How to deliver presentations in a foreign language?

Public speaking is probably one of the most common fears not only among students, but also professionals. To make matter worse, sometimes it is necessary to deliver such presentations in a foreign language, which is another stress-inducing factor for almost every speaker... Yet there is only one way to overcome this anxiety – by practising it. It is certainly a skill that we should all master at some point of our lives. If you are willing to upgrade your presentation skills, here are some tips for you.  

1) Preparing your presentation

• research extensively for the subject you are going to talk about, so that you would become an expert in this field. In this way, you will be prepared for the Q&A session as well. 

• prepare your presentation with your audience in mind – find out who they are, where they come from, and try to anticipate their needs, experience and knowledge (e.g. whether they are already familiarised with certain topics and terms), in other words: aim your presentation at your audience. It will enable you to adopt a certain style and register of your speech (e.g. grandiloquent, neutral, informal or full of scientific terms) and avoid unnecessary faux-pas (beware that certain gestures are considered offensive in particular countries etc.). 

• mention really surprising facts or statistics

• add a touch of humour to your presentation (e.g. tell an anecdote, an unknown quotation or your story) – make your presentation as interesting and memorable as possible

• prepare visual aids: pictures, diagrams etc.

• if you use Power Point (or similar software) for this purpose: use a large font size (minimum: 30), so that it would be perfectly legible for your audience 

• plan the content and structure in bullet points, but don’t write the complete text of the presentation. In this way you will not stick to the original text, which is crucial in this case. 

• memorize only five first sentences of your presentation, and when it comes to the rest – simply follow the logical order. Don’t learn your entire presentation by heart (word for word) – in case you are stuck at some point, you will not be able to proceed, as your mind might go blank. You are supposed to tell the audience your story, not to read it out or recite it as a poem! Of course, you need to know the content of your speech, but be flexible. The more naturally you speak, the more your listeners will be able to follow you and remember the content of your presentation.

• give yourself time for practise - deliver your speech at least several times before the day zero (e.g. in the morning, then on the afternoon, on the following day etc.) 

• rehearse your presentation with friends or family members 

• practise your enunciation skills (read more in my previous post)!

• check grammar and pronunciation of any unknown word (or even in case you have the slightest doubt how to pronounce a certain word) – it’s always better to check twice than make a grave mistake in front of the audience

• use discourse markers (such as: First of all, Another question is…, Turning to…, That brings me to…, Just to fill you in on some of the background…, Finally...)  

• record yourself to spot mannerisms, crutch words and any other mistakes (related to pronunciation, grammar etc.) – you will feel far more comfortable while speaking in a foreign language about this particular topic

2) Delivering your presentation 

• take a bottle of mineral water, some cough drops, and a backup copy of your presentation (e.g. USB stick)

• arrive earlier at the venue and check the equipment here (computer, overhead projector, microphone, speakers etc.) 

• start on time and finish on time, keep to your timings (remember about including your Q&A session!)

• give a confident introduction (don’t show that you are nervous, instead: keep a cool head) 

• outline what you’re going to talk about  

• face your audience at all times and remember to maintain eye contact with them

• project your voice to the back of the room, and try to speak in a natural, confident tone of voice

• bear in mind to vary the pitch of your voice – don’t speak monotonously, unless you want your listeners to fall asleep…

• don’t speak too fast – that will enable you to focus on proper grammar and pronunciation 

• remember about the importance of enunciation and proper breathing

• inform about the Q&A session and be prepared for it! Remember about certain discourse markers, so that it would be easier for you to answer a question and not be confused by some of them (e.g. I will be happy to take any questions now.) Seeing that life is full of surprises, be prepared that some of the most bizarre questions might appear. But don’t panic if you are not able to answer a particular question – you can always say: That goes beyond the scope of my today’s presentation, as I wanted to focus on… and not go into… That’s not really my field, but I can put you in touch with someone who… 

• last but by no means least, remember: whenever you are supposed to deliver a speech - less is more. Keep it simple. Don’t overload your presentation with a multitude of similar examples and irrelevant content. The more concise and coherent your presentation will be, the more your audience will appreciate it. And, by the same token, it will be easier for you to deliver your presentation. And that’s what we are all striving for, aren’t we? :)

Finally, bear in mind that practise makes perfect. No one is born a well-spoken master. Yet delivering effective presentations can be mastered, provided it’s trained. 
I hope that the abovementioned tips will be useful whenever you are supposed to deliver a presentation (not only in a given foreign language). 

Feel free to comment on this article, in case you have any other suggestions. 


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upload.wikimedia.org; tweakyourbiz.com; pixabay.com