Listen to the end of the presentation again (Recording 2.4) and complete the following phrases using between one and three words in each space.

 

1. _______________ recap what I’ve said.

2. I therefore ___________ that...

3. That ___________to the end of my talk today.

4. I would like to thank you for __________ attentive audience.

5. I would be happy to ___________ you may have.

 

13. Read the text about the ‘finish’ of a presentation and answer the questions below.

MAKE YOUR FINAL MESSAGE CLEAR

Stay in control until the very last second and follow
these steps at the ‘finish’ of your presentation.

Firstly, pause briefly and signal clearly that you are now
ready to finish the presentation. The audience will start
to listen again closely at this point.

Then, make your summary, giving a brief overview of what has already been said. The summary is a reflection of your ‘what’ and looks back. It should not be too long as you will lose your audience’s attention again, but detailed enough to cover your points. This can be a difficult balance to achieve!

A good summary gives your listeners time to reflect on the content and builds up to your conclusion, making your conclusion stronger, more powerful and more effective. A conclusion without a summary can sound incomplete as your audience may not have listened to every point during the main part of the presentation and the purpose can be lost. Avoid giving any conclusions while you are making your summary.

After this, give your conclusion. This is a reflection of your ‘why’ and looks forward to what you want people to do or think after your presentation. It should follow logically from your summary. There are different kinds of conclusions: you can make a call for action, make a recommendation or assure your audience that they’re better informed. This is the destination of your journey and the most important part of your presentation.

Finally, make your closing remarks by thanking your audience, asking for questions or passing round your presentation handouts.

 

Why don’t some people finish their presentations effectively in your opinion?

Do you agree that every presentation has some kind of conclusion?

Make a presentation of your current research.

Unit 3 Business Communication

3А

Interpersonal

and Intercultural Contacts

 

1. Fons Trompenaars is a Dutch expert on business and culture. He interviewed over 15,000 business people in fifty countries to find out how culture affects business life. Here are a few of the questions that he asked:

Company Culture Questionnaire

Q.1 Emotion

You are upset about something at you company.

Do you show your emotions at work?

Q.2 Respect

Do you respect someone because of their family background?

Q.3 Responsibility

You are an employee of an engineering company and work as part of a team. Another team member makes a serious mistake while he is working on a piece of machinery for an important customer.

Does the whole team take responsibility?

Q.4 What makes a good manager?

a) Does a good manager allow employees to work alone?

b) Does a good manager control everything?

Q.5 Working life and private life

Your boss asks you to help him paint his house at the weekend.

Would you help him?

 

Questions	Q.1	Q.2	Q.3	Q.4	Q.5
Yes
No

Work in small groups and discuss your answers, giving examples, when relevant.

2. Now compare your answers to the results of surveys of managers in several different countries. In your groups, discuss:

1. Do any of the results surprise you?

2. Can you see any general trends? What are they?

3. What does this tell you about doing business in different cultures?

 

Q.1	Percentage of people who do not show emotions at work:
	Italy 29% France 34% USA 40%	UK 71% Japan 83%
Q.2	Percentage of people who say that respect does not depend on family background:
	Russia 53% Italy 64% Germany 65%	UK 76% USA 77%
Q.3	Percentage of people who think that the individual should take responsibility:
	Austria 28% Japan 36% USA 40%	Spain 47% Russia 68%
Q.4	Percentage of people who think that a good manager allows people to work alone:
	China 57% Japan 71% Italy 78%	USA 83% France 89%
Q.5	Percentage of people who would not help the boss with his house-painting:
	China 28% Austria 65% Spain 71%	UK 89% USA 92%

From: Riding The Waves of Culture, Fons Trompenaars

 

What is your experience of meeting people from different countries? What differences in behaviour have you observed? What do you say and do when you meet someone visiting your organisation from another culture?