words used in presentation

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 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, the main body, individual 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. You’ll find that these phrases will act as ‘signposts’ for the audience 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 begin your English presentation. Here’s a simple, but effective introduction structure which works for most types of business presentations:

Introduce – Introduce yourself and greet your audience. Introduce the presentation topic – Explain the reasons for listening. Outline – Describe the main parts of the presentation. Question policy – Make it clear to your audience when they can ask questions: during or at the end?

Here are some phrases which you can use to structure the introduction in this way:

1. Good morning/afternoon (everyone) (ladies and gentlemen). 2. It’s a pleasure to welcome (the President) here. 3. I’m … (the Director of …)

Introduce the presentation topic

4. By the end of the talk/presentation/session, you’ll know how to… / …you will have learned about… / 5. I plan to say a few words about… 6. I’m going to talk about… 7. The subject of my talk is…

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…

Question Policy

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 you need to talk about goals, challenges, and strategies in your English presentation, listing phrases can help link these together and improve the flow of your speech. If you have to explain processes, sequencing phrases are helpful:

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…

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.

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 listening 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.

Whenever you’re ready, there are 3 ways I can help you:

1. The Impactful English Academy : Join like-minded professionals from around the world in The Impactful English Academy. The comprehensive online courses will teach you the system and strategies I have used to help 100’s of professionals speak English more fluently, confidently and professionally. Click here to learn more.

2. One-to -one Coaching : Get access to my guidance and a customised program that has helped, managers, directors, CEO’s, doctors and Government officials worldwide transform into confident and articulate communicators in English. Click here to book a Discovery session with me.

3. Onsite and Online Company Training: Equip your team with the essential communication skills they need to thrive in today’s global marketplace. My tailored onsite and online training programs empower professionals to communicate effectively and confidently in English in international business environments. C lick here to schedule a meeting with me.

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.

Related posts

Still Translating Instead of Thinking in English?

How to Speak English Politely By ‘Softening’ Your Language

How to Enhance English Fluency with Language ‘Chunks’

• Home »
• Blog »

Updated for 2024 | 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? If so, 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...! 

Improve your confidence in spoken English with our General English course or  Individual English training   in our centre in London or online.

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’ 

Related blog posts 

• Business English Work and Careers: 50 words you need to know
• Email writing: how to start and end an email in English  
• 5 Tips for Polite and Diplomatic Language  

Recommended courses: 

Find out more about our  Business and Professional 25+ courses  in Canterbury and London. You can also take our  English for Work & Careers .  If you need to learn online, we offer  Online English Courses  and  Skype English lessons . 

Subscribe to our newsletter

Get English skills tips, offers, news, and events sent directly to your inbox

For details about how we use your information, read our Privacy Policy . You may withdraw your consent at any time by unsubscribing.

About The London School of English

The London School of English has over 100 years of history teaching English and communication skills to adult learners. It is the joint #1 English language school in the UK according to the British Council inspections, the highest rated English language school in the world on Trustpilot, and the best value for money school according The English Language Gazette. 

Our practical, individualised approach enables our clients to learn effectively and make rapid progress. Courses include General English, Individual English training, Legal English, Business and Professional English, IELTS preparation and Academic English. We also offer bespoke business solutions for staff training and assessment. 

You can learn English with our expert trainers in our London centre at 15 Holland Park Gardens, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, or you can choose to study English online in groups or in individual classes.  Contact us online  or via phone +44 (0) 207 605 4142.

Posted: 13 February 2020

Categories:

Post your questions and comments:

You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser or activate Google Chrome Frame to improve your experience.

60 Essential Business Presentation Phrases in English [With Audio]

Giving a business presentation in English can be challenging, especially if it’s not your first language. However, with the right phrases and a bit of practice, you can deliver a confident and effective presentation.

Greeting Your Audience

Beginning your presentation, outlining the structure, transitioning between topics, highlighting key information, explaining data or visuals, restating your point, summarizing your main points, inviting questions, concluding your presentation, tips for preparing your presentation in english, have a plan, use visuals, structure your presentation well, and one more thing....

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

The way you start your presentation sets the tone for the rest of it. Begin by greeting your audience and introducing the topic. Here are some phrases to get you started:

1. Good morning, everyone.

Depending on the time of day, you can also say “Good afternoon, everyone” or “Good evening, everyone.”  

2. Welcome to [name of event].

For example: “ Welcome to our 3rd Annual Sales Leadership Conference.”

3. First, let me introduce myself.  

• Thousands of learner friendly videos (especially beginners)
• Handpicked, organized, and annotated by FluentU's experts
• Integrated into courses for beginners

“First, let me introduce myself. I am Dan Smith from ABC Designs.”

4. Thank you for being here today.

These phrases help you clearly state the purpose of your presentation. This is a good way to give them an idea of what’s going on and to bring them up to date. 

5. Let’s get started with our presentation.

6. The purpose of today’s presentation is to…

7. I’m here to talk about…

• Interactive subtitles: click any word to see detailed examples and explanations
• Slow down or loop the tricky parts
• Show or hide subtitles
• Review words with our powerful learning engine

8. Today, I’d like to discuss…

9. Let’s begin by looking at…

10. Let me start by giving you some background information.

11. I’ll start with an overview of…

12. As you’re aware…

“ As you’re aware , the CEO of DHL Express has often said that globalization is here to stay.”

Once you’ve introduced yourself and your topic, it’s important to give your audience a roadmap of what to expect. Use these phrases to outline the structure of your presentation:

• Learn words in the context of sentences
• Swipe left or right to see more examples from other videos
• Go beyond just a superficial understanding

13. Here’s what we’ll cover today…

14. Let me walk you through the agenda.

15. Our presentation will be divided into three main parts…

16. I’ll begin with…, followed by… and finally…

17. First, I’ll give you an overview of…, then we’ll discuss…

Transitions are key to keeping your presentation fluid and coherent. Use these phrases to smoothly move from one point to the next:

18. Let’s move on to…

• FluentU builds you up, so you can build sentences on your own
• Start with multiple-choice questions and advance through sentence building to producing your own output
• Go from understanding to speaking in a natural progression.

“ Let’s move on to our second sales strategy.”

19. Turning our attention now to…

“ Turning our attention now to the results of our 2016 customer survey.”

20. That brings us to the next point…

21. Moving on to the next topic…

22. Let’s take a closer look at…

• Images, examples, video examples, and tips
• Covering all the tricky edge cases, eg.: phrases, idioms, collocations, and separable verbs
• No reliance on volunteers or open source dictionaries
• 100,000+ hours spent by FluentU's team to create and maintain

23. Now that we’ve covered…, let’s discuss…

24. This ties in with my next point…

In any presentation, there are certain points you’ll want to highlight. These phrases will help you draw attention to the most important information:

25. I’d like to expand on…

“Now I’d like to expand on my point about increasing our market share.”

26. Let me elaborate further.

27. What’s important to note here is…

28. I’d like to emphasize that…

29. Let me draw your attention to…

30. This is a crucial point because…

31. One thing to keep in mind is…

32. We have to remember that…

“ We have to remember that people are our most important resource.”

33. The significance of this is…

“ The significance of this is , if we complete this project on schedule, we’ll have more people available to work on the next project.”

34. This is important because…

“ This is important because any marketing effort we put in now will help to boost demand for our products in the long run.”

Concrete data presented with visual aids like charts and graphs can be powerful tools in a presentation, but only if you explain them clearly. These phrases can help:

35. Based on our findings…

“ Based on our findings, 74% of our market is made up of teenagers who find our clothing line stylish and upbeat.”

36. According to our study…

“ According to our study, 63% of working people in this city go directly to the gym after work.”

37. Our data indicates that…

“ Our data indicates 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.”

38. As you can see from this chart…

39. This graph clearly shows that…

40. Looking at the figures, we can see…

41. This table highlights…

42. I’d like to illustrate this point by showing you…

The word “illustrate” means “show,” usually with examples, data or visuals.

“ 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.”

43. This chart shows a breakdown of…

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.

“ 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.

44. In other words…

“ In other words , we need to change our current design to make it more attractive to older children.”

45. To put it simply…

“ To put it simply , we’ll need you to work harder at making this launch a success.”

46. What I mean to say is…

“ What I mean to say is that we need to change the way we market our products.”

As you approach the end of your presentation, it’s important to summarize your main points and give a strong conclusion. Use these phrases:

47. In conclusion, let me sum up my main points.

As part of your closing statement, “sum up” (summarize, state briefly) your speech by mentioning the main points of your speech.

48. To summarize…

49. Let’s briefly recap the main points…

50. To wrap up, I’d like to…

51. The key takeaway from today’s presentation is…

Inviting questions during or after your presentation shows that you value your audience’s input. Here are some polite ways to do that:

52. Feel free to ask any questions at this point.

53. Are there any questions before we move on?

54. Does anyone have any questions so far?

55. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask.

56. I’ll be happy to answer any questions at the end.

Finally, close your presentation with a positive, professional note and thank your audience . Here are some phrases to help you finish strong:

57. Thank you for your time and attention.

58. That concludes my presentation.

59. I appreciate your participation today.

60. I look forward to hearing your thoughts and feedback.

Always have a plan. Spend some time thinking about what you’re going to say and how you’re going to say it. Think about the vocabulary , phrases and grammar that will make your message clear and easy to understand.

Here are a few suggesstions:

• Have a clear goal in mind to help you stay on track. Whenever you feel lost during the presentation, just remember this main goal. An example of a goal could be to convince potential clients to work with you. Remember to focus on the advantages you want to present and on examples of what you did in the past to deserve their trust. 
• 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 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.

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 a PowerPoint probably isn’t necessary.
• Don’t fill your slides with too much information. Use a maximum of five or six short lines of text. Highlight key words so the audience can see the main ideas right away. Use bullet points rather than full sentences.
• Give the audience time to read graphs or charts. Don’t show a huge table of data if the audience won’t have time to read and understand it. Make sure you practice reading each slide while timing yourself to see how long it takes, so you don’t jump to the next slide too early during your presentation.

If you don’t structure your presentation well with a clear goal in mind, it may end up unclear and unorganized. You don’t want to run out of time before covering your main points or bore the audience.

Here are a few ways to make sure it goes smoothly:

• Decide on three main points (or less). Audiences can’t usually focus on more than three points, so narrow it down to the most important ones you want to make. 
• Tell them what points you’ll be making. Audiences like to know what to expect. Tell them the main goals of your presentation directly in the introduction.
• Use connectors to make transitions from one point to another.  Connectors can also help you present details within certain points. Here are some examples of connectors for different situations:

Mastering these presentation phrases will help to ensure that your message is conveyed clearly and professionally. They’ll also boost your confidence as you prepare to present in English. 

Practice using these phrases in your next presentation, and you’ll see how they help you succeed.

If you like learning English through movies and online media, you should also check out FluentU. FluentU lets you learn English from popular talk shows, catchy music videos and funny commercials , as you can see here:

If you want to watch it, the FluentU app has probably got it.

The FluentU app and website makes it really easy to watch English videos. There are captions that are interactive. That means you can tap on any word to see an image, definition, and useful examples.

FluentU lets you learn engaging content with world famous celebrities.

For example, when you tap on the word "searching," you see this:

FluentU lets you tap to look up any word.

Learn all the vocabulary in any video with quizzes. Swipe left or right to see more examples for the word you’re learning.

FluentU helps you learn fast with useful questions and multiple examples. Learn more.

The best part? FluentU remembers the vocabulary that you’re learning. It gives you extra practice with difficult words—and reminds you when it’s time to review what you’ve learned. You have a truly personalized experience.

Start using the FluentU website on your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes or Google Play store. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)

Enter your e-mail address to get your free PDF!

We hate SPAM and promise to keep your email address safe

• Facebook Profile

Learning English with Oxford

The latest language learning tips, resources, and content from oxford university press., useful phrases for giving a presentation in english.

• by Oxford University Press ELT
• Posted on April 21, 2023 February 2, 2024

Giving a presentation in English can be challenging, but with these helpful phrases, you can feel confident and ready to make a good presentation in English. 

Starting your presentation

So how to start a presentation in English? Begin by saying hello and welcoming everyone. You can also thank the audience for being there with you. 

The beginning of the presentation is one of the most important parts because you need to make sure your audience is interested from the start. 

You could tell a short story, give a fact, or simply tell the audience a little bit about yourself, e.g. ‘ Let me start by telling you a little bit about myself …’ 

Then, introduce what your presentation is about by giving an opening statement or an overview of your session. For example, ‘Today, I am going to talk to you about …’ or, ‘Today, we’ll be looking at/focusing on …’. 

You can also tell the audience, ‘ If you have any questions, please raise your hand and I’ll be happy to answer them’ … or ‘ We’ll have time at the end for questions.’

Presenting the topic

When you get into the main part of giving your presentation in English, remember that what you’re saying to your audience is new information. Speak slowly, organise your ideas, and make sure your pronunciation is clear. You can learn more about boosting your pronunciation here . 

Use expressions to order your ideas and introduce new ones. You can use words and phrases to sequence like, firstly/first of all, secondly, then, next, following this, and lastly/finally. 

If you want to introduce the opposite point of view, you can use language like however, on the other hand, contrary to this and then again. 

It’s a good idea to link what you are saying back to previous things you have said. This shows you have a well-organised presentation and also helps keep people engaged. For example, ‘as I said previously/at the beginning …’, ‘as you may remember’ and ‘this relates to what I said about ….’

Highlighting information during your talk 

When you are giving a presentation in English, you might want to highlight a particular piece of information or something that’s important. You can use phrases such as ‘Let’s focus on …’, ‘I want to highlight …’,   ‘Pay attention to …’, ‘Let’s look at …’, ‘I want to briefly address …’, or ‘Now, let’s discuss ….’ You can use these phrases after your sequencing words to help you with your structure. 

You can also highlight information by asking your audience their opinion of what you are saying or having them engage with the presentation in some way. For example, you could ask a question and have the audience raise their hands if they agree, or disagree, or if you want to find out how many of them have experience with the situation you’re discussing. Asking questions is a good way to make sure you still have the audience’s attention after you’ve been speaking for a while.

You can also highlight information on your visuals if you’re using them. Use bright, impactful pictures and colours, and don’t include too much writing on your slides.  

Finalising the talk 

At the end of the presentation, you should summarise your talk and remind the audience of the things you have discussed, and the new information you have given them. You can say things like ‘In summary, we have looked at …’, ‘I’d like to finish by …’, and ‘We’re coming to the end of the presentation. We’ve discussed …’. 

You can then ask the audience for any questions you haven’t already answered. 

What are your experiences of giving a presentation in English? Do you have any other tips to add? Share below!

Billie Jago is an ELT writer and teacher trainer, specialising in digital & assessments. She is the founder of the professional development podcast ELTcpd and co-founder of the digital ELT content agency, otterelt .

Share this:

Author: Oxford University Press ELT

Every year we help millions of people around the world to learn English. As a department of the University of Oxford, we further the University’s objective of excellence in education by publishing proven and tested language learning books, eBooks, learning materials, and educational technologies. View all posts by Oxford University Press ELT

before You start your presentation ,try please to mention the time duration . sometimes people should be informed so that we can take a coffe break or cigarettes break in order to make evry one happy with the topics

Here is the tip I would add according to my experience :

end your presentation on a positive note, for example with a funny sentence /image /meme / an inspirational quote, in short something that will make your talk pleasant to remember.

Valentina T.

You need to chill out and show calmness and confidence. You should rehearse your presentation on the stage some time before its previously stated time.

Clear, cogent & commanding. Thanks.

I think to get better respond to presentation you can do some mistakes in it and then explain it the end or in the next presentation. Because if anyone would like to learn something also should show involvement.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Discover more from learning english with oxford.

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Type your email…

Continue reading

Blog > English Presentation Structure (Introduction, Closing) & useful Phrases

English Presentation Structure (Introduction, Closing) & useful Phrases

02.21.20   •  #powerpoint #presentation #english.

When giving a presentation in english, there are certain guidelines you should follow. Maybe you haven't got a lot of experience presenting - or you would simply like to refresh your already existing knowledge - we're here to teach you the basics about presenting and provide you with a free list of useful phrases and the basic structure you can in your presentation!

1. Structure

The general structure of a presentation is the following:

• Introduction

It is up to you to design these three parts. Using videos or everyday-examples can be a great way to introduce the audience to the topic. The important thing is that you capture the audience's attention from the beginning by making an interesting introduction. The main part is where you present your topic, ideally divided into sections. You can be creative with it - incorporate images, videos, stories or interactive polls . We generally recommend using different kinds of elements, as that makes the presentation more lively. Make sure your main part is well structured, so your audience can follow. In the conclusion, you should give a short summary of the points you made without adding any new information. You can also make an appeal to your audience in the end.

2. Useful Phrases

Here you'll find several phrases that you'll need in every presentation. Of course, you should adapt them and use them in a context that is suitable for your setting. The phrases are divided into subcategories so you can find what you're looking for more easily.

Starting your Presentation

In your introduction, you should:

Welcome your audience

Good morning/afternoon/evening everyone!

Ladies and gentlemen, I welcome you to my presentation about...

Introduce yourself

I am ... (from company ...) and today I would like to introduce you to the topic of ...

My name is ... and I am going to talk about ... today.

Icebreakers (for audience engagement)

Icebreaker polls are an amazing way to engage your audience instantly. They function as a fun and playful element at the beginning, giving you the perfect start you need to give a successful presentation. Click here to read our detailed post about icebreaker polls!

Mention the presentation topic and the reason for giving the presentation

I am grateful to be here today and tell you you about...

I would like to take this opportunity to talk about ...

I am here today to talk to you about ...

The reason why I am here today to talk about ... is ...

The purpose of this presentation is to ...

My goal today is to ...

Hopefully, by the end of the presentation, you will all know more about ...

Give a short overview of the content

To make it as understandable as possible, I divided my presentation into ... parts. In the first part, I will concentrate on ..., the second part will be about ..., ...

First of all, I will give you a short introduction, then we will move on to ...

... and finally, I will give you some insights to ...

Here are a few phrases that you could use during the whole presentation, but especially in the main part.

Engage your audience

In order to raise the audience's attention and improve their engagement, it is extremely important to make contact with them. A great way to do so is by adding interactive elements such as polls. If you would like to know more about this topic, read our article on How To Boost Audience Engagement . You can also use a software like SlideLizard , which allows you to conduct live polls, do Q&A sessions with your audience, share your resources and many more benefits that take your presentation to the next level.

Please raise your hand if you ...

Have you ever thought about ... ?

I would like to do a poll about ...

Please ask any questions as soon as they arrive.

On one hand, … on the other hand…

Comparing … with …, we can see that…

Clearly, … makes more sense than …

Whereas Option A is …, Option B is …

Making new points

Firstly,… Secondly,…

What also has to be mentioned is…

Next, I would like to bring up the topic of…

That being said, now we are going to take a look at…

Let's move on to the next topic.

On the next slide,…

The last thing I would like to mention is…

We made a whole blog post about how to pose questions in your presentation: The Right Way to do a Question Slide .

Talking about images or videos

In this image you can clearly see that ...

We are now going to take a look at a picture/video of ...

I'm going to show you a video by ... about ... now.

I've prepared a video about ...

Talking about statistics and charts

I am now addressing this graph that refers to the results of study XY.

In the graph on this slide, you can see that ...

The average is at ...

This graph clearly shows that the majority ...

According to this graph, the focus should be on ...

What that study tells us for practice is that we should ...

Emphasizing

I would like to emphasize the importance of ...

Moreover, it has to be said that ...

I want to stress the importance of ...

We always have to remember that ...

This is of high significance because ...

That part is especially important because ...

When something goes wrong

I am sorry, but it seems like the projector isn't working.

Could someone please help me with ...?

Is anybody here who knows how to ...?

Could someone give me a hand with ...

I would like to apologize for ...

I apologize for the technical problems, we are going to continue in a minute.

I am sorry for the inconvenience.

End of Presentation

In the conclusion, you should...

Sum up the main points

In conclusion I can say that…

To sum up the main points,…

With all mentioned aspects taken into consideration, I can say that…

Make an appeal

So please, in the future, try to be conscious about...

Please take a moment to think about...

I would like to encourage you to...

Thank your audience and say goodbye

It was a pleasure being here today.

Thank you for listening and goodbye.

Thank you for being such a great, engaged audience. Goodbye.

Thank you so much for listening, see you next time.

What is the structure of a presentation?

Your presentations should always have an Introduction, a Main part and a Conclusion.

What is a good way to begin a presentation?

You can start by introducing yourself, giving an overview of your topic, telling a little story or showing the audience an introductory video or image.

What are good phrases to use in English presentations?

There are many phrases that will make your presentation a lot more professional. Our blog post gives you a detailed overview.

Related articles

About the author.

Pia Lehner-Mittermaier

Pia works in Marketing as a graphic designer and writer at SlideLizard. She uses her vivid imagination and creativity to produce good content.

Get 1 Month for free!

Do you want to make your presentations more interactive.

With SlideLizard you can engage your audience with live polls, questions and feedback . Directly within your PowerPoint Presentation. Learn more

Top blog articles More posts

Elegant Architecture - Free PowerPoint Template

How to add a Countdown Timer in PowerPoint

Get started with Live Polls, Q&A and slides

for your PowerPoint Presentations

The big SlideLizard presentation glossary

Hybrid event.

When an event consist of both virtual and in-person parts, this is called a hybrid event. This type of event is popular as it combines the benefits of both online and live events.

Break-out-Room

In live online training, it is sometimes useful to divide the students into small groups for certain exercises, as it would be impossible to have conversations at the same time. Break-out-rooms are used so that people can talk to each other without disturbing the others. When the exercise is over, they are sent back to the main room.

Audience Demographics

Audience Demographics are the characteristics of listeners like age, gender, cultural backgrounds, group affiliations and educational level. The speaker has to consider all these characteristics when adapting to an audience.

Informative Presentations

An information presentation is created when no solution is currently available. Facts, data and figures or study results are presented and current processes are described.

Be the first to know!

The latest SlideLizard news, articles, and resources, sent straight to your inbox.

- or follow us on -

We use cookies to personalize content and analyze traffic to our website. You can choose to accept only cookies that are necessary for the website to function or to also allow tracking cookies. For more information, please see our privacy policy .

Cookie Settings

Necessary cookies are required for the proper functioning of the website. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website.

Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information about the number of visitors, etc.

Vocabulary and Phrases for Making Presentations in English

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: “Welcome / “Hello everyone.”

(Opening statement) “As you all know, this company is losing its market share. But we are being asked to increase sales by 20 – 25%. How can we possibly increase sales in a shrinking market?”

(Overview) “Today I am going to talk to you about how we can do this. My presentation will be in three parts. Firstly I am going to look at the market and the background. Then I am going to talk to you about our new products and how they fit in. Finally, I’m going to examine some selling strategies that will help us increase our sales by 20%. The presentation will probably take around 20 minutes. There will be time for questions at the end of my talk.”

Useful language for overviews

“My presentation is in three parts.” “My presentation is divided into three main sections.” “Firstly, secondly, thirdly, finally…” “I’m going to… take a look at… talk about… examine… tell you something about the background… give you some facts and figures… fill you in on the history of… concentrate on… limit myself to the question of…

“Please feel free to interrupt me if you have questions.” “There will be time for questions at the end of the presentation.” “I’d be grateful if you could ask your questions after the presentation.”

The main body of the presentation

During 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…” “This, of course, will help you (to achieve the 20% increase).” “As you remember, we are concerned with…” “This ties in with my original statement…” “This relates directly to the question I put to you before…”

Keeping your audience with you

Remember 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…” “I’d like to turn to…” “That’s all I have to say about…” “Now I’d like to look at…” “This leads me to my next point…”

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 visuals

It’s important to introduce your visual to the audience. You can use the following phrases:

“This graph shows you…” “Take a look at this…” “If you look at this, you will see…” “I’d like you to look at this…” “This chart illustrates the figures…” “This graph gives you a break down of…”

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…” “This clearly shows …” “From this, we can understand how / why…” “This area of the chart is interesting…”

Summarising

At 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…” “Well, that’s about it for now. We’ve covered…” “So, that was our marketing strategy. In brief, we…” “To summarise, I…”

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%.” “To return to the original question, we can achieve…” “So just to round the talk off, I want to go back to the beginning when I asked you…” “I hope that my presentation today will help you with what I said at the beginning…”

Handling questions

Thank 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.” “That brings me to the end of my presentation. Thank you for your attention. I’d be glad to answer any questions you might have.”

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?” “That’s an interesting question. How are we going to get voluntary redundancy?” “Thank you for asking. What is our plan for next year?”

After you have answered your question, check that the person who asked you is happy with the answer.

“Does this answer your question?” “Do you follow what I am saying?” “I hope this explains the situation for you.” “I hope this was what you wanted to hear!”

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.” “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, we 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.”

What to say if things go wrong during your presentation

You think you’ve lost your audience? Rephrase what you have said:

“Let me just say that in another way.” “Perhaps I can rephrase that.” “Put another way, this means…” “What I mean to say is…”

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 presentations

Don’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

Your answer:

Correct answer:

Your Answers

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.

usingenglish

• What is the difference between American English (AE) and British English (BE)?

Comments are closed.

image sources

• : © Thaut Images

Fast and affordable

Choose the number of words: ?

How many days do we have?

Get to know us first! We can correct a random page from your document completely free of charge and with no obligation from your side.

• Interesting
• Miscellaneous

• Grammar & vocab

Making a presentation: language and phrases (1)

• Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on X (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
• Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)

Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3

This is a list of phrases to help you make a professional presentation in English.

Clear structure, logical progression

Good presenters always use language (sometimes single words, sometimes phrases) which shows where they are in their presentation. These ‘signposts’ make it easier for the audience to:

• follow the structure of the presentation
• understand the speaker more easily
• get an idea of the length and content of the presentation.

We’ve divided the phrases and sentences into sections which follow the logical progression of a well-balanced presentation.

1. Welcoming

• Good morning and welcome to [name of company, name of conference hall, hotel, etc.].
• Thank you all very much for coming today.
• I hope you all had a pleasant journey here today.

2. Introducing yourself

• My name is Mark Watson and I am responsible for … .
• My name is Mark Watson from [name of company], where I am responsible for … .
• Let me introduce myself; my name is Mark Watson and I am responsible for … .

3. Introducing your presentation

• The purpose of today’s presentation is to … .
• The purpose of my presentation today is to … .
• In today’s presentation I’d like to … show you … . / explain to you how … .
• In today’s presentation I’m hoping to … give you an update on… / give you an overview of … .
• In today’s presentation I’m planning to … look at … . / explain … .

You can also outline your presentation to give the audience a clear overview of what they can expect:

• In today’s presentation I’m hoping to cover three points:
• firstly, … , after that we will look at … , and finally I’ll … .
• In today’s presentation I’d like to cover three points:
• firstly, … , secondly … , and finally … .

4. Explaining that there will be time for questions at the end

• If you have any questions you’d like to ask, please leave them until the end, when I’ll be happy to answer them.
• If there are any questions you’d like to ask, please leave them until the end, when I’ll do my best to answer them.

Related Posts

• Making a presentation: language and phrases (3)
• Making a presentation: language and phrases (2)
• Dynamic verbs for describing a graph and making a clear presentation
• Presentation Language e-book
• Telephone language
• Business letter writing phrases
• American Sign Language (ASL) speaker learning to write English
• More useful phrases for business emails and letters
• Business vocabulary exercise: phrases in business emails
• Business Correspondence Language e-book

37 Useful Phrases For Presentations In English

• Post author: Harry
• Post last modified: 07/02/2024
• Post category: Business English Vocabulary
• Reading time: 10 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.

give a gift of learning Offer up to 50% off

Great way to improve your English. Use code LOVE24  

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. 

book your trial English Lesson

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​

Share and help other students to improve English language skills.

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.

speak better English podcast - episode 368

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 .

Phrasal Verbs with Over

Here you will learn 12 English phrasal verbs with over. As always, I will give you clear explanations and examples.

English Idioms connected with Weather

    Weather is a major topic in English conversation. In Britain weather changes hourly so it comes as no

Describing People’s Appearance In English

Describing people’s appearance in English can be tricky for non-native English speakers. In this lesson, you will learn C1 Level

enrol in a free course

• Phrasal Verbs + Grammar + Funny English Idioms

online english courses from €7.99

• free english mini course
• english grammar refresher
• 73 most common mistakes
• Advanced english workout 1
• advanced english workout 2
• advanced english workout 3
• job interview in english
• how to teach english online

follow me on social media

Advanced english learning course.

Improve English from intermediate to advanced level in my intensive English course.

55 online lessons + 6 online courses + direct contact with Harry

learn english with us

• zoom/skype english lessons prices
• our teachers
• english learning blog
• Odnoklassniki icon Odnoklassniki
• Facebook Messenger
• LiveJournal

How can I advance my English?

Elevate Your Presentations: Mastering English Presentation Words and Phrases

The art of delivering a compelling presentation lies in the finesse of your language skills. It’s about crafting resonating sentences, choosing captivating words, and initiating a dialogue that piques curiosity. One must know how to maneuver through this landscape, from setting the scene with a powerful introduction to concluding with a thought-provoking statement. That’s where this guide comes in. It will give you key presentation sentences, phrases, and words to help elevate your communication skills.

Presentation Starting Phrases

In the realm of presentations, first impressions matter tremendously. Your opening words set the stage for the rest of your discourse, establishing the tone and drawing in your audience. The right choice of phrases can create a compelling introduction that commands attention and sparks interest. Here, we will explore a selection of presentation-starting words and phrases to help you set a strong foundation:

• I’d like to start by…
• Today, I’m here to discuss…
• Let’s begin with a look at…
• Good morning/afternoon/evening, my name is…
• It’s a pleasure to be here today to talk about…
• Let’s dive straight into…
• I would like to kick off with…
• Firstly, let’s consider…
• Have you ever wondered about…
• Thank you for joining me as we explore…
• Today’s focus will be on…
• Let’s set the stage by discussing…
• The topic at hand today is…
• To start, let’s examine…
• I want to begin by highlighting…

Crafting an engaging opening with the presentation starting words, is akin to opening the first page of a riveting novel. These phrases serve as a doorway, inviting your audience into the fascinating narrative you are about to share.

Setting the Scene: Key Presentation Phrases

Now that you have your audience’s attention, the next crucial step is to set the scene. It involves using key phrases to keep your audience engaged, clarify, and effectively communicate your main points. A well-set scene guides the audience through your presentation, helping them understand your narrative and easily follow your arguments. Let’s look at some essential phrases that can help you accomplish it:

• Moving on to the next point, we see...
• Delving deeper into this topic, we find...
• An important aspect to consider is...
• It leads us to the question of...
• Another critical point to remember is...
• To illustrate this point, let me share...
• On the other hand, we also have...
• Furthermore, it’s critical to note that...
• Let’s take a moment to examine...
• As an example, let’s look at...
• The evidence suggests that...
• Contrary to popular belief...
• It’s also worth noting that...
• Digging into this further, we discover...
• Expanding on this idea, we can see...
• Turning our attention to...
• The data indicate that...
• To clarify, let’s consider...
• To highlight this, let’s review...
• Putting this into perspective, we can infer...

These phrases help establish your narrative, maintain audience interest, and structure your arguments. They serve as signposts, guiding your audience through the presentation and facilitating understanding and engagement.

Transitioning Gracefully: Phrases for Presentation Flow

Transitioning between points or sections in your presentation is like steering a ship through water. Smooth navigation keeps your audience aboard, maintaining their interest and comprehension. Seamless transitions contribute to a coherent and compelling narrative, preventing abrupt jumps or confusing shifts in your discourse. The following phrases are powerful tools that can ensure your transitions are smooth and effective:

• Moving forward, let’s consider...
• With that said, let’s turn our attention to...
• Now that we’ve discussed X, let’s explore Y...
• Building upon this idea, we can see that...
• Transitioning to our next point, we find...
• Shifting gears, let’s examine...
• Let’s now pivot to discussing...
• Following this line of thought...
• Linking back to our earlier point...
• Let’s segue into our next topic...
• It brings us neatly to our next point...
• To bridge this with our next topic...
• In the same vein, let’s look at...
• Drawing a parallel to our previous point...
• Expanding the scope of our discussion, let’s move to...
• Having established that, we can now consider...
• Correlating this with our next point...
• Let’s transition now to a related idea...
• With this in mind, let’s proceed to...
• Steering our discussion in a new direction, let’s delve into...

These phrases connect threads, linking your ideas and ensuring your presentation flows smoothly. They give your audience cues, signaling that you’re moving from one idea or point to the next, making your discourse easy to follow.

Concluding Your Presentation in English

The conclusion is your final opportunity to leave a lasting impression on your audience. It’s a chance to wrap up your arguments, restate your main points, and leave your audience with a clear and compelling message to ponder. Here are some phrases that can assist you in crafting a memorable conclusion:

• To sum up our discussion today...
• In conclusion, we can say that...
• Wrapping up, the key takeaways from our talk are...
• As we come to an end, let’s revisit the main points...
• Bringing our discussion to a close, we find...
• In the light of our discussion, we can infer...
• To synthesize the main points of our discourse...
• To recap the primary themes of our presentation...
• As we conclude, let’s reflect on...
• Drawing our discussion to a close, the principal conclusions are...
• As our dialogue comes to an end, the core insights are...
• In wrapping up, it’s essential to remember...
• Summarizing our journey today, we can say...
• As we bring this presentation to a close, let’s remember...
• Coming to an end, our central message is...

These phrases help you consolidate your arguments, summarize your main points, and end on a high note. A well-structured conclusion ensures your audience understands your presentation, its key messages, and its implications.

Polished Presentation Vocabulary

Apart from structured sentences and transitional phrases, the vocabulary you use can add a touch of sophistication. An expanded lexicon enriches your language and enhances your ability to express complex ideas with clarity and precision. Let’s explore a list of presentation words that can add depth and dimension:

• Elucidate  -   make something clear, explain.
• Pivotal  -   of crucial importance in relation to the development or success of something else.
• Insights  -   an accurate and deep understanding.
• Nuanced  -   characterized by subtle distinctions or variations.
• Leverage  -   use something to maximum advantage.
• Perspective  -   a particular attitude toward or way of regarding something.
• Synthesize  -   combine   into a coherent whole.
• Salient  -   most noticeable or important.
• Correlation  -   a mutual relationship or connection between two or more things.
• Framework  -   a basic structure underlying a system or concept.
• Paradigm  - a typical example or pattern of something.
• Repercussions  -   an unintended consequence of an event or action.
• Contemplate  -   look thoughtfully for a long time.
• Manifestation - an event, action, or object that embodies something.
• Escalate  -   increase rapidly.
• Inherent  -   existing in something as a permanent, essential, or characteristic attribute.
• Validate  -   check or prove the validity or accuracy of.
• Consolidate  -   make something physically more solid.
• Compelling  -   evoking interest, attention, or admiration in a powerfully irresistible way.
• Delineate  -   describe or portray something precisely.

These words add a layer of sophistication to your presentation, conveying your thoughts and ideas more precisely. They expand your expressive capacity and lend an authoritative and professional tone to your speech. By integrating these words into your presentation, you can deliver your message with clarity and depth, engaging your audience more effectively.

The Corporate Edge: Navigating the Nuances of Business English Presentations

In the corporate world, effective communication is the linchpin of success. It’s an art that lies at the heart of all business interactions, from high-stakes meetings to persuasive pitches. And when it comes to delivering such a presentation, the task becomes even more critical. The business English presentation phrases you use, how you present your points, and the overall language command play a significant role in conveying your message effectively.

Presenting in a business setting often involves explaining complex ideas, discussing financial matters, and persuading potential clients or stakeholders. Here, the language must be precise, the tone - professional, and the content - structured. Unlike informal or academic ones, business presentations carry a certain degree of formality and specific jargon that sets them apart. However,  business English idioms and expressions can help soften the formality, adding a touch of personality to your language. 

Navigating the labyrinth of  business English also involves acknowledging the importance of research and planning. A well-researched presentation reflects your dedication, expertise, and credibility. It shows you respect your audience’s time and are prepared to deliver value. It’s not just about memorizing facts and figures; it’s about understanding your topic thoroughly and answering queries convincingly.

Another characteristic of business presentations lies in their persuasive nature. Often, they are geared toward persuading clients, investors, or team members toward a particular course of action. Consequently, using persuasive techniques such as presenting benefits, sharing testimonials, or demonstrating success stories becomes prevalent. You’re not just providing information; you’re trying to influence decisions and drive action.

An essential but often overlooked aspect of business presentations is the importance of a strong opening and closing. The opening is your chance to grab the audience’s attention and make them invested in your talk, so knowing how to start a business presentation is essential. Conversely, the closing is your final shot at reinforcing your message and making a lasting impression.

Finally, business presentations often involve handling criticism or skepticism, especially when proposing new ideas or challenging existing norms. Here, your ability to accept feedback gracefully, address concerns effectively, and maintain your composure can significantly impact the outcome.

Learn Vocabulary for Presentations with Promova

Looking to expand your vocabulary for presentations and  improve your language skills online ? Promova is here to help! Our platform offers various resources and courses to help learners of all levels master new words and expressions quickly, effectively, and confidently.

With personalized lessons from  certified tutors , you can get one-on-one instruction that caters to your specific needs and learning style. Additionally, our app allows you to access interactive exercises, quizzes, and vocabulary lists anytime and anywhere for easy practice on the go. Whether you are a beginner or an advanced learner looking to fine-tune your language skills – we have got you covered.

Don’t let language barriers hold you back any longer – start your learning journey with Promova today and take the first step toward achieving your goals! Try it out now with a free lesson and see how easy and effective our approach is.

As we conclude, it’s clear that effective presentations in English rely on various linguistic elements. A strong beginning, transitions, and a powerful conclusion, all while using precise vocabulary, are critical. The ability to craft compelling sentences and phrases, set the scene effectively, and transition smoothly between ideas are essential for a successful presentation. And the correct vocabulary can add depth and dimension to your discourse while conveying professionalism.

What role does body language play in presentations?

Body language can significantly impact how your message is perceived. Effective use of gestures, eye contact, and facial expressions can amplify your points, show enthusiasm, and engage the audience. Conversely, negative body language can detract from your message.

How important is it to know your audience before a presentation?

Knowing your audience is crucial. It informs the level of detail you need to include, the words and phrases you use, the examples you choose, and even the humor you might incorporate. Tailoring your presentation to your audience’s knowledge and interests can significantly enhance its effectiveness.

What if I make a mistake during my presentation?

Everyone makes mistakes. If you stumble during your presentation, take a moment, compose yourself, and move on. Don’t let a minor error disrupt your flow. Remember, the audience is there to listen to your ideas, not critique your performance.

Are there some resources with more phrases for presentations?

Indeed, many resources are available if you’re seeking to delve deeper into the world of presentation phrases.  The Cambridge Dictionary and  Merriam-Webster Dictionary offer many valuable collocations, from simple expressions to sophisticated vocabulary.

Comentarios

Improve your practice.

Enhance your soft skills with a range of award-winning courses.

Speech transitions: words and phrases to connect your ideas

June 28, 2018 - Gini Beqiri

When delivering presentations it’s important for your words and ideas to flow so your audience can understand how everything links together and why it’s all relevant.

This can be done using speech transitions because these act as signposts to the audience – signalling the relationship between points and ideas. This article explores how to use speech transitions in presentations.

What are speech transitions?

Speech transitions are words and phrases that allow you to smoothly move from one point to another so that your speech flows and your presentation is unified.

This makes it easier for the audience to understand your argument and without transitions the  audience may be confused  as to how one point relates to another and they may think you’re randomly jumping between points.

Types of transitions

Transitions can be one word, a phrase or a full sentence – there are many different types, here are a few:

Introduction

Introduce your topic:

• We will be looking at/identifying/investigating the effects of…
• Today I will be discussing…

Presentation outline

Inform the audience of the structure of your presentation:

• There are three key points I’ll be discussing…
• I want to begin by…, and then I’ll move on to…
• We’ll be covering… from two points of view…
• This presentation is divided into four parts…

Move from the introduction to the first point

Signify to the audience that you will now begin discussing the first main point:

• Now that you’re aware of the overview, let’s begin with…
• First, let’s begin with…
• I will first cover…
• My first point covers…
• To get started, let’s look at…

Shift between similar points

Move from one point to a similar one:

• In the same way…
• Likewise…
• Equally…
• This is similar to…
• Similarly…

Shift between disagreeing points

You may have to introduce conflicting ideas – bridging words and phrases are especially good for this:

• Conversely…
• Despite this…
• However…
• On the contrary…
• Now let’s consider…
• Even so…
• Nonetheless…
• We can’t ignore…
• On the other hand…

Transition to a significant issue

• Fundamentally…
• A major issue is…
• The crux of the matter…
• A significant concern is…

Referring to previous points

You may have to refer to something that you’ve already spoken about because, for example, there may have been a break or a fire alarm etc:

• Let’s return to…
• We briefly spoke about X earlier; let’s look at it in more depth now…
• Let’s revisit…
• Let’s go back to…
• Do you recall when I mentioned…

This can be also be useful to introduce a new point because adults learn better when new information builds on previously learned information.

Introducing an aside note

You may want to introduce a digression:

• I’d just like to mention…
• That reminds me…
• Incidentally…

Physical movement

You can  move your body  and your standing location when you transition to another point. The audience find it easier to follow your presentation and movement will increase their interest.

A common technique for incorporating movement into your presentation is to:

• Start your introduction by standing in the centre of the stage.
• For your first point you stand on the left side of the stage.
• You discuss your second point from the centre again.
• You stand on the right side of the stage for your third point.
• The conclusion occurs in the centre.

Emphasising importance

You need to ensure that the audience get the message by informing them why something is important:

• More importantly…
• This is essential…
• Primarily…
• Mainly…

Internal summaries

Internal summarising consists of summarising before moving on to the next point. You must inform the audience:

• What part of the presentation you covered – “In the first part of this speech we’ve covered…”
• What the key points were – “Precisely how…”
• How this links in with the overall presentation – “So that’s the context…”
• What you’re moving on to – “Now I’d like to move on to the second part of presentation which looks at…”

Cause and effect

You will have to transition to show relationships between factors:

• Therefore…
• Thus…
• Consequently…
• As a result…
• This is significant because…
• Hence…

Elaboration

• Also…
• Besides…
• What’s more…
• In addition/additionally…
• Moreover…
• Furthermore…

Point-by-point or steps of a process

• First/firstly/The first one is…
• Second/Secondly/The second one is…
• Third/Thirdly/The third one is…
• Last/Lastly/Finally/The fourth one is…

Introduce an example

• This is demonstrated by…
• For instance…
• Take the case of…
• For example…
• You may be asking whether this happens in X? The answer is yes…
• To show/illustrate/highlight this…
• Let me illustrate this by…

Transition to a demonstration

• Now that we’ve covered the theory, let’s practically apply it…
• I’ll conduct an experiment to show you this in action…
• Let me demonstrate this…
• I’ll now show you this…

Introducing a quotation

• X was a supporter of this thinking because he said…
• There is a lot of support for this, for example, X said…

Transition to another speaker

In a  group presentation  you must transition to other speakers:

• Briefly recap on what you covered in your section: “So that was a brief introduction on what health anxiety is and how it can affect somebody”
• Introduce the next speaker in the team and explain what they will discuss: “Now Gayle will talk about the prevalence of health anxiety.”
• Then end by looking at the next speaker, gesturing towards them and saying their name: “Gayle”.
• The next speaker should acknowledge this with a quick: “Thank you Simon.”

From these examples, you can see how the different sections of the presentations link which makes it easier for the audience to follow and remain engaged.

You can  tell personal stories  or share the experiences of others to introduce a point. Anecdotes are especially valuable for your introduction and between different sections of the presentation because they engage the audience. Ensure that you plan the stories thoroughly beforehand and that they are not too long.

Using questions

You can transition through your speech by asking questions and these questions also have the benefit of engaging your audience more. There are three different types of questions:

Direct questions require an answer: “What is the capital of Italy?” These are mentally stimulating for the audience.

Rhetorical questions  do not require answers, they are often used to emphasises an idea or point: “Is the Pope catholic?

Loaded questions contain an unjustified assumption made to prompt the audience into providing a particular answer which you can then correct to support your point: You may ask “Why does your wonderful company have such a low incidence of mental health problems?”.

The audience will generally answer that they’re happy. After receiving the answers you could then say “Actually it’s because people are still unwilling and too embarrassed to seek help for mental health issues at work etc.”

Transition to a visual aid

If you are going to introduce a visual aid you must prepare the audience with what they’re going to see, for example, you might be leading into a diagram that supports your statement. Also, before you  show the visual aid , explain why you’re going to show it, for example, “This graph is a significant piece of evidence supporting X”.

When the graphic is on display get the audience to focus on it:

• The table indicates…
• As you can see…
• I’d like to direct your attention to…

Explain what the visual is showing:

• You can see that there has been a reduction in…
• The diagram is comparing the…

Using a visual aid to transition

Visual aids can also be used as transitions and they have the benefit of being stimulating and breaking-up vocal transitions.

You might have a slide with just a picture on it to signify to the audience that you’re moving on to a new point – ensure that this image is relevant to the point. Many speakers like to use cartoons for this purpose but ensure its suitable for your audience.

Always summarise your key points first in the conclusion:

• Let’s recap on what we’ve spoken about today…
• Let me briefly summarise the main points…

And then conclude:

If you have a shorter speech you may choose to  end your presentation  with one statement:

• In short…
• To sum up…
• In a nutshell…
• To summarise…
• In conclusion…

However, using statements such as “To conclude” may cause the audience to stop listening. It’s better to say:

• I’d like to leave you with this…
• What you should take away from this is…
• Finally, I want to say…

Call to action

Requesting the audience to do something at the end of the presentation:

• You may be thinking how can I help in this matter? Well…
• My aim is to encourage you to go further and…
• What I’m requesting of you is…

Common mistakes

When transitions are used poorly you can annoy and confuse the audience. Avoid:

• Using transitions that are too short – transitions are a key part of ensuring the audience understands your presentation so spend sufficient time linking to your next idea.
• Too many tangents – any digressions should still be relevant to the topic and help the audience with their understanding, otherwise cut them out.
• Incompatible transitions – for example, if you’re about to introduce an example that supports your statement you wouldn’t introduce this by saying “but”. Use transitions that signify the relationship between points.
• Over-using the same transition because this is boring for the audience to hear repeatedly. Ensure that there is variety with your transitions, consider including visual transitions.
• Miscounting your transitions – for example, don’t say “first point”, “second point”, “next point” – refer to your points consistently.

Speech transitions are useful for unifying and connecting your presentation. The audience are more likely to remain engaged since they’ll be able to follow your points. But remember that it’s important to practice your transitions beforehand and not just the content of your arguments because you risk looking unprofessional and confusing the audience if the presentation does not flow smoothly.

35 Best Business English Presentation Phrases

You know that feeling as your throat get tight and dry. You swallow... g ulp.

You begin to have those feelings that you know so well, as you feel...

Can you relate to that terrible feeling of having to give a presentation in English?

You are a business executive, and you know you are not supposed to feel this way as a leader of your company. But, just the thought of an upcoming presentation significantly raises your stress level.

Giving a great presentation in any language is difficult.

Giving a great presentation in English as a non-native English business executive is a more difficult task. The good news is that there are many SKILLS you can learn to become a very effective presenter.

Although there are a few key components of every good presentation, this article will focus on the importance of using the The 35 Most Effective Business Presentation Phrases.

Let’s first take a moment and look at what makes an effective presentation.

An Effective Presentation

There are a few essential components for an effective presentation. The first step is great preparation for your upcoming presentation.

Preparation

Preparation is the most important part of every presentation. Before you give any presentation, you must have a plan for success.

The first step is to Know Your Audience. Who are you presenting to?

What is the Message Your Audience Needs or wants to hear from you?

What Call to Action do you want to leave your audience with?

Only after you have planned your presentation, it is time to move on to the actual presentation, which will include the following three sections:

Introduction

As stated earlier, this article will focus on the 35 Most Effective Business Presentation Phrases . This list will create great transitions and allow your presentation to flow naturally so that your audience is engaged in each step of the process.

Beginning with your Introduction

Your goal for the beginning of your presentation is to connect and engage with your audience.

You have prepared by getting to know your audience and now you want to introduce your message to your audience in a way that your audience can RELATE to your message.

Please do not start your presentation with

“Hi, my name is ______”

As you are aware, I’m a believer in beginning your presentation in a way that will connect and engage with your audience. Let's look at three great ways to start your presentation.

An effective presentation will begin in one of these ways:

There are times when a more traditional greeting will be appropriate and in these situations, you can greet your audience and specifically address your audience.

1. It is a pleasure to be here with the _______ (group/team/association) this morning/afternoon/ evening...

Example Sentence: it is a please to be here with the Digital Marketing Association this morning.

2. A special welcome to the _________ (group/team/association)...

Example Sentence. A special welcome to the XYZ Manufacturing Association. 

After you have properly started your effective presentation with a question/story/statistic, you may say something like...

3. I'm ___________ and I'm so excited to be here with the ________________ (group/team/association).

Example Sentence: I'm John and I'm so excited to be here with the sales team today.

Remember, do not use the "I'm ____ and I'm going to talk about____" as your first words - you only can do this after you have made an engaging introduction!

After you have successfully introduced your presentation and engaged your audience, it is time to begin discussing the content of your presentation.

Transition from the Introduction to the Message

After you have given an engaging introduction and connected with your audience, you are ready to begin speaking about your topic.

Don't just read your slides to your audience. They will not be engaged. Instead, use your slides as a guide and the key is to move from one slide to the next in an interesting way . This is called a "transition" and most of the phrases in this section will help you transition like a pro.

After all, who wants to listen to a speaker continue to say:  Next... Next.... Next... Next???

Here are some effective ways to transition from the introduction to the content of your presentation.

Remember, an effective presentation includes you serving your audience with a message they need.

Tell your audience up front what the message of the presentation is.

4. As a member of ___________ (refer to the group/team/association) you can relate to today's message of _____________

Example sentence: As a member of the ABC Digital Marketing team, I'm confident you can relate to today's message of knowing your audience.

5. As you are aware...

Example Sentence: As you are aware, it is important to keep up with the latest trends in your industry.

6. Let me start by providing some background information...

Example sentence: Let me start by providing some background information on the newest technology tools available.

Each of these above phrases are useful ways to engage your audience by giving them information at the beginning that they can relate to.

Now, let's explore how you can use different phrases that help with your transitions, provide more details, link to additional topics, emphasize your points, refer to your important information/data/numbers, explain charts/tables/graphs and restate your points.

Transitioning to the Next Topic

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.

These are SO much better than saying "next..."

7. Turning our attention now to...

Example sentence: Turning our attention now to the second main issue today... 

8. Let's move on to...

Example sentence: Let’s move on to our second sales initiative.

Providing More Details

One of the essential parts of your message is to give more detail to some sections of your content because it will be helpful to your audience.

Remember, the key is that you only go into more detail because you know your audience will be interested in this detail, and they can use this information.

9. To elaborate on...

Example sentence: Let me elaborate on this idea...

10. I'd like to expand on...

Example sentence: I’d like to expand on this point about expanding our sales team.

Linking to Another Topic

As mentioned above, use linking words to create flow with your presentations. Effective presentations have flow.

When you think of flow, think of looking at the water in a river at a specific spot. The water is moving. The water was somewhere before it came to this spot and it will flow to a different place after it passes this spot.

This is the same in a presentation. You keep your audience engaged using flow, by telling them about topics you discussed earlier, and also that you will discuss later in the presentation.

As you can see, I used a linking phrase "as mentioned above" in the first words of the first paragraph of this section above. This is the example of using linking words in written form.

Below (another written linking word), you will see how you can use a different linking phrase when you are speaking. 

11. As stated earlier.. .

Example sentence: As stated a few minutes earlier, our industry is changing rapidly.

12. As mentioned earlier...

Example sentence: As I mentioned earlier in my presentation, the key to effective communication is knowing your audience.

13. As referenced earlier...

Example sentence: As referenced at the beginning of my talk today, preparation is critically important.

Each of these three phrases are self-explanatory and the linking phrases remind your audience that you discussed something earlier.

Again, you can create nice flow for your audience when you discuss a point and then later in your presentation, while referencing that same point, you remind your audience that you did discuss this point earlier.  It can also be used to emphasize a point or theme.

14. As I mentioned at the beginning...

Example sentence: As I mentioned at the beginning of the presentation, we’ll see a decrease in expenses if we implement this strategy.

15. As you may recall, this relates to my earlier point that...

This phrase will help you connect points in your presentation. It shows the connection between two different ideas.

Example sentence: As you may recall, this point relates closely to the earlier point about the importance of accountability.

16. This ties in with...  

Example sentence: This ties in with the point I made earlier regarding the expansion of our manufacturing facility.

Explaining to your audience that you will be discussing something later in your presentation is a key aspect of using flow.

17. This point will be mentioned in a few minutes...

Example sentence: In a few minutes, it will go into more detail about emphasizing a point.

18. This important point will be discussed later in detail...

Example sentence: This important point about having a great conclusion will be discussed later in my talk today.

The two above mentioned phrases are very effective in guiding your audience to where you are going in your presentation.

19. In a few minutes, you will hear this from ________ (one of your team members)...

Example sentence: In a few minutes, you will hear from Susan Jones, our CFO, about the importance of financial forecasting.

This is a really nice way of creating flow when you are able to reference another presenter that will speak after you.

Emphasizing a Point

An essential part of all presentations is creating emphasis. Everything in your presentation is important, but you need to emphasize the most important parts for your audience. These phrases below are excellent. 

20. This is significant because...

Significant is one of my favorite words. It is another word for important. One of the keys of being an excellent communicator in English is using different words that have similar meanings.

Example sentence: This is significant because we are planning to grow our workforce 20% this year. 

21. This is meaningful for the following reason(s)..

Example sentence: This is meaningful because the implementation of this recommendation will have an impact on multiple departments in our organization.

22. To reinforce this point...

Example sentence: Showing the significance of a better hiring process reinforces this point I am making with this data. 

23. Please draw your attention to…..

Example sentence: Please draw your attention to the revenue growth projections on this page.

Referring to Information, Data and Numbers

Let's turn our attention now to referring to information and data. In a presentation, you will often use data, facts, and studies that help support your message. These meaningful terms and phrases will help you refer to this significant information.

24. According to the ___ study, ...

Example sentence: According to the XYZ study, 84% of workforce efficiency is tied to a meaningful benefit package.

25. Based on our recent findings, ...

Example sentence: Based on our recent findings, only 22% of our clients continue to use our services after six months. 

 26. This data shows …

Example sentence: This data shows that more than 92% of our clients continue to be highly satisfied with our customer service one year after they received our product. 

Before moving on the next section, you might find this article on How to Naturally Say Numbers and Dates in Business English helpful for your next presentation.

Explaining Charts, Tables and Graphs

Most presentations use charts, tables or graphs to help support your message. Knowing how to use phrases describing these will create an effective presentation. 

27. To illustrate this point... 

The word “illustrate” is very effective and it is a great word to use when you are describing a chart, table or graph. 

Example sentence: This chart illustrates my earlier point about how more meaningful benefits impact worker satisfaction. 

28. This table provides a breakdown of …

A “breakdown” refers to the details within specific figures or numbers.  A breakdown is helpful to provide a more detailed picture of the situation. .

Example sentence: This table provides a breakdown of the 10 most important client feedback messages.

Explaining charts, tables and graphs often involves complex information.  Below is a short video from the English Leadership Academy's Executive Video Blog, titled What if You Were Able to Explain Complex Ideas in a Simple Way? that gives tips and strategies to make complex information more easily understandable by your audience.

Restating Your Point

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 process is commonly referred to as paraphrasing. Paraphrasing is an essential skill for non-native English speakers that allows them to say the same thing with different words to enhance communication effectiveness.

This often involves rephrasing, clarifying or simplifying the point you are trying to make.

29. In fact, …

Use this phrase to restate your point in another way.

Example sentence: In fact, it is necessary that we make a change to our current policy to attain this goal.

30. In other words...

Example sentence. In other words, we don't stack up well against our competitors in this area.

31. To put it simply, …

Explaining complex messages in a presentation can lead to confusion. Your audience will benefit when you simplify complex messages. 

Example sentence: To put it simply, if we follow these recommendations, we'll achieve our goals six months sooner.

To summarize, by this point in the presentation, you have given your audience the message they needed or wanted.

You have emphasized the points that are especially important to them.

You are now ready to finish your presentation in the best way!

Now we reach a crucial aspect of the presentation and let's finish strong.

Concluding Your Presentation

Most people spend a lot of time working on the introduction and content of their presentation, but they do not spend any time preparing for their conclusion.

As stated earlier, you are presenting for your audience because they have a need or a want.

To emphasize this point, it is a great idea to challenge your audience to THINK in a different way. It is even better to challenge your audience to DO something different in the future.

In other words, create a call to action!

Let's now look at how you can summarize your presentation in a professional way.

32. In the final analysis...  

Example sentence: In the final analysis, it is critical that the company needs to immediately enhance our sales strategy to achieve our quarterly targets.

33. In conclusion, let me reiterate my message...

As part of your conclusion, you might want to emphasize your main points to leave the audience with a clear message of what you discussed. This is very effective to restate your main message!

Example sentence: In conclusion, let me reiterate my earlier message that time is of the essence for our team to solve this issue in the next 10 days.

34. I want to challenge you to do/think ….

Example sentence: You've heard the compelling arguments for a new mindset shift, and now I challenge YOU to begin making the necessary changes in the next five days!

Finally, as you reach the end of your presentation, you'll need a transition from the completion of your presentation to the Question and Answer (Q&A) portion of your presentation.

35. Thank you for your attention today, and we’ve got time for a few questions. Who would like to ask the first question?

This is a nice phrase that let's your audience know you have concluded your formal remarks and you are open to answering a few questions.

I appreciate your attention to this topic today and now I'd like to leave you with a challenge below.

My Challenge to You

I challenge you to begin preparing your future presentations in a different and more effective way.

Can you use at least three of these above-mentioned phrases in your next presentation?

You can do this!

Hello, I'm Grant!

I Want To Receive The First 6 Chapters Of The Book, Business English for CEOs 

 * No spam. Guaranteed.

Enter your email address and first name below to receive the download:

Grant Fenton

Executive Business English Coach

60 Useful and Impactful Phrases for Presentations in English: A Quick Glimpse for Presenters

Introduction.

Are you up for a presentation in English but don’t know how to start yet? Preparing and making a persuasive presentation in English is quite challenging and taxing. You have to consider a lot of things before you can finalize it. A good presentation relies heavily on the words or phrases you use to clearly convey your message to your target audience.

Then, what kind of phrases for presentations in English should you use to persuade your audience and get them involved in your presentation?

In this article, we are going to talk about useful and impactful phrases for presentations in English that you can effectively use in your future presentations. Before that, let us discuss first the importance of these phrases in English presentations.

The Importance of Having Impactful Phrases for Presentations in English

In the business world, presentations play a significant role because they make reports easier to convey and understand. Presentations delivered in English are impactful and are often commended. Thus, having impactful phrases for presentations in English is an additional advantage to get your audience’s attention and be on track.

Say for example you are assigned to lead a new project and you are tasked to give a progress report to your boss. It would not be nice to give him just verbal updates about the progress of the project you handle. It would be better to show him the things that have been working well so far, and things that have been a worry. With just a verbal report, your boss might not be able to understand clearly.

With that, using a presentation is important for him to clearly visualize what is going on with the project. Presentations also give you the chance to be constructively corrected. It also serves as a formal report.

Using impactful phrases for presentations in English leaves a lasting impression on your audience. These phrases can greatly enhance the effectiveness of your report. The more you use persuading phrases or expressions in your presentations, the greater the chance you have to be recognized.

Do you want to be recognized and commended? This article is for you, so keep reading and we’re with you all throughout.

Useful and Impactful Phrases for Presentations in English

Aim for a long-lasting impression on your audience by using the following useful and impactful phrases in your next presentation in English.

• Setting a bright atmosphere

At the beginning of the presentation, you would want your audience to interact with you throughout so setting a warm and bright atmosphere before it is crucial. You can use the following expressions:

• “Good day, everyone! Who’s up for a game?”
• “It’s nice to see everyone with a smile today.”
• “I am glad you all came to attend this meeting.”
• “Before we start, let’s have an icebreaker first to keep everyone going!”
• “Have you ever…?”

Remember to get your audience engaged right at the beginning of your presentation.

• Setting your audience’s expectations

In some presentations, the audience expects more of what you can give, so it is good to give them a brief overview of what the presentation is about and what will happen.

• “This presentation will last about 30 minutes.”
• “All questions and concerns will be attended to after the presentation.”
• “We will allocate spare time for your questions and concerns.”
• “The first part of the presentation would be…”
• “There will be more slides in the presentation so please bear with me.”
• “This presentation will take longer than usual.”
• “If you have questions during the presentation, please write them on these pieces of paper so we can answer them later.”
• “Please take down notes for your reference.”
• “Handouts will be distributed to everyone.”
• “There will be more games and interaction in this presentation.”
• Starting your presentation

It is always nice to warmly welcome your audience before going deeply into your topic.

• “I would like to formally welcome everyone today.”
• “Please sit comfortably and relax.”
• “Let’s start this presentation by introducing myself. My name is _________.”
• “My name is ______ and I am from _______ department.”
• “I’d like to share a quote from …”
• “I have an anecdote to share and I’d love everyone to listen.”
• “What do you think about the quote shared by…?”

Sometimes, it is better to start your presentation with an anecdote or a quote related to your presentation.

• Introducing your topic

You may use the following phrases for presentations in English when introducing your topic.

• “Today, I will be talking about…”
• “The topic of my presentation today is about …”
• “My presentation is relevant to…”
• “I am glad to present to you the progress of …”
• “As you can see, I am here to report about…”
• “There are three major topics that I’m going to discuss today.”
• Discussing the content of your topic: showing images, graphs, and illustrations

When discussing the content of your presentation, it is good to use the following expressions.

• “As you can see in the graph…”
• “Here is an example illustration of…”
• “Look at the graphic on the screen.”
• “This illustration/graph shows the result of…”
• “Things don’t look good in this image so…”
• “I visualize this project as…”
• “You can see the graph showing the trends…”
• Engaging your audience

It’s okay to pause for a while and get your audience involved in your presentation.

• “What do you think about it?”
• “Do you have any additional insights?”
• “Please feel free to share your thoughts about it.”
• “Your opinion really matters.”
• “Kindly let me know if you have questions or clarifications.”
• “I’d love to hear your thoughts about this.”
• “Who would like to share their personal thoughts on this?”
• Emphasizing or highlighting important information
• “This is very important because…”
• “The good thing about this one is that…”
• “Our key takeaway for this matter is…”
• “The most important thing in this project is the…”
• “The decrease will not affect our sales target…”
• Entertaining questions and concerns

Some members of the audience inevitably ask you questions about your presentation so it is best to be prepared. If not, might as well be polite instead.

• “Thank you for your question, Mr./Ms. _____.”
• “That’s a very good question.”
• “Thank you for raising that concern.”
• “I’d love to answer your question, but let me finish this first.”
• “I will attend to all your questions after the presentation.”
• Ending your presentation and leaving a long-lasting impression

You may not impress all in the audience with your presentation but you must know how well you delivered your presentation. End it with a bang, and leave a lasting impression on your audience.

• “This is not easy, but I know we can do this.”
• “Thank you so much for sparing your precious time on this presentation.”
• “I really appreciate your presence in this meeting.”
• “We are all in this together, so let’s start making a difference.”
• “I’d like to commend our workers for…”
• “Good job to everyone for a job well done.”
• “Kudos! Let’s continue to be productive and excellent.”
• “You’re all amazing.”

You can also end your presentation with a quote or a personal anecdote for your audience to remember you.

These phrases for presentations in English are helpful ways to make your presentation easy to understand as well as impactful. These are just examples of phrases you can use when presenting in English. You can always experiment and create sounding phrases to persuade your audience.

By knowing these phrases, you enhance the effectiveness of your delivery as well as your communication skills. This is your way to overcome your fear of speaking English . Most importantly, the impression you will leave to your listeners will last for a long time.

What to consider when preparing a presentation?

Presentations can be simple depending on your target audience, the context, and the time frame. These are just a few of the things you have to consider when preparing a presentation. You can also ask yourself the following questions.

• Know your target audience. Who are the attendees? Your presentation must be appropriate for the listeners.
• Where is the presentation? Check the situation.
• How long will the meeting last? How much time is allocated for your presentation?
• What data should you present? Think about the most important highlight in your topic.
• Should you use a PowerPoint presentation? This is better than just speaking without material.
• Are games or activities suitable for the presentation? If not, never mind. You’ll just waste your time.
• What interactive activities should you include? This is nice to get your audience engaged.
• What if you cannot answer the questions? Anticipate and prepare a backup answer.

Presentations are always easy when you know how to consider things during your preparation. Things do not always go easy, especially when it is your first time. However, just be confident and relax. Your goal is to deliver a good and effective presentation, but most of all, to impress your audience.

Get ready for your next presentation…

You have just learned some useful and impactful phrases for presentations in English. Now you are ready for your next presentation. Focus and think about your primary goal: the impression.

• March 12, 2024

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Skyrise 4, 7th Floor, Cebu City, 6000, Cebu

+63 32 479 9047

Start typing and press enter to search

One Time Code

< Go back to Login

Forgot Password

Please enter your registered email ID. You will receive an email message with instructions on how to reset your password.

Powerful Words and Statements To Use In Presentations

No matter what industry you work in, you will have to deliver a presentation at some point. At first, this may be quite nerve-racking, if not simply terrifying. 

The good news is that nervousness can be channelized into stimulating meticulous preparation, an ingredient of a successful presentation!

When it comes to conveying thoughts with others, especially in high-stakes situations like presentations, the power of words is tremendous and tangible. The way you arrange your thinking and use specific words will influence how long the audience remembers you. 

Not just that, power words and statements can frame situations, shape narratives about businesses, influence (both favorably and adversely) their perception, and alter the listener’s buying behavior. 

That’s why elite copywriters and public speakers spend so much time agonizing over potential word combinations and worrying over their choice of action verbs, adjectives, and connecting phrases.

In this blog, we’ve compiled a list of effective presentation words and statements to help you organize your next presentation for maximum impact.

Low-Risk Starts

Medium Risk Starts

• High Risk And High Rewards Starts
• Structured And Logical
• Storyteller And Emotional

Forward Looker

What Are Power Words?

Power words are phrases and words that trigger a good or negative emotional response. Our verbs, adjectives, and adverbs evoke a range of emotions, from mild joy to justified outrage. Individual word selections can reveal a speaker’s intended emotional state and influence the result of a discussion. 

In a nutshell, our choice of words and statements has a significant influence on how people interpret us and the actions they take as a result. So, let’s get right into it: What are these power words and statements?

Powerful Words And Statements That Will Give A Spark To Your Presentations

Here is a selection of compelling words and statements to consider using in your next business presentation. Sprinkle a handful of these within the script to improve your presentation.

They won’t all be applicable to everyone, but they will provide you with some foundational elements to construct your presentation around.

Opening Words And Statements

The most critical aspect of your presentation is the beginning. It will be your first impression on your audience. It’s your first chance to get their attention. You want them to immediately trust you and listen to you.

However, the initial moment when you begin to communicate is typically the most difficult. Knowing how to best prepare and what to say can help you feel confident and ready to let your first words out.

• Greet warmly
• Good morning, Good afternoon, Good evening everyone (when you have a global audience)
• Hello everyone, Thanks for coming. I for one am delighted to be here
• Use weather or time of the day as an ally
• Hello everyone, and thank you for joining. I am cheered up by your coming in on a gloomy Monday morning
• Hello everyone, I believe we are still lacking a few folks, I think it has something to do with the meeting being post-lunch. 
• Say something human that most people can relate to: “How do you explain when things don’t go as we assume? Or better, how do you explain when others are able to achieve things that seem to defy all of the assumptions?”
• Start with a personal story: “I need to make a confession at the outset here. A little over 20 years ago, I did something that I regret. Something that I’m not particularly proud of. Something that in many ways I wish no one would ever know but that here I feel kind of obliged to reveal.” “8 years ago, I got the worst career advice of my life.”

High Risk And High Rewards Starts:

• Evoke Imagery: “Imagine a big explosion as you sit in a flight and climb 30,000 ft. Imagine a plane full of smoke. Imagine an engine going clack, clack, clack”. You get the complete attention of the audience with a start like this. You can customize the commentary imagery based on your context to then continue on with the story and lead into your presentation
• Use Silence: Look at the camera, as if you are looking in the mirror. Pretend to comb your hair and make it appear like you are doing a face touch-up. Look at the audience,  appear surprised “What?
• Long Pause (after an absurdly long introduction of a 57-word speech title): “Be honest. You enjoyed that, didn’t you?”

Main Body Content Words And Statements

After you’ve completed your introduction, you’re ready to start talking about your topic. Your audience now knows who you are and what to expect from you. There is now a room full of people wanting to hear you.

Structured And logical

• Structure The Time: My presentation will last around 45 minutes and will be segmented into four parts
• Use Data And Build Curiosity: According to our research, 63% of working individuals in this city go straight to the gym after work. This presentation will explain why

Storyteller And emotional

• Share Experiences: As a caregiver, I went through a roller coaster getting my Dad treated for cancer. I will open my heart and share my best and worst moments with you
• Weave Messages Using Theatrical Frameworks : Spoiler alert! Our product launch is doomed for a spectacular failure unless we get three things right
• This session is all about grounding and listening. I need you to truly tell me how you are feeling about the project
• We have some ideas on what’s working, what’s not. But we want to run them by you and listen if we got these right
• I plan to quickly breeze through the material. Please stop me anytime for any questions- since that’s why we are here today

Closing Words And Statements

This is the closing phase of the presentation. You’ve stated what you need to say, and now it’s time to wrap it up properly. You could also have time for questions. 

If time allows, let your audience ask any questions they may have. A summary is generally included at the end of a business presentation. You may use this to either reiterate your key points or to return to the topic you were discussing.

Summarizer 

• I hope that you have enjoyed my session. Let me summarize my key ideas. After reviewing the importance of the product launch for us, we reviewed the top areas that can doom us to potential failure. Then we spoke of remedial actions we can take in the immediate, short, and long term to mitigate these pitfalls
• That wraps my presentation for today. To refresh your memory, here are the important takeaways.
• Thank you for your time. I am now available to address any queries you may have.
• It has been an honor to be here today and get time from this elite audience. After this discussion, I feel that we are still all firmly together in this dream we saw during our visioning exercise
• Thank you, everybody, for coming; I had a great time interacting with you today and saw how strong a project team we really are that can achieve anything if we set our minds to it.
• Our lively and multifaceted discussion today must have follow-ups. Here are the next steps we agreed on today
• If you really want to discuss this further, feel free to come and get me afterward. Here are my contact details

Conclusion Slide

Source: Conclusion Slide by SliedUpLift

Source: Bulb Slide by SliedUpLift

Wrapping It Up

Positive power words and phrases communicate directly with the audience’s hearts and brains. They inspire, motivate, bring up, and assist in moving forward in the proper path. These words and statements are your greatest friends to employ throughout your presentation slides and throughout delivery, if your objective is to hammer in a clear message and encourage subsequent desirable action.

Preparation is essential for success, but when combined with expert advice, you’ll take your presenting abilities to a whole new level!

Hopefully, you now feel prepared to give a presentation that will leave your audience stunned! Or, at the very least, impressed by your professionalism and sparkle. You can try these free PowerPoint templates and google slides templates to create more impact with your power words and statements.  

Table Of Content

Related posts from the same category.

1 Sep, 2021 | SlideUpLift

The Golden Rules of holding the audience attention in presentations

There are innumerable ways to structure PowerPoint presentations based on the context and the requirements. However, presentations, not unlike other forms of communication, do have some ground rules that are

28 Jan, 2022 | SlideUpLift

Present TED-style: Six Things TED Presenters Do That You Can Copy And Use In Your Next Presentation

It's a harsh reality of the digital age: capturing and maintaining another person's attention is becoming increasingly difficult. While there is minimal factual information on the typical person's attention span

12 May, 2023 | SlideUpLift

Advantages And Disadvantages Of Using Google Slides In Presentations

Have you been pondering whether to put time into Google Slides? Google Slides is gaining popularity as an alternative to Microsoft PowerPoint because of innovative features offered by Google. Is

13 Sep, 2022 | SlideUpLift

10 Ways To Make Interactive And Engaging Presentations In PowerPoint

Professionals across the spectrum will stand by the fact that compelling presentations can be an important force of influence at the workplace. Many people at the same time also struggle

20 Aug, 2021 | SlideUpLift

Storytelling Tips to Change the Way You Present Ideas

A piece of oft-given advice surrounding making presentations is that in order to engage an audience, your presentation and speech need to have a narrative. And we wholeheartedly agree with

20 Jun, 2022 | SlideUpLift

6 Ways to Make the Perfect and Impactful PowerPoint Presentations

Creating a PowerPoint presentation might seem easy. Learning the nuances of sharing content through this medium can reinforce your message correctly. PowerPoint Presentations are a mode of communication where you

7 Mar, 2024 | SlideUpLift

10 Best Google Slides Templates And Themes For Presentations

In today's fast-paced world, efficient communication is the key to success. Presentations are one of the best ways to communicate ideas, interactive discussions, and decision-making. With polished presentation skills, the

7 Sep, 2023 | SlideUpLift

Why Consultants Choose to Outsource Presentations?

Engaging presentations can captivate, inform, and inspire audiences in ways that mere words or data alone cannot achieve. It can drive decisions and motivate action, making it an essential tool

8 Feb, 2022 | SlideUpLift

Ten Presenting Styles : What Kind Are You?

Do you feel nervous when it comes to public speaking?  Don’t worry; you’re not alone. Do you know that according to research, one of the biggest phobias in 2014 was

6 Sep, 2023 | SlideUpLift

10 Best Presentation Companies And Design Agencies

According to the Hinge Research Institute, an effective presentation can lead to 20.1% accelerated growth and 24.8% higher profits for a company. Well, it is more valid than ever in

Forgot Password?

Privacy Overview

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.

Oratory Club

Public Speaking Helpline

Speech Transitions: Words And Phrases to Connect Your Ideas

Speech transitions are important as they connect ideas and maintain a smooth flow. These transitions help guide the audience through the speech effectively.

Effective communication is crucial in delivering a compelling speech. To engage and captivate an audience, it is essential to connect ideas seamlessly. Speech transitions serve as connectors between different thoughts and ensure a logical progression of ideas. By employing suitable words and phrases, a speaker can enhance the flow of their speech and maintain the audience’s attention.

We will explore various words and phrases that can be used to connect ideas in a speech. These transitions play a vital role in conveying the message effectively and leaving a lasting impact on the listeners.

Credit: www.spanish.academy

Table of Contents

Why Are Speech Transitions Important In Public Speaking?

Speech transitions play a crucial role in public speaking by connecting ideas seamlessly. These words and phrases help maintain the flow of the speech and captivate the audience, ensuring a clear and coherent delivery.

Speech transitions play a significant role in public speaking. They serve as vital connectors that link together various ideas and concepts in a seamless manner. By using appropriate words and phrases to transition between different points, speakers can maintain the flow and coherence of their speech.

Here’s why speech transitions are important:

Benefits Of Using Speech Transitions:

• Enhance clarity: Transitions help speakers to clearly communicate their ideas and thoughts to the audience. By using transition words and phrases, they can guide the listeners through the different sections of their speech, making it easier to follow.
• Improve understanding: Effective transitions ensure that the audience can easily grasp the connections between ideas and concepts. This helps to prevent any confusion or misinterpretation of the speaker’s message.
• Increase engagement: Speech transitions prevent a monotonous or disjointed delivery, making the speech more engaging for the audience. By smoothly moving from one idea to another, the speaker captures the listeners’ attention and keeps them actively involved throughout the presentation.
• Highlight key points: Transitions can be used strategically to emphasize important information or key points. By signaling the significance of certain ideas, speakers can ensure that these points are understood and remembered by the audience.

Impact On Audience Engagement:

• Retention of information: With the help of effective speech transitions, speakers can enhance the audience’s ability to retain and recall the information presented. Logical connections created through transitions make it easier for listeners to process and remember the content.
• Focused attention: Well-placed transitions help to maintain the audience’s focus and prevent their minds from wandering. By smoothly transitioning between ideas, speakers keep the listeners engaged and attentive.
• Active participation: Speech transitions encourage the audience to actively participate in the speech. Clear connections between ideas enable listeners to anticipate the direction of the speech, allowing them to make connections and draw conclusions alongside the speaker.
• Emotionally connect: Transitions can also have an emotional impact on the audience. By using appropriate words and phrases, speakers can evoke specific feelings, making the speech more memorable and impactful.

Creating a smooth and coherent flow:

• Logical progression: Transitions facilitate a logical progression of ideas, enabling the speaker to present their thoughts in a structured manner. This ensures that the audience can easily follow the speaker’s intended flow of information.
• Seamless connection: Speech transitions act as bridges between different ideas or sections, creating a seamless connection between them. This helps to establish a sense of continuity in the speech, preventing any abrupt shifts in topic or subject matter.
• Professional delivery: The use of speech transitions demonstrates a speaker’s professionalism and command over their subject. It showcases their ability to present complex ideas in a clear and organized manner.

By recognizing the importance of speech transitions and incorporating them into public speaking, speakers can enhance the effectiveness of their presentations, captivate their audience, and ensure that their message is delivered with impact.

Types Of Speech Transitions

Discover various types of speech transitions that effectively connect ideas and thoughts in your speech. These words and phrases seamlessly guide the flow of your presentation, keeping your audience engaged and interested. Improve your public speaking skills with these powerful speech transition techniques.

Transition words and phrases play a crucial role in connecting your ideas and making your speech or presentation flow smoothly. By using these linguistic tools, you can create a cohesive and engaging narrative that keeps your listeners hooked. In this section, we will explore the different types of speech transitions, including transition words and phrases, verbal transitions, and nonverbal transitions.

Transition Words And Phrases:

• First and foremost, transition words and phrases serve as the glue that holds your speech together. They facilitate the logical progression of your ideas and help your audience follow along effortlessly.
• Additionally, transition words and phrases add clarity and coherence to your speech, ensuring that your message is easily understood.
• Moreover, they signal shifts in topic, introduce examples, emphasize crucial points, and establish cause-and-effect relationships.
• Furthermore, transition words and phrases enable you to create smooth transitions between different sections of your speech, which is essential for maintaining audience engagement.

Verbal Transitions:

• Verbal transitions involve the use of spoken words or phrases to guide your audience from one idea to another seamlessly.
• For instance, you can use phrases like “now, let’s move on to…”, “in relation to…”, or “on the other hand…” to smoothly transition between topics.
• Likewise, starting a sentence with phrases such as “in the same vein…”, “to illustrate my point…”, or “another key aspect is…” can effectively connect your ideas and make your speech more coherent.
• Furthermore, verbally signaling your intention to transition, using phrases like “now, let’s shift gears and discuss…”, “next up, we’ll explore…”, or “in light of this information…” can help your audience anticipate and comprehend your transitions better.

Nonverbal Transitions:

• Nonverbal transitions involve actions, gestures, or visuals that complement your verbal transitions, reinforcing the connections between your ideas.
• Use physical cues, such as changing your stance, moving to a different part of the stage, or making eye contact with a specific audience member, to signify a transition.
• Similarly, employing visual aids like slides, charts, or props can also assist in smoothly guiding your audience from one idea to the next.
• Additionally, adjusting your tone of voice, pausing strategically, or utilizing facial expressions can effectively emphasize the shift in ideas and engage your listeners.

Incorporating a variety of transition words and phrases, implementing verbal transitions, and utilizing nonverbal cues can greatly enhance the flow and impact of your speech. Integrating these techniques will help you maintain your audience’s attention and ensure that your ideas are communicated effectively.

So, let’s dive in and explore the world of speech transitions further!

Using Transition Words And Phrases

Discover the power of using speech transitions to seamlessly connect your ideas. By employing a variety of transition words and phrases, you can create a cohesive flow in your speech while keeping your audience engaged and interested. Swap repetitive terms for different expressions to ensure your content remains fresh and captivating.

Importance Of Strategic Placement:

• Transition words and phrases are essential in speech writing as they help to connect and smoothly organize ideas and thoughts.
• Strategic placement of transition words and phrases allows for a coherent flow of information, making it easier for the audience to follow the speaker’s train of thought.
• Proper use of transition words and phrases can enhance the overall impact of a speech by creating a logical progression of ideas and reinforcing key points.
• By strategically incorporating transition words and phrases, speakers can maintain the audience’s attention and prevent confusion or disengagement.

Commonly Used Transition Words:

• “furthermore”: Used to add another supporting point or to provide additional information.
• Example: Furthermore, research has shown that regular exercise improves overall mental health.
• “however”: Introduces a contrasting idea or viewpoint.
• Example: The study found that the new drug is effective; however, more research is needed to determine long-term effects.
• “meanwhile”: Shows a simultaneous action or event occurring.
• Example: The company was experiencing financial difficulties; meanwhile, their competitors were thriving.
• “moreover”: Indicates the addition of more information or evidence.
• Example: The data collected from the survey revealed alarming statistics; moreover, it highlighted the need for immediate action.

Connecting Ideas Within A Sentence:

• “similarly”: Demonstrates a likeness or similarity between two ideas.
• Example: The baby elephant walked with a wobble, similarly to a toddler taking their first steps.
• “in addition”: Introduces an additional piece of information or evidence.
• Example: The market research indicated a growing demand for organic products; in addition, consumer preferences were shifting towards sustainable packaging.
• “likewise”: Expresses similarity or agreement with a previous statement.
• Example: The new policy aims to increase employee satisfaction; likewise, it strives to improve overall productivity.
• “on the other hand”: Indicates a contrasting viewpoint or perspective.
• Example: The group was divided on the issue; on the other hand, some argued for immediate action while others preferred a more cautious approach.

Transition Phrases For Introducing New Points:

• “first and foremost”: Emphasizes the primary or most important point to be made.
• Example: First and foremost, it is crucial for individuals to prioritize their mental health.
• “another key point”: Introduces an additional significant idea or argument.
• Example: Another key point to consider is the impact of social media on mental well-being.
• “lastly”: Signals the final point or argument in a series or sequence.
• Example: Lastly, it is essential to provide accessible and affordable mental health services for all individuals.

Transition Words For Emphasizing Or Contrasting Ideas:

• “indeed”: Emphasizes and reinforces a previous point or statement.
• Example: The results of the study indeed highlight the need for further investigation.
• “contrarily”: Shows a contrasting or opposite perspective.
• Example: While some argue for stricter regulations, contrarily, others believe in the importance of personal freedoms.
• “in summary”: Provides a concise overview or recap of the main points discussed.
• Example: The research demonstrates the significant impact of early childhood education on future academic success.

Remember, incorporating these transition words and phrases into your speech can greatly enhance its overall effectiveness, making it more engaging and easy to follow. Use them strategically to guide your listeners through your ideas and ensure they stay connected and engaged with your message.

Incorporating Verbal Transitions

Discover the power of incorporating verbal transitions in your speech to effortlessly connect your ideas. Enhance your communication skills with carefully chosen phrases and words that keep your audience engaged and interested. Unlock the potential of seamless transitions for impactful speeches.

Establishing A Connection Between Ideas

• Incorporating verbal transitions is essential in speech delivery as it helps maintain a smooth flow of ideas. These transitions act as bridges between different thoughts, guiding the audience through your speech. By using the right words and phrases, you can establish clear connections between ideas, leaving a lasting impact on your listeners. Let’s explore some effective techniques for incorporating verbal transitions.

Using Clear Language And Cues

• Clear language and cues allow your audience to follow along effortlessly, ensuring that your ideas are effectively communicated. Consider the following strategies to enhance clarity in your speech:
• Signposting: The use of signposting phrases, such as “firstly,” “next,” or “” helps guide your audience through the structure of your speech, making it easier for them to follow your thought process.
• Repetition: Repeating key phrases or concepts throughout your speech can reinforce your ideas, making them more memorable for your audience.
• Pronouns: Utilize pronouns like “they,” “we,” or “you” to create a sense of inclusivity and engagement. This fosters a connection between you and your audience, encouraging active participation.

Examples Of Verbal Transition Techniques

• Here are some effective examples of verbal transition techniques to incorporate in your speech:
• Cause and effect: Use phrases like “as a result,” “consequently,” or “therefore” to highlight the cause and effect relationship between different ideas.
• Comparison and contrast: Employ phrases such as “similarly,” “on the other hand,” or “in contrast” to draw comparisons or highlight differences between ideas, helping your audience understand distinct concepts better.
• Time sequence: Signal the passage of time or progression of ideas with phrases like “before,” “afterward,” or “meanwhile.” This helps your audience follow the chronological order of events or thoughts.

Practice And Delivery Tips

• To improve your use of verbal transitions, consider these practice and delivery tips:
• Rehearse your speech: Practice delivering your speech multiple times, focusing on incorporating verbal transitions smoothly. This will help you become more comfortable and confident in your delivery.
• Record and review: Record yourself delivering the speech and take note of areas where verbal transitions can be improved. Analyzing your performance will enable you to refine your delivery and strengthen your speech.
• Seek feedback: Request constructive feedback or have a trusted person observe your speech. They can provide valuable insights on how to enhance your verbal transitions and overall impact.

Remember, incorporating verbal transitions in your speech not only enhances its coherence but also ensures that your ideas are effectively communicated and understood by your audience. By practicing and mastering these techniques, you’ll become a more engaging and persuasive speaker.

Keep honing your skills, and watch your speech captivate and inspire your listeners.

Leveraging Nonverbal Transitions

Discover the power of nonverbal transitions in connecting your ideas during speeches. Utilize effective words and phrases that enhance the flow of your presentation and engage your audience. Say goodbye to common speech transition pitfalls and captivate your listeners with seamless transitions.

In the realm of public speaking, effective speech transitions are crucial for connecting ideas and maintaining the attention of your audience. While verbal transitions are commonly employed, nonverbal cues can be just as powerful in conveying a seamless flow of thoughts.

This section will explore the various ways to leverage nonverbal transitions, including visual cues, body language, gestures and facial expressions, the importance of eye contact, and how to convey confidence and professionalism.

Visual Cues And Body Language:

• Visual cues play a vital role in indicating transitions and maintaining engagement during a speech.
• Use confident and purposeful body language to signify a change in topic or shift in ideas.
• Positioning yourself differently on stage or adjusting your stance can visually communicate a transition to your audience.
• Maintain an open and relaxed posture, which indicates a welcoming and inclusive environment.

Gestures And Facial Expressions:

• Utilize gestures and facial expressions to enhance the impact of your nonverbal transitions.
• Gesture with your hands to emphasize key points or signal a transition to a new idea.
• Employ facial expressions to convey enthusiasm, surprise, or seriousness, making your transitions more engaging and memorable.

Importance Of Eye Contact:

• Eye contact is a powerful nonverbal tool that establishes a connection with your audience and aids in smooth transitions.
• Engage with individuals in different parts of the room, ensuring that your eye contact is inclusive and not only focused on a single person or section.
• During transitions, maintain eye contact to signal that you are moving on to a new topic or idea.
• The use of eye contact can also help you gauge the audience’s reaction and adjust your delivery accordingly.

Conveying Confidence And Professionalism:

• Nonverbal transitions are instrumental in conveying confidence and professionalism throughout your speech.
• Maintain a calm and composed demeanor, which instills confidence in your audience.
• Avoid fidgeting or excessive movements that may distract from your message.
• By utilizing nonverbal cues effectively, you can create a sense of professionalism and competence, enhancing your overall speaker presence.

Incorporating nonverbal transitions into your speech can significantly improve its flow, captivate your audience, and reinforce your message. Visual cues, body language, gestures, facial expressions, eye contact, and conveying confidence and professionalism are all essential elements in creating a seamless and engaging speaking experience.

Practice and master these nonverbal techniques to elevate your speech to new heights.

Transitioning Between Different Sections Of A Speech

Transitioning between different sections of a speech is crucial for maintaining a coherent flow and engaging the audience. By utilizing effective speech transitions, you can seamlessly connect your ideas, avoiding clichés and repetitive terms, to ensure a captivating and impactful delivery.

Transitioning between different sections of a speech is crucial to maintain the flow and coherence of your ideas. To ensure a smooth transition, consider using the following techniques:

Introducing A New Topic Or Main Idea

• Pose a question: Start a new section by asking a thought-provoking question that introduces your audience to the upcoming topic. For example, “have you ever wondered how technology has revolutionized the way we communicate?”
• Provide a brief anecdote or story: Capture your audience’s attention by sharing a relevant story or anecdote that sets the stage for the new topic. This personal touch will engage your listeners from the start.
• Use a powerful quote: Begin your section with an impactful quote that relates to the subject matter. This will immediately draw your audience’s attention and create curiosity about the upcoming discussion.

Summarizing Key Points

• Highlight the main ideas: Summarize the key points you have discussed so far in a concise and clear manner. This allows your audience to understand the progress of your speech and reinforces the central ideas you want them to remember.
• Use transition words: Employ transition words and phrases such as “” “to summarize,” or “in conclusion” to signal that you are summarizing the main points. This helps the audience mentally prepare for the upcoming summary.

Shifting Focus Or Transitioning To A Conclusion

• Preview the provide a glimpse of what your conclusion will entail without delving into the details. This primes your audience for the upcoming ending, creating anticipation and signaling the shift in focus.
• Ask for the audience’s attention: Use phrases like “now, let’s turn to the final part of our discussion” to redirect the attention back to the conclusion. This helps maintain engagement and refocuses the audience’s thoughts on the closing remarks.
• Reinforce the central theme: Remind your listeners of the central theme or main message of your speech. This will ensure that the concluding remarks connect back to the core ideas you have been discussing.

Remember, effective transitions are like signposts that guide your audience through your speech. By utilizing these techniques, you can navigate between different sections smoothly and keep your audience fully engaged.

Tips For Effective Transitioning

Discover practical tips for effective transitioning in your speech through the use of appropriate words and phrases. Enhance the flow of your ideas by avoiding overused terms and incorporating a variety of expressions at the beginning of paragraphs. Keep your sentences concise and engaging to maintain the reader’s interest.

Preparing And Rehearsing Transitions:

• Craft a list of transitional words and phrases: To ensure smooth and seamless transitions between your ideas, compile a list of words and phrases that can serve as connectors. Examples include “however,” “in addition,” and “on the other hand.”
• Identify logical connections: Assess the flow of your speech and identify the logical connections between each point. This will help you determine the appropriate transitional words or phrases to use.
• Practice aloud: Once you have selected your transition words and phrases, practice incorporating them into your speech. Rehearse it several times to ensure that the transitions feel natural and help maintain the overall coherence of your ideas.

Using A Variety Of Transition Methods:

• Implement signposts: Signposts are words or phrases that indicate where you are in your speech and where you are going next. Examples include “firstly,” “next,” and “finally.” By using these signposts, you guide your audience through your speech, making it easier for them to follow along.
• Utilize parallel structure: Parallel structure involves using the same grammatical structure for each point in your speech. This creates a rhythm and consistency that facilitates smooth transitions. For example, instead of saying “i like hiking and to swim,” you would say “i like hiking and swimming.”
• Incorporate rhetorical questions: Asking a rhetorical question can help transition from one idea to the next seamlessly. It engages your audience and prompts them to reflect on the previous point before moving on to the next one.
• Use visual aids: Visual aids such as slides or props can serve as effective transition tools. By visually emphasizing the connection between ideas, you can make the transition more apparent to your audience.
• Provide summaries: Summarizing the main points of each section can be a powerful transition technique. It allows you to recap what has been discussed and prepare your audience for the upcoming topic.

Maintaining A Natural And Conversational Tone:

• Avoid using jargon: To keep your speech accessible and engaging, avoid using technical jargon or overly complicated language. Opt for words and phrases that your audience can easily understand.
• Vary sentence lengths: Using a mix of short and long sentences adds rhythm and variety to your speech. This prevents monotony and keeps your audience engaged.
• Practice active voice: Choosing active voice sentences instead of passive voice helps maintain a conversational tone. Active voice is more direct and engaging, making it easier for your audience to follow along.
• Engage with the audience: Encourage audience participation throughout your speech by asking for their thoughts or experiences related to your topic. This creates a more conversational and interactive atmosphere.
• Adjust your pace: Pay attention to your speaking pace and adjust it accordingly. Speaking too fast can make it difficult for your audience to process the information, while speaking too slowly can lead to disengagement. Aim for a rhythmic and natural pace.

Remember, effective transitioning is crucial for the cohesiveness and clarity of your speech. By preparing and rehearsing your transitions, utilizing a variety of transition methods, and maintaining a natural and conversational tone, you can ensure that your ideas flow smoothly and leave a lasting impact on your audience.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are speech transitions.

Speech transitions are words and phrases used to connect ideas and help the audience follow your presentation more smoothly. They create a logical flow and make it easier for listeners to understand and remember your key points.

Why Are Speech Transitions Important?

Speech transitions are important because they enhance the coherence and clarity of your speech. They help your audience navigate through your ideas and maintain their attention. Transitions also make your speech more engaging and polished, leaving a lasting impact on your listeners.

What Are Some Common Speech Transition Words And Phrases?

There are various speech transition words and phrases you can use, such as “in addition,” “however,” “on the other hand,” “moreover,” “as a result,” “to summarize,” and “finally. ” These transition words and phrases can help you transition between different ideas, compare and contrast points, and summarize information.

How Can Speech Transitions Improve My Public Speaking Skills?

Using speech transitions in your presentations enhances your public speaking skills by making your speech more organized, coherent, and impactful. With effective transitions, you can smoothly guide your audience through your ideas, keeping them engaged and helping them understand and remember your message.

To sum up, utilizing effective speech transitions is essential for seamless and coherent delivery. By incorporating appropriate words and phrases, you can effectively connect your ideas and guide your audience through your speech. Whether you are emphasizing a point, introducing a new topic, or providing examples, utilizing transitional words and phrases enhances the overall flow of your speech.

Moreover, these transitions help to maintain your audience’s engagement and comprehension. From using simple transitional words like “firstly” and “next,” to employing complex connectors such as “in contrast” and “similarly,” the right speech transitions can transform your speaking style. By following these guidelines and practicing your delivery, you can become a confident and compelling speaker.

Remember, speech transitions are powerful tools that can transform your speech from disjointed to cohesive, ensuring that your ideas are conveyed clearly and effectively. So, the next time you give a speech, make sure to incorporate these essential speech transitions and watch your message resonate with your audience.

Similar Posts

Best Budget Projectors for Presentations

The best budget projector for presentations is [insert name of projector]. With its affordable price and high-quality performance, it is the perfect choice for delivering captivating presentations. Whether you are a student, professional, or business owner, this projector offers excellent brightness and clarity, making your visuals stand out. Its compact and lightweight design ensures easy…

Touching Eyebrows Body Language You Need to Know

Welcome, young reader! Have you ever wondered what your eyebrows say about you? Well, let’s dive into the fascinating world of body language and explore the intriguing topic of touching eyebrows. When it comes to non-verbal communication, our bodies have a lot to say. And one part of our body that can give away a…

Touching Nose Body Language

Welcome to the fascinating world of body language! Have you ever wondered what it means when someone touches their nose during a conversation? Well, you’re in the right place. In this article, we’ll dive into the intriguing topic of “touching your nose body language.” Body language is the secret code of nonverbal communication that we…

How To Build Rapport?

Building rapport involves active listening, showing genuine interest, and finding common ground with others. By understanding their perspective and communicating effectively, you can establish a strong connection and foster a positive relationship. Credit: www.salesreadinessgroup.com Setting The Stage Welcome to the first section of our blog series on How to Build Rapport. In order to establish…

How to Have a Heart Talk? Effective Strategies for Deep Connections

How to Have a Heart Talk? Having a heart talk is important. It helps to connect with others deeply. You can share your feelings and listen to theirs. But how do you have a heart talk? Let’s find out! What is a Heart Talk? A heart talk is a deep conversation. It is when you…

What are the Types of Communication?

Communication can be categorized into four types: verbal, nonverbal, written, and visual. These forms of communication encompass different methods and modes individuals use to convey information, ideas, and emotions. Verbal communication involves speaking and listening, while nonverbal communication includes body language, facial expressions, and gestures. Written communication employs written words and includes emails, letters, and…

Presentation Training Institute

A division of bold new directions training, how to use transition words and phrases effectively in presentations.

When delivering a presentation, it’s important for your words and ideas to flow so your audience can understand and follow along. This can be accomplished by using transitions to bridge the gap between ideas. Transitions can be a word or phrase that act as a signpost to the audience, signaling the relationship between points and ideas. Here we will take a look at how to use transitions more effectively in your presentation. 

What are Speech Transitions?

Speech transitions are words or phrases that allow you to seamlessly transition from one point to another so that your speech flows smoothly. This makes it easier for the audience to follow along and see how one point relates to the next. Transitions can be one word, a phrase, or even a full sentence.

Examples of Transitions

Introduction.

You can introduce your topic with one of the following transitions:

• The purpose of this presentation is to…
• Today we will examine the effects of…
• Our team will be discussing…
• I want to start by…
• Let’s begin by…

Moving from the Introduction to the First Point

This is when you will signal to the audience that you have introduced the topic and you are ready to discuss the first main point.

• Now that you are familiar with…let’s begin with…
• First, let’s begin by discussing…
• To get started, let’s look at…
• My first point covers…

Moving from One Point to Another 

You can use these transitions to shift from one point to another during your presentation:

• In the same way…
• If I could now turn to…
• Now let’s consider…

Shifting to a Disagreeing Point

• The flip side of this issue is that…
• On the other hand…
• Yet, we cannot ignore…
• On the contrary…
• The opposing argument…

Introducing an Example

• Let me illustrate this by…
• Take the case of…
• This is demonstrated by…
• An example of this is…

Emphasizing Importance

• More importantly…
• This is essential because…

Conclusion of the Presentation

• In conclusion…
• In summary…
• Finally, I want to say that…

Part of rehearsing your presentation involves practicing your transitions. Be sure to plan for these words and phrases, as they are the finishing touches that will pull your entire presentation together. Without them, you can confuse your audience. Effective transitions help to create a clearly organized presentation that feels like a continuous conversation.

Home Blog Presentation Ideas How to Write a Presentation Script

How to Write a Presentation Script

Delivering a successful presentation is a combination of a confident speech and professional-quality graphics. The first element is sometimes neglected, as presenters rely mostly on the slides and add an improvisation element to the speech. Truth is, if you aim to hone your presentation skills, you need to work on the speech. And for that to be a powerful asset, the answer is to learn how to write an effective presentation script.

This article will detail how to create a presentation script, which elements it should contain, how to relate the script to the presenter’s notes, and much more.

Table of Contents

What is a Presentation Script

How do you start a presentation script, how do you write a presentation script, how to connect a presentation script with presenter notes, recommended ppt templates to write a presentation script, final words.

A presentation script is a written guide that outlines what a speaker will say during a presentation. It includes the key points, transitions, and supporting details needed to communicate the message clearly and effectively. The script helps the speaker stay on track, ensuring the presentation is organized, concise, and delivered within the allotted time. It often integrates cues for visual aids and other presentation elements.

Defining the Purpose and Objective

Every effective presentation script starts with clearly understanding its purpose and objectives. Defining these elements early ensures your script remains focused, relevant, and aligned with your desired outcomes. 

Your core message is the central idea you want your audience to take away from your presentation. It should be clear, concise, and memorable. To define your core message, ask yourself:

• What is the one thing I want my audience to remember?
• Why is this message important?
• How does this message benefit my audience?

Once you have a clear core message, everything in your script for a speech should support and reinforce it. This focus will help you avoid straying into irrelevant topics and ensure your presentation remains cohesive.

Next, the presenter should establish clear objectives for the talk. Objectives must be specific, measurable outcomes you want to achieve with your presentation. They give you a clear direction and help you measure the success of your presentation. Objectives can be:

• Informational: Educate the audience on a particular topic.
• Persuasive: Convince the audience to adopt a viewpoint or take a specific action.
• Motivational: Inspire the audience to feel or act in a certain way.
• Instructional: Teach the audience how to do something.

For example, suppose your core message is about the importance of cybersecurity. In that case, your objectives might include informing the audience about common threats, persuading them to adopt better security practices, and instructing them on implementing them.

Check our article on SMART goal setting for a practical approach to defining measurable goals.

Aligning the Script with Desired Outcomes

Once you’ve defined your core message and objectives, your script should be structured to achieve these outcomes. This involves:

• Prioritizing content: Focus on the information and arguments directly contributing to your objectives.
• Building logical flow: Ensure that each section of your presentation leads naturally to the next, creating a narrative that reinforces your core message.
• Incorporating calls to action: If your objective is to persuade or motivate, include clear, actionable steps your audience can take after the presentation.

By defining the purpose and objectives of your presentation script, you set the stage for a focused, effective, and impactful delivery.

In this section, we’ll explore section by section how to write a presentation script. The following image is a guideline of presentation script examples on how to create icebreakers for each section

Crafting a Compelling Introduction

The introduction is your opportunity to capture the audience’s attention and set the tone for the rest of the presentation. It should be engaging and clearly overview what the audience can expect.

If you are wondering how to start a presentation , key elements of a strong introduction include:

• Opening hook: Start with a statement, question, or anecdote that grabs the audience’s attention. This could be a surprising statistic, a relevant quote, or a provocative question.
• Purpose statement: Clearly state the purpose of your presentation and what you hope to achieve. This helps the audience understand why they should care about your words.
• Agenda overview: Briefly outline the main points you will cover. This will give the audience a roadmap of what to expect and help them follow along.

Let’s say your presentation is about digital marketing trends. In that case, you might start with a surprising statistic about the growth of AI technology usage, followed by a statement about the importance of staying ahead of digital trends, and then outline the specific trends you will discuss in an upcoming slide.

Organizing the Body of the Script

The body of your script is where you present your main content. It should be organized logically, with each section building on the previous one to reinforce your core message. 

Break down your content into clear, manageable sections. Each section should cover a specific point or idea. Smooth transitions between sections help maintain the flow of your presentation and keep the audience engaged . Phrases like “building on that idea,” “another important factor,” or “let’s now shift our focus to” can help guide the audience through your presentation.

Use data, examples, case studies , and visuals to support your points. This will strengthen your argument and make your presentation more engaging. 

For instance, in a presentation about social media’s impact on consumer behavior, you might organize the body into sections on social media usage trends, the psychology of social media influence, and case studies of successful social media campaigns.

Engaging the Audience with Stories and Examples

One of the most effective ways to make your presentation engaging and relatable is by incorporating stories and examples. These elements help illustrate your points, making them more memorable and impactful. 

Consider the following strategies:

• Use personal anecdotes: Sharing personal experiences related to your topic can help establish a connection with the audience and make your presentation more relatable.
• Include case studies: Real-world examples or case studies can help illustrate how the concepts you’re discussing apply in practice. This is especially effective when presenting to a business or professional audience.
• Tell a story: Structure part of your presentation as a narrative, with a clear beginning, middle, and end. Stories are inherently engaging and can make complex information more digestible.

You can learn more about this technique with our article on storytelling for presentations .

Developing a Memorable Conclusion

The conclusion is your final opportunity to reinforce your core message and leave a lasting impression on your audience. 

A strong conclusion should:

• Summarize key points: Recap the main points of your presentation to reinforce them in the audience’s mind.
• Reiterate the core message: Restate your core message in a way that resonates with the audience and underscores its importance.
• End with impact: Conclude with a powerful statement, call to action, or thought-provoking question that leaves the audience with something to think about or do.

If your presentation was about the importance of innovation in business, you might conclude by summarizing its key benefits, restating that innovation is crucial for long-term success, and ending with a call to action for the audience to start thinking about how they can innovate in their roles.

Get more insights on how to end a presentation with our article.

Although the presentation script is a fantastic resource for preparing your presentation and also for rehearsal, presenters cannot bring lengthy text pages with them and start reading if they feel lost. This is where presenter notes come in handy, and in this section, we’ll learn how to turn the presentation script into presenter notes. 

The first step in this process is to go through the detailed script a couple of times, highlighting the main ideas, data, and messages to convey to the audience. You can follow the process as with meeting notes and apply the strategies explained in that article.

Now, we need to condense the information into simpler sentences, direct phrases, or keywords that trigger memory recall. These phrases will be added to the slides in the format of speaker notes linked to each slide. It’s crucial to mark the transitions from one topic to another in the presentation so we can articulate the speech or remember to emphasize a point. 

Remember, if we suddenly need to include last-minute details, we can use visual cues or a printed version of our slides with extra handwritten notes.

Before we conclude this article, we want to recommend some PowerPoint templates that can help the presentation script creation process, especially for team collaboration, where the presentation goes through multiple iterations. Remember these designs also serve as Google Slides templates .

1. 6 Step Creative Timeline Diagram for Presentation Scripts

Say you need to create a sample script for a presentation or work with your team for a department presentation: this is where this best PPT template is beneficial. We can summarize processes or points that we intend the presentation to cover into six actionable steps that can be discussed within the team. The icons included help us to connect concepts with the steps we’re describing.

Use This Template

2. Product Timeline Script of Speech PPT Template

In sales and product presentations, we need to contextualize the dates on which we expect things to happen. By using this timeline PPT template as a visual aid, presenters can carry a printed version or digital version on another device to remind themselves of the milestones that a product or service is due in the near future.

3. The Presentation Experience Script PowerPoint Template

Although this template is tailored to sales presentations, this slide deck is ideal for writing a recap of the presentation script. You can add facts, questions, numeric data, and more.

4. Steps & Stairs Diagram Presentation Script Google Slides Template

This diagram template for PowerPoint and Google Slides is a highly visual 3D aid intended for defining the steps to write the script or to present processes. Use this staircase design template to summarize key information about your presentation speech.

Creating a detailed, professional presentation script doesn’t have to be a daunting process. As long as we understand the basis of how to structure what we intend to say, questions and answers about which content to include shall arise. 

Follow the steps shown in this article and you will master the process to create your own presentation scripts in no time.

Like this article? Please share

Presentation Skills, Speech Filed under Presentation Ideas

Related Articles

Filed under Google Slides Tutorials • July 25th, 2024

How to Hide a Slide in Google Slides

Hiding a slide in Google Slides is a task that takes less than a minute. Learn how to quickly implement this tool for your presentations in this article.

Filed under Education • July 10th, 2024

How to Memorize a Presentation: Guide + Templates

Become a proficient presenter by mastering the art of how to memorize a presentation. Nine different techniques + PPT templates here.

Filed under PowerPoint Tutorials • June 28th, 2024

How To Add Drop Shadows in PowerPoint Presentations

Improve your presentation’s design by mastering drop shadows in PowerPoint. In this article, we introduce you to the step-by-step process with cliparts for impressive shadow effects.

Leave a Reply

The Top 25 Positive Words to use in your Presentation

A simple technique to improve your presentation is to sprinkle a number of positive words into the script.

These positive words (more commonly known as “power words” can help to put the audience in a good mood.

Just be careful not to overdo them.

Positive Opening Words

1. Thanks – Thanks for inviting me to speak with you today. 2. Lovely – It’s lovely to be back. 3. Nice – It’s nice to see so many people here. 4. Passionate – I am passionate about positive words.

Positive Discovery Words

5. Show – I will show you … 6. Learn – You will learn that … 7. Find – You will find that … 8. Discover – I hope you will discover the marvellous properties of electrons. 9. New – I am presenting to you some new findings on … 10. Found – We found that there were three main areas of interest.

Positive Content Words

11. Clearly – On this slide you will clearly see … 12. Impressive – The results were impressive . 13. Very – He scored very high up the rankings. 14. Positive – This conveys a very positive message. 15. Lot – We achieved a lot in a very short space of time. 16. Importance – The importance of the data is that it … 17. Cool – Here is a cool example of … 18. Great – It received a great degree of attention. 19. Good – This is a good example of a positive word. 20. Marvellous – It’s marvellous that so many … 21. Wonderful – The wonderful world of the World Wide Web … 22. Totally – She was totally committed to the cause of …

Positive Closing Words

23. Enjoyed – I hope that you have enjoyed my presentation. 24. Pleasure – It has been a real pleasure to be here today. 25. Thank you – Thank you for listening to me today.

What positive words do you use in your presentations? Please add them in to the comments box.

Recommended Pages

Great article! In my practice, I have found that positive / strong words make wonders.

Thanks for this article, it’s really helpful!

Great article! Thank you.

Thanks for this article, it’s really helpful

Thanks for this article, it’s really helpful and needed

• All Templates
• Persuasive Speech Topics
• Informative
• Architecture
• Celebration
• Educational
• Engineering
• Food and Drink
• Subtle Waves Template
• Business world map
• Filmstrip with Countdown
• Blue Bubbles
• Corporate 2
• Vector flowers template
• Editable PowerPoint newspapers
• Hands Template
• Red blood cells slide
• Circles Template on white
• Maps of America
• Light Streaks Business Template
• Zen stones template
• Heartbeat Template
• Web icons template

Title Case Capitalization

APA Style uses two types of capitalization for titles of works (such as paper titles ) and headings within works : title case and sentence case .

In title case, major words are capitalized, and most minor words are lowercase. In sentence case, most major and minor words are lowercase ( proper nouns are an exception in that they are always capitalized).

• major words: Nouns, verbs (including linking verbs), adjectives, adverbs, pronouns, and all words of four letters or more are considered major words.
• minor words: Short (i.e., three letters or fewer) conjunctions, short prepositions, and all articles are considered minor words.

Title case capitalization is covered in the seventh edition APA Style manuals in the Publication Manual Section 6.17 and the Concise Guide Section 5.7

How to implement title case

In title case, capitalize the following words in a title or heading:

• the first word of the title or heading, even if it is a minor word such as “The” or “A”
• the first word of a subtitle
• the first word after a colon, em dash, or end punctuation in a heading
• major words, including the second part of hyphenated major words (e.g., “Self-Report,” not “Self-report”)
• words of four letters or more (e.g., “With,” “Between,” “From”)

Lowercase only minor words that are three letters or fewer in a title or heading (except the first word in a title or subtitle or the first word after a colon, em dash, or end punctuation in a heading):

• short conjunctions (e.g., “and,” “as,” “but,” “for,” “if,” “nor,” “or,” “so,” “yet”)
• articles (“a,” “an,” “the”)
• short prepositions (e.g., “as,” “at,” “by,” “for,” “in,” “of,” “off,” “on,” “per,” “to,” “up,” “via”)

When to use title case

Use title case for the following:

• titles of articles, books, reports, and other works appearing in text

In the book Train Your Mind for Peak Performance: A Science-Based Approach for Achieving Your Goals

In the article “Turning Frowns (and Smiles) Upside Down: A Multilevel Examination of Surface Acting Positive and Negative Emotions on Well-Being”

• titles of tests or measures, including subscales

Beck Depression Inventory–II

• all headings within a work (Levels 1–5; these are also bold or bold italic)
• the title of your own paper and of named sections and subsections within it

the Results section

• titles of periodicals (these are also italicized)

Journal of Latinx Psychology

Chicago Tribune

• table titles (these are also italicized)
• figure titles (these are also italicized), axis labels, and legends

Advertisement

Full Transcript of Kamala Harris’s Democratic Convention Speech

The vice president’s remarks lasted roughly 35 minutes on the final night of the convention in Chicago.

• Share full article

By The New York Times

• Aug. 23, 2024

This is a transcript of Vice President Kamala Harris’s speech on Thursday night in which she formally accepted the Democratic Party’s nomination for the presidency.

OK, let’s get to business. Let’s get to business. All right.

So, let me start by thanking my most incredible husband, Doug. For being an incredible partner to me, an incredible father to Cole and Ella, and happy anniversary, Dougie. I love you so very much.

To our president, Joe Biden. When I think about the path that we have traveled together, Joe, I am filled with gratitude. Your record is extraordinary, as history will show, and your character is inspiring. And Doug and I love you and Jill, and are forever thankful to you both.

And to Coach Tim Walz. You are going to be an incredible vice president. And to the delegates and everyone who has put your faith in our campaign, your support is humbling.

So, America, the path that led me here in recent weeks was, no doubt, unexpected. But I’m no stranger to unlikely journeys. So, my mother, our mother, Shyamala Harris, had one of her own. And I miss her every day, and especially right now. And I know she’s looking down smiling. I know that.

So, my mother was 19 when she crossed the world alone, traveling from India to California with an unshakable dream to be the scientist who would cure breast cancer.

We are having trouble retrieving the article content.

Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and  log into  your Times account, or  subscribe  for all of The Times.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access.

Already a subscriber?  Log in .

Want all of The Times?  Subscribe .