Giving a presentation in English can be challenging, especially when you need to explain complex ideas, move between slides, or answer unexpected questions.
The good news is that you don't need complicated English to give a professional presentation. A small collection of useful phrases can help you introduce your ideas, connect different points, explain cause and effect, correct yourself, and handle questions with confidence.
In this guide, you'll learn practical Business English phrases you can use before, during, and after a presentation.
Describing Your Slides
When you move through a presentation, don't assume that your audience immediately knows what they should be looking at. Use simple phrases to introduce the information on each slide and direct attention to the most important points.
Introducing a Slide
Here are some useful expressions:
- “This slide shows…”
- “This slide illustrates…”
- “Here, you can see…”
- “Looking at this slide, we can see that…”
- “As you can see from this slide…”
For example:
“This slide shows a map of the area in which we plan to expand.”
“Looking at this slide, we can see that the number of accidents has decreased significantly over the past year.”
“As you can see from this slide, sales are gradually increasing among customers aged 18 to 24.”
Directing Attention
When you want your audience to focus on a particular part of a slide, try:
- “I’d like you to focus on…”
- “The key point here is…”
- “If you look at the figures on the right…”
- “Notice that…”
- “What’s particularly interesting here is…”
Connecting Your Ideas
A good presentation is more than a collection of separate facts. Your audience needs to understand how one idea connects to the next.
Transition phrases act like signposts. They tell your audience where you are going and make your presentation easier to follow.
Useful Transition Phrases
- “Let’s move on to…”
- “Now let’s look at…”
- “This brings us to…”
- “Another important point is…”
- “Let’s turn our attention to…”
- “With that in mind, let’s look at…”
- “So, what does this mean for us?”
For example:
“We’ve looked at the problems with our current system. Now let’s move on to the proposed solution.”
Talking About Cause and Effect
One important part of a business presentation is explaining why something happened and what happened as a result.
The cause is what happens first. The effect is the result.
For example:
“The company improved its software, so processing time became faster.”
The software improvements are the cause. The faster processing time is the effect.
Talking About Causes
Use these phrases when explaining why something happened:
- “The reason is that…”
- “This is due to…”
- “Since…”
- “Because…”
- “Because of…”
Examples:
“The last three issues of the newsletter were published late. The reason is that there were delays in printing.”
“Our processing time has become 30% faster. This is due to improvements in the software.”
“The employees went home early since there was no more work to do.”
Because vs. Because of
There is an important grammar difference between because and because of.
Because + subject + verb
“The game was canceled because it was raining.”
Because of + noun
“The game was canceled because of the rain.”
Talking About Effects
When explaining a result, you can use:
- “Therefore…”
- “Consequently…”
- “As a result…”
- “This means that…”
- “So…”
Examples:
“This product is more expensive to produce. Therefore, the profit margins are lower.”
“The company didn’t obtain the proper construction permit. Consequently, we had to pay a fine.”
“We invested in better safety equipment. As a result, the number of accidents has decreased.”
“The advertisements were successful, so we now plan to expand the program.”
Tip: “Therefore” and “consequently” are more formal. “So” is more conversational. “As a result” can work naturally at either the beginning or end of a sentence.
Rephrasing and Clarifying
Sometimes you realize that an explanation wasn't clear enough. Instead of getting stuck, simply explain the idea in a different way.
Useful Phrases
- “Let me put that another way.”
- “Let me rephrase that.”
- “In other words…”
- “What I mean is…”
- “To put it simply…”
For example:
“The implementation process will require additional resources. In other words, we’ll need more people and more time.”
Rephrasing is especially useful when you are explaining technical information or presenting to people who may not be familiar with your subject.
Correcting Yourself During a Presentation
Everyone makes mistakes during presentations, including native English speakers. If you give the wrong number, date, or piece of information, don't panic. Simply correct yourself and continue.
Useful Phrases
- “Let me correct that.”
- “Let me correct myself.”
- “Actually, that should be…”
- “I’m sorry, that’s not correct. I meant to say…”
- “Excuse me, I mean…”
For example:
“We’ve hired 50 new employees. Sorry, let me correct that. We’ve hired 15 new employees.”
The important thing is to make the correction clearly and move on. You don't need to spend a lot of time apologizing for a small mistake.
How to Conclude Your Presentation
A strong conclusion reminds your audience of the most important information you want them to remember.
Summarizing Your Main Points
- “In conclusion…”
- “To sum up…”
- “Let me briefly summarize the main points.”
- “I’ll close by summarizing what we’ve discussed.”
- “Let me briefly remind you what we’ve covered.”
- “The key takeaway is…”
For example:
“To sum up, we’ve looked at three main areas: our current performance, the challenges we face, and our proposed solution.”
Try not to introduce a lot of new information in your conclusion. Your goal is to reinforce the main message of your presentation.
Ending Your Presentation
After your conclusion, you can thank your audience and invite questions:
“Thank you for your attention. I’d be happy to answer any questions.”
How to Handle Questions
The question-and-answer section can sometimes be more difficult than the presentation itself. You may need to ask someone to repeat a question, clarify what they mean, or explain that you don't have the answer immediately.
Inviting Questions
When you're ready to answer questions, you can say:
“Does anyone have any questions?”
This is common in smaller meetings or groups.
“I’d like to open it up for questions now.”
This can work well when presenting to a larger group.
You can also simply say:
“I’d be happy to take any questions.”
If You Didn't Hear the Question
If you didn't hear the person clearly, don't guess. Politely ask them to repeat the question.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t catch that. Could you repeat the question?”
You can also say:
“Sorry, could you say that again?”
“Would you mind repeating the question?”
If You Don't Understand the Question
If you heard the question but don't understand what the person means, ask them to rephrase it.
“I’m sorry, I don’t quite understand your question. Would you mind rephrasing it?”
Another useful expression is:
“Could you clarify what you mean by that?”
Expressions such as “I’m sorry” and “would you mind” help make the request sound more polite.
What to Say When You Don't Know the Answer
You won't always know the answer to every question. That's normal. If you can find out the information later, be honest and offer to follow up.
“That’s an interesting question. I don’t actually know off the top of my head, but I’ll try to get back to you later with an answer.”
A shorter version is:
“I don't have that information with me right now, but I can check and get back to you.”
When Someone Else Can Answer
If the question is outside your area of expertise, you can direct the person to a colleague.
“I’m afraid I’m not the best person to answer that, but I can put you in touch with a colleague who can help.”
When the Answer Would Take Too Long
Some questions require a long explanation. If answering immediately would interrupt the presentation, suggest discussing it afterward.
“I’m afraid that would take a while to explain, but perhaps we could talk about it in more detail afterward.”
Key Business English Phrases to Remember
You don't need to memorize every expression in this lesson. Start with a few phrases that you can use naturally and practice them before your next presentation.
| Situation | Useful Phrase |
|---|---|
| Describe a slide | “This slide shows…” |
| Highlight a point | “The key point here is…” |
| Explain a cause | “This is due to…” |
| Explain a result | “As a result…” |
| Move to a new topic | “Let’s move on to…” |
| Rephrase an idea | “Let me put that another way.” |
| Correct yourself | “Let me correct that.” |
| Summarize | “To sum up…” |
| Invite questions | “I’d be happy to take any questions.” |
| Ask someone to repeat | “Could you repeat the question?” |
| Ask for clarification | “Could you clarify what you mean by that?” |
| When you don't know | “I can check and get back to you.” |
Final Thoughts
Giving a presentation in English doesn't require complicated vocabulary or perfect English. What matters most is being able to organize your ideas clearly and guide your audience through them.
Learn a few useful phrases for introducing slides, connecting ideas, explaining cause and effect, correcting yourself, and handling questions. Then practice saying them aloud until they feel natural.
The goal is not to sound like a native speaker. The goal is to communicate your ideas clearly and confidently.