Presentations in English (Taschenguide)

Main section: skills and techniques (S. 31-32)

You can use a few or all of the clearly-explained process steps in this chapter, together with the lists of useful phrases to improve your presentation delivery, question handling and disturbance management as follows: fixing your body language and using your voice well in the foreign language (page 58 and 62), making transitions (page 65), explaining slides and diagrammes (page 70), dealing with questions (page 87), handling interruptions and disturbances (page 105).

Fixing your body language

International viewpoint
When presenting to different nationality audiences you need to be aware of three main body language points: eye contact, smiling and the audiences body language.

Example
When presenting to the Japanese, make sure you know who the most senior person is and address your presentation to them. Japanese respect for hierarchy is usually very high. Do not try to motivate others to ask or answer questions; this could be embarrassing for them. Discussion, if any, should take place with the senior manager or, most often, after the presentation out of work hours, during perhaps karaoke evenings.

Eye contact

If the people you are speaking to dont look you directly in the eye, dont force them to do it by trying to move into their view. Direct eye contact in Western European countries most often means honesty and friendliness, but not always in other parts of the world. In Japan and other Asian countries it can mean a lack of respect. Men and women looking at each other directly in the eye can also mean different things in countries such as Turkey, for example.