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Speech transitions: words and phrases to connect your ideas

June 28, 2018 - Gini Beqiri

When delivering presentations it’s important for your words and ideas to flow so your audience can understand how everything links together and why it’s all relevant.

This can be done using speech transitions because these act as signposts to the audience – signalling the relationship between points and ideas. This article explores how to use speech transitions in presentations.

What are speech transitions?

Speech transitions are words and phrases that allow you to smoothly move from one point to another so that your speech flows and your presentation is unified.

This makes it easier for the audience to understand your argument and without transitions the  audience may be confused  as to how one point relates to another and they may think you’re randomly jumping between points.

Types of transitions

Transitions can be one word, a phrase or a full sentence – there are many different types, here are a few:

Introduction

Introduce your topic:

• We will be looking at/identifying/investigating the effects of…
• Today I will be discussing…

Presentation outline

Inform the audience of the structure of your presentation:

• There are three key points I’ll be discussing…
• I want to begin by…, and then I’ll move on to…
• We’ll be covering… from two points of view…
• This presentation is divided into four parts…

Move from the introduction to the first point

Signify to the audience that you will now begin discussing the first main point:

• Now that you’re aware of the overview, let’s begin with…
• First, let’s begin with…
• I will first cover…
• My first point covers…
• To get started, let’s look at…

Shift between similar points

Move from one point to a similar one:

• In the same way…
• Likewise…
• Equally…
• This is similar to…
• Similarly…

Shift between disagreeing points

You may have to introduce conflicting ideas – bridging words and phrases are especially good for this:

• Conversely…
• Despite this…
• However…
• On the contrary…
• Now let’s consider…
• Even so…
• Nonetheless…
• We can’t ignore…
• On the other hand…

Transition to a significant issue

• Fundamentally…
• A major issue is…
• The crux of the matter…
• A significant concern is…

Referring to previous points

You may have to refer to something that you’ve already spoken about because, for example, there may have been a break or a fire alarm etc:

• Let’s return to…
• We briefly spoke about X earlier; let’s look at it in more depth now…
• Let’s revisit…
• Let’s go back to…
• Do you recall when I mentioned…

This can be also be useful to introduce a new point because adults learn better when new information builds on previously learned information.

Introducing an aside note

You may want to introduce a digression:

• I’d just like to mention…
• That reminds me…
• Incidentally…

Physical movement

You can  move your body  and your standing location when you transition to another point. The audience find it easier to follow your presentation and movement will increase their interest.

A common technique for incorporating movement into your presentation is to:

• Start your introduction by standing in the centre of the stage.
• For your first point you stand on the left side of the stage.
• You discuss your second point from the centre again.
• You stand on the right side of the stage for your third point.
• The conclusion occurs in the centre.

Emphasising importance

You need to ensure that the audience get the message by informing them why something is important:

• More importantly…
• This is essential…
• Primarily…
• Mainly…

Internal summaries

Internal summarising consists of summarising before moving on to the next point. You must inform the audience:

• What part of the presentation you covered – “In the first part of this speech we’ve covered…”
• What the key points were – “Precisely how…”
• How this links in with the overall presentation – “So that’s the context…”
• What you’re moving on to – “Now I’d like to move on to the second part of presentation which looks at…”

Cause and effect

You will have to transition to show relationships between factors:

• Therefore…
• Thus…
• Consequently…
• As a result…
• This is significant because…
• Hence…

Elaboration

• Also…
• Besides…
• What’s more…
• In addition/additionally…
• Moreover…
• Furthermore…

Point-by-point or steps of a process

• First/firstly/The first one is…
• Second/Secondly/The second one is…
• Third/Thirdly/The third one is…
• Last/Lastly/Finally/The fourth one is…

Introduce an example

• This is demonstrated by…
• For instance…
• Take the case of…
• For example…
• You may be asking whether this happens in X? The answer is yes…
• To show/illustrate/highlight this…
• Let me illustrate this by…

Transition to a demonstration

• Now that we’ve covered the theory, let’s practically apply it…
• I’ll conduct an experiment to show you this in action…
• Let me demonstrate this…
• I’ll now show you this…

Introducing a quotation

• X was a supporter of this thinking because he said…
• There is a lot of support for this, for example, X said…

Transition to another speaker

In a  group presentation  you must transition to other speakers:

• Briefly recap on what you covered in your section: “So that was a brief introduction on what health anxiety is and how it can affect somebody”
• Introduce the next speaker in the team and explain what they will discuss: “Now Gayle will talk about the prevalence of health anxiety.”
• Then end by looking at the next speaker, gesturing towards them and saying their name: “Gayle”.
• The next speaker should acknowledge this with a quick: “Thank you Simon.”

From these examples, you can see how the different sections of the presentations link which makes it easier for the audience to follow and remain engaged.

You can  tell personal stories  or share the experiences of others to introduce a point. Anecdotes are especially valuable for your introduction and between different sections of the presentation because they engage the audience. Ensure that you plan the stories thoroughly beforehand and that they are not too long.

Using questions

You can transition through your speech by asking questions and these questions also have the benefit of engaging your audience more. There are three different types of questions:

Direct questions require an answer: “What is the capital of Italy?” These are mentally stimulating for the audience.

Rhetorical questions  do not require answers, they are often used to emphasises an idea or point: “Is the Pope catholic?

Loaded questions contain an unjustified assumption made to prompt the audience into providing a particular answer which you can then correct to support your point: You may ask “Why does your wonderful company have such a low incidence of mental health problems?”.

The audience will generally answer that they’re happy. After receiving the answers you could then say “Actually it’s because people are still unwilling and too embarrassed to seek help for mental health issues at work etc.”

Transition to a visual aid

If you are going to introduce a visual aid you must prepare the audience with what they’re going to see, for example, you might be leading into a diagram that supports your statement. Also, before you  show the visual aid , explain why you’re going to show it, for example, “This graph is a significant piece of evidence supporting X”.

When the graphic is on display get the audience to focus on it:

• The table indicates…
• As you can see…
• I’d like to direct your attention to…

Explain what the visual is showing:

• You can see that there has been a reduction in…
• The diagram is comparing the…

Using a visual aid to transition

Visual aids can also be used as transitions and they have the benefit of being stimulating and breaking-up vocal transitions.

You might have a slide with just a picture on it to signify to the audience that you’re moving on to a new point – ensure that this image is relevant to the point. Many speakers like to use cartoons for this purpose but ensure its suitable for your audience.

Always summarise your key points first in the conclusion:

• Let’s recap on what we’ve spoken about today…
• Let me briefly summarise the main points…

And then conclude:

If you have a shorter speech you may choose to  end your presentation  with one statement:

• In short…
• To sum up…
• In a nutshell…
• To summarise…
• In conclusion…

However, using statements such as “To conclude” may cause the audience to stop listening. It’s better to say:

• I’d like to leave you with this…
• What you should take away from this is…
• Finally, I want to say…

Call to action

Requesting the audience to do something at the end of the presentation:

• You may be thinking how can I help in this matter? Well…
• My aim is to encourage you to go further and…
• What I’m requesting of you is…

Common mistakes

When transitions are used poorly you can annoy and confuse the audience. Avoid:

• Using transitions that are too short – transitions are a key part of ensuring the audience understands your presentation so spend sufficient time linking to your next idea.
• Too many tangents – any digressions should still be relevant to the topic and help the audience with their understanding, otherwise cut them out.
• Incompatible transitions – for example, if you’re about to introduce an example that supports your statement you wouldn’t introduce this by saying “but”. Use transitions that signify the relationship between points.
• Over-using the same transition because this is boring for the audience to hear repeatedly. Ensure that there is variety with your transitions, consider including visual transitions.
• Miscounting your transitions – for example, don’t say “first point”, “second point”, “next point” – refer to your points consistently.

Speech transitions are useful for unifying and connecting your presentation. The audience are more likely to remain engaged since they’ll be able to follow your points. But remember that it’s important to practice your transitions beforehand and not just the content of your arguments because you risk looking unprofessional and confusing the audience if the presentation does not flow smoothly.

52 Phrases for Better Flowing English Presentations

/ Steven Hobson / Business English , English Presentations , Vocabulary

Do you give English presentations at work, but feel that you could communicate your message in a more objective, fluid way?

Maybe you have an English presentation coming up and want to make sure that your speech is clear and structured so that your audience doesn’t lose concentration and stays with you all the way to the end.

A technique that can help you achieve objective, clear, and structured English presentations, is to use linking phrases that join the separate parts of your presentation together.

English presentations normally consist of an introduction, the main body, individual parts of the main body, and the ending or conclusion.

To help maintain your audience’s attention, you need to signal when you are going from one part to another.

In this article, I teach you 52 phrases that do exactly this – linking the different parts together, and therefore, making your presentation flow better. You’ll find that these phrases will act as ‘signposts’ for the audience when you finish one part and start another.

52 Phrases to Improve the Flow of Your English Presentations

The introduction.

All good presentations start with a strong introduction.

There are a number of different ways you can begin your English presentation. Here’s a simple, but effective introduction structure which works for most types of business presentations:

Introduce – Introduce yourself and greet your audience. Introduce the presentation topic – Explain the reasons for listening. Outline – Describe the main parts of the presentation. Question policy – Make it clear to your audience when they can ask questions: during or at the end?

Here are some phrases which you can use to structure the introduction in this way:

1. Good morning/afternoon (everyone) (ladies and gentlemen). 2. It’s a pleasure to welcome (the President) here. 3. I’m … (the Director of …)

Introduce the presentation topic

4. By the end of the talk/presentation/session, you’ll know how to… / …you will have learned about… / 5. I plan to say a few words about… 6. I’m going to talk about… 7. The subject of my talk is…

8. My talk will be in (three parts). 9. In the first part… 10. Then in the second part… 11. Finally, I’ll go on to talk about…

Question Policy

12. Please interrupt if you have any questions. 13. After my talk, there will be time for a discussion and any questions.

 Main Body

Now that you have finished the introduction, we now need to transition to the main body, and its individual parts in a smooth way.

There are three parts of the main body of a presentation where linking phrases can be used:

Beginning the Main Body Ending Parts within the Main Body Beginning a New Part

Here are some phrases which you can use for these parts:

Beginning the Main Body

14. Now let’s move to / turn to the first part of my talk which is about… 15. So, first… 16. To begin with…

Ending Parts within the Main Body

17. That completes/concludes… 18. That’s all (I want to say for now) on… 19. Ok, I’ve explained how…

Beginning a New Part

20. Let’s move to (the next part which is)… 21. So now we come to the next point, which is… 22. Now I want to describe… 23. Let’s turn to the next issue… 24. I’d now like to change direction and talk about…

Listing and Sequencing

If you need to talk about goals, challenges, and strategies in your English presentation, listing phrases can help link these together and improve the flow of your speech. If you have to explain processes, sequencing phrases are helpful:

25. There are three things to consider. First… Second… Third… 26. There are two kinds of… The first is… The second is… 27. We can see four advantages and two disadvantages. First, advantages… 28. One is… Another is… A third advantage is… Finally…

29. There are (four) different stages to the process. 30. First / then / next / after that / then (x) / after x there’s y. 31. There are two steps involved. The first step is… The second step is… 32. There are four stages to the project. 33. At the beginning, later, then, finally… 34. I’ll describe the development of the idea. First the background, then the present situation, and then the prospect for the future.

After you have presented the main body of your English presentation, you will want to end it smoothly.

Here are typical sections transitioning from the main body to the ending of the presentation, and then inviting the audience to ask questions:

Ending the Main Body Beginning the Summary and/or Conclusion Concluding An Ending Phrase Inviting Questions and/or Introducing Discussion Thanking the Audience

Ending the Main Body

35. Okay, that ends (the third part of) my talk. 36. That’s all I want to say for now on (the 2017 results).

Beginning the Summary and/or Conclusion

37. To sum up… 38. Ok, in brief, there are several advantages and disadvantages. 39. To conclude… 40. I’d like to end by emphasizing the main points. 41. I’d like to end with a summary of the main points.

42. I think we have seen that we should… 43. In my opinion, we should… 44. I recommend/suggest that we… 45. There are three reasons why I recommend this. First, … / Second, … / Finally,…

An Ending Phrase

46. Well, I’ve covered the points that I needed to present today. 47. That sums up (my description of the new model). 48. That concludes my talk for today.

Inviting Questions and/or Introducing Discussion

49. Now we have (half an hour) for questions and discussion. 50. So, now I’d be very interested to hear your comments.

Thanking the Audience

51. I’d like to thank you for listening to my presentation. 52. Thank you for listening / your attention. / Many thanks for coming.

Linking phrases are like the skeleton which holds your presentation together.

Not only do they improve the flow and help guide the audience, but by memorizing them they can also help you remember the general structure of your presentation, giving you increased confidence.

To help you memorize, I recommend saying the linking phrases on their own from the beginning to the end of your presentation while you practice.

I also suggest memorizing the introduction word for word. By doing this, you will get off to a great start, which will settle your nerves and transmit a positive first impression.

Author: Steven Hobson

Steven is a business English coach, a certified life coach, writer, and entrepreneur. He helps international professionals build confidence and improve fluency speaking English in a business environment.

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13 Transitions: Bridging Ideas for a Seamless Presentation

Good transitions can make a speech more important to the audience because they feel they are being taken to a positive conclusion without having to travel a bumpy road. – Joe Griffith

Transitions

The difference between a novice speaker and an advanced speaker is in how they bridge the gap between ideas. Learning to use transitions effectively will help take your speaking to the advanced level. Transitions can be one word, a phrase, or a full sentence.

The audience is dying to know the relationship between ideas. Their brains are hard-wired for that. It’s more important when you are speaking than when you are writing because the listeners can’t go back – they have to get it when it happens. If the brain is bored, or gets tired because it’s overwhelmed, or gets confused – it can’t stay in that place, so it daydreams, creating its own interest. Speech Coach Max Dixon, Westside Toastmasters.

So, let’s get started. I have included various transition types for you to consider. These do little good if you read them and do not use them. This list works best if you read it now and then revisit it every time you write a speech.

• Let’s begin with…
• First, I’d like to share with you…
• Now that you’re aware of the overview, let’s begin with…
• Our first stop is…
• I will first cover…
• My first point covers…
• To get started, let’s look at…

The Order of Things

• After that…
• Next…
• Second thing…
• Our next stop is…
• Let me tell you about your next step.

Steve Jobs Commencement to Stanford University

Steve Jobs clearly previews his main points, “Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That’s it. No big deal. Just three stories.” He flows smoothly between points with clear transitions.

• “The first story is about connecting the dots.”
• “My second story is about love and loss.”
• “My third story is about death.”

Watch Steve Jobs Stanford Commencement Address

Between Similar Points

• In the same way…
• In addition…
• Likewise…
• Similarly…

Between Disagreeing Points

• Conversely…
• Despite this…
• The flip side of the issue…
• However…
• On the contrary…
• On the other hand…
• On the other side …
• Yet, we cannot ignore …
• The opposing argument …
• If we examine the opposite side, we see …

Introduce an example

• This is best illustrated by an example…
• For instance…
• Take the case of…
• For example…
• To understand this…
• Let me illustrate this by…

Introduce Research

• To make the point…
• As illustrated by…
• Case in point…
• To solidify this point…
• As researched by…

Cause and effect

• Therefore…
• Thus…
• Consequently…
• As a result…
• This is significant because…
• Hence…
• Resulting in…
• For that reason …
• The effect is…

Elaboration

• Also…
• Besides…
• What’s more…
• In addition/additionally…
• Moreover…
• Furthermore…

Transition to a Demonstration

• Let me show you how this works…
• Let me demonstrate this…
• Now that we’ve covered the theory, let’s see it in action …
• Next, I’d like to let you see this for yourselves…

Introducing Your Visual

• As you can see from this chart…
• I’d like you to notice that…
• The table indicates…

Questions as Transitions

• Now that you know the problem, what do you think will solve it?
• What do you think will solve this crisis?

Connective: A word or phrase that connects the ideas of a speech and indicates the relationship between them.

Transitions: A word or phrase that indicates when a speaker had finished one thought and it moving on to another.

Internal preview: A statement in the body of the speech that tells the audience what the speaker is going to discuss next.

Internal summary: A statement in the body of the speech that summarizes the speaker’s preceding point or points.

Signpost: A very brief statement that indicates where a speaker is in the speech or that focuses attention on key ideas.

From the Art of Public Speaking by Stephen Lucas

THOUGHTS FROM A FORMER STUDENT

One thing I learned in class that made me a better speechwriter was to pay attention to the transitions. In our outlines, there was space for our main points, but also our transitions between them.  At the beginning of the semester, I thought this was a waste of time planning out my transition for a speech and that I would just wing it the day of, but I soon realized how important they were. Transitions are like the finishing touches that make everything fall together in a speech.

You may have some interesting points or facts to give to your audience, but without transitions, you have nothing to connect your points and create a narrative. An audience is much more interested in a talk if there is a continuing idea or theme, and transitions help create this. I found this out by watching the other students in my class as they learned to use transitions as well. I loved the speeches that were clearly organized and had a common idea with transitions.

Zoe Lawless, Honors Public Speaking, University of Arkansas

Movement as Transition

Many people don’t think about movement as a type of transition, but it can be a very powerful way to help your audience transition between ideas.

• Setting out a visual or putting it away signals a change in ideas. 
• Some speakers will imagine a baseball diamond laid out on the floor and move to each base throughout the speech. Their opening comment is at home plate. Point one is delivered on first, point two on second, and point three on third. They stand back on their home plate to deliver the final closing statements.
• One speaker that I met said he always has a special place that is his big idea place. He may move around during his speech but when he wants the audience to know it is an important point, he stands in the big idea place.

Silence as a Transition

John Chappelear, speech consultant, suggests that the use of silence can be powerful. It is powerful,  but it is not easy. Being able to stand silently in front of a large audience for 15-45 seconds requires practice. Sometimes you can use silence as a way to let the audience catch up and think deeply about what you just said. 

Transitioning Between Slides

• As the next slide shows…
• As you can see…
• Next, I will show you…

Transitioning to Visuals

• I’d like to direct your attention to…
• This diagram compares…
• Now, I’d like to illustrate this with…

Signaling the End is Near

• In conclusion…
• To sum it up…
• Lastly…
• In a nutshell…
• To recap…
• I’d like to leave you with…
• Finally, I’d like to say…
• The takeaway from all of this is…
• To summarise…

Moving to the Next Speaker

• I told you about the most credible theories about climate change, now John will share with you some examples of what you can do.
• I’m going to turn it over to Malachi, who will take you through the next few points.
• Next, Angie will come up and talk about…
• To help us understand this topic better, we have Beatrice, who will talk us through…
• Look to the next speaker and motion towards them as they walk to the podium, Twila will tell you more…

Problems with Transitions

These are some of the most common problems with transitions:

• Not planning out transitions and just “winging it.”
• Using fancy phrases inconsistent with the rest of the speech.
• Saying, “I have five points” and then having only four or miscounting the points.
• Overusing the same transitional phrase.
• Long pauses before transitions as the speaker tries to figure out what to say next.

Tricks on Smoothly Presenting Transitions

Now you have a list of ideas to use when you write your next speech, let’s talk about how to use transitions effectively. Speakers typically struggle as they end one point and seek to move to the next idea. This usually happens because of poor planning, not enough practice, and poor note management. Let’s talk about these one at a time. First, poor planning happens because a speaker does not put enough time and effort into writing the speech. Second, not enough practice happened because even when a speech is practiced, it is practiced with regards to getting through the main points and not about moving smoothly between points. Finally, poor note management. Let me give you some tricks.

• Make your notes large-larger than you think you need.
• Give ample space between main ideas so you can look down and see the gap and know another point is coming.
• On your notecards, make each main idea a different color.
• I usually have a “T” in a circle to remind me that this is a transition statement.
• Practice your speech twice by just reading the transition statements and the next sentence.
• The night before your speech, visualize how you will manage the transitions.

Key Takeaways

Remember This!

• Using transitions will help your speech flow smoothly.
• Practice using your transitions.
• Plan transitions for impact.

Please share your feedback, suggestions, corrections, and ideas.

I want to hear from you. 

Do you have an activity to include? Did you notice a typo that I should correct? Are you planning to use this as a resource and do you want me to know about it? Do you want to tell me something that really helped you?

Click here to share your feedback. 

Allgood, E., & Ebersole, T. (Eds.). (2017). C OMM 2100 public speaking: A workbook for student success . Fountainhead Press.

Beqiri, G. (2018). Speech transitions: Words and phrases to connect your ideas. https://virtualspeech.com/blog/speech-transitions-words-phrases

Dugan, A. (2013, August 26). Speech transitions: Magical words and phrases. http://sixminutes.dlugan.com/speech-transitions/

Effective speech transitions, how to make your speech flow. https://franticallyspeaking.com/effective-speech-transitions-how-to-make-your-speech-flow/

Jobs, S. (2005). Steve Jobs commencement address to Stanford University. [Video]. YouTube. https://news.stanford.edu/2005/06/14/jobs-061505/ Standard YouTube License.

Lawless, Z. (2020). Honors Public Speaking, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. Used with permission.

Lucas, S.E. (2009). The art of public speaking. McGraw Hill.

Pace, P. (n.d). Bridge the gap–Speech transitions. https://westsidetoastmasters.com/article_reference/bridge_the_gap-speech_transitions.html#:~:text=%22I%20think%20body%20movement%20is,carries%20the%20audience%20with%20him.

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Using Transition Phrases to Keep Your Audience Engrossed in Your Presentation

• By THE NEWMAN GROUP INC.

Many won’t be able to resist the temptation to take a peek at their smart phones. So how do you keep your audience involved and following the discussion?

Transition Phrases

Savvy speakers use Transition/Linking Phrases as the glue that holds their thoughts together so they can move seamlessly from one point to another.

It’s important to organize your presentation so that everything supports one main idea. Develop two to three key headlines to support that idea and then further elaborate with facts, anecdotes, case studies, visuals and other evidence.

Also including transitions to connect sentences and key messages will help the audience move from idea to idea. Transitions can make or break your presentation. Linking phrases can turn your presentation into a unified whole.

Transitions can also be tricky. You need to use words other than “but,” “however,” and “in addition.” The words you use will serve as punctuation marks and entice the audience to listen to your next points. Keep giving them the road map to follow throughout your presentation.

After you’ve introduced your main theme, consider the following transition phrases to get started:

• I’d like to support­­­­____from three main aspects…
• I’d like to discuss____from these three fundamental points of view…
• Let’s cover____with three essential elements in mind…

Getting From Here to There

Launch your first key message with a phrase that says it’s your first point:

• First, lets start with…
• My first point covers…
• I will talk first about…

Stick to that “chunk” of content and don’t jump to your other key messages until you conclude with a phrase like:

• Moving on to our next area of interest…
• Now, I’d like to discuss…
• Our next important element is…

Or, it could just be that it’s getting close to lunch and people are restless. Whatever the reason, you’ve got to regain their attention. So pause, and give them a chance to get back in sync with you.

When finished with presenting your key messages, repeat them, beginning with a phrase such as, “I’ve just covered the three most important points about…”

  The Closer

Now the audience is ready for your closing remarks. Please don’t use, “In conclusion…” because that’s the signal you’ve come to the end of your presentation and it’s OK to mentally tune out.

Instead, keep them listening with a more compelling phrase such as:

• What I want you to take away from…
• The thought I’d like to leave you with…
• I strongly recommend that…

Call to Action

Don’t just say, “Thanks for listening” when you’re finished. Preface that with what you want the audience to do after the presentation. Include a call to action:

• What I’d like to ask you to do now…
• Can I ask for your support in…
• My intention today is to convince you to take the next step and…

Transition phrases are the audience’s lifeline to your presentation. Choose them carefully so that your audience knows exactly where you are at any point in time. They will also help to keep you on track, so that you don’t begin wandering off topic and lose your own sense of direction.

Are there transition phrases that you use in your presentations that you find particularly effective? Please leave us a comment. We’d love to know what they are.

Related articles

• Transitive Verbs (englishpost.org)
• How to Adapt to Your Audience and Develop and Effective Presentation (ronakb1.wordpress.com)
• How to Introduce the Speaker Without it Sounding Like an Obituary (presenting-yourself.com)
• Using Jargon and Acronyms Can Leave Your Audience in the Dark (presenting-yourself.com)

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Our highly skilled and experienced professionals have the expertise in media and presentation training to meet any business situation — from helping an executive to prepare for the challenge of talking to a reporter during a business crisis to presenting a group of investors during an IPO or keeping a celebrity spokesperson on point.

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Business presentations: Introductions, linking ideas and endings

Expectations have risen significantly of presentations in the age of online video. No longer are a few plain slides enough – people want to immerse themselves in the speaker’s story. They want to be engaged, inspired – they want to take away something from what the speaker said and use it to make a difference to their lives. A tall order for most of us mere mortals!  

Nevertheless, there are techniques that tutors can teach to turn an average business presentation into a great one. Check out our recommendations and vocabulary set below.

How to structure an engaging presentation

There’s no magic formula for creating a great presentation, but you can find a lot of inspiration from TED Talks.

The average TED Talk takes months to prepare. They engage the audience because they a structured around three principles.  

• Focus on one major idea
• Give people a reason to care
• Build your idea with familiar concepts

To dive deeper into this subject, check out this article How to Create Your TED Talk: An 8-Step Process.

Students can build upon these ideas to create attention-grabbing presentations in English.

What about question time?

Traditionally, speakers end a presentation by taking questions. However, nowadays it is recommended to answer a few questions as they arise during the presentation. This is because sometimes Q&As do not go well; questions are outside the scope of the presentation and the end of the speech can become dominated by someone other than the speaker.

For further reading, check out Different Ways to End a Presentation or Speech and Stop Ending Your Speeches With ‘Any Questions’ and End with this Instead.  

The traditional way to start a presentation

‘Good morning everyone, my name is XXX and I am a XXX for my company XXX.

I am here to talk to you today about xxx and why it is important for xxx.’

Other ways to start a presentation

To share an anecdote – a short story about why the issue you’re going to speak about is important for you and the audience.

To share a quote – a thoughtful quote from a significant person related to the topic of the presentation.

Linking words

Structuring.

Firstly, secondly, thirdly, lastly, finally.

One more point

As well as + noun

‘We tested the new antibiotic on chickens as well as sheep.’

And that’s not all – a big extra point.

‘The findings won him tenure at the university. And that’s not all; years later they won him the Nobel Prize.’

Not to mention – a big extra point.

‘Climate change is affecting the country, we’re having more extreme weather like heavy rains and gales – not to mention all the floods.’

In addition, additionally

Furthermore – a new point.

Contradiction words

However – formal way to say ‘but.’

‘We wanted to test the idea; however, we didn’t have the budget.’

Nevertheless – a synonym of ‘however’.

‘We don’t usually do this for clients, nevertheless, we will try.’

Although/ even though – expresses something that is the opposite of what you expect.

‘Although Albert Einstein was a genius, he spent the early part of his life as an administrator in a patient office.’

Even if + conditional – a contradiction in a hypothetical argument.

‘Even if we had the resources, we wouldn’t be able to complete the project on time.’

Despite + gerund – a contradiction.

‘Despite training for weeks, he wasn’t getting any fitter.’

Despite the fact + noun / another tense.

‘Despite the fact he studied, he didn’t pass the exam.’

Consequence words

So – general consequence of something happening.

‘The financial crisis affected the company badly, so we had to cut costs.’

So that – a person or organisation does something to cause an outcome.

‘We scaled back our activities so that we could focus on our core business.’

Consequently

Which means that…

‘Our company did an IPO last year which means that we have more money to invest this year.’

Synonyms of ‘because.’

Due to  + noun

‘T he company’s public image was damaged due to the s candal .’

Due to the fact  + verb

‘ The company’s public image was damaged due to the fact there was a scandal .’

Thanks to  + noun (only for positive results).

‘Thanks to new funding, the school was able to build a new gym.’

Since / as  + verb

‘Since we don’t have much time, I’ll keep the presentation short. ’

Therefore  + verb

‘ We’re moving offices next month ; therefore, we’ll have to put this project on hold until next year .’

Giving examples

Especially, particularly, specifically.

To give an example.

For instance.

‘There are many difficult mountains to climb in Europe , f or instance, Monte Bianco’

Such as + list.

‘He has written articles about many industries in his career such as finance, IT, medicine and manufacturing.’

Making comparisons

In comparison

Whereas – a combination of ‘while’ and ‘in comparison.’

‘Our company has made investments over the last few years, whereas our competitors have focused on cost-cutting.’

Conversely .

‘Younger people are moving to cities. Conversely, older people prefer to live in the country.’

Ways of thinking

To be common-sense – to be what you expect or to be rational or reasonable.

To be counter-intuitive – to be the opposite of what you expect.

To go against the grain – to do something against the common way of thinking, living or working.

To be a trend-setter – to be the first person to do something which others follow.

To be human nature – to be the way people commonly behave.

Ways to answer questions

To take some questions

‘OK, I’ll take some questions now.’

To fire away

‘OK, I’m ready for questions so fire away.’

Ways to end a presentation

In conclusion/ to conclude

In summary/ to summarise

To wrap up – when you want to end a presentation quickly.

‘OK, so to wrap up, the main points to take away are…’

The key takeaways …

‘The key takeaways of this talk is…’

To leave you with a thought …

‘Let me leave you with this thought….’

A call to action

‘So, this is my call to action: next time you answer a call…’

The rule of three

The rule of three is a powerful way to end a presentation. The speaker ends with three punchy words or phrases . For example:

‘So, to conclude this presentation about smart working; use communication tools effectively , collaborate more and judge performance on output not time spent online. Thanks, and have a great day.’

Famous examples of the rule of three:

• ‘This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning’ – Winston Churchill
• ‘Blood, sweat and tears’ – General Patton
• ‘I came, I saw, I conquered’ – Julius Caesar

Homework: TED’s Secret to Great Public Speaking

Have a student who’s nervous about the presentation? Quell their anxiety with this short TED talk about how to create an engaging presentation.

• linking words
• opinion vocabulary
• presentations

Andromeda is a Fluentify English tutor. She has been teaching English in Spain and online since 2012. In addition to teaching, she is a TEFL writer. She recently moved to Edinburgh, Scotland and is currently working on her Scottish accent.

How To Connect Ideas In English [with Linking Words]

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Lesson overview, lesson summary .

Learn How to connect your ideas in English conversations with 14 important linking words!

Connecting your ideas and thoughts in English is an essential speaking skill, so today you’ll learn 7 everyday, casual linking words useful in everyday conversations, PLUS 7 more formal ones that will help you sound more professional!

Use → and + as well as ← to ADD information Use → but + whereas ← to CONTRAST information Use → or + either or ← to provide OPTIONS Use → so + as a result ← to connect REASON to RESULT Use → because + since ← to focus on the REASON Use → like + such as← to give EXAMPLES Use → especially + in fact← to add EMPHASIS

Video Transcript Section 1 Well hey there I’m Emma from mmmEnglish.

I’ve got a very interesting English lesson for you today. I’m going to teach you seven extremely common English linking words plus their professional equivalents. So linking words are words that link ideas together as you speak and you write so it’s a really useful skill to have.

They are useful words to know.

But in this lesson, we’re going to practise the casual, everyday conversational linking words alongside the more formal alternatives that will make you sound more professional when you’re linking ideas together in English. You probably know already that spoken English is generally more casual whereas written English is more formal. And it’s important to understand the formal and the informal uses of language.

When you use formal language while you’re speaking in just a regular everyday conversation, there is a danger that you’ll sound a bit stiff and a bit serious.

And if you use the casual, informal versions in a professional context, well that’s okay but you just might not sound as convincing or as professional as you want to.

All of the words in this lesson are extremely useful to help you communicate clearly and effectively in any situation so I recommend you watch it all the way through to the end.

I just want to take a few seconds here to give a little shout-out to the members of Hey Lady! who are watching today. Hey ladies! It’s great to see you here.

If you haven’t heard yet, Hey Lady! is our online community helping women to succeed in English. We make it easy and safe to meet new speaking partners and give you interesting topics to talk about together. We have an amazing team of expert English coaches who’ll encourage and support you at every step.

It’s the perfect place to practise because you can make mistakes without feeling judged and make real progress even if you don’t have a lot of time to spare. As long as your English level is intermediate or above then your English is good enough to join the community. And if you sign up today you can experience everything we offer free for ten days. I’ve put the link down in the description below , make sure you check it out and I hope to see you inside!

Today you get to meet casual Emma and professional Emma. Casual Emma is going to tell you about her recent trip to Portugal. And professional Emma is going to talk to you about tourism trends in Portugal.

Now I want you to sit back and watch and enjoy the story but all the while see if you can identify some of the linking words that get used. Words in my sentences that link to ideas or two thoughts together.

I just got back from my trip to Portugal. And I’m exhausted. It was an amazing trip but I’m really struggling with the jetlag this time. If I can afford it, I’d fly business class or maybe break up the trip by staying a night in Dubai. That might help. We wanted really comfortable weather so we travelled in May. It wasn’t too hot, it wasn’t too cold, it was perfect. I’d love to go back again soon because there’s just still so much I want to see and do. I really enjoyed the food on this trip, sweets like pasteis de nata, custard tarts and seafood like bacalhau, salted cod. Everything in Portugal is beautiful, especially those stunning patterned tiles that you see everywhere.

Did you notice some of the linking words while I was talking? I used and, or, but, so because, like and especially.

These are some of the most common linking words in English and I feel pretty confident that you know at least some of them.

Most of them if not all of them.

But if you’re feeling a little unsure about the function or the meaning in English sentences, don’t worry because we’re going to review how all of these words are used in English, what their function is, once we hear from professional Emma.

Professional Emma is going to give you a presentation and it’s going to feel a little more formal because of the language that she’s using.

In it, you’re going to hear seven more linking words that are often used in this type of context, in this formal context.

All of these words are still very common in spoken English but they are noticeably more formal than the ones we just went through.

Good morning! I’m here today to talk to you about tourism in Portugal. Portugal experiences mild winters and hot summers. As a result, it’s popular in summer as well as winter. The diverse landscape ensures that tourists can enjoy either a coastal holiday or a trip to the mountains. In fact, Portugal was voted the best European destination to visit by car in 2021. Since Portugal shares a border with Spain, it’s logical that many tourists are Spanish. Lisbon is by far the most popular destination. Tourists enjoy activities such as visiting the Alfama neighbourhood or catching the vintage tram 28 through historic neighbourhoods. International tourism has not yet recovered to pre-pandemic levels whereas domestic tourism is currently booming. There’s just so much to see, even for the Portuguese themselves.

So did you catch any of these linking words?

Each one of them is the formal or more professional equivalent of the linking words that we heard before. Professional Emma used words like as well as, whereas, either or, as a result, since, such as, in fact.

We use and and as well as for adding information. We can replace and with as well as if you want to sound a little bit more formal or maybe you just want to add a little bit of variety into your sentence so instead of saying and and and and, we can add that variety by using as well as.

• Portugal is a popular destination in summer and winter.

Or we could say:

• It’s popular in summer as well as winter.

To show contrast we can use but in casual conversational English and whereas to sound a little bit more professional.

• International tourism has not yet recovered to pre-pandemic levels but domestic tourism is booming.

And we can simply switch out but for whereas. Whereas domestic tourism is booming.

But is definitely a way more common way to contrast ideas but that’s exactly why it helps to use whereas to sound a little bit more intelligent, a little bit more official, a little bit more professional.

Now let’s look at or and either… or .

We use these conjunctions to show alternatives or options or choices.

• Enjoy a coastal holiday or a trip to the mountains.

So here we have one option and here’s the other. Option one and option two. Using either… or has the same meaning.

• Enjoy either a coastal holiday or a trip to the mountains.

One important thing to note here is that we use or and either… or to connect two things of the same grammatical type in a sentence so that means we connect two nouns or two verbs or two clauses together.

Two of the same thing in the sentence.

• Do you prefer chips or popcorn?

So we’re connecting nouns.

• Either you’re driving me home or I’m catching a taxi.

So here we’re connecting clauses.

Let’s take a closer look at this word here for a second. Is it either? Or either? Have you heard English speakers using both types of pronunciation?

Both of them are correct. I want you to practise a little with me. Either. You could choose either or either, it really makes no difference at all. in fact, I use them both.

But this interesting combination of pronunciation creates another really useful interesting expression that you can learn.

If someone gives you two options to choose from but you really don’t care which one you can say eithe r, either or either or, I don’t mind.

So it literally means I’m not fussed, I don’t mind, I don’t care which one we do because both of them are fine with me.

Either, either. Either, or.

So connects a reason with a result.

• The weather is nice all year so Portugal is popular with tourists.

So here’s the reason, the nice weather. And the result is that Portugal is popular. When we use so in this way to connect a reason to a result in our sentence, so always comes in the middle of our sentence because it’s linking these two clauses, these two ideas together.

And we can replace so with as a result almost interchangeably. So is more casual, as a result is more formal but there is one little change that we need to make, really important little change. We need to add and ahead of as a result. If it’s in the middle of a sentence we must make sure that we add and.

• Portugal has nice weather and as a result, it’s very popular with tourists.

We can also use as a result at the beginning of our sentence as well.

• As a result of the nice weather, Portugal is popular with tourists.

So can you see the difference in the way that these two examples are structured?

Here as a result connects two full sentences together but here it connects a noun phrase with a sentence.

Now sometimes you want to focus on the reason for something rather than the result. That’s when because and since come in really handy.

• Because the weather is nice all year, Portugal is popular with tourists.
• Since the weather is nice, Portugal is popular with tourists.

Because is really common in both speaking and writing but  since is definitely the more formal choice here.

They can both be placed at the beginning of a sentence which helps to put some extra focus on the reason for something. And both of them can be used in the middle of a sentence.

• I want to go back to Portugal because there’s so much to see!
• I want to go back to Portugal since there’s still so much to see.

Now if you’re trying to decide between so and as a result or because and since, you need to think about where you want the focus of your sentence to be, on the reason or the result?

That’s how you make your choice.

Next up we have like and such as. Now I want you to forget about to like which means enjoy. When we’re using like as a conjunction or a linking word like this it means for example.

• In Portugal, I really enjoyed the food, sweets like pasteis de nata and seafood like bacalhau.

So we can replace like with for example or such as and in a professional or a formal setting, they’re much better choices but in casual everyday conversations, like sounds so much more natural, friendly and relaxed.

There’s one more thing that I want to point out. Have a look.

• Tourists enjoy activities such as visiting the Alfama neighbourhood or catching tram 28.

Like and such are always followed by a noun or a pronoun, aren’t they? Like pasteis de nata and bacalhau.

So if you want to use a verb you need to make sure that it’s a gerund, it’s the -ing form like visiting or catching here.

Last of all we have  especially and in fact. These words are not actually interchangeable but they have a similar function in our sentences.

Both of them are used to emphasise a point, especially is an adverb and we use it to add emphasis to something, it shows that one thing is more of something than other things or people.

• Everything in Portugal is beautiful, especially the patterned pavements.

The landscape is beautiful, the people are beautiful but the patterned pavements are the most beautiful part for me.

In fact is what we call a discourse marker, something that helps us to order and connect our ideas as we speak or we write. And we use in fact to give more information or emphasise something.

• Portugal is popular with tourists. In fact, Portugal was voted best European destination to visit by car.

To emphasise the popularity of Portugal, I’m using in fact to add extra information and to highlight this important information and draw attention to it so as you’re speaking.

It makes people listen when you say in fact.

Here’s some extra information that’s interesting. It’s usually used to introduce a sentence but in some circumstances, you’ll see it at the end of a sentence as well.

• Portugal was voted best European destination to visit by car, in fact.

Again it’s adding that emphasis, that interesting extra piece of information that you may not have known.

So that’s it for today’s lesson. I hope you learned something new, something interesting. In fact, you could prove it to me by writing some of your own sentences down in the comments below.

I’ll head down there now to check them out!

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Home Blog Presentation Ideas Powerful Words to Use in Presentations: Ultra Long List 

Powerful Words to Use in Presentations: Ultra Long List 

The power of words is immense and palpable when it comes to sharing ideas with others. The way you frame your sentences and cherry-pick specific words will affect how the audience preserves you. Not just that. Well-selected power words can shape narratives around businesses, distort (positively and negatively) their perception, and impact the listener’s decision to purchase. That’s why top copywriters and public speakers alike spend a great deal of time brainstorming different word combos and obsessing over their selection of action verbs, adjectives, and linking phrases.

Granted, you no longer need to do that. Just grab a PowerPoint template of your choice and start populating it with our big list of power words! 

What are Power Words?

Power words are persuasive words and phrases that evoke a positive or negative emotional response. Our selection of verbs, adjectives, and adverbs can convey different emotions from slight excitement to rightful outrate. That’s why public speakers , authors, and copywriters always carefully choose their words to convey the right idea and sentiment. 

Power words and phrases can make the same idea sound very different. Let’s take Apple’s famous slogan as an example: Think different. 

You can also convey the same idea using other descriptive words: Don’t think like everybody else, think outside the box, be creative 

However, each variation has a somewhat different ring to it. Ultimately, your word choice also impacts how others perceive you based on your speech.

Researchers found that word selection can have a massive impact on people, businesses, and society as a whole. Individual word choices can indicate the speaker’s mental state and impact the outcomes of a negotiation. Business power words shape customer experience with the brand and affect conversions. Action words, chose by the media, influence public perception of a social issue. 

Interestingly a group of researchers from Wilfrid Laurier University in Canada and Wharton in the US also found that word choices impact the song’s popularity. By applying text mining analytics to Billboard charts, the group found that songs with somewhat more unique texts performed better than those with pretty standard lyrics. A 16% differentiation in lyrical topics within a song was enough to propel it higher than songs in similar genres. 

The takeaway:

Our word choices have a profound impact on how others perceive us, as well as the actions they take afterward. Thus, if you want to be a Rockstar presenter , you need to choose your words carefully and prioritize powerful words! 

List of Powerful Words to Use in Presentations 

The English language has about 170,000 words in use . But an average person has an active vocabulary of 20,000 – 30,000 words. Among them is a smaller range of powerful adjectives and action verbs to make your presentations and speeches more impactful. 

Action Verbs to Use in Your PowerPoint Presentation

As the name implies, action verbs denote some dynamics — state, movement, result, etc. We use action verbs in our everyday speech a lot to describe what and how we do things. As author Elwyn Brooks White suggests : 

“Write with nouns and verbs, not with adjectives and adverbs. The adjective hasn’t been built that can pull a weak or inaccurate noun out of a tight place.”

Strong verbs don’t need adverbs to reinforce them. Compare these two statements: 

• I walked quickly towards the door. 
• I rushed out of the door. 

The first sentence merely states the fact. But the second one better conveys the emotion, the urgency of getting out of the room. It adds color to the narrative and sets the right mood.

In business presentations, action verbs help imply action to the user. They are good to use for both throughout the copy and the closing slide when you describe: 

• Main action points 
• Accomplishments
• Next steps 
• Results 

As you proofread your slide deck, look for weaker verbs and then replace them with stronger synonyms. Some common offenders include: 

• State-of-being verbs such as am, does, do, could, might, etc. While they have their merit, oftentimes, you can find a more descriptive alternative, conveying an extra emotion. 
• Verbs ending in -ing : wishing, planning, forgetting. Be bolder. Use present or past tenses instead. 
• Verbs in conjunction with an adjective: walked quickly, talked loudly, etc. Again, these can be replaced with snappier one-word alternatives. 

List of powerful verbs to make your language more persuasive: 

• Accelerate 
• Alter 
• Maintain 
• Regard 
• Convince 
• Boost 
• Ignite 
• Surge 
• Disrupt 
• Rejuvenate 
• Smash 
• Supercharge 
• Report 
• Change 
• Explore 
• Re-define 
• Strategize 
• Maximize 
• Capture 
• Achieve 

Powerful Adjectives to Use In Your Presentation 

The goal of adjectives is to reinforce your nouns and verbs. Use them to convey specific emotions and set the scene for the audience. 

But be sparring. You are not writing a novel. Too many adjectives can make your slide deck look cluttered, as you’d have to skim on white space to fit longer sentences. Also, excessive use of adjectives can muddle the main idea behind your key statements.

Below is our quick collection of power adjectives you can use to punch up your presentation: 

Power Words for Motivation

• Awe-inspiring
• Exquisite 
• Blissful 
• Brilliant 
• Dynamic 
• Burgeoning 
• Breathtaking
• Accomplished
• Successful 
• Enterprising 
• Venturesome
• Life-changing
• Encouraging 
• Baffling 
• Sensational 
• Incredible 

Power Words for Sales (Adjectives) 

• Cost-effective 
• Exorbitant 
• Knock-out 
• Science-proofed 
• Limited-time 
• Fully-booked
• Refundable 
• Negotiable 
• Below market average 
• Too-good-to-miss
• Budget-friendly
• Optimal 
• Exclusive 
• Time-sensitive
• Efficacious
• Sensible 
• Stylish 
• Unique 
• Profitable 

Power Adjectives to Persuade

• Verified 
• Risk-free 
• Effective 
• Tested 
• Solution-oriented
• Vetted 
• Non-negotiable
• Quality-controlled 
• Reliable 
• Legitimate 
• Lifetime 
• Market-tested 
• Foolproof 
• Surefire 
• Ingenious 
• Innovative 
• Cutting-edge 
• Exceptional 
• Game-changing
• Ground-breaking
• Flagship 
• Assured 
• Collateralized 
• Painless 
• Diciest 
• Tamperproof
• Immutable 

Coherence Markers 

Coherence markers are conversational words and phrases we use to denote logical connections between different ideas. They are not meaningful standalone words. Yet, they play a huge role in making your presentation copy more compelling.

Take a look at these two versions of Dove ad copy:

• Your skin’s natural oils keep it silky and supple. As you age, it becomes less elastic, and the production of oil slows down. Aging can cause dull, dehydrated skin.
• Your skin’s natural oils keep it silky and supple. But as you age, your skin becomes less elastic, and the production of oil slows down. That is why aging can cause dull, dehydrated skin.

The bolded coherence markers help digest the claims by establishing logical connections between the ideas. Research shows that adding such links to any copy (or speech) improves clarity and boosts persuasion. Therefore, sprinkle some coherence markers in your presentation to help the reader or lister mentally justify what you are saying. 

Coherence Markers to Use in a Presentation 

• Now do it 
• So go ahead
• Due to 
• That’s why 
• Given that 
• Here’s the deal:
• That’s right 
• By contrast 
• Beyond that 
• For starters
• What’s the bottom line?
• You might be wondering
• By now you should 
• Better still…
• The general conclusion is that
• Compound this with 
• What does this mean for you?
• Inferring from above 
• Just imagine
• You’ve tried everything. But
• You start to worry that
• Let me guess 
• What’s the catch?
• I know that’s what you’re thinking, right?
• But one thing’s for sure
• Let me say this straight
• Now consider it this way 
• It gest better (or worse)
• But here’s the kicker
• As if that’s not enough
• Best of all

Metaphors 

A metaphor is a figure of speech used to represent or symbolize another object or concept. For example, time is the greatest gift given to you . 

Writers love using metaphors to act depth and eloquence to their narrative. At the same time, top presenters use these to help the reader picture an intangible concept. 

As research found, metaphors help with persuasion by helping the reader or listener form a concrete mental image of the discussed concept. For example, you can say that your printing equipment works fast. But how fast do you mean? A metaphor can help make it more clear, e.g., “Our printing machines an equivalent of Ferrari in terms of speed.”  

Check our complete guide to using metaphors in presentations for more insights. Or swipe of some of the examples from our list below: 

Metaphors for Professional Presentations 

• Zeus-like 
• Drag-and-drop interfaces 
• To be worth waiting for 
• Glue for the Internet 
• To stay afloat 
• Off the shelf 
• Custom-made 
• To get up to speed
• App-like functionality 
• blue ocean / red ocean 
• Bumps on the road 
• Jump on the bandwagon 
• Tossed its cap
• The veneer on the credenza.
• Moonshot project
• More complicated than one-color puzzles.
• Lion-tamer-sky-diver fun
• Pack a punch 
• At the foothold of new 
• Buckets of questions 
• Going against the grain
• The epitome of something else
• From full throttle to a halt

To Conclude

Positive power words speak straight to the hearts and minds of the audiences. They encourage, inspire, motivate, bring up, and help move on in the right direction. If your goal is to hammer in a clear idea and prompt subsequent desirable action, these words are your best buddies to use all through your presentation slides and during delivery! 

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British Council

How to help english learners use linking expressions, by svetlana kandybovich, 28 july 2015 - 07:28.

studio tdes, licensed under CC-BY-2.0 and adapted from the original .

Would you like to help your learners speak more coherently? Svetlana Kandybovich, the latest winner of the British Council’s  Teaching English blog award  for a post on  speaking skills , suggests some useful classroom activities.

Learning to speak a language might seem fairly straightforward in principle: first you learn the words, then you form sentences using the correct grammar, finally you string the sentences together. Voilà! – you’re fluent.

However, the formula 'grammar + vocabulary' is not enough to become a competent speaker of English (or any other language). This often becomes evident when we ask learners to speak in some depth on a subject, either alone (such as in a presentation) or in a discussion.

Even when learners can make themselves understood, and use correct grammar and vocabulary, you often get the nagging feeling that something is missing from their conversation.

The importance of coherence

We get the sense that a text (spoken or written) is generally  coherent  when it makes sense through the organisation of its content. An important feature of cohesion is the use of linking and 'signposting' expressions, for example: 'because', 'whereas', 'also', 'therefore', 'first', 'second', 'however', 'in conclusion', and  many more . They help us organise our ideas logically.

Just as with any skill, the ability to organise what you say into a whole can be taught. However, simply introducing a list of linking expressions (or 'linkers') to learners will not produce the desired effect. It is speaking (and writing) skill which requires lots of practice.

Here are some ideas to help learners use linking expressions and get their speech 'in shape'.

Introducing linking and signposting expressions

No matter how useful linkers are, learners are unlikely to remember them if they have not had a chance to put them into a relevant context.  Tekhnologic  has designed an interesting  way  to introduce the target language to language learners. He uses PowerPoint to highlight specific words (or phrases) while dimming the rest of the text. This can help bring learners' attention to the use and function of particular words and phrases rather than get overwhelmed by the text as a whole.

Introducing the context

Making a roadmap

It's useful to get learners to group  signpost expressions  according to function, but an alternative is to get them to draw a roadmap and put signposts on it. In this way, they will visualise the whole concept of signposting and its purpose for successful communication. Afterwards, get students – individually or alone – to create a short story or presentation using their roadmaps.

Chicken, chicken

A fun way to practise using linkers is based on the infamous parody of unintelligible scientific presentations  Chicken Chicken Chicken: Chicken Chicken , delivered more than a decade ago by a Google engineer. Ask your students to make the Chicken Chicken speech more coherent using connectors and linkers.

For example: 'To begin with, chicken chicken chicken. First, chicken chicken, second, chicken, third, chicken chicken chicken. Finally, chicken chicken.'

‘Mind the gap’

One of the exercises to introduce means of cohesion is a traditional gap-fill exercise. Have your learners fill in the gaps with appropriate connectors and linkers. However, to make the exercise effective, try to find a text that will interest your students and form the basis of a discussion. You could also get students to write a similar text about themselves.

'Order, please'

A very useful exercise is to use a text with lots of linking and signposting expressions (a presentation is ideal) and change the order in which they appear. Underline the phrases, and get learners to work in pairs of groups to arrange them in a logical order. Download this  handout  and try using it with your learners.

Go from mistakes

Before asking learners to produce their own speech or presentation, study some examples of incoherent speeches or conversations and get them to make them more coherent. You can find a lot of interesting materials online depending on the age, interests, and language level of your students. For example, your teenage learners will surely love the challenge of changing the  answer of Miss Teen USA  at the beauty contest.

Structures in the back pocket

Get students to study examples of good conversations and speeches. Encouraging them to notice useful structures and linkers, and to use these structures when constructing their own speeches, is an extremely beneficial exercise for students. Ready-made structures ‘in the back pocket’ will help a lot with coherence and will also make a learner’s speech more fluent. Olya Sergeeva has described the approach to working with such structures in her  blog post . Nowadays there are a lot of talk shows and podcasts that come with transcripts, and it is quite easy to find and analyse them.

Four square method

A good way to improve students’ speaking is to help learners organise what they say into a coherent speech using the 'four square method'. This is a graphic that helps organise concepts, vocabulary and grammar in a way that is easier and much simpler for learners to grasp. Although it is mainly used for teaching basic writing skills (usually to primary-level school kids), it could be successfully applied to teaching speaking with an emphasis on coherence. I have described how to use it in  my post on better speaking.

The camera never lies

One of the most efficient approaches to teaching speaking skills is to make a video of your students’ conversations and get them to evaluate their performance. Getting them to identify conversational problems and roadblocks, as well as effective practices for avoiding and resolving them, can be very beneficial for learners.

English teachers, sign up for  Professional Practices for English Language Teaching , our free online continuing professional development (CPD) course, starting 31 August 2015.

You might also be interested in:

• Five essential listening skills for English learners
• How English learners can improve intonation
• A few discussion activities for English language students

View the discussion thread.

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Making a presentation: language and phrases (1)

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This is a list of phrases to help you make a professional presentation in English.

Clear structure, logical progression

Good presenters always use language (sometimes single words, sometimes phrases) which shows where they are in their presentation. These ‘signposts’ make it easier for the audience to:

• follow the structure of the presentation
• understand the speaker more easily
• get an idea of the length and content of the presentation.

We’ve divided the phrases and sentences into sections which follow the logical progression of a well-balanced presentation.

1. Welcoming

• Good morning and welcome to [name of company, name of conference hall, hotel, etc.].
• Thank you all very much for coming today.
• I hope you all had a pleasant journey here today.

2. Introducing yourself

• My name is Mark Watson and I am responsible for … .
• My name is Mark Watson from [name of company], where I am responsible for … .
• Let me introduce myself; my name is Mark Watson and I am responsible for … .

3. Introducing your presentation

• The purpose of today’s presentation is to … .
• The purpose of my presentation today is to … .
• In today’s presentation I’d like to … show you … . / explain to you how … .
• In today’s presentation I’m hoping to … give you an update on… / give you an overview of … .
• In today’s presentation I’m planning to … look at … . / explain … .

You can also outline your presentation to give the audience a clear overview of what they can expect:

• In today’s presentation I’m hoping to cover three points:
• firstly, … , after that we will look at … , and finally I’ll … .
• In today’s presentation I’d like to cover three points:
• firstly, … , secondly … , and finally … .

4. Explaining that there will be time for questions at the end

• If you have any questions you’d like to ask, please leave them until the end, when I’ll be happy to answer them.
• If there are any questions you’d like to ask, please leave them until the end, when I’ll do my best to answer them.

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How-To Geek

How to link to another slide in the same powerpoint presentation.

If you know you'll be referring to the content of a previously-viewed slide at some point during your presentation, it might be useful to insert a link pointing back to that slide for quick access.

Quick Links

Linking to another slide in the same presentation, using the zoom feature.

If you know you'll be referring to the content of a previously-viewed slide at some point during your presentation, it might be useful to insert a link pointing back to that slide for quick access. Here's how to set it up.

Open your presentation and navigate to the slide that will contain the hyperlink. Once there, highlight the text, object, shape, or image to which you want to attach the link.

Next, head over to the “Insert” tab and click the “Link” button.

In the Insert Hyperlink window that opens, select “Place in This Document” on the “Link To” list on the left.

On the right, under the “Select a place in this document” list, select the destination slide.

The four options at the top of the list let you select the first or last slide in the presentation or the slide that comes right before or after the slide containing the link.

If you need to link to a different slide, expand the “Slide Titles” category. This shows you a list of all the slides in your document. If a slide has a title, the list shows the title. If a slide does not have a title, the list shows it as something like "Slide 7."

Click the slide to which you want to link.

A preview of the selected slide will appear in the window to the right. If you’re unsure which slide it was that you needed to link back to, this will come in handy.

Once you’re finished, click “OK” and PowerPoint will insert your link.

As a matter of good practice, double-check to make sure the link is working properly. To test the link in the regular slide editing view, Ctrl-click the linked object. To test the link when playing your presentation, you don't have to hold the Ctrl key; just click the linked object.

If for some reason you need to remove the hyperlink, right-click the object and then select “Remove Link.”

If you’re using PowerPoint for Office 365 or PowerPoint 2019, then you can take advantage of the new “Zoom” feature, which lets you seamlessly transition to any slide in the presentation by placing it inside another slide.

First, go to the slide that you'll be linking from. Using “Normal View,” click and drag the slide you want to insert from the left-hand pane to the current slide.

Once the slide is inserted, a new “Format” tab will appear. Click it.

In the “Zoom Options” group, check the box next to “Zoom Transition.” You’re also able to specify the duration of the transition, with 01.00 being the default.

Now let’s take a look at what happens when we click that slide during our presentation.

As you can see in the above GIF, clicking the “Introduction” slide that we placed inside our “Information” transitions back to the "Introduction" slide. Clicking again brings us back to the original "Information" slide.

Puzzles & Games | Word Game: March 30, 2024

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Puzzles & games | scattered thunderstorms bring hail, flood advisory to parts of santa clara and santa cruz counties saturday, puzzles & games.

TODAY’S WORD — SPELEOLOGY (SPELEOLOGY: speel-ee-AHL-uh-jee: The scientific study of caves.)

Average mark 42 words

Time limit 60 minutes

Can you find 55 or more words in SPELEOLOGY? The list will be published Monday.

YESTERDAY’S WORD — EUPHORIC echo ecru epic epoch euro uric perch pier porch pore pouch pour price puce pure heir hero heroic hire hoer hope hour ocher ouch recoup repo rice rich ripe rope roue ruche cero chip chirp choir chop chore cipher coheir coir cope coper copier core coup coupe crop croup cure curio

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RULES OF THE GAME:

1. Words must be of four or more letters.

2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed.

3. Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. For example, if “bake” is used, “baked” or “bakes” are not allowed, but “bake” and “baking” are admissible.

4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.

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What is Good Friday? What the holy day means for Christians around the world

Christians around the world observe Good Friday two days before Easter, but what is it, and why do they commemorate the holy day?

The holiday is part of Holy Week, which leads up to Easter Sunday. Palm Sunday kicks off the series of Christian holy days that commemorate the Crucifixion and celebrate Jesus Christ's resurrection.

"Good Friday has been, for centuries now, the heart of the Christian message because it is through the death of Jesus Christ that Christians believe that we have been forgiven of our sins," Daniel Alvarez, an associate teaching professor of religious studies at Florida International University, told USA TODAY.

What is Holy Saturday? What the day before Easter means for Christians around the world

When is Good Friday?

Good Friday is always the Friday before Easter. It's the second-to-last day of Holy Week.

In 2024, Good Friday will fall on March 29.

What is Good Friday?

Good Friday is the day Christ was sacrificed on the cross. According to Britannica , it is a day for "sorrow, penance, and fasting."

"Good Friday is part of something else," Gabriel Radle, an assistant professor of theology at the University of Notre Dame, previously told USA TODAY. "It's its own thing, but it's also part of something bigger."

Are Good Friday and Passover related?

Alvarez says that Good Friday is directly related to the Jewish holiday, Passover.

Passover , or Pesach, is a major Jewish holiday that celebrates the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt.

"The whole Christian idea of atoning for sin, that Jesus is our atonement, is strictly derived from the Jewish Passover tradition," said Alvarez.

How is that possible?

According to the professor, Passover celebrates the day the "Angel of Death" passed over the homes of Israelites who were enslaved by the Egyptians. He said that the Bible states when the exodus happened, families were told to paint their doors with lamb's blood so that God would spare the lives of their firstborn sons.

Alvarez says this is why Christians call Jesus the "lamb of God." He adds that the symbolism of the "blood of the lamb" ties the two stories together and is why Christians believe God sacrificed his firstborn son. Because, through his blood, humanity is protected from the "wrath of a righteous God that cannot tolerate sin."

He adds that the stories of the exodus and the Crucifixion not only further tie the stories together but also emphasize just how powerful the sacrifice of the firstborn and the shedding of blood are in religion.

"Jesus is the firstborn, so the whole idea of the death of the firstborn is crucial," said Alvarez.

He adds that the sacrifice of the firstborn, specifically a firstborn son, comes from an ancient and "primitive" idea that the sacrifice unleashes "tremendous power that is able to fend off any kind of force, including the wrath of God."

Why Is Good Friday so somber?

Alavarez says people might think this holiday is more depressing or sad than others because of how Catholics commemorate the Crucifixion.

"I think [it's] to a level that some people might think is morbid," said Alvarez.

He said Catholics not only meditate on Jesus' death, but primarily focus on the suffering he faced in the events that led up to his Crucifixion. That's what makes it such a mournful day for people.

But, the professor says that Jesus' suffering in crucial to Christianity as a whole.

"The suffering of Christ is central to the four Gospels," said Alvarez. "Everything else is incidental."

According to the professor, statues that use blood to emphasize the way Jesus and Catholic saints suffered is very common in Spanish and Hispanic Countries, but not as prevalent in American churches.

Do you fast on Good Friday?

Father Dustin Dought, the executive director of the Secretariat of Divine Worship of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, previously told USA TODAY that Good Friday and Ash Wednesday are the two days in the year that Roman Catholics are obliged to fast.

"This practice is a way of emptying ourselves so that we can be filled with God," said Dought.

What do you eat on Good Friday?

Many Catholics do not eat meat on any Friday during Lent. Anything with flesh is off-limits. Dought says this practice is to honor the way Jesus sacrificed his flesh on Good Friday.

Meat that is off limits includes:

Instead, many Catholics will eat fish. According to the Marine Stewardship Council , this is allowed because fish is considered to be a different type of flesh.

Contributing: Jordan Mendoza ; USA TODAY

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OpenAI Unveils A.I. Technology That Recreates Human Voices

The start-up is sharing the technology, Voice Engine, with a small group of early testers as it tries to understand the potential dangers.

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By Cade Metz

Reporting from San Francisco

First, OpenAI offered a tool that allowed people to create digital images simply by describing what they wanted to see. Then, it built similar technology that generated full-motion video like something from a Hollywood movie.

Now, it has unveiled technology that can recreate someone’s voice.

The high-profile A.I. start-up said on Friday that a small group of businesses was testing a new OpenAI system, Voice Engine, that can recreate a person’s voice from a 15-second recording. If you upload a recording of yourself and a paragraph of text, it can read the text using a synthetic voice that sounds like yours.

The text does not have to be in your native language. If you are an English speaker, for example, it can recreate your voice in Spanish, French, Chinese or many other languages.

OpenAI is not sharing the technology more widely because it is still trying to understand its potential dangers. Like image and video generators, a voice generator could help spread disinformation across social media. It could also allow criminals to impersonate people online or during phone calls.

The company said it was particularly worried that this kind of technology could be used to break voice authenticators that control access to online banking accounts and other personal applications.

“This is a sensitive thing, and it is important to get it right,” an OpenAI product manager, Jeff Harris, said in an interview.

The company is exploring ways of watermarking synthetic voices or adding controls that prevent people from using the technology with the voices of politicians or other prominent figures.

Last month, OpenAI took a similar approach when it unveiled its video generator, Sora. It showed off the technology but did not publicly release it.

OpenAI is among the many companies that have developed a new breed of A.I. technology that can quickly and easily generate synthetic voices. They include tech giants like Google as well as start-ups like the New York-based ElevenLabs. (The New York Times has sued OpenAI and its partner, Microsoft, on claims of copyright infringement involving artificial intelligence systems that generate text.)

Businesses can use these technologies to generate audiobooks, give voice to online chatbots or even build an automated radio station DJ. Since last year, OpenAI has used its technology to power a version of ChatGPT that speaks . And it has long offered businesses an array of voices that can be used for similar applications. All of them were built from clips provided by voice actors.

But the company has not yet offered a public tool that would allow individuals and businesses to recreate voices from a short clip as Voice Engine does. The ability to recreate any voice in this way, Mr. Harris said, is what makes the technology dangerous. The technology could be particularly dangerous in an election year, he said.

In January, New Hampshire residents received robocall messages that dissuaded them from voting in the state primary in a voice that was most likely artificially generated to sound like President Biden . The Federal Communications Commission later outlawed such calls .

Mr. Harris said OpenAI had no immediate plans to make money from the technology. He said the tool could be particularly useful to people who lost their voices through illness or accident.

He demonstrated how the technology had been used to recreate a woman’s voice after brain cancer damaged it. She could now speak, he said, after providing a brief recording of a presentation she had once made as a high schooler.

Cade Metz writes about artificial intelligence, driverless cars, robotics, virtual reality and other emerging areas of technology. More about Cade Metz

Explore Our Coverage of Artificial Intelligence

News  and Analysis

Amazon said it had added $2.75 billion to its investment in Anthropic , an A.I. start-up that competes with companies like OpenAI and Google.

Gov. Bill Lee of Tennessee signed a bill  to prevent the use of A.I. to copy a performer’s voice. It is the first such measure in the United States.

French regulators said Google failed to notify news publishers  that it was using their articles to train its A.I. algorithms, part of a wider ruling against the company for its negotiating practices with media outlets.

Apple is in discussions with Google  about using Google’s generative A.I. model called Gemini for its next iPhone.

The Age of A.I.

The Caribbean island Anguilla made $32 million last year, more than 10 percent of its G.D.P., from companies registering web addresses that end in .ai .

When it comes to the A.I. that powers chatbots like ChatGPT, China trails the United States. But when it comes to producing the scientists behind a new generation of humanoid technologies, China is pulling ahead . Silicon Valley leaders are lobbying Congress on the dangers of falling behind .

By interacting with data about genes and cells, A.I. models have made some surprising discoveries and are learning what it means to be alive. What could they teach us someday ?

Covariant, a robotics start-up, is using the technology behind chatbots  to build robots that learn skills much like ChatGPT does.

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