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DL TGL 19 - Reading Comprehension

1. Ideally, slides should focus on relevant visual material, such as diagrams, microscope images, or chemical structures. 2. The style of spoken English is quite different from the style of written English. 3. Public speaking is the part of presentations that most people dread.

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Aditya Tri Wardana
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41 views2 pages

DL TGL 19 - Reading Comprehension

1. Ideally, slides should focus on relevant visual material, such as diagrams, microscope images, or chemical structures. 2. The style of spoken English is quite different from the style of written English. 3. Public speaking is the part of presentations that most people dread.

Uploaded by

Aditya Tri Wardana
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Reading Comprehension 

Presentations (continuation)  
3. Write for your specific readers: consider shared knowledge
Visual materials, probably in the form of PowerPoint slides, are likely to be a vital part of
your presentation. It is crucial to treat the slides as visual support for your audience, rather
than as a set of notes for you. A good slide might have around three clear bullet points on it,
written in note form. If you are less confident speaking in English, you can use fuller
sentences, but do not write your script out in full on the slide. As a general rule, avoid reading
from your slides; you want the audience to listen to you instead of reading ahead. Also,
remember that intonation can be 'flattened' by reading, and you don't want to put the audience
to sleep. However, if you need to rely on some written text to explain some difficult points
and calm your nerves, make sure you pause and look at the audience between these points;
then go back to talking and not reading the next slide.
Using clean texts, darker-colored text on lighter-colored backgrounds, and presenting data as
figures instead of complete sentences results in easier-to-comprehend slides. Ideally, the
slides should focus on relevant visual material, such as diagrams, microscope images, or
chemical structures. A good diagram can be far easier for people to understand than words
alone. Make sure that you point to the slides as you talk. This will help guide the audience's
attention to the correct part of the slide, and can keep them engaged with what you are
explaining. Make sure your visual materials are easy to read. Use dark lettering on a pale
background for maximum visibility; pale lettering on a dark background can be difficult to
read. Choose a standard clear font, like Arial or Times New Roman, and make sure that the
size is large enough to be seen from the back of the room. Lay out the slides so that the
elements are properly spaced. It is better to split a slide into two or three separate slides
instead of overfilling one slide. Although your time is limited, your number of slides is not!
Remember that you are not writing a manuscript, so you don't have to use complete
sentences. On your slides, verbs (especially "be" verbs) can be omitted. An example is shown
in the figure.

Tip 4: Talk in "spoken English" style, not in "written English" style


The style of spoken English is quite different from that of written English. If you are
preparing your script from text in a research paper, you will need to change the style of the
written phrases into that of spoken phrases. The written English we read in research papers
often has a very formal style, using complex vocabulary and grammatical structures. This
level of complexity is possible because readers can take their time reading papers to
understand the content fully and can look up unfamiliar words or grammatical phrases as
needed. This is not possible when listening to spoken English, when the audience hears your
point once and fleetingly (this is why brief text and images on your slides can help convey
your message fully).

Tip 5: Practice your presentation and practice again!


Public speaking is the part of presentations that most people dread. Although it might not be
possible to get over your nerves completely, good preparation and practice will give you
confidence. Most confident speakers do lots of preparation and use notes well.
After you've written your script, practice and learn is—not so that you learn to say it by rote,
but so that it will become easier to remember the important points to say, the links between
the points (to maintain the flow of your 'story'), and the words and phrases that express your
points clearly.
One way that we at Think SCIENCE can help you with this is through our audio recording
service, in which a native speaker records your script at your chosen speed (native speed,
slightly slower, or considerably slower). You can then use the recording to practice
pronunciation, intonation, and pacing.
Again, if possible, try to avoid reading directly from your slides or script. Once you know
your script, you can make a simple set of notes to jog your memory. If you are speaking
instead of just reading, you can better engage with your audience and capture their attention.
Leave yourself adequate time to practice your presentation with your notes and slides. Check
your timing, remembering that you might speak a little faster if you are nervous, and that you
will need to account for changing slides and pointing at visual material.
As you rehearse, you will probably notice some words that are awkward to say, particularly if
English is not your first language. Check pronunciation with a reliable source, such
as www.howjsay.com, an online dictionary, or a native speaker, and then practice to avoid
stumbling and putting yourself off during the presentation.
Practice can help you feel more comfortable with your material and more confident to present
it to others.

Concluding remarks
Remember the importance of knowing your audience, giving yourself time to prepare
thoroughly, and structuring your talk appropriately. And, don't panic!
At Think SCIENCE, we have years of experience helping people prepare effective research
and conference presentations. From comprehensive editing and translation of your slides and
scripts to our audio recording service, we can help you get ready for your presentation. We
also offer one-on-one private presentation coaching sessions to help you make the most of
your opportunities to present, and provide semester courses to young researchers.

Please read the text above and answer questions below clearly and shortly: 
1. Ideally, what slides should focus on? (Tip 3)
2. What is the style of spoken English quite different from? (Tip 4)
3. What is Public speaking? (Tip 5)

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