Choose one of the presentation situations below. Prepare five different

 

Openings using the techniques in 2.1.7. Practise the openings with a partner.

 

1. Your company is developing a small car aimed at city workers. Audience: a group of distributors.

 

2. Your bank wishes to encourage young people to save money. Audience: a group of students.

 

3. Your firm has produced a type of torch which has unique features. Audience: a group of buyers at a trade fair.

 

 

Involving the Audience

 

 

Work in small groups. Discuss these questions.

 

1) How does your audience usually behave when you deliver presentations? 2) What do you do to arouse their interest?

 

 

Free topic presenting game

 

Choose any object, phenomenon, idea, problem or maybe your own hobby or favourite activity to be the topic of your presentation. The point is to make youraudience interested! So, use of the following advice.

 

Analyse your audience:

 

— How do they feel about your topic?

 

— Are they informed? What do they need to know? What do they expect?

 

— What do they know about you?

 

— Are they here by choice or requirement?

 

— What is their mood?

 

— Are there any obstacles?

 

Decide what you want your audience to do: Understand? Learn? Take action? Participate?

 

Design the content of your presentation:

 

— What you are going to speak about – a) key messages; b) facts to support; c) involve your audience

— Make no more than 3 points

 

— Opening and conclusion

 

In the opening section state the purpose of your presentation, say why it’s important to you, what the main points are.

 

In the closing section repeat the messages, reiterate the opening, summarize, recommend action, close.

 

Follow the KISS principle – keep it short and simple, try to sound idiomatic. Your time-limit is 7 minutes. Then the next student takes the floor.

 

Read the text and say what useful tips for presenters you found there.

 

How to Make Effective Presentations & What Makes an Audience Listen

 

When preparing a presentation you should bear in mind that our brain cannot

 

accept a message when it:

 

· lacks enough or the right kind of information

 

· has no frame of reference

 

· is unable to find a familiar hook to connect the new information to the current state of mind

 

· can't connect the parts of what it's hearing as it has not been provided with an overall presentation structure

 

Therefore in order to make your presentation effective and keep your audience interested you should do the following.

 

Analyse Your Audience

 

Put yourself in the audience's shoes – try to understand your listener's level of understanding, their map of reality, and anticipate what they want to know. Once you know what your audience wants, you can figure out how to "sell" the benefits of your topic to them.

 

Set Your Goal and Keep It Before You

 

Decide what it is you would like to happen as a result of your presentation. The four main goals of any communication are to inform, to request for an action, to persuade, and to build relationship. Decide which of these goals you are planning to achieve. Let your listeners know what you want them to do near the beginning of your talk and again at the end. Present your basic idea and give them an outline of your presentation that would lead you and your audience to the desired result.

 

Do Your Homework

 

Research your topic – speak about something you have earned the right to talk about through experience or study. Anticipate questions, and make sure you have the facts to answer them.

 

"Develop reserve power", advised Dale Carnegie, "assemble a hundred thoughts

 

around your theme, then discard ninety... Always prepare so that you are ready for any emergency such as a change of emphasis because of the previous speaker's remarks or a well-aimed question from the audience in the discussion period following your talk... This will give you reserve power, the power that makes people sit up and take notice."

 

Seize every opportunity to practice – no professional in any field performs without practicing. Remember, your time in front of a group is your showcase.