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Business English Phrase Bank · Lesson 26

Sound Professional When Giving Presentations

A complete phrase bank for presentations: how to open, structure your talk, move between topics, handle questions and finish strongly – professional, natural and easy for everyone to understand.

Starting your presentation

Phrases for greeting the audience, introducing yourself and explaining what you will cover.

Greeting the audience

  • Good afternoon. Thank you very much for coming today.

Introducing yourself

  • I’m going to introduce myself very briefly before we begin.

  • Some of you may know me already, but for those of you who don’t, I’m … from the … department.

  • I’m responsible for … / I’m involved in …

Introducing the presentation

  • Today, I’m going to be talking about …

  • I’m going to cover three main topics today.

  • I’m going to break this presentation down into four sections.

    Firstly, I’m going to cover … Secondly, I’m going to discuss … Thirdly, I’m going to take a look at … Finally, I’m going to talk about …

Explaining how questions will work

  • Questions any time

    Feel free to interrupt if you have any questions during the presentation.

  • Questions at the end

    If you have any questions, if you could hold on to them until the end – we’ll have around ten minutes for questions after the presentation.

Introducing the first topic

  • So, let’s get straight into the first topic.

During the presentation

Phrases for making your points, staying on track, managing your time and moving from one topic to the next.

Making your points

  • Sequencing

    Firstly, … In addition, … Furthermore, … Moreover, … Finally, …

  • Contrasting

    On the one hand, … On the other hand, …

    On the contrary, …

  • Your opinion

    As far as I’m concerned, …

Going back to an earlier point

  • Just going back to what I mentioned before, …

  • I just want to touch upon one extra point.

Going off topic

  • I’m just going to go off topic a little here.

  • Apologies, I’m digressing here. Let’s get back to the main point.

Running short of time

  • As we’re running a little short of time, I’m going to briefly run through the last few points, so that we still have some time for questions at the end.

Closing a topic and moving on to the next

  • That covers everything for that topic.

  • Before we move on, does anyone have any questions?

  • Let’s move on to …

  • This brings me nicely on to the next topic.

  • I’d now like to take a look at …

Finishing and taking questions

Phrases for summarising, inviting questions, dealing with difficult questions and ending on a strong note.

Summarising the main points

  • So, that brings my presentation to a close.

  • So, that concludes the final topic. Before we finish, I just want to recap everything that I’ve covered today.

  • I understand that we’ve covered quite a lot today, and it’s a lot to take in, so to summarise, …

  • So, what are the key takeaways from today’s presentation?

  • So, I hope you’re all now a lot clearer on …

Inviting questions

  • Thank you all for listening. I’m happy to answer any questions you may have.

  • Thank you all for listening. We have around ten minutes for questions, so if there’s anything you’d like me to clarify, I’m happy to answer.

Dealing with difficult questions

  • That’s an interesting question. I’m afraid I’m not the best person to ask, but I’ll look into it and get back to you.

  • We’ll send you the answer in the email with the presentation slides.

Ending the presentation

  • If there are no further questions, we’ll wrap things up there.

  • Thank you for all your questions.

  • Thank you all very much for attending, and have a nice afternoon.

AWhat would you say?

You are giving a presentation. Read each situation. Which phrase would you use?

  1. Some people in the audience know you, but most of them don’t.

  2. You want to explain how your presentation is organised.

  3. You don’t want to be interrupted. You would prefer to answer questions at the end.

  4. You realise that you have been telling a long story that isn’t really relevant.

  5. You have finished your second topic, and it leads naturally to your third topic.

  6. You have five minutes left and three more slides to show.

  7. You have given the audience a lot of complex information, and you want to repeat the main points.

  8. Someone asks a question that you can’t answer.

  9. You want to mention briefly one more point that is connected to your current topic.

  10. Nobody has any more questions, and you want to finish.

BKey expressions you can use anywhere

These expressions from the phrase bank are useful far beyond presentations. Choose the expression that matches each definition. Then complete the example sentence. You may need to change the form of the expression.

  1. To understand and remember information

    “I know we’ve covered a lot today. I hope it hasn’t been too much to .”

  2. To leave the main subject for a short time and talk about something less important

    “Apologies, I’m here. Let’s get back to the main point.”

  3. To repeat the main points of something

    “Before we finish, I just want to everything I’ve covered today.”

  4. Used to invite someone to do something, or to give them permission

    “If you’d like more information about anything I’ve covered, send me an email.”

  5. To mention something briefly while you are talking about another topic

    “I this point briefly earlier.”

  6. To divide something into smaller parts, so that it is easier to understand

    “It’s quite a complex topic, so I’m going to into more manageable points.”

  7. To wait until the end before asking your questions

    “If you could your questions until the end, we’ll have ten minutes for them after the presentation.”

  8. To finish something, such as a meeting or a presentation

    “If there are no further questions, we’ll there.”

  9. The key facts, points or ideas that people should remember

    “So, what are the key from today’s presentation?”

  10. In addition (often used at the beginning of a sentence)

    “The new system will save us a lot of time. , it will reduce our costs.”

CKey expressions in a new context

Complete the article with the expressions from the box. You may need to change the form of some of the words, and you will need one expression twice. The words in bold are for exercise D.

Word box

  • break down
  • takeaway
  • take in
  • furthermore
  • touch upon
  • recap (×2)
  • digress
  • hold on to
  • wrap up

Presentation advice: how much do you agree?

Giving a presentation can be a daunting task, but with the right techniques, you can calm your nerves and captivate your audience. Whether you’re speaking at a conference, pitching to investors or leading a team meeting, your aim is to leave a lasting impression.

First and foremost, understand your audience. What are their interests, needs and expectations? When you know this, you can tailor your presentation to their specific needs.

Next, it’s crucial to the presentation into manageable sections. Complex ideas can be overwhelming, so make sure that your slides are clear and not too full of text. Try to include only one key per slide – otherwise, there will be too much information for your audience to at one time. , visuals and charts can help your audience to absorb information – and they can make your presentation more entertaining too.

In the previous paragraph, we the use of text on slides. Keep text to a minimum, ideally in bullet points, and then flesh out the information when you speak. However, try not to get bogged down in one topic: keep the presentation moving, so that the audience stays interested. There will always be time at the end to answer questions or anything that needs more explanation. It is also essential to stick to the topic. If you start , your audience will lose concentration and feel that you are not in control of your own presentation.

To keep your audience engaged, ask questions and encourage them to participate. After a particularly complex point, check that everyone has understood. However, it’s better not to let people interrupt you with questions when you are in full flow. Set the ground rules at the beginning: ask the audience to their questions until the end.

To the presentation, finish with a strong conclusion. your main points, and leave your audience with something to think about.

Finally, remember to enjoy it! Presenting can be nerve-wracking, but with the right techniques, it can be an enjoyable experience for both you and your audience.

DKey words from the article

Based on the article, choose the word or phrase that matches each definition. Then complete the example sentence. You may need to change the form of the word.

  1. To attract and hold someone’s interest completely

    “She the audience with a brilliant talk about the future of the industry.”

  2. To become so involved in the details of something that you can’t make progress

    “I don’t want to in unnecessary details, so let’s move on to the next section.”

  3. Making you feel very nervous while you are doing it

    “Speaking in front of 500 people was extremely .”

  4. To adapt something for the specific needs of a person or a group

    “We our services to each client’s specific goals.”

  5. So great or intense that it is difficult to deal with

    “My workload has been since two colleagues left.”

  6. To make something more complete by adding more details

    “The plan is a good start, but we need to some parts so that the team knows what is required.”

  7. A feeling or an effect that stays with someone for a long time

    “My first boss was so inspiring. She really left on me.”

  8. Seeming difficult or frightening when you think about doing it

    “Starting a new position in a multinational company can be really .”

Use it well

Three things professionals often get wrong when they present.

Break down, hold on to, touch upon

Break down can be split: break the presentation down. With it, you must split it: break it down – not break down it.

Hold on to and touch upon are never split: hold on to your questions, touch upon a point.

Touch on means the same as touch upon and is slightly less formal.

Moreover, furthermore, in addition

All three add another point, and all three sound more professional than also at the start of a sentence.

Put them at the beginning of the sentence, followed by a comma:

The system is cheaper. Moreover, it is faster.

Moreover is the most formal, and often adds a stronger point.

Daunting, nerve-wracking, overwhelming

Daunting – how a task seems before you start: a daunting challenge.

Nerve-wracking – how it feels while you do it: a nerve-wracking interview.

Overwhelming – too much to deal with: an overwhelming amount of information.

Glossary

The key expressions from this lesson.

From the phrase bank

  • to take into understand and remember information
  • to break something downto divide something into smaller parts
  • feel free toused to invite someone to do something
  • to touch uponto mention something briefly
  • to hold on to questionsto wait until the end to ask your questions
  • to recapto repeat the main points
  • takeawaysthe key points that people should remember
  • to wrap things upto finish a meeting or a presentation
  • to digressto leave the main subject for a short time
  • moreover / furthermorein addition

From the article

  • dauntingseeming difficult or frightening before you start
  • to captivateto attract and hold someone’s interest completely
  • a lasting impressionan effect that stays with someone for a long time
  • to tailor toto adapt something for specific needs
  • overwhelmingtoo great or intense to deal with easily
  • to get bogged downto get too involved in details to make progress
  • to flesh outto add more details to something
  • nerve-wrackingmaking you feel very nervous

Knowing the phrase is step one. Using it in the meeting is step two.

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