Presentation and Speech Skills

1. Presentation and Speech Skills Public Speaking – An Introduction ENG 401 ADVANCED WRITING

2. Group Presentation • Oh no - it's speech time again! Your • instructor has asked you to give a short • talk.Tip: If your talk involves more than one person, you’ll each have to speak for at least 4 minutes each. The length of your talk should work out like this: 1 person: 4 minutes 2 people: 8 minutes 3 people: 12 minutes ENG 401 ADVANCED WRITING

3. Thinking about it! • Before you prepare on the topic, you need to think about your audience: • Who are you giving your talk to? • Are they your age? • Do they know anything about the subject you'll be talking about? • Should you use a friendly, informal style or something a bit more formal? • Will they stay awake and interested? ENG 401 ADVANCED WRITING

4. Not sure where to start? • You’ll need to give an introduction • Say what you plan to talk about • Make good use of your image/s • Have a conclusion • Ask the audience for questions • Say 'Thank you' ENG 401 ADVANCED WRITING

5. Preparing the topic • Your presentation should consist of: • INTRODUCTION (Thesis statement) • MAIN BODY( Strong supporting arguments • and accurate up-to-date information) • CONCLUSION (Re-state thesis and main • points, summarize and conclude logically) • Introduction: Tell them what you are going to tell them! • Main Body: Tell them! • Conclusion: Tell them what you have told them! ENG 401 ADVANCED WRITING

6. Preparing the topic • Before you start planning your presentation think about your Audience and Purpose: • Audience: Think of your audience. Know the needs of your audience, too, and match your contents to their needs. Have a think about what aspects of the topic they might want to hear about - not just the things you happen to know about. If there's anything you're not sure of, check it out on the Internet or in a library. Be also ready to explain any terms your audience might not be familiar with (ex. Industrialization). • So even though you might know a lot about topic, you will still need to find out some additional information. • To do this, you can: • Use your own knowledge • Consult books • Find information on the Internet • Talk to your lecturers ENG 401 ADVANCED WRITING

7. Preparing the topic • Purpose: It’s important to understand the purpose of your presentation. Do you aim to: • Describe something? • Give information? • State your opinion about something and maybe try to persuade the audience that your point of view is correct (REMEMBER: it will be necessary to justify any given opinion and refer to possible examples)? ENG 401 ADVANCED WRITING

8. What are you going to talk about? • The next thing you need to do is decide on what you are going to talk about. • The best way to do this is: • Make a plan of what you are thinking of including in your presentation. • Write down everything you know about the subject in draft. • Cross out unnecessary information. ENG 401 ADVANCED WRITING

9. Prepare a ‘to do’ list • Therefore, you need to plan out thoroughly and prepare really well before you actually get to the point of standing up and giving your talk. • It’s very easy to forget one or two things and if you don't plan properly, you’ll feel more anxious on the day of the talk. ENG 401 ADVANCED WRITING

10. Prepare a ‘to do’ list • A good way to sort things out is to put together a 'To Do' list. • Tip: • Start with a list of all the information you need to find. • Make the list as detailed as you can. • You may need to search in three or four different places • before you find the answers to everything you're • looking for. • If you are presenting in a group, it’s a good idea to decide • now who is going to talk about what so as to allocate the • pieces of information each of you is going to search for. ENG 401 ADVANCED WRITING

11. Don’t panic!!! • The final day is nearly here. • It's natural to feel a bit anxious; even some politicians suffer from stage fright. • The best thing to do is to be well prepared. Try rehearsing a couple of times with some family or friends and they might give you a few last-minute tips. • Have you done a final check? ENG 401 ADVANCED WRITING

12. Tips! • Write brief notes on 4 or 5 index cards and use them as prompts, or use your slides as prompts. • Don’t write down your material on the cards word by word. Writing different topics in different color can also be helpful. • It’s a good idea to identify some of your information as “extra” and color them differently. So be ready to leave them out in case you run out of time or use them if you have extra time. ENG 401 ADVANCED WRITING

13. Tips! • Don’t try to memorize the text, just be familiar with the • material. You can memorize the outline if you want. • Don't leave everything for the last minute. • Breathing deeply to help you relax. • Stretch or exercise. • Listen to some calming music. • Chat with friends. • Don't mess around. You need to be professional • on this task. ENG 401 ADVANCED WRITING

14. Tips! • If you want to pause, NEVER ….“hum”. • It’s a good idea to link your speech with linking words: • To list points: To begin with, Firstly, First of all, Secondly, Thirdly, Next, Finally, Last but not least etc. • To refer to personal opinion: In my opinion / view, To my mind, As far as I am concerned etc. ENG 401 ADVANCED WRITING

15. Tips! • To show addition: What is more, Apart from that, Furthermore, Moreover etc. • To show contrast: On the other hand, However, Although, Even though, Even if etc. • To show result: Therefore, Thus, As a result, Consequently etc. • To express cause: Because, Since, As, For this reason etc. ENG 401 ADVANCED WRITING

16. Grabbing attention! • Remember to: • Speak slowly -you will sound confident and it helps to control your breathing. • Show appropriate emotion and feeling, related to the content of your presentation. • Speak loudly, clearly and feel confident. This will be easier if you are well prepared. • Stand where everyone can see you. ENG 401 ADVANCED WRITING

17. Grabbing attention! • Speak with conviction as if you really believe in what you are saying. • Look pleasant, enthusiastic, proud but not arrogant. • Body language is important. Standing, walking or moving about with appropriate hand gesture or facial expression, is vital. You don't want to be as still as a statue! ENG 401 ADVANCED WRITING

18. Keeping attention • What is going to get and keep your audience’s attention? • Visuals and images used • Surprising, interesting or shocking statistics • A real life story or an anecdote • Not many people can tell a good joke. It is safer not to try. • An activity — filling in a questionnaire/ watching or taking part in an experiment/asking questions • Noise — music — or a voice with lots of pace and enthusiasm. • The speaker smiling/being open and welcoming. ENG 401 ADVANCED WRITING

19. Finishing up • Let's sum up what you've done so far: • You've done the introduction • You've delivered the main information • You've got at least one image • Now you need to bring your talk to a finish. ENG 401 ADVANCED WRITING

20. Finishing up • These are some examples of things you should avoid saying: • I hope you all enjoyed it. Don't you think I deserve a clap? • That’s the end of my talk. But I'd just like to add one or two things that I forgot to mention before. • I think I've bored you enough, so I'll call it a day. • Um, well, I think that's about it really. I can't think of any more to say... • Um, thank God it’s over….!!! ENG 401 ADVANCED WRITING

21. Question-and-answer section • Answer as briefly as possible. Stick to the point. • Be polite! • Thank people for their questions. • If you don’t know the answer in a question, don’t panic. Admit it politely and suggest answering it next time. ENG 401 ADVANCED WRITING