Top Presentation Tips

1. Introduce yourself and establish the topic(s) you are going to discuss. Before you begin, people
will want to know who you are and why they should listen to what you have to say, while pinpointing
exactly what you are going to discuss can help to establish realistic expectations amongst the
audience.
2. Provide an overview of the presentation. During this phase, you might want to briefly explain the
format of your presentation and some of the key points. You may even wish to state some of your
conclusions, which you can then expand upon throughout the remainder of the speech.
3. Make sure you acknowledge when you are changing topics. If you are giving a presentation that
lasts more than a few minutes, it is inevitable that some people will tune out at certain parts, because
people have short attention spans. Marking a shift in topics is a great way to ‘win back’ those who
have tuned out.
4. Establish early that you will take questions at the end. Giving a presentation is difficult enough,
without constant interruptions. At the same time, people may have valid questions about your
presentation and the facts contained within it. State early on that you will answer questions after you
have finished.
5. Practice your presentation frequently. Even native speakers will practice giving an important
speech ahead of time. One tip is to give your speech in front of a mirror, so you can practice making
gestures at the right time. Try to get through your entire speech without using too many filler words
like ‘erm’ and ‘ahh’.

Useful Vocabulary
Introductory Phrases:
The beginning of your presentation is one of the most important parts, because it sets the tone for what is to
come. During your introduction, you will likely need to explain who you are, what your position is and what
you are going to be discussing. The following may be helpful as introductory phrases:

“Hello everyone, my name is…”

“Good morning/afternoon/evening, my name is… and I am a…”
“Welcome everybody. Today I am going to talk about…”

Changing Focus:

During your presentation, there may be times where you need to shift the focus, in order to make all of the
points you wish to make. Drawing attention to any changes of focus can serve to give your presentation a
clearer structure and can also help to keep the attention of listeners. Some examples of phrases you might use
include:

“I would like to shift focus now to…”

“Next, we need to consider…”
“This leads me to my next point…”
Drawing Attention to Slides:

In many cases, you presentation will include visual aids, such as slides on a screen, or handouts. The inclusion
of visuals can help to back up the points you are making, while also making the presentation more interesting
or exciting. To introduce your slides or other visual aids, you may find the following phrases helpful:

“If I could draw your attention to…”

“This chart/graph/table illustrates…”
“If you look up at the screen…”
“I would like to show you this…”
“On your handout, you may see…”

Summarising a Presentation:

At the end of a presentation, it is important to summarise the main points you have made, so that you can
remind listeners of what has been said. This is a chance to point out which parts of the presentation you think
are especially important, and ensure everybody leaves with the key pieces of information. Useful phrases
include:

To summarise…”
“In conclusion…”
“I would like to recap…”
“To sum up what has been said…”
“So, we have covered…”

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Helpful phrases for a presentation

The following is an overview of useful presentation phrases to provide you with the basic structure of a presentation
in English. Feel free to use them in your presentation.

Introduction

On behalf of Company I would like to welcome you here today. My name is Max Mustermann and I am the CFO of Global
Travel.

Hi, I’m Max and I am the head of markteing of Global Travel.

Good morning/afternoon/evening ladies and gentlemen. My name is Max Mustermann and I am delighted to be here today to
talk to you about…

I’d like to introduce my colleague Max Mustermann.

Hi everyone, I’m Max from Accounts and today I’d like to talk to you about…

Introducing the topic

Today I am here to talk to you about…

As you all know, today I am going to talk to you about…

I would like to take this opportunity to talk to you about…

I am delighted to be here today to tell you about…

 Today I would like to outline…

Structuring the presentation

My talk is divided into x parts.

I’ll start with / Firstly I will talk about… / I’ll begin with

then I will look at …

next…

and finally…

I will be glad to answer any questions that you may have at the end.

Beginning the presentation

I’ll start with some general information on…

I’d just like to give you some background information about…

Before I start, does anyone know…?

As you are all aware / As you all know…

Changing the topic/speaker

 Right, let’s move on to…

This leads me to my next point, which is…

I’d now like to look at / consider…

Now I will pass you over to /hand over to Max Mustermann.

Does anyone have any questions before I move on?

Summary

To sum up…

So to summarise the main points of my talk…

Just a quick recap of my main points…

Inviting questions

Does have anyone have any questions?

I will be happy to answer your questions now

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask

If you have any further questions, I will be happy to talk to you at the end.

Conclusion
 I’d like to conclude by…

That brings me to the end of my presentation, thank for listening / for your attention.

Thank you all for listening, it was a pleasure being here today.

Well that’s it from me. Thanks very much.

Tolingo.com

Enquiries in emails and letters

English letters emails

I am writing to enquire about…

I am writing to request…

Referring
English letters emails

I am writing in reference to your…

letter dated…

advertisement
 enquiry

Further to our telephone conversation / meeting / discussion…

Thanking
English letters emails

Thank you for your letter / email

Thank you for your interest in…

our company / our products / our services.

Email small talk

English letters emails

How are you?

I hope you are well.

It was good to…

see you at… / talk to you on….

I hope you enjoyed…

the conference / our holiday / the party.

Asking for information

 English letters emails

I would be grateful if you would send me some information on…

I would be interested to find out more about…

your products / your services / your offers.

Please could you send me…

a brochure / a catalog / your current price list?

Requesting something

English letters emails

I would be grateful if you would…

Would you / Could you please…

It would be great if you would…

Requesting a quote

English letters emails

Please could you send me a quote for…

 I would be grateful if you could send me a quote for the
following:…

Confirming

English letters emails

I am pleased to confirm that…

I just wanted to…

confirm the meeting / our appointment

Referring to attachments / enclosures

English letters emails

Please find attached…

Please find enclosed…

Thanking

English letters emails

I would like to express my sincere thanks for…

 I am deeply grateful for…

Thanks very much for…

Congratulating

English letters emails

I would like to wish you a very happy…

birthday / anniversary

I am writing to send you my warmest congratulations on…

your promotion /anniversary / new venture / new job.

I wish you all the best for…

your retirement / new job.

Inviting

English letters emails

You are warmly invited to…

I would be delighted if you would join us / me for…

 Would you like to…

Making an appointment

English letters emails

I would welcome the opportunity to meet with you in person.

Would you like to get together for lunch / coffee / dinner to

discuss this in person?

When are you free this week?

It would be great if we could arrange to meet sometime. When are

you available?

Giving bad news

English letters emails

I (deeply) regret to inform you that…

Unfortunately we have no choice but to…

Unfortunately…

Complaining
 English letters emails

Your product / your service regretably did not meet my

expectations.

I am (deeply) disspointed in…

I regret that I must call your attention to…

I would be grateful if you could look into this.

Apologizing

English letters emails

Please accept my sincere apologies for…

the misunderstanding / the mistake.

I apologise for any inconvenience that this may cause / have

caused.

I am very sorry about…

Sorry about…

the mix up / misunderstanding / mistake.

go to Concluding letters and emails

Asking for further help
English letters emails

If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Please feel free to call me on (telephone) or contact by (email), if you require any further
information.

Requesting contact
English letters emails

I would be grateful if you would get in touch with me (as soon as possible). You can reach me on
(…)

Inviting further contact

English letters emails

I very much look forward to hearing from you.

I look forward to working with you in the future.

Welcome to the tolingo´s business english guide.

Practice makes perfect when it comes to telephoning.

This overview of telephoning phrases can help you to improve your overall telephoning style.

Remember to speak slowly and to take your time. It can also help to write down what you want to say before you
make the call and don’t be afraid to ask the other person to repeat themsleves or to slow down if you don’t
understand something.

Don’t worry about making mistakes – a slight accent and a few grammar errors can be charming!
taking a call

tolingo translations, Sarah Martin speaking, how can I help you?

(Company name) (your name) speaking, how can I help you?

tolingo translations, Sarah Martin speaking.

(Company name) (Your name) speaking.

Hello, tolingo translations, Sarah Martin speaking.

Hello / Good morning / Good afternoon (Company name) (your name)

making a call

comment

Hello, this is (your name) from (company). formal

Hello, this is Ross Smith from tolingo translations.

Hi, it’s Sarah Walters from tolingo translations. friendly

very familiar, more

Hi, it’s Sarah suitable for personal
conversations

asking for somebody

comment

May I speak to (name) please? formal

 Please could I speak to (name)?

I’d like to speak to Mr Green, please.

Is Fred there? very familiar

Can I speak to Fred please?

answering the phone and confirming that you are speaking.

speaking

e.g. Hello is that Fred Barber? yes, speaking.

reasons for calling

I am calling about…

I’m calling to…

could you tell me…

I was wondering if you could tell me…

Could you tell me…

I was wondering if you could help me, I have (a problem) (a question)

I need…
 I just wanted to ask…

Just a quick question…

Just a quick word…

Just a quick one…

small talk

Hi Fred, How are you?

It’s nice to hear from you.

How are things?

How did you get on with…?

How are you getting on with…?

How was the…

How are you getting on with…?

Telephoning in english – Part 2

Ask to be called back, leave or take a message

taking a message

I’m sorry but Fred isn’t at his desk right now, can I take a message?

Mr Green is in a meeting, would you like me to take a message?

I’m afraid Ms Jackson is away this week, would you like to leave a message?

He/She is unavailable at the moment, can I take a message?

asking the caller to call back

I’m afraid she is busy right now, would you mind calling back later?

asking to leave a message

Would you mind taking a message?

I’d like to leave (him/her) a message.

leaving a message

Please tell (name) that…

Please let (name) know that…

(I called) (I need to discuss X with (him/her)

 (I’d like to re-arrange x)

Please ask (him/her) to call me back.

Please ask him her/him to contact me about….

My telephone/mobile number is…

passing on the message

I will tell him/her you called

I will pass that on to him/her

I will let him/her know

I’ll make sure he/she gets your message

calling back

Ok I’ll call back later

Ok I’ll try again tomorrow/later

go to Telephoning 3

Telephoning in English – Part 3

Clarifying
spelling

Could you spell that please?

How do you spell that, please?

repeating

I’m sorry I didn’t catch that.

I’m sorry, could you repeat that please?

I’m sorry, I can’t hear you, could you please speak up a little?

Would you mind speaking a little slower?

asking for the name/company

I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name.

Could you please repeat you name?

What was the name of the company please?

Can I just check your name? I’ll spell it.

asking when somebody is available

When will he be back/available?

 When is a good time to call?

asking somebody if they can call back later

I’m a little busy at the moment, would you mind calling me back later?

I’m afraid I can’t talk right now, would you please call me back later?

Could I call you back later? I’m a bit tied up right now.

Telephoning in English – Part 4

Connecting the caller and asking to be connected

Asking someone to hold

Wait a moment please.

I’ll just put you on hold for moment.

asking to be connected

Could you please put me through to (Fred Samson) (the sales department)?

Could you please connect me with (the finance department) (Ms Louis)
connecting someone

Just a moment, I’ll put you through

One moment please, I’ll connect you

saying the line is busy

I’m afraid the line is busy

I’m afraid his phone is engaged.

Telephoning in English – Part 5

Ending a call

Give my regards to…

Thank you very much for your help

Thanks for calling

Thank you for calling

It was great to hear from you

Speak to you soon

Cheers
 Take care, bye bye

Thank you for your time

Cheers, then bye

Cheers, then bye

Bye

Presentation tips

In the following pages you will find some useful phrases to provide you with the basic skeleton for a presentation in
English.

Tips for presenting effectively

 Give yourself plenty of time to prepare the presentation and to familiarise yourself with the topic. Practice your
presentation in front of a live audience, colleagues or friends for example.

 Structure your presentation logically, and briefly summarise your presentation in the introduction to make it easier
for your audience to understand. Sum up the most important points in your conclusion and leave a few minutes at
the end of your presentation to answer questions from your audience.

 Use visual aids such as PPT slides to highlight or demonstrate the main points of your presentation. But don’t
overload the slides with information as this will detract the audience’s attention from what you are saying.

 Involve your audience by asking them questions, or drawing on examples that are familiar to them.

 Be aware of your body language. If you look relaxed and make eye contact with the audience you will come across
as confident and your audience will feel relaxed too. Use hand gestures and facial expressions to emphasise your
message and don’t forget to smile!

 Your voice is your most important tool. By varying your tone of voice you can engage your audience. Speaking in a
monotone will make the presentation tedious whereas varying the pitch and speed at which you talk will give your
presentation energy.

 Don’t be afraid to be nervous! You will inevitably be nervous the first time you present in front of a large audience.
Remember that this is perfectly natural, and try and try to channel your nervous energy into an exciting presentation!
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