Have you ever listened to a presentation, lecture or talk in English? Did you find it easy or difficult to understand? One thing which is important to consider when you are speaking in English is how you are going to show the listeners what is important in your talk, and places where they don’t need to concentrate so much.We call this signposting – showing how the information is relevant to the talk – and it is an important feature of spoken English. But how do you recognise signposting? First, read this extract from an interview with Stelios Haji-Ioannou, the owner of the easyJet airline company. Stelios is Greek but lives in Britain.
Why did I start easyJet in London? Well, first of all, I know the language. It would have been impossible to run an airline in the UK without speaking English – that would have been a serious limitation to my ability to communicate with my customers. In fact, people ask me ‘Why didn’t you start the business in Greece?’ but one of the things I say is that Greece is too small. On the other hand, France and Germany are big markets, but the only language I could speak was English so I had to come to London!
Question a) Find two reasons why Stelios started his business in London.
Question b) Find two phrases which mean ‘I am going to give you a piece of information.There are more pieces, but this one is important.’
Answer
As you can see, Stelios uses some fixed phrases to show how his talk is going to continue. He introduces a list of new information with phrases like ‘First of all…’ This means we know he has more to say later. Phrases like ‘One thing I say is…’ show us that what he is going to say is important – he has chosen to emphasise this point.And when he wants to make a contrast between the Greek and French markets, he uses the phrase ‘on the other hand’. By putting these phrases before the important information, he makes the listener aware that he is going to make an important point.
So, how can you signpost your talk effectively?
Listen out for signposting How do your favourite BBC World Service presenters show where the programme is going next? Listen out for the phrases which they use for signposting in your favourite programmes. Becoming aware of how other speakers signpost their talks will help you to do the same.
Plan what you are going to say If you are going to give a talk or presentation, plan the stages in your talk. When you introduce a new idea, show the listener by using phrases like ‘Let me tell you about…’ or, like Stelios, you could start your talk with a question which you then answer. If you are going to give a list of points, how are you going to show the listener that they link together? Think of phrases such as ‘first of all…’, ‘another thing is…’ . And how are you going to finish? Perhaps you could say ‘in conclusion…’ or ‘to finish off…’. Use your plan as a map through your talk, showing how things link together.
Ask a friend to follow your plan If you are speaking in your English club or Learning Circle, ask one of your friends to note down phrases they notice you using to signpost your talk. Did they notice all the important points? Getting feedback like this from friends is one good way of finding out how effective your speaking is.
Task Preparing a talk
To do this task, you need to be a member of a Learning Circle or you need to gather some friends together to listen to you.
Prepare a short talk (no more than four or five minutes). Make a plan like the one suggested above, and think about the phrases you are going to use to show where your talk is going. DON’T write your talk out in full and read it aloud – try to work from notes only.
After the talk, ask one of your friends to give you feedback (as mentioned above). How successful was your talk?
Why did I start easyJet in London? Well, first of all, I know the language. It would have been impossible to run an airline in the UK without speaking English – that would have been a serious limitation to my ability to communicate with my customers. In fact, people ask me ‘Why didn’t you start the business in Greece?’ but one of the things I say is that Greece is too small. On the other hand, France and Germany are big markets, but the only language I could speak was English so I had to come to London!
Question a) Find two reasons why Stelios started his business in London.
Question b) Find two phrases which mean ‘I am going to give you a piece of information.There are more pieces, but this one is important.’
Answer
- He speaks English.The Greek market is too small for his business.
- First of all… . One thing I say is… .
As you can see, Stelios uses some fixed phrases to show how his talk is going to continue. He introduces a list of new information with phrases like ‘First of all…’ This means we know he has more to say later. Phrases like ‘One thing I say is…’ show us that what he is going to say is important – he has chosen to emphasise this point.And when he wants to make a contrast between the Greek and French markets, he uses the phrase ‘on the other hand’. By putting these phrases before the important information, he makes the listener aware that he is going to make an important point.
So, how can you signpost your talk effectively?
Listen out for signposting How do your favourite BBC World Service presenters show where the programme is going next? Listen out for the phrases which they use for signposting in your favourite programmes. Becoming aware of how other speakers signpost their talks will help you to do the same.
Plan what you are going to say If you are going to give a talk or presentation, plan the stages in your talk. When you introduce a new idea, show the listener by using phrases like ‘Let me tell you about…’ or, like Stelios, you could start your talk with a question which you then answer. If you are going to give a list of points, how are you going to show the listener that they link together? Think of phrases such as ‘first of all…’, ‘another thing is…’ . And how are you going to finish? Perhaps you could say ‘in conclusion…’ or ‘to finish off…’. Use your plan as a map through your talk, showing how things link together.
Ask a friend to follow your plan If you are speaking in your English club or Learning Circle, ask one of your friends to note down phrases they notice you using to signpost your talk. Did they notice all the important points? Getting feedback like this from friends is one good way of finding out how effective your speaking is.
Task Preparing a talk
To do this task, you need to be a member of a Learning Circle or you need to gather some friends together to listen to you.
Prepare a short talk (no more than four or five minutes). Make a plan like the one suggested above, and think about the phrases you are going to use to show where your talk is going. DON’T write your talk out in full and read it aloud – try to work from notes only.
After the talk, ask one of your friends to give you feedback (as mentioned above). How successful was your talk?
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