USEFUL PHRASES FOR PRESENTATIONS

Opening / Introduction

Good morning/afternoon/evening, ladies and gentlemen/colleagues. My name is and I

am marketing director of .
May I introduce myself; my name is .
Allow me to introduce the people behind the table
May I introduce my colleagues
Im pleased to introduce you to ., who coached me during..

Ladies and gentlemen, Id like to welcome you to my presentation on

Id like to say a few words to you today about..
Id like to talk to you today about.
The subject of my talk today is
I have been asked to talk to you today about..
I have the pleasure/honour to talk to you today about..
What I am going to talk about today is..

I shall take about 20 minutes of your time

I aim to talk to you for about 15 minutes
This presentation will take about half an hour
I hope to finish in 10 minutes

Should you have any questions, please dont hesitate to ask

If you have any questions, please feel free to interrupt
Ill be quite willing to answer questions during/after my talk
I would prefer to answer any questions after my talk
If you have any questions, Ill be glad to try and answer them at the end of my talk

Please tell me if I go too fast/too slow/if anything is unclear

Note: Never start a presentation saying:

I want to tell you something about...
My presentation goes about

Explaining the purpose of your presentation

My objective today is.

The purpose/main aim of my talk is.
What I wish to achieve today is..
Allow me to illustrate the purpose of this presentation. I intend to.
I want to focus/concentrate on
I want to examine.
I will limit myself to the question of.
I intend to

Giving an overview of the structure of your presentation

Allow me to take you through my presentation briefly

Let me have a look with you at the structure of my presentation
To start off, please have a look at this overview of my talk
Id like to discuss a number of things with you today
My presentation is in four parts
My presentation is divided into five main sections
During my talk I will be looking at three main areas
Ive divided my talk into five main parts

Introducing the topics as you explain the overview

To start with Id like to consider

Firstly I will be considering
First of all Id like to have a look at
Secondly I will discuss
Thirdly Id like to present
Subsequently I will analyze
After that I will go into
Then Im going to look at.
Finally I will review..

Introducing the first point

To start with, then, Id like to go into

First of all, Id like to have a look at..
Firstly,.
Let me begin by saying..

Finishing a point

Those are the main points on

Now weve looked at/dealt with..
That takes care of
Now Ive dealt with
Those are the main points on.
Well, thats all I have to say about.

Starting a new point

Now lets turn to my next point, which is..

Lets move on now to.
The next point Id like to make is
Next we come to.
Turning now to.
Now Id like to consider .
Id like now to examine.
And this brings me to my next point.
Ive told you about .., now Ill move on to..
As I said before.
Now Id like to discuss/review/analyse

Referring to an illustration or evidence

Allow me to draw your attention to this picture

Could I show you this graph/pie chart/bar chart/matrix?
Please have a look at this illustration/flow chart
Lets consider this diagram
Now, lets look at this slide
On the next slide you can see the companys sales
Now we will turn to the companys profits
Id like you to have a look at this picture
Let me show you a map on which you
can see where our new HQ will be located

Drawing your audiences attention to illustrations or evidence

Please note/notice/observe the drop in sales

Id like to point out
May I draw your attention to
It will be obvious that
You will agree that
You will undoubtedly note that
As you can see
The shaded area represents
The x-axis represents
Id like to draw your attention to
Please have a look at
the increase in exports
the fluctuating exchange rate?
the demand has fallen
the market is very unstable
exports have risen
there is a slight downturn in trade
the total fixed costs
the national output
the solid/broken/dotted line
the smooth curve, the irregular curve, the
straight line, the climbing/sloping line

Linkers

Whether in speech or in writing, you help people to understand your message by clearly
connecting one idea to another. You have to make clear both that ideas are connected,
and how they are connected: e.g. whether the next statement is a continuation of the
preceding one, whether it is supposed to contrast with it or be a result of it, etc. Links
between ideas that may be quite obvious to the writer/speaker, may not be obvious at all
to the reader/listener.

The words and phrases that connect one idea to another (the so-called linkers or linking
words) are like signposts on a journey and make it easier for the reader (or listener) to
find his/her way.

We can use linkers for different types of relationships between ideas. A number of these
relationships are:

1. Listing
A very common and extremely useful technique is listing points, arguments or
examples.

Examples:

firstly, secondly, thirdly

first, second, third

 to begin with, first of all, then, after that, next, finally

2. Adding information
Examples:

furthermore, in addition, moreover, besides, also, too, as well as, as well

Note that also should not be used at the end of the sentence. Instead you
use too or as well.

The regulations have become stricter too/as well.

The regulations have also become stricter.

These regulations, too, have become stricter.

3. Comparison
Examples:

is similar to, is (almost/nearly) the same as, may be compared to, similarly,
likewise, in the same way, in comparison to/with, compared to, comparable to

4. Contrast
Examples:

on the one hand, on the other hand, however, yet, nevertheless, still, but,
whereas, despite, in spite of, although, even though, in contrast to/with

5. Giving examples
In a good presentation examples are used to illustrate the points under discussion.
The examples make clearer to the audience what the speaker wants to say. When
you assert something, you have to give arguments to support your point of view.
Then some examples may be vital to underline your arguments and to convince the
audience.
Examples:

for example, for instance

6. Cause and effect

There are many ways in English to say that A causes B or that B is the result of
A.

Examples:

causes is caused by

A leads to B or: B is due to A

results in results from

 or: the consequence of A is B

or: the reason for B is A.

Other words and phrases that can be used to express cause and effect are:

due to (Due to high interest rates, small companies are in danger.)

because of (Because of low interest rates, many people borrow money.)

owing to (Owing to the recession, many companies went bankrupt.)

as a consequence of (As a consequence of his committing fraud, he was fired.)

as a result of (As a result of his excellent achievements, he was promoted.)

since/as (Since/As interest rates have fallen, more companies are willing to
invest.)

because (More companies are willing to invest, because interest rates have
fallen.)

therefore (Interest rates are down again. Therefore we can look at new
investments.)

consequently (Most computer users have never received any formal keyboard
training. Consequently, their keyboard skills are inefficient.)

7. Reference
When giving a presentation, a speaker sometimes refers to different parts of the
text. Sometimes he will indicate that he is still or again discussing something that
was mentioned before, or that he will refer to this item later again in the
presentation. Therefore, it is useful to have a few expressions which say I am
now referring to X.

Examples of general reference:

with reference to X

in connection with X

as regards X

as far as X is concerned

regarding, concerning

with respect to, in relation to

Examples of reference to some point earlier in the presentation:

the theory mentioned before

the previous slide
the skimming strategy, which I mentioned earlier
As I said at the beginning
 I told you a few minutes ago that.
In the first part of my talk I said.
As Ive already said
As I mentioned earlier
Examples of reference to some point to be made later in the presentation:

the unemployment rate, which I will go into later

the following slide

a new approach, as will be discussed in the third part of my presentation

As we will see later.

Later, we will be looking at

Later, Id like to look at..

Ill comment on this in my conclusion

Ill go into more detail a bit later

Ill come to that later

8. Condition
Conditional clauses are used to refer to events that can or might occur or might
have occurred. Look at the following sentences for examples:

If I have money, I will buy a car

If I had money, I would buy a car

If I had had money, I would have bought a car.

The word if' indicates a condition: You can only buy the car, if you have the money.

Other words indicating condition are: unless, provided, on condition that

NOTE:

In the clause containing the condition (so in the clause containing 'if'), you cannot use a future tense. So,
you can never use 'will', 'shall', 'would', 'should', even if you refer to the future.

In the other clause, the main clause, you usually do use any of these auxiliaries of future tense. Look at
the following examples:

If I lose my job, I will contact a headhunter

If I lost my job, I would contact a headhunter

If I had lost my job, I would have contacted a headhunter

Describing trends and situations

Sample sentences:
- Our turnover rose last year, but our profits dropped.
- The banks have raised their interest rates twice this year and this has pushed up the
cost of borrowing.
- There has been a slight increase in the value of the dollar, but the pound is down
again.
Trends are changes or movements. These changes are normally indicated in numerical
items, e.g. costs, production volumes or unemployment. There are a few basic trends.
For each trend there are a number of verbs and nouns to express the movement.

GROWTH (verbs) GROWTH (nouns)

to increase an increase

to rise a rise

to grow a growth

to go/be up

to raise a rise (BE); a raise (AE)

to push/put/step up

Increase quickly and suddenly to a high level:

to rocket (up)

to soar

DECLINE (verbs) DECLINE (nouns)

to decrease a decrease

to fall a fall

to drop a drop

to go/be down

to decline a decline

Decrease suddenly by a large amount / rate:

to collapse a collapse (dramatic fall)

to slump a slump (dramatic fall)

to plunge a plunge

to plummet (down)

to cut a cut

to lower
to reduce a reduction

to put/push down

Note: The verbs in italics are transitive verbs. This means that they can be used with a
direct object (so a passive sentence can be made). The other verbs cannot be used
with a direct object (so a passive sentence cannot be made).

Compare the following sentences:

These prices have risen by 3%. (You cannot say e.g. by the government)

These prices have been raised by 3%. (You can say by the government)

The interest rate had dropped by 2%. (You cannot say e.g. .by the bank)

The interest rate had been lowered by 2%. (You can say ..by the bank)

STABILITY (verbs) STABILITY (nouns)

to stabilize a stabilization, a stability

to level out/off

to steady
to balance a balance

to remain stable/constant

to remain at the same level

IMPROVEMENT (verbs) IMPROVEMENT (nouns)

to recover a recovery

to improve an improvement

to develop a development

OTHER EXPRESSIONS:

to stand at:

We use this phrase to focus on a particular point, before we mention the trends of
movements.

Example: In the first year sales in our region stood at 109,000 units.

to reach a peak of / to peak at:

Examples:

In the sixth year sales in our region reached a peak of 24,000.

Sales peaked in August, then fell sharply.

to fluctuate:

Example: Between September 2001 and February 2003 coffee prices fluctuated between
2.50 and 3.40 a kilo.

THE DEGREE AND THE SPEED OF THE CHANGE:

Sometimes we need to give more information about a trend, as follows:

There has been a slight increase in the value of the dollar. (The degree of change)

Share prices fell rapidly on the London stock exchange today. (The speed of change)

Remember that we modify a noun with an adjective (a slight increase); and a verb with an
adverb (to increase slightly).

Adjectives/adverbs to describe the degree of change:

dramatic / dramatically

enormous / enormously

vast / vastly

huge / hugely

substantial / substantially

considerable / considerably

significant / significantly

moderate / moderately

slight / slightly

a little

Adjectives/adverbs to describe the speed of change:

rapid / rapidly

quick / quickly

fast / fast

swift / swiftly
 gradual / gradually

steady / steadily

slow / slowly

PREPOSITIONS

When presenting facts and figures, pay attention to the following prepositions:

at to describe static situations

Profits stabilised at 17m in 2005.

verb + by + change
Inflation has increased by 0.5%.

noun + of + change
The unemployment figures show a rise of 2% on the same period a year ago.

noun + in to describe the area affected by change

We saw a further rise in net income of 1%.

a rise from to
There was a price increase from 1% to 2%.

a decrease between and

The consumer price index is expected to show a decrease between 0.2 and 0.3 per
cent.

So:

verbs: nouns:

to grow by a growth in our turnover of 5%

to increase by an increase in the supply

to rise by a rise in prices

to raise by a raise in my weekly wages

to drop by a drop in share prices

to fall by a fall in the demand for our products of 6%

 to reduce by a reduction in taxes

to change by a change in policy

etc.

Interpreting information gathered from research (reports,

statistics, interviews etc.)

Our findings show

These reports prove
Interviews suggest
Our research indicates
Statistics illustrate
The article seems to suggest
These graphs appear to prove

Drawing conclusions based on interpretations

We can conclude from the statistics

We may assume from what we hear
We can deduce/infer from this change in policy

Expressing opinions

I agree that the results are not very convincing

I agree with them about the need for change
I agree with her analysis of the situation
I hope you will agree to my proposal
They agreed on a raise in the budget of 3%
Its also my view that .
Its my opinion/belief/impression/theory/assessment that
In my opinion
In my view
I am of the opinion that
I believe/think/feel/imagine/assume that..
It seems to me that..
I strongly disagree with this idea
We disagree on this matter
I must say that I have some reservations about this
I should stress that I am not sure about their recommendations
Im afraid I am of quite another opinion
I disapprove of the way this problem has been solved

Reinforcing things (said before)/ Defining important issues

Id like to repeat an earlier statement/what I (have) said before

Id like to stress what I (have) said earlier
If I could just go back to.
However, as I mentioned in my introduction,.
What I am actually trying to say is.
What it boils down to is..
In brief..
My main point is..
The heart of the problem lies in..

Checking understanding

I hope I am making myself clear

I hope you can still follow this
Are you still with me?
Please tell me if things are unclear

Introducing you last point

And finally,.
Lastly,.
That brings me to my last point, which is.

Closing the presentation

I have now come to the end of my presentation

At the end of this presentation I would like to summarize what I have said before
Finally, I would like to sum up the main points of my talk
I would like to end my presentation, summarizing the main points
Let me give you a summary of my presentation
In brief, we have looked at.
To sum up the major points again, weve talked about..
Lets recapitulate the major points again:.
The central issue(s) of my presentation was/were
As I/Mr(s) X said before.
In the past 20 minutes we have seen that..
Id like to finish by repeating that..
Could I complete this presentation by again stressing that..
Thats all I have to say for now
(I think) that covers most of the points
That concludes my talk
That brings me to the end of what I have to say/of my talk
I think Ive covered all the points I wanted to discuss with you

the Question and Answer session

And now, if you have any questions, Ill be glad to answer them/to try and answer them
I can imagine/hope/am convinced that you have some questions
Id be very pleased to answer any questions you may have
Please dont hesitate to ask some questions
No doubt some things have been left undiscussed. Id be happy to go into anything you
should like to know
If you have any questions, Ill do my best to answer them
Any questions?
Im sorry, I didnt hear what you said
Sorry, I didnt catch that
Sorry, I missed that
Could you repeat the question, please?
Im not sure I follow you
I dont think I follow you
I dont quite see what you mean.
So, what youre asking is.. Is that right?
Let me just check. You said .. Right?
If I understand your question correctly, you are asking Am I right?

Let me answer the first question

As for the second question
With respect to your third question..
To go back to your original question
Right, thats a good point
Good question
Im pleased youve asked that question
Yes, I see what you mean
I think you are right there
Interesting question, what do the others think?
..anyone else any views on the subject? Yes? Great, what do you think?
..anyone else any views on the subject? No? Well, maybe we can move on to another
point
Whats the view of the others?

Ah, yes, well, I probably didnt express myself very clearly

Perhaps I didnt express that as well as I might have
Let me put it like this
Perhaps I can rephrase it
What I was trying to say was.

I tend to agree with you, but..

I really dont think I am the one to comment/judge/say
You may be interested to know that..
To be quite frank (with you).
Let me put that into perspective
Let me add.
Certainly, but could I point out that..
I understand your view. However, I think that.
I cant say I agree with you, but I take your point
Im not sure that I would agree with you
The fact is that..
Something I didnt mention earlier is that.

Im afraid thats outside my field

Im afraid thats outside the scope of my talk today
I dont think Im the right person to answer that question
I think my colleague, Mr X, could help you on that one
I think my colleague, Mr X, is more qualified to answer that question
I dont have the exact figures to hand.
I cant tell you off hand.
I can get the figures for you, if you like
I can find out for you, if you like

I suggest we discuss this later

Thank you for your question, but could I take that up later?
Thank you for your question, but would you mind if I came back to your point later?
Thank you for your question, but if you dont mind, Ill go into that later
Its too complicated to go into at this stage
.but perhaps we could discuss this in more depth after the presentation

Does that answer your question?

Does that make it clear?
May we go on?
Shall we continue?

Thanking the audience

With this, we have come to the end of my presentation. Thank you.

Thank you very much for your lively participation
If there are no further questions, Id like to end here. Thank you.
It seems that there no further questions. Thank you very much.
Unless there are any more questions, Id like to close this session

Survival language

When you are making a presentation, you can sometimes get things wrong. When that
happens, many people "freeze". If you learn the following phrases, you can use them
"automatically" if things go wrong. You'll be surprised how much good this can do for
your self-confidence.

You make a mistake in your facts:

o I'm terribly sorry. What I meant to say was this. ..

You've gone too fast and are losing your audience:

o Let me recap what I've just said.

You have missed out something important:

o Sorry, I should mention one thing.

You've over-complicated what you have said and you want to simplify it for your
audience.

o So basically what I am saying is this

What you have said didn't make much sense:

o Perhaps I didn't make myself terribly clear..

You cannot think of the right word or expression in English.

 o Sorry, what's the word I'm looking for?

Your words didn't come out the way you intended:

o Let me rephrase that.

You are running out of time and you have to go fast.

o Just to give you the main points..

Just learn these expressions by heart. They will get you out of 'sticky'
situations.