Think very deeply about the message you want to send to your audience. When you are preparing, MOST of your time should be spent on crafting this message. Even if your speaking style is awkward, you will be successful if the message is right.
2. Have Strong Openings and Conclusions
An interesting opening using a question, statistic or interesting quote will make the audience wonder what is next. A strong conclusion will ensure your audience remembers your message!
3. Remember Key Words, not the Whole Speech
People who try to memorize their entire speech word for word often look awkward and uncomfortable. What is worse, if they forget something, they are lost and look very unprofessional. Instead, just remember five or six keywords and fill in the sentences as you go.
4. Prepare with a Watch
Teacher Joe prepares his speeches wherever he goes - on his way to work, during a break, while sitting on the toilet. To make sure he will not waste his listeners' time, he always uses a stopwatch. By timing yourself, you will be able to cut out unnecessary parts of your speech and really fine-tune your message. (See number one above!)
5. Use Stories
Stories are one of the most powerful ways to communicate. Stories help your audience listen carefully and remember your message better. You don't need long, complex stories. Simple events from your own experience are an excellent way to show what you mean.
6. Speak with Emotion
Our schools and work environment encourage us to use our logical left brain, but most people make decisions using their imaginative right brain. When you appeal to people's emotions, you reach them in a way facts and figures can rarely do.
7. Relax!
Take some deep breaths before you speak and keep your body upright and relaxed during your presentation. Only use hand movements or body movements when they really match what you are saying. With more experience, you can add more "body language", but at first, keep it simple.
8. Speak Slowly
When you speak slowly, you have more time to think about what you want to say and how you can adapt your message to this particular audience. The audience will also be more likely to remember what you say, which is, after all, your main goal!
9. Videotape Yourself
Teacher Joe often makes a before and after video of his students. They are always shocked to see their first presentations but very pleasantly surprised by the improvements in later presentations. Rather than just say "Practice makes perfect", you can SEE it in a video.
People punished for killing villains. People tortured for their beliefs. People who confessed to some crime.
2.
When did the museum open?
In 1794.
In 1964.
In 1974.
3.
Who was Annabel Geddes?
A housewife. A victim's mother. A film set designer.
4.
Children going to the museum ...
become disappointed. do really enjoy their visit. get very frightened.
5.
How many visitors does the museum receive?
Over 4,000 a year. Over 40,000 a year. Over 400,000 a year.
6.
The London Dungeon is located ...
in an old London area. in downtown London. in London financial center.
Audio transcription
Interviewer:
Amy Goodheart is fascinated by villains. Her interest has taken her to a cold dark cellar full of some of the most horrible faces in history. She has been to the London Dungeon. Tell us what you found there, Amy.
Amy Goodheart:
Well, the Dungeon is an exhibition of British medieval history, but actually it concentrates on torture, punishment, disease and death.
Interviewer:
So you saw some pretty major villains there?
Amy Goodheart:
Not specific villains, no, but people who were punished for crimes, whether they were real or imaginary, people who were tortured because they didn't believe in the right things. So in lots of ways it's not the villains who are there but the victims.
Interviewer:
Could you describe some of the punishments these victims suffered then?
Amy Goodheart:
Well, for instance, in those days, if they wanted you to confess to some crime, and you wouldn't, well, they would pile a lot of heavy stones on top of you until you died. So in that case we'd say the villain was the man who was trying to get you to confess, but not the person who was actually suffering the torture. I mean, they could do all sorts of terrible things to you, even though you probably weren't guilty at all. And in the London Dungeon you feel as if you're actually watching those terrible things happening.
Interviewer:
How long has it been going?
Amy Goodheart:
Since 1974.
Interviewer:
And who came up with the idea for such a place?
Amy Goodheart:
Well, it was first thought of by a nice lady who was a London housewife. She had three children, and her name was Annabel Geddes. And she started it because she'd taken her children to the Tower of London, and there were all sorts of notices and descriptions of bloody deeds, but there was no blood at all, and the children were very disappointed.
And she thought that, you know, perhaps something actually showing the blood did have a place and would have a certain appeal. So she started this.
Interviewer:
How did she go about it?
Amy Goodheart:
It was difficult at first because she had no experience; she'd never been in any kind of business at all. Er, so she went and talked to a few of her friends, and her bank. And then she was introduced to a few film set designers: and so it built up gradually.
Interviewer:
How popular is the museum? How many people visit it every year?
Amy Goodheart:
Over four hundred thousand.
Interviewer:
And why do you think people want to see something like that?
Amy Goodheart:
It's difficult to say, but everybody is sort of fascinated by things that frighten them. And I, I think that because everything that's shown happened a long time ago, people can go and look at it, and when they get to the end, they can shrug their shoulders and say, 'But isn't it good that we don't treat anybody like that any more?' I don't know why children are so fascinated, but an awful lot of children go there, and you'd think they would be frightened, but they actually love it.
Interviewer:
Now it's in, I think, quite an old part of the city really. Erm, are there any real life ghosts there at all?
Amy Goodheart:
I'm not absolutely sure, and quite honestly I'm not brave enough to stay there at night to find out !!
Many people learn English because it is the language of the International business community. Business people love meetings. As a business person you will attend (go to) many meetings. Here is some useful Business English you should know.
According to Webster’s dictionary, a value is something that has intrinsic merit, or is something that you rate highly. To have a true understanding of yourself, it is critical to identify your core values, for they are reflected in your behavior on a day-to-day basis. Values give you an internal compass, and they help you to manifest the way you are in the world of work. Often we can see what is important to others by observation; for example, she is really motivated by working on a team, she is trying hard for the promotion, or she wants more flexibility in her work schedule. But most of us find that observing ourselves is difficult at best, so it takes an exercise that provides perspective to distill this information about ourselves.
