How to teach business presentations

Question

Hello,Does anybody have ideas how to teach giving presentations to non-natives?  They already know how to use PowerPoint, but are lacking in the vocab.  They are intermediate.  I was thinking about making each class focus on a particular section.  Class 1:  IntroClass 2: Transitionsetc.Any thoughts?Thanks in advance.

BarbaraPA · Accepted Answer

Do you want to teach them about presentations in general, or about using PowerPoint in particular? They are intermediate PP users, or intermediate English speakers?

Monseul · Answer

They all know how to use PowerPoint.

I just need to figure out how to format a class to introduce vocab and format the PowerPoint (ie not use 100 words per slide).

They are all business people, so they don't have time to make presentations for class or do any homework outside of class.

BarbaraPA · Answer

I'm sorry, I'm still missing something. Have you taught this class before, but you're wondering if you need to adopt it for non-native English speakers? Or are you creating this class from scratch?

Monseul · Answer

Thanks for your patience with my vagueness.

From scratch. So, I have no idea what I'm doing.

I'm trying to figure out how to setup a curriculum.

So, basically I need to figure out the following how many classes I should divide this up to and what type of lessons I need to cover.

:-(

BarbaraPA · Answer

I just googled "tips on creating powerpoint presentations" - I haven't read any of them so I don't know how good/bad they are.

I'd start with planning the presentation, analyzing the messages that they want to convey, the audience, etc. Before they even touch the keyboard, know who they are talking to, what they want the audience to do with the message, and then what the messages are, and outlining the information.

Then cover how to transform the messages onto slides. Parallel structure in the bullets. No more than two lines per bullet and then only if absolutely necessary, etc. Talk to them about readable fonts. That projections are dark letters on a light background are easier to read than light letters on a dark background, etc. How to assess just how small a font they can use depending on room size and projection distance.

Then show how PP can simplify some things - slide masters, slide layout, etc. Show the notes page and how to print out the speakers notes, print out handouts with the three-up format (most useful), etc. How to create a hidden slide and how to make sure the hidden slide doesn't show when printing.

Show how to make it pretty - faded back pictures as the background, etc, or elements that show up on each slide. Dear lord in heaven, please stress how bullets that swing in like they are on a trapeze are ridiculous. But how they can make the bullets appear (appear! not fly in) on click or on a timer, and how they can time the show to make them appear automatically in time to their speech.

Then the final session are the really tricky things - how to have a hyperlink that will play a video, etc. Probably tables in PP. How to paste in charts from Excel. (The chart feature on PP sucks, so encourage them to NOT use it.)

That's all I can think of at the moment. Let me know if this is helpful and if there's anythingn else you can think of.

Anonymous · Answer

Has anybody read:

Edward R. Tufte's: The Cognitive Style of Powerpoint

Mark Powell's: Presenting in English

If so, what are your opinions about them?

English Toolbox Co. · Answer

Powell's book is superb.  I've made every school I've worked for buy it!

Clive · Answer

Hi,

Here's another point of view, very briefy.

PowerPoint is just a tool. It's what the speaker says that makes a presentation successful. Otherwise, the presenter might just as well press the start button and leave the room for a drink or a smoke.

I used to get a policeman to come and talk to my class about crime and safety. He did it very well. Then one year, he came with a PowerPoint presentaton. All he did was to read the slides. It was terrible. Now I don't invite him to come anymore.

I'm being a little humorous and provocative

, but I don't see how you can teach presentations unless you get people to prepare and actually give presentations.

Best wishes, Clive

BarbaraPA · Answer

I love this - I got this in a professional newsletter (marketingprofs.com) today:

Recently, PowerPoint quietly celebrated its 20th birthday. Lee Gomes wrote in The Wall Street Journal about the most influential and most groaned-about pieces of software: "There won't be a lot of birthday celebrations for PowerPoint; the program is one the world loves to mock almost as much as it loves to use. While PowerPoint has served as the metronome for countless crisp presentations, it has also allowed an endless expanse of dimwit ideas to be dressed up with graphical respectability."

See this - this is great: http://norvig.com/Gettysburg/

How to teach business presentations

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