FIRST METHOD
In
this article, we will look at the beginning and introduction of a good
presentation in English. Also, we will focus on connecting words and
ways to keep your presentation moving. Finally, we will concentrate on
bringing your presentation to a confident and professional conclusion.
How to begin a good presentation in English
Smile, look into the eyes of as many of your audience as possible and
speak slowly - "Hello everyone, good morning and welcome. Thanks for
coming."
Your presentation is off to a good start. Starting slowly, engaging
in eye contact and being able to say your first few sentences without
looking at notes, will help relax you and make your audience feel
comfortable. Let's keep going.
A good presentation is well-structured and properly practised. You
can have notes to look at occasionally, but if you want to give a
professional impression, then the best advice I can give you is don't
read them word for word. Glance at them now and again but give your
introduction without reading it from a page.
A good structure is simple - in the introduction, introduce yourself and your topic.
After you have welcomed your audience, introduce yourself - and think
about how peculiar it would look if you had to look down at your notes
and read your name.
The choice of words for introducing yourself is wider than you might
think. If you don't know anyone in the audience, then you can say, "My
name is Winnie Chan and I am the marketing manager for International
Partners".
If you know some of the audience you could change that to, "As some
of you know I am Winnie Chan ..." And, if you know most of the audience
then you can say, "As most of you already know I'm Winnie Chan".
How to introduce your presentation topic
A good introduction is clear and structured. So once you have told
the audience who you are, you need to tell them what you are going to
talk about. For this purpose, let's say your topic is the rise in
popularity of shopping online. If your presentation isn't too formal
then you could say, "The topic of my talk today is shopping online and I
am going to discuss some of the reasons why it has become so popular."
Alternatively, if your audience is more formal and less relaxed, you
could use the following: "The title of my presentation is The Rise in
Popularity of Shopping Online and I will give you some background about
this trend in retail."
The next thing to do is explain when you will be happy to answer
questions. So this is when you can say, "I hope you enjoy my
presentation and if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask
me them at the end."
Alternatively, "I trust you will find what I have to say useful and
relevant. There will be a Q&A session at the end so please hold on
to any questions you may have until then."
It's now important to signal that your introduction is at an end and
you are about to begin the main part of your presentation. If you are
using a microphone, at this point you can check that it's working
properly by saying, "Can I just double check everyone can hear me okay?
And then you can continue, "Well if everyone is comfortable [or ready]
then I'll begin."
A strong ending is worth remembering
Last, but by no means least because the end of a presentation is
crucial. No matter how long or short your talk was, or how fantastic
everything you had said was, it is inevitable that your audience will go
away remembering the last few seconds. So you must finish your
presentation with strong and easily understood language.
Consider using a strong and powerful visual aid at the end of your
presentation. Try to summarise what you want your audience to go away
with on one colourful but simple visual which will stay with them.
Don't say, "I am now going to summarise what I have just been talking
about." Say, "Right, so that was the long version - here's the only
thing you have to focus on ..." Because if you can't summarise your
presentation in one sentence, your audience won't remember it all. Try
to focus on the one main thing you want them to go away with.
Don't say, "Thank you for your attention. It was nice to meet you all
and I hope you liked my presentation." Consider saying, "I hope you've
learned something new today and if you have questions, please feel free
to ask me now. Otherwise, I am available and happy to discuss anything I
have said with you ..."
Remember, don't repeat the same verbs, keep your structure simple and
easy to follow and make sure you can close your talk with one punchy
sentence which is all you want your audience to remember.
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Starting a Presentation
In modern English, Presentations tend to
be much less formal than they were even twenty years ago. Most audience
these days prefer a relatively informal approach. However, there is a
certain structure to the opening of a Presentation that you should
observe.
Get people's attention
Welcome them
Introduce yourself
State the purpose of your presentation
State how you want to deal with questions.
START WITH ...... (Dramatic voiceover) “In the beginning…” I start this presentation with a very direct overview of what the audience can expect. Nothing fancy, just to the point and fast.
“Today we’re going to be talking about how to analyze your presentation script.”
The next thing I tell the audience is the first purpose of my talk.
Notice that I am telling them that I will help them to do something.
This is something that you must always consider… How your information is
going to do something for the audience. And here’s what I said:
“Now the purpose of this is to help you find the absolute core, the core message of your presentation.”
And in the middle…Starting at the 22 second mark, I tell them exactly what we are going to be doing to achieve the first purpose.
“So what we’re going to do… I’m going
to teach you guys to analyze your presentation so that you can find the
keywords or key phrases in your presentation.”
After that, I move right into the second purpose.
“And what we are going to do today,
too is we’re going to help you to figure out, “Okay, how do I get into
the mind of my audience and understand the audience.”
From there, I go into explaining they need to do three things to achieve the two purposes. I just simply say…
“The very first thing you’re going to need…”
“The second thing you need…”
“And the third thing you’re going to need…”
But it’s not the end…This presentation was about something I wanted people to do. I gave them an overview of what they had to do. To end my presentation, I tell them what they need to be careful of. I say to them…
“The important thing is that during this exercise you have to be very, very strict; otherwise, this entire thing does not work.”
Here’s how it all ends…Finally, I tell them what the big picture is, what the ultimate achievement for them will be.
“So what this is gonna do is help you to start thinking like the audience member…”
And last but not least, I give them the first thing they must do. In other words, I give them a call-to-action.
“So that’s basically it. We’re going
to take the next few steps that I’ve outlined in the handouts there.
Okay? And we are going to get going with that.”
In summaryTo do something like this, you must first be well prepared, organized, and know your stuff. But you also have to keep in mind the basic structure of a presentation: Beginning, middle, and end. In the sample presentation, the structure I’ve followed is…
What do you think makes people the most nervous when giving a presentation? Let me know what you think by writing your answer in the comments section below. As always, let me know if you have any questions about presentations or this particular topic by leaving a comment below or using the contact page. Finish your presentation with a bang |
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| Public speaking is a challenge that can make many people nervous. In fact, it can be downright terrifying. Over the last twenty years, presentation coach David Beckett coached hundreds of people and got a huge kick out of seeing them improve their presentations skills. In this article, David shares 2 of many essentials of how to deliver a great presentation: the first 60 seconds and the end of your presentation. This article is for everyone who would like to improve his/her presentation skills. Bring it on! The first 60 seconds It is advisable not to try to memorise your script: it’s almost impossible and can cause you to lose your way. However, do have a few sure sentences for your most important points, as leaning posts and structure for the rest of the presentation. The only part of your presentation that you should learn word for word is the first 60 seconds. Consider what happens when you get up on stage. Your heart-rate increases. You probably begin sweating because your body temperature rises. Your hands might even shake a little. You’re super conscious of every move you make and concerned that everyone can see your uncertainty. This all takes place because your body reacts under stress and goes into ‘fight or flee’ mode. Instinct takes over and pumps your body full of adrenaline: your mind is less engaged and the animal need to prepare for an attack wins. Even the most experienced presenter in the world will suffer from some level of stress at the beginning of a presentation, because it’s a moment of being on show for all to see. It’s hard to think straight when the body is reacting that way. You’re under the spotlight – nowhere to hide. There is nothing like hearing yourself deliver a few good lines to give you confidence. Learning the first 60 seconds will help bring your body back on your side. Finish with a bang Have you ever been to a concert where there was no encore? The band gets up, plays and walks off, giving the audience no chance to show their appreciation. It leaves you with a sense of unfulfillment, as if something’s not quite complete. I once talked with musician Tom Robinson, and he explained why. “You’ve been up on stage and given the audience your best. Part of the process is that we as the audience like to say thank you in return. If the performer doesn’t give us that chance, we feel like our part hasn’t been played.” Tom also told me that the most important part of any song he played live was the end. “You can have an average song, but if you close it off with a clear riff and a bang, the audience will love it. They also need to know when to applaud, so give them a definite and clear ending moment.” Tom’s tips can easily be translated into your presentation approach.
Three to remember
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What is a sucky presentation?
We all know
the classic signs and symptoms of a presentation flop—it feels like
it's running on too long and you're wasting your time (either as the
presenter or an audience member). At their core, sucky presentations fail to resonate with the audience, and therefore they fail in their mission to persuade or teach.
Anyone can learn to make better presentations
It's easy
to blame the tools. Vast libraries of awful clipart and boomerang
animations don't help anyone. It's also easy to convince yourself that
giving presentations just isn't your thing. But we all have to present
at some point or another, whether you're asking for a raise or
presenting a proposal to a client. That said, most people haven't
studied presentation design or how to communicate effectively.
So I talked to someone who has. Nancy Duarte and her amazing Duarte
design firm have created over a quarter of a million presentations in
the last 23 years (they're the group that helped Al Gore develop "An
Inconvenient Truth," and they also support several TED and PopTech
conferences). Duarte says that we've definitely reached a tipping point
in the last few years when it comes to presentation design: audiences
want more and expect more from us as presenters. The good news is it's
not hard to learn some basic principles.
At Duarte workshops, attendees re-sketch slides—offline, without PowerPoint
getting in the way—to learn things like arranging things in a grid and
creating contrast and emphasis. Here are a few "before" slides that I've
gathered from around the web as examples of what not to do.
Problem 1: Too many ideas on one slide
Some
presenters put everything on a slide to help them remember what they
need to say, Duarte says, forgetting that you could use slide notes
instead. Dense, document-like slides are best for presentations that are
going to be distributed (e.g., emailed to a recipient for reading on
their own time), not actually presented. Photo by Beate.
Solution:
Simplify. Stick to one idea per page, letting that one concept really
stick into the minds of the audience members. They'll focus on your
voice and what you're saying more than reading (staring at) the bullets.
See the before and after example from Duarte at left.
This
will mean less reliance for you on the slide itself, which is a good
thing even though it might be scary at first. You'll need to prepare at
lot more, but not sucking at PowerPoint often boils down to preparation.
Avi Fryman, who's part of a multimedia team that puts together
PowerPoints for large corporate events, says:
As a general rule, one should not use PowerPoint as a teleprompter. If an image is worth a thousand words, show the audience that one image, and speak the thousand words if you must, but please do not display and speak the thousand words.
Problem 2: Cliches and Clipart
It's
easy to fall back on the cliche images or concepts (handshake plus
globe, anyone?) and clipart, especially when you're pressed for time, as
most of us are. But higher-quality presentations require less automatic
thinking. If you fall back on the first thing that comes to mind,
chances are your competitors are doing that too.
Solution:
Lose the cliches. Brainstorm with others to find more clever ways to
communicate your ideas. Try three or four or more options to explore the
nuances of your message and relationship.
Problem 3: Lack of emphasis
If
you have a slide that takes longer than 10 seconds for the audience to
comprehend, it's too complex, Duarte says. Your slides should
communicate your ideas and enhance what you're saying, rather than add
more noise. Photo by Geetesh Bajaj.
Solution:
Information needs emphasis. Slides should only take 3 seconds to
process. So even with very complex ideas, boil down the findings from
that slide or split it up across multiple slides. Don't be afraid to use
more slides; they're free. It's better to flow through your slides,
allowing people to process them better, than to stay stagnant on one for
too long.
Fryman adds:
Chances are the audience is under-caffeinated, restless, and over-saturated with information already. Assume that many are in stealth mode, responding to texts and e-mails on their smartphones during the speech. But if the image (or the concise quote) on screen behind the podium has some real impact, you'll keep their attention and they'll listen to what you have to say.
Problem 4: Random design choices
Duarte
says the difference between a regular business person and a designer is
that the designer has learned to place and scale elements appropriately
for the best impact. That means no photos of bunnies or hot dogs on
your slides unless they belong there, please! This also goes for random
animations. Photo via InFocus.
Solution:Designate
elements purposely. Don't decorate slides for the sole purpose of
decorating them. Duarte has a helpful checklist for testing if your
presentation is more signal or noise. Also see Garr Reynold's Graphic
Design Fundamentals to learn more about design basics like unity,
whitespace, and color.
Problem 5: No relationship to the audience
Finally,
it doesn't matter how beautiful your presentation design is if it
doesn't have a message that your audience can connect to. Many
presenters out of nervousness talk to the slides, but your goal is to
build a bridge between your message and the audience (and not waste
their time). Photo by Duarte.
Solution:Empathy
for the audience. John Brubaker, an adjunct professor of public
speaking and communications at Maine Community College, writes that the
topmost practice he teaches is to begin your presentation outline by
answering from the audience's perspective: "W.I.I.F.M. - what's in it
for me?"
Remember this mnemonic: SLIDE
Did you notice Duarte's mnemonic device snuck in there in the solutions? It may help you when developing future presentations:
Simplify
L ose the cliches
I nformation needs emphasis
D esignate elements
E mpathy for the audience
L ose the cliches
I nformation needs emphasis
D esignate elements
E mpathy for the audience
Incorporate Storytelling Structure into Presentations for Added Drama and Effectiveness
The
best presentations and speeches share a lot in common with stories:
they move you with a mix of drama and tension, taking you from the
status quo to what could be—your ideas blissfully realized. You can see
more about how this works from Duarte's talk at TEDx,
but basically you can make your presentation more engaging—even
cinematic—by using a storytelling framework. Amplify the gap between
what is now (e.g., other company's piddling phones) and what could be
(e.g., the iPhone). (We've noted Steve Jobs' presentation style before,
and it turns out his technique really follows the same pattern as other
storytellers/speech makers.)
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