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30 useful phrases for presentations in English
For non-native speakers giving a presentation in English can be quite a challenge. There are just so many aspects to consider.
Firstly, the audience. Do you know them well? In which case more informal language can be used. Or are they unfamiliar to you? If this is the case, then more formal expressions should be adopted. Whether you use more formal or informal language, it is important to engage the audience through positive body language and a warm welcome. Your tone of voice and changes in intonation are additional useful tools and you might consider asking them relevant questions (real or rhetorical ).
The audience also needs to see a clear and logical structure to follow you effortlessly. Useful linking expressions, when delivered well, provide effective ‘bridges’ guiding the audience from one point to the next.
Here are 30 useful phrases for presentations in English for effective structure and linking.
Introduction
- Good morning/afternoon everyone and welcome to my presentation. First of all, let me thank you all for coming here today.
- Let me start by saying a few words about my own background.
- As you can see on the screen, our topic today is......
- My talk is particularly relevant to those of you who....
- This talk is designed to act as a springboard for discussion.
- This morning/ afternoon I’m going to take a look at the recent developments in.....
Presentation structure
- In my presentation I’ll focus on three major issues.
- This presentation is structured as follows....
- The subject can be looked at under the following headings.....
- We can break this area down into the following fields....
- It will take about X minutes to cover these issues.
- Does everybody have a handout / copy of my report?
- I’ll be handing out copies of the slides at the end of my talk.
- I can email the PowerPoint presentation to anyone who would like it.
- Don’t worry about taking notes, I’ve put all the relevant statistics on a handout for you
- If you have any questions, I am happy to answer them
- If you don’t mind, I'd like to leave questions until the end of my talk /there will be time for a Q&A session at the end...
Sequencing phrases
- My first point concerns...
- First of all, I’d like to give you an overview of....
- Next, I’ll focus on.....and then we’ll consider....
- Then I’ll go on to highlight what I see as the main points of....
- Finally, I’d like to address the problem of.....
- Finally, I’d like to raise briefly the issue of....
Highlighting information
- I’d like to put the situation into some kind of perspective
- I’d like to discuss in more depth the implications of....
- I’d like to make more detailed recommendations regarding....
- I’d like you to think about the significance of this figure here
- Whichever way you look at it, the underlying trend is clear
- I’d just like to finish with the words of a famous scientist/ politician/ author.......
- Now let’s go out and create opportunities for...!
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Hopefully, these phrases help you to vary your vocabulary for clear, well-structured presentations with a logical joined-up flow. The most important thing, of course, is that you are comfortable and confident in your delivery, which helps the audience feels relaxed and ready to be engaged by your subject matter. Good luck!
Glossary
Rhetorical - (of a question) asked in order to produce an effect or to make a statement rather than to elicit information
Audience - spectators or listeners at a public event such as a play, film, concert, or meeting
Effectiv e - successful in producing a desired or intended result
Springboard - springboard is also something that provides an opportunity to achieve something
Handout - a document given to students or reporters that contains information about a particular subject
Q&A – an abbreviation for ‘question and answer’
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Posted: 13 February 2020
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25 Powerful English Presentation Phrases to Impress Your Audience
Does giving a presentation make you feel a little nervous?
Well, you’re not alone.
To help you shake off those nerves, let’s take a look at how you can prepare yourself to give amazing presentations with some business English phrases you can depend on.
Greeting Your Audience
1. good morning/afternoon/evening, everyone., 2. welcome to [name of event]., 3. first, let me introduce myself. i am [name] from [company]., beginning your presentation, 4. let me start by giving you some background information., 5. as you’re aware, …, transitioning to the next topic, 6. let’s move on to…, 7. turning our attention now to…, providing more details, 8. i’d like to expand on…, 9. let me elaborate further., linking to another topic, 10. as i said at the beginning, …, 11. this relates to what i was saying earlier…, 12. this ties in with…, emphasizing a point, 13. the significance of this is…, 14. this is important because…, 15. we have to remember that …, making reference to information, 16. based on our findings, …, 17. according to our study, …, 18. our data shows …, explaining visuals, 19. i’d like to illustrate this point by showing you…, 20. this chart shows a breakdown of …, restating your point, 21. in other words, …, 22. to put it simply, …, 23. what i mean to say is …, concluding your presentation, 24. in conclusion, let me sum up my main points., 25. thank you for your attention. now i am happy to answer any questions you might have., the top 3 tips for preparing your business presentation in english, 1. have a plan, 2. use visuals, 3. structure your presentation well.
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You’re now standing in front of your audience. Before you begin your presentation, start by greeting your audience, welcoming them to the event and introducing yourself.
Sample sentence: Welcome to our 3rd Annual Sales Leadership Conference.
After you have given an introduction, you are ready to begin speaking about your topic. Use these phrases to get started.
Use this phrase to give your audience a brief overview of the topic you’ll be discussing. This is a good way to give them an idea of what’s going on and to bring them up to date.
If you’re bringing up a topic that your audience already knows about or is aware of, then you can use this phrase to introduce this known topic.
Sample sentence: As you’re aware , the CEO of DHL Express has often said that globalization is here to stay.
Before you move on to your next point, be sure to make it clear to your audience that you’re now starting a new topic. Let them know exactly what that new topic will be. The two phrases below are very similar in meaning, and they can both be used for transitions.
Sample sentence: Let’s move on to our second sales strategy.
Sample sentence: Turning our attention now to the results of our 2016 customer survey.
Use these phrases to tell your audience that you’ll be giving them a more detailed explanation of the topic. Both the words ‘expand’ and ‘elaborate’ mean to explain more fully.
Sample sentence: Now I’d like to expand on my point about increasing our market share.
When making reference to a point you made earlier, or to remind your audience about something you said before, use these phrases to that link.
This phrase lets you remind your audience about a point you made earlier. It can also be used to emphasize a point or theme.
Sample sentence: As I said in the beginning , we’ll see an increase in profit if we follow these five steps.
This phrase will help you make connections between ideas in your presentation. It shows that two different ideas are connected.
Sample sentence: This relates to what I was saying earlier about increasing production to meet the year-end demand.
Sample sentence: This ties in with the way we’ve been doing business for the past 20 years.
Use these phrases to draw attention to an important point that you want your audience to note.
The word “significance'” is similar in meaning to “importance.”
Sample sentence: The significance of this is , if we complete this project on schedule, we’ll have more people available to work on the next project.
Sample sentence: This is important because any marketing effort we put in now will help to boost demand for our products in the long run.
Sample sentence: We have to remember that people are our most important resource.
Very often, you may need to support your discussion points by drawing attention and making reference to information and data from studies, reports and other sources.
Sample sentence: Based on our findings, 74% of our market is made up of teenagers who find our clothing line stylish and upbeat.
Sample sentence: According to our study, 63% of working people in this city go directly to the gym after work.
Sample sentence: Our data shows that more than 23% of men in this town who used to drive to work now prefer to save money and the environment by cycling instead.
To present a clearer picture of your point, you may show your data, information or examples in the form of visuals such as charts, tables and graphs.
The word “illustrate” means “show,” usually with examples, data or visuals.
Sample sentence: I’d like to illustrate this point by showing you a chart of the number of people in each age group who prefer to shop online.
A “breakdown” refers to the detailed parts or figures that make up the total picture. A breakdown is often used in a presentation to show all the smaller parts behind something bigger.
Sample sentence: This chart shows a breakdown of the ingredients we use in our gluten-free products.
Sometimes in order to emphasize your point, you have to state it in a way that’s easier for your audience to understand and remember. This often involves rephrasing, simplifying or clarifying your point.
Use this phrase to rephrase or reword your point in another way.
Sample sentence: In other words , we need to change our current design to make it more attractive to older children.
Use this phrase to simplify points that are complex or difficult to understand.
Sample sentence: To put it simply , we’ll need you to work harder at making this launch a success.
Use this phrase to explain your point in a way that’s easier for your audience to understand.
Sample sentence: What I mean to say is that we need to change the way we market our products.
This is the very end of the presentation. You have said everything you need to say, and now you need to finish it nicely. You may also have some time for questions. If there is time for questions, invite your audience to ask any questions they have.
As part of your closing statement, “sum up” (summarize, state briefly) your speech by mentioning the main points of your speech.
End your presentation by thanking your audience and offering to answer their questions.
Always have a plan. Spend some time thinking about not only what you’re going to say but how you’re going to say it.
This is the point at which you should watch other people giving presentations. Watch some TED talks and public speeches, and use them to help you structure and plan your own presentation.
Find both and more (like movie clips, news segments, industry insider tips, etc.) on FluentU with the added benefit of interactive subtitles, review quizzes and transcripts. All these learning tools on top of the authentic English content will help you grow your vocabulary and confidence.
Use FluentU to define any word as you watch, study key words that may be useful in your own presentation and even practice speaking these words through the program’s personalized quizzes.
If English isn’t your native language, it’s very important that you think about what language you’re going to be using. Think about all the vocabulary, phrases and grammar that will make your message clear and easy to understand.
What are the big ideas you want to explain for your presentation? Which words will express these ideas best? I recommend:
- Have a clear goal in mind to help you stay on track and be logical. Whenever you feel lost during the presentation, just remember this clear, main goal. An example of a goal could be to convince potential clients to work with you. Whenever you don’t know what to say next, remember to focus on the advantages you want to present and on examples of what you did in the past to deserve their trust. Encourage them to ask you questions related to this goal.
- Research content. If you know your facts, you already have the core of your presentation prepared. Write these facts down on topic cards, give out handouts (papers) with important information or include them on your PowerPoint slides.
- Prepare the delivery. Rehearse giving the presentation several times. Some people like recording themselves, others prefer practicing in front of a mirror or having friends listen to them while presenting. Choose the method that works best for you.
- Decide whether you are going to read or speak freely. Reading can sound unnatural, but you can use certain tricks to avoid this. You can underline important sentences which you can memorize, so that from time to time you can stop reading, say your memorized lines and look at the audience. In this way, reading can be made more natural. Make sure you slow down so that the audience can follow you.
Speaking freely is much better if you can remember everything you want to say, because you will seem more knowledgeable, prepared and confident. However, this can be more stressful.
Using some visuals can make your presentation more entertaining, easier to understand and can get your points across more convincingly. My advice:
- Decide whether you need a PowerPoint presentation or not. Do you have graphs, results or other things like this to show? Then yes, you need one. Are you just telling a story? Then you probably do not.
- Do not fill your slides with too much information. Use a maximum of seven short lines of text—even seven can be too many. Highlight key words so the audience can see the main ideas right away. Use bullet points rather than full sentences.
- If you are presenting graphs or charts , give the audience time to read them. Do not show a huge table of data if they audience will not have time to read and understand it. Make sure you try reading each slide while timing yourself to see how long it takes, so you do not jump to the next slide too early during your presentation.
It is a common mistake to give an unclear and unorganized presentation. This happens when the presenter just starts speaking without a clear goal in mind. They might suddenly realize their allotted speaking time has ended, or that the audience is bored because they are not following what is being said. Here’s what you should do instead:
- Decide on three main points (or less) that you want to make. Audiences can’t usually focus on more than three points.
- Tell them from the beginning what points you will be making. Audiences like to know what to expect. Tell them the main goals of your presentation directly in the introduction.
- Presenting main points: firstly, secondly, last but not least
- Making additions: moreover, furthermore, in addition, besides, what’s more
- Making purposes clear: in order to, so as to
- Presenting reasons and causes: on account of, due to, since, seeing that
- Presenting consequences: consequently, as a result, therefore
- Expressing contrast: in spite of, despite, although, even though, however, nevertheless, in contrast, on the contrary
So with this, you’ve mastered the 25 most commonly used phrases used in presentations and my three favorite tips.
Once you learn them, I think you’ll find them very useful to you in any presentation.
Become familiar with them and I promise you’ll feel much less nervous in your next presentation.
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52 Phrases for Better flowing English Presentations
/ Steven Hobson / Business English , English Presentations , Vocabulary
Do you give English presentations at work, but feel that you could communicate your message in a more objective, fluid way?
Maybe you have got an English presentation coming up and want to make sure that your speech is clear and structured so that your audience doesn’t lose concentration and stays with you all the way to the end.
A technique that can help you achieve objective, clear, and structured English presentations, is to use linking phrases that join the separate parts of your presentation together.
English presentations normally consist of an introduction, main body, different parts of the main body, and the ending or conclusion.
To help maintain your audience’s attention, you need to signal when you are going from one part to another.
In this article, I teach you 52 phrases that do exactly this – linking the different parts together, and therefore, making your presentation flow better, as well as acting as a ‘signpost’ to the audience for when you finish one part and start another.
52 Phrases to Improve the Flow of Your English Presentations
The introduction.
All good presentations start with a strong introduction.
There are a number of different ways you can open your English presentation, depending on your goal. Here’s a simple, but effective introduction structure which works for most types of business presentations:
Introduce – Introduce yourself (greeting), explaining the reasons for listening. Introduce the presentation topic Outline – Describe different sections of the presentation. Question policy – During or at the end?
Here are some phrases which you can use to structure the introduction in this way:
Introduce 1. Good morning/afternoon (everyone) (ladies and gentlemen). 2. It’s a pleasure to welcome (the President) here. 3. I’m … (the Director of …)
4. By the end of the talk/presentation/session, you’ll know how to… / …you will have learned about… /
Introduce the presentation topic 5. I plan to say a few words about… 6. I’m going to talk about… 7. The subject of my talk is…
Outline 8. My talk will be in (three parts). 9. In the first part… 10. Then in the second part… 11. Finally, I’ll go on to talk about…
Questions 12. Please interrupt if you have any questions. 13. After my talk, there will be time for a discussion and any questions.
Main Body
Now that you have finished the introduction, we now need to transition to the main body, and its individual parts in a smooth way.
There are three parts of the main body of a presentation where linking phrases can be used:
Beginning the Main Body Ending Parts within the Main Body Beginning a New Part
Here are some phrases which you can use for these parts:
Beginning the Main Body 14. Now let’s move to / turn to the first part of my talk which is about… 15. So, first… 16. To begin with…
Ending Parts within the Main Body 17. That completes/concludes… 18. That’s all (I want to say for now) on… 19. Ok, I’ve explained how…
Beginning a New Part 20. Let’s move to (the next part which is)… 21. So now we come to the next point, which is… 22. Now I want to describe… 23. Let’s turn to the next issue… 24. I’d now like to change direction and talk about…
Listing and Sequencing
If in your English presentation, you need to talk about goals, challenges, and strategies, listing phrases can help link these together and improve the flow of your speech. If you have to explain processes, sequencing phrases are helpful:
Listing 25. There are three things to consider. First… Second… Third… 26. There are two kinds of… The first is… The second is… 27. We can see four advantages and two disadvantages. First, advantages… 28. One is… Another is… A third advantage is… Finally…
Sequencing 29. There are (four) different stages to the process. 30. First / then / next / after that / then (x) / after x there’s y. 31. There are two steps involved. The first step is… The second step is… 32. There are four stages to the project. 33. At the beginning, later, then, finally… 34. I’ll describe the development of the idea. First the background, then the present situation, and then the prospect for the future.
After you have presented the main body of your English presentation, you will want to end it smoothly.
Here are typical sections transitioning from the main body to the ending of the presentation, and then inviting the audience to ask questions:
Ending the Main Body Beginning the Summary and/or Conclusion Concluding An Ending Phrase Inviting Questions and/or Introducing Discussion Thanking the Audience
Ending the Main Body 35. Okay, that ends (the third part of) my talk. 36. That’s all I want to say for now on (the 2017 results).
Beginning the Summary and/or Conclusion 37. To sum up… 38. Ok, in brief, there are several advantages and disadvantages. 39. To conclude… 40. I’d like to end by emphasizing the main points. 41. I’d like to end with a summary of the main points.
Concluding 42. I think we have seen that we should… 43. In my opinion, we should… 44. I recommend/suggest that we… 45. There are three reasons why I recommend this. First, … / Second, … / Finally,…
An Ending Phrase 46. Well, I’ve covered the points that I needed to present today. 47. That sums up (my description of the new model). 48. That concludes my talk for today.
Inviting Questions and/or Introducing Discussion 49. Now we have (half an hour) for questions and discussion. 50. So, now I’d be very interested to hear your comments.
Thanking the Audience 51. I’d like to thank you for taking time out to listen to my presentation. 52. Thank you for listening / your attention. / Many thanks for coming.
Linking phrases are like the skeleton which holds your presentation together.
Not only do they improve the flow and help guide the audience, but by memorizing them they can also help you remember the general structure of your presentation, giving you increased confidence.
To help you memorize, I recommend saying the linking phrases on their own from the beginning to the end of your presentation while you practice.
I also suggest memorizing the introduction word for word. By doing this, you will get off to a great start, which will settle your nerves and transmit a positive first impression.
If you think this article will help your friends and colleagues, please share it!
Author: Steven Hobson
Steven is a business English coach, a certified life coach, writer, and entrepreneur. He helps international professionals build confidence and improve fluency speaking English in a business environment.
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63 Must-know business presentation phrases to have prepared
Greeting your audience and starting your presentation, give the topic of your presentation , introducing yourself, give a roadmap for the presentation , question policy and any rules, starting the main body of your presentation, beginning a new section of the main body, useful words for listing, introduce your visual aids, ending the presentation, involving the audience in the discussion, check in with the question asker, thank your audience and close your presentation, 1. research your presentation, 2. plan your presentation , 3. learn useful phrases beforehand, 4. prepare some visual aids, 5. practice, practice, practice , 6. anticipate questions, 7. consider your body language, 8. try to manage your nerves, a brief afterword, here are 63 business presentation phrases to help you structure your next talk for maximum impact. we’ve also set out eight steps to help you plan and deliver a speech you’ll be proud of. .
No matter what field you work in, at some point you will have to give a presentation. This can feel very nerve-wracking at first, if not downright frightening. One study found that 80% of us get the jitters at the thought of public speaking, and even that sounds a bit low!
The good news is that anxiety motivates thorough preparation… and thorough preparation is the key to a great presentation!
In this article, we have pulled together 63 business presentation phrases to help you structure your next talk for maximum impact. We’ve also set out eight steps to help you plan and deliver a speech you’ll be proud of.
63 Must-know business presentation phrases
Here is a list of natural-sounding phrases which you might like to use in your next business presentation. They won’t all be useful to everyone, but they will give you some building blocks to structure your presentation around.
Open your presentation with a greeting and thank people for coming. Here are some opening statements, ranging from formal to informal:
- Good morning/afternoon/evening everyone. On behalf of Lego , I’d like to welcome you all to our offices.
- Hello everyone. I’d like to welcome you to Lego head office , I trust that you all found us okay.
- Hello everyone, I’m delighted to be speaking with you today.
- Hi everyone, I think we might still be missing a few people but I’m going to kick things off now so we have time to get through everything.
- Hello and thank you all for coming. I appreciate you being here on such a rainy Monday morning / last thing on a Friday afternoon.
Your audience knows why they are there, but it is helpful to re-state it briefly.
- As you all know, I am going to be talking to you about CPC advertising best practices.
- In this presentation, I am going to walk you through some of the best practices in CPC advertising.
- For the next forty-five minutes , I am going to be speaking to you about the best practices in CPC advertising.
- By the end of this session, you will all know a little more about the best practices in CPC advertising.
Briefly tell the audience who you are: give your name, company, and position. You can touch on any other information which explains why you’re well-placed to give this presentation.
10. My name is Kenny Jones , and I am The Head of Marketing here.
11. First of all, a little bit about my background. I am the Head of Marketing at Lego, and I have been with the company for seven years. Before that, I used to work for Booking.com where I…
12. To introduce myself, my name is Kenny and I am the Head of Marketing at Lego.
13. By way of an introduction, my name is Kenny and I head up the Marketing department at Lego.
Even if your presentation is short, it’s helpful for the audience to know what you plan to discuss. It’ll keep you focussed, and ensure that they hear facts, rather than an endless stream of information.
14. My presentation will take about 45 minutes and is divided into four sections. Section 1 is going to discuss…
15. Since we only have 45 minutes to discuss this huge topic , I’m going to keep things brief. This talk will be divided into four sections. To start off…
16. I thought it would be helpful to share a road map of what I’m planning to cover. This talk will be divided into four sections.
17. I’m going to look at four different aspects of CPC advertising in today’s presentation. Number one…
What do you want from your audience? Do you mind being interrupted, or will it distract you? State your expectations and you won’t have any surprises. Consider whether you need to announce any other rules about audience behavior.
18. If you have questions about anything, please kindly wait until the end of the presentation to ask them. We’ll have ten minutes for an open discussion at the end.
19. Feel free to interrupt if you have any questions.
20. If anything isn’t clear, put your hand up and I’ll do my best to answer your question.
21. I’d be happy to answer any questions at the end of my talk.
22. Unfortunately, photography isn’t allowed during this presentation.
23. I would appreciate it if you could all put your phones on silent, or turn them off for the duration of this talk.
Your audience now has a good idea of who you are and what to expect. Now there’s a roomful of eyes waiting to hear your expertise. It can help to start by turning the topic into a question.
24. So, what is CPC advertising?
25. Let’s start at the very beginning. Many people ask…
If that’s not suitable for you, then try any of the following phrases to show that your introduction is over, and the main body will shortly begin.
26. Without further ado.
27. Let’s get started.
28. I’d like to start by talking about…
29. Let’s kick things off.
Once you’ve made your first point, try to sum it up in one sentence. Then you are ready to start a new phrase. Here are some options for that:
30. Okay so that’s Facebook ads. But what about Google ads? Well…
31. Now let’s turn to Google ads.
32. There’s a lot more to learn about that but since we’re pushed for time, let’s move on to Google ads.
33. Next up: Google ads.
34. Part two: Google ads.
In Ancient Greece, rhetoricians (professional public speakers) developed tricks to hold an audience’s attention. One of them was to number their ideas on their fingers, so that the audience had a visual aid to follow along with. Luckily, this works even better when showing bullet points on a PowerPoint! Here are some ideas for how to list your points:
35. There are five main advantages to this approach… firstly, … secondly, … thirdly, …
36. There are three main reasons why people choose Google ads. It’s primarily because…but another key factor is…some people choose them because…
37. There are five stages of the process. You start by… then, you should…after that,
It’s best to give your audience something to look at to reinforce your points. Here are some phrases to show people what you want them to notice.
38. If you look at this graph, you will see…
39. From this chart, we can understand how …
40. As you can see from this infographic, our research indicates that…
41. This chart shows our findings of a recent experiment we undertook. The y-axis represents… while the x-axis stands for…
Business presentations usually end with a summary. You can use this to reinforce your main points (in case anyone dozed off!) or to return to the question you discussed.
42. That’s it on CPC advertising for today. In brief, we’ve covered …
43. Well, that’s just about all we’ve got time for today, unfortunately. I hope you have learned something about CPC advertising.
44. Well, that concludes my presentation today. To refresh your memory, the main takeaways are the following. Number one…
45. That brings me to the end of my presentation. I hope you’re a little clearer on what CPC advertising is and when to use it.
46. So to draw all that together, next time you think about CPC advertising , consider the following factors…. That’s all from me!
You’ve said your piece, and the audience is full of new information. Thank them for their attention and, if you feel able to, invite them to ask you for clarifications.
47. Thank you for listening. We have five minutes left over. Are there any questions?
48. Thank you for your attention, I hope you’ve found this session useful. I’d be happy to answer any questions.
49. Thank you for listening. I’d now like to open up the floor to questions, so just raise your hand if there’s anything else you want to know.
When you receive questions, don’t feel you have to leap into the answer straight away. You can buy yourself an extra few seconds with one of the following phrases.
50. Thank you for your question, Mike.
51. That’s an interesting question.
52. I’m glad you asked me that.
If you aren’t sure how best to answer a question, don’t be afraid to ask for clarification as to exactly what information the asker is looking for. It’s also perfectly professional to admit when you don’t know something.
53. Could you clarify what exactly you mean by that, please?
54. Are you asking about my experience or data from the industry in general?
55. I’m afraid I don’t have those figures off the top of my head, but if you give me your email address at the end, I can follow up with you later.
56. Unfortunately, that’s slightly outside of my area of expertise. However, I think you could almost certainly find more information on that by…
57. That’s a great question and I have to say, I don’t know for sure, but my best guess would be that…
To really demonstrate your expertise, check that your question has impressed the audience member who raised it.
58. I hope that makes sense. Is that the kind of answer you were looking for?
59. Does that answer your question?
60. Feel free to come and grab me afterward if you want to discuss this further.
61. Thank you very much for your attention.
62. Thank you all for coming, I really enjoyed speaking to you today and hope this session has been useful.
63. Thanks for listening, do feel free to contact me via my website or email if you think of any further questions.
8 simple steps to put together a killer business presentation
Here’s how to create a presentation that will make your clients want to buy from you, and inspire your colleagues!
If you’ve been asked to give a presentation on a topic, then it’s probably within your area of expertise. However, there might be areas where you need a little more knowledge. It’s important to figure out what they are early, rather than get an unpleasant surprise later.
To test this, break the subject of your presentation into smaller questions. For instance, if you are presenting the impact of social media in the previous quarter, you might consider:
- What advertising on social media have we done this quarter?
- How is this different from what we did in the previous quarter?
- Do we have any hard data on this?
- Did we experience any drawbacks to advertising on social media?
- What conclusions might we draw for the next quarter?
When you break your presentation into chunks, your approach will become more organized. Plus, you can clearly see what data and information you’ll need to back up your points. It might also be worthwhile to speak with colleagues who can give you effective feedback.
Taking a systematic approach to research is a great way to avoid missing anything important!
Now you probably have far more information than you could reasonably ask your audience to remember! It’s best to strip everything back to basics: and start with making a very simple plan. Begin by writing down your introduction, and the three to four main points you want people to take away from the talk. From there, you can add sub-points, and decide how much time to spend on each section.
Whether English is your second language or not, it’s helpful to write a script of what you intend to say. You probably won’t stick to it, but it will help you clarify your ideas. To make your speech sound natural, use simpler language than you usually would when writing for business.
If you want to plan, practice, or generally improve your business English, then why not try learning with a business English tutor . A tutor can help you with any consistent errors that you make, and send you key vocabulary that you can then save and practice outside the classroom. Try Preply’s search filters and you can even find a tutor specialized in your industry or role.
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Now you’ve written a simple script, it’s time to start rehearsing! Unless you really need to, don’t memorize the whole thing word-for-word.
If you do, forgetting a single word might throw you off balance. It’s safer to learn only your key phrases, rather than stuffing your brain full of too much information.
If you lose your way, it will be easier to skip ahead to the next point and resume your presentation. Depending on the situation and the length of your presentation, you might also be able to get away with holding a piece of paper with your phrases on it.
If you’re about to present to the board, your manager, or a client on their finances, check out our blog post on the most common English for Accounting vocabulary .
These days, most people use a slide deck when presenting business ideas . If you have this option, it’s a great way to keep your audience’s attention. Some people prefer to make their slide deck before even writing their presentation script.
Whichever order you choose to prepare in, don’t overcrowd your slides: you are the presenter, the slides are just something to look at! Try to keep them to bullet points with the main points you want people to remember.
It’s also a great idea to signpost your argument with graphics and pictures. According to one experiment, when an audience hears new information, they’re likely to remember only 10% of it three days later. However, if a relevant image is paired with those same facts, they remember 65% three days later .
The more you can rehearse your presentation, the more confident you will be on the day.
Try recording yourself giving the presentation a few times and watching it back. It will probably feel a little embarrassing, but working through this embarrassment can prepare you well to deal with the fear of presenting!
When you watch yourself back, listen carefully to your accent. Are there any words or phrases that you find difficult to pronounce? Try looking them up in an online dictionary with an audio facility, like dictionary.com. If it’s an issue in several places, then you could also check out our article on how to improve your pronunciation .
If the presentation is very important, you could ask a colleague to watch it through and offer constructive feedback. However, if you’re more worried about sounding natural and fluent than the presentation’s contents, a few sessions with a Preply business English tutor can work wonders.
Even if you don’t have a dedicated section for questions, you should expect one or two at the end of your presentation. This is a good thing: questions are a sign that your audience was listening! Try to come up with a few ideas people might ask, and research the answers in advance. Better yet, have a colleague watch your presentation and make some suggestions.
If you are planning to have a question and answer section at the end of your presentation, you should also have a backup plan in case the audience is quiet. Prepare one or two “questions” for yourself to get things started. You might say something like:
- Well, something a lot of people have asked me is…
- While you’re all still thinking about this one, a question that often comes up is…
Don’t worry if your audience says nothing — you might have covered all they need to know. It’s good to be prepared with a few extra points, however, just so your presentation doesn’t end in awkward silence!
When rehearsing your presentation, don’t just read it while you are sitting at your desk. So much of human communication has nothing to do with words. Try to practice what your body will be doing during the talk.
Also consider what you will do with your hands — some people gesture a lot when they become nervous, and this can be distracting. Put anxious hands to good use by using a pointer to indicate ideas on your slide deck. You could also try holding your notes, or even a bottle of water.
You’ve done everything you can to prepare for your presentation. Now, the only thing left is to present it with confidence! Unfortunately, this is easier said than done, especially if you’re presenting in a second language. Try some of these “tricks” to manage your anxiety.
- Many of the physical signs of nervousness are similar to the signs of excitement: an increased heart rate, sweaty palms, a dry mouth. Tell yourself “this feeling coming over me is a wave of excitement” and you might be able to trick your brain into experiencing your nervousness as a positive emotion instead. Recent research suggests that this trick can make us more effective in almost any task!
- Try to have a moment of calm to yourself before the presentation. Go to the bathroom and take four deep breaths. Breathe in for 4 seconds, hold your breath for 7 seconds, and exhale for 8 seconds. If you’re counting, you will have to really concentrate — it will draw your full attention back into your body and quiet your mind.
- Remember to have a bottle or glass of water on standby during your talk in case your mouth goes dry or you want to pause.
- Be aware that you might talk quickly when you are nervous. Make a conscious effort to pause between sentences and slow down your speech so that the full weight of your words can be felt.
Hopefully, you now feel ready to deliver a presentation that will leave your audience speechless! Or at least, impressed with your professionalism and flair.
Remember: if one of the reasons you’re worried about your presentation is because English is a second language for you, a few sessions with a Preply Business English tutor can work wonders. If you would rather take corporate English training to learn with your colleagues at work, discover Preply Business.
A tutor can help you write the best possible speech, and suggest more conversational options for unnatural phrases. Preparation is the key to success, but pair it with expert advice and you’ll take your presentation skills to a whole new level!
Candice Benjamin is an English teacher with more than 6 years of online teaching experience. Candice has taught English to children and adults alike of various levels, ensuring that each achieves their respective goals. Candice specializes in the IELTS, TOEFL, and Cambridge exams and creates courses and strategies specific to the needs and goals of each student, to help them achieve their desired grade. Candice is patient and determined to produce significant results for her students.
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Useful English phrases for a presentation
Presentations have the advantage that many standard phrases can be used at various points. Perhaps you wish to welcome the audience, introduce the speaker and the topic, outline the structure, offer a summary, or deal with questions. In all these situations, you can apply a number of useful expressions that will make your presentation a linguistic success.
At the beginning of each presentation, you should welcome your audience. Depending on who you are addressing, you should extend a more or less formal welcome.
Good morning/afternoon/evening, ladies and gentlemen/everyone.
On behalf of “Company X”, allow me to extend a warm welcome to you.
Hi, everyone. Welcome to “Name of the event”.
Introducing the speaker
The level of formality of your welcome address will also apply to how you introduce yourself. Customize it to match your audience.
Let me briefly introduce myself. My name is “John Miller” and I am delighted to be here today to talk to you about…
First, let me introduce myself. My name is “John Miller” and I am the “Position” of “Company X”.
I’m “John” from “Company Y” and today I’d like to talk to you about…
Introducing the topic
After the welcome address and the introduction of the speaker comes the presentation of the topic. Here are some useful introductory phrases.
Today I am here to talk to you about…
What I am going to talk about today is…
I would like to take this opportunity to talk to you about…
I am delighted to be here today to tell you about…
I want to make you a short presentation about…
I’d like to give you a brief breakdown of…
Explanation of goals
It is always recommended to present the goals of your presentation at the beginning. This will help the audience to understand your objectives.
The purpose of this presentation is…
My objective today is…
After presenting the topic and your objectives, give your listeners an overview of the presentation’s structure. Your audience will then know what to expect in detail.
My talk/presentation is divided into “x” parts.
I’ll start with…/First, I will talk about…/I’ll begin with…
…then I will look at…
and finally…
Starting point
After all this preparation, you can finally get started with the main part of the presentation. The following phrases will help you with that.
Let me start with some general information on…
Let me begin by explaining why/how…
I’d like to give you some background information about…
Before I start, does anyone know…
As you are all aware…
I think everybody has heard about…, but hardly anyone knows a lot about it.
End of a section
If you have completed a chapter or section of your presentation, inform your audience, so that they do not lose their train of thought.
That’s all I have to say about…
We’ve looked at…
So much for…
Interim conclusion
Drawing interim conclusions is of utmost importance in a presentation, particularly at the end of a chapter or section. Without interim conclusions, your audience will quickly forget everything you may have said earlier.
Let’s summarize briefly what we have looked at.
Here is a quick recap of the main points of this section.
I’d like to recap the main points.
Well, that’s about it for this part. We’ve covered…
Use one of the following phrases to move on from one chapter to the next.
I’d now like to move on to the next part…
This leads me to my next point, which is…
Turning our attention now to…
Let’s now turn to…
Frequently, you have to give examples in a presentation. The following phrases are useful in that respect.
For example,…
A good example of this is…
As an illustration,…
To give you an example,…
To illustrate this point…
In a presentation, you may often need to provide more details regarding a certain issue. These expressions will help you to do so.
I’d like to expand on this aspect/problem/point.
Let me elaborate further on…
If you want to link to another point in your presentation, the following phrases may come in handy.
As I said at the beginning,…
This relates to what I was saying earlier…
Let me go back to what I said earlier about…
This ties in with…
Reference to the starting point
In longer presentations, you run the risk that after a while the audience may forget your original topic and objective. Therefore, it makes sense to refer to the starting point from time to time.
I hope that you are a little clearer on how we can…
To return to the original question, we can…
Just to round the talk off, I want to go back to the beginning when I…
I hope that my presentation today will help with what I said at the beginning…
Reference to sources
In a presentation, you frequently have to refer to external sources, such as studies and surveys. Here are some useful phrases for marking these references.
Based on our findings,…
According to our study,…
Our data shows/indicates…
Graphs and images
Presentations are usually full of graphs and images. Use the following phrases to give your audience an understanding of your visuals.
Let me use a graphic to explain this.
I’d like to illustrate this point by showing you…
Let the pictures speak for themselves.
I think the graph perfectly shows how/that…
If you look at this table/bar chart/flow chart/line chart/graph, you can see that…
To ensure that your presentation does not sound monotonous, from time to time you should emphasize certain points. Here are some suggestions.
It should be emphasized that…
I would like to draw your attention to this point…
Another significant point is that…
The significance of this is…
This is important because…
We have to remember that…
At times it might happen that you expressed yourself unclearly and your audience did not understand your point. In such a case, you should paraphrase your argument using simpler language.
In other words,…
To put it more simply,…
What I mean to say is…
So, what I’m saying is….
To put it in another way….
Questions during the presentation
Questions are an integral part of a presentation. These phrases allow you to respond to questions during a presentation.
Does anyone have any questions or comments?
I am happy to answer your questions now.
Please feel free to interrupt me if you have questions.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.
Please stop me if you have any questions.
Do you have any questions before I move on?
If there are no further questions at this point, I’d like to…
Questions at the end of a presentation
To ensure that a presentation is not disrupted by questions, it is advisable to answer questions at the very end. Inform your audience about this by using these phrases.
There will be time for questions at the end of the presentation.
I’ll gladly answer any of your questions at the end.
I’d be grateful if you could ask your questions after the presentation.
After answering a question from the audience, check that the addressee has understood your answer and is satisfied with it.
Does this answer your question?
Did I make myself clear?
I hope this explains the situation for you.
Unknown answer
Occasionally, it may happen that you do not have an answer to a question. That is not necessarily a bad thing. Simply use one of the following phrases to address the fact.
That’s an interesting question. I don’t actually know off the top of my head, but I’ll try to get back to you later with an answer.
I’m afraid I’m unable to answer that at the moment. Perhaps, I can get back to you later.
Good question. I really don’t know! What do you think?
That’s a very good question. However, I don’t have any figures on that, so I can’t give you an accurate answer.
Unfortunately, I’m not the best person to answer that.
Summary and conclusion
At the end of the presentation, you should summarize the important facts once again.
I’d like to conclude by…
In conclusion, let me sum up my main points.
Weighing the pros and cons, I come to the conclusion that…
That brings me to the end of my presentation. Thank you for listening/your attention.
Thank you all for listening. It was a pleasure being here today.
Well, that’s it from me. Thanks very much.
That brings me to the end of my presentation. Thanks for your attention.
Handing over
If you are not the only speaker, you can hand over to somebody else by using one of these phrases.
Now I will pass you over to my colleague ‘Jerry’.
‘Jerry’, the floor is yours.
We hope that our article will help you in preparing and holding your next presentation. It goes without saying that our list is just a small extract from the huge world of expressions and phrases. As always, the Internet is an inexhaustible source of further information. Here are the links to two websites that we would recommend to you in this context.
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- What is the difference between American English (AE) and British English (BE)?
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101 Must-Know Transition Phrases for Engaging Presentations Online
By Paola Pascual on Nov 16, 2020 10:21:02 AM
Giving presentations is often feared by many professionals, but if the presentation is online and you're not a native speaker, things get even trickier. One tip to make things easier? Learn useful phrases to help you navigate your presentation. In this article, you will find lots of helpful resources to give remarkable presentations . Listen to the episode above, download the checklist below, and learn some of the phrases we present. If we missed any, tell us in the comments below.
General vocabulary for presentations
Sometimes, the smallest changes in your presentations can make the biggest differences. One of them is to learn a few phrases that give you confidence during your speech. Here are some important verbs to get you started:
- To highlight
- To emphasize
- To walk you through (*very common in business presentations!)
- To send around
- To carry on (similar to continue)
- To get carried away
- To sum up (similar to summarize )
- To focus on
Vocabulary to start your presentation
Learn how to powerfully start your presentation with these 4 simple steps. Here's some vocabulary you can use:
Welcome your audience
- Good morning/afternoon/evening everyone. Thank you for joining us today, and welcome to today's webinar.
- Hello everyone, I’m very happy to be speaking with you today.
Introduce yourself
- My name is Susan, and I’m part of the design team here at Globex Corporation.
- First of all, a little bit about my background - I am the Team Lead at [Company], and I've been in charge of [your main responsibility] for [X] years.
- I'd like to tell you a bit about myself - my name is Eve I'm the Operations Manager here at [Company].
Introduce the topic and goal of the presentation
- Today, I'd like to talk about…
- This presentation will take about [X] minutes, and we will discuss...
- We've allocated [X] minutes to this presentation. and I'll talk about...
- I'd like to give you a brief breakdown of...
- I'd like to take this opportunity to talk about...
- The main goal of this presentation is…
- The purpose of this presentation is...
- My objective today is...
Read these 5 tricks the best public speakers use to captivate their audience .
Addressin questions from the audience
- If you have any questions about anything, feel free to interrupt.
- If anything isn't clear, please click on the 'raise hand' button and I'll do my best to answer your question.
- I'd be happy to answer your questions at the end of the presentation.
- If you have any questions, please kindly wait until the end to ask them. We will have [X] minutes for a Q&A session at the end.
- Since today's audience is considerably large, we will not have time for questions, but please email me at [email protected]
Learning new English words is not easy, but you can achieve effective communication through practice and repetition. If you are a Talaera student, visit the Library to practice your vocabulary for presentations. If are not part of the Talaera community yet, learn how we can help you here .
Clear out technical issues
- Can everyone hear me well? Let me know if you encounter any technical difficulties throughout the presentation.
- If you are not speaking, please put yourselves on mute.
- If you feel that the sound quality is poor throughout the presentation, please let me know.
Transition to the main topic of the presentation
- Hi everyone, I think we might still be missing a few people but I’m going to kick things off now so we have time to get through everything.
- All right, let’s dive right in!
- All right, let’s jump right in!
- Let’s get started.
- Let’s kick things off.
- I’m going to talk about
- The purpose/subject of this presentation is
- I’ve divided the presentation into 3 parts: In the first part, ... / Then in the second part, ... / Finally, I’ll go on to talk about...
- Let me begin by looking at...
- Let me start with some general information on...
Vocabulary for the main body of your presentation
Introduce a topic or section.
- Now let’s move to the first part of the presentation,
- We can see 4 advantages and two disadvantages. First,
- On the one hand… On the other hand…
- There are two steps involved. The first step is… The second step is…
- There are four stages to the project.
Transition to a new section
- All right, let’s turn to...
- Now we come to the next point, which is
- Okay so that’s [topic 1], but what about [topic 2]?
- There’s a lot more to talk about, but since we’re pushed for time , let’s move on to [topic 2].
- This leads me to my next point, which is...
Give examples and details
- For example...
- A good example of this is...
- To illustrate this point...
- This reminds me of...
- To give you an example...
- Let me elaborate further on...
Describe visual aids
- As you can see [from this infographic]
- This chart shows
- If you look at this graph, you will see
- From this chart, we can understand how
- Let me show you this [image, graph, diagram]
- On the right/left
- In the middle of
- At the top/bottom of the picture
Emphasize an idea
- This is important because
- I’d like to emphasize that
- We have to remember that
Repeat the same message with different words
- In other words
- To put it more simply
- So, what I’m saying is that
- Let me say that again.
It's easy to get stuck in the middle of a presentation, especially if English is not your mother tongue. Here are +20 Top Tips You Need To Know if you're learning business English .
Finish your presentation and summarize
The end of a presentation, together with the opening, is one of the most important parts of your speech. Read these 5 effective strategies to close your presentation and use the vocabulary below.
- That’s all I want to say for now about [topic].
- To sum up, ...
- This sums up [topic].
- So in a nutshell, ...
- So to recap, ...
- In brief, ...
- To conclude, ...
- I’d like to conclude by emphasizing the main points...
- That's it on [topic] for today. In short, we've covered...
- So, now I’d be very interested to hear your comments.
- And this brings us to the end of this presentation. I hope [topic] is a little clear after today.
- So to draw all that together, ...
Start and navigate the Q&A session
- Thank you for your attention. I hope you found this presentation useful, and I'd be happy to answer any questions.
- Thank you for listening. We now have [X] minutes left. Do you have any questions?
- Thank you for your question, [Name].
- I'm glad you asked.
- That's an interesting question.
- That's a great question, I must say. I'm not 100% sure, but off the top of my head, I can tell you that...
- Are you asking about [topic 1] or [topic 2]?
- Can you please clarify what exactly you mean by [question]? I'm not sure I fully understand.
- I'm afraid I don't have the exact figures at hand, but if you give me your email address at the end, I can follow up with you later.
- Does that answer your question?
- I hope that makes sense. Is that the kind of answer you were looking for?
Looking for more ways to improve your business English?
Continue improving your communication skills for professional situations with our free resources . If you are serious about improving your business English skills, get in touch with Talaera . We will help you take your professional English communication skills to the next level.
PS: Check if our newest Presentations Intensive Course is for you!
For any additional information or questions, you can also reach out at [email protected] . Stay in the loop with events, offers, and business English resources: Subscribe to our newsletter .
More resources on presentation skills:
- 21 Helpful Tips For Remarkable and Outstanding Presentation Skills
- How To Start a Presentation: Follow These 4 Easy Steps
- How To Bring Across Your Main Idea In A Presentation Effectively
- 5 Effective Strategies To End A Presentation
- 6 Public Speaking Tricks To Captivate Your Audience
- How To Do Effective Business Storytelling According To Former Prosecutor
- 8 Little Changes That'll Make A Big Difference With Your Presentations
- 3 Quick Public Speaking Tips For Your Next Presentation
- Your Body Language May Shape Who You Are [TED Talk Lesson]
Talaera Talks - Transcript Episode 5
- Topic : Deliver impactful presentations
- Listen : Spotify , Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts
- Duration : 22 min.
Intro Welcome to Talaera Talks , the business English communication podcast for non-native professionals. My name is Paola and I am co-hosting this show with Simon. In this podcast, we're going to be covering communication advice and tips to help express yourself with confidence in English in professional settings. So we hope you enjoy the show!
Okay, welcome back for our third episode of Talaera Talks. This is Simon, and I'm joined with Paola. Paola, how are you doing? 0:37 Hi, Simon. I'm great. Happy to do another episode. 0:41 Yeah, absolutely. And Happy Friday. 0:44 Happy Friday! 0:49 So today, our topic: Presenting in English. I'd like to start this episode with a quote I found on Harvard Business Review that I thought was really interesting. It says, "Even native English speakers often anticipate disaster when making presentations. By but for non-native speakers, the anticipatory and situational anxiety associated with their unique challenges (these challenges - being understandable, choosing the right words, speaking spontaneously), can be overwhelming. Moreover, if these concerns interfere with your willingness or ability to make business presentations, the impact can be career-limiting." So yeah, that's a pretty kind of heavy quote to start. But it is something that we see from a lot of our clients, right? 1:52 Yeah, it's super interesting. It was super interesting to read. It's something we know, but it's important to remind it that it is presentations, the topic we have today is something that is not pleasurable for anyone, not for non-native speakers, but also for native speakers. So that's something to point out. And today, we talked about that... We said that we wanted to start with those challenges or fears that we see from our clients, our learners. 2:25 Yeah, and it's usually around the same things, you know, we, at least for me, I come into contact with so many of these, so many of our students who are so competent in their, in their daily lives, what they're doing in their professional lives. And they come to me with these with these fears, like this just general lack of confidence, or imposter syndrome, right? This I don't know if I really deserve to be speaking and, you know, kind of explaining this concept to all these people. 3:05 Mm-hmm. Yes. And also the fear of not being understood, well, they know what I'm saying, well, they understand my accent. There's a lot of worries and concern around accent and our pronunciation expert, Lisa hosted a webinar, actually last week, where she explained that accent matters. But as long as people understand you, it's fine. You don't need to be perfect. Everyone has an accent. So that's also totally fine. 3:37 And this being Yeah, this being one of I think, at least for me, in my experience, one of the most frequently asked for aspects from students. So you know, and just to like, again, just say that this is a challenge for everyone, not just, you know, non-native English speakers. You know, I think all of us have a tough experience or somebody that we think of when we think about public speaking, it's, it's like this, yeah, really anxiety-riddled thing. I mean, I don't have any, you know, funny personal stories, but uh, do you, Paola? 4:20 You want me to tell my embarrassing story, don't you? 4:22 Please, you must. 4:25 So I used to teach at a university in Vietnam when I lived there, and the classes where it rains, you know, from perhaps 50 students to up to what 300 there's was a class with, you know, 2-300 students and there was a little stage it wasn't too high, but there was a little stage and I fell off. 4:46 You fell off the stage. This was during or after the presentation, or...? 4:56 It was around the beginning of the presentation. So... 5:01 During! Oh, I thought it was it was like after like you were walking off? 5:06 No, I move a lot. I use my body language quite a lot. And that was one of the moments where I overdid it, probably, and fell off. 5:17 Wow. Well, I'm glad that you're still here with us. 5:21 Yeah, you know, but that's the story that I sometimes not always tell it. But I sometimes tell it when my students say, Oh, I'm nervous, and I assume that it can happen, you know, I thought it was going to be a disaster. And then I actually ended up making friends with the students that turned out okay. 5:39 Right. Well, yeah, I mean, today, we're not necessarily going to go into the physical dimensions of how to avoid falling off the stage. But we do have some, some good tips, right? 5:54 Yes. And to provide some advice on how to deliver presentations, and lose that fear, we've divided it into three main blocks. And those are what to do before the presentation, tips for during the presentation. And then even after there's things you can do to, to get better. 6:18 Right, let's start with the first, right, what can we do before the presentation in terms of getting ready, preparing? 6:30 So preparing, it's a very general term, but one of the tips that we like to give is, think of the WHAT, WHY and NEXT. So WHAT is your presentation about? WHY should they listen to you and not look it up online (or listen to a podcast, like ours)? And in what NEXT means - what is supposed to happen next? Do they need to do anything, go on a website, send you feedback? Are you going to send them the materials? So what why our next is so straightforward and simple. But when I asked this question to our clients that are so thrown off, and they don't know what to answer sometimes, 7:10 Yeah, I think that's one of those things. And I struggle with this all the time is, when I get an idea or something like that. It's so easy to just jump over those most basic things of, you know, what, why and index, those are so, so basic, but it's such it's, they're so foundational, right? And in terms of creating something that people will understand and be able to, to really attach to. 7:41 Yep. And do you have any tips around how much you should learn? Should you write the whole thing? Or should you memorize? 7:52 Yeah, that, you know, this is a good question as well, that a lot of our learners ask in terms of, yeah, you know, I'm just going to go and write it all out. And then I'll have an idea. And I'll feel better because I can write it and change it so that it sounds more professional. It sounds like I know what I'm talking about. And I always tell people, please don't try to prepare a presentation where you're reading a script, it is just the most unnatural thing ever. And, and it, you won't end up sounding more professional, if anything, your audience is going to detach, because they're going to sense that something's not really right here, it doesn't seem genuine, right doesn't seem real, it just seems like this person is doing what he's doing, which is reading off of a script. And even still a lot of times with a lot of our learners where they know that, okay, I know this material. But I'm going to put all of my effort into making this perfect slide this perfect presentation. So I would say, focus on actually knowing the material itself really well. More than focusing on how the presentation looks, you know, these kinds of things. Because once you're in that situation where you're on the stage, and people are looking at you, at least you'll be able to Windows like kind of red Sirens of you know, panic and anxiety show up. You'll have learned the material itself so well that you can roll with that. 9:29 Yes. And you also have room for improvisation because your brain is so used to the content and you know, so well what you want to say that that's when your brain starts to come up with anecdotes and that's the fun thing that gets you hooked. And that's the main Why should people listen to you instead of reading an article online? 9:49 Exactly. Because for most of our students, you know what you're talking about. That's why you're up there. That's why you have the opportunities to speak there is because someone thinks you're qualified enough to speak to all these people. So trust in that and go with that. So yeah, so we have right not, not over learning. Don't script it right? What else can we do? 10:14 Practice, practice, practice, practice, practice in your mind, but more importantly verbalize it, say it out loud. And recording yourself is uncomfortable for everyone. But it works. I have never tried it. I always told my students should record yourself, you should record yourself and they were like, Huh. And just a few of them did it. And when we started with the webinars, I haven't done something like it before. And I said, Okay, I'll use my own tip. And it was one I'm comfortable. And two, super helpful. So if you get to go over the sound of your own voice, I would say do it. 10:54 Yeah. You know, this is one thing that I have to be totally honest here. Doing these podcasts is the first time I've actually recorded myself for a long time. And I've learned a lot about, you know, not saying the word Absolutely. 500 times, yeah, within the span of 20 minutes. So those are good learning lessons. Definitely. Okay, and then so we have that. And then the last little tip is, I would say get an English mindset before 30 minutes to an hour before the presentation. And that could be listening to a podcast, you know, like Talaera Talks, or, you know, watching a show on Netflix that's, that's in English, whatever you can do to get your kind of English mind, you know, in the zone before you go up and actually speak English. So So those are all of our kind of pre presentation tips, what you can do before, so what about during, 11:58 so for during, there's a lot of things that you can you can do to improve your presentations. But the first tip is to learn how to start to have a mind map of what am I going to do at the beginning. So you start confident already. So welcome, everyone, introduce the people introduce the topic and go to the main point, those four parts will help you have a nice start. Welcome, everyone. For example. Hi, everyone. Welcome to today's presentation. Today, we'll be talking about business events, introduce the people, you can introduce yourself , like, Hi, my name is Paula and I'm a business English instructor at Telstra, and perhaps even the audience. Today we have with us students from all different nationalities and levels, or, you know, whatever the audiences, that's also helpful for everyone to understand, introduce the topic, or give you some best practices for business emails , and a few templates, and then go to the main point. So a simple sentence like Alright, let's get down to business. So having those welcome introducing people introducing the topic and going to the main point will help you have a nice start. 13:16 Yeah, and I like that concept of that the mind map is so good. Because it's it's not the scripting, like we were talking about before, it's having a kind of a little mental checklist. So that when those first few minutes, were you're up there on the on stage, and you're like, oh god, oh, god, here we go. Here we go. You have that little checklist that I created. Okay, so I welcomed introduced the people the topic, and now to the main point, and that can get you in the zone and going I really liked that. Yeah, so so having that, that starting template. And then another thing would be, I would say slowing down, slowing it down. And this is really I think it touches on a lot of aspects. The first would be just the general anxiety, we tend to speak a lot faster when we're really anxious, you know, but by slowing down, it really helps with non native English speakers because it helps with the accent. And it helps with giving you some time to really think through your next thoughts. Now, I'm not saying that you should, while you're speaking, try to think steps three, four or five ahead of you. But giving yourself a little bit of time to Okay, I'm going through this pattern now. Now I can go to the next one, right. And doing that, you know, another with the slowing down a tip if you're really nervous to go in is prefacing your speech. So before you really get into everything, maybe after the welcome part is just to say, Hey, you know, I'm going to try to speak as clearly as possible, as English as myself. first language and really smile and maybe make a little joke about that. And I think that's a good way to open it out for the audience to show some vulnerability and and help. I mean, what do you think about that? 15:13 Yeah, I mean, we see that with, sometimes with celebrities, when they're not native speakers, and they admitted, and they, they kind of put yourself put themselves, as you said, in that vulnerable position, and that makes them even cuter. 15:28 Mm hmm. 15:29 So it's making yourself human, I think it's always a good tip. And you were saying that slowing down helps with your accent and also for yourself to gain time to really know what you're going to say. But also for the for the audience. We don't mind people making some little pulses, so that they also have time to collect their thoughts. 15:50 Right, right. Yeah. Yeah, definitely. Those are, those are two really good aspects, starting, you know, the template and then slowing down, right. Yeah, kind of diffusing the anxiety by saying, Hey, you know, this isn't my first language. And that really gets the audience on your side, right. And then another would be not reading off of your slides. I mean, this is kind of the basic, you know, what you learn in school, but it's also something that a lot of people get, yeah, get, get hooked on, just because it's like a safety net. And I would say that's where the overlearning the material that we talked about beforehand comes into play. Anything else in this? 16:42 Oh, recap for sure. After every section, do a little recap, and at the end to recap where you summarize the main points of the whole presentation? 16:54 Yeah, yeah. Good. Good. So So summarize. Yeah, yeah. And that's a that's a good, you know, I would say three aspects, four aspects that during the presentation, if you keep these in, in your mind, it's, it's, I would say, it's going to help a lot. And so now we're going to move to what can we do after the presentation? We've done it, we've walked off the stage. Whoo, I'm so glad that's over. Now, is all of our work done? No. 17:27 No, not really. That's now it's your chance to actually learn from, from everything you did. So one of the tips we suggest is try to ask for feedback. But that's not so easy, right, Simon? 17:42 Yeah, it's, I think, a big question. And that is, who do you get the feedback from? Right?
17:50 So we, we would always suggest to try and find someone you can trust someone who is honest, and who can give you objective feedback. So in some cases, that can be your manager, but sometimes it's a colleague that understands the topic, and can really provide some feedback on how you did. 18:13 Yeah. And that's, I think, in terms of learning, this is one of the most crucial thing is reflecting back on what you did, and seeing what worked, what didn't work, and how can I take that and move forward? Because especially with presenting, it's a skill, and it takes practice, practice, practice. And, and I think, for a lot of people, you should jump at the chance to do this. So that you can continue to learn and continue to grow. But be sure to reflect by Yeah, by asking for feedback and seeing what worked, 18:47 for sure. And ideally, that would be someone, perhaps from work that can see how you did and like the actual show, if not Talaera teachers also do that. So you can present your own presentation, pretending it's the actual one. And that's how we can provide feedback on the structure, the vocabulary, the language in general. 19:08 Yeah, absolutely. I do that. Oh, there you go. Absolutely. Definitely. See, I'm reflecting back and learning as we go. I'm working. I'm learning that. Yeah. But I've done that recently with a couple of students where we've gone through their deck and looked at what are their plans in terms of presenting and we've kind of gone through in detail that together. So So yeah, so that was kind of I would say the biggest thing in terms of afterward. 19:40 So we have the pre-presentation, just as a quick recap for the pre-presentation and before your presentation, always remember the what why next, what is your presentation about? Why should people listen to you and what should happen next overnight Learn the content. be super confident about what you want to talk about. But don't script it. Don't write everything down. Otherwise, it would sound like you're just reading. 20:11 Write and practice through verbalization. record yourself, even though it may be awkward, but it's a great learning technique. And then get in that English mindset beforehand by Yeah, listening to a podcast or what have you. And then during the presentation, right, starting with the template, Paolo was discussing the welcome introducing the people the topic, and then going to the main point, 20:37 slowing down a little bit. It's not necessary to go super fast. It's not only not necessary, but people will understand you better if you take your time and make some pauses. Of course, don't read off their slides. Tell them the story. 20:54 Right, right. And remember 20:56 to recap, just like we're doing now. Send them or tell them a quick summary and the main points, 21:03 right, and don't fall off the stage as well. That's ideally we forgot. Ideally, it's final for then, as the final point, right, asking for feedback, finding that person that can get you that feedback that's so important to you. Finding what worked and moving forward. 21:21 That's right. All right. Do we have it for today? 21:25 I think that is it for today. Yeah. I had a lot of Thanks. Yeah, I had a blast. And thanks for meeting up. And we have a lot of good stuff coming up with Talaera. Right. 21:38 We have webinars, our blog is busier than ever. So go on the http://blog.talaera.com/ , check out the resources. And what else? 21:51 Find us on LinkedIn. And yeah, please ask any questions, we'd be glad to get back to you. So that is it for today. And thank you to all of our listeners. So far, we're excited to keep growing this. And as always, keep learning! 22:11 And that's all we have for you today. We hope you enjoyed it, and remember to subscribe to Talaera Talks . We'll be back soon with more! And visit our website at https://talaera.com for more valuable content on business English. You can also request a free consultation on the best ways for you and your team to improve your communication skills. So have a great day and keep learning!
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37 Useful Phrases For Presentations In English
- Post author: Harry
- Post last modified: 12/03/2023
- Post category: Business English Vocabulary
- Reading time: 11 mins read
Here you will learn at least 37 useful phrases for presentations in English. Improve your business English skills and feel confident when making presentations in English.
Presentation phrases for setting the scene, recapping, ending a presentation in English and more.
Listen to the podcast Speak Better English with Harry or watch it on YouTube at Learn English with Harry .
List of phrases for presentations in English
useful phrases for presentations in English
Hi there, this is teacher Harry, and welcome back to my English lessons where I try to help you to get a better understanding of the English language.
Okay, so what are we going to cover in the lesson today? Well, all of us, myself included, have to make presentations, from time to time to staff or to bosses, or to clients or customers, whoever it may be. And if you’re using English, not as your native language, then it can be a bit of a challenge. You might feel lacking in confidence. You might feel that you’re not up to the other guys.
But you can do it.
So I’m going to give you some useful phrases that you can use in relation to presentations.
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setting the scene
You might just simply say at the presentation particularly if it’s online,
- It’s good to see you all here.
- It’s great that you could join me.
- I’m very pleased to be here.
- I’m very pleased to be talking to you today.
- I’m very pleased to be presenting to you today.
- I’m glad you could all make it.
- Thank you all for coming.
- Thank you all for joining in.
- Thank you all for coming together on Zoom.
Whatever it might be, you can adjust the words to suit the media and the medium by which you’re presenting to your guests. Staff, colleagues, clients.
common phrases for starting off presentations
And then if we talk about other useful expressions and phrases.
It’s a good idea to spend 30 seconds introducing yourself.
So my name is Harry, I work in this department, I’d like to talk to you today about…
- The topic of my presentation today is….
- I’m planning to tell you about today….
- I’d like to introduce you to….
So in those sorts of expressions, you’re setting the scene again, you’re telling them exactly what you’re going to cover. And that’s a really good idea in a presentation because then everybody knows what’s going to be spoken about.
My name is Harry, I work in the marketing department. My presentation today is about a new product. The presentation is probably going to take about 20 minutes. And if you have any questions, then please ask them as we go through the presentation.
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Introducing a talk.
Now, if you want to introduce the talk, you could say:
- What I’d like to do in this presentation is…
- First of all, I’ll give you a brief overview of…
A brief overview of the product, a brief overview of the background, a brief overview of our plans.
- Okay, then I’ll talk about….
- And after that, I’d like to show you some market research.
- After that, I’d like to show you our projections.
- After that, I’d like to show you this specific plan for the launching of this product.
So you go step by step by step.
referring to visuals
So in any presentation, visuals are really important, and they can help you.
And they can also support you if you’re a little bit lacking in confidence about the presentation itself.
And you perhaps don’t want to be the focus of everything.
So the type of phrases you might use in that context would be something like:
- You will notice on this chart…
- If you look at this slide, we can see…
- Have a look at these figures…
As I said, it helps you, it supports you and enables you to just sort of hide a little bit behind those slides that focus on the screen, not specifically on you.
Useful Phrases For Presentations In English
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Finishing off a section.
And when you want to finish off in relation to those sort of aspects, you might just summarise by saying,
- Well, that’s all I wanted to say on that particular topic.
- If you’ve got any questions, I’d be happy to take them now.
- To summarise what I said is…
- If you want to contact me offline, just send me an email.
- As I promised, I’ve now finished the presentation, it only took 20 minutes.
- I appreciate you watching and listening and your attention.
- If I have any questions, I’ll be happy to answer them now.
- Have you any questions?
So again, helpful information directly in them, how they can get in touch with you after your presentation.
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Checking and moving on.
So during the presentation, we want to make sure that the people are listening, but you also don’t want to spend too much time on each particular point.
So you check their understanding so far, and then you move on. So you might say to the people,
- Does that sound okay to you?
- Do you follow that?
- Is it clear?
- Can I clarify anything else?
- If not, let’s move on.
- Let’s look at the next slide.
- Now, let’s move on to the really important topic of…
- Let’s turn to the topic of budgets.
So you pinpoint exactly what you want to cover. When you’re going to cover it and then you move on. So you check that they understand it.
I also find in these types of presentations, particularly if they’re a bit longer than a few short slides, that it’s a good idea to do some recapping.
To recap means to go over what you’ve done before. Not a huge amount of detail because you don’t want to bore them by going through everything, but you recap quite quickly.
- Before I move on…
- I’m going to recap quickly…
- Let me summarise briefly…
- Here’s a quick recap of what we’ve covered today.
- I’d like to recap the main points.
- Let me go over the main points for you once more.
All of those good, acceptable expressions and words that you can use.
coming to an end
And then when you come to the end of the presentation, you want to sign off, you want to finish them. We can say,
- Well, this is my key point.
- This is the key point in all of this, so let me finish on this.
- This is what I want to say to sum up in a few words.
- I’d like to finish now by thanking you all for your kind attention.
- I look forward to joining you again soon.
- I look forward to any questions.
- I look forward to receiving your emails.
- I’d be happy to take any questions now.
All nice and polite ways of informing people that this is the end.
So there’s somebody out there in the audience who’s asleep, they’ll probably wake up at that point when you say and finally or, in conclusion
Well, hopefully you’ve got something in particular that you can hold onto there. Something that can help you if you’re making presentations in English.
If you have any other queries, come to me, I’m very, very happy to help you. My contact details are www.englishlessonviaskype.com .
And indeed, if you want some help, how to make presentations, if you want some help, how to get through interviews, or you just want general help with your English well, why not try our one-to-one online English lessons .
Thanks for listening. Join me again soon.
More information
For more information on English grammar rules, English collocations and English idioms, check out the links below:
How to learn English vocabulary easily
English idioms about holidays and travel
You can always study English advanced level at Learning English with the BBC and British Council Learn English .
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How to Organize Your Introduction for a Presentation in English
May 1, 2018 | Business Professional English , Presentations in English
This lesson on how to organize your introduction for a presentation in English has been updated since its original posting in 2016 and a video has been added.
Getting ready to present in English? Here’s how to make sure your introduction for a presentation in English is successful.
But first… When you think about a presentation, I know you’re thinking about something like a TED video or a presentation at a conference. You’re thinking about a speech, with PowerPoint slides and a big audience.
But did you know we use the same skills when we share new information or ideas with our work colleagues? Or when we tell stories to our friends and family? The situation or speaking task may be different but we still use the same skills.
When presenting information or telling stories, we need to:
- Capture a listener’s attention
- Share information, ideas, or opinions
- Give the important details
- Make your information memorable
- Get your audience (family, friends, colleagues or strangers) to agree, to take action, to change their mind, etc.
So today you’re going to learn how to take the first big step in your English presentation: how to start with a great introduction.
The introduction is the most important part of your presentation. It is the first impression you’ll make on your audience. It’s your first opportunity to get their attention. You want them to trust you and listen to you right away.
However, that first moment when you start to speak is often the hardest. Knowing how to best prepare and knowing what to say will help you feel confident and ready to say that first word and start your presentation in English.
Be sure to include these 5 things in your inroduction.
Lesson by Annemarie
How to Organize Your Introduction for a Presentation in English and Key Phrases to Use
Organize Your Introduction Correctly
Okay, first let’s focus on what you need to include in your English introduction. Think of this as your formula for a good introduction. Using this general outline for your introduction will help you prepare. It will also help your audience know who you are, why you’re an expert, and what to expect from your presentation.
Use this general outline for your next presentation:
- Welcome your audience and introduce yourself
- Capture their attention
- Identify your number one goal or topic of presentation
- Give a quick outline of your presentation
- Provide instructions for how to ask questions (if appropriate for your situation)
Use Common Language to Make Your Introduction Easy to Understand
Great, now you have the general outline of an introduction for a speech or presentation in English. So let’s focus on some of the key expressions you can use for each step. This will help you think about what to say and how to say it so you can sound confident and prepared in your English presentation.
“The introduction is the most important part of your presentation. It is the first impression you’ll make on your audience. It’s your first opportunity to get their attention. You want them to trust you and listen to you right away.”
Welcome Your Audience & Introduction
It is polite to start with a warm welcome and to introduce yourself. Everyone in the audience will want to know who you are. Your introduction should include your name and job position or the reason you are an expert on your topic. The more the audience trusts you, the more they listen.
- Welcome to [name of company or event]. My name is [name] and I am the [job title or background information].
- Thank you for coming today. I’m [name] and I’m looking forward to talking with you today about [your topic].
- Good morning/afternoon ladies and gentlemen. I’d like to quickly introduce myself. I am [name] from [company or position]. (formal)
- On behalf of [name of company], I’d like to welcome you today. For those of you who don’t already know me, my name is [name] and I am [job title or background]. (formal)
- Hi everyone. I’m [name and background]. I’m glad to be here with you today. Now let’s get started. (informal)
Capture Their Attention
For more information about how to best capture your audience’s attention and why, please see the next session below. However, here are a few good phrases to get you started.
- Did you know that [insert an interesting fact or shocking statement]?
- Have you ever heard that [insert interesting fact or shocking statement]?
- Before I start, I’d like to share a quick story about [tell your story]…
- I remember [tell your story, experience or memory]…
- When I started preparing for this talk, I was reminded of [tell your story, share your quote or experience]…
Identify Your Goal or Topic of Presentation
At this stage, you want to be clear with your audience about your primary topic or goal. Do you want your audience to take action after your talk? Is it a topic everyone is curious about (or should be curious about)? This should be just one or two sentences and it should be very clear.
- This morning I’d like to present our new [product or service].
- Today I’d like to discuss…
- Today I’d like to share with you…
- What I want to share with you is…
- My goal today is to help you understand…
- During my talk this morning/afternoon, I’ll provide you with some background on [main topic] and why it is important to you.
- I will present my findings on…
- By the end of my presentation, I’d like for you to know…
- I aim to prove to you / change your mind about…
- I’d like to take this opportunity to talk about…
- As you know, this morning/afternoon I’ll be discussing…
Outline Your Presentation
You may have heard this about presentations in English before:
First, tell me what you’re going to tell me. Then tell me. And finally, tell me what you told me.
It sounds crazy and weird, but it’s true. This is how we structure presentations in English. So today we’re focusing on the “First, tell me what you’re going to tell me” for your introduction. This means you should outline the key points or highlights of your topic.
This prepares your listens and helps to get their attention. It will also help them follow your presentation and stay focused. Here are some great phrases to help you do that.
- First, I’m going to present… Then I’ll share with you… Finally, I’ll ask you to…
- The next thing I’ll share with you is…
- In the next section, I’ll show you…
- Today I will be covering these 3 (or 5) key points…
- In this presentation, we will discuss/evaluate…
- By the end of this presentation, you’ll be able to…
- My talk this morning is divided into [number] main sections… First, second, third… Finally…
On Asking Questions
You want to be sure to let you audience know when and how it is appropriate for them to ask you questions. For example, is the presentation informal and is it okay for someone to interrupt you with a question? Or do you prefer for everyone to wait until the end of the presentation to ask questions?
- If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to interrupt me. I’m happy to answer any questions as we go along.
- Feel free to ask any questions, however, I do ask that you wait until the end of the presentation to ask.
- There will be plenty of time for questions at the end.
- Are there any questions at this point? If not, we’ll keep going.
- I would be happy to answer any questions you may have now.
Capture Your Audience’s Attention
Do you feel unsure about how to capture the attention of your audience? Don’t worry! Here are some common examples used in English-speaking culture for doing it perfectly!
Two of the most famous speakers in the English-speaking world are Steve Jobs and Oprah Winfrey. While Steve Jobs is no longer living, people still love to watch his speeches and presentations online. Oprah is so famous that no matter what she does, people are excited to see her and listen to her.
BUT, if you listen to a speech by Steve Jobs or Oprah Winfrey, they still work to get your attention!
The don’t start with a list of numbers or data. They don’t begin with a common fact or with the title of the presentation. No – they do much more.
From the moment they start their speech, they want you to listen. And they find interesting ways to get your attention. In his most famous speeches, Steve Jobs often started with a personal story. And Oprah often starts with an inspiring quote, a motivational part of a poem, or a personal story.
These are all great ways to help your audience to listen to you immediately – whether your presentation is 3 minutes or 20 minutes.
Here’s how you can do it.
Like Steve Jobs or Oprah Winfrey, start with a:
- Personal story or experience
- Motivational quote or line from a poem or book
- Joke (be careful with this – make sure it translates easily to everyone in the audience!)
- Shocking, bold statement (Think of Steve Jobs’ quote: “ Stay hungry. Stay Foolish .”)
- Rhetorical question ( =a question that you don’t want an answer to; the focus is to make someone think)
And finally, consider audience participation. Ask a question and get your audience to respond by raising hands.
Get the complete Presentations in English Series:
Part 1: How to Prepare for Your Presentation in English
Part 2: How to Start with a Great Introduction in Your Presentation
Part 3: How to Organize Your Presentation in English
Part 4: How to End Your Presentation Powerfully
As I mentioned in the video, I have two question for you today:
- What is the best introduction you’ve ever heard? Have you watched a TED Talk or a presentation on YouTube with a great introduction? Tell me about it. What do you think was great about the introduction?
- What frightens you the most about preparing your introduction in a presentation? Share your concerns with me so I can help you overcome any challenges you have.
Be sure to share in the comments below to get feedback from me and to learn from others in the Confident English Community.
Have a great week! ~ Annemarie
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Thank you, Annemarie. thanks for the generosity of sharing useful and systemative information and content.
This is really a very informative message thank you.. And it’s help me a lot
hi thank you for this It was helpful. You used simple english that i understood well.
How to start with a great presentation on composition
Thankyou for the information . It was much helpful . I will definitely use this information in my presentation 🤗
Hi, I am Thang Sok Do you have a Sample presentation?
This was helpful but can you please tell me how to start a presentation in college because this is for work in a company. My presentation is on laboratory skills and all that
Its informative
Thank you for this video! I’ve learned quite a lot and will want to use all these knowledge in presenting my thesis proposal in 2 months. About your question no. 2, I’d just like to share that the mere fact of presenting in front of many respected professionals makes me already nervous and shaky even if i have studied everything about my presentation. What do you think should i do to deal with my concern?
Could you give me advise, how to start learning English for beginner.How to prepare presentation on any topic and how to make interesting..
Thank u so much for valuable advice. Definitely I will used this in my presentation!!
Thank you very much for these kind of useful advice. I hope my first presentation will be exciting for the audience.Your video is helping me again thanks a lot 😊
hi, i’m B.COM student and I have to prepare presentation about identifying business opportunities. How to start and an attractive attention to my audience.. Please Help me…
very nise and educative piece of information thank you nancy nairobi kenya
i am starting a video speech shooting in night about a famouse person how do i start my speech with a good intro.
Hi again how do you do a introduction goodbye
Hi i do not know what you are talking about
Hi Kate, I’m sorry to hear you’re not sure about the content. I recommend reviewing the video carefully if you haven’t already. Is there something specific you have a question about?
thanks a lot for guiding in such an easier way.
Your write-up on introduction helped a lot, thank you Annemarie. I work for cross-geography team and greetings get lengthy as timezones are different e.g. “Good evening to those joining from US office and good morning to colleagues from India office”. I replaced that with “Thank you everyone for joining”. Is it okay?
Hi Amit, I’m so glad it was helpful. As for your greeting, both of your options are perfectly appropriate and friendly.
How to introduce group members in online presentation?
Great question! I’d love to use that for a future Confident English lesson.
its amazing. i can’t explain in wording. this material helping me a lot. i am so happy after use this website . its make easy for me preparing my presentation more interesting. i am thankful too u.
thanks! i use your materials to teach my students(clinets) how to prepare a presentation. is it ok to use them on my materials?
Hi! I am a student from the USP from Tuvaluan and i take CEE45 so our assessment 2 is to prepared a group presentation and we presented in school. so need your help for how to start an attractive introduction to my teacher and my fellow students, they already kwow me.
Thank you.. very helpful
Very useful
It was very use Gul for or presentations
Hi. I am a 1st year BIT student and I have to prepare a presentation on 3D Printing. how to start an attractive introduction to my teachers, when they already know about me? Can you please help me out? Thank you.
I just took 1st place for my paper that I presented at an international students conference. I used a lot of your techniques to improve my speech and I have no words to say how grateful I am to you. Keep up the good work!
😲WOW!! That’s awesome, Andrew. 🙌Congratulations on your presentation. What a wonderful response to your hard work. I’d love to know what you presentation was about. And thank you for sharing your new here. I’m thrilled to know that my techniques were helpful to you.
The title of the presentation was “Handling burnout: A study regarding the the influence of job stressors over military and civilian personel”. I can sent you my paper through email if you would like to see it.
Hi Andrew, what a fascinating topic. And it’s interesting because I just had a newspaper reporter interview me about burnout as a small business owner. Must be a hot topic. 🙂 And sure, I’d love to see it.
🔥❤ too goodd
Hello Annemarie, Thank you so much for one of the best content on the English presentation, I’ve seen. I have a question: Is it impolite or informal to start the presentation without a greeting? I’m asking this question because I’ve seen a lot of TEDTalks and in only a few of them, they greet the audience and in most of it, they quickly go to the “CAPTURING the ATTENTION” with numbers and pictures. I would be so thankful if you could answer this question as soon as possible, my presentation is so close. Best regards, Helia
Hi Helia, What a great question. It has definitely become more common to skip the greeting and go straight to capturing the attention of the audience and you’re right that we often see this in TED talks. I would say it’s best to know your audience and what might be expected. For example, at more formal, traditional conferences or lecture, it might be more appropriate to start with a welcome. I prefer to welcome/thank my audience quickly at the start when I give presentations. A welcome can be very brief, just one sentence, and then you can quickly go into … Read more »
Hi Annemarie I would like to thank you for giving such types of presentation skills but I have a question can you give me some idea about vote of thinks.
I’m glad the lessons are helpful to you. Could you clarify what you mean by ‘vote of thinks?’ I’m not sure I understand that.
Please can you give me some idea about vote of thanks
Could you clarify what you’re asking for, Bello?
Thanks a lot
Glad it was helpful!
it is agood i learn alot from this english class
Hello.i would like to thank you for giving these beautiful tips to start a presentation.This article helped me a lot.
That’s great, Radha. Glad to hear it.
Thanks for your article. It’s simply for interpersonal skill development.
You’re welcome, Mithun. Glad to know it was helpful.
Hi Annemarie . Thank you so much for giving such helpful guildelines it’s really gonna help me
I’m glad it’s helpful, Swetha! 🙂
thank you for help me
You’re very welcome!
Hi Anne Marie, i ‘m from Catalonia and i came across with your site only by chance and i think it’gonna be so helpful for me to pass the next test for c1 level. Several weeks ago i did some rehersals with my presentation and i was so nervous and terrified about what was expected from me.
Some tips in your youtube channel are so cool !!! Thank you.
Hi Tom, I’m thrilled you’ve found this site in your preparations for your English exam and am glad to know it’s helpful! Best of luck as you continue to prepare.
Hi Annemarie Thanks it’s so useful to develop presentation skill. Fatima
You’re very welcome, Fatima! I’m glad it was helpful.
Awesome, especially this simple and clear motto: “First, tell me what you’re going to tell me. Then tell me. And finally, tell me what you told me.” This three sentences exactly explain the content you need to create a memorable presentation.
Hi Dzmitry,
Yes, I’ve always loved that simple motto on how to do a presentation. 🙂 It’s so easy to remember and tells you exactly what to do.
hello I need to introduce myself to language center. i am going to learn Danish Language and i want to introduce myself to them and i am little bit nervous because my grammar is not good at that level.so will you please guide me how to introduce myself to them with an example. i did go through your examples but that is for professionals and i am just a student (Graduate). I don’t have any experience . Please guide me how to do it.
I was in a confused state about starting a conversation and proceeding in it but when I read the guidelines you mentioned above I became confident. thank you for your innumerable ………….
Thank you so much…… it’s an excellent topic, and it helped me a lot
I’m so glad this was helpful to you! Thank you for sharing.
hi annemarie i have a few questions about a speech i have to make a englishi speech of what i want to become can you help me?
Hi Rebecca,
Thank you for the question. I have several lessons on the topic of presentations in English . However, for personal assistance with English or presentations, I only do that through my one-on-one classes .
thank you so much…… it’s really helpful for me….
You’re very welcome, Shalini.
Thanks its really nice to develop the presentation skills
Awesome. I’m glad it was helpful to you, Mohammed.
I have to give a demo on one of your programs next week. I would like you to check my self introduction – Good afternoon everyone and thank you for all of your presence. Before we get into the session I would like to quickly introduce myself. My name is Dinesh . I am working as a Pharmaceutical sale and promotion of the brands for Arrient Healthcare. I am in this filed for the past ten years. Before becoming trainer I worked as a medical representatives for different pharma company . I am highly interested in learning from people and … Read more »
Please ignore my previous comment. Yea the demo was a success. So hereafter I will say”I have been in this field for the past four years. Actually I worked for different consultancies so I didn’t include an article there.
I have to give a demo on one of your programs next week. I would like you to check my self introduction – Good afternoon everyone and thank you for all of your presence. Before we get into the session I would like to quickly introduce myself. My name is Monica. I am working as a Soft Skill Trainer at Synergy School of Business Skills. I am in this filed for the past four years. Before becoming trainer I worked as a Recruiter for different job consultancy. I am highly interested in learning from people and I think teaching/training is … Read more »
Thank you for sharing your example! One note: “I am in this field for the past four years.” –> Don’t forget, when we’re talking about something that started in the past and continues to now, we use the present perfect. How might you change this sentence to fix the grammar?
Also, we want to add an article to, “… I worked as a recruiter for [a] different job consultancy.”
I wish you much success in your demo this week! Best, Annemarie
Yea the demo was a success! So hereafter I will say”I have been for the past four years. Actually I worked for different consultancies.
I like it but I think capturing their attention is the most difficult part in preparing a presentation. From my little experience, I used to talk about something out of the scope of the presentation in order to grasp their attention. For example, I had a presentation about medical terminology and its parts (suffix, prefix —). So I provided example which is Ultra Violet then I talked about the ultraviolet in the sun and Vitamin D deficiency. They liked the talk because it is very important to them and by this topic I captured their attention more and more.
Hello Fadia, I’m sorry I’m so late in responding to your comment! I agree with you: capturing attention is very challenging to do. It requires understanding your audience, knowing what is important to them, and how to connect with them. In English-speaking culture, we often connect by telling a story or showing we understand a problem the audience has. I think you’re exactly right to talk about something that is maybe “off topic” or out of the scope of the presentation, as you said, to get their attention first. It sounds like you did a great job in your experience!! … Read more »
hi there it was great going through your enlightening presentation skills however i would be even more delighted if you put some quotes for various PPT’s which will give us an instant ideas during the adhoc PPT like myself…just a suggestion.
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IMAGES
VIDEO
COMMENTS
Introduction · Good morning/afternoon everyone and welcome to my presentation. · Let me start by saying a few words about my own background. · As
Contents · 1. Good morning/afternoon/evening, everyone. · 2. Welcome to [name of event]. · 3. First, let me introduce myself. I am [name] from [
The Introduction · 1. Good morning/afternoon (everyone) (ladies and gentlemen). · 2. It's a pleasure to welcome (the President) here. · 3. I'm … · 4. By the end of
Greeting your audience and starting your presentation · Good morning/afternoon/evening everyone. · Hello everyone. · Hello everyone, I'm delighted
At the beginning of each presentation, you should welcome your audience. Depending on who you are addressing, you should extend a more or
Start and navigate the Q&A session · Thank you for your attention. · Thank you for listening. · Thank you for your question, [Name]. · I'm glad you
It's good to see you all here. · It's great that you could join me. · I'm very pleased to be here. · I'm very pleased to be talking to you today.
It is polite to start with a warm welcome and to introduce yourself. Everyone in the audience will want to know who you are. Your introduction
Key moments. View all · Give an overview I'm going to focus on / look at/deal with three main points. · Give an overview I'm going to focus on /