BEP 33 – English Presentations: Closing Down & Summarizing

This lesson has been updated – view the improved lesson here.

In today’s Business English Podcast lesson, we’ll be looking at closing down and summarizing your presentation in English.

As we mentioned a while back in BEP 101 (Click this link to listen to the podcast), a strong introduction is important to give your audience a reason for listening. Similarly, a strong conclusion is very important to leaving your audience with a great impression and giving them a clear message about what action to take.

So what structure should you use to close down an English presentation? We suggest this simple format:

1. Give your audience a clear signal that your are going to finish.
2. Briefly summarize the main points of your presentation.
3. State your recommendation or give your call to action – let your audience know what you want them to do.
4. Finish off by thanking your listeners and inviting questions or discussion.

In today’s listening we’ll be exploring this format. The listening takes place at Harper-Tolland, a major global producer of special purpose steel. Last year Harper-Tolland launched a new product line but the sales results in Europe have been quite disappointing. Nicholas Fischer, the new regional sales director for Harper-Tolland, has been hired to fix the problem. He is just finishing off a presentation in which he has been discussing his proposal.

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