...
If I can just sum up the main points...
Ordering
Firstly...secondly...thirdly...lastly...
First of all...then...next...after that...finally...
To start with...later...to finish up...
Practice
Task 1. Take the written draft of your Presentation. Now it's high time you added structural elements and possible phrases for signposting. Do not forget to make references in your talk! You can refer to a text by naming the author of this text in your talk or you can include this information in the text of the corresponding slide. Polish your paper.
Economics - Topic: Cultural Diversity
Sociology - Topic: Young Children and Socialization
Visual Aids
Visual aids
Of all the information that enters our brains, the vast majority of it enters through the eyes. 80% of what your audience learn during your presentation is learned visually (what they see) and only 20% is learned aurally (what they hear). The significance of this is obvious:
visual aids are an extremely effective means of communication
non-native English speakers need not worry so much about spoken English - they can rely more heavily on visual aids
It is well worth spending time in the creation of good visual aids. But it is equally important not to overload your audience's brains. Keep the information on each visual aid to a minimum - and give your audience time to look at and absorb this information. Remember, your audience have never seen these visual aids before. They need time to study and tounderstand them. Without understanding there is no communication. Visual aids can:
• help you cover more ground in less time
• link the sections of your presentation
• illustrate factors which are difficult to
explain or time-consuming to describe
• show reality in ways that words alone
cannot (photographs, plans, maps)
• help the audience visualise abstract
concepts (charts/ diagrams/ conceptual
visuals)
• summarise information (keywords,
graphs, tables)
• make a dry subject interesting Follow the link to learn more about using Power Point, creating slides and posible pitfalls. Here you can find the HSE Slideshow template.
Practice
Task 1. Look at the PowerPoint Slideshow and find any drawbacks. Write a 100-word paragraph to explain how it can be improved. Use the criteria listed below. Make It Clear Visuals should be concise, simple and relevant. Arrange your visuals in a logical sequence in line with your presentation structure. Each visual should convey a specific idea, point, or topic area. Use one message per slide. Limit the amount of text on each slide. Don't reproduce your entire presentation script, just main points and key words. Edit out words you don't need until each statement is as concise as possible. Check spelling and grammar. Limit the number of slides to 5 or 6 per 10 minutes.
Make It Big Visuals should be readable from the back of the room. Use a large font (at least 24 points). Avoid overly elaborate typefaces. Choose a simple font, like Helvetica, Arial or Times. Don't use all capitals. Blocks of text are hard to read. Make sure captions on pictures or graphs can be clearly seen from the back of the room.
Keep It Simple Don't overdesign Your slides should be simple and clear. Eliminate uneccessary information and clutter. Make use of white space and don't cram too much on each slide. For each addition, ask yourself 'is this necessary; what does it add to the message?' Avoid busy backgrounds that make text hard to read. Don't go overboard with technology Aim to communicate, not to win an Oscar for special effects. Use animations sparingly. Effects like flying or flashing text can distract your audience. What value do they really add to your talk or your topic? Only include elements like sound and video if they are the best way to convey particular information. The sound effects that accompany PowerPoint animations are best avoided altogether.
Be Consistent Choose a general 'look' for your presentation and stick to it. Maintain a unity of key design elements from slide to slide. Don't get carried away with fonts, colours, styles etc. Use the same themes (colours, backgrounds, fonts etc) throughout your slideshow. Visual consistency can link your slides and help your presentation to flow.
Be Visual The impact of visuals is greatly increased by colour IF it is used well. Ensure there is a clear contrast between text and background colour. Use a highlight colour to emphasis key words. Don't use too many colours on one slide. Use colours that harmonise rather than clash. Bright shades can look harsh when projected. If you're not sure how to put colours together, make use of the colour schemes available in PowerPoint.
Move Beyond Bullet Points Take advantage of the medium and look for ways to convert data to visual information. Would a picture, graph or chart convey information more effectively than text?
Use Graphics Well Choose graphic material to support your presentation. Don't include graphics purely for decoration. •Use 1-2 images per slide. Pictures should be clear and in focus. Tables or graphs should be simple and readable from the back of the room. Remember that what may look clear and focussed on your computer screen will probably be paler and less focussed when projected onto a large screen. Task 2. Now it's high time you created a slideshow for your Presentation. Please, follow all the information given in the previuos section.
Economics - Topic: Cultural Diversity
Sociology - Topic: Young Children and Socialization
