English phrases for presentations

A good presentation in English is not about complicated vocabulary. It is about clear signposts that help your audience follow you, and a few calm phrases for the moments that make people nervous, like difficult questions. These are the phrases I practise with my students before their presentations.

Opening

• Thanks for having me. I’ll keep this brief.A friendly, confident first line that relaxes the room.
• I’m going to walk you through…A natural alternative to “I will present to you…”.
• By the end of this, you’ll have a clear picture of…Use this to tell the audience what they will get.

Moving between points

• I’ve divided this into three parts.Use this to give your talk a clear structure from the start.
• That brings me to my next point.A smooth way to move on.
• Let me just go back to this slide for a second.Use this when you need to return to something.

Talking about data

• As you can see here, …Use this to direct attention to a chart or number.
• Sales rose sharply, then levelled off.Useful verbs for trends: rise, dip, level off, pick up.
• What this tells us is…Use this to explain why the number matters, not just what it is.

Handling questions

• Good question. Let me come back to that at the end.Use this to stay in control of your timing.
• If I understand you correctly, you’re asking…Use this to buy thinking time and check the question.
• I don’t have that figure to hand, but I’ll get back to you.A professional way to say you don’t know yet.

Closing

• The key takeaway is…Use this to leave the audience with one clear message.
• I’ll leave it there. Happy to take any questions.A natural, confident way to finish.