Presentations - Opening

Unit 1.
PRESENTATIONS
Presentations-opening
There are a great variety of presentation context:

 Company presentation (history, structure, main products, markets, plans for the future).
 Product presentation (feature and benefits of a new product)
 Internal presentation reporting financial or sales figures.
 Internal presentation analyzing a problem and suggesting solutions.
 Welcoming visitors.
 Any occasion where you speak at length in a meeting on a prepared topic.
In addition, there are a variety of presentation style:
 Formal, structured, rehearsed, taking questions at the end.
 Informal, partly improvised, interacting with the audience.
 Somewhere between the two: using a basic structure, but allowing occasional
opportunities for questions and interaction.
Which style you use depends not only on your audience and its expectations, but also on you and
your personality.
Read the opening to a “welcoming visitors” presentation in the next column. (The main body and
close of a presentation are covered in lesson 14-15).
 Notice how the presenter begins by giving answers to all the practical questions that
might be in the audience’s mind (eg. What’s the aim of this talk? How long will it last?
Will there be a break? Who is the person speaking? Who is that man in the corner?)
 The presenter then gives an outline of the structure of the presentation.
 Finally, before beginning, the presenter makes it clear whether audience members can
interrupt with questions, or keep them until the end.
The phrases you need
Welcome
OK, let’s get started. Good morning everyone and welcome to …
Can everybody see?
Before I begin, I’d like to thank (name) for inviting me here today.
On behalf of BCC International I’d like to welcome you here to our offices.
It’s good to see so many people here today.
I’m very happy to be here.
Personal introductions
Let me start by introducing myself. My name is…
Just a few words about myself, …
Perhaps I should just introduce one or two people in the room.
Objective
The title of my presentation is…
This morning I’m going to talk about…
The aim of this short talk is to …
Get attention and interest
Let me ask you a question. (+rhetorical questions)
Take a look at this picture. What does it tell you about…?
Somebody once said … (+quotation)
Did you know that…? (+ surprising statistic)
Audience benefit
I hope this presentation will enable you to…
By the end of my talk you will….
Structure
I’ll speak for about thirty minutes.
I’ve divided my talk into four main parts/ sections.
First, I’d like to …
Then I’ll talk a little about…
After that I’ll move on to…
Finally, I’ll…
If you have any questions, please feel free to interrupt.
OK, let’s begin with the first point/slide, which is…
“Well, good morning, everyone. On behalf of BCC International I’d like to

welcome you here to our offices.
Can everyone see at the back? OK.
The arm of this short talk is to give you an overview of our company and its
products. I’ll speak for about thirty minutes, and then we’ll take a break for coffee and
biscuits. After that, at around ten thirty, we’ll take you on a tour of the factory.
Before we begin, just a few words about myself. My name is Anna Edelmann and
I’m in charge of public relations here at BCC. I’ve been with the company for twelve years,
and I worked in the sales area before moving into PR.
I should also introduce my colleague Mr. Andersen over there in the corner. Mr.
Andersen is our plant manager and he will be leading the factory tour.
I’ve divided this presentation into four sections.
First I’d like to show you a timeline of our company so you can see how we’ve grown
and developed over the years. Then I’ll talk a little about or market and how it’s changing.
After that I’ll move on to discuss customization, and how we focus on tailoring our
products to our customers’ needs.
Finally, I’ll give you a little technical background to help you understand the new
technology that you ‘ll be seeing on the factory tour.
If you have any questions, please feel free to interrupt.
OK, let’s begin with this first slide, which shows… ”

Exercise 1.
Cover the page with a piece of paper. Make the phrases from the presentation by matching
an item from each column.
1. On behalf see at the back
2. Can everyone of public relations
3. Just a few of BCC I’d like to…
4. I’m in charge to show you
5. I’d like words about myself
6. I’ll talk with the first slide
7. I’ll move on tailoring our products…
8. We focus on to discuss customization
9. I’ll give you about our market and how…
10. Let’s begin a little technical background
Exercise 2.
There are many ways to create an impact in the first few minutes of presentation. Match
techniques 1-8 with phrases a-h.
1. rhetorical question ____ 5. personal story ____
2. thank the organizers ____ 6. audience benefit ____
3. surprising statistics____ 7. use of words ____
4. audience involvement ____ 8. Quotation ____
a. Take a look at this picture. What does it tell you about teenage fashion?
b. Everybody who thinks the internet will kill traditional advertising-put your hands up.
c. Wouldn’t you like to double your sales in just twelve months?
d. Charles Darwin once wrote, “ It’s not the strongest of the species that survive, but the ones
most responsive to change.”
e. I’d like to thank Olga for all the hard work she has done to make this event possible.
f. I want to share something with you.
g. I hope this presentation will enable you to choose the most cost-effective IT solution.
h. 70% of all Americans say that they’re carrying so much debt that it’s making their home lives
unhappy.
Exercise 3.
Make presentation phrases by using a verb 1-12 with the words a-l
1. be... _h__
2. take a break…_____
3. divide …_____
4. feel …_____
5. give …_____
6. introduce … _____
7. say … ______
8. speak … ______
9. start …______
10. take …______
11. thank … ______
12. welcome … ______
a. a few words about myself
b. any questions at the end
c. you an overview
d. for about thirty minutes
e. for coffee and biscuits
f. (name) for inviting me here today
g. free to interrupt
h. happy to be here
i. my talk into four parts
j. one or two people in the room
k. by introducing myself
l. you here today
Exercise 4.
Create different ways to open a presentation, using the verbs in the box.
bring deal discuss fill give look make outline

report show take talk
Good morning everyone and thanks for coming. This morning I’m going to…
1. discuss the issue of risk, and what you can do to minimize it.
2. ___________ you an overview of the company and its products.
3. ___________ you how to sell more effectively to your existing customer base.
4. ___________ about investment funds: how to choose them, when to buy them and
when to sell them.
5. ___________ back to you on our progress with the Milestone project.
6. ___________ at a variety of green technologies that are helping to combat the threat
of global warming.
7. ___________ you in on the background to our involvement in the Brazilian market.
8. ___________ a look at how we got into the problem with our local agents in the UK
and how we can get out of it.
9. ___________ you up to date on the latest results from our consumer survey.
10. ___________ some detailed recommendations about how to recognize the department.
11. ___________ our new marketing strategy.
12. ___________ with the item outstanding from our last meeting: funding our R&D
activities.

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Unit 1.

There are a great variety of presentation context:

“Well, good morning, everyone. On behalf of BCC International I’d like to

OK, let’s begin with this first slide, which shows… ”

bring deal discuss fill give look make outline

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