LECTURE NOTES 3

(WEEK 8)

The topics included in this lecture notes are:

 Introducing the speech

 Developing the body of the presentation
- Using appropriate transition signals to show
transition of main ideas, supporting ideas and details

- Using simple past tense and present prefect tense to

cite sources

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 LPE2301 ACADEMIC INTERACTION & PRESENTATION

SEMESTER 2, 2019/2020

Introduction to Presentation Skills

Introducing the speech

The introduction of a presentation should prepare the audience for the content of the
presentation. To achieve this, it is important for a good presenter to open his/her
presentation with information that could attract the audiences’ attention. Hence, a good
introduction should have a good attention getter, provide background information on the
topic, establish credibility of the presenter and preview of the presentation.

1. Attention getter
An attention getter is a device that you can use to capture your audience’s interest in
your topic. There are number of ways a presenter can use as an attention getter.

a. Quotations
Quotes are a good way to capture your audiences’ heart because by incorporating the
wise words of a famous person, it would allow you to visualise his or her credibility and
popularity. You can use relevant quotations from famous people that are meaningful,
impactful and appropriate to your topic.

The quotations used should be short and precise especially if they are used on the slides.
Lengthy quotations distract the audience and cause them to finish the entire quote in a
rush. This will result in less powerful impact of the quotations.

For examples:

Imagine you are urging a group of students to take their breakfast every day, and you
could open your speech with:
John Gunther (an American journalist and author) once said, “All happiness depends
on a leisurely breakfast”.

Now, imagine you are giving a speech on conflict management, you could open your
speech with:

: “Mark Twain once said, ‘If two people agree on everything, one of them is unnecessary.’

b. Interesting facts/statistics
Interesting facts or statistics are also another way to gauge the audiences’ interests. The
statistics and interesting facts must be directly related to the main purpose of your
presentation.

For examples:

According to several studies by Wesnes et al., Widenhom-Muller et al., Cooper et al.,

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 and Pivik et al., in general, children who consume breakfast show positive effects on
cognitive performance especially in memory and attention.

Another statistic by Cardiff University reveals that children who consumed breakfast
before their lessons are twice as likely to achieve high marks in tests and assessments
compared to those who did not take breakfast before learning.

We know that a child is born into poverty in the United States every 36 seconds, and
we see 12.8 million children living below the poverty line… A child dies from neglect or
abuse every six hours, a child is killed by gunfire almost every three hours, and the
number of neglected or abused children each year would fill up the city of Detroit.

c. Rhetorical question
Asking a rhetorical question can attract the audiences’ attention as it can arouse their
curiosity. The main purpose of asking rhetorical questions is to make them think or to
direct their focuses on the gist of the presentation.

For examples:
As Shakespeare wrote in “The Merchant of Venice,” “If you prick us, do we not bleed? If
you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison us, do we not die? And if you wrong us,
shall we not revenge?”

US President John F. Kennedy once asked “Ask not what your country can do for you,
ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what
America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man”.

How would you respond if a loved one was the victim of terrorism?

What would you think if you went to the doctor because you were ill and she told you to
watch Modern Family as part of your treatment?

d. Story telling/Anecdote
Story telling/Anecdote can hold the audiences’ attentions as everyone will enjoy listening
to stories. You can use your personal stories or your first-hand experiences that are
relevant to the topic to attract the audience. Also, you can use other stories such as short
story, fable, historic event and etc. You must ensure that your anecdote is not too long
that can affect the audiences’ interests.

Apart from captivating your listeners with your story/anecdote, you must also ensure that
your story/anecdote captures the key point of your message. The effectiveness of a story
– especially a personal one – hinges on the speaker’s delivery as well as on the content.

For example:
There I stood, wearing a surgical mask, in the middle of a large, brightly lit room. In the
centre of the room were five figures huddled over a table. I found it difficult to see since
everything was draped in blue sheets, yet I didn’t dare take a step towards the table.

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 Then one of the figures called to me, “Angela, get over here and take a closer look.” My
knees buckled as I walked through the sterile environment. But eventually I was there,
standing over an unconscious body in the operating room

2. Background information on the topic

It is necessary to provide the context of the topic to establish a connection between the
audience and the topic. You should state how your information might be useful to your
audience.

The examples are:

Once seen as an exclusively male activity, weight lifting has crossed the gender barrier –
and with a good reason. Regardless of whether you are male or female, weight lifting can
give you a sense of strength and power, enhance your self-esteem, and make you look
and feel better.

You’ve probably heard this statement a million times before - “Breakfast is the most
important meal of the day”, and this will trigger you again today because this statement
may prove to be true for students. The daily intake of breakfast by students is
associated with better concentration and performance in college, being energetic all day
long, having a better body weight and providing numerous benefits to your well-beings.

3. Reveal the topic

After you managed to secure the audience attention, it is important for you to reveal your
presentation topic. A topic reveal is a statement that inform the audience the topic of the
presentation. This is necessary to prevent confusion among the audience to the actual
focus of your presentation. A topic reveal could begin like this:
I plan to talk about the major benefits of eating breakfast to university students.

I have been interested in the myth of Atlantis for several years, and I have read a
number of books and articles about it.

Other expression that can be used to reveal a topic:

Today I’m going to talk about…

The subject of my presentation is…
The theme of my talk is…

4. Establish credibility and goodwill

Credibility is mostly a matter of being qualified to speak on a given topic – and being
perceived as qualified by your listeners. Establishing credibility in your presentation
demonstrates your credential and knowledge about the topic. In other words, it would tell
the audience why they should listen to you about the topic of the presentation. As a
student, you may not be the expert in the field; however, you can establish credibility by
sharing with the audience your personal interest to the topic or about the research you
have done on the topic in preparation for the presentation.

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 I would like to explain the basic kinds of weights and how to use them properly.
I started lifting weights when I was in high school, and I have kept at it for the past eight
years. I have also taught weight lifting in several health clubs, and I am a certified
instructor through the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America.

Hence, the information I am going to share with you today comes mostly from my own
experience as a dietician and a research that I have conducted in several colleges in
Sydney, Australia.
Your credibility need not be based on first-hand knowledge and experience. It can come
from reading, from classes, from interviews and from friends. Whatever the source of
your expertise, be sure to let the audience know.

5. Preview the body of the speech

Previewing the body of the speech can be done by stating the main ideas that will be
discussed in the presentation. It should focus on a specific aspect of the topic and may
set the pattern for the presentation to follow by indicating the main points that will be
further presented in the speech.

Today, I’d like to focus on three interrelated issues – to understand the nature of bullying
in the modern workplace, I will first define what workplace bullying is and the types of
bullying, I will then discuss the common characteristics of both workplace bullies and their
targets, and lastly, I will explore some possible solutions to workplace bullying.

My presentation today will be divided into three sections which are the introduction, the
three major benefits of breakfast for students and the conclusion as well as the
recommendations/suggestions.
After this introduction, then the audience will be ready to listen to the crux of the
presentation.

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Activity 1: Audio 6 – 9
Listen to the beginnings of four presentations. Which one starts with:

a. a rhetorical question? ____

b. an interesting fact? ____
c. an anecdote? ____
d. a problem to think about? ____

Activity 2
Work with a group of two or three to select an idea for a presentation. Then, plan and write
the way you would introduce this statement in a speech to your class. One of you will deliver
this introduction, which may be as short as 30 seconds, to the class.

Getting audience
attention
Providing background
information of the topic
Revealing the topic to
audience
Establishing credibility

Previewing the
presentation

Activity 3
These are presentations on How to Take a Picture of a Black Hole and This Country Isn't
Just Carbon Neutral. Based on the introduction part of the videos, identify the missing
elements of each presentation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7n2rYt9wfU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Lc_dlVrg5M

Organising the body of the presentation

Logical Order of Ideas

Before developing your points, you need to decide on how you want to organise your
speech. Your speech should be presented in a clear, logical order. This involves choosing an
organisation that fits your topic. For example, presenting in chronological order, problem-
solution and cause-effect.

Developing the main points

The body is the main part of your presentation where you explain your topic and present all
your information. The organisation of the body is very essential, so the audience would be
able to follow what you are saying and/or doing.

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Using transition signals
Now present the main points of your speech by using the outline as a guide. As you move
from one major point to the next, help your audience understand where you are going by
using transitional words and phrased. Transitions indicate relationships between thoughts or
ideas. Below are some transitions that you might find useful for your presentation.

Speech transitions smooth over the boundary between two ideas and reveal the
relationship between the words just spoken and those about to be spoken. In this way,
speech transitions help your audience understand your message.

Using appropriate transition signals to show transition of main ideas, supporting

ideas and details

Transition between similar ideas or points Likewise…

Similarly…
This is just like…
Transition between contrasting ideas or However, …
points On the other hand, …
On the contrary, …
Transition to elaborate upon an idea Also…
Moreover, …
In addition, …
Besides, …
Transition to numbered ideas or points First… (The first step is…)
(or process steps) Second… (The second step is…)
Third… (The third step is…)
Firstly, …
Next, …
Transition to show cause-effect Therefore…
relationship As a result, …
Consequently…
Transition to a supporting example For instance, …
For example, …
To illustrate this, …
The example can be seen …
Transition to a supporting quotation X said…
In 1968, X said…
This idea was expressed clearly by X who
said…
Transition from introduction into speech To get started, let’s examine…
body Let’s get started talking about…
Transition from speech body into In short…
conclusion In conclusion…
To summarise…
Transition to another speaker To talk about our next topic, we have X…
I’ll pass the microphone to X who will
describe…

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 To guide us through a demonstration of this,
we have X…
Transition back to an earlier point Let’s return to…
Let’s revisit…
Let’s go back to…

Supporting ideas with credible sources

Credible sources are crucial to support your points or arguments and give you the credibility
to present the topic. In an academic presentation, it requires you to acknowledge the sources
that you get your evidence from. For example, you can mention the name of the researcher
or the title of an article. The tenses that you can use to cite the sources are either simple
present tense, simple past tense and present perfect tense.

For examples:

Maxwell mentioned in his article that machines are very expensive when compared to
human labour which is cheap and available.

According to Vista Industrial Products, Inc., when there is no unstable electricity, some
machines need an alternative means of power.

William revealed in his research that even though machines are used to replace human in
industry, there are still some functions which machine cannot accomplish.

Activity 4
Complete the sentences with the words in the box

after all divided finally start then third

I’ll be talking to you today about the after-sales service plans we offer. I’ll start 1 by describing
the various packages in detail. Then 2 I’ll go on to show you some case studies. Third 3, I’ll
discuss how you can choose the best plan to meet your customer’s needs.

I’ve divided 4 my talk into three main parts. First of all 5, I’ll tell you something about the
history of our company. After 6 that I’ll describe how the company is structured and finally, I’ll
give you some details about our range of products and services.

I’d like to update you on what we’ve been working on over the last year. I’ll focus on three
main areas: first, our joint venture in Asia; second, the new plant in Charleston and finally 7,
our redevelopment project.

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Activity 5: Audio 5
The project manager of a construction company is giving a presentation to his colleagues.
Put the sentences in the right order. Then listen to the recording and check your answers.

4 a. This morning I’d like to update you on the current status of work at the construction
site. The information I give you today should help you with planning your next step.
3 b. For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Gordon Selfridge. Let me just write
that down for you. OK. I’m the project manager in charge of the Bak Tower building
project in Dubai.
5 c. I’ve divided my presentation into three parts.
1 d. Hello, everyone.
7 e. Then I’ll move on to the problems we’re facing with our local suppliers.
2 f. First of all, let me thank you for coming here today. I’m aware that you’re all busy
preparing for the annual meeting this week, so I really appreciate you taking the time to
be here.
6 g. I’ll start off by showing you some photos of the building site and discussing the
progress we’ve made since January.
9 h. My talk should take about 30 minutes. Please feel free to interrupt me at any time
with questions.
8 i. I’ll end with some ideas for reducing labour costs that we’ve been looking into.
10 j. Oh, and don’t worry about taking notes. I’ll be handing out copies of the PowerPoint
slides.

Activity 6: Audio 14
An expert is talking about the Traffic Support Centre (TSC) in her city. Listen to the talk and
put the points below in the order she mentions them.
2 a. what the TSC does (main activities)
3 b. how traffic data is collected
1 c. why the TSC was started
5 d. how motorists benefit from the system
4 e. how traffic information is given to motorists

Now listen to the presentation again and complete the sentences.

OK, so that is 1 the background and the reason we developed the programme. Any
questions? OK. So, let’s move on 2 to the next point and take a closer look at the Traffic
Support Centre itself. As i said earlier 3, the TSC was set up in 2001 to help traffic flow more
smoothly, and basically to make the lives of the motorists easier. In this part of my
presentation I liked to tell 4 you about the centre’s activities, how we work exactly and how
motorists benefit from our services.

So, let me give you 5 a brief overview of the TSC’s activities. Our main activities are to
collect, analyse, and communicate traffic information. After collecting traffic data from a
number of different sources, we analyse them and then we inform the media, the police or
other authorities, and last but not least – the motorists.

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This now leads us to my next point 6. How does the TSC collect data? Traffic-monitoring
equipment has been installed across the main traffic routes, which helps us gather real-time
information on traffic speed and traffic flow. Additionally, we use variable traffic sensors and
cameras. We also work together with other partners and authorities, for example, the police,
traffic officers, and the media. Let me show you a few examples of how this works. So much
for 7 collecting data.

Let’s now turn 8 to the next issue. How do we communicate information to motorists? We do
this in a number of ways: by using electronic road signs, the Internet and radio, and state-of-
the-art telephone technology.
Let me now come back to what I said earlier 9. The TSC wants to make the lives of motorists
easier. So, in what ways do the motorists benefit? Well, … first, through real time information
about the traffic solution. Second, through better advice about alternative routes. Third,
through safer roads and less driver stress.

Activity 7
Signposting phrases are used to help guide the audience through a presentation. Complete
these useful phrases with highlighted phrases from the presentation in Activity 6.

SIGNPOSTING
Saying what is coming
E.g. In this part of the presentation, I’d like to tell you about…
1. In this part of the presentation, I’d like to tell you about…

Moving on to the next point

E.g. This leads directly to the next part of my talk.
2. So, let’s move on to the next point
3. This now leads us to my next point
4. Lets now turn to the next issue.

Indicating the end of a section

E.g. This brings me to the end of my second point.
5. OK, so that is the background and the reason we developed the programme.
6. So much for collecting data.

Referring back
E.g. As I mentioned before …
7. As i said earlier...
E.g. Let’s go back to what we were discussing earlier.
8. Let me now come back to what I said earlier.

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