Presentations are a big deal, especially when they’re not in your native language. Beyond the slides and the talk, standing up in front of an audience is stressful no matter your age or experience. That’s why at POWER English, we relate to you and your presentation from a broad perspective, encompassing elements of language, communication and self-confidence. We view presentations as an opportunity to shine, but before diving into the presentation itself, there are 5 essential questions you should be asking yourself.
1. Who am I presenting to?
This may be the most important question you can ask before beginning to plan your presentation! The content, tone and language will be vastly different according to your audience. Colleagues, customers, stakeholders, partners, potential investors…each require their own approach and messaging for successful performance.
2. What is my presentation part of?
Whether you’re giving a ‘zoom-in’ presentation on one element of a much bigger whole, like presenting the consumer product marketing plan to the general management committee OR a standalone presentation to update a gathering of investors on organizational activity OR presenting your company/expertise at a global conference…knowing where your presentation fits into the puzzle is valuable information to have before planning. Relating to who is speaking before and after you, and the topics that are being raised can help you to create a coherent, relevant and interesting presentation.
3. Why is the presentation in English?
If the answer is obvious, please skip this question BUT let’s face it, it’s not always so clear. Have you noticed how it takes just one person in the room not to speak or understand the local language, and ‘boom’, everyone goes into English! The same may be true of those present at your presentation. Imagine how comfortable you may feel if most of the other people in the room are not native English speakers! This phenomenon actually has a name – the “native speaker problem” (Sweeney & Hua, 2010). It occurs because native English speakers are often not sensitive enough to non-native English speakers. By failing to be empathic to how the other person may be feeling, they actually increase feelings of low self-confidence, discomfort and anxiety. If you have experienced the “native speaker problem”, you will definitely want to know the language status of your audience!
4. What do I want my audience to leave with?
Answering this question forces us to focus on the bottom line of our presentation. It’s the raison d’etre of the whole thing. From this point, we can work backwards to determine the core messages necessary to make this happen. At POWER English, creating clear and sharp messages is achieved by adopting a K.I.S.S. attitude (Keep it short and simple) and by generating an authentic discussion using tough questions to cut to the chase. It’s surprising how difficult this can be for us in our native language, double that when it’s in English.
5. How am I going to give this presentation in the most professional way?
The beauty of this question is that it shows that you’re a professional. Having the motivation to be and do our best sets the stage for improvement and progress. Sometimes we can do it alone and sometimes we need some assistance. POWER English is approached by people just like you, professionals who want to ace their English presentations. In a dynamic and personalized process, we will relate to diverse elements/issues, such as accent reduction, pacing, transitioning, having great and effective slides, guiding listeners with a structured narrative, use of humor, smiling eyes, speaking clearly, pausing, pronunciation and more. This and practice, practice, practice is how to answer this question!
When the big day arrives, coming prepared can make all the difference. It will enable you to take the stage from a place of strength and confidence, to perform to the best of your ability with clear, strong messages. Presentations are opportunities – leverage them to your advantage…and shine!