UNIT 1.

OPENING EFFECTIVELY

Skill focus

- Revising basic steps to open a presentation

- Introducing techniques to open a
presentation effectively

REVISE

1 What elements should presenter take into consideration when choosing a topic?

2 How many steps presenter should follow to make an introduction of a presentation? What
are they?
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THINK and DISCUSS

How to start a presentation effectively and engage your audience

1. Shock the audience/ shock-causing technique
There are many ways to shock your audience, for example, you can show a funny video, use
a prop, start by talking to audience members, ridicule something etc. But ensure that your
shock will have the desired effect - you want the audience to remain engaged because they
liked the surprise or they found it interesting and not because you've upset them so they're
looking for faults in your argument. Again, the shock must be suitable for your presentation's
purpose and your audience.

2. Quote someone or a proverb/ Famous quote technique

If you're struggling to create a strong opening sentence consider quoting someone. However,
you must be careful as you can risk sounding cliché and the quote must be meaningful
and relevant to the audience and the purpose of your presentation.
If you're using slides show a photo instead of text when you're quoting. This will help the
audience:
• Understand the quote
• Remember the quote
• Engage their imagination for a greater impact

3. Tell a story or joke, or reference a historical event/ Story (anecdote) technique

You could start with a story to highlight why your topic is significant. For example, if the topic
is on the benefits of pets on physical and psychological health, you could present a story or a
study about an individual whose quality of life significantly improved after being given a dog.
The audience is more likely to respond better to and remember this story than a list of facts.

As aforementioned, the audience enjoy hearing stories and they're even more interested
when the story is directly about you, the speaker, because they get to see the human side of
you. Consider telling a story about a mistake you made or when life wasn't going that well - if
relevant to your presentation's aim. People will relate to this as we all have experienced
mistakes and failures. The more the audience relates to you, the more likely they will remain
engaged.

4. Point to their problem or opportunity/ Problem technique

Putting your finger on your audience’s pain point is another way of gaining their attention
because you're triggering an emotional reaction again. For example, you might ask "Have you
found it difficult to stick to a healthy diet?" The audience will now want to remain engaged
because they want to know the solution and the opportunities that you're offering.

5. Start with a video/ Video technique

A pre-prepared video can provide a strong presentation opening and get people to pay
attention before you start speaking. Some speakers show a video as the audience are arriving
and getting settled - they may begin by reflecting on the video.

6. Ask the audience questions/ Thought-provoking question technique

You can conduct polls using your audience or ask questions to make your audience think and
feel invested in your presentation. There are three different types of questions:

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 • Direct
• Rhetorical
• Loaded
Direct questions require an answer: "What would you do in this situation?" These are
mentally stimulating for the audience. You can pass a microphone around and let the
audience come to your desired solution.
Rhetorical questions do not require answers; they are often used to emphasizes an idea or
point: "Is the Pope catholic?

Loaded questions contain an unjustified assumption made to prompt the audience into
providing a particular answer which you can then correct to support your point: You may ask
"Why does your wonderful company have such a low incidence of mental health problems?"
The audience will generally answer that they're happy. After receiving the answers you could
then say "Actually it's because people are still unwilling and too embarrassed to seek help for
mental health issues at work etc."

7. Statistics/ Amazing fact technique

You could begin by sharing a surprising statistic which you can personalize to the audience for
a larger impact, for example, you could say "In this room, over 70% of us are going to..." or
"Look to the person on your left..."
You can also combine a statistic with a leading question, for example "What percentage of
the population do you think...?" The audience should be shocked when you provide them
with the actual answer. Make sure you don't go overboard with statistics or use complicated
data especially in the introduction as you may lose the audience

(https://virtualspeech.com/blog/how-to-start-a-presentation)

a Have you ever experienced a presentation with the above-mentioned techniques?

b Which technique do you expect the most effective?

c Which technique do you prefer? Why?

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WATCH and ANALYZE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eBUcBfkVCo&t=466s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfBpsV1Hwqs&t=25s

1 What techniques are used in these video clips?

2 Are they effective? Why?

3 Can you think of some other techniques?

Tips

Whatever technique the speaker uses,

that must be suitable for the
presentation's purpose and audience.

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 PUT IT TOGETHER

A Match 1 – 5 in column on the left with appropriate useful language a-e on the right

• Suppose… How would you…?

(Suppose you were in a tornado. How could you protect yourself?)
• Have you ever thought about..... ? Well, if I could explain
how ... , would you be interested?
1. Story/ (Have you ever thought about becoming a millionaire? Well, if I could
a.
Anecdote explain how to earn a million dollars, would you be interested?)
technique • How many of you here today have thought about ... ? Well,
imagine.... Do you think this is possible?
(How many of you here today have thought about traveling to outer
space? Well, imagine being able to take a vacation on the moon. Do
you think this would be possible?)
• Did you know that .... ( 90% of the earth is covered in water?)
• According to the latest study, .... (30% of Americans are obese
or very overweight.)
• Statistics show that ... (studying all night for an exam is less
effective than consistent study.)
2. Problem b. • I read the other day that ... (one out of every three Americans
technique gets too little sleep.)
• A report published in the New York Times said that ...
(people who smoke die an average of 10 years early.)
• Research has shown that ..... (being distracted while driving,
such as talking on a cell phone accounts for more than 30% of all car
accidents.)
• You know, when I think about .... I'm reminded of .....
(You know, when I think about giving presentations, I'm reminded of
some of the most famous speeches such as Abraham Lincoln's
"Gettysburg Address" or Martin Luther King's "I have a dream"
3. Amazing fact c. speech. They were less than 10 minutes long, but they were very
technique powerful.)
• Have you ever been in a situation where ... ? I remember
when ..... It turned out that ....
• The other day I was…
• A famous…, once said, and I quote, “…"
4. Thought-
(Shakespeare, a famous poet, once said (pause) and I quote (pause),
provoking d. "To be or not to be, that is the question.")
question
• Let me start by quoting Shakespeare, a famous poet.
technique
• Shakespeare, once said, " ............. "
• Let me begin today by asking you a question. How many of
you have ..... (given a presentation in English? Raise your hands.)
5. Famous quote e.
• Before I begin, I'd like you to think about the following
technique
question. (How many of you have given a presentation in English?
Raise your hands.)

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B Figure out these samples into different techniques or the presenter’s purposes.

1. "I want to discuss with you this afternoon why

you're going to fail to have a great career." a. Incite curiosity.

2. "I need to make a confession at the outset here. b. Tell a story/ Story
A little over 20 years ago, I did something that I (anecdote technique)
regret, something that I'm not particularly
proud of. Something that, in many ways, I wish
no one would ever know, but here I feel kind of c. Make a provocative
obliged to reveal." statement.

3. "Do you think it's possible to control someone's d. Quote an influential

attention? Even more than that, what about person/ famous quote
predicting human behavior?"
technique
4. "You will live seven and a half minutes longer
than you would have otherwise, just because
you watched this talk." e. Ask a question/
provoking-question
5. "Sadly, in the next 18 minutes when I do our chat, technique
four Americans that are alive will be dead through
the food that they eat."
f. Shock the audience/
6. "I'm going to tell you a little bit about my
shock-causing
TEDxHouston Talk. I woke up the morning after I
gave that talk with the worst vulnerability technique
hangover of my life. And I actually didn't leave
my house for about three days."
g. Tell a relevant joke/
story (joke) technique
7. “If you think your teacher is tough, wait ‘til you
get a boss. He doesn’t have tenure.” -Bill Gates-
h. Use the word
"imagine."
8. "When I was seven years old and my sister was
just five years old, we were playing on top of a
bunk bed..."

9. "Okay, now I don't want to alarm anybody in

this room, but it's just come to my attention
that the person to your right is a liar."

10. "Imagine a big explosion as you climb through

3,000 ft. Imagine a plane full of smoke. Imagine
an engine going clack, clack, clack. It sounds
scary."

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ASSIGNMENT: Give a Presentation

PREPARE

Work on your outline

PRESENT

Notice how your presentation will be evaluated. Keep these categories in mind as
you present and as you watch your classmate’s presentations

Presentation Evaluation Form

Introduction:

- Were the group members, topic, /20

purpose, length, invitation to the
question/answer session and the
sequence of the presentation clearly
introduced?
- Did he/she use any technique to draw
the audience’s attention?

Communication Skills:

- Did the speaker use body language, eye /20

contact, posture, voice and gestures
effectively?

Grammar/ Vocabulary:

- Did the speaker properly use the correct /20

forms of grammar?
- Was Vocabulary used correctly and
understood by the speaker using it?
Pronunciation:

- Was the speaker’s voice slow, clear and /20

easy to understand?
Fluency/ Confidence: /20

- Did the speaker understand the topic

and feel comfortable speaking?
- Was the speaker able to talk without
reading or over-using notes?
Total ……../100