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REMEMBER:

.....

....

-
~

HOW TO BECOME A GOOD PRESENTER

• LEA VE NOTHING TO CHANCE

II • KNOW EXACTLY HOW TO START

• GET STRAIGHT TO THE POiNT

• TALK TO YOUR AUDIENCE

• KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE

• BE CONCISE

• BE YOURSELF

• USE PAUSES

• LET YOUR VISUALS SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES

• WELCOME QUESTIONS FROM THE AUDIENCE

• FINISH STRONGLY

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Success with Presentations: Putting theory into practice

This handout is designed as a c~ecklist to help. you r_eII!e~ber ~he c~~~e9ts .ofthe
~ourse for when you are prepanng a presentation. /~ rJ' . . !;:.~ ) 1(01. a(~t

When planning remember to focus clearly on th~rp~ and th~d:e~ Make

sure your objective is clear and that you have all tlie necessary informa Ion about the
presentation (who? when? where? how long? etc).
1(iL)ia,l ~_
Make sure that you control your ~aI to suit th~f the presentation.
Remember the~st~ctur';Zfapresentation ( 10-20-40-20-10).

Remember to choose th~Of your language carefully to suit your audience. Check
your tenses and choose the points you want to emphasize and prepare appropriate
language in advance.

Think carefully about th€uc~ of your presentation. Order your material in the
G most logical way. Leave out any irrelevant information. Make sure all your information
focuses on the purpose and leads towards your conclusion. Try to keep the pace of the
presentation both lively and varied.

Carefully prepare all the different parts of the presentation taking special care to plan
which p ses you will use and how long each section will take. Then think carefully
about th linkin ou will use between each section and how you will aid the flow of
the presentatIOn with cle~na~
•
Plan how you will use your voice. Be clear about' the~and~You will use.
Prepare the parts you will mphasize Remember to pause effect~Controlthe
speed of your voice - if you thi you're speaking too slowly, then you're probably
still speaking a little too fast because you're nervous.

Try to make sure your~ I~ is confident and open. Face the audience. Keep
still (remember to control an~ifen~ you may have). Use your hands and face to
enhance your meaning. Try s . mg occasIOnally! Avoid standing behind anything.
Avoid leaning. Avoid walking about too much.

You must ensure that you maintain eye contact ith the audience. Don't look down,
out ofthe window, back at the screen or a people's shirts. Make sure all the audience
is included. Move your head to include the edges ofthe audience.

Make sure you visual aid are clear and relevant. Explain them 'carefully and point
clearly. Make sure a . e audience can see the screen / board. Your visual aids should
be arranged so that they are in order and can be used smoothly in the presentation.
Check and recheck all€::pm~efore your presentation. .

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You should always reheane your presentation to practice the language and check the
timing. Try to memorize as much as possible so that for the presentation you will only
need cue cards or notes.

Arrive at the location of the presentation early to leave enough time to solve any
problems. Go to the toilet. Arrive at least fifteen minutes before you make the
presentation to check the equipment, arrange your notes and visuals, become familiar
with the room and RELAX .

Don't worry - it'll all be all right, but if you make any mistakes or have any problems­
DON'T PANIC !

"

© The British Council, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. 1998

 Presentation Skills

Planning your Presentation

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THE ''W' QUESTIONS

Before a presentation ask these questions:

WHAT am I hoping to achieve ?

-
WJIERE is it taking place?

WHY am I doing it ?

WHO is my audience?

WHEN is it taking place?

Let the answers to these questions

underpin your pianning.
-

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DEFINING AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

1 Think of the broad purpose of your presentation and write the aim, for
example:

To report on how the new collections system will operate from next
month to the Finance Director.

2 Aims talk in broad terms. However, objectives should be results oriented.

- 3

......
Objectives should be expressed in result or action terms. Use action words
• such as:

identify ... introduce

...... agree
convince
...
...
persuade
assess

...... decide
recognize
prepare

4 Do not use vague words like

* emphasize
* appreciate
* be aware of

~ OBJECTIVES ARE A STATEMENT OF WHAT YOU WANT YOUR

AUDIENCE TO DO NOT WHAT YOU WANT TO PRESENT

5 Do not forget that there are often hidden objectives that are not explicitly
ro
linked to the subject but are important fo~ you. These may include things
such as:

Show the boss that you are a competent and valuable member of the
team.

These unspoken objectives will be achieved by achieving the spoken ones.

. .

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Preparing before your presentation.

When you start planning for a presentation you need to consider THREE important things.

In groups make a list of things that may be useful for you to

know about the audience. Then compare it with the
list on the next page.

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AUDIENCE ANALYSIS
r;'J'i-
Too many presenters are concerned WIth their tasks .9n how to sort out the
material and do not spend enough time thinking about the audience.
The audience should be the central focus of the presentation. As a presenter you
need to get your message across to th~Il'\'"."n;
You must choose material that is _~Illi;~p~~to them and present it within a
structure and using language that they will understand. This material must be
presented with enthusiasm and energy.
One technique that can help a presenter in this process is to us'e an audience
inventory which asks a number of key questions about the target audience and

-- gets you the presenter to focus on their needs.

Here are some key questions to ask yourself about your audience:

1 What is the bJlckgro~<! of the audience: is it the same as mine or m

another business; is it technical, lay etc. ?

2 What is their experience in this particular area? .

3 What is their --..
level of knowledge?
---...._--_. ~~~._~

4 What do they want from me?

5 How many people will be there ?

6 How willing are they to accept my ideas?

7 What do they know about - my organization?

- my department?
~~ - me?
/1\
8 What pre-conceptions wm they have about me as a speaker?
9 What sort of ideas and arguments are likely to work welllbadly ?

10 What sort of way do they normally l'eceive information?

11 What level of detail is required?

Are there any others that you think are appropriate?

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ANALYZING YOUR AUDIENCE

Think of the last presentation you gave. If you haven't given one recently, think
of the last one you attended, and imagine you were the presenter. Try and
answer the following questions about the audience:

Personal Relationship

were the audience - your friends?

your colleagues?
.
people you had never met before? "/

·- Professional Relationship

were they your superiors?

your peers? le~) I

your subordinates?

(actually or potentially) your clients or cw:;tomers ?

simply members of another group or

of the "general public" ?

Extent of Shared Knowledge

were they fellow-experts in your field?

people who know your field, but J

have less experience than you?

people who know more about your field than you?

experts in a related field ? .j

people with a strong interest in your field but with J
no expertise (eg, end-users of your product) ?

"intelligent laymen" ? ...L;/\

- (u.&{.H~~J )

complete "outsiders" ?

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Attitude

did they see you with authority over them?

as someone
with more knowledge than themselves? J
who might criticize
'\
them? 1+r ri'OIv
'

who would try to persuade them

to do something?

who would offer encouragement or help, j

or who could share useful experience?
•
who they might want to do business with?

who was "just another boring speaker"?

How far did you try to fulfill (or avoid) this role?

Possible Outcomes

as a result of your -
presentation, might-
they: buy your product?
~ ~ t l - ':

~~~~;(~ourideas?

-- implement your suggestions? I

offer you information, ideas, or suggestions?

discuss what you said ? J

make a point of not attending your next talk ?

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Constraints

had your audience - taken time out to attend your talk ?

travelled in order to attend?

been told to attend ? ..(

Size

how many people were there in the audience? Zo

,- Discussion

did you already know all this information about

your audience before you spoke?

if not, did you try to find out? ..;

would knowing this information have made any ~

difference? What difference (s) ?

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Focus on the audience

Once you have found out as much information as you can about the audience
you then need to think about the correct tone for your presentation. (Look back
Jo your previous notes if you need to.) It may help to choose one word or phrase
to describe your audience.

Building up a good relationship, or rapport, with your audience is especially important at the
beginning of your presentation. Personality is important but so is the language that you use.

1. Use the words WE (ALL) / US (ALL) / OUR / OURS as much as possible.

For example: Basically, we all share the same goal. And our goal is increased profit.

2. Use question tags to push for agreement.

For example: And we all know what that means, QQU we?

3. Use negative questions to try and get the audience's agreement.

For example: Haven't we all had similar experiences at one time or another?

Tailor the presentation to the audience

Speakers who set out to satisfy themselves rather than the audience rarely communicate well.
To tailor the presentation to your audience's needs you should:

Use appropriate language.

Only use jargon words if you know the audience will understand them.

_. Use familiar ideas.

Use concrete examples not abstract ideas.
Use examples from your own experience and stories the audience can relate to.

Formal --------------------+ Less Formal

Each component was tested until it broke. -+ We tested each component until it broke.
The first studies were carried out in -+ They carried out the first studies in
Germany. Germany.
It's a well-known fact that what the West -+ Everybody knows that what the West
researches the East develops. researches the East develops.
It's a little known fact that 90% of all new -+ A lot ofpeople don't realize that 90% of
products fail. all products fail.
It's a common misconception that -+ People often make the mistake of
advertising works thinking that advertising works.

© Th~ British Council. Ho Chi Minh City. Vietnam. 1998

 Preselltatioll SkilL5

Each group will be asked to give a short (5 minute) presentation about the job of
.. one person in the group. Each group will beas:Ked to deliver the presentation to
a different audience. As you plan:

* Consider what you are trying to achieve in talking on this topic to this
audience.

* Think about the audience. What tone, language etc should you use?
* Also, write down the purpose of your presentation.
When the talk is evaluated, the other groups will discuss your performance.

Audiences

A - A group of schoolleavers who may be joining your company.

•
B - Visiting dignitaries from a foreign company who are visiting your
department to "see how things work."

C - Your Board of Directors who require a progress report.

© The British Council. Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. 1998

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Now plan your presentation using the following guidelines and your notes from the
lesson.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

Write the purpose for your presentation here:

Now rewrite it here with a maximum of seven words:

Now read out your purpose to your colleagues, or show it to someone and ask their
opmlOn.

AUDIENCE PROFILE

Who are they?

How many will be there?

Why are they coming?

What do they know about the subject?

Why are they interested in the subject?

What is their relationship to you?

Put yourself in the shoes of the audience. What five questions / comments / objections
could you expect? Fill in the table below.

Questions / Comments / Objections My responses --

~L2.
3
1 .
c

4.

5.
I
~

© The British Council. Ho Chi Minh City. Vietnam. 1998

Ii
 Preselltatioll Skills

Make sure your responses are short and complete. If you haven't got a response, now
is a good time to find one. If you think the audience is going to ask these question, 01'
make these comments / objections, it is a good idea to include this material in your
presentation.
Just to check that you have identified the most probable questions:
What question do you hope you won't be asked?
What question might be the most embarrassing?
What question would bring up a past mistake?
Do you have answers to these questions?

WHERE AND WHEN

Make two checklists below. The first is the things you have to take with you and
~ second is things to check in the room where the presentation will take place and
things to check on you personally.

Things to take Things to check

.~ i / ).--

i
I
L-~ .l-.. ~ . _

If you could choose when to do your presentation, what day and time would you
choose? Put crosses in the time slots in this weekly schedule below. We'll assume for
this exercise that your presentation with time for discussion has been allocated one
hour.
I
Mondav Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday I Saturday
8-9
9 - 10
10 - 11 I
11- 12
12 - 1
1-2 I

2-3
3-4 .
4 -- 5 J

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Organising the Content

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ORGANIZING YOUR PRESENTATION

.
Try to put these steps in the correct order:

q DEVELOPING YOUR INTRODUCTION .If

.~ PREPARING THE HANDOUTS

J BRAlNSTORNUNGIDEAS 3
~ DEVELOPING YOUR CONCLUSION

5 DEVELOPING YOUR VISUAL AIDS

~

_.1- ASSESSING YOUR AUDIENCE

(0 r r "1 1",Jr
lt~i~ -b f)Cf\......':PING THE B~NEFITS '\-~I (~<;~-t'

j.,. DEVELOPING YOUR OBJECTIVES

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ORGANIZING YOUR PRESENTATION

STEP 1 DEVELOPING YOUR OBJECTIVES

First of all write down in a simple sentence what your

objective(s) are. e.g. My objective is to persuade
management to introduce a new accounting system.

STEP 2 ASSESSING YOUR AUDIENCE

.--- Put yourself in the shoes of the people who will be listening
to your presentation.

STEP 3 BRAINSTORMING IDEAS

Use index cards. Aim for two to five main ideas.

STEP 4 STATING THE BENEFITS

In a persuasive presentation you must tell the audience

what are the specific benefits of your proposal. Write .::r
, .
.....,.\,(",~

them down in summarized form and have them ready.

e.g. A new computer system will allow us to upgrade our
existing services and develop new ones.

STEP 5 PREPARING THE HANDOUTS

Decide if handouts would enhance your presentation.

Handouts can be used to:
reinforce important information
\.
. Jr'-
r\.P; "
]0:'
supply SUPPQrting information you don't want-
summarize action items for the audience to follow un

cluttering your visual aids.

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STEP 6 DEVELOPING YOUR VISUAL AIDS

Decide if and where you are going to use visual aids.

STEP 7 DEVELOPING YOUR INTRODUCTION

The purpose of the introduction is to:

get the audience's attention and make them
concentrate on you, the speaker. Provide background
information on your subject introduce yourself (tell them
who you are and why you are qualified to speak on the
subject)

STEP 8 DEVELOPING YOUR CONCLUSION

Your conclusion should refer back to your introduction

and tell your audience what specific action they need to
take, how to take it, and when it must be taken.

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SOME TIPS

ORGANISE YOUR INFORMATION

Using your key headings, make notes if this helps you to structure the information and then
reduce the notes to a series of headings with a set of sub headings that are just key words.
You are a very lucky person if you can give a talk without using any notes. There is
nothing wrong with letting the audience see you using notes, but it does look a little
more professional if you seem to be talking without them.

In groups, discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each of the following 'memory aids:

memory alone / a complete text / notes / cue cards / flip charts / transparencies

You should avoid writing down your script word for word because you will tend to "read"
your script and this is very boring for the audience. Ideally you can have your presentation
notes 011 a set of A6 cue cards with one or two words on each. These memory aids will
contain enough key words and phrases to trigger your memory. If they contain too much
information you cannot easily find what you are looking for. Aim to have no more than one
A6 card for each three minutes of the presentation. In other words, you should only have
one cue card for each section of your presentation. When you have finished one section, you
can move that particular cue card to the bottom of the pile.

If you use flip charts for your presentations, you can make notes in pencil very lightly in the
corner of the flip chart ifyou need extra help with what the charts mean!

Which takes us conveni~ntly on to timing.

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TIMING

The length of the presentation is another important piece of information that you should find
out before you start to plan your presentation. This will affect the amount of information you
will be able to include in your presentation. It will also affect how stimulating and enjoyable
the presentation is. The longer the presentation, the greater the chance that th~ people will get
bored.

Timing is an extremely important point. You must know how long you are expected to talk so
that you can prepare and rehearse what you have to say. It is also good to know at what time
of day the presentation is to be made as this will help you to decide what kind of mood the
audience is in. . "
\jVltdI \\<," :~r\

- It is always a good idea to rehearse your presentation, What are the advantages and
disadvantages of this ? Wh~ rehearsing you will probably find that you will overrun or
underun, and therefore you will need to change the structure of the presentation to fit into the
time.

One guideline is that the introduction and summary should use only 20% of the time, leaving
the other 80% for the main subject of the presentation.

Sections A to E from the diagram on the next page give more information on this.

A Introduction and objectives, reasons for the presentation ( 10% of the time)
An introduction should be short, snappy and catch the audience's attention.
This is a critical period when you should be trying to establish a rapport with the
audience. Remember the audience have the choice of listening or not - you must catch
their attention so that they want to listen.

B Introduction of main themes, issues ( 20% oftime)

C Development of main themes, issues ( 40% of time)

You should develop your arguments logically and rationally, showing clearly the
relationship between the themes and arguments.

o ". Integration of main themes of your presentation. Do not introduce any new
\; \' t~PleS at this stage - it will only lead to confusion.
",) .~
0- ',~
Summary or conclusion ( 10% oftime)
This is what your audience will remember - make sure they remember YOUR
MESSAGE. You must be clear what your objectives are, to ensure that the message,
the reason for giving the presentation, is understood.

Summarize the main points and show how your arguments lead to your conclusion.
End on a high note - and thank the audience for listening.

A The Rritish COtlllcil . Ho Chi Minh litv. Vietnam 1998

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Presentation Biz ills .0' :.'-,C.

Ideally a presentation should not last more than 30 minutes; this is the longest time that most
people can concentrate for and even within that period concentration levels will vary
enormously.

Concentration is very high at the beginning and at the end and this needs to be exploited.
The opening is critical; it is your opportunity to grab their attention and stimulate their
appetite. Make a confident opening telling tqem, what you are going to tell them. Never
r'
apologise fot'or qualify your prese.!l..£e. i ~( ~'I: 1 ! J, r

Make the final 30 seconds count when you summarise. If you say that you are going to
finish then do so. There is nothing worse than presenters who say they are about to finish

- and are still droning on 10 minutes later.

LANGUAGE

Having conducted an audience analysis be mindful of the language that you employ. Use
words that they will understand. This is a particular problem when the presenter is ap expert
and is apt to lapse into jargon which immediately turns off the audience.

AIDS

Having worked out the structure of your presentation you will need to look at the use of
various aids to help you meet your objectives. Having chosen them you will need to make a
note of when you are to use them on your prompt cards.

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Linking the Stages 1

• •11•••••1
@)~@)~@)~

111• •;• •_ .
Making a Start

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Linking the Stages 2

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Linking the Stages 3

-.

Different Kinds of Presentation

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Visual Aids

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Dealing with
Anxiety and Stress

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SYMPTOMS OF STRESS

~ Feeling tense, nervous, anxious or worried.

~ Finding it difficult to concentrate.

~ Feeling irritable, bored or apathetic.

.~

-
~ Feeling heart pounding.
.
~ p.~g (sweating).

~ Upset stomach, indigestion, diarrhoea or constipation.

~ Feeling faint.

~ Dry mouth, eyes and throat.

~ Cold hands or feet.

~ Needing to visit the "bathroom" often.

~ Feeling flushed / red-faced.

~ Trembling, nervous twitch, fidgeting.

~ Low back pain.

~ Tense stiff muscles.

~ Headaches, eye strain and tension.

~ Stuttering, stammering.

~ High blood pressure.

~ Insomnia (sleeplessness).

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TIPS & TECHNIQUES FOR HANDLING STRESS

One of the problems many people face when they stand up to speak is stage fright.
You can overcome this by doing some or aU of the following:

MINIMISE WORRY

Worrying achieves very little. Think about the worst thing that could happen and then
look at its' probability. It may help to put a few thoughts on paper; when you look at
your worries on paper they often seem unlikely and less overwhelming. Remember that
your audience wants you to succeed (otherwise they would not be there).

POSITIVE ACTIONS

Talk it through with a friend. Limit your worry time to five minutes then write down
all the positive things that could arise from the situation.
•
BEING ASSERTIVE

Saying "No", although stressful in itself, is sometimes the right thing to do.

NEURO-MUSCULAR TENSION CONTROL

This is a well proven form of relaxation where each part of the body is tensed for 3-5
seconds and then relaxed. Doing this many people feel a release of tension.

BREATHING DEEPLY

When you feel anxious this can be an excellent way of relaxing. Take deep breaths and
hold them in for several seconds slowly expelling the air.

POSITIVE THINKING

Imagine the situation you are going to face and run through it with everything going
smootWy. Doing this will help you to identify what you require to make the
Ii
presentation successful. Don't suggest to the audience that you are not prepared ("I'm
afraid I didn't really have time to prepare this.. " I "It doesn't seem to be plugged in
..."). Such confessions will signal insult rather than apology.

PREPARATION!

This is the key to all successful presentations. It means you will be well organised and
rehearsed.

© The British Council, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. 1998

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Delivering your Presentation

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DELIVERING IT

The actual delivery determines whether or not you accomplish your objectives. Now,
we will look at various ways of giving your message more impact and clarity.

Some Characteristics of a Good Speaker:

The Voice

-- ...... audible

...
(~ ...
head up not :eading WJl-J)
pace: vary It C., -- .
......
pitch: start deep down, modulate it between high and low
power : drop it to emphasise points
pause now and again to collect thoughts, to gain attention

Appearance

... should complement what you have to say

... what will your audience think ?

Posture

... upright
... relaxed

Eye contact

... maintain it at all times

Interest and Enthusiasm

... establish yourself as someone worth listening to

... maintain brain contact as well as eye contact

Humour

... use sparingly

... best humour is that which is naturally generated during the course of the
presentation

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Gestures

.... smile
.... keep your hands free and above your stomach level
.... the larger the audience the more expansive the gesture
.... avoid mannerisms
.... move with confidence

Mannerisms

.... check your mannerisms on video

Rehearse

.... practice makes perfect

.... rehearse where at all possible

© The British Council, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. 1998

 Using Your Voice

How to speak in public to create the effect "you want,

using techniques for highlighting, pausing and stressing

"Perhaps I'd better go over that again in l1}.ofe detail."

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USING YOUR VOICE EFFECTIVELY

When speaking in public, it is essential to speak clearly. Always avoid swallowing the
end of words and / or sentences. Open your mouth in order to project your words to
your audience.

There is nothing more boring than listening to someone who speaks in a monotone
manner. When you are speaking formally, you need to add colour and interest to what
.you are saying. This can be achieved by varying the intonation and emphasis of your
voice and by inserting pauses (which we have already looked at).

In short, the most important aspects of voice control are:

,--.
1. Projection
2. Intonation
3. Emphasis
4. Pauses

Three main problems:

1. Monotone
2. Talking too fast
3. Too loud / too soft

Solutions:

1. Relax, release tension and breathe normally.

2. Listen to yourself, pause at the end of sentences, don't be afraid of periods of

silence to let the point sink in.

3. Practice.

Have one person stand at the back and one at the front. Is my voice too loud
or too soft ?

Ask the audience: "Can you hear me at the back?"

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Voice Projection

If you are talking in a large room with lots of soft, sound absorbing surfaces such as

. ----
curtains, carpets and people, it becomes very hard to fill the room with your voice so
that everyone can hear clearly. You must "pump up the volume".
\'w.Y.fP.~
To pump up the volume by simply shouting has two effects:

- you quickly get a sore throat

- you sound very strange to your audience

The answer is to project your words rather than shout them. To do this you should:

--. * keep your vocal cords relaxed (relax your throat, neck and shoulder muscles)
* open your mouth more widely than you would in normal conversation

* push from your diaphragm while you speak

Intonation

In spoken English there are two important clues in the way things are said that can help
you understand the intention behind them. One is what you can see (smiles, frowns,
gestures and so on). This is what we call body language. The other is intonation, which
you have to vary to keep the audience's interest. Intonation is the variation of three
basic controls :

[29 PITCH - refers to the 'height' or 'lowness' ofa person's voice.

lID TONE - refers to the modulation of the voice.

[29 VOLUME - refers to the level of noise.

As we have said previously, when you are speaking formally you need to add interest
to what you are saying by varying your intonation. If you are speaking in a large room
you will have to be larger than life. You have to extend your range of pitch, tone and
volume and do it consciously.

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Body Language
Use body language to make it look as if you are confident. How can you do this?

Take control and keep it.

Your audience expects you to take control and set the pace. If you do not exhibit firm
leadership, you will confuse the audience. First impressions count and you only get one
chance to create them.

Managing mannerisms.

What is a mannerism ? Look at the next handout and decide what impression your
audience would get if you do this !

A gesture that looks forced, rehearsed or in any way unnatural, probably acts as a
distraction. By all means practise gestures before your presentation. But when you get
up to speak, make sure your mind is on what you are saying and not what your hands
are doing.

It would seem that there are four basic types of gesture:

• •
J_Descriptive gestures express ideas of size, shape, place or movement. Examples :
holding the hands wide apart to suggest great size or moving one hand downwards to
suggest a decline.

+ Emphatic gestures are used to reinforce an idea. Examples : bringing the fist down
into the palm of the hand to suggest refusal or determination or shaking your head to
express disagreement.

+ Counting gestures, using the fingers of one hand, help the audience to follow a series
of steps in a description or a list of points in an argument.

+ Attitude gestures generally convey how the speaker feels about what he is
describing.· Examples : shrugging the shoulders to suggest ignorance or indifference or
clutching the temples with both hands to express frustration.

Stand up and say these sentences while making an appropriate gesture!

a) Our ignorance of these problems is like a vast desert.

b) "Cohesion" means sticking together tightly.
c) It has a swept back shape, like the wings of a jet fighter plane.
d) The matter is finished. We don't want to hear any more about it.
e) And then it slowly opens out, just like a flower opening.
f) We must keep these two ideas quite separate.
g) The work was going on fine, and then suddenly everything went wrong.
h) This will have to stop!

© The British Council, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. 1998

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Using natural gestures won't distract from a presentation; however, doing one of the
following will.

Keeping your hands in your pockets.

Or handcuffed behind your back

Or keeping you arms crossed.

Or in a fig leaf position.

Or wringing your hands nervously.

1\
So will smoothing your mustache; leaning against something; smoothing your hair;
standing behind a table etc.

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EMPHASISING AND HIGHLIGHTING KEY POINTS

Emphasis tells the audience what you consider to be the important points. There are a number
of different ways you can emphasise and highlight key points in your presentation to give it
more impact and to sound more persuasive:

1. Stressing an auxiliary verb like is, was, were, will, has. With negatives put the stress
on words like no, not.

For example: It's costing a lot of money.

It i~ costing a lot of money.

The company doesn't see any need for change.

Th~ company sees no need for change.

2. Adding the auxiliary do, does, or did in an affirmative sentence.

For example: We see a need for change.

We do see a need for change.

Personnel knew about it before.

Personnel did know about it before.

3. Changing the normal word order of a sentence.

For example: We're suggesting cuts in production.

What we're suggesting are cuts in production.

They propose a major reorganisation.

What they propose is a major reorganisation.

4. Repeating key words and ideas.

For example: We need to reduce production and packaging costs.

We need to reduce production costs and we also need to reduce packaging
costs.

5. By leaving a pause after the statement to be emphasised.

6. By simply telling the audience you consider something important:

I want to stress .....

I would like to emphasize that ....

© The British Council. Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. 1998

 Elllphasis 1

',you can dramatically change the significance of what you say in a;/ .
.presentation by stressing words which would normally be unstressed or
. contracted. Look at the following examples:

Neutral Remark

It's our best chance of success. . . It is our best chance of success. ,•

We were hoping for a better deal.
We're doing the best we can.
We've tried to limit the damage.
;We can't go ahead with this.
I see what'you rnean.~'·· .
" We'were hoping for abetter deal: .'
We are dqing the best we can.
We have tried to limit the damage.
We cannot go ahead iJyith this.'
:I do see what you mean/ - .. , 7

. They promised completion by June. They d!d. promise qlmpletion by June.

-'It isn't cost-effective. ", It's not cost~effeCtive..
Do we or don't we believe in service? Do we or do we not believe in service?

Notice how the auxiliary verbs (is, are, was, were, has, have, had) and
negatives carry a lot of the emphasis.
\

• TASK
Now change the following presentation extracts to emphasize the main points. The first one
has been done for you as an example.

I. It's been an exception< year. > it h"-,, I,cc'" 'n "\:(.~';'·l, 'lui \',,: il"

2. It's difficult to see wha~ the underlying trend is.

3. We'll get the price we xant in the end.
4. $10,000 isn't worth we frying about.
5. We don't see any need tor further injections of cash.
6. They promised to have the feasibility study completed by now.
7. Have we or haven't we enjoyed ten years of sustained growth?
8. I'd just like to say that '.I,'e'll be reviewing the whole situation in six months' time.
9. Look, we've been thw..:gh all this before and we aren't going through it all again.
10. We offered them an ar-,)logy and we'd hoped that would be the end of the matter.
•
II. We were hoping to re2-': h an agreement by May, but that isn't going to be possible now.
12. We appreciate the ned to take risks, but we have our shareholders to think of too.
13. We understand the pre~sure you're all working under, but we've got a business to
run, you knnw.
14. We weren't "\V~lre l,)t a:~\' chan,~e in the hank'~ circumstances, but I think we should have
been infunned,
15. The luss d' ,f'',() Df uur l',lsiness tll the Austrians isn't a serious matter. but it's seriuus
.
enough ru ~lcrn;md Ullf lttenri()[, rhi~ murnin~ - :-ill, what's~()ing on!
Read the extracts aloud until you are happy with the way you sound. The cassette provides
a good model fur 'lou. Usc' it tD chc~:k sour answers after you have done· the 'exercise.

48
 Softening 1

As well as being able to emphasize important points, you some.!!m.es ne~,d to

.' reduce the force of points which are' of less immediate significan'c'e:'" . .

a great improvement > a slight improvement

a major problem > a minor problem
a tota I success > a partial success

Look at the following extract from a presentation. See how the highlighted
words and phrases have a softening effect.

We've more or less completed the first round of negotiations in Osaka, and we're
~ certain they like what we're offering. although with the Japanese it is guite
difficult to tell sometimes. It's a little too soon to say whether we'll get an exclusive
contract. Exclusivity is probably rather too much to hope for. But we've just about
reached agreement on price and, all in all, we're fairly happy with the way things are
going.
Ii
'Softeners', like these. are extremely useful when you are uncertain of your
facts or want to be diplomatic. •

• TASK
Read the following presenta~ion extracts. First, decide which words and expressions you could
soften. Then write in the 'softeners' given at the end of the extract. The first one has been
done for you as an example.
~

quite a little
1. It's not what we wanted, but it's better than their last offer. (quite, a little)

-- A
2. I think we're too price,conscious.
3. I'd say we'll manage t'o break even.
•
(sometimes, just a little)

(all in all, just about)

4. It's a good idea, but it's certain to meet opposition. (basically, almost)
5. I'm pleased with our performance and it's been a good year. (fairly, all in all, quite)

6. In Northern Europe the response to our mailshots has been poor and I think that's
i
the result of deCiding to target only large firms. (generally, rather, partly)

7. We've done better than we expected this year, although I have to say that net profits
are still low. (probably, a bit, rather)

8. We had a few hiccups during the launch and it's been hard work getting the advertising
right, but everything's OK now. (minor, pretty, more or less)
9. The procedure is. foolproof. If we do make errors of judgement, they're easy to put right.
(virtually, occasionally, slight, usnally, fairly)

56
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• Pauses

Use pauses to~ make it easier for the audience to

understand your presentation.

·Pauses also help to give emphasis to a particular

• •
pOInt.

A good way to emphasise point, or to nlake a

statement more memorable is to leave a long
.pause after it:,
"Pause until it hurts" is a common phrase used
by experienced presenters.

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Closing and
Dealing with Questions

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ORGANISING THE CONCLUSIONS + RECOMMENDATIONS

SUMMARY

A good conclusion will contain some or all of the following stages :

- a summary (helps to reinforce your points or arguments)

- a conclusion - this will often take the form of :

a recommendation or call for action
a challenge
a dynamic concluding statement to reinforce your message

- support documentation (handouts, cost breakdowns, copies ofOHPs)

- closing formalities such as :

.... I'd be happy to answer any questions.

.... !fyou have any questions, I'd be pleased to answer them.
.... I would welcome any comments / suggestions.
II
.... Thank you for your attention.

-"

.© The British Council, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. 1998