2013-02-21 OVERVIEW: ORAL PRESENTATION Preparations john - - PDF document

2013-02-21 1

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ORAL PRESENTATION TECHNIQUES

English Language Support

john löwenadler 2008/ed. monika mondor 2009

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OVERVIEW:

• Preparations
• Visual aids
• Body language and voice
• Structure of presentation
• General advice
• Controlling nerves
• Summary

john löwenadler 2008/ed. monika mondor 2009

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PUBLIC SPEAKING

Addressing an audience face to face in a relatively formal manner The audience could consist of only a few people or many million

john löwenadler 2008/ed. monika mondor 2009

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PREPARATIONS

• Consider the venue:

large/small, technical equipment, etc

• Consider your audience:

nationality/age/gender/profession background knowledge of the topic

john löwenadler 2008/ed. monika mondor 2009

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PREPARATIONS

• Powerpoint, OH-slides?
• Keywords?
• Hand-outs?
• Try out the presentation in advance
• Time your presentation
• Questions allowed during or after?
• Be well versed in your subject!
• Rehearse your opening line
• Visualize the event!

john löwenadler 2008/ed. monika mondor 2009

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VISUAL AIDS

• Text in contrastive colour
• Clearly visible font
• Simple and clear graphs/pictures
• Short and informative text
• Restricted number of slides!

john löwenadler 2008/ed. monika mondor 2009

2013-02-21 2

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POWER POINT DON’TS Long quotes

“For a long time translation scholars did not consider subtitling as being an important part of translation studies, or indeed a part at all. The translation theories of today, however, see the translatability of a film(text) as quite unambiguous, and subtitling, in spite of its many difficulties and constraints, as something well worth both practicing and studying. Before the 1990’s, subtitling was thus not a widely studied area. Over the last twenty to thirty years there has been a change, however, and today there seems to be a consensus in the world of translation studies that subtitling, dubbing, voice-over and

• ther types of audiovisual translation are all to be included under the

umbrella term Translation Studies. As the research field of subtitling is so young, all its literature is relatively new.”

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POWER POINT DON’TS

Too much text In too many different colours

And shapes

Flying around

Making it difficult

For the audience

To follow the presentation

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BODY LANGUAGE AND VOICE

• Sitting or standing
• Sit or stand up straight
• Centre of gravity
• Move around but not too much
• Use your hands and arms
• Something to hold on to
• Eye contact
• “Own the stage”

john löwenadler 2008/ed. monika mondor 2009

www.gu.se

BODY LANGUAGE AND VOICE

• Breathe with your stomach
• Speak calmly
• Change tempo
• Articulate
• Include pauses

john löwenadler 2008/ed. monika mondor 2009

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STRUCTURE OF PRESENTATION

• What are the central points? Keep this in mind

throughout the presentation

• Start by arousing interest in the topic
• Talk about what you are going to say
• Say it
• Talk about what you have said
• Talk about the importance of what you have

said

john löwenadler 2008/ed. monika mondor 2009

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STRUCTURE OF PRESENTATION

• Introduction

Start by introducing yourself and the subject Try to arouse interest in the topic Present an overview of the contents

john löwenadler 2008/ed. monika mondor 2009

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STRUCTURE OF PRESENTATION

• Main body

Topic, background, facts, etc Informative: describing or analyzing a problem

• r

Persuasive: taking a particular position

john löwenadler 2008/ed. monika mondor 2009

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STRUCTURE OF PRESENTATION

• Conclusion

Indicate to the audience that your presentation is coming to an end: “To conclude this presentation/to summarize…” When you have gained their attention, summarize the main points

john löwenadler 2008/ed. monika mondor 2009

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STRUCTURE OF PRESENTATION

• Questions during the presentation or at the end?
• Repeat the question asked
• Stick to the subject
• Do not try to answer a question if you do not

have a relevant answer!

john löwenadler 2008/ed. monika mondor 2009

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GENERAL ADVICE

• Do not read from a manuscript –

use cue cards if necessary

• Try to maintain eye contact with the entire

audience – show interest and enthusiasm

• Avoid blocking the projector
• Watch out for mannerisms such as playing with a

pen, etc

john löwenadler 2008/ed. monika mondor 2009

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GENERAL ADVICE

• Be present in the moment!
• Check the pronunciation of keywords
• Avoid too informal language
• Focus on the “helpers” (positive faces in the

audience)

• Include short breaks, pauses
• Suppress perfectionism

john löwenadler 2008/ed. monika mondor 2009

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GENERAL ADVICE

If you lose the thread:

• Stay calm
• Look at your keywords
• Repeat what you have just said
• Pause

john löwenadler 2008/ed. monika mondor 2009

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CONTROLLING NERVES

Fear of death is actually only the second greatest fear of the majority of humanity. It is topped by the fear of speaking in public.

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CONTROLLING NERVES

• Preparation prevents panic – knowing your

material well will boost your confidence

• Focus on the message – not the medium
• If you make a mistake, do not worry. The

chances are the audience did not notice.

• Remember: no matter how large an audience

seems, it is made up of individuals.

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SUMMARY

• Come prepared (e.g. know the venue and

audience)

• Know your topic
• Think about your body language
• Have eye contact
• Stay calm, take pauses
• Have a clear structure
• Have sufficient memory support (keywords)
• Time your presentation in advance!
• Be present in the moment! Have fun!

john löwenadler 2008/ed. monika mondor 2009

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THANK YOU!

http://www.utbildning.gu.se/student/sprakhandledning

joakim.jahlmar@sprak.gu.se

john löwenadler 2008/ed. monika mondor 2009