giving a presentation in a foreign language

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6 Must-Know Tips for Giving a Presentation in a Foreign Language Posted by meaghan on Oct 14, 2013 in Archived Posts

Speaking in a foreign language can be a challenge in and of itself—giving a presentation in a foreign language makes that challenge even more…. well, challenging. Whether you’re presenting to your classmates, your co-workers, or your community, you’ll want to practice a little harder than normal. These tips will help you perfect your presentation, leaving minds blown rather than tongues tied.

1. Practice, practice, practice—but don’t memorize.

Scripting yourself is a terrible idea for any presentation, regardless of language. It doesn’t make for a very compelling or natural presentation, and you might panic if you forget or veer away from your script, especially if it’s in another language!

Instead, narrow your focus. Acquire the specific vocabulary you need to discuss your topic, but rely on what you already know to fill in the gaps. Practice speaking about your topic out loud to yourself, so you’ll be prepared to improvise when all eyes are on you.

2. Prepare notes.

Didn’t I just tell you not to script your presentation? Yes I did, but here’s the loophole: prepare notes! Add speaker notes to your slides or jot down major points on a set of notecards.  Do not read directly off these notecards!  The less you look at them, the better.

The placebo effect of notecards is powerful—knowing you have an important statistic or difficult word in the language written down in front of you should make you less nervous that you’ll forget it. And just in case you do forget it, voila, there it is.

3. Practice speaking.

This is an obvious one, but seriously, if you’re preparing to speak in front of people for an extended period, you need to be comfortable speaking in the language in general.

You want to be comfortable speaking about your specific topic, but also in using the language fluidly and confidently. Talk out loud to yourself in your second language as much as you can—around the house, in the shower, while driving, etc. Say whatever it is you want! Rage about that guy who cut you off on the drive home, talk about what you want to do this weekend, make up a story about your neighbors who just walked by. Get comfortable pronouncing the language and speaking it fluidly. Then practice the specifics of your presentation.

4.  Keep it simple.

When you present, you want to sound intelligent and compelling. There’s nothing wrong with that. But when you present in another language, focus first on being understood and making your point.

Trying to sound sophisticated only works if you actually sound… sophisticated! But if you mispronounce the big words you insisted upon using and mumble through those prolific examples you just had to include, you’re actually hurting your cause. Keep it simple and within the reach of your current language skills. Impress people with your message itself, not the way you phrase the message. Besides, giving a presentation in your second language is impressive enough as it is.

5. Don’t apologize.

Do  not  start off by apologizing for your language skills (or lack thereof). Instead of making that excuse for yourself, be aware of your shortcomings and address them without drawing attention to them.

If you have a thick accent when speaking in your second language, speak slower than you normally would so your audience can understand you. If you mispronounce a word, don’t get flustered or laugh it off—say it again once or twice so your listeners can catch on. Writing off your mistakes to the fact that “this is your second language” won’t challenge you to get better and do it right.

6. Be culturally appropriate.

This isn’t related to the language, but it’s just as important as the advice above. Unless it’s a class assignment, chances are you’re giving your presentation in another language because you’re abroad.  If that’s the case, research the culture of your audience.

Be aware of hand gestures or facial expressions that are potentially offensive. Figure out if humor is well-received, or if you should show your personality in another way. Speak to colleagues or native speakers who are aware of the culture—and while you’re at it, practice giving your presentation to them!

Build vocabulary, practice pronunciation, and more with Transparent Language Online. Available anytime, anywhere, on any device.

About the Author: meaghan

Meaghan is the Marketing Communications Manager at Transparent Language. She speaks enough French and Spanish to survive, and remembers enough Hausa to say "Hello my name is Meaghan, I'm studying Hausa." (But sadly that's it).

OpeloPearl:

Much needed! Thank you. I do a lot of hosting and presenting in Chinese and no matter how many times I have done it, I always feel nervous and at the end of it feel like I could have done better.

Excellent article! As a foreign language tutor, I have had to teach public speaking presentation skills to my corporate students and I totally agree with you on the tips you have provided here. Thanks.

I adore these tips!

I remind myself of many of these as I present but also as my novice learners start presenting. I tell them more often than not to take the risk and try.

My host brother once told me that he hopes he ever loses his accent completely as it helps tell his story even when he is fluent in other languages.

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10 Ways To Give A More Effective Presentation in English - A Guide for Non-native Speakers

Published on, november 15, 2022, this article may contain affiliate links.

Does the idea of giving a presentation in English make you nervous? It doesn’t need to be this way. Here’s our guide for non-native speakers to deliver a powerful presentation, with 10 tips you can use today.

Table of contents

As an English teacher, my students often ask me, “ Is my English good enough to give a presentation? ”

This question makes me laugh. Why? Because I even get my beginners’ class to give presentations! Some of them give fantastic presentations on topics like ‘My House’ or ‘My Family’.

So, yes, your English is definitely good enough to give a presentation. 

In fact, instead of worrying about your English, you should be looking at ways to make your presentations more interesting and more powerful.

Let’s see how we can do that.

Does presenting make you nervous? Maybe that’s a good thing!

Nearly everyone gets nervous when they have to give a presentation. It’s normal!

Mark Twain even famously said (about speaking in public):

“There are two types of speakers: those that are nervous and those that are liars”

But non-native speakers have extra things to worry about: What if I make an English mistake? What if people don’t understand me?

Let’s cut out all this worrying. If you make a mistake when you speak, that’s fine. Everyone makes mistakes, including native speakers.

You should, on the other hand, try to minimise the mistakes in your PowerPoint slides. After all, people will be staring at each one for a few minutes. I recommend asking a friend to help you proofread them.

But let’s focus on your vocal skills. After all, it’s your spoken words that people will remember more than your slides.

Although I said you shouldn’t worry about giving a presentation, it’s impossible not to be a little bit nervous. And that’s a good thing!

Wait… it’s good to be nervous? Yes, you read that correctly. When you’re nervous, you have more energy and your mind is more focused .

Convert that nervous energy to ‘positive’ energy, become excited about your topic and move around. Use gestures .

Think about a boring teacher you had at school. Wouldn’t they have been more interesting if they had some nervous energy?

What about my vocabulary? Should I use long words?

Many non-native speakers worry that their vocabulary is too simple.

The truth is that simple is good .

I prefer to listen to a presentation with simple vocabulary rather than the long-winded jargon used by professors and politicians.

Remember, we want to use precise words, not long words.

As an example, a word like ‘empathy’ is good. It’s precise and it’s easier than saying ‘understanding others’ feelings’.

But a phrase like ‘conceptualisation of developmental strategies’ is jargon and it will just annoy the audience.

Be aware of cultural differences when you present

Are there cultural differences when presenting? Yes, there are some that you should be aware of when presenting to an international audience.

1 Eye contact is good. Some cultures avoid eye contact, but eye contact with the audience is very important for an effective presentation.

2 Don’t point at people . In some cultures, it is okay to point your finger at people, but in other cultures, this is very rude! Point with the flat part of your hand instead.

3 Avoid offensive jokes . A joke that is accepted in your culture might not be accepted in others. Humour is great, but avoid topics like religion and politics, and certainly don’t make jokes that might be considered offensive to certain groups.

What if my presentation is online?

All of the tips we are going to cover are great for both online and offline presentations.

And when presenting online, remember that body language still matters . The purpose of using gestures is to show your excitement and energy about the topic.

Even if the audience can’t see you (for example, when you are presenting a slide), you should still use positive body language to show you are passionate about your topic.

In fact, these tips will work well even in situations that are not technically presentations; they are tips that will serve you well whenever you need to speak in English.

Practise makes perfect

The most effective way to practise is not ‘in the mirror’ as many might tell you, but in front of a video camera.

Record yourself . Play it back and see where you can improve. It’s also a good way to spot and get rid of distracting gestures, such as scratching your nose!

You could write out a script to help you. But you should consider this very carefully.

A script might help you to practise, but you should not use a script when you deliver your actual presentation. People don’t want to see you read from a script - they want to feel like you are speaking directly to them.

And don’t try to memorise a script either. Instead, speak from simple notes.

Remember that if you are using PowerPoint, the slides are your notes . Write them in point form, so that you don’t end up just reading from the slides.

Ten tips for a great presentation

Here are ten simple tips that you can use immediately to improve any presentation, online or in person.

1 Speak slowly

As I mentioned, when you are nervous, you have more energy. This can cause you to speak faster than normal.

Instead, use that extra energy to project your voice and use more gestures.

If you find yourself speaking too quickly, simply stop and take a breath between points. Take a sip of water if you have it.

You are familiar with punctuation in writing, but what about ‘spoken punctuation’?

Where you might write a comma, insert a short pause. Where you might write a full stop, insert a longer pause. Where you begin a new topic, insert an even longer break.

A good public speaker feels confident pausing for a long time, but it does take some practice.

3 Use sentence stress to highlight important words

You should also use something called sentence stress . Don’t worry! It’s simpler than it sounds.

It just means that you need to stress – make louder and longer – some words in a sentence. Which words? The important ones!

This is an excerpt from Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare. Try saying it slowly and stressing the words in bold:

Friends , Romans , countrymen , lend me your ears ; I come to bury Caesar , not to praise him.

Try saying it a few times until you feel confident. Why not compare it to a professional ?

4 Start with a hook

You want to start with a powerful opening. One way to do this is to use a ‘hook’.

What’s a hook? It is simply a statement – or picture, or video – that gets the audience to sit up and pay attention.

I like to use WHAT-IF statements to do this. A WHAT-IF statement challenges the audience to think about a certain scenario.

“What if I told you that you could retire before age 40?” “What if you found out that you were adopted?” “What if you had one insurance plan that could meet all of your needs?”

Another great lead in is “think of a time”.

Think of a time when you experienced terrible customer service. How did you feel? Think of a time when you were overwhelmed by work. How did it affect your productivity?

5 Find ways to make it interesting

A hook makes the introduction interesting, but the rest of the presentation should be interesting too.

You can do this by sharing personal stories, telling jokes, highlighting interesting facts and quotes, showing images or videos or bringing something to show the audience. Perhaps you've learned something interesting in the latest episode of English Learning for Curious Minds .

Check out how this fireman gives a talk in his firefighting outfit .

6 Make it interactive

Getting the audience to interact guarantees that your presentation will be fun.

The most common way to get audience interaction is to ask them questions.

But this isn’t the only way. You could give them puzzles or even ask them to discuss things in groups.

For online presentations, you can set up interactive quizzes using Kahoot! , Quizizz or Mentimeter . Mentimeter also offers interactive surveys.

7 Use rhetorical questions

I mentioned that questions are a great way to make a presentation more interactive.

Let’s look at a certain kind of question: rhetorical questions.

A rhetorical question is simply a question that you ask without expecting an answer. Here’s an example.

Have you ever wondered what happens to the 800 kilograms of garbage that the average American produces per year?

When we ask a question like this, we don’t stop and wait for the audience members to answer. We simply ask it for rhetorical effect .

However, even though we don’t wait for the audience to give answers, each person will think about the answer in their own mind .

This means that rhetorical questions increase audience focus and interest.

8 Use signposting

Have you ever considered that a presentation is like an essay? There’s an introduction, a body and a conclusion.

When someone reads an essay, they know exactly where they are on the page. In fact, people also like to know “where they are” in a presentation.

To do this, we use a simple but effective technique called signposting. This just means signalling the structure of the presentation to the audience .

For a longer presentation, people like to have a preview of what’s to come. Note the language in bold, which you can use in your own presentations:

First , I’ll be discussing cryptocurrency basics. Then , I’ll move on to how blockchain works. Finally , I’ll cover the pros and cons of the most common cryptocurrencies.

It’s very important to show people when you are moving on to a new point and you can make this clear with signposting:

Okay, so we have learned cryptocurrency basics. The next important topic that I want to cover is blockchain…

9 Predict what the audience will ask

Answering questions from the audience can also be scary!

To prepare for this, write down a list of questions that you expect the audience might ask and prepare answers.

Some people like to answer questions anytime during the presentation (it’s more interactive). Others like to have a Q & A session at the end (it’s easier to manage your time).

You can make your preference clear to the audience at the beginning of your talk:

“Feel free to interrupt me if you have any questions.”

“I'll try to answer all of your questions in a Q and A session after the presentation.”

Occasionally, someone might ask you a question that you don’t know the answer to. This happens to all presenters, so don’t worry.

Simply ask the person for their email address or give them yours. You can find the answer later, after the presentation, and continue the discussion via email or chat group.

10 Get inspired

A great way to prepare for an upcoming presentation is to watch other people present.

TED.com can help you do this; it’s a website that offers thousands of short presentation videos that you can watch for free.

If you have, say, a big presentation to give on Monday, why not spend an hour or two on Sunday night watching TED talks to put you in the zone .

You can learn interesting techniques from Ted speakers and look for examples of the tips in this article.

I recommend this Ted Talk by Matt Cutts . How about a good example of an online presentation? Try this talk by Ashley Whillans .

Each Ted Talk comes with a transcript, so you can explore the language the speaker uses.

Take any opportunity to present

The tips here can help you to give a powerful presentation.

But you won’t become a good presenter just by reading about it. You have to do it!

Take every opportunity that you can to practise presenting. Volunteer when you get the chance, or join Toastmasters .

Only by stepping up to the challenge can you really improve.

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How to give a great presentation: 10 easy and effective tips

Whether you’re a seasoned professional, an intern or a student, giving a presentation can be a stressful experience, especially if it’s not in your native tongue. But with a little effort – and these 10 tips – you can take your presentation from good to great.

With years of practice in presenting – it’s a big part of my job as an English teacher – and seeing students present almost every day, here are my tried and tested tips for giving a great presentation:

1. Use silence

Generally, people don’t like silence. It’s uncomfortable. It’s awkward (hence the term “awkward silence.”)  But during a presentation, silence can be your friend. When you take the stage to begin, all eyes will be on you.  And what should you do? Just stand there. For a moment or two, simply bask in the silence. Take a deep breath. Be still. It may be uncomfortable, even awkward,  but do this.. .and watch your audience lean in with anticipation, eager to hear what you are about to say.

And utilize the power of silence throughout your speech. Use silence to build suspense. To add emphasis. And to avoid using those nasty “filler words” such as um, uh, er, ah, like, etc.

2. Understand body language

Experts say that 55% of all outbound communication is non-verbal. When presenting, you’ll need to have strong body language. Try not to move around too much. Don’t click your pen. Don’t shuffle your feet or tug at your clothes. Don’t yawn (if you can help it). And try not to stand in front of your visuals when presenting. It seems obvious, but remember… if you’re standing right in front of the visual, your audience can’t see it. And when you do move, make it deliberate.

3. Tell a story

Humans love stories – we love to hear them and we love to tell them.  Everyone, without exception, loves a good story. So, when considering how to start your presentation, why not start with something that resonates so deeply with each and every one of us… a story. “Hello ladies and gentleman. Today, I would like to share a story…” And the story should be personal in nature.  It can be about you, or someone else. It can be historical, or futuristic. But paint a picture with words that engages the senses and take your audience on a journey.

4. Be visual

A picture says a thousand words. Images are stronger than text. Perhaps the most common mistake during a presentation is the excessive use of text. This is so problematic for one simple reason. During a presentation, you are speaking. With too much text on the slide, your audience is reading. If your audience is reading, what are they not doing? Listening to you.

Additionally, people are more likely to remember things if they have an image to go with it – this is a scientific fact. It actually doesn’t matter what it is: a fact, statistic or story. If you link it to an an image they’re more likely to remember it.

5. Make eye contact

Eye contact is another important aspect of body language. If you’re using notes (which is perfectly fine), don’t look down and read the entire time. Make sure that notes are key words to jog your memory, and keep your eyes up as much as possible. For notes: keep them succinct.

And while interacting with the audience, scan the room. Lock eyes with some audience members, and then continue to scan. This makes the talk seem more like a conversation. As if you’re talking with them, not at them. And never focus on only one audience member (ie – the professor, interviewer, judge, etc.). That can be awkward.

6. Engage your audience

People are good at a lot of things. Paying attention may or may not be one of them. The average adult has an attention span of somewhere between 8 seconds and 20 minutes, more or less. Having your audience do something during your presentation is a great way to break things up and keep them engaged. Perhaps you pose a question and solicit responses. Or ask for a show of hands. Perhaps you say, “close your eyes, and remember a time when…”  Maybe you tell a joke, and make them erupt in laughter.

Whatever you do, be unpredictable. Your audience might want to get bored, reach for their phones, or close their eyes, but engaging them directly can prevent them from doing that and help them focus on what you’re saying.

7. Slow down

Simply put, it is nearly impossible to speak too slowly during a presentation. Slow down, and then slow down some more. Enunciate. And don’t worry about having perfect pronunciation or flawless grammar. Your audience is less concerned about that than you think.

This is particularly important to remember if you’re doing the presentation in a language other than your native tongue (in English, for example) – you might feel insecure about your level of English, but you really shouldn’t. What you say is what matters in the end, so make your point clear and focus on being confident in delivering it.

8. Less is more

With the exceptions of weekends and holidays, most things in life are too long, not too short. Think about it… Your last class, meeting, lecture or flight. Did you leave any of those experiences thinking “That was too short.” Probably not. So keep that in mind. The more information your audience hears, the more they forget. The more they forget, the less they remember. So keep it simple and offer one, clear idea in your presentation.  Less is truly is more here.

9. End it well

How you end your presentation is almost as important as how you begin. So ask yourself, what’s the number one gift you’re offering? What’s the underlying message of the entire presentation?  Create a sentence that captures it. And make it something worth sharing. Conclude with one powerful idea that will echo in the minds of your audience.

10. Say thanks

The audience members have just given you something very valuable: their time. Thank them for it.

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How to Ace Your Business Presentation in English

So, you need to make a business presentation in English.

First of all, congratulations! To be in your position, you must have invested a huge amount of time and effort in your English language skills. You should be proud.

That said, we totally understand that giving a presentation in a second language can be a challenge. You may be worried that your audience won’t understand your accent. Perhaps you are wondering whether you need to use specific vocabulary. Maybe you’re not sure how best to handle questions from your audience.

If this sounds like you, don’t worry. In this post, we’re going to run through our top tips for acing your business presentation in English. Even if you’ve already made a few presentations in the language, we’re sure you’ll find these suggestions helpful.

So, read on to learn more. And before we start, let us wish you the very best of luck in delivering your next presentation.

Understand your audience

As with all forms of communication, it’s vital that you understand who your audience is. Even in the business world, you can find yourself speaking to very different groups of people.

For example, if you are giving a presentation to members of another company, you would certainly be more formal than when you give a presentation to members of your own team. In each case, you need to think about what your audience will expect from your presentation.

So, before you write a word, ask yourself these questions about your audience. Who are they? What interests them? What do they need to know? What do you want them to do as a result of your presentation?

One useful tip for writing your presentation is to imagine your audience is a single person. It’s easier to write convincingly if you have a single person in mind. Try it!

Mind your language

Most audiences will expect you to give your presentation using formal Business English . Don’t make the mistake of confusing Business English with business jargon .

Successful Business English uses language that is simple, direct, professional and easy to understand. Business jargon on the other hand, relies on obscure phrases, clichés, and acronyms. In many cases, business jargon is complex, not very precise and a barrier to good communication .

We have some useful resources on Business English on this page . However, if in doubt, keep the language of your presentation as simple and clear as possible. It’s also a good idea to use sentences with the active, rather than the passive voice. This allows you to use fewer words, which makes your sentences shorter and more engaging.

To give an example, this is a sentence in the passive voice:

The interview was failed by over one third of applicants.

Now compare this sentence, which is in the active voice.

Over one-third of applicants failed the interview.

To learn more about the active and the passive voice, check out this explainer from the British Council.

Practise, practise, practise

If English isn’t your first language, it’s more important than ever to practise your presentation before delivering it. By practising, you’ll feel more comfortable using English in a business setting. You’ll be able to work on any words or phrases you find difficult to pronounce, or you can change them to words or phrases you are more comfortable with.

Ideally, you should practise giving your presentation in front of someone else. That way you can get useful feedback on what works well, and what doesn’t. If that’s not possible, make a video of yourself giving your presentation. When you see yourself on screen, it will give you helpful insights into ways you can improve your delivery.

Don’t forget to introduce yourself

It may sound obvious, but don’t forget to introduce yourself at the very beginning of your presentation. It not only breaks the ice , but it’s an opportunity to get the audience on your side. If you are presenting to native English speakers, you may wish to tell them that English is not your first language – but don’t apologise for it! If anything, your audience will be impressed that you can give a presentation in a second language.

Have a clear structure

When people learn to teach in the UK, they are often told to structure their lessons in this simple way:

• Say what you’re going to say
• Say what you’ve said

In other words, introduce the session by explaining what you intend to talk about. This sets the audience’s expectations – they know what’s going to happen.

You then use main part of the session to make your presentation. There are many effective ways of doing this, and we’ll cover some of these soon.

Finally, finish by summarising the most important points of your presentation. This helps your audience to remember them clearly.

One other tip, if you plan to let the audience ask questions, it’s a good idea to tell them you’d prefer to answer them at the end of the presentation. This will discourage them from interrupting your presentation at the wrong moment.

Use storytelling

People love stories. If you can capture your audience’s imagination with a story, you can make a very powerful impression.

For example, imagine you are giving a presentation about how to commission new advertisements for your company. You want to make the point that good copywriting as just as important as good visual design.

You can either make your point directly, like this:

“Successful adverts rely on good writing as well as good design. If you change the wording of an advert, it can often result in extra sales – or fewer. Therefore, the words we choose are as important as the images we use.”.

Or you could begin with a story, like this:

“I want you to imagine it’s the year 1907. A man called Louis Victor Eytinge is in prison, convicted of murder. He’s a drug addict, suffering from tuberculosis. He’s unlikely to live, never mind get out of jail. Yet, by 1923 he walked free into a well-paid advertising job and a career as a Hollywood screenwriter. How? He had written his way to freedom. I want to use his story to show you why, if we want successful adverts, we need to commission powerful writing as well as good design.”

Which version of the presentation would you rather listen to?!

Remember pace and pitch

One useful tip for acing your business presentations in English is to vary the pace and pitch of your delivery.

While you don’t want to speak too fast, it’s a good idea to use a different pace for different parts of your presentation. For example, when you want to communicate a key point, speaking more slowly will help people understand that you think it is important.

Equally, it’s a good idea to vary the pitch of your voice. Try and keep this as natural as possible, but experiment with using a higher pitch when asking questions and a lower pitch when beginning your sentences. One good way to learn how to vary your pitch is to listen to UK news broadcasts – news presenters are expert at varying the tone of their voice to keep listeners interested.

Add a call to action

Most business presentations are given for a specific purpose. You may want to convince another company to work with you. Or you may want to convince your own firm to invest in a new kind of product. You may simply be explaining to colleagues how a new training scheme will work.

Whatever the purpose of your presentation, always remember to tell your audience what you want them to do. This is a ‘call to action’. Do you want your audience to email you their ideas? Or send you a funding proposal? Or arrange a meeting?

No matter what you need your audience to do, don’t forget to tell them. And at the very end, be sure to thank them for their time!

More business presentation tips

There are many other tips we could share with you on how to ace a business presentation in English. For example, it’s never a good idea to read your presentation from a piece of paper – it’s not engaging and it means you can’t easily make eye contact. It’s also tempting to rely too heavily on visual aids like PowerPoint, but if you get it wrong your audience will read your slides instead of listening to you. On the other hand, it can really engage an audience if you ask them to work together in small groups to share ideas or solve problems.

However you choose to make your presentation, if you prepare well, speak clearly and work hard to connect with your audience, you are very likely to succeed. And if you’d like to improve your presentation skills even further, why not try live online classes with English Online ? They can help you succeed in any career where using English is essential.

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How to give an international presentation

Giving a presentation to an audience consisting of non-English speakers can be a daunting task. Because of the cultural and linguistic barriers present, it can be difficult to gain your listeners’ attention and trust, and to put across the crucial messages you’ve come to present.

But by using a handful of easy performance strategies on the big day, you can ensure that your audience follows your presentation.

1.     Know your audience

Try to be conscious of the current and historical political relationships between your own country and that of your addressees. Carry out research into any tensions that may exist, and adjust your presentation accordingly. Not only will this help you to avoid inadvertently offending your audience, it will also help you to convey yourself as a genuinely sensitive individual and, in turn, develop a relationship of trust between you and your listeners.

2.     Gain common ground

Demonstrate that you share common ground by beginning and ending your presentation in your addressees’ native tongue, and relate the subject matter of your presentation to certain aspects of their culture.

A simple sentence of greeting can work well.  Remember the “Ich bin ein Berliner” address by President Kennedy.

Citing significant documents may also help to cement yourself in the audience’s eyes as a respectful and culturally aware individual.

3.     Maintain eye contact

On the subject of the audience’s eyes, the importance of maintaining strong eye contact throughout your presentation is often underestimated. Try to remain conscious of any signs of confusion or dwindling attention among your listeners; this will help you to gauge whether your rate/tone of speech is appropriate, and adjust it accordingly. Whatever you do, though, do not simply read out a pre-prepared script word-for-word. This will naturally increase your rate of speech, and leave your listeners trailing in the dust. Instead, come equipped with an organised batch of notes that will stimulate spontaneous expansion of your major points and topics.

4.     Choose clear slides

Dwindling audience attention can also be a sign that your use of slides is not effective. When preparing your slides, avoid textured backgrounds, as these can be difficult to read in a large auditorium. Instead, opt for simple fonts (Arial and Verdana are the best) against a plain background.

Remember, also, to switch between your slides at a constant, manageable pace. So as not to bore your audience with over-long displays or, worse, leave them trailing with rapid switches, a good rule of thumb is one slide per minute.

5.     A picture is worth a thousand words

Using pictures is a key way to get your message across to any audience, but works particularly well for international audiences.

A clear strong image with a caption can work well.  If using images of people, be careful not to use cultural stereotypes and be particularly careful with hand gestures.

This image is taken from one of our templates, click here to download our Plant PowerPoint template .

If you are looking for images for your presentation we have an article that discusses some of the best places to find them. Click Here for Top 10 websites for presentation images

6.     Clear graphs are important

Like a bad translation service, choosing the wrong type of graph when presenting to an international audience can cause confusion and create an unwanted and potentially disastrous distraction from your presentation’s crucial message. Conversely, a well-used, clear and concise graph can help you to overcome the language barrier between yourself and the audience, and convey information more effectively than words ever could. To ensure that your graph is successful, follow the four simple steps below:

Make your graph self-explanatory. Use a clear, large title, and avoid including irrelevant information. Remember that ease of reading is of pivotal importance. Use large text, and contrast it strongly from your background. One thing that is sure to send your presentation off track is being asked to pause and recite the illegible lettering on your graph. Do not include abbreviations, jargon or codes in your graph. These are open to interpretation, and the audience may reach the wrong conclusion from the information shown.

Figure 1- Call Centre Helper, the UK’s most popular call centre magazine, forecasts growth of 4,000 additional visitors to their website each month. By December 2011, we expect a minimum of 134,000 monthly visitors.

Figure 2, on the other hand, uses abbreviations, lacks identity and does not include a data chart showing each month’s visitors. Without even an informative caption, it is easy to see how a chart like this could lead to confusion and frustration among your audience.

7.     Translate into a foreign language and back

Keeping your language as simple as possible is critical.  You need to try and limit the number of complex words.

A good acid test of your speech would be to translate it from English to a foreign language and back.

The example below, which was obtained via Yahoo’s translation webpage, illustrates.

Original English:

In February 2010, www.callcentrehelper.com was visited by 94,746 individuals, each of whom was eager to obtain the very best knowledge of contact centre processes and procedures, and thereby improve the efficiency and productivity of their working environment.

Retranslation to English:

In February 2010, www.callcentrehelper.com it was visited by 94.746 individuals, each of coma it was the fully passionate desire to obtain the very better knowledge of processes and procedures on the centre of contact, and thus improves effectiveness and productivity of their working medium.

The example above speaks for itself; the retranslation is not accurate, coherent or professional-sounding.

Simplifying your language will help to make it more easily understood by people whose first language is not English.

A final thought

By following these simple guidelines, you could significantly increase the likelihood that your presentation will meet its objectives.  Just remember that your audience has displayed a great deal of respect in inviting you to present; the least you can do is return the same respect throughout your presentation.

George Dixon

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How to do a successful presentation in a foreign language

Public speaking is something challenging for many people, but it becomes even more difficult when done in a foreign language.

Whether one is an expert lecturer or a student presenting a topic in class, there are numerous ways that teach us how to talk well in public in a language other than our native tongue. This post will provide you with strategies and tactics for creating memorable presentations.

There are numerous circumstances where you are required to speak English in public.

Nowadays, it is extremely possible that you will be required to speak English publicly in professional or academic settings. That is why you must be able to present in English and be comfortable speaking in public in a language other than your native tongue.

Almost every university requires students to present in English, either individually or in groups.

Reporting to clients or colleagues in English is a requirement in many jobs, much more so now since teams are more multinational than ever.

You conduct interviews

Interviews must be conducted in English if you wish to work for a multinational company or a company that uses this language as their official language. Additionally, it might be part of a task during a non-English job interview.

How to overcome fear in English: 7 strategies and recommendations

The following guidelines for public speaking English can help you whether you’re giving a presentation at school, a client presentation, or any other formal setting in which you’re required to speak your second or third language.

Create a theme

Whether you have a few months or five minutes to prepare, you can compose a brief script outlining the sequence and progression of the concepts you wish to communicate. If possible, there is no reason why you should not have that script available, particularly if it boosts your confidence.

Prepare supporting documentation

You can create slide shows, films, or photographs that assist you to emphasize a point and, coincidentally, direct your audience’s attention to those resources.

Look for terms and phrases that are pertinent to the audience or business to which your display pertains, particularly if they are unknown to you. Then jot them down in a note and use them. As a result, you won’t have to waste time hunting for them during the presentation.

Recognize your audience

Making a presentation to children, for instance, to tell them a story, is not the same as presenting an investigation to a group of academics. As a result, it is critical to understand your audience; you can also investigate their level of language proficiency (it is possible that some members of your audience do not speak English or another language as a first language) to determine whether you can use straightforward language or if you must be more technical.

Consider the language, not the translation

This tip is applicable in a variety of settings, not simply when speaking to an English-speaking audience. When you think about the language, you take ownership of it; it becomes a part of you, just like your own tongue, and this helps you make it natural, which makes it easier to speak. This does not imply you will speak it properly, but you will have established a base of trust, which is beneficial.

This is a critical piece of advice. Practice is critical for improving performance since it provides an opportunity to make mistakes and learn from them. Solicit comments from a friend or family member by having them listen to you and seeing you. You can also use your cell phone to record and study yourself. Additionally, you can present your presentation in front of a mirror.

Keep an eye on your body language

Effective use of body language is critical to eliciting the public’s attention, empathy, and connection with you. At first, avoid putting your hands in your pockets, hunching over, or remaining immobile. Consider how you communicate with your friends about an event that occurred to you: you move your hands, you stop and sit down, and you make several movements. All of these aspects can also be transferred to a formal presentation, of course, while adhering to the protocol of the scenario.

Interacting with visitors at your lectures

A presentation in English requires you to demonstrate interpersonal skills that will enable you to connect with your audience more effectively. Pay special attention to the following:

Recognize and capitalize on your strengths

This is a natural outcome of the exercise. If you do not practice before to the presentation, you may not be aware of your strengths and weaknesses until the presentation begins. Rather than that, practicing allows you to hone your strengths and strengthen your deficiencies.

The smile is an effective strategy for establishing rapport with the public. Although it is critical to emphasize that it should not be there at all times, only when necessary. If you are addressing a serious or painful issue, your smile will alienate your audience; yet, if you are addressing a joyful one, your smile will enhance the subject’s brilliance.

How to deliver an English presentation without dying in the attempt

To begin with, you must overcome two fears: fear of public speaking and fear of speaking another language. We recognize that it will not be simple, but it will not be impossible either. We all have the ability to communicate in another language in public. Galleryteachers in the United Kingdom has the following courses to assist you in this process:

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10 confidence-boosting tips for presenting in a foreign language

Giving a presentation in any language is a challenging task. In fact, it’s estimated that around 75% of people struggle when it comes to public speaking.

The best way to confront the fear of public speaking is to stand up to it, to fight the fear and to believe in yourself; to be confident. In this article we give you 10 confidence-boosting tips to build your armour against the fear of presenting as a non-native (or native!) speaker.

You’ve already won

An important and empowering thing you must remember is that you are doing something (presenting in a foreign language) that the majority of people in the UK would not even be able to attempt! So, you’ve already garnered respect for doing something most of your audience could only dream of doing. Embrace this and allow it to boost those all-important confidence levels! If you don’t believe me, do a little experiment: if you work with native English speakers, ask them the question ‘how would you feel about doing a presentation in a foreign language?’ I have a feeling I know how they’d react.

Fight your fears to make them your strengths

Pronunciation is often the Achilles’ Heel of a language learner; non-native speakers of any language may feel that giving a presentation will shine a spotlight on their vulnerabilities. If this is how you feel, you shouldn’t ignore it, you should fight it. Pick out the words in your presentation which you find most difficult to pronounce and follow the steps below. Let’s use the word ‘strategy’ as an example: 

       a) Break the word into syllables:

stra   -    te   -    gy

       b) Mark the stressed syllable(s):

stra      -    te    -    gy

       c) If you know the phonemic chart, write the word phonetically:

/ stræ   -   tɪʤ   -   ɪ /

       d) If you don’t know the phonemic chart, write it phonetically in the regular alphabet:

strah    -    tuh    -     jee

Now practise! Say the word using the prompts above a few times, then add them into a sentence and practice saying the whole thing a few times. Don’t over-do it, though! Just until you’re happy that the word is clear enough to understand.

Don’t memorise

Tempting though it may be, don’t fall into the trap. Memorising a 5, 10, 15+ minute presentation is a huge task and it will only add to stress and pressure. You’re more likely to whizz through it too, which will be detrimental to your pronunciation and overall delivery; not to mention how unnatural and less relatable it will be. Instead, use small cards to write statistics, key words, and the words you find particularly difficult to pronounce (see above). You may not even need these cards in the end, but they will certainly provide a powerful placebo effect and boost your much-needed confidence.

Know your limits

Be aware of your linguistic limits and don’t use this as an opportunity to push them. Don’t try to replicate (or translate!) what you would say in your native language. Imagine the stress of dancing the salsa in public without knowing the moves, don’t do it to yourself! Use shorter, more literal sentences than you would in your own language, this will ensure you feel as calm and as confident as possible.

Before a big race, not only will an athlete train on the tracks, but also at the gym. You should do the same: practice speaking out loud. Say anything you want (not just lines from your presentation), whenever you have a spare 5 minutes to yourself, as long as it’s in your target language! This will build your speech muscles and add to your confidence in speaking out-loud.

“A picture is worth a thousand words”

This famous English adage is as true now as it always has been. If you’re creating a PowerPoint slideshow for your presentation, use images. One image could communicate a complex message or idea in a matter of seconds, without any words required.

Culture-wise

Just to make sure you don’t make any cultural faux-pas, do a little research into the culture of the people you’ll be presenting to. This way you’ll avoid any embarrassing situations or potentially offensive jokes or content. It’s not that likely that you would offend, but just by doing this little bit of research, you’ll be confident knowing that your presentation is appropriate for the group you’re delivering to.

Practise your whole presentation a couple of times with a native speaker. Ask them for some honest feedback and any suggestions they have to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the language used. 

This may sound like the most obvious piece of advice ever, but it works wonders. Nerves are going to be high in the build up to your presentation, keep them under control by practising a simple breathing technique if you have a few minutes before you start. It’s all about slow, calm breathing. If you’re not sure of the technique, there’s plenty of videos on YouTube to help you.

Expert advice

Here at PLS, we’re fortunate enough to work in an office full of non-native English speakers with outstanding communication skills, so I took the opportunity to ask them for some words of wisdom on how to tackle a presentation in a foreign language. Here are some highlights:

• Use ‘power positions’ (i.e. make yourself as tall and 'solid' as possible)
• Make eye contact
• Ask the audience questions
• Remember the acronym, ‘KISS’: Keep It Short and Simple

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If you're interested in building your second language for communication in a business environment, get in touch to see how Professional Language Solutions can help.

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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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Give a presentation in English: introduction

Tips and useful phrases.

Giving a presentation: the most challenging language skill

In this introduction into how to give a presentation in English I'll ask how a student of English can speak and be convincing in front of an audience. Or when speaking in a teleconference with English as the common language. When considering the English language skills required in the workplace today, the ability to give a presentation or handle yourself in English in teleconferences among your colleagues and foreign counterparts is probably one of the most important. Furthermore, this skill is also the most challenging for the non-native speaker. Giving a formal presentation means you must stand up in front of an audience, try to sell your ideas, be convincing, diplomatic, concise, knowledgeable, and all this in a foreign language!

The presentation should be given by the person who knows the subject

Despite the challenges involved, more and more of my business English students are now called upon by their companies to give a presentation in English although their language level may be below an intermediate level. Presentations should be given by specialists in their particular field of work and not by those employees who simply have the best level of English.

Giving a presentation without advanced English

This means that a company with international connections may have to choose someone to talk about his or her area of work even though their English language level is not proficient. However, it is possible to give presentations without having advanced English if you plan correctly, take time to practise pronunciation and key English phrases and rehearse your talk beforehand. One thing to remember is that there is an advantage to this situation. You can plan what you say before you speak - something we cannot do when in a conversation, for example. This means that like an actor in a film taking on a role of a foreign character, you can learn what you want to say before you speak and, if we are careful not to ask the audience not to interrupt, we can give a passable or even an excellent presentation. Furthermore, the intensive language learning that will take place while you are studying the expressions you will need for your presentation will provide you with a boost to your language skills s you learn how to talk about yourself as a professional, your company and its products and services.

I believe the development of presentation skills in English may be the initial step to take linguistically. Once we are able to express ourselves proficiently in this medium, we will then find we are better qualified to take part in more demanding language tasks such as the teleconference, where interaction and listening skills are also required. The following pages offer you, the business English student and company professional, advice and practical help to best prepare your presentation in English.

Good luck and most of all enjoy giving your presentations in English!

Part 1 - Pronunciation of technical vocabulary

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5 Steps to Giving a Presentation in a Foreign Language

Giving a speech or business presentation in a foreign language? That adds often an additional layer of excitement but also insecurity. I often hear: “I am ok when I present in my native language, but in English/French/Chinese/(add your second language here)? That’s another story.”

Therefore I wanted to share with you the process that I have applied to be able to give keynotes in Dutch and currently work-on progress to give keynotes in French as of 2017.

I am starting from two assumptions:

• You have already a presentation more or less ready and now need to give that presentation in another language. In case overall presentation creation and delivery is also a focus topic for you than you can read further  here  or  here  or  here .
• I also assume that you already have experience in the other language, i.e. that you can speak on a moderate/intermediate level but not yet full fluent presentation style level. Giving a speech in a language that is totally new to you is another matter.

Now to the 5 steps. They are: iphone it, Dragon it, Google it, Upwork it, and mYngle it.

I am using some of my favourite tools I use here, I am sure there are also other solutions.

Step 1: iphone it!

In the presentation that you are familiar with, e.g. your native language, record that speech, e.g. on your iPhone of whatever device/smartphone you have at hand that can record and give a recognisable file format as output. You ideally want to use a lapel microphone so that your hands are free while you are talking.

Step 2: Dragon it!

Now you need to transcribe this speech. You can do this yourself (takes a bit of time) or send it to a transcribtion service (some money involved). A good alternative is to Dragon it, i.e. use speech recognition software like e.g.  Nuance’s Dragon Natural Speaking  that turns your speech into a text file.

Step 3: Google it!

This is not for research now here, but rather to use  Google Translate . This will give you a first draft of your speech in the language of your choice. The  first draft  part is actually really, really important. Although software is eating the world you cannot yet fully trust this translation. If you don’t pay attention you will end up with very funny sentences which will probably amuse your audience for the wrong reasons. That’s why you need to do step 4:

Step 4: Upwork it! 

Go to a freelancer platform like e.g.  Upwork  (formerly known as elance and odesk) or freelancer.com or somewhere else in your network and try to find a copywriter that copyedits and corrects your text. You want to carve out the edges from your speech that Google Translate left. Now you should have a decent text in the other language.

Step5: mYngle it!

Now it’s time to practice your speech. Here, platforms like  mYngle  can help where you can work with language teachers over Skype in virtually any language. You need to contact a teacher, schedule a first lesson and then ask whether they are ok with you giving these presentations over Skype. Practice it a couple of times, first reading out loud, then reading a bit less, until you’re more or less fluent. Voila.

There is no blue pill that can magically transform you into a fluent speaker of another language. However, it is a very rewarding exercise that can also broaden your professional and personal horizon. With a bit of effort and some small investments you can make big leaps forward and also give your presentations in other languages. Do you have additional strategies? I am curious to hear from you.

Lars Sudmann is an expert on high-performance leadership in global corporations. You can contact Lars to work with you as change consultant or keynote speaker & workshop facilitator for your next event. Lars works in English, German and Dutch and is using the above process to soon give presentations in French as well. This article also appeared on his blog:  www.lars-sudmann.com , where you can also watch his TEDx talks. You can also follow Lars  here  and on  Twitter . 

Images credit: Shutterstock.com; To simplify things, one of the above links lead to an affiliate site to directly show you the product.

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How to Give an International Presentation

Whether you’ve been asked to speak at an industry conference, address your overseas branch, or conduct training, giving a presentation that will be watched globally and consumed by audiences in a variety of languages will require extra presentation prep. But this process doesn’t have to be daunting.

Taking into consideration each audience, individual language levels and knowledge requires more work on the front end, but following some basic guidelines will make your presentation accessible for everyone in your audience.

Know Your Audience

The first thing to consider is who your audience is. Are you presenting to one foreign language group or multiple?

If you are presenting to only one other foreign market, you can localize your translated presentation. Localization is the process of adapting your document to fit local customs, design standards, and adjusting for cultural references and sensitivities.

Localization is an important step. There are a lot of thoughts out there on why a translation is not enough . If you take the time to adjust for specific cultural and even regional differences in your presentation, your foreign language audience will not only understand your presentation better but you will gain credibility with your audience.

If you are presenting to an audience with multiple foreign languages, you won’t be able to localize for one specific language. In fact, you’ll want to remove specific idioms, or references towards one language or region so you are not marginalizing your other audiences.

Your Audience’s Level of English

Aside from translating your presentation into your target language, when it comes to the actual presentation itself, you’ll need to keep in mind your audience’s level of English.

Understanding enough English to comprehend your presentation material is one thing. But there are some things that just don’t translate, regardless of your audience’s knowledge level.

• Humor. While laughing is shared across cultures, jokes made in English don’t always make sense. Something we may find funny isn’t necessarily something a foreign language speaker, with different cultural norms, will find as funny. Often, communication patterns in other cultures take words at face-value, which might make your attempted humor fall flat.
• Metaphors & Analogies. Metaphors and analogies are great tools for taking a complex process or idea and simplifying it into something more digestible. However, will your foreign language audience understand the metaphor you are trying to use? Take for example a common phrase used in Russia, “hanging noodles from your ear.” Make any sense to you as a non-native Russian speaker? That phrase has the same connotation as “pulling your leg” in English. Both are simple, harmless phrases used a lot in daily speech, but cause confusion to those not culturally aware of the phrase.

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Whether this is your first global presentation or one of many, seeking professional help from qualified translators and localizers can save you a lot of time and confusion.

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How to present powerfully to international audiences

January 11, 2020

Multilingual, international audiences are now increasingly common. Non-native English-speaking  audiences provide a unique challenge for speakers and presenters: How can you be clearly understood, without dumbing down your topic or patronising your audience?

In addition, if english is not your first language, you may feel at a disadvantage., however, you do not need to speak english brilliantly to be an effective communicator. in fact, people who speak english as a second language are more effective at communicating to multilingual audiences, according to a bbc article ..

At Benjamin Ball Associates, we have helped thousands of senior executives from Europe, Asia and the Middle East to present more effectively. From our experience, there are five simple rules you can follow to ensure your message is received and understood.

Contact us for a free consultation on your coaching needs

So whether English is your first, second or even third tongue, use these rules to present effectively to multilingual audiences:

1. Presenting to non-English speakers: Keep your language simple

Dale Carnegie, author of How to Make Friends and Influence People, claimed that, “90 per cent of all management problems are caused by miscommunication.” Effective presenters stick to plain and simple language – words most likely to be in everyone’s vocabulary – when speaking to those who don’t speak English as their first language. For example, a native French or Arabic speaker is less likely to understand the meaning of “plethora,” so you would be better to use “plenty” or “a lot.”

Avoid jargon, acronyms and cultural idioms, as your audience are less likely to understand them.

Varying your vocabulary throughout your presentation may also confuse a multilingual audience. For example, avoid talking about ‘benefits’ and then later referring to ‘advantages’.

2. Presenting to international audiences: Pause. Frequently

“Sometimes you need to pause to let everything sink in,” according to German racing driver Sebastian Vettel. Even a four-time Formula 1 world champion needs to slow down occasionally. Presenting in English to multilingual audiences is no different.

Pausing regularly gives you extra time to prepare your next sentence, and allows the audience time to absorb what you just said. Effective speakers strive to put the same care and attention into their pauses as they do their overall message. How can you use pauses when presenting to multilingual audiences?:

•     Between different speakers, topics or sections.
•     Before a punchline or key message (this also adds tension and emphasis).
•     After a punchline or key message, to let it sink in.
•     Combined with a dramatic action, for example uncovering a new product or pointing to something important.
•     Alongside body language signals, to emphasise the pause.

3. Presenting to international audiences: Summarise regularly.

Have you ever walked away from an important meeting or presentation unsure about the meeting’s topic, its purpose, or your actions? Regularly summarising throughout your presentation will prevent your audience from leaving with these frustrating – and potentially damaging – outcomes.

The benefits of inserting regular summaries into your presentation:

•     Checking your audience’s understanding of what you’ve said.
•     Re-stating your key messages.
•     Bringing topics or sections to a close.
•     Re-stating any future actions for your audience.
•     Refreshing your audience’s memory of what you’ve said.

You could also try splitting the presentations into clearly defined topics, or holding regular question and answer sessions. Both tactics help to consolidate everyone’s understanding. Boxer Muhammad Ali once said, “It’s the repetition of affirmations that leads to belief. And once that belief becomes a deep conviction, things begin to happen.” Keeping your presentation structure simple will also make your content much more easily digested.

4. Presenting to non-English audiences: Bring your subject to life with stories, examples and anecdotes.

An executive was delivering speech in a foreign country through an interpreter. Without warning the interpreter beforehand, he inserted a joke into the presentation. The interpreter knew the joke would not translate and knew of no equivalent to substitute in its place. So she said, “This man just told a joke that he thinks is funny, but it does not translate well, and you will not find it funny at all. So, when I stop talking, everyone please just laugh.” The audience did indeed roar with laughter, but not for the reason the speaker supposed.

Telling stories, like the one above, works across language and cultures and brings your subject to life. The power of storytelling is timeless, transcending industries and technology. Just ask Hollywood director James Cameron who said, “I don’t use film cameras… it’s all Computer Generated now… It’s a completely different toolset. But the rules of storytelling are the same.”

So, is there a short anecdote relevant to your topic that you could use to open your presentation? If you can, use a local or topical angle for your anecdote. The audience will then know that you have tailored your talk for them.

5. Presenting to international audiences: Start with impact

“Sadly, in the next 18 minutes when I do our chat, four Americans that are alive will be dead from the food that they eat.” Jamie Oliver uses the very first line of his TED speech on food ignorance to shock his audience and immediately hook their attention. Audiences form their overall impression of you and your message within the first minute or two. So, instead of simply introducing yourself or thanking the audience for attending, you could try one of the following tried and tested openers:

•     Tell a short story that is relevant to your topic or angle.
•     Ask a question that makes your audience think or respond.
•     Describe a scenario that sets the scene and encourages the audience to imagine what they would do in that circumstance.
•     Do something unexpected or shocking, that makes the audience reconsider their preconceived ideas already.

Leave the housekeeping, introductions or pleasantries to the person who welcomes you to the front of the room. If you need to cover some low impact but essential content – or if you won’t be introduced by anyone – it’s still important to begin with a high impact start. You can then loop back to the housekeeping, introductions or thanks / pleasantries at the end of your presentation.

If you apply these five essentials for delivering presentations to multilingual audiences, you will connect with every member of your audience – without your message getting lost in translation.

Start your journey to world-class communication skills now

Download our free ebook: Five Steps to Improve your Leadership Talks. It’s full of practical tips and insightful quotes that will help you make immediate improvements to your communication skills, including:

•     Increase your confidence when you talk and present.
•     Improve how you persuade your audience.
•     Get more engagement with your audience.
•     Learn practical ways to structure your talks.

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For 15+ years we’ve been the trusted choice of leading businesses and executives throughout the UK, Europe and the Middle East to improve presentation skills and presentations through coaching, training and expert advice.

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Speak to Louise on +44 20 7018 0922 or email [email protected] to find out more and discuss transforming your speeches, pitches and presentations.

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Advice for Giving a Dual-Language Presentation

by Bryan Juarez

I graduated with a PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Iowa State University during May 2021. While preparing my presentation I noticed I could not find any easily accessible resources which gave advice on presenting in two languages. For this reason, I was invited to write about my experience. The goal of this piece is to give advice for others looking to do the same – present science effectively to an audience speaking two languages. I use “dual-language” because I was not just speaking in Spanish; my titles and figures were in both languages too.

Why did I choose to present in Spanish and English?

Like many other Latinx people, I struggle with using Spanish to communicate my science to my parents. I presented in both languages because I wanted my parents to feel during this special occasion that they are my primary target audience (instead of just bystanders). Giving a presentation in two languages was a challenge but it helped to develop my scientific communication skills overall. More importantly, what better milestone than a PhD defense to flip the dynamic and center my parents in my presentation? A clear consequence of this is that the English-speakers watching my presentation felt (maybe for the first time) as if their language is not the primary mode of communication: this is a common feeling in Spanish-speakers.

I knew this was going to take time. In the end, preparing the full presentation took maybe twice as much time as preparing an English-only one. My first suggestion is to start early. I speak Spanish at home, but this excludes scientific terms. This means I was forced to use primary literature to find appropriate translations for specific terms. When not possible and as suggested by Nora Moskowitz in the O’Connell lab at Stanford, we can look up jargon on Wikipedia, then switch the language to Spanish to find the word we need more easily!

Interestingly, I also had to look up accents although I knew the translation for a word. I am Mexican American and I grew up speaking both English and Spanish. Yet, I struggle with accents despite knowing the rules for placing accents on words. This does not come natural to me and is a consequence of limited opportunities in the United States for the public to write in Spanish. Furthermore, I faced the challenge of code switching. I spoke in both languages, sometimes in the same slide! Possibly the most difficult issue I faced was translating the science while presenting the material as clearly as possible to non-scientists. All these issues put together created a worthy challenge, one that I was motivated to overcome.

Organization

I used two sets of titles, one in each language. What helped the audience distinguish between these two sets of text was italics and the general suggestion of keeping titles short. For my figures, I also had two sets of axes (one in each language) and translations for figure insets. In science we use uncommon vocabulary often. For this reason, while making translations, I looked for much simpler synonyms for specific words, ones that my parents would understand. One example is taxonomy. Instead of using “Anura” throughout my talk, I used “frogs” and “ ranas ”. For my images, I am proud of coming up with the idea of finding Spanish versions of general figures. For example, Darwin is a key author in much of our research, therefore, I presented the cover of Origin in an introductory slide – but in Spanish. Scientists will recognize the image and book from context, Spanish-speakers are the direct audience here and this enhances their understanding.

Execution and Code Switching

For some slides, I used only Spanish text and used English for the rest. I did this because it would be limiting to have only text i n Spanish and never connect verbally with my Spanish-speaking audience. Speaking in one language and having written text in another also helped to overcome the problem of having too many words on a slide. For this reason, I included English text in intro slides or big results slides but spoke the information out loud in Spanish. This meant I had to memorize my translations ahead of time or say the translations for the English text on the fly. Surprisingly, this was not too challenging for me since I am a master of Spanglish. If you are planning on doing this, make sure to prep your audience at the beginning of the talk.

The response I received from those at my defense was very positive. Both Spanish-speakers and English-speakers indicated having understood my research. After speaking to others, I found out dual-language presentations are common in English- and French-speaking countries! I hope this piece lets us present our science with more than a single target audience and help make science more inclusive.

I am a first-generation college graduate who grew up in Los Angeles, California. I spent a lot of my time playing in my backyard and I thrived in museums. Field trips were my favorite activity and luckily southern California has a ton of museums, aquaria, and zoos (etc.). I majored in Zoology and Geology at UC Santa Barbara, and earned advanced degrees in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of Michigan and Iowa State University. Currently, I am an NSF Postdoc in the O’Connell and Hadly labs at Stanford University. I thank my PhD Advisor, Dean Adams, in encouraging me to embrace my culture and identity while preparing my defense talk. Outside of academia, I enjoy finding salamanders, insects, other invertebrates, and playing video games.

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How to Make a “Good” Presentation “Great”

• Guy Kawasaki

Remember: Less is more.

A strong presentation is so much more than information pasted onto a series of slides with fancy backgrounds. Whether you’re pitching an idea, reporting market research, or sharing something else, a great presentation can give you a competitive advantage, and be a powerful tool when aiming to persuade, educate, or inspire others. Here are some unique elements that make a presentation stand out.

• Fonts: Sans Serif fonts such as Helvetica or Arial are preferred for their clean lines, which make them easy to digest at various sizes and distances. Limit the number of font styles to two: one for headings and another for body text, to avoid visual confusion or distractions.
• Colors: Colors can evoke emotions and highlight critical points, but their overuse can lead to a cluttered and confusing presentation. A limited palette of two to three main colors, complemented by a simple background, can help you draw attention to key elements without overwhelming the audience.
• Pictures: Pictures can communicate complex ideas quickly and memorably but choosing the right images is key. Images or pictures should be big (perhaps 20-25% of the page), bold, and have a clear purpose that complements the slide’s text.
• Layout: Don’t overcrowd your slides with too much information. When in doubt, adhere to the principle of simplicity, and aim for a clean and uncluttered layout with plenty of white space around text and images. Think phrases and bullets, not sentences.

As an intern or early career professional, chances are that you’ll be tasked with making or giving a presentation in the near future. Whether you’re pitching an idea, reporting market research, or sharing something else, a great presentation can give you a competitive advantage, and be a powerful tool when aiming to persuade, educate, or inspire others.

• Guy Kawasaki is the chief evangelist at Canva and was the former chief evangelist at Apple. Guy is the author of 16 books including Think Remarkable : 9 Paths to Transform Your Life and Make a Difference.

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Snapdeal Co-Founder Kunal Bahl bats for native languages in presentations, says ease of communication alone needed

Kunal bahl, co-founder of snapdeal, shared his thoughts on the benefits of using native languages in business presentations, challenging the conventional preference for english..

Kunal Bahl Co-Founder of Snapdeal, made a compelling case for the use of native languages in business contexts. In a recent Tweet, Bahl recounted an encounter with a startup founder, who hesitantly asked if he could conduct his business presentation in Hindi , to which Bahl enthusiastically agreed. Highlighting this interaction, Bahl slammed the prevailing preference for English in professional settings, advocating instead for authenticity and ease of communication in one’s native language.

“I was surprised when a startup founder sheepishly asked me a few days ago whether he can walk me through his startup's presentation in Hindi because he would be more comfortable," Bahl said in a post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter ) on April 22.

Obviously I replied with a resounding "𝙔𝙚𝙨, 𝙤𝙛𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚!".

"Yes, definitely," Bahl answered, and insisted at length that authentic communication should be the primary priority, rather than speaking English. Bahl pointed this was a surprise that spurred contemplation. Bahl said it was unusual that native Hindi speakers would feel the need to ponder over whether it's appropriate to use their mother tongue in professional presentations.

His tweet underlined a bigger message that encouraged confidence in using mother tongue in business just as one would everywhere else.

“It seemed strange that two people, who understand and speak the same native language fluently, are having to discuss whether they can have a business presentation in their own language, which they know best," Bahl said.

What founders think?

Bahl said many founders think that investors expect them to be suave and fluent in English .  "At least from my standpoint, it absolutely doesn't matter. Zero. Getting your point across, the complete and authentic essence of it, is much more important than having a colonial mindset that if it's an important business presentation, it must be done in English," Bahl added.

“Irrespective of whether we are fluent in English or not, we should feel absolute confidence in speaking our mother tongue in business settings just like we do in social settings," Bahl said.

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