Science for the contemporary world IES “Izpisúa Belmonte”

Structuring your oral presentation. Transition signals Transition signals in an oral presentation are like signposts for your listeners, telling them where you are in your presentation. They are words and phrases that let readers know that they are at the beginning, or that you are changing topic or that you are concluding. Transition signals show how you are connecting your ideas and information. (They are also used in written English, in essays and reports; see your Style Guide). The words below have been grouped according to meaning. It does take a little practice to use them correctly, so if you are not sure, double check with your lecturer or a classmate before you deliver your presentation. The ones shown below can be used in spoken English only. Signposts for your introduction Introducing your topic:

I’d like to talk to you today about…

I’m going to discuss/ talk about/ explain…

I want to discuss/talk about/ explain…

I intend to describe/outline… NOT ‘discuss about’! Questions:

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask me after the presentation.

OR

I’ll take questions at the end of the presentation. Showing order or sequence:

I’ve divided my presentation into ____ parts/sections.

To begin with, I’d like to talk about/explain a little bit about _______, then briefly mention _________.

I’d like to talk (firstly) about _________.

After that/then/next/second/secondly, I’ll move onto __________.

Science for the contemporary world IES “Izpisúa Belmonte”

Signposts for the body of your presentation Once you have established your topic in your introduction, the phrases below help your listeners to know when you are moving from one point to the next. The phrases below are suggested transitions between topics. Note that they should be varied throughout your presentation. Repeating ‘Moving on to my first/second/third point’ every time you change topic will be dull for your listeners. Transition 1

I’d like now to move on to…

Moving on to my first point… Transition 2

Turning now to…

Moving on to my next point…

Transition 3

Having looked at X, let’s consider Y…

Concluding your presentation Your conclusion should be a summary of the main points of your talk; do not include any new information.

So…

We’ve seen that…

In short…

To sum up…

To conclude… Your conclusion should also contain an invitation for questions: ‘Are there any questions?’