language used in presentations

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

The Presentation

Most presentations are divided into 3 main parts (+ questions):

As a general rule in communication, repetition is valuable. In presentations, there is a golden rule about repetition:

• Say what you are going to say...
• then say what you have just said.

In other words, use the three parts of your presentation to reinforce your message. In the introduction, you tell your audience what your message is going to be. In the body, you tell your audience your real message. In the conclusion, you summarize what your message was.

We will now consider each of these parts in more detail.

Introduction

The introduction is a very important - perhaps the most important - part of your presentation. This is the first impression that your audience have of you. You should concentrate on getting your introduction right. You should use the introduction to:

• welcome your audience
• introduce your subject
• outline the structure of your presentation
• give instructions about questions

The following table shows examples of language for each of these functions. You may need to modify the language as appropriate.

The body is the 'real' presentation. If the introduction was well prepared and delivered, you will now be 'in control'. You will be relaxed and confident.

The body should be well structured, divided up logically, with plenty of carefully spaced visuals.

Remember these key points while delivering the body of your presentation:

• do not hurry
• be enthusiastic
• give time on visuals
• maintain eye contact
• modulate your voice
• look friendly
• keep to your structure
• use your notes
• signpost throughout
• remain polite when dealing with difficult questions

Use the conclusion to:

• (Give recommendations if appropriate)
• Thank your audience
• Invite questions

Questions are a good opportunity for you to interact with your audience. It may be helpful for you to try to predict what questions will be asked so that you can prepare your response in advance. You may wish to accept questions at any time during your presentation, or to keep a time for questions after your presentation. Normally, it's your decision, and you should make it clear during the introduction. Be polite with all questioners, even if they ask difficult questions. They are showing interest in what you have to say and they deserve attention. Sometimes you can reformulate a question. Or answer the question with another question. Or even ask for comment from the rest of the audience.

• Grammar & vocab

Making a presentation: language and phrases (1)

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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.

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13.2 Using Language Effectively

Learning objectives.

• Explain what it means to use appropriate language.
• Explain what is meant by vivid language.
• Define inclusive language and explain why using it is important for public speakers.
• Explain the importance of using familiar language in public speaking.

Kimba Howard – megaphone – CC BY 2.0.

When considering how to use language effectively in your speech, consider the degree to which the language is appropriate, vivid, inclusive, and familiar. The next sections define each of these aspects of language and discuss why each is important in public speaking.

Use Appropriate Language

As with anything in life, there are positive and negative ways of using language. One of the first concepts a speaker needs to think about when looking at language use is appropriateness. By appropriate, we mean whether the language is suitable or fitting for ourselves, as the speaker; our audience; the speaking context; and the speech itself.

Appropriate for the Speaker

One of the first questions to ask yourself is whether the language you plan on using in a speech fits with your own speaking pattern. Not all language choices are appropriate for all speakers. The language you select should be suitable for you, not someone else. If you’re a first-year college student, there’s no need to force yourself to sound like an astrophysicist even if you are giving a speech on new planets. One of the biggest mistakes novice speakers make is thinking that they have to use million-dollar words because it makes them sound smarter. Actually, million-dollar words don’t tend to function well in oral communication to begin with, so using them will probably make you uncomfortable as a speaker. Also, it may be difficult for you or the audience to understand the nuances of meaning when you use such words, so using them can increase the risk of denotative or connotative misunderstandings.

Appropriate for the Audience

The second aspect of appropriateness asks whether the language you are choosing is appropriate for your specific audience. Let’s say that you’re an engineering student. If you’re giving a presentation in an engineering class, you can use language that other engineering students will know. On the other hand, if you use that engineering vocabulary in a public speaking class, many audience members will not understand you. As another example, if you are speaking about the Great Depression to an audience of young adults, you can’t assume they will know the meaning of terms like “New Deal” and “WPA,” which would be familiar to an audience of senior citizens. In other chapters of this book, we have explained the importance of audience analysis; once again, audience analysis is a key factor in choosing the language to use in a speech.

Appropriate for the Context

The next question about appropriateness is whether the language you will use is suitable or fitting for the context itself. The language you may employ if you’re addressing a student assembly in a high school auditorium will differ from the language you would use at a business meeting in a hotel ballroom. If you’re giving a speech at an outdoor rally, you cannot use the same language you would use in a classroom. Recall that the speaking context includes the occasion, the time of day, the mood of the audience, and other factors in addition to the physical location. Take the entire speaking context into consideration when you make the language choices for your speech.

Appropriate for the Topic

The fourth and final question about the appropriateness of language involves whether the language is appropriate for your specific topic. If you are speaking about the early years of The Walt Disney Company, would you want to refer to Walt Disney as a “thaumaturgic” individual (i.e., one who works wonders or miracles)? While the word “thaumaturgic” may be accurate, is it the most appropriate for the topic at hand? As another example, if your speech topic is the dual residence model of string theory, it makes sense to expect that you will use more sophisticated language than if your topic was a basic introduction to the physics of, say, sound or light waves.

Use Vivid Language

After appropriateness, the second main guideline for using language is to use vivid language. Vivid language helps your listeners create strong, distinct, clear, and memorable mental images. Good vivid language usage helps an audience member truly understand and imagine what a speaker is saying. Two common ways to make your speaking more vivid are through the use of imagery and rhythm.

Imagery is the use of language to represent objects, actions, or ideas. The goal of imagery is to help an audience member create a mental picture of what a speaker is saying. A speaker who uses imagery successfully will tap into one or more of the audience’s five basic senses (hearing, taste, touch, smell, and sight). Three common tools of imagery are concreteness, simile, and metaphor.

Concreteness

When we use language that is concrete , we attempt to help our audiences see specific realities or actual instances instead of abstract theories and ideas. The goal of concreteness is to help you, as a speaker, show your audience something instead of just telling them. Imagine you’ve decided to give a speech on the importance of freedom. You could easily stand up and talk about the philosophical work of Rudolf Steiner, who divided the ideas of freedom into freedom of thought and freedom of action. If you’re like us, even reading that sentence can make you want to go to sleep. Instead of defining what those terms mean and discussing the philosophical merits of Steiner, you could use real examples where people’s freedom to think or freedom to behave has been stifled. For example, you could talk about how Afghani women under Taliban rule have been denied access to education, and how those seeking education have risked public flogging and even execution (Iacopino & Rasekh, 1998). You could further illustrate how Afghani women under the Taliban are forced to adhere to rigid interpretations of Islamic law that functionally limit their behavior. As illustrations of the two freedoms discussed by Steiner, these examples make things more concrete for audience members and thus easier to remember. Ultimately, the goal of concreteness is to show an audience something instead of talking about it abstractly.

The second form of imagery is simile . As you probably learned in English courses, a simile is a figure of speech in which two unlike things are explicitly compared. Both aspects being compared within a simile are able to remain separate within the comparison. The following are some examples:

• The thunderous applause was like a party among the gods.
• After the revelation, she was as angry as a raccoon caught in a cage.
• Love is like a battlefield.

When we look at these two examples, you’ll see that two words have been italicized: “like” and “as.” All similes contain either “like” or “as” within the comparison. Speakers use similes to help an audience understand a specific characteristic being described within the speech. In the first example, we are connecting the type of applause being heard to something supernatural, so we can imagine that the applause was huge and enormous. Now think how you would envision the event if the simile likened the applause to a mime convention—your mental picture changes dramatically, doesn’t it?

To effectively use similes within your speech, first look for instances where you may already be finding yourself using the words “like” or “as”—for example, “his breath smelled like a fishing boat on a hot summer day.” Second, when you find situations where you are comparing two things using “like” or “as,” examine what it is that you are actually comparing. For example, maybe you’re comparing someone’s breath to the odor of a fishing vessel. Lastly, once you see what two ideas you are comparing, check the mental picture for yourself. Are you getting the kind of mental image you desire? Is the image too strong? Is the image too weak? You can always alter the image to make it stronger or weaker depending on what your aim is.

The other commonly used form of imagery is the metaphor , or a figure of speech where a term or phrase is applied to something in a nonliteral way to suggest a resemblance. In the case of a metaphor, one of the comparison items is said to be the other (even though this is realistically not possible). Let’s look at a few examples:

• Love is a battlefield .
• Upon hearing the charges, the accused clammed up and refused to speak without a lawyer.
• Every year a new crop of activists are born .

In these examples, the comparison word has been italicized. Let’s think through each of these examples. In the first one, the comparison is the same as one of our simile examples except that the word “like” is omitted—instead of being like a battlefield, the metaphor states that love is a battlefield, and it is understood that the speaker does not mean the comparison literally. In the second example, the accused “clams up,” which means that the accused refused to talk in the same way a clam’s shell is closed. In the third example, we refer to activists as “crops” that arise anew with each growing season, and we use “born” figuratively to indicate that they come into being—even though it is understood that they are not newborn infants at the time when they become activists.

To use a metaphor effectively, first determine what you are trying to describe. For example, maybe you are talking about a college catalog that offers a wide variety of courses. Second, identify what it is that you want to say about the object you are trying to describe. Depending on whether you want your audience to think of the catalog as good or bad, you’ll use different words to describe it. Lastly, identify the other object you want to compare the first one to, which should mirror the intentions in the second step. Let’s look at two possible metaphors:

• Students groped their way through the maze of courses in the catalog.
• Students feasted on the abundance of courses in the catalog.

While both of these examples evoke comparisons with the course catalog, the first example is clearly more negative and the second is more positive.

One mistake people often make in using metaphors is to make two incompatible comparisons in the same sentence or line of thought. Here is an example:

• “That’s awfully thin gruel for the right wing to hang their hats on” (Nordquist, 2009).

This is known as a mixed metaphor, and it often has an incongruous or even hilarious effect. Unless you are aiming to entertain your audience with fractured use of language, be careful to avoid mixed metaphors.

Our second guideline for effective language in a speech is to use rhythm. When most people think of rhythm, they immediately think about music. What they may not realize is that language is inherently musical; at least it can be. Rhythm refers to the patterned, recurring variance of elements of sound or speech. Whether someone is striking a drum with a stick or standing in front of a group speaking, rhythm is an important aspect of human communication. Think about your favorite public speaker. If you analyze his or her speaking pattern, you’ll notice that there is a certain cadence to the speech. While much of this cadence is a result of the nonverbal components of speaking, some of the cadence comes from the language that is chosen as well. Let’s examine four types of rhythmic language: parallelism, repetition, alliteration, and assonance.

Parallelism

When listing items in a sequence, audiences will respond more strongly when those ideas are presented in a grammatically parallel fashion, which is referred to as parallelism . For example, look at the following two examples and determine which one sounds better to you:

• “Give me liberty or I’d rather die.”
• “Give me liberty or give me death.”

Technically, you’re saying the same thing in both, but the second one has better rhythm, and this rhythm comes from the parallel construction of “give me.” The lack of parallelism in the first example makes the sentence sound disjointed and ineffective.

As we mentioned earlier in this chapter, one of the major differences between oral and written language is the use of repetition . Because speeches are communicated orally, audience members need to hear the core of the message repeated consistently. Repetition as a linguistic device is designed to help audiences become familiar with a short piece of the speech as they hear it over and over again. By repeating a phrase during a speech, you create a specific rhythm. Probably the most famous and memorable use of repetition within a speech is Martin Luther King Jr.’s use of “I have a dream” in his speech at the Lincoln Memorial on August 1963 during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. In that speech, Martin Luther King Jr. repeated the phrase “I have a dream” eight times to great effect.

Alliteration

Another type of rhythmic language is alliteration , or repeating two or more words in a series that begin with the same consonant. In the Harry Potter novel series, the author uses alliteration to name the four wizards who founded Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin. There are two basic types of alliteration: immediate juxtaposition and nonimmediate juxtaposition. Immediate juxtaposition occurs when the consonants clearly follow one after the other—as we see in the Harry Potter example. Nonimmediate juxtaposition occurs when the consonants are repeated in nonadjacent words (e.g., “It is the p oison that we must p urge from our p olitics, the wall that we must tear down before the hour grows too late”) (Obama, 2008). Sometimes you can actually use examples of both immediate and nonimmediate juxtaposition within a single speech. The following example is from Bill Clinton’s acceptance speech at the 1992 Democratic National Convention: “Somewhere at this very moment, a child is b eing b orn in America. Let it be our cause to give that child a h appy h ome, a h ealthy family, and a h opeful future” (Clinton, 2005).

Assonance is similar to alliteration, but instead of relying on consonants, assonance gets its rhythm from repeating the same vowel sounds with different consonants in the stressed syllables. The phrase “how now brown cow,” which elocution students traditionally used to learn to pronounce rounded vowel sounds, is an example of assonance. While rhymes like “free as a breeze,” “mad as a hatter,” and “no pain, no gain” are examples of assonance, speakers should be wary of relying on assonance because when it is overused it can quickly turn into bad poetry.

Use Inclusive Language

Language can either inspire your listeners or turn them off very quickly. One of the fastest ways to alienate an audience is through the use of noninclusive language. Inclusive language is language that avoids placing any one group of people above or below other groups while speaking. Let’s look at some common problem areas related to language about gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and disabilities.

Gender-Specific Language

The first common form of noninclusive language is language that privileges one of the sexes over the other. There are three common problem areas that speakers run into while speaking: using “he” as generic, using “man” to mean all humans, and gender typing jobs.

Generic “He”

The generic “he” happens when a speaker labels all people within a group as “he” when in reality there is a mixed sex group involved. Consider the statement, “Every morning when an officer of the law puts on his badge, he risks his life to serve and protect his fellow citizens.” In this case, we have a police officer that is labeled as male four different times in one sentence. Obviously, both male and female police officers risk their lives when they put on their badges. A better way to word the sentence would be, “Every morning when officers of the law put on their badges, they risk their lives to serve and protect their fellow citizens.” Notice that in the better sentence, we made the subject plural (“officers”) and used neutral pronouns (“they” and “their”) to avoid the generic “he.”

Use of “Man”

Traditionally, speakers of English have used terms like “man,” “mankind,” and (in casual contexts) “guys” when referring to both females and males. In the second half of the twentieth century, as society became more aware of gender bias in language, organizations like the National Council of Teachers of English developed guidelines for nonsexist language (National Council of Teachers of English, 2002). For example, instead of using the word “man,” you could refer to the “human race.” Instead of saying, “hey, guys,” you could say, “OK, everyone.” By using gender-fair language you will be able to convey your meaning just as well, and you won’t risk alienating half of your audience.

Gender-Typed Jobs

The last common area where speakers get into trouble with gender and language has to do with job titles. It is not unusual for people to assume, for example, that doctors are male and nurses are female. As a result, they may say “she is a woman doctor” or “he is a male nurse” when mentioning someone’s occupation, perhaps not realizing that the statements “she is a doctor” and “he is a nurse” already inform the listener as to the sex of the person holding that job. Speakers sometimes also use a gender-specific pronoun to refer to an occupation that has both males and females. Table 13.1 “Gender Type Jobs” lists some common gender-specific jobs titles along with more inclusive versions of those job titles.

Table 13.1 Gender Type Jobs

Ethnic Identity

Another type of inclusive language relates to the categories used to highlight an individual’s ethnic identity. Ethnic identity refers to a group an individual identifies with based on a common culture. For example, within the United States we have numerous ethnic groups, including Italian Americans, Irish Americans, Japanese Americans, Vietnamese Americans, Cuban Americans, and Mexican Americans. As with the earlier example of “male nurse,” avoid statements such as “The committee is made up of four women and a Vietnamese man.” Instead, say, “The committee is made up of four women and a man” or, if race and ethnicity are central to the discussion, “The committee is made up of three European American women, an Israeli American woman, a Brazilian American woman, and a Vietnamese American man.” In recent years, there has been a trend toward steering inclusive language away from broad terms like “Asians” and “Hispanics” because these terms are not considered precise labels for the groups they actually represent. If you want to be safe, the best thing you can do is ask a couple of people who belong to an ethnic group how they prefer to label themselves.

Sexual Orientation

Another area that can cause some problems is referred to as heterosexism. Heterosexism occurs when a speaker presumes that everyone in an audience is heterosexual or that opposite-sex relationships are the only norm. For example, a speaker might begin a speech by saying, “I am going to talk about the legal obligations you will have with your future husband or wife.” While this speech starts with the notion that everyone plans on getting married, which isn’t the case, it also assumes that everyone will label their significant others as either “husbands” or “wives.” Although some members of the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender/transexual community will use these terms, others prefer for more gender neutral terms like “spouse” and “partner.” Moreover, legal obligations for same-sex couples may be very different from those for heterosexual couples. Notice also that we have used the phrase “members of the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender/transexual community” instead of the more clinical-sounding term “homosexual.”

The last category of exclusive versus inclusive language that causes problems for some speakers relates to individuals with physical or mental disabilities. Table 13.2 “Inclusive Language for Disabilities” provides some other examples of exclusive versus inclusive language.

Table 13.2 Inclusive Language for Disabilities

Use Familiar Language

The last category related to using language appropriately simply asks you to use language that is familiar both to yourself and to your audience. If you are not comfortable with the language you are using, then you are going to be more nervous speaking, which will definitely have an impact on how your audience receives your speech. You may have a hard time speaking genuinely and sincerely if you use unfamiliar language, and this can impair your credibility. Furthermore, you want to make sure that the language you are using is familiar to your audience. If your audience cannot understand what you are saying, you will not have an effective speech.

Key Takeaways

• Using appropriate language means that a speaker’s language is suitable or fitting for themselves, as the speaker; our audience; the speaking context; and the speech itself.
• Vivid language helps listeners create mental images. It involves both imagery (e.g., concreteness, simile, and metaphor) and rhythm (e.g., parallelism, repetition, alliteration, and assonance).
• Inclusive language avoids placing any one group of people above or below other groups while speaking. As such, speakers need to think about how they refer to various groups within society.
• Using familiar language is important for a speaker because familiar language will make a speaker more comfortable, which will improve audience perceptions of the speech.
• Watch the news and find an example of someone using inappropriate language. Why did the speaker use inappropriate language? How could the speaker have prevented the use of inappropriate language?
• Watch a presidential press conference or a political speech. Identify the uses of imagery and rhythm. How did the imagery and rhythm help the speech? Can you think of other ways the speaker could have used imagery and rhythm?
• Why is inclusive language important? Write down the various groups you belong to in life; how would you want these groups to be referred to by a speaker? Share your list with a friend or classmate and see if that person reaches the same conclusions you do. If there are differences in your perceptions, why do you think those differences are present?

Clinton, W. J. (2005). My life . New York, NY: Vintage Books, p. 421.

Iacopino, V., & Rasekh, Z. (1998). The Taliban’s war on women: A health and human rights crisis in Afghanistan . Boston, MA: Physicians for Human Rights.

National Council of Teachers of English (2002). Guidelines for gender-fair use of language . Retrieved from http://www.ncte.org/positions/statements/genderfairuseoflang .

Nordquist, R. (2009). Mixed metaphor . Retrieved from About.com at http://grammar.about.com/od/mo/g/mixmetterm.htm

Obama, B. (2008, January 20). The great need of the hour. Remarks delivered at Ebenezer Baptist Church, Atlanta. Retrieved from http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/01/the_great_need_of_the_hour.html

Stand up, Speak out Copyright © 2016 by University of Minnesota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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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.

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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.

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Essential Guide for Presenting in English

May 11, 2021 - Dom Barnard

Giving a presentation is always challenging. Having to stand up in front of your colleagues and share your knowledge in an  informative and persuasive  way isn’t easy. You may feel nervous and uncertain that you can perform to your best.

However, this is even more difficult if you are presenting in a foreign language. As a non-native English speaker, you may sometimes be expected to deliver a presentation in English. This can happen if you work for an international company, or travel a lot for business purposes.

You might feel worried about this – after all, ordering a coffee or having a casual conversation in English is a lot different than giving a fully-fledged presentation. It can be hard to know where to start.

Don’t worry! With these handy hints and tips, you will feel a lot more confident about giving that presentation in English, no matter what the topic.

Check understanding

The most important thing when giving a presentation in English – or any second language – is that you are using language that you understand. Not only that, but you will need to make sure that your language is comprehensible to others.

Therefore, you may not want to use language that is too complex, even if you are confident with it yourself.

Think about your audience

When you are preparing to give a presentation in English, it is important to consider  who your audience is . You may be giving a talk to native English speakers, to non-native speakers, or to a mix of both. You may be speaking in English to other speakers of your own native language.

When giving your talk, this is vital to take into account, because this will tell you how basic or complex your language use should be. Even if you are an experienced and confident English speaker, you must also consider those you are presenting to, and ensure that they will understand what is being said.

Prepare yourself

You usually prepare thoroughly for your presentations. You make sure that all of your  visual aids  are ready, and you practice in the mirror. However, when it comes to presenting in English, you will need to prepare even more than you usually do. Ensure that you have a clear understanding of the beginning, middle and end of your presentation, and know exactly what you are going to say.

Try and think about any questions that may come up, and how they may be phrased. This will help you to be able to respond more easily in English. And remember – the more you practice and the more presentations you give, the more confident you will feel!

Improve your presentation skills with virtual reality. Learn more in our  Business English course .

Practice with people

Though you may usually practice by yourself, try to practice your English presentations on other people. If you can do this with other second-language speakers, then you can gauge how clear and understandable your speech is to others.

If you can practice your talk on a cross-section of native and non-native English speakers, then this will give you a great idea of if you are on the right track.

Use body language – carefully!

Body language is a vital part of keeping your presentation lively and engaging. Smiling and gesturing can draw your audience in and keep them interested. But bear in mind that not all gestures mean the same things to  different cultures .

Depending on what part of the world you are presenting in, you may want to think about what kinds of body language are relatable to your audience. Some gestures are universal, but others are not! When in doubt, ask around, or do some research online.

Keep it simple

If you are not very confident in your English speaking ability, don’t opt for the most poetic language you can find. Keeping it simple can be very effective, especially when you are presenting business concepts. You don’t need to make your language use sound beautiful, it just needs to be understandable to those around you.

Similarly, make a list beforehand of the main points of your talk and don’t stray too far from them. This can help you to stay on target, and keep you feeling more positive about your word use. If you also make sure that the “story” of your presentation is simple, this can make for a much more clear and easy experience for both you and your audience.

Articulate carefully

Whoever you are presenting to, articulation matters. Even if you are using simple language and keeping your presentation “story” simple, ensure that you aren’t rushing over your words.

Practice will help you to speak more slowly and clearly, and to  employ pauses  to allow the audience to absorb what you have said. This is especially vital if you are speaking to non-native English users, who may need extra time to understand what you are relaying.

Not only that but pausing during your talk will allow you to think about what you want to say next with more clarity.

Provide summaries

When giving a presentation in English, you will have a clear beginning, middle and end of your talk mapped out beforehand. An effective way to make sure that each part of your speech has been understood is to summarise during your talk. Give short summaries at the end of each section – this will also help you to have a defined endpoint before moving on to the next piece of information.

It is a great idea, where possible, to provide your audience with a summary before your talk, too. This way they will know what to expect and can prepare any questions in advance. It will help them to understand you, and give you an expectation of things they might ask, or want to know more about.

Use clear images

If  graphs and images  are an important part of your presentation, make sure to check and double-check that these are clear and easy to understand. These also need to be in English, and you must be able to relate them to your presentation easily.

Practice this, and use them as part of your talk and as part of your summaries as an anchor for your presentation. The language and figures used on them can also act as a prompt if you lose your place while presenting.

Stay front-facing

As important as body language is, you also need to keep your face in clear view. If you are speaking a second language, it is easier for you to be understood if the audience can see the shapes your mouth is making, and gauge your expression.

It also helps to keep you  feeling confident  and connected to your audience – and allows you to see how they are responding to you, and if they are understanding what is being said. It might be tempting to turn away if you feel nervous, but try to keep this to a minimum so everyone remains engaged.

Are you feeling ready to give a great presentation in English? Keep this essential advice in mind, and don’t be afraid to reach out to colleagues for a little extra help in getting ready! Most of all, go for it! You might be surprised at how confident you feel after delivering an excellent talk.

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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 . 

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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. 

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Posted: 13 February 2020

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Presentation skills How to give an effective presentation

• Structure slider_presentations_5.jpg Understand how to structure your presentation. Read more
• Language slider_presentations_1.jpg The language to use in your presentation, from the introduction through to the conclusion. Read more
• Body language slider_presentations_2.jpg How to look confident when giving a presentation. Read more
• Delivery slider_presentations_3.jpg How to deliver your presentation with correct pace, volume, and emphasis. Read more
• Visual aids slider_presentations_4.jpg Types of visual aids, and how to use them well. Read more

Read about presentation structure , language , body language , effective delivery , and visual aids .

Presentations are a common part of university life. Although giving a presentation can seem daunting at first, it is actually quite a routine task once you understand the basic structure , the signpost language needed, and have begun practising to help improve your body language and delivery . Preparing well, with some kind of visual aids , will help ensure that you can give an effective presentation time after time.

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Author: Sheldon Smith    ‖    Last modified: 10 September 2019.

Sheldon Smith is the founder and editor of EAPFoundation.com. He has been teaching English for Academic Purposes since 2004. Find out more about him in the about section and connect with him on Twitter , Facebook and LinkedIn .

The language for presentations involves common 'signpost phrases' which help understand the structure.

The structure of a presentation is straightforward, with introduction, main body, conclusion, and Q&A.

Taking part in academic discussions increases your understanding and challenges your ideas, and may form part of your assessment.

Agreeing and disagreeing in academic discussions is always done politely, often using certain common phrases.

Asking for and giving opinions is important if you want to express your ideas and have a voice in discussions.

Visual aids such as PowerPoint and handouts, help your audience to follow your spoken presentation.

Power Language – Top Tips For Your Talks and Presentations

September 06, 2017

How To Use Powerful Language For Leadership Communications

Great leaders use power language. it adds interest and colour to what they say., you will recognise ten core techniques that great leaders use to make their talks and presentations more powerful. using the same linguistic tools in presentations, you can make your public speaking more engaging , memorable and persuasive..

Remember that these techniques are specific to spoken language , It’s not the same as written language . Some of these techniques can be used to structure your talk or presentation, while others should be used sparingly. Like seasoning in a meal, they should add subtle flavour.

So, refer back to these ten Power Language techniques when you are planning your next talk or presentation. Whether you are presenting to the board or presenting to a conference . Once you have identified your audience and clarified your messages, swap out any bland language and sprinkle in these power language tools instead:

Top ten examples of powerful language in presentations.

• Present a puzzle or problem
• Choose phrases with alliteration
• Group information into sets of three
• Use rhetorical questions
• Use rhyme (sparingly)
• Repeat and restate your messages
• Use contrasting pairs
• Explain new concepts by using metaphors, similes and analogies
• Stick to short words or phrases
• Replace impersonal pronouns with ‘I’, ‘you’ and ‘we’

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Power Language Example #1. Present a puzzle or problem

Describe an unsolved puzzle or problem. You could do this in your introduction, or at the start of a new section of your talk or presentation. Why? Because it creates tension in the minds of your audience, which they will want to resolve. If the puzzle or problem is sufficiently compelling, your audience will be switched on, waiting to hear your potential solution.

At the start of her TED talk , Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook, sets out a problem by using startling statistics:

“The problem is this: women are not making it to the top of any profession, anywhere in the world. The numbers tell it quite clearly. 190 heads of state; nine are women. Of all the people in parliament in the world, 13 per cent are women. In the corporate sector, women at the top – C-level jobs, board seats – tops out at 15, 16 per cent.”

On hearing this, we feel overwhelmed by the scale of the problem, and wait to hear what Sheryl will suggest can be done about it.

Back to top: 10 Powerful Speaking Techniques

Powerful Speaking Tools #2. Choose phrases with alliteration

Alliteration is when a sequence of words share the same starting letter or sound. This gives a poetic flow to your spoken language, and makes key messages more memorable . Alliteration can also infer balance, so it is often used in British Budget statements. For example, George Osborne’s ‘ R oad to R ecovery’ and these three phrases from Philip Hammond’s Spring Budget 2017 Speech :

“I report today on an economy that has c ontinued to c onfound the c ommentators with robust growth.” “And our t ask t oday is t o t ake the next steps in preparing Britain for a global future.” “And Mr Deputy Speaker, there’s one further area in which I can a nnounce a ction to b ack B ritish b usinesses.”

Alliteration comes with a health warning, however. Don’t force it, by choosing long or unfamiliar words to achieve alliteration, like the insults created by former Vice President Spiro Agnew for those he disagreed with:

“nattering nabobs of negativism; pusillanimous pussyfoots; hopeless, hysterical hypochondriacs of history…”

Back to top: 10 Power Language Techniques

Power Language Technique #3. Group information into sets of three

Speeches, slogans and soundbites are full of phrases comprising three parts . As children we read about the Three Little Pigs , in our teens we watch trilogies and as adults we encounter triads constantly – in marketing (‘reuse, reduce, recycle’), in mottos (‘location, location, location’) and in politics (‘Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness’). Listing three items is easy for an audience to process and remember. Any more, and we struggle to hold all the ideas in our head.

In this video for Fast Company, Harvard Business School Professor John P. Kotter answers the question, ‘How do you create a culture of innovation?’ using a list of three:

“In terms of getting people to experiment more and take more risk, there are at least three things that immediately come to my mind. Number one , of course, is role-modelling it yourself. Number two is, when people take intelligent, smart risks and yet it doesn’t work out, not shooting them. And number three , being honest with yourself.”

Power Language Tricks #4. Use rhetorical questions

Rhetorical questions prompt your audience to think about your topic. They can also lead people to arrive at a conclusion by themselves. This is much more persuasive than telling your audience what to think.

Researchers found that the impact of rhetorical questions varied, depending on the strength of the speaker’s argument and the personal relevance of the topic to the audience. For strong arguments on topics of low personal relevance, rhetorical questions enhanced persuasiveness. This was also true for weak arguments on topics with a high personal relevance.

Other research found that rhetorical questions makes the speaker appear more polite and likeable (Bates, 1976) and that the mere presence of rhetorical questions signals a strong argument (Zillmann, 1972).

Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg combined the use of rhetorical questions with two sets of three in this excerpt from her Barnard College Commencement Address:

“What about the rat race in the first place? Is it worthwhile? Or are you just buying into someone else’s definition of success? Only you can decide that, and you’ll have to decide it over and over and over. But if you think it’s a rat race, before you drop out, take a deep breath. Maybe you picked the wrong job. Try again. And then try again.”

Powerful Language Example #5. Use rhyme (sparingly)

Occasional use of rhyme can add rhythm to your talks and presentations and make your message more memorable. One study also showed that people are more likely to believe something is true if it rhymes. (An apple a day keeps the doctor away)

You could use a short rhyme as a slogan for your main message, for example:

• Jack Welch’s ‘Rank and yank’ policy of firing the bottom 10% of his company.
• Richard Branson’s, ‘Screw it, let’s do it’ approach to new projects.
• David Cameron’s ‘This isn’t job done; it is job begun’ at his 2014 party conference speech.

You could imply a stronger link between two concepts, by using similar-sounding words to refer to them, e.g. ‘Your attitude determines your altitude’. Or you could use internal rhyme (not at the end of sentences) for a more subtle use of rhyme that makes a sentence sound more delightful to the ear.

For example, Winston Churchill said:

“Out of intense complexities , intense simplicities emerge.  Humanity , not legality , should be our guide.”

Like alliteration, rhyme is another technique to use sparingly. If more than two sentences rhyme, your audience may perceive that part of your talk or presentation as childish or contrived.

Power Language Tools #6. Repeat and restate your messages

You can use repetition in both your words and your messages. Rhythmic repetition is a repeated word or phrase that’s used in the same place in multiple sentences. It can bring a poetic touch to your spoken language, and improves the structure and flow of your presentation. For example, think of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous speech:

“ Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God’s children.”

Familiarity breeds trust when it comes to repeated messages. Present your message to the audience early on, so those ideas start to feel familiar when you restate them in slightly different ways later. Comedians use this technique all the time. They tell a joke at the start, then refer back to it and build on it throughout their show. It’s a great way to bring the audience with you and make it easy for them to follow what you’re trying to say.

In 2010, Steve Jobs held an emergency press conference about the antenna in the iPhone 4. He repeated the phrase “We want to make all our users happy” several times. His slides used variants of the message ‘we love our users’, words which Jobs echoed in his conclusion. This ‘love’ was picked up and reported on by the media covering the event.

Prompt your audience’s recall

The persuasive impact of repetition is even stronger when you prompt your audience to retrieve your message from their memory. For example, you could refer to something you said earlier, but restate just enough of it for people to identify and recall the rest for themselves. Or you could show a heading or an image from a previous slide to prompt a visual flashback.

Back to top: 10 Powerful Language Examples

Power Language Technique #7. Use contrasting pairs

To be effective at public speaking you need to hold an audience’s attention. Creating tension is a great way to do this, as with setting out a puzzle or problem in technique #1. Contrasting pairs create tension between two opposites. You could ask ‘Are you with us or not?’ but it’s much more powerful to say, ‘You’re either with us, or against us’. Contrasting pairs can also clarify your position by stating clearly what you are arguing against, as well as what you are arguing for.

When Richard Branson wanted to highlight the value of trying, failing and starting over, he said:

“You don’t learn to walk by following rules. You learn by doing, and by falling over.”

This technique can be used on a macro scale as well. In Nancy Duarte’s TED talk (at 6.45mins), she shows how many of the greatest speakers contrast ‘what is’ with ‘what could be’. This is repeated over and again, providing a subtle underlying structure to their talks and presentations.

Power Language Example #8. Explain new concepts by using metaphors, similes and analogies

Comparing something to a different thing can help your audience to understand and visualise it. This is especially true if you are explaining something abstract or unfamiliar, or want to express a thought or feeling powerfully. Metaphors, similes and analogies are all ways to achieve this. Even a subtle metaphor can have a substantial impact on how a person perceives an issue and makes a decision, according to researchers .

Steve Jobs used a metaphor when he referred to Apple’s switch to different processors at the MacWorld keynote speech in 2007 (0:01:03). He called it ‘a huge heart transplant to Intel microprocessors’.

And when JCPenny’s CEO wanted to explain where his company’s strategy had gone woefully wrong, he used a dating analogy. This excerpt is from his speech at the 2015 WWD Apparel & Retail CEO Summit in New York City:

“Let’s go back to high school and imagine that you dated the same wonderful girl for three years, and all of a sudden, when the prom is going up, you decide that she’s no longer good enough … so you make a play for the homecoming queen, and the homecoming queen says, ‘no thank you,’ and so you end up going to the prom [alone]. JCPenney had a customer that loved us, and we said to the customer, ‘we don’t like you anymore.’ We said we like that customer. We made a play for that customer, and that customer said, ‘we don’t like you very much.’”

Power Language Example #9. Stick to short words and phrases

Spoken language is most easily digested when delivered in bitesized chunks. Yet our businesses, strategies and communications all tend to be complex. So when you come to deliver a talk or presentation , it’s all too easy to confuse your audience. Simplify as much as you can. As Albert Einstein said, “Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler”. Separate out long sentences into shorter ones, and avoid sub-clauses or complex sentence constructions.

Use short, common words instead of longer ones. Although people tend to think that the use of jargon or unusual words will impress others, the reverse was found to be true. In fact, the easier your talk or presentation is to process, the more your audience will see you as being confident, intelligent and capable. That’s according to research by Daniel M. Oppenheimer, professor of psychology at the UCLA Anderson School of Management.

In a Q&A with Gallup Business Journal, Former CEO & Chairman Douglas Conant demonstrated his great use of short, sharp sentences:

“The packaged food business environment is very Darwinian. You’re fighting for survival every year; you evolve and grow or you die. It’s really that simple.”

Powerful Language Technique #10. Replace impersonal pronouns with ‘I’, ‘you’ and ‘we’

Great speakers involve their audience in their talks and presentations by making it personal. For example, you may recognise these: ‘We are gathered here today…’, ‘Ask not what you can do for your country…’ and ‘I have a dream’.

Researchers found that using personal pronouns motivates people to learn, and makes that learning more enjoyable. There could be a financial value, too: in another study , researchers found that using personal pronouns in a phone call increased the chance that a prospective investor would agree to invest.

So instead of talking about ‘the company’s’ targets next quarter, talk about what ‘we’ want to achieve. Instead of talking about what a new widget does for ‘people’, talk about what it will change in ‘your’ life or ‘our’ lives. Take ownership for your thoughts, opinions and stories by starting them with the word ‘I’.

Here’s an example of repeated personal pronoun use by Marc Randolph, Netflix Co-Founder and Angel Investor:

“Your idea is a bad one, your idea is wrong. You don’t know how or why yet, but until you put the idea out there and see it collide with the real world, you won’t know what direction to go.”

Add life and colour to your public speaking by using Power Language

Power Language techniques are like butterflies in a garden, adding life and colour to your message. They draw your audience back from their thoughts and into the present moment. You can learn – and try out these – on our presentation coaching course .

Read more about how to speak like a leader

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How to Use Language Effectively: Part 1

• By: Amy Boone

So much of being a great speaker is about how you use language. That’s why Michael and Susan Osborn included a language checklist in their text, Public Speaking: Finding Your Voice .

They call their list the 6 C’s of effective language use. These 6 categories will help us write effectively, avoid miscommunication, and succeed as speakers. They are clarity, color, concreteness, correctness, conciseness, and cultural sensitivity. Since that’s more than we can cover in one blog, we’ll divide these into two posts, covering 3 each day.

For today, we’ll be talking about how the clarity, color, and concreteness of language affect how effectively we are able to communicate with our audience.

In order for your presentation to be effective, your language has to be clear. Here’s the simple truth. We won’t listen long to something that is confusing. That means you need to be careful when writing your presentations. Part of that means resisting the urge to write your speech like you would write a paper or report. That can be tough since most of our education about language centers around writing. But written language differs from spoken language in a quite a few ways. In order to make your spoken language clearer, try these two tips:

Shorten your sentences. In writing, longer sentences can work because the reader can go back and reread if he or she doesn’t get it the first time. We don’t have that luxury with spoken language in live presentations, though. So stick to shorter sentences.

Don’t use big words or jargon. Simplify your language use. It doesn’t matter how smart you sound if your audience can’t understand what you are saying. Choose words that speak directly to your audience members, not over their heads. And weed out specialized or technical jargon that doesn’t make sense to those who are outside of the field that uses that vocabulary.

Don’t worry, we don’t mean “colorful” language in the way your grandmother might have meant it when she said, “don’t use that colorful language in my house!” So what exactly do we mean by color? Well, you can’t hear color can you? So colorful language is quite simply language that you can see . It is language that is heavily reliant on imagery and adjectives. Literarydevices.net says imagery functions “to generate a vibrant and graphic presentation of a scene that appeals to as many of the reader’s senses as possible.” Check out the list they’ve compiled of examples of imagery.

Interestingly, researchers have discovered that sentences with more colorful language activate more regions of our brain . In this particular study, participants’ brain activity was measured using fMRI scans. Researchers found more activity for the sentence “He had a rough day” than for “He had a bad day.” Why? The word “rough” is more colorful—it’s attached to sensory experience. So even just swapping out a word can make your language more effective.

Concreteness

Most of the words in your presentation won’t stick with the audience. In fact numerous studies have shown that we forget a significant portion of what we hear or learn within days. But concrete language can help your audience remember specifics longer because it impacts them on a deeper level. It’s all in the specific details. Here’s an example:

Abstract: My daughter Clara is an artist.

Concrete: When my daughter Clara comes home, she doesn’t take off her coat or shoes, but goes immediately to her art desk to draw. Sometimes I even find her sketching with her backpack still on.

See how you process the concrete example more easily and deeply? I basically told you the same information. But when you move away from general and abstract statements toward specific and concrete ones, you attach handles and faces and stories that the audience can both understand and remember.

Clarity, color, and concreteness are just the first three of Osborn and Osborn’s checklist to make sure we are using language effectively. Check back tomorrow for the other three ways they say we can elevate language use.

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how to give the perfect presentation

Presentation language for non-native speakers, useful expressions for non-native speakers giving presentations.

Presenting well is a challenge for everyone. As a non-native English speaker, you may find it particularly frightening to do presentations in English. The table below will help you learn the English phrases and expressions you need to deliver more effective presentations. You don’t need to learn all of them; read them aloud and mark just the one or two expressions, in each category, that you feel most comfortable with. Then, use them as you rehearse for your upcoming presentations.

Introduction

About Presentation Prep

Being able to speak in public can change your life! Presentation Prep is your complete, free guide to delivering speeches, lectures, and presentations more successfully and confidently. Whether you're a native English-speaker who suffers from public speaking anxiety, or a non-native speaker who needs guidelines for presenting to international audiences, this site will give you everything you need. Presentation Prep is written by Rebecca Ezekiel, an experienced corporate trainer who specializes in the areas of communications, presentations, and cross-cultural skills. Her online English language training videos are watched by millions of students worldwide.

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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 .

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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.

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The Language of Presenting

Sentence Stems

Are your learners required to give presentations in English? Do they know how to start and finish a presentation, and are they prepared when situations don't go as planned? These sentence starters help your students learn vocabulary and expressions that are commonly used during presentations. A poster-style quick reference is available on page three.

More From Forbes

How to make your presentation sound more like a conversation.

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The main difference between strong, confident speakers and speakers who seem nervous in front of the room is in how relaxed and conversational they appear. Here are some basic pointers that will help you create a conversational tone when speaking, regardless of the size of your audience.

1. Avoid using the word, “presentation.” Every time you say, “I’m here to give you a presentation on X,” or, “In this presentation, you’ll see…,” you are emphasizing the formal, structured, sometimes artificial nature of the interaction. No one wants to be “presented” to. Instead, use language that emphasizes a natural, conversational exchange. “We’re here today to talk about X,” or “Today I’ll be sharing some ideas regarding Y.” You can even go so far as to say, “I’m glad we have time together today to discuss Z.” Even if your talk is not going to truly be a dialogue, you can use language that suggests engagement with the audience.

2. If you are using PowerPoint, avoid using the word “slide.” Instead of talking about the medium, talk about the concepts. Swap out, “This slide shows you…,” for, “Here we see….” Instead of saying, “On that slide I showed you a moment ago,” say, “A moment ago we were discussing X. Here’s how that issue will impact Y and Z.” Casual conversations don’t usually involve slide decks. Just because your complicated presentation on tax exposure, supply chain issues, or new health care regulations requires you to use slides, doesn’t mean you have to draw attention to that fact that the setting is formal and structured.

3. For many large-group events, speakers are provided with what’s called a “confidence monitor,” a computer screen that sits on the floor at the speaker’s feet showing the slide that appears on the large screen above the speaker’s head. Avoid using confidence monitors. Our natural inclination when using a confidence monitor is to gesture at the bullet point we’re discussing at the moment. However, we are pointing to a bullet point on the screen at our feet, which the audience can’t see, so it creates a disconnect between us and the audience. Instead, stand to the side of the large screen and gesture at the bullet point you’re talking about so that the audience knows which point you are discussing at the moment.

4. Don’t tell your audience, “I want this to be interactive.” It’s your job to make it interactive. If you are delivering the type of presentation where your audience size allows you to create true engagement with your listeners, create that connecting in stages to “warm up” the audience. Stage One engagement is to ask the audience a question relevant to your topic that you know most of the audience members can respond to affirmatively. “Who here has ever bought a new car?” or, “How many of you have ever waited more than 5 minutes on hold on a customer service line?” Raise your hand as you ask the question to indicate to the audience how to respond. Whoever has raised their hand has now participated in the discussion. They have indicated a willingness to engage. Stage Two engagement is calling on one of the people who raised their hand and asking a specific, perfunctory question. Again, it needs to be a question they can answer easily. If your first questions is, “Who here has bought a new car?” you can then call on someone and ask, “How long ago,” or “What kind of car did you buy most recently?” If your first question was, “Have you ever waited on hold for more than 5 minutes,” you can’t ask, “What company were you calling at the time?” The people who raised their hands weren’t thinking of a specific instance; they were just thinking broadly about that type of experience. You could, however, call on someone and ask, “Do you prefer when they play music or ads for the company’s products?” Anyone can answer that question. At that point, you are in an actual dialogue with that person. Stage Three engagement is asking them a question where they need to reveal something more personal. “How does that make you feel when you hear those ads?” You’ve warmed up your audience and drawn them in with baby steps. Now you have actual, meaningful audience participation.

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5. Use gestures. When we’re speaking in an informal setting, we all use hand gestures; some people use more than others, but we all use them. When we try to rein in our gestures, two things happen that diminish our speaking style. First, we look stiff and unnatural. We look like we are presenting a guarded or cautious version of ourselves; we look less genuine. Second, hand gestures burn up the nervous energy we all have when speaking in front of a large group. That’s good. When we try to minimize our hand gestures, we tie up that nervous energy and it starts to leak out on odd ways, where we start to tap our foot, fidget with our notes or microphone, or tilt our head side to side to emphasize key points. Just let the gestures fly. It’s unlikely they will be too large or distracting. I have coached people on their presentation skills for 26 years. In that time, I have met three people who gestured too much. Everyone else would benefit from using their gestures more freely.

The impact we have as communicators is based on the cumulative effect of many different elements of our delivery. These suggestions alone won’t make you a terrific presenter. They will, however, add to the overall package your present of yourself when speaking to large audiences.

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Presentation

8 Types of Presentation with Examples and Tips

Table of Contents

Every presentation is different, reflecting your unique business and the information you share. But, some common presentation types are used across various fields and teams. Before diving into specific slides or organization, consider the type that best suits your audience.

Here are some questions to get you started: Is your goal to inform or entertain? Who will you be speaking to: colleagues, investors, or potential customers? By thinking about these questions, you can choose the presentation format that best supports your message.

SlidesAI can help you simplify this process even further by providing descriptions of different presentation types.

Why Do We Need Different Types of Presentations?

Presentations are a great way to share ideas and information in different situations, depending on who you’re talking to. What you want to achieve with your presentation can change who it’s for and how you present it. For instance, if you’re trying to sell something, you might want a presentation that convinces people and is visually interesting. On the other hand, teaching something might require a more step-by-step approach with lots of details.

The best type of presentation depends on a few things, like what you’re trying to accomplish, the audience’s interests, and what you’re good at as a presenter. By choosing the right kind of presentation, you can get your message across clearly and achieve what you set out to do.

What are Different Types of Presentations?

1. educational presentations.

Educational presentations are a great way to introduce a new topic to people who aren’t familiar with it. They can be especially helpful when you want to explain something complex, like a process, or share important facts in a clear way. Whether you’re a teacher in a classroom or a trainer at a company, educational presentations can be a powerful tool for learning.

These presentations often use visuals like pictures or diagrams to make things easier to understand. They might also include step-by-step instructions to guide the audience through a process. Companies use them a lot to teach new employees about how things work at the company. The length of the presentation can be short or long, depending on what you’re trying to teach.

2. Instructional Presentations

Instructional presentations help people learn more about a topic and sometimes even guide them on what to do next. They’re similar to presentations used for education, but they might include some extra details or specific steps for the audience to follow.

Think of webinars or training sessions – these are examples of instructional presentations. They give people new information and help them develop new skills. For instance, if you’re in HR, you might create one to explain how employees can sign up for the new insurance plan.

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3. Persuasive Presentations

Many presentations aim to convince the audience of something, like a new idea, product, or way of doing things. They often address a specific issue and use facts and figures to explain why their solution is the best. Business proposals and sales talks are common examples.

For instance, a new company seeking funding might create a presentation to convince investors to support their idea. This presentation could explain a problem they see in the market, how their company solves it, and how they plan to make money. A similar presentation could also be used to secure additional funding for growth and future plans.

4. Motivational Presentation

Motivational presentations aim to lift up the audience’s spirits and help them deal with challenges. They spark interest in a subject and share a particular perspective or message. These presentations can be useful when you want to inspire a group of people. Sometimes, they might even use a personal story to connect with the topic.

Leaders in organizations often use motivational presentations to boost employee morale and encourage them to work harder. Recruiters might also use them to showcase employee success stories and get potential hires excited about joining the company.

5. Problem-solution Presentation

Have you ever needed to present an idea to help people make a decision? Problem-solution presentations are a great way to do that. They focus on explaining a challenge or issue and then offering potential solutions for the audience to consider. While similar to persuasive presentations, the main goal here is to discuss the problem clearly and share research so decision-makers can weigh the options and choose the best path forward. These presentations can include details about the problem and a few possible solutions. They’re a handy tool for many business meetings and discussions within organizations.

6. Project Presentations

Progress presentations are a way to share how a project, campaign, or initiative is moving along. They’re similar to progress reports, but in a presentation format.

These presentations typically cover a few key points:

• Important measurements : This could include numbers or data that show how the project is doing.
• Current status : An update on where things stand at the moment.
• Potential roadblocks : Any challenges that might come up down the line.
• Tasks still to do : What needs to be completed next.

Project teams often use progress presentations to share updates on their work. This allows clients, colleagues, or other interested parties to stay informed and ask questions if needed.

7. Storytelling Presentations

Presentations that use a story format can be a great way to connect with your audience and share information in a more engaging way. This approach can be useful in many settings, from classrooms to company meetings. It can be especially helpful when you want to grab the attention of a specific group of people and make them feel involved.

Storytelling presentations might include personal stories or examples that relate directly to the main topic. For instance, if you’re in marketing, you could use a story format to present a case study to your colleagues about a competitor’s product and its success.

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8. Visual Presentations

Presentations come in many forms, but some rely mostly on pictures, charts, and other visuals instead of text. These are called visual presentations. They’re a good choice when you have limited time or your topic is easy to understand with pictures.

The goal of a visual presentation is to help people grasp the information quickly and keep them engaged. Businesses often use them to show what their products or services can do. For instance, a company selling shampoo might use before-and-after pictures to show the results.

Tips for Delivering an Effective Presentation

• Taking Notes: To help remember what to say during your presentation, jot down some brief notes. Keep them simple and focused on keywords or short directions. This will allow you to connect with your audience and avoid missing any important points.
• Knowing Your Audience: A little research about your audience before your presentation goes a long way. Understanding who they are and what they might be interested in helps you tailor your presentation to better address their needs and expectations.
• Planning for Interaction: Think about how much audience interaction you want based on the length, purpose, and type of information in your presentation. This may involve allocating more time for questions and discussion.
• Know yourself: Think about how comfortable you feel speaking in front of a group, especially if you don’t know everyone. Consider your strengths and weaknesses as a presenter and how you can play to your strengths and improve on your weaknesses.
• Practice Makes Perfect: Practicing your presentation beforehand, regardless of your experience level, can boost your confidence and help you identify areas for improvement. Go through each slide while talking to solidify the flow. Recording yourself can also be helpful.
• Be Prepared: Technical problems can happen, so having a plan can help you avoid delays. If it’s an in-person presentation, arriving early allows you to check the venue and ensure the equipment works properly.

How Does Slides AI Help with Presentations?

As you’ve explored, presentations come in various forms, each serving a distinct purpose and requiring a tailored approach. But regardless of the type, creating an impactful presentation can be time-consuming. This is where Slides AI steps in to streamline the process.

By leveraging SlidesAI’s functionalities – from generating outlines and suggesting designs to offering content recommendations – you can significantly reduce the time and effort invested in crafting your presentation. This frees you to focus on the finer details, like refining your message and practicing your delivery.

A well-organized and visually appealing presentation can really grab your audience’s attention and help them understand your message better. SlidesAI can help you achieve that, turning you from someone who just puts slides together into someone who can communicate confidently and leave a lasting impression.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How can i grab attention at the beginning of my presentation.

There are several ways to hook your audience from the start. Try opening with a surprising fact, a thought-provoking question, or even a short, interesting story related to your topic.

How long should my presentation be?

Ideally, aim for a presentation between 10-20 minutes. This timeframe allows you to cover the important points without losing your audience’s attention.

What are the 5 keys to a successful presentation?

Here are 5 keys to delivering a pitch-perfect presentation:

• Know your audience
• Master your material
• Make it a conversation
• Be adaptable
• Show empathy

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Poster presentations – day 5: language for poster presentations

Language for presenting posters.

When someone appears interested in your poster, don’t simply hit them with the cold hard facts – try to tell a story with your poster. This enables you to make a more personal connection with your audience and maintain their interest.

It’s important to take your viewer through your poster in a logical way. You can use some of the language below to help you.

Tell them who you are

Hi there, I’m Angela and I’m a genetic researcher from the University of Birmingham in the UK.

This sort of introduction might open up a conversation about where you work.

Tell them what your work is

• My work focuses on….
• My research is centred around…
• The work I do deals with…
• My research project is all about…

  Tell them why you chose this work

• This area has always been of interest to me because…
• I decided to focus on this area because…
• I was drawn to this area of research because…

  Tell them how your completed this work

• Use phrases that explain your process.

The first step was gathering data, which I did by conducting several lab experiments.

The initial stages of the project involved an extended period of participant recruitment.

• Use linkers to describe your process (I began by, firstly, secondly, then, consequently, having + past participle etc.)

Having recruited a number of participants, I then gathered all the necessary data from them.

Tell them what you found

Use presentation language to describe your findings

Describing your findings

Language for referring to visual elements on your poster

Other useful phrases:

• Here we can see that…
• You’ll notice that…
• If we observe the…

Language for describing your reaction to your findings

• Surprisingly/Unsurprisingly…
• Fortunately/Unfortunately…
• What’s interesting here is…
• As expected, I found that…
• I was surprised to find that…
• What I found fascinating was…

Responding to questions

Try to predict what questions people might ask in response to your poster so that you can prepare clear and concise answers.

If someone asks you a question that you don’t know the answer to you could say:

I’m afraid I don’t have that information with me right now but if you give me your details I can supply you with the answer.

If the question is one that you can’t answer you could say:

Unfortunately that question goes beyond the scope of my research.

Then you could explain why the question is outside your knowledge area and explain what further research or investigation would be necessary to answer it.

If you’re presenting to a few people at once you can finish your presentation by inviting questions using these phrases:

• I do hope you’ve found the information I’ve presented useful. I’d be happy to answer any questions that you have.
• If you have any questions, I’d be pleased to answer them.
• I’d welcome any questions or comments that you have.
• Do let me know if you have any questions about my work.

Try the short multiple-choice quiz below to test your understanding.

An official website of the United States government

The .gov means it’s official. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

The site is secure. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

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Strengthening English language undergraduates’ presentation skills: A blackboard-mediated intervention program

Sami algouzi.

1 Associate Professor of Linguistics, Department of English, College of Languages and Translation, Najran University, Najran, Saudi Arabia

Ali Abbas Falah Alzubi

2 Assistant Professor of Applied Linguistics, Department of English, College of Languages and Translation, Najran University, Najran, Saudi Arabia

3 Associate Professor, English Department, College of Languages and Translation, Najran University, Najran, Saudi Arabia

Associated Data

The dataset of the paper has been deposited, here is the link 10.6084/m9.figshare.23821977 .

Studies and reports indicate that some graduates struggle to find jobs, in part because they lack the key presentation skills and competencies the labor market needs. Thus, this research investigated the effectiveness of a Blackboard-mediated intervention program in strengthening English as a foreign language (EFL) students’ presentation skills. The research followed a quasi-experimental (time series) design, delivering workshops on presentation skills and collecting data from the students (N = 30) using a set of instruments: a pre-and post-assessment checklist and semi-structured interviews. The results showed that the students’ presentation skills improved significantly post intervention. Also, the participants reported positive attitudes concerning the intervention. Drawing on these findings, recommendations and suggestions are presented.

Introduction

Presentation skills refer to the communicative abilities a person must possess to deliver engaging, informative, educational, enlightening, and attractive content, such as enthusiasm, a focus on the audience, keeping things simple, and excellent body language. Tursunoy describes oral presentations as a significant component of the English as a foreign language (EFL) classroom today in various parts of the world [ 1 ]. As Evans and Morrison point out, presentations are now frequently used as assessment tools or as class exercises in all academic fields, especially in English as a second language (ESL) and EFL settings [ 2 ]. Moreover, Yang notes that the EFL context has emerged as essential for fostering oral competence in environments that are less favorable in terms of oral socialization [ 3 ].

In studies of communication, presentation skills have attracted the attention of researchers. For example, Kim [ 4 ] and Evans [ 5 ] argue that presentation skills are considered successful communicative goals. Presentation skills are widely required in today’s professional world and are essential for graduates, who need to acquire these skills to present on diverse occasions and at various events. Graduates understand the importance of presentation skills such as those highlighted by Dung, who states that the presenter needs a professional appearance, proper pronunciation, and fluency to engage the audience, and they also understand that practice can boost the oral and communicative aspects of the presentation [ 6 ]. However, they find acquiring and using these skills challenging for various reasons. In this regard, drawing on the views of learners, Osterman suggests that the development of oral skills should begin with practicing communication [ 7 ].

In this research, we argue that presentation skills are a necessary consideration with reference to the Saudi Vision 2030 and labor market needs, and competence in oral presentation should be a subject of prominence. Competence in oral presentation comprises the knowledge, skills, and attitudes required to speak in public, where the goals may include informing or persuading the audience, or self-expression [ 8 ]. Oral presentation skills are considered key for employability [ 9 ], and communication, especially in the oral mode, has been identified as one of the essential skills for the 21st century. Presentation skills bring students benefits, such as lifelong learning skills. Moreover, the learning experience can help them develop appropriate skills if they are trained professionally. Presentation skills give learners an effective means of bridging the gap between language study and language use. Making presentations requires students to use all four skills in a natural, integrative way [ 10 ]. These days, university students and graduates are typically required to have the ability to make presentations in English to a public audience [ 11 ]. Oral presentation is not only part of 21st-century skills but is also required when students enter the workplace [ 12 ]. Therefore, higher education courses commonly integrate oral presentations as part of the course activities and/or learning objectives [ 13 ].

Presentation-related studies have been widely researched. Previous research has focused on the impact of oral presentation on language proficiency, speaking ability, oral communication abilities, self-confidence, attitudes, challenges, and factors of influence in learning presentation skills [ 8 , 14 – 18 ]. However, to the best of our knowledge, no research thus far has been conducted on the use of online instructional interventions to train students in how to present themselves in English. This study, undertaken at Najran University, addressed many aspects of oral presentations, such as organization, content, language, style, and delivery, as well as students’ lack of enthusiasm.

It was expected that this study would lead to a significant improvement in undergraduates’ presentation abilities, which are vital in today’s professional world and to meet labor market expectations. The rising need for graduates with effective presentation skills requires more effective, innovative, and result-oriented instruction. Better teaching and learning methodologies are needed to enhance students’ presentation skills and teachers must pay special attention to this aspect of learning. The intervention in this study highlighted crucial areas in presentation abilities that many researchers may not have consider. Therefore, this study aimed to promote undergraduates’ presentation skills, consistent with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030 and labor market needs, via a Blackboard-mediated intervention program. The findings provide crucial suggestions about making presentations and advance proposals concerning the essential elements for an effective presentation.

Theoretical framework

Bandura’s social cognitive theory contends that human actions are influenced by personal, behavioral, and environmental factors [ 19 ]. According to this theory, seeing others in social interactions, one’s experiences, and outside media influences might contribute to an individual’s knowledge acquisition and behavior [ 20 ], as people acquire behaviors and cognitive techniques through watching how others behave [ 21 ]. When individuals observe activity being modelled and the consequences of that conduct, they remember the sequence of events and use this knowledge to influence future behavior [ 22 ]. In this process, the environment, behavior, and cognition all play important roles in shaping growth in reciprocal triadic interactions [ 19 , 20 ].

Thus, the foundation of social cognitive theory is a process of information acquisition or learning directly related to model observation. According to Zhou and Brown [ 20 ], three factors contribute to model observation: model characteristics, such as high status, competence, and power; observer attributes, such as talent and courage, confidence, self-esteem, and independence; and model action consequences, such as self-efficacy and self-regulation. Effective modeling provides broad norms and techniques for coping with various circumstances. This can be provided through interpersonal imitation or media sources [ 19 ].

Review of the literature

The available literature suggests an increasing focus among researchers on the importance of presentation skills and studying the challenges learners face in presenting. Some of the main challenges learners face in making presentations are background knowledge, anxiety, motivation, language, grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation [ 23 – 29 ]. This is perhaps not surprising as many studies have found that presenting is a multi-layered and challenging task. Morreale points out that presenting requires considerable preparation, for example organizing content, incorporating relevant information and ideas, and selecting the appropriate attire [ 30 ]. It is necessary for students to combat these challenges since mastering slide shows, demonstrations, lectures, or speeches can assist presenters communicate with audiences by utilizing words and images [ 31 ].

Examining the presentations of a group of TESOL graduates, Zareva showed that the students acted in a variety of identity roles: guiding the audience through the information, recounting their research and decision-making processes, drawing attention to how the information was organized, and clarifying the purpose of their presentation and the structure of their argument [ 32 ]. Finding that students had difficulties providing presentation content for audiences, Melvina and Dona Alicia argued that teachers should spend more time introducing them to the broad skills they need when giving presentations [ 33 ].

Numerous factors influence presentation skills, including the ability to speak in English, which is something students are often afraid of doing [ 34 ]. Rumiyati and Seftika observe that speaking in front of a crowd is one of the most difficult tasks for EFL students [ 35 ]. Tsang identified a significant correlation between students’ perceived competence regarding the delivery of oral presentations and their level of anxiety concerning public speaking [ 36 ]. Similarly, Waluyo and Rofiah found that students’ performance in presentations is predicted by situational and potential confidence and communication confidence [ 16 ].

Background knowledge, psychology, language and style, preparation, and the instructor are some of the key factors that influence learners’ delivery of presentations [ 37 – 41 ]. Indriani found that qualities such as eye contact, body posture, and voice were further characteristics that aided pre-service teachers’ English-speaking abilities [ 42 ]. Among these, Worawong et al. identified hand gestures were the strategy most used by students in their oral presentations [ 43 ]. Okada et al. [ 44 ] and Yano [ 45 ] showed that self-monitoring, peer evaluation, and model observation have positive effects on improving learners’ oral presentation skills.

Technology can significantly enhance the general standard of one’s presentation in various ways. However, students’ readiness to embrace such technology and focus during presentations is critical. As a basis, Donohoe observed that presenters commonly utilize PowerPoint in the modern era to transmit information or media via slides as the medium offers adaptable presentation styles [ 46 ]. However, it is important to note that the development of information technologies has paved the way for new means of making presentations. Many technologies are available, such as Prezi, Keynote, and PowerPoint, as well as a range of venues, such as blogs, Facebook, and YouTube [ 47 – 49 ]. Thus, students should be encouraged to deliver their presentations by exploring different technologies, which can lead to better oral communication skills compared to traditional presentation tools [ 50 ].

Alshobramy found that applying social learning theory increased the speaking ability of secondary school EFL students naturally by providing innovative and adaptable learning experiences [ 51 ]. Fauzi showed that a multimedia-based presentation approach assisted students in developing their speaking and presentation skills, as well as their confidence [ 52 ]. Mahdi also reported that multimedia devices had a positive impact on the development of presentation and speaking skills among students [ 8 ]. Salem reported that TED lectures enhanced business students’ oral presentation abilities and vocabulary uptake/retention levels [ 53 ]. Also, the students were more enthusiastic, motivated, and eager to produce outstanding presentations as they grew more self-assured and relaxed. Sirisrimangkorn revealed that project-based learning using presentations had significant effects on students’ speaking skills [ 54 ]. Burhanuddin claimed that the individual presentation method was effective in enhancing students’ confidence and providing them with the experience of speaking in front of a crowd [ 14 ]. The results also indicated that the task gave them more awareness and self-evaluation on how to perform good public speaking. Hida examined the effectiveness of collaborative learning in co-constructing knowledge and skills in giving oral presentations in English classrooms in Japan and found that the learners primarily acquired five benefits: noticing the gap, knowledge co-construction, overcoming weakness, behavior modeling, and psychological improvement [ 55 ]. Pham et al. conducted a study aiming at measuring English-majored students’ views of their speaking skills, especially presentation skills. The results showed that most students were not confident about their presentation skills because of fears of making mistakes in vocabulary usage and grammar, lack of fluency, and so on [ 17 ].

There are very few studies on employing ICT-mediated programs to improve the presentation skills of EFL learners. However, some studies have suggested that learners experience difficulties in terms of anxiety, learning issues, and media access and use. For example, Solmaz employed Pecha Kucha to develop EFL learners’ speaking and oral presentation skills. Thematic analysis not only highlighted the advantages of the program, such as developing speaking and presentation skills, enhancing self-confidence, and improving time management, but also drawbacks, such as increased anxiety, a steep learning curve, and format constraints [ 56 ]. Among other studies examining the integration of technology in oral presentations [ 57 – 60 ], some found that this can pose difficulties in terms of the students’ language competence. Some students believed that the time given to them was insufficient, while others considered that their poor speaking abilities were to blame for their difficulties in presenting. Students also experienced fear of speaking since they understood that virtual audiences would view recordings of their oral presentations later.

To summarize, previous studies, both with and without the integration of technology, have investigated presentations with a focus on numerous different aspects. A review of the literature suggests that existing research on strengthening EFL learners’ presentation skills is very fragmented, lacks theoretical grounding and has received little empirical attention with particular reference to implementing an intervention. This research was premised on the belief that implementing an intervention program could enhance EFL learners’ presentation skills, making them better qualified for the labor market. The study investigated how a multilayered intervention program delivered through a series of workshops on Blackboard might help EFL students become successful presenters.

The study entailed designing and implementing a Blackboard-mediated interventional program aimed at improving undergraduates’ presentation skills in terms of organization, content, communication, delivery, and enthusiasm. The study utilized Blackboard as a platform to present the intervention as many presentations, and indeed job interviews, take place online, particularly since COVID-19. Other reasons for choosing Blackboard as a platform concerned convenience for the students in terms of time, place, effort, reference, and cost. The study sought to address the following research questions:

• What impact does a Blackboard-mediated intervention program have on EFL undergraduates’ presentation skills?
• What are the participants’ views of the experience of the Blackboard-mediated intervention program and its effect on their presentation skills?

Methodology

Research design and context.

The research adopted a quasi-experimental design to achieve the study objectives. This study aimed to investigate how effectively a Blackboard-mediated intervention program would be in strengthening EFL students’ presentation skills. An assessment checklist and semi-structured interviews were used to collect the data from undergraduates at the College of Languages and Translation at Najran University in the Kingdom of the Saudi Arabia in the second semester of the academic year 2023.

Population and sample

The study population comprised undergraduates majoring in the English language and translation programs at Najran University in 2023. The study sample was based on purposive sampling and students’ voluntary participation. Those students who agreed to participate in the study completed two copies of the written informed consent form; they kept one copy and returned the other to the researchers. The Ethical Approval Committee at the Deanship of Scientific Research, Najran University granted approval to conduct the study [009773-021280-DS]. It should be noted that the researchers had no access to personal information that could identify individual participants at any time during or after data collection.

The study sample comprised two groups, 30 students in total, recruited to the study in the second semester of 2023. All the participants were Saudi, aged 22–23 years, and enrolled in the 9th and 10th levels of two courses: Contrastive Linguistics and Drama. They had been exposed to English language instruction for 11 years at school and university and all spoke Arabic as their mother tongue. They were studying EFL in a formal context and their English level should be considered upper-intermediate. Thus, they should have been able to initiate presentations, raise inquiries, and express their opinions about what they were studying in relation to the instructional material.

Study instruments

The study applied two instruments for data collection: a pre-and post-assessment checklist and semi-structured interview. The researchers designed the assessment checklist with reference to presentation assessment rubrics available online, such as one developed by Owen Williamson at the University of Texas ( https://utminers.utep.edu/omwilliamson/engl1311/Presrubric.doc ) and another developed by the Justice Institute of British Columbia ( https://www.jibc.ca/sites/default/files/library/files/Group_Presentation_Marking_Rubric.doc ). The assessment checklist included presentation skills (25 items) distributed across five main domains: organization, content, communication, delivery, and enthusiasm. Each dimension contained five items.

Organization included aspects such as defining the background and importance of the topic, stating objectives that can identify relevant questions, presenting information in a logical sequence, summarizing the major points of the presentation, and providing attendees with a “take-home” message. Content included gaining the attention of the audience, defining technical terms, including relevant material, preparedness of the content, and presenting an obvious conclusion. Communication included good language skills and pronunciation, demonstrating good grammar and choice of words, using rhythm, intonation, accent, and tone variation, effective pace of delivery, being fluent and articulate, and using no fillers (umm, like), or long pauses. Delivery included items about maintaining good eye contact with the audience, using gestures in addition to a clear and audible voice, using well-prepared informative handouts, notes, and visual aids, presenting within the assigned time limits, and answering questions professionally. Finally, enthusiasm contained items about demonstrating strong enthusiasm throughout the presentation, increasing audience understanding and knowledge of the topic, convincing the audience to recognize the validity and importance of the subject drawing on evidence, being relaxed and confident with no/minimal hesitation throughout the talk, and being in professional attire.

Before the treatment program, the participants were asked to present topics related to two subjects they were studying (Contrastive Linguistics and Drama), and their performance was assessed using the checklist. Then, they were trained in presentation skills by one of the teachers with experience in this area. After that, they were again asked to present the topics related to their subjects and assessed using the same checklist.

Semi-structured interviews were employed in which the participants were asked about their experience of learning presentation skills, their attitudes, and suggestions for further improvements. The participants were interviewed immediately after the post-assessment by another teacher who had not conducted the intervention. The interviews were estimated to last 8–10 minutes. They were conducted in an office in the Department of English and audio-recorded. The semi-structured interview questions were as follows:

• How would describe your experience of the presentation skills workshops?
• What new presentation skills did you learn in the workshops?
• How did you feel after taking the presentation skills workshops?
• What things did you like/ dislike about the presentation skills workshops?
• Do you have any suggestions for making the presentation skills workshops more fruitful? Please elaborate.

Validity and reliability

A jury of five experts checked both instruments, the assessment checklist and the interview questions, to establish content validity. The experts were specialized in English language teaching and technology-based learning and teaching and had more than 10 years of experience in teaching and assessment. The experts had the study tools and objectives to verify that the tools could produce valid data to answer the research questions. They also checked the applicability of the items in the Saudi context. Finally, they suggested working on language issues.

To establish the internal consistency of the assessment checklist, the researchers applied Pearson’s correlation coefficient (r) to check the relationship between items and the checklist as a whole. The checklist was applied to assess the performance of a sample of 20 students who did not participate in the study. Table 1 shows the results of the correlation.

** Significant at p = 0.01

* Significant at p = 0.05.

As shown in Table 1 , the values of the Pearson correlation coefficients for the relation between each item and the whole scale ranged between 0.505 and 0.769 and were all significant at p = 0.01 or p = 0.05, demonstrating the validity of the checklist.

To verify the reliability of the assessment checklist, two assessors evaluated the performance of the exploratory sample (N = 20). The two assessors were faculty members in the Department of English, specializing in English language teaching and assessment. They had been teaching English for more than 15 years. The authors oriented them on the study topic, objectives, and evaluation checklist (dimensions and items). Any points they did not understand were clarified. The assessors were instructed to use a separate checklist for each student and to conduct the evaluation while the student was presenting. The reliability of the assessment checklist was calculated based on the level of agreement between the assessors (inter-rater reliability): Level of agreement/(no. of agreements + no. of disagreements) [ 13 ]. Table 2 presents the results.

Table 2 shows that the assessment checklist was reliable (87.6%). The reliability coefficient values of domains ranged between 86% and 90%.

Instructional intervention

The study drew on social cognitive theory as a theoretical foundation to create and implement a Blackboard-mediated intervention aimed at improving undergraduates’ oral presentation skills. A variety of factors influenced the selection of this theoretical framework. First and foremost, the researchers aimed to draw as much as possible from the existing literature on the procedures used in the current study to improve EFL students’ oral presentation skills. This research is aligned with Solmaz [ 56 ] in considering “the long-term character of the development process of oral presentation skills, described as central professional skills” (p.16). Moreover, the purpose of the study corresponds to Bandura’s view that social cognitive theory is particularly well adapted to explaining the evolution of complex behavior, such as oral presentation skills [ 19 ]. Based on this theory, the researchers considered three main factors that contribute to changing behavior—personal, behavioral, and environmental—in that people learn new knowledge by watching others and use it in the future to change their behaviors. In addition, the study utilized previous research, such as the work of Zareva [ 32 ], who referred to the roles TESOL graduates played when examining presentations, such as guiding the audience through the information, recounting their research and decision-making processes, drawing attention to how the information was organized, and clarifying the purpose of their presentation and the structure of their argument.

The study provided a training program on presentation skills through workshops in which the participants watched how others presented, learned from the process, and applied it in the future to change their behavior. Interventions in the educational sphere provide students with the required or desired assistance they need in the form of capabilities, competencies, skills, etc., which could not be obtained or developed during an educational program and the lack of which may adversely impact graduates’ future or career opportunities. De Grez observed that “to design an instructional intervention, we have to be clear about its objectives. We have to determine the outcomes of the intervention focusing on the acquisition and development of oral presentation skills” [ 61 , p.57]. This study aimed to design and carry out a Blackboard-mediated intervention program, conducting workshops to strengthen EFL undergraduates’ presentation skills in line with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030 and labor market needs.

The program focused on enhancing the 30 participants’ knowledge of how to make their presentations effective and improving their performance. The content was divided into five workshops, which introduced the principles of presentation to EFL students and trained them how to present themselves well. The participants were told that presentations are synonymous with demonstrations, lectures, or speeches. They were also made aware that presentations are tailored to persuade, inspire, motivate, or present a new idea/concept to people termed “the audience” who are at the core of any presentation. After the orientation session on the concept, the researchers introduced themselves and the study.

The participants delivered a presentation before the intervention. Both the participants and the researchers were able to identify weaknesses in the organization, content, language, style, and delivery, as well as a lack of enthusiasm on the part of the presenters. Following the initial presentation, the participants were asked to participate in the Blackboard-mediated workshops. Each session lasted one hour, with the last 10 minutes devoted to questions and answers. The researchers also wanted the participants to learn through observation, so they shared relevant videos about the five specific areas crucial in presentations with a focus on the “do’s and don’ts.”

The research procedure consisted of three phases. In the first phase, the participants were required to give presentations and their performance was evaluated using the assessment checklist elaborated by the researchers. This identified issues with organization, content, language, communication style, delivery, and enthusiasm. The second phase comprised the series of five workshops, conducted on Blackboard by an experienced trainer, to instruct the students in how to present effectively and professionally.

The first workshop concerned the organization of presentations, highlighting the need for a clear beginning, middle, and end. The trainer pointed out that the presenter needs to organize ideas logically throughout the presentation and follow the order in a very organized fashion, striving for clear transitions between individual points, slides, and topics. Moreover, the presentation needs to be structured based on the audience and purpose. In addition, the trainer highlighted other key points, such as defining the background and importance of the topic, stating objectives that can identify relevant questions, presenting information in a logical sequence, summarizing the main points of the presentation, and providing attendees with a “take-home” message. The trainer shared videos ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bwDr7WVBwo ) on presentation organization. After watching the video clips, the participants were invited to have a discussion, followed by a question-and-answer session.

The second workshop concerned the substance of presentations in terms of the content. The trainer emphasized the need for unique and important ideas and information. The presenter must use reputable and pertinent sources and cite those sources when necessary. Information must be concise and pertinent to the audience. Again, the trainer addressed several crucial aspects related to content, including gaining the attention of the audience, defining technical terms, incorporating relevant material, preparing the content well, and presenting an obvious conclusion. The trainer shared videos related to content ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yl_FJAOcFgQ ) and instructed the participants to pay close attention to considerations of significance and originality.

The third workshop sought to underscore that word choice can make aspects of the presentation clear and memorable if selected well. The trainer highlighted that language, style, and communication are significantly impacted by word choice. The session addressed denotative and connotative concepts, referring to presenting the message clearly, expressing ideas effectively, and choosing respectful and unbiased language. The trainer highlighted several key points, such as the language of presentations typically being somewhat less formal than academic writing, the need to present the main points one by one and pause at the end of each main point to give the audience time to absorb the information and take notes and using phrases to indicate moving on to a new point. In addition, one should consider several aspects under the theme of language, style, and communication, for example, using good language skills and pronunciation, demonstrating good grammar and choice of words, using rhythm, intonation, accent, tone variation, and an effective pace of delivery, being fluent and articulate, and using no fillers (umm, like), or long pauses, etc. The trainer then shared clips on communication, style, and language ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewVCnfMGnFY ), demonstrating that word choice and language use are crucial for communication.

The fourth workshop concerned delivery and addressed a range of factors, from body language and word choice to vocal variety. The trainer highlighted that a good presenter has a passion for the subject and can convey—and perhaps elicit—that emotion in the audience. The workshop stressed the need to make a connection with the audience through eye contact, facial expressions, gestures, and/or vocal tone, as well as to avoid fillers (e.g., umm) and hesitations. These all contribute to communicating the presenter’s professionalism and confidence, inviting audience engagement. In addition, the session covered providing well-prepared, informative handouts, notes, and visual aids, presenting within the assigned time limits, and answering questions professionally. The trainer then shared videos on delivery ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5c1susCPAE&t=8s ).

The last workshop concerned the need for the presenter to show enthusiasm and covered aspects such as using a wide range of gestures (especially when presenting to a large audience on stage), making eye contact with attendees, and speaking with a smile and energy. Thus, the session emphasized the role of body language and facial expressions, as well as highlighting that the presenter’s clothing should not draw attention. Linking back to previous sessions, the workshop noted the relevance of enthusiasm in conveying knowledge of the topic and convincing the audience of the validity and importance of the subject by being relaxed and confident. Again, the trainer shared videos on this aspect of presenting ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5naThX63pF0 ).

In the third phase, students were required to give a presentation and their performance was again assessed using the same checklist as previously. After the presentation, a researcher interviewed the students, asking questions related to their experience of engaging in the presentation skills workshops, their attitudes and feelings about the intervention, and their suggestions for improvement.

Data analysis

The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) v. 25 was used to analyze the data collected from the pre-and post-assessment checklist. To establish the effectiveness of the training program in enhancing the participants’ presentation skills, the study employed paired sample t-tests. The researchers conducted content analysis of the qualitative data from the semi-structured interviews, based on repeated occurrences and grouped under main themes.

The effect of the training program on students’ presentation skills

Table 3 presents the results of the impact of the intervention program on students’ presentation skills, drawing on the pre- and post-assessment for the individual domains and whole scale.

Table 3 shows significant differences at the level of 0.05 before and after the training program in favor of the post-performance (t(29) = 19.863, p > .05). This result indicates that the training program was highly effective in improving the students’ presentation skills.

Students’ reflections on the presentation skills program

Several key themes emerged from the semi-structured interviews with the students concerning their experience of the presentation skills workshops. For most of the interviewees, it was their first time presenting. They reported that the training program was a helpful, interesting, and exciting experience, and they benefited a great deal from it. It helped rid them of anxiety and fear, and they started to feel more confident. In addition, they learned that they should be well-prepared and not appear confused. Furthermore, the training program assisted them in improving their presentation skills in terms of facing the audience and delivering the topic as required. The students also reported that they benefited from the feedback from peers. The following are some of the interviewees’ responses to the first question in the interview concerning their experience of the presentation skills workshops:

• S1. “It is very interesting and helpful. It is the first time I’ve done a presentation.”
• S20. “It was a very good experience.”
• S12. “A wonderful experience that developed my speaking skills and improved my way of meeting the audience and conveying the idea to them in the required form.”
• S13. “A beautiful experience to enhance self-confidence and break the barrier of public fear.”
• S10. “I learned not to get confused during the presentation and come prepared.”

Presentation skills learned

The interviewees’ responses concerning the presentation skills they acquired through the workshops revealed that they learned to speak in front of the public with confidence, to interact with the listeners and ask questions, to raise their voices to attract attention, to pay attention to their body language and tone of voice, to talk without reference to the book, and to give and take examples from other students. Also, they learned how to explain and present without becoming stressed, to present without inappropriate interruption, and to be fluent and accurate. They broke the barrier of fear and stress and improved their self-confidence. The following are some excerpts from the interviewees’ answers:

• S3. “Speaking skills, looking around the listeners, asking questions for them to interact with, and raising the voice to attract attention.”
• S11. “The eye contact and the hand signals, and the importance of preparing for the presentation.”
• S13. “Fluency and accuracy in speaking and interacting with the public.”
• S16. “Facing the audience, increasing self-confidence, and exploring skills about communicating information in its simplest form.”
• S19. “Speaking skills without confusion, the skill of explaining and communicating information.”

Feelings about the experience of engaging in the workshops

The students also described their feelings after taking the presentation skills workshops. They were excited and felt positive about the experience. They were very happy to be trained in presentation skills and to achieve something significant. They broke the barrier and the tension and were proud of what they had achieved. They gained a high level of confidence and morale. These aspects are evidenced in the following excerpts:

• S2. “Awesome and broke the stress barrier.”
• S3. “I feel a sense of accomplishment after I took this step for the first time. Great feeling and development of diction skills and help later.”
• S6. “Nice and I felt the sense of teaching.”
• S7. “It’s a nice feeling and I see myself developing in speaking.”
• S13. “Feeling excited and happy to gain the skill of recitation.”
• S18. “I feel that I have gained a high level of confidence and morale.”

Likes and dislikes

Students reflected on the things they liked or disliked about the presentation skills workshops. They liked the interaction with their peers, strengthening and refining their speaking skills, the seriousness of the sessions, meeting with others, skills development, reviewing errors, the organization of the workshop, enthusiasm, fun, facing the public, and peer support. They also liked the idea of using technology, such as laptops and data presentations. On the negative side, two students were rather tense and confused, which they reported led to some errors during their presentations. The following excerpts provide evidential support for the emergent themes:

• S3. “The things that I liked is that strengthening and refining diction skills. The things I didn’t like were the tension just before the presentation.”
• S7. “Everything I liked and most specially, it increased my self-confidence by speaking.”
• S11. “The things I like is the experience and some confidence make me would like to do it again and thing I do not like is during the presentation I got confused and I said something wrong.”
• S18. “I liked during my presentation the interaction of my student friends.”
• S19. “I liked that it was enthusiastic and fun, and the interaction between classmates.”

Suggestions for improving the presentation skills workshops

The students were asked for suggestions to make the presentation skills workshops more fruitful. They recommended repeating the workshops because of the benefits they provided. Also, some students suggested including presentations as part of their assessment in various subjects. These points are illustrated in the following excerpts:

• S5. “More of these shows to develop students’ skills.”
• S12. “More of these workshops because it is of great benefit to the student.”
• S15. “We hope that the distinguished doctors include this participation in all subjects and integrate it into monthly grades.”
• S17. “I hope this beautiful event continues.”
• S19. “I suggest that this offer be weekly in order to benefit more.”

This research investigated the impact of a training program mediated by the Blackboard platform on improving EFL students’ presentation skills. Based on the results, the students who engaged in the intervention attained significant improvements in their scores for their presentation skills post-treatment compared to pre-treatment in all five domains: organization, content, communication, delivery, and enthusiasm. This indicates the effectiveness of the intervention.

Several factors may have contributed to this result, such as the integration of the Blackboard platform, enhanced motivation, reduced anxiety, stress, and tension, and the students’ recognition of the need to improve their speaking and presentation skills. The integration of Blackboard contributed to the effectiveness of the program as it is user-friendly, free, and accessible to users, regardless of place and time. Moreover, the training sessions were recorded and the students could refer to them at any time. In addition, the students were motivated to participate and engage due to their need to improve their presentation skills, as evidenced in the interviews. The analysis of the interviewees’ responses revealed that they found the intervention program a very good means of refining their presentation skills. They enjoyed the experience and reported it assisted them in facing their fear of speaking in front of the public and improving their body language, speaking skills, and self-confidence. In addition, they learned to interact with the audience and attract attention.

The results of this research are consistent with previous studies. Similar to this intervention, research has found that presentation qualities like eye contact, body posture, and voice aid English-speaking abilities [ 42 ], and project-based learning using presentation can significantly affect students’ speaking skills [ 55 ], with students’ oral presentation skills improving significantly after instruction due to enhanced confidence and the experience of speaking in front of a crowd [ 14 ]. As in this study, previous research has reported participants favoring a multimedia design [ 15 ], which improves students’ confidence [ 52 ], and also collaborative learning, as it enables the co-construction of knowledge and skills [ 56 ]. Such courses can enhance students’ oral presentation abilities and vocabulary uptake/retention levels [ 54 ], as well as making them more enthusiastic, motivated, and eager to produce outstanding presentations as they grow more self-assured and relaxed. In addition, these results are consistent with Brooks [ 61 ], who showed that oral presentation allows learners to use their second language to communicate with others naturally. De Grez [ 62 ] also suggested that students are highly motivated to learn how to present. In terms of the use of technology, this study employed Blackboard to facilitate deliver of the intervention program, which may have helped improve students’ performance [ 15 ]. This result accords with previous studies that used technology to improve students’ speaking and presentation skills, employing a multimedia approach [ 51 – 57 ].

The results of this study also support the claim of social cognitive theory that learners require exposure and practice to enhance their acquisition of skills that will help them in their future careers. In this research, the participants observed how others (trainer and peers) behaved, stored this knowledge, and used it to change their behavior when presenting post-intervention. Thus, learners can refine their behavior based on observation and experience. The training program allowed the participants room for exposure and practice in presenting themselves properly. They learned how to organize their presentations, engage the audience, and deliver content effectively, as well as to present with enthusiasm.

According to Bandura [ 63 ], “man’s capacity to learn by observation enables him to acquire large, integrated units of behavior by example without having to build up the pattern gradually by tedious trial and error” (p. 2). Alshobramy argues that the application of social learning theory can naturally increase speaking ability by providing innovative and adaptable learning experiences [ 52 ]. Hence, consistent with theory, this study supports the goals of the Saudi Vision 2030 and the labor market needs of skilled graduates in enabling them to design and deliver effective presentations.

This research focused on enhancing undergraduates’ (life-long) presentation skills through a Blackboard-mediated intervention program. In contrast to prior research that employed ICT-mediated programs to develop presentation skills and found EFL learners experienced difficulties in terms of anxiety, learning issues, language competence, and media access [ 55 , 57 – 60 ], the results of this study showed that the learners’ levels of fear, learning problems, and access issues decreased during the intervention. Also, the program proved highly effective in improving the EFL participants’ presentation skills, and their attitudes and feedback were positive. Therefore, the study contributes to the existing body of knowledge by presenting evidence of the value of utilizing technology, specifically Blackboard, in a planned program to improve students’ presentation skills, which are in great demand in the labor market.

Students who master English will have an added advantage if they possess presentation skills and their job opportunities will be greater. Accordingly, this study argues the need to include presentation skills as part of students’ course assessment. In addition, technology can play a role in enhancing students’ presentation skills; they can utilize technology to record themselves and to review their mistakes, and thus improve their performance.

This research has certain limitations, most notably the participants’ gender; all the participants were male due to the gender-based segregation in Saudi higher education. Moreover, the relatively small number of participants means the findings are not generalizable. In this regard, similar studies could be undertaken in different contexts employing the same interventional program and tools—or similar—and enable the comparison of results. In Saudi Arabia, given the effectiveness of the intervention in this study, it is recommended that stakeholders conduct more workshops on presentation skills, as they support the goals of the Saudi Vision 2030 and address the needs of the labor market. Further research and pedagogical practice could consider a range of methods, such as peer and self-assessment, to measure students’ acquisition of presentation skills. Finally, more research is needed to focus on comparing students’ competence and performance in presentation skills.

Funding Statement

Yes, this work was financed by the Deputy for Research and Innovation- Ministry of Education, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia through a grant (NU/IFC/02/002). The funder had no role in the study design, data collection and analysis, the decision to publish, or the preparation of the manuscript.

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Microsoft 365 Life Hacks > Presentations > Six tips for recording a presentation

Six tips for recording a presentation

Your latest presentation is filled with crucial information and key concepts your colleagues need to remember. Record and archive it for easy reference and absorption.

How to record your presentation

Whether you’re recording a presentation for work, a webinar or school, both you and your colleagues will greatly appreciate having it available to reference. You can absorb information at your pace, ensuring that you retain pertinent information, without having to rely solely on your notes. While the method of recording depends on the virtual meeting platform or whether its in person, here are some guidelines on how to record you presentation:

Tell your story with captivating presentations

Powerpoint empowers you to develop well-designed content across all your devices

1. Choose the right equipment

High-quality recording equipment is essential for producing professional-looking and sounding presentations. Laptops are equipped with microphone and a high-resolution webcam, but it’s always a good idea to consider investing in higher quality recording equipment.

2. Test Your equipment

Before starting your presentation, it’s crucial to test your recording equipment to ensure everything is working properly. Check the audio levels, video quality, and any additional accessories you may be using, such as lighting or a green screen. Conducting a test run will help identify any technical issues that need to be addressed. Review the virtual meeting platform you are using to ensure that the recording feature is enabled, so you won’t have to search for it when the presentation time rolls around.

3. Optimize your environment

Choose a quiet, well-lit environment for recording your presentation. Minimize background noise and distractions to ensure clear audio and video quality. Consider using a neutral background or a virtual background to maintain a professional appearance. Natural lighting is ideal, but if that’s not possible, invest in good quality lighting equipment to ensure your face is well-lit and visible.

4. Organize your presentation contents

Organize your presentation materials in a logical order to facilitate smooth delivery. Create an outline or script to guide your presentation, making sure to include key points, transitions, and visual aids. Practice your presentation multiple times to become familiar with the contents and ensure a confident delivery. If you have multiple presenters, solidify the speaking order and designate one person to facilitate the presentation.

5. Engage with Your Audience

Even though you’re recording your presentation, it’s essential to engage with your audience as if they were present in the room with you. Encourage interaction by asking questions, prompting viewers to think critically, and inviting them to share their thoughts or experiences in the comments section. Respond to comments and questions promptly to foster a sense of community and connection with your audience.

6. Monitor Your Time

Keep track of time during your presentation to ensure that you stay within the allotted timeframe. Plan your presentation carefully, allocating sufficient time to cover each topic or section. If you find yourself running out of time, prioritize the most critical points and consider saving less crucial information for a follow-up or supplementary material.

For more ways to improve presentation skills, like calming presentation anxiety and connecting with a virtual audience , learn more presentation tips .

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Tanya Malhotra

Tanya Malhotra is a final year undergrad from the University of Petroleum & Energy Studies, Dehradun, pursuing BTech in Computer Science Engineering with a specialization in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. She is a Data Science enthusiast with good analytical and critical thinking, along with an ardent interest in acquiring new skills, leading groups, and managing work in an organized manner.

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Drawing on evidence from neurobiology, cognitive science, and corpus linguistics, researchers make the case that language is a tool for communication, not for thought.

What is language for?

by Jennifer Michalowski | June 19, 2024 June 26, 2024

Categories: Brain Imaging , Cognitive Neuroscience , Computational Neuroscience , Ev Fedorenko

Language is a defining feature of humanity, and for centuries, philosophers and scientists have contemplated its true purpose. We use language to share information and exchange ideas—but is it more than that? Do we use language not just to communicate, but to think?

In the June 19, 2024, issue of the journal Nature , McGovern Institute neuroscientist Evelina Fedorenko and colleagues argue that we do not. Language, they say, is primarily a tool for communication.

Fedorenko acknowledges that there is an intuitive link between language and thought. Many people experience an inner voice that seems to narrate their own thoughts. And it’s not unreasonable to expect that well-spoken, articulate individuals are also clear thinkers. But as compelling as these associations can be, they are not evidence that we actually use language to think.

  “I think there are a few strands of intuition and confusions that have led people to believe very strongly that language is the medium of thought,” she says.

“But when they are pulled apart thread by thread, they don’t really hold up to empirical scrutiny.”

Separating language and thought

For centuries, language’s potential role in facilitating thinking was nearly impossible to evaluate scientifically. But neuroscientists and cognitive scientists now have tools that enable a more rigorous consideration of the idea. Evidence from both fields, which Fedorenko, MIT cognitive scientist and linguist Edward Gibson, and University of California Berkeley cognitive scientist Steven Piantadosi review in their Nature Perspective, supports the idea that language is a tool for communication, not for thought.

“What we’ve learned by using methods that actually tell us about the engagement of the linguistic processing mechanisms is that those mechanisms are not really engaged when we think,” Fedorenko says. Also, she adds, “you can take those mechanisms away, and it seems that thinking can go on just fine.”

Over the past 20 years, Fedorenko and other neuroscientists have advanced our understanding of what happens in the brain as it generates and understands language. Now, using functional MRI to find parts of the brain that are specifically engaged when someone reads or listens to sentences or passages, they can reliably identify an individual’s language-processing network. Then they can monitor those brain regions while the person performs other tasks, from solving a sudoku puzzle to reasoning about other people’s beliefs.

“Your language system is basically silent when you do all sorts of thinking.” – Ev Fedorenko

“Pretty much everything we’ve tested so far, we don’t see any evidence of the engagement of the language mechanisms,” Fedorenko says. “Your language system is basically silent when you do all sorts of thinking.”

That’s consistent with observations from people who have lost the ability to process language due to an injury or stroke. Severely affected patients can be completely unable to process words, yet this does not interfere with their ability to solve math problems, play chess, or plan for future events. “They can do all the things that they could do before their injury. They just can’t take those mental representations and convert them into a format which would allow them to talk about them with others,” Fedorenko says. “If language gives us the core representations that we use for reasoning, then…destroying the language system should lead to problems in thinking as well, and it really doesn’t.”

Conversely, intellectual impairments do not always associate with language impairment; people with intellectual disability disorders or neuropsychiatric disorders that limit their ability to think and reason do not necessarily have problems with basic linguistic functions. Just as language does not appear to be necessary for thought, Fedorenko and colleagues conclude that it is also not sufficient to produce clear thinking.

Language optimization

In addition to arguing that language is unlikely to be used for thinking, the scientists considered its suitability as a communication tool, drawing on findings from linguistic analyses. Analyses across dozens of diverse languages, both spoken and signed, have found recurring features that make them easy to produce and understand. “It turns out that pretty much any property you look at, you can find evidence that languages are optimized in a way that makes information transfer as efficient as possible,” Fedorenko says.

That’s not a new idea, but it has held up as linguists analyze larger corpora across more diverse sets of languages, which has become possible in recent years as the field has assembled corpora that are annotated for various linguistic features. Such studies find that across languages, sounds and words tend to be pieced together in ways that minimize effort for the language producer without muddling the message. For example, commonly used words tend to be short, while words whose meanings depend on one another tend to cluster close together in sentences. Likewise, linguists have noted features that help languages convey meaning despite potential “signal distortions,” whether due to attention lapses or ambient noise.

“All of these features seem to suggest that the forms of languages are optimized to make communication easier,” Fedorenko says, pointing out that such features would be irrelevant if language was primarily a tool for internal thought.

“Given that languages have all these properties, it’s likely that we use language for communication,” she says. She and her coauthors conclude that as a powerful tool for transmitting knowledge, language reflects the sophistication of human cognition—but does not give rise to it.

Paper: "Language is primarily a tool for communication rather than thought"

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