Oral presentations tipsTransition Words and Phrases in Oral Presentation

Introduce “Before I begin, I’d like to tell you/talk about/mention…”“Let me begin by telling you/giving you background information about…”“I would like to start by …”“Have you ever thought about/considered…?”

Add information in addition… ,besides… ,then, and, also

Introduce an argument or main point “It’s a well known fact that…”“Research supports the idea that…”

Transition to a new argument First…Secondly…And finally…”“The next point I would like to take about is/make is…”“more important is…”“most important is…”

Transition to a counter argument Others argue that…”“While some believe X, others believe Y.”

Although ,even though, instead of, in spite of, but, instead of , in spite of, but

Indicate results “It follows that…”, “Therefore…”, “Consequently…”

To conclude To conclude, I’d like to say…”“To summarize…”“Please remember…”

Structuring your oral presentation.Transition signals

Transition signals in an oral presentation are like signposts for your listeners, telling them where you are in your presentation. They are words and phrases that let readers know that they are at the beginning, or that you are changing topic or that you are concluding. Transition signals show how you are connecting your ideas and information.

The words below have been grouped according to meaning. It does take a little practice to use them correctly, so if you are not sure, double check with your lecturer or a classmate before you deliver your presentation. The ones shown below can be used in spoken English only.

Signposts for your introductionIntroducing your topic:

I’d like to talk to you today about… I’m going to discuss/ talk about/ explain… I want to discuss/talk about/ explain… I intend to describe/outline…

Questions:

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask me after the presentation.OR

I’ll take questions at the end of the presentation.

Showing order or sequence:

I’ve divided my presentation into ____ parts/sections.

To begin with, I’d like to talk about/explain a little bit about _______, then briefly mention _________. I’d like to talk (firstly) about _________. After that/then/next/second/secondly, I’ll move onto __________.

Signposts for the body of your presentationOnce you have established your topic in your introduction, the phrases below help your listeners to know when you are moving from one point to the next. The phrases below are suggested transitions between topics. Note that they should be varied throughout your presentation. Repeating ‘Moving on to my first/second/third point’ every time you change topic will be dull for your listeners.

Oral presentations tipsTransition 1

I’d like now to move on to… Moving on to my first point…

Transition 2

Turning now to… Moving on to my next point…

Transition 3

Having looked at X, let’s consider Y…

Concluding your presentation Your conclusion should be a summary of the main points of your talk; do not include any new information.

So-We’ve seen that-In short…-To sum up…-To conclude…

Your conclusion should also contain an invitation for questions: ‘Are there any questions?’

Oral presentation sentences and phrases

 ► Starting the presentation • Good morning/good afternoon ladies and gentlemen   •The topic of my presentation today is ...   • What I'm going to talk about today is

 ► Why you are giving this presentation The purpose of this presentation is……….This is important because...• My objective is to.....

 ► Stating the main points The main points I will be talking about are     firstly ...     secondly...     next, finally... we're going to look at

►Introducing the first point  ►Showing graphics, transparencies, slides etc.  I'd like to illustrate this by showing you... ►Moving on to the next point • Now let's move on to  ►Giving more details • I'd like to expand on this aspect/problem/point

   • Let me elaborate on that   • Would you like me to expand on/elaborate on that?

►Changing to a different topic  I'd like to turn to something completely different►Referring to something which is off the topic  I'd like to digress here for a moment and just

mention that ...

 ►Referring back to an earlier point • Let me go back to what I said earlier about ...►Summarizing or repeating the main points • I'd like to recap the main points of my presentation

     - first I covered      - then we talked about     - finally we looked at   • I'd  now like to sum up the main points which were:

 ►Conclusion I'm going to conclude by... saying that/inviting you to/ quoting ...   • In conclusion, let me... leave you with this thought/invite you to

►Questions  Finally, I'll be happy to answer your questions.      • Now I'd like to invite any questions you may have.   • Do you have any questions?