Business Presentations & Public Speaking in

English
A presentation is a formal, pre-planned, prepared 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.
Introduction
All presentations have a common objective. People give presentations because they want
to communicate in order to:
inform
train
persuade
sell
A successful presentation is one of the most effective ways of communicating your
message. And because English is so widely used in international business, a working
knowledge of the vocabulary and techniues used in an English language presentation is
a valuable asset.
!e will start by e"ploring
# the importance of preparation.
After that, we will consider
# what euipment to use.
$hen we will look at
# how to "deliver" a presentation.
After delivery, we will e"amine
#the language of presentations,
before moving on to
# the presentation itself.
%
&inally, we will conclude with
# a review of what we have covered.
Preparation
'an you name the 3 most important things when giving any presentation(
)umber % is . . . Preparation
)umber * is . . . Preparation!
)umber + is . . . Preparation!!
PREPARATION I E!ER"T#IN$
!ith good preparation and planning you will be totally %onfident and less nervous. And
your audience will feel your confidence. ,our audience, too, will be confident. $hey will
be confident in &ou. And this will give you %ontrol. 'ontrol of your audience and of your
presentation. !ith control, you will be -in charge- and your audience will listen positi'el&
to &our message.
Objective
.efore you start to prepare a presentation, you should ask yourself: "(h& am / making
this presentation(" 0o you need to inform, to persuade, to train or to sell( ,our objective
should be clear in your mind. /f it is not clear in your mind, it cannot possibly be clear to
your audience.
Audience
"(ho am / making this presentation to(" 1ometimes this will be obvious, but not always.
,ou should try to inform yourself. 2ow many people( !ho are they( .usiness people(
Professional people( Political people( E"perts or non3e"perts( !ill it be a small, intimate
group of 4 colleagues or a large gathering of 455 competitors( 2ow much do they know
already and what will they e"pect from you(
Venue
"(here am / making this presentation(" /n a small hotel meeting3room or a large
conference hall( !hat facilities and euipment are available( !hat are the seating
arrangements(
*
Time and length
"(hen am / making this presentation and how long will it be(" !ill it be 6 minutes or %
hour( 7ust before lunch, when your audience will be hungry, or just after lunch, when
your audience will be sleepy(
Method
#o) should / make this presentation(" !hat approach should you use( &ormal or
informal( 8ots of visual aids or only a few( !ill you include some anecdotes and
humour for variety(
Content
"(hat should / say(" )ow you must decide e"actly what you want to say. &irst, you
should brainstorm your ideas. ,ou will no doubt discover many ideas that you want to
include in your presentation. .ut you must be selective. ,ou should include only
information that is relevant to your audience and your objective. ,ou should e"clude all
other ideas. ,ou also need to create a title for your presentation 9if you have not already
been given a title:. $he title will help you to focus on the subject. And you will prepare
your visual aids, if you have decided to use them. .ut remember, in general, less is better
than more 9a little is better than a lot:. ,ou can always give additional information during
the uestions after the presentation.
Structure
A well organised presentation with a clear structure is easier for the audience to follow. /t
is therefore more effective. ,ou should organise the points you wish to make in a logical
order. ;ost presentations are organised in three parts, followed by uestions:
.eginning hort introdu%tion welcome your audience
introduce your subject
e"plain the structure of your presentation
e"plain rules for uestions
;iddle *od& of presentation present the subject itself
End hort %on%lusion summarise your presentation
thank your audience
invite uestions
+uestions and Ans)ers
+
Notes
!hen you give your presentation, you should be 3 or appear to be 3 as spontaneous as
possible. ,ou should not read your presentation< ,ou should be so familiar with your
subject and with the information that you want to deliver that you do not need to read a
te"t. =eading a te"t is boring< =eading a te"t will make your audience go to sleep< 1o if
you don-t have a te"t to read, how can you remember to say everything you need to say(
!ith notes. ,ou can create your own system of notes. 1ome people make notes on small,
A> cards. 1ome people write down just the title of each section of their talk. 1ome people
write down ke&)ords to remind them. $he notes will give you confidence, but because
you will have prepared your presentation fully, you may not even need them<
Rehearsal
=ehearsal is a vital part of preparation. ,ou should leave time to practise your
presentation two or three times. $his 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
1o prepare, prepare, prepare< Prepare everything: words, visual aids, timing, euipment.
=ehearse your presentation several times and time it. /s it the right length( Are you
completely familiar with all your illustrations( Are they in the right order( 0o you know
who the audience is( 2ow many people( 2ow will you answer difficult uestions( 0o
you know the room( Are you confident about the euipment( !hen you have answered
all these uestions, 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
euipment is..."O,< ;ake sure you-re in
full working order, and check your personal
presentation carefully 3 if you don-t, your
audience will<
4
$he o'erhead pro-e%tor 9O#P: displays o'erhead
transparen%ies 9O#Ts or O#PTs:. /t has several
advantages over the +6mm 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

$he )hite.oard 9more rarely .la%k.oard or green.oard: is a
useful device for spontaneous writing 3 as in brainstorming, for
e"ample. &or prepared material, the ?2P might be more suitable.

$he duster is used for cleaning the whiteboard. /t is essential that the
duster be clean to start with. ,ou may consider carrying your own duster
just in case.

/arkers are used for writing on the whiteboard 9delible 3 you can
remove the ink: or flipchart 9indelible 3 you cannot remove the ink:.
$hey are usually available in blue, red, black and green. Again, it-s a
good idea to carry a spare set of markers in case you are given some used ones which do
not write well.

A $OO0 (OR1/AN NE!ER *2A/E #I TOO2 3

$he flip%hart consists of several leaves of paper that you -flip- or turn over.
1ome people prefer the flipchart to the whiteboard, but its use is limited to
smaller presentations.

$he lide pro-e%tor 3 which must be used in a darkened room 3
adds a certain drama. 1ome slide projectors can be synchronised
with audio for audio3visual 9A@: presentations. $hese projectors
are typically used for larger presentations. $he majority take
+6mm slides or transparencies 9as seen here:, but projectors for
>">cm slides are also available.

6
$ransparencies are projected by an overhead projector or a slide projector
onto a s%reen 3 in this case a folding screen which can be packed up and
transported.

$he note.ook %omputer is increasingly being used to display graphics
during presentations. /t is often used in conjunction with an overhead
projector, which actually projects the image from the computer screen
onto the wall screen.

#andouts are any documents or samples that you -hand out- or distribute to
your audience. )ote that it is not usually a good idea to distribute handouts
before your presentation. $he audience will read the handouts instead of
listening to you.
Delivery
-0elivery- refers to the way in which you actually deliver or perform or give your
presentation. 0elivery is a vital aspect of all presentations. 0elivery is at least as
important as content, especially in a multi3cultural conte"t.
Nerves
;ost speakers are a little nervous at the beginning of a presentation. 1o it is normal if you
are nervous. $he answer is to pay special attention to the beginning of your presentation.
&irst impressions count. $his is the time when you establish a rapport with your audience.
0uring this time, try to speak slowly and calmly. ,ou should perhaps learn your
introduction by heart. After a few moments, you will rela" and gain confidence.
Audience Rapport
,ou need to build a warm and friendly relationship with your audience. Enthusiasm is
contagious. /f 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. $his means that you must look at each person in
turn 3 in as natural a way as possible. $his will also give you the opportunity to detect
signs of boredom, disinterest or even disagreement, allowing you to modify your
presentation as appropriate.
>
"O,R O*4E5TI!E I TO 5O//,NI5ATE
Body anguage
!hat you do not say is at least as important as what you do say. ,our body is speaking to
your audience even before you open your mouth. ,our clothes, your walk, your glasses,
your haircut, your e"pression 3 it is from these that your audience forms its first
impression as you enter the room. Aenerally speaking, it is better to stand rather than sit
when making a presentation. .e aware of and avoid any repetitive and irritating gestures.
.e aware, too, that the movement of your body is one of your methods of control. !hen
you move to or from the whiteboard, for e"ample, you can move fast or slowly, raising or
reducing the dynamism within the audience. ,ou can stand very still while talking or you
can stroll from side to side. !hat effect do you think these two different approaches
would have on an audience(
Cultural Considerations
.ecause English is so widely used around the world, it is uite possible that many
members of your audience will not be native English3speakers. /n other words, they will
not have an Anglo31a"on culture. Even within the Anglo31a"on world, there are many
differences in culture. /f we hypothetically imagine a Aerman working for an /sraeli
company making a presentation in English to a 7apanese audience in Borea, we can see
that there are even more possibilities for cultural misunderstanding. ,ou should try to
learn about any particular cultural matters that may affect your audience. $his is one
reason why preparation for your presentation is so important. 'ultural differences can
also be seen in body language, which we have just discussed. $o a 8atin from 1outhern
&rance or /taly, a presenter who uses his hands and arms when speaking may seem
dynamic and friendly. $o an Englishman, the same presenter may seem unsure of his
words and lacking in self3confidence.
Voice !uality
/t is, of course, important that your audience be able to hear you clearly throughout your
presentation. =emember that if you turn away from your audience, for e"ample towards
the whiteboard, you need to speak a little more loudly. /n general, you should try to vary
your voice. ,our voice will then be more interesting for your audience. ,ou 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 3 and you can stop completely< ,ou can pause. $his is a very good
techniue for gaining your audience-s attention.
intonation: you can change the pitch of your voice. ,ou can speak in a high tone.
,ou can speak in a low tone.
volume: you can speak at normal volume, you can speak loudly and you can
speak uietly. 8owering your voice and speaking uietly can again attract your
audience-s interest.
C
$he important point is not to speak in the same, flat, monotonous voice throughout your
presentation 3 this is the voice that hypnotists use to put their patients- into trance<
Visual aids
?f all the information that enters our brains, the vast majority of it enters through the
eyes. D5E of what your audience learn during your presentation is learned visually 9what
they see: and only *5E is learned aurally 9what they hear:. $he significance of this is
obvious:
visual aids are an e"tremely effective means of communication
non3native English speakers need not worry so much about spoken English 3 they
can rely more heavily on visual aids
/t is well worth spending time in the creation of good visual aids. .ut it is eually
important not to overload your audience-s brains. Beep the information on each visual aid
to a minimum 3 and give your audience time to look at and absorb this information.
=emember, your audience have never seen these visual aids before. $hey need time to
study and to understand them. !ithout understanding there is no communication.
Apart from photographs and drawings, some of the most useful visual aids are charts and
graphs, like the +3dimensional ones shown here:
Pie%harts are circular in shape 9like a pie:.
*ar%harts can be vertical 9as here: or horiFontal.
$raphs can rise and fall.
Audience Reaction
=emain calm and polite if you receive difficult or even hostile uestions during your
presentation. /f you receive particularly awkward uestions, you might suggest that the
uestioners ask their uestions after your presentation.
D
Language
A" (#AT "O, ARE $OIN$ TO A"
Simplicity and Clarity
/f you want your audience to understand your message, your language must be simple
and %lear.
Gse short words and short sentences.
0o not use jargon, unless you are certain that your audience understands it.
/n general, talk about concrete facts rather than abstract ideas.
Gse active verbs instead of passive verbs. Active verbs are much easier to understand.
$hey are much more powerful. 'onsider these two sentences, which say the same thing:
%. $oyota sold two million cars last year.
*. $wo million cars were sold by $oyota last year.
!hich is easier to understand( !hich is more immediate( !hich is more po)erful(
)H% is active and )H* is passive.
Signposting
!hen 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. /f you are at
house )H %55, you can go back to )H 65 or forward to )H %65. ,ou can look at the
signposts for directions. And you can look at your atlas for the structure of the roads in
detail. /n other words, it is easy to navigate the roads. ,ou cannot get lost. .ut when you
give a presentation, how can your audience know where they are( 2ow can they know
the structure of your presentation( 2ow can they know what is coming ne"t( $hey know
because &ou tell them. .ecause you put up signposts for them, at the .eginning and all
along the route. $his techniue is called -signposting- 9or -signalling-:.
0uring your introduction, you should tell your audience what the structure of your
presentation will be. ,ou might say something like this:
"/-ll start by describing the current position in Europe. $hen /-ll move on to some of the
achievements we-ve made in Asia. After that /-ll consider the opportunities we see for
further e"pansion in Africa. 8astly, /-ll uickly recap before concluding with some
recommendations."
A member of the audience can now visualiFe your presentation like this:
I
Introdu%tion !elcome
E"planation of structure 9no):
*od& Europe
Asia
Africa
5on%lusion 1umming up
=ecommendations
2e will keep this image in his head during the presentation. 2e may even write it down.
And throughout your presentation, you will put up signposts telling him which point you
have reached and where you are going now. !hen you finish Europe and want to start
Asia, you might say:
"$hat-s all / have to say about Europe. 8et-s turn now to Asia."
!hen you have finished Africa and want to sum up, you might say:
"!ell, we-ve looked at the three continents Europe, Asia and Africa. /-d like to sum up
now."
And when you finish summing up and want to give your recommendations, you might
say:
"!hat does all this mean for us( !ell, firstly / recommend..."
$he table below lists useful e"pressions that you can use to signpost the various parts of
your presentation.
ignposting
6un%tion 2anguage
/ntroducing the subject /-d like to start by...
8et-s begin by...
&irst of all, /-ll...
1tarting with...
/-ll begin by...
%5
&inishing one subject... !ell, /-ve told you about...
$hat-s all / have to say about...
!e-ve looked at...
1o much for...
...and starting another )ow we-ll move on to...
8et me turn now to...
)e"t...
$urning to...
/-d like now to discuss...
8et-s look now at...
Analysing a point and giving
recommendations
!here does that lead us(
8et-s consider this in more detail...
!hat does this mean for A.'(
$ranslated into real terms...
Aiving an e"ample &or e"ample,...
A good e"ample of this is...
As an illustration,...
$o give you an e"ample,...
$o illustrate this point...
0ealing with uestions !e-ll be e"amining this point in more detail later
on...
/-d like to deal with this uestion later, if / may...
/-ll come back to this uestion later in my talk...
Perhaps you-d like to raise this point at the end...
/ won-t comment on this now...
1ummarising and concluding /n conclusion,...
=ight, let-s sum up, shall we(
/-d like now to recap...
8et-s summarise briefly what we-ve looked at...
&inally, let me remind you of some of the issues
we-ve covered...
/f / can just sum up the main points...
?rdering &irstly...secondly...thirdly...lastly...
%%
&irst of all...then...ne"t...after that...finally...
$o start with...later...to finish up...
The Presentation
3A" IT!
;ost presentations are divided into + main parts 9J uestions::
7
INTRO0,5TION
+uestions
8
*O0"
3
5ON52,ION
+uestions
As a general rule in communication, repetition is valuable. /n presentations, there is a
golden rule about repetition:
%. 1ay what you are going to say,
*. say it,
+. then say what you have just said.
/n other words, use the three parts of your presentation to reinforce your message. /n the
introduction, you tell your audience what your message is going to be. /n the body, you
tell your audience your real message. /n the conclusion, you summariFe what your
message was.
!e will now consider each of these parts in more detail.
"ntroduction
$he introduction is a very important 3 perhaps the most important 3 part of your
presentation. $his is the first impression that your audience have of you. ,ou should
concentrate on getting your introduction right. ,ou should use the introduction to:
%. )el%ome &our audien%e
*. introdu%e &our su.-e%t
+. outline the stru%ture of &our presentation
%*
4. gi'e instru%tions a.out 9uestions
$he following table shows e"amples of language for each of these functions. ,ou may
need to modify the language as appropriate.
6un%tion Possi.le language
7 (el%oming
&our audien%e
Aood morning, ladies and gentlemen
Aood morning, gentlemen
Aood afternoon, ladies and gentleman
Aood afternoon, everybody
8 Introdu%ing
&our su.-e%t
/ am going to talk today about...
$he purpose of my presentation is to introduce our new range
of...
3 Outlining &our
stru%ture
$o start with /-ll describe the progress made this year. $hen /-ll
mention some of the problems we-ve encountered and how we
overcame them. After that /-ll consider the possibilities for
further growth ne"t year. &inally, /-ll summariFe my
presentation 9before concluding with some recommendations:.
: $i'ing
instru%tions
a.out 9uestions
0o feel free to interrupt me if you have any uestions.
/-ll try to answer all of your uestions after the presentation.
/ plan to keep some time for uestions after the presentation.
Body
$he body is the -real- presentation. /f the introduction was well prepared and delivered,
you will now be -in control-. ,ou will be rela"ed and confident.
$he body should be well structured, divided up logically, with plenty of carefully spaced
visuals.
=emember these key points while delivering the body of your presentation:
do not hurry
be enthusiastic
give time on visuals
maintain eye contact
modulate your voice
look friendly
%+
keep to your structure
use your notes
signpost throughout
remain polite when dealing with difficult uestions
Conclusion
Gse the conclusion to:
%. um up
*. ;$i'e re%ommendations if appropriate<
+. Thank &our audien%e
4. In'ite 9uestions
$he following table shows e"amples of language for each of these functions. ,ou may
need to modify the language as appropriate.
6un%tion Possi.le language
7 umming up $o conclude,...
/n conclusion,...
)ow, to sum up...
1o let me summariseKrecap what /-ve said.
&inally, may / remind you of some of the main points
we-ve considered.
8 $i'ing
re%ommendations
/n conclusion, my recommendations are...
/ therefore suggestKproposeKrecommend the following
strategy.
3 Thanking &our
audien%e
;any thanks for your attention.
;ay / thank you all for being such an attentive
audience.
: In'iting 9uestions )ow /-ll try to answer any uestions you may have.
'an / answer any uestions(
Are there any uestions(
0o you have any uestions(
Are there any final uestions(
%4
#uestions
Luestions are a good opportunity for you to interact with your audience. /t may be
helpful for you to try to predict what uestions will be asked so that you can prepare your
response in advance. ,ou may wish to accept uestions at any time during your
presentation, or to keep a time for uestions after your presentation. )ormally, it-s your
decision, and you should make it clear during the introduction. .e polite with all
uestioners, even if they ask difficult uestions. $hey are showing interest in what you
have to say and they deserve attention. 1ometimes you can reformulate a uestion. ?r
answer the uestion with another uestion. ?r even ask for comment from the rest of the
audience.
evie!
3T#EN A" (#AT "O, #A!E 4,T AI0=
"n this seminar$ you have learned%
to allow plenty of time for preparation
to ask the all3important uestion3words, why( who( where( when( how( and
what(
to structure your presentation into introduction, body, conclusion and uestions
to write notes based on keywords
to rehearse your presentation several times and modify it as necessary
to select the right euipment for the job
to use euipment effectively
to make use of clear, powerful visual aids that do not overload your audience
to use clear, simple language, avoiding jargon
to use active verbs and concrete facts
to e"plain the structure of your presentation at the beginning so that your listeners
know what to e"pect
to link each section of your presentation
to signpost your presentation from beginning to end so that your listeners know
where they are
to say what you are going to say, say it, and say what you have just said
to overcome your nerves
to establish audience rapport
to be aware of your body language
to understand cultural differences
to control the uality of your voice
to maintain interest by varying the speed, volume and pitch of your voice
to deal with listeners- uestions politely
to respond to your audience positively
Presentations" typical language
%6
% audien%e rapport n. relationship of presenter with audience, esp. when good
* .od& language n. non3verbal communication through facial e"pressions, body
movements etc
+ 6inall& = = = $ypical word used to signal the last of several points or subjects
4 flip %hart n. a pad of large paper sheets on a stand for presenting information
6 6or e>ample = = = $ypical phrase used to signal an illustration or sample of a
particular point
> handout n. anything 9report, sample etc: handed or given to people at a
presentation
C In %on%lusion = = = $ypical phrase used to signal the summing up or final part of a
presentation
D ladies ?
gentlemen
Polite phrase often used to address an audience of men and women
I marker n. )hite.oard marker a pen with a broad, felt tip for writing on
whiteboards
%5mi%rophone n. electrical instrument that one speaks into for amplification of the
voice etc
%%O=#=T= abbr. o'erhead transparen%&M sheet of film with image for
overhead projector
%*o'erhead
pro-e%tor
n. device that projects an o.h.t. onto a screen 3 O=#=P= abbr.
%+pointer n. device 9rod or electric torch etc: for indicating things on a map,
screen etc
%4s%reen n. large, flat, reflective white surface on which films, slides etc are
projected
%6signal v. to help the audience understand where one is in a presentation 3
signalling n.
%>slide n. small 9usually +6mm: photographic transparency 3 slide
pro-e%tor n.
%CTo start )ith = = = $ypical phrase used to signal the beginning of a particular subject
or topic
%DTurning no) to = =
=
$ypical phrase used to signal a change from one subject or topic to
another
%I'isual aids n. things that one can look at in a presentation Neg: films, maps,
charts etcO
*5)hite.oard n. large, flat, white surface or board on which to write or draw with
markers
P6amous 9uotations on pu.li% speaking
%>
%C
")ever tell people how to do things. $ell them what to do and they will surprise you with
their ingenuity."
George S. Patton
"/ am a great believer in luck, and / find the harder / work, the more / have of it."
Thomas Jefferson
Q$here are three things to aim at in public speaking: first, to get into your subject, then to
get your subject into yourself, and lastly, to get your subject into the heart of your
audience.R
Alexander Gregg
Q$here are always three speeches, for every one you actually gave. $he one you
practiced, the one you gave, and the one you wish you gave.R
Dale Carnegie
Q/t usually takes me more than three weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech.R
Mark Twain
Q$he problem with speeches isn-t so much not knowing when to stop, as knowing when
not to begin.R
Frances odman
$he best way to sound like you know what you-re talking about is to know what you-re
talking about.
A!thor "nknown