OBSTACLES TO PRESENTATION
OBSTACLES TO PRESENTATION
Why is it important to present in clear English?
In your verbal and written presentations, the aim is to communicate effectively-not to confuse or belittle the audience. Politicians are notorious for twisting the English language and avoiding speaking clearly. At all times the aim should be clarity. Research indicates that even the most educated would prefer clear English to academic jargon-they may not admit it-but it is true! In the famous movie 'My Fair Lady', the importance of clear English is demonstrated when Eliza Doolittle tries to impress a crowd at the Ascot Races with the comment "The shallow depression over the west of the continent is likely to move slowly in an easterly direction." No-one had any idea what she was talking about. What she meant to say was 'I think we are in for cold weather.
Similarly when the Melbourne zoo in Australia, many years ago,
refurbished the zoo they placed the most important sign at the entrance. They
found that even though the most important sign was at the entrance the number
of visitors to their most popular animals, their pride and joy dropped
dramatically. The sign said: To The Arboreal Primates This was a perfectly good
sign if you are a zookeeper but sadly it meant very little to the general
public. It was not until they replaced the sign that visitor numbers picked up.
The replacement was To the Apes and Monkeys
Clear
English has proven its worth all over the world. In the UK a government travel
form was rewritten in clear English. The changes: Reduced the time to fill it
in by 10%. -Reduced the error rate by 15%. Reduced processing time by 15%.
Saved £900000 for a one off cost of £24000. obits Task . Premarital Inter
digitations It's Ok-we are just holding hands!
Answer the question why' get straight to the point Know why you are writing before you put your fingers to the keyboard. If you are clear in your own mind, then you wil1 make the audience's task easier. A few minutes spent planning does wonders for making your writing clear and to the point. You might be writing to .Inform-is this information which the audience needs? E.g. policy changes. Persuade-perhaps you need people to do something differently. Invite a response-perhaps you are looking for new or alternative ideas. Seek help-you may not be able to do something on your own and require help.
What is the point?
When
you know why you're writing, get to the point quickly. Use headings and
subheadings to make the reading easier. Even in letters it helps to use a
heading. The only exception to this rule is when you have bad news for someone.
When the news is not good, establish rapport before you get to the point.
Remember most people are very busy and the first question they ask themselves
when reading is 'When can I stop reading? Have I got enough information?"
Make sure you make the reader's job easy.
Who are you
writing to?
You
also need to consider who will be reading your writing-the demographics. Older
readers in general require more details, the technical issues, a font of at
least 12 points and you need to get straight to the point. Younger readers
require the big picture, non-technical information, background, definitions and
terms. Note how the following table highlights the information I have just mentioned
in a format that you can remember easily? When you are presenting to a group a
table is often a much better visual than point form or sentences. Older Younger
Details Font 12 pt+ Technical Big Picture Font 12 pt Non-Technical Get to the
point Background, definitions, terms Make it easier for other people to read your
writing! Who are you writing to? Who will be reading your report, memo or
whatever? Consider this question so that you get the information with the
appropriate focus-logical, historical, order of importance The inverted pyramid
is the format used by journalists and other professional writers. I wonder how
many of you only read the heading of a newspaper article? Or perhaps just the
first paragraph? All newspaper articles have been intentionally written this way
to make your reading quicker and easier.
The
main idea is placed first then examples and supporting sentences followed by
less important points. Exercise in putting the key information first Imagine
that you are writing an article about travelling to India for an international
magazine. What would be your focus or key point if it was a magazine for: 1.
Students? 2. Medical professionals? 3. Educators? 4. Travel Agents? 5.
Commonwealth Games Officials? 6. Economists? 7. Conservationists? Do you get
the point? Each target group would require a different focus even though they
would have the same general subject. Students for example might be interested
in budget accommodation, adventures and alternative lifestyles. Medical
professionals on the other hand, might be interested in tax deductible
conferences, visiting the latest medical facilities and five star accommodations.
I am sure you get the idea.
Obstacles
to clear communication your use of language should be clear and inclusive. Make
sure that you use concrete non-exist terms. Use precise and familiar words develop
a vocabulary that allows you to express your ideas clearly. The most familiar
word is the best one to use. Which words could you use to move from the
abstract to the more concrete? Abstract Concrete accordingly accrue
aforementioned acquaint applicable approximately ascertain beneficial
Capitalisation
Capitals are used to begin a sentence. They are also used for proper nouns and
adjectives Lake Como, India, Indian. Headings may also have capitals. Do not
overuse capitals because they make it harder to read. Do not overuse capitals
because they make it harder to read. Do not overuse capitals because they make
it harder to read See what I mean?
Spelling
mere is no need to feel self-conscious about poor spelling. Spelling robs are
generally made in common words. All you require is a memory hook and those
troublesome words can be your strength.
They
were also used by Cicero, Plato, Aristotle, Sir Thomas Aquinas, Henry II,
Shakespeare and Sir Francis Bacon, Most spelling mistakes are errors of habit.
Change the habit and you solve the problem. Once the correct spelling is understood
then the words are no longer problems. You will be in great company if you use
a memory hook becomes Good spellers 'see' the word. If you watch good spellers,
their eyes look upwards. This upward movement with the eyes is used to access
the visual part of the brain. Poor spellers usually look down. Picture these
sentences and look up. They contain a word or part of a word which will help
you with their spelling.
Example: here is where wanted to be. I was
late for the chocolate In the END I saw my friend. Dessert comes after dinner.
A desert is full of Sand (single s). We were WED on a Wednesday. Expense-see
the dollar sign for S. feel good with a complement. I get something Extra with
a complement. Are you ready for February? This is a rare library.
Picnicking-picnic with a king Separate keeps apart Rhythm-Spelt to the tune of
Happy Birthday
Make a list of the
words you have trouble spelling and devise on them. For example, there and
their are typical examples Spelling exercise Once you get used to this,
spelling fm, Spell checks on computers are good but do e your own memory hook. Cannot
of words that some people find on fusing but they would pass the spell check. I
will get you started with your own list: 1. I am in their 2. Here is over there
Gender
Eliminate gender stereotypes. Be careful when you pronouns he, his, him.
Remember to include the other ha human race. n yes One of the best solutions is to use the plural
form. Example: The pilot knows he must check the instrument pane Pilots know
that they must check the instrument
Tautology
a saying the same thing twice. It is a waste of time and frustrates the reader. absolutely essential
at
a later date later
consensus
of opinion Consensus or opinion Content trend end result filled to capacity
mutual cooperation native habitat suddenly exploded
How clear is your presentation?
The Gunning Fog Index is a method of working out the readability to of your writing and presentation. This formula is well known journalists who pitch their writing according to the reading age of their readers. The average person who has been to school has a This is called a Fog Index of 7. The Gunning Fog Index of m website www.roztownsend.com is 6.37. reading age of only 12 years' or 7 years of formal education my The audience needs to understand about 80% or more of what is being presented otherwise it will be too difficult and will switch off. As the subject gets more complicated the presenter needs be clearer. Make sure your audience either understand what you are presenting or has the courage to tell you if they don't! Your job is to encourage understanding of the ideas and not to confuse the audience.
Many word processing packages have a readability test. It is easy to test your
written work with these. You can get the Gunning Fog As a rule of thumb sentences
should average 20 words with no more than 10% polysyllables. A polysyllable is
a word of three or more syllables. The exceptions are: 1. proper nouns-people,
places, companies, products. 2. combination words-e.g., somebody, nevertheless,
caravan. 3. words which become three syllables by adding end, is or e.g., believing. The greatest problem in
communication is the illusion that it has been accomplished. -George Bernard
Shaw
Conclusion
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