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 delivering an engaging and organized presentation.
Getting up in front of a room full of people to give a presentation in English can be a difficult task.
Whether you're reporting information or trying to convince people to buy something, you need to catch their attention.
Then you need to keep it.
And, at the end of it all, you want them to walk away feeling like they learned something, or they agree with you, or they want to buy what you're trying to sell them.
Sure, it might seem difficult, but there are skills you can learn to make it much easier.
Several techniques in both presentation and delivery can help ensure an engaging presentation that will wow your listeners.
In today's lesson, we'll take a closer look at some of these techniques, including asking people to imagine a situation in order to persuade them, and focusing on the why behind your ideas rather than the what.
We'll also learn how you can use a single thread throughout your presentation and how you can transition between ideas.
And finally, we'll cover how to check in with your listeners and add emphasis.
Today, we'll hear two short dialogues from different presentations.
In the first we'll rejoin a recruiter called Nick who is presenting to some potential recruits for a medical supplies company.
In the second we'll hear finance manager Diane continue with a report about her company's quarterly financial results.
As you listen to the dialogue, try to answer the following questions.
One, what does Nick ask his listeners to imagine?
Two, what is the key idea that Nick keeps coming back to?
Three, after talking about fuel savings, what does Diane do before moving on to her next idea?
So I've talked a little bit about how things work at Mountain Medical and I mentioned that idea of support.
But what exactly do I mean by support?
Well, here's the thing.
Imagine you've just been hired by a big company.
Could be in engineering or tech or maybe medical supplies.
And you arrive for your first day of work.
What would you expect in that first week or the first month?
Well, I would certainly expect to understand more about the company and how it functions and learn about work systems, expectations and things like that.
And I'd add that I'd like to get to know the people that I work with.
Precisely.
Because you need to feel comfortable and confident that you can do your job well, right?
And you want to fit in.
You want a place that helps you do that, where the people care about your success.
I mean, if you're going to spend 40 hours a week at a place, you want to feel good about it, right?
Yeah, sounds about right.
Okay, and that brings me back, once again, to this key idea I keep mentioning.
At Mountain Medical, it's all about people.
Now let's go through the dialogue again and look at the language and techniques Nick used in his presentation.
Remember we're jumping in partway through Nick's presentation after he's given some introductory information about his company.
So I've talked a little bit about how things work at Mountain Medical and I mentioned that idea of support.
But what exactly do I mean by support?
Well, here's the thing.
Imagine you've just been hired by a big company.
Could be in engineering or tech or maybe medical supplies.
And you arrive for your first day of work.
What would you expect in that first week or the first month?
Nick wants to explain the idea of support in greater detail.
To set up his explanation, he uses a rhetorical question.
But he doesn't just answer his own question directly by explaining what kinds of support Mountain Medical offers.
Instead, he asks them to imagine that they are arriving for their first day of work at a new company.
And he asks them what they would expect in this situation.
In this way, people can connect what he's talking about to real life and their own desires.
And asking people to imagine situations and what they would want can really help you to persuade them.
That's very useful in a presentation like this.
Let's practice some more ways we can persuade people by asking them to imagine a situation.
Now imagine if you didn't have to commute every day to work.
So, in a perfect world, what would you want more of?
Time?
Money?
Okay, if you had a choice, what type of car would you like to drive?
Imagine if someone gave you the money to develop a mobile app.
Now, let's hear what one listener would expect at a new company.
Well, I would certainly expect to understand more about the company and how it functions and learn about work systems, expectations and things like that.
And I'd add that I'd like to get to know the people that I work with.
It sounds like this audience member would expect quite a lot, including understanding how the company functions or operates.
And he'd also like to get to know the other people, which means he wants to get familiar with them.
Now, the trick to persuading with this technique is being able to give them what they want.
So, let's hear how Nick continues.
Precisely.
Because you need to feel comfortable and confident that you can do your job well, right?
And you want to fit in.
You want a place that helps you do that.
Where the people care about your success.
I mean, if you're going to spend 40 hours a week at a place, you want to feel good about it, right?
With his first word, precisely, which means exactly, Nick is suggesting that he understands.
And he's implying that Mountain Medical can give new employees all the things that the audience member listed.
Then Nick provides a bunch of reasons why that kind of support is important.
He talks about feeling comfortable and fitting in or belonging.
And he talks about wanting to work in a place where people care about you.
You'll notice that Nick hasn't actually explained the idea of support himself.
He hasn't directly mentioned what support his company offers.
Instead, he's focused on why support is important, and that's another great way to persuade or help people understand.
Don't tell them what you do.
Tell them why you do it.
What are some other ways of focusing on the why rather than the what?
Let's try a few more.
We understand that people have too much stress, and we want to change that.
We want to organize an event that's fun and that people will really remember.
Why are we doing this?
Because we believe in the power of technology.
That's why.
You don't want five different devices when you can have one, do you?
Because simple is good, right?
Now, let's get back to the dialogue as the listener confirms that Nick's reasons make sense.
Yeah, sounds about right.
Okay, and that brings me back, once again, to this key idea I keep mentioning.
At Mountain Medical, it's all about people.
Remember, in explaining the why, Nick mentioned people caring about other people's success.
And that idea brings him back or returns the presentation to an idea he keeps mentioning.
If you tuned in to the BEP 274 lesson, you might remember that Nick said that Mountain Medical is all about people.
And now he says it again because it's his key idea and it forms a thread throughout his presentation.
It's like a theme and because he keeps mentioning it, people will remember it later.
Let's practice some examples of using a single thread throughout your presentation.
So all of these features point to that key idea of simplicity.
This problem is just one more reason why we need to consider a risk management plan.
This idea takes us back to what I keep mentioning, value.
I said it before and I'll say it again.
We need to understand market trends.
So Nick has done a great job of engaging and persuading his listeners.
He hasn't just rattled off a bunch of facts about his company.
Instead, he's connected with people's imaginations and motivations and he's given them a big idea that they can remember.
Now, let's move on to our next presentation, which is more informative than persuasive.
Remember, Diane is presenting the quarterly financial results to her colleagues.
In our last lesson, we heard her introduction.
Now she's going to talk about one of her three key points, cash flow.
So if there are no further questions about revenue, I'd like to move right along to look at the cash flow situation.
Yes, I think we're all clear on the revenue front, Diane.
So let's get going with cash flow.
Okay then.
Now, I know there was some concern about cash outflows from investment activities.
But I just want to remind everyone how these investments will pay off.
First off, there was the retrofit of the two container ships.
That was certainly costly, but remember we're going to see an 8 savings on fuel resulting from that.
And we'll start to realize those savings in the next quarter.
Does that make sense to everyone?
Any questions on that?
Yes, makes sense.
Mind you, it will take a couple of years before those retrofits are paid back in full, but I think your point is clear.
No further questions.
Alright, great.
Now, let me get into our takeover of ACL shipping.
That came with a balloon payment in this most recent quarter of $30 million.
But again, I want to remind everyone how this will pay off.
This was a serious investment that will bring serious benefits.
Allow me to explain exactly what I mean.
As you can see here.
Now let's go through the dialogue again and take a closer look at the techniques and language that Diane used.
Note that just before this part of her presentation, Diane had been talking about revenue.
So if there are no further questions about revenue, I'd like to move right along to look at the cash flow situation.
A good presentation is well organized and a good presenter moves clearly from topic to topic, just as Diane has done.
She's going from the topic of revenue to the topic of cash flow.
And that's exactly what she tells her listeners.
When we transition to our next idea, we simply state that we're finished with one topic and moving right along while transitioning to the next.
Diane also uses a small but extremely useful word that can signal a transition.
And that word is SOH.
Let's try some more ways of transitioning from one idea to the next.
And you'll notice that word so in a couple of our examples.
So, next I'd like to look at some of the ways this version differs from version one.
If we're all clear on compensation, then I'll move on to the topic of benefits.
Okay, now I'd like to explain the reasons for these changes.
So, that covers European sales.
Next, let's have a look at the situation in Asia.
Now, we'll hear one of Diane's listeners respond before Diane gets going or continues.
Yes, I think we're all clear on the revenue front, Diane.
So let's get going with cash flow.
Okay then.
Now, I know there was some concern about cash outflows from investment activities, but I just want to remind everyone how these investments will pay off.
Diane uses a couple more good little transition words.
Okay then, and now, before introducing the topic of cash outflows, which is money that the company has spent, Diane is going to address listeners' concerns or worries about cash outflows.
As a good presenter, she can anticipate what her listeners might be thinking.
Diane's got a couple of points to make, so listen how she introduces the first one.
First off, there was the retrofit of the two container ships.
That was certainly costly, but remember we're going to see an 8 savings on fuel resulting from that.
And we'll start to realize those savings in the next quarter.
Does that make sense to everyone?
Any questions on that?
Diane is using clear signaling words like first off, which help listeners follow the organization of a presentation.
This is especially useful in informational reports like this one.
Next Diane explains briefly how the cash outflows to retrofit or modify two ships will result in savings later on.
At this point Diane wants to make sure everyone understands before moving to her next point, so she checks in with her audience with a couple of questions.
Checking in with your listeners at key points in your presentation can help prevent confusion.
If people aren't sure about something, you don't always want to wait until the end to find out.
Instead, you make sure everyone's clear along the way.
What are some other ways we can check in with our listeners?
Let's run through a few more examples.
Does this make sense to everyone?
Okay to move on now?
How does that sound to everyone?
All good?
Now, let's hear how Diane's listeners respond to her check-in.
Yes, makes sense.
Mind you, it will take a couple of years before those retrofits are paid back in full, but I think your point is clear.
No further questions.
All right, great.
Now, let me get into our takeover of ACL Shipping.
As you heard, one of Diane's listeners wants to clarify a point about the cost savings.
Nevertheless, she says that Diane's point is clear and that she has no questions.
So Diane's check-in has confirmed understanding and she can now continue to her next point, which relates to the takeover or buyout of another shipping company.
Let's hear Diane explain further.
That came with a balloon payment in this most recent quarter of $30 million.
But again, I want to remind everyone how this will pay off.
This was a serious investment that will bring serious benefits.
Allow me to explain exactly what I mean.
As you can see here… Remember, Diane is addressing her listeners' concerns about cash outflows.
Her purpose here is to make sure they understand that their big expenses will pay off or result in greater profits.
In fact that's her major point in this part of the presentation.
So to really make it clear, she adds emphasis.
How do we emphasize an important idea for our listeners?
One great way is through repetition.
Diane is repeating the expression payoff and using the word serious twice to add impact to her statement.
If you've got a key idea that you want your audience to remember, try adding emphasis.
Let's practice some more examples and pay attention to the repetition of ideas and words.
Exactly how much did costs increase?
Well, they went up a full 150%.
Did everyone hear that okay?
Let me repeat it.
We have got to bring costs down.
This hasn't just saved us a bit of time.
This has saved us over 20 hours each and every day.
The third bidder is quoting $20,000 lower than the others.
Yes, I said $20,000.
Diane's doing a great job with her presentation.
She's clear, organized, and responsive to her listeners.
Those are all qualities of a great presenter.
Now let's practice some of the language we learned in today's lesson.
Imagine you are making a presentation about the benefits of buying a new fleet of economical vehicles.
To start off with, you'll ask people to imagine a situation.
Then you'll focus on the why and bring your presentation back to a key idea.
Then you'll transition to another topic and add emphasis.
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.
First, ask your listeners to imagine that there was a way to save thousands of dollars a month.
Answer Okay, I'd like you to imagine for a second that we can save thousands of dollars a month.
Now, explain the why of your idea by saying that new vehicles are cheaper to run.
Answer We can do this because new vehicles are cheaper to run than our current fleet.
Now, bring your presentation back to the central idea of increasing company profits.
And this brings me back to that idea I keep mentioning, increasing profits.
Next, you need to transition to the topic of the initial cost of the vehicles. answer.
So, next I'd like to take a look at the initial cost of these new vehicles.
Finally, add emphasis to your idea by saying that the cost savings will be $50,000 a year.
These vehicles will save our company $50,000 a year.
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 I understand there has been some... about the project delays.
You can say... I understand there has been some concern about the project delays.
After each response, we'll provide the correct answer.
Let's begin.
With the high cost of oil and labor, we've seen a big increase in cash...
Answer.
With the high cost of oil and labor, we've seen a big increase in cash outflows.
Our trainers will be happy to explain exactly how the new software... Answer.
Our trainers will be happy to explain exactly how the new software functions.
In just three years, we managed to pay back our bank loan in... Answer.
In just three years, we managed to pay back our bank loan in full.
We doubled the size of our customer base with our... of Toro Financial Services.
Answer.
We doubled the size of our customer base with our takeover of Toro Financial Services.
We've reached the end of this lesson, the second in our series on essential presentation skills.
We've learned how to ask listeners to imagine a situation in order to persuade, and how to focus on the why rather than the what.
We've also learned how to use a thread throughout your presentation and transition between topics.
And finally, we've learned how to check in with your audience and add emphasis to an important idea.
Be sure to tune in for the next lesson, when we'll see how Nick and Diane finish up their presentations.
Thanks for listening, and see you again soon.
