公開発表と質疑応答Public Presentation and Q&A
Chapter Objectives
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
- Turn a revised draft from Chapter 17 into a structured oral presentation with a clear framing for a named audience.
- Open a formal presentation appropriately, stating purpose, scope, and structure for listeners who have not read the draft.
- Deliver supported claims aloud with appropriate pacing, phrase-level pitch, and presentation prosody.
- Field questions after a presentation, including requests for clarification and genuinely challenging questions.
- Concede a valid point, correct a misunderstanding, or rephrase an unclear statement without abandoning the overall argument.
- Close a presentation and a question-and-answer session in a way that leaves the audience with a clear summary.
- Produce a full spoken presentation with a live or simulated Q&A segment.
- Distinguish active production expectations from receptive recognition across all systems introduced in this chapter.
Communication Scenario
Emma's revised draft on how an online reading community discusses figurative language in contemporary short fiction is now ready for a small departmental research meeting. She must present her findings in eight minutes to an audience that includes 田中先生, two other instructors, and several classmates, some of whom study different topics entirely. After her prepared remarks, she will take questions, including at least one point she had not fully anticipated: a classmate's challenge to her sample size. She has one final opportunity to clarify, concede, and rephrase before the meeting ends.
- The learner reviews vocabulary and discourse patterns for presentation framing, delivery, and question handling.
- The learner reads a presentation outline and a transcript of a question-and-answer exchange.
- The learner listens to a short excerpt of a presenter opening a talk and fielding a challenging question.
- The learner practices opening a presentation, answering a clarification question, and answering a challenging question.
- The learner completes a performance task delivering a full presentation with a simulated or live Q&A segment.
Core Vocabulary
This chapter controls vocabulary for formal presentation, audience framing, Q&A, challenge response, summary, and follow-up. All items below are productive unless labeled receptive.
| Japanese | Reading | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 発表 | はっぴょう | presentation, announcement | title term; contrast with 発表会 (formal event) |
| 質疑応答 | しつぎおうとう | question and answer session | formal compound; often abbreviated 質疑 |
| 構成案 | こうせいあん | presentation outline, structural plan | reuses 構成 from Chapter 17 with 案 (proposal, plan) |
| 導入 | どうにゅう | introduction (of a talk) | the opening section of a presentation |
| 論点 | ろんてん | point of argument, issue at hand | used when naming what a question is actually about |
| 補足 | ほそく | supplementary explanation | used when adding detail not in the original talk |
| 言い換え | いいかえ | rephrasing | core term for restating an unclear point |
| 訂正 | ていせい | correction (of a factual error) | contrast with 言い換え, which does not imply an error |
| 認める | みとめる | to acknowledge, to concede | core verb for conceding a valid point |
| 課題 | かだい | limitation, remaining issue | reused from Chapter 16's project-limitations language |
| サンプル数 | サンプルすう | sample size | loanword + counter compound; core term for this chapter's challenge scenario |
| 総括 | そうかつ | summing up, overall conclusion | formal register; used for closing a talk |
| 後日 | ごじつ | at a later date | used when deferring a follow-up |
Receptive only in this chapter: conference-specific chairing terminology (such as formal session-moderator phrasing) and simultaneous-interpretation conventions, which go beyond the departmental-meeting scale this chapter authorizes.
れんしゅう — Practice: Write one sentence using 構成案 and 導入 together to describe how a presentation should open, and one sentence using 論点 and 補足 to describe responding to a question that needs more detail.
Script and Typography Focus
This chapter authorizes slide typography, handout design, a source/term list carried forward from Chapter 16 and Chapter 17, and accessibility considerations for visual presentation materials.
Slides and handouts support spoken delivery; they should not simply repeat the full script. Use larger type for headings and key terms, keep furigana visible on any specialized or rare-reading term projected on a slide (since an audience member reading quickly does not have time to look a reading up), and keep sentence-length text off slides in favor of short labeled phrases. A handout distributed to the audience may carry more full sentences and should include the presenter's confirmed terminology list from Chapter 16, since audience members unfamiliar with a specialized term benefit from having the reading and a brief gloss available in front of them rather than only hearing it once.
| Material | Typical Content | Typography Note |
|---|---|---|
| Slide | 論点：読者はなぜ独自の解釈を加えるのか | short phrase, large type, furigana on rare terms |
| Handout | 本発表では、読者が本文に明示されていない解釈をコメント欄でどのように加えているかを分析する。 | full sentence, smaller type, term list attached |
れんしゅう — Practice: Take one paragraph from your Chapter 17 revised draft and rewrite it as three short slide phrases, then write the same content as one or two full sentences suitable for a handout.
Pronunciation Focus
Formal presentation delivery differs from ordinary conversation in pacing rather than in pronunciation rules: pause slightly longer at the boundary between sections (for example, after finishing the 導入 and before moving into the main argument), and slow down noticeably when saying a specialized term for the first time so that an audience member can process both the sound and the meaning together. When answering a question, a brief pause before responding is a normal and useful signal that you are considering the question seriously, not a sign of hesitation to avoid.
Grammar and Sentence Patterns
This chapter authorizes advanced question-and-answer frames, clarification requests, concession, correction, and rephrasing under pressure. No new grammar paradigm is introduced beyond systems already consolidated in Units I through III; the focus here is applying that control to live spoken defense of one's own work.
1. Opening a formal presentation
Purpose: to state purpose, scope, and structure for an audience that has not read the underlying draft.
- 本日は、オンラインの読書コミュニティにおける比喩表現の解釈について発表させていただきます。Today, I will be presenting on the interpretation of figurative expressions in an online reading community.本日は〜させていただきます (formal presentation opening)
2. Requesting clarification of a question
Purpose: to confirm what a questioner is actually asking before answering, without appearing evasive.
- ご質問の論点を確認させていただきたいのですが、サンプル数についてのご指摘でよろしいでしょうか。I'd like to confirm the point of your question — is your comment about the sample size?確認させていただきたいのですが (formal clarification request)
3. Conceding a valid point
Purpose: to acknowledge a genuine limitation without undermining the whole argument.
- おっしゃる通り、サンプル数が三十件というのは十分とは言えず、これは今回の分析の課題として認めます。As you say, a sample size of thirty is not really sufficient, and I acknowledge this as a limitation of the current analysis.おっしゃる通り + 〜として認める (formal concession)
4. Correcting a misunderstanding without conceding the point
Purpose: to distinguish a factual correction from agreement with the questioner's underlying criticism.
- その点については少し訂正させてください。三十件はコメント全体ではなく、分析対象とした投稿の数です。Let me correct that point slightly. Thirty is not the total number of comments, but the number of posts selected for analysis.訂正させてください (polite correction, not concession)
5. Rephrasing an unclear statement
Purpose: to restate an earlier point more clearly when a question reveals it was not fully understood.
- 言い換えますと、読者は本文にはっきり書かれていない意味を、自分の経験に基づいて加えているということです。To put it another way, readers are adding meaning not explicitly written in the text, based on their own experience.言い換えますと (formal rephrasing marker)
6. Closing the Q&A and deferring what remains
Purpose: to summarize the session and offer a concrete way to continue the conversation afterward.
- 本日いただいたご指摘を踏まえ、サンプル数の課題については後日、追加の分析を行った上でご報告いたします。In light of the comments received today, regarding the sample-size issue, I will conduct additional analysis and report back at a later date.〜を踏まえ + 後日〜いたします (formal closing/deferral)
[clarify the question, if needed] + [concede what is valid or correct what is mistaken] + [rephrase or add detail] + [state a next step if the issue is unresolved]
This is a discourse pattern drawing on the hedged feedback language from Chapter 17, the advanced keigo and formal request forms from Chapter 6, and the caveats language from Chapter 16, organized so that a presenter can respond to a live question honestly and completely without either capitulating entirely or dismissing a fair criticism.
ご質問ありがとうございます。ご指摘の通り、サンプル数が三十件というのは十分とは言えず、これは課題として認めます。ただし、対象とした投稿は無作為に選んだものではなく、比喩表現への反応が特に多かった投稿を意図的に選んでいます。この点は後日、選定方法について補足資料をご用意いたします。
Thank you for your question. As you point out, a sample size of thirty is not really sufficient, and I acknowledge this as a limitation. However, the posts selected were not chosen at random; they were deliberately selected because they generated a particularly large response to the figurative expressions. I will prepare supplementary material on the selection method at a later date.
Grammar Practice
- Write one sentence opening a presentation using 〜させていただきます.
- Write one sentence requesting clarification of a question using 確認させていただきたいのですが.
- Write one sentence conceding a valid limitation using おっしゃる通り〜課題として認めます.
- Write one sentence correcting a misunderstanding without conceding the underlying point.
- Write one sentence rephrasing an earlier claim using 言い換えますと.
- Combine all five into one connected question-response exchange, following the Building Block pattern above.
Model Dialogue
Setting: Emma has just finished her eight-minute presentation at the departmental research meeting. 田中先生 opens the floor to questions, and a classmate, 木村さん, raises a challenge about her sample size.
Emma models the full question-response pattern: clarifying the question, conceding what is genuinely valid, correcting a misunderstanding about her method, and deferring the remaining detail to a later date.
ないようりかい — Comprehension check: What challenge does 木村さん raise? What part of the challenge does Emma concede, and what part does she correct? What does Emma promise to do about the unresolved part of the question?
Guided Practice
タスク１ — Opening a presentation. Write and say aloud a thirty-second opening for your own research presentation, stating your topic, purpose, and the structure of the talk to follow.
タスク２ — Handling a challenge. Have a partner (or yourself, in writing) raise one genuine challenge to your project's method or evidence. Respond following the question-response pattern: clarify, concede or correct, rephrase or add detail, and state a next step if needed.
タスク３ — Self-check. Read your Grammar Practice exchange aloud and confirm that it moves through all four steps of the Building Block pattern in a connected way.
Listening Practice
Ask your instructor, a partner, or a text-to-speech tool to read the following short passage aloud.
きくタスク — A presenter opens a talk and answers a challenging question
本日は、地方の方言表現がSNS上でどのように使われているかについて発表させていただきます。まず背景を説明し、次に分析結果を三点ご紹介し、最後に今後の課題についてお話しします。（発表後）ご質問ありがとうございます。確認させていただきたいのですが、方言表現の分類方法についてのご指摘でよろしいでしょうか。おっしゃる通り、分類の基準がやや曖昧な部分があり、これは課題として認めます。ただし、分類そのものは先行研究の枠組みに基づいており、独自に作ったものではありません。この点については、後日、参考にした先行研究のリストを共有いたします。
聞くタスク — Listening task: Listen at least twice. (1) What is the topic of the presentation, and what three-part structure does the presenter announce? (2) What is the questioner's challenge about, according to the presenter's clarification? (3) What does the presenter concede, and what does the presenter correct? (4) What does the presenter promise to share at a later date?
Speaking Practice
コントロールされた練習 — Controlled practice: Naming the response type
- Given a short response to a question, state aloud in Japanese whether it is a clarification request, a concession, a correction, or a rephrasing.
- Given a challenging question about a project (yours or a sample project), respond aloud with a full question-response pattern: clarify, concede or correct, add detail, and state a next step.
コミュニケーションタスク — Delivering your presentation
Deliver a five- to eight-minute spoken presentation of your research project from Chapters 16 and 17, using slide phrases or notes as support rather than reading a full script, then take at least two questions from a partner, instructor, or recorded self-prompt.
ひとりでもできる練習 — Solo practice: Reading the Model Dialogue aloud
Read all three roles of the Model Dialogue aloud, paying particular attention to the pacing of Emma's concession-then-correction sequence and 田中先生's closing remarks.
Reading Practice
Read the presentation outline and the Q&A transcript excerpt below, then complete the questions that follow.
どっかいタスク（構成案）— Presentation outline
導入：本発表の目的と対象読者コミュニティの紹介／本論１：比喩表現に対する読者の解釈の傾向／本論２：具体的な投稿例とコメント数の分析／本論３：本研究の課題と今後の方向性／総括：本発表全体のまとめと今後の追加分析の予定
どっかいタスク（質疑応答の記録）— Q&A transcript excerpt
質問者：分析対象とした投稿は、どのように選ばれたのですか。無作為に選んだのでしょうか。
発表者：ご質問ありがとうございます。無作為抽出ではなく、比喩表現への反応が特に多かった投稿を意図的に選びました。この点は発表内で十分に説明できていなかったので、補足させていただきます。抽出基準は、コメント数が十件以上の投稿としました。
- According to the outline, in which section would the presenter discuss the project's limitations?
- In the Q&A transcript, what does the questioner ask about?
- Does the presenter treat this as a point to concede, correct, or simply supplement with more detail? Explain your answer using evidence from the text.
- What specific selection criterion does the presenter provide in the supplementary explanation?
- Using terms from the Core Vocabulary, is the presenter's response primarily an example of 訂正, 認める, or 補足?
Writing Workshop
Turn your Chapter 17 revised draft into a written presentation outline and a set of anticipated question-response pairs.
- Write a five-part presentation outline (導入, two or three 本論 sections, and 総括) based on your revised research draft.
- Draft a thirty-second spoken opening stating your topic, purpose, and structure for an audience unfamiliar with your project.
- Anticipate two likely questions about your project's evidence or method, at least one of which should identify a genuine limitation.
- Write a full question-response pattern for each anticipated question: clarification (if needed), concession or correction, added detail, and a next step if the issue remains unresolved.
- Prepare slide phrases for at least three key points from your outline, following the short-phrase typography model from the Script and Typography Focus section.
- Write a closing summary of two or three sentences using 総括 language to end the presentation.
チェックリスト — Revision checklist:
- The presentation outline includes an introduction, main sections, and a closing summary.
- The opening states purpose and structure clearly for an audience unfamiliar with the project.
- At least one anticipated question addresses a genuine limitation rather than only an easy question.
- Each question response follows the clarify / concede-or-correct / add detail / next-step pattern where relevant.
- Slide phrases are short and readable rather than full sentences copied from the draft.
- Vocabulary and grammar remain within the systems authorized through this chapter.
Culture and Communication
In many Japanese academic and professional presentation settings, openly acknowledging a limitation identified by a questioner, especially with a phrase such as 課題として認めます, is generally understood as a mark of a careful and trustworthy presenter rather than as an admission of failure. Learners should distinguish this from simply agreeing with every criticism raised; a skilled presenter concedes what is genuinely valid while still correcting factual misunderstandings.
The pacing, formality, and directness of questions in a departmental research meeting, a large academic conference, and a workplace project review can differ considerably. The patterns modeled in this chapter reflect a small, relatively informal departmental meeting rather than a single fixed convention that applies to every presentation setting.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Error: Launching into a full answer without confirming the questioner's actual point, which can lead to answering the wrong question entirely.
Correction: When a question is at all ambiguous, use a clarification frame such as 確認させていただきたいのですが before answering, as modeled in the Grammar section above.
Error: Agreeing entirely with a challenging question even when part of it rests on a factual misunderstanding, out of a desire to appear agreeable.
Correction: Separate what is genuinely valid (concede it) from what is a misunderstanding (correct it), following Emma's model in the Model Dialogue.
Error: Filling slides with complete sentences copied from the written draft and reading them aloud word for word.
Correction: Use short phrases on slides as support for spoken delivery, and reserve full sentences for a separate handout, as described in the Script and Typography Focus section.
Chapter Review
Section A — ごい (Vocabulary)
1. Complete the Core Vocabulary practice above.
Section B — もじ (Script and Typography)
1. Complete the Script and Typography Focus practice above.
Section C — ぶんぽう (Grammar)
1. Complete the Grammar Practice exercises above.
Section D — どっかい (Reading)
1. Complete the Reading Practice questions above.
Section E — かくこと (Writing)
1. Complete all six steps of the Writing Workshop, as part of the Practical Performance Task below.
Section F — はなすこと (Speaking)
1. Complete the full presentation and Q&A from Speaking Practice, as part of the Practical Performance Task below.
Chapter 18 Checkpoint — Framing and Delivering a Presentation
Can you open a formal presentation with a clear purpose and structure for an unfamiliar audience, and deliver supported claims aloud with appropriate pacing and prosody?
Chapter 18 Checkpoint — Handling Q&A Under Pressure
Can you clarify an ambiguous question, concede a genuinely valid point, correct a factual misunderstanding, rephrase an unclear statement, and close a session by naming a concrete next step?
Practical Performance Task
パフォーマンスタスク
発表と質疑応答 — Presenting and Defending Your Research Project
Complete all four parts below to demonstrate control of this chapter's presentation, framing, and question-handling systems.
- Listening: Complete the Listening Practice task above and summarize the presenter's structure and the challenge raised in the Q&A.
- Reading: Answer the Reading Practice questions comparing the outline and the Q&A transcript excerpt.
- Written production: Submit your written presentation outline, opening, anticipated question-response pairs, slide phrases, and closing summary from the Writing Workshop, checked against the revision checklist above.
- Spoken production: Deliver your recorded five- to eight-minute presentation and take at least two questions, following the question-response pattern from Speaking Practice.
Assessment focus: a clearly framed opening appropriate for an unfamiliar audience; supported claims delivered with appropriate pacing; at least one question handled with the full clarify / concede-or-correct / add-detail / next-step pattern; a clear closing summary; and vocabulary and grammar remaining within the systems authorized through this chapter.
Answer Key
Core Vocabulary
Open-ended; representative combinations may pair 構成案 and 導入, such as 構成案では、導入で発表の目的を明確に述べることにした。, and pair 論点 and 補足, such as 質問の論点を確認してから、必要な補足を加えた。
Script and Typography Focus
Open-ended; learners should produce three short slide phrases and one or two full handout sentences covering the same content, with any specialized term marked with furigana on the slide version.
Grammar Practice
(1)–(5) Open-ended; models: (1) 本日は、私の研究プロジェクトについて発表させていただきます。 (2) 確認させていただきたいのですが、方法についてのご指摘でよろしいでしょうか。 (3) おっしゃる通り、この点は十分ではなく、課題として認めます。 (4) その点については訂正させてください。データは無作為に選んだものではありません。 (5) 言い換えますと、読者は独自の解釈を加えているということです。 (6) Open-ended; check that the combined exchange moves through all four steps in a connected way, following the Building Block model.
Model Dialogue — Comprehension Check
木村さん challenges whether a sample of thirty cases is sufficient to generalize about a trend across the whole online community. Emma concedes that thirty cases are not sufficient to generalize as a community-wide trend, but corrects the misunderstanding that the sample was randomly drawn, explaining that the posts were deliberately selected for their strong response to figurative language. Emma promises to prepare supplementary material explaining the selection method in more detail at a later date.
Listening Practice — Model answers
(1) The presentation topic is how regional dialect expressions are used on social media, and the presenter announces a three-part structure: background, three analysis results, and future issues. (2) The challenge concerns the classification method used for the dialect expressions. (3) The presenter concedes that the classification criteria are somewhat ambiguous, but corrects the implication that the classification was invented independently, noting instead that it is based on an existing research framework. (4) The presenter promises to share a list of the prior research referenced.
Reading Practice
(1) The project's limitations would be discussed in 本論３ (Main Section 3), on the project's challenges and future direction. (2) The questioner asks how the analyzed posts were selected, specifically whether they were chosen at random. (3) The presenter treats this primarily as a point to supplement (補足) rather than concede or correct, since there is no error to fix and no criticism to concede — the presenter simply had not explained the selection process fully during the talk itself. (4) The specific criterion given is posts with ten or more comments. (5) This is primarily an example of 補足, since the presenter is adding missing detail rather than acknowledging a flaw or correcting a mistake.
Chapter Review — Sections A through D
Open-ended; check against the Core Vocabulary, Script and Typography Focus, Grammar Practice, and Reading Practice sections above.
Chapter Review — Sections E and F, and Practical Performance Task
These are open-ended, integrated production tasks. Evaluate the written presentation materials and the recorded presentation and Q&A against the assessment focus listed under the Practical Performance Task above.
Looking Ahead
いまできること — What you can do now
You can frame a formal presentation for an unfamiliar audience, deliver supported claims with appropriate pacing and prosody, and handle live questions by clarifying, conceding, correcting, rephrasing, and naming a concrete next step. The presentation materials and the record of your Q&A session will carry forward directly into Chapter 19, where you will assemble your project, revised draft, and presentation record into a complete C2 portfolio with reflective evidence.