Presentation Strategies, handout

1 Basic Skills to Make Presentations in English

I. Types of presentations

1. Informative: for seminars in class, meetings, product promotions

2. Persuasive: speeches by politicians, by celebrities in schools

3. Ceremonial: for birthday, graduation, wedding, retirement, awards, holidays like Thanksgiving Day,

Christmas, New Year, etc.

II. Seven steps to prepare a presentation

1. Brainstorming: note down any ideas that come up in your mind however carzy or ridiculous they are

2. Analyze yourself and your audience: interest, need, background knowledge, level of English, etc.

3. Select and narrow down your topic: focus on ONE topic only; choose fresh/original topics

4. Research on your topic: collect and study information relevant to your topic and prepare for questions

5. Organize your presentation effectively: attention-catching beginning, forceful ending, solid bodylucky 3

(first, second, third/lastly/finally)

6. Make your presentation related to your audience : language—brief, vivid; examples—stories of the

celebrities; body language—gestures

7. Practice, practice and practice

8. Make necessary revisions

III. How to organize your presentation?

• Attention–catching phrases: “Good morning, ladies and gentlemen!”

• Introduction:

1. Introduce your thesis by summing up the two or three topic sentences of the body

2. A humorous/impressive story 3. A sensational event

4. A famous quotation 5. Impressive statistics

6. Ask an appropriate question 7. Background introduction

8. Take advantage of what the presenter previous to you has said

• Body (See IV)

• Conclusion: Transitional phrases (in conclusion, in summary, in one word, all in all)

1. Restatement of your thesis in a different way

2. Raise a question for the audience to think about

3. Stimulate the audience to make more effort or take actions

4. Depict a bright future

• Closing: “Thank you for your time/attention/patience!”

▲ Most important of all, always keep your audience and your purpose in mind.

▲ Think clearly, and speak it clearly

IV. How to develop your ideas in the body part?

First,

Main point Secondly,

单一观点 What’s more

In conclusion

Above all,

In addition,

In one word,

Main point On the one hand,

对立观点 On the other hand,

Some people think that…

But others hold different views.

Signal words: first/above all/to begin with, second, finally/lastly; besides, moreover, what’s more, in addition;

but, yet, however, nevertheless; similarly, in comparison; in contast, on the contrary; so, therefore, in one word, 2 all in all, in conclusion, in summary

V. What is good language in presentations?

simple, clear, accurate, vivid, using metaphor, simile, parallel structure, personification, exaggeration, humor

e.g. Martin Luther King: I Have a Dream; Winston Churchill: Sweat, Tears and Blood

VI. How to make your presentation more appealing?

1. Catch their eyes

2. Touch their heart

3. Stimulate their thinking nerves

VII. Benefits of listening

1. Expands knowledge

2. Increases abilities to understand other people’s thought and needs

3. Promotes problem-solving abilities

4. Demonstrates care and acceptance

VIII. How Can You Listen Well?

• Bad listening habits:

1. Being absent-minded

2. Interrupting

3. Being biased

4. Taking all that is said without analyzing

5. Jumping to conclusions

• Good listening habits:

1. Stop talking and look at the speaker

2. Note down what the speaker says or what he/she thinks

3. Focus on the ideas delivered by the speaker not the words or manner of the speaker

4. Be ready to give feedbacks

5. Help the speaker feel comfortable

VIII. How to provide sensible feedbacks?

• Ask right questions:

1. Close-ended questions: Yes or No questions, Where? When?

2. Open-ended questions: What? Why? How?

3. Follow-up questions: to control the discussion, to gain more information or to clarify what is said.

e.g.: Can you describe it in detail? Will you tell me more about it?

• Give constructive feedbacks

1. Be objective, not judgmental

2. Give feedback to things you are certain or puzzzled about

3. Be brief and clear

IX. How to draw or receive feedbacks appropriately?

• Ask the audience to raise questions

• Answer questions skillfully

1. To the point and brief 2. Humorous 3. Indirect

X. What are good manners

• Be friendly, sincere and confident

• Watch out your voice and tones

• Be appropriately dressed

• Put your hand(s) naturally before your stomach or on the desk