Opening and closing
1
A
DISCUSS
TIME
TIME
ATTENTION
ATTENTION
ATTENTION
ATTENTION
1 Which of the graphs below do you think represents audience attention levels in a typical
presentation?
a
b
c
d
TIME
TIME
2 What kind of presentations do you think the other graphs refer to?
3 It’s quite common to see presenters start off by introducing themselves, thanking their
audience for coming, and checking to make sure their audio-visuals are all working OK. How
effective is that as an opening? Do you ever open a presentation like this?
VIEW
(00:00–01:41) Watch Mark talking about the importance of having a good opening and close and
compare your answers to the questions above with his.
RECALL
1 What is the primacy-recency effect?
2 In what way does Mark say a strong opening and close are like two bookends?
3 Why do you think Mark prefers the second version of the presentation opening you saw?
B
DISCUSS
1 Look at some of the classic ways of opening a presentation below. Which of these have you
used yourself?
tell a joke quote some statistics relate an anecdote ask the audience a question
tell a true story quote somebody famous refer to a relevant book or magazine article
explode a popular myth refer to a well-known movie or TV programme
2 Work with a partner. Can you add any different techniques to the list above? Which work best
for you?
Dynamic Presentations DVD Worksheet 1 by Mark Powell © Cambridge University Press 2011 PHOTOCOPIABLE
VIEW
1 (01:42–03:34) Now watch the openings from two different presentations and underline any of
the techniques the presenters use from the list above. Which technique do they both use?
2 How well do you think these openings lead into the main subject of the presenters’ talks?
PRESENT
Pick one of the presentation openers below and expand it into a sentence or two using
information relevant to your work. Can your colleagues detect which technique you are using?
Did you know that …? Could I ask you to raise your hand if you …? I think it was … who said … Could you turn to a partner and …? Just imagine what it would be like to … There’s a joke about … There’s a common misconception that … My favourite story about … is …
I have a question for you … A few … ago I read this book/article …
I saw this headline/cartoon the other day … You’re all familiar with the movie / TV programme …
OK, here’s a problem for you – how would you …?
C
DISCUSS
In what way can the end of your talk be even more important than the beginning?
VIEW
(03:35–4:01) How does Mark answer the question you have just answered?
RECALL
How does Mark compare a presentation to a firework display?
D
DISCUSS
When might you need to use the following techniques to close your presentation?
a summary a touch of humour a call to action a wise saying
VIEW
(04:02–06:02) Watch two presenters wrapping up their presentations. Which two techniques
above do they each use?
Presenter 1:
Presenter 2:
RECALL
What does Mark say about starting with the end of your presentation?
PRESENT
Write a short close to accompany the opening you designed above. Deliver them both.
Dynamic Presentations DVD Worksheet 1 by Mark Powell © Cambridge University Press 2011 PHOTOCOPIABLE
Smooth structure
2
A
DISCUSS
1 It’s been said that a presentation is like a car journey. If it is, what might be the equivalent in a
presentation of the following?
turning the key in the ignition
describing your route on the map
making a turn
moving into the fast lane
stopping to take a closer look at something
doing a U-turn
pointing out some of the sights
taking a short detour
arriving at your destination
2 What happens when drivers fail to signal? How about presenters?
VIEW
(00:00–00:58) Now watch Mark talking about the idea of a presentation as a car journey and
compare his views with yours.
RECALL
1 What does Mark say about presenting to non-native speaker audiences?
2 Why does he say it’s helpful to pause briefly before and after you use a signal?
B
DISCUSS
Match the signalling expressions below to the icons you think best illustrate them. The first one
has been done for you as an example.
aOK, moving on to … bSo that brings you up to date on … cSo to recap on …
dJust to digress for a moment… eAnd this brings us on to the subject of…
fSo, let’s look back at … gTurning for a moment to the question of …
hJust to give you a quick snapshot of …
i OK, as time’s moving on, I’m going to briefly take you through …
jSo justto expand on that a little… kThere are three things I want to talk to you about …
lAnd, in a way, this goes back to what we were saying earlier …
❶❷❸
➡●
■ ➡●
a
Dynamic Presentations DVD Worksheet 2 by Mark Powell © Cambridge University Press 2011 PHOTOCOPIABLE
VIEW
(00:59–02:34) Now check your answers to the previous exercise by watching different presenters
using the signals you worked on. The icons are in the right order, but have you labelled them
correctly?
C
PRESENT
Make the transition from the first to second part of the presentations below, using the key words
to help you.
OBJECTIVES
OK / first / all / going / fill you in /
project objectives
COST LEADERSHIP
just like / say / little bit more /
cost leadership / I may
TEXT-TO-SPEECH
so that was / text-to-speech software /
first thing / wanted / share / you today
OVERVIEW
OK, so / that’s /overview /
what contract covers
OUTSOURCING
now / coming back / this later on
BACKGROUND
so there / nutshell / have / background /
project
➡
PROGRESS
then / bring you up to speed / how /
progressing so far
➡
PRICING STRATEGY
before / move on / pricing strategy
➡
SPEECH-TO-TEXT
now / let’s take / look /
even more exciting speech-to-text package
➡
DETAILS
let’s drill down / some
➡
CROWDSOURCING
but just / give / quick outline /
how crowdsourcing works
➡
MILESTONES
now let’s look / some / milestones /
scheduled / plan
VIEW
(02:35–04:07) Now watch presenters making the same transitions you just did. How close are they
to your versions? Present them again if you want to.
REFLECT
1 Signalling is one way to make what you say clearly structured and easy to follow. How
important is it to make well-defined and logical arguments in the cultures you do business
with? The more important it is, the more necessary it will be to use regular signals.
2 How can the use of signals ‘save’ you when you lose your way or have problems getting your
point across in a presentation?
Dynamic Presentations DVD Worksheet 2 by Mark Powell © Cambridge University Press 2011 PHOTOCOPIABLE
Voice power
3
A
DISCUSS
1 Have you heard of Vocal Intelligence? What do you think it might mean?
2 Work with a partner. What are the five most important things you need to be able to do to use
your voice effectively in a presentation? Complete the mind map below:
Vocal
intelligence
VIEW
(00:00–02:37) Now watch Mark talking about how to use the power of your voice. How do his
ideas compare with yours?
RECALL
1 What does Mark say the word ‘personality’ literally means?
2 How does pausing help both the presenter and the audience?
3 What two kinds of words are usually stressed in spoken English and why?
REFLECT
Which vocal areas do you think you most need to work on?
B
DISCUSS
Why doesn’t Hamlet speak like this?
To be or, er, not to be?
That is, er, you know, like,
the question.
Do you know any presenters who do?
Who’s the worst?
VIEW
(02:38–03:23) If you use filler too frequently, it could distract your audience. Watch a presenter
reporting on the participant feedback from a sales training seminar and count the number of
times he ums and ers in just 30 seconds!
RECALL
Tick some of the other things the presenter you have just watched did. Watch again if you need to.
repeated himself
broke off mid-sentence
stretched words out
mispronounced words
stuttered
hesitated
Dynamic Presentations DVD Worksheet 3 by Mark Powell © Cambridge University Press 2011 PHOTOCOPIABLE
REFLECT
1 What effect does the presenter’s over-use of filler have?
2 What two things could the presenter have done instead of using filler?
3 What’s the difference between pausing and hesitating?
C
PRESENT
Work with a partner. Each of you should deliver one of the following two extracts from a
presentation about redesigning a company’s staff induction programme. Remember to pause at
the end of each line, stress underlined words and make your intonation go up and down with the
arrows. Record yourselves if you can.
PRESENTER 1
OK. ➘
as you know, ➚
for the last three months ➚
we’ve been rethinking ➚
the staff induction programme. ➘
We started out with the name
‘Induction programme’. ➘
Induction programme. ➘
Well, ➚
what does that say to you? ➘
Yeah, right. ➘
What it says to us ➚
– you’re about to be sucked into the machine! ➘
PRESENTER 2
Well, ➘
isn’t a welcome really what we’re trying to provide anyway? ➘
Why are we making people’s first weeks at the company a
bore ➘
with all the health and safety regulations ➚
and legal forms to fill in ➚
when we should be making them welcome? ➘
Why not a party, ➘
a well-chosen gift, ➘
a couple of long lunches with the boss, ➘
who, let’s not forget, ➚
is the number one reason ➚
why most people quit their jobs! ➘
VIEW
(03:24–04:32) Now watch the extracts you’ve just worked on. How does the presenter’s
performance compare with yours?
REFLECT
1 How does the amount you say before you pause affect how you sound? What’s the ideal: long
utterances, short utterances or a combination of the two?
2 What can you learn from the presenter you have just watched? Could he learn anything from you?
Dynamic Presentations DVD Worksheet 3 by Mark Powell © Cambridge University Press 2011 PHOTOCOPIABLE
visual aids
4
A
DISCUSS
1 They say ‘a picture paints a thousand words’. Why is that especially good advice for a presenter?
2 When is a visual aid not an aid?
VIEW
(00:00–00:30) Watch Mark answering the questions above and compare his ideas with yours.
RECALL
What does Mark say is the effect of reading speed being so much faster than speaking speed?
B
DISCUSS1
1 Look at this slide. How likely do you think the audience is to
remember it half an hour after the presentation is over? Why?
•
•
2 Why do you think the presenter has designed it this way?
•
3 What’s going to happen if the presenter tries to present this?
•
•
VIEW1
3D EYEWEAR
iSpex
3D movies traditionally, restricted
to theme parks and iMax cinemas
shift to 3D versions of blockbusters like
Kung Fu Panda in mainstream cinemas
2009 movie sensation Avatar redefines
market
new-style linear 3D polarised glasses
global market for 3D eyewear est. $200
million
1 (00:31–01:17) Watch the presenter and see if you were right.
2 What exactly went wrong?
3 How could the presenter have avoided this problem, using the custom animation function in
her slideware?
4 (01:18–01:36) Watch Mark commenting on the use of this visual. How similar are his comments
to yours?
DISCUSS2
1 Look at this second version of the same slide you just saw presented.
How well does it grab your attention now? Why?
200 million
2 What opportunity does this very minimal visual give to the
presenter? Is there a danger in having so little text?
VIEW2
(01:37–02:37) Watch the presenter use this version of the slide. Do you
agree with Mark’s explanation of why it’s better?
Dynamic Presentations DVD Worksheet 4 by Mark Powell © Cambridge University Press 2011 PHOTOCOPIABLE
RECALL
What does Mark say about the following?
getting straight to the point
a headline
context and supporting data
Now look at two different versions of this
slide. Which one is likely to be more effective?
Why?
70% of Indian businesses
are family businesses
telling half the story
DISCUSS3
70%
VIEW3
(02:38–03:08) Watch and see what Mark thinks
about the slides.
C
REFLECT
1 How often do you need to describe graphs and charts in a presentation?
2 What sort of extra information do you sometimes need to give about them?
VIEW1
(03:09–03:39) Watch what Mark says about graphs and charts. How far do you agree with him?
PRESENT
Work with a partner. Team-present the information in the charts below, referring to the visual aid
at 04:31 on the DVD as you speak. Some of these expressions may help you:
We all know…
Have a look at this…
Here are our projected estimates of …
So let
me just talk you through…
As you can see, we are forecasting…
Let’s just put that
into perspective.
The good news is… As far as … is concerned, the figures speak for
themselves.
What does that mean in terms of…?
So, the real question is…
1 Whatdoesthevisualshow?
2 Overall,isthefuturelikelyto
begreenerorgreyer?
Global electricity production
by source
2006
4 Isthatabigchangefrom
2006?
5 Whataboutoil,bothinthe
short-termandlong-term?
nuclearenergychange?
7 Butisthisagoodthingfor
2020
theenvironment(nuclearis
clean)?
3 Howmuchwilluseof
renewablesincreasein
responsetothepopulation
explosionandrisingfossilfuel
prices?
6 Howwillourrelianceon
8 Howmuchwillelectricity
productionhaveincreased
by2030?
2030
coal
9 Howmuchofthatwillbe
gas
derivedfromcoal(the
dirtiestfuel)?
renewables
nuclear
oil
10
Sowhathappenedtoour
moresustainablefuture?
VIEW2
(03:40–05:39) Now watch a presenter presenting the same information you just did. How does his
version compare with yours? Present yours again if you want to.
Dynamic Presentations DVD Worksheet 4 by Mark Powell © Cambridge University Press 2011 PHOTOCOPIABLE
Facts and figures
5
A
DISCUSS
1 Look at the amount of information in the visuals below. Which visuals have too much?
a
b
c
d
• attract
• convert
• retain
• grow
• measure
• optimize
customer conversion
2 How much data do you typically have to present? Describe one of the more complex sets of
figures you’ve used in the past. Why did it have to be so complicated?
VIEW
(00:00–01:15) Watch Mark talking about presenting facts and figures and decide how he would
respond to the questions above.
RECALL
1 How does Mark define ‘data-dumping’?
2 What’s the five-second rule?
3 How are the expectations of technical audiences different from non-technical ones?
4 What’s a ‘slideument’?
B
DISCUSS
What four things can you do to avoid data-dumping? Complete the mind map below:
How to avoid data-dumping
VIEW
(01:16–03:46) Watch Mark outlining four ways of dealing with data-dumping and compare your
ideas with his.
REFLECT
1 In view of what you’ve seen so far in this video segment, what changes might you want to
make to the way you present facts and figures in your own presentations?
2 Is it as necessary to contextualise data when presenting to an audience of experts?
Dynamic Presentations DVD Worksheet 5 by Mark Powell © Cambridge University Press 2011 PHOTOCOPIABLE
C
PRESENT
You work for @sgard, a company that produces spam filter software. With a partner, team-present
the statistics below, making sure to put each into context.
a
Do you know
how much spam
is costing you
annually? We have
the official figures.
b
Amount of energy
used to transmit,
process and filter
spam = 33bn
kilowatt hours per
year.
33bn
c
2.4m
e
= enough to power
2.4m homes > total
no. of homes in
Warsaw, Budapest
and Vienna.
d
Total cost = $5bn
pa. But what can
we do? After all, it’s
not us sending the
spam, is it?
f
3.1m
80%
= enough to
produce greenhouse
gas emissions of
3.1m cars > total
no. of cars in
London.
80% of energy
wasted by spam not
spamming, but from
end-users deleting
junk.
5bn
@sgard
we stop spam
at source
To deal with this,
our company has
taken spam filtering
tech to new levels.
We stop spam at
source.
VIEW
(03:47–05:29) Now watch a presenter giving the presentation you’ve just given and compare her
performance with yours. Try again if you want to.
REFLECT
1 Why do you think contextualising figures is so very powerful?
2 How can your visuals reinforce the context?
Dynamic Presentations DVD Worksheet 5 by Mark Powell © Cambridge University Press 2011 PHOTOCOPIABLE
Body language
6
A
DISCUSS
1 How good are you at reading other people’s body language? Can you always tell immediately
when someone is nervous, hostile or perhaps trying to mislead you? Give an example.
2 Which three things most impress you about the personality and manner of a presenter?
confidence charisma authenticity enthusiasm dynamism humility a relaxed attitude
3 Do you think that non-verbal communication (NVC) might be even more important than what
you actually say?
VIEW
(00:00–01:07) Watch Mark giving some advice on NVC and compare your views with his.
RECALL
1 Why does Mark warn against thinking too much about your body language?
2 How does he say you could appear calm and confident or energetic and enthusiastic?
REFLECT
Where would you place yourself as a presenter on the scale below? Where would other people
place you?
static hyperactive
B
DISCUSS
1 Make a list of different types of distracting body language you’ve noticed in presentations
you’ve attended. Which ones really bug you?
VIEW
(01:08–02:05) Watch Mark illustrating his own list of body language no-nos. Does he mention
anything you missed out? Did you list anything he missed?
RECALL
1 What does Mark say makes a distracting gesture worse?
2 How does he suggest you eliminate your own distracting habits?
3 What positive role should body language play in your presentation?
Dynamic Presentations DVD Worksheet 6 by Mark Powell © Cambridge University Press 2011 PHOTOCOPIABLE
C
DISCUSS
1 Which areas of NVC do you think have most impact on the audience?
eye contact
(who you look at and for how long)
posture
(how you stand)
NVC
gesture
(how you move
your hands)
mobility
(how much you move around)
2 Do you think there is a vocabulary of the body? How might you use simple gestures to show
the following?
two key points a big increase a rapid change a small detail two contrasting facts movement from one stage to the next firstly, secondly,
thirdly the long term a priority from start to finish an irrelevant issue you, the audience me, the speaker a question
PRESENT AND VIEW
(02:06–03:48) Present the following information using whatever gestures seem most appropriate
as you speak. You can keep a copy of the text in front of you if you need to. After each extract,
watch how the presenters on the video deliver the same information.
1 There are three things I want to talk to you about today and they all concern coaching for
performance. So let’s take them one at a time. Firstly, …
2 I really think this new initiative has huge potential, but it means us all working together as a team.
3 So, how are we going to address this problem? Well, on the one hand, we could just ignore it and hope
it goes away. But, on the other hand, this is losing us a lot of money.
4 Now what we have seen across all divisions is a significant increase in pre-tax profit margins from three
to nine percent.
5 At every stage, from start to finish, this project has been carefully monitored and benchmarked against
best practice.
6 So, looking further ahead, what are our long-term objectives?
7 Who’d have thought that such a tiny defect in the system would have caused such chaos? But fixing it
is now our top priority.
8 So that is the situation. Any ideas? Yes, Mark?
Dynamic Presentations DVD Worksheet 6 by Mark Powell © Cambridge University Press 2011 PHOTOCOPIABLE
Rapport-building
7
A
DISCUSS
1 Why is it so easy for audiences to lose concentration during a presentation – even when it’s
quite interesting?
2 What can you do to hold attention and build rapport when you present? With a partner, try to
come up with at least five things you can do to make a presentation sound more like a two-way
conversation, and complete the mind map below:
Language of rapport
VIEW
(00:00–01.29) Watch Mark talking about the language of rapport. How do his ideas compare with
yours?
REFLECT
Apart from the linguistic techniques Mark mentions, what else can you do to connect with your
audience? What have you found works best for you?
B
DISCUSS
Mark mentions the power of ‘involvement expressions’. The examples he gives are ‘I know what
you’re thinking’, ‘If you’re anything like me,’ and ‘What if I was to say to you …?’ As a group,
brainstorm as many other examples as you can think of and write them up on a whiteboard or
flipchart.
VIEW
(01.30–02:43) Now watch a presenter talking about the causes of a decline in music CD sales and
count the number of times she uses ‘involvement expressions’. Listen carefully – some of them are
fairly subtle.
Dynamic Presentations DVD Worksheet 7 by Mark Powell © Cambridge University Press 2011 PHOTOCOPIABLE
RECALL
Did the presenter use any of the expressions you brainstormed? Check in the video script.
PRESENT
Choose one of the controversial sets of statistics below and prepare to present them. Use as many
‘involvement expressions’ as you can.
ASHES TO ASHES?
C
igarette smoking in the UK has declined
every year since 1974 and in the USA since
1981. According to new research by Citigroup,
if this trend continues, by 2050 almost no one in
the developed world will be smoking, though in
Germany it could take until 2280 to wipe out the
habit! The industry will have to maintain profit
margins through further price increases and
sales in the emerging economies of China, India
and Brazil – which just happen to be the world’s
three biggest producers of cigarettes!
MONEY FOR
NOTHING?
According to a multi-country survey by
Synovate, whilst the majority of people
asked think there are far too many ads on
the Internet, 57% of Spaniards and 52%
of Americans would be prepared to watch
web ads for money – for example, a
reduction in their cable fee. However, only
5% of people ever discuss ads they’ve
seen on Twitter and more than two-thirds
have never promoted a brand on a social
networking page – so it’s hard to see
what the ad agencies would be getting for
their money!
C
DISCUSS1
What are the two main things an audience can do to show they’re enjoying a presentation?
VIEW1
(02:44–03:13) Compare your ideas with what Mark says. Do you agree with what he says about
‘non-verbal agreement’?
DISCUSS2
A lot of presenters tell jokes to create rapport with their audience. What’s the danger in doing
this? What kind of jokes are safest?
VIEW2
(03:14–03:26) See what Mark says about jokes.
DISCUSS3
If you want to make your audience laugh, what are the less risky alternatives to telling a joke?
VIEW3
(03:27–05:28) Watch two presenters try different ways of getting a laugh from their audience.
One’s talking about morale problems. The other’s talking about making sure you get you message
across. Which one is funnier for you?
RECALL
In what way did Mark say funny stories are often more effective than jokes?
PRESENT
Use the funny quotes your trainer gives you to build a 30-second presentation.
Dynamic Presentations DVD Worksheet 7 by Mark Powell © Cambridge University Press 2011 PHOTOCOPIABLE
Impact techniques
8
A
DISCUSS
Work with a partner. Can you identify the impact techniques the following famous CEOs are using
in the presentation extracts below?
‘I think we have more representatives than
the army, air force and navy combined in
Brazil.’
Andrea Jung, CEO Avon Products Inc.
‘It’s fair to say also that no one, no one
had predicted how the global economy
would evolve in 2008 – no one.’
Carlos Ghosn, CEO Renault-Nissan Alliance
‘From today onwards, in China Yahoo means
a search engine and a search engine means
Yahoo.’
Jack Ma, CEO Yahoo China and Alibaba.com
‘Laws have to be changed, society has to be
impacted, all of that has to happen if women
are going to become the next big engine for
growth in India.’
Indra Nooyi, CEO PepsiCo
‘So what do I know about change? First thing
I know is that everybody is afraid of something.’
Carly Fiorina, former CEO of Hewlett-Packard
‘We’re promoting Linux ... because we really
think it’s the best system. Best meaning
cheapest, fastest, most reliable.’
Larry Ellison, CEO Oracle Corporation
‘If you make meaning, you’ll probably make money. But if you set
out to make money, you will probably not make meaning and you
won’t make money.’
Guy Kawasaki, CEO Garage Technology Ventures
VIEW
(00:00–01:55) Watch Mark describing some of the most common impact techniques presenters
use, and see how many you managed to find in the extracts above.
RECALL
1 What does Mark say about key words, phrases and sounds?
2 Which technique gets people thinking about something before you tell them what you think?
3 What do dictionaries of quotations tend to be full of?
4 Which technique helps you paint pictures in the minds of the audience?
5 What does Mark say is the most famous technique of all? What does he warn against?
REFLECT
Can you think of any famous quotations or sayings, in your own language or in English, which
contain one or more of the impact techniques you’ve been looking at?
Dynamic Presentations DVD Worksheet 8 by Mark Powell © Cambridge University Press 2011 PHOTOCOPIABLE
B
VIEW
(01:56–04:49) Watch short extracts from four different presentations and tick the impact
techniques the presenters use once or more.
REPETITION
QUESTIONS
CONTRASTS
METAPHOR
THREES
Extract 1
Extract 2
Extract 3
Extract 4
RECALL
Which impact technique seems to be the most common?
C
PRESENT
Use the notes in the slideware textbox below to give part of a presentation on the IT industry in
India. Try to use as many impact techniques as you can. See who can fit the most techniques into
their presentation – without overdoing it!
I
T
NDIA
India vital to future of IT – 190 babies born every 90 secs (1 British, 20 Chinese, 25 Indian) – 50% of Indians
< 35 yrs old – many work in IT – 100% of college graduates speak English – in tech support future is Indian –
figures prove it!
VIEW
(04:50–05:45) Now watch how the presenter on the video delivers the same information you just
did. Did he use any of the same impact techniques as you? How effective is he?
Dynamic Presentations DVD Worksheet 8 by Mark Powell © Cambridge University Press 2011 PHOTOCOPIABLE
Storytelling
9
A
DISCUSS
1 In what ways is presenting like storytelling?
2 What can a good story add to the bare facts?
VIEW
(00:00–00:48) Watch Mark answer the questions above and compare your ideas with his.
RECALL
How does Mark distinguish between push- and pull-strategies in a presentation?
B
DISCUSS
What are the qualities of a good story? With a partner, complete the mind map below:
storytelling techniques
VIEW 1
(00:49–02:33) Watch a presenter telling a story about the difficulties of running a family business
and see if it gives you any more ideas about storytelling to add to your mind map.
REFLECT
The Stew Leonard story wasn’t perfect. How could the presenter have made it more effective?
VIEW 2
(02:34–03:38) Now watch Mark describing what he sees as the key qualities of a good story and
compare them with the ones you mind mapped.
RECALL
What did Mark say about true stories? Do you agree?
REFLECT
How much do you use personal anecdotes in your own presentations? Can you remember one
you’ve told before? If so, explain what it is and the response it got.
Dynamic Presentations DVD Worksheet 9 by Mark Powell © Cambridge University Press 2011 PHOTOCOPIABLE
C
DISCUSS
Stories don’t have to be amusing. Sometimes just a little personal disclosure can have a powerful
effect on your audience. What kind of personal disclosures do you think work best? Which would
you be comfortable making?
VIEW
(03:39–05:32) Watch an educational software designer talking about a teacher she once met at
one of her presentations. The presenter seems a little nervous, but her story works quite well.
Why?
PRESENT
Use the notes below to tell one of three true stories. Don’t worry about getting the details exactly
right, just try to make it sound as natural and spontaneous as possible. What presentation theme
could you link the story to?
An expensive mistake
Thomas Watson – legendary founder of IBM –
one of his top managers comes up with idea for
new division of company – Watson gives idea the
go-ahead – disaster! – new division loses $10m –
manager comes into Watson’s office – apologises
and resigns – Watson asks why – because my idea
was such a miserable failure – wanted to resign
before you fire me – Watson: why would I do that?
– I’ve just spent $10m on your education!
An offer you ca
n’t refuse
John Sculley –
president of Pep
si in early 1980
brilliant markete
s–
r – famous for ‘P
epsi Challenge’
commercials: C
oca-Cola drinke
rs blind-taste P
Coke and say w
epsi and
hich they prefer
– great compara
advertising – Sc
tive
ulley so good, A
pple co-founder
Jobs wants him
Steve
to work at App
le – Sculley: doin
at Pepsi, thanks
g fine
– why move? –
Jobs: Do you w
to sell sugar-wat
ant
er for the rest
of your life or co
with me and ch
me
ange the world
?
Zero tolerance
–
Andrew Carnegie – famous industrialist
k
spea
to
s
visiting steel factory one day – stop
r
rviso
supe
t
to one of machine operators – plan
st
olde
introduces operator as Wilson – firm’s
pany –
employee – nearly 40 yrs with the com
on:
Wils
–
Carnegie: Congratulations, Wilson!
my
all
in
Thank you, sir –May I just say, sir,
–
years here I only made one tiny mistake
in
but
–
Carnegie: Good job! – shakes hand
future please try to be more careful.
REFLECT
The story you just told was true, but it was not your own. Did this have an effect on how well you
told it? If you’d like to, try preparing and delivering your own personal anecdote.
Dynamic Presentations DVD Worksheet 9 by Mark Powell © Cambridge University Press 2011 PHOTOCOPIABLE
10
Q&A sessions
A
DISCUSS
1 In general, do you think the Q&A session is easier or more difficult to prepare for than the
presentation itself? Why?
2 The advantages for the audience of having a Q&A session are clear – they can clarify things
they didn’t understand, raise related issues you didn’t cover and challenge you on points they
disagree with. But what are the advantages for the presenter?
VIEW
(00:00–00:24) Watch Mark answering the questions you’ve just discussed and compare his ideas
with yours.
B
DISCUSS
In your experience, what are the main types of question audiences ask?
VIEW 1
(00:25–00:35) Mark divides audience questions into three broad categories. What are they?
DISCUSS
What do you think these categories might mean? How would you deal with each type?
VIEW 2
(00:36–02:07) Watch Mark answer the questions above and complete the table below:
QUESTION TYPE
G
W
a
asking and one you can
!
1 C
B
BEST RESPONSE
DEFINITION
answer
1 Make the m
of it
2 answer it f
1 admit you don’t k
2 offer to f
out
3 Ask the a
4 Ask the q
2 Would p
1 V
U
not to answer
and u
2 Already a
with your talk
3 S
or u
questions at once
1 explain w
you can’t answer
2 M
on
C
before responding
Deal with these s
p
and
1 Deal with these s
2 Identify the most i
question
REFLECT
Can you see any dangers in the responses Mark recommends?
Dynamic Presentations DVD Worksheet 10 by Mark Powell © Cambridge University Press 2011 PHOTOCOPIABLE
C
VIEW
(02:08–04:09) Watch a presenter fielding questions at the end of her presentation. Can you work
out from her responses what kind of questions she’s just been asked? Tick the appropriate boxes
below:
GOOD
BAD (can’t answer)
BAD (won’t answer)
UGLY
(unclear)
UGLY (already answered)
UGLY (multiple)
Question 1:
Question 2:
Question 3:
Question 4:
Question 5:
Question 6:
Question 7:
Question 8:
Question 9:
D
REFLECT
What sort of questions do you most hate in a presentation? Have you ever been asked a really
hostile question? If so, what was it and how did you respond?
VIEW 1
(04:10–04:36) Watch Mark talking about how to deal with hostile questions from the audience. Do
you generally follow his advice?
RECALL
What does Mark say about preventing questioners from hijacking your presentation?
VIEW 2
(04:37–06:23) Now watch a presenter handling some hostile questions and pause the video after
each question. Think about how you’d rephrase it before seeing how the presenter does it.
PRESENT
Prepare a 90-second talk on what you’ve learned about handling questions in this module. At the
end, the other people in your group should ask you at least eight questions of different types.
VIEW 3
(06:24–07:00) What’s Mark’s advice on how to close after a Q&A session?
Dynamic Presentations DVD Worksheet 10 by Mark Powell © Cambridge University Press 2011 PHOTOCOPIABLE