TASK 3: Oral presentation to convince the management board
This is the last stage in the process you started in Task 1. Imagine that you’ve successfully devised a new product, analysed its feasibility and written the feasibility report and the technical specifications of this product. Now you’ve reached the last stage: you’ll have to persuade the management board of the company that your idea is good. To do so, you’ll have to make an effective and persuasive presentation, which is the goal of this task.
Activity 1 – Becoming familiar with persuasive oral presentations
Activity 2 – Planning an oral presentation
Activity 3 – Making persuasive claims in an oral presentation
Activity 4 – Rehearsing the presentation
REAL-LIFE TASK: Oral presentation of the product in front of the company management board (VR).
Learning objectives for task 3:
SKILLS
READING:
‐ B2 I can adapt my style and speed of reading to different texts and purposes and consult appropriate reference sources selectively.
‐ B2 I can use a variety of strategies to understand texts within the area of my academic and professional specialty, including word-building clues and other contextual clues.
WRITING:
‐ B2 I can write clear and detailed texts such as short essays, reports and texts for presentations on topics related to my field of interest varying my vocabulary and style according to the kind of text
‐ B2I can prepare a clear outline of a presentation, including the introduction, development and conclusion, keeping the audience and the purpose of the talk in mind.
‐ B2 I can plan what is to be said and the means to say it, considering the effect on the recipient(s).
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LISTENING:
‐ B2 I can follow complex lines of argument, if the topic is reasonable familiar and the speech is clearly organized and presented
‐ B2 I can follow the essentials of lectures, talks and reports and other forms of academic or professional presentations in my field
‐ B2 I can use a variety of strategies to achieve comprehension, including listening for main points and using contextual clues
‐ C1 I can understand a wide range of idiomatic expressions and colloquialisms, appreciating differences in style and register, in accord with different contexts and situations.
‐ C1 I can easily use contextual, grammatical and visual clues to infer attitude, mood and intentions and anticipate what will come next.
SPEAKING PRODUCTION:
‐ B2 I can give clear, detailed descriptions on subjects related to my field of interest, using the special language appropriate for the theme with occasional mistakes.
‐ B2 I can contribute personal ideas and defend them with arguments in a technical discussion.
‐ B2 I can give a clear, systematically developed presentation (of a project or a report) accompanied by visual aids to transmit significant points and relevant details.
‐ C1 I can give a clear, well-structured presentation of a complex subject, expanding and supporting points of view at some length with subsidiary points, reasons and relevant examples.
‐ C1 I can give oral reports about technical and professional subjects.
‐ C1 I can attract the attention of the audience using appropriate presentation strategies e.g. intonational clues, voice volume, etc.
‐ C1 I can substitute an equivalent term for a word I can’t recall so smoothly that it is scarcely noticeable.
LANGUAGE
· Vocabulary: persuasive language, signposting expressions, phrases used in oral presentations, attention grabbers, phrases to express claims and conclusions.
· Grammar & Discourse: modal verbs (requirements), physical and function description, different types of questions (rhetorical questions, etc.)
· Pronunciation: /ʒ/ measure, endings in –ure and –ture /tʃ/, the schwa, intonation for emphasis.
GENRES: Product presentation (formal presentation), but not to sell, different from an elevator pitch.
INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE (IC): Handling cultural differences in a persuasive communicative situation.
VIRTUAL REALITY activity