You're listening to Business English Pod, the Business English podcast for professionals on the move.
Hello, and welcome back to Business English Pod.
My name's Edwin and I'll be your host for today's lesson on getting your presentation off to a good start.
We all know a skilled presenter when we see one.
It's a person who catches our interest right away and connects with the audience.
He gives us the information we need without droning on and putting us to sleep.
He's clear about his purpose, he's organized, and he answers our questions.
But most skilled presenters weren't born with those skills.
They learn to be good presenters and you can learn the same skills in order to inform, persuade or motivate any audience.
In today's lesson we'll take a closer look at some great techniques you can use at the start of a presentation.
We'll learn how to get started, build rapport with the audience and introduce a single key idea that can run throughout your presentation.
We'll also cover how to state your purpose and headline your key ideas.
Of course, your approach to a presentation might be different depending on your audience.
So today, we will hear two short dialogues from the start of two different presentations.
In the first, we'll hear a recruiter named Nick who works for a medical supplies company.
He's giving a presentation to a group of potential recruits at a university.
In the second dialogue we'll hear a finance manager named Diane giving an internal presentation about her company's third quarter financial statements.
As you listen to the dialogue, try to answer the following questions.
One, what question does Nick ask his audience at the start of his presentation?
Two, what is the key idea that Nick says his company is all about?
Three, what does Diane say is the purpose of her presentation?
All right, everyone.
I'd just like to start by thanking you all for coming.
It's great to see so many fresh faces here today.
My name's Nick and I work in HR for Mountain Medical, a company I joined 15 years ago.
And I must say I really love getting the chance to come to events like this and talk about our company.
So, has anyone here heard of Mountain Medical before?
Anyone know what we do?
Yes, the young lady in blue there.
Well, I know you guys make medical equipment for hospitals and such, right?
Yes, you've got it.
Medical equipment.
Now, I know there are some of you thinking, well, that's not very exciting.
Am I right there?
Can I get a show of hands if you've always dreamed of working in the field of medical equipment?
Okay, nobody.
Not a surprise.
But I want to show you that on a bigger level, this means we help caregivers do their jobs.
We help them help people.
And people is really what Mountain Medical is all about.
So, I'm going to talk a little bit about what we do.
Then I'm going to introduce you to some of our people.
And finally, I'll discuss some of the exciting opportunities in our company.
I think what you'll see through it all is that we're all about people and taking care of people.
Now let's go through the dialogue again and look at the language and techniques Nick used in his presentation.
Alright everyone.
I'd just like to start by thanking you all for coming.
It's great to see so many fresh faces here today.
My name's Nick and I work in HR for Mountain Medical, a company I joined 15 years ago.
To begin, Nick needs to signal that he's going to start his presentation.
One common way to do this is to say, Alright everyone.
And remember, Nick is talking to a group of people he doesn't know.
That's important, because the start of a presentation to a group of strangers might sound different than a presentation to people you know or work with.
One difference is that you might use a longer welcome, and that welcome might include thanking people for coming and introducing yourself, just as Nick did.
Getting started might also include some kind of upbeat statement to set a positive tone.
Nick does this by saying that it's great to see so many fresh faces or new people.
Let's practice some more ways to get a presentation started, including welcoming people, thanking them for coming, personal introductions and upbeat statements.
Let me begin by welcoming all of you here today.
Hello, I'm Dave Abbott, and I'm really excited to have the chance to talk to you today.
Welcome everyone.
It's great to be here with you all.
Good morning everyone, and thank you for coming out today.
Let's listen to the rest of Nick's opening statement.
You'll hear him keep that upbeat attitude and then engage the audience with a question.
And I must say I really love getting the chance to come to events like this and talk about our company.
So, has anyone here heard of Mountain Medical before?
Anyone know what we do?
Yes, the young lady in blue there.
Nick could just tell his audience what Mountain Medical does, but instead he asks his listeners what they know about the company.
Asking questions is a great way to get the audience involved, especially if the purpose of your presentation is to persuade people.
People are more engaged when they have a dialogue with a presenter rather than just listening.
So let's hear what the lady in blue, or the lady wearing blue clothes has to say and how Nick responds.
Well, I know you guys make medical equipment for hospitals and such, right?
Yes, you've got it.
Medical equipment.
Now, I know there are some of you thinking, well, that's not very exciting.
Am I right there?
Can I get a show of hands if you've always dreamed of working in the field of medical equipment?
Okay, nobody.
The young lady in the audience correctly identifies Mountain Medical as a medical equipment company.
And that gives Nick the chance to say, you've got it. which means you're right.
As you can hear, the presentation sounds a bit conversational and Nick is trying to build rapport and a relationship with the audience.
Another way Nick builds rapport is to ask rhetorical questions or questions that don't really need a response.
He guesses that his audience doesn't think the medical equipment sounds very exciting and he asks for a show of hands by people who always dreamed of working in the field.
Of course, he doesn't expect anyone to actually raise their hands.
This is just Nick's way of being fun and friendly, which builds rapport.
What are some other ways we can build rapport with the audience at the start of a presentation?
Let's try a few more and notice how we can use rhetorical questions.
I have to say, I'm always happy to come to Seattle.
It's a great city with great people.
To be honest, ten years ago I was in exactly the same position you are now.
Now, some of you might be wondering, who is this guy and why should I listen?
So, who here actually likes cold calling?
It's a very challenging thing to do, am I right?
Now that Nick has built a bit of rapport and engaged his listeners, he can begin to introduce his real message.
Not a surprise.
But I want to show you that on a bigger level, this means we help caregivers do their jobs.
We help them help people.
And people is really what Mountain Medical is all about.
Nick's real purpose is to persuade his listeners that Mountain Medical is a good company to work for, even if medical equipment doesn't sound too exciting.
And in persuading them, he's going to use one key idea, the idea of people.
He says that people is what Mountain Medical is all about, which means that's their major focus.
And that idea will appeal to his listeners who are looking to begin their careers.
To give a presentation continuity, it's smart to have one big idea that you keep coming back to.
Let's try some more examples of introducing a single key idea.
The idea of sustainability is behind every one of these plans for the company.
You'll see that everything in this design points to one guiding principle, ease of use.
One thing I'll be coming back to again and again today is the idea of trust.
Now, let's listen as Nick tells his listeners what he'll cover in his presentation.
We'll also hear him reinforce the single key idea of people.
So, I'm going to talk a little bit about what we do.
Then I'm going to introduce you to some of our people.
And finally, I'll discuss some of the exciting opportunities in our company.
I think what you'll see through it all is that we're all about people and taking care of people.
Nick has organized his presentation into three main parts and he's going to bring each part back to that main theme of people.
It's a great start to a persuasive presentation.
Now, let's practice some of the language we just learned with a role play.
Imagine you are giving a product presentation to a group of potential customers.
First, you'll get the presentation started.
Then, you'll build rapport.
And finally, you'll introduce a single key idea.
I'll give you a cue telling you what you need to do.
Follow the cue to make an effective statement.
We'll guide you through each step in the practice and provide an example answer for each response.
Ready?
Let's give it a go.
Get your presentation started by welcoming everyone and thanking them for coming.
Answer OK, I'd just like to welcome everyone and thank you all for coming today.
Next, try building rapport by saying that the audience is lucky to live in such a great city.
Answer You guys are really lucky to live in such a great city.
Now, introduce the single key idea that your product works better than any other.
Answer Now, there's one big thing that you'll see today.
This product works better than any other.
Now, let's move on to our next presentation.
Remember, we're going to hear Diane give a financial presentation to people within her company.
Let's hear how she starts off.
Okay, so next up, we've got Diane from Finance to run us through the Q3 financials.
Diane?
Thanks, Ken.
Right.
Well, I know everyone's already had a good look at all the numbers, so I won't keep you long.
What I'd like to do today is highlight a few key takeaways, some of the things we need to keep in mind going forward.
Sounds good.
I'm pretty pushed for time, so let's jump right in.
Great.
The first thing I'd like to touch on is the increase in revenue, which was driven by strong demand from both Europe and the Americas.
Then I'd like to address our cash flow situation, which has been heavily impacted by recent investments.
And I'll finish off with a look at two significant factors to watch for in the next quarter.
So what language and techniques does diane use in her presentation?
Let's go through the dialogue again and find out.
The first thing you'll notice is that she doesn't have to get her listeners attention as nick did, because one of her colleagues introduces her.
Okay, so next up, we've got diane from finance to run us through the q3 financials diane.
Thanks, Ken.
Right.
Well, I know everyone's already had a good look at all the numbers, so I won't keep you long.
What I'd like to do today is highlight a few key takeaways, some of the things we need to keep in mind going forward.
Diane is going to run through, or report on, the financial statements for the third quarter.
In this kind of presentation, we are usually more direct and to the point.
Diane doesn't need to build rapport with her listeners because she works with them.
Instead, she begins by stating her purpose very clearly, which is to highlight a few key takeaways.
That means she's going to focus on just a few important ideas in the financial statements.
In an informational presentation, it's a good idea to state your purpose clearly right at the start.
That gives your audience a reason to listen.
Let's practice some more ways of doing this.
Today, I'd like to give you a quick tour of our new software.
What I want to do is talk about three possible solutions to our staffing crisis.
My purpose here today is to outline the biggest ideas to come out of R&D in the past six months.
Today, I'm going to show you our new logo and packaging designs.
How does Diane's audience respond to her statement of purpose?
Let's listen.
Sounds good.
I'm pretty pushed for time, so let's jump right in.
Ken is pushed for time or in a hurry, so he appreciates Diane's direct and clear approach.
He wants to jump right in or get right to the main ideas quickly.
And because Diane understands her audience, that's exactly what she does.
Great.
The first thing I'd like to touch on is the increase in revenue, which was driven by strong demand from both Europe and the Americas.
Then I'd like to address our cash flow situation, which has been heavily impacted by recent investments.
And I'll finish off with a look at two significant factors to watch for in the next quarter.
Just as Nick did, Diane has organized her presentation around three key points.
And she headlines these three points for her listeners, so they know what they're going to hear about.
How does she headline these points?
She uses the sequence words, first, then, and finish off.
That's a clear way to organize her introduction.
Let's try some more ways to headline key points in a presentation, including useful sequence words.
You'll also notice that each example focuses on just two or three ideas, which keeps it simple and clear for the listeners.
Today, I'll cover progress in two key areas, recruitment and training.
First, I'm going to present the two design options, then I'll discuss our work plan.
I'd like to begin with sales in the Midwest, then I'll discuss the East Coast and finally the Southwest.
I'm going to show you how we are having trouble competing on price, service, and speed.
Diane is given a nice little introduction to her internal presentation, stating her purpose clearly and headlining her key points.
Now, let's practice the language we just learned with another short role play.
Imagine that you are giving a presentation to your colleagues about changes to a work schedule.
First you'll state the purpose of your presentation.
Then you'll headline the key points you want to discuss.
Once again, you can follow my cue to make an effective statement, and we'll guide you through each step in the practice and provide an example.
Answer for each response.
Ready?
Let's give it a go.
Start by stating that the purpose of your presentation is to outline scheduling changes.
What I want to do today is outline the changes to the schedule for you.
Now headline your key points by saying you'll talk about a new employee schedule, then changes to the work shifts.
Answer.
First I'll talk about the new employee schedule and then I'll talk about changes to the work shifts.
To finish off, let's practice some of the vocabulary and collocations we've covered in this lesson.
In a moment, you'll hear a series of sentences with a word replaced with a beep.
Repeat each sentence, including the missing word.
For example, if you hear, You can say Ryan, could you please run us through the proposal for the construction project.
After each response, we'll provide the correct answer.
Let's begin.
All right.
Can I get a show of from those of you who work in marketing?
Answer.
All right.
Can I get a show of hands from those of you who work in marketing?
It looks like sales in Mexico have been heavily by the economic crisis.
Answer.
It looks like sales in Mexico have been heavily impacted by the economic crisis.
I'm happy to report that there is strong customer for our core services.
Answer.
I'm happy to report that there is strong customer demand for our core services.
One thing we all need to keep in is the importance of teamwork.
One thing we all need to keep in mind is the importance of teamwork.
We've reached the end of this lesson, the first in our series on essential presentation skills.
We've learned how to get started, build rapport, and introduce a key idea.
We've also learned how to state your purpose and headline your key points.
In the next lesson we'll see how Nick and Diane get into the heart of their presentation to persuade and inform their listeners.
Thanks for listening, and see you again soon.
