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Have you wanted to improve your presentation so your listeners will accept and appreciate your ideas? The Success with Presentations workbook introduces cultural presentation techniques and exercises along with pronunciation strategies that can quickly improve your formal and informal presentations. The workbook includes improvement exercises, phrases, techniques, planning worksheets, feedback forms, and strategies that you can practice on your own or in a class. See chapter descriptions below.
This practical video demonstrates native and non-native speakers of English giving successful presentations [MH1] and includes specific techniques and pronunciation strategies to make your presentation powerful and effective. It includes demonstrations of attention-getting introductions, useful transitions, clear explanations, a dynamic conclusion, and effective handling of questions. Presenters also demonstrate nonverbal aspects such as good eye contact, creating audience rapport, body movement, volume, and rate of speech. These elements, along with effective pronunciation will give your speech the results you want.
Unit 1: Audience Analysis
Narrowing the topic
Cultural comparisons
Timing
Gathering material
Visualizing the room set-up
Unit 2: An Attention Getting Introduction
Attention getters
Establishing credibility
Presenting purpose and overview statements
Unit 3: A Well-Marked Roadmap
Clear outline
Transitions
Internal summaries
Rhetorical questions
Unit 4: A Clear Explanation
Defining key terms and concepts
Using specific examples
Providing sufficient support
Using recovery tactics
Unit 5: A Dynamic Conclusion
Giving a substantial conclusion
Signaling your conclusion
Effective delivery
Unit 6: Supplementary Visual Aids
Planning and preparation
Delivery
Unit 7: An Understandable Delivery
Eliminating fillers
Volume and breathing
Rate, pausing and emphasis
Crisply enunciated key terms
Dramatic contrasts
Enthusiastic intonation patterns
Unit 8: Creating Audience Rapport
General appearance
Eye contact, facial expressions, and gestures
Use of space
Use of pronouns and questions
Unit 9: Interaction: Handling Questions and Responding
Initiating interaction
Handling responses
Response to interruptions
Clarifying questions
Acknowledging and incorporating questions
Answering directly, clearly and concisely
Confirming satisfaction
Hedging answers
Predicting questions
Unit 10: Special Situations
Group presentations
Unplanned presentations
Impromptu presentations
Expressing opinions or debates
Colleen Meyers and Sheryl Holt are both advanced ESL instructors at the University of Minnesota, teaching pronunciation and writing for over 30 years each. They have taught teaching assistants, business professionals, and graduate and undergraduate students in the United States and many countries around the world. They are frequent presenters at local and national conferences such as TESOL and NAFSA. Their long experience in the classroom has contributed to the practical and easy-to-use strategies that have been tested with students from over 50 countries.