🔬 Speaking: Specific Purposes C1 - Lesson 3: Delivering Specialized Academic/Technical Presentations
Welcome back! Presenting complex, specialized information is a unique challenge. Your goal is to be both technically accurate and intellectually accessible1. A C1-level speaker can take a difficult topic and make it clear, engaging, and relevant to their audience. This lesson will teach you the frameworks and language to do just that.
The "What? So What? Now What?" Framework
This is a powerful and logical structure for presenting any kind of data, research, or technical information. It guides your audience from information to insight to action.
- 1. What? (The Information)
- Present your key data, finding, or technical point clearly and concisely.
- "This graph illustrates the correlation between..." / "Our primary finding was that..."
- 2. So What? (The Implication & Relevance)
- This is the most critical step. Explain why this information matters. What does it mean? Why should the audience care?
- "The key implication2 of this is..." / "What this is significant is that it suggests..."
- 3. Now What? (The Recommendation or Next Step)
- Based on the information and its importance, what do you recommend? What should happen next?
- "Therefore, our recommendation is to..." / "Based on this data, the next logical step is to..."
Language for Technical Precision & Clarity
Use this language to maintain credibility while ensuring your audience understands.
- Defining Technical Jargon3
- Never assume your audience knows a specialized term. Define it simply right after you use it.
- "We used a process of carbon dating, **which is essentially a method for determining the age of an ancient object.**"
- Hedging and Expressing Nuance
- In academic and technical fields, it's crucial to be precise about the limits of your data. Avoid making absolute claims.
- "The data **seems to suggest** a strong correlation."
- "While not conclusive, this **indicates a high probability** that..."
Scenario: A University Thesis Presentation
Listen to a Master's student, Borey, presenting his findings. Notice how he uses the "What? So What? Now What?" framework to make his complex research clear and impactful.
(What?) "Good morning. My research focused on the impact of new irrigation channels on rice farming in Prey Veng province. **As you can see from this first chart,** my data shows that farmers with access to the new channels have seen a 30% average increase in crop yield."
(So What?) "**The critical implication of this** is that modern infrastructure can directly and significantly boost agricultural productivity and, by extension, farmer income. **This suggests that** infrastructure investment is a powerful tool for poverty reduction."
(Now What?) "**Therefore, my primary recommendation is that** this model be expanded to other provinces. **To do this effectively, I propose** a three-phase rollout, starting with a feasibility study in Battambang..."
💡 Handling Questions from a Mixed Audience
In a technical presentation, you might get questions from both experts and non-experts. You must adapt your style.
- For an Expert Question: You can use technical language freely. It shows you are a knowledgeable peer. "That's a great question about the statistical methodology. Yes, we used a chi-squared test to ensure..."
- For a Non-Expert Question: Praise the question to make them feel comfortable, then answer using an analogy or a simplified definition. "That's a very important question. You're asking about X. To put it simply, think of it like..."
🧠 Practice Quiz: Identify the Function
Read the statement from a presentation and identify its function.
1. "The reason this finding is so significant is because it challenges the fundamental assumptions of the previous theory."
A) What? (Presenting data)
B) So What? (Explaining importance)
C) Now What? (Recommending action)
→ Answer: B. This sentence is clearly explaining the relevance and importance of a finding.
2. "Based on this analysis, our next step should be to conduct a wider, national-level survey."
A) What? (Presenting data)
B) So What? (Explaining importance)
C) Now What? (Recommending action)
→ Answer: C. This sentence is proposing a clear future action based on the information presented.
📝 Your Mission: The "Mini-Lecture" Challenge
Your mission is to practice explaining a complex topic in a clear, structured way.
- Choose a topic you know well that has some technical detail (from your job, studies, or a serious hobby).
- Plan a short, 90-second "mini-lecture" on one aspect of this topic using the What? → So What? → Now What? framework.
- Your Goal: You must also define at least one piece of technical jargon simply (e.g., "...which is basically...").
- Record yourself delivering your lecture.
- Listen back. Is your structure logical? Is your explanation clear? Would a non-expert be able to understand your main point and why it matters?
Vocabulary Glossary
- Accessible: (Adjective) - เข้าถึงง่าย (kâo tĕung ngâai) / អាចចូលប្រើបាន (aac coul'praə'baan) - Able to be easily understood or appreciated. ↩
- Implication: (Noun) - ความหมายโดยนัย (kwaam-măai doi nai) / นัย (nai) - A conclusion that can be drawn from something, although it is not explicitly stated; a likely consequence. ↩
- Jargon: (Noun) - ศัพท์เฉพาะวงการ (sàp chà-pór wong gaan) / សព្ទបច្ចេកទេស (sap bac'ceik'ka'teh) - Special words or expressions that are used by a particular profession or group. ↩
- To articulate: (Verb) - พูดอย่างชัดเจน (pôot yàang chát-jayn) / និយាយយ៉ាងชัดเจน (ni'yiiəy yaang c'bah'ceen) - To express an idea or theory fluently and coherently. ↩
- To mitigate: (Verb) - บรรเทา (ban-tao) / បន្ធូរប giảm (bɑn'tʰoo b'ɑnh'saay) - To make something bad less severe, serious, or painful. ↩