Lesson 28: Preparation for presentation 2

Part 1: Look at your progress

Part 2: The language of charts

Types of Charts:


Pie chart Bar chart/graph Line graph


Describing Movement:

Increase/Decrease
Recover/Recovery
Go up/Go down
Jump/Slump
Rise/Fall
Surge/Plummet
Improve(ment)/Declined
Reach (a point)/Approach


Types of Movement:

Slight/Slightly
Gradual/Gradually
Sharp/Sharply
Dramatic/Dramatically
Major/Minor


Movement over Time:

There was a gradual decline in sales. (noun usage)
Sales declined gradually. (verb usage)

Enrollment increased by 4% in 1997.
There was a 4% increase in enrollment in 1997.

Immigration rose to 800,000 in 1999. (to a point/number)
Immigration rose by 20,000 in 1999. (by increment)
There was a 20% rise in immigration. (percentage)

Taxes remained the same from 2000 to 2001.
Taxes continued at 15% for two years.


Static (non-movement) Description :

Sales stood at $1,400,000 in 1998.
Profits were $27,000 in 1999.
There was a loss of $21,000 in 2001.


Part 4: The language of picture and graphic

· Let me use a graphic to explain this.
· The graphic shows that ...
· As you can see (in the picture) ...
· In the next / following picture, you can see ...
· Here is another picture.
· The next picture shows how ...
· Let the pictures speak for themselves.
· I think the picture perfectly shows how / that ...
· Now, here you can see ...



Part 5: Use of equipment

Easily your most important piece of equipment is...YOU! Make sure you're in full working order, and check your personal presentation carefully - if you don't, your audience will!

The overhead projector (OHP) displays overhead transparencies (OHTs or OHPTs). It has several advantages over the 35mm slide projector:

• it can be used in dayligh
• the user can face the audience
• the user can write or draw directly on the transparency while in use

The whiteboard (more rarely blackboard or greenboard) is a useful device for spontaneous writing - as in brainstorming, for example. For prepared material, the OHP might be more suitable.

The flipchart consists of several leaves of paper that you 'flip' or turn over. Some people prefer the flipchart to the whiteboard, but its use is limited to smaller presentations.

The Slide projector - which must be used in a darkened room - adds a certain drama. Some slide projectors can be synchronised with audio for audio-visual (AV) presentations. These projectors are typically used for larger presentations. The majority take 35mm slides or transparencies (as seen here), but projectors for 6x6cm slides are also available.

Transparencies are projected by an overhead projector or a slide projector onto a screen - in this case a folding screen which can be packed up and transported.

The notebook computer is increasingly being used to display graphics during presentations. It is often used in conjunction with an overhead projector, which actually projects the image from the computer screen onto the wall screen.

Handouts are any documents or samples that you 'hand out' or distribute to your audience. Note that it is not usually a good idea to distribute handouts before your presentation. The audience will read the handouts instead of listening to you.

Part 6: Active Voice vs. Passive Voice

Verbs are also said to be either active (The executive committee approved the new policy) or passive (The new policy was approved by the executive committee) in voice. In the active voice, the subject and verb relationship is straightforward: the subject is a be-er or a do-er and the verb moves the sentence along. In the passive voice, the subject of the sentence is neither a do-er or a be-er, but is acted upon by some other agents or by something unnamed (The new policy was approved).

We find an overabundance of the passive voice in sentences created by self-protective business interests, who use the passive voice to avoid responsibility for actions taken. Thus "Cigarette ads were designed to appeal especially to children" places the burden on the ads — as opposed to "We designed the cigarette ads to appeal especially to children," in which "we" accepts responsibility.


Part 7: Biased Language

Gender-specific Pronoun:

Most gender problems can be avoided without the use of the clunky he or she/ him or her construction by using the plural: "Students planning to graduate this spring should see their counsellor at once." An occasional he or she is all right, but after a while it becomes too demanding of the reader's attention, and the device becomes more important than the message. Where a singular pronoun is necessary, use either the masculine or feminine consistently enough to avoid confusion. (You can switch pronouns within an essay, but not within a paragraph.)

Avoid sexist-terminology:

A responsible, sensitive writer will never make demeaning assumptions about gender role. Whether words such as chairman and congressman are sexist and hurtful and whether their substitutes chairperson and members of congress are unnecessary and cumbersome is an argument that some people will still make, but if we can avoid the argument (and the possibility of hurt) with the use of reasonable substitutes, it's well worth it.

Referring to Groups of People:

When a writer wishes to or has to refer to a group of people to the exclusion of others, he or she must be cautious not to use language that is regarded as hurtful by the group being referred to. Nowadays, minority groups and special-interest groups have a great deal to say, and rightfully so, about the language used to refer to them.

One need to be sensitive, fair, and respectful can lead to all kinds of social and personal discoveries. One must be careful, too, in using ethnic and nationalist terms. As long as writers try to be sensitive to the feelings of minorities and special-interest groups and as long as writers consciously attempt to avoid divisive language that offends, stereotypes, belittles, or hurtfully excludes people, that is all that anyone can ask.

Part 8: Parallelism

This principle of parallel construction requires that expressions of similar content and function should be outwardly similar. The likeness of form enables the reader to recognize more readily the likeness of content and function. Unskillful writers often violate this principle, from a mistaken belief that they should constantly vary the form of their expressions. It is true that in repeating a statement in order to emphasize it writers may have needed to vary its form. But apart from this, writers should follow carefully the principle of parallel construction.

Formerly, science was taught by the textbook method, while now the laboratory method is employed.

Formerly, science was taught by the textbook method; now it is taught by the laboratory method.

The French, the Italians, Spanish, and Portuguese.

The French, the Italians, the Spanish, and the Portuguese.

In spring, summer, or in winter.

In spring, summer, or winter (In spring, in summer, or in winter).

It was both a long ceremony and very tedious.

The ceremony was both long and tedious.

A time not for words, but action.

A time not for words, but for action.



Grammar: Sentence Structure

Part of the speech exercise…