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What It Takes to Give a Great Presentation

• Carmine Gallo

Five tips to set yourself apart.

Never underestimate the power of great communication. It can help you land the job of your dreams, attract investors to back your idea, or elevate your stature within your organization. But while there are plenty of good speakers in the world, you can set yourself apart out by being the person who can deliver something great over and over. Here are a few tips for business professionals who want to move from being good speakers to great ones: be concise (the fewer words, the better); never use bullet points (photos and images paired together are more memorable); don’t underestimate the power of your voice (raise and lower it for emphasis); give your audience something extra (unexpected moments will grab their attention); rehearse (the best speakers are the best because they practice — a lot).

I was sitting across the table from a Silicon Valley CEO who had pioneered a technology that touches many of our lives — the flash memory that stores data on smartphones, digital cameras, and computers. He was a frequent guest on CNBC and had been delivering business presentations for at least 20 years before we met. And yet, the CEO wanted to sharpen his public speaking skills.

• Carmine Gallo is a Harvard University instructor, keynote speaker, and author of 10 books translated into 40 languages. Gallo is the author of The Bezos Blueprint: Communication Secrets of the World’s Greatest Salesman  (St. Martin’s Press).

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10 Tips for Giving a Great Presentation in English

• September 15, 2014

Giving the perfect oral presentation in English requires practice. Remember that even great orators like Steve Jobs, Abraham Lincoln, Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King became excellent public speakers through years of dedicated practice.

When preparing your presentation in English, we recommend you watching and listening to the recordings of their public speeches as an example. Check out our video lesson and some other useful tips for giving a great presentation below.

1. Think About the Details in Advance

Giving a presentation in front of an audience is always stressful. Thinking about such details as the location of the presentation, equipment, materials, timing, your appearance and outfit will help you avoid nervousness.

2. Do Your Homework

Effective preparation requires consideration of the following things:

• Ask yourself what the presentation is all about, its title and its goal
• Think about who your audience is
• Figure out what your main message is
• Think about the structure of the presentation: the opening, the main part and the summary
• Make it easier for the audience and yourself: use simple language
• Prepare yourself for questions. Think about what questions the audience might ask
• Usually an orator has a maximum of 15 minutes to present. So, make the presentation simple, have no more than 20 slides using a font that is legible from a distance
• Don’t put large blocks of text in your presentation. No one will be interested in reading it; people prefer visual material. So think about images, graphs and videos that support your idea, but don’t overwhelm the audience with too many visual aids

3. Introduce Yourself and Set the Theme

At the beginning of the presentation, it’s important to introduce yourself, giving your full name, position and company you represent. Some people also include their contact information on the first slide. That’s in case you want someone from the audience to contact you after your presentation. After the introduction, don’t forget to state the topic of your presentation.

Useful phrases in English:

“Hello, ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming…” “The topic of today’s meeting is…” “Let’s get the ball rolling” “Shall we get started?”

4. Provide an Outline or Agenda of Your Presentation

Providing an outline of the presentation is a must, as people want to know why they should listen to you. That’s why the opening part is very important. It should be cheerful, interesting and catchy. You should know it by heart, so you don’t lose track of your thoughts even if you are nervous.

“I’d like to give you a brief outline of my presentation…” “Here is the agenda for the meeting…” “My presentation consists of the following parts…” “The presentation is divided into four main sections…” 5. Explain When the Listeners Can Ask Questions

A Question & Answer period (Q&A) usually takes place at the end of the presentation, so you have enough time to deliver the main message of your speech without being interrupted by multiple questions. If you want the audience to ask questions during or after the presentation, say so.

“There will be a Q&A session after the presentation” “Please feel free to interrupt me if you have any questions” “I will be happy to answer your questions at any time during the presentation”

6. Make a Clear Transition in Between the Parts of the Presentation

Using transition words and phrases in English makes your presentation look smooth and easy to follow.

“I’d like to move on to another part of the presentation…” “Now I’d like to look at…” “For instance…” “In addition…” “Moreover…” “This leads me to the next point…”

7. Wow Your Audience

If you are not excited by your presentation, your audience will not be excited either. When presenting, you should plan to wow your audience. Use adjectives and descriptive words as they will help to attract the audience’s attention and make your speech more vivid and memorable.

“The product I present is extraordinary.” “It’s a really cool device” “This video is awesome” “This is an outstanding example”

8. Make Your Data Meaningful

If you need to present numbers or some comparative analysis of algorithms for integration, use some visuals to present it. You can use charts, graphs or diagrams to make your data meaningful and visually attractive. Remember that pie charts are good for representing proportions, line charts to represent trends, column and bar charts for ranking.

“Here are some facts and figures” “The pie chart is divided into several parts” “The numbers here have increased or gone up” “The numbers change and go down (decrease)” “The numbers have remained stable”

9. Summarize

At the end of the presentation, briefly summarize the main points and ideas. Provide the audience with your opinion and give them a call to action, let them know what you want them to do with the information you’ve shared. End of the presentation by thanking all the listeners and inviting them to the Q&A.

“Let’s summarize briefly what we’ve looked at…” “In conclusion…” “I’d like to recap…” “I’d like to sum up the main points…”

10. Practice

Try rehearsing your presentation using the above tips. Practice in front of a mirror or with your friends, parents or spouse. The more you practice, the better. While practicing, try not to use crutch words (examples: uhhhhh, ahhhh, so on, you know, like etc.)

Good luck with your presentation!

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How to Prepare a Presentation in English Successfully [+ FREE Presentation Checklist]

May 1, 2018 | Business Professional English , Free Resource , Public Speaking & Presentations

This lesson on how to prepare a presentation in English has been updated since its original posting in 2016 and a video has been added.

Giving a presentation is already difficult to do, even in your native language. But to give a presentation in English? Well, it can feel impossible, maybe even terrifying.

If you’re nervous, you might be worried about:

• What if your audience doesn’t understand?
• What if you use the wrong word or – worse – forget your words?
• What if someone asks a question and you don’t understand?

These are all common questions about giving a presentation in English.  And the good news is: it is possible to give a presentation in English with confidence.

Whether you are presenting information about your company or presenting a proposal to a new client, presenting a new idea to your boss and colleagues or presenting to an audience at a conference, these are the strategies you need to best prepare for your next presentation in English.

These are exactly the same strategies native English speakers use to prepare for their presentations, too!

7 simple strategies to prepare a presentation in English.

Lesson by Annemarie

7 Strategies to Prepare a Presentation in English

Strategy 1: Plan, Plan, Plan

I know this sounds simple but this is maybe the most important step! That’s why I said it three times.

Before you do or write anything, spend some time thinking about what you want to say for this opportunity to present. You can use these two questions to help you:

• Where is your audience now (before your presentation)? In other words: what do they currently know or not know? Is there something they are missing? Imagine your presentation is a map and Question 1 is your Point A.
• Where do you want your audience to be after your presentation? What do you want your audience to know or do or think or believe after your presentation? On your presentation map, this is your Point B.

And now think of the steps you need to help your audience go from Point A to Point B.

Strategy 2: Know Your Who and Your What

Who is your audience?  You want to know the kind of people you will be speaking to so you can offer the right information, use the right language and think about the best visual aids.

For example: Imagine you design applications for smart phones. You’ve designed a great new application for children and you want to market/sell this application. As the designer you understand all the technical words and information about the application. And now you have the opportunity to present to a group of moms at a local school. It would be AMAZING if every mom in the audience bought your application.

How should you present to them? Do you want to use a lot of technical words? Will they understand them? Or should you use more common, everyday language that is clear and simple for everyone?

What is your purpose?  Generally, presentations are used to teach, to inform, to motivate. to persuade or to encourage action. When you understand the purpose of your presentation,  it will be easier for you to use the correct language and the correct style. It will also help you organize your presentation well.

“These are the seven strategies you need to prepare for a successful presentation in English, for any situation!”

Strategy 3: Get Organized

Presentations in English generally have 3 parts:

• Opening (Introduction)
• Body (Main Points and Details)
• Closing (Summary)

In the next several weeks, you will learn exactly what you need for each section of your presentation. For now, it is important to think how you can organize your information into these 3 parts.

Important advice : Limit the number of main points in your presentation from 3 to 5 (no more than 5!). You want your audience to be well-informed but not overwhelmed.

Strategy 4: Show, Don’t Tell

In English, we love stories and pictures to help us remember information.

What about you? Have you ever listened to a presentation that has a LOT of numbers and statistics and data and dates? Do you remember any of that information now? Most people say no to that question.

In English, the expression “show, don’t tell” means  help your audience understand your main points through stories, visual aids and/or strong action words .

People remember stories, not numbers. When you can, use a story or a great visual aid to help your audience remember your key points.

For example: If you are presenting scientific information and you want to use a number to talk about how many cells are in the human body. According to an article by Smithsonian, there are 37.2 trillion cells in the human body!!! How many is that? I have no idea! Instead you could use a picture to help you. Imagine the largest sports stadium and every seat is filled. Show this picture and now tell people how many full stadiums you need for 37.2 trillion. With a picture, your audience can visualize this big number. And it will be easier to remember.

Strategy 5: Talk, Don’t Read

This one is so important. Please, please, please do not read your presentation.

For an audience, when someone reads a presentation it:

• Shows you didn’t prepare well

Of course, you can use note cards to help you remember and to stay focused. But talk to your audience. Look at your audience. Move around. Be comfortable and natural.

The more you prepare, the more you practice, the easier this will be! And your audience will enjoy your presentation so much more!

Also, do not be afraid to go slow !

A good presentation does not mean speaking fast. Remember: this is the first time your audience is hearing this information. They need time to hear and to think about what you are saying. You will help them (and you!) if you speak slowly.

By speaking slowly, you will also have more time to think about what you want to say in your presentation, remember the key points and make fewer mistakes!

Strategy 6: Think Ahead

One of the scariest parts of a presentation in the Q&A ( = question and answer) part of the presentation. Most people fear they will not:

• Understand the words of the question
• Understand the accent of the person speaking
• Know what to say
• Remember the words they need

A Q&A session doesn’t always happen but if you have to do this, here is how you can calm your fears:

Review your presentation. Think about your audience (remember the  Who Are They  question!). Can you identify any likely questions?

Give your presentation to your peers, colleagues, friends, and family. Ask them what questions they have. It is possible they will have some of the same questions as your audience.

Now make a list of possible questions and prepare your answers ahead of time. Practice giving these answers when you practice your presentation.

The more prepared you are, the easier a Q&A session will be.

Strategy 7: Practice, Practice, Practice

I cannot say this enough. You must practice. Say your presentation out loud many times. Practice your presentation in front of your work colleagues, your friends, your family.

The more you practice, the more prepared and confident you will be.

And you can kiss some of those fears and nervous feelings goodbye !!* *[Idiom]  kiss something goodbye : to end or lose something. So, you can end your fears and end your nervous feelings!

Get the complete Presentations in English Series:

Part 1: How to Prepare for Your Presentation in English

Part 2: How to Start with a Great Introduction in Your Presentation

Part 3:  How to Organize Your Presentation in English

Part 4:  How to End Your Presentation Powerfully

Now that you’ve had time to review the lesson, I’d love to hear about your experience.

Have you had to prepare a presentation in English?

Please take a moment to share your advice on how to best prepare. What has helped you the most? You might have the perfect strategy for someone else in our Confident English Community.

You can share your advice and ideas in the comments section below. That is the best place to get feedback from me and learn from others.

Have a great week and thank you for joining me! ~ Annemarie

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Thanks you for sharing your strategies to elaborate a presentation. I think this is very comprehensive and useful because it shows all the important steps to create a presentation. Very interesting.

I’m so glad to know it was helpful!

I am going to present my ppt for the college assignment and these are very wise advice which I’m sure they make my presentation more prepared.Tysm

I love all your videos. Thanks for sharing!

thank you for sharing about this. this is very helpful.

Thank you so much for your great presentation tips which we will implement in our areas. I used to so much mistakes that I realized after watching your video… Thanks once again for your valuable guidance..

Regards, Jaywant Patil 9819282438

so far, I haven’t had any experience in creating a presentation. but I am sure that everything is ahead

Hi, Very interesting your advices, sorry rigth now I haven’t give the presentation in english but I’m working to be confortable when I have to speak in english. You prononciation is very helpfull because I’m crying to repeat your video to improve my one. Very good video and so thank you

I appreciate u for the seven strategies of presentation may his soul peace and rest

Thank you very much ,this is very useful for me

Hello Annemarie! You are doing a great job these seven strategies are very useful for us in a presentation I am one of the students who always nervous on the stage so I like the point of doing “practise and practise” is great of becoming a good presenter. Thank you so much.By sharing one thing that my pronouncing and my grammar is very bad so I also have to do so many practices to become a good in English. I am not from a good background my family is very poor so I am doing my best for my family.

I can relate to that.

Hi Annemarie,

Thank you so much for sharing your strategies. All the seven strategies look very important and helpful. I particularly strongly agree with the 7th one. Without practicing in advance, it seems for me to easily lose confidence while making a presentation. I might need to be more diligent to prepare all the things in advance.

Thanks again for your very useful lecture! Hope you have a great weekend.

You’re very welcome, Erin. I’m happy to know it was helpful to you! Best of luck as you continue to prepare for things in advance. 🙂

Thank you indeed.I am a syh person and I get excited easily.I should practise and record myself.

I LIKE YOUR PRONOUNCIATON

Thank you for your comment. I’m glad my lessons are useful to you. And I definitely recommend recording yourself. It’s a great way to make progress and overcomes fear.

It’s very useful and done with the help of a clear and simple language, as usual. I’m agree with Tatyana, it’s real and nice presentation about “how to be ready to the presentation”. 🙂 I have a big expirience in the presentations but all of them were in my native language or with the help of an interpreter. To my mind this strategies are common for all the languages and the most important thing not to neglect them and not to be lazy to do all the steps you’ve spoken about. So I think in a few weeks I’m going …  Read more »

Great advice, Dzmitry! Thank you for sharing. And you’re right, these strategies are true no matter what language you’re presenting in and it’s essential not to neglect a single step. I love your advice on including a little joke to relieve the stress. 🙂

Dear Annemarie Actually I am university’s professor and I always use English texts for my teaching materials. Unfortunately I have no experience on giving presentation in English. I have been invited as an expert to give a talk in an academic conference in English and I don’t know can I do it perfectly or not? would you please give me some hints in this context. Ta

What an honor to be invited to speak as an expert! That’s great. Click here to find all my lessons on Giving Presentations in English . If you’re looking for more personalized assistance or one-on-one help, I provide that to students who purchase classes from me or join one of my courses .

Best wishes with your presentation!

Dear Annemarie I did a presentation in English in front of my class and my topic was “how to get confidence to speak in front of class?” I did gramatical mistakes but my respectful teacher helped me a lot. I m bery impress from you. You r doing very well.

Dear Annemarie ..I did a presentation in English at course it talked about how to be happy .. I practiced my talking a lot but when I started I forgot a lot f notes cuz this is my first presentation and I wanted to make a creative end I chose to make audience dance about ‘macrena dance’ In the final of the presentation, I received positive feedback from audience and I felling I proud of my self

Wonderful, Khaled. And congratulations. Presentations are challenging but it sounds like you were well prepared. You deserve to feel proud of yourself.

Thank you so much Anne, iam grateful to this information. it is timely, I needed it. I give organization Presentations, but I must admit that iam still nervous.(stage freak) thank you I look forward to more guidance and skills stay blessed Phyllis

Hello Phyllis,

You’re very welcome. I’m happy to know this lesson was timely and useful for you. The key to overcoming stage fright and nerves is practice. 🙂

Hi These are very usefull informations Annemarie thank you.In fact I have never give a presentation in English. It is so easy to understand your text and fortunately you use simple words for us.Buy the way i can apply your advices in my language too.I love your lessons and try to read all of them if i have time. See you😄👍

Dear Sümeyye,

Thank you so much for you kind comment! I’m thrilled to know these lessons are useful to you! And, if you do give a presentation in English in the future, don’t forget to use these lessons to help you prepare!

Can you tell me, what is your native language?

Thanks again Sümeyye! ~ Annemarie

Dear Annemarie, you shared the highlights of a good presentation, and it will be excellent to bear the ability to present it as a freely talk, without reading, or thinking about the next sentense, the next part of the topic or stucking in the next werb what doestn’t want arise in my mind . I would like to see the audience enjoing my talk because it is running fluently. I started to go on that way with your encourage. Thank you

Hello András,

Thank you so much for this comment. I’m thrilled to know this was useful to you. And yes, your improvements in English are growing every day!

Best, Annemarie

It’s very useful lesson for me! I don’t have a big experience in presentations, it’s quite scary for me especially the presentations in English! And it was very informative to read about main strategies which could help to prepare for presentations! It’s so clear and intresting, I have even a feeling of trying to do that, to practice a liitle)))) And thank you for new vocabulary, I love ” a killer presentation” and the idiom ” to kiss something goodbye”!) And in my opinion, your online lesson is also like a little presentation! I like how you focused on the …  Read more »

Dear Tatyana,

Thank you so much for your comment! And I am so glad it was useful even if you don’t have to give too many presentations. I think some of the guidance for a good presentation can also be useful for many other speaking situations in our daily life.

And I’m happy you liked the vocabulary expressions! They are great expressions to know!! 🙂

Thanks again for sharing your thoughts. ~ Annemarie

Thank you so much

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Updated for 2024 | 30 useful phrases for presentations in English

For non-native speakers giving a presentation in English can be quite a challenge. There are just so many aspects to consider.  

Firstly, the audience. Do you know them well? If so, more informal language can be used. Or are they unfamiliar to you? If this is the case, then more formal expressions should be adopted. Whether you use more formal or informal language, it is important to engage the audience through positive body language and a warm welcome. Your tone of voice and changes in intonation are additional useful tools and you might consider asking them relevant questions (real or  rhetorical ). 

The  audience  also needs to see a clear and logical structure to follow you effortlessly. Useful linking expressions, when delivered well, provide  effective  ‘bridges’ guiding the audience from one point to the next.

Here are 30 useful phrases for presentations in English for effective  structure and linking.  

Introduction

• Good morning/afternoon everyone and welcome to my presentation. First of all, let me thank you all for coming here today.
• Let me start by saying a few words about my own background.
• As you can see on the screen, our topic today is......
• My talk is particularly relevant to those of you who....
• This talk is designed to act as a springboard for discussion.
• This morning/ afternoon I’m going to take a look at the recent developments in.....

Presentation structure

• In my presentation I’ll focus on three major issues.
• This presentation is structured as follows....
• The subject can be looked at under the following headings.....
• We can break this area down into the following fields....
•  It will take about X minutes to cover these issues.
• Does everybody have a  handout  / copy of my report?
• I’ll be handing out copies of the slides at the end of my talk.
• I can email the PowerPoint presentation to anyone who would like it.  
• Don’t worry about taking notes, I’ve put all the relevant statistics on a  handout  for you
• If you have any questions, I am happy to answer them
• If you don’t mind, I'd like to leave questions until the end of my talk /there will be time for a  Q&A  session at the end...

Sequencing phrases

• My first point concerns...
• First of all, I’d like to give you an overview of....
• Next, I’ll focus on.....and then we’ll consider....
• Then I’ll go on to highlight what I see as the main points of....
• Finally, I’d like to address the problem of.....
• Finally, I’d like to raise briefly the issue of....

Highlighting information

• I’d like to put the situation into some kind of perspective
• I’d like to discuss in more depth the implications of....
• I’d like to make more detailed recommendations regarding....
• I’d like you to think about the significance of this figure here
• Whichever way you look at it, the underlying trend is clear
• I’d just like to finish with the words of a famous scientist/ politician/ author.......
• Now let’s go out and create opportunities for...! 

Improve your confidence in spoken English with our General English course or  Individual English training   in our centre in London or online.

Hopefully, these phrases help you to vary your vocabulary for clear, well-structured presentations with a logical joined-up flow. The most important thing, of course, is that you are comfortable and confident in your delivery, which helps the audience feels relaxed and ready to be engaged by your subject matter. Good luck! 

Glossary 

Rhetorical  -  (of a question) asked in order to produce an effect or to make a statement rather than to elicit information 

Audience  -  spectators or listeners at a public event such as a play, film, concert, or meeting 

Effectiv e -  successful in producing a desired or intended result 

Springboard -  springboard is also something that provides an opportunity to achieve something  

Handout - a document given to students or reporters that contains information about a particular subject 

Q&A  – an abbreviation for ‘question and answer’ 

Related blog posts 

• Business English Work and Careers: 50 words you need to know
• Email writing: how to start and end an email in English  
• 5 Tips for Polite and Diplomatic Language  

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How to give a good presentation that captivates any audience

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What are the main difficulties when giving presentations?

How to create an effective presentation, after that, how do i give a memorable presentation, how to connect with the audience when presenting.

If you’ve ever heard someone give a powerful presentation, you probably remember how it made you feel. Much like a composer, a good speaker knows precisely when each note should strike to captivate their audience’s attention and leave them with a lasting impression.

No one becomes a great public speaker or presenter without practice. And almost everyone can recall a time one of their presentations went badly — that’s a painful part of the learning process.

Whether you’re working within a small creative team or a large organization, public speaking and presentation skills are vital to communicating your ideas. Knowing how to present your vision can help you pitch concepts to clients, present ideas to your team, and develop the confidence to participate in team meetings.

If you have an upcoming presentation on the horizon and feel nervous, that’s normal. Around 15-30% of the general population experience a fear of public speaking . And, unfortunately, social anxiety is on the rise, with a 12% increase in adults over the last 20 years . 

Learning how to give a good presentation can dismantle your fears and break down these barriers, ensuring you’re ready to confidently share your point of view. 

It’s the week before your presentation, and you’re already feeling nervous . Maybe there’ll be an important mentor in the room you need to impress, or you’re looking for an opportunity to show your boss your value. Regardless of your countless past presentations, you still feel nervous. 

Sharing your vision and ideas with any sized group is intimidating. You’re likely worrying about how you’ll perform as a presenter and whether the audience will be interested in what you offer. But nerves aren’t inherently negative — you can actually use this feeling to fuel your preparation.

It’s helpful to identify where your worries are coming from and address your fears. Here are some common concerns when preparing for an upcoming presentation:

Fear of public speaking: When you share your ideas in front of a group, you’re placing yourself in a vulnerable position to be critiqued on your knowledge and communication skills . Maybe you feel confident in your content, but when you think about standing in front of an audience, you feel anxious and your mind goes blank.

It’s also not uncommon to have physical symptoms when presenting . Some people experience nausea and dizziness as the brain releases adrenaline to cope with the potentially stressful situation . Remember to take deep breaths to recenter yourself and be patient, even if you make a mistake.

Losing the audience’s attention: As a presenter, your main focus is to keep your audience engaged. They should feel like they’re learning valuable information or following a story that will improve them in life or business.

Highlight the most exciting pieces of knowledge and ensure you emphasize those points in your presentation. If you feel passionate about your content, it’s more likely that your audience will experience this excitement for themselves and become invested in what you have to say.

Not knowing what content to place on presentation slides: Overloading presentation slides is a fast way to lose your audience’s attention. Your slides should contain only the main talking points and limited text to ensure your audience focuses on what you have to say rather than becoming distracted by the content on your slides.

Discomfort incorporating nonverbal communication: It’s natural to feel stiff and frozen when you’re nervous. But maintaining effective body language helps your audience stay focused on you as you speak and encourages you to relax.

If you struggle to incorporate body language into your presentations, try starting small by making hand gestures toward your slides. If you’re working with a large audience, use different parts of the stage to ensure everyone feels included. 

Each presenter has their own personal brand and style. Some may use humor to break the ice, while others might appeal to the audience’s emotional side through inspiring storytelling. 

Watching online presentations, such as TED talks, is an excellent way to expose yourself to various presentation styles and develop your own. While observing others, you can note how they carry themselves on stage and learn new ways to keep your audience engaged.

Once you’ve addressed what’s causing your fears, it’s time to prepare for a great presentation. Use your past experience as inspiration and aim to outshine your former self by learning from your mistakes and employing new techniques. Here are five presentation tips to help you create a strong presentation and wow your audience:

1. Keep it simple

Simple means something different to everyone.

Before creating your presentation, take note of your intended audience and their knowledge level of your subject. You’ll want your content to be easy for your intended audience to follow.

Say you’re giving a presentation on improving your company’s operational structure. Entry-level workers will likely need a more straightforward overview of the content than C-suite leaders, who have significantly more experience. 

Ask yourself what you want your audience to take away from your presentation and emphasize those important points. Doing this ensures they remember the most vital information rather than less important supporting ideas. Try organizing these concepts into bullet points so viewers can quickly identify critical takeaways.

2. Create a compelling structure

Put yourself in your audience member’s shoes and determine the most compelling way to organize your information. Your presentation should be articulate , cohesive, and logical, and you must be sure to include all necessary supporting evidence to strengthen your main points.

If you give away all of your answers too quickly, your audience could lose interest. And if there isn’t enough supporting information, they could hit a roadblock of confusion. Try developing a compelling story that leads your audience through your thought processes so they can experience the ups and downs alongside you. 

By structuring your presentation to lead up to a final conclusion, you’re more likely to keep listeners’ attention. Once you’ve reached that conclusion, you can offer a Q&A period to put any of their questions or concerns to rest. 

3. Use visual aids

Appealing to various learning styles is a great way to keep everyone on the same page and ensure they absorb your content. Visual aids are necessary for visual learners and make it easier for people to picture your ideas.

Aim to incorporate a mixture of photos, videos, and props to engage your audience and convey your key points. For instance, if you’re giving a presentation on anthropology subject matter, you could show your audience an artifact to help them understand how exciting a discovery must have been. 

If your presentation is long, including a video for your audience to watch is an excellent way to give yourself a break and create new jumping-off points for your speech.

4. Be aware of design techniques and trends

Thanks to cutting-edge technology and tools, you have numerous platforms at your disposal to create a good presentation. But keep in mind that although color, images, and graphics liven things up, they can cause distraction when misused.

  Here are a few standard pointers for incorporating visuals on your slides: 

• Don’t place blocks of small text on a single slide
• Use a minimalistic background instead of a busy one
• Ensure text stands out against the background color
• Only use high-resolution photos
• Maintain a consistent font style and size throughout the presentation
• Don’t overuse transitions and effects

5. Try the 10-20-30 rule

Guy Kawasaki, a prominent venture capitalist and one of the original marketing specialists for Apple, said that the best slideshow presentations are less than 10 slides , last at most 20 minutes, and use a font size of 30. Following this strategy can help you condense your information, eliminate unnecessary ideas, and maintain your audience’s focus more efficiently.

Once you’re confident in creating a memorable presentation, it’s time to learn how to give one. Here are some valuable tips for keeping your audience invested during your talk: 

Tip #1: Tell stories

Sharing an anecdote from your life can improve your credibility and increase your relatability. And when an audience relates to you, they’re more likely to feel connected to who you are as a person and encouraged to give you their full attention, as they would want others to do the same.

Gill Hicks utilized this strategy well when she shared her powerful story, “ I survived a terrorist attack. Here’s what I learned .” In her harrowing tale, Hicks highlights the importance of compassion, unconditional love , and helping those in need.

If you feel uncomfortable sharing personal stories, that’s okay. You can use examples from famous individuals or create a fictional account to demonstrate your ideas.

Tip #2: Make eye contact with the audience

Maintaining eye contact is less intimidating than it sounds. In fact, you don’t have to look your audience members directly in their eyes — you can focus on their foreheads or noses if that’s easier.

Try making eye contact with as many people as possible for 3–5 seconds each. This timing ensures you don’t look away too quickly, making the audience member feel unimportant, or linger too long, making them feel uncomfortable.

If you’re presenting to a large group, direct your focus to each part of the room to ensure no section of the audience feels ignored. 

Tip #3: Work on your stage presence

Although your tone and words are the most impactful part of your presentation, recall that body language keeps your audience engaged. Use these tips to master a professional stage presence:

• Speak with open arms and avoid crossing them
• Keep a reasonable pace and try not to stand still
• Use hand gestures to highlight important information

Tip #4: Start strong

Like watching a movie trailer, the first seconds of your talk are critical for capturing your audience’s attention. How you start your speech sets the tone for the rest of your presentation and tells your audience whether or not they should pay attention. Here are some ways to start your presentation to leave a lasting impression:

• Use a quote from a well-known and likable influential person 
• Ask a rhetorical question to create intrigue
• Start with an anecdote to add context to your talk 
• Spark your audience’s curiosity by involving them in an interactive problem-solving puzzle or riddle

Tip #5: Show your passion

Don’t be afraid of being too enthusiastic. Everyone appreciates a speaker who’s genuinely excited about their field of expertise. 

In “ Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance ,” Angela Lee Duckworth discusses the importance of passion in research and delivery. She delivers her presentation excitedly to show the audience how excitement piques interest. 

Tip #6: Plan your delivery

How you decide to deliver your speech will shape your presentation. Will you be preparing a PowerPoint presentation and using a teleprompter? Or are you working within the constraints of the digital world and presenting over Zoom?

The best presentations are conducted by speakers who know their stuff and memorize their content. However, if you find this challenging, try creating notes to use as a safety net in case you lose track.

If you’re presenting online, you can keep notes beside your computer for each slide, highlighting your key points. This ensures you include all the necessary information and follow a logical order.

Tip #7: Practice

Practice doesn’t make perfect — it makes progress. There’s no way of preparing for unforeseen circumstances, but thorough practice means you’ve done everything you can to succeed.

Rehearse your speech in front of a mirror or to a trusted friend or family member. Take any feedback and use it as an opportunity to fine-tune your speech. But remember: who you practice your presentation in front of may differ from your intended audience. Consider their opinions through the lens of them occupying this different position.

Tip #8: Read the room

Whether you’re a keynote speaker at an event or presenting to a small group of clients, knowing how to read the room is vital for keeping your audience happy. Stay flexible and be willing to move on from topics quickly if your listeners are uninterested or displeased with a particular part of your speech.

Tip #9: Breathe

Try taking deep breaths before your presentation to calm your nerves. If you feel rushed, you’re more likely to feel nervous and stumble on your words.

The most important thing to consider when presenting is your audience’s feelings. When you approach your next presentation calmly, you’ll put your audience at ease and encourage them to feel comfortable in your presence.

Tip #10: Provide a call-to-action

When you end your presentation, your audience should feel compelled to take a specific action, whether that’s changing their habits or contacting you for your services.

If you’re presenting to clients, create a handout with key points and contact information so they can get in touch. You should provide your LinkedIn information, email address, and phone number so they have a variety of ways to reach you. 

There’s no one-size-fits-all template for an effective presentation, as your unique audience and subject matter play a role in shaping your speech. As a general rule, though, you should aim to connect with your audience through passion and excitement. Use strong eye contact and body language. Capture their interest through storytelling and their trust through relatability.

Learning how to give a good presentation can feel overwhelming — but remember, practice makes progress. Rehearse your presentation for someone you trust, collect their feedback , and revise. Practicing your presentation skills is helpful for any job, and every challenge is a chance to grow.

Enhance your presentation skills

Discover coaching that transforms your public speaking and boosts your confidence in presenting.

Elizabeth Perry, ACC

Elizabeth Perry is a Coach Community Manager at BetterUp. She uses strategic engagement strategies to cultivate a learning community across a global network of Coaches through in-person and virtual experiences, technology-enabled platforms, and strategic coaching industry partnerships. With over 3 years of coaching experience and a certification in transformative leadership and life coaching from Sofia University, Elizabeth leverages transpersonal psychology expertise to help coaches and clients gain awareness of their behavioral and thought patterns, discover their purpose and passions, and elevate their potential. She is a lifelong student of psychology, personal growth, and human potential as well as an ICF-certified ACC transpersonal life and leadership Coach.

6 presentation skills and how to improve them

Tell a story they can't ignore these 10 tips will teach you how, reading the room gives you an edge — no matter who you're talking to, how to write a speech that your audience remembers, 3 stand-out professional bio examples to inspire your own, how to make a presentation interactive and exciting, your guide to what storytelling is and how to be a good storyteller, 18 effective strategies to improve your communication skills, writing an elevator pitch about yourself: a how-to plus tips, the importance of good speech: 5 tips to be more articulate, the 11 tips that will improve your public speaking skills, 30 presentation feedback examples, fear of public speaking overcome it with these 7 tips, how to not be nervous for a presentation — 13 tips that work (really), 8 clever hooks for presentations (with tips), 5 long-term goals examples (+ tips to achieve them), stay connected with betterup, get our newsletter, event invites, plus product insights and research..

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Blog > English Presentation Structure (Introduction, Closing) & useful Phrases

English Presentation Structure (Introduction, Closing) & useful Phrases

02.21.20   •  #powerpoint #presentation #english.

When giving a presentation in english, there are certain guidelines you should follow. Maybe you haven't got a lot of experience presenting - or you would simply like to refresh your already existing knowledge - we're here to teach you the basics about presenting and provide you with a free list of useful phrases and the basic structure you can in your presentation!

1. Structure

The general structure of a presentation is the following:

• Introduction

It is up to you to design these three parts. Using videos or everyday-examples can be a great way to introduce the audience to the topic. The important thing is that you capture the audience's attention from the beginning by making an interesting introduction. The main part is where you present your topic, ideally divided into sections. You can be creative with it - incorporate images, videos, stories or interactive polls . We generally recommend using different kinds of elements, as that makes the presentation more lively. Make sure your main part is well structured, so your audience can follow. In the conclusion, you should give a short summary of the points you made without adding any new information. You can also make an appeal to your audience in the end.

2. Useful Phrases

Here you'll find several phrases that you'll need in every presentation. Of course, you should adapt them and use them in a context that is suitable for your setting. The phrases are divided into subcategories so you can find what you're looking for more easily.

Starting your Presentation

In your introduction, you should:

Welcome your audience

Good morning/afternoon/evening everyone!

Ladies and gentlemen, I welcome you to my presentation about...

Introduce yourself

I am ... (from company ...) and today I would like to introduce you to the topic of ...

My name is ... and I am going to talk about ... today.

Icebreakers (for audience engagement)

Icebreaker polls are an amazing way to engage your audience instantly. They function as a fun and playful element at the beginning, giving you the perfect start you need to give a successful presentation. Click here to read our detailed post about icebreaker polls!

Mention the presentation topic and the reason for giving the presentation

I am grateful to be here today and tell you you about...

I would like to take this opportunity to talk about ...

I am here today to talk to you about ...

The reason why I am here today to talk about ... is ...

The purpose of this presentation is to ...

My goal today is to ...

Hopefully, by the end of the presentation, you will all know more about ...

Give a short overview of the content

To make it as understandable as possible, I divided my presentation into ... parts. In the first part, I will concentrate on ..., the second part will be about ..., ...

First of all, I will give you a short introduction, then we will move on to ...

... and finally, I will give you some insights to ...

Here are a few phrases that you could use during the whole presentation, but especially in the main part.

Engage your audience

In order to raise the audience's attention and improve their engagement, it is extremely important to make contact with them. A great way to do so is by adding interactive elements such as polls. If you would like to know more about this topic, read our article on How To Boost Audience Engagement . You can also use a software like SlideLizard , which allows you to conduct live polls, do Q&A sessions with your audience, share your resources and many more benefits that take your presentation to the next level.

Please raise your hand if you ...

Have you ever thought about ... ?

I would like to do a poll about ...

Please ask any questions as soon as they arrive.

On one hand, … on the other hand…

Comparing … with …, we can see that…

Clearly, … makes more sense than …

Whereas Option A is …, Option B is …

Making new points

Firstly,… Secondly,…

What also has to be mentioned is…

Next, I would like to bring up the topic of…

That being said, now we are going to take a look at…

Let's move on to the next topic.

On the next slide,…

The last thing I would like to mention is…

We made a whole blog post about how to pose questions in your presentation: The Right Way to do a Question Slide .

Talking about images or videos

In this image you can clearly see that ...

We are now going to take a look at a picture/video of ...

I'm going to show you a video by ... about ... now.

I've prepared a video about ...

Talking about statistics and charts

I am now addressing this graph that refers to the results of study XY.

In the graph on this slide, you can see that ...

The average is at ...

This graph clearly shows that the majority ...

According to this graph, the focus should be on ...

What that study tells us for practice is that we should ...

Emphasizing

I would like to emphasize the importance of ...

Moreover, it has to be said that ...

I want to stress the importance of ...

We always have to remember that ...

This is of high significance because ...

That part is especially important because ...

When something goes wrong

I am sorry, but it seems like the projector isn't working.

Could someone please help me with ...?

Is anybody here who knows how to ...?

Could someone give me a hand with ...

I would like to apologize for ...

I apologize for the technical problems, we are going to continue in a minute.

I am sorry for the inconvenience.

End of Presentation

In the conclusion, you should...

Sum up the main points

In conclusion I can say that…

To sum up the main points,…

With all mentioned aspects taken into consideration, I can say that…

Make an appeal

So please, in the future, try to be conscious about...

Please take a moment to think about...

I would like to encourage you to...

Thank your audience and say goodbye

It was a pleasure being here today.

Thank you for listening and goodbye.

Thank you for being such a great, engaged audience. Goodbye.

Thank you so much for listening, see you next time.

What is the structure of a presentation?

Your presentations should always have an Introduction, a Main part and a Conclusion.

What is a good way to begin a presentation?

You can start by introducing yourself, giving an overview of your topic, telling a little story or showing the audience an introductory video or image.

What are good phrases to use in English presentations?

There are many phrases that will make your presentation a lot more professional. Our blog post gives you a detailed overview.

Related articles

About the author.

Pia Lehner-Mittermaier

Pia works in Marketing as a graphic designer and writer at SlideLizard. She uses her vivid imagination and creativity to produce good content.

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The big SlideLizard presentation glossary

Hybrid event.

When an event consist of both virtual and in-person parts, this is called a hybrid event. This type of event is popular as it combines the benefits of both online and live events.

Break-out-Room

In live online training, it is sometimes useful to divide the students into small groups for certain exercises, as it would be impossible to have conversations at the same time. Break-out-rooms are used so that people can talk to each other without disturbing the others. When the exercise is over, they are sent back to the main room.

Audience Demographics

Audience Demographics are the characteristics of listeners like age, gender, cultural backgrounds, group affiliations and educational level. The speaker has to consider all these characteristics when adapting to an audience.

Informative Presentations

An information presentation is created when no solution is currently available. Facts, data and figures or study results are presented and current processes are described.

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52 Phrases for Better Flowing English Presentations

/ Steven Hobson / Business English , English Presentations , Vocabulary

Do you give English presentations at work, but feel that you could communicate your message in a more objective, fluid way?

Maybe you have an English presentation coming up and want to make sure that your speech is clear and structured so that your audience doesn’t lose concentration and stays with you all the way to the end.

A technique that can help you achieve objective, clear, and structured English presentations, is to use linking phrases that join the separate parts of your presentation together.

English presentations normally consist of an introduction, the main body, individual parts of the main body, and the ending or conclusion.

To help maintain your audience’s attention, you need to signal when you are going from one part to another.

In this article, I teach you 52 phrases that do exactly this – linking the different parts together, and therefore, making your presentation flow better. You’ll find that these phrases will act as ‘signposts’ for the audience when you finish one part and start another.

52 Phrases to Improve the Flow of Your English Presentations

The introduction.

All good presentations start with a strong introduction.

There are a number of different ways you can begin your English presentation. Here’s a simple, but effective introduction structure which works for most types of business presentations:

Introduce – Introduce yourself and greet your audience. Introduce the presentation topic – Explain the reasons for listening. Outline – Describe the main parts of the presentation. Question policy – Make it clear to your audience when they can ask questions: during or at the end?

Here are some phrases which you can use to structure the introduction in this way:

1. Good morning/afternoon (everyone) (ladies and gentlemen). 2. It’s a pleasure to welcome (the President) here. 3. I’m … (the Director of …)

Introduce the presentation topic

4. By the end of the talk/presentation/session, you’ll know how to… / …you will have learned about… / 5. I plan to say a few words about… 6. I’m going to talk about… 7. The subject of my talk is…

8. My talk will be in (three parts). 9. In the first part… 10. Then in the second part… 11. Finally, I’ll go on to talk about…

Question Policy

12. Please interrupt if you have any questions. 13. After my talk, there will be time for a discussion and any questions.

 Main Body

Now that you have finished the introduction, we now need to transition to the main body, and its individual parts in a smooth way.

There are three parts of the main body of a presentation where linking phrases can be used:

Beginning the Main Body Ending Parts within the Main Body Beginning a New Part

Here are some phrases which you can use for these parts:

Beginning the Main Body

14. Now let’s move to / turn to the first part of my talk which is about… 15. So, first… 16. To begin with…

Ending Parts within the Main Body

17. That completes/concludes… 18. That’s all (I want to say for now) on… 19. Ok, I’ve explained how…

Beginning a New Part

20. Let’s move to (the next part which is)… 21. So now we come to the next point, which is… 22. Now I want to describe… 23. Let’s turn to the next issue… 24. I’d now like to change direction and talk about…

Listing and Sequencing

If you need to talk about goals, challenges, and strategies in your English presentation, listing phrases can help link these together and improve the flow of your speech. If you have to explain processes, sequencing phrases are helpful:

25. There are three things to consider. First… Second… Third… 26. There are two kinds of… The first is… The second is… 27. We can see four advantages and two disadvantages. First, advantages… 28. One is… Another is… A third advantage is… Finally…

29. There are (four) different stages to the process. 30. First / then / next / after that / then (x) / after x there’s y. 31. There are two steps involved. The first step is… The second step is… 32. There are four stages to the project. 33. At the beginning, later, then, finally… 34. I’ll describe the development of the idea. First the background, then the present situation, and then the prospect for the future.

After you have presented the main body of your English presentation, you will want to end it smoothly.

Here are typical sections transitioning from the main body to the ending of the presentation, and then inviting the audience to ask questions:

Ending the Main Body Beginning the Summary and/or Conclusion Concluding An Ending Phrase Inviting Questions and/or Introducing Discussion Thanking the Audience

Ending the Main Body

35. Okay, that ends (the third part of) my talk. 36. That’s all I want to say for now on (the 2017 results).

Beginning the Summary and/or Conclusion

37. To sum up… 38. Ok, in brief, there are several advantages and disadvantages. 39. To conclude… 40. I’d like to end by emphasizing the main points. 41. I’d like to end with a summary of the main points.

42. I think we have seen that we should… 43. In my opinion, we should… 44. I recommend/suggest that we… 45. There are three reasons why I recommend this. First, … / Second, … / Finally,…

An Ending Phrase

46. Well, I’ve covered the points that I needed to present today. 47. That sums up (my description of the new model). 48. That concludes my talk for today.

Inviting Questions and/or Introducing Discussion

49. Now we have (half an hour) for questions and discussion. 50. So, now I’d be very interested to hear your comments.

Thanking the Audience

51. I’d like to thank you for listening to my presentation. 52. Thank you for listening / your attention. / Many thanks for coming.

Linking phrases are like the skeleton which holds your presentation together.

Not only do they improve the flow and help guide the audience, but by memorizing them they can also help you remember the general structure of your presentation, giving you increased confidence.

To help you memorize, I recommend saying the linking phrases on their own from the beginning to the end of your presentation while you practice.

I also suggest memorizing the introduction word for word. By doing this, you will get off to a great start, which will settle your nerves and transmit a positive first impression.

Whenever you’re ready, there are 3 ways I can help you:

1. The Impactful English Academy : Join like-minded professionals from around the world in The Impactful English Academy. The comprehensive online courses will teach you the system and strategies I have used to help 100’s of professionals speak English more fluently, confidently and professionally. Click here to learn more.

2. One-to -one Coaching : Get access to my guidance and a customised program that has helped, managers, directors, CEO’s, doctors and Government officials worldwide transform into confident and articulate communicators in English. Click here to book a Discovery session with me.

3. Onsite and Online Company Training: Equip your team with the essential communication skills they need to thrive in today’s global marketplace. My tailored onsite and online training programs empower professionals to communicate effectively and confidently in English in international business environments. C lick here to schedule a meeting with me.

Author: Steven Hobson

Steven is a business English coach, a certified life coach, writer, and entrepreneur. He helps international professionals build confidence and improve fluency speaking English in a business environment.

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Starting a presentation in english: methods and examples.

• By Jake Pool

If you’re going to make it in the professional world, most likely you’ll have to give a presentation in English at some point. No reason to get nervous!

Most of the work involved lies in the introduction. You may or may not need an English presentation PPT file, your topic, audience, or time limit may vary, but a strong opening is a must no matter what! Everything that follows can build from the opening outline you present to your audience.

Let’s look at some guidelines for starting a presentation in English. If you can master this part, you’ll never have to worry about the rest!

Opening in a Presentation in English

While it’s important to have your entire presentation organized and outlined, planning and organization are especially important in the introduction. This is what will guide you through a clear and concise beginning. Let’s look at how to start a presentation with well-organized thoughts .

Introduction Outline

• Introduce yourself and welcome everyone.
• State the purpose of your presentation
• Give a short overview of the presentation

As we say, it’s as easy as 1-2-3. (No need for a more detailed English presentation script!) Let’s examine the first step.

1. Introduce Yourself & Welcome Everyone

The self-introduction is your opportunity to make a good first impression. Be sure to open with a warm welcome and use language that is familiar and natural. Based on your audience, there are a few different expressions you can use to start your presentation.

If you’re presenting to coworkers who may already know you:

• Hello, [name] here. I would like to thank you all for your time. As you may know, I [describe what you do/your job title] I look forward to discussing [topic] today.
• Good morning/afternoon/evening everyone. Thank you for being here. For those who don’t know me, my name is [name], and for those who know me, hello again.

If you’re presenting to people you’ve never met:

• Hello everyone, it’s nice to meet you all. My name is [name] and I am the [job/title].
• Hello. Welcome to [event]. My name is [name] and I am the [job/title]. I’m glad you’re all here.

There are certainly more ways to make an introduction. However, it’s generally best to follow this format:

• Start with a polite welcome and state your name.
• Follow with your job title and/or the reason you’re qualified to speak on the topic being discussed.

2. State the Purpose of Your Presentation

Now that your audience knows who you are and your qualifications, you can state the purpose of your presentation. This is where you clarify to your audience what you’ll be talking about.

So, ask yourself, “ What do I want my audience to get from this presentation? ”

• Do you want your audience to be informed?
• Do you need something from your audience?
• Do you want them to purchase a product?
• Do you want them to do something for the community or your company?

With your goal in mind, you can create the next couple of lines of your presentation. Below are some examples of how to start.

• Let me share with you…
• I’d like to introduce you to [product or service]
• Today I want to discuss…
• I want to breakdown for you [topic]
• Let’s discuss…
• Today I will present the results of my research on [topic]
• By the end of this presentation, you’ll understand [topic]
• My goal is to explain…
• As you know, we’ll be talking about…

When talking about the purpose of your presentation, stick to your goals. You purpose statement should be only one to three sentences. That way, you can give your audience a clear sense of purpose that sets them up for the rest of the presentation.

3. A Short Overview of the Presentation

The final step in starting your presentation is to give a short outline of what you’ll be presenting. People like a map of what to expect from a presentation.

It helps them organize their thoughts and gives a sense of order. Also, it lets the audience know why they’re listening to you. This is what you’ll use to grab their attention, and help them stay focused throughout the presentation.

Here are some examples of how you can outline your presentation:

• Today, I’m going to cover… Then we’ll talk about… Lastly, I’ll close on…
• We’re going to be covering some key information you need to know, including…
• My aim with this presentation is to get you to… To do that we’ll be talking about…
• I’ve divided my presentation into [number] sections… [List the sections]
• Over the next [length of your presentation] I’m going to discuss…

That’s it! It’s as simple as 1-2-3. If you have a fear of public speaking or are not confident about presenting to a group of people, follow these three steps. It’s a simple structure that can get you off to a good start. With that in mind, there are other ways to bring your introduction to the next level too! Read on for bonus tips on how to really engage your audience, beyond the basics.

For a Strong Presentation in English, Engage your Audience

Presentations aren’t everyone’s strongest ability, and that’s OK. If you’re newer to presenting in English, the steps above are the basics to getting started. Once you’re more comfortable with presenting, though, you can go a step further with some extra tricks that can really wow your audience.

Mastering the skill of engaging an audience will take experience. Fortunately, there are many famous speakers out there you can model for capturing attention. Also, there are some common techniques that English-speakers use to gain an audience’s attention.

*How and when you use these techniques in your introduction is at your discretion, as long as you cover the 3 steps of the introduction outline that we discussed earlier.*

Do or say something shocking.

The purpose of shocking your audience is to immediately engage them. You can make a loud noise and somehow relate the noise to your presentation. Or, you can say, “ Did you know that… ” and follow with a shocking story or statistic. Either way, the objective is to create surprise to draw their attention.

Tell a story

Telling a story related to your presentation is a great way to get the audience listening to you.

You can start by saying, “ On my way to [location] the other day… ” or “ On my way here, I was reminded of… ” and then follow with a story. A good story can make your presentation memorable.

Ask your audience to take part

Sometimes a good introduction that captures attention will involve asking for help from the audience. You can ask the audience to play a quick game or solve a puzzle that’s related to your presentation. Also, you could engage the audience with a group exercise. This is a great way to get people involved in your presentation.

There are many more ways to engage the audience, so get creative and see what you can think up! Here are some resources that will help you get started.

Also, if you want to get better at public speaking (and help your English speaking too!), a great organization to know about is the Toastmasters . The organization is dedicated to helping you be a better speaker, and there are many local groups in America. They offer free lessons and events to help you master your English speaking, and also offer additional help to paying members.

The Takeaway

A presentation in English? No problem, as long as your introduction sets you up for success . Admittedly, this can be easier said than done. Native speakers and non-native speakers alike sometimes struggle with getting a good start on their English presentation. But the advice above can help you get the confidence you need to lay a good foundation for your next speech !

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Blog Beginner Guides How To Make a Good Presentation [A Complete Guide]

How To Make a Good Presentation [A Complete Guide]

Written by: Krystle Wong Jul 20, 2023

A top-notch presentation possesses the power to drive action. From winning stakeholders over and conveying a powerful message to securing funding — your secret weapon lies within the realm of creating an effective presentation .  

Being an excellent presenter isn’t confined to the boardroom. Whether you’re delivering a presentation at work, pursuing an academic career, involved in a non-profit organization or even a student, nailing the presentation game is a game-changer.

In this article, I’ll cover the top qualities of compelling presentations and walk you through a step-by-step guide on how to give a good presentation. Here’s a little tip to kick things off: for a headstart, check out Venngage’s collection of free presentation templates . They are fully customizable, and the best part is you don’t need professional design skills to make them shine!

These valuable presentation tips cater to individuals from diverse professional backgrounds, encompassing business professionals, sales and marketing teams, educators, trainers, students, researchers, non-profit organizations, public speakers and presenters. 

No matter your field or role, these tips for presenting will equip you with the skills to deliver effective presentations that leave a lasting impression on any audience.

Click to jump ahead:

What are the 10 qualities of a good presentation?

Step-by-step guide on how to prepare an effective presentation, 9 effective techniques to deliver a memorable presentation, faqs on making a good presentation, how to create a presentation with venngage in 5 steps.

When it comes to giving an engaging presentation that leaves a lasting impression, it’s not just about the content — it’s also about how you deliver it. Wondering what makes a good presentation? Well, the best presentations I’ve seen consistently exhibit these 10 qualities:

1. Clear structure

No one likes to get lost in a maze of information. Organize your thoughts into a logical flow, complete with an introduction, main points and a solid conclusion. A structured presentation helps your audience follow along effortlessly, leaving them with a sense of satisfaction at the end.

Regardless of your presentation style , a quality presentation starts with a clear roadmap. Browse through Venngage’s template library and select a presentation template that aligns with your content and presentation goals. Here’s a good presentation example template with a logical layout that includes sections for the introduction, main points, supporting information and a conclusion: 

2. Engaging opening

Hook your audience right from the start with an attention-grabbing statement, a fascinating question or maybe even a captivating anecdote. Set the stage for a killer presentation!

The opening moments of your presentation hold immense power – check out these 15 ways to start a presentation to set the stage and captivate your audience.

3. Relevant content

Make sure your content aligns with their interests and needs. Your audience is there for a reason, and that’s to get valuable insights. Avoid fluff and get straight to the point, your audience will be genuinely excited.

4. Effective visual aids

Picture this: a slide with walls of text and tiny charts, yawn! Visual aids should be just that—aiding your presentation. Opt for clear and visually appealing slides, engaging images and informative charts that add value and help reinforce your message.

With Venngage, visualizing data takes no effort at all. You can import data from CSV or Google Sheets seamlessly and create stunning charts, graphs and icon stories effortlessly to showcase your data in a captivating and impactful way.

5. Clear and concise communication

Keep your language simple, and avoid jargon or complicated terms. Communicate your ideas clearly, so your audience can easily grasp and retain the information being conveyed. This can prevent confusion and enhance the overall effectiveness of the message. 

6. Engaging delivery

Spice up your presentation with a sprinkle of enthusiasm! Maintain eye contact, use expressive gestures and vary your tone of voice to keep your audience glued to the edge of their seats. A touch of charisma goes a long way!

7. Interaction and audience engagement

Turn your presentation into an interactive experience — encourage questions, foster discussions and maybe even throw in a fun activity. Engaged audiences are more likely to remember and embrace your message.

Transform your slides into an interactive presentation with Venngage’s dynamic features like pop-ups, clickable icons and animated elements. Engage your audience with interactive content that lets them explore and interact with your presentation for a truly immersive experience.

8. Effective storytelling

Who doesn’t love a good story? Weaving relevant anecdotes, case studies or even a personal story into your presentation can captivate your audience and create a lasting impact. Stories build connections and make your message memorable.

A great presentation background is also essential as it sets the tone, creates visual interest and reinforces your message. Enhance the overall aesthetics of your presentation with these 15 presentation background examples and captivate your audience’s attention.

9. Well-timed pacing

Pace your presentation thoughtfully with well-designed presentation slides, neither rushing through nor dragging it out. Respect your audience’s time and ensure you cover all the essential points without losing their interest.

10. Strong conclusion

Last impressions linger! Summarize your main points and leave your audience with a clear takeaway. End your presentation with a bang , a call to action or an inspiring thought that resonates long after the conclusion.

In-person presentations aside, acing a virtual presentation is of paramount importance in today’s digital world. Check out this guide to learn how you can adapt your in-person presentations into virtual presentations . 

Preparing an effective presentation starts with laying a strong foundation that goes beyond just creating slides and notes. One of the quickest and best ways to make a presentation would be with the help of a good presentation software . 

Otherwise, let me walk you to how to prepare for a presentation step by step and unlock the secrets of crafting a professional presentation that sets you apart.

1. Understand the audience and their needs

Before you dive into preparing your masterpiece, take a moment to get to know your target audience. Tailor your presentation to meet their needs and expectations , and you’ll have them hooked from the start!

2. Conduct thorough research on the topic

Time to hit the books (or the internet)! Don’t skimp on the research with your presentation materials — dive deep into the subject matter and gather valuable insights . The more you know, the more confident you’ll feel in delivering your presentation.

3. Organize the content with a clear structure

No one wants to stumble through a chaotic mess of information. Outline your presentation with a clear and logical flow. Start with a captivating introduction, follow up with main points that build on each other and wrap it up with a powerful conclusion that leaves a lasting impression.

Delivering an effective business presentation hinges on captivating your audience, and Venngage’s professionally designed business presentation templates are tailor-made for this purpose. With thoughtfully structured layouts, these templates enhance your message’s clarity and coherence, ensuring a memorable and engaging experience for your audience members.

Don’t want to build your presentation layout from scratch? pick from these 5 foolproof presentation layout ideas that won’t go wrong. 

4. Develop visually appealing and supportive visual aids

Spice up your presentation with eye-catching visuals! Create slides that complement your message, not overshadow it. Remember, a picture is worth a thousand words, but that doesn’t mean you need to overload your slides with text.

Well-chosen designs create a cohesive and professional look, capturing your audience’s attention and enhancing the overall effectiveness of your message. Here’s a list of carefully curated PowerPoint presentation templates and great background graphics that will significantly influence the visual appeal and engagement of your presentation.

5. Practice, practice and practice

Practice makes perfect — rehearse your presentation and arrive early to your presentation to help overcome stage fright. Familiarity with your material will boost your presentation skills and help you handle curveballs with ease.

6. Seek feedback and make necessary adjustments

Don’t be afraid to ask for help and seek feedback from friends and colleagues. Constructive criticism can help you identify blind spots and fine-tune your presentation to perfection.

With Venngage’s real-time collaboration feature , receiving feedback and editing your presentation is a seamless process. Group members can access and work on the presentation simultaneously and edit content side by side in real-time. Changes will be reflected immediately to the entire team, promoting seamless teamwork.

7. Prepare for potential technical or logistical issues

Prepare for the unexpected by checking your equipment, internet connection and any other potential hiccups. If you’re worried that you’ll miss out on any important points, you could always have note cards prepared. Remember to remain focused and rehearse potential answers to anticipated questions.

8. Fine-tune and polish your presentation

As the big day approaches, give your presentation one last shine. Review your talking points, practice how to present a presentation and make any final tweaks. Deep breaths — you’re on the brink of delivering a successful presentation!

In competitive environments, persuasive presentations set individuals and organizations apart. To brush up on your presentation skills, read these guides on how to make a persuasive presentation and tips to presenting effectively . 

Whether you’re an experienced presenter or a novice, the right techniques will let your presentation skills soar to new heights!

From public speaking hacks to interactive elements and storytelling prowess, these 9 effective presentation techniques will empower you to leave a lasting impression on your audience and make your presentations unforgettable.

1. Confidence and positive body language

Positive body language instantly captivates your audience, making them believe in your message as much as you do. Strengthen your stage presence and own that stage like it’s your second home! Stand tall, shoulders back and exude confidence. 

2. Eye contact with the audience

Break down that invisible barrier and connect with your audience through their eyes. Maintaining eye contact when giving a presentation builds trust and shows that you’re present and engaged with them.

3. Effective use of hand gestures and movement

A little movement goes a long way! Emphasize key points with purposeful gestures and don’t be afraid to walk around the stage. Your energy will be contagious!

4. Utilize storytelling techniques

Weave the magic of storytelling into your presentation. Share relatable anecdotes, inspiring success stories or even personal experiences that tug at the heartstrings of your audience. Adjust your pitch, pace and volume to match the emotions and intensity of the story. Varying your speaking voice adds depth and enhances your stage presence.

5. Incorporate multimedia elements

Spice up your presentation with a dash of visual pizzazz! Use slides, images and video clips to add depth and clarity to your message. Just remember, less is more—don’t overwhelm them with information overload. 

Turn your presentations into an interactive party! Involve your audience with questions, polls or group activities. When they actively participate, they become invested in your presentation’s success. Bring your design to life with animated elements. Venngage allows you to apply animations to icons, images and text to create dynamic and engaging visual content.

6. Utilize humor strategically

Laughter is the best medicine—and a fantastic presentation enhancer! A well-placed joke or lighthearted moment can break the ice and create a warm atmosphere , making your audience more receptive to your message.

7. Practice active listening and respond to feedback

Be attentive to your audience’s reactions and feedback. If they have questions or concerns, address them with genuine interest and respect. Your responsiveness builds rapport and shows that you genuinely care about their experience.

8. Apply the 10-20-30 rule

Apply the 10-20-30 presentation rule and keep it short, sweet and impactful! Stick to ten slides, deliver your presentation within 20 minutes and use a 30-point font to ensure clarity and focus. Less is more, and your audience will thank you for it!

9. Implement the 5-5-5 rule

Simplicity is key. Limit each slide to five bullet points, with only five words per bullet point and allow each slide to remain visible for about five seconds. This rule keeps your presentation concise and prevents information overload.

Simple presentations are more engaging because they are easier to follow. Summarize your presentations and keep them simple with Venngage’s gallery of simple presentation templates and ensure that your message is delivered effectively across your audience.

1. How to start a presentation?

To kick off your presentation effectively, begin with an attention-grabbing statement or a powerful quote. Introduce yourself, establish credibility and clearly state the purpose and relevance of your presentation.

2. How to end a presentation?

For a strong conclusion, summarize your talking points and key takeaways. End with a compelling call to action or a thought-provoking question and remember to thank your audience and invite any final questions or interactions.

3. How to make a presentation interactive?

To make your presentation interactive, encourage questions and discussion throughout your talk. Utilize multimedia elements like videos or images and consider including polls, quizzes or group activities to actively involve your audience.

In need of inspiration for your next presentation? I’ve got your back! Pick from these 120+ presentation ideas, topics and examples to get started. 

Creating a stunning presentation with Venngage is a breeze with our user-friendly drag-and-drop editor and professionally designed templates for all your communication needs. 

Here’s how to make a presentation in just 5 simple steps with the help of Venngage:

Step 1: Sign up for Venngage for free using your email, Gmail or Facebook account or simply log in to access your account. 

Step 2: Pick a design from our selection of free presentation templates (they’re all created by our expert in-house designers).

Step 3: Make the template your own by customizing it to fit your content and branding. With Venngage’s intuitive drag-and-drop editor, you can easily modify text, change colors and adjust the layout to create a unique and eye-catching design.

Step 4: Elevate your presentation by incorporating captivating visuals. You can upload your images or choose from Venngage’s vast library of high-quality photos, icons and illustrations. 

Step 5: Upgrade to a premium or business account to export your presentation in PDF and print it for in-person presentations or share it digitally for free!

By following these five simple steps, you’ll have a professionally designed and visually engaging presentation ready in no time. With Venngage’s user-friendly platform, your presentation is sure to make a lasting impression. So, let your creativity flow and get ready to shine in your next presentation!

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How to Give a Good Presentation: 11 Top Tips for Killer Presentations

Written by: Orana Velarde

Giving a good presentation takes practice. Not everyone is born a natural public speaker, which is  why we’re here today.

In this article, we’ll give you some of the best tips for killer presentations. These are techniques used by all the best public speakers, and yes – even they had to practice to get this good.

If you need to give a presentation for work, be it a pitch about a new project or product idea, a quarterly marketing report, a product launch or as an industry expert in a summit, we’ve got you covered.

How to Give a Good Presentation [Presentation]

To learn more about our top 11 tips for giving a killer presentation, keep reading throughout this article. But for those of you who are skimmers, feel free to browse through this presentation rounding up our top tips.

How to Give a Good Presentation

Here’s a quick look at the 11 tips on how to give a good presentation. Plus, you’ll find a bonus resource you won’t want to miss, The Visme Presentation Guru Course.

• Rehearse What You’re Planning to Say
• Prepare Mentally, Emotionally and Technically
• Start Strong
• Follow the Outline You Practiced With
• Finish With Confidence
• Use a Storytelling Technique on Your Slides
• Keep Your Slides Short
• Use Templates
• Learn From Your Mistakes
• Keep Yourself Inspired for the Future

Let’s dive in.

1 Rehearse What You’re Planning To Say

Before you even give a good presentation, you need to prepare.

This part has two steps – to rehearse what you’re going to say and to prepare yourself mentally and emotionally. These two tips go hand in hand, but we’ll explain what each one is about individually.

Notice that we didn’t say “memorize your presentation.” There’s a big difference between memorizing a speech and practicing telling a story. The difference is that a memorized speech can end up sounding robot-like and practiced storytelling sounds effortless. 

You’ll be better off if you have at least a rough outline of your slides before you start rehearsing.

Section 1, Pause, Section 2, Pause, Repeat

Rehearse what you’re planning to say during your presentation by using a written outline, index cards, printed out versions of your presentation slides or whatever works for you.  

Practicing the spoken part of your Visme presentation is easy when you use the presentation notes feature . 

Separate your presentations into sections. The best way to do this is by topic. Try and keep all the sections about the same length, that way you can plan your pauses. 

Presenter’s Notes

Add presenter’s notes to your slides to help you along as you present. Visme makes this easy for you. As you go through each slide, you’re able to see the notes, what slide you’re on and what slide is next. There’s also a timer to help you pace each slide switch.

This tool will help if you can have a computer close by as you give the presentation. But if you are giving a presentation on a stage without a screen to help you, you’ll have to practice without notes. 

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• Choose from various presentation options

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How to Give A Good Presentation With Mnemonic Tools

Create some mnemonic tools into your presentation to help you remember what comes next. For some people, this comes as second nature and is easy. For others, it can become convoluted and cause you to overthink things. 

Try out a variety of different techniques until you find the one you feel the most comfortable and confident with.

Ask For Feedback

For better results and to know if you’re improving, record yourself or ask someone to watch you.  Ask them to give you honest feedback. Don’t accept feedback like “that was great.” Insist they go into the details. Offer them a pen and paper to take notes as you present.

You’ll notice as you practice and rehearse, that when you follow an outline, all the information you want to share is easier to remember. The TED talk below by Dr. Bolte Taylor was rehearsed 200 times and it’s one of the most famous TED Talks ever. 

You don’t need to practice that many times – just enough so it feels effortless. Needless to say, rehearsing is key to learning how to give a good presentation.

2 Prepare Mentally, Emotionally and Technically

It’s highly likely that you’ve already had to give presentations before, most probably at school. But let’s be honest, a classroom and a TED stage are a little different. So is an online summit via Zoom, which as you know are even more common now!

Let’s get one thing straight, though. We’re not talking about just any presentation here – we’re talking high stakes, high-quality presentations.

Preparing yourself mentally and emotionally for a weekly sales report meeting is not as important as doing so for one that will be in front of thousands of people and recorded for posterity.

This tip includes mental, emotional and technical preparation. Let’s focus on each one.

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Mental Preparation

While you’re rehearsing the outline and general speech for your presentation, notice the times when you feel like things flow and when they don’t. 

Why do you think that’s happening? 

If it flows well it’s because you feel comfortable with the content. You know what you’re talking about. You might even be passionate about it!

On the other hand, if you’re having trouble, maybe the content is still new to you. You might need to do a little more research to feel more knowledgeable about that topic. If you are unsure, you might completely forget what you had to say next during the presentation. 

That’s why rehearsing, adjusting and creating mnemonic cues will help.

Emotional Preparation

Not everyone needs to get emotionally prepared before a presentation. Conscientious rehearsing can usually be enough. But not everyone is the same. 

Many people that suffer from glossophobia or the fear of public speaking. Some have anxiety or social anxiety and just being close to that many people is difficult for them. Many successful speakers used to be riddled by fear before their first few presentations. 

Some of them still are, every single time. The difference is that they have learned how to manage their fear and lean into it. As soon as they step on the stage, the fear and anxiety melt away and all the rehearsing and practicing take over. 

To get emotionally prepared, you can try some mindfulness exercises and relaxation techniques. 

Wear clothes that make you feel powerful and confident. Try doing the power pose and high five some people before you go on stage. Sing your favorite song and have a little quick uplifting dance. 

Technical Preparation

You might be wondering what technical things you need to give a good presentation. It’s all in the details. 

Regardless if you’ll be speaking in a venue or an online summit, you have to test all technicalities.

If you’ll be speaking in a venue, visit the space and stand in the place where you’ll speak. Have a look around and pinpoint some elements or aspects that make you comfortable.

If there’s anything that bothers you, like a weird smell or a column in the middle of the room, think of ways to overcome that. 

Always ask to test the technical aspects in the room. Connect your computer or tablet to their system to check if your slides will look good with their setup. Also, test the audio. These detailed checks might not always be possible but it doesn’t hurt to ask.

If your presentation will be online, test all your tech beforehand. Locate a spot with the strongest wifi or hardwire your computer to the router.

Check your background and the lighting. Organize with housemates or family for some quiet time during the time of your presentation.

3 Start Strong

The day and time of your presentation have arrived! Now it’s time to shine.

Starting strong is a huge factor in achieving a good presentation. The first few seconds and minutes that you’re on stage will make a first impression on your audience . And yes, you can leverage that to your advantage!

How To Give A Good Presentation Through Impactful Body Language

The first thing people will notice is your body language. The way you carry yourself says a lot about how confident you are at that specific moment. If you prepared emotionally and mentally before your turn, then you’re as ready as you’ll ever be.

Watch the video below to learn about the power pose and how body language affects both you and your audience.

Make An Impressionable Statement

Starting a presentation with a joke, for example, can make the audience relate or feel more familiar with you. Letting them laugh a little will clear the air in the room and it’ll be easier to continue. 

Other opening techniques include:

• Be Provocative
• Incite Curiosity
• Shock the Audience
• Ask a Question
• Tell A Story

Use your first slide as a visual and impactful complement to start your presentation.

We have an article all about starting strong with plenty of inspiration. Check it out here – it’ll inspire you to think of new ideas for your presentation.

4 Follow The Outline You Practiced With

If you followed our tip above, you used an outline or a ‘section, pause, section’ technique to practice with. Maybe you even used some mnemonic tools or presenters’ notes. 

It’s time to put them all to use.

As long as you follow what you practiced you’re gold. This tip, as you can see, is a short one. It’s more of a reminder that the rehearsing step is more important than you might think at first. 

Only when you practice and rehearse a lot will you feel more comfortable when you present.

5 Use Props

Are you wondering how to give a good presentation with props? Good, that means you’re thinking creatively. Using props is a technique that not many consider when preparing for a presentation. 

Props can help not only to get the message across but also to serve as emotional support for the speaker! Just make sure it’s obviously a prop and not an emotional crutch.

A prop can be as small as a book, as big as a washing machine, or as weird as a preserved human brain. 

Of course, the prop must make sense with your presentation and topic. Not only that, but you must also practice with it. It’s important to be comfortable with your prop or props as you talk and switch slides. 

Actually, if you use props you might not need slides at all!

To get you inspired, watch this TED talk where Hans Rosling uses a washing machine as his prop.

6 Finish With Confidence

The end of the presentation is just as important as the beginning. You have to bring it all full circle. Knowing how to give a good presentation is like knowing how to structure a story, essay or article. The beginning and end are connected and must be relevant to each other.

For example, if you made a joke at the beginning, make the same joke but with a fun twist. If you made a provocative statement, close it up with a similar statement or question about it.

Closing Statement

Your presentation’s closing statement is a section in itself. Even if you do as we suggest above, the entire closing statement must be a conclusion of what you talked about during the entire presentation.

The last sentence you say will stay in your audience’s memory. At least until the next speaker takes the stage. If someone in your audience noted down your last sentence, you’ve hit the mark 100%.

Q and A Session – Yes or No?

Ending a presentation with a Q and A session is a bit iffy. If you ended your presentation with impact, a Q and A section can fizzle that out.

What you can do is ask the host to let the audience know that if they have questions, they can find you in the lobby for a conversation. For a digital summit, offer your Twitter handle where people can get in touch. 

In the case of webinars or instructional lectures though, Questions and Answers is a great idea. These can help familiarize you with the audience and make them more confident to work with you in the future. 

Consider the purpose of your presentation and make a decision according to what impact you’re looking to make.

Here's a great example of the chat section from Visme's webinars , where viewers make comments and ask questions throughout. In our webinars, we have someone help the presenter by gathering questions and ensuring everyone gets answers.

7 Use A Storytelling Structure

Moving on to the tips for the creation of your slides.  It’s important to remember the role your slides will play in your presentation. The audience’s attention should be on you, not your slides. These are meant to be complementary, not a crutch, nor even a text to follow.

With that said, this tip is the most important. It applies to your slides AND your spoken speech. They should both follow a storytelling structure that you and the audience will follow together.

Some of the most common storytelling structures are:

• Fact and Story – Go back and forth between facts and stories, or “what is” and “what could be.”
• The Explanation – Inform about a process or plan to fix something or to learn something new.
• The Pitch – Take your audience uphill over a hurdle and onto a positive resolution.
• The Drama – AKA “The Hero’s Journey,” this follows the plight of a main character from beginning to end.

You can also check out our quick video on how to structure a presentation like the experts to learn even more.

8 Keep Your Slides Short and Visually Balanced

There are two ways to design slides for a good presentation:

• As a standalone presentation
• As visual support, while you speak

Either way, you need to keep your slides short in text and visually impactful. For a visual support deck, the slides need even less text than a standalone presentation. 

If that idea worries you, and you have tons of information to share, you can always create a full-fledged informative PDF version of your deck to give your audience, investors or guests.

Here are some important things to remember when designing the slides for your presentation:

• The flow from start to finish
• Visual hierarchy
• Keeping the words to around 6 per slide
• Visual impact
• Balanced compositions

The 29 Best Presentation Layout Templates for 2020 [Plus Design Ideas]

9 Use Presentation Templates

Creating presentation slides doesn’t need to be difficult or a stressful affair. When you use a Visme presentation as a foundation, you’re on your way to being an expert on how to give a good presentation. 

To select a presentation template, you can either go for a topic-based template or a style based template. Both have their merits, you just need to figure out what’s easier for you. 

Topic-based templates are fully designed templates with color themes, graphics, images, icons, etc. You’d only have to adjust the content and maybe the colors and graphics. 

Style-based templates are better for those of you that need more freedom in terms of colors and visuals. The Visme slide library is full of layouts organized into categories that you can choose from. 

Presentation Templates

Ecommerce Webinar Presentation

Buyer Presentation

PixelGo Marketing Plan Presentation

Technology Presentation

Product Training Interactive Presentation

Work+Biz Pitch Deck - Presentation

Create your presentation View more templates

10 Learn From Your Mistakes

When the presentation is over and you feel like you just conquered the world, it’s not the end just yet. Celebrate the moment but remember, there will be more presentations in the future. 

If your presentation was filmed, watch the recording. If there was anyone in the audience that you can fully trust to be honest with their feedback, ask them for it. Take mental notes and the next time you’ll be even more prepared.

The secret sauce to know how to give a good presentation is to always keep learning the ways to improve.

11 Keep Yourself Inspired for Future Presentations

When you keep learning, you keep growing. This also applies to the art of giving good presentations. Follow well-known presentation experts like Nancy Duarte and Carmine Gallo. Read their book, their stories and their theories about giving good presentations. 

Watch famous speeches or TED talks to get inspired. Take notes of what you notice in those speeches that you think would suit your personality. You don’t want to copy how other people speak, but you can definitely be inspired!

Bonus: The Visme Presentation Guru Course

To top off your knowledge base for giving good presentations with killer slides, we present you with the Visme Presentation Guru Course .

How to Give a Good Presentation Every Time

As long as you’re prepared, your slides are well-balanced and your speech is rehearsed, you’re ready to give an impactful presentation.

Plus, never underestimate the power of templates! Check out the Visme slide library to visualize the possibilities. Take our presentation course and improve your abilities as a public speaker and slide creator.

Learn how to give a good presentation with all the resources Visme has in store for you. Sign up for a free Visme account today to get started.

Create beautiful presentations faster with Visme.

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About the Author

Orana is a multi-faceted creative. She is a content writer, artist, and designer. She travels the world with her family and is currently in Istanbul. Find out more about her work at oranavelarde.com

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 good presentation in English

by Lingoda Team

Published on August 12, 2020 / Updated on October 23, 2023

For many people, giving an oral presentation is extremely nerve-racking, but the task becomes even more daunting if you are doing the presentation in English, as a non-native speaker. After all, while you may be able to communicate in everyday situations, public speaking is a different prospect entirely. Nevertheless, learning to give excellent presentations in English can be extremely beneficial, especially when you consider that  English is the international language of business , and practice makes perfect. To make the task slightly easier, we have compiled some top tips for delivering excellent presentations in the  English language , so that you can impress your employers, deliver a great sales pitch to clients, present important findings to your team, or get that excellent grade for oral presentation at school or university.

Our top tips to give an excellent presentation in English

Top 5 presentation tips, useful vocabulary to use in presentations, learn languages at your pace, think about your delivery.

Although what you say is important, the secret to delivering a great speech lies in the way you say things. In particular, when delivering a presentation in English, you should focus on speaking clearly and at a steady pace, so that your audience can understand you easily.

During a presentation , your nerves may get the better of you, causing you to speed up. However, this can make your speech far less clear, so it is important to practice pacing. You should also feel free to take the occasional pause to catch your breath, gather your thoughts, or have a drink of water; especially before introducing a new idea.

Furthermore, you must avoid speaking in a monotone voice, which can make a presentation seem dull and boring, regardless of the content. When rehearsing your speech, focus on placing emphasis on keywords and changing tone depending on what you are saying. If in doubt, watch videos of great speeches and pay attention to  how  they speak.

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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’.

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 the slides:

In many cases, your 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…”

Lingoda Team

This article was produced by one of the in-house Lingoda writers.

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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

Copyright © 2023 Practising English All rights reserved

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How to give a presentation in English

Test your understanding of this English lesson

139 comments.

Thank you so much…… I have just started learning from http://www.PresentationPrep.com . too…. Thanks…. Thanks a lot…

Hella Rebecca.. I’m watching your vedio’s last 2-3 weeks and i’m improving a lot… I have one doubt please help me out… Where we you I’d???? I know it means “i had” or “i would” but i don’t know how to use it.. I always heard these abbreviation in songs & movies…. please help me please reply me:(

You use I would when you want to do something that you like, you say “I would like to…” or in other kind of expressions like “I would like to eat a…”

Yeah, it is an excellent website to prepare professional presentations.

Dear Rebecca,

Thanks for these useful tips for giving a presentation, they have helped me a lot recently.

As I see it, crutch words or fillers are always necessary when giving a presentation. I have noticed that I use them a lot; I prefer them to remind silent.

Thanks again for this wonderful lesson Rebecca.

I agree with your comment Regino! By the way i would like to say that you are a excellent viewer-teacher i’ve learned a lot every time that i see a comment from you… you have a great writing skill that one day i will appreciate to have.

Good lesson! Thank you very much. I got 8.

From now on I will improve my English presentations.

Thank you so much Teacher, I realy understand and like your lessons.

thank you teacher

Thank you Rebecca ;)

great…100

I was waiting for this lesson, thank you

Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This lesson helped me a lot

thanks a lot

Rebecca, thanks a lot for your useful advice!

useful advice thanx

Thank you so much Rebecca! Your lessons are very helpful.

Thank you Rebecca so much =)

hi Rebecca. Thanks for this helpful lesson.

thanx…

If invite me someone to give my opinion about something (i think wine) and i’m obliged to do a speach, really i’ll use your advices. I’ll never use the jargon language about the wine in my speach because noone will be understand what i want to say. Your advices are correct and useful. Thank you teacher. Greetings from Greece.

very useful thank you teacher for this lesson regards

Very interesting lesson Rebecca, thanks!

Thanks, Rebecca! I got 9… Great lesson!

Hi Rebecca This is a very grateful thing having a teacher like you. Thank you so much for all your videos explanations that are so useful for us all.

Hi Rebecca, Thanks for this interesting video. Definitely I learned new tips. Hope to see you again with new lessons.

thank you so much .

it is so helpul.you make me know how to organise the presentation.it is useful even though i present a speech in my native language.

I got 75. It’s very interesting lesson:)

Grateful, very, very important lesson

hi Rebecca. Thanks for this helpful lesson,it is very important for me

Plz I can’t open the video

i am really appreciating you and i am very happy and learning very quickly……. thank you very much…

Used a lot at college, thanks ma’am!

Thank you waiting for more lessons

Hello, Rebecca. Could you please fix the “Resources”? I can’t download neither of them. Please, check them out.

8. What is jargon? – a very, very fat man

Thanks Rebecca for the lesson!

I really enjoyed the lesson, thanks Rebecca

Oh my God! That is so useful. And I’ve understood all!!! Thank you so much!

thank Rebecca , it really help me so much !

What I did when I have to presenting in English is watching TED.com (or similar presentation videos) and read SlideShare to get idea about my presentation materials.

Thanks Rebecca.

Good lesson,thank you teacher Rebecca.

thank you verry much.

Thank you Rebecca for this lesson ,its useful to improve our language and our live also

Hi! I have a problem that I cannot understand what is writing style is and how to use. Can English Video( Engvid) make a clip about writing style or Ms. Rebecca explain for me? Thanks so much.

Great lesson. Thanks Rebecca

Thanks a lot ~

thank you so much.

Thank very much for your kind and very clear lessoin

Great tips, thank you.

Great lesson, thank you very much Mrs. Rebbeca

avoid slang, jargon, crutch words, abbrevations, complecated sentence. write down number, use trasation words. use verbs. Very thanks, Mrs. Rebbeca. That’s grate lesson.

Thanks a lot Rebeca It was very useful. I got 100

Wonderful tips!

Why I can’t watch any videos?

jargon is – a very, very fat man LOL :))))

very useful

very helpful

hey ms.rebecca <3' i have a presention in the next week.. thank you very much :)

Rebeca, You know you are A M A Z I N G !!!

Thank you so much for your help

Hi Rebecca!!! Excelent class!!! Tks for you help us! haha…

Thank you Rebecca, useful lesson!

Such an effective and useful lesson.

Great.Don’t you think Rebecca that it would have been more useful if examples were given on each and every advice.

thank you so much. I got 8 of 8:)

It was cool lesson!It Helped me so much thanks Rebecca!

I got 100. yeah~ Thanks Rebecca :)

thanks a lot Rebecca, I´m improving my English every day with your help, It was a useful lesson. Greetings, take care you.

Hi Rebecca, score 100%!!!! That’s ok. Thanks for all.

Thanka Rebecca…

thanks ,gud lesson

Thanks Rebecca

50% before watching and 88% after

Thank you very much! Excellent lesson.

thank you rebecca you are the best ..

now i’ve got to know how to make a point, and speak like a professional. many thanks

Hi Rebecca and ciao everyone! This makes me speak like professor, a lot of claps and cheer I get from classmate, thank you!

Hi there!!! Glad to see you around here again Fellis.

Thank you very much! I’m appreciated!

Thanks for the awesome tips Rebecca. I need ur help on something. Sometimes it is difficult to understand the other person’s accent, how to handle that situation. Do I need to do some course to improve or learn accent? Also, it is not possible to learn all the dictionary. We try to speak simple english that everyone can understand, however, we can’t really advice this to others at work, same with rate of speech. How to handle that situation? Please help.

thanks my lecturer you are feeding my mind day to day ,slowly i hope I will be strong

Thanks Rebecca for your amazing class.

thank you very much!

Hello all of you.

quite interesting.. Love these lessons

Cheers mate!

Ok, 75 %. Thanks.

Just joined this website today, and I am excited see the variety of tools and resources to enhance English. In this materialistic world, nothing is free and your effort in making us to understand English in various situations are excellent.

I listened many of your videos and all of them are excellent tools for boosting up my English.

Accept my heartfelt thanks to you and other teachers who spent time to present all the videos here.

wow 100% ^_^

Thanks a lot.

Thanks a lot! Who can help me write the example about use active ?I can t listen it clearly because my poor listening English!Thanks in advance.

wonderful teaching thank you so much :)

can you please teach how to increase fluency…

Thank you Rebecca. Another useful tips I can use for my future presentations. Keep it up.

thanks it’s my first trial with engVid

I got 9 out of 8 …..yippi

very useful lesson. especially for the business English. thanks Rebecca!

I got 100 , it’s amazing , thanks Rebecca

thanks a lot but how can we communicate you or can i get a chatting to practice English

Dear Rebecca, Thank you for your advice, clear, simple, and accurate. Best regards.

i got 7 out of 8, but i learned. Better luck next time.This is it!

a useful lesion,hopefully to learn more form Engvid.com, thanks

Thank you very much this lesson. It is very usefull to me.

This lesson teach me a lot of tips for a presentation. I haven’t done a presentaion well until now. But I can have a courage to make a presentaion well because of you. Thank you!

Thank you so much Rebecca! I liked all the tips about how to improve a presentation in English or any other language. it costs me to give a presentation in my native language, T_T. See you then.

Thanks Teacher

thank you rebecca

Thanks a lot, its very useful.

I’ve learned a lot lately in my English skills with your help,i pray to God bless to you and all teacher from EngVid. Definitely these tips to improve our presentations are amazing,i consider that i am good speaking in public no matter if it’s in another language as English, of course all your tips are amazing as i said before but if we could combine them with a great attitude will help us even more! We always must do our best.

different points that would help us in different situations. thank you very much.

think you so much..

thank you very much for this topic rebecca!! i liked, it was interesting too!!

thank you teacher rebacca. i like the lession your teacher.

I liked it very much, it is very interesting, besides that it gave me a new perspective on how to make presentations from now on thank you very much. :) :)

Thank you so much.I would try to avoid jargon after this lession.

You got 6 correct out of 8.

thanks…

Thanks Rebecca!

Dear Rebecca, thank you very much for this free training. I am really grateful to you.

Thank you dear Rebecca for this useful, interesting and practical lesson

Thanks one more Madam!

VERY USEFUL TIPS, IT IS IMPORTANT AVOID TO USE JARGON AND KEEP IT SIMPLE.

Very useful lesson.

icant find videos

very good teacher, best regards.

Very useful, thank you!

Hi Rebecca thanks of your useful titles as teaching items for eager learners of English, I have never been in academic college of English lesson courses, but I am sure that there is not such an English education you have in your teaching,I wish you safety &pleasure not to tired of teaching your grateful learners!

all most there 7 out of 8

Thank you teacher. The lesson was very helpful.

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20 Presentation Tips for Your ESL Students

Helping learners to give presentations is an excellent way to encourage fluency. For some of your students, the ability to give a good presentation in English may be mandatory for their jobs. Here are twenty tips to help ensure a successful presentation, from beginning to end. Who knows? You may find them useful too.

• Allow plenty of time for preparation.
• Answer the all-important question-words: why? who? where? when? how? and what?.
• Structure your presentation into introduction, body, conclusion and questions.
• Write notes based on keywords.
• Rehearse your presentation several times and modify it as necessary.
• Select the right equipment for the job.
• Use your equipment effectively.
• Make use of clear, powerful visual aids that do not overload your audience.
• Use clear, simple language, avoiding jargon.
• Use active verbs and concrete facts.
• Explain the structure of your presentation at the beginning so that your listeners know what to expect.
• Link each section of your presentation.
• Signpost your presentation from beginning to end so that your listeners know where they are.
• Overcome your nerves.
• Establish audience rapport.
• Be aware of your body language.
• Understand cultural differences.
• Maintain interest by varying the speed, volume and pitch of your voice.
• Deal with listeners’ questions politely.
• Respond to your audience positively.

These tips are condensed from  Presentations in English .

You may also like:

• Listen&Learn: How 3D Printers Work
• Listen&Learn: The Lord of the Rings
• 5 Ideas for Teaching English One-on-One

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Effective presentations: How visual aids reinforce your message

1. Instantly turn complexity into simplicity

• show change processes
• point out a problem
• explain the processes used in the presentation
• create enthusiasm for a product launch
• introduce people
• communicate corporate values
• present experience reports

2. Diagrams to support facts

• Building up the diagrams piece by piece adds to the suspense and gets you thinking along with it.
• Diagrams over time help us put the facts in a chronological context.
• Contrasting diagrams adds context by focusing on the impact of the information.

3. Using memes as a way to lighten the mood

• They make the audience feel close to them.
• They produce the same reaction in everyone
• They lighten the mood
• They bring the lecture back into focus.
• They set the stage for the next few points.
• They show us a common issue that we all face.

4. Before and after pictures for direct reactions

• what the company logo looked like before and now,
• how website views have changed since change X,
• how much better the sales figures are since point Y was changed in the ad,
• how bureaucratic a process was yesterday and how digital and automated it is today.

5. Let the text speak for itself

Conclusion: visual aids deepen the message of every presentation, see related articles.

How reducing complexity helps us understand the world

Tips for keeping the audience engaged in video presentations

5 tips for creating explainer videos that wow your audience

Get started with simpleshow today.

My wife isn't 'just' a stepmom to my son. He sees her as his other mom.

• My wife has been in my son's life since he was 6 years old.
• She has taken on a parental role, stepping in whenever I need extra help.
• Even though she's his stepmom, my son considers her his other mom.

After Vice President Kamala Harris announced she was running for president, one criticism lobbed against her was that she is not a parent because she has never given birth to children. But she is the stepmother to her husband Doug Emhoff's two children.

Like Harris, my wife is a stepmother to my son.

I am no longer in a relationship with his father and have been in a new relationship for four years. My wife came into my son's life when he was 6 years old and quickly stepped into a parental role. It was a role she enthusiastically took on.

Although she didn't give birth to my son, my wife is absolutely his second mother.

My son and wife's relationship started friendly

My wife didn't immediately take an authoritative role or force him to treat her like a parent. At first, she was more like a grown-up friend — someone he knew he needed to respect, but someone who would take him on drives to get ice cream or let him pretend to drive her car while I was inside the grocery store.

Related stories

I was worried about parenting with another person all the time. As the primary parent, I wasn't used to dividing parenting duties . My wife was aware of that and always deferred to me as the primary parent.

But the bond between my son and my wife was instant. He had never met someone I was dating before, but he liked her immediately.

My wife has taken on more responsibility as a stepmom

Over the last four years, she's taken on more parental responsibility but never tried to act like she was more of a parent than myself or my son's father. She is a bonus mom, someone there to kiss him goodnight , help him with his homework, and love him unconditionally.

During the pandemic, my wife volunteered to take the lead in helping my son with virtual school so I could focus on work. She created a schedule for him, made him lunch, and ensured he kept up with assignments. When the playgrounds opened, she would take him to play, armed with a backpack full of whatever was needed.

I have gone on several overnight trips , leaving the two of them alone together. My son doesn't even call or text me when I'm gone because he's having so much fun hanging out with my wife. I never have to worry about him; I know my wife will make sure he takes a bath and goes to bed on time.

There are days when I will ask her to tag in and do the bedtime routine because I'm working or want a break, and she does it without question. My son knows that if he needs something, he doesn't have to come to me all the time.

Seeing my wife willingly step into a parental role with my son has strengthened our relationship. I knew I loved her almost immediately after we met, but seeing how my son responded to her made me more secure in my decision.

Sometimes, she still refers to him as mine, and I always remind her that she's his mom, too. We do everything as a team: school meetings, performances, birthday parties . Everyone knows us as his two moms, and there's no one else I could imagine doing this with.

My son now sees my wife as the missing piece to our family puzzle. He proudly claims her as his other mom.

"You're my mom too," my son will say when my wife calls herself his stepmom. He made that decision. My wife never wanted to force a close relationship on him, but he pushed for it.

Media has warped the perception of stepmoms

Popular media depictions of stepmoms are largely negative. The common trope is that they're evil.

For example, you have characters like Meredith Blake in the Lindsay Lohan version of "The Parent Trap," the Baroness von Schraeder in " The Sound of Music ," and, of course, the prototype: Cinderella's Evil Stepmother.

These women are always seen as temptresses who come in and seduce the father into marrying them before revealing they intend to get rid of his daughter so that she will be the only woman in his life.

Maybe there are stepmoms out there who fit this description, but by and large, stepmoms are there to be whoever their step kids want them to be.

I know that's exactly the role my wife plays, and my son and I are all the more lucky for it.

Watch: Why one mother fled Texas to keep her child safe

• Main content

Olympic gymnastics highlights: Simone Biles, USA capture gold medal in team final

Editor’s note: Simone Biles has won Olympic gold in the team final , all-around final and vault final at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

PARIS – The U.S. women’s gymnastics team had framed it as a redemption tour. But in the end, it was more of a clinic, a showcase – a dominant show of twisting and acrobatic force.

Led by the incomparable Simone Biles , the Americans coasted to yet another Olympic gold medal Tuesday night at Bercy Arena, finishing atop the podium for the third time in the four most recent trips to the Summer Games. They finished nearly six points ahead of the silver medal winners Italy, with Brazil grabbing bronze. It was never really close.

"It was super exciting. We had fun. We enjoyed each other's time out there, and we just did our gymnastics," Biles said.

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Less than 48 hours after overcoming calf pain in qualifying , Biles competed – and excelled – in all four events , starting the night with a soaring Cheng vault and ending it with her signature floor routine, set in part to the music of Taylor Swift.

"I think it speaks volumes of her strength," said Chellsie Memmel, technical director for the U.S. women. "What she was able to come back from with the whole world watching — and a world watching with a magnifying glass again, just waiting to see what she was going to do.

"We all knew she could do it like. That wasn't ever a question in my mind that she could do it, and it continues to just solidify her place as the greatest gymnast of all the time."

Biles' teammates also more than did their parts.  Suni Lee , the reigning Olympic all-around champ, was masterful on balance beam and strong on uneven bars. Jordan Chiles, like Biles, competed in all four events and finished with just one notable mistake, on balance beam. And Jade Carey, who has been nursing an illness , hit a terrific vault in her only event of the night. (Hezly Rivera, who competed in qualifying, did not participate in the three-up, three-count format.)

More from Paris: Simone Biles' redemption and Paris Olympic gold medal was for herself, U.S. teammates

“Having this opportunity definitely felt really good,” Chiles said. “And being able to be a part of winning this gold medal and everything that I've just gone through, it's just been an amazing experience. So, I'm really just proud of each and every one of us that are up here. This smile is always gonna be smiling because it's just been an amazing experience.”

After the Fierce Five and the Final Five, this group – led by Biles – had talked about wanting to redeem itself after taking home silver at the 2021 Tokyo Games. "The four of them called it their redemption tour — that they certainly did," Memmel said.

It was at those same Olympics, and in this team final, where Biles withdrew from competition abruptly with what she later revealed was a case of the "twisties," which left her feeling disoriented and unsafe while twisting through the air. Perhaps it was fitting then that, in her first event of the final, she was back on vault – and back twisting with confidence in her Cheng vault, which is one of the most difficult in the world.

"As soon as I landed vault, I was like, 'Oh yeah we’re gonna do this,'" Biles said.

Just GOAT things. 🐐 Simone Biles kicks her day off with a solid vault. #ParisOlympics 📺 NBC and Peacock pic.twitter.com/jcxpj0GuRZ — NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) July 30, 2024

It was clear, from the start, that tonight would be different. All four gymnasts who competed for Team USA were also on the team in Tokyo, where restrictive COVID-19 measures had left the arena mostly and eerily empty. So after the U.S. won gold on Tuesday night, one of Biles' coaches, Cecile Landi, was asked what it too to get here over the last three years — for Biles and the team.

"A lot. That's all I have to say. A lot. It's been a roller coaster over the past three years, with a lot of good times and very difficult times," Landi said. "So today's just amazing."

On Tuesday, Biles' parents and husband, Chicago Bears safety Jonathan Owens , were able to watch and cheer for the Americans from the bleachers. The crowd also featured big-name celebrities and sports figures, including Michael Phelps, Serena Williams, Natalie Portman and Nicole Kidman. Chants of "U-S-A" rang out sporadically after almost every rotation, and American flags waved throughout the stands.

They had plenty to cheer for, of course, thanks to Biles and company. With Tuesday's gold, the 27-year-old passed Shannon Miller for the most Olympic medals won by an American gymnast . She now has eight – and perhaps a few more on the way over the next week, with the all-around and apparatus finals still to come.

"We know if they do their normal gymnastics, it should be good enough and that's what we really focused on," Landi said.

TEAM USA WOMEN'S GYMNASTICS STRIKES GOLD BY ALMOST SIX POINTS! 🇺🇸🥇 #ParisOlympics 📺 NBC and Peacock pic.twitter.com/nFMORJAvPP — NBC Sports (@NBCSports) July 30, 2024

Simone Biles, US gymnastics teammates leaned on each other to win this Olympic gold medal

Simone Biles and this U.S. women's gymnastics team have talked about powering through obstacles they faced, in part, by relying on each another .

Even while they were competing against one another in individual competitions over the course of the year, there were always signs of the genuine relationships that had grown between the returning members of this team. At the national championships earlier this summer, Biles noticed that Lee was struggling and walked across the gym during the competition to talk with her about it . In between rotations, it was normal to see Biles and Carey chatting, with Biles bursting out into laughter.

"Even (Monday) night, we were all having a little powwow − (Chiles, Lee and I) in the room, just talking about our age, what we're going through, how hard the Olympics is and all that stuff," Biles said. "... I think it translates out of the gym, as well. And once we're good and close and tight knit outside, then you see what you saw tonight. It was pretty good. It was fun. And we supported each other." Read Tom Schad's full story on the bond the U.S. women's gymnastics team has.

Simone Biles has more Olympic medals than any other American gymnast

Simone Biles and the U.S. women's gymnastics team  winning gold in the team final  gives Biles more Olympic medals than any other American gymnast. She has eight Olympics medals in three Games, breaking the tie she had with  Shannon Miller . It also gives her 38 combined Olympic and world championships medals, which is more than all other teams combined.

"Honestly, I would’ve had to Google that, I’m not really sure, I don’t keep count, I don’t keep stats," Biles said Tuesday night. "I just go out here and do what I love. It’s amazing now that I hear it, but I don’t think I’ll truly understand the depth of it until I walk away from the sport."

Jordan Chiles showed out in a big way to help US win gold

The Olympic gold medal around Jordan Chiles ’ neck more than makes up for the disappointment of missing out on the women's gymnastics all-around final. She will forever be  an Olympic champion , and she knows that the U.S. women wouldn't have won this title without her contributions. She competed on all four events Tuesday night, leading the Americans off on three of them.

“Having this opportunity definitely felt really good,” Chiles said . “Being able to be a part of winning this gold medal … it’s just been an amazing experience.”

Simone Biles' floor routine

Simone Biles closed out the entire Olympic women's gymnatics team final on floor and got a standing ovation from the crowd. She scored a 14.666.

WOW. SIMONE BILES JUST DID THAT. 🔥 #ParisOlympics 📺 NBC and Peacock pic.twitter.com/l4pLcI1QGg — NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) July 30, 2024

Simone Biles' beam score

Biles appeared to almost lose her balance on a wolf turn, then did lose her balance on an aerial, clinging to the edge of the beam with her toes. But she didn't let the wobble turn into a fall, and ultimately, her score of 14.366 was still be one of the higher marks of the night.

Team USA fans in Paris going wild for Simone Biles. 👏🇺🇸 #ParisOlympics 📺 NBC & Peacock pic.twitter.com/hxLLrwCaFt — NBC Sports (@NBCSports) July 30, 2024

Simone Biles ' uneven bars score

Simone Biles isn't a big fan of the uneven bars, nor is she quite as dominant on that apparatus as the other three. But she was smooth and steady in her routine, nearly sticking the landing en route to a score of 14.400. And she was grinning wide as soon as her feet hit the ground.

The U.S. gymnasts look almost relaxed as they reach the midway point, while some of their would-be rivals have already suffered mistakes. Both Brazil and China had falls on the balance beam in this rotation, which could only widen the gap between Team USA and the rest of the field.

Simone Biles' vault score

Simone Biles didn't do her signature Yurchenko double pike , opting for the second-hardest difficult vault being done these days. Biles scored a 14.9 for her Cheng, which included a small hop on the landing. She smiled and exchanged high fives with coach Laurent Landi and then Cecile Landi, who is both Biles' co-coach and coach of the U.S. women here in Paris. 

That Biles opted for the "easier" vault isn't a surprise. First, the U.S. didn't need it. Though the Yurchenko double pike is worth 0.8 points more than the Cheng, they still posted 44.1 points on the rotation. Second, Biles tweaked her left calf in qualifying. There's no reason to push it. 

Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles beam scores

The Americans gave themselves enough of a cushion on vault and uneven bars that they could have afforded to make a mistake or two — and still win gold. That meant Jordan Chiles' fall when mounting the beam wasn't reason to panic. Chiles recovered from the mistake and was relatively clean for the rest of her routine for a score of 12.733, and Suni Lee then followed with an outstanding performance and a 14.600.

Jordan Chiles finishes strong to close out her beam routine. 💪 #ParisOlympics 📺 NBC and Peacock pic.twitter.com/5vPcNlLZKU — NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) July 30, 2024

Suni Lee' bars routine

Suni Lee, who specializes on uneven bars, got a deduction for her feet touching the floor. She still scored a 14.566.

Absolutely STUNNING ✨ @sunisalee_ on bars is everything! 📺: @NBCOlympics & @peacock #ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/zPwZuhlmj4 — Team USA (@TeamUSA) July 30, 2024

Jordan Chiles' bars routine

Jordan Chiles killed it on bars, scoring a 14.366, and she let out a huge scream after. We're verging into the territory when the competition becomes a coronation.

THE CHILES FAM IS LOVING IT. 👏 #ParisOlympics 📺 NBC and Peacock pic.twitter.com/AhytGNvJbt — NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) July 30, 2024

How many rotations in gymnastics final?

There are four. Here was the complete run-of-show for the U.S. women.

• Vault:  Jordan Chiles (14.400), Jade Carey (14.800) and Simone Biles (14.900)
• Uneven bars:  Jordan Chiles (14.366), Simone Biles (14.400) and Suni Lee (14.566)
• Balance beam:  Jordan Chiles, Suni Lee and Simone Biles
• Floor exercise:  Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles and Simone Biles

Jade Carey did NOT come to play. 😤 Starting things off strong for Team USA. #ParisOlympics 📺 NBC and Peacock pic.twitter.com/qKBellq0LB — NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) July 30, 2024

Simone Biles' calf was wrapped, but she was walking normally

Simone Biles was walking normally but had a wrap that covered almost her entire left calf. Remember, she tweaked the left calf on floor exercise warmups during qualifying, and briefly left the floor before returning and getting her ankle heavily taped. She remained in the competition and showed no ill effects, posting the highest individual score. Coach Cecile Landi said afterward it was a flareup of an injury that occurred several weeks earlier, but that it wasn't a cause for concern.

Who is Simone Biles married to?

She is married to NFL player Jonathan Owens , who is in the arena, sitting with Biles' parents and wearing a T-shirt with "BILES" on it and a huge photo of his wife in action on it. He landed in Paris on Tuesday morning. In addition to the team final, Owens will be able to watch Biles in the all-around final on Thursday, Aug. 1.

During the first rotation, Owens was seen with a pen in hand, possibly recording scores, as Biles performed her vault routine. Mic’ed up on NBC’s broadcast, Owens let out a healthy “let’s go!” after Biles recorded a 14.900 on the vault, the highest score among the three U.S. gymnasts.

Simone Biles' village runs DEEP. #ParisOlympics 📺NBC and Peacock pic.twitter.com/cywgWCscTA — On Her Turf (@OnHerTurf) July 30, 2024

What are the twisties?

Biles missed most of the Tokyo Olympics after developing a case of “ the twisties ,” which caused her to lose her sense of where she was in the air and jeopardized her physical safety.

How does Olympic gymnastics scoring work?

A gymnastics routine gets two scores: One for difficulty, also known as the D score or start value, and one for execution. Every gymnastics skill has a numerical value, and the D score is the sum total of the skills in a routine. The execution score, or E score, reflects how well the skills were done. A gymnast starts with a 10.0, and deductions for flaws and form errors are taken from there. Add the D and E scores together, and that’s your total for an apparatus. (Vault scores will always be higher because it’s a single skill.)

Simone Biles, U.S. women got huge welcome from crowd

The teams are being introduced to the crowd, Simone Biles and the U.S. women receiving the biggest of all from the crowd. Biles forgot they were supposed to pose and started walking onto the floor before catching herself. Her and Jade Cade were cracking up.

MOOD. #ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/f1qsgmQl1N — Team USA (@TeamUSA) July 30, 2024

Simone Biles' moves named after her: What to know

Simone Biles has left her mark on the sport of gymnastics. In addition to her record number of medals — she has 37 at the world championships and Olympics, more than any other gymnast, male or female — Biles has five skills named after her. Skills are named after the first gymnast to do them in a major international competition, like the world championships or Olympics. She has two on vault, two on floor exercise and one on balance beam. Here’s are the Simone Biles moves named after her . — Nancy Armour

Simone Biles' Yurchenko double pike: What to know

The Biles II is also known as the  Yurchenko double pike , one of five moves named after Simone Biles . Vaults are categorized by “families,” which are based on the entry. On Yurchenko vaults, a gymnast does a roundoff onto the takeoff board and a back handspring onto the table. Biles then follows it with a double somersault in the piked position.

Few men even try this vault, which is so difficult because of the power it takes to get two somersaults as well as its lack of a bailout. If something goes awry, more likely to land on her head or neck than her knees.

Biles began doing this vault in 2021 but didn’t do it at a worlds or Olympics until the 2023 world championships. With a 6.4 difficulty value, it is the hardest vault in the women’s code.

When Biles did the vault last year, she took a half-point deduction for having coach Laurent Landi standing on the landing mat, ready to step in and redirect her into a safe position if it looked as if she was headed for a scary landing. But neither Biles nor Landi feel the need for him to do that anymore.

The most difficult vault commonly executed by other gymnasts is valued at 5.6, eight-tenths lower than the Biles II, so doing it gives Biles a huge scoring advantage.

Is Simone Biles the greatest gymnast of all time?

Biles is the greatest gymnast of all time . She has consistently dominated the sport for over a decade, which would have been an unimaginable feat just a few years ago as most gymnasts reach their peak in their late teens. Her ability to win is in a class of its own. With 37 Olympic and world championship medals — 27 of which are gold — Biles has won the most of any gymnast in history. She has also not lost an all-around competition since 2013. 

Biles redefines the possibilities of her sport not just in her record-breaking number of wins and medals, but also in the unmatched difficulty of the skills she completes. Biles has no less than five skills named after her — two on the vault and floor and one on the balance beam — because she was the first, and in most cases, the only athlete to complete them in competition. 

How many Olympic medals does Simone Biles have?

Biles has won eight Olympic medals , five of which are gold. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, Biles won three individual golds in the all-around, vault and floor exercise and led Team USA’s “Final Five” to the team gold. She also added a bronze medal on the balance beam. At the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, Biles added a silver medal in the team event and an additional bronze medal in the balance beam to her hardware collection. 

How many Olympics has Simone Biles been to?

The  2024 Paris Olympics  are  Simone Biles ' third Olympic Games.

Where Simone Biles trains and what it's like to train with her

Simone Biles trains at Champions Centre World, which is owned by Biles’ parents Nellie and Ron and is just outside Houston, has become one of the premier gyms in the country. WCC has two gymnasts on  the five-woman US team  at the  2024 Paris Olympics , Biles and Jordan Chiles, with  Joscelyn Roberson  a traveling alternate and Tiana Sumanasekera a non-traveling alternate. It also sent the most gymnasts, five, to the Olympic trials, and had three more at the  US championships .

"Training with Simone is, like, once in a lifetime," said Roberson,  who moved to WCC after the US championships in 2022 . "She's always so bubbly in the gym. Plus, she can hit. All the time. Like, she never has a bad day, which is insane to me."

How Simone Biles, US Olympic women's gymnastics shattered age stereotype

Simone Biles, 27, is seeking to become the oldest all-around Olympic champion in women's gymnastics in 72 years, and she is one of four athletes on the U.S. team who fit what used to be a rare mold, as repeat Olympians in their 20s. The other three − Jade Carey (24), Jordan Chiles (23) and  Suni Lee  (21) − all competed in college between their two Olympic appearances, which also used to be uncommon. ( Hezly Rivera , 16, rounds out the team.)

With an average age north of 22 years old, it will be the oldest U.S. women's gymnastics team to compete at the Olympics since 1952, according to USA Gymnastics.

"The longevity of this sport has been totally changed. Simone has changed that," Chiles said . not to control everything that I can’t control anymore,” Biles said.