Business+presentations

Present Like Steve Jobs
Apple CEO Steve Jobs - currently on extended sick leave - is well known for his electrifying presentations. In this short video, communications coach Carmine Gallo discusses the various techniques Jobs uses to captivate and inspire his audience - techniques that can easily be applied to your next presentation. For more tips on presenting like Steve Jobs read Carmine Gallo's BNet Crash Course.

[|Speakers for business]
Video and audio material from a variety of well known mostly British business figures who speak on a wide range of business related issues. So, a useful source of presentation examples and a source of material on topics from advertising to retailing, by way of cultural diversity.

[|Presentation Zen]
Here are a set of Before/After slides from the author of Presentation Zen Garr Reynolds designed to illustrate the visual impact that can achieved through simplicity. media type="custom" key="979789" If you find this interesting then check out his book [|Presentation Zen] or visit the [|website]. And hdere is Garr Reynolds speaking to Google staff as part of the Google Talks series. It's long, but well worth watching:

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[|Why do people succeed]?
"Is it because they’re smart? Or are they just lucky? Neither. Analyst Richard St. John condenses years of interviews into an unmissable 3-minute slideshow on the real secrets of success." Here, apart from the intrinsic value of the speaker's message, what is of interest to those wishing to improve their presentation style is the interaction between the spoken and visual elements of the talk.

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The original version of this video can be found at the wonderful resources [|www.ted.com]. I am indebted to Mark Powell for pointing this short presentation out.

[|Business presentations in English]
I have recently developed an online course called Business Presentations in English. This web-based course for businessmen and business students can be found on the Business English learning platform [|English360.com].

The [|Business Presentations in English] course contains five units that systematically cover each stage in the presentation process, plus a review unit that provides additional practice on key areas.

There is also a Course resources section with the details of the online materials used in the course, and an Online feedback section that provides further information on course activities.

[|Business Presentations in English] is designed to be used with a tutor who provides support and feedback either online, or in face-to-face classroom lessons as part of a blended learning programme. But the course also provides the learner with many opportunities for self-study with activities that give immediate feedback on work done.

Follow the link above, sign up and then join the project called "Business presentations in English". If you would like me to provide online support and feedback with this course then please contact me (email) to arrange terms. However, if you prefer to work alone then there are plenty of self-study tasks that you can do at your own pace.

Here below are some examples of the kind of materials you will find in this course:

__John F. Kennedy vs Richard Nixon__
Here is a short video that tells the story of the first presidential TV debate between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon and the story is often used an illustration of just how important body language is in presentations.

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[|How not to present]
A short video clip showing how not to start a presentation - almost definitely a spoof but good to start discussion on what advice you might give this speaker to improve his performance.

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__BusinessWeek Slideshows__
And here are two slide shows that I have adapted from the BusinessWeek.com website. One is specifically concerned with body language and could be used as an online reading activity, and the other covers a wider range of issues. Click on the "View full-screen icon" to see the slide shows properly.

Body language
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Common mistakes
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Body language & PowerPoint
Continuing with the theme of body language, but this time also bringing in the topic of how to use PowerPoint, here's another short clip of some promotional videos that I spliced together:

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[|Free online self-study tutorial]
Here we return to www.englishclub.com for an online tutorial on presentations. The tutorial is divided into the following sections:
 * [|Introduction]
 * [|Preparation]
 * [|Equipment]
 * [|Delivery]
 * [|Language]
 * [|The presentation]
 * [|Review]

And concludes with a simple [|test] to help you quickly revise the areas that are covered in the tutorial.

__Death by PowerPoint__
Here's video that shows some of the pitfalls of over-reliance on PowerPoint

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[|Stop Death by Powerpoint]
Here is a very interesting and I think helpful slideshow from the [|lifehacker] website, which I can also recommend as a good resourse for productive ideas.

media type="custom" key="310327" Thanks to Holger in Essen for finding this.

[|Pecha Kucha]
[|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pecha_Kucha+|Wikipedia] [|PechaKucha.org] [|Wired.com]  media type="youtube" key="wGaCLWaZLI4&hl=de" height="355" width="425"

[|Presentation Video Channel]
This video channel is devoted to clips about and of presentations.

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