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- Presentations
Language for presentations Some formulaic phrases
On this page you will find some language for presentations, also known as 'signpost' phrases. Many of these are similar to (or the same as) the lecture cues a lecturer uses. They are another example of the formulaic language used in academic contexts. You do not need to learn all of these phrases. Your basic aim is to be able to use at least one phrase for each function (e.g. expressing purpose and showing the structure in the introduction , using transitions between sections, referring to visual aids , concluding ).
How many more you learn after this is up to you. Presentations usually have many visual aids and transitions, so it would be useful to learn two or three different phrases for these functions. On the other hand, you will only state the purpose once in a presentation, so one phrase is enough for life!
Introductions
The introduction is a crucial part of any presentation. There are many functions which you need to achieve:
- greet the audience
- express your purpose
- give the structure
- give the timing
- handle questions
Phrases for all of these are given in the box to the right.
Greeting the audience
- Good morning/afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.
- Good morning/afternoon, everyone.
Expressing the purpose
- My purpose/objective/aim today is...
- What I want to do this morning/afternoon/today is...
- I'm here today to...
Giving the structure
- This talk is divided into four main parts.
- To start with/Firstly, I'd like to look at...
- Then/Secondly, I'll be talking about...
- My fourth point will be about...
- Finally, I'll be looking at...
Giving the timing
- My presentation/talk/lecture will take/last about 20 minutes.
Handling questions
- At the end of my talk, there will be a chance to ask questions.
- I'll be happy to answer any questions you have at the end of my presentation.
Visual aids
It is important to be able to refer to your visual aids appropriately. Some useful phrases for visuals are shown to the right.
Visual aids
- As you can see here...
- Here we can see...
- If we look at this slide...
- This slide shows...
- If you look at the screen, you'll see...
- This table/diagram/chart/slide shows...
- I'd like you to look at this...
- Let me show you...
- Let's (have a) look at...
- On the right/left you can see...
A vital part of any presentation is 'transitioning' (moving on) to a new section. Why is this so crucial? Mainly because of the difference between listening and reading. When you are reading, you can easily see where one section (or paragraph) ends, and another begins. This is not true when you are listening. To help with this, good academic speakers, whether in presentations or lectures , give cues to signal the end of a section. This helps the listener understand the structure and follow the main points.
Some useful transition phrases are shown to the right.
Transitions
- Let's now move on to/turn to...
- I now want to go on to...
- This leads/brings me to my next point, which is...
- I'd now like to move on to/turn to...
- So far we have looked at... Now I'd like to...
Other phrases
There are some other phrases which are useful in a presentation. These include giving examples, summarising a point or section, and making a digression.
Giving examples
- Let me give you an example...
- for instance...
- A good example of this is...
Summarising
- What I'm trying to say is...
- Let me just try and sum that up before we move on to...
- So far, I've presented...
Digressing
- I might just mention...
- Incidentally...
The conclusion, like the introduction, has several functions which you need to achieve:
- sum up the main points of the presentation
- conclude (by giving a 'take-away' message)
- close (by thanking the audience)
- invite questions
Summing up
- Summing up...
- To summarise...
- So, to sum up...
- To recap...
- Let me now sum up.
Concluding
- Let me end by saying...
- I'd like to finish by emphasising...
- In conclusion I'd like to say...
- Finally, may I say...
- Thank you for your attention/time.
- Thank you (for listening/very much).
- If you have any questions or comments, I'll be happy to answer them now.
- If there are any questions, I'll do my best to answer them.
- Are there any more questions?
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- Body language
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Author: Sheldon Smith ‖ Last modified: 10 January 2022.
Sheldon Smith is the founder and editor of EAPFoundation.com. He has been teaching English for Academic Purposes since 2004. Find out more about him in the about section and connect with him on Twitter , Facebook and LinkedIn .
The language for presentations involves common 'signpost phrases' which help understand the structure.
The structure of a presentation is straightforward, with introduction, main body, conclusion, and Q&A.
Taking part in academic discussions increases your understanding and challenges your ideas, and may form part of your assessment.
Agreeing and disagreeing in academic discussions is always done politely, often using certain common phrases.
Asking for and giving opinions is important if you want to express your ideas and have a voice in discussions.
Visual aids such as PowerPoint and handouts, help your audience to follow your spoken presentation.
IMAGES
VIDEO
COMMENTS
Oral presentations typically involve three important steps: 1) planning, 2) practicing, and 3) presenting. 1. Planning Oral presentations require a good deal of planning. Scholars estimate that approximately 50% of all mistakes in an oral presentation actually occur in the planning stage (or rather, lack of a planning stage).
Complete the gaps in these extracts from presentations: Practice Exercises Match the phrasal verb with its synonym. 1. Wrap up a. Cover 3. Walk through c. Focus on 2. Look at b. Lead through, explain 4. Deal with d. Make contact later 5. Get back to e. Finish, end Phrasal verbs for presentations Hi everyone, for those who _____ I’m Francesco ...
brief outline of what you will cover and the purpose of your presentation. Let your audience know if there will be time for questions. You might like to start with a question, a joke, a photo, or a comment that will make people think and pay attention to what you are about to say. The language of presentations can be somewhat less formal than ...
greet the audience. express your purpose. give the structure. give the timing. handle questions. Phrases for all of these are given in the box to the right. Greeting the audience. Good morning/afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. Good morning/afternoon, everyone.
A good oral presentation is well structured; this makes it easier for the listener to follow. Basically there are three parts to a typical presentation: the beginning, the middle and the end (or introduction, body and conclusion). We are going to look at each part in turn and present the language needed to express both the structure and the ...
Introducing yourself and your talk. sh all onl y tak e ( ...) minutes of your time. plan to be brief This should only last (...) minutes. My talk will take about ten minutes. The presentation will take about two hours but there’ll be a twenty minute break in the middle. We’ll stop for lunch at 12 o’clock.
In many companies, presentations are now a common feature of working life. It is also becoming increasingly common to have to give presentations in English. Giving a presentation in a foreign language is a real challenge, even for those who have a good knowledge of the language. With English for Presentations you can learn the vocabulary
English Language Teaching Centre . University of Edinburgh . Introduction . You don’t have to have perfect spoken English to give a very effective presentation. In fact, even native speakers find presenting difficult. There is a lot more to presenting than knowing the language well.
Signposting Language for presentations 1. Introducing the topic ... / My presentation today is about... / Today I'd like to talk about... 2. Listing the points
to open presentations effectively. to establish rapport with the audience and sustain their interest. to use body language effectively. to handle questions from audience effectively. What is a Presentation? A presentation is a purposeful communication. In other words, it is the process of presenting a topic to an audience, with a specific purpose.