You're listening to Business English Pop, the business English podcast for professionals on the move.
When I say using your voice to give a good presentation, what comes to mind?
Perhaps the first thing you think of is speaking fluently and clearly.
Another important question is how to emphasize your ideas.
In this episode, we'll be studying these points, how to speak naturally and how to highlight ideas.
In addition, we'll be looking at a few expressions and phrases you can use to add extra emphasis to your presentation.
This listening takes place at Pharmatec, a major international pharmaceutical manufacturer based in Switzerland.
In this episode, a group of European journalists are taking a tour of Pharmatech's new high-potency production center in Beijing, which is scheduled to start making Pharmatech's new blockbuster medication Xorax, in the fall of 2007.
Blockbuster means hugely successful.
High-potency production refers to using highly potent or very strong chemicals.
This is a manufacturing technique that requires state-of-the-art, or very advanced, technology.
We'll be hearing Pharmatech employees introduce the new plant.
We'll start with a couple of very bad examples, where the voice needs a lot of work.
Listen to Gunter Schmidt, the manager of Pharmatech's corporate affairs division.
As you listen, focus on his voice.
What does he do wrong?
Here at PharmaTech, we're not only devoted to improving patients' quality lives.
Simultaneously, we're committed to protecting the environment.
That's why the High Potency Production Center has adopted state-of-the-art green technology and advanced international production techniques.
What do you think?
It sounds like Gunther had maybe too much coffee or forgotten to take out his chewing gum, doesn't it?
So, what are the main problems with Gunther's speech?
First of all, he doesn't clearly enunciate or pronounce his words, does he?
All of us can relate to Gunther's problem.
When you're speaking a foreign language, you should actually slow your speech down and do your best to speak clearly.
But it's tempting to speed up and blend words together so that you can hide any problems you might have with your pronunciation.
However, Doing this makes your speech hard to understand.
Here at Pharmatech, not only are we devoted to improving patients' quality lives it's almost impossible to clearly make out not only are we, isn't it?
After little coaching, Gunther does a much better job.
Let's listen to his improved version.
Here at Pharmatech, not only are we completely devoted to improving patients' quality of life, The words are much more clearly enunciated, aren't they?
Now, let's go back to Gunther's bad example again.
What other problems were there with his speech?
That's why the High Potency Production Center has adopted state-of-the-art green technology and advanced international production techniques.
In addition to poor enunciation, Gunther is speaking too fast, isn't he?
Contrary to popular belief, it's actually quite hard to change the speed at which you speak.
The rate at which you actually produce syllables, or parts of words, is called articulation rate.
For most speakers, it is fixed.
That is, it doesn't change very much, even if they try.
So, what does it mean when it sounds like someone is speaking too fast?
Well, what it actually means is that they're making fewer pauses.
Making more pauses can be very good for your speech.
When you listen to a politician or to a trained speaker, you find that they pause more frequently.
Also, the length of the pauses is longer than normal.
This gives the impression that the speech is much slower and lends an air of strength or authority to the speaker.
Let's listen to a better example, where Gunther makes more frequent and longer pauses.
That's why the High Potency Production Center has adopted state-of-the-art green technology and advanced production techniques.
In this example, Gunther speaks like he has more authority and seems more professional, doesn't he?
Speaking more slowly, that is, adding more frequent and longer pauses to your speech, will add power to your presentation.
Also, breaking the words down into smaller groups makes them easier to say, which will help your speech become clearer and more fluent.
Now, let's listen to another bad example.
This time we'll hear Tanya Witherspoon Chen, who is Corporate Communications Manager for Pharmatech China, the company's joint venture in China.
She's trying to give the same speech that Gunter just did.
Here at Pharmatech, not only are we devoted to improving patients' quality of lives.
Simultaneously, we are committed to protecting the environment.
That's why the Hypotenacy Production Center has adopted state-of-the-art green technology and advanced international production techniques.
It's painful to listen to, isn't it?
What's the problem?
Well, she has enough pauses, but they're not in the right places.
This sounds not fluent or choppy.
Choppy means she stops in all the wrong places.
Tanya needs a little coaching.
She needs to divide her words into grammatically logical groups.
To help herself speak more fluently, she needs to use longer and more frequent pauses.
Let's listen to Tanya giving the same presentation, but this time she's received some coaching and she does a much better job.
Also, she's added a few words to give special emphasis to her talk.
Here at Pharmatech, not only are we completely devoted to improving patients' quality of life.
At the same time, we are totally committed to protecting the environment.
That's why the high-potency production center has adopted state-of-the-art green technology and advanced international production techniques.
Thus, we achieve a high level of protection for the environment and for workers.
Also, this serves as a model of excellence for other production lines.
And above all, it embodies Pharmatech's commitment to sustainable development.
So please come this way and I'll be glad to show you the production line.
This time, Tanya did a much better job, didn't she?
She sounds confident, fluent, and strong.
Let's take a look at how she achieves these effects.
We've already talked about pausing.
Tanya has arranged her words into grammatically logical groups such as adverbial phrases subjects, predicates and so on.
Listen again.
Here at Pharmatech, not only are we completely devoted to improving patients' quality of life.
At the same time, we are totally committed to protecting the environment.
There are clear pauses after Pharmatech, devoted, lives, time, and committed.
These pauses break the speech down into logical groups.
Note that Tanya could have even added more pauses if she wanted to.
For example, she could have said not only are we completely devoted to improving patients' quality of lives, even with more pauses, as long as Tanya divides her speech into grammatically logical groups, she will sound fluent.
To sum up, not fluent or choppy speech comes from improper pausing, not from pausing too much.
Now, there's another level that we need to pay attention to when we talk about voice.
That is, intonation, or the rise and fall in pitch.
For example, in English, as you know, most yes-no questions have a rising intonation.
Are you free for dinner?
Have you finished the report?
On the other hand, the WH questions, where, when, who, etc., have a falling intonation.
What are you doing later?
How is the report coming along?
Going back to Tanya's speech, when do you hear rising intonation and when do you hear falling intonation?
Here at Pharmatech, not only are we completely devoted to improving patients' quality of life.
At the same time, we are totally committed to protecting the environment.
The pitch goes up at the end of the first sentence after quality of lives and down at the end of the second sentence after protecting the environment.
Why is that?
In English, basically, intonation goes down at the end of an idea.
Not only A, rising intonation, but also B, falling intonation.
Listen to another example.
That's why the High Potency Production Center has adopted state-of-the-art green technology and advanced international production techniques.
The intonation rises after production center and green technology and finishes at the end of her idea and of her sentence, which is after techniques.
Listen to a few more sentences with rising and falling intonations.
Our products range from high-end industrial printers to low-end consumer models.
Success in business requires four things, hard work, vision, luck, and good relationships.
This is not a matter of cutting costs but of increasing profit.
Good.
So far, we've covered two major parts of making your voice smooth and fluent pausing and intonation.
Now we're going to look at the third important element in using your voice to give a good presentation stress and emphasis.
Going back to Tanya's speech, did you notice anything different about the content compared to the bad example?
To emphasize her points, she's made use of some intensifying or strengthening adverbs, such as completely or totally.
This type of adverb is sometimes called an intensifier.
Listen to some more examples of their use.
There is absolutely no room for compromise on this issue.
This is a terribly important problem to tackle.
As far as I can see we have completely failed in implementing this marketing plan.
In the past six months we have totally succeeded in meeting our targets.
We really need to reinvent our whole branding strategy.
This market is highly competitive.
One thing you might have noted from these examples is that we frequently use our voice to add extra emphasis to intensifying adverbs.
That is, instead of just saying, we are totally committed, we can say, we are totally committed.
Let's call this extra emphasis stressing a word.
Using your voice to stress key words is another important strategy that good presenters use.
Let's take a look at a couple more examples from Tanya's speech.
Which words are emphasized?
That's why the High Potency Production Center has adopted state-of-the-art green technology and advanced international production techniques.
Did you hear the stress on state of the art and advanced?
These are key points, things that differentiate Pharmatech from the competitors.
So, Tanya wants to give them special emphasis.
Thus, we achieve a high level of protection for the environment and for workers.
In this case, Tanya stresses the word and to highlight the point that protection for workers is important.
It's important to be conscious of how stress can change meaning.
Listen to these two examples.
What's the difference in meaning between these two sentences?
By stressing Western, the second sentence makes it sound like our sales have improved in Western Europe but not elsewhere in Europe.
Perhaps not in Central or Eastern Europe.
So far today, we've already studied pausing, intonation, and stress.
Now let's finish off by looking at a couple of words and expressions that Tanya uses to add emphasis to her speech.
Also, this serves as a model of excellence for other production lines.
And above all, it embodies Pharmatech's commitment to sustainable development.
Sustainable development refers to development that can be sustained or maintained over the long term.
It usually has an environmental meaning.
To protect the environment, it's important to pursue sustainable development of business and resources.
To embody a commitment is a good collocation or word partnership that you should learn.
Embody means to represent or symbolize.
So Pharmatech's high-tech grain production lines embody, that is, represent or serve as a symbol of its commitment to long-term sustainable growth.
Now compared to the bad example we examined at the beginning.
What words has Tanya added to make her ideas clearer and to give emphasis to key points?
She has added, and above all to the last sentence, to give special weight to Pharmatech's commitment to sustainable development.
What are some other phrases you can use to add special emphasis to your key ideas?
Let's look at some examples.
In particular, improving quality is very important.
Above all, we need to think of more ways to improve sales.
Without a doubt, opening up new markets is our greatest challenge.
I'd like to emphasize our complete dedication to this project.
What's especially important is that we consider this challenge from all angles and take into account different perspectives.
Good.
Now let's practice what we've just learned.
Imagine you're giving a speech to introduce your new factory to some journalists.
You have to make three key points.
Your new production center uses advanced technology, protects the environment and workers and embodies your commitment to sustainable development.
In a moment, you'll hear a cue or hint reminding you of these three points.
Then you'll have a few seconds to think.
After the beep, Make a sentence that includes all three key ideas.
Be careful to put your words into logical grammatical groups to sound smooth and fluent.
Also, think about intonation.
For example, the pitch should fall when you're at the end of your idea.
Finally, you should try, using your voice or some emphasizing words to add special stress to a key point or two.
Are you ready?
Let's give it a try.
Uses advanced technology, protects the environment and workers, embodies our commitment to sustainable development.
How did that go?
Listen to an example answer.
Keep in mind that there are many possible correct answers.
Rewind and try it again.
Try stressing different words and using different intensifiers and emphasizing expressions.
What happens when you put the words in a different order?
Experiment!
Now that you've finished that, you're probably thinking of more ways to practice.
One good way to build fluency is to record yourself reading aloud.
Work on the strategies we've learned today.
Before you read, mark pauses on the paper with a pencil.
You can also use arrows to mark intonation, either up or down.
And you can underline words you wish to stress.
You should practice anticipating, that is, reading ahead.
While you're making a pause, look at the next group of words.
Focus on putting the words into grammatically logical groups.
Don't be afraid to pause frequently and to make longer pauses.
You can always practice speeding up later if you want.
And that's about all for this episode on using your voice to give a good presentation.
We've covered pausing, intonation, and stress.
We've learned how to combine these elements to make your voice sound confident, fluent and strong.
You for listening.
Our next episode will focus on questions and answers.
