Effective Business Presentations in English

Doing a business presentation in English can be a daunting task. It may be just an internal presentation - perhaps to your colleagues, or to your boss. Or it may be a sales presentation to a new or existing client. Perhaps its to an even larger group and you have to talk at a seminar (dread, shock, horror!).

So where do you begin? Planning your presentation is the most important part. And the second most important part is preparing your presentation. The third thing to do really well (and this cannot be stressed enough) is to practice! Many people fall into the trap of spending hours creating wonderful, exciting, interactive, movie-containing power point presentations (or Keynote if you are using a Mac!), but then fall down because they haven't practiced enough (or at all).

Your presentation should be broken down into chunks : the introduction, main body and conclusion. Furthermore, you should use appropriate presentations language:

Presentations Language

*Function*	*Language*
*Greeting the audience*	Good Morning ( afternoon / evening ) ladies and gentlemen
*Introducing The Topic*	I would like to begin with
*Sequencing*	Firstly, Secondly, Thirdly
*Moving on to the next point*	Next
*Giving an example*	For example
*Checking understanding*	Is that clear?
*Summarizing*	In summary
*Finishing*	Thankyou very much

After planning your presentation, its a good idea to sit down and actually write a script. If you are doing a powerpoint presentation, use the tools within the program you are using to create notes. A good idea is to transfer your script / notes onto 6 x 4 index cards and use these when presenting. Cue cards enable you to make a much more effective business presntation becuase tehre is less of a physical barrier between you and the audience. If possible, condese your notes down into just kewords. You may find that after sufficient practice that you are able to consese a whole card down to just one English sentence!

Correct body language is very important as well. Proper and regular eye contact with the audience is essential. Use hand movements and body gestures to empahsie your points. If you want to see good body language in action watch politicians (especially English ones) giving speeches on television!

Practice in front of the mirror. Or a friend. If you have a video camera then make use of it and tape your business or sales presentation. Review your progress on the TV!

Notes: A good private English tutor will be able to give you feedback on your presentation skills and give expert tuition on formal and informal presentations in English.