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BEP 212 – Presentation English: Presenting Visuals (1)

Business English, ESL Podcast, Presentations in English /

English Presentation Visuals PowerPoint

In this Business English Pod lesson, we look at how to bring your visuals to life in a presentation in English.

We’ve all sat through some pretty boring presentations. And in those presentations, we’ve all seen complex charts and graphs that tell us either way too much or nothing at all. For the most part, visuals aren’t naturally interesting or informative. It’s what we do with them that is important.

You can’t just put a graph on a screen and then explain each point on the graph. And you can’t put up a table of figures and then read out each column and row. What you really need to do is tell the story of the data and to bring the visuals to life. What should people focus on? What is the important number on the screen? What does the graph actually tell us?

Bringing visuals to life is necessary if you want to give effective presentations. We’ll look at how to do this today. In this lesson, we’ll cover several important functions, including using analogy, defining terms, using rhetorical questions, and highlighting key numbers.

You will hear David, an engineer in a manufacturing company. He’s giving a presentation to members of the finance department. His purpose is to explain a new plan that he hopes to get financed.

Listening Questions

1. Why does David ask the listeners about traveling to work?
2. Which important term does David define for the listeners?
3. What is David’s idea for shipping?

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BEP 197 – Delivering Training (Part 2)

Business English, Communication, Presentations in English, Training /

This is the second in our two-part Business English Pod lesson on delivering workplace training.

Delivering training requires you to lead and control a group. This is no easy task, as you’ll know if you’ve ever done something similar such as delivering a presentation. You need to engage people, you need to make the topic interesting or relevant to them, and you need to make sure they participate.

In the end, you want them to learn something. If their ears or minds are closed, they won’t do that. So how can you get them to listen, to respond, and to learn? Well, you can try some of the language and techniques we’ll look at in today’s lesson.

In our last episode, we heard some useful language for introducing a training session. Today, we’ll hear about eliciting input, encouraging participation, and giving feedback. We’ll also look at connecting to personal experiences and checking understanding. These are all important ways to make sure you are an effective trainer, or presenter.

We’re going to rejoin Zack as he delivers a workshop on customer service. You’ll also hear Ian and Nicole, two of the participants.

Listening Questions

1. Why is it a good idea to use a customer’s name when talking to them?
2. What does Ian suggest doing when talking to customers?
3. According to Zack, what should we do more than we speak?

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BEP 196 – Delivering Training (Part 1)

Business English, Communication, Presentations in English, Training /

This is the first of a two-part Business English Pod lesson on delivering workplace training in English.

At some point in our work, we all have to teach others how to do something or explain a certain topic. So how can we do this effectively? How can you make sure that the participants are following what you say, focused on what you want, and reaching the outcomes you expect?

The skills you need to deliver effective training will help you in other ways too. Whether you’re giving a presentation or making a sales pitch, there are lots of techniques and language that overlap.

We’ll learn some of these techniques today. We’ll look at language you can use to connect the topic to people’s experience and create a sense of inclusion. We’ll also look at organizational issues, like outlining your topics, establishing objectives, and transitioning to a new topic.

In this episode, we’ll hear a trainer named Zack. He’s delivering the first of a series of workshops on customer service. You’ll also hear a couple of the participants, Ian and Nicole, as they interact with Zack.

Listening Questions

1. What experience did Ian have recently?
2. What is the goal of the training course?
3. What does Zack say is the first thing they’ll talk about?

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BEP 178 – English Presentations: Making an Impact (2)

Advanced, Business English, Persuasion, Presentations in English /

English Presentation

This is the second in a two-part usiness English Pod series about adding impact to your business English presentations.

Nobody likes a long and boring presentation. In fact, a long and boring presentation can do a lot of damage. People might actually feel less convinced of your idea. And that’s certainly not what you want. It doesn’t matter if you’re giving a presentation at a staff meeting or a sales presentation to a potential client. You have to make an impression. Most business people have to sit through a lot of meetings and presentations, and it can be difficult to impress them. So how are you going to make them sit up and listen? How are you going to convince them of your idea?

You need impact. Fortunately, there are specific things you can do to add impact. And that’s what we’re talking about today.

In our last episode, we heard Ben talk about the problem of too many documents on too many computers in too many locations. He finished by suggesting that he has a solution to this problem. In today’s lesson, Ben will continue his presentation. He’s going to talk about cloud computing, which he thinks can solve many problems in the department. He’ll use several different techniques for adding impact.

Listening Questions

1. What are the benefits of the system that Ben is suggesting?
2. Why does Ben mention several large companies such as IBM and Dell?
3. What does Ben think that people should spend less time doing?

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BEP 177 – English Presentations: Making an Impact (1)

Advanced, Business English, Persuasion, Presentations in English /

Presenting in English>

This is the first in a two-part Business English Pod series about adding impact to your business English presentations.

We’ve all sat through boring presentations before. And we’ve all worried during our own presentations that others might be feeling that way. So what can we do to prevent this?

A presentation needs impact. It needs to make the audience feel something, understand something, or believe something. And it needs to make them want to do something. Fortunately, there are some simple techniques and language that you can learn that will add impact to your presentations. And then people will look at you, and not out the window.

In this lesson, we’ll hear part of a presentation delivered by Ben. Ben is going to talk to his colleagues and managers about cloud computing. But first he is going to identify a problem and then show that there needs to be a solution to that problem. Only then can he help them understand what cloud computing is and what benefits it might bring to the company.

Listening Questions

1. What happened to Ben on Monday morning?
2. Where is Ben’s stuff stored?
3. What does Ben say about the number of documents in their department?

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