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.)
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Published on, november 15, 2022, this article may contain affiliate links.
As an English teacher, my students often ask me, “ Is my English good enough to give a presentation? ”
This question makes me laugh. Why? Because I even get my beginners’ class to give presentations! Some of them give fantastic presentations on topics like ‘My House’ or ‘My Family’.
So, yes, your English is definitely good enough to give a presentation.
In fact, instead of worrying about your English, you should be looking at ways to make your presentations more interesting and more powerful.
Let’s see how we can do that.
Nearly everyone gets nervous when they have to give a presentation. It’s normal!
Mark Twain even famously said (about speaking in public):
“There are two types of speakers: those that are nervous and those that are liars”
But non-native speakers have extra things to worry about: What if I make an English mistake? What if people don’t understand me?
Let’s cut out all this worrying. If you make a mistake when you speak, that’s fine. Everyone makes mistakes, including native speakers.
You should, on the other hand, try to minimise the mistakes in your PowerPoint slides. After all, people will be staring at each one for a few minutes. I recommend asking a friend to help you proofread them.
But let’s focus on your vocal skills. After all, it’s your spoken words that people will remember more than your slides.
Although I said you shouldn’t worry about giving a presentation, it’s impossible not to be a little bit nervous. And that’s a good thing!
Wait… it’s good to be nervous? Yes, you read that correctly. When you’re nervous, you have more energy and your mind is more focused .
Convert that nervous energy to ‘positive’ energy, become excited about your topic and move around. Use gestures .
Think about a boring teacher you had at school. Wouldn’t they have been more interesting if they had some nervous energy?
Many non-native speakers worry that their vocabulary is too simple.
The truth is that simple is good .
I prefer to listen to a presentation with simple vocabulary rather than the long-winded jargon used by professors and politicians.
Remember, we want to use precise words, not long words.
As an example, a word like ‘empathy’ is good. It’s precise and it’s easier than saying ‘understanding others’ feelings’.
But a phrase like ‘conceptualisation of developmental strategies’ is jargon and it will just annoy the audience.
Are there cultural differences when presenting? Yes, there are some that you should be aware of when presenting to an international audience.
1 Eye contact is good. Some cultures avoid eye contact, but eye contact with the audience is very important for an effective presentation.
2 Don’t point at people . In some cultures, it is okay to point your finger at people, but in other cultures, this is very rude! Point with the flat part of your hand instead.
3 Avoid offensive jokes . A joke that is accepted in your culture might not be accepted in others. Humour is great, but avoid topics like religion and politics, and certainly don’t make jokes that might be considered offensive to certain groups.
All of the tips we are going to cover are great for both online and offline presentations.
And when presenting online, remember that body language still matters . The purpose of using gestures is to show your excitement and energy about the topic.
Even if the audience can’t see you (for example, when you are presenting a slide), you should still use positive body language to show you are passionate about your topic.
In fact, these tips will work well even in situations that are not technically presentations; they are tips that will serve you well whenever you need to speak in English.
The most effective way to practise is not ‘in the mirror’ as many might tell you, but in front of a video camera.
Record yourself . Play it back and see where you can improve. It’s also a good way to spot and get rid of distracting gestures, such as scratching your nose!
You could write out a script to help you. But you should consider this very carefully.
A script might help you to practise, but you should not use a script when you deliver your actual presentation. People don’t want to see you read from a script - they want to feel like you are speaking directly to them.
And don’t try to memorise a script either. Instead, speak from simple notes.
Remember that if you are using PowerPoint, the slides are your notes . Write them in point form, so that you don’t end up just reading from the slides.
Here are ten simple tips that you can use immediately to improve any presentation, online or in person.
As I mentioned, when you are nervous, you have more energy. This can cause you to speak faster than normal.
Instead, use that extra energy to project your voice and use more gestures.
If you find yourself speaking too quickly, simply stop and take a breath between points. Take a sip of water if you have it.
You are familiar with punctuation in writing, but what about ‘spoken punctuation’?
Where you might write a comma, insert a short pause. Where you might write a full stop, insert a longer pause. Where you begin a new topic, insert an even longer break.
A good public speaker feels confident pausing for a long time, but it does take some practice.
You should also use something called sentence stress . Don’t worry! It’s simpler than it sounds.
It just means that you need to stress – make louder and longer – some words in a sentence. Which words? The important ones!
This is an excerpt from Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare. Try saying it slowly and stressing the words in bold:
Friends , Romans , countrymen , lend me your ears ; I come to bury Caesar , not to praise him.
Try saying it a few times until you feel confident. Why not compare it to a professional ?
You want to start with a powerful opening. One way to do this is to use a ‘hook’.
What’s a hook? It is simply a statement – or picture, or video – that gets the audience to sit up and pay attention.
I like to use WHAT-IF statements to do this. A WHAT-IF statement challenges the audience to think about a certain scenario.
“What if I told you that you could retire before age 40?” “What if you found out that you were adopted?” “What if you had one insurance plan that could meet all of your needs?”
Another great lead in is “think of a time”.
Think of a time when you experienced terrible customer service. How did you feel? Think of a time when you were overwhelmed by work. How did it affect your productivity?
A hook makes the introduction interesting, but the rest of the presentation should be interesting too.
You can do this by sharing personal stories, telling jokes, highlighting interesting facts and quotes, showing images or videos or bringing something to show the audience. Perhaps you've learned something interesting in the latest episode of English Learning for Curious Minds .
Check out how this fireman gives a talk in his firefighting outfit .
Getting the audience to interact guarantees that your presentation will be fun.
The most common way to get audience interaction is to ask them questions.
But this isn’t the only way. You could give them puzzles or even ask them to discuss things in groups.
For online presentations, you can set up interactive quizzes using Kahoot! , Quizizz or Mentimeter . Mentimeter also offers interactive surveys.
I mentioned that questions are a great way to make a presentation more interactive.
Let’s look at a certain kind of question: rhetorical questions.
A rhetorical question is simply a question that you ask without expecting an answer. Here’s an example.
Have you ever wondered what happens to the 800 kilograms of garbage that the average American produces per year?
When we ask a question like this, we don’t stop and wait for the audience members to answer. We simply ask it for rhetorical effect .
However, even though we don’t wait for the audience to give answers, each person will think about the answer in their own mind .
This means that rhetorical questions increase audience focus and interest.
Have you ever considered that a presentation is like an essay? There’s an introduction, a body and a conclusion.
When someone reads an essay, they know exactly where they are on the page. In fact, people also like to know “where they are” in a presentation.
To do this, we use a simple but effective technique called signposting. This just means signalling the structure of the presentation to the audience .
For a longer presentation, people like to have a preview of what’s to come. Note the language in bold, which you can use in your own presentations:
First , I’ll be discussing cryptocurrency basics. Then , I’ll move on to how blockchain works. Finally , I’ll cover the pros and cons of the most common cryptocurrencies.
It’s very important to show people when you are moving on to a new point and you can make this clear with signposting:
Okay, so we have learned cryptocurrency basics. The next important topic that I want to cover is blockchain…
Answering questions from the audience can also be scary!
To prepare for this, write down a list of questions that you expect the audience might ask and prepare answers.
Some people like to answer questions anytime during the presentation (it’s more interactive). Others like to have a Q & A session at the end (it’s easier to manage your time).
You can make your preference clear to the audience at the beginning of your talk:
“Feel free to interrupt me if you have any questions.”
“I'll try to answer all of your questions in a Q and A session after the presentation.”
Occasionally, someone might ask you a question that you don’t know the answer to. This happens to all presenters, so don’t worry.
Simply ask the person for their email address or give them yours. You can find the answer later, after the presentation, and continue the discussion via email or chat group.
A great way to prepare for an upcoming presentation is to watch other people present.
TED.com can help you do this; it’s a website that offers thousands of short presentation videos that you can watch for free.
If you have, say, a big presentation to give on Monday, why not spend an hour or two on Sunday night watching TED talks to put you in the zone .
You can learn interesting techniques from Ted speakers and look for examples of the tips in this article.
I recommend this Ted Talk by Matt Cutts . How about a good example of an online presentation? Try this talk by Ashley Whillans .
Each Ted Talk comes with a transcript, so you can explore the language the speaker uses.
The tips here can help you to give a powerful presentation.
But you won’t become a good presenter just by reading about it. You have to do it!
Take every opportunity that you can to practise presenting. Volunteer when you get the chance, or join Toastmasters .
Only by stepping up to the challenge can you really improve.
by Lingoda Team
Updated on October 23, 2023
For many people, giving an oral presentation is extremely nerve-racking, but the task becomes even more daunting if you are doing the presentation in English, as a non-native speaker. After all, while you may be able to communicate in everyday situations, public speaking is a different prospect entirely. Nevertheless, learning to give excellent presentations in English can be extremely beneficial, especially when you consider that English is the international language of business , and practice makes perfect. To make the task slightly easier, we have compiled some top tips for delivering excellent presentations in the English language , so that you can impress your employers, deliver a great sales pitch to clients, present important findings to your team, or get that excellent grade for oral presentation at school or university.
Top 5 presentation tips, useful vocabulary to use in presentations, learn languages at your pace, think about your delivery.
Although what you say is important, the secret to delivering a great speech lies in the way you say things. In particular, when delivering a presentation in English, you should focus on speaking clearly and at a steady pace, so that your audience can understand you easily.
During a presentation , your nerves may get the better of you, causing you to speed up. However, this can make your speech far less clear, so it is important to practice pacing. You should also feel free to take the occasional pause to catch your breath, gather your thoughts, or have a drink of water; especially before introducing a new idea.
Furthermore, you must avoid speaking in a monotone voice, which can make a presentation seem dull and boring, regardless of the content. When rehearsing your speech, focus on placing emphasis on keywords and changing tone depending on what you are saying. If in doubt, watch videos of great speeches and pay attention to how they speak.
The beginning of your presentation is one of the most important parts, because it sets the tone for what is to come. During your introduction, you will likely need to explain who you are, what your position is and what you are going to be discussing. The following may be helpful as introductory phrases:
“Hello everyone, my name is…” “Good morning/afternoon/evening, my name is… and I am a…” “Welcome everybody. Today I am going to talk about…”
During your presentation, there may be times where you need to shift the focus, in order to make all of the points you wish to make. Drawing attention to any changes of focus can serve to give your presentation a clearer structure and can also help to keep the attention of listeners. Some examples of phrases you might use include:
“I would like to shift focus now to…” “Next, we need to consider…” “This leads me to my next point…”
In many cases, your presentation will include visual aids, such as slides on a screen, or handouts. The inclusion of visuals can help to back up the points you are making, while also making the presentation more interesting or exciting. To introduce your slides or other visual aids, you may find the following phrases helpful:
“If I could draw your attention to…” “This chart/graph/table illustrates…” “If you look up at the screen…” “I would like to show you this…” “On your handout, you may see…”
At the end of a presentation, it is important to summarise the main points you have made, so that you can remind listeners of what has been said. This is a chance to point out which parts of the presentation you think are especially important, and ensure everybody leaves with the key pieces of information. Useful phrases include:
“To summarise…” “In conclusion…” “I would like to recap…” “To sum up what has been said…” “So, we have covered…”
This article was produced by one of the in-house Lingoda writers.
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Data. Data visualizations can elevate your presentation from being a good one to a great one. By providing data behind your arguments, you'll appear more trustworthy and confident in your audience's eyes. Add charts, graphs, interactive maps, and more to your presentations with Prezi Design. You can choose from a wide selection of charts ...
Step 3: Be novel. Make sure you either select a new topic or bring an entirely new and unique perspective to an already covered issue. For instance, don't make a presentation on the "best lead generation strategies.". Your audience has probably heard those dozens of times already. Corny.
The Bottom Line. Presenting effective English PPT topics is vital in education, business, and beyond. The curated list of the best 12 presentation topics in English caters to a range of interests and needs. Whether delivering 5-minute talks or tackling issues in education, the workplace, or the environment, selecting the right topic is key.
500+ ideas for good presentation topics. You're probably looking for a good presentation topic that will engage an audience. It's not easy to come up with a good presentation topic from scratch. It's much easier to get inspired from other good presentation topics to build your topic on.
Here is a video on various topics about persuasion: Consider your audience's demographic profiles and common ground when choosing presentation topics and connect them with their interests, beliefs, and social and cultural backgrounds. In fact, will tell you that audience analysis is one of the most important aspects of effective.
169 Five-Minute Topics for a Killer Speech or Presentation. Jim Peterson has over 20 years experience on speech writing. He wrote over 300 free speech topic ideas and how-to guides for any kind of public speaking and speech writing assignments at My Speech Class. There are pros and cons to giving a 5-minute presentation.
180+ Presentation Topic Ideas [Plus Templates] Coming up with a presentation topic idea that's meaningful, relevant and has a creative angle can be tough. If your teacher or professor just assigned you a presentation and also asked you to pick your own topic, you're in the right place. In this article, we've put together a list of informative ...
As a presenter, having a variety of brief yet captivating topics is key to engaging your audience effectively. Explore these 200 topics for 5-Minute Presentations to ensure your next speaking engagement is both dynamic and memorable! The Importance of Time Management Skills. The Impact of Social Media on Society. The Benefits of Reading Daily.
The three circles are labeled: "things I am interested in," "things my audience cares about," and "things I can research.". The center point where these three circles overlap is the sweet spot for your speech topic. When (Length): The length of your speech can drastically impact how in-depth you dive into the topic.
The swapping of orientations will show people that the presentation is progressing nicely. It can help you make a strong, almost physical, distinction between ideas, sections or topics. 10. Make your audience laugh, or at least chuckle. Source. Sometimes you need to not take your business presentations too seriously.
As a presenter, having a selection of concise and captivating topics is key to a memorable 10-minute presentation. These 200 topics are designed to inspire and engage, ensuring your next presentation is a hit! The Importance of Time Management; Tips for Effective Communication Skills; The Power of Positive Thinking
English speaking topics on Daily Life and Personal Experiences. Example Sentences. 1. My Morning Routine. Sentence 1: "Every morning, I start my day with a refreshing cup of coffee." Sentence 2: "I like to go for a jog in the park as part of my morning routine." 2. A Memorable Family Vacation.
Delivering impactful presentations doesn't always require a marathon of speaking. In fact, condensing your message into a succinct 5-minute presentation can be just as powerful. In this article, we'll explore a 5-minute presentation topics list that captivate your audience's attention, spark their curiosity, and leave a lasting impression.
Start with a polite welcome and state your name. Follow with your job title and/or the reason you're qualified to speak on the topic being discussed. 2. State the Purpose of Your Presentation. Now that your audience knows who you are and your qualifications, you can state the purpose of your presentation.
When picking a presentation topic, aim for unique and thought - provoking ideas that capture your audience's attention. Be specific and clear to leave a memorable impression. Tailor your presentation to fit the audience's interests and knowledge level, making sure it is relevant and engaging for them. Use personal stories or examples from ...
You get unlimited designs for a flat monthly fee, which includes not only presentation designs but also services like infographics, social media designs, logo design, etc. Now, back to the topic selection. You need to strike a balance between creativity and relevance to make an impact on the right audience.
The general structure of a presentation is the following: 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.
Download the Digital Humanities - Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in English presentation for PowerPoint or Google Slides. As university curricula increasingly incorporate digital tools and platforms, this template has been designed to integrate with presentation software, online learning management systems, or referencing software, enhancing the ...
This 10-minute presentation example format contains a fairly conservative 5 slides, based on the famous 10-20-30 rule of presentations. In that rule, an ideal presentation is 10 slides in 20 minutes, meaning a 10-minute presentation would only require 5 slides. Use interactive features with AhaSlides to gain better engagement in any type of ...
Here are some phrases which you can use to structure the introduction in this way: Introduce. 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.
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.
1 Eye contact is good. Some cultures avoid eye contact, but eye contact with the audience is very important for an effective presentation. 2 Don't point at people. In some cultures, it is okay to point your finger at people, but in other cultures, this is very rude! Point with the flat part of your hand instead.
State early on that you will answer questions after you have finished. Practice your presentation frequently. Even native speakers will practice giving an important speech ahead of time. One tip is to give your speech in front of a mirror, so you can practice making gestures at the right time. Try to get through your entire speech without using ...
Create a new presentation in PowerPoint for the web by going to https://ppt.new and signing in with your organization account or your personal Microsoft account. Select Insert > Video > Insert Video From: This Device, and then select the video file you want to upload.
IBM IBM0.49%increase; green up pointing triangle is shutting down its China research and development department, the latest retreat from the country by top U.S. technology companies. The company ...
You can only use Slide Master view in PowerPoint for Windows and PowerPoint for Mac, so cameo placeholders can only be added to presentations on those platforms. After a cameo placeholder has been added to the layout, you can use the layout to add new slides with cameo in PowerPoint for the web. Scenarios to try