Learnship 12 - 2023/10/25

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Business Language Coaching - Session 12 - Presenting a Demo

  • discuss key elements of preparing and presenting a demo
  • learn the ABCD method for opening a presentation

Impromptu presentation practice

Topic: A six-figure salary isn’t the only incentive to enter the medical profession

  • by and large
  • on the contrary
  • nevertheless/even so

Starting Point

Reflecting on both your experience and what we’ve worked on so far in the course, what do you see as the essential elements to preparing and presenting an effective demo?

Opening and closing

People tend to remember openers more than any other part of a presentation, except perhaps for the closing remarks. - Andrew Leigh, Maynard Leigh Associates

The secret is: have a good beginning, a good ending and keep them as close together as possible! - George Burns, actor and comedian

According to communication expert Andrew Leigh, there are four stages to opening a presentation. He calls these the A, B, C and D of openings. What do you think those letters stand for?

  1. Capture your audience’s interest instantly = ATTENTION

    In the 60 minutes it will take me to give this presentation. 7,000 US businesses will go bust.

    Somebody once said: ‘A brand is a promise’. But what happens when that promise is broken?

  2. Explain what they will gain from the talk = BENEFIT

    By end of this morning’s talk you’ll know how to say ‘No’ and feel good about it.

    What I hope you’ll get from this afternoon’s session is a clearer idea of how CRM works.

  3. Show them you have the authority to speak = CREDIBILITY

    In my 15 years in Silicon Valley, I learned quite a bit about managing risk.

    I was fortunate enough to be part of the team at VW that developed the original Golf GTI.

  4. Give them a route map of the presentation = DIRECTION

    My presentation this afternoon is in three main parts. Feel free to interrupt as we go along.

    Today we’re looking at options A and B. And I’ll be happy to take questions at the end.

What ways are there of capturing your audience’s interest right at the start of a talk? With a partner complete the mind map, using the phrases in the boxes.

  • a photograph or cartoon
  • a problem or puzzle
  • somebody well-known, a video
  • a surprising fact or statistic
  • a news headline
  • a question, a joke
  • a popular myth
  • to raise their hand
  • a story or anecdote
  • to talk to a neighbor

Homework

  • mini-presentation, opening to a demo, use AB and AD

Vocabulary/Notes

  • top ten highest earning categories
  • we thought we had fixed the problem
  • pessimistic
  • in a volatile way
  • persuade <–> dissuade
    E.g. She dissuaded me from becoming a doctor.
  • on* average
  • to go bust
    to fail, to go under