Present-me-not!

25 września 2014

The topic for today is ‘’presentations ’’

Lekcje angielskiego przygotowuje firma

Task 1
Read the text below to get the general idea:

Presentations have become a very popular and useful tool to demonstrate information, not only for companies but also for ordinary people. Nowadays everybody has to know how to design a presentation. Making a presentation is taught to children at primary schools, university lectures are conducted by means of them, pupils use them in high school projects and business people make use of them on a daily basis at work. The ability to prepare and conduct a successful presentation is simply a must, a rudimentary skill required in most professions.
First of all, a good presentation needs a lot of preparation and deep knowledge of the subject. Apart from the actual content, it has to be well structured, e.g. it should have the beginning, the main body and the end, and it needs at least a few rehearsals before it is finally delivered. Secondly, the speaker should also adjust the language of presentation to the audience since, for instance, jokes might cause unnecessary misunderstandings or even awkward reactions among the international public. Thirdly, the room set-up and seating arrangement matter a lot, because in some countries it is customary to seat VIPs in front rows and to escort them to their chairs. Finally, being aware of cultural differences might prove very useful, as people around the world respond variously to presentations. In some parts of Germany, for example, listeners might express their interest and approval for the speaker by knocking on the table. In Bulgaria, on the other hand, nodding your head actually means ‘’No” and in Japan, on the contrary, concentration is shown by closing your eyes.
So, next time you start working on your presentation, bear in mind the above information, and you can be sure that you will be successful and your audience will feel satisfied with your performance. Do not forget about any visual aids which might make your presentation even better. Bring concise handouts with you and circulate them among the audience at the end of your talk. Be ready to answer any questions that might be asked as a follow-up session, and remember not to abuse the body language. Think positive and be optimistic!

Task 2.
Study the text carefully and decide whether the sentences are T (true) or F (false):

1. Knowing how to prepare a presentation is a necessity nowadays …….
2. University students are lectured on presentations. ……
3. School projects are devoted to learning basic presentations. …….
4. A good presentation should be divided into three major parts. ..…..
5. Using jokes during presentations is a dangerous thing to do. ..…..
6. VIPs should always be seated in front rows. …….
7. Cultural differences among international audience never lead to any misunderstandings.…..
8. Various nationalities express their interest and approval in varied ways. …
9. Visual aids may significantly enrich your presentation. …….
10. Handouts are an essential element of every follow-up session. ……

Task 3
Watch the video ‘’ Four Scientific Reasons … ‘’ and choose correct alternatives for each sentence below:

1. Presentations tend to be boring since many people read only bullets/bullet points on a slide.
2. The problem with presentations lies in our minds/brains.
3. The Redundancy Effect means that people are unable to process the same piece of information efficiently if they see and hear/ read and write it simultaneously.
4. The Picture Superiority Effect is about better remembering ideas presented as visuals rather than words/bullets.
5. On average, people are capable of remembering only 10%/65% of what one says after three days.
6. After 3 days people are said to remember 10%/65% of what was shown to them.
7. People can read 275/150 words per minute in comparison to 275/150 words heard a minute. Then, they stop listening.
8. It is said that the human brain has a memory capacity of about 4/14 chunks of information at a time.
9. If you want to make an awesome presentation, you should follow 6/2 basic rules.
10. The key to successful and interesting presentations would be: use less/more text, but less/more visuals.

KEY TO EXERCISES

Task 2.

1. Knowing how to prepare a presentation is a necessity nowadays … T
2. University students are lectured on presentations. … F
3. School projects are devoted to learning basic presentations. … F
4. A good presentation should be divided into three major parts. …T
5. Using jokes during presentations is a dangerous thing to do. …T
6. VIPs should always be seated in front rows. …. F
7. Cultural differences among international audience never lead to any misunderstandings.…F
8. Various nationalities express their interest and approval in varied ways. T
9. Visual aids may significantly enrich your presentation. … T
10. Handouts are an essential element of every follow-up session. …. F

Task 3.

1. Presentations tend to be boring since many people read only bullets/bullet points on a slide.
2. The problem with presentations lies in our minds/brains.
3. The Redundancy Effect means that people are unable to process the same piece of information efficiently if they see and hear/ read and write it simultaneously.
4. The Picture Superiority Effect is about better remembering ideas presented as visuals rather than words/bullets.
5. On average, people are capable of remembering only 10%/65% of what one says after three days.
6. After 3 days people are said to remember 10%/65% of what was shown to them.
7. People can read 275/150 words per minute in comparison to 275/150 words heard a minute. Then, they stop listening.
8. It is said that the human brain has a memory capacity of about 4/14 chunks of information at a time.
9. If you want to make an awesome presentation, you should follow 6/2 basic rules.
10. The key to successful and interesting presentations would be: use less/more text, but less/more visuals.

LEKCJA DO POBRANIA:

Present-me-not

Present-me-not KEY

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