Lesson Two
Formal Verbal Communication in Business II

Part I Objectives
Four Main Parts of a Presentation 商业演示的四个部分
Delivery Skills 表达技巧
Save you out of embarrassment, at a Presentation 摆脱商业演示中的尴尬场面
Language References 语言参考

Part II The How-Tos
Four parts of a presentation
Formal presentations are usually divided into four main parts.
The introduction
The overview
The body
The ending

The introduction
At the very least, the introduction should introduce the subject of your presentation.

“Today I’m going to tell you about the recent improvements that have been made to the XL series of engines.”

Depending on the situation, it will also do one or more of the following:

Give the audience a reason to listen
“These improvements give greater fuel efficiency and also lower production costs.”

Provide background information.
“As you probably know, our market share has been falling in recent years.”

Narrow the topic.
“In particular, I will show you how these improvements make our engines better than our competitors.”

The overview
The overview provides a preview of your presentation for the audience. It is easily done by explaining the structure of your presentation.

“First, I’m going to describe the new features of the engine.”
“Second, I’ll show you some performance data of the engine’s fuel efficiency.”
“After that, I’ll explain how the new features will allow us to reduce production costs.”
“Finally, I’ll show a comparison with our competitors’ models.”

The overview is very important. It helps the audience to organize the way they listen. It is similar to the contents page of a book.

As long as the presentation is well-organized, the overview is the easiest part of the presentation to prepare.

The body
This is the main content of the presentation. How it is organized will depend on the type of presentation. It should be organized logically to match the overall purpose of the presentation.

The ending
The ending usually does two things.

It reviews the information and ideas that were presented in the body of the presentation. This is called the summary.

“As you can see, these improvements increase fuel efficiency and allow us to lower our production costs.”
It restates the main purpose of the presentation which was stated in the introduction. This is called the conclusion or concluding statement.

“I am sure these improvements will allow us to win back our market share.”

Delivery skills
1. Look organized
The audience will have confidence in someone who seems to know what he or she is doing. Arrange your papers on the desk. Check the OHP（over-head projector）. Put your bag in a suitable place. Put your notes in a suitable place. Change the seating arrangement if you don’t like it. Check that everyone can see you and your visual aids.

2. Use natural gestures
Don’t try to be a great actor. Rely mainly on the content of your presentation, not on acting skills. Use the same gestures you would use if you were explaining the same thing to a colleague in a one-to-one conversation.

To ensure that you use gestures naturally, avoid clasping your hands behind your back, clasping them in front of you, or placing them on your hips.

If you are holding notes, try to hold them in one hand, leaving your other hand free to make gestures.

3. Eye contact
Look at individual members of your audience, just as if you were having a conversation with them. Don’t bury your head in your notes. Try not to look at the ceiling when you can’t remember what to say.

4. Signaling
In writing, you use paragraphs to show the parts of your presentation. In presentations, you have to do it in other ways. You can use verbal techniques and non-verbal techniques. Verbal techniques involve using a mixture of linking phrases, intonation, and pauses. Non-verbal techniques can include changing positions, turning pages of your notes, and changing the OHP slide.

5. Pronunciation
Make sure you know how to pronounce the words in your presentation. Be particularly careful of words that are used in both your language and English. These words can be false friends.

6. Avoid distractions
A hole in your shirt will get attention, but it will divert attention from what you are saying. So will the following:
Passing round things for your audience to look at while you are speaking.
Having a slide displayed on the OHP while you are talking about something else.

Part III Let’s Talk Business
Pulling It Out of Thin Air - What to say when you forget what to say
It＇s like when a plane hits an air pocket-your intestines throb in your brain-pan. You＇re flowing smoothly through your presentation (without notes or with bulleted notes that suddenly no longer make sense) and wham! You go blank. There＇s nothing upstairs. Nothing on-line. Your mind is as blank as a blackboard in August.
You lick your lips, clear your throat, and say "uh" enough times to jumpstart an outboard. Your eyes begin to dart about in desperation, and as the internal pressure mounts, the real signals of distress pour out: giggling, blushing, and embarrassing true confessions of just how lost you really are, revealing only your lack of preparation and diminished professionalism.

WHAT TO DO
First, use an ounce of prevention. Rehearse out loud frequently enough to internalize your message. Strangely, if you try to memorize your remarks, you＇re almost sure to go blank. Understand why you＇re speaking the words you choose, and say them in rehearsal until you have a gut feeling for the essence of your message.
Use your visuals as a road map, if possible. Using graphic images or bullet points, rely on your visuals to keep you on track. Visuals should not serve as a script, but rather as a series of trigger points that generate discourse.
Keep your notes nearby. Make sure they＇re written in large, colorful writing. They＇ll be easy to read when you＇re under pressure.
Focus your eyes on one person in the audience when you go blank. They＇ll think you＇re being forceful and dramatic. Then, after about four seconds, move your eyes to another person. Do it again. Keep doing this through the silence until your brain comes back to life.
Repeat what you just said. Using repetition is a good speaking technique anyway. Keep repeating yourself until your mind clicks into gear. Or say something that parallels your subject, and chances are, within seconds, you＇ll be back on track.
Ask the audience a question if it＇s a small group. "Marilyn, what are your thoughts so far?" Make it an open-ended question so Marilyn can＇t say simply "yes" or "no." That way, you get more time to think as Marilyn speaks. If you＇re speaking to a large group, ask a rhetorical question. Again, you＇ll probably wake yourself up quickly.
Ask for help. "Where was I?" is not a shameful thing to say. Most audiences will be sympathetic. Everyone knows the pressure of speaking. Just don＇t do it repeatedly or make a big deal out of it.

Part IIII Exercises and Discussion

Look at the sample presentation below and:
- Try to identify those four parts mentioned in Part Two
- In case the presenter here went blank right after the third paragraph, any suggestions from you to save the poor guy from embarrassment?