Giving a presentation in English at work: a comprehensive step-by-step guide with ready-made phrases

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Giving a presentation in English to a foreign client or an international team is one of those moments that can send shivers down the spine of even those who communicate quite fluently in a foreign language on a daily basis. Suddenly, it turns out that ‘general English’ isn’t enough — you need precision, confidence and a specific set of phrases that will allow you to guide your audience smoothly from start to finish.

This guide has been created with two groups in mind: employees who are about to give such a presentation, and managers and HR departments wondering how to prepare their teams for this challenge. Here you’ll find the structure of an effective business presentation, ready-made phrases to use at every stage, and specific tips on how to practise — so that your next presentation in English is a source of satisfaction, not stress.

Why giving a presentation in English is a different challenge from everyday conversation

Conversation and presentation are two completely different modes of communication — even in your native language. In a conversation, you have a partner who responds, helps fill the silence, and asks clarifying questions. In a presentation, you are alone on stage: you lead, structure, explain and, at the same time, observe the audience’s reactions. In a foreign language, the difficulty level increases.

Add to that specific business vocabulary, the need to switch smoothly between slides, and handling questions from the audience — and you have a whole host of challenges faced by most Polish employees preparing an English presentation at work. The good news is that a successful presentation in English is largely a matter of preparation and knowledge of specific linguistic patterns — not innate oratory talent.

Step 1: Structure — plan your presentation before you write the first sentence

The most common mistake is rushing into translating slides without first planning the logic of the message. An effective business presentation — regardless of the language — has a clear, predictable structure that makes it easier for the audience to follow your argument. A classic presentation outline in English looks like this:

Opening — greeting, introducing yourself and the topic, outlining the agenda
Body (main body) — main content divided into 2–4 thematic sections
Summary (conclusion) — key takeaways in 3–5 points
Closing (conclusion) — call to action or next steps, Q&A session

This structure works well for both short 5-minute presentations and extensive pitch decks. It also gives you confidence as the presenter: you know where you are and what you’re going to say next. This reduces the stress associated with improvisation. Before you start writing your script, answer three questions: Why am I giving this presentation? What do I want the audience to take away from it? What action do I want them to take?

Step 2: The opening — the first 60 seconds make all the difference

The opening of a presentation is the moment when you either win or lose the audience’s attention. You have about 60 seconds to convey: “I know what I’m talking about, and I have something valuable to offer you.” In an English-language business presentation, it’s worth learning this opening by heart — so that you don’t have to search for words or lose your flow right from the start.

Ready-made phrases for opening a presentation in English:

Greeting and introducing yourself:

Good morning/afternoon, everyone. My name is [name] and I’m [position] at [company].
Thank you all for being here today. I’m [name], and I’m responsible for [area] in our company.
Hello, everyone. It’s great to have you here. Let me introduce myself — I’m [name] from the [department] team.

Introducing the topic:

Today, I’d like to talk to you about…
The purpose of this presentation is to…
What I’m going to cover today is…

Agenda — presentation outline:

I’ve divided my presentation into three parts. First, I’ll… Then, I’ll… And finally, I’ll…
My presentation will cover the following points:…
This should take about [X] minutes, and I’ll leave time for questions at the end.

Setting expectations for questions:

Please feel free to ask questions at any time.
I’d appreciate it if you could hold your questions until the end.
If anything is unclear, please stop me and I’ll be happy to clarify.

Step 3: Development — how to guide your audience through the content

The middle section of a presentation is its heart and soul — and this is where most people lose their flow. This happens because they focus on the content of the slides and forget about the language that links the individual sections together. Yet it is precisely these ‘linguistic bridges’ — transitional phrases — that make a presentation sound professional and easy to follow.

Ready-made transitional phrases between sections:

Moving on to the next point:

Let’s now move on to the next point, which is…
Now I’d like to turn to…
This brings me to my next topic…
So, having covered X, let me now focus on Y.

Referring to slides and data:

As you can see on this slide…
This chart shows…
The figures here indicate that…
I’d like to draw your attention to…

Emphasizing key information:

The most important thing to remember here is…
What I’d like you to take away from this is…
This is the key point:…
Let me highlight this — it’s crucial.

Referring to previous content:

As I mentioned earlier…
Going back to what I said at the beginning…
This connects to the point I made about…

Digressions and returning to the topic:

Just as a side note…
I won’t go into detail here, but…
To get back to the main point…

Step 4: Summary — don’t leave it hanging

One of the most common mistakes in English business presentations is failing to give a clear signal that the presentation is coming to an end. The audience is taken by surprise, a little confused — and this awkwardness spoils the overall impression, no matter how good the rest of the presentation was. The summary should take 1–2 minutes and clearly ‘close the loop’ — recapping what has been said and highlighting the key takeaways.

Ready-made phrases for summarising a presentation:

Closing statement:

So, to summarise…
In conclusion…
Let me briefly recap what we’ve covered today.
Before I open the floor for questions, let me summarise the key points.

Summary of conclusions:

The main takeaways from today’s presentation are…
To put it simply, the three key points are…
What this means for us/your business is…

Step 5: How to conclude a presentation in English — Q&A session and closing remarks

The conclusion is the last impression you’ll leave on your audience — and it’s worth making sure it’s a strong one. All too often, presentations end with a tentative “That’s all, I think…” or “Okay, so… any questions?”. It works, but it doesn’t make much of an impression.

Ready-made phrases to wrap up a presentation in English:

Opening the floor for questions:

I’d now like to open the floor for questions.
Does anyone have any questions or comments?
I’m happy to answer any questions you might have.
Before we finish, is there anything you’d like me to clarify?

Answering difficult questions:

That’s a great question. Let me think about that for a moment…
I’m not entirely sure about that — I’ll look into it and get back to you.
That’s slightly outside the scope of today’s presentation, but…
Could you clarify what you mean by…?

Final closing:

Thank you very much for your time and attention.
It was a pleasure presenting to you today.
If you have any further questions after today, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
I’ll send you the slides after the meeting — feel free to contact me with any follow-up questions.

Step 6: How to practise giving a presentation in English — methods that work

Knowing the right phrases is just the starting point. To make your presentation in English sound natural, rather than like you’re reading from a cheat sheet, you need to practise. Here are some tried-and-tested methods:

Record yourself. Record a rehearsal of your presentation on your phone and play it back. It’s uncomfortable — but it immediately shows where you lose your flow, where you speak too quickly or too quietly, and where you slip into unnecessary “ums” and “er’s”. Most professional speakers regularly record their rehearsals.

Practise out loud, not in your head. Scanning slides and thinking “I know what to say here” is a false sense of preparation. Your mind and your mouth are two different things — you need to say it out loud to make sure the sentence flows smoothly.

Focus on the transitions. Not on the slides themselves, but on the moments between them. The transition from one section to the next is where it’s easiest to get lost. Practise these separately.

Simulate questions from the audience. Ask a colleague to ask you a few difficult questions in English. Answering unexpected questions is a completely different skill from delivering a prepared text — and this is what many people fear most.

Shorten your script. Reading a presentation verbatim from a sheet of paper or a teleprompter always sounds artificial. If you must

How can the HR department prepare staff for presentations in English?

If you are reading this article as someone responsible for skills development within your company, you will already know that a ‘general English course’ will not solve the problem of public speaking. What is needed is a programme that combines language learning with presentation skills — public speaking in English. A good language school for businesses should offer dedicated modules on business presentations, covering: presentation structure and planning, vocabulary and phrases for each stage, pronunciation and intonation training (prosody — this determines whether the speaker sounds confident), working with feedback on recordings, and Q&A session simulations. It is worth planning such training as a series — not as a one-off workshop. Presenting in English is a skill that is built through repetition, not acquired in a single day. Key takeaway: An effective presentation in English is 30% language — knowledge of phrases and vocabulary — and 70% structure and preparation. The good news is that both of these things can be learnt.

FAQ — frequently asked questions about presentations in English

How can you start a presentation in English to grab your audience’s attention straight away?

Instead of the standard ‘Good morning, my name is…’, start with a rhetorical question, a surprising statistic or a short anecdote related to the topic. For example: ‘Did you know that 75% of professionals report feeling anxious before business presentations — even in their native language?’ An introduction like this immediately engages the audience and signals that this presentation will be different.

How can I end a presentation in English in a professional manner?

Don’t end your presentation with the final slide containing data — finish with a clear verbal summary. A classic and effective approach is to say: “To summarise — the three key takeaways from today are…”, and then list them briefly. Next, open the floor for questions and conclude with a thank you. The whole thing should take no more than 2 minutes.

What phrases should I use to make the presentation sound natural, rather than like a translation from Polish?

Avoid translating Polish sentences word for word. Business English is more direct and concise. Instead of “I would like to show you something that is very important”, simply say “Here’s the key point.” Use the active voice: not “It can be seen that…” but “As you can see…”.

Do you need to speak perfect English to give a good presentation?

Absolutely not. Listeners will forgive an accent, minor grammatical errors and the occasional pause. They will not forgive a lack of structure, unclear slides, or a speaker who clearly doesn’t know what they want to say. Substantive preparation and the logic of the message are more important than linguistic perfection.

How can you manage stress during a presentation in English?

Three things help the most: a well-rehearsed script for the first two minutes (when stress is at its peak), checking the venue and equipment beforehand, and practising breathing techniques before you go on stage. Pre-presentation stress is normal — even among experienced speakers. The aim is not to eliminate it, but to reduce it to a level that works in your favour.

How do I say in English that I don’t know the answer to a question from the audience?

Honesty works best. ‘That’s a great question — I don’t have that data with me right now, but I’ll look into it and get back to you by [date].’ or ‘I’m not the right person to answer that — could I connect you with our [department] team?’ Responses like these sound professional and build trust.

Summary — giving a presentation in English is something you can learn

Giving a presentation in English in a business setting is a challenge — but one that can be fully overcome. It requires a solid structure, a set of well-rehearsed phrases for every stage of the presentation, and regular practice in conditions that closely resemble the real thing. If you want your employees to leave English presentations feeling a sense of satisfaction rather than relief — consider a dedicated training programme combining Business English with presentation techniques. At Worldwide School, we design such programmes individually, based on the real needs of your team. Contact us to find out how we can prepare your team for their next presentation in English — before that important one comes around unexpectedly.