Unit Voice and Visuals
Unit Voice and Visuals
Unit Voice and Visuals
1 When you stand up to speak in public, what keeps an audience interested in what
you're saying? Expertise or enthusiasm? Visual impact or vocal range? PowerPoint or
natural presence?
I do not ohjed to people
looking at their watches
when I am speaking. But I
2 You are going to read about power and public speaking. First test your communicative
awareness below by underlining the correct information.
strongly ohjed when they
start shaking them to make
certain they are still going.
Lord Birkett, British Judge
3 Work with a partner to check your answers in 2. Each read a different web article
opposite. Then share your information.
4 Do any of the points mentioned in the articles surprise you? If true, what are the
implications for a business presenter?
5 Highlight the following in the article you read and explain why you chose them t o
your partner:
• three new words you'd like to remember
• three new phrases you'd like to remember
2 1.13 Listen to the voicemail from your Taiwanese client following the
presentation in 1. Discuss his reaction with a partner.
Visuals
1 When you give presentations, what visuals do you use?
draw give have learn mention notice point put see show
4 Draw a simple graph or chart relating to an interesting aspect of the business you're in,
the company you work for, or your country's economy. Use some of the expressions in 3 to
present it to the class.
Voice
1 How might pausing sometimes be the most effective thing a speaker can do? Read
what communication expert Courtland Bovee has to say about the power of the pause.
A pause is more than just a way to vary your speaking rate. It's also an important
way to add emphasis and meaning to selected phrases and sentences. You can
insert a pause to allow an audience a moment to think about an idea. to indicate a
shift to a new idea or to a new section of your speech. or to heighten anticipation
of your next idea.
5 1.15 Work with a partner. Listen again to the fluent and confident versions.
One of you should mark the pauses like this: I The other should underline the stressed
words. Compare your results. What's the connection between where we pause and what
we stress?
6 1.16 Deliver all the sentences in 2 in a fluent and confident way. Experiment with
longer pauses and stronger stresses. Then compare your version with the recording.
8 Work with a partner to make your Shakespearian debut! Read through the
Shakespeare speech on page 28 and take turns to be the actor and director. Don't worry -
the speech has been slightly modernized!
• Decide where you are going to pause - mark short pauses like this: I longer pauses like
this: I I and very long pauses like this: I 11
• Underline the words you are going to stress: usually nouns and verbs, but sometimes,
for dramatic effect, you can stress pronouns and conjunctions.
• Highlight in different colours parts of the text you really want to project, even shout,
and parts you want to say quietly or perhaps whisper.
• Try the speech a few times, the actor speaking, the director giving advice and feedback.
When you are ready, have fun performing it!
9 1.18 Listen to the speech below. How does your performan ce compare with th e
recorded version?
Kenneth Branagh
as King Henry in Henry V
The story so far:
T he Engli h arm ha n ught a long
hard campaign in France and now
the fa e th ir fi nal battle at Agincourt.
The are heavil outnumbered and the
soldiers are xhausted and alm st read
to surrender. Hern 's generals, Bedford,
Exeter, Warwick, Talbot, Salisbury
and Gl uce ter, d not really believe
the can wi n. Henry kn ws he mu t
somehow build confid nee and elf-
belief in hi troops if they are to tand
even the remotest chanc of victory.
And so he tells his men not t wish for
a bigger arm , since all the glo1 can
n w be th irs ...
almost halved
nearly doubled
increased tenfold
plateau'd
more than tripled
quadrupled
mountaineering equipment
military hardware
lifts
L
meaning of the verbs, if necessary.
And on the stock market today ...
totally collapsed
were up and down
went up sharply
a kitchen knives peaked
b but the housing market boomed
Sales have c After a nervous start ...
d rubber ~quickly recovered
e medical supplies shot up
f the automotive industry bounced back
rifles picked up after lunch
Which of the above means the same as a fourfold increase? and vacuum cleaners also rallied
2 Match the adjectives with ones which have a similar In some of the fiercest trading seen in the City ...
meaning and put them in order from the biggest to the swimwear~ hit rock bottom
smallest. mining equipment completely dried up
ice skates plunged
considerable huge massive moderate
modest reasonable significant slight
and the market for raisins slipped a little
By close of trade ...
a _____ / _____ remained unchanged
b _____ / _____ fell dramatically
a
c _____ ; _____ increase
men's socks were stationary
d _____ ; _____ and theatre curtains skyrocketed
3 Describe the following success rates using suitable 5 Mark the verbs and verb phrases in 4 according to the
adjectives from the box. trend they describe: up(..?'), down (',i.), up and down (At),
disappointing disastrous encouraging miserable down then up ('/) and no change (---+).
phenomenal promising spectacular unimpressive
a _ _ _ _ _ ; _ _ _ _ _ 953
Grammar
b _____ / 653
a(n) success rate
c _____ / 253
Modal verbs
d _____ / 33
1 In each of the sentences below, delete the modal verbs
that are incorrect.
a We ... now, but we can if we want.
(mustn't pay/ don't have to pay/ haven't got to pay)
b I ... my laptop, so I left it at the office.
(needn't take/ didn't need to take/ needn't have taken)
c We .. ., if we'd known he wasn't coming in today.
(didn't need to wait/ mustn't wait/needn't have waited)
d When I was a student, I ... for hours on end.
('d study/ would h~e studied/ used to study)
e I· ~· quite left-wing, but I've become more conservative.
(used to be/ would be/ must have been)
f I took my driving test three times before I ... pass.
(could/ was able to/ managed to)
All the following phrases and expressions can be used to describe and comment on visual aids.
Add them to the chart according to their function.
INTRODUCTION HIGHLIGHTS
CONTEXT CONCLUSIONS