Business Presentations - Part 1: Introducing The Topic & The Outline

This is part one of a series of posts on doing business presentations. Today, we'll look at:

a) Introducing the topic

b) outlining your presentation

There will be useful phrases and vocabulary for business presentations, a short paragraph on your voice, and a few videos for further study and information.

Let's start with...

Introducing The Topic

This is the easiest part of the presentation, but it's a good idea to practice it anyway. If you do well introducing your topic, the rest of your presentation will go much more smoothly. Plus, you'll make the-always-important good first impression.

Of course, start by greeting the audience and giving your name, your job title, and company name or department, and thank the audience for coming to your presentation.

Good morning/afternoon, everyone

Hello, everyone.



My name is ...., sales manager/lead programmer/financial analyst/... with  (company/department name).

I am (name), (lead programmer) with (Vivo Software Solutions).

Welcome to (company name). I am (name), (job title), (company/department name).

Example

Good afternoon, everyone.

I am Jason Broomes, founder and CEO of JLB Language Services. Welcome and thank you very much for attending my presentation today.

then, 

Introduce the topic.

Today, I am going to tell you about/teach you/show (you)/demonstrate....

This presentation is going to be on/about/give you a look at___/ 

The subject of my talk is ____

Next, 

Giving The Outline Of Your Presentation

Giving an outline isn't absolutely necessary, but it's a good idea all the same. It helps the audience follow your presentation more easily and gives them a clearer idea of what it's going to be about.

An outline should be given like street directions: in small "chunks" that are easy to follow.

First, tell the audience how long or how many parts your talk will be, then, using adverbs of order (first, next, then etc), you outline your presentation.

My talk/presentation will be in (three) parts and will take about (45) minutes.

First, we'll look at...., I'll give you an overview of (our company)....

Then, I'll show you our new (smartphone app)/ we'll watch a video of....

Next, there will be a demonstration of (the XG7)/a team building exercise....

After that, we'll go into the schedule for....the (marketing) strategy for (the new tablet)...

Finally, we'll discuss, you'll be invited (to ask questions and give feedback), (information packs) will be handed out...

You can also use other expressions such as:

In part (one), 

Part (two) will be about...

The (third) part of the presentation will feature...

The main point is to clearly outline the main points of your presentation. 


So the first part of your presentation should look something like this:

Good afternoon, everyone.

I am Jason Broomes, founder and CEO of JLB Language Services. Welcome and thank you very much for attending my presentation today.

Today, I am going to tell you about my company. My talk will be in three parts and will be about 45 minutes.

First, I'll give you an overview of my teaching experience: where I've worked, the kind of lessons, I've taught, and so on. Then, we'll go into to the kind of lessons JLB offers, course fees, available payment plans, and meeting places. Finally, I'll give you a short demo lesson, and we'll finish with a 10-minute question/answer session.


Finally, 

Your Voice

 You should speak in a good, clear voice. How you talk is just as important as what you say. If people can't understand what you're saying, or have difficulty hearing you, they won't be very interested in your presentation.

Activity

 Watch and listen to Steve Jobs' introduction of Apple's first iPad (January 2010). Then answer the following questions.

1/ How was Jobs' voice during his talk? Were you able to hear him clearly?

2/ Did he give an outline for his talk?

3/ What did he do to make his presentation fun to watch?

 Exercise

Prepare and write an introduction and outline for a presentation. You can choose any topic you feel is most interesting for you. You can use the comments section or send a PDF copy of your introduction and outline to jlbroomes@gmail.com.

I am also available for a Skype session. Please keep your introduction/outline to 5 minutes. I'll give you feedback on your talk for free. You can reach me at jasonmontreal. Please contact me at least three days in advance so we can set a time and day to do the presentation. 


For further study, some advice from EngVid's, Rebecca and Benjamin.

Next post:  the body of the presentation and using transitional language to "move" from each part of the talk.