Giving presentations
Give a clear presentation in English: open strongly, signpost sections, refer to visuals, handle questions and close memorably.
In this lesson you will
- Structure a presentation with signposting
- Describe visuals
- Handle questions confidently
Learn
Opening: greet, introduce the topic and outline: Today I’m going to talk about… I’ve divided my talk into three parts. First, …; then…; finally, … A hook helps: a question, a surprising fact or a short story.
Signposting: Let’s move on to… ; That brings me to my next point. ; To go back to what I said earlier… ; In summary, …
Visuals: As you can see from this graph, … ; This slide shows… ; I’d like to draw your attention to… ; The figures clearly indicate…
Questions and closing: That’s a good question. ; I’m afraid I don’t have that information, but I’ll find out. ; Thank you for listening — I’m happy to take any questions.
Examples
- Did you know that the average person checks their phone 90 times a day?
- I’ve divided my talk into three parts.
- As you can see from this chart, sales doubled.
- That brings me to my final point.
Vocabulary
signpost
tell the audience where you are in the talk
hook
an interesting start that gets attention
outline
a short plan of the talk
draw attention to
make people notice
handle questions
deal with questions
Practice
A strong opening often includes…
Speaking
Give a three-minute presentation on a hobby, product or place: hook, outline, three signposted sections, one described “visual” and a summary. Record and review it.
Writing
Write the script (150–180 words) for the opening and closing of a presentation about a topic you know well.
Lesson quiz
“I’d like to draw your attention to…” is used with…
Review
Key points
- Hook + outline.
- Signpost each section.
- Describe visuals clearly.
- Handle questions honestly; close with a summary.
What you learned
- ✓ I can structure a presentation.
- ✓ I can describe visuals.
- ✓ I can handle questions.