CHAPTER 20 – GIVING A SPEECH
Situation: Jennifer is going to give a speech on Global Warming, and she is quite nervous about the whole process. Mary is trying to calm Jennifer down by giving her some tips on how to deliver a good speech.
Jennifer: I will have to give a presentation on global warming on Friday, and I am so nervous.
Mary: There are a lot of things you can do to make you feel more confident and less nervous.
Jennifer: What should I do, Mary?
Mary: First of all, you need to understand the subject matter thoroughly. You need to know what is global warming, what causes global warming, and what people should do to abate the effects of global warming.
Jennifer: I have done a lot of research on the subject, and I know I can answer any questions I will receive from the audience.
Mary: The next thing that you need is an outline of your presentation. You should think about how to effectively present the subject matter.
Jennifer: You mean what I should talk about, or more precisely the sequence of my presentation?
Mary: Yes, what you should present first, second, third…
Jennifer: If that is the case, then I already have an outline. To make it easy for my audience to follow the presentation, I intend to post the outline on the board at all time during my speech.
Mary: Good idea! By the way, do you have any facts to back you up? For example, change of climate, yearly disasters…
Jennifer: No, I have not thought about that. I better get some statistics from the Internet. I should not have any problems since the Internet has all kinds of data.
Mary: Good. It is easier to convince people and to hold their attention with actual data. It would be even better if you show some pictures along the way. Do you have any?
Jennifer: No, it is another thing to add to my To Do list. I guess I will need at least two or three pictures to persuade people about the dangers of global warming.
Mary: Pictures will keep your audience from being bored. In order for you to succeed, you need to keep them interested and involved.
Jennifer: What else do I need? Is there anything else I can do to help me relax and be at ease during my presentation?
Mary: You need to practice your presentation. Just pretend that you are standing in front of your audience and start to give your speech.
Jennifer: Pretending is one thing; actually giving a speech is another thing.
Mary: Think positive. Tell yourself that you can do it without any problems.
Jennifer: I guess I can look at this as a presentation of my point of view to my friends. I mean a lot of my friends. I mean all the friends that I have made since kindergarten, plus all the relatives that I have on both my mother and father’s sides.
Mary: If you are really prepared, it will be a piece of cake. You will be able to speak with ease and confidence, and you will be amazed by how well you can express yourself.
Jennifer: I need to do this presentation really well. This is my first presentation in front of a big audience, and it is so important to me.
Mary: This is only the beginning, Jennifer. Being able to express your ideas with confidence and clarity is one of the best skills to possess.
Jennifer: You are absolutely right. I will take time to practice and to learn to relax and express myself really well. Wish me luck, Mary!
Mary: I know you. You can do it. Good luck, Jennifer!
Questions/Answers Practice
| Q: What is the topic of your presentation? | A: My presentation is on global warming. |
| Q: Is it a group presentation? | A: No, it is an individual presentation. |
| Q: Why did you choose this topic? | A: I chose this topic because it is a major issue in our time. |
| Q: How are you going to present it? | A: I will rely heavily on statistics and graphs to keep my audience interested. |
| Q: Are you going to distribute any handouts? | A: Yes, handouts will be distributed to help the audience understand the subject matter better. |
| Q: Is it going to be interactive? | A: I will try to get the audience involved, and they can ask any questions they like. |
| Q: How long is your presentation? | A: It is going to be half-an-hour long. |
| Q: How will your teacher grade the presentation? | A: 30 points for content, 15 points for oral presentation, and 5 points for audience reaction. |
3) Comprehension test
- How does Jennifer feel about giving a presentation on global warming?
- What should Jennifer do to make her feel less nervous and more at ease?
- How confident is Jennifer about answering the audience’s questions?
- How can an outline help Jennifer?
- How can the Internet help Jennifer?
- How can Jennifer convince her audience and hold their attention?
- What should Jennifer add to her To Do list?
- What should Jennifer do in order to achieve success?
- Why should Jennifer pretend that she is giving a speech to her audience?
- How many times did Jennifer give a presentation to a big audience in the past?
- What is one of the best skills that people should possess?
- What does Jennifer intent to do before speech day?
4) Discussion
- What is global warming? What are the effects of global warming?
- Why are communication skills so important in life?
- What else can Jennifer do to feel more confident and less anxious?
- How well will you do if you have to give a presentation to a large audience?
GRAMMAR REVIEW
CLAUSES
A clause is a group of words which includes a subject and a predicate. The subject is either the person/thing that is doing an action, or the person, thing or idea being described. The predicate provides information about the subject, and usually comes after the subject.
A clause can be an independent (main) clause or a dependent clause. Independent clauses have meaning by themselves because they express a complete thought; and therefore they are considered complete sentences. Dependent clauses can not stand by themselves because a complete thought is not present. They are not complete sentences and they always need to be connected to an independent clause.
Essential/Nonessential clauses
Dependent clauses can be essential or nonessential.
Essential clauses are necessary to a sentence because their absence can completely change the meaning of the sentence.
All women who are pregnant should not drink alcohol. (Only pregnant women should not drink alcohol)
All women should not drink alcohol. (Pregnant women and all other women should not drink alcohol. All females should not drink alcohol)
Nonessential dependent clauses add information that is not essential and can be deleted without distorting the meaning of the sentence. Usually, nonessential clauses are set off by commas. Jennifer, who is very nervous, has to give a speech today. (The nonessential dependent clause who is very nervous can be deleted without distorting the fact that Jennifer has to give a speech today)
Mrs. Anderson, who has three kids, always wakes up early to prepare breakfast for the whole family. (The nonessential dependent clause who has three kids can be deleted without distorting the fact that Mrs. Anderson always wakes up early to prepare breakfast for the whole family)
Types of dependent clauses
Dependent clauses can serve various purposes. They can act as an adjective, noun or adverb. The global warming topic, which is very complex, was selected by Jennifer. (Which is very complex modifies Global Warming topic and is an adjective clause)
I don’t believe what he said. (What he said is the object of don’t believe and is a noun clause)
I ran after he had blown the whistle. (After he had blown the whistle modifies ran and is an adverb clause)
Questions/Answers Practice
| Q: What is a clause? | A: A clause is a group of words which includes a subject and a predicate. |
| Q: Are all clauses the same? | A: No, there are independent or main clauses and dependent clauses. |
| Q: What is an independent clause? | A: An independent clause is a clause that has meaning by itself because it expresses a complete thought. |
| Q: What is the main difference between an essential and a nonessential dependent clause? | A: Nonessential dependent clauses can be deleted without distorting the meaning of the sentence. |