Presentation Training

From A-Z
Presentation Language: Tips & Advice

Presentation Script

Robert C. Thomas - RobertCThomas.com

Page 32

Presentation Tips I Wish I'd Learned in Kindergarten

Adapted from Steve Kayser, Presentation Coach Having seen hundreds of business presentations and given a few myself, there are a few things I wish someone would have taught me in kindergarten. I've written them out as my New Rules of business presentations. THE BASICS Structurally there are two completely different parts to every business presentation composition and delivery. 1. The Presentation Composition - composition includes finding your theme (your fundamental idea), developing your strategy (how the first slide connects directly to the last), and developing the organization, format and structure for your ideas, information, insights and imagery. Most presentation gurus suggest that you should be willing to spend up to 30% of your time on this part. Its hard work. 2. The Presentation Performance- of the presentation is an attitude, mindset, vision and problem-solving on-stage performance. Its hard work, hard-thinking, and should inform, educate and if possible, entertain. Great presentations meld composition and performance seamlessly. Every great presentation states a specific problem, the implications of that problem, then provides a pathway to resolve the problem and reap the attendant benefits. If a presentation doesnt state the problem and then provide a vision with that problem solved and the benefit to be expected, it will never be great or even good.

Presentation Script

Robert C. Thomas - RobertCThomas.com

Page 33

GENERAL ADVICE
AVOID BULLET-POINTS Many a good presentation has been ruined by too many bullet-points. Avoid bullet points whenever possible. TEXT COLOR BE CONSISTENT If your text starts out white keep it white. Dont have multiple colors of text throughout the presentation. USE ACTION VERBS What is vigorous language? Action-oriented. Imperative verbs. Try not to use ing words (gerunds). Or minimize them as much as possible. Avoid infinitives ( "to" verbs). Example: Instead of creating use created. Instead of "doing" use "did" or "will do". NO GENERIC VISUALS Search the internet and your photo stocks for brilliant, mysterious, interesting and evocative images that stun these can be simple and stark, but they should catch the eye and further the storyline of your presentation. Where can you find such images? Try Flickrs Creative Commons, Comfight, Stock.xchange, FreePixels among many others. USE THE PRINCIPLE OF CREATIVE LIMITATION Robert McKee, Hollywood screenwriting guru and bestselling author of the book STORY said, in effect: To shape the presentation into the form of a story, you are forcing yourself to be creative. The more you expect from yourself, the more brilliant the solutions you will have to come up with.

The New Rules for business presentations are...

Feel free to simplify Remind yourself again and again: Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. - da Vinci Feel free to beautify Feel free to amplify

Check out Steve Kayser's successful presentation "118 Slides in 5 Minutes" which convinced his company to add two people to his staff rather than, as they'd originally planned, cut one person. It can be found at:
http://app.sliderocket.com/app/FullPlayer.aspx?id=a4379fa5-4464-4d46-9c6b-273c56db163c

Presentation Script

Robert C. Thomas - RobertCThomas.com

Page 34

English for Presentations

Introducing yourself... Good morning, ladies and gentlemen Good morning, gentlemen Good afternoon, ladies and gentleman Good afternoon, everybody I'm happy to be here. I'm glad to have this opportunity to . . . Let me take a minute to introduce myself. I'd like to briefly / In brief,... Let me start by telling you a little about our company. I've already met some of you, but for those I haven't , I'm... I'd like to start by... I'll / Let's begin by... First of all, I'll... Starting with... My / our experience includes... We / I have considerable experience ... This includes... I have / my team has worked with with... [corporation / material / subject / process] Thank you for taking the time to be here I will probably take about . . . minutes

When questions should be asked... Please feel free to interrupt me if you have questions. There will be time for questions at the end of the presentation. I'd be grateful if you could ask your questions after the presentation.

Introducing your topic... First of all...then...next...after that...finally... To start with... and then later...and to finish up... I'm going to take a look at / talk about / examine Today, I'd like to talk (to you) about . . . I'm going to give you an overview of . . . The main reason I'm here today is . . . My topic today is . . . The focus of my remarks is . . . I'd like to share some thoughts on (topic) I'll take a moment to fill you in on the background

Presentation Script

Robert C. Thomas - RobertCThomas.com

Page 35

Analysing a point and giving recommendations First / Now I'd like to give you some details / facts and figures I'd like to / I will fill you in on the background / history of I'd like to give you / provide you with some background on /about... Let me begin by explaining why / how ... First / Now I want to talk about ... First / Now I want to give you an insight into ... Let's (now) find out why / how ... Let's now move to ... As I already indicated ... Another aspect / point is that ... The roots / origins of ... go back to ... As you probably know, / You may already know that ... Perhaps you've heard of / about / that... You may know / have seen / have heard that already. At the beginning there were / we had... One could say that ... That leads us to [further point to be made]... That leaves us [as a result]... Let's consider this in more detail... What does this mean for...? Translated into real terms... As I said at the beginning This, of course, will help us / you... Please remember that what most concerns us is This ties in with what I said earlier / in my original statement This relates directly to what we spoke of earlier / at the beginning We met our objectives / we delivered (completed our project) on time... We met our projected deadlines / budget ... We targeted this problem... / Our target was to... We solved the problems as they arose / As problems arise, we will solve them...

Finishing one subject... Well, I've told you about... That's all I have to say about... We've looked at... So much for / So far we've Clearly / obviously...

...and starting another I'd now like to move on to I'd like to turn to There's not much else to say about...., except that... This leads me to the next point Now I'd like to look at Now we'll move on to... Let me turn now to... Next,... / Turning to... Now I'd like to discuss... Let's look now at...

Presentation Script

Robert C. Thomas - RobertCThomas.com

Page 36

Giving an example and generalizing Actually / In fact, As a matter of fact, In particular / Particularly Especially Such as For instance, Let me illustrate / To illustrate, For instance / For example, A good example of this is... This is why... Generally / Usually, As a rule / In most cases, Most of the time / Often / It's not unusual...

Using pictures and graphics This graph shows you Take a look at this If you look at this, you will see I'd like you to look at this This chart illustrates the figures This graph gives you a break down of As you can see This clearly shows From this, we can understand how / why This area of the chart is interesting, because it shows / demonstrates I'd like to / Allow me to - use an illustration / picture / graphic to explain this. The illustration / picture / graphic shows that / makes clear that ... As you can see... in this illustration / graph / picture... In the next / following illustration / graph / picture, you can see ... The next illustration / graph / picture shows how ... Here you can see that... Here you will notice ...

Give your audience enough time to absorb the information on the visual. Pause to allow them to look at the information and then explain why the visual is important: Types of Charts Pie chart Bar chart/graph Line graph Describing Movement Increase Decrease Recover Recovery Go up Go down Jump Slump Rise Fall Surge Plummet Improve(ment) Declined Reach (a point) Approach

Presentation Script

Robert C. Thomas - RobertCThomas.com

Page 37

Types of Movement Slight Slightly Gradual Gradually Sharp Sharply Dramatic Dramatically Major Minor

Movement over Time There was a gradual decline in sales. Sales declined gradually (noun usage) (verb usage)

Enrollment increased by 4% in 1997. There was a 4% increase in enrollment in 1997. (to a point/number) (by increment)

Immigration rose to 800,000 in 1999. Immigration rose by 20,000 in 1999.

There was a 20% rise in immigration. (percentage) Taxes remained the same from 2000 to 2001. Taxes continued at 15% for two years.

Static (non-movement) Description Sales stood at $1,400,000 in 1998. Profits were $27,000 in 1999. There was a loss of $21,000 in 2001.

If your audience seems lost or confused... Let me try to phrase that / say that in another way... Perhaps I can rephrase that.. Put another way, this means What I mean to say is

Dealing with questions We'll be examining this point in more detail later on... I'd like to deal with this question later, if I may... I'll come back to this question later in my talk... Perhaps we should return to / you'd like to raise... this point at the end... To put things into perspective... We could compare this to... Does this answer your question? Do you follow what I am saying? I hope this explains the situation for you. I hope this was what you wanted to hear! That's an interesting question. I don't actually know off the top of my head, but if you will see me after the presentation, then I can / will... I'm afraid I'm unable to answer that at the moment. Perhaps I can get back to you later. Good question. I really don't know! That's a very good question. However, ... Unfortunately, I'm not the best person to answer that. I'll instead refer you to...

Presentation Script

Robert C. Thomas - RobertCThomas.com

Page 38

Summarising and concluding In conclusion,... In summation... I'd like now to recap... Let's summarise briefly what we've looked at... Finally, let me briefly review / go back over If I can just sum up the main points... It was a great success for ... This suggests / strongly suggests / proves that ... The reason for this is that ... The result of this is that ... It's because ... In other words, ... If you don't mind, I'll repeat that for emphasis ... I'd (just) like to add ... Well, that's about it for now. To review what we've covered

Relate the end of your presentation to your opening statement: "So I hope that you're a little clearer on how we can achieve sales growth of 20%." "To return to the original question, we can achieve" "So just to round the talk off, I want to go back to the beginning when I asked you" "I hope that my presentation today will help you with what I said at the beginning"

Handling questions Thank the audience for their attention and invite questions. "Thank you for listening - and now if there are any questions, I would be pleased to answer them." "That brings me to the end of my presentation. Thank you for your attention. I'd be glad to answer any questions you might have."

Its useful to re-word the question, as you can check that you have understood the question and you can give yourself some time to think of an answer. By asking the question again you also make sure that other people in the audience understand the question. "Thank you. So you would like further clarification on our strategy?" "That's an interesting question. How are we going to get voluntary redundancy?" "Thank you for asking. What is our plan for next year?"

After you have answered the question, check that the person who asked you is happy with the answer. "Does this answer your question?" "Do you follow what I am saying?" "I hope this explains the situation for you." "I hope this was what you wanted to know."

Presentation Script

Robert C. Thomas - RobertCThomas.com

Page 39

If you don't know the answer to a question, say you don't know. It's better to admit to not knowing something than to guess and maybe get it wrong. You can say something like: "That's an interesting question. I don't actually know off the top of my head, but I'll try to get back to you later with an answer." "I'm afraid I'm unable to answer that at the moment. Perhaps I can get back to you later." "Good question. I really don't know! What do you think?" "That's a very good question. However, we don't have any figures on that, so I can't give you an accurate answer." "Unfortunately, I'm not the best person to answer that."

What can you say if things go wrong? You think you've lost your audience? Rephrase what you have said: "Let me just say that in another way." "Perhaps I can rephrase that." "Put another way, this means" "What I mean to say is"

Can't remember the word? If it's a difficult word for you, either practice it until it comes easily and smoothly when you say it, or consider replacing it with a word (or words) that feels more comfortable and means the same thing. Using your voice Don't speak in a flat monotone - this will bore your audience. By varying your speed and tone, you will be able to keep your audience's attention. Practise emphasising key words and pause in the right places - usually in between ideas in a sentence. For example "The first strategy involves getting to know our market (pause) and finding out what they want. (pause) Customer surveys (pause) as well as staff training (pause) will help us do this." Don't forget - if you speak too fast you will lose your audience!

Presentation Script

Robert C. Thomas - RobertCThomas.com

Page 40

English II - Presentation Structure and Form

Introduction of the problem: what does the listener not know, why is it important that s/he know this, why and how does this problem/topic matter to the listener? Discussion of the problem: background research, putting the problem/topic into a context that the listener can understand, making it clear why this problem has significance and importance to the listener (why should we care??) Discussion of previous solutions: background research, putting the problem and the solutions to it into context of what has been done in the past, why and how did it or didn't it work?? Wrap-up, conclusion, solution summary: put the problem and solution together in a context that makes it clear what you believe -- based on your research -- is the best-chance solution to the problem (how should the listener become an advocate for change, what should the listener do or advocate for??)

Presentation Grading (Mndliche Prfung)

NOTE: Your presentation represents two full Trimesters worth of study and work in the English program at the FHM. It will be graded according to the quality and evidence of your work and research over those two semesters. Your presentation grade is determined in large part by the presentation's quality "Presentation Quality" includes: correct English -- specific, technical, idiomatic -- for your presentation topic evidence of research and in-depth knowledge of topic good use of graphics and photos information displayed clearly and understandably on the slides a balance between graphics /photos / videos and information /text slide design and creativity correct English pronunciation and vocabulary But also very important are the presenter's: English use during the presentation and English use during the question period at the end Each person's grade is based on : the quality of the presentation, the content and depth covered, including relevant research of the information and material in English the quality of each person's English, as graded according to the following criteria: correct grammar, usage, pronunciation, and sentence construction knowledge of and skill using relevant vocabulary -- especially relevant technical and idiomatic vocabulary evidence that the presenter has done research on the topic in English (and has NOT simply translated materials from German!!) NOTE: Every mistake -- grammar, incorrect vocabulary, incorrectly translated German -- will lower the presenting person's grade!! It is also important to note that it is possible that one person of a presentation pair will get a better grade than their partner(s) by demonstrating a better command and knowledge of all these criteria (in English) than their partner, both during the presentation and during the question period at the end.

Presentation Script

Robert C. Thomas - RobertCThomas.com

Page 41

Presentation Grading (Mndliche Prfung)

By the presentation's quality (visual 20% - spoken 80%)

correct English vocabulary, usage and pronunciation correct English -- specific, technical, idiomatic -- for your presentation topic evidence of research and in-depth knowledge of topic good use of graphics and photos information displayed clearly and understandably on the slides a balance between graphics /photos / videos and information /text slide design and creativity

But also very important are the presenter's:

English use during the presentation English use during the question period at the end NOTE: Every error you make during your presentation is written down by the examiners (EVERY grammatical error, pronunciation error, vocabulary error) -- the more errors you make while speaking, the worse your grade

Each person's grade is based on :

Correct English grammar, usage, pronunciation, and sentence construction Fluent use of relevant English and technical vocabulary -- especially relevant technical and idiomatic English vocabulary Evidence that the presenter has done research on the topic in English (and has NOT simply translated materials from German!!)

You should prepare your presentation with a written script which you must learn by memory (auswendig) -- NO papers or cards with written scripts on them may be used in the presentation exam.
YOU MAY USE NOTE CARDS WITH 3-5 WORD PHRASES DURING THE PRESENTATION NO COMPLETE SENTENCES ARE ALLOWED ON NOTE CARDS (if your cards have complete sentences we will take away your note cards and you must speak without notes)

NOTE: Every mistake -- grammar, incorrect vocabulary, incorrectly translated German -- will lower the presenting person's grade!!
It is also important to note that it is possible that one person in a group will get a better grade than their partner(s) by demonstrating a better command and knowledge of all these criteria (in English) than their partner during the presentation and / or during the question period at the end.

Presentation Script

Robert C. Thomas - RobertCThomas.com

Page 42