UNLaM ENGLISH LEVEL IV

UNIT 1 – THE ORAL PRESENTATION

– CONTINUATION: KEY

STEP TWO: Presentation

If you wish to make an effective presentation, take care of these five basics.

a. Nervousness

Prepare your talk well since you will be more confident than if you have not. Yet, you want to
be a bit tense so that you will remain ‘on your toes’. Do not fall into the trap of speaking too
quickly because you are anxious. In fact, speak slower during the first few moments of a talk.

b. Rapport

It is defined as the relationship between you and your audience, or the connection, if you wish.
Be friendly and make eye contact with everyone in your audience. If by any chance, you
cannot, do not look over the tops of everyone’s head. The audience knows you are not looking
at them and they do not like to be fooled.

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Also, it is critical that you are able to observe their reactions to your message and make any
adjustment in your talk. The first yawn is a sign for you to wind up and pass over to your
conclusion.

c. Body Language

Remember that 57% of the message is communicated by what the audience can see.
Consequently, how you convey your ideas is critically important. Avoid any distracting
mannerism like pacing or rocking back and forth on your feet. Use open-handed natural
gestures as open-handedness conveys sincerity.

d. Vocal Quality

Remember that the sound of your voice carries 36% of the message. It means you should
consider the volume, tone, timber and tempo of your presentation. You must be loud enough
to be heard by everyone. The tone of your voice must be consistent with the message. An
interesting public speaker or presenter will vary the volume, tone and tempo of the talk to
make them hear.

e. Question Time

Do not be afraid of questions from the audience. It is a civilized practice to ask them. If you
have delivered your presentation well, the audience will want more information. There are
some techniques to keep in mind. Pay attention to the speaker when they are asking the
question. That sounds simple, but many presenters look away when it happens. It is better to
listen carefully, perhaps nodding in approval sometimes paraphrasing the question for
clarification. Answer the questions shortly and simply. If you do not know the answer it is
better to say so.

Developing effective presentation skills is one of the best things you can do for yourself and
certainly one of the most satisfying. If you take the time to prepare well and to present your
talk efficiently, you will no longer fear speaking in public, but will welcome the opportunity.
This will go a long away to further your career.

Adapted for pedagogical purposes

1- Complete the following definitions with words taken from Step 2.

Nervousness
a. ………TRAP .................... an unpleasant situation from which it is difficult to escape.

Rapport
b. ……ADJUSTMENT .......................a change or correction made to something so that it fits,
looks or works better.
c. ………YAWN ....................to open your mouth, usually involuntarily, and breathe in deeply,
sometimes with a sighing sound and a large breath out, often caused by boredom.
d. ………WIND UP .................... to bring something such as a speech or meeting to an end.

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Body Language
e. ………CONVEY .................... to make something known to somebody.
f. …………AVOID ................. to prevent something bad from happening.
g. …… PLACE/PACING ........................ a rate of movement, esp. in walking.
Voice Quality
h. ………TEMPO ................. any normal rate or rhythm.
Question Time
i. ………NOD/NODDING .................... to move the head up and down to show agreement or
understanding.

off-hand: Brusco (ungracious)

THINK ABOUT YOUR PRESENTATION

1- Read the text and put the ideas in order 1 to 11.

2 First of all, let me thank you all for your attention on this first meeting after holidays.

 Good morning / afternoon / evening everybody!

1

 In the end, you will have time for questions.

11

 I’ll end with an explanation on how you will be evaluated.

10

9 I’ll move on to highlighting the skills to be developed.

8 I’ll start off by describing how the course has been planned.

7 I’ve divided my presentation into three parts.

3 Let me introduce myself.

4 My name is […] and I am a teacher of English here at UNLaM.

 This topic is very important for you because, by the end of this talk you will be familiar
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with the material to be used and its content. Besides, you will understand the importance of
speaking regularly in class and how it will contribute to your performance in the foreign
language, and you will learn the evaluation procedures.

5 What I would like to present today is how English IV is organized

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2- Classify them according to their intention:

a) Describing the structure of the presentation. 7, 8, 9, 10

b) Inviting the audience to make questions. 11

c) Saying what the topic is. 5

d) Saying who you are. 3, 4
e) Saying why the topic is relevant for the audience. 6
f) Welcoming the audience. 1, 2

3- Now, put a – f in order.

…F…) …D…) …c…) …E…) …A…) …B…)

F

LISTENING TIME

1. Stephanie Adams is a careers counsellor at a college in the US. She is giving a talk to final
year students. Listen and number the stages of her introduction in order (1-4).

4 Explaining rules for questions.

3 Giving an overview of the structure of the talk.
2 Introducing the subject.
1 Welcoming the audience.

2. Listen again and complete the expressions Stephanie uses.

Track 1 – Ex 45

‘Good ………AFTERNOON, EVERYONE……… and …………WELCOME .................. ! Today I’m

…………GONNA TALK ........................ about job prospects for graduates. I’ll
…START BY..............................describing the current position for graduates leaving university.
………THEN I’LL………………………… look at salaries and what you can expect. …… AFTER THAT ……,
I’ll move on to career choices and show the most popular choices of career that graduates
select. And ……FINALLY.............................., I’ll review the main points covering what employers
look for when they are recruiting graduates. We’ll …HAVE TIME FOR………………………………
questions at the end.’

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Adapted for pedagogical purposes

GENERATING IDEAS FOR YOUR PRESENTATION

As a future professional, you must be familiar with certain topics that are essential in your field
of studies. Think of any of them and prepare the introduction to present the topic. Here you
have some useful expressions to apply, both formal and informal ones.

WELCOMING THE AUDIENCE

Good morning/afternoon/evening ladies and gentlemen.
Hello/Hi/Morning/Afternoon/Evening everyone!
First of all, let me thank you all for coming here today.
I’m happy/delighted that so many of you could make it today.
On behalf of [institution], may I welcome to…
Thanks for coming.

INTRODUCING YOURSELF
Let me introduce myself. I’m [name] from [institution].
I’m [position] here at [institution].
I’m here in my function as the [position].
For those of you who don’t know me already, I’m responsible for…
As you know, I’m in charge of…

SAYING WHAT YOUR TOPIC IS

As you can see on the screen, our topic today is…
Today’s topic is…
What I’d like to present/discuss/report on today is…
What I’d like to do this morning/afternoon/evening is…
The subject of my presentation is…

EXPLAINING WHY YOUR TOPIC IS RELEVANT FOR THE AUDIENCE

My talk is particularly relevant to those of you / us who…
Today’s topic is of particular interest to those of you / us who…
My / The topic is very important for you because…
By the end of this talk, you will be familiar with…

DESCRIBING THE STRUCTURE OF THE PRESENTATION

I’ve divided my presentation into … parts.
In my presentation, I’ll focus on … main issues.

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First (of all), I’ll be looking at…, second…, and third…

I’ll begin / start off by explaining / describing /…
Then / Next / After that, I’ll go on to…
Finally, I’ll…

INVITING THE AUDIENCE TO MAKE QUESTIONS

In the end, you will have time for questions.
There will be time for questions after my presentation.
We’ll have time for questions at the end.

BRAVE NEW WORLD

1. Read the back cover description, consider the prophecies in it and answer the question.

Imagine a world in which all human values have changed; a world where family life has
disappeared and babies are produced in bottles; a world in which people have no ideas of their
own and their lives are planned for them from start to finish. This is the world of Brave New
World. Is it too different from life today?

2. Read Chapters 1 to 4 and describe the setting.

3. Read the selected chapters again and find examples of the topics dealt in Units 2 to 5 in
this material. Justify your answers.

TALKING POINT

Imagine you are the Director of Hatcheries and Conditioning for Central London and you
have to present the ‘Brave New World Project’. How would you do so? Write down the
introduction of your speech and be prepared to present it in a video.