JAZYKOVÁ KOMPETENCE II Session 1 Effective presentations A GOOD PRESENTER… Complete the principles of an effective presentation with appropriate verbs: A good presenter… … the presentation short, but complete … a proper introduction of himself/herself and the topic of the talk … the presentation with adequate volume, diction, and eye contact … notes … the audience … participation and constructive comment … too much detail … information to make the best use of the time … the main arguments … an original conclusion from what he/she said … the talk within the time limit … questions from the audience WHY SHOULD I… ? Complete the sentences explaining each point. 1. Summarizing the main points is essential because … 2. Effective talks should be entertaining because… 3. The speaker should not read because… 4. Standing is better than sitting because… 5. The speaker should notice the audience because … The Structure of a Presentation A quote about public speaking says: “Tell them what you´re going to tell them, then tell them and finally tell them what you´ve told them” Follow the advice and remember to include an introduction, main body and an ending in your talks. I. Introduction What points should be included in an introduction? Listen to the beginning of the lecture and answer the questions. - How many points will the speaker cover in her lecture? - What will they be? a) Listen to the whole lecture and answer these questions. - How does the speaker engage the audience at the beginning of her talk? - What does the speaker say to conclude each main point? b) Try to complete the sentences after the first listening, then listen again and check your answers. 1. Herbal medicine is the prevention or treatment of illness through …………………… 2. Herbal medicine uses ………………… 3. Herbal medicines contain the active ingredient and … 4. According to herbalists, this combination makes the active ingredient more ……. and reduces ……………. 5. ………………………have not been proven. 6. Aspirin and morphine are examples of ………………………………. 7. Researchers are becoming more aware of ……………………………. 8. …………..is an example of a disease that may be treated in the future with a plant-derived drug. 9. Herbal medicine is becoming more popular with the general public because they believe …………………………. than conventional drugs. 10. Some people think modern medicine should be used to treat ……………. and herbal medicine to treat …………………… (adapted from Lane, S. Instant Academic Skills. Cambridge University Press, 2011) II. Main Body Transitions, also called signposting phrases or signposts are an integral part of a smooth presentation, yet many speakers forget to plan them. The primary purpose of a transition is to lead your listener from one idea to another. These words are not difficult to learn but it is essential that you memorize some of them and can use them when you are under pressure giving a presentation. Task: Watch Alan Russell give a presentation on future of medicine at TED. What signposts is he using in his presentation? Take notes as you are watching. http://www.ted.com/talks/alan_russell_on_regenerating_our_bodies.html Task: Choose the correct transition phrase in the following text: Let me remind you / Let´s begin by saying that the most common causes of sudden death during exercise are abnormalities of the heart and blood vessels. Also, / In more detail let me remind you that coronary heart disease is the major cause of exercise-related complications in Westernised communities. Moreover, / Nevertheless, the issue that attracts our attention is whether these deaths are causally related to exercise and thus whether exercise can be a dangerous and potentially lethal activity for predisposed athletes. It is important to say / Specifically, that there are many people with latent heart disease who are able to exercise quite safely without the risk of sudden death. Similarly / However, clinicians still have not established how to distinguish these people from those who are at risk. Because athletes who die suddenly have advanced cardiac disease, they are at high risk of dying suddenly, whether or not they exercise. A number of studies have attempted to determine whether exercise increases the risk that people with advanced heart disease will die suddenly during exercise rather than at rest. Some have found that moderate exercise does not increase the risk of sudden death, whereas / moreover other have found that more vigorous forms of exercise are associated with a five- to seven- fold greater risk of sudden death. To illustrate this point / To summarise, I would like to mention that in the USA the sports most commonly associated with sudden death are football and basketball. Nevertheless, let me remind you/ let´s examine that on the one hand, the performance of exercise increases the risk of sudden cardiac death, but on the other hand if one exercises regularly, that risk is less. So one of the most critical things to do to improve your cardiac health and well-being is to exercise on a regular basis. Let´s examine/ Let´s compare the issue of prevention in greater detail. Although sudden death in athletes is devastating, it is very rare and there are many things we can do to prevent it. Also/ Firstly, it is recommended to exercise in the morning or evening during warm months, drink plenty of fluids and avoid alcohol and caffeinated beverages. Any chest or abdominal pain, fainting, dizziness, fatigue, unusually rapid heartbeat or shortness of breath should be reported to a physician. Secondly / Finally, athletes should have a physical examination before participating in organized sports. Athletes with a family history of sudden death, heart disease at a young age, a loud heart murmur or previous heart surgery require further evaluation. Moreover / Although all persons over 50 should undergo cardiovascular screening before starting any type of exercise programme. Finally, I would like to illustrate / Finally, I would like to consider sudden death at an advanced age: it is usually difficult to motivate elderly people to exercise, although the person who begins an exercise programme is at lower risk of sudden death than a sedentary peer. It has also been claimed that the relative risks of physical activity decrease with age because of a less ambitious attitude towards exercise. Nevertheless / Similarly, if an exercise does provoke sudden death in let´s say an 80-year-old, some believe that this is a more pleasant end than many alternative ways of dying. III. Ending Ending The ending comprises 5 things and you should not forget about any of them. So, when ending your talk, remember to - Sum up (give the main points in a short and clear form) - Conclude (give an original thought which implies from your speech, for more see the paragraph below) - Sources (state the sources for your presentation on one slide, if not possible, give at least the main ones) - Questions (encourage the audience to ask questions) - Close (thank the audience for listening) Task: Write a conclusion to the presentation. That brings me to the end of my presentation. Let me just run over the key points again. Very briefly, there are two. First, obesity continues to affect millions of people and, contrary to what most people believe, we cannot stop this epidemic by treatment and medication. Second, the effects of overweight and obesity are not only physical but also mental and social. At this point, I’d like to leave you with the following thought: ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………. Thank you for your attention and now, if you have any questions, I’d be pleased to answer them. Links: http://www.nature.com/scitable/ebooks/english-communication-for-scientists-14053993/giving-oral-pre sentations-14239332 http://www.medianet-ny.com/clips.htm Sources: Ellis, M. – O’Driscoll, N. (1998) Giving presentations. Longman Powell, M. (1996) Presenting in English. Language teaching publications. Thomson-Heinle Goodale, M. (1998) Professional presentations. CUP Comfort, J. (1995) Effective Presentations, OUP Štěpánek, L. (2007), Oral Presentations, Language Learning Centre, MU