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 wrapping up a presentation.
Some people say that the start of a presentation is the most important part.
That's where you grab people's attention and give them a reason to listen.
But the end of your presentation is just as important.
If you do a great job of engaging your audience but then have a weak finish, they'll walk away with a bad last impression.
And you want to avoid that at all costs.
So what exactly is involved in a good conclusion to a presentation?
What do you need to do to make sure people walk away feeling that they learned something, they want to buy something or they agree with you?
Today, we'll learn some great ways to do just that.
We'll look at a variety of techniques, such as summarizing key ideas, closing inspirationally and opening up for questions.
We'll also learn how to connect your ideas with the big picture and wrap up at the end of the presentation.
In this lesson, we'll hear how two different speakers finish their presentations.
The first speaker is Nick, a recruiter for a medical supplies company.
He's been trying to convince potential recruits that his company is great to work for.
In the second dialogue we'll hear Diane, who's finishing up a report about her company's third quarter financial statements.
As you listen to the dialogues, try to answer the following questions.
One, in his summary, Nick mentioned several topics that he covered.
What are they?
Two, to inspire his listeners, what has Nick asked them to think about?
3.
What does Diane say is the company's larger vision?
Alright, so by now you should have a pretty good idea of what Mountain Medical does.
I mean what we produce and how we sell it.
I've introduced you to some of the great people in our organization and I've also outlined the opportunities for us to welcome more good people just like you folks.
Now, I know you've all got a busy day ahead of you with other recruiters, but I'd like to ask you to take the time to think about the kind of place you want to work at.
I don't mean the job title, or the job description, or even the salary and benefits and all that.
That's important sure, but I encourage you to think about the kind of place and the kind of people that you want to invest your time in.
And when you think about that, I really hope Mountain Medical will be one of the places you consider.
Thank you, Nick.
You've given everyone a lot to think about, that's for sure.
And we appreciate your time.
My pleasure.
As I said, I consider myself fortunate to have the opportunity to come and talk to groups like you.
Now, I'd like to open things up here for questions.
Anyone?
Now let's go through the dialogue again and look at the techniques that Nick used to wrap up his presentation.
Alright, so by now you should have a pretty good idea of what Mountain Medical does.
I mean what we produce and how we sell it.
I've introduced you to some of the great people in our organization and I've also outlined the opportunities for us to welcome more good people just like you folks.
If you listened to BEP 274, you heard Nick give a brief outline of his topics near the beginning of his presentation.
Now at the end, he wants to summarize or outline these key ideas again.
This will help his listeners remember, and it creates a feeling of completion.
One more thing you'll notice is the good rapport Nick has built with his audience.
He calls them folks, which is a nice and informal way to refer to a group of people.
Any audience will appreciate a brief summary of key ideas at the end of a presentation, so let's practice summarizing with a few more examples.
So I've explained key changes in production, marketing and sales.
As I've tried to show, Frankfurt is the best option for our new European office.
By now I hope you can see why we need a new training program and what that program should include.
Just to recap, we've got impressive growth in the East, but we're falling behind in the West.
Now that Nick has summarized his main ideas, what does he do next?
Remember, Nick's presentation was meant to persuade.
In a persuasive presentation, it's good to have a powerful finish.
Let's listen.
Now, I know you've all got a busy day ahead of you with other recruiters, but I'd like to ask you to take the time to think about the kind of place you want to work at.
Nick is not the only speaker the audience is going to listen to.
They're going to go on to hear presentations by other recruiters looking to hire people.
For this reason, Nick needs to try to stand out, be different and connect with his audience emotionally.
And to do that, he asks them to think about the kind of place they want to work at.
In fact, Nick did something a bit similar in the middle of his presentation, when he asked them to imagine arriving for the first day of work at a new company.
Let's listen as Nick continues explaining what he wants them to think about.
I don't mean the job title, or the job description, or even the salary and benefits and all that.
That's important sure, but I encourage you to think about the kind of place and the kind of people that you want to invest your time in.
And when you think about that, I really hope Mountain Medical will be one of the places you consider.
Nick is telling people not just to think about the title or the name of the job or the job description, which is a list of responsibilities or work activities.
Instead, he is trying to inspire them to think about the kind of people they want to invest their time in.
That shows that Nick respects his audience and understands that their time is valuable.
For his audience, thinking about what they really want in life and work is inspiring.
And if they connect emotionally with Nick's message, there's a greater chance they'll want to work for his company.
What are some other good ways to close a talk inspirationally?
Let's practice a few more.
So, if you agree that we need a change, then get out there and make it happen.
If you remember nothing else, I'd like you to remember this word, simplicity.
This isn't about me or the company or the products.
It's about you.
So let's not accept good enough anymore.
Let's be excellent.
So, is Nick's audience inspired by his closing?
Let's hear how the audience responds.
Thank you, Nick.
You've given everyone a lot to think about, that's for sure.
And we appreciate your time.
My pleasure.
As I said, I consider myself fortunate to have the opportunity to come and talk to groups like you.
Now, I'd like to open things up here for questions.
Anyone?
It sure sounds like Nick's listener appreciates or feels thankful for his time and effort during the presentation.
Nick responds in his usual upbeat, positive, and respectful manner.
He's clearly concerned about making a good impression right until the end.
And there's one final thing that Nick wants to do, and that's answer questions.
Opening up for questions at the end of a presentation gives people the chance to clarify anything they didn't understand or find out more about one of your ideas.
How else can we open up for questions?
Let's run through some more examples.
Now, does anyone have any questions?
If anyone has any questions, I'll be happy to answer them.
Okay, so are there any questions out there?
Anything you'd like to ask?
I think now is a good time to address any questions you might have.
That completes Nick's presentation.
He's given a brief summary of ideas inspired his listeners and given them the chance to ask questions.
Now, let's practice some of the language we just learned with a role play.
Imagine you are coming to the end of a presentation about your company's new website.
To start off with, you'll summarize key ideas.
Then you'll close the talk inspirationally and finally offer to answer questions from your listeners.
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, summarize the key ideas by saying that the website is user-friendly and dynamic.
Answer As I've tried to show, this new website is very user-friendly and really dynamic.
Next, close your talk inspirationally by saying that the website is something for everyone to be proud of.
And I think that this website is something we can all be really proud of.
Finally, open up for questions from your audience.
Answer Now, I'd like to give you the chance to ask any questions you might have.
So now we've finished with Nick's closing, let's listen to how Diane handles things in her internal presentation.
Remember, Diane has been giving a financial report to her colleagues.
How does she finish up?
And so, those are two major factors to watch for in the next quarter.
Now, just to briefly recap here, we've seen strong demand drive up revenue.
And we've seen investment activities accounting for a lot of our cash outflows.
And in the next quarter we're going to be watching for a positive return on our recent investments and some healthy changes to the balance sheet in terms of liabilities.
Okay, Diane.
I think that's all pretty clear.
I'm certainly eager to see these investments start impacting our bottom line.
Great.
And I'd just like to point out that all of these changes are moving us in a very positive direction.
Our vision is one of stable growth.
And I think we've got clear evidence of that.
And on that thought, I'd like to wrap it up.
Thank you all very much for your time.
I'll send the slides over by email this afternoon and I'll be available for questions throughout the day.
Okay.
Thank you, Diane.
Look forward to more good news in three months' time.
Now let's go through the end of Diane's presentation again and look at the techniques she used to finish up.
In fact, Diane started wrapping up in the same way that Nick did.
And so, those are two major factors to watch for in the next quarter.
Now just to briefly recap here.
We've seen strong demand drive up revenue, and we've seen investment activities accounting for a lot of our cash outflows.
And in the next quarter we're going to be watching for a positive return on our recent investments and some healthy changes to the balance sheet in terms of liabilities.
As you can hear, Diane wants to briefly recap or summarize the main ideas of her presentation.
She's talked about demand driving up or increasing revenue.
She talked about investment activities and she talked about some of the healthy or positive changes coming up in the near future.
So, no matter what kind of presentation you're giving, it's always a good idea to summarize your main ideas.
Now, let's get back to the dialogue.
Okay, Diane, I think that's all pretty clear.
I'm certainly eager to see these investments start impacting our bottom line.
Great.
And I'd just like to point out that all of these changes are moving us in a very positive direction.
Our vision is one of stable growth, and I think we've got clear evidence of that.
In Diane's summary.
She mentioned some pretty specific ideas, but now she wants to connect her main ideas with the big picture.
The big picture is the general situation or the broad view of things.
In the case of Diane's company, the big picture is all about stable growth or growing the company slowly and safely.
Connecting your ideas to the big picture helps listeners see why those ideas matter.
It's a great way to finish up an informational presentation, because people can walk away with a general idea of how things are going.
It also shows that you are keeping the big picture in mind.
Let's practice some more ways of connecting with the big picture at the end of a presentation.
I hope you can see that all of these changes are in line with our vision of being innovative.
These sales increases mean that we are on track to achieve our goal of 30% market share.
On a bigger level, investing in this technology will put us at the forefront of the industry.
At the end of the day, this is all about saving money and enhancing profits.
Now, all Diane has left to do is give a final statement, or wrap-up.
And on that thought, I'd like to wrap it up.
Thank you all very much for your time.
I'll send the slides over by email this afternoon and I'll be available for questions throughout the day.
Okay.
Thank you, Diane.
Look forward to more good news in three months time.
As you can hear, Diane takes a pretty direct approach to wrapping up.
She starts by saying that's exactly what she wants to do.
Signaling the end of your presentation like this helps your listeners know when you're finished.
Diane's wrap-up includes a couple more important points.
She thanks her listeners, and she invites people to ask her questions later.
Nick opened up for questions at the end of his presentation, but that's not always the best approach.
Sometimes, when you know your listeners are busy people, it's better just to let them go and allow people with questions to approach you later.
Now, let's try some more ways of wrapping up your presentation.
Well, everyone, I appreciate your time and I hope you have a great day.
So that about covers it.
Thanks for coming and you're welcome to email me with any questions.
That's about all for today, everyone.
Feel free to take my card on your way out.
It's been a pleasure talking with you all.
I'll be around for comments and questions until 2.30.
Well, Diane's finished up her presentation quite nicely.
She's recapped her main points, connected them with the big picture and then wrapped up in a brief but polite manner.
Now, let's practice the language we just learned with another short role play.
Imagine that you're giving a presentation to some managers about a new hiring strategy.
First, you'll summarize key ideas.
Then you'll connect those ideas with the big picture.
And finally, you'll wrap up your presentation.
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 summarizing the key ideas of hiring more young people and investing in good training.
Okay, so I've talked about hiring more young people and investing in good training.
Now connect with the big picture by saying that hiring young people will help the company modernize.
And I really believe that hiring more young people will help us modernize the company.
Finally, wrap up the presentation by thanking everyone and wishing them a good day.
Answer.
Now I'd like to thank you all for coming and I hope you have a great day.
To finish off the day, 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, The employee survey provides pretty clear that people are happy with the new benefits plan.
You can say The employee survey provides pretty clear evidence that people are happy with the new benefits plan.
After each response, we'll provide the correct answer.
Let's begin.
Moving to a cheaper office space should help us to improve our bottom.
Answer Moving to a cheaper office space should help us to improve our bottom line.
Before you go, I'd just like to... Some of the main ideas we've covered today.
Answer Before you go, I'd just like to recap some of the main ideas we've covered today.
I think if we can increase revenues in each division, we can reach our goal of stable...
Answer I think if we can increase revenues in each division, we can reach our goal of stable growth.
We don't have much time, so I'll just briefly... Our three design options.
Answer We don't have much time, so I'll just briefly outline our three design options.
We've reached the end of this lesson, the third and final part on our series on essential presentation skills.
We've covered how to summarize your main ideas, give an inspirational closing and open up for questions.
We've also learned how to connect with the big picture and wrap up right at the end.
Thanks for listening and see you again soon.
