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The Three Phrases That Make Every Presentation Sound More Confident.
You stand up to present in English. Your slides are good. Your data is solid. And then halfway through the second slide, you realise you sound choppy.
You get to the end of a point and stop. You move to the next slide and stop. You finish a section and stop. There is no flow. There is no connective tissue between ideas. And even though everything you are saying is correct, it sounds like you are reading a list, not giving a presentation.
The problem is not your English level. It is that you do not have signposting phrases. You are not telling your audience where you are in the story.
This week’s challenge is simple. Add three phrases to your next English presentation. Not for decoration. For structure. These phrases do two things at once. They guide your audience through your argument. And they give you thinking time to remember what you are going to say next.
The Three Phrases.
Phrase 1. “What I want to show you is.”
Use this at the start of a major point. Not at the very beginning. That is your headline. But when you have finished your introduction and you are about to dive into the substance.
Example. “We have had three quarters of declining revenue. What I want to show you is why that is actually a signal of something positive, not something to panic about.”
You have just told them what is coming. They know to listen. Your brain knows to tell the story. You are not dropping them into data cold. You are creating context first. And you have bought yourself two seconds of thinking time while you say those eight words.
Non-native speakers often skip this step. You go straight to the data. “Revenue declined. It is down 15 per cent. It is down in three categories.” The numbers are real. But the audience is lost. They do not know what story you are telling with those numbers.
Add “What I want to show you is.” And suddenly they are tracking a narrative, not collecting facts.
Phrase 2. “The key point here is.”
Use this when you have given an example, a statistic, or some evidence, and now you need to tell them what it means.
Example. “We saw a 23 per cent drop in Q3. The key point here is that it is not a market-wide trend. It is specific to our region. And region-specific problems have regional solutions.”
You have just moved from data to meaning. That movement is where most presentations lose people. The speaker throws data at them and assumes they will draw the right conclusion. They will not. You have to draw it for them.
“The key point here is.” Does two things. It signals to your audience. Stop collecting data. Start understanding. And it tells your brain. Now interpret what we have just said.
Use this phrase when you feel the presentation getting abstract or data-heavy. It reorients everyone.
Phrase 3. “What this means for us is.”
Use this when you are moving from the analysis to the implication. From understanding the problem to deciding what to do.
Example. “The issue is supply chain related. It is affecting our ability to stock our top three products. What this means for us is that we have a six-week window to renegotiate with our suppliers before the problem compounds.”
You have just told them the action that follows from the analysis. Without this phrase, you would end the analysis section and your audience would think. Okay. So what. With it, they know the analysis was leading somewhere specific.
This phrase is the bridge between thinking and doing. And in professional presentations, that is where people pay closest attention.
The Structure They Create.
These three phrases are scaffolding. They are not about your English level. They are about presentation structure.
If you use them in the right places, your presentation will sound like this.
“We have been tracking customer retention. What I want to show you is how our retention rate compares to the industry benchmark, and what that tells us about our product. Evidence. The key point here is that we are outperforming in one category but underperforming in two others. That gap is where we need to focus. What this means for us is a product roadmap that addresses the underperformance categories in the next two quarters.”
Every sentence builds. Every transition is clear. The audience knows where they are. And you are not rushing because you are not translating in real time. You are following a structure.
This Week’s Challenge.
Take a presentation you are giving this week. Or if you do not have one planned, write one. Even a short one. Five minutes about your team, your project, your department.
Find three places where you could insert these phrases.
One. “What I want to show you is.” Near the beginning, before a major section.
One. “The key point here is.” After you have given evidence or examples.
One. “What this means for us is.” When you are moving to implications or next steps.
Now practice it. Say it out loud. Twice.
The first time, you will feel like you are being too obvious. “Of course the key point is.” You will feel like you are spelling things out. You are. Do it anyway.
The second time, you will start to feel the rhythm. The structure will carry you. You will notice your own pace is steadier because you are not scrambling to find the next idea. The phrases are markers. You know what comes next because you have anchored it.
That is confidence in English presentations. Not perfect grammar. Not fancy vocabulary. Structure. A clear path from start to finish. And a few signposting phrases that tell your audience you know exactly where you are going.
What to Notice.
As you practice, pay attention to this. Do you feel less rushed. Do you stumble less over transitions. Are you thinking about what to say next, or are you thinking about how to say it.
If you find yourself with fewer pauses and more flow, you have done it right. That is not a vocabulary upgrade. That is a structure upgrade. And structure carries you further than vocabulary ever will.
Professional presentations in English are not about flawless pronunciation or complex grammar. They are about clarity. A clear story. Clear steps. Clear next actions.
Three phrases. Three anchor points. One stronger presentation.
Got a presentation coming up in English. Bring the first two minutes to Thursday’s Fluency Clinic. Read it. Present it. I will give you real-time feedback on delivery, pacing, and presence.
Language Analysis
Select a category above to highlight those words in the text.
Learning Materials
📖 Key Vocabulary
the use of words and phrases to guide the listener through the structure of a speech or presentation; markers that show where you are in the argument
disconnected and jerky; lacking smooth flow or continuity
language or ideas that join parts together; the glue that connects separate elements into a cohesive whole
a temporary structure supporting something; in learning, the framework that helps organize and support understanding
a story or account of connected events; the flow of ideas in logical sequence
to take in and understand information; to process mentally
to form a judgment or decision based on evidence; to figure out the meaning
the consequence or effect of something; what something means or suggests for future action
to change direction or perspective; to redirect attention or understanding
a regular pattern of sounds or movement; in speech, the natural pace and flow
sudden and unexpected; without smooth transition
to make a problem worse; to intensify or increase (Note: same word as in first post but different context)
a fixed point of reference; something that holds everything else in place
⚙️ Grammar Notes
This structure moves the object to the front of the sentence for emphasis and creates a natural pause. 'What I want to show you is...' fronts the object ('what') and delays the main information. Native speakers use this frequently in presentations because it gives them thinking time while delivering a full grammatical clause. It also signals importance to the listener. This is more sophisticated than simply stating facts.
Cleft sentences isolate and emphasize one part of the clause by splitting it with 'it is.' The post uses this to directly address misunderstandings: 'It's not a market-wide trend. It's specific to our region.' This structure is extremely common in professional English and in presentation language because it clarifies contrasts and creates rhythm. The pause between the negation and the assertion helps the listener absorb the correction.
Converting verbs to nouns (nominalization) creates distance and formality: 'improve' becomes 'an improvement'; 'communicate' becomes 'communication.' In presentations, this is strategic – it shifts from vague action to concrete concept. The post shows how 'improve communication' is vague, but 'weekly team meetings' is specific. Nominalizations work best when they refer to actual deliverables or systems rather than abstract improvements.
The post demonstrates how to use parallel lists effectively: 'One 'What I want to show you is...' (near the beginning, before a major section) – One 'The key point here is...' (after you've given evidence or examples) – One 'What this means for us is...' (when you're moving to implications or next steps).' Parallel structure creates rhythm and makes content easier to follow. Each phrase structure matches the others, which helps audiences anticipate and remember.