English for Professional Purposes

Speaking skills 1: presentations

Ben Stanley

Department of Social Sciences, SWPS University

June 22, 2026

Speaking skills 1: presentations

Designing a presentation

The typical “pyramid” presentation

The “inverted pyramid”

The hourglass structure

Crafting your headline message

  • If you want your audience to take away a single message from your presentation, what will it be?
  • Your headline, or key message, should be something you can articulate in a single sentence
  • The goal of a headline is not to trivialise or eliminate the complexity and nuance of your content
  • Rather, it is to give your audience a single statement that encapsulates your presentation which they will remember and be able to share
  • Example: “Our new flexible work policy has increased productivity by 15% while reducing operational costs by 10%”

Sentence adverbials for effective introductions

In your opening statements, use sentence adverbials to:

  • Create interest: “Interestingly, our market research revealed an unexpected trend.”
  • Emphasise importance: “Significantly, this quarter’s results exceeded all projections.”
  • Set the tone: “Fortunately, we’ve identified a solution to this challenge.”
  • Establish credibility: “Unquestionably, our team has the expertise to deliver this project.”

Opening statements

Weak opening:

“Thank you for having me. I’m going to talk about our quarterly results. Before I begin, let me just say this data is preliminary, and we’re still analysing some of the numbers…”

This tells the audience almost nothing about your work. It is overly apologetic, setting the presentation off on the wrong foot. The audience is left with no sense of where you are going or why they should listen to you.

Opening statements

Strong opening:

“Our innovative marketing approach increased sales by 27% this quarter, outperforming our competitors in all regional markets. I’ll show you how we achieved this and our strategy for sustaining this growth.”

This immediately engages the audience by providing information about why the content is important. The focus is on the results, so the audience knows from the beginning where things are headed.

Developing your presentation

Quick development method

  • It’s possible to create an effective presentation in as little as 15 minutes with proper planning
  • Use three planning documents:
    • Sheet 1: Content brainstorming sheet to gather your ideas
    • Sheet 2: Presentation outline to organise your structure
    • Sheet 3: Speaking notes to guide your delivery

Body structure options

The sections of your presentation:

  • Aim for no more than five sections in a typical 15-minute presentation, and less if possible
  • Providing a small number of sections that are clear and obvious will help the audience retain your points
  • Think of these sections as “chapter titles” for the talk
  • They should be oriented around a distinct idea and point, rather than simply stating what part of the talk you’ve reached

Body structure options

Generic sections Content-focused sections
Introduction The challenge of remote team engagement
Literature review What current management practices miss
Methods and data New approaches to virtual collaboration
Findings Why our solution delivers results
Conclusions Implementation roadmap

Common body structures

Past, present, future:

  • How things were previously
  • Current situation analysis
  • Future projections and opportunities

Problem, cause, solution:

  • Identify the business challenge
  • Analyse root causes
  • Present actionable solutions

Active vs. passive voice in presentation content

For problem statements:

  • Active voice to assign responsibility: “Our team identified three critical issues affecting customer retention.”
  • Passive voice to focus on problems, not blame: “Several inefficiencies were discovered in the production process.”

Active vs. passive voice in presentation content

For describing methods:

  • Active voice for clarity: “We analysed customer feedback from six regional markets.”
  • Passive voice for formal research: “Data was collected through surveys and in-depth interviews.”

Active vs. passive voice in presentation content

For reporting results:

  • Active voice for achievements: “This approach increased our conversion rate by 45%.”
  • Passive voice for neutral reporting: “A 23% reduction in costs was achieved during the trial period.”

Cause and effect language for analysis

When explaining business problems:

  • Direct cause: “Decreased marketing budget led to reduced brand awareness.”
  • Result relationships: “The new CRM system was implemented, resulting in improved customer service scores.”
  • Logical connections: “We’ve faced increased competition; consequently, our market share has declined.”
  • Purpose statements: “In order to address these challenges, we’re proposing a three-phase approach.”

Creating effective conclusions

When outlining next steps:

  • Simple future for definite plans: “We will launch the new product line in September.”
  • Present continuous for arranged actions: “The development team is meeting next week to finalise specifications.”
  • Going to future for intentions: “We are going to review the results monthly.”
  • Future perfect for completed actions: “By this time next year, we will have implemented all recommended changes.”

Effective closing statements

Weak closing:

“My results differ from previous analyses because I’ve used newer data and improved methods. The estimates show significant improvements, which are pretty large numbers, right? Thank you for your time and I’m happy to answer questions.”

This is a rather bland conclusion. It does not encapsulate the findings in a story and fails to demonstrate why the results are important.

Effective closing statements

Strong closing:

“By implementing our proposed sustainability initiatives, we can reduce our carbon footprint by 30% while simultaneously cutting operational costs by 15%. I invite you to join me in making our company an industry leader in environmental responsibility by approving this project next week.”

This conclusion makes a direct connection with business goals, and shows how the results can improve outcomes. It positions the conclusions in a larger framework and clearly explains why the audience should embrace the ideas with a specific call to action.

Visual aids and presenter language

Three key principles of visual aids

  1. Visualise your content
    • If you can present something in a visual instead of textual form, do it
  2. Unify the elements of your presentation
    • Make your slides consistent in terms of color, tone and feel
  3. Focus your audience’s attention on your argument
    • Keep your slides simple and free of clutter

Template design

  • Create custom templates that reflect your brand
  • Avoid generic stock templates that look unprofessional

Text guidelines

  • Limit to 6 lines of text maximum per slide
  • Use bullet points sparingly - consider alternatives like infographics
  • Use sans-serif fonts for better readability (Arial, Calibri, Helvetica)
  • Size fonts appropriately (headings: 28-36pt, body text: 18-24pt)
  • Maintain strong contrast between text and background
  • Limit your color palette to 5 colors maximum
  • Use contrasting colors to highlight important information

Common visual aid mistakes

  • Too many slides: Work on the principle of showing one slide per two minutes, and one per minute as a maximum
  • Hard to read: Use type large enough to ensure your words can be read from the back of the room
  • Too much information: It should be possible to glance at a slide for three seconds and know what it is about
  • Slide dependency: It is not obligatory to have slides for every point

Reported speech for referencing data and sources

  • For quoting recent findings: “Our latest customer survey indicates that 67% of users prefer the new interface.”
  • For referencing experts: “Industry analysts predict that this sector will grow by 15% annually.”
  • For citing internal reports: “According to our financial department, the investment would require an initial outlay of $250,000.”
  • For customer feedback: “Clients have reported that the new service has significantly improved their productivity.”

Example presentation plan

Introduction (hook)

  • Cause and effect conjunctions
    • Example: “Due to the pandemic, workplace dynamics have fundamentally changed.”
  • Display a powerful visual: An empty, expensive office space contrasted with a graph showing rising productivity
  • Engage the audience immediately with the financial and human impact of our proposed policy

Introduction (map)

  • Modal verbs for suggestion and possibility
    • Example: “We could explore a new approach to workplace flexibility. Might this solution address our current challenges?”
  • Outline the presentation structure:
    1. The current workplace challenges
    2. Our innovative remote work solution
    3. Projected outcomes and benefits

Body (problem)

  • Passive voice to emphasise impact
    • Example: “Employee retention rates were significantly affected by our traditional work model.”
  • Key data points:
    • Current turnover rates
    • Employee satisfaction survey results
    • Cost of traditional office infrastructure

Body (cause)

  • Sentence adverbials for emphasis
    • Example: “Clearly, workplace expectations have undergone a dramatic transformation.”
  • Reported speech to present research findings
    • “Experts stated that workforce demographics are shifting towards more flexible work arrangements.”
  • Evidence:
    • Pandemic-driven shift in work preferences
    • Emerging workforce demographics
    • Competitive landscape of talent retention

Body (solution)

  • Future tenses and conditionals
    • Example: “If approved, we will implement a flexible work policy that would generate significant organisational benefits.”
  • Proposed remote work policy
  • Key components:
    • Flexible work hours
    • Hybrid work model
    • Technology and support infrastructure
  • Quantifiable benefits:
    • Projected 35% increase in employee satisfaction
    • Estimated 22% reduction in office costs
    • 12% improvement in productivity

Conclusion (summary)

  • Sentence adverbials and connecting phrases
    • Example: “Consequently, our proposed remote work initiative addresses multiple organizational challenges.”
  • Recap the key points of our remote work initiative
  • Reinforce the headline message: “Our flexible work policy has increased employee satisfaction while reducing operational costs”

Conclusion (call to action)

  • Modal verbs for recommendations
    • Example: “Should we not seize this opportunity to redefine our workplace culture?”
  • Specific next steps for implementation
  • Request for approval and support
  • Timeline for policy rollout:
    • Immediate approval
    • Phased implementation starting next month
    • Full transition completed by Q3

Final takeaway

  • Cause and effect structure
    • Example: “Because of our commitment to innovation, we are transforming how we define productivity and success.”

“By embracing workplace flexibility, we are not just changing where we work, but how we define productivity, satisfaction, and organisational success.”