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Even if your English is very good, you are likely to have some English language concerns. Fortunately, with some simple tips & techniques, anyone can improve their business presentation in English. Below are some tips that will help you succeed:

1. Tell people what you are going to speak about

   This means people will know what to expect and will retain information better because they will be actively waiting for it.

   Try:

   ‘Today’s presentation is in 3 parts. Firstly I’m going to talk about, secondly I’m going to talk about and finally…….’

2. Keep your sentences shorter and slow down

   When giving lots of information, it is better speak more slowly than you usually do. Use shorter and less complex sentences so the information is easier to say. Short sentences are also easier for the audience to remember. Silence is also very effective. When we are nervous we tend to speak too much. Pause between points to let the audience digest information. By using regular pauses you will also appear more relaxed, confident and in control since you will not be nervously talking all the time.

3. Summarise regularly

   When you summarise, you give the audience another chance to understand the information before moving on and it is a great way to link between your last point and your next point. Use language like this:

   ‘So far we have seen that…’

   ‘So, to summarise, last year we…’

   ‘It is clear from what I’ve said so far that…’

   ‘As we have seen…’

   Then:

   Next, we’re going to focus on…

   Moving on, we will see…

   Now, let’s move on to…

4. Use great words and phrases that will make your English sound natural and professional

   Introduction:

   ‘On behalf of Webstar, I’d like to welcome you to today…’

   ‘Good morning everyone. I’m Howard Brent and today’s presentation is about…’

   For charts and figures, consider the present perfect tense which we use to describe how things have changed until the present time:

   ‘Sales have grown by 10% since 1995′

   ‘There has been no change in temperature for 5 years.

   Conclusion.

   ‘To conclude’

   ‘It’s clear that…’

   ‘To finish, it’s apparent that…’

   ‘If no-one has any further questions, that concludes my presentation. Thank you for listening.’

5. Practice with a native English teacher

   This is very valuable because a teacher can give you help with the tips here – but also your intonation, pronunciation and language. Think about how much more confident you will be if you have worked on your presentation with a personal tutor first. Ensure your English teacher has some business training or experience so they are not just helping you with your English but understand the key elements of a business presentation and can guide you with your style and content and structure. This way you will know you have a great presentation and will excel in front of an audience.

   A good presentation in English is easy to achieve with a bit of preparation and practice. Good luck!

So, one day your boss comes to you and gives you a glowing review on your new idea. But there is only one catch, you have to present it to the board or the group at the convention. The fear and panic starts to grip you and the speech is still three weeks away. Don’t worry. I will give you some tips on how to over come that.

I too, hated to speak in public, but after doing some improvisation classes and stand-up over several years I learned to relax. Unlike these, most of you will have a guideline of topics to discuss and will not have to make things up on the spot.

YOU ARE THE MAN (or WOMAN)
Remember that the boss or someone loved your idea or proposal enough to ask you to speak. They WANT to hear what you have to say. So take comfort in that fact first.

BEATS or THE OUTLINE
Just like you did when presenting the information or sales pitch, outline the information. Like in sketch writing, you put down the beats of a scene. These are the bullet points and the go to spot if you lose your place. That’s what most comedians do. The joke or idea of the joke(set-up) is what launches them into the comedy bit. The rest is from memory on the topic.

The same goes true for any speech. The most boring of all speeches are ones that are rehearsed to death. After the first few minutes most people in the room start to think about dinner, if the hotel has pay per view movies, or any number of things OTHER than the information you are trying to provide.

You know this stuff!

MAKING IT INTERESTING
The first words from your mouth after the clapping (there’s always clapping after an introduction) should be “Thank you.”

I know you have heard it a thousand times — Start with a joke.
Well, that is true but it doesn’t mean any old joke. Never, never start your presentation with anything along the lines of two “whatevers” walk into a bar or “knock, knock”. What most people mean by a joke is an anecdote about you, the job, or the place you are speaking.
For example: If the location is less than be desired, comment on how cheap the company is. “Wow, the Days Inn off the expressway, I guess the homeless shelter was booked.”

The reason for any joke or witty comment is to connect with the audience immediately. The things you are thinking, or were thinking when you were them, are also running through their minds now. Use that knowledge to come up with an amusing connection.

If you want a sure fire opener, here you go:
“Thank you, thank you very much. I know we all want to get back to (work, the pool, the open bar, whatever) so I’ll make this brief. Smart Technology and it’s Future [replace with your topic] (then pause for effect.). Thank you, good night.”

Witty topics that might help:
-The length of your speech: “Hope everyone has plenty of food and drinks in front of them before I begin”
-The company or organization: All the employees have similar complaints about the company (be careful of joking yourself out of a job) These are the same type jokes as “What’s with airline food?”
-Your speech giving ability: “The last time I was in front of an audience I was an oak tree and six. So, this should go well.”

You just released the tension in the room with a laugh and hopefully the tension in you. Now get on with it. Be informative with some energy. The crowd feeds off the energy you exude. Think about the difference between a golf announcer and a hockey announcer. They both are presenting a sporting event but their tone and energy matches the play. Yours should match the presentation. Don’t go all crazy if you are introducing a line of caskets. But be enthusiastic about what you are presenting and the crowd will be too.

QUESTIONS
During your presentation the use of questions can help keep you moving. Not from the audience so much, more from what the audience might ask. Almost like autopilot, we can expound upon a topic with enthusiasm and unwavering communication when we know the answer all too well.

KEEP IT SHORT
The best thing to do when preparing is to practice the presentation a few times. Don’t over rehearse. You want to seem very natural in your delivery. Time it as you run over it. There is a happy median between too short and too long. If it feels way too long and you are even boring yourself, cut it back. Just hit the interesting and important information. This also leaves them wanting more.

CONCLUSION
Wrap it up with a small summary (bullet points). Then close with another little witty remark like:”I hope you all enjoyed your nap.”

I hope this helped and gave you an idea of how to over come some of the issues most people face when they have to speak in public. Remember to have fun as much as you can. If you want additional help please feel free to contact me and we can work something out.

Often you will hear that you should not assume, and what it makes of “you” and “me.” However, all of us form assumptions, and in actuality they are an important part of negotiations. When entering a negotiation, we should review our own assumptions and anticipate the assumptions of the other party.

There is nothing wrong with making assumptions. The problem is when one thinks and acts as if the assumption is the absolute fact. If you know you are making an assumption, you can prepare for the unexpected and will be less likely to assert your position dogmatically. If your assumption is proved wrong, it will be less likely that you will be hurt by such an assumption when you realize from the beginning that the assumption may be proved false. Unfortunately, many of our beliefs are based on unconscious, hidden assumptions. These are not as easy to bring out in the open and we often fail to recognize their existence.

When I say, “I saw a begger walking out of the ladies’ room,” what is your first thought? Are you shocked? Why might you be shocked? Did you immediately think the begger was a man? I did not say the begger was a man, but many people have a hidden assumption upon hearing that term that it refers to a male. Hidden assumptions can lead us away from the facts and can be very difficult to recognize and correct.

During negotiations, you must remember that what you assume is only a guess or a probability. If you fail to understand the immediate situation because of a hidden assumption, you may be stuck with the assumption as a fact throughout the negotiation. This can lead to disaster. I was reading “The Complete Negotiator” by Gerard I. Nierenberg as research for this column, and he shared an example where assuming could have proved disastrous. During a conference regarding an important and complicated lease, one attorney handed the opposition the lease and stated, “Here is the standard Real Estate Board Form Lease. You undoubtedly know it by heart, practicing as long as you have.” In actuality, these “standard” forms contain a mass of conditions in fine print and it would be extremely difficult for anyone to remember the significance of each and every item in the forms. However, the remark forced the one attorney to assume a role, and instead of analyzing the lease as it applied to the present situation, he dispensed with reading the standard printed form. He assumed that examining it would show his ignorance. He acted out the role of having to know every word of the “standard” lease. The hidden assumption had been used strategically to his disadvantage.

Nierenberg lists three categories of hidden assumptions that are useful in negotiating: first, those regarding the extensional world, the physical world which exists outside the mind of a human being; second, those concerning the intensional world, the world which exists within the mind of each of us; third, the other person’s intensional world. The first category contains the largest and broadest area of hidden assumptions such as those that concern the environment, time and space in which we live. We verify, the best we can, the “facts” of the world around us. Many of the views we hold regarding the outside world are based on assumptions, and we subject them to continued verification. We just need to be careful about believing in absolutes that require no further verification when our absolute may in fact still be an assumption.

Our intensional world is a picture of the outside world, and we must realize that ideas to not have the same meaning for other people that they may have for us. It can be very beneficial to anticipate the other’s assumptions correctly during negotiations. However, it can also put us at a disadvantage to make assumptions about other people’s motivations and actions. We need to realize that our view of the world, along with our value judgments and moral concepts are personal and valid for us alone. If we fail to recognize this, and do not listen to our opposition, we may deprive ourselves of valuable information.

Assumptions are a natural part of life and the negotiation process. There are times when they can be useful in negotiation situations, and other times when they may be detrimental to your success. Hidden assumptions also play a part in various phases of negotiations. When entering a negotiation, we must remember to review our own assumptions and attempt to anticipate the assumptions of the other party. By doing this, and recognizing the role assumptions have in the process, the successful negotiator will better be able to utilize both agreed upon facts and assumptions to negotiate solutions.