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Archive - Presentation Skills |
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Chunking
To present effectively in English it is important that you learn to think and speak in complete phrases (or comprehensible chunks) rather than individual words. To do this you must pause in the right places.
To present information in comprehensible chunks is by far the most important presentation skill you need
Powell (2002)
To get an idea of the difference “chunking” can make to a text, listen to the following example from Powell (2002).
INTERESTING
ANYONE can become a successful manager.
But, of course, the unprepared,
the untrained,
and those given too much responsibility
before they are ready
will FAIL.
That's what this morning's presentation
is all about.
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DULL
Anyone can become a successful manager. But, of course, the unprepared, the untrained, and those given too much responsability before they are ready will fail. That's what this morning's presentation is all about.
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Exercise 1
Look at the following presentation extract from Roberto Bolano's novel 2666 (2004).
"There's nothing inside the man who sits there writing. Nothing of himself, I mean. How much better off the poor man would be if he devoted himself to reading. Reading is pleasure and happiness to be alive or sadness to be alive and above all it's knowledge and questions. Writing, meanwhile, is almost always empty. There's nothing in the guts of the man who sits there writing."
Now, follow the instructions and use a text editor such as Microsoft Word or the space provided below, for Parts 1, 3 and 4 of the exercise:
- Read the extract aloud and record yourself.
- Play back your recording. How does it sound? What problems did you have?
- Now listen again, and mark the pauses you found (/), and highlight the stressed words.
- Now read the modified form of the extract, and re-record yourself. Compare your recordings.
Doing this should help you notice a significant difference in your speech.
Note that stressed words tend to be nouns and verbs which are content words, and that pauses work better after stressed words.
Once you submit your entry, you will see a model answer.
Answers to Exercise 1, Parts 3 and 4
Pausing for effect
This exercise gives you a text extract presented in two different ways. Read them aloud and remember to:
- Pause briefly at the end of each chunk.
- Stress the words in bold (the stress at the end of each chunck should be stronger).
- Put no stress on unimportant words like to, at, of, a and the.
Text A
I'd like you to look at the FIGURES,
which clearly indicate the strategic importance of SOUTH KOREA
in our attempt to gain a foothold in South-East ASIA.
Text BI'd like youto look at the FIGURES,which clearly INDICATEthe strategic importance of SOUTH KOREAin our attempt to gain a FOOTHOLDin South-East ASIA.
Exercise 3
Look at the following presentation extracts. Each contains a statement which can have two completely different meanings, depending on how you say it. Chunk each statement according to what it means, then note down the possible meanings. Click "Save" to view the possible answers.
The first one has been done for you as an example.
We attended the conference on trade tariffs in Japan.
a) We attended the conference on trade tariffs in Japan. (Meaning: The trade tariffs conference was in Japan.)
b) We attended the conference on trade tariffs in Japan. (Meaning: The conference was about Japanese trade tariffs.)
Exercise 4
Now say each of the following statements or questions, and get used to chunking and stressing in different ways for different effects.
Half the world doesn't know how the other half lives.
Half the world doesn't know how the other half lives.
Ignore everything I'm telling you.
Ignore everything I'm telling you.
What is this thing called love?
What is this thing called love?
What is this thing called love?
