Presentation Skills 2: Talking About Numbers, Charts
and Graphs
对话
1. As all of you are well aware, competition in the laptop computer sector is
intense. We continue to fight with our competitors for market share, and this is
the case both in the developed markets in the West, as well as more developing
markets in Asia and Africa. You may ask yourself, why is this market so
cut-throat?
你们都知道，笔记本电脑市场竞争激烈。我们持续和我们的竞争者竞争市场份额，
同时在西方市场和亚非发展中国家市场。你可能会问，为什么竞争这么激烈？
2. Well, the answer is simple. There is a huge untapped potential market out
there, with a huge untapped potential for profit.
呃，答案很简单。笔记本电脑市场是一个巨大的潜在未开发的市场，存在的潜在利
润很大。
1. If I bring up the first graph here, it shows the increase in terms of number of
computer owners across the globe. As you can see in the 1980's computer
ownership amounted to 0.5% of the total world population. Since the 1990's,
computer ownership has risen dramatically. In the new millennium we saw an
even larger explosion in computer owners, with figures rising to around 4-5%
an increase of 1,000% compared with the 1980's.
如果我调出第一幅图，显示了全球计算机拥有数量的增长。 你能看到1980年代电
脑拥有率达到全球人口的0.5%。从1990年代开始，计算机拥有率开始大量增长。
新千年里，我们看到一个更大的电脑普及率，达到4-5%，和80年代比是1000%的
增长。
2. If we move on to discuss the figures for China specifically, we can see in
Chart B that the overall figure for computer ownership stands at around 60
million, which represents a huge increase in a very short time period. Now of
course 60 million is just a drop in the ocean if you compare the total population
of China, and this is a key reason why the personal computer market is such a
hot market.
如果我们继续谈一下针对中国的数据，我们能看到B图里电脑拥有者的总数大约在
(C)2012 上海随训通电子科技有限公司 page 1 / 3
Lesson Transcript
by EnglishPod中国
6千万， 这是在短时间内很大的增长。
现在当然在6千万和中国人口比起来还是沧海一粟，
这就是为什么个人电脑市场很火。
1. For us at Alpha, and of course for all our competitors as well, we have
millions of potential customers who are looking to join the internet generation.
If we do this right we really can reap huge rewards in a very short time frame.
对我们Alpha，当然对我们所有的竞争者同样也是，
我们有百万个潜在客户想加入网民一族。
如果我们这个做好了，我们真地可以在短时间里获取大量好处。
2. I'd now like to move on to discuss the x420 brand itself, and compare and
contrast with some of our key competitors.
我现在想继续谈一下x420品牌，比较我们主要的一些竞争者。
关键词汇
market share ˈmɑrkət ˈʃer 市场份额
laptop ˈlæpˌtɑp 手提电脑
cut-throat ˈkət ˈθroʊt 竞争激烈的
untapped ʌnˈtæpt 未开发的
reap ˈriːp 获得
stands at ˈstændz ət 占据
amounted to əˈmæʊntɪd tə 折合
补充词汇
statistics stəˈtɪstɪks 统计信息
graph ˈgræf 图表
(C)2012 上海随训通电子科技有限公司 page 2 / 3
Lesson Transcript
by EnglishPod中国
figures ˈfɪgjərz 数据
pie chart ˈpaɪ ˈtʃɑrt 饼图
table ˈteɪbəl 图表，制图
Practice
Now that you've studied this lesson on your own, it's time to use the following activities to practice the language you've learned with your teacher.
Class Activities: (30-35 minutes)
Objective:In this lesson, we learn about sales, numbers and charts, all very important elements of any sales or marketing presentation. We will also look at some great presentation tips and professional language and vocabulary.
1) Read the dialogue with the students---5 minutes
Read the dialogue with the students line by line. Switch roles after the first run. Pay attention to students’ pronunciation; give feedback and help when needed.
2) Dialogue Comprehension----5 minutes
Ask the student the following questions. The answers are in the dialogue:
Approximately what percentage of the world’s population owned computers in the 1980’s?
Why is the laptop computer market so cut-throat?
What does the first graph explain that he shows?
What does he say about the 60 million computer owners in China?
3.) Cultural Takeaway----10 minutes
It is often a good idea to give out a paper copy (often called a handout), an outline, a glossary of key words, and sources so people can take them away and not spend too much time taking notes on key concepts.
Equipment Vocabulary
blackboard whiteboard paperboard
chalk marker eraser
podium lectern overhead
What should you put on a visual?
Name, conference/company and company logo, date and title of presentation
Do not use full sentences unless you are giving a quote
key words technical words lists
examples diagrams charts
Vocabulary of graphs/charts
Line graph Bar chart Pie chart
Flip chart Diagram Flow chart
Organizational chart
There are many benefits and strategies for using visuals in a presentation. Ask your student when they think it might be a good idea to use visuals? Why?
Why use visuals?
* to focus the audience's attention
* to illustrate points easier to understand in visual form but difficult in a
verbal form (for example: statistics)
* to reinforce ideas
* to change focus to a visual form
* to involve and motivate the audience
* to involve all the senses
* to serve as logical proof
* to save time and avoid putting information on a board
* to avoid turning your back to the audience when writing on a board
* to help the speaker
3.) Fluency Builder----10 minutes
The language of graphs and charts refers to the words and phrases used when describing what happens on charts. This language is especially useful when making presentations.
Charts and graphs measure various statistics and are helpful when presenting large amounts of information that need to be understood quickly. This includes: facts and figures, statistical information, profit and loss, sales numbers, etc.
The following list are common verbs and nouns used to speak about positive and negative movements, as well as predictions. These words and phrases are often used when explaining a graph or chart and the movement that is being illustrated.
Source: http://esl.about.com/od/businessmeetings/a/Language-Of-Graphs-And-Charts.htm
Positive
to climb - a climb
to ascend - an ascent
to rise - a riseto improve - an improvement
to recover - a recovery
to increase - an increase
Negative
to fall - a fall
to decline - a decline
to plunge - a plunge
to decrease - a decrease
to worsen - a slip
to deteriorate - a dip
Predicting Future Movement
to project - a projection
to forecast - a forecast
to predict - a prediction
5) Role Play---10 minutes
You are the CEO of a PC maker. Your company is evaluating whether to enter the smartphone market. Your student is the consultant that your firm hired to conduct market research. He/she is presenting the following graph. Get your student to describe some of the key trends, e.g. increase, decrease, the rate of increase, projecting future trends, etc.
