2010年ESL之商务英语 26 Giving a Successful Presentation

26 Giving a Successful Presentation

GLOSSARY 1

packed house – a very large audience that fills every seat in an auditorium 2 orstadium; an event with very high attendance where every ticket has been sold orevery seat has been taken* Musicians enjoy playing for a packed house because they can feel the energyof the large audience.

hit – something that is very successful and popular; something that did exactlywhat it was supposed to and is well-liked by everyone or almost everyone* The singer had a major hit back in 1997, but she hasn’t recorded any goodsongs since then.

to clamor – to ask for something in a very loud way; to make a lot of noise whiledemanding something or insisting on having something* All the kids were clamoring for more ice cream.

reception – the way something or someone is received; the way people react tosomeone or something* As the host, it’s my responsibility to give my guests a warm, inviting 3 reception.

on the edge of (one’s) seat – very interested and eager to hear or seesomething; filled with anticipation 4 to know what will happen or what will be saidnext* That movie was so exciting! We were on the edge of our seats for the entiretwo hours.

to gain traction 5 – to have more success; to get better or faster; to begin toreceive greater acceptance* After writing several journal articles, their ideas are finally beginning to gaintraction among other researchers.

hooked – addicted 6; liking 7 something and needing and wanting more of it* Which TV shows are you hooked on?

could have heard a pin drop – a phrase used to describe a situation whereeveryone is very quiet, usually because everyone is very interested in somethingand wants to hear what will happen next* In the moment before the award recipient 8 was announced, everyone becamevery quiet and you could have heard a pin drop.

main point – one of the most important things in a speech or written text* His essay was so disorganized that it was hard to identify the main points.

undoubtedly 9 – without a doubt; clearly; obviously* Helen undoubtedly remembers that moment as the most embarrassing day ofher life.

highlight – the best part of something; the most interesting, beautiful orimportant part of something* Philippe didn’t have time to read the book for class, so he asked his classmatesto tell him about the highlights.

in shock – very surprised by something, often unable to fully 10 understand oraccept it* After the president’s unexpected death, many people were in shock for days.

to tweak (something) – to make minor 11 revisions; to make small changes tosomething while leaving most of it the same* I have a few ideas for how we can tweak this design to make it even better.

Q&A – question and answer; the part of a presentation where the audiencemembers are allowed to ask questions and the speaker tries to answer them* The speaker allotted 12 20 minutes for Q&A after her presentation, but it wasn’tenough time to answer everyone’s questions.

adoring public – an audience that likes and admires someone or somethingvery much* Do you ever wonder what it would feel like to be famous and have an adoringpublic?

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1. What does the event organizer mean when she says, “It’s a packed house”?

a) There aren’t enough seats in the room.

b) The organizers are packing up to move.

c) The audience is very large.

2. Why were the audience members on the edge of their seats?

a) Because they were very interested in what the speaker was saying.

b) Because they wanted to leave as quickly as possible.

c) Because their seats were very uncomfortable.

______________

WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?

hit

The word “hit,” in this podcast, describes something that is very successful,popular, and well-liked by almost everyone: “Is it unusual for an author’s firstbook to be an international hit?” When talking about computers and the Internet,a “hit” happens whenever someone visits a website: “On average, how many hitsdoes your website get each week?” A “hit list” is a list of the names of peoplewhom a person or organization wants to harm or kill: “What would you do if youfound your name on a violent organization’s hit list?” Finally, a “hit man” is aperson who is hired to kill someone: “Nobody could believe that she had hired ahit man to murder her own husband.”

hooked

In this podcast, the word “hooked” means addicted, or liking something andneeding and wanting more of it: “Hermann is hooked on diet soda 13 and barbequepotato chips.” Or, “Their research found that kids who grow up hooked on TV aremore likely to be overweight as adults.” A “hooked nose” is a nose that curvesup and comes to a sharp point: “Most drawings of witches include a hooked noseand several warts 14.” The phrase “to ring off the hook” is used to describe thesituation when one is receiving many phone calls: “After the news story waspublished, the company’s phones were ringing off the hook.” Finally, the phrase“to let (someone) off the hook” means to let someone get out of trouble and notsuffer the consequences for his or her actions: “I can’t believe your parents letyou off the hook that easily and didn’t punish you at all!”

CULTURE NOTE

Most presentations only “attract” (interest and bring) a small group of people,such as the people who are “affiliated with” (connected to) a particular university,or the people who work in a particular organization or industry. However, peoplein the professional “speakers circuit” (all the people who travel around thecountry and the world making presentations to earn money) can attract hundredsor thousands of listeners each time they speak, earning thousands of dollars fortheir presentations.

One of the most popular “seminar” (workshop; presentation) presenters 15 is TonyRobbins. He is a “self-help author” (someone who writes books to teach peoplehow they can help themselves) and a “coach” (someone who provides adviceand guidance) for individuals and businesses that want to be more successful. Inhis books, he tries to teach people how to find and use their own ability tobecome successful in whatever area of their life is most important to them.

Some of his presentations are just short speeches, but others are four-dayseminars. In one of the seminars, he asks participants to walk “barefoot” (withoutsocks or shoes) over “hot coals” (a black mineral that glows red when burning) toprove that people can do anything they “set their mind to” (are determined 16 to do).

Robbins has met with many famous people, giving advice to well-knownpoliticians, such as former President Bill Clinton, Mikhail Gorbachev, PrincessDiana, and Nelson Mandela. He has also coached many athletes, includingtennis star Andre Agassi and Serena Williams, among others. However, almostanyone can participate in his seminars if they have enough money to pay forthem.

______________Comprehension Questions Correct Answers: 1 – c; 2 – a

COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT 17

Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 644: Giving aSuccessful Presentation.

This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 644. I’m your host, Dr.

Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development inbeautiful Los Angeles, California.

Our website is eslpod.com. You know what to do – go there and download aLearning Guide for this episode.

This episode is called “Giving a Successful Presentation.” It contains lots ofvocabulary related to giving a speech or presentation, so let’s get started.

[start of dialogue]

Event organizer: Do you hear that? It’s a packed house and your presentationwas a hit. People are clamoring for more.

Herman: I can’t believe it. I wasn’t expecting that kind of reception. Theaudience really seemed to like it.

Event organizer: Like it? They were on the edge of their seats.

Herman: The presentation actually started slowly, but it seemed to gain tractionin the middle.

Event organizer: You had the audience hooked from the start. You could haveheard a pin drop in there when you were going over your main points. Yourpresentation is undoubtedly the highlight of the conference.

Herman: Thanks. I’m still in shock. Maybe if I tweaked it a little, I could give thispresentation at the national conference.

Event organizer: You’ll have time later to think about that. Right now, you needto get out there for the Q&A. They’re waiting for you.

Herman: But I don’t have anything else to say.

Event organizer: Just get out there. Your adoring public is waiting for you!

[end of dialogue]

Our dialogue begins with the event organizer, the person who is in charge of orwho is running this particular event where the presentation is going to be made,she says to Herman, the person who is going to give the presentation – thepresenter, “Did you hear that? It’s a packed house and your presentation was ahit.” A “packed (packed) house” is when you have a very large audience, lots ofpeople who come and they take up every seat in the place where the event isbeing held. Sometimes we say there’s “standing room only,” meaning there areno more places to sit because there are so many people there. That’s a packedhouse. It doesn’t mean that it’s a house that you live in. The word “house” herejust refers to the place – the auditorium or stadium where the event is takingplace.

The event organizer says that Herman’s presentation was a hit. To saysomething is “a hit” means that it is very successful; it was very popular. We talkabout hit songs or hit movies; these are songs and movies that are very popular.

“Hit” has a number of other definitions; take a look at our Learning Guide forthose. Finally the event organizer says, “People are clamoring for more.” “Toclamor” (clamor) means to ask for something but in a very loud way, to make alot of noise demanding or insisting that something happen. The people areclamoring for more, they’re wanting Herman to do more of his presentation or tomake the presentation longer – to continue it.

Herman says, “I can’t believe it. I wasn’t expecting that kind (or that type) ofreception.” “Reception” comes from the verb “to receive.” It’s a noun meaningthe way or the manner in which something is received, the way people react tosomething or react to someone. The presentation got a good reception; it was“well received” we might also say.

“The audience,” Herman says, the people who were listening, “seemed to like it.”

The event organizer says, “Like it? They were on the edge of their seats.” Shesays “like it” meaning they didn’t just like it, they loved it. “They were on the edge(edge) of their seats.” The “seat” is where you sit in an auditorium or a stadium.

The “edge” is at the very end or border, if you will, of the seat. It’s where yourbody is just barely on the seat. The expression “to be on the edge of your seat”

means that you are so interested, you’re so eager to hear or see something thatyou may be sitting up in your seat, almost like you’re about to stand up. That’s tobe on the edge of one’s seat. Herman says, “The presentation actually startedslowly, but it seemed to gain traction in the middle.” The expression “to gaintraction” (traction) means to have more success, to get better. To begin to bemore well received, that’s to gain traction.

The event organizer says, “You had the audience hooked from the start.” “To behooked” (hooked) means to like something and need something, you want moreof it; you like it and you want even more. This could be true in, for example,someone who is using certain drugs. They may be hooked on – notice thepreposition we use, “on” – hooked on a certain drug. The other words herewould be “addicted,” especially if you are talking about drugs. However, to be“hooked” or “hooked on (something)” is an expression we can use for just aboutanything. In this case, Herman had the audience hooked; in other words, theaudience was very interested. They needed and wanted more from the start –from the very beginning of his presentation. She says, “You could have heard apin drop in there.” The expression “you could have heard a pin drop” means thatit is a situation where everyone is quiet because they are interested insomething; they want to hear what will happen next. When someone makes anannouncement in front of a group of people that is very important, everyone willbe quiet and listen. That’s where you could hear a pin drop. Well, this is the pasttense, so the event organizer says, “You could have heard a pin drop,” it was thatquiet. It was so quiet you could hear a pin dropping on the floor. A “pin,” I shouldmention is a small piece of usually metal that you put into something – you stickinto something, usually to keep something in place. For example, you may havean announcement – a piece of paper, and you take a kind of pin called a “pushpin,” and you put into the wood or you put it into the board so that theannouncement – the piece of paper stays. Well that’s a pin; it’s a small, sharppiece of metal that goes into something.

You could have heard a pin drop when Herman was “going over,” or talkingabout, his “main points,” the main or most important things in the speech. Shesays to Herman, “Your presentation is undoubtedly the highlight of theconference.” “Undoubtedly” means clearly, without a doubt, obviously. A“highlight” is the best part of something, the most interesting or beautiful orimportant part of something. You could say, “I went to Rome, and the highlight ofmy trip was to see Michelangelo’s Pietà,” that’s the highlight, that was the bestpart.

Herman says, “Thanks. I’m still in shock.” “To be in shock” means to be verysurprised by something, unable to fully understand it and sometimes accept it.

You can be in shock over a good thing; you can be in shock over a bad thing.

This is definitely a good thing. Herman says, “Maybe if I tweaked it a little, Icould give this presentation at the national conference.” This may be aconference or a meeting for a given city or state, but Herman thinks if he“tweaked” his presentation, meaning if he improved it, if he made some small changes while leaving most of it the same, but making small changes to improveit, then he could go on to a bigger conference.

The organizer says, “You’ll have time later to think about that. Right now, youneed to get out there for the Q&A.” “Q” stands for question; “A” stands foranswer. The “Q&A” is something that happens at the end of many presentations,where the people who are listening to you – your audience – gets a chance toask you questions about your topic.

Herman says, “But I don’t have anything else to say.” The event organizer says,“Just get out there (meaning go out back in front of the people). Your adoringpublic is waiting for you!” “To adore” means to like or admire someone orsomething. Here, it’s used modify “public,” which are the people – the peoplewho listen to you or who watch you. So, your “adoring public” are the peoplewho adore you, who love you, who want to see more of you.

Now let’s listen to the dialogue, this time at a normal speed.

[start of dialogue]

Event organizer: Do you hear that? It’s a packed house and your presentationwas a hit. People are clamoring for more.

Herman: I can’t believe it. I wasn’t expecting that kind of reception. Theaudience really seemed to like it.

Event organizer: Like it? They were on the edge of their seats.

Herman: The presentation actually started slowly, but it seemed to gain tractionin the middle.

Event organizer: You had the audience hooked from the start. You could haveheard a pin drop in there when you were going over your main points. Yourpresentation is undoubtedly the highlight of the conference.

Herman: Thanks. I’m still in shock. Maybe if I tweaked it a little, I could give thispresentation at the national conference.

Event organizer: You’ll have time later to think about that. Right now, you needto get out there for the Q&A. They’re waiting for you.

Herman: But I don’t have anything else to say.

Event organizer: Just get out there. Your adoring public is waiting for you!

[end of dialogue]

The highlight of all our podcasts is the script written by Dr. Lucy Tse.

From Los Angeles, California, I’m Jeff McQuillan. Thank you for listening. Comeback and listen to us next time on ESL Podcast.

English as a Second Language Podcast is written and produced by Dr. Lucy Tse,hosted by Dr. Jeff McQuillan, copyright 2010 by the Center for EducationalDevelopment.