Presentation Structure & Opening Strong

"Inglés para el Ambiente Laboral" course.

Lesson Plan 1: Presentation Structure & Opening Strong

Objective: Students will be able to identify the key parts of a business presentation and effectively use opening phrases.

Materials: Whiteboard or flipchart, markers, a short example video of a business presentation (2-3 minutes, optional), hand-out with presentation structure and opening phrases.

Procedure:

1. Warm-up & Introduction (10 minutes)

   • Ask students: "Have you ever given a presentation in English? What was it about?" (Brief discussion).

   • Introduce the importance of structure in a presentation to make it clear and easy to follow.

   • Show a short video example of a presentation (if available) and ask students to identify the beginning, middle, and end.

2. Understanding Presentation Structure (15 minutes)

   • Draw a simple outline on the board:

     • Introduction: (What is it?) Get attention, state topic, outline main points.

     • Body: (Details) Main points with examples/evidence.

     • Conclusion: (Summary) Recap main points, call to action.

   • Discuss the purpose of each part.

   • Activity: Give students a jumbled list of sentences from a presentation and have them categorize them into "Introduction," "Body," or "Conclusion."

3. Opening Phrases & Getting Attention (15 minutes)

   • Focus on the Introduction. Introduce key opening phrases:

     • "Good morning/afternoon, everyone."

     • "Welcome to my presentation."

     • "Today, I'd like to talk about..."

     • "The purpose of my presentation is to..."

     • "My presentation is divided into [number] main parts."

   • Discuss how to start strong and grab the audience's attention (e.g., a question, a surprising fact).

   • Activity: Students, in pairs, practice opening a presentation on a simple, familiar topic (e.g., "My favorite hobby," "Our class project"). Focus on using 2-3 opening phrases.

4. Outlining Main Points (15 minutes)

   • Introduce phrases for outlining the presentation's content:

     • "First, I'll talk about..., then I'll move on to..., and finally, I'll discuss..."

     • "I'll start with..., then I'll look at..., and finally, I'll offer some conclusions."

   • Activity: Give each student a hypothetical topic (e.g., "Our new product," "Weekend activities"). They must write down 3 main points and then practice saying their introduction, including outlining these points.

5. Wrap-up & Review (5 minutes)

   • Quickly review the three main parts of a presentation and several opening phrases.

   • Ask: "What are two things you should say at the beginning of a presentation?"

Assessment: Observe students' ability to identify presentation structure and use appropriate opening phrases in practice.

Homework (Optional): Write a full introduction for a 3-minute presentation on a topic of their choice, including greeting, topic, and outline.

Lesson Plan 2: Body Language, Visuals & Transitions

Objective: Students will be able to use effective body language, refer to visual aids, and use transition phrases in the body of a presentation.

Materials: Whiteboard, markers, projector/screen (if possible for showing sample slides), example slides with simple charts/images, hand-out with transition phrases.

Procedure:

1. Warm-up & Review (10 minutes)

   • Start with a quick review of opening phrases. Have a few students deliver their homework introductions.

   • Ask: "What else makes a presentation good, besides the words?" (Elicit ideas like body language, eye contact, visuals).

2. Body Language & Eye Contact (15 minutes)

   • Discuss the importance of body language (standing tall, open gestures, no crossed arms) and eye contact (looking at different people in the audience).

   • Activity: "Silent Presentation." Students stand and pretend to give a presentation for 30 seconds without speaking, focusing only on confident body language and eye contact. Provide peer feedback.

3. Using Visual Aids (15 minutes)

   • Introduce phrases for referring to slides/charts:

     • "As you can see on the screen/slide..."

     • "This chart shows..."

     • "Let's look at this graph..."

     • "The red line indicates..."

   • Activity: Show 2-3 simple slides (e.g., a bar chart, an image). Students, in pairs, practice describing what they see on the slide using the learned phrases.

4. Transition Phrases (15 minutes)

   • Explain that transition phrases help move from one point to the next smoothly.

   • Introduce common transition phrases:

     • "Let's move on to..."

     • "Next, I'd like to discuss..."

     • "In addition to this..."

     • "However, we also need to consider..."

     • "To summarize this point..."

   • Activity: Give students three simple points for a presentation (e.g., "Point 1: New Marketing Strategy," "Point 2: Budget," "Point 3: Next Steps"). They must practice connecting these points using transition phrases.

5. Wrap-up & Review (5 minutes)

   • Review key body language tips, phrases for visuals, and transition words.

   • Ask: "What's a phrase you can use to go from one topic to the next?"

Assessment: Observe students' use of body language, reference to visuals, and transition phrases in practice activities.

Homework (Optional): Write the body paragraphs for their presentation from Lesson 1, ensuring they include transition phrases and notes on when they would show a visual.

Lesson Plan 3: Q&A Session & Confident Conclusion

Objective: Students will be able to politely handle questions during a Q&A session and deliver a strong, confident conclusion.

Materials: Whiteboard, markers, hand-out with Q&A phrases and concluding phrases, timer.

Procedure:

1. Warm-up & Review (10 minutes)

   • Review transition phrases by having students quickly connect two ideas.

   • Ask: "What happens after the main part of your presentation?" (Elicit: Conclusion, Questions).

2. Concluding Your Presentation (15 minutes)

   • Introduce phrases for conclusions:

     • "In conclusion, I'd like to reiterate..."

     • "To summarize, we've discussed..."

     • "Finally, I want to emphasize..."

     • "Thank you for your attention."

     • "I'll be happy to answer any questions now."

   • Emphasize the importance of a clear summary and a strong "call to action" (e.g., "I recommend we proceed with this plan").

   • Activity: Students practice delivering a conclusion for their presentation topic, including a "Thank you" and inviting questions.

3. Handling Questions (Q&A) (15 minutes)

   • Introduce phrases for managing Q&A:

     • "Thank you for your question."

     • "That's a very good question."

     • "Let me rephrase your question." (If unclear)

     • "I'm afraid I don't have that information right now, but I can get back to you."

     • "Does that answer your question?"

   • Discuss how to: listen carefully, pause, repeat/rephrase, be honest if you don't know, and promise to follow up.

   • Activity: One student delivers a conclusion. The teacher asks 1-2 questions, and the student practices answering and using Q&A phrases.

4. Full Presentation Practice (15 minutes)

   • Students work in pairs or small groups. Each student gives a very short (1-2 minute) version of their presentation (introduction, a quick overview of the body, conclusion).

   • After each mini-presentation, the other students in the group ask 1-2 questions.

   • Focus on integrating all learned skills: openings, transitions, body language, conclusion, and Q&A.

   • Circulate and provide targeted feedback.

5. Wrap-up & Final Review (5 minutes)

   • Review key phrases for conclusions and managing Q&A.

   • Reinforce the importance of practice for confidence.

   • Ask: "What's one thing you'll remember when someone asks you a question after your presentation?"

Assessment: Students' ability to deliver a coherent conclusion and