Presentation and Public Speaking in English
a) A presentation is a formal talk to an audience for "presenting" ideas or information in a clear, structured way.Giving a presentation people should follow a few simple rules, which help them to relieve the emotional stress. While delivering your presentation remember the following key points: do not hurry; look friendly and maintain eye contact; remain polite when dealing with sharp criticism. Keep in mind the instructions and prepare your own presentation using relevant clichés from the table below the text.
Preparation for presentationincludes not only the creation of computer-aided slide show but also some behaviour strategies that are governed by certain instructions.
The first instructionconcerns cultural considerations. If they are not observed this may lead to cultural misunderstanding. The matter is that usually the majority of international conference audience isn’t native English-speakers, and they don’t belong to an Anglo-Saxon culture. Different civilizations may hold different views in science. For instance, the priority for Western scientists is to gain an objective, but Eastern researches appreciate methods. Different nationalities demonstrate different behaviour patterns and mental activity. Americans may appear to be rather aggressive, and their German colleagues show great attention to details and are very careful and precise about them. Giving their presentations Italian or Southern French reporters may gesticulate frantically to emphasize their words. They may seem dynamic and friendly to American colleagues, but the British will consider these presenters as unsure of their words and lacking in self-confidence.
Having received difficult or even hostile questions, a presenter must remain calm and polite. In this case, he might suggest discussing particularly awkward questions after the presentation. Political correctness requires being extremely careful about usage of intolerable words that may offend people because of their sex and race. The word “Negro”, for example, is offensive for dark-skinned people whose ancestors came from Africa, or the word “oriental” could cause offence to Chinese or Japanese people who have a naturally yellowish or olive skin.
Experienced participants of International Conferences know that there are many differences in culture even within the Anglo-Saxon world, and that is why some particular cultural matters may affect the audience. Therefore, preparation to presentation includes being acquainted with the audience and cultural differences in vocabulary and body language. It is very important for communication and warm friendly relationship. It should be taken into consideration if a speaker wants to establish a rapport with his audience.
Presenter’s body, haircut, walk, face expression, clothes and even glasses start speaking to an audience at the very moment he is given the floor. First impressions count. Informal clothes may appear to be beneath the level of those present. This is hardly the way to make good impression on foreign colleagues. It is always better to wear a suit thus communicating the feeling of respect and the idea of taking the audience seriously. Cultural differences can also be seen in body language. To gain an audience’s attention it is also better to move to or from the whiteboard rather than sit or stand very still. A presenter should not speak in the same, flat, monotonous manner but control the speed, intonation and volume of his voice throughout the presentation, so that an audience could hear his speech clearly.
The next instruction focuses on delivery and regulates the language aspects and nonverbal communication. The way in which presenters actually perform their presentations is one of the essential conditions of success. The significance of this is much more obvious in a multi-cultural context.
One of the biggest challenges in delivering a presentation is overcoming anxiety. Most speakers are a little nervous at the beginning, so it is better to pay special attention to the start and learn the report introduction by heart. If a presenter speaks slowly and calmly during this time, after a few moments he relaxes and gains self-confidence that is one of the important keys to effective presentation and success.
Talking about concrete facts, a presenter should use simple and clear language if he wants his message to be understood by non-native English audience. He should avoid jargon and use active verbs instead of passive ones, as the former verbs are much more powerful and easier to understand.
The important point is to establish eye contact in a natural way as if it were a face-to-face conversation. Each person of any race or sex should feel that a presenter addresses directly him or her. Looking in turn at each person, apart from establishing rapport with an audience, a presenter notices signs of disinterest or disagreement and modifies his presentation in a proper way.
b) English is widely used for communicating new ideas in international scientific conferences. The presentation arrangement and relevant vocabulary are very important.To modify your English as appropriate for an English language presentation the following table shows examples of language for introduction, body, conclusion and questions.
Table 15 Presentation communicating clichés
| Presentation structure and possible language | |||
| Presentation parts | Purposes | Presentation content structure | Communication patterns |
| Greeting the audience | Establishing a good rapport with the audience | 1.Addressing the conference chairman or moderator 2. Welcoming the audience 3.Presenter’s introducing | 1. Dear Mr. Chairman! Ladies and gentlemen! Let me thank you for giving me the floor, and thank the leadership of your University for its hospitality and arrangement for our meeting. We hope that this meeting will be yet another important step in addressing common research problems and strengthening mutual work in our countries. 2. Good morning (afternoon, evening) ladies and gentlemen. / Good afternoon, everybody Let me welcome you 3. My name is …. I’m Michael Semenov from Building and Road Machines Faculty and it’s a pleasure to be with you today. |
| Starting the presentation | Promoting main ideas of a presentation | 1. Introduction a presentation subject 2. Setting a period for each section and for a discussion or questions | 1. Today I would like to talk with you about.. The topic (subject) of my presentation today is ... What I'm going to talk about today is ... 2. I plan to keep some time for questions after the presentation. I'll try to answer all of your questions after the presentation. Please feel free to interrupt me if there are any questions. / Do feel free to interrupt me if you have any questions. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask me at the end of the presentation |
| Brief introduction | Attracting the audience’s attention to the subject | 1. Introducing the topical aspect and the core of the presented problem Why the presentation subject is of great interest and importance? 2. Introducing a presentation objective What are you trying to achieve by this presentation? | 1. 1. I'd like to start by... Let's begin by... First of all, I'll... Starting with... I’ll begin by … This is important because ... 2. My objective is to ... The purpose of my presentation is to introduce our new ... My aim for today’s presentation is to give you information about… I’d like to raise a question about … |
| Presentation main part (Body) | Maintaining the audience’s interest to the subject | Introducing the first point | Let's start/begin with ... |
| Showing graphics, slides, etc. | I'd like to illustrate this by showing you... | ||
| Giving an example | For example,... A good example of this is... As an illustration,... To give you an example,... To illustrate this point... | ||
| Finishing a single point... | Well, I've told you about... That's all I have to say about... We've looked at... So much for... Я изложил всё о ... | ||
| ...and starting another point | Now we'll move on to... Now let's move on to ... Let me turn now to... Next... Turning to... I'd like now to discuss... | ||
| Moving on to the next point | Let's look now at... Moving on to our next point… | ||
| Conclusion Summing up | Brief and clear repeating of presented key facts or ideas | Brief conclusion Summarizing or repeating the main points Giving recommendations | I would just like to sum up the main points again… My position can be summed as follows … If I could just summarize our main points before your questions. So, in conclusion… Finally let me just sum up today’s main topics… Right, let's sum up, shall we? I'd like now to recap... Я хотел бы подвести итог ... Let's summarise briefly what we've looked at... Finally, let me remind you of some of the issues we've covered... If I can just sum up the main points... To conclude,... Now, to sum up… So let me summarize / recap what I've said. Finally, may I remind you of some of the main points we've considered. I'd like to recap the main points of my presentation - first I covered - then we talked about - finally we looked at I'd now like to sum up the main points which were: I'm going to conclude by... saying that / inviting you to / quoting ... In conclusion, let me... leave you with this thought (invite you to) This is the way I look at it … In conclusion, my recommendations are... I therefore suggest / propose / recommend the following strategy... |
| Inviting questions | Involving the audience in discussion | Suggesting a discussion Inviting to express opinions | Finally, I'll be happy to answer your questions. Now I'd like to invite any questions you may have. Now I'll try to answer any questions you may have. Can I answer any questions? Are there any questions? Are there any final questions? Do you have any questions? |
| Thanking an audience | Expressing gratitude | Addressing the audience Showing appreciation for the audience’s attention to the subject | Many thanks for your attention. May I thank you all for being such an attentive audience. |
Exercise 5.2.2
a) If the Conference Committee accept your report for oral presentation, and you are given the floor, you should address the conference. What would you start your speech with? Choose the possible language and appropriate clichés from the table above, look at the pattern below, answer the questions and produce your own phrases for greeting the conference participants and presenting your principle ideas.
Traditional patterns for addressing the presidium of a conference or meeting:
Dear Mr. Chairman,
Your Excellency President of the Conference,
Distinguished prizewinners,
Excellences, Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is my great honour to welcome …
To begin with, I would like to thank you for the opportunity to …
I am grateful for the opportunity to share some information on ...
I thank the Co-Chairs of the Conference for preparing the …. document of the Conference ...
We have carefully reviewed the forward looking draft … which contains valuable proposals by …
However, at the same time, the draft needs some special emphases to promote the development of a long-term strategy …
The draft needs a plan of action as a road map to prevent the ever-increasing serious and long lasting consequences that threaten … for short, medium and long-term perspectives.
We have commended the comprehensive way in which the key issues of irreversible environmental changes and sustainable development have been addressed.
In this context, we would like to inform … about the scientific research that we have undertaken … ,
Working actively with scientists from several countries over the past … years we have undertaken the scientific research that includes analyses of …
We stand ready to engage with other … (Member States) in the further development of … .
The study shows that the scientific findings of our analysis would be invaluable for the current situation and prospects of …, which is key for all other issues, requires a long-term coordinated action by the entire international community.
We strongly believe that results of our research will contribute to …
The results of this work are summarized in … .
We have made recommendations for developed and developing countries … .
We strongly recommend the inclusion of these recommendations in the draft as integral part of the action which will be ….
We also suggest some practical actions for …
We have already submitted our amendments to the Conference Committee …
We consider it is important to pay more attention to … .
Our delegation has no objections to the proposed programme of work and timetable, but we would like to make a brief comment on the recent proposals …
These recommendations supported by … can be a significant substantive contribution to the decisions of the Conference.
I wish you every success in your work. Thank you for your attention.
b) Make up a dialogue with your group mate to clear up your knowledge of English clichés and patterns for conferencing. The following questions can help your communicating.
1. How would you introduce yourself?
2. What would you say for establishing a good rapport with the audience?
3. When does your audience have the first impression of you?
4. What should you do to be “in control”. i.e. to be relaxed and confident?
5. What means of communicating can help you to outline the structure of your presentation?
6. What does a speaker typically say to set a period for each presentation part, for a discussion or for questions?
7. Why is it so important to keep to your structure and give time on visuals while delivering the body of your presentation?
8. What do you tell your audience in the introduction?
9. Why is the introduction perhaps the most important part of your presentation?
10. Why should you concentrate on getting your introduction right?
11. Will you give your audience some instructions about questions? May it be helpful for you to make it clear during the introduction?
12. What part of your presentation is devoted to the subject, which you are going to discuss?
13. What part of your report is to contain your real topic?
14. What could you say to promote the main ideas of your presentation?
15. What clichés will help you to introduce a presentation subject?
16. How will you attract the audience’s attention to the subject of your presentation?
17. How will you try to convince the audience that the presentation subject is of great interest and importance?
18. How would you introduce a presentation objective andthe core of the presented problem?
19. What is the way of maintaining the audience’s interest to the subject?
20. What should you say for showing graphics and slides? for giving an example, for finishing a single point and starting another one or moving on to the next point?
21. What should you say for giving an example, for finishing a single point and starting another one or moving on to the next point?
22. Could you try to predict what questions may be asked and prepare your response in advance?
23. What do you tell your audience in theconclusion?
24. How will you address your audience for brief and clear repeating of presented facts and ideas?
25. Summarizing or repeating the main points, will you give recommendations if appropriate?
26. Will you be interested in involving your audience into discussion?How will you invite people to express their opinion?
27. Will you keep a time for questions after your presentation or accept questions at any time during your presentation?
28. Could questions be a good opportunity for you to interact with your audience?
29. What is the way to show appreciation for the audience’s attention to the subject and express your gratitude?
Exercise 5.2.3
Let us consider in more detail some recommendations for using language clichés while preparing each part of your presentation. The following table shows examples of language for each function. You may need to modify the language as appropriate. Look through the recommendations given in the table and answer the questions recollecting and telling, as far as possible, your real situations.
1. What clichés will you use to welcome your audience and introduce your subject?
2. What expressions can help you to signpost throughout your presentation?
3.How will you interact with the audience?
4.What would you say to involve the audience in considering every detail of your report?
5.What clichés could help you in changing the topic?
6.How will you comment on the facts under discussion?
7. What clichés will you use to sum up your presentation and invite questions?
8. What clichés will you use to thank your audience?