Language Learning for Busy People Upper-Intermediate: Presentation Skills 1 Overview and Agenda These documents are private and confidential. Please do not distribute. .

Upper-Intermediate --- Presentation Skills 1 Warm up: Opening chat--- 5 minutes Review previous lesson’s content ---5 minutes Check if your student has completed self-study of the lesson. The class activities are designed to help them practice the language from the lesson. Thus, it’s extremely important that they go over different sections of the lesson before class.

Class Activities Class Activities: (30-35 minutes) Objective: In this lesson, we look at how to effectively give a presentation, including language and strategies to introduce your topic and begin your presentation successfully.

Dialogue 1) Read the dialogue with the student, line by line. Switch roles after the first run. Pay attention to student’s pronunciation, give feedback and help when needed. --- 5 minutes

Dialogue Comprehension --- 5 minutes Ask the student the following questions. The answers are in the dialogue: Why has Michael Ford flown in to Beijing? And where from? What is Alpha Computers about to launch? How does Mr. Ford want to start his presentation? There are 5 main points in Mr. Ford’s presentation. What are they?

Cultural Takeaway --- 5 minutes Discuss with your student what some of the most important things are when giving a presentation. Ask your student what they think makes a good business presentation. Write down and discuss the comments they make. You should get things like: Presenter should stand up straight. Presenter should make good eye contact with audience. Presenter should have a pleasant, yet loud, tone so it's easy to hear him/her Presenter should have a strong beginning to the presentation. A good presentation should have an introduction, a body, a conclusion, and ask for questions. A presentation should be easy to understand and interesting.

Fluency Builder ---- 10 minutes The beginning of a presentation is the most important part. This is when you establish a connection with the audience and when you have their attention. Strategies for getting the audiences’ attention and beginning your presentation: Right. Well. Ok. Good. Fine. Great. Shall we start? Let’s get started. Let’s get down to business. Let’s get the ball rolling. Let’s begin. Let’s get going.   In English-speaking countries, it’s not uncommon for the speaker to begin with a joke or a statement to surprise the audience, in order to get their attention, to get people to listen, to get them curious and to make them feel relaxed. In the dialogue, the presentation topic is introduced by announcing that 2010 is an important year for Alpha Computers (causing curiosity perhaps) and by directly giving praise and thanks to the audience (making them feel relaxed and attentive) when he credits them for their hard work and congratulates the audience.

Fluency Builder To specifically greet the audience, it’s common to say things like: hello, good morning, good afternoon, ladies & gentlemen, fellow colleagues, members of the board, esteemed guests, etc. From there, you proceed to introduce yourself, give your presentation title and introduce the subject.   What exactly are you going to speak about? Introduce your topic in time and place, and in relation to the audience. Ask your student: What are some phrases you can use to introduce your presentation subject? I plan to speak about… Today I’m going to talk about… The subject of my presentation is…. The theme of my talk is…. I will be giving you an overview of…

Role Play ---- 5 minutes Have the student imagine a current, real situation where they could give a presentation. Is it a conference room at work? Is it in a classroom at school? Ask these important questions for them to consider before giving a presentation. Understanding and being familiar with your surroundings before giving your presentation can really help make it more relaxed and successful. Have the student answer aloud and discuss possible strategies for preparing your physical surroundings. Who is my audience? How big is the room? What equipment is in the room? Do you need any of the equipment? Do you need a whiteboard? Markers? Eraser? Is there a podium? Where are you going to put your notes and papers?

Cultural Takeaway--- 5 minutes Marketing Strategy and Presentation Tips #1: Ask questions designed to get your audience thinking. Pick questions you know the audience can have an opinion about and think about. Getting the audience to think realistically or respond verbally gets and keeps their attention focused on your message. In our dialogue, he says “So what differentiates us from our competitors?” and “What does the Alpha brand stand for?” These questions keep the audience thinking and attentive. #2: People Like Pictures
Use charts and graphics occasionally instead of tables, if possible. We looked at these strategies in the “Presentation Skills 2” lesson. #3: Focus on Benefits
When preparing your presentation, try not to get too carried away with too many details of the product or service you are selling. Instead, focus on the benefits it will provide your audience. What is in it for them! In our dialogue, he has a good balance of providing information and product details. But he also focuses on the benefits and how x420 is better than its competitors. Why does the audience want the x420 more than any other similar product out there?? He covers that! #4: Encourage their questions Tell people right away that their questions are welcome any time during your presentation. And when they ask, be sure to answer. This lets them know that you are interested in them and their problems, not just in completing your presentation. #5: Be enthusiastic!  

The End --- Review --- 5 minutes * Review today’s class. Encourage the student on where he/she did well; give feedback to where he/she needs to pay more attention. * Assign homework, i.e. the ‘Exercise’ part of today’s lesson. Student should complete it and submit it online. They will see an automatic score. * Have them listen to the dialogue again and see if their understanding has improved. * Remind students that they can save different vocabulary terms in the app or online and review them as flashcards. * Tell the student what the next lesson is.