How to effectively present in English in the 21st Century

Recently I have been working with a doctor on preparing a presentation where there is a lot of medical data. The problem is that the presenter has only five minutes to make the presentation and will then be allowed to answer question for 3 minutes.

When we present data in a presentation the temptation is to load as much information as possible into the chart, but when we do this we are running the risk of overloading our audience’s brain with too much information. And the information we really want our audience to see and learn is lost in a chart full of unecessary information.

Below is an example of such a chart:

On this chart we have a lot of information that really is not necessary. In this example, the presenter wants to highlight the yellow and orange columns. Other information the presenter wants the audience to see is the authors names and the dates. The four columns at the end of the table is not referred to in the presentation.

The problem here is that the final four columns are distractions. They are not relevant to the presentation or to the point the presenter is making.

My advice in this situation is to remove them. While your boss may not like this, it is more important to allow your slide to ‘breath’ and to give your audience the chance to focus on the information that is relevant. While I personally think that the “author” and the “period” is also not relevant, as these are not referred to by the presenter, this slide can be improved by removing the final four slides:

Now the slide looks much less cluttered and messy. The audience has a chance to actually focus on the relevant information, and the presenter is now showing essentially the important information only.

If I were given the opportunity to prepare this slide, here’s how I would present it:

Now, only the information I talk about is presented on the slide. There is nothing to distract my audience and the information is presented in a clear and concise way.

When we prepare presentation slides, it is very tempting to overload out charts with data. However, we must think about our audience, and so only putting in the information that is relevant allows us to focus our audience’s attention on that information and nothing else. If we want to give more detail, then this is where a handout can be useful. Our audience members can then study the data in more detail after our presentation. This is particularly important when we have a very short time to give our presentation.

So, please think about your audience, put yourself in their shoes when you prepare your slides and ask yourself if all the data in your slide is really relevant. If it is not, remove it.

I have lived and worked in Korea for eight years, and during that time I have come to realise that, in general, the English ability of Korean people at speaking in English is good. The weakness that Korea has with English is confidence. There is a lack of confidence among most Korean people when they have to speak in English. This largely comes from the fact that most Korean people do not have many opportunities to use the English they know, and therefore do not get enough real practice.

However, there are a few things you can do, that can help with your English that can make you sound and feel more confident.

Here are my top five tips for speaking better and more confident English:

1 Use Shorter Sentences.

Shorter sentences makes your English more understandable and is easier for you to say. For example:

“I do not like the rain because it makes me feel gloomy.”

This sentence is too long. We do not need to know that you feel gloomy, because the reason most people do not like the rain is because it makes them feel gloomy. All you need to say is:

“I do not like the rain”

If we want more information, we will ask for it.

2 Stop Treating English An Academic Subject

When you are at school, you are usually learning English to pass exams. Because of this we often see English in a negative way. When you see something in a negative way, you never feel inspired to learn or improve. Once you start working, English should be used to communicate. Just like your typing skill gets better by typing more, your English will improve by using it more.

So, start having fun with English. Throw away all those boring textbooks and grammar books, and start reading newspapers, magazines and blogs. You are an adult now and so start using English as a tool, not as a school subject. With practice and a little bit of time your English communication skills will improve.

A great English newspaper for Korean people is Chosun Ilbo English

3 Seek Out Opportunities to use English

English is a skill, and like all skills you need to practice regularly. Professional golfers spend hours and hours practicing everyday, Yuna Kim spends six to eight hours a day practicing. You never become good at anything without practice. So stop making excuses for not using English and start making excuses for using English. Volunteer to write English emails for colleagues, make telephone calls in English instead of putting it off and writing an email. Become the English expert in your office.

4 Make English Fun!

Too often I hear my students say they see English as a chore. If English really is a chore to you then perhaps you should give up on English and learn something else. To become more confident and better at English, like anything else, you really do have to have fun with it. Find a blog or magazine on a subject you like, for example a photography blog if you like photography, or a cooking magazine if you like cooking. Find friends who enjoy English and hang out with them more, use English phrases whenever you can. But the most important thing is have fun!!!

5 Watch Arirang TV News Every Night

CNN and BBC news is not going to help you very much. Their news items are often about Afghanistan, Iraq or something you neither have interest in or know anything about. By watching Arirang TV news the subjects will be on Korean news items and things you either know about or have an interest in.

Remember the important thing is that you have fun with English and you stop seeing English as just another academic subject you must learn. By having fun and seeking out opportunities to use English, not only will you become more confident with English, you will also improve your English ability without even trying.

오늘은 정기적으로 프레젠테이션을 하시는 분들을 위해 간단한 팁 하나를 알려드리고자 합니다.

프레젠테이션을 할 때 우리는 통상적으로 청중들에게 자기소개를 해야합니다. 물론 동료들 앞에서 프레젠테이션을 할 때도 있어서, 이런 때에는 개인적인 소개가 다소 실용적이지 못할 수 있습니다. 이런 특수 상황들을 제외한 나머지 일반적으로 개인적인 소개가 필요할 시에는 사전에 미리 오프닝을 준비하는 것이 하나의 좋은 방법이라고 생각됩니다.

이렇게 소개를 미리 준비하고 있는 것은 프레젠테이션 내내 자신감이 충만해야하는 그런 파워풀한 프레젠테이션을 진행하실 때 여러분들의 사기를 한층 더 진작시켜주는 이점이 있습니다.

요 며칠 유튜브에서 가이 카와사키의 프레젠테이션 두 편을 본적이 있습니다. 하나는 2006년도에 있었던 프레젠테이션이고, 다른 하나는 2008년도의 프레젠테이션이었습니다. 이 두 프레젠테이션에서 그는 2년이라는 텀에도 불구하고 자기 소개시 똑같은 오프닝을 사용하였습니다. 일부는 약간 다른 내용이었으나, 차이는 매우 미미했습니다. 가이 카와사키가 이런 오프닝을 함으로써 얻게된 이점은 자신의 프레젠테이션을 유머스럽게 시작할 수 있었고, 실제 이 오프닝으로 청중들이 많이 웃게 되었습니다. 또한 이러한 이점이 그를 더욱더 자신감 있게 만들어 주었습니다.

그러므로, 정기적으로 프레젠테이션을 하셔야 하는 분들이라면, 지금 바로 소개 하나를 준비해 보시고 연습을 거쳐 바로 잡으시기 바랍니다. 왜냐하면 프레젠테이션을 해야하는 상황들 중 95프로는 자기 소개가 필요하기 때문입니다. 일반적으로 강렬한 시작은 파워풀한 중반과 결말을 이끌어 낸다는 것을 꼭 기억하시기 바랍니다. 자! 그럼 우리 모두 이제부터 자기 소개 오프닝을 한번 준비해 볼까요?

깜짝소식하나! 가이 카와사키님께서 이글을 읽어보시고 영어포스트에 직접 커멘트를 남겨주셨습니다. 커멘트는 아래와 같습니다.

“Maybe I just don’t have any other stories!” : )

<아마도, 제가 다른 이야기거리가 없어서 이겠죠 ^^>

답변도 유머스럽게 해주시는 센스 충만하신 가이님. 커멘트 남겨주셔서 정말 감사합니다

In the final part of how to turn a presentation in to a great presentation I want to focus on 5 tips you can use that will help you with the language you should be using when you present.

So, here are the five language tips you can use that will help turn your next presentation in to a great presentation.

1. Use short sentences.

In modern day English, the trend is for us to use short, simple sentences. The reason for this is that shorter sentences are easier to follow and also helps your presentation feel like it is flowing faster. Another advantage of using short sentences is that it helps you, a non-native English speaker, to remember the key phrases and sentences you need to use.

2. Use Action words

English is an action language, not a descriptive language. So always try to use an action verb or action phrase. Doing this will keep your audience interest high. For example. Use words like:

Developed, produced, created, designed, sold and shipped

Notice how Steve Jobs always begins his presentations with an ‘update’. By doing this he allows himself to begin his presentation with positive, action words that get his audience excited and amazed.

3. Tell personal stories

One of the biggest criticisms I hear from native English speakers when talking about how Korean people present in that Korean presenters always sound inhumane. It is as if they are not human. One way round this is to tell stories from your own life. It is possible that you are taught from an early age that you should not mix your personal life with your professional life. This is just BS! Business is human. Doing business is about human relationships and contacts. So, tell stories from your personal life.

Before is an example of a speaker at TED telling a personal story to begin his presentation. Doing this makes him sound much more human and allows him to connect with his audience

4. Use positive adjectives

In English we like to hear positive words. Positive words stimulate our minds and keeps our attention. A presentation full of negative adjectives is likely to send us to sleep. So, when you are preparing your presentation, check through it carefully to make sure that the majority of words you are using are positive. Examples of positive words are:
Brilliant, cool, excellent, fantastic, great.

WARNING! - Do not keep using the same words over and over again. If you do, you create a Mark Anthony situation (This situation comes from Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar where Mark Anthony repeated the words “for they are honourable men” over and over again during his speech following the murder of Julius Caesar, to the point where his audience began not to believe these words – they became sarcastic)
5. Use Emotional words

The best presentations create emotion. The emotion they create does not matter, it can be funny or sad. It really does not matter. Presentations that evoke emotion are always memorable and always get talked about.
To create emotion in a presentation get your audience to imagine a situation. For example:
“Imagine how you feel when you are stuck in a huge traffic jam and you are five minutes away from the most important interview of your life”

By asking your audience to ‘imagine’ how they would feel in a given situation, allows your audience to feel the emotion you want them to feel. It’s a great trick and it keeps your audience involved in your presentation.
By following the advice given here and in my previous two posts you can turn any presentation in to a great presentation. Good luck and stay positive.

This week I decided to go through the elements of making a great presentation. In part one I explained about how stories, whether they flow throughout the whole presentation, or they are simple short stories linked together by a theme can make a huge difference in your presentation. Today, I want to show you how by linking your words to the relevant images your story can contain the emotions of surprise, sadness and drama.

I grew up with BBC’s David Attenborough teaching me about wildlife and nature. In his early days, David Attenborough was in the video, but in his more recent TV shows he only does the voiceover (VO)

However, recently I have been watching BBC’s Life programme and I was amazed how the way the video and the voice work together to create stories that have drama, excitement and intrigue. Below is a clip that tells the story of how a Venus Fly Trap captures its food.

You can watch the video clip here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7eQKSf0LmY

If you took away the words, this video would not have the same dramatic feel, neither if you only heard the voice would you get the same sense of drama. This video works because both the visuals and the words work together as one to stimulate all the emotions.

When we are presenting, this is exactly how we need to present. Images alone do not make your presentation, if you are using images they need to be relevant to your subject and they need to follow exactly the flow of your words. When you marry your words with your images and you couple that to your story, then, and only then, are you delivering a great presentation.