ORAL PRESENTATION SKILLS Preface Preparation and Planning Structure The Beginning The Body The Conclusion Creating

interest Body language Pronunciation and oice !sing "isuals Sources #o$nload pdf file

Preface This text is the result of years of experience is intended to be an aid for anyone wishing to speak to a group. Anyone can give a good presentation.Don't worry if you are not naturally extrovert. Preparation and practice can be the keys to success! This text provides the essential elements and some tips on preparing and organi ing a successful oral presentation in !nglish or any other language. The same structure can also be used to some extent in the context of the written text" i.e. dividing the text into three parts # introduction" development and conclusion. $ther useful elements for the written text include% expressions to indicate lists" links" examples" etc. &n return" we would ask you the reader and practitioner to send any comments" corrections or 'uestions to make about this document" to please send them to (arl.)tor *int#evry.fr. This short paper is divided into several sections" each one being based on a particular point which is important to think about in preparing for and giving an oral presentation. The first ones deal with the preparation and planning stage" the most important stage. The second one deals with the structure of the speech and language needed to express it. The third speaks about visuals+ the fourth discusses how to create interest and establish and maintain a relationship with the audience. The fifth deals with body language and finally" the sixth contains a few comments on using the voice and correct pronunciation. Actual language used to express the above is given in italics. (omments and 'uestions you could ask yourself in preparing each part are also included. At the end" you will find a bibliography of materials available in the ,esource (enter -!./01 for further work on oral presentations or listening practice. &t is also important to remember that there are perhaps several formulae for an oral presentation" this being 2ust one. There are also cultural aspects to take into consideration in that different communities% !nglish#speaking vs. 3rench#speaking+ scientific vs. literary groups or managers vs. sales reps. Different people speak in different ways with different language and different conventions depending on to whom" where" when and why they are speaking. All of these 'uestions are" of course" vital to take into consideration during the preparation.

ORAL PRESENTATION SKILLS Preparation and Planning

ESSENTIAL PREPARATION AN# PLANNIN% C&ECKLIST This is a checklist of the essential elements to consider in preparing and planning an oral presentation. 4se it yourself by filling in the boxes on the right under 56y &deas5. '!ESTIONS TO ASK (O!RSEL) E*A+PLES

.. 7hat is the aim8

to buy my product to adopt my recommendations to 2oin the club to give me a 2ob The new 6okia 9//. :ow to reduce production costs The &;T (hess (lub 7hat are the benefits to the audience of my product<report<speech8 Are these people the decision makers8 7hat do they know of the sub2ect8 :ow does this change my approach8 7hat sort of 'uestions will they ask me8 7hat are the answers8 7hat aspects will they be interested in8 ." 9" 0 7e must invite them% to buy my product to accept my findings to 2oin the club to give me a 2ob

9. 7hat is my title8

0. 7ho am & speaking to8

=. 7hat are the main points & want to make8

>. 7hat do & want the audience to do after listening to my presentation8

Other considerations, Chec-list 7ho is the audience8 :ow many people will there be in the audience8 7here will it take place8 :ow big is the room8 (heck beforehand" if you can" the place where you are going to make your presentation. 7hat e'uipment is there in the room8 7hat e'uipment do & need8 Does the e'uipment work8 Do you need an adapter or extension lead8 Do you need an overhead pro2ector or a screen8 &f your presentation needs a computer and a pro2ector are they reserved" set up and functionning8 &s the version of the presentation programme provided compatible with yours8 Are you going to need a black or whiteboard8 :ave you got chalk and < or a felt tip pen8 Are they in place8 &s there a podium8 7here are you going to put your notes <papers <transparencies8 (an the information be seen8 (an you present the information and not get in the way8 Do you need a pointer8 7ill you need to dim the lights or draw the curtains8 Are you going to need handouts or any other documents8 :ow many8 Are they present a good image of you and your company8 7hen8 7hat day is it8 7hat time of day is it8 7ill the audience be mentally available to listen to me8 3or how long8 &n relation to what the audience knows or time constraints" what can & eliminate8

Are you dressed appropriately8 )hoes polished8 Are your hands and fingernails clean8

ORAL PRESENTATION SKILLS Structure A good oral presentation is well structured+ this makes it easier for the listener to follow. ?asically there are three parts to a typical presentation% the beginning" middle and end or -introduction" body and conclusion1. 7e are going to look at the content of each part individually and the language needed to express its structure and content.

Structure . / %I E TITLE AN# INTRO#!CE S!B0ECT 7hat exactly are you going to speak about8 )ituate the sub2ect in time and place" in relation to the audience" the importance. @ive a rough idea or a working definition of the sub2ect. I plan to speak about... Today I'm going to talk about... The subject of my presentation is... The theme of my talk is... I've been asked to talk to you about... A cultural aspect may be important here+ scientists want to demonstrate their work and findings while managers and humanities people want to share ideas and reflections with their audience. &t may be the result of a desire to persuade and convince. &t may be comparison of two or more products" plans or proposals. 7hy are you going to speak about it8 & have chosen to speak about this because... I was asked to speak about X because... :ave you set any limits on the scope of your talk8 7hat won't you speak about8 &t may be very useful to eliminate certain areas before you start so as to avoid confusion or deviation from your main task. &t also protects you from criticism later if do not mention it in advance.

:ave you limited the time8 &t is useful to give the listeners some idea of the time so as to maintain their attention better. I will not speak about... I have limited my speech to I will speak for 15 minutes y talk will last about 15 minutes (ou 1ay $ant to gi"e ac-no$ledge1ents here too. &f you have been sponsored" supported or encouraged by a particular firm" organi ation" professor" etc. you may want to acknowledge their contribution. Aour research and paper may have been the work of a collaborative effort and you should acknowledge this too and give the names of all the participants. At some point you should ask a 'uestion or somehow try to determine where the audience is. :ow do they feel about the sub2ect8 Aou will then have to modify the contents" as you never know exactly what to expect. !ave you ever heard of ..." #very day you encounter... To get the audience's attention and perhaps to find out where they are you could introduce the sub2ect by saying% !ave you ever heard of$seen X" %ou've probably seen countless times... %ou may have wondered... %i"e your o23ecti"es 4purpose5 ai15 goals6 The main purpose of an informative speech is to have the audience understand and remember a certain amount of information. Aou should thus have two purposes% a general purpose and a specific one. The former is to inform% to give an overview" to present" to summari e" to outline+ to discuss the current situation or to explain how to do something or how something is done. The latter is what you want the audience to take away with them after listening to you" what you want them to do" what they should remember. y purpose in doing this paper is to give you a solid background on the subject of oral presentation so that in the future& at the I'T or elsewhere you can deliver a successful speech in front of a group. (hat I would like to do today is to e)plain... to illustrate... to give a general overview of... to outline... to have a look at... (hat I want my listeners to get out of my speech is... $nce you have established your specific ob2ectives you may go on to formulate your content. Announce your outline,

(ou $ant to -eep the outline si1ple so 9 or 0 main points are usually enough. (oncerning grammar the headings of the outline should be of the same grammatical form. I have broken my speech down$up into X parts. I have divided my presentation *up+ into % parts. In the first part I give a few basic definitions. In the ne)t section I will e)plain In part three& I am going to show... In the last place I would like$want to give a practical e)ample... 'uestions and co11ents fro1 the audience,

The 1iddle or 2ody Content,

7hat infor1ation should you give in your speech8 All your information should support purpose. &n most cases you will have t 'uantity :ow much information should you give8 !nough to clearly develop your ideas. Don't forget to illustrate through exam Se7uencing your ideas, :ere are a few possibilities for organi ing your ideas%

logical+ chronological order+ from general to specific+ from known to unknown+ from accepted to controversial+ cause<effect+ problem<solution.

7hatever se'uencing you choose" the headings should be all of the same grammatical form. &.9.D Beeping the audience's att and last parts are what listeners will remember the most. Think of ways you can keep the audience's attention throughout the

Signposting or signaling $here you are, Cust as when you are driving along a road that you don't know very well you depend on signs to guide you" you need to guide the listener by using expressions to tell him<her where you are going. That is to say" first announce what you are going to say -give an example" reformulate etc.1 and then say what you want to say. This is very like verbal punctuation. &ndicating when you have finished one point and go on to the next. &t is redundant in text but very advantageous in oral presentations. &t may be useful also to pause" change your stance and the pitch of your voice as you move from one part of your presentation to another. Listing infor1ation

This can be There are three things we have to consider, one& two& and three. -& .& /. 'ow let us look at the first aspect which is ... 0irst of all&1 In the first place1 Lin-ing ideas5 sections81a-ing transitions &ndicate the end of one section and the beginning of the next. That's all I would like to say about .... *subject of part -+ and now let us turn to .... 'ow that we've seen ... let us e)amine more closely.. Outlining options, &f there are alternative ways of looking at a topic or proposal outline them to show you are familiar with different ways of dealing with the situation. There seem to be two possibilities of dealing with this..... (e've looked at this from the point of view of the manufacturer but what about if we were to... - number of options present themselves at this point.... &f what you are dealing with demands a comparison of strengths and weaknesses indicate clearly the different aspects and underline the points you feel are important or secondary. (hat e)actly are the benefits" 2n the plus side we can add....3 This is not the only weakness of the plan ......... (e cannot ignore the problems that such an action would create......

To 2e clear and concrete, !se e9a1ples5 rephrasing5 su11aries etc,: To gi"e an e9a1ple: 'ow let's take an e)ample. -n e)ample of this can be found... To illustrate this1 4et's see this through an e)ample. 0or e)ample& for instance& e.g. To su11ari;e% To summari5e To sum up& 4et me summari5e by saying 6o that concludes my overview In conclusion .riefly said In short& (hat I've tried to show in this part... To recap what we've seen so far... To refer to $hat you ha"e said pre"iously -s I have already said earlier... -s we saw in part one... To repeat what I've said so far... To refer to $hat you $ill say: (e will see this a little later on. This will be the subject of part 7. (e will go into more detail on that later. 0or now it is suffice to say..

To rephrase: 4et me rephrase that& In other words -nother way of saying the same th That is to say i.e.

To e1phasi;e (hat is very important is... (hat is important to remember... I'd like to emphasi5e the fact that.. highlight... to underline... (hat I tried to bring out.... (hat we need to focus on...

To refer to co11on -no$ledge: -s you all may well know... It is generally accepted that... -s you are probably aware of..

To refer to $hat an e9pert says: I 8uote the words of ... There is a famous 8uotation that g In the words of -ccording to.... !ere I'd like to 8uote -s r. X say

T&E EN# OR CONCL!SION The end or the conclusion of your tal- should include four parts: .. %i"e a 2rief re1inder of $hat you tried to sho$ in your speech and ho$ you tried to do so Aou should briefly summari e your speech in a few lines to make sure the audience has retained the main points. Alternatives are to 2ust simply% state the point of the speech+ give the essential message to retain+ list the main points and what you want the audience to remember+ review informally or indirectly by using a 'uote" a comparison or example. Present a short conclusion5 That is to say you should give a message that logically comes out of the ideas developed in your speech. This could be a commentary" the lessons learned" some recommendations" or the next steps Thirdly5 than- the audience for attending, In"ite the audience to as- 7uestions or open a discussion. &f you choose the former" you put yourself in a superior position compared to the audience and should be considered as an expert. Aou will need to be very prepared intellectually and psychologically to give control to the audience and able to answer any 'uestions. :owever" in the case of the latter" you put yourself more or less on e'ual terms with the audience and do not have to be the expert with all the answers! The audience may have some clear ideas or some practical knowledge about the sub2ect themselves!

9.

<, =.

>. ;? The end of a talk should never come as a surprise to an audience but needs special consideration.

Signposting the end of your tal-, This may take the form of a recapitulation of the main points. I'd like to summarise$sum up -t this stage I would like to run through$over the main points... 6o& as we have seen today.... -s I have tried to e)plain this morning .T finds itself in........ or there may be recommendations or proposals that you wish to make+ -s a result we suggest that.. In the light of what we have seen today I suggest that...... y first proposal is...... Above all when you conclude do not do it abruptly or as if surprised to get to the end of your talk. In conclusion I would like to say that....... y final comments concern....

I would like to finish by reminding everyone that...... Aou may at this point wish to distribute a vocabulary list or more detailed information that you wish to make available. &'ve prepared a slim folder of the proposals...3 In the sheets that are now being distributed you will find a breakdown of the......... -nd finally you may well have to deal with 8uestions. I'd be happy to answer any 8uestions.... If there are any 8uestions please feel free to ask. Thank you very much for your attention and if there are any suggestions or comm #ealing $ith difficult 7uestions G. D. E. 6ake sure you understand the 'uestion. # if not" ask for repetition # ask a 'uestion to see if you understand # ,epeat the 'uestion in your own words to check that you have understood. &n answering # delay the answer -ask for time and<or repeat the 'uestion1 9ust a minute please. (hat is a ..." !ow can I put it" I'm glad you asked that 8uestion. That's a good 8uestion$point$remark. /an I answer that 8uestion later" : admit that you are not responsible" not competent enough. I'm not the person to ask about that. That is a 8uestion for an e)pert. # you are not the source # agree but give an alternative point of view

F.

S!++AR( O) PART I ./.

To give a successful presentation and at the same time a good image of yourself or firm" careful preparation and organi ation are re'uired. Aou need to take into careful considerationwho you are speaking to" when" where" why as all of these details will have an impact on your structure and content. A well#structured speech with a step by step approach is one that is easy to follow. ?esides structure it is also necessary to be relatively repetitive.A good 5rule5 is announce what you are going to say" say it and finally" say what you've said. ?e careful with the figures. Pronunciation and presentation are important" practice beforehand! This is e'ually important for the key words of your presentation. &t is particularly annoying for the audience to hear the same word mispronounced a do en or so times. &n addition to careful preparation # good structure and vocabulary # and organi ation" a message passes in other ways. According to experts >>H of the message is non#verbal. 4sing images -visuals1" body language and voice are extremely important and will be presented in the following sections.

=hat is the "oca2ulary of the e7uip1ent used>

?lackboard" 7hiteboard" Paperboard 6icrophone" 6ike (halk 6arker )ound system Iectern $:P" used8

$verhead" $verhead pro2ector Podium $pa'ue pro2ector !raser Co11on "oca2ulary associated $ith graphs8charts line graph

algorithmic" linear curve" line pie chart # segment" slice of the pie bar chart flow chart organi ation chart flip chart diagram

&o$ 1any slides should you prepare> $ne every two minutes is sufficient. %eneral and 1iscellaneous tips, :ave them ready and in order. (heck to see if the $:P is plugged in and in working order. Test the visual to see if the back of the room can see it. )tand to the side of the $:P. 6ask to reveal only what you want the audience to see. 4se a pointer or a pen to draw attention to a specific point. Don't display too much information" too many colours or typefaces.

Jisuals should be ad2usted to the audience. Jisual should supplement the spoken message. Iarge enough for everyone to see. -@ood idea to give out a paper copy" not at the same time though as the audience may not be looking at you1 Ask yourself 'uestions Does the layout work8 Are there any spelling mistakes or grammatical errors8 ,emember they are going to be in plain view all the time of your visual. &o$ should you present a "isual in a presentation> &t is not sufficient 2ust to put up a transparency on the screen and expect the audience to move its attention to it" to understand it and make the link with what you are saying. -)ee @iving Presentations 4nit. =1 & would suggest the following strategy% .. &ntroduce sub2ect. 7hat does the visual show8 9. Transition. Iet's turn to the visual. 0. !xplain the visual in terms of the axes" key" and source. =. Describe the visual -e.g. if it is a graph" describe the movement1. >. (omment and analy e. D. Do not read everything. Do not explain every detail. E. 4se round figures and emphasise trends.

3inally it is important to prepare your audience for what they are going to see.This keeps the audience on their toes and gives you the opportunity to position your visual correctly.

4et's look at the current distribution of the market& as you can see... I'm going to show you now the most recent figures available..... y ne)t slide concerns the method by which........

,emember to draw the attention of the audience to the points that you wish to highlight but avoid redundancy by describing everything that is in the visual! A pause is very useful here!

-s you can see.... The first line of figures is the most revealing... 'otice$observe how the increase has had an effect on the........ (hat is important here is the way that.............. Aou can also try to rephrase your point to give it emphasis" giving the audience time to absorb the information.

In other words the number of employees has a direct effect on the ..... 2r to look at it in another way every time you.......... That is to say no matter what techni8ue is used& the results remain

CREATIN% INTEREST ESTABLIS&IN% A RELATIONS&IP =IT& T&E A!#IENCE Do not assume the audience will be interested in what you have to say. !ven if they are" minds wander and get distracted. 3rom the very beginning you need to create interest and continue doing so throughout your speech. Aou need to put everything on your side to promote knowledge ac'uisition. &n informing an audience you have to ad2ust to what people think" to constraints" maintain a dialogue -and not a monologue1 and use attractive supporting material. Arouse listeners' interest from the beginning. &n the introduction show how your sub2ect or what you are going to say affects or may affect their lives. This can be accomplished in a number of ways. Rhetorical 'uestions 7hat is a rhetorical 'uestion8 A 'uestion that you ask without expecting it to be answered. 7hy use such a 'uestion8 &n using such a 'uestion the speaker appears to be having a dialogue with the listeners. &t also should catch their attention. !ave you ever seen$heard$e)perienced..." !ow can we e)plain this" (hat does that mean" (hat can be done about that" (hat does this imply for you& as a consumer" E1phasi;ing8highlighting )aying that something is important. The important thing to remember is... The essential element is... )tress verbs with your voice. (e e)perimented with the concept over a period of three years. Add an auxiliary verb. (e did see a noticeable difference. (e will have to do it again (hange the word order (hat I'd like to show today is the difference between the two products. ,epetition -s I've said before... 4et me repeat @ive an unusual fact or statistic. 4se words like you" we" us" our. &llustrate with a real life story. Ask the audience to do something. ;<aise your hands if you know..". Ask the audience rhetorical 'uestions for which the speaker does not expect an answer but should attract the listener's ear. ?e brief and clear in giving the sub2ect and purpose. )peakers attitude is important # knowledge" personality" openness. ?e lively and enthusiastic. 4se a variety of media sources.

Body language The golden rule is 5?e natural and relaxed!5 7hat is body language8 !ye contact" facial expressions" posture" movements" gestures. 7hy is it useful8 &t is natural and a part of communication. to clarify meaning+ it is very visual to vent nervousness to maintain interest to emphasi e

Positi"e Body Language eye contact to keep audiences' attention -Asian audience might feel aggressed.1 facial expressions should be natural and friendly% raise eyebrows to show surprise # open eyes wide # s'uint your eyes # curl your eyebrows 2ody 1o"e1ent to indicate a change of focus keep audience's attention move forward to emphasi e move to side to indicate a transition gesture up and down head motions are movements to indicate importance or acknowledgement pen or pointer to indicate part" place -on a transparency1 shrug shoulder to indicate & don't know or care Negati"e Body language loss of eye contact looking at notes looking at screen<board don't stare" or look blankly into people's eyes swaying back and forth like a pendulum back turned to the audience nervous tics arms folded like a barrier hands in pockets posture stand straight but relaxed -do not slouch or lean sideways1 Iean forward to emphasi e however ;o hands in pockets

the hands Iots of possibilities to emphasise" to enumerate. to express sincerity or reflexion ?e conscious of what you do with your hands &f you are unhappy" hold notes or cards to occupy them arm # movements back and forth to suggest flow. $pen arms to include or welcome ideas

oice and Pronunciation OICE AN# PRON!NCIATION (orrect pronunciation is important if one is to be understood correctly. &ncorrect pronunciation is perhaps the first cause of communication breakdown. &f the listener is not accustomed to the speaker's native language" he<she will not understand a mispronounced word. 6ispronunciation also tires the listener's ear and he<she will perhaps even stop trying to understand the speaker if it becomes too difficult. J.. =hat is pronunciation> There are two important aspects of pronunciation of individual words" word stress and the individual sounds themselves called 5phonemes5 . A suggestion% make sure you know how to correctly pronounce at least the key technical words or words that your repeat over and over again in your speech. Cust as in the case of individual words in !nglish a particular syllable receives stress" so do particular words in a sentence. )entence stress concerns stressing particular words in a sentence usually at regular intervals. !nglish speakers stress words that are important for meaning such as% nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, negatives, demonstratives and interrogatives. 4nstressed ones include articles, auxiliary verbs, prepositions, and conjunctions. Iinking # -as in 3rench1 between a consonant and the following vowel and grouping words into thought groups # needs to be practiced. &n the area of pronunciation" the basic problems of 3rench speakers are% 7ord and sentence stress # not all syllables in a word nor in a sentence are stressed e'ually. &n unstressed syllables the vowel often becomes shorter -schwa1. Iong !nglish sounds are much longer than corresponding 3rench sounds and vice versa. The voice is used to indicate meaning and intonation is higher or more glided in !nglish. !sing the oice The voice " or more precisely the 'ualities of the voice should be used to their fullest. Kualities include loudness" speed -fast or slow1" variety" pitch -high or low1" silent moment or pauses. The voice is important% # to indicate importance" meaning # to create atmosphere and to avoid sounding monotonous and putting the audience to sleep!

Sources BIBLIO%RAP&( 3or extra practice in preparing for an oral presentation or !nglish in general" & suggest the following titles which are all available in the Ianguage ,esource (enter. -!./01

$n oral presentation% Co1fort5 0ere1y and #ere- !tley. -Aork Associates1 Effective Presentations. $xford% $4P% .GGD. Ellis5 +ar- ? Nina O@ #riscoll. Giving Presentations. :arlow% Iongman" .GG9. &o$e5 Brian. Visitron, the Language of Presentations. :arlow% Iongman" .GF>. Lynch5 Tony. tudy Listening. Iondon% (4P" .GFD. Po$ell5 +ar-. Presenting in English. :ove% ITP" .GGD. S$eeney5 Si1on. English for !usiness "ommunication. (ambridge% (4P" .GGE. $n pronunciation% %il2ert5 0udy B. "lear peech. (ambridge% (4P" .GF=. %raha15 Carolyn, mall #al$ %a&& "hants. $xford% $4P" .GFD. Stor;5 Carl. English Pronunciation 'oteboo$ for #elecommunications tudents . !vry% &;T" .GG0. $nline resources% #octor 0eff Radel has some excellent seminars available on line here. +arilyn A Le"ine has a very good introduction to posters here. 3or a more professional approach try the 4niversity of ;ewcastle upon Tyne's excellent site. i