Opening or starting a presentation is along with ending one the most important parts of a presentation. And fortunately, they are also the easiest to master and learn (because most presentations begin and end the same way). You just need to learn what you have to say in them and how to say it.
When you start, you need to make the audience interested in what you're going to say, and also be clear and concise about the presentation's content. There is also a simple structure to starting or beginning a presentation and this is the same in English as it is in other languages.
In this online exercise on presentations, you'll see an example of a good beginning to business presentation and learn the English vocabulary and phrases which are used when doing it.
Click here to see more online exercises on presentations and presentation vocabulary
In the following text, a man begins a business presentation on improving staff performance.
From the context, try to guess what the meaning of the words/phrases in bold are and why they are being said. Then do the quiz at the end to check if you are right.
Speaker:'Good Morning ladies and gentlemen. First of all, let me start by thanking you for attending this presentation. I understand that everybody is very busy. So your attendance is very much appreciated.
My name is Russel Grants and I work as the European human resources manager for LPS. Which I have done for the past 5 years. I have worked in the field of human resources in various companies since I left university, nearly 20 years ago.
In this presentation, I am going to talk to you about why your staff are lazy and unproductive, or to put it another way, how employers and managers mismanage their staff.
Today's presentation is divided into three parts, which I will tell you about now. To begin with, I will give an overview of how current employee under-performance is costing companies millions in lost revenue, every minute of every day. Then I will explain the causes of this under-performance. And finally, I will outline an easy method to rectify this problem, which will keep your staff motivated and more productive.
If you have any questions, I would be pleased to answer them at the end of the presentation.
But before we start the first part, ask yourselves, what you would do if you could reduce the relative labour cost of each product you manufacture or sell, or each service you provide? As you all well know, labour normally accounts for about 40% of total costs in most businesses. A lot of money! Money which could be spent in other areas like Research and Development(R&D) or by reducing the price of your product.'
Match the words/phrases in bold from the above text to each of the definitions/descriptions below. Click on the "Check" button at the bottom of the quiz to check your answers.
When the answer is correct, two icons will appear below the answer. The "" icon contains extra information on the word/phrase. In the "" icon, you can listen to the pronunciation of the word/phrase.
Now that you understand the meaning of the words/phrases and when to use them, practise using them by creating your own sentences with them in English. Also click on the "" icon under each correct answer and listen how each is pronounced correctly.
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