It is very important to have your audience's full attention, in order to avoid feeling nervous and frustrated. Therefore when presenting in front of a multicultural audience, it is a good idea to use visual aids to help you communicate your message across to whom English is not their first language. It is extremely important to acknowledge your audience to know whether you can present in English or whether you will need an interpreter. In most countries listeners are either too shy or polite to speak up to something that is not understood. Therefore, a good advice would be to encourage your audience to participate in your presentation. Ways of doing this is by explaining important concepts in several ways and then have the audience express their thoughts on what you have presented, to know if they have really understood what has been presented to them. Usually a good and successful PowerPoint presentation would be when slides have limited information, allowing you to elaborate on the points in your own words. However, for multicultural audience, try to have as much information packed on the slide, as they are able to understand written text more than grasp spoken English.
To avoid misunderstanding and confusing your audience, provide handouts in English as well as in the language your audience is most comfortable in. when it comes to numbers, never say them out loud. Always write them in English as well as a preferred language of your audience. Practice the language ahead of time to avoid embarrassment.
Reference:
Mary Ellen Guffey, D. L. (2011). Business Communication Process & Product. Toronto: South-Western Cengage Learning.
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