Presentation Tips for a Seminar - IELTS Listening Answers & Explanations
From Expert on Cambridge IELTS 08 Academic Listening Test 6 · Part 3 · Questions 21–30
Audio
Questions
Questions 21–25 Sentence Completion
Complete the following sentences using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each gap
- Melissa's first tip is 21.
- Simona says that a presenter should not 22.
- David explains that PGP means 23.
- David says PGP will 24 and promote retention.
- Carlos offers a general piece of advice for public speaking, which is 25.
Questions 26–30 Matching
Identify which speaker is being referred to in each statement.
A. Carlos
B. David
C. Melissa
D. Simona
Answers & Explanations Summary
| # | Answer | Evidence | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q21 | show up early | OK, here's my first tip. Show up early | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows Melissa presenting her very first advice for giving a presentation, telling the speaker to arrive early. Answer Explanation: The answer means to arrive before the scheduled start time. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "show up early" because when Melissa begins sharing her advice, she explicitly introduces it with the phrase "here's my first tip" and directly states "Show up early." Therefore, this is the exact phrase that completes the sentence about her first tip. |
| Q22 | apologise / apologize | First, never apologise | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript clearly states Simona's first rule for starting a presentation, which is to never say sorry to the audience. Answer Explanation: The answer "apologise" means to say sorry for doing something wrong or for making a mistake. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "apologise" because Simona gives tips on how to start a presentation and specifically says, "First, never apologise." The phrase "should not" has the same meaning as "never" in this context, showing that a speaker should avoid saying sorry. |
| Q23 | Particular / General | David: Well, my next suggestion is PGP. That means that with every subtopic, you should move from the Particular to the General and back to the Particular | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows David introducing his technique called PGP and clarifying that it stands for moving from a specific point (the Particular) to a broad concept (the General) and returning to a specific point (the Particular). Answer Explanation: The answer "Particular, General, Particular" means starting with a specific detail, moving to the overall big idea, and finishing with another specific detail. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is supported by David's explanation of the abbreviation "PGP". In the transcript, he explicitly states that PGP means moving "from the Particular to the General and back to the Particular" when covering each subtopic. Therefore, filling the blank with "Particular, General, Particular" accurately matches what PGP stands for. |
| Q24 | draw attention | Even though the purpose of a sub-topic is to convey the general information, bracing it with particulars is a good way to draw attention and promote retention | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that using specific examples around general ideas helps get the audience's focus and helps them remember the information. Answer Explanation: The answer means to make people focus their minds on the presentation and listen carefully. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "draw attention" because David explains the benefits of the PGP technique. He states that surrounding general information with specific details (particulars) is an effective method to "draw attention" as well as "promote retention". |
| Q25 | know your audience | Carlos: The next tip that I have is know your audience. This is, of course, a general piece of advice for public speaking | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows Carlos stating that his tip is to understand the listeners ("know your audience"), calling it common advice for speaking to a group of people. Answer Explanation: The answer means that a speaker should understand who is listening to them and what those people prefer. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "know your audience" because Carlos introduces this advice directly by name and explicitly calls it "a general piece of advice for public speaking." Therefore, filling in this phrase accurately completes the sentence. |
| Q26 | B | My next point is that maybe speakers should rethink the overhead projector. Is one really necessary? David: I think that often it is | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows Simona asking if an overhead projector is actually necessary for a talk. David replies that he thinks it often is necessary. Answer Explanation: The answer B means that David believes an overhead projector is frequently needed. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is B because David responds to Simona's question about whether an overhead projector is really needed. Simona asks, "Is one really necessary?", and David replies, "I think that often it is". In this context, the word "often" matches "usually", and "necessary" matches "needed". Therefore, David (speaker B) is the person who thinks an overhead projector is usually needed. |
| Q27 | C | Melissa: I also have a point about humour. I think that humour is generally good, but be careful with it. Humour in a presentation works best when it actually drives the presentation forward. If you find you're using canned jokes that don't depend on the context of the presentation, eliminate them | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows Melissa explaining that humor is helpful when it fits the topic and helps the presentation, but speakers should remove jokes that do not match the context. Answer Explanation: The answer C means that Melissa is the speaker who talks about using jokes in the right situation or context. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is C because Melissa discusses humour and jokes during a presentation. She explains that humour works best when it pushes the talk forward, and she advises eliminating jokes that do not depend on the context of the presentation. |
| Q28 | A | Carlos: Thanks, Simona. Thinking towards the end. Take care with questions. Many people judge the quality of your talk not by the twenty minutes of presentation, but on the thirty seconds you spend answering their question | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows Carlos explaining that listeners often judge how good your speech is by how well you answer their questions. Answer Explanation: The answer "A" means that Carlos is the person who talks about the importance of questions. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is A because Carlos explains that answering questions is crucial. He says that people often evaluate the quality of a whole presentation based on the short time spent answering an audience member's question. Keywords to look for are "questions" and "judge the quality of your talk", which mean that the question and answer section is very important. |
| Q29 | C | Melissa: Finish early, and something good is almost bound to happen | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows Melissa stating that ending a presentation before the planned time is likely to lead to something positive. Answer Explanation: The answer means that Melissa is the person who suggests that ending your presentation ahead of time can have positive results. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is C because Melissa specifically advises, "Finish early, and something good is almost bound to happen." She explains that this is a good idea because audience members get a few extra minutes of free time and will appreciate the speaker for it. Therefore, Melissa corresponds to option C. |
| Q30 | A | I don't know if it's really true, but the message is that the way to stay sharp is to drink lots of water | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows Carlos stating that to remain clear-headed and perform well, a presenter should drink plenty of water. Answer Explanation: The answer "A" means that Carlos is the person who advises presenters to drink plenty of fluids. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is A because Carlos shares a final tip about staying healthy during presentations. He explains that giving a presentation can dehydrate you, so a speaker should "drink lots of water" to keep their mind sharp and protect their voice. Therefore, Carlos is the speaker who says you should drink enough. |
Transcript
Carlos: OK, everyone. Let's look at what presentation tips we have come up with for our next seminar. Melissa?
Melissa: OK, here's my first tip. Show up early. Some experienced presenters say that something good is bound to happen! I'm not sure about that, but...
David: Well,... you may have a chance to head off some technical problem. Also, at the beginning, before you actually begin your presentation, people filter in slowly. It's a great time to introduce yourself.
Melissa: Can't argue with that! Simona had some ideas about opening.
Simona: Have a strong opening. I picked up a few ideas for structuring your opening. First, never apologise. If you're worried the presentation won't go well, keep it to yourself and give it your best shot. Besides, people are usually too preoccupied with their own problems to notice yours.
Carlos: I like that!
Simona: Open by addressing the following three questions: What's the problem? Who cares? What's your solution?
Carlos: Excellent suggestion! David? You've gone quiet!
David: Well, my next suggestion is PGP. That means that with every subtopic, you should move from the Particular to the General and back to the Particular. Even though the purpose of a sub-topic is to convey the general information, bracing it with particulars is a good way to draw attention and promote retention.
Melissa: I've got another one. This might not be a tip so much as a law. Give everyone at least one piece of paper. A piece of paper is a record from your presentation. People can use that to help recall the details of the presentation, or better yet to tell others about it.
Carlos: The next tip that I have is know your audience. This is, of course, a general piece of advice for public speaking. See if you can find out what styles of information presentation they are most familiar and comfortable with. Adapting your presentation to those styles will leave fewer barriers to the direct communication of your material.
Simona: I like that idea. We mentioned possible technical problems before. My next point is that maybe speakers should rethink the overhead projector. Is one really necessary?
David: I think that often it is, but I agree with your basic point, Simona. Don't use one just because it's there. Maybe a good tip is to consider carefully what you are putting on your slides.
Simona: Yes, David, that's a very good point to make. Slide content is ... well, you don't want too much ... too little. Carlos?
Carlos: Good points, both of you. Another point I have is respect the audience. Don't condescend by "dumbing down" your lecture. Show them respect by saying what you believe and what you know to be the whole story.
Melissa: I also have a point about humour. I think that humour is generally good, but be careful with it. Humour in a presentation works best when it actually drives the presentation forward. If you find you're using canned jokes that don't depend on the context of the presentation, eliminate them. David?
David: Maybe, Melissa, but always be very careful about jokes that put down a class of people. If you're going to alienate your audience, do it on the merits of your content.
Simona: Also, avoid masculine-or even feminine-pronouns as universal. It can be a nuisance to half the audience. As universal, use the plural "they". The Oxford English Dictionary has allowed "they" as a gender neutral singular pronoun for years.
Carlos: Thanks, Simona. Thinking towards the end. Take care with questions. Many people judge the quality of your talk not by the twenty minutes of presentation, but on the thirty seconds you spend answering their question. Be sure to allow long pauses for questions. Ten seconds may seem like a long pause when you're at the front of the room, but it flows naturally from the audience's point of view.
Simona: Let people know you believe your material. Speak with conviction. Believing your subject matter is one of the best ways to speak more effectively!
Melissa: Finish early, and something good is almost bound to happen. If nothing else, people will be able to leave early, and suddenly they'll have an extra couple of minutes to do things they didn't think they'd get to. People will really like you if you do that.
David: I think we have missed a key point. Practice! Practice over and over and over. If you can, record your presentation. Play it back and watch yourself. You'll discover a thousand horrible things you never knew about yourself. Now watch it again without the sound. Why are your hands flying around like that? Now listen to it without the picture. Get rid of those urns! Now watch it at twice the normal speed. This emphasises low frequency cycles in your gestures.
Carlos: David, those were excellent points! I have one more. Something quite simple, but often overlooked. I read that the two most dehydrating things you can do in modern civilization are live presentations and air travel. I don't know if it's really true, but the message is that the way to stay sharp is to drink lots of water. Take care of your body, especially your voice. If possible, avoid alcohol too.
Melissa: So, we've got to organise these points now...