Learnship 15 - 2023/11/06

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Business Language Coaching - Session 15 - Closing A Presentation (3)

  • review your presentation close
  • work on developing a ‘smooth structure’ to your presentation

Warm-Up

How far have you got with your draft presentation close? Would you like to run your ideas past me?

Impromptu presentation practice

Topic: Politicians are often at fault for a country’s misfortunes.

Pronunciation

  • two categories of
  • as well
    • a cup full
    • seagull

Smooth structure

A presentation is very much like a journey. We need to explain: ‘Where are we going?’ And then along that journey as we move through it, we need to explain how we’re moving on. Are we making progress? And, finally, when we get to the end, we’ve got to close our presentation in a way that’s more engaging than ‘Any questions?’ So finding something that reiterates those key points at the end is absolutely essential. - Rob Geraghty, The Wow Factor

  1. If a presentation is a kind of journey, then the ability to signpost that journey is clearly critical. Complete the ‘signpost language’ below:

    • I’ am going to start off by …
      • outlining our main goals today.
      • giving you a brief overview.
      • asking you all a question.
    • Let’s Move on to the subject of …
    • OK, turning for a moment to the question of …
    • To return to my main point here.
    • Let’s expand on that a little.
    • To digress for a moment.
    • In closing, I’ll just …
      • summarize the main points we’ve looked at.
      • ask you to remember one thing.
      • leave you with this …
    • I’ll be coming on to TODO - creating anticipation
    • Going back to what I was saying earlier. - reinforcing

  2. Referring to points you made earlier in your presentation is a good way to show the coherence of your talk and strengthen your arguments. Mentioning what you’ll be talking about next can build anticipation, as long as you don’t get too much ahead of yourself! Decide whether the phrases below refer back or point forward and circle the appropriate arrow.

    1. Earlier we saw … <-
    2. This leads us on to … ->
    3. As you’ll recall … <-
    4. Later we’ll see … ->
    5. You’ll remember … <-
    6. So, the next question is … ->
    7. As we discussed … <-
    8. This brings us on to … ->
    9. This goes back to … <-
    10. By the end of this talk … ->

  3. Being able to show a logical link between your main points is very important in a presentation. Link the presentation extracts below and label the ‘link phrases’ with the appropriate function.

    1. Turnover for Q3 is well up, thanks mostly to increased sales in Russia. effect -> cause
    2. Avoiding risk is a mistake, especially in the long term. point -> specification
    3. We need to constantly reassess in particular on what it is we do best. point -> specification
    4. A rise in the price of oil has resulted in reduced profitability. cause -> effect
    5. Demand is down 3% in Japan, whereas in the rest of Asia it’s tripled. point -> contrast
    6. There’s no market for low quality, and what’s more, there never will be. point -> addition
    7. The recent flood of cheap imports may lead to a price war. cause -> effect
    8. We need to move fast so that we don’t lose our competitive lead. action -> purpose
    9. Our share price has soared as a result of the merger announcement. effect -> cause
    10. Now is the time to focus - in order to take advantage of this opportunity. action -> purpose
    11. Our website’s receiving more hits, and yet these have not converted into sales. point -> contrast
    12. It’s an enormous market; plus, it’s a growing one. point -> addition

Vocabulary/Notes

  • not many* people there
  • in 2019 I could* always find a seat
  • at the click of a button - very easily, quickly
  • COMmunist(pr)
  • the economy(pr)
  • they should be accountable for
  • on the flip side/on the other hand
  • they are trying to impose*
  • at* the end of the day
  • to participate in* such elections
  • as* time goes by
  • ultimately, essentially, basically, in a nutshell
  • President Biden (no definite article)
  • Ireland (no article)
  • a trip