Here’s a step-by-step guide for making presentations in English. You’ll find the phrases you need for each step of your presentation. After you give your opening statement, give a brief overview of your presentation. Say
what your presentation is about, how long you will take and how you are going to handle questions. For example, a presentation to sales staff could start like this: (Opening statement) (Overview) Useful language for overviews “My presentation is in three parts.” “Please feel free to interrupt me if you have questions.” The main body of the presentationDuring your presentation, it’s a good idea to occasionally remind your audience why your presentation and ideas are important or relevant. “As I said at the beginning…” Keeping your audience with youRemember that what you are saying is new to your audience. You are clear about the structure of your talk, but let your audience know when you are moving on to a new point. You can do this by saying something like “right”, or “OK”. You can also use some of the following expressions: “I’d now like to move on to…” If you are using index cards, putting the link on the cards will help you remember to keep the audience with you. In addition, by glancing at your index cards you will be pausing – this will also help your audience to realise that you are moving on to something new. Phrases for introducing visualsIt’s important to introduce your visual to the audience. You can use the following phrases: “This graph shows you…” Give your audience enough time to absorb the information on the visual. Pause to allow them to look at the information and then explain why the visual is important: “As you can see…” SummarisingAt the end of your presentation, you should summarise your talk and remind the audience of what you have told them: “That brings me to the end of my presentation. I’ve talked about…” Relate the end of your presentation to your opening statement: “So I hope that you’re a little clearer on how we can achieve sales growth of 20%.” Handling questionsThank the audience for their attention and invite questions. “Thank you for listening – and now if there are any questions, I would be pleased to answer them.” It’s useful to re-word the question, as you can check that you have understood the question and you can give yourself some time to think of an answer. By asking the question again you also make sure that other people in the audience understand the question. “Thank you. So you would like further clarification on our strategy?” After you have answered your question, check that the person who asked you is happy with the answer. “Does this answer your question?” If you don’t know the answer to a question, say you don’t know. It’s better to admit to not knowing something than to guess and maybe get it wrong. You can say something like: “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.” What to say if things go wrong during your presentationYou think you’ve lost your audience? Rephrase what you have said: “Let me just say that in another way.” Can’t remember the word? If it’s a difficult word for you – one that you often forget, or one that you have difficulty pronouncing – you should write it on your index card. Pause briefly, look down at your index card and say the word. Using your voice when making presentationsDon’t speak in a flat monotone – this will bore your audience. By varying your speed and tone, you will be able to keep your audience’s attention. Practise emphasising key words and pause in the right places – usually in between ideas in a sentence. For example “The first strategy involves getting to know our market (pause) and finding out what they want. (pause) Customer surveys (pause) as well as staff training (pause) will help us do this.” Don’t forget – if you speak too fast you will lose your audience! Making Presentations What should be at the end of a presentation?You can conclude the presentation by saying "thank you," but the slide should display either a summary of the points made or the presenter's contact information.
What are the 5 stages of presentation?What is the typical presentation structure?. Greet the audience and introduce yourself. Before you start delivering your talk, introduce yourself to the audience and clarify who you are and your relevant expertise. ... . Introduction. ... . The main body of your talk. ... . Conclusion. ... . Thank the audience and invite questions.. |