One of the things most people put down as their biggest fear is having to do a presentation to a large group of people. It’s even scarier if you have to do it in another language! If you work for an international company it is quite likely that you or a member of your team will need to officially present your company to someone else at some point. You may need to present your company to visiting clients, potential investors, new suppliers or managers.
In this article we will be giving you some useful Business English vocabulary and tips to help you talk clearly and confidently about what your company does. Let’s dive right in!
How to present a company in English
When we work in the world of business, there comes a time when we have to give a business English presentation. If that thought fills you with dread, we’re here to help.
There are several contexts in which you might need to give a business English presentation, or more specifically, know how to present your company to other industry professionals. For example:
- At a job interview
- For a sales pitch
- At an inter-departmental company meeting
- To new employees
- At a press conference
- At a networking event
Whatever the context, it is essential as a business industry professional that you have the right tools at your disposal to know how to present your company to industry peers at the drop of a hat, in a clear and slick manner. Let’s take a look at some of the key steps to know how to present a company in English.
How to introduce your presentation
Any good business English presentation begins in a natural and fluid way, by greeting your audience, putting your listeners at ease, and introducing the subject of your presentation. If you’re speaking to an unfamiliar audience, it is particularly important to make sure your listeners know who you are, why you’re there, and what you’ll be talking about. Even if you’re presenting to a room of familiar faces, taking a moment to set the scene for your talk will make sure no one gets left behind.
Once you’ve introduced yourself, you need to introduce the subject of your presentation. Here are some key phrases for doing just that:
- “As you may be aware, I will be speaking to you today about…”
- “The topic of today’s presentation will be…”
- “I’d like to take this opportunity to walk you through…”
- “My aim for today is that by the end of this presentation, each of you will know more about…”
When we learn English for presentations, it’s important to remember that we’ll often be presenting to non-native English speakers with differing levels of fluency. This is one reason why making the structure of your presentation crystal clear is essential. Here are some key phrases to help you do that:
- “Today’s presentation will take about 30 minutes and will be divided into three key sections.”
- “As time is of the essence, I will only be addressing two of the three key topics today.”
- “I’m planning to cover the following issues…”
- “First of all I will be discussing…. Secondly, … and last of all, …”
Making the main points
The heart of your business English presentation is the main points. This is where you dive into the central subject matter – the reason you’re all there. Here are some helpful phrases for segueing from the introduction to the main body of your talk:
- “Without further ado, let’s get started.”
- “I’d like to begin by talking to you about…”
- “Let’s kick things off with a quick look at…”
Each time you intend to transition into a new point, you should signal the transition with a phrase such as:
- “Now let’s turn our attention to…”
- “I’m conscious of the time, so let’s move our focus to…”
- “Next up on the agenda: …”
- “Moving on, let’s discuss…”
Making the effort to clearly outline the structure of your presentation and to signal transitions from one section to another will ensure no one gets lost.
Coming to a conclusion
To bring your presentation to a close, you should use a concluding phrase rather than coming to an abrupt halt. This gives your presenting style greater polish and signals to your listeners that the questions portion of the discussion can begin. Here are useful concluding phrases:
- “Seeing as we’re almost at the end of today’s session, I’ll start to wrap up.”
- “That concludes my presentation for today.”
- “The main takeaways from today’s presentation are…”
- “That’s all from me on this.”
- “Thank you for listening.”
- “Thank you for your attention.”
By following this structure and using set expressions, you can guide your listeners through even the most complex subject matters. Knowing how to present your company to a group of listeners is half subject matter, half language. If you learn these key phrases, you’re most of the way there!
The secrets to a successful business English presentation
Knowing how to present a company in a business English context is about more than the content of the presentation itself. A good presentation will also take into account speaking style, key expressions, body language, and engagement with your listeners. If you’re here to learn English for a business English presentation, take note of the following tips for how to ensure your presentation is a resounding success.
Plan your presentation
Have you ever heard the expression, “Failing to plan is planning to fail”? We can confirm that this is 100% true when it comes to giving a business English presentation. Knowing how to present a company in English can be difficult enough without the additional stress that comes with poor time management.
Mark the date of your presentation on the calendar, identify some intermediary targets, and build in some all-important wiggle room to ensure you’re ready for the big day.
Essential phrases on how to present a company
When we’re considering how to present a company to a group of listeners, we can already make a good start by thinking about the kind of language we can use to create a positive atmosphere in the room when we’re speaking. This begins with having the appropriate greetings at your fingertips for welcoming your audience:
- “Good morning” or “Good afternoon everyone”
- “Thank you for coming” or “Thank you for being here with us today”
- “I would like to welcome you to today’s meeting/event”
- “It’s a pleasure to speak to you today”
Using visual aids
Often, an important part of knowing how to present your company is talking about facts and figures. Diving into data can be a touch dull at the best of times, so a great way to make your points clear while keeping your audience engaged is using a visual aid, such as a chart, graph, or diagram. Here are some key phrases for including a visual aid in your business English presentation:
- “If you’d like to turn your attention to the screen, you’ll see…”
- “From looking at this graph, you’ll notice that…”
- “As you can see from the data…”
Practice makes perfect
At the end of the day, preparing how to present a company to your peers is all about practice. Even the most fantastic business English presentation can fall at the last hurdle if you haven’t taken the time to run through it once or twice, to identify the stumbling blocks, and to find your speaking style.
Our top tip on how to present your company is simple: practice, practice, practice!
Be ready for questions
You might have nailed knowing how to present your company, but are you ready for the questions? A business English presentation will typically finish with a section dedicated to questions and answers, allowing the audience to clarify parts of your talk they found unclear, or enquire about an issue you didn’t have time to mention. Here are some helpful phrases for responding to questions:
- “Thank you for that important question, Susan.”
- “That’s a great question, and I’m glad you asked it.”
- “That’s a challenging question, I haven’t considered that before.”
- “You know, that’s a tricky one. I’d like to think about it and get back to you on that.”
You might be presenting to a very important set of people, so it’s important to make sure that anyone who asks you a question feels heard. Here are some key phrases for doing just that:
- “Does that answer your question?”
- “Was that the answer you were looking for?”
- “I’d be happy to discuss it more together afterwards.”
Don’t forget body language
Last but not least, think about how you’re using your face and body to communicate with your audience. Words are essential, but they can get easily lost if your body language is distracting. Plus, using your physical communication skills to your advantage can be a great way of putting your audience at ease. Here are some top tips to ensure success:
- Connect with the members of your audience by smiling and making eye contact
- Use hand gestures to bring the important parts of your talk to life
- Remain standing during the questions to signal your willingness to continue engaging
Top tips for speaking English
When the day arrives and it’s time to give your business English presentation, this is the time to put all your effort into speaking in the clearest and most engaging way possible. If you’re presenting your own company to a group of potential collaborators or investors, it’s important to use every tool at your disposal to engage your listeners and get them as excited about your company as you are. Even congratulating your team requires training! Excellent oral communication in English comes down to a few key skills:
- Clear pronunciation (making an effort to learn English phonetics)
- Natural intonation (make sure to learn English stress patterns)
- Good pacing (too quick and you’ll lose your audience, too slow and they’ll disengage)
- Keep it interesting with
Our first three tips are things you can tackle when you learn English online with us. But how can you keep it interesting when you’re giving a business English presentation? Here are some more suggestions:
- Speak directly to your audience and address individual members
- Use rhetorical questions
- Ask the audience questions to lead into a new section
- Speak loudly and clearly, with a varied tone
All of these tips can also be used in various other scenarios, such as confronting a dissatisfied customer!
How GlobalExam’s business English platform can help
We’ve devised an entire platform to help you learn English online, including learning how to present your company. Sign up to our Business English platform to study grammar and vocabulary exercises, as well as hundreds of scripted learning “situations” that put your knowledge into context. You can also learn useful skills and vocabulary for writing a cover letter and other important documents. Our learning resources have been designed to cater for beginner, intermediate and advanced English users, so there’s something for everyone.
If you’re here to learn English specifically with the goal of learning how to present a company, we recommend focusing your efforts on the “Boost my career” and “Boost my skills” sections of the platform for starters. In these modules, you’ll find targeted activities on oral communication, vocabulary for presenting visuals, and tips on politeness.
Progress in English with virtual lessons
Do you feel confident knowing how to present your company in English yet? If the answer is still “no”, we’ve got the solution for you!
Applying newly acquired vocabulary and techniques to real-life interactions is essential to consolidating the skill in your head. This is one of the reasons we’ve introduced virtual lessons to our range of resources to learn English online. Our virtual teachers are mother tongue English speakers from all over the world, with qualifications to teach students just like you all there is to know in the world of business English.
If you’re still wondering how to present a company at your next important meeting, why not try booking a half-an-hour private lesson with a TESOL-certified teacher? With one-on-one attention, you can maximize the time to take a detailed look at your business English presentation, from grammar and vocabulary to pronunciation and communication style.
Virtual lessons are a fantastic complement to other methods to learn English. Here are some of the main benefits when you choose to learn English online:
- Virtual lessons allow you to practice comprehension and expression
- Conversing with a partner in a group lesson enables you to build confidence in your own communication skills
- GlobalExam’s virtual teachers offer instant feedback and corrections
- One-on-one practice for your business English presentation ahead of the real thing
Have we convinced you yet? If you’re still not sure, why not come online and see for yourself!
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Do you know how to present your company in English? In this article, we share tips on preparing a business English presentation.
