1/2009

How would you finish your presentation? Could you end as dramatically as President Obama frequently does with his speeches? Listen to some excerpts from his inauguration speech and try our latest presentation exercise.

There's nothing worse than text on a presentation slide that is too small to read — even when you're sitting in the front row. When you do need to write more, divide your ideas up into bullet points — and remember the rule of seven.

The first few sentences of your presentation are very important. If you show that you are confident about what you are about to say, your audience will sit up and listen. Learn some useful opening phrases in our exercise. 

There are many verbs you should try to use more often in your presentations: demonstrate, appreciate and showcase are just three. Would you like to learn more? Do you want to learn how to use them correctly?

Ian McMaster gives tips on how to point out mistakes in The Write Way (Business Spotlight, 1/2009). Our short exercise tests your knowledge of useful expressions for this difficult task.