AII SEMINAR 1 Presentations Quotations – Discuss some of the ideas below. 1 "The more you say, the less people will remember." – Anatole France (1844-1924), French novelist. 2 "It is easier to do the job right than to explain why you didn't." – Martin Van Buren (1837-1841), 8^th American president. 3 "Failing to plan means planning to fail." – Brian Tracy (b.1944), contemporary American management writer.^ 4 "Judge each day not by the harvest you reap^1, but by the seeds you plant." – Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894), Scottish novelist. 5 "If you can't serve as a good example, you'll just have to serve as a horrible warning." - Catherine Aird (b.1930), English writer. Task 1 – Try to answer these multiple choice questions. 1. What is the main type of presentation found at international academic conferences? a) informative b) instructional c) persuasive^2 2. When is the best time to ask questions during a presentation? a) during the conclusion b) after the conclusion c) after the introduction 3. What is the purpose of the main body of a presentation? a) to introduce the presenter b) to develop the main ideas and supporting sub-ideas of the presentation c) to conclude the presentation 4. When should a presenter conduct^3 an audience analysis? a) after the presentation b) during the presentation c) before the presentation 5. Which of the following sentences would be used in the conclusion of a presentation? a) “Our purpose today has been to …” b) “I’d like to introduce myself. My name is …” c) “Could you repeat that, please?” 6. When making a presentation, the speaker should look at: a) the floor b) his/her notes c) the audience 7. An introduction should: a) state the purpose of the presentation b) give suggestions^4 for future research c) develop supporting ideas 8. In presentations, visuals are used to: a) illustrate important ideas b) provide an attractive background c) show examples Task 2: Complete these sentences by choosing the correct verb. 1. I’d like to _________ you of the latest news. a) speak b) inform c) describe 2. Could you _________ up? We can’t hear you at the back. a) talk b) say c) speak 3. I’ll have to _________ the place as I don’t have any photos with me. a) explain b) describe c) present 4. He’s going to __________ the latest results. a) describe b) inform c) present 5. Let me __________ why we need to cut costs. a) explain b) describe c) talk 6. We’ll have time to __________ about this over lunch. a) discuss b) say c) talk 7. I couldn’t __________ how long it will take. a) talk b) speak c) say 8. We will __________ you when the project comes to an end. a) say b) describe c) tell 9. I´d like to __________ about social work in the Czech Republic. a) mention b) tell c) talk 10. Let´s __________ this issue later. a) tell b) discuss c) say Task 3 – Listening – Giving Talks and Presentations Listen to the first part and complete the notes. Part 1 – Preparation – key points 1 Objectives 2 3 4 5 6 Listen to the second part and list the numbers of the sections that are referred^5 to. Part 2 – Language – “Sign Posting” Giving Talks and Presentations 1 Introducing Good morning, my name is … I’m a … (student … ) at … (Masaryk University) This morning I’m going to … (talk about …) Today I’d like to … (describe …) The focus^6 / topic / subject of my talk / paper is … The aim of my presentation this morning is to … (explain …) I’ve divided my presentation into … We can break this area down into the following fields ... My talk will be in … (three parts.) First, I’d like to (give you an overview of …) Second, I’d like to focus on^7 … Then, I’ll move on^8 to … After that, we’ll deal with^9 … Finally, we’ll consider^10 … 2 Referring to questions Feel free to interrupt me if there’s anything you don’t understand / you need clarifying. If you don’t mind, we’ll leave questions till the end. 3 Introducing each section So, let’s start with … (objectives …) Now let’s move on to … (the next part …) Let’s turn our attention to … (the question of …) This leads me to … (my third point …) Finally … (let’s consider …) 4 Summarizing a section Let me just run over the key points again. I’ll briefly summarise the main issues That completes my … (description of …) To sum up … So, to summarize … (there are five key points …) 5 Referring backwards and forwards I mentioned earlier … (the importance of …) I’ll say more about this later. We’ll come back to this point later. 6 Checking understanding Is that clear? Are there any questions? 7 Referring to visual information transparency^13 This diagram shows … screen If you look at this graph you can see … What is interesting in this slide is … I’d like to draw your attention to …(this chart …) 8 Referring to common knowledge As you know … As I’m sure you’re aware … 9 Concluding / justification As you can see, there are some very good reasons … I’d like to leave you with the following thought / idea … In conclusion … I hope you’ve gained an insight into … 10 Inviting questions and dealing with questions If you have any questions, I’d be pleased / I’ll do my best to answer them. I would welcome any comments or suggestions. That’s a good point. I’m glad you asked that question. Can I get back to you on that later? I’m afraid I don’t have … (the information at present). I’m afraid I’m not the right person to answer that. 11 Closing That concludes my talk. That brings me to the end of my presentation. That completes my presentation. Thank you for your attention / listening. Listen to the last part and complete the key points. Part 3 – Delivery – key points 1 Nerves 2 3 4 5 OPENING (Introduction & Outline^11) The introduction and outline must be designed to gain the interest of the audience. If they are poorly prepared, the audience may lose interest. A well planned introduction will “set an objective framework in which the audience will accept the information as accurate and as significant.” (Laster & Pickett 1996:442) Task 4 Which of the items on the checklist^12 below would you include in an introduction to: a) an internal presentation to colleagues? b) an external presentation to a public audience? c) both of the above? d) neither of the above? CHECKLIST: 1 The main parts or points you will cover. 2 Any visuals you will use. 3 Your name and position. 4 The length of time you will take. 5 The purpose of your presentation. 6 When the audience may ask questions. 7 The title/subject of your presentation. Task 5 Look at this introduction to a presentation. Some of the words and phrases are not formal enough for this type of presentation. Underline the informal language. Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for coming. Today you’ll find things out about the structure and running of Masaryk University. I’ve broken up my presentation into a few bits: to kick off we’ll deal with the various schools and faculties, then we’ll take a look at the different courses and stuff like that, and lastly we’ll look at the day-to-day running of the whole place. You’ll get a chance to ask questions and discuss issues at the end of my talk, but shout out if there’s anything you don’t get. Can you think of more suitable words or phrases to replace the informal language? VISUALS AND AIDS Task 6 – Choose the best answer. 1. Using overhead transparencies^14 is a good practice, because _____. a) it reduces^15 the time required to prepare for the lecture. b) it provides good substitutions^16 for handouts. c) it enhances^17 the lecture and helps the audience to understand. 2. In a presentation, the main purpose of music or audio is to _____. a) distract the audience. b) help the audience to focus. c) wake the audience up. d) provide an extra dimension of information . 3. Optimally, the showing of special objects during a presentation _____. a) distracts^18 the audience from what is being said. b) helps listeners to understand what the lecturer is talking about. c) can significantly slow down the lecture. d) All of the above . 4. The clothing that the presenter is wearing _____. a) is not an important issue, unless the lecture is fashion related. b) is important because a formally dressed lecturer is more credible^19. c) should be considered and chosen to be appropriate^20 to the particular audience . d) should be comfortable and not too colourful. 5. Handouts are important because _____. a) they help the audience understand the main idea. b) they serve as a basic reference. c) they are useful for writing comments and notes on. d) All of the above. Vocabulary 1. to reap harvest sklidit úrodu 2. *persuasive přesvědčivý 3. *to conduct (an analysis) provádět (analýzu) 4. *suggestion návrh 5. *to refer to (something); reference odkazovat na; odkaz 6. *focus, main or central point hlavní bod 7. *to focus on zaměřit se na 8. *to move on to přejít na 9. *to deal with zabývat se 10. *to consider vzít v úvahu, uvážit 11. *outline náčrt, nástin 12. checklist kontrolní seznam 13. transparency, slide diapozitiv 14. overhead transparency fólie do zpětného projektoru 15. *to reduce, decrease zmenšit, snížit 16. *to substitute; substitution nahradit; náhrada 17. *to enhance obohatit, vylepšit 18. *to distract vyrušovat, rušit 19. *credible důvěryhodný 20. *appropriate vhodný Word bank 1. oral presentation ústní prezentace 2. to give a speech přednést řeč 3. to deliver a speech mít řeč 4. to make a speech mít projev 5. to speak in public mluvit na veřejnosti 6. attentive audience pozorné publikum 7. to raise a question položit otázku 8. to discuss some issues diskutovat o některých problémech 9. to clarify objasnit 10. to ask for clarification požádat o objasnění 11. to overcome nervousness překonat nervozitu 12. to present an idea prezentovat myšlenku 13. to show enthusiasm projevit nadšení 14. to go down well with the audience najít odezvu u publika 15. to fail to succeed neuspět 16. to commit a blunder dopustit se velké chyby 17. to do one´s best vynasnažit se 18. to speak up mluvit hlasitě 19. to speak softly mluvit tiše 20. to applaud tleskat Presentation Assessment Criteria Consider the following criteria before making your presentation: 1. Organisation - preparedness - logical sequence - introduction - purpose statement - outline - sign-posting language - key points - summary - conclusion - closure - timing 2. Content - topic coverage - relevant to humanities and social sciences - informative - understandable - interesting - entertaining 3. Language - appropriate to audience - explanation of jargon - voice - speed - volume - clarity - intonation - grammatical accuracy - correct pronunciation of key words 4. Body language - eye contact ( with the whole class, not only the teacher) - good use of notes; not reading large parts of the presentation - stance, enthusiasm 5. Visuals - appropriate - supportive - clear 6. Questions - handling of the discussion - clear, appropriate responses 7. Sources - reliability - bibliography format