Presentation skill
Signposting
When you drive on the roads, you know where you are on those roads. Each road has a name or number. Each town has a name. And each house has a number. If you are at house N° 100, you can go back to N° 50 or forward to N° 150. You can look at the signposts for directions. And you can look at your atlas for the structure of the roads in detail. In other words, it is easy to navigate the roads. You cannot get lost. But when you give a presentation, how can your audience know where they are? How can they know the structure of your presentation? How can they know what is coming next? They know because you tell them. Because you put up signposts for them, at the beginning and all along the route. This technique is called 'signposting' (or 'signalling').
During your introduction, you should tell your audience what the structure of your presentation will be. You might say something like this:
"I'll start by describing the current position in Europe. Then I'll move on to some of the achievements we've made in Asia. After that I'll consider the opportunities we see for further expansion in Africa. Lastly, I'll quickly recap before concluding with some recommendations."
Introduction |
|
Body |
|
Conclusion |
|
He will keep this image in his head during the presentation. He may even write it down. And throughout your presentation, you will put up signposts telling him which point you have reached and where you are going now. When you finish Europe and want to start Asia, you might say:
"That's all I have to say about Europe. Let's turn now to Asia."
When you have finished Africa and want to sum up, you might say:
"Well, we've looked at the three continents Europe, Asia and Africa. I'd like to sum up now."
And when you finish summing up and want to give your recommendations, you might say:
"What does all this mean for us? Well, firstly I recommend..."
The table below lists useful expressions that you can use to signpost the various parts of your presentation.
Signposting | |
Function | Language |
Introducing the subject |
|
Finishing one subject... |
|
...and starting another |
|
Analysing a point and giving recommendations |
|
Giving an example |
|
Dealing with questions |
|
Summarising and concluding |
|
Ordering |
|
The Presentation
| 1 | INTRODUCTION | Questions |
| 2 | BODY | |
| 3 | CONCLUSION |
As a general rule in communication, repetition is valuable. In presentations, there is a golden rule about repetition:
*say what you are going to say
*say it
*then say what you have just said
In other words, use the three parts of your presentation to reinforce your message. In the introduction, you tell your audience what your message is going to be. In the body, you tell your audience your real message. In the conclusion, you summarize what your message was.
Introduction
The introduction is a very important - perhaps the most important - part of your presentation. This is the first impression that your audience have of you. You should concentrate on getting your introduction right. You should use the introduction to:
- welcome your audience
- introduce your subject
- outline the structure of your presentation
- give instructions about questions
The following table shows examples of language for each of these functions. You may need to modify the language as appropriate.
| Function | Possible language |
| 1 Welcoming your audience |
|
| 2 Introducing your subject |
|
| 3 Outlining your structure |
|
| 4 Giving instructions about questions |
|
Body
The body is the 'real' presentation. If the introduction was well prepared and delivered, you will now be 'in control'. You will be relaxed and confident
.
.
The body should be well structured, divided up logically, with plenty of carefully spaced visuals.
Remember these key points while delivering the body of your presentation:
- do not hurry
- be enthusiastic
- give time on visuals
- maintain eye contact
- modulate your voice
- look friendly
- keep to your structure
- use your notes
- signpost throughout
- remain polite when dealing with difficult questions
Conclusion
Use the conclusion to:
- Sum up
- (Give recommendations if appropriate)
- Thank your audience
- Invite questions
The following table shows examples of language for each of these functions. You may need to modify the language as appropriate.
| Function | Possible language |
| 1 Summing up |
|
| 2 Giving recommendations |
|
| 3 Thanking your audience |
|
| 4 Inviting questions |
|
Tags: SPEAKING
Previous Article
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Share your views...
0 Respones to "Presentation skill"
Post a Comment