15 Phrases for Giving a Presentation
Giving a presentation in English can feel nerve-wracking—but the right phrases make it easier! Whether you’re speaking in a classroom, a team meeting, or a conference, having go-to expressions helps you sound clear, organized, and professional. That’s why we’ve put together 15 phrases for giving a presentation that work in real-life situations.
Common Phrases for Giving a Presentation
Starting Strong
- Good morning/afternoon, everyone.
A polite and professional way to open. Always match the time of day!
Example: “Good morning, everyone. Thank you for being here.” - My name is [Name], and I’m here to talk about…
Introduce yourself and your topic clearly.
Example: “My name is Anika, and I’m here to talk about sustainable packaging.” - Today, I’ll cover three main points.
Give your audience a roadmap so they know what to expect.
Example: “Today, I’ll cover three main points: current trends, challenges, and solutions.”
Explaining & Transitioning
- Let’s start with…
A natural way to begin your first section.
Example: “Let’s start with the background of the project.” - Now, let’s move on to…
Smoothly transition between topics.
Example: “Now, let’s move on to the results of our customer survey.” - As you can see on this slide…
Direct attention to your visuals without sounding robotic.
Example: “As you can see on this slide, sales increased by 40% last quarter.” - This is important because…
Highlight why a detail matters—great for keeping your audience engaged.
Example: “This is important because it affects our entire supply chain.” - To put it simply…
Use this to rephrase complex ideas in everyday language.
Example: “To put it simply, we’re spending too much on outdated tools.”
Handling Questions & Interaction
- Feel free to ask questions as we go.
Encourage participation—especially in smaller or informal settings.
Example: “Feel free to ask questions as we go—I’m happy to clarify.” - That’s a great question.
A polite and positive response before answering.
Example: “That’s a great question. Let me explain with an example.” - I’ll come back to that later.
Use this if a question is off-topic or covered in a future section.
Example: “I’ll come back to that later when we discuss the timeline.”
Wrapping Up Clearly
- To summarize…
Signal that you’re wrapping up and highlight key takeaways.
Example: “To summarize, we’ve seen strong growth, clear challenges, and a solid action plan.” - Thank you for your attention.
A professional and gracious way to end.
Example: “Thank you for your attention—and for your great questions!” - I’d be happy to take a few questions now.
Open the floor for Q&A in a friendly, confident tone.
Example: “I’d be happy to take a few questions now if anyone has any.” - If you’d like to connect after, here’s my email.
Offer a next step—especially useful in networking or professional talks.
Example: “If you’d like to connect after, here’s my email on the final slide.”
Real-Life Mini Dialogues
Team Meeting:
Speaker: “Good afternoon! My name is Diego, and I’ll walk you through our Q4 marketing plan.”
Colleague: “Quick question—what’s the budget for social media?”
Diego: “That’s a great question. I’ll cover that in the next section.”
Class Presentation:
Student: “To put it simply, photosynthesis is how plants make food using sunlight.”
Teacher: “Can you explain the role of chlorophyll?”
Student: “Sure! As you can see on this slide…”
Quick Tips
- Practice your opening and closing lines—they set the tone and leave the final impression.
- Pause briefly after transitions (“Now, let’s move on to…”) to let your audience catch up.
- Smile, speak slowly, and make eye contact—even on video calls!
Try using one or two of these 15 phrases for giving a presentation in your next talk. Whether you’re presenting to five people or fifty, these expressions will help you sound calm, clear, and in control. You’ve got this!
