JAG04 Unit 3 Presentation structure Task 1 Look at the graph. The vertical axis represents the attention of the audience and the horizontal axis shows time during an average presentation. How would you draw a curve in this graph? Task 2 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 A) The audience might have a lot of unspoken questions screaming in their heads at the beginning of a talk. These are some of them: Speech Bubble: Rectangle with Corners Rounded: What´s the reason s/he´s doing the presentation today? Speech Bubble: Rectangle with Corners Rounded: What´s his/her job title? Speech Bubble: Rectangle with Corners Rounded: Should I take notes? Speech Bubble: Rectangle with Corners Rounded: What´s his/her experience in this field? Speech Bubble: Rectangle with Corners Rounded: When´s coffee? Speech Bubble: Rectangle with Corners Rounded: What´s s/he going to talk about exactly? Speech Bubble: Rectangle with Corners Rounded: Is there going to be a Q&A session? Speech Bubble: Rectangle with Corners Rounded: What direction is s/he going to take with this presentation? B) Bearing in mind the questions above, what points should a speaker include in his/her introduction? Think about the WHAT, WHO, WHY and HOW of the talk. C) Stating your purpose It is essential to state the purpose of your presentation near the beginning. To do this clearly and effectively you need a few simple presentation verbs, e.g. report on, take a look at, give an overview of, bring sb up to date with, discuss etc. Below you will find a number of ways of stating the purpose of your presentation. Complete them using the words given. OK, let´s get started. Good morning, everyone. Thank you for coming. I´m Emma Powell and this morning I´m going to be: highlighting showing giving talking taking reporting telling …… to you about a research project we have set up to investigate the effects of drought. …… you about a study examining the way diamonds are mined in Canada. …… you how to deal with technical hitches when processing your data. ….. a look at the recent boom in virtual reality software companies. ….. what I see as the main advantages of the current system. ….. on the progress we have made on the data collection. ….. you an overview of our energy strategy. 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. Watch Lisa Margonelli give a presentation on the politics of oil at TED. What signposts is she using in her presentation? Take notes as you are watching. https://www.ted.com/talks/lisa_margonelli_the_political_chemistry_of_oil?referrer=playlist-how_do_y ou_solve_a_problem_lik Structure for emphasis Read the sentences. Underline the part of each sentence which is emphasized. 1. What I want to talk about today is tardigrades, which are tiny animals also known as ´water bears´. 2. What you need to do is to write the answer in the box. 3. What we need to think about is where the waste will be stored. 4. What we should remember is that the participants in the study might not be representative. These structures, e.g. what we should remember are called ´fronting´ or ´cleft sentences´ and are very useful in presentations, as they create a feeling of anticipation. When the first part of the sentences tells them something is coming, they are interested to hear the rest of the sentence. Rewrite the following sentences, using the What structure, to emphasize the underlined parts. 1. You´re going to see a summary of the results now. What ……………………………………………………………………………………. 2. We should think about how to improve on the research methods. What …………………………………………………………………………………… 3. We need to look at some of these results in more detail. What …………………………………………………………………………………… 4. I showed you earlier a photo of a nuclear reactor. What ……………………………………………………………………………………. Another technique used to emphasize a part of a sentence is to start with it. E.g. All these factors are important, but it is the price of energy that has the biggest effect. III. 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 a presentation on the effects of global climate change. That brings me to the end of my presentation. Let me just run over the key points again. Very briefly, there are two. First, global climate change continues and will continue to affect millions of people and, contrary to what most people believe, we cannot stop it by making changes in the lifestyle of individuals. 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. (Adapted from: http://www.nature.com/scitable/ebooks/english-communication-for-scientists-14053993/giving-oral-pre sentations-14239332 http://www.medianet-ny.com/clips.htm Ellis, M. – O’Driscoll, N. Giving presentations. Longman, 1998. Powell, M. Presenting in English. Language teaching publications. Thomson-Heinle, 1996. Goodale, M. Professional presentations. CUP, 1998. Comfort, J. Effective Presentations. OUP, 1995. Štěpánek, L. Oral Presentations, Language Learning Centre, MU, 2007. Williams, E. J. Presentations in English. Macmillan, 2007.)