Do you have to deliver presentations in English at work? Does anxiety about delivering your presentation keep you up at night? Do you worry about having the right vocabulary to keep your audience’s attention? You’d be surprised just how many students come to us with this very same problem. In today’s blog post, we’ll look at some useful signposting vocabulary and phrases for delivering presentations.
This blog post has been adapted from the Business English Presentations course in the Intrepid English Academy.
What is signposting?
When you present a topic you want your audience to understand your message. You should use simple and clear language, and try to avoid jargon and technical language. One of the easiest ways to make sure listeners take away as much information as possible is by structuring the talk logically and using signposting phrases.
You may be used to signposts from roads rather than presentations. When you drive you may see signposts that show you where you are or what the rules are in the area. When you use signposts in a presentation you are providing the same information to your audience. You can show your audience where in the presentation you are, and what is expected from them in terms of involvement.
You have a chance to orientate your audience right from the introduction. Make sure you mention the structure of your presentation and the main points you’re planning on talking about. Below you can find a simple skeleton for your introduction. Don’t forget to also include your name and the overall topic of the presentation at the start.
Let’s take a look at some essential signposting phrases for presentations.
Introduction signposting
I’ll start by […]. Then I’ll move on to […]. After that I’ll […]. Lastly, I […].
Example: I’ll start by reviewing the most popular products. Then I’ll move on to recipe and packaging changes in our best sellers and the feedback on it. After that, I’ll show you our summer 2021 line-up. Lastly, I’ll open the floor up for any questions.
By giving your audience a general roadmap at the beginning, they are aware of what to expect fromm your presentation, and know what’s coming next.
Useful Signposting Phrases
Below, you can find some suggested signposting phrases for different parts of a presentation.
Introducing the topic
My topic today is…..
Today, I’d like to…
Overview
I’m going to divide this presentation into …. main parts…..
Let’s begin by… Then / next / finally…
First and second points
First of all…
Moving on to the second point…
Moving on
So much for…
Turning to…
Following points
The next area I would like to focus on is…
I would now like to discuss…
Analysing and giving examples
Let’s consider this in more detail…
A good example of this is…
What does this mean for…?
Where does that lead us?
Why is this important?
To illustrate this…
Summarising and concluding
Finally, let me just recap on the issues we have covered…
Firstly….
Secondly…
Thirdly…
Finally….
Please feel free to ask me any questions…
Digressing
Just to move away from the main subject for a moment…
I will just take a moment to explain one key element…
Now that we have briefly looked at this key point, I will return to the main subject…
Answering questions
Are there any questions at this stage?
I’ll come back to this question later in my talk…
That’s a very good question, let me explain that in closer detail…
As I mentioned earlier…
To put that another way…
Maybe another member of the group would like to make a suggestion…
You can find all the phrases listed above in the Intrepid English Presentation Template, which is available in the Presentations course in the Intrepid English Academy.
Looking for support with your presentations?
Is the thought of delivering a presentation in English at work keeping you awake at night? Fears about miscommunication holding you back from contributing at work, and progressing in your career? You’re not alone!
Many students come to us with this very same problem, and that’s why we created Employers Who Empower. Build a stronger, more skilled team and drive your company’s growth with our complete, CPD-accredited business English and communications training for fast-growing, purpose-driven organisations. Book a free consultation today to get started.