You have probably felt it, that nervous feeling one experiences when standing before an audience of unsmiling faces as you prepare to not only speak coherently but sound knowledgeable at the same time. Does your throat go dry? Do your knees begin to shake? Believe me, I know exactly how nerve-racking public speaking and presenting can be. And just to make the task even more challenging, try doing it in a language that is not your native tongue.
Presenting in English can be a tough skill to master, but as we move forward in the fast-paced Jakarta lifestyle, it is something we will all need to get used to.
Here are my top 5 business presentation tips for any language:
[checklist icon=”fa-check-square-o” iconcolor=”light” circle=”yes” circlecolor=”” size=”13px” class=”” id=””][li_item icon=””]Check your timing: When nervous we all tend to talk a bit quicker which can change the timing of the presentation. Check the timing beforehand and remember to pause at each comma or full stop[/li_item][li_item icon=””]Make eye contact: Reading from a sheet is NOT presenting. It does not engage with anyone and your message will not get through, however valuable your points[/li_item][li_item icon=””]Expect questions: On most occasions your audience will want to ask follow-up questions. Anticipate what they will ask and answer honestly and concisely[/li_item][li_item icon=””]Vary your pitch, tone and volume: If you do not sound interested then you cannot expect your audience to be[/li_item][li_item icon=””]Stand: When possible always try to stand and walk around a little. It becomes monotone and easy to lose concentration when facing a public speaker that sits still and doesn’t connect[/li_item][/checklist]
So next time you find yourself in the situation of having to prepare a presentation, try to remember these tips and impress rather than depress your colleagues.
Business English Idioms
The history of Jakarta is founded on its important location for trading. Since the Dutch East Indies used Batavia as their de facto capital, Jakarta has been a multicultural port city harbouring many languages.
Contemporary Jakarta is no different and the recent economic boom has served to perpetuate the need for business’ and their employees to speak the lingua franca. Hundreds of thousands of expatriates now live in Jakarta and the surrounding satellite areas, many of whom are Korean, Japanese, Australian and European.
Whilst working as the manager of an English school in Tangerang, I came across many Koreans and they would always ask me the same question: how can I improve my understanding of business English? When I asked more about their misunderstanding of business English it was often that they could not understand teleconferences as many native speakers spoke too quickly and used many idiomatic expressions that they found hard to understand as there was no literal translation.
[tagline_box backgroundcolor=”#f6f6f6″ shadow=”no” shadowopacity=”0.7″ border=”0px” bordercolor=”#f6f6f6″ highlightposition=”bottom” content_alignment=”” link=”http://themeforest.net/user/ThemeFusion” linktarget=”” modal=”” button_size=”” button_shape=”” button_type=”” buttoncolor=”” button=”” title=”” description=”There are many business idioms used in English and they are easy to find on the Internet. Here is an example of just one. By the Book – To do things ‘by the book’ means to do things by company policy or by the law.” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”” animation_speed=”0.1″ class=”” id=””][/tagline_box][separator style_type=”none” top_margin=”-20″ bottom_margin=”-20″ sep_color=”” border_size=”” icon=”” icon_circle=”” icon_circle_color=”” width=”” alignment=”” class=”” id=””]
Don’t feel alone if you are having trouble understanding and communicating with business English idioms. Here are my top tips for using Business English idioms:
[checklist icon=”fa-check-square-o” iconcolor=”light” circle=”yes” circlecolor=”” size=”13px” class=”” id=””][li_item icon=””]Learn them slowly: Idioms are difficult to master and leaning only three a week is a great way to start[/li_item][li_item icon=””]Put them into different contexts: Understanding idioms is easiest when used in context as they have little or no literal meaning[/li_item][li_item icon=””]Learn their formality: Some idioms are formal and some are not and to understand which is which is best done in an informal setting where there are few consequences[/li_item][li_item icon=””]Practice with someone who understands them: Idioms are best practised with a native teacher of English[/li_item][/checklist]
Improve your presentation skills through our presentation books. Read tips on for example presenting a message effectively, engaging with an audience and using your voice. It is never too late to become an excellent communicator.
[/imageframe][/three_fifth][two_fifth last=”yes” spacing=”yes” center_content=”yes” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ class=”” id=””][ctct form="17015"][/two_fifth][/fullwidth]
