Unit 13. Presentation skills

In this unit you will:

- learn about general presentation skills (strategy and techniques)

- learn to outline and organize your presentation (strategy and techniques)

Warm up

Are these statements true or false? Put a T (true) or an F (false) in the blank next to each statement.

- It’s ok to stand with one hand in your pocket while presenting.

- You should memorize your presentation.

- You should look at people’s eyes most of the time you are speaking.

- You apologize for your English skills before or during your presentation.

- The more Power Point slides you use, the more impressed the audience will be.

- Find out as much as possible about the audience before you present.

- Use your Power Point slides to help you remember your main points.

- Focus your eye contact on the most important audience members.

- It’s not necessary to prepare for the Q&A session that usually follows a presentation.

- Holding your hands together in front of you or behind your back shows the audience that you feel relaxed.

- Do not speak while your back is to the audience.

- The more body language you use, the more effective your presentation will be.

- Use small cards for notes, rather than large pieces of paper.

- It’s okay to repeat information during a presentation.

- Separate your presentation into a clear introduction, body, and conclusion.

General skills: Strategy and Techniques

1. Think: What’s my subject?

2. Why am I giving this presentation? What’s my purpose?

3.Who is my audience? Find out as much as you can about them: for example, how many people will attend, what they do, who they represent and why they’re interested in the subject.

Task 1

You’ll be given two situations to present. Choose one of them and try to analyze subject, audience, and purpose.

Situation 1

You have been selected to take part in a six - month faculty exchange program with New York University in the USA. The Department Head in your field of studies at NYU, Dr.Wilson, has asked you to prepare and give a five - minute presentation the day after you arrive in NY.

Dr. Wilson would like you to introduce yourself, describe your research interests, what you hope to learn, and what you hope to contribute to the NYC community. In addition to Dr. Wilson, 12 faculty members of the department will be attendance. Also attending will be representatives from Human Resources, the Office of International Affairs, the Public Relations Department and the student newspaper.

Situation 2

Your university has hired 20 Visiting Faculty members for the upcoming year. The University Rector has asked you to conduct a special orientation presentation for the group to acquaint them with life in Astana.

The visiting professors represent several different academic disciplines and are from France, Europe, the United States, and Asia. They range from 27 to 65. Nine of them are women. Half of the group are married and will send for their spouses and children as soon as they have settled in. Only a few speak enough Kazakh or Russian to communicate effectively, but they are all fluent English speakers.

The rector considers it very important that the visiting faculty adjust quickly and smoothly to life in Kazakhstan. Naturally, he wishes them to begin their stay with a favorable impression. He, along with several Department Heads, will attend the presentation.

Prepare a five minute talk to give to the international visitors.

Task 2

Prepare a five minute presentation on any topic you wish to speak. Choose a topic that you are enthusiastic and you are familiar with and you think you will entertain or educate your audience. Before you prepare your presentation give this information your classmates so they can better evaluate your talk.

(Ss fill in the following information and prepare for their small presentations)

Outline and organization: Strategy and Techniques

I. Introduction

II. Body

III. Conclusion

Presentation Skills: Language Worksheet

Introduction – Starting:

Good morning (Good evening, Good afternoon)

My name is ________________. I’m ___________________.

This morning (This afternoon, This evening, Tonight, Today) …..

I’d like to explain ….

I’d like to begin by discussing ….

I’m going to talk about ….

My point is …

I will look at this from three points of view: first, …; next, ….; and finally, …

In the first part of my presentation, I’ll describe….

After that I will explain….

Finally, I’ll show you ….

Body – Explaining points/ Using connecting words

First, I’d like to talk about …

Now, I’d like to move on to …

Next, let me describe…

The next point I’ll discuss is …

This means …

This is supported by …

According to ….

Finally, let me explain….

For example, …. For instance, ….

First, … second, … third, … last, …

Another, … In addition, … Moreover, .. Nevertheless,… but … yet…

Since …. Because…

Therefore, … Thus, …. Because of … Due to …So, …

Similar to … Similarly, … like… the same as … equal to … in comparison, …compared to …

In contrast, … different from … differs from…

Conlusion – Ending:

In conclusion (In summary(, I’ve talked about (discussed) ….

To conclude (To summarize), I’ve explained (shown) …

My main point was … My (three) main points were …

In my opinion, … Therefore (So), I feel (believe, think, recommend, suggest)…

Thank you for your attention.

Effective openings

Communication experts are 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.

Date: 2016-01-05; view: 1732