Versión de HTML Básico
12
UNIT
1
Let’s get started
Listen to the beginnings of four presentations. Which one starts with:
a a rhetorical question?
c an anecdote?
b an interesting fact?
d a problem to think about?
Listen again and complete the sentences.
1 __________________ , I was sitting in the waiting room at the dentist’s the other day when I
______________ something very interesting in one of the _______________ that was lying there.
2 ___________________ you worked in a small to medium-sized company and were
_______________ for making people in your company aware of health and safety issues. How
would you _________________ ?
3 ____________________ that the number of possible ways of playing the first four moves per side
in a game of chess is … ?
4 So, let me start by _______________________ . Why should we introduce a double quality check
here at Auto Spares & Parts … ? Well, I’m here today to _____________________ .
GETTING THE AUDIENCE
’
S ATTENTION
12
13
Match items from the three columns to make attention-grabbing openings.
1 Did you know that
that
can’t
is a four-letter word.
Who would you tell first?
2 I read in an article
compete with the Chinese?
by eliminating one olive from each
somewhere
salad served in first-class?
3 Imagine
American Airlines saved
Of course we can!
$40,000 in 1987
4 Can we really
you won a million euros.
I tend to agree with that!
What presentation topics could you use each of the openings above for? Choose one of the
openings and use it to practise the introduction of a talk.
6–9
AUDIO
6–9
AUDIO
Experts say that the first few minutes of a presentation are the most important. If you are able to get the
audience’s attention quickly, they will be interested in what you have to say. Here are a few techniques
you can use to start your talk.
Ask a rhetorical question
Is market research important for brand
development?
Do we really need quality assurance?
Start with 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 them a story or anecdote
I remember when I attended a meeting in Paris. …
At a conference in Madrid, I was once asked the
following question: …
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?