Lesson Review 13 – 16 – materials.enrichenglish.net

_______ 1. Speak more slowly.
_______ 2. Speak more quickly.
_______ 3. Say more about your achievements.
_______ 4. Make eye contact.
_______ 5. Say more about your problems.
_______ 6. Don’t say “um.”
_______ 7. Use a smaller font on your slides.
_______ 8. Memorize your presentation.

Example answer

Part 2

Practice

1. 💡 Directions

Watch the video. What advice did Maria and Tom give Alex?

2. 💡 Directions

Watch the video again. Complete the sentences.

Tom is happy because __________________________________________
Alex is nervous because ________________________________________
Alex doesn’t like his boss because ______________________________
Maria is discouraged because __________________________________
After watching Alex practice his presentation for three hours, Maria and Tom are ________________________________________________________________

Sample answer

1. Tom is happy because things are going really great.
2. Alex has to give a presentation at work tomorrow/he can’t stand public speaking/he’s never spoken in front of such a large group before, and his boss is going to be there.
3. Alex’s boss is a difficult person/she’s really controlling and critical.
4. Maria still doesn’t have a job.
5. Maria and Tom are encouraging Alex to keep working on his presentation.

Transcript

Maria: Hey, Tom. How’s it going?
Tom: Oh, things are great... really great. Come on in.
Maria: So, playing a game, Alex?
Alex: No, actually I’m preparing for a presentation I have to give at work tomorrow. I’m really nervous about it.
Maria: Oh, why’s that?
Alex: Well, first of all, I can’t stand public speaking. I’ve never presented to such a large group before. And to make it worse, my boss is going to be there.
Maria: So... what’s wrong with that?
Alex: Oh, haven’t I told you about my new boss? Well, let’s see... she’s a really difficult person... she’s really controlling and critical.
Maria: Well, at least you have a boss.
Alex: Huh? What do you mean?
Maria: Oh, I still haven’t found a job.
Alex: Really? That’s too bad. What field do you want to get into?
Maria: Well, long term, I hope to have a management job... I’m pretty good at motivating people. But my short-term goal is just to get an entry level job so I can get some experience. Anyway, enough about me. Do you want some help with your presentation, Alex?
Alex: Sure, that would be great... maybe I can rehearse it and you can give me some feedback?
Tom: Sounds good. Go ahead.
Alex: Ok, just a minute. So, here goes: Hello, everyone. Um... today I’m going to talk about our, um, new software. First, um, I want to talk about the exciting features of the software. Next, we’ll, um, explore the ways in which our product is better than the competition. Proposing a worldwide sales and promotion strategy. So, um, our product has some really, um, terrific features. For example, um-
Tom: Wait a second, Alex, can I interrupt?
Alex: Uh, sure.
Tom: Well, that wasn’t bad, but do you mind if I give you some tips?
Alex: Oh, please do.
Tom: So, the first thing you need to do is take your time. We couldn’t really understand most of what you were saying.
Maria: Yeah, Alex! You can totally do this. Don’t rush your presentation.
Alex: I see. I have to speak more slowly, right?
Maria: Yes. And it’s important to make eye contact with your audience. You were looking at your computer the whole time.
Alex: Yeah, that makes sense. I need to look at the people I’m talking to.
Tom: Right. And try not to say “um” so much. And one other thing; could you say more about what you actually achieved? I mean, you want to impress people, right?
Alex: So, um, you’re, um, saying I need, um, to focus, um, on our um, successes?

[Three hours later…]

Alex: Notes, notes, notes…We’ve been practicing for three hours... don’t you think my presentation is good enough?
Maria: Well to be honest…it’s not perfect, but you still have time to work on it, right?
Alex: Oh good! Can I try again? You’re really great at motivating people, Maria.
Maria: No, no, no. I’m not that great at it. And maybe management isn’t for me after all.
Alex: Okay, guys, you’re not going to believe this. I just got a text from my boss. She said she’s decided to give the presentation herself!

Part 3

Discuss

💡 Directions

Answer the questions

How do you feel when you speak in front of people? Is it easier to speak in front of a small group or a large group? Why?

Think of a time when you gave a presentation. What did you do well? What did you need to improve?

Think of a person (someone you know or a famous person) who is a good public speaker. What makes him or her a good speaker?

Part 4

Review: My short-term goal is...

💡 Directions

Describe the career paths for the jobs below. Describe the goals to your teacher.

movie director

successful novelist

race car driver

TV talk show host

Try to:

Ask about career ambitions
Talk about career ambitions

Asking about career ambitions

What are your career plans?

What field would you like to get into?

What kind of job are you hoping to get?

What’s your dream job?

Talking about career ambitions

My long-term goal is to become a film director.

l’d like to work in the (medical) field.

My short-term goal is to…

I hope to get a job…

Example conversation

A: If I want to be a successful novelist I think I need to read a lot of books to get an idea about what interests people.
B: Yeah. And short-term, you probably have to work in restaurants while you are waiting for your big break.
A: And after I write my first book, I have to get some people I trust to read it. They can tell me how to improve it.

Part 5

Review: I'm very organized.

💡 Directions

Image you are interviewing for the same jobs below. Practice interviewing for the jobs with your teacher. Describe your strengths and weaknesses.

video game creator

fashion designer

executive of an advertising company

journalist

Try to:

Ask interview questions
Describe your strengths and weaknesses

Asking interview questions

What would you bring to our organization?

What are your greatest strengths?

What is your biggest weakness?

What is the biggest challenge you’ve ever faced at work?

Describing strengths and weaknesses

Well, l’m very (organized).

Let’s see. l’m a (hard worker).

I have good (writing) skills.

Sometimes l’m too (detail oriented).

I used to/didn’t use to…, but now I….

Let me think. Once I had to…

Example conversation

A: Being a video game creator isn't just fun. What would you bring to our organization?
B: Well, I'm creative and I work well with others.
A: That's important. And what is the biggest challenge you've ever faced in your job?
B: One time we were trying to develop five new games all at the same time. This was hard because I can be a little disorganized. But we worked together and finished everything before the deadlines.

Part 6

Review: The first thing you need...

💡 Directions

Give clear instructions for the proccesses below.

a process you learned at a job

completing your least favorite household chore

Try to:

Give clear instructions
Restate to show that you understand

Giving clear instructions

The first thing you need to do is (enter your employee code).

The next step is to…

After you’ve…, you…

It’s important to…

Keep in mind that…

Restating to show that you understand

Yes, that makes sense. I need to (make sure I don’t scan it twice).

I see. So I have to…., right?

So you’re saying that…

So what you’re saying is that…

Example conversation

A: To use this photocopier, the first thing you need to do is enter your employee code.
B: That makes sense. The company wants to know which department to charge the copies to.
A: Right. The next step is...

Part 7

Review: I'm here to talk about...

💡 Directions

Give a short presentation on one of the topics below, or choose your own topic. Ask follow-up quesions.

two interesting blogs or books

the two best restaurants in your neighborhood

two of your favorite TV shows

Try to:

Give presentations
Ask follow-up questions

Giving presentations

Today, l’m going to talk about…
l’m here to talk about…
First, I want to talk about…
Next, let’s explore…
To conclude/wrap up…
Does anyone have any questions?

Asking follow-up questions

Could you say more about…?
You mentioned. . . Could you explain that further?
At the beginning of your presentation, you said…
Could you say more about/give more examples of…

Example conversation

A: Today I'm going to talk about the two best restaurants in this neighborhood. First, I want to talk about the Mexican restaurant. They have every kind of food you can imagine. The servings are huge, and the prices are reasonable. Next, I'd like to tell you about the Japanese restaurant just down the street. It has the best raw fish, called sashimi, in town. They fly it in fresh every day. To wrap up, there are lots of great restaurants near our school, so let's have fun eating together one night after class. Does anyone have any questions?
B: You mentioned sashimi. Is it expensive?
A: Well, it's not cheap, but we could order one plate for several of us. That would make it more reasonable. Are there any other questions?