Lesson Two Formal Verbal Communication in Business II

Part I Objectives Four Main Parts of a Presentation 商業(yè)演示的四個(gè)部分 Delivery Skills 表達(dá)技巧 Save you out of embarrassment, at a Presentation 擺脫商業(yè)演示中的尷尬場(chǎng)面 Language References 語言參考

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? The DC Autodialler

A voice controlled data recorder and automatic telephone dialer. Main features Speech analyzer Large memory Large display Lithium batteries

Good afternoon. Today I’d like to tell you about our latest product, the DC Autodialler. The DC Autodialler lets you record telephone numbers by speaking. It can also dial telephone numbers automatically. We expect it to be a very popular product.

First, I’ll tell you the main features of the ‘a(chǎn)utodialler. Then I’ll describe its physical characteristics. Finally, I’ll explain how to see it.

The Autodialler has four important features. It has a very sophisticated speech analyzer which allows it to record names and telephone numbers. It can recognize up to 5000 common North American names. It has a large memory which lets you record up to 2500 names and telephone numbers. It has a 4-centimeter by 2-centimeter liquid crystal display which provides a sharp image. Ti uses lithium batteries which last for two year.

The Autodialler is very compact. It measures 10 centimeters by 5 centimeters by 0.5 centimeters. It’s made of very light but hard plastic, and weights only 150 grams. It comes in three colors: black, silver and wine red.

Now, I’ll show you how easy the Autodialler is to use. There are only three buttons: a “new” button, a “find” button, and a “dial” button. To enter a new name and phone number, press the “new” button. Then say the person’s name. When the name is displayed say the telephone number. To find a name, press the “find” button and say the person’s name. When the name is displayed you may dial the number, change the name or telephone number, or delete the information. To dial the number, point the Autodialler at your telephone and press the “dial” button.

As you can see, the Autodialler has many useful features, it’s very compacted, and it’s easy to use. I’m sure you’ll agree that there will be a large market for it.

Thank you.

Check out one infomercial you really hate to see. Try to transform it into a 3-minute long business presentation by using some language references in part five.

Part V Supplementary Materials Language reference Below is a list of phrases and sentence patterns that may help you prepare your presentation. Remember, however, that every presentation is unique, and you must decide for yourself which language is appropriate for your presentation.

The introduction 介紹

Basic introduction 基本介紹 Today I’m going to tell you about a new kind of material. 今天我將要介紹一種新材料 I’d like to talk about our recent sales performance. 我想介紹一下我們近的銷售業(yè)績。 Today, I’d like to show you a way to cut costs. 今天，我想給大家展示一種減少成本的新方法。 Today, I’m going to explain our strategy for next year. 今天，我想就明年的戰(zhàn)略部署進(jìn)行一下解釋。

Narrowing the topic 縮小范圍 In particular, I will explain how the material can be used in many of our products. 我重點(diǎn)想解釋一下這種材料在我們其它產(chǎn)品中的用途。

Referring to background information 涉及背景資料 As you probably know, our market share has been falling in recent years. 眾所周知，我們的市場(chǎng)份額近年來開始下降。 Some of you may know about our research program. 大家可能知道我們研究的項(xiàng)目。 You may be aware of the features of the RS-4 model. 您將會(huì)了解到RS-4模型的特點(diǎn)。

Presenting the overview 總覽程序

First, I’m going to… 首先，我將要... Second, I’ll show you … 其次, 我將要展示給您... Then, I’d like to … 再次, 我想... After that, I’ll explain … 然后, 我會(huì)解釋... Finally, I’ll … 后, 我將...

Signaling and linking 承上啟下

Sequencing 層次 Now, I’ll explain … 現(xiàn)在, 我來解釋...一下 Let’s now consider … 我們來考慮一下... This brings us to … 由此得來... Finally, … 后... Directing attention 吸引注意力 Please look at this chart. 請(qǐng)看圖表 Let’s take a look at this table. 我們來看表格. Take a look at the diagram. 大家看一下圖表 If you look at this graph, you will see … 大家從這張曲線圖可以看出... As you can see from this chart, … 正像大家從這張圖表中看到的一樣...

Cause and effect 原因與結(jié)果 Since increased performance is not our only concern, I’d now like to talk about 由于業(yè)績?cè)鲩L并不是我們關(guān)注的, 我想在此談?wù)撘幌?.. As a result of this new feature, we must now consider 由于這個(gè)新的特點(diǎn), 我們現(xiàn)在必須考慮... As a result, we have to find new ways to increase our market share. 由此, 我們不得不尋找增長我們市場(chǎng)占有額的新方法. Consequently, we have been developing a more efficient engine. 結(jié)果, 我們已經(jīng)開發(fā)了一臺(tái)更高性能的發(fā)動(dòng)機(jī)。 Therefore, I’d now like to show you our latest test results. 所以，我現(xiàn)在想就我們新檢測(cè)結(jié)果給大家進(jìn)行展示。

Purpose 目的 In order to take advantage of this new technology, we have to look at the market. 為了利用這個(gè)新技術(shù)的優(yōu)勢(shì)， 我們一定要了解市場(chǎng)。 For the new model to work effectively, we need a new kind of valve. 為了新模型高效運(yùn)行，我們需要一種新的電子管。

Contrast 對(duì)比 Although the machine operates well at low temperatures, at high temperatures there are some problems. 雖然在低溫下機(jī)器運(yùn)行正常，但在高溫下它存在著許多問題。 Unlike the ST-4X, the ST5X is very compact. 與ST-4X不同的是，ST-5X非常簡潔。 Instead of batteries, the news model uses solar power. 新的型號(hào)不再用電池，而用太陽能。 Nevertheless,… 然而... However,… 但是... On the other hand,… 另外...

Reinforcement 進(jìn)一步的補(bǔ)充說明 In addition to Asia, we are also marketing the product in South America. 除亞洲外， 我們還在南美開發(fā)了市場(chǎng)。 In addition, we plan to introduce more robots to our production lines. 除此之外， 我們計(jì)劃在生產(chǎn)線上引入更多的機(jī)器人。 Furthermore, the program can translate from Japanese to English. 另外， 此程序可以從日語翻成英語。

Introducing a summary 介紹總結(jié) As you can see, these improvements increase fuel efficiency and allow us to lower our production costs. 據(jù)大家了解，這些改進(jìn)會(huì)增加燃料的性能。同時(shí)減少產(chǎn)品的成本。

Introducing a concluding statement 陳述 I am sure these improvements will allow us to win back our market share. 我確信這些改進(jìn)將有助于我們贏回市場(chǎng)份額。 It’s clear that the new model meets all of our customers’ requirements. 很明顯，新的型號(hào)滿足我們客戶的需求。

Graphs and charts 圖表

Describing the purpose of a chart 講述圖表的用途 It shows our sales from 1985 to 1990. 這張圖表示從1985年到1990年的銷售額。 It shows the stages in the manufacturing process. 這張圖顯示生產(chǎn)流程。 If you look at this diagram, you will see how the equipment works. 觀察這張圖示，您會(huì)了解設(shè)備的工作方法。

Describing parts of a graph 描述圖表的各個(gè)部分 The horizontal axis represents temperature. 豎軸表示溫度。 The horizontal axis shows sales in millions of dollars. 橫軸表示以百萬為單位的銷售額。 The black columns show sales of memory chips. 黑柱部分顯示的是內(nèi)存條的銷售額。 The solid line shows the pressure. 實(shí)線表示壓力。 The broken line shows the interest rate. 斷線表示利率。 The dotted line represents the rate of unemployment. 虛線表示失業(yè)率。 The gray segment represents our market share. 灰色部分顯示我們的市場(chǎng)占有 額。 The hatched section shows the proportion of women. 陰影部分表示女性的比例。 Describing the units of a graph or diagram 描述圖表的單位 The units are in meters. 單位是米。 The figures are in thousands of dollars. 數(shù)字是千元為單位的。 The numbers are in tens of thousands of dollars. 數(shù)字是以萬為單位的。

Describing the significance of information 突出特點(diǎn)內(nèi)容 It’s clear that demand is increasing. 很明顯需求在提升。 The graph clearly shows that the new machine’s performance is better. 圖表中很清楚地可以看出新機(jī)型的表現(xiàn)更加。 The figures show that the cost of materials has risen by 25%. 數(shù)字表示材料成本已上升了25%。 The results seem to show that oxygen quickens the reaction time. 結(jié)果表明氧氣加速了反應(yīng)。 The information suggests that consumers are not satisfied. 信息表示消費(fèi)者并不滿意。