Guiding your presentation

By Sarah Whitney

Before you even open up PowerPoint, sit down and really think about the day of your presentation. What is the real purpose of your talk? Why is it that you were ask to speak? What does the audience expect? In your opinion, what are the most important parts of your topic for the audience to take away from your, say, 50-minute presentation? Remember, even if you’ve been asked to share information, rarely is the mere transfer of information a satisfactory objective from the point of view of the audience. After all, the audience could always just read your book (or article, handout, etc.) if information transfer were the only purpose of the meeting, seminar, or formal presentation.

Before you begin to formulate the content of your presentation, you need to ask yourself many basic questions with an eye to becoming the best possible presenter for that particular audience. At the very least, you need to answer the basic “W questions.”

Who is the audience? What are their backgrounds? How much background information about your topic can you assume they bring to the presentation?

· What is the purpose of the event? Is it to inspire? Are they looking for concrete practical information? Do they want more concepts and theory rather than advice?

· Why were you asked to speak? What are their expectations of you?

· Where is it? Find out everything you can about the location and logistics of the venue.

· When is it? Do you have enough time to prepare? What time of the day? If there are other presenters, what is the order (always volunteer to go first or last, by the way). What day of the week? All of this matters.

No matter how great your delivery, or how professional and beautiful your supporting visuals, if your presentation is not based on solid content, you cannot succeed. Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying that great content alone will carry the day. It almost never does. Great content is a necessary condition, but not a sufficient one. But your presentation preparation starts with solid content (appropriate for your audience) which you then build into a winning story that you’ll use to connect with your audience.

A word of caution: Though I am emphasizing how important content is, I also am begging you to spare your audience a “data dump.” A data dump – all too common unfortunately – is when a presenter crams too much information into the talk without making the effort to make the information or data applicable to the members of the audience. A data dump also occurs when data and information do not seem to build on the information that came earlier in the presentation. Sometimes it almost seems that the presenter is either showing off, or more likely, is simply afraid that if he does not tell the “whole story” by giving reams of data, the audience will not understand his message. Do not fall into the trap of thinking that in order for your audience to understand anything, you must tell them everything which brings us to the idea of simplicity.

Simple does not mean stupid. Frankly, thinking that the notion of simplifying is stupid is just plain, well, “stupid.” Simple can be hard for the presenter, but it will be appreciated by the audience. Simplicity takes more forethought and planning on your part because you have to think very hard about what to include and what can be left out. What is the essence of your message? This is the ultimate question you need to ask yourself during the preparation of your presentation. Here’s a simple exercise:

I suggest you start your planning in “analog mode.” That is, rather than diving right into PowerPoint (or Keynote), the best presenters often scratch out their ideas and objectives with a pen and paper. Personally, I use a large whiteboard in my office to sketch out my ideas (when I was at Apple, I had one entire wall turned into a whiteboard!). The whiteboard works for me as I feel uninhibited and freer to be creative. I can also step back (literally) from what I have sketched out and imagine how it might flow logically when PowerPoint is added later. Also, as I write down key points and assemble an outline and structure, I can draw quick ideas for visuals such as charts or photos that will later appear in the PowerPoint. Though you may be using digital technology when you deliver your presentation, the act of speaking and connecting to an audience – to persuade, sell, or inform – is very much analog.

From Economist

Вариант 2

1.Оберіть правильний варіант (a, b, c або d)

1. 1. If we ________ the money on the building, I don’t think we’ll have enough for the equipment.

a) will spend b) had spent c) spend d) spent

2. By this time next year I ________ all my exams.

a) will finish b) will have finished c) finish d) finished

3. As soon as she came in I knew I ______ her before.

a) have seen b) saw c) had seen d) am seeing

4. We all know that sea levels _______ for the last 20 years.

a) rose b) rises c) have been rising d) has risen.

5. A British power company ________ a commercially viable site for a wind farm in the north of England)

a) recently identified c) will recently identify

b) recently identifies d) has recently identified

6. The Sao Paulo Athletic Club ________ in 1988 by a group of British men who played mainly cricket.

a) have formed b) formed c) was formed d) had been formed

7. In recent years the amount of money earned by top sportsmen and women_________ and attracted a lot of media attention.

a) risen b) has risen c) have risen d) will rise

8. Last week Nestle’s chief executive _________ a strategic acquisition and a new growth opportunity.

a) announces b) has announced c) announced d) was announcing.

9. She’s an old friend – I ________ her for years.

a) have known b) know c) knew d) has known.

10. Several experts argued that customers _________ a tendency to put off their purchases to the last minute.

a) show b) have shown c) had shown d) are showing

11. I’ll tell Anna all the news when I _________ her

a) had seen b) will see c) see d) shall see

12. Where’s Robert? ________ a shower?

a) Does he have b) Has he c) Has he got d) Is he having

13. Why did you leave the meeting early? _______ I didn’t feel very well.

a) Away b) Because c) While d) Like

14. The chemist’s was open, so luckily I _________ buy some aspirin.

a) couldn’t b) can c) did can d) was able to.

15. We can’t go along here because the road is __________.

a) been repaired b) being repaired c) repair d) repaired

16. The driver was arrested for failing ___________ an accident.

a) of report b) reporting c) to report d)report

17. We went to the cinema but we _________ the film.

a) didn’t enjoy b) didn’t enjoyed c) don’t enjoy d) haven’t enjoyed

18. Let’s stop and have a coffee. ________ a café over there. Look!

a) Is b) It’s c) There d) There’s.

19. The similarities between the World Cam and Parmalat financial disasters are really quite _________.

a) strike b) striking c) was striking d) strikes

20. There were many interruptions ________ the Prime Minister’s speech.

a) at b) for c) during d) while