Methods & strategies: The importance of definitions What are you talking about? You should always know exactly what it is that you are talking about. Therefore, it makes a lot of sense to look up the definition of your topic beforehand – in a dictionary, in the Encyclopædia Britannica (available online https://www.britannica.com/), on Wikipedia or in other printed or online reference works. For example, the Encyclopædia Britannica defines tourism as the act and process of spending time away from home in pursuit of recreation, relaxation, and pleasure, while making use of the commercial provision of services. As such, tourism is a product of modern social arrangements, beginning in western Europe in the 17th century … In 1991, the United Nations’ World Tourism Organization defined tourism as the activities of persons traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure and not less than 24 hours, business and other purposes. While this type of definition may not, at first glance, look terribly exciting, it is still quite useful to get a clear idea of what your subject is. The question is, what should you do with the definition? Should you open a speech or presentation with a definition? There is no easy answer to that question. It’s a tried-and-true way of starting off, but some people would consider it quite boring. However, if you like being on the safe side and prefer a rather traditional approach, there is absolutely nothing wrong with beginning like this: The good thing about starting this way is that not much can go wrong. One downside to it is that you will have to memorise your definition. Then again, this is pretty good brain training (and memorising texts and definitions might even prepare you for university studies). Depending on your personal preferences and those of your examiner, you could take a somewhat edgier approach by using less conventional definitions. Take a look at the following example: Performing a short passage like an actor ■■ Memorise one of the two beginnings given above (“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to my presentation …” or “Tourism is the backbone of many countries’ economies …”). Do not just try to take in the gist of the paragraph. Try to memorise every word, the way actors memorise their lines. ■■ Perform this paragraph like an actor. Try to “embody” your words and “infuse your delivery with some real emotion.” How-to [A] [B] 1.2 Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to my presentation. As you know, I would like to talk to you about the scope and structure of tourism in Austria. But let me take a step back at the beginning of my talk. What exactly is it that we are looking at? What is tourism, actually? According to the Encyclopædia Britannica, it is ‘the act and process of spending time away from home in pursuit of recreation, relaxation, and pleasure, while making use of the commercial provision of services.’ I like this definition because I think it includes the most important elements people come to Austria for – recreation, relaxation, and pleasure. Tourism is the backbone of many countries’ economies. Sadly, it involves having to put up with tourists; and remember, tourists have been defined as “bothersome people from out of town who take pictures of anything and everything, annoy all of the locals and will stand in the middle of the road, block traffic and almost get hit by a car to take a bloody picture of a church.” Now this is a tongue-in-cheek definition, to be sure, but it does point to certain challenges … To do [A] [D] 1.3 12 Key aspects Strategies Sample task 1 Tourism Nur zu Prüfzwecken – Eigentum des Verlags öbv
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