MODULE 3

Presentation
(3 hours)
 FOUNDATIONAL AND
FUNDAMENTAL
BUSINESS TOOL
REFLECTS
COMPANY’S
• IMAGE
WHAT IS THE
• VALUE
PRESENTATION ABOUT?
SYSTEM
•VISION

BASIS OF
RELATIONSHIP
WITH CLIENTS
 PARTS OF A PRESENTATION
➢ Welcome the audience
➢ Introduce the subject
Beginning Introduction
➢ Explain the structure
➢ Explain rules for questions

Middle Body ➢ Present the subject

➢ Summarise the presentation

Closing Short conclusion
➢ Thank you and invite questions

Questions and Answers

 COMMON MISTAKES IN A PRESENTATION
❑There is too much information
❑Audience can read the visual aid.
❑Presenter talk to the visual aid.
❑Presenter is out of control.
❑Many presentations fail because people try too hard to achieve
perfection in the content of the presentation.
 PLANNING
Step 1: THINK ABOUT CONTEXT
1. How will the room be arranged (seating, name cards and so on)?
2. How many people do you expect to attend?
3. What presentation aids will be required? Will equipment be
available at the presentation site or do you need to carry it with
you?
4. Will you use handouts? How and when will they be
distributed?
5. How and when will you handle audience questions?
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 Step 2: AGENDA AND TIME ALLOTMENT

Time
Content Methods, aids, examples
Allotted

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 Step 3: IDENTIFY YOUR OBJECTIVES

1. What do you want the audience to do as a result of this

presentation?
2. Identify your audience’s expected benefits and positive
outcomes.
3. How do you want your audience to feel?

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 Step 4: ANALYSE THE AUDIENCE
1. What is their occupational relationship to you?
2. How long have they been in this relationship with you?
3. What is their level of understanding of the type of information
you will be sharing?
4. How willing are the members of this audience to accept the
ideas you will present?
5. What is their knowledge of the subject?
6. What are their opinions about you and the
topic/company/product?
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 Step 5: IDENTIFY APPROPRIATE INFORMATION
& TECHNIQUES
1. What types of information or techniques are most likely to capture the
attention of this audience?
 Videos
 Real objects/ Realia
 Music/ special effects
 Anecdotes/ Stories
 Demonstrations
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 Other: (special guests, dancers, …)

 CREATING A PRESENTATION USING POWERPOINT

1. Consistent style
2. Delivery
3. Transitions
4. Group presentations

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 CREATING A PRESENTATION USING POWERPOINT
Consistent style
❑ Is the background dark and font light (for electronic presentation)?
❑ Is the font clear?
❑ Does the background colour complement the font colour used?
❑ Is the title a large enough font (44 point)?
❑ Are the bullets a minimum of 28 point font?
❑ Are the bullets animated appropriately?
❑ Do your slides have impact?
❑ If using images, are the colours appropriate?
❑ Have you rehearsed?
KEEP SIMPLE. AVIOD HAVING TOO MUCH INFORMATION ON EACH SLIDE.
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 CREATING A PRESENTATION USING POWERPOINT
Delivery: suggestions for using animations on slides
❑ Do not have too many bullet points on each slide.
❑ Ensure the bullet points on text appear from the same direction.
❑ Avoid titles or text appearing as single letters.
❑ Use sounds sparingly and only to add appropriate emphasis.
❑ Do not have too many pictures/ images on the slide.
❑ Keep any movie clips to a short extract.
❑ Build slides logically.
❑ Practise and rehearse the animation to ensure that it adds to rather than
detracts from the presentation.
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 CREATING A PRESENTATION USING POWERPOINT

Transitions
The same transition is used between each section of the
presentation. A fade transition between slides can be quite
effective.

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 CREATING A PRESENTATION USING POWERPOINT

Group presentations
Has the group
❑ decided who will say what?
❑ practised handovers?
❑ created professional-looking slides?
❑ agreed responsibility for slides?
❑ ensured the time allocation is met?
❑ decided what group members will do while not presenting?
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 CREATIVE OPENINGS

❑A relevant anecdote
❑A Strong Quote
❑Get the audience to do something
❑Ask a question
❑A Real Dramatic of humorous
situation
❑Current Event
TALKING IS EASY.
THE PROBLEM IS GETTING PEOPLE TO LISTEN.

Business world wisdom

 INTRODUCTION PART
The aim of the introduction part is to motivate the audience to listen and
understand why they are there.

You should:
- present yourself, your topic
- and the presentation’s plan;
- and say something interesting to attract attention.

BEFORE you start talking, make sure everybody is listening. The very first
minutes give the audience time to settle down. The best way for you would be
to wait, silently a little.
Welcoming the audience

❑ Good morning/afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.

❑ Hello / Hi, everyone.
❑ First of all, let me thank you for coming here today.
❑ I’m happy/delighted that so many of you could make it today.
❑ Ladies and gentlemen, it’s an honor to have the opportunity to
address such a distinguished audience. (very formal)
Introducing yourself
If the audience knows who you are, you can omit this part.

❑ Let me introduce myself. I’m Dave Elwood from ...

❑ For those of you who don’t know me, my name’s ...
❑ As you probably know, I’m the new ………… manager.
 GETTING THE AUDIENCE’S ATTENTION

An interesting fact
❑ According to an article I read recently, central banks are now buying euros
instead of dollars.
❑ Did you know that fast food consumption has increased by 600 % in
Europe since 2002?
Tell a story or anecdote
❑ I remember when I attended a meeting in Paris. ...
❑ As a conference in Madrid, I was once asked the following question: ...
 GETTING THE AUDIENCE’S ATTENTION
Ask a rhetorical question
❑ Is market research important for brand development?
❑ Do we really need quality assurance?
Give them a problem to think about
❑ Suppose you wanted to set up a new call centre. How would you go about it?
❑ Imagine you had to reorganize the sales department. What would be your first
step?
Bring an object: A physical object attracts people’s attention, especially if they
don’t know what it is and are intrigued to find out.
❑ Do you know what that is?
 INTRODUCTION OF YOUR TALK
In most formal presentations it is recommended to introduce your topic before
starting talking about it.

❑ As you can see on the screen, our topic today is ... / today’s topic is ...
❑ The topic/subject of my presentation/talk is ...
❑ What I’d like to present to you today is ...
talk about ...
say a few words about ...
❑ I’m going to brief you on ...
❑ I plan to inform you about ...
❑ I’d like to give you an overview of ...
present the recent ...
explain our position on ...
 Introduction of your talk
Introduction your topic- Mind the grammar!
would like + infinitive
❑ Today I’d like to tell you about our new plans.
going to + infinitive
❑ I’m going to talk to you today about new developments in the R & D
Department.
will + infinitive
❑ I’ll start off by reviewing our progress.
will be + verb -ing
❑ During the next hour we’ll be looking at the advantages of this system.
 Introduction of your talk
Introducing the purpose of the talk
You should always make the topic of your talk relevant to your audience, they
must understand why it is important to specifically them.

❑ We are here today to decide ...

agree ...
learn about ...
❑ The purpose of this talk is to update you on ...
put you in the picture about ...
give you the background to ...
Remember to use words like we, us, and our to highlight common interest.
 Introduction of your talk

Explaining why your topic is relevant for your audience

❑ My talk is particularly relevant to those of you/us who ...

❑ The topic is very important for you because ...
❑ By the end of this talk you will be familiar with ...
 Explaining your talk
Briefly explaining the structure
❑ I’ve divided my presentation into three (main) parts/sections: x, y, and z.
❑ In my presentation I’ll focus on three major issues.
❑ First (of all) / in the first part, I’ll be looking at ..., second ..., and third ...
❑ I’ll begin / start off by explaining ...
❑ Then (in the second part) / Next / After that, I’ll go on to ...
❑ Finally / lastly / last of all, I’ll offer some solutions.
Timing
❑ It should take about 30 minutes to cover these issues.
❑ The presentation will take about two hours, but there’ll be a twenty minute break
in the middle. We’ll stop for lunch at 12 o’clock.
 Explaining your talk
— Handouts
❑ Does everybody have a handout/report? Please take one, and pass them
on.
❑ Don’t worry about taking notes. I’ve put all the important statistics on a
handout.
❑ I’ll be handing out brochures at the end of my talk.
❑ I’ll email the PowerPoint presentation to you.

— Questions
❑ Feel free to ask questions at any time during my talk.
❑ There will be time for discussion and questions after my presentation.
USE OF BODY
LANGUAGE
Nonverbal Communication
 WHAT DOES REALLY COUNT?

It is not what you say, but how you say and how
the audience feels and changes.

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 A SUCCESSFUL PRESENTATION

Audience Improve

Change
How to say
Presenter
What to say
 Voiced Non-voiced

Gestures, clothing, face

Non- Voice (strength, volume,
expressions, eye-contact,
verbal pitch, intonation…)
movements, body smell…

Verbal Words Speech

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 POWER OF NON VERBAL COMMUNICATION
Nonverbal communication is the
most powerful form of
communication.

More than voice or even words,

nonverbal communication helps to
create your image in others mind
and even you can express your
emotions and feelings in front of
others, which you are unable to
express in words.
 TYPES OF NON VERBAL COMMUNICATION

❑ Eye Contact
❑ Facial Expressions
❑ Posture
❑ Haptics or Touch
❑ Gestures
❑ Personal Space
❑ Always look straight into the audience’s eyes for 2-3 seconds then speak or
answer.
❑ Try to keep your head and shoulders balanced when walking or sitting, even
talking and laughing.
❑ Scrutinized nose hair, teeth, perfume and shoes before
❑ presentation.
❑ It takes 2-3 seconds to smile.
❑ The principle of speaking and acting: mature, prudent, calm, and elegant.
❑ When shaking hands with people, you must hold their hands 2-3 seconds
❑ Use positive words
❑ Absolutely not wear electronic watches, cheap suits bought at the market,
sandals, ...
 Posture
Cross your arms while
standing: defensive

Walking with your head

down and avoiding eye
contact with others: shyness
 Eye Contact

Eye contact, a key

characteristic of nonverbal
communication, expresses
much without using a single
word.
Eye contact also establishes
the nature of a relationship.
 HOW TO USE THE EYE CONTACT

❑ Look at each person/group

❑ Stop at each piece of information and look at the whole audience
❑ Look at the forehead of the audience
❑ Look in the M and W shape.
 FACIAL EXPRESSIONS

Facial expressions are the

key characteristics of nonverbal
communication.
 GESTURES

Gestures include
movement of the hands,
face, or other parts of
the body.
 MOVEMENTS

❑ Move back and forth, up and down

❑ Use normal speed

❑ Vary your movement and speed

 SMILING
❑ The smile must come from the heart and habits.
❑ The best width should exceed half the width of the
face, lips and upper and lower lips should be
symmetrical with the line between the face, not the
eyes crinkled.

❑ The final element is not revealing your gums.

 CLEAR STRUCTURING
1. Signaling different parts in a presentation
Signaling the structure makes the organization of the talk clear, helps the audience to follow
the developments.
Ending the introduction
❑ So that concludes the introduction.
❑ That’s all for the introduction.
Beginning the main body
❑ Now let’s move to the first part of my talk ...
❑ On the outset... To begin with ...
❑ The first thing to take into consideration is …
If you would like to change the speaker
❑ Thank you very much for the effective/ intriguing introduction of …
❑ My name is …… of the …..
❑ Let’s move on to the first part of the presentation/talk today …
 CLEAR STRUCTURING
2. Listing

❑ There are three things to consider. First, ... Second, ... Third, ...
❑ There are two kinds of ... The first is ... The second is ...
❑ We can see four advantages and two disadvantages. First, advantages.
One is ..., Another is ... The third advantage is ... Finally ... On the other
hand,
 CLEAR STRUCTURING
3. Linking
Ending parts within the main body
❑ That completes / concludes ...
❑ That’s all (I want to say for now) on ...
Beginning a new part
❑ Let’s move to (the next part which is) ...
❑ So now we come to ...
❑ Now I want to describe ...
Adding ideas
❑ In addition to this, I’d like to say that our IT business is going very well.
❑ Moreover/Furthermore, there are other interesting facts.
❑ To increase sales we need a new strategy, plus more people.
Referring to other points
❑ I’d like to mention some critical points in connection with/concerning payment.
❑ There are a few problems regarding the quality.
❑ According to the survey, our customers are unhappy with this product.
 CLEAR STRUCTURING

4. Sequencing

❑ There are (seven) different stages to the process. First ... / then ... / next ... /
after that ... / then (x) ... / after x there’s y, last ...
❑ There are four stages to the project.
❑ I’ll describe the development of the idea. First the background, then the
present situation, and then the prospects for the future.
 POWERFUL TECHNIQUES
2. Softening language
Here are some ways to do that:
• Little
❑The quality could have been a little better.
❑The speaker should have spoken a little louder.
• Slight
❑There might be a slight delay in the completion of the project.
• More or less
❑The report is more or less finished. I just need to read through it again.
❑He is more or less useless. Cannot get anything right.
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 POWERFUL TECHNIQUES
2. Softening language
• Minor
❑I have a minor reservation about this plan.
❑There are a few minor problems still to be dealt with.
• Fairly
❑There are some fairly important changes still to be made.
❑I think that I have a fairly good understanding of your problems.
• Partially
❑He has been partially successful with his demands but he didn’t get everything he
wanted.
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❑It is partially finished but there is still a lot to do.

 POWERFUL TECHNIQUES
2. Softening language
Positive language
This product is useful for bald people => This product is useful for
hairy-challenged people.
The revenue of last month was so bad => The revenue of last month was
not to our full satisfaction.

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 POWERFUL TECHNIQUES
2. Softening
Compare: a great improvement — a slight improvement; a major problem — a minor
problem; a total success — a partial success.

❑ It seems we will have to delay the delivery.

❑ The Chief Executive Officer appears to have left the country.
❑ It’s just a little bit further.
❑ We’re going to reduce our staff a bit.
❑ Perhaps we should consider resigning.
❑ There might be another way.
❑ To some extent, the company has failed to realize its potential.
 POWERFUL TECHNIQUES
2. Softening
When people in the audience make negative remarks about the information
you’re presenting, you can soften the impact by restating their point in a more
positive way.

A positive statement question is looking for the answers:

❑ It’s going to be late, isn’t it? — I’m afraid so.
❑ You’ve got problems with the assembly? — Yes, a few.
❑ The suppliers have done their job. Is that right? — Yes, as far as I know.
 POWERFUL TECHNIQUES

3. Repetition
Although simple, it’s nevertheless one of the most powerful techniques.
❑ It really is very, very difficult to predict what might happen in 10 years.
❑ Everybody makes mistakes. Everybody.
4. Tripling
Chunking important points in threes is a classic move.
❑ What’s needed now is time, effort and money.
❑ How did we reach our goals? Simple. By building new plant, by taking on
more workers, by keeping production costs.
 POWERFUL TECHNIQUES
5. Rhetorical questions
A rhetorical question is a common, yet a very powerful technique. It
presents your idea as a question rather than a direct statement. It sounds
more conversational and creates anticipation in the minds of your
audience.
❑ So, just how big is the market? .... Enormous!
❑ Why do I tell you that? Because there’s nobody else who will.
❑ The fact is, cheap imitations of our leading product are flooding the
market.
❑ So what’s the solution? The solution is to push for tighter controls.
 USEFUL EXPRESSIONS
2. Road signs/ Signposting
When giving a talk, some words act just like signs on the road. They tell your audience
whether you’re continuing in the same direction, changing direction, contrasting two
possible directions, or arriving at your destination. Used effectively, ‘road signs’ make it
easier to follow your development.
a) Continuation
❑ furthermore
❑ moreover
❑ in addition
Ex: Backup mechanisms for computers tend to become obsolete rapidly. Furthermore,
new software formats do not always recognize older formats.
 III. USEFUL EXPRESSIONS
2. Road signs/ Signposting

b) Change in direction
❑ however
❑ nevertheless
❑ although
❑ despite, in spite of

Ex: Although digital cameras are used for more than half of all
photographs taken, most of those pictures never go further than the hard
drive of a personal computer.
 III. USEFUL EXPRESSIONS
2. Road signs
c) Contrast
❑ in contrast
❑ on the other hand
❑ while
❑ whereas
Ex: The life of a CD recorded with a CD burner at home could be as
little as five years. In contrast, some photographic papers can last up to
200 years.
 III. USEFUL EXPRESSIONS
2. Road signs

d) Arrival
❑ consequently
❑ therefore
❑ thus

Ex: Thus, it’s going to take a lot of hard work to save a digital file for the
next 20 or 50 years.
 USEFUL EXPRESSIONS

3. Verbs for ‘solving issues’ The following verbs are also of great use. They help
to mention difficult issues.
❑ I think we first need to identify the problem.
❑ Of course we’ll have to clarify a few points before we start.
❑ We will have to deal with the problem of increasing prices.
❑ How shall we cope with unfair business practices?
❑ The question is: why don’t we tackle the distribution problems?
❑ If we don’t solve this problem now, we’ll get into serious trouble soon.
❑ We will have to take care of this problem now.
 USEFUL EXPRESSIONS
4. Parentheses
These expressions are extremely useful.
(Sadly, also endless, so we’re just giving you the most popular ones.)
They make our speech sound smarter and our words — more persuasive.

❑ In theory, ... On average, ...

❑ Up a point, ... At least, ...
❑ On one hand, ... In practice, ...
❑ On the other hand, ... In any case, ...
❑ On the whole, ... At a last resort, ...
❑ As a matter of fact, ... As a general rule, ...
❑ Under no circumstances, ...
 USEFUL EXPRESSIONS
5. Using examples
Examples help you make your point by taking your audience from the abstract to the
concrete. Signal them by using key words: example, instance, illustrate, case, like, such as.
❑ Let's take the example of what happens when ...
❑ The best example of ... is probably ...
❑ An interesting example of ... is ...
❑ For instance ...
❑ Let's now look at ... This will illustrate some of the principles we've been talking about.
❑ Let's take the case where...
❑ Vegetables like carrots and squash are loaded with beta-carotene
❑ Pollutants such as those found in automobile exhaust are responsible for most of the smog
in Los Angeles.
 USEFUL EXPRESSIONS
6. Expressing opinion
Avoid preceding everything you say with, ‘in my opinion,’ or ‘I think that.’ The
audience understand that you, the speaker, are generally expressing what you
think. However, it is important to signal your opinion in contrast to another person's
opinion or an opinion that is commonly held.

a) To signal another person's opinion

❑ According to Professor Grand ...
❑ Lauren Thompson has expressed the opinion that ...
❑ In a recent article, D.J. Tehl stated that ...
❑ In Mr. John Mugg's opinion ...
 USEFUL EXPRESSIONS
6. Expressing opinion
b) To signal a widely-held opinion
❑ It is commonly thought that ...
❑ According to conventional wisdom ..

c) To signal your opinion

❑ In my opinion ....
❑ I think that ...
❑ It is my view that ...
❑ It seems to me that ....
 TROUBLESHOOTING

1. Losing your place in your notes

If you lose your place and can’t remember what you should say now, you can
go back and summarize the points you have already made. This should give
you time to think.
❑ OK. Now... Where was I? Let me summarize the points again before I
continue.
❑ So, there have been three main changes...
❑ Umm... sorry, I just lost track. I’ll recap the points so far.
 TROUBLESHOOTING

2. You don’t know or can’t remember the English word

If you forget a word, use one of the phrases below and then try to say the same
thing using different words.

❑ There are several problems with the new model. One problem is that it
stops working if it gets... um... what’s the word I’m looking for? Let me try
again. One problem is that it stops working if it gets a little wet.

❑ How do you say that in English? / Let me rephrase that.

 TROUBLESHOOTING
3. A deleted or wrong slide

❑ If you look at the next slide, you’ll see the figures are much healthier...
I’m sorry, I can’t find it. OK, let me describe the key points to you.

❑ Excuse me for a moment.

❑ I’m afraid I can’t find the graph now. I’ll write the main figures on the
flip chart.
❑ The slide doesn’t seem to be here. Well, the key points/figures are ...
 TROUBLESHOOTING

4. Time is running out

❑ Unfortunately, time won’t allow me to explain all the details, so I’ll

just outline the last section to you.
❑ We only have a few minutes left. Right. Now I’ll conclude/end with
this final point.
❑ We’ve almost run out of time. OK. I’ll just explain this last point briefly
and then there’ll be time for questions.
 TROUBLESHOOTING

5. You have forgotten to say something

❑ The basic system will therefore cost about $50 000. Oh, I should have said
earlier that we already have the promise of $120 000 to make this project
possible. Let me go back and explain how this money became available.
❑ Sorry, but I forgot to mention/explain ...
❑ I should have explained ...
 TROUBLESHOOTING
6. Making a mistake

❑ Presenter: Last year sales in June whereas this year we expect sales
to peak in September...
Member of audience: Sorry, but didn’t sales peak in July?
Presenter: Umm... Yes, of course. What I should have said is that sales peaked
in July.

❑ Sorry, what I meant to say was ...

❑ My mistake. / My bad. What I wanted to say was ...
 TROUBLESHOOTING

7. You are unable to do something that you planned to do

❑ OK. As you can see, the new poster for this campaign is really clever. I
wanted to give you a copy but I’m afraid the copies didn’t arrive from the
printers in time for me to bring them this morning. I will mail you each a
copy when they arrive.

❑ I planned to ..., but ...

❑ I had wanted to ..., but unfortunately ...
1. Signaling the end
❑ That’s all I want to say for now on...
❑ Okay, that ends (the third part of) my talk.
❑ That brings me to the end of my presentation...
❑ That covers all I wanted to say today.

❑ “It’s been a pleasure being with all of you today, thank you.”
❑ “Thank you all for your patience, I wish you all a very good evening. Good Bye.”
❑ “It’s been an honor to be among such accomplished individuals and to be able
to present my perspective before you all, thank you and good evening/day.”
❑ “Thank you all for being here today and taking the time to patiently listen to
what I had to say, I wish you all a blessed day.”
2. Summarizing

A brief summary restates main point(s) of your talk and restates what
the audience must understand and remember.

Important: summary cannot contain any new information and must be

short. Don’t launch into another mini-presentation. And the number of
your main points cannot be more than three.

❑ I’d like to end with a summary of my main point(s).

❑ Let me just run over the key points again.
❑ I’ll briefly summarize the main issues.
❑ To sum up, ...
3. Conclusion
After summarizing your main point(s), you need to make a logical conclusion.

❑ I’d like to end with some observations based on what I’ve said.
some conclusions / recommendations.
a brief conclusion.

❑ There are two conclusions / recommendations.

❑ So, I would suggest that we ...
❑ What we need is ...
❑ I think (we have seen that) we have to ...
❑ As you can see, there are some very good reasons ...
❑ I’d like to propose ... (more formal)
4. Closing

This is an easy part: at the end of everything you

wanted to say you just say thank you to your audience.

❑ Thank you for listening / your attention.

❑ Thank you.
5. Inviting questions / discussion

❑ Now we have (half an hour) for questions and

discussion.
❑ Alright. Now, any questions or comments?
❑ So, now I’d be very interested to hear your comments.
❑ I’d be glad to try and answer any questions.
❑ So, let’s throw it open to questions. (informal)
 EFFECTIVE CONCLUSIONS

Quoting a well-known person

❑ As ... once said, ...

❑ To quote a well-known businessman, ...
❑ To put it in the words of ...,
 EFFECTIVE CONCLUSIONS
Referring back to the beginning

This way adds consistency to your whole talk, and gives an effect of
sudden deeper understanding of your message’s importance.

❑ Remember what I said at the beginning of my talk today? Well, ...

❑ Let me just go back to the story I told you earlier. Remember, ...
 KEY POINTS
Once again — the common structure of conclusion:

1. Signaling the end.

2. Summarizing.
3. Conclusion.
4. Closing.
5. Inviting questions/discussion.
 KEY POINTS
... and above all:

Inspire and motivate, but be short.

Dealing with interruptions
You might prefer to postpone unwelcome questions or comments.

❑ If you don’t mind, I’ll deal with this question later in my

presentation.
❑ Can we get back to that a bit later?
❑ Would you mind waiting with your questions until the question
and answer session at the end?
Dealing with interruptions
AFTER answering questions, especially those
that require a longer answer, it is sometimes necessary to remind the
audience what you were talking about before the interruption.
❑ Before we continue, let me briefly summarize the points we were
discussing.
❑ So, back to what I was saying about ...
Answering questions
1. Listen the question carefully.
❑Well, it’s obvious.
Answering questions
2. Ask for clarification or repetition.
If you didn’t understand the question, if you’re not sure — politely ask the
person to repeat or explain it.
❑ Sorry, I’m not sure I’ve understood. Could you repeat?
❑ I’m afraid I didn’t quite catch (the last part of) your question.
❑ I’m afraid I don’t quite understand your question.
❑ If I have understood you correctly, you mean ...? Is that right?
❑ Are you asking if ...?
❑ Do you mean ...?
Answering questions
3. Reformulate the question in your own words.
This techniques is often used because it has several advantages:
a) you’ll check that you understand it correctly,
b) it will give you some time to think about the answer,
c) with a large or noisy audience, it allows the other participants to hear the
question,
d) finally, it gives you the chance to change the tone of the question,
Answering questions
e.g. by making it less aggressive.

❑ I see. So, what you’re asking is: ...

❑ If I understand you correctly, you want to know ...
❑ OK, let me just repeat your question so everybody can hear it.
❑ If I could just rephrase your question ...
Answering questions
4. Answer the question.
Quite obvious, too.
If the question is okay and you know the answer, you don’t need our help.
If the question is difficult, you may soften your answer:
❑That’s a difficult to answer in a few words ...
❑It could be ...
❑In my experience, ...
❑I would say ...
5. Finally, check that the questioner is satisfied with your answer.
Eye contact and a pause is often sufficient. You may ask:
❑ Does that answer your question?
❑ Is that okay?
❑ May we go on?
Avoiding giving an answer: What if...
1) If you don’t know the answer, be honest and say so. Offer to find out, or
refer to another person who can answer the question.
❑ Sorry, that’s not my field. But I’m sure Mr ... from Sales could answer your
question.
❑ I’m afraid I don’t know the answer to your question, but I’ll try to find out
for you.
❑ I’m afraid I’m not in a position to answer that. Perhaps Maria could help.
❑ I’m afraid that’s outside the scope of my talk / this session. If I were you
I’d discuss that with ...
Avoiding giving an answer: What if...
2) If the question is irrelevant, you may prefer not to answer it.
Say politely about it. If you prefer to answer, answer politely but briefly.
❑ Can we talk about that on another occasion?
❑ That’s interesting, but I’d prefer not to answer that today.
Avoiding giving an answer: What if...
3) If the question is impossible to answer in time available, you may
postpone your answer. Suggest to discuss this question after the
presentation.
❑ I’ll have to come to that later, perhaps during the break since we’re
running out of time.
❑ Perhaps we could deal with that later.
Q&A session: general advice
❑Keep control.
❑Limit the number of questions if you’re running out of time. The
duration of the whole presentation should remain the same, people
react badly if the event takes longer than what was announced in the
beginning.
❑Tell people who still have questions that you will answer them after
the presentation.
❑Also, if a question is long and rather a mini-speech, ask what exactly
the question is before answering.
Q&A session: general advice
❑Don’t allow one or two people to dominate.
❑Politely interrupt the person who is about to ask the third question in a row that you
can see other people wanting to ask and that ‘let’s also hear other opinions’.
❑Stay polite.
❑As we said, some questioners attack a weak point and the speaker can become
defensive.
❑But: never allow yourself that — the biggest danger is the counter-attack.
❑Never criticize a member of the audience.
❑Instead of this, give a short, polite and concise answer, rather than a self-justifying
lecture.
Q&A session: general advice
❑Signal when time is running out.
❑Simply saying, ‘Time for one last question / two more questions’ is enough.
❑Invite further comments or questions via email.
❑This way people who didn’t get a chance to ask their question, or didn’t
have any questions at the time of the presentation, may contact you.
❑Make sure you provide everyone with your personal contact information.
❑ Thank the audience for their questions, for visiting the event, and say
goodbye.
 KEY POINT

Once again — common order of answering questions:

1. Listen to questions carefully and ask to repeat or explain if needed.
2. Reformulate the question before answering.
3. Don’t answer the questions you can’t or wouldn’t like to, but explain
why.
4. Watch the time.