Vocabulary a

The phrases you need:

Signposts:

OK. Let’s move on to … / turn our attention to …/ take a look at …

This leads me to my next point, which is …

Earlier I mentioned …

I’ll say more about this later./ I’ll come back to this in a moment.

Just to digress for a moment…

Develop a topic:

It might be useful to give a little background here.

Let’s examine this in more detail.

Let me explain with a concrete example.

My own view on this is…

Focus:

Basically,… / To put it simply,…

So, for me, the main issue here is …

I think there are three questions to focus on.

I would like to stress / emphasize that

Question-answer

What is the reason for this? The reason is …

How much is this going to cost? Well, the figures show …

So what can we do about all this? I’ll tell you. We plan to …

Refer to visuals

As you can see on this next slide,…

I’d like to highlight two things on this table/ chart/ diagram …

What is interesting on this slide is …

I’d like to draw your attention to …

Ask for contributions

Are there any questions so far?

Does anyone have any comments?

How does this relate to your own particular context?

B. The following sequence provides a guide for how to end a presentation effectively.

1. Signal the end: this means using a “signpost” phrase to tell the audience explicitly that you’re going to finish.

2. Summarize the main points, and add a few observations or details for interest. Perhaps have bullet points on a final slide, and then give a lively comment about what really matters for each one (a “take-home message”).

3. Conclude: you can conclude with a friendly comment, a final slide ( with a strong image or message), by mentioning the benefits your talk has given the audience, or by looking forward to the future – with a call to action or an inspirational message. Finally, a strong “Thank you all for coming” will hopefully produce some applause!

4. Invite questions: “Do you have any questions?” is usually fine.

5. Deal with questions: the basic range of techniques is:

- Respond positively, then answer.

- Clarify / Ask for repetition.

- Redirect to the questioner.

- Redirect to the group.

- Delay an answer.

- Control the timing.

Vocabulary b

The phrases you need:

Signal the end:

Right, that brings me nearly to the end of my presentation.

Summarize:

Just to summarize the main points again,…

So, to summarize, we looked at four main points. I began by telling you a little about … Than I talked about … After that I explained how … Finally I …

Conclude:

I’d like to finish by saying …

So, in conclusion, I hope that this has given you …

Now we have to …/ I’m asking all of you to …/ Our job is to …

Thank you all for coming. I hope it’s been useful.

Practical matters:

I’ve got some handouts here.

Here’s my email in case you want to get in touch.

Read the presentation extract, which shows some of these techniques and phrases in context. It is the closing part of a “welcoming visitors” presentation. The presenter told the audience what she was going to say at the opening, and now here at the close she repeats the main points again. This reinforces the key ideas and makes them easier to remember.

“Right, that brings me to the end of my presentation. Just to summarize the main points again: I began by telling you a little about the history of our company, and you saw our growth from a small family firm to the international operation that we are today.

Then I talked about our market, and how new technologies are opening up exciting possibilities for the future.

After that I explained how customization is at the heart of our business model – our clients all get tailor-made solutions based on their individual needs.

Finally I gave you some information about our manufacturing process, and you saw how we achieve our exceptional levels of quality and performance.

OK, I’d like to finish by saying that it’s a great pleasure for us to welcome you here today, and I hope that you enjoy the factory tour which we’ve planned for you. We’ll start on the tour after a short break for refreshments.

Thank you all for coming. (applause)

I’ve got some handouts here – I’ll pass them round. They show all the slides I used in my talk and my contract details are at the back.

Do you have any quick questions before we break?

Yes, the gentleman at the back with the red tie. ”

A. Complete the presentation extract with the words in the box. It is an alternative version of the presentation opposite.

at this point emphasize have a look highlight two things let’s go on my own view notice you can see how

“OK, let’s 1_________________ at this next slide. It shows the design for an offshore turbine that sits on the surface of the sea.

I’d like to 2___________________ on this diagram.

Firstly, 3_________________________ the V-shaped structure with “sails” mounted along its length. Secondly, 4__________________________ this whole structure can turn on its base, powered by the action of the wind on the sails. This is how electricity is generated.

5_____________________ on this is that the design is a big improvement on earlier versions – it’s more efficient in terms of energy production, and it’s also more stable with its solid base.

By the way, I must just 6______________________ that this design is not in commercial production.

OK, are there any questions 7______________________?

No? Then 8__________________________ to the next slide, which is a graph showing the projected demand for offshore wind energy over the next twenty years.”

The extract you just looked at shows several points about referring to visuals: The speaker introduces the slide clearly. A long pause at the end of the first paragraph would be good – giving the audience a chance to study the slide silently. The speaker uses “firstly” and “secondly” to list points. Again, pauses after each separate point would allow the listeners’ time to absorb the information. The speaker makes a personal comment. This creates interest and is one way to avoid the danger of just reading the text on the slide. The speaker gives a chance for questions about this slide.