ESP510

ENGLISH FOR TECHNOLOGY

1
 UNIT 2
Part 1: Presentations: The introduction

1. Discuss these questions with your classmates.

1. How often do you give presentations in your job or school?

2. Who do you normally present to? (colleagues, classmates, teachers, etc.)
3. Have you ever presented in a foreign language?
4. How do you feel about presenting in a foreign language?
5. Think of an excellent (or terrible) presentation that you have seen. What made it good (or
bad)?

2. Listen to the beginning of three presentations and complete the table. Are they formal
or informal?1

Presentation 1 Presentation 2 Presentation 3

Presenter’s name

Presenter’s position

Topic of presentation

Who is it for?

Formal or informal?

1 Taken from Grussendorf, M. (2005). English for presentations. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

2
 3. Listen again and complete the sentences2

Presentation 1
a) ___________________, let me thank you all for being here today.
b) Let me _________________ myself. My name is…
c) I’m here today to ______________________ our new automatic shelving system.
d) My talk is _______________ relevant to those of you who _________________ for
the different parts we supply.

Presentation 2

e) I’m happy that so many of you could ____________ today at such short
____________
f) As you can see on the ______________, our ________________ today is project
documentation.
g) This is extremely __________________ for all of us who are directly
_______________ in international project management, right?

Presentation 3

h) I’m ____________ that you all have very tight ________________, so I appreciate you
taking the time to come here today.
i) As you _____________ know, my name is…. . I’m the new ______________ manager
here at Weston Ltd.
j) Today’s topic will be very important for you as ______________ since _____________
your help to evaluate and select candidates for training.

4. Put the sentences from 3 in the correct category (I-IV)3

I. Saying what the topic is ___ ___

II. Welcoming the audience ___ ___
III. Saying who you are _b_ ___ ___
IV. Saying why the topic is relevant for the audience ___ ___ ___

What is the order you would use in a presentation? Why?

2 Taken from Grussendorf, M. (2005). English for presentations. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
3 Taken from Grussendorf, M. (2005). English for presentations. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

3
 5. Here you have a set of less formal phrases. Match them with the more formal
phrases in the table4

More formal Less formal

Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.
Today, I would like to…
Let me just start by introducing myself. My name is…
It’s a pleasure to welcome you today.
In my presentation, I would like to report on…
The topic of today’s presentation is…
I suggest that we begin now.
I’m aware that you all have very tight schedules…

6. Here you have some phrases for opening a presentation. Can you add more?5
OPENING A PRESENTATION
Welcoming the audience Saying what your topic is
 Good morning /afternoon, ladies and  As you can see on the screen, our topic
gentlemen / Hi, everyone today is…
 First of all, let me thank you all for coming  What I’d like to present to you today
here today. is…
 I’m happy / delighted that so many of you  The subject of my presentation is…
could make it today.

Introducing yourself Explaining why your topic is relevant for your

 Let me introduce myself. I’m Andrew Taylor audience
from…
 For those of you who who don’t know me, my
name is…
 As you probably know, I’m the new HR
manager.
 I’m head of logistics here at Air Spares.
 I’m here in my function as the Head of
Controlling.
 My talk is particularly relevant to those
of you / us who…
 Today’s topic is of particular interest to
those of you / us who…
 My / The topic is very important for you
because…
 My / The topic is very important for you
because…
 By the end of this talk you will be
familiar with…

! Remember to use words like we, us, and our to highlight common interest.

4 Adapted from from Grussendorf, M. (2005). English for presentations. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
5 Taken from Grussendorf, M. (2005). English for presentations. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

4
 7. Read and then discuss the following tips for structuring your presentation.
Can you add other phrases?6

Structuring your presentation: The introduction

The purpose of the introduction is not only to tell the audience who you are,
what the presentation is about, and why it is important for them; you also
want to tell the audience (briefly) how the talk is structured. Here are some
useful phrases to talk about the structure.

I’ve divided my presentation into three (main) parts: x, y and z.

In my presentation I’ll focus on three major issues.
First (of all), I’ll be looking at…, second…, and third…
I’ll begin/start off by explaining…
Then/Next/After that, I’ll go on to…
Finally, I’ll offer some solutions…

8. Complete the sentences with the words in the box. 7

after - all - areas - divided - finally - start - then - third

a. I’ll be talking to you today about the after-sales service plans we offer. I’ll ____________
by describing the various packages in detail. _____________ I’ll go on to show you some
case studies. ____________, I’ll discuss how you can choose the best plan to meet your
customers’ needs.

b. I’ve __________ my talk into three main parts. First of _______________, I’ll tell you
something about the history of our company. ______________ that, I’ll describe how the
company is structured and finally, I’ll give you some details about our range of products
and services.

c. I’d like to update you on what we’ve been working on over the last year. I’ll focus on three
main ___________: first, our joint venture in Asia; second, the new plant in Charleston.
And ________________, our redevelopment project.

6 Taken from Grussendorf, M. (2005). English for presentations. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
7 Adapted from from Grussendorf, M. (2005). English for presentations. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

5
 9. Here you have some tips for organizing your presentation during
the introduction. Read the phrases suggested. Can you add more?

Organizing your presentation

The final part of the introduction deals with the organization of the talk: how long it will
last, whether there will be handouts, and how questions will be handled.

Timing
My presentation will take about 20 minutes.
It should take about 30 minutes to cover these issues
Handouts
Does everybody have a handout/brochure/report? Please take one, and pass them on.
Don’t worry about taking notes. I’ve put all the important statistics on a handout for you.
I’ll be handing out copies of the PowerPoint slides at the end of my talk.
I’ll email the PowerPoint presentations to you.
Questions
There will be time for questions after my presentation.
If you have any questions, feel free to interrupt me at any time.
Feel free to ask questions at any time during my talk…

10. Match the two parts to make typical sentences from the introduction.8
1. For those of you who don’t know me, a to take notes. Everything is on the handout.
2. Feel free to b about 10 minutes.
3. This won’t take more c I’m Sophia Kay in charge of the software division.
4. I’ll be passing out d ask questions at any time.
5. This part of the presentation will take e for questions after my talk.
6. I’ll start off by giving you f an overview of our product range.
7. There’s no need g handouts in a few minutes.
8. There will be time h than 20 minutes of your time.

11. Listen to the beginnings of four presentations. Which one starts with:9

___ a rhetorical question? ___ an anecdote?

___ an interesting fact? ___ a problem to think about?

8 Adapted from from Grussendorf, M. (2005). English for presentations. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
9 Adapted from from Grussendorf, M. (2005). English for presentations. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

6
 12. Listen again and complete these sentences.10

a. _____________, I was sitting in the waiting room at the dentist’s the other day
when I ______________ something very interesting in one of the
______________ that was lying there.
b. _______________ you worked in a small to medium-sized company and were
__________________ for making people in your own company aware of health
and safety issues. How would you _______________?
c. ________________ that the number of possible ways of planning the first four
moves per side in a game of chess is…?
d. So, let me start by _________________. Why should we introduce a double
quality check here at Auto Spares & Parts…? Well, I’m here today to
_________________________.

13. Getting the audience’s attention: Read and discuss the following tips.
Then, do the activity given:11

Experts say that the first minutes of a presentation are the most important. If you get the
audience’s attention quickly, they will be interested in what you have to say. These are some
techniques you can use:

Ask a rhetorical question Tell a story or anecdote

Is Market research important for brand
development?
Do we really need a complete review?
Start with an interesting fact
According to an interesting paper I read,
most central banks are now buying Euros.
Did you know that vegan diets increased by
500% in the last 5 years?
Once, when I attended a fair in China…
At a conference in New York, someone asked
this question…
Give a problem to think about
Imagine you have to set up a new security
system, how would you do it?
Suppose you have to reorganize the IT
department. What would be your first step?

Your favorite cell phone manufacturer is launching the latest model. Imagine you have
to present it and write a starting phrase with each technique above.

10 Adapted from from Grussendorf, M. (2005). English for presentations. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
11 Adapted from from Grussendorf, M. (2005). English for presentations. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

7
 14. In groups of four, look for an interesting piece of news related to the latest
technological launches. Individually, prepare a brief introduction for presenting it to
your group. Use the checklist to make sure you included all the necessary aspects

 Welcome the audience

 Introduce yourself (name, position/function)
 State your topic
 Explain why your topic is important for the audience
 Outline the structure of your talk
 Let the audience know how you’re organizing the presentation

Part 2: Presentations: The main part

1. Do the following quiz about presentations. Sometimes more than one answer
is possible.12

12 Adapted from from Grussendorf, M. (2005). English for presentations. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

8
Discuss your answers with a partner. Do you think your body language is influenced by
your culture and/or personality?

2. An expert is talking about the Traffic Support Centre (TSC) in her city.
Listen to the talk and put the points below in the order she mentions them 13

a. ___ What the TSC does (main activities)

b. ___ How traffic data is collected
c. ___ Why the TSC was started
d. ___ How motorists benefit from the system
e. ___ How traffic information is given to motorists

3. Listen again and complete the sentences:

Ok, ____________________ the background and the reason we developed the programme. Any
questions? Ok. So, ______________________ to the next point and take a closer look at the
Traffic Support Centre itself. ______________________, the TSC was set up in 2001 to help
traffic flow more smoothly, and basically to make the lives of motorists easier. In this part of my
presentation __________________ you about the Centre’s activities, how we work exactly and
how motorists benefit from our services.

So, _________________________________ a brief overview of the TSC’s activities. Our main

activities are to collect, analyze, and communicate traffic information. After collecting traffic
data from a number of different sources, we analyze them and then we inform the media, the
police, or other authorities, and – last but not least – the motorists (…)

This now leads us to _______________________. How does the TSC collect data? Traffic
monitoring equipment has been installed across the main traffic routes, which helps us gather
real-time information on traffic speed and traffic flow. Additionally, we use variable traffic
sensors and cameras. We also work together with other partners and authorities, for example
the police, traffic officers, and the media. Let me show you a few examples of how this works.
(…) __________________________ collecting data.

__________________________ to the next issue. How do we communicate information to

motorists? We do this in a number of ways: by using electronic road signs, the Internet and
radio, and state-of-the-art telephone technology. (…)

13 Taken from from Grussendorf, M. (2005). English for presentations. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

9
Let me now come back to ____________________________. The TSC wants to make the lives
of motorists easier. So, in what ways does the motorist benefit? Well, … first; through real-time
information about the traffic situation. Second, through better advice about alternative routes.
Third, through safer roads and less driver stress.

Vocabulary tip

Signposting: words or phrases that help articulate the

structure of a piece of writing or talk and ensure that
readers/listeners don't get lost.

4. Complete the sentences with signposting phrases from the presentation

in exercise 3.14

Signposting

Saying what is coming

a. In this part of my presentation, I’d like to tell you about…

b. _____________________________________________________________

Moving on to the next point

This leads directly to the next part of my talk…

c. ______________________________________________________________
d. ______________________________________________________________
e. ______________________________________________________________

Indicating the end of a section

This brings me to the end of my second point

f. ______________________________________________________________
g. ______________________________________________________________

Referring back

As I mentioned before…
h. ______________________________________________________________
Let’s go back to what we were discussing earlier
i. ______________________________________________________________

14
Adapted from from Grussendorf, M. (2005). English for presentations. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

10
 Summarizing a point

I’d like to sum up the main points.

Let me briefly summarize what I’ve said so far.

5. Make ‘signpost’ sentences using elements from each column.15

1 Before I move on to my next point Come back to Next question

2 This brings The issue Point, which is price
3 This leads Let me go This question later
4 Let’s now turn to We were discussing Our new sales strategy
5 As I mentioned To the next A brief overview of our activities
6 I’d like to Before, I’d like to give you Earlier
7 Let’s go back to what Us directly to my Through the main issues once more
8 As I said earlier, I’ll be focusing on Of customer service

Post session activity:

Remember: On page 5, exercise 5, you chose some edge technology to work during this
course. Prepare the main part of your presentation using phrases from this part. Use the
checklist to help

 Briefly state your topic again

 Explain your objectives
 Signal the beginning of each part
 Talk about your topic
 Signal the end of each part
 Highlight the main points
 Tell listeners you’ve reached the end of the main part

Part 3: Presentations: The conclusion

1. Look at these final statements from different conclusions. Rank them from 1 to 8 in
terms of effectiveness. Do you think they have different purposes? 16
a. ___ Thank you very much for your attention.
b. ___ In conclusion, I’d like to highlight our company’s highly innovative products
c. ___ So, to put it in the words of the famous H. Gordon Selfridge, “The customer is
always right”.
d. ___ Well, I don’t know whether this was helpful but I’d like to leave it here.
e. ___ We have all the facts. Let’s get to work now!
f. ___ The one last thing I’d like to say is: It’s your choice.

15 Adapted from from Grussendorf, M. (2005). English for presentations. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
16 Adapted from from Grussendorf, M. (2005). English for presentations. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

11
 g. ___ So, that’s all I have to say. I hope you haven’t all fallen asleep!
h. ___ To conclude, I want to come back to that story I told you at the start of my
presentation and say one word: apple pie!

2. Look at these sentences from a presentation and put them in the correct category.17
a. I’ll just run through the three different options…
b. We’d suggest…
c. Now, I’ll be happy to answer any question you may have
d. We’d therefore recommend that we…
e. Before I stop, let me go through my main points again.
f. Well, this brings me to the end of my presentation.

Conclusion of a presentation
Signaling the end of the presentation

Summarizing the main points

Recommending or suggesting something

Inviting questions

17 Adapted from from Grussendorf, M. (2005). English for presentations. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

12
 3. Add the following phrases to the previous table18
a. Thank you all for listening. g. I’d like to run through my main
b. In my opinion, we should… points again…
c. We just have time for a few h. As a final point, I’d like to…
questions. i. I’m now getting to the end of my talk
d. To sum up, we… j. Just to summarize the main points of
e. Ok, I think that’s everything I wanted my talk…
to say… k. What I’d like to suggest is…
f. Are there any questions?

4. Listen to four conclusions and way which technique is used in which presentation (1-4).19

 Call to action
 Story
 Question
 Quotations

5. Here you have some techniques to finish your presentation. Look at them and practice
using them all to conclude your own presentation.20

Using questions Referring back to the beginning

After all, isn’t that why we’re here? Remember what I said in the beginning of
Let me just finish with a question: If we don’t my talk today? Well…
do it, won’t somebody else? Let me just go back to the story I told you
earlier. Remember…

Quoting a well-known person Calling the audience to action

As… once said, … So, that’s the plan. Now, let’s go and put it
To quote a well-known influencer… into practice!
To put it in the words of… So now it’s your turn,
Now let’s make a real effort to achieve this
goal!

18 Taken from from Grussendorf, M. (2005). English for presentations. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
19 Taken from from Grussendorf, M. (2005). English for presentations. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
20 Taken from from Grussendorf, M. (2005). English for presentations. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

13
6. Prepare the conclusion for your presentation. Use the checklist to make sure
you don’t forget anything

 Signal the end of your talk

 Summarize the key points
 Highlight the most important point
 Explain the significance
 Make your final statement

7. And the visuals?

Here you have a checklist for preparing your PowerPoint:

 Check that the visual really shows what you are saying
 Make sure it can be read (font size and colors)
 Find effective headlines
 Keep design and content simple
 Reduce text to a minimum
 Follow the rule of six (no more than six lines per slide, no more than six words
per line)

8. Reflection: what worries you the most for presenting in English?

How do you think you can solve it?

My worries

Solutions

14