Learn English Professionals

1.01	B	Descriptive gestures	A ... are used to reinforce an idea. Examples: bringing the fist down into the palm of the hand to suggest refusal or determination, shaking one's head to express disagreement.
1.02	A	Emphatic gestures	B ... generally communicate how the speaker feels about what they are describing. Examples: shrugging the shoulders to suggest ignorance or indifference, clutching the temples with both hands to express despair or frustration.
1.03	D	Counting gestures	C ... express ideas of size, shape, place or movement. Examples: holding the hands wide apart to suggest great size, moving one hand downwards to suggest a decline.
1.04	C	Attitude gestures	D ... using the fingers of one hand, help the audience to follow a series of steps in a description or a list of points in an argument.

Make sure you are honest in your answers and that you take the time to practise and to observe others. This type of reflection activity is very important as it allows you to relate these lessons to your own situation.

3.01	Our ignorance of these problems is like a vast desert. e.g. Hands and arms move outwards in an open gesture to indicate a large area.
3.02	Cohesion means sticking together tightly. Bringing the hands together and interlocking your fingers
3.03	We must keep costs down, so as to be more efficient. Pushing the hands down from a higher start point to a lower position to show pressure to keep something down and in its place.
3.04	These two parts join at an angle, making a kind of corner. Moving your hands together so the finger tips of each hand meet to form a 90° angle
3.05	If the air-conditioning is too cold, people will sit all huddled up, trying to keep warm. Wrapping your arms around your body to imitate someone trying to warm themselves up
3.06	They’re always adding new parts, and the result is, the equipment gets bigger and bigger. Your hands move outwards step by step to create a bigger, wider area.
3.07	This matter is finished. We don’t want to hear any more about it. Your hands start close together in front of you and move outwards away from the centre.

[4.01] Effective	[4.02] Less effective
Let the audience read the details on your slide for themselves. (add comments rather than just read the text aloud)	Read aloud everything on the screen to make sure your audience understands all the data.
Face the audience rather than turning your back on them to read from your PowerPoint presentation. (to connect with your audience you should not turn away from them)	It’s better to face the screen so you can read what you’ve written. (you should have prepared your speech well enough so that you only need to occasionally have a quick look at the screen. Ideally you will be able to position the screen so you can see it without turning your back on the audience)
Take a back seat and stand to one side to allow the audience to absorb important points on the screen. (your presentation should be the focus not just you)	Make sure you are always the focus – don’t let the visuals take your place. (Not always , but don’t make the visuals the most important part of your presentation)
Use a pointer (a pen would do) to draw the audience’s attention to certain points. (make sure you are able to interact with the transparency if necessary)	Point to the data on your transparency from a distance – you don’t want to get in the way. (don’t get in the way but don’t move too far from your transparency if you want to be able to highlight certain points)

5.01	Visual aids help to clarify a presentation. Yes. If you choose appropriate visuals for the audience and to support the content of your presentation.
5.02	Using different colours can confuse and distract the audience. Not if you use these colours clearly perhaps to highlight/underline important words or expressions on a whiteboard using different colour marker pens.
5.03	Always leave your visuals on display throughout the whole presentation for the audience to look at. Depends on the visuals and the content of your presentation. If the visuals support the whole presentation then yes. If a section of your presentation is not supported by visuals, leaving them viewable might make people focus on the visuals rather than the content.
5.04	Include as many details as possible on your transparency to impress the audience with your knowledge. No, transparencies should only contain information in brief form e.g. bullet points
5.05	Always point to the visual to make sure the audience is in step with your explanation. Depends on the clarity and effectiveness of your visuals and perhaps the size and seating arrangements of the audience.
5.06	Plan your visuals carefully before your presentation. Yes. You need to know exactly what you are working with and how to use each resource.
5.07	Display your transparency, give your audience time to skim it, and then begin talking. This is often a good strategy to use. The main thing to remember is don’t just read word for word what is on your transparency. Instead, you should use a transparency (or PowerPoint slide) as a if they were your notes there to help you remember the main points of the speech.
5.08	While your visual is on display, speak more slowly than usual – your audience is trying to focus on two things at the same time. Not necessarily more slowly but you should obviously speak as clearly as possible.

Can you unscramble the letters to find 4 different media used to present visuals?

6.01	lipcrafth	flipchart
6.02	oerppoitnw	PowerPoint
6.03	withbeardo	whiteboard
6.04	cransparenty	transparency

Now match each one to the advantages and disadvantages then add some of your own ideas to each list.

In this lesson you have:

	Looked at how to use hand gestures appropriately
	Considered the effects of body language on an audience
	Explored different types of visual aid and looked at their advantages and disadvantages

In this study block – Work: Presentations – you have looked at how to structure a presentation. You have also explored different techniques to help you deliver your presentation effectively. Finally, you have considered the importance of body language and visual aids in presentations. You should now feel more confident when preparing and delivering a presentation.

The next LearnEnglish Professionals e-m@il lessons study block focuses on job hunting and lifestyle issues.