ORAL PRESENTATION SKILLS - A PRACTICAL GUIDE

ORAL PRESEN TATI ON SKI LLS A PRACTI CAL GUI D E © C. STORZ and t he English language t eachers of t he Institut national de télécommunications, EVRY FRAN CE. Preface This text, the result of years of experience and research, is intended to be an aid for anyone wishing to speak in public to fellow students, colleagues or other interested groups. This text provides the essential elements and some tips on preparing and organizing a successful oral presentation in English or any other language. The same structure can also be used to some extent in the context of a written text, i.e. dividing the text into three parts introduction, development and conclusion. Other useful elements for the written text include expressions to indicate lists, narrative, links and examples. In return, we would ask you the reader and practitioner to send any comments, corrections or questions to make about this document to [email protected]. 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 one deals with preparation and planning, the most important stage. The second one deals with the structure of the speech and necessary language. The third speaks about visuals and how to make the best use of them. 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. Comments and questions you could ask yourself in preparing each part are also included. At the end, you will find a bibliography of materials available in the Resource Center of the Department of Languages and Humanities at the INT for further work on oral presentations or listening practice. It is also important to remember that there are perhaps several formulae for an oral presentation, this being just one. 1 Are you explaining a procedure, trying to convince or persuade, give information or outline possible courses of action? What you are trying to do in your presentation should have a bearing on how you present. There are also cultural aspects to take into consideration in that different communities will react differently to the same presentation: English-speaking as against a French-speaking audience, a scientific forum, a literary group or an assembly of business managers. Each one will expect and react in various ways according to the linguistic, scientific, academic or business culture it is familiar with. Different people speak in different ways in different languages and different conventions depending on to whom, where, when and why they are speaking. All of these questions are, of course, vital to take into consideration during the preparation. Remember anyone can give a good presentation. Don’t worry if you are not naturally extrovert. Preparation and practice can be the keys to success! 1 Most companies probably offer some kind of training in presenting. Some even have specific guidelines or style sheet for slides. Also over time you will develop your own personal style. Carl Storz et al. Oral Presentation Skills Août 2002 2 I . PREPARATI ON AN D PLAN N I N G I .1 ESSEN TI AL PREPARATI ON AN D PLAN N I N G CH ECKLI ST This is a checklist of t he essent ial elem ent s t o consider in preparing and planning an oral present at ion. Use it yourself by filling in t he boxes on t he right under “ My I deas” . QUESTI ON S TO ASK YOURSELF 1. What is t he aim ? 2. What is m y t it le? 3. Who am I speak ing t o? 4. What are t he m ain point s I want t o m ak e? 5. What do I want t he audience t o do aft er list ening t o m y present at ion? Carl Storz et al. EXAM PLES MY IDEAS t o buy m y product t o adopt m y recom m endat ions t o j oin t he club t o give m e a j ob The new Mokia 2001 How t o reduce product ion cost s The I NT Chess Club What are t he benefit s t o t he audience of m y product / report / speech? Are t hese people t he decision m akers? What do t hey k now of t he subj ect ? How does t his change m y approach? What sort of quest ions will t hey ask m e? What are t he answers? What aspect s will t hey be int erest ed in? 1, 2, 3; first , second, t hird; point a, point b, point c We m ust invit e t hem : t o buy m y product t o accept m y findings t o j oin t he club t o give m e a j ob Oral Presentation Skills Août 2002 3 I .2 Ot he r que st ions conce r ning physica l a spe ct s. Who is t he audience? How m any people will t here be in t he audience? Check beforehand, if you can, t he place where you are going t o m ake your present at ion. Where will it t ake place? How big is t he room ? What equipm ent is t here in t he room ? What equipm ent do I need? Does t he equipm ent work? Are you going t o need a black or whit eboard? Have you got chalk and / or a felt t ip pen? Do you need an overhead proj ect or or a screen? Are t hey in place? I s t here a podium ? Where are you going t o put your not es / papers / t ransparencies? Do you need an adapt er or ext ension lead? Can t he inform at ion be seen? Can you present t he inform at ion and not get in t he way? Do you need a point er? Will you need t o dim t he light s or draw t he curt ains? Are you going t o need handout s or any ot her docum ent s? How m any? Do t hey present a good im age of you and your com pany? W he n? What t im e of day is it ? What day is it ? Will t he audience be m ore or less recept ive when list ening? H ow lon g? I n relat ion t o what t he audience knows or t im e const raint s, what can I elim inat e if necessary? Ot he r Am I dressed appropriat ely? Shoes polished? Are m y hands and fingernails clean? Experienced Experienced presenters are able to improvise and adapt to changing circumstances but you may have only one chance to present your information, so be prepared. Carl Storz et al. Oral Presentation Skills Août 2002 4 I I . STRUCTURE OF AN ORAL PRESEN TATI ON A good oral present at ion is well st ruct ured; t his m akes it easier for t he list ener t o follow. Basically t here are t hree part s t o a t ypical present at ion: t he beginning, t he m iddle and t he end ( or int roduct ion, body and conclusion) . We are going t o look at each part in t urn and present t he language needed t o express bot h t he st ruct ure and t he cont ent . I I .1 TH E BEGI N N I N G OR TH E I N TROD UCTI ON The beginning of a present at ion is t he m ost im port ant part . I t is when you est ablish a rapport wit h t he audience and when you have it s at t ent ion. More det ailed t echniques can be found in part I V. I I .1 .A Ge t t he a udie nce 's a t t e nt ion a nd signa l t he be ginning. Right . Well. OK. Er m . Let 's begin. Good. Fine. Gr eat . Can w e st ar t ? Shall w e st ar t ? Let 's get t he ball r olling. Let 's get dow n t o business. I n English- speaking count ries it is not uncom m on for t he speaker t o begin wit h a j oke, an anecdot e, a st at em ent m ade t o surprise or provoke in order t o gain t he audience's at t ent ion, t o m ake people want t o list en, t o feel relaxed and even t o int roduce t he subj ect . This m ay or m ay not be appropriat e in your count ry; you are probably t he best j udge. Cert ainly hum our is difficult t o convey and would not be appropriat e in all cont ext s. A good t echnique is t o t ry t o get your audience involved in your t alk eit her by asking direct or rhet orical quest ions. Ask for a show of hands for exam ple, in response t o a quest ion or, present inform at ion in such a way t hat t he audience can ident ify wit h it . You can give an anecdot e, unusual or surprising fact s, or an illust rat ion from real life could be em ployed here. I I .1 .B Gr e e t a udie nce . I t is im port ant t o greet t he audience by saying som et hing like: Hello ladies and gent lem en. Good m or ning m em ber s of t he j ur y. Good aft er noon est eem ed guest s Good evening m em ber s of t he boar d Fellow colleagues Mr . Chair m an/ Chair w om an Thank you for your kind int r oduct ion I I .1 .C I nt r oduce one se lf, ( na m e , posit ion, a nd com pa ny) Do t his not only t o give im port ant inform at ion so people can ident ify you but also t o est ablish your aut horit y on t he subj ect and t o allow t he audience t o see your point of view on t he subj ect ( you are a st udent , researcher, responsible for, direct or of, neophyt e, laym an) . 2 Good aft er noon ladies and gent lem en, let m e int r oduce m yself. 2 It is a good idea to put your name, company’s name, company logo, title and date of the presentation on all the transparencies or handouts. Carl Storz et al. Oral Presentation Skills Août 2002 5 Good m or ning ever yone, I 'd like t o st ar t by int r oducing m yself. My nam e is... I am a st udent at t he I NT I am a doct or al candidat e, I am X. Y. fr om 3 Com . I 'm t he m anager of… I am a r esear cher fr om … I 've been w or king on t he subj ect now for X year s... I 've had w ide exper ience in t he field of ... Good m or ning, m y nam e is Law r ence Couder c. I am a st udent at t he I NT and I w ould like t o t alk t o you t oday about som e of m y findings in a st udy I did on… Som et im es, especially when invit ed t o speak, t he host int roduces t he guest , gives t he sam e inform at ion as above and t hen gives t he floor t o t he guest speaker. I am ver y pleased and pr oud t o int r oduce …w ho is…. He/ she is know n for … Now I 'll t ur n t he floor over t o t oday's speaker . ( t o t ake t he floor , t o have t he floor , t o give t he floor t o som eone.) I I .1 .D Give t it le a nd int r oduce subj e ct What exact ly are you going t o speak about ? Sit uat e t he subj ect in t im e and place, in relat ion t o t he audience and/ or it s im port ance. Give a rough idea or a working definit ion of t he subj ect . I plan t o speak about ... Today I 'm going t o t alk about ... The subj ect of m y pr esent at ion is... The t hem e of m y t alk is... I 've been asked t o give you an over view of... Cult ural aspect s m ay be im port ant here; scient ist s want t o dem onst rat e t heir work and findings while m anagers and hum anit ies people want t o share ideas and reflect ions wit h t heir audience. I t m ay be t he result of a desire t o persuade and convince. I t m ay be com parison of t wo or m ore product s, plans or proposals. Why are you going t o speak about it ? I have chosen t o speak about t his because... I w as asked t o speak about X because... Have you set any lim it s on t he scope of your t alk? What won't you speak about ? I t m ay be very useful t o elim inat e cert ain areas before you st art so as t o avoid confusion or deviat ion from your m ain t ask. I t also prot ect s you from crit icism lat er for not covering cert ain aspect s or issues. Have you est im at ed t he t im e it will t ake? 3 I t is useful t o give t he list eners som e idea of how long you will speak so as t o m aint ain t heir at t ent ion bet t er. I w ill not speak about ... I have lim it ed m y speech t o My t alk w ill last about 15 m inut es 3 Concerning time, professional people are very often pressed for time. The average person’s attention span is also very, very short. Conclusion: the shorter the better! Carl Storz et al. Oral Presentation Skills Août 2002 6 I w ill speak for 15 m inut es. You m ay want t o give acknowledgem ent s here t oo. I f you have been sponsored, support ed or encouraged by a part icular firm , organizat ion, professor, et c. you m ay want t o recognise t heir cont ribut ion. Your research and paper m ay have been t he work of a collaborat ive effort and you should acknowledge t his t oo giving t he nam es of all t he part icipant s. At som e point you should ask a quest ion or som ehow t ry t o det erm ine t he at t it ude and knowledge of t he audience. How do t hey feel about t he subj ect ? You will t hen have t o m odify t he cont ent s, as you never know exact ly what t o expect . Have you ever hear d of...? You m ay alr eady know … I feel sur e t hat som e of you… Ever y day you encount er ... To get t he audience's at t ent ion and perhaps t o find out where t hey are you could int roduce t he subj ect by saying: Have you ever hear d of/ seen X? You've pr obably seen count less t im es... You m ay have w onder ed... I I .1 .E Give your obj e ct ive s ( pur pose , a im , goa ls) The m ain purpose of an inform at ive speech is t o have t he audience underst and and rem em ber a cert ain am ount of inform at ion. You should t herefore have t wo purposes: a general purpose and a specific one. The form er is t o inform : t o give an overview, t o present , t o sum m arize, t o out line; t o discuss t he current sit uat ion or t o explain how t o do som et hing or how som et hing is done. The lat t er is what you want t he audience t o t ake away wit h t hem aft er list ening t o you, what you want t hem t o do, what t hey should rem em ber. My pur pose in doing t his paper is t o give you a solid backgr ound on t he subj ect of or al pr esent at ion skills so t hat in t he fut ur e, at t he I NT or elsew her e, you can deliver a successful speech in fr ont of a gr oup. What I w ould like t o do t oday is t o explain t o illust r at e... t o give you t he essent ial backgr ound infor m at ion on... t o out line... t o have a look at ... What I w ant m y list ener s t o get out of m y speech is... I f t her e is one t hing I 'd like t o get acr oss t o you t oday it is t hat … Once you have est ablished your specific obj ect ives you m ay go on t o form ulat e your cont ent . 4 I I .1 .F Announce your out line . You want t o keep t he out line sim ple so 2 or 3 m ain point s are usually enough. Concerning gram m ar t he headings of t he out line should be of t he sam e gram m at ical form . I have br oken m y speech dow n/ up int o X par t s. I have divided m y pr esent at ion ( up) int o Y par t s. 4Change the purpose of the speech (or the time, place and audience) to see how the outline changes. Carl Storz et al. Oral Presentation Skills Août 2002 7 In In In In t he fir st par t I give a few basic definit ions. t he next sect ion I w ill explain par t t hr ee, I am going t o show ... t he last par t I w ould like/ w ant t o give a pr act ical exam ple... 5 I I .1 . G Que st ions a nd com m e nt s fr om t he a udie nce . You should also let t he audience know at som e point in t he int roduct ion when and whet her t hey m ay ask quest ions. I 'd ask you t o save your quest ions for t he end. Ther e w ill be plent y of t im e at t he end of m y speech for a discussion. You m ay int er r upt m e at any m om ent t o ask quest ions or m ake com m ent s. Please st op m e if you don't under st and any t hing I say but could you keep any specific quest ions unt il aft er I 've finished. I I .1 .H M a k e a t r a nsit ion be t w e e n t he int r oduct ion a nd t he body. You should refer t o your t ransparency or out line. Now let us t ur n t o point one. Let us now m ove on t o t he second par t , w hich is, as I said ear lier …. If you are giving a technical presentation a glossary might be useful and avoid unecessary interuptions. Always explain abbreviations and say acronyms giving their full name when you first mention them and be especially careful with the pronunciation. 5 Notice the variety of ways of indicating parts (in the first part, section, part three, the last place) and variety of grammar, i.e. verbal forms that follow. One student actually began with definitions of key technical words that would come up in the speech. What do you think of that idea? Depending on the context or specific cultural environment you may or may not want to use a transparency. For example, in a professional corporate context it may look a bit scholastic to project an outline. However, in giving a paper, since the objective is didactic you could put it on a transparency and refer back to it from time to time. Carl Storz et al. Oral Presentation Skills Août 2002 8 I I .2 TH E M I D D LE OR TH E BOD Y I I .2 .A Cont e nt . What inform at ion should you give in your speech? All your inform at ion should support your purpose. I n m ost cases you will have t o lim it t he cont ent , as t im e is usually precious! I I .2 .B Qua nt it y How m uch inform at ion should you give? Enough t o clearly develop your ideas. Don’t forget t o illust rat e t hrough exam ples. I I .2 .C Se que ncing your ide a s. Here are a few possibilit ies for organizing your ideas: logical; chr onological or der ; fr om gener al t o specific; fr om know n t o unknow n; fr om accept ed t o cont r over sial; cause/ effect ; pr oblem / solut ion. What ever sequencing you choose, t he headings should be all of t he sam e gram m at ical form . I I .2 .D Ke e ping t he a udie nce 's a t t e nt ion The beginning and t he end or t he first and last part s of a t alk are what list eners will rem em ber best . Think of ways you can keep t he audience's at t ent ion t hroughout t he rest of t he speech. ( See part I V.) I I .2 . E Signpost ing or signa ling w he r e you a r e . Just as when you are driving along a road t hat you don't know very well, you depend on signs t o guide you, you need t o guide t he list ener by using expressions t o t ell him / her where you are going. That is t o say, first announce what you are going t o say ( give an exam ple, reform ulat e et c.) and t hen say what you want t o say. This is very like verbal punct uat ion. I ndicat e when you have finished one point and t hen go on t o t he next one. I t is redundant in t ext but very useful in oral present at ions. Experienced present ers will also clearly pause, change t heir st ance and t he pit ch of t heir voice as t hey m ove from one part of a present at ion t o anot her. List ing infor m a t ion List s are oft en a necessary evil. Vary your language whenever possible and avoid reading direct ly. Ther e ar e t hr ee t hings w e have t o consider : one, t w o, and t hr ee. A, B, C. Now let us look at t he fir st aspect w hich is... Fir st of all,… I n t he fir st place…6 Link ing ide a s, se ct ions/ m a k ing t r a nsit ions I ndicat e t he end of one sect ion and t he beginning of t he next . That 's all I w ould like t o say about ... ( subj ect of par t A) and now let us t ur n t o .... Now t hat w e've seen... let us t ur n t o… 6 Do not use, in a first time, at first, at last, firstable. Carl Storz et al. Oral Presentation Skills Août 2002 9 Ou t lin in g opt ion s. I f t here are alt ernat ive ways of looking at a t opic or proposal, out line t hem t o show you are fam iliar wit h t he different ways of dealing wit h a sit uat ion. Ther e seem t o be t w o possible w ays of dealing w it h t his... We've looked at t his fr om t he point of view of t he m anufact ur er but w hat about if w e w er e t o... A num ber of opt ions pr esent t hem selves at t his point .... I f what you are dealing wit h dem ands a com parison of st rengt hs and weaknesses indicat e clearly t he different aspect s and underline t he point s you feel are im port ant or secondary . What exact ly ar e t he benefit s? On t he plus side w e can add... This is not t he only w eakness of t he plan... We cannot ignor e t he pr oblem s t hat such an act ion w ould cr eat e... We do not need t o concer n our selves w it h… Of lesser int er est ar e… To be cle a r a nd concr e t e . Use exam ples, rephrasing, sum m aries et c.: To give a n e x a m ple : Now let 's t ake an exam ple. An exam ple of t his can be found... To illust r at e t his… Let 's see t his t hr ough an exam ple. For exam ple, For inst ance, e.g. To r e ph r a se : Let m e r ephr ase t hat , I n ot her w or ds Anot her w ay of saying t he sam e t hing is That is t o say i.e. To sum m a r ize : To sum m ar ize To sum up, Let m e sum m ar ize by saying So t hat concludes m y over view I n conclusion Br iefly said I n shor t , What I 've t r ied t o show in t his par t ... To r ecap w hat w e've seen so far ... To e m pha size What is ver y significant is... What is im por t ant t o r em em ber ... I 'd like t o em phasize t he fact t hat ... I ’d like t o st r ess t he im por t ance of... t o highlight ... Carl Storz et al. t o under line... What I t r ied t o br ing out ... What w e need t o focus on... To r e fe r t o w h a t you h a ve sa id pr e viou sly: As I have alr eady said ear lier ... As w e saw in par t one... To r epeat w hat I 've said alr eady… To r e fe r t o w h a t you w ill sa y: We w ill see t his a lit t le lat er on. This w ill be t he subj ect of par t 3. We w ill go int o m or e det ail on t hat lat er . For now , suffice t o say... To r e fe r t o w h a t a n e x pe r t sa ys: I quot e t he w or ds of ... I n t he w or ds of… Accor ding t o... Her e I 'd like t o quot e… As Mr . X says in his book... Ther e is a fam ous quot at ion t hat goes... To r e fe r t o com m on k n ow le dge : As you all m ay w ell know ... I t is gener ally accept ed t hat ... As you ar e pr obably aw ar e ( of) ... Oral Presentation Skills Août 2002 10 I I .3 TH E EN D OR CON CLUSI ON The end of a t alk should never com e as a surprise t o an audience; it needs special considerat ion. I I .3 .A Cont e nt The end or t he conclusion of your t alk should include four part s: a brief rem inder of what you t ried t o show in your speech and how you t ried t o do so, a short conclusion, t hanks t o t he audience for list ening, and an invit at ion t o ask quest ions, m ake com m ent s or open a discussion. 7 At t he end you should briefly sum m arize your speech in a few lines t o m ake sure t he audience has ret ained t he m ain point s. Alt ernat ives are: t o st at e t he point of t he speech; give t he essent ial m essage t o ret ain; list t he m ain point s and what you want t he audience t o rem em ber; review inform ally or indirect ly by using a quot e, a com parison or exam ple. Then you should give som e kind of conclusion. That is t o say you should give a m essage t hat logically com es out of t he ideas developed in your speech. This could be a com m ent ary, t he lessons learned, som e recom m endat ions, or t he next st eps. You could also m ake a call t o act ion; t he audience should have t o do som et hing. Thirdly, t hank t he audience for being t here. Finally, ask for quest ions and com m ent s or invit e a discussion. I f you choose t he form er, you put yourself in a superior posit ion com pared t o t he audience and should be considered as an expert . You will need t o be very prepared int ellect ually and psychologically t o t ransfer cont rol t o t he audience and be able t o answer any quest ions. However, in t he case of t he lat t er, you put yourself m ore or less on equal t erm s wit h t he audience and do not have t o be t he expert wit h all t he answers! The audience m ay have som e clear ideas or som e pract ical knowledge about t he subj ect t hem selves! Nat urally you need t o signpost t he end of your t alk. This m ay t ake t he form of a recapit ulat ion of t he m ain point s. I 'd like t o sum m ar ize/ sum up At t his st age I w ould like t o r un t hr ough/ over t he m ain point s... So, as w e have seen t oday.... As I have t r ied t o explain t his m or ning BT finds it self in.... Or t here m ay be recom m endat ions or proposals t hat you wish t o m ake; As a r esult w e suggest t hat … I n t he light of w hat w e have seen t oday I suggest t hat ... My fir st pr oposal is... Above all when you conclude do not do it abrupt ly or as if surprised t o get t o t he end of your t alk. I n conclusion I w ould like t o say t hat ... My final com m ent s concer n... I w ould like t o finish by r em inding ever yone t hat ... 7 Do not introduce new information. Carl Storz et al. Oral Presentation Skills Août 2002 11 You m ay at t his point wish t o dist ribut e a vocabulary list or m ore det ailed inform at ion t hat you wish t o m ake available. I 've pr epar ed a slim folder of t he pr oposals... I n t he sheet s t hat ar e now being dist r ibut ed you w ill find a br eakdow n of t he... And finally you m ay well have t o deal wit h quest ions. I 'd be happy t o answ er any quest ions.... I f t her e ar e any quest ions please feel fr ee t o ask. Thank you ver y m uch for your at t ent ion and if t her e ar e any suggest ions or com m ent s 8 I I .3 .B D e a ling w it h difficult que st ions 1. Make sure you underst and t he quest ion. Ask a quest ion t o see if you underst and Repeat t he quest ion in your own words t o check t hat you have underst ood. if not , ask t he quest ioner t o repeat 2. I n answering: delay t he answer ( ask for t im e and/ or repeat t he quest ion) Just a m inut e please. What is a...? How can I put it ? I 'm glad you asked t hat quest ion. That 's a good quest ion/ point / r em ar k. Can I answ er t hat quest ion lat er ? adm it t hat you are not responsible. I saw t hat in t he w or k of… agree but give an alt ernat ive point of view I agr ee w it h you but t her e is anot her w ay of looking at it . I I .4 SUM M ARY OF PART I I To give a successful present at ion and at t he sam e t im e a good im age of yourself or your firm , careful preparat ion and organizat ion are required. You need t o t ake int o considerat ion who you are speaking t o, when, where, and why, as all of t hese det ails will have an im pact on your st ruct ure and cont ent . A well- st ruct ured speech wit h a st ep- by- st ep approach is one t hat is easy t o follow. Besides st ruct ure, it is also necessary t o be relat ively repet it ive. A good 'rule' is announce what you are going t o say, say it and finally, say what you've said. Be careful wit h t he figures. Pronunciat ion ( proper nam es, cognat es, num bers) and present at ion are im port ant , pract ice beforehand! This is equally im port ant for t he key words of your present at ion. I t is part icularly annoying for t he audience t o hear t he sam e word m ispronounced repeat edly. I n addit ion t o careful preparat ion - good st ruct ure and vocabulary – and organizat ion, a m essage passes in ot her ways. According t o expert s 55% of t he m essage is non- verbal. Using im ages ( visuals) ; body language and voice are ext rem ely im port ant and will be exam ined in t he following sect ions. 8 Palmer is very good on tactics to employ in dealing with difficult questions. (See bibliography) Carl Storz et al. Oral Presentation Skills Août 2002 12 I I I . VI SUALS W ha t a r e visua ls? graphs m aps drawings m odels obj ect s 9 chart s phot os im ages video/ film W ha t m e dia a r e use d? t ransparencies/ slides 10 Power Point © slides video proj ect ion/ proj ect or handout s I t is oft en a good idea t o give out a paper copy, called a handout , an out line, a glossary of key words, sources, any ot her visuals you plan t o use, so people can t ake t hem away, not wast e t im e in t aking not es on key concept s. W ha t is t he voca bula r y of t he e quipm e nt use d? blackboard, whit eboard, paperboard chalk, felt t ip pen or m arker, eraser podium , lect ern, overhead, overhead proj ect or syst em ( OHP) screen point er m icrophone, m ike opaque proj ect or W ha t should you put on a visua l? key words t echnical words list s Voca bula r y of gr a phs/ cha r t line graph ( algorit hm ic, linear curve, line) bar chart flip chart diagram exam ples diagram s chart s pie chart ( segm ent , slice of t he pie) flow chart organizat ion chart 9 We have tried to give an overview of visuals here. For more information on describing visuals, especially graphs and the movement of the curve on a graph, see Simon Sweeney in bibliography. 10 There is some resistance to the use of Powerpoint™ everywhere. Criticism includes the pre-formatting, ubiquity, bulleted ideas, boredom, lack of personal style and so on. (See Parker, Ian. “Absolute Powerpoint”. The New Yorker, May 28, 2001, pp. 76-83.) Carl Storz et al. Oral Presentation Skills Août 2002 13 W hy use visua ls? t o focus t he audience's at t ent ion t o illust rat e point s easier t o underst and in visual form but difficult in a verbal form ( e.g. st at ist ics) t o reinforce ideas t o change focus from aural/ oral t o visual t o involve and m ot ivat e t he audience t o involve all t he senses t o serve as logical proof t o save t im e and avoid put t ing inform at ion on a board t o avoid t urning your back t o t he audience when writ ing on a board t o help t he speaker Te x t t o put on a visua l nam e, conference/ com pany and com pany logo, dat e, t it le of present at ion. Try t o do t his consist ant ly but not t o t he det rim ent of a t able or im age. full sent ences are not t o be used, unless a quot e is given, give round figures N.B. keep t ext t o a m inim um Size , la yout , font ( t ype fa ce ) a nd size , color s. Size - A4 Layout should be pleasant and easy t o read: horizont al/ landscape layout is preferable. Font s: Ariel, Helvet ica, Tim es New Rom an, Fut ura, Opt im a, Verdana, New Cent ury, Schoolbook and Courier. Som e com panies im pose a part icular st yle. Font size - m aybe 20 or m ore depending on t he size of t he room you will be speaking in. A good idea is t o use different sizes for different t ypes of t ext : i.e. 20 for m ain headings, 16 for subheadings, 14 for ot her t ext . Use CAPI TAL LETTERS, bold fa ce , it alics, underlining, reverse ( whit e on black) or shading t o highlight . I f possible, use color t ransparencies ( unless you are j ust showing t ext ) . H ow m a n y? One every t wo m inut es is sufficient . To show t oo m any slides is worse t han none at all. Ge ne r a l a nd m isce lla ne ous t ips. Have t he slides ready and in order. Check t o see if t he OHP is plugged in, in working order and in focus. Test t he visual t o see if people at t he back of t he room can see it . St and t o t he side of t he screen and face t he audience. Mask t o reveal only what you want t he audience t o see. Use a point er or a pen t o draw at t ent ion t o a specific point . Visuals should be adj ust ed t o t he audience. Visuals should supplem ent t he spoken m essage. Large enough for everyone t o see. ( Good idea t o give out a paper copy, i.e. a handout , not at t he sam e t im e t hough, as t he audience m ay not look at you) Don't display t oo m uch inform at ion, t oo m any colors or t ypefaces. Does t he layout work? Are t here any spelling m ist akes or gram m at ical errors? Rem em ber t hey are going t o be in plain view all t he t im e of your visual. Carl Storz et al. Oral Presentation Skills Août 2002 14 H ow should you pr e se nt a visua l in a pr e se nt a t ion? I t is not sufficient j ust t o put up a t ransparency on t he screen and expect t he audience t o t urn it s at t ent ion t o it , t o underst and it and m ake t he link wit h what you are saying. ( See Giving Pr esent at ions Unit . 4) We would suggest t he following st rat egy: I t is im port ant t o prepare your audience for what t hey are going t o see. This keeps t he audience on t heir t oes and gives you t he opport unit y t o posit ion your visual correct ly. Let 's look at t he cur r ent dist r ibut ion of t he m ar ket , as you can see... I 'm going t o show you now t he m ost r ecent figur es available... My next slide concer ns t he m et hod by w hich... Rem em ber t o draw t he at t ent ion of t he audience t o t he point s t hat you wish t o highlight but avoid redundancy by describing everyt hing t hat is in t he visual! As you can see.... The fir st line of figur es is t he m ost r evealing... Not ice/ obser ve how t he incr ease has had an effect on t he... What is im por t ant her e is t he w ay t hat ... You can also t ry t o rephrase your point t o give it em phasis, giving t he audience t im e t o absorb t he inform at ion. I n ot her w or ds t he num ber of em ployees has a dir ect effect on t he... Or t o look at it in anot her w ay ever y t im e you... That is t o say no m at t er w hat t echnique is used, t he r esult s r em ain I V. CREATI N G I N TEREST AN D ESTABLI SH I N G A RELATI ON SH I P W I TH TH E AUD I EN CE Do not assum e t he audience will be int erest ed in what you have t o say. Even if t hey are, m inds wander and get dist ract ed. From t he very beginning you need t o creat e int erest and cont inue doing so t hroughout your speech. You need t o put everyt hing on your side t o prom ot e knowledge acquisit ion. I n inform ing an audience you have t o adj ust t o what people t hink, t o const raint s, m aint ain a dialogue ( and not a m onologue) and use at t ract ive support ing m at erials. How can you do t his? Arouse list eners' int erest from t he beginning. I n t he int roduct ion show how your subj ect or what you are going t o say affect s or m ay affect t heir lives. I n ot her words, m ake it personal. Ot her t echniques are: • Give an unusual fact or st at ist ic. • Use words like you, w e, us, our . • I llust rat e wit h a real life st ory or anecdot e. • Ask t he audience t o do som et hing. "Raise your hands if you know." • Ask t he audience direct or rhet orical quest ions. ( See below) Ot her t ips: • Be brief and clear in giving t he subj ect and purpose. • The speaker’s at t it ude is im port ant - knowledge, personalit y, openness. Be lively and ent husiast ic. • Use a variet y of m edia sources. Carl Storz et al. Oral Presentation Skills Août 2002 15 Rhe t or ica l que st ions What is a rhet orical quest ion? A quest ion t hat you ask wit hout expect ing it t o be answered. Why use such a quest ion? I n using such a quest ion t he speaker appears t o be having a dialogue wit h t he list eners. I t also should cat ch t heir at t ent ion. Have you ever seen/ hear d/ exper ienced...? How can w e explain t his? What does t hat m ean? What can be done about t hat ? What does t his im ply for you, as a consum er ? Em pha sizing/ highlight ing Say som et hing is im port ant . The im por t ant t hing t o r em em ber is... The essent ial elem ent is... St ress verbs wit h your voice. We exper im ent ed w it h t he concept over a per iod of t hr ee year s. Add auxiliary verbs for em phasis. We did see a not iceable differ ence. Change t he word order What I 'd like t o show t oday is t he differ ence bet w een t he t w o pr oduct s. Good it m ay be, easy it isn't . Repet it ion As I 've said befor e... Let m e r epeat Tripling, chunking and ot her t echniques of word play and em phasis should be used 11 as you becom e m ore fluent and confident . This m et hod is clear er , cheaper and m or e consist ent . Qualit y is not som et hing t hat affect s t he bot t om line, it is t he bot t om line. 11 For more of this see Mark Powell in bibliography. Carl Storz et al. Oral Presentation Skills Août 2002 16 V. BOD Y LAN GUAGE The golden rule is "Be nat ural and relax! " W ha t is body la ngua ge ? Eye cont act , facial expressions, post ure, m ovem ent s, gest ures. W hy is it use ful? I t is a nat ural part of com m unicat ion: t o clarify m eaning; it is very visual t o vent nervousness t o m aint ain int erest t o em phasize and regulat e Below are j ust a few exam ples of bot h posit ive and negat ive body language: Posit ive body la ngua ge eye cont act t o keep audiences' at t ent ion ( Asian audience m ight feel aggressed.) facial expressions should be nat ural and friendly. Don't forget t o sm ile. • raise eyebrows t o show surprise • open eyes wide • squint your eyes • knit your eyebrows t o show const ernat ion or puzzlem ent post ure – st and st raight but relaxed ( do not slouch or lean) m ovem ent - t o indicat e a change of focus, keep t he audience's at t ent ion • m ove forward t o em phasize • m ove t o one side t o indicat e a t ransit ion gest ure • up and down head m ot ion or ot her m ovem ent s t o indicat e im port ance • pen or point er t o indicat e a part , a place ( on a t ransparency) . • shrug of t he shoulders t o indicat e " I don't know! " • hands - back and fort h = t wo possibilit ies, m ore or less • arm - m ovem ent back, fort h N e ga t ive body la ngua ge loss of eye cont act : looking at not es, looking at screen, at t he board, at t he floor don't st are, or look blankly int o people's eyes swaying back and fort h like a pendulum back t urned t o t he audience nervous t icks hands in pocket s Carl Storz et al. Oral Presentation Skills Août 2002 17 VI . VOI CE AN D PRON UN CI ATI ON Correct pronunciat ion is im port ant if one is t o be underst ood correct ly. I ncorrect pronunciat ion is perhaps t he first cause of com m unicat ion breakdown. I f t he list ener is not accust om ed t o t he speaker’s nat ive language, he/ she will not underst and a m ispronounced word. Mispronunciat ion also t ires t he list ener’s ear and he/ she will perhaps even st op t rying t o underst and t he speaker if it becom es t oo difficult . VI .1 W ha t is pr onuncia t ion? There are t wo im port ant aspect s of pronunciat ion of individual words, word st ress and t he individual sounds t hem selves called "phonem es". 12 A suggest ion: m ake sure you know how t o correct ly pronounce at least t he key t echnical words or words t hat your repeat over and over again in your speech. Just as in t he case of individual words in English a part icular syllable receives st ress, so do part icular words in a sent ence. Sent ence st ress concerns st ressing part icular words in a sent ence usually at regular int ervals. 13 English speakers st ress words t hat are im port ant for m eaning such as: nouns, verbs, adj ect ives, adverbs, negat ives, dem onst rat ives and int errogat ives. Unst ressed ones include art icles, auxiliary verbs, preposit ions, and conj unct ions. Link ing - ( as in French) bet ween a consonant and t he following vowel and grouping words int o t h ou gh t gr ou ps - needs t o be pract iced. 14 I n t he area of pronunciat ion, t he basic problem s of French speakers are: 1. Word and sent ence st ress - not all syllables in a word or in a sent ence are st ressed equally. 2. I n unst ressed syllables t he vowel oft en becom es short er ( schwa: e.g. m an in Germ an) . 3. Long English sounds are m uch longer t han corresponding French sounds and t he short sounds of English are short er t han French short sounds. 4. The voice is used t o indicat e m eaning, and int onat ion is higher or m ore glided in English. VI .2 Voice The voice, or m ore precisely t he qualit ies of t he voice, should be used t o it s/ t heir fullest . 15 Qualit ies include loudness, speed ( fast or slow) , variet y, pit ch ( high or low) , silent m om ent s or pauses. The voice is im port ant : t o indicat e im port ance, m eaning t o creat e at m osphere and t o avoid sounding m onot onous and put t ing t he audience t o sleep! 12 See Carl Storz. English Pronunciation Notebook for Telecommunications Students. Evry: INT, 1993. For excellent practice work in the context of everyday expressions, see Carolyn Graham.Small Talk Jazz Chants. Oxford: OUP, 1986 14 See Judy B. Gilbert. Clear Speech. Cambridge: CUP, 1984. 15 See Tony Lynch. Study Listening. London: CUP, 1986. 13 Carl Storz et al. Oral Presentation Skills Août 2002 18 VI I . BI BLI OGRAPH Y For ext ra pract ice in preparing for an oral present at ion ( or English in general) we have used and would suggest t he following t it les, m any of which are all available in t he Language Resource Cent er. ( E103) On or a l pr e se n t a t ion : Cour se m a t e r ia ls for le a r ne r s of English: Com fort , Jerem y and Derek Ut ley. ( York Associat es) Effect ive Pr esent at ions. Oxford: OUP: 1996. Ellis, Mark & Nina O' Driscoll. Giving Pr esent at ions. Harlow: Longm an, 1992. Howe, Brian. Visit r on, t he Language of Pr esent at ions. Harlow: Longm an, 1985. Lynch, Tony. St udy List ening. London: CUP, 1986. Powell, Mark. Pr esent ing in English. Hove: LTP, 1996. Sweeney, Sim on. English for Business Com m unicat ion. Cam bridge: CUP, 1997. Ot h e r book s on or a l pr e se n t a t ion Glickst ein, Lee. Be Hear d Now ! New York: Broadway Books, 1998. Hendricks, Dr. William et al. Secr et s of Pow er Pr esent at ions. Franklin Lakes, N.J.: Career Press, 1996. Slut sky, Jeff and Aun, Michael. The Toast m ast er s I nt er nat ional Guide t o Successful Speaking. Chicago: Dearborn Financial Publishing, 1997. Wilder Claudyne and Jennifer Rot ondo. Point , Click & Wow ! A Quick Guide t o Br illiant Lapt op Pr esent at ions. 2nd Edit ion. Hoboken, N.J.: Jossey- Bass, 2002. On pr on u n cia t ion a n d t h e voice : Gilbert , Judy B. Clear Speech. 2 nd Edit ion Cam bridge: CUP, 1993. Graham , Carolyn. Sm all Talk Jazz Chant s. Oxford: OUP, 1986. Powell, Mark. Pr esent ing in English. Hove: LTP, 1996. See “ Using Your Voice” ( Sect ion 3) Rodenburg, Pat sy. The Right t o Speak: w or king w it h t he voice. London: Met huen, 1992. St orz, Carl. English Pr onunciat ion Not ebook for Telecom m unicat ions St udent s. Evry: I NT, 1993. Many Web sit es ( m ost ly give m ore or less t he sam e inform at ion) ( checked 9/ 2002) ht t p: / / web.m it .edu/ writ ing/ Writ ing_Types/ oral.ht m l ht t p: / / fbox.vt .edu/ eng/ m ech/ writ ing: workbooks/ visuals.ht m l ( on visuals) ht t p: / / rpi.edu/ dept / llc/ writ ecent er/ web/ present at ion.ht m l ht t p: / / writ ing.colost at e.edu/ references/ speaking.cfm ht t p: / / business.englishclub.com / present at ions.ht m Fa m ous spe e che s - Speech Archives " Hear t he Words t hat Changed t he World" - . You can list en t o im port ant speeches in ( especially US) hist ory. Post e r se ssion s ( A post er is a part icular t ype of present at ion and not j sut a visual.) ht t p: / / writ ing.colost at e.edu/ references/ speaking.cfm / post ers/ ht t p: / / www.gm u.edu/ depart m ent s/ writ ingcent er/ ppt / index.ht m On body la ngua ge Carl Storz et al. Oral Presentation Skills Août 2002 19 Baylon C. et X. Mignot . La com m unicat ion. Paris: Fernand Nahan, 1994. Voir spéciallem ent V. “ Com m unicat ion à court e et à longue port ée” . ( I NT 9.492) Bouvet , Danielle. La dim ension cor por elle de la par ole. Paris: Peet ers, 2001. Bull, Pet er. “ What does gest ure and t o t he spoken word? I n Barlow, H. et al. I m ages and Under st anding. Cam bridge: CUP, 1990. ( I NT 9.54) Cabin, Philippe. La Com m unicat ion. Et at des savoir s. Paris PUF, 1998. ( I NT 9.492 CAB) . Carl Storz et al. Oral Presentation Skills Août 2002 20