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What you really need to think about before you face your audience

Considerable

Sue .has considerable experience of giving PowerPoint presentations.

2 The presenter failed to emphasise the benefits of the reforms.

Place

The presenter failed to....................................the benefits of the reforms.

3 I have arranged for our guests to be met at the airport.

Made

I have....................................our guests to be met at the airport.

4 As far as I know, the seminar has been postponed.

Best

To...................................., the seminar has been postponed.

5 Could you briefly summarise the main points of the meeting for us?

Brief

Could you give....................................of the main points of the meeting?

6 They plan to publish the report next month.

Scheduled

The report....................................next month.

7 The debate was hastily concluded.

Hasty

The debate was brought to.....................................

8 Do you think you could guide me a bit on how to structure my speech?

Some

Do you think you could....................................on how to structure my speech?

9 These reforms will significantly reduce government spending.

Significant

These reforms will make....................................government spending.

10 We bought these top-of-the-range laser jet printers to replace our old ones.

As

We bought these top-of-the-range laser jet printers ....................................our old ones.

11.Ms Wilkinson heads the Human Resources department.

Of

Ms Wilkinson is....................................the Human Resources department.

2. Complete the text with items from the box. You will only need six of the eight sentences given. translate the text into Russian

Preparing for your presentation

What you really need to think about before you face your audience

Before you actually get down to the nitty-gritty of planning the presentation itself, you need to reflect on a number of crucial questions. First of all, ask yourself what exactly your aim is. .b...' You can then decide how many stages are necessary to get there, what the aim of each individual stage is and how each one contributes to your overall aim......2 In other words,

you can sift the essential data from the rest and get rid of any irrelevant or unnecessary detail.

 

However, content and structure are not everything. The talks we give are not just about a certain topic, they also have a specific purpose. Talks may be delivered in order to convey information, to persuade, to spur people into action or for countless other reasons. Obviously, the purpose of our talk will have a significant effect on the language we use. .....3 Although the importance of clear aims cannot be overstated, most experienced presenters seem to agree that it is only secondary to the human factor.

 

Which brings us to the second question we should all be asking ourselves at the planning stage: Who are the audience? .....4 What you say has to be appropriate not only to your aim, but also to your audience.



 

Therefore, it is always a good idea to find out as much as you can about the audience well before you face them......5 You can also anticipate how much they already know about your topic, and so pitch your talk at the right level.

 

Finally, never underestimate the importance of the physical environment in which you will deliver your talk......6 Walking around the room where your talk is going to be will help you focus on your audience rather than on your surroundings. This also gives you the chance to check that all the equipment you need is there, and in working order.

a)A presentation cannot be successful unless it takes the needs and interests of the audience into account.

b) Having a clear objective in view enables you to map out the most convenient route to get to your destination.

c) Once you have established that, you can prioritise your material.

d) In addition, make sure you plan carefully how you are going to introduce yourself.

e) It will also affect the manner in which we choose to deliver our talk.

f) Most presenters feel more relaxed if they have had the opportunity to go to the conference venue beforehand.

g) Of course, it is better to plan in advance when you want to deal with questions.

h) With such information, you can tailor both the style and the content of your talk to your audience's expectations.

 

3. Complete the sentences with words from the box. You will not need all the words, and you may use some of the words more than once.

get do input keep go kick make run stick track  

 

 


1 Right. Everyone's here, so let's ... .get.... down to business.

2 I'd like you to............over these figures with me before I hand in my report.

3 I'm afraid we've gone off at a tangent. Let's get back on.............

4 Sandra will............off with an overview, and I'll continue with an analysis of the sales figures.

5 The speaker was a bit incoherent. I couldn't always............track of what he was saying.

6 Those details are completely irrelevant, I'm afraid. I suggest you............ to the point.

7 I'll skip the slide show, otherwise we'll............out of time.

8 Would you like me to............overthe main points again?

9 As we always value your............, we'd like to have your views on this proposal.

10 To............back to what my colleague was saying in the introduction, we need to build on the existing local expertise.

4. Match each item on the left with the item on the right

1Jim's behaviour is a complete mystery to us. a)At MaxiMarket, however, it was business

as usual.

 

2 We'll have to prepare as best we can for this negotiation. b) I think he soon realised he was heading

down the wrong track.

 

3 I knew most of the delegates would be from the States. c) Not preparing adequately for your

presentation is a risky business.

 

4 Make sure you avoid talking politics or religion. d) So I assumed a full-blown graphic

presentation would be appropriate.

 

5 It may not be necessary to fly in yet another specialist. e) We all suffered from information overload

afterwards.

 

6 In some cultures, people do not like conducting f) This could set the stage for bitter

negotiations in large groups. arguments.

 

7 The talk was crammed full of facts. g) They may even expect business to

proceed on a one-to-one basis.

 

8 He tried telling a few personal anecdotes to relax

the atmosphere, but to no avail. h) We're all aware that the stakes are really high.

 

9 The snow had brought half of the country to a standstill. i) We've never been able to figure him out.

 

10 In many ways, failing to plan is planning to fail. j) Why don't we tap into the expertise that exists

locally?

 

 

Topic: Being International

Note: Business idioms

There are many metaphors and idioms related to sport and gambling used in the business world.

British business leaders say they face an uneven playing field in Europe. (=unfair competition)

What time does the sales workshop kick off? (= start)

Let’s kick around a few ideas for a new marketing slogan. (= discuss or brainstorm)

You may not like his methods, but he’s really on the ball. (= quick to understand)

Can you give us a ball-park figure? (= an approximate number)

The ball’s in our court now. (= it’s our turn to do sth about a situation)

The sales are on track for another quarterly improvement (= likely to achieve)

The meeting is starting to get off track. (not focus on the essential)

The company has a good track record in running projects (=shown how good they are in the past)

The company as been gaining ground on the bigger players in the industry. (reaching a similar level to; important companies or people)

The stakes are high in venture capitalism (it’s risky).

Salaries will increase by 3 per cent across the board (- for everyone in the company)

This could be a very lucrative deal in the ling run (= at a much later time)

This strategy seems like a long shot. (it will have little chance of success).

The odds are that our competitors will lower their prices soon (= it’s likely).

Exercise 1: Complete these tips for giving presentations to international audiences using the words and expressions in the box. There is one item you don’t need.

Be careful when you choose the colours for your ……………. (1). For instance, yellow has negative connotations in many countries, including Mexico, Peru and Iran.

Using a …….. (2) can help with international audiences. It can keep you focused on precise language. It can also be used as a …… (3) for your listeners after you speak.

Adjust me ….. (4) of your ….. (5) to reflect what the audience is used to. North Americans prefer faster speech, whereas Europeans and Asians typically prefer more time to process information.

Take care, especially where language barriers may exist, to fully understand questions from your audience. Don’t hesitate to …… (6) them to check your understanding.

Be sensitive to how different audiences react to ….. (7). In some Asian cultures, for example, audiences find fast, sweeping arm movements distracting.

If you’re going to …. (8) your listeners in their language, make sure you know how to speak it. And be sure your choice of language has intended meaning.

Exercise 2: Look at the dictionary entries and say whether the examples indicated in Italics in the text below are a) slang or b) buzzwords / jargon.

1. Hey guys! Anyone fancy a coffee?

2. This cutting-edge technology will radically transform the way we work.

3. Just 25 percent of the company’s turnover comes from the home market.

4. Could you pop into my office, I’d like to bounce some ideas off you?

5. The cracker somehow hacked into the bank’s computer system during downtime by using a backdoor.

6. We aim to empower the customer to make informed choices.

Exercise 3: Read the magazine article about giving international presentations and answer these questions.

1. Why does the writer use the quote at the start of his article?

2. How could the speaker say this differently so that people could understand him?

3. What does delivery refer to in the second paragraph?

4. Find two examples where the writer helped other people with their presentations.

5. Where can you get help when preparing your talk?

6. What should you do when members of the audience ask you questions?

7. What examples of ‘non-verbal messages’ (par. 11) can you think of?

Exercise 4: Read the article again and find business idioms and expressions that mean the following.

1. it is potentially problematic and dangerous (par. 2)

2. an unsafe strategy (par. 3)

3. make possible or happen (par. 3)

4. most complete (par. 4)

5. not do things correctly (par. 4)

6. make as much use as possible of (par. 9)

7. explaining too much (par. 9)

8. don’t understand (par. 11)

Exercise 5. Using the word given, complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first. Use a maximum of five words.

1. His speeches have inspired thousands of people (proved). - His speeches have proved an inspiration to thousands.

2. Can you explain this to us simply? (give) – Can you …… of this?

3. They’ve arranged the annual conference. (made) – They have ……….. the annual conference.

4. He has summarized his presentation in this handout (provided) – He’s …………. His presentation in this handout.

5. You could hire an intercultural communication specialist to help you prepare your talk. (someone) – You could hire …. Intellectual speacilaist to help you prepare your talk.

6. We have to conclude the seminar now. – It’s time we …. A conclusion.

7. An international audience’s non-verbal messages can be misinterpreted. (open) – An international audience’s non-verbal messages can be …..

8. You can’t assume anything with an international audience (any) – You can’t ….. with an international audience.

 


Date: 2016-03-03; view: 8859


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