Presentations and Public Speaking in English A presentation is a formal talk to one or more people that presents ideas or information in a clear, structured way.
　　People are sometimes afraid of speaking in public, but if you follow a few simple rules, giving a presentation is actually very easy.
　　This tutorial guides you through each stage of giving a presentation in English, from the initial preparation to the conclusion and questions and answers.
　　This tutorial is itself set out like a mini-presentation.PreparationCan you name the 3 most important things when giving any presentation?Number 1 is .
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　　PreparationNumber 2 is .
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　　Preparation!Number 3 is .
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　　Preparation!! Preparation is everything! With good preparation and planning you will be totally confident and less nervous.
　　And your audience will feel your confidence.
　　Your audience, too, will be confident.
　　they will be confident in you.
　　And this will give you control.
　　Control of your audience and of your presentation.
　　With control, you will be in charge and your audience will listen positively to your message.ObjectiveBefore you start to prepare a presentation, you should ask yourself: Why am I making this presentation? Do you need to inform, to persuade, to train or to sell? Your objective should be clear in your mind.
　　If it is not clear in your mind, it cannot possibly be clear to your audience.AudienceWho am I making this presentation to? Sometimes this will be obvious, but not always.
　　You should try to inform yourself.
　　How many people? Who are they? Business people? Professional people? Political people? Experts or non-experts? Will it be a small, intimate group of 4 colleagues or a large gathering of 400 competitors? How much do they know already and what will they expect from you?VenueWhere am I making this presentation? In a small hotel meeting-room or a large conference hall? What facilities and equipment are available? What are the seating arrangements?Time and lengthWhen am I making this presentation and how long will it be? Will it be 5 minutes or 1 hour? Just before lunch, when your audience will be hungry, or just after lunch, when your audience will be sleepy?MethodHow should I make this presentation? What approach should you use? Formal or informal? Lots of visual aids or only a few? Will you include some anecdotes and humour for variety? ContentWhat should I say? Now you must decide exactly what you want to say.#p#分页标题#e#
　　First, you should brainstorm your ideas.
　　You will no doubt discover many ideas that you want to include in your presentation.
　　But you must be selective.
　　You should include only information that is relevant to your audience and your objective.
　　You should exclude all other ideas.
　　You also need to create a title for your presentation (if you have not already been given a title).
　　The title will help you to focus on the subject.
　　And you will prepare your visual aids, if you have decided to use them.
　　But remember, in general, less is better than more (a little is better than a lot).
　　You can always give additional information during the questions after the presentation.StructureA well organised presentation with a clear structure is easier for the audience to follow.
　　It is therefore more effective.
　　You should organise the points you wish to make in a logical order.
　　Most presentations are organised in three parts, followed by questions:Beginning Short introduction welcome your audience introduce your subject explain the structure of your presentation explain rules for questions Middle Body of presentation present the subject itself End Short conclusion summarise your presentation thank your audience invite questions
　　Questions and Answers NotesWhen you give your presentation, you should be - or appear to be - as spontaneous as possible.
　　You should not read your presentation! You should be so familiar with your subject and with the information that you want to deliver that you do not need to read a text.
　　Reading a text is boring! Reading a text will make your audience go to sleep! So if you dont have a text to read, how can you remember to say everything you need to say? With notes.
　　You can create your own system of notes.
　　Some people make notes on small, A6 cards.
　　Some people write down just the title of each section of their talk.
　　Some people write down keywords to remind them.
　　The notes will give you confidence, but because you will have prepared your presentation fully, you may not even need them!RehearsalRehearsal is a vital part of preparation.
　　You should leave time to practise your presentation two or three times.
　　This will have the following benefits:you will become more familiar with what you want to say you will identify weaknesses in your presentation you will be able to practise difficult pronunciations you will be able to check the time that your presentation takes and make any necessary modifications So prepare, prepare, prepare! Prepare everything: words, visual aids, timing, equipment.#p#分页标题#e#
　　Rehearse your presentation several times and time it.
　　Is it the right length? Are you completely familiar with all your illustrations? Are they in the right order? Do you know who the audience is? How many people? How will you answer difficult questions? Do you know the room? Are you confident about the equipment? When you have answered all these questions, you will be a confident, enthusiastic presenter ready to communicate the subject of your presentation to an eager audience.Equipment Easily your most important piece of equipment is...YOU ! Make sure youre in full working order, and check your personal presentation carefully - if you dont, your audience will!
　　the overhead projector (OHP) displays overhead transparencies (OHTs or OHPTs).
　　It has several advantages over the 35mm slide projector: it can be used in daylight the user can face the audience the user can write or draw directly on the transparency while in use the whiteboard (more rarely blackboard or GREenboard) is a useful device for spontaneous writing - as in brainstorming, for example.
　　For prepared material, the OHP might be more suitable.
　　 The duster is used for cleaning the whiteboard.
　　It is essential that the duster be clean to start with.
　　You may consider carrying your own duster just in case.
　　 Markers are used for writing on the whiteboard (delible - you can remove the ink) or flipchart (indelible - you cannot remove the ink).
　　They are usually available in blue, red, black and green.
　　Again, its a good idea to carry a spare set of markers in case you are given some used ones which do not write well.
　　A good workman never blames his tools.
　　The flipchart consists of several leaves of paper that you flip or turn over.
　　Some people prefer the flipchart to the whiteboard, but its use is limited to smaller presentations.
　　 The Slide projector - which must be used in a darkened room - adds a certain drama.
　　Some slide projectors can be synchronised with audio for audio-visual (AV) presentations.
　　These projectors are typically used for larger presentations.
　　The majority take 35mm slides or transparencies (as seen here), but projectors for 6x6cm slides are also available.
　　Transparencies are projected by an overhead projector or a slide projector onto a screen - in this case a folding screen which can be packed up and transported.
　　 The notebook computer is increasingly being used to display graphics during presentations.
　　It is often used in conjunction with an overhead projector, which actually projects the image from the computer screen onto the wall screen.#p#分页标题#e#
　　 Handouts are any documents or samples that you hand out or distribute to your audience.
　　Note that it is not usually a good idea to distribute handouts before your presentation.
　　The audience will read the handouts instead of listening to you.Delivery Delivery refers to the way in which you actually deliver or perform or give your presentation.
　　Delivery is a vital aspect of all presentations.
　　Delivery is at least as important as content, especially in a multi-cultural context.
　　NervesMost speakers are a little nervous at the beginning of a presentation.
　　So it is normal if you are nervous.
　　The answer is to pay special attention to the beginning of your presentation.
　　First impressions count.
　　This is the time when you establish a rapport with your audience.
　　During this time, try to speak slowly and calmly.
　　You should perhaps learn your introduction by heart.
　　After a few moments, you will relax and gain confidence.Audience RapportYou need to build a warm and friendly relationship with your audience.
　　Enthusiasm is contagious.
　　If you are enthusiastic your audience will be enthusiastic too.
　　And be careful to establish eye contact with each member of your audience.
　　Each person should feel that you are speaking directly to him or her.
　　This means that you must look at each person in turn - in as natural a way as possible.
　　This will also give you the opportunity to detect signs of boredom, disinterest or even disaGREement, allowing you to modify your presentation as appropriate.Your objective is to communicate! Body LanguageWhat you do not say is at least as important as what you do say.
　　Your body is speaking to your audience even before you open your mouth.
　　Your clothes, your walk, your glasses, your haircut, your expression - it is from these that your audience forms its first impression as you enter the room.
　　Generally speaking, it is better to stand rather than sit when making a presentation.
　　Be aware of and avoid any repetitive and irritating gestures.
　　Be aware, too, that the movement of your body is one of your methods of control.
　　When you move to or from the whiteboard, for example, you can move fast or slowly, raising or reducing the dynamism within the audience.
　　You can stand very still while talking or you can stroll from side to side.
　　What effect do you think these two different approaches would have on an audience?Cultural ConsiderationsBecause English is so widely used around the world, it is quite possible that many members of your audience will not be native English-speakers.#p#分页标题#e#
　　In other words, they will not have an Anglo-Saxon culture.
　　Even within the Anglo-Saxon world, there are many differences in culture.
　　If we hypothetically imagine a German working for an Israeli company making a presentation in English to a Japanese audience in Korea, we can see that there are even more possibilities for cultural misunderstanding.
　　You should try to learn about any particular cultural matters that may affect your audience.
　　This is one reason why preparation for your presentation is so important.
　　Cultural differences can also be seen in body language, which we have just discussed.
　　To a Latin from Southern France or Italy, a presenter who uses his hands and arms when speaking may seem dynamic and friendly.
　　To an Englishman, the same presenter may seem unsure of his words and lacking in self-confidence.Voice qualityIt is, of course, important that your audience be able to hear you clearly throughout your presentation.
　　Remember that if you turn away from your audience, for example towards the whiteboard, you need to speak a little more loudly.
　　In general, you should try to vary your voice.
　　Your voice will then be more interesting for your audience.
　　You can vary your voice in at least three ways:speed: you can speak at normal speed, you can speak faster, you can speak more slowly - and you can stop completely! You can pause.
　　This is a very good technique for gaining your audiences attention.
　　intonation: you can change the pitch of your voice.
　　You can speak in a high tone.
　　You can speak in a low tone.
　　volume: you can speak at normal volume, you can speak loudly and you can speak quietly.
　　Lowering your voice and speaking quietly can again attract your audiences interest.
　　the important point is not to speak in the same, flat, monotonous voice throughout your presentation - this is the voice that hypnotists use to put their patients into trance!Visual aidsOf 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.#p#分页标题#e#
　　But it is equally important not to overload your audiences 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 to understand them.
　　Without understanding there is no communication.Audience ReactionRemain calm and polite if you receive difficult or even hostile questions during your presentation.
　　If you receive particularly awkward questions, you might suggest that the questioners ask their questions after your presentation.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.
　　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? N°1 is active and N°2 is passive.SignpostingWhen 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 N° 100, you can go back to N° 50 or forward to N° 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:Ill start by describing the current position in Europe.
　　Then Ill move on to some of the achievements weve made in Asia.
　　After that Ill consider the opportunities we see for further expansion in Africa.#p#分页标题#e#
　　Lastly, Ill 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:Thats all I have to say about Europe.
　　Lets turn now to Asia.
　　When you have finished Africa and want to sum up, you might say:Well, weve looked at the three continents Europe, Asia and Africa.
　　Id 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.SignpostingFunction Language Introducing the subject Id like to start by...
　　Lets begin by...
　　First of all, Ill...
　　Starting with...
　　Ill begin by...
　　Finishing one subject...
　　Well, Ive told you about...
　　Thats all I have to say about...
　　Weve looked at...
　　So much for...
　　...and starting another Now well move on to...
　　Let me turn now to...
　　Next...
　　Turning to...
　　Id like now to discuss...
　　Lets look now at...
　　Analysing a point and giving recommendations Where does that lead us? Lets 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 Well be examining this point in more detail later on...
　　Id like to deal with this question later, if I may...
　　Ill come back to this question later in my talk...
　　Perhaps youd like to raise this point at the end...
　　I wont comment on this now...
　　Summarising and concluding In conclusion,...
　　Right, lets sum up, shall we? Id like now to recap...
　　Lets summarise briefly what weve looked at...
　　Finally, let me remind you of some of the issues weve covered...
　　If I can just sum up the main points...
　　Ordering Firstly...secondly...thirdly...lastly...#p#分页标题#e#
　　First of all...then...next...after that...finally...
　　To start with...later...to finish up...