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Rabu, 20 November 2013

Presentation in English; by Lusia Aprijanti Sisworini, S.S.

More Multinational companies establish their representative offices in Indonesia, and so do many Indonesia-based companies throughout the continents. It is truly global era when the boundaries between nations diminished. To get a ride on the fast train to go global, English becomes inevitable skill to acquire.
Having skill in English for communication is not enough. English is just a means to deliver the idea.
Presenting the idea is more crucial thing to obtain.
The main purpose of this class is about presenting the idea(s) in English in practical sense. It's not about English or linguistic aspects in public-speaking.

Presentation is one of public-speaking types. It can be a speech, a sermon, a lecture, an explanation, a motivational advice, and many more. It is a one-man-show thing, and it can be a group, too. Nevertheless, presentation is about delivering idea(s) AND winning the audience' favor AND make them do as you suggest them to do.
When the delivering is prepared well, the presenter equipped with his communication skill can make the audience believe in his idea(s), so the audience will do as suggested.

First thing to concern is LINKING THE IDEA WITH FACTUAL INFORMATION. Any idea without having it based on factual and reliable information from a very reliable source is bogus. The information must be scientifically (at least empirically) proven.
Second, make them believe in the idea. Make it as if it is new thing to introduce. If the idea is commonly found in the market, make it new by seeing it from different perspective. It's about diction. tone, facial edpression, and stance. If you happen to know Neuro_language Programming, use it wisely.
Next thing is selling it out. Challenge the audience with comparisons, successful stories, invitation to debate lightly, and confirmation on their 'buried' curiosity on the ideas.
Motivate them to 'buy' your idea by making it easy to 'buy'. Offer them a trial time, small package, short terms, and financial facilities.
Close the deal, even a small deal if handled properly can bring bigger deal in the end.

In order to avoid boredom, collect as much as possible these items:

  1. Jokes (racist and non-racist ones, but use them very wisely) to lighten up the tense
  2. Motivational and inspiring stories of real people
  3. Simple magic tracks, games, or simple (not serious) quiz
  4. Unexpected questions to get attention back to you

The basic idea of presentation is to deliver idea(s), so a 'pusher' often fails to sell. A helpful, informative, and ready-all-the-time person is mostly preferable. Make audience believe in you, believe in the product/ideas you offer.

Preparation is done perfectly. The presenter is well-trained. Then there are things that might blow it off. Be prepared if these things happen:

  1. Blackout, virus on your computer, malfunction: Use your voice and white board. It means you already memorized all materials.
  2. The audience' culture is entirely new to you: Use the professional approach, do not hesitate to ask but not too often. Offer sincere apology if the find your language is inappropriate.
  3. Traffic jams, flight delayed, chaos, natural disasters: Contact them by any means, and offer them to reschedule the presentation. Avoid being late and explaint later.

Last thing should be concern is the English used in presentation. Save case: Use the Mid-West American English. It is widely accepted through societies of Non-native. Keep a simple sentence with single clause for single idea. Use connecting words to connect some clauses. Speaking in elaborate language is sometimes not easy to understand, and it's not always heard as 'professional'. It is truly an advantage for you who can speak the same dialect of English as the audience. Just keep your ear open.
Good Luck

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