Presentation Techniques
1. EMPHASIS
You can dramatically change the significance of what you say by stressing words
which would normally be unstressed or contracted.
- Neutral remark Emphatic remark
It’s our best chance of success. It is our best chance of success.
We were hoping for a better deal. We were hoping for a better deal.
- Subject Intensifier Main Verb Complement
I completely agree with everything you’ve said
We firmly oppose any suggestion that the company be sold.
2. SOFTENING
Look at the following extract from a presentation. See how the highlighted words and
phrases have a softening effect.
We’ve more or less completed the first round of negotiations in
Osaka, and we’re pretty certain they like what we are offering,
although with the Japanese it is quite difficult to tell sometimes.
It’s a little too soon to say whether we’ll get an exclusive contract.
Exclusivity is probably rather too much to hope for. But we’ve just
about reached agreement on price and, all in all, we’re fairly happy
with the way things are going.
3. FOCUSING
Look at these examples and notice how the ‘What … is …’ pattern builds up the
anticipation of the audience.
We can’t expect too much too soon
What we can’t do is expect too much too soon.
I’d like to approach this question from two different angles.
What I’d like to do is approach this question from two different angles.
4. REPETITION
Simple repetition is one of the good presenter’s most powerful techniques.
The overall response has been much, much better than anyone ever expected.
- It really is very, very difficult to predict what might happen in 10 years’ time.
It’s always far, far easier to identify a gap in the market than it is to fill it.
- bigger and bigger better and better stronger and stronger
- Nobody knows that better than we do – NOBODY.
