Art of presentation
There are many things why people decide to give talks and presentations. On the professional level, it may be a step toward obtaining a better position or because it looks impressive on a CV. On the personal level, it can be intellectually stimulating and enjoyable to have the opportunity to share ideas and theories with colleagues.
There are three main parts of presentation: preparation, language and delivery.
The stage of preparation is extremely important and there are six key areas you need to think about when preparing your presentation or talk. The first one is objectives. You need to think carefully about the aim of your talk, and what you want to achieve. Second, the audience. Think about who they are, and what they need to know. The third area is content. You need to be careful not to give your audience too much information. Concentrate on what they need to know, on what will interest them. The fourth area is organization. Your presentation needs to have a clear and logical organization so everyone can follow it without difficulty. The fifth area is visual information. Presenting information visually, for example on an overhead projector or a flipchart, adds interest to a presentation and makes it easier to follow, but it's important to make sure you don't give too much information at a time. The last key area is practice. When you've finished preparing your talk, practise giving it. This way you'll discover if there are any problems and be able to check the timing. It should also make you feel more confident.
Language points will also be transferred from one presentation to another. Thus all well-balanced presentations are most certain to have two things in common: the underlying structure and the language points which typically arise to serve this structure. Presentations commonly divide into three main sections: introduction, main body and conclusion.
There is no need to make the language of a presentation formal as in a report or carefully word it as in a speech. The language of a presentation should be colloquial. It is important to keep phrases short and simple. Common courtesy dictates that the presenter should signal the start, greet the audience, introduce himself/herself (or thank the person who has introduced the presenter to the audience) and create a positive emotional atmosphere (by giving a smile, telling a joke, either asking, or asking for, questions, etc.) A good beginning makes a good ending. This is true of a presentation: the opening and closing bits are the most memorable ones, thus might be crucial to the success of a presentation.
Introducing the topic, use phrases for introducing your talk, for giving your audience an overview of what's to come. Use special phrases for introducing the different parts of your talk, and for moving from one part to the next, for focusing the audience's attention on visual information, for concluding your talk and dealing with questions. If you need to use technical words or jargon that the audience may not know, make sure you explain them clearly, and don't use long, complicated sentences, keep your sentences short and easy to follow.
You need to consider five key areas in delivery. The first one is nerves. Most of us feel nervous when we speak in public, especially if we're speaking a foreign language. It can help if you breathe deeply. Breathing deeply calms you down and stops you speaking too quickly, which usually happens when you're nervous. The second area is voice. Obviously it's important to speak clearly and not too quickly, but it's also important to sound interesting. If your voice sounds monotonous your audience will fall asleep! Next, body language. Try to give the impression that you're relaxed and confident even if you're not, and try to avoid nervous gestures or movements. An important element of body language is eye contac t, and keeping eye contact with the audience is important to keep them interested in what you're saying. For this reason you shouldn't read your talk or presentation. Instead, list key-points on a flipchart or transparency, and refer to notes as well, if you need to. Stand rather than sit, but make sure you don't stand in front of visual information. And visual information is the fourth key area on our list. Remember, too, to give the audience enough time to take in the information you're showing them. The fifth, and final area is questions. The best policy is to answer questions in a polite, diplomatic way. The questions at the end of a presentation are usually an indication of interest and a sign that the presentation made a positive impression.
To conclude, presentations are for the listeners. They deserve the best we can give them.
LEXICAL EXERCISES:
Match 1-5 to a-e.
a focusing the audience’s attention on visual information.
b a flipchart or transparency
c presenting information visually
d concentrate on what they need to know.
e keeping eye contact with the audience
1. You need to be careful not to give your audience too much information and … ___
2. …___, adds interest to a presentation and makes it easier to follow.
3. There are phrases for …___
4. …____is important to keep them interested in what you’re saying.
5. List key points on... _____, and refer to notes as well, if you need to.
