In the business world, the moment may arrive when you are put in the position in which you are asked to give a presentation in front of an English-speaking audience. This could be a moment of complete intimidation or it could become an area where you are a shining example among your fellow employees. Here are a few tips to get you started.- Know Your Audience- Knowing who you will be speaking to will greatly influence the theme of your presentation and the vocabulary you use. Will you be speaking to your co-workers or a room full of unfamiliar CEO's? Are you simply encouraging sales increase within your small home business or are you attempting to land a huge international business deal for a large cooperation? Will your audience be native English speakers or do they speak English as a second language?
- Write Your Presentation- Think about the key ideas you wish to convey and write them down. Pick words and phrases that are easy to remember so you don't have to be tied to your notes and you can use more personal eye-to-eye contact. Don't use words that are hard for your listeners to understand just to impress them. If you are giving a PowerPoint presentation, enrich your ideas with clip-art, graphs, or charts. This will also help you to recall your ideas...in English!
- Speak with confidence- In the USA there is a phrase that says "Never let them see you sweat", which simply means to act confident even if you feel nervous. A confident speaker will earn the trust and respect of the audience. This will result in more business and income for you. Again, only use words and English phrases that you are familiar with, or else you may risk making a big mistake and losing your self-confidence.
- Be Serious Without Being Boring- Giving a business presentation is not the time to be a comedian, but you also don't want to put your audience to sleep. A genuine smile, warm greeting, and saying "Thank you" will bring a nice balance to the seriousness of the discussion. Using pictures, charts, or graphs can help keep your boss awake!
- Always be Honest- If sales are down, say so. If theft-prevention needs to be discussed, do so. However, the approach method should always be tactful. For example you could say "I really appreciate the team-effort in increasing our sales this month, but here in this chart I've outlined a way we can do even better next month..." If you set goals for your employees and review ways you plan to support them in their achievements, you will see good results.
