At overseas meetings Japanese business people often need to make a short presentation in English. How can this work for them better and bring them more successful connections?
- Build a set of strong messages, with short and clear texts
- Make each slide stand out, without complication
- Have a script in simple and clear English that guides you
As an English marketing writer with long experience of presentations, I can help in all these areas.
How to start?
Usually I start with a client’s existing presentation, plus any background notes and information. I study these to understand the business story. I then propose a revised presentation, built for the number of slides that will fit the average presentation time (let’s say 5-7 minutes).
Once we agree that this is a good presentation for you, I prepare the presentation script.
Why is a script important?
When you give an English presentation in 5-10 minutes, you should be confident that you are covering all the important points. Preparing a script in advance is your opportunity to check this. In addition, the script is written in easy English, so it is more comfortable for every Japanese business person to follow it.
The intention is not for you to read the script during the presentation. It is to guide your thoughts and help you prepare. The slides themselves will have few words on them. They are prompts so that you can discuss each point in more detail.
The script also controls how much detail to say on each point before moving to another point. This helps to keep you within your time limitation.
When to start?
The correct time to undertake such a project is about 5-7 weeks before your presentation date. This allows us to work through the creative process. It also gives you time to rehearse and be confident and effective.
What else?
Developing an effective short English presentation is a valuable marketing tool which can be used on many occasions. When you communicate well to new groups, you have a greater chance to turn events into opportunities.
I hope this idea interests you and I can use my skills to help you soon.
Mike Druttman
Mike Druttman is a member of the Israel-Japan Chamber of Commerce. An English copywriter and business facilitator, he is helping Japanese companies to communicate better with international audiences.
