Stand and Deliver: Giving Business Presentations

The "Longman American Business English" series is designed to improve the communication skills of professional people involved in international business. The series is suitable for classroom use or self-study. Each title has a book and a cassette. The subject matter is similar to that of the "British English Skills" series, but the books are not adaptations and have been written from scratch. They are at a slightly lower level than their British English equivalents and are less crowded and more guided, with the Asian market in mind. "Stand and Deliver" aims to bring the skill of giving presentations in English within the reach of pre-intermediate and intermediate students. It features a wide range of activities encouraging students to use their own business experience to practise and improve their presentation skills. Focus is both on content - creating good introductions and conclusions, structuring the material, use of visual aids, dealing with questions - and on delivery - use of voice, pace, eye-contact etc. There is also plenty of listening practice and role play. All this should build confidence through recycling of students' own material to gradually produce a polished presentation. The speakers are both native and non-native speakers of English, which gives an international feel. Also, the course aims to be practice - it shows students how to do it and then encourages them to have a go.