Business Presentation Skills for Consultants 4: Choosing the Right Presentation Format

Now that you know the tone and register for your presentation, it's time to think about the format. This lesson will look at different presentation types and their purposes. You will review the grammar used in each type.

Introduction

What are the different kinds of presentations you give or attend at work?

Warm Up

Scenario recap: Your team lead asked you to give a 10–15 minute presentation to the VP of Strategy, two senior managers, and a couple of analysts from the client’s side. Your goal is to persuade them to move forward with your team’s digital expansion recommendation. 

What kind of presentation would you give in this situation? 

Language

Part A: Types of presentation

Look at the following types of business presentations.

  1. Are you familiar with all of them?
  2. Look at the example structures for each. Do you agree or disagree? How would you do it differently?
  3. Explain in your own words the purpose of each type of presentation. The first one has been done for you.
  4. Think of an example for each type. The first one has been done for you.
Presentation Type Example Structure Purpose Example Topic
1. Informative - Introduction 
- Key data 
- Explanation 
- Summary		 Share facts, updates, or findings - Q2 Market trends and insights; or
- Morning scrum.
2. Persuasive - Hook/context 
- Problem 
- Recommendation 
- Supporting evidence 
- Call to action		    
3. Pitch - Intro/team 
- Problem 
- Solution 
- Market validation 
- Business model 
- Next steps		    
4. Executive Briefing - Executive summary 
- Key decisions or asks (i.e. requests) 
- Implications 
- Risks 
- Next steps		    
5. Training/Instructional - Learning objectives 
- Steps/demo 
- Examples 
- Q&A 
- Summary		    
6. Project Update/Status - Timeline 
- Completed tasks 
- Blockers 
- Action items 
- Questions		    
7. Vision/Strategy - Vision statement 
- Current state 
- Strategic pillars 
- Metrics 
- Close		    

Part B: Choosing the right language

Each presentation format naturally fits specific grammar and language points. Below is a breakdown of key grammar and language structures you can use for each format. Once you are ready, try out the tasks in the fifth column.

Go through the following table with your teacher. For each presentation type do the following:

  1. Check the "useful language" column. Do you know this language?
  2. Explain why we use that language; &
  3. Give an example sentence.
Type of Presentation Useful Language Why We Use It Examples
1. Informative (give facts) - Passive voice (is/was done)
- Sequencing words (first, next, finally, then)		 - to give facts clearly and focus on the outcome;
- show steps in order		 - Three customer profiles were identified. 
- The products were sold at a discount.
- First, we surveyed their customers. Then, the responses were analysed.
2. Persuasive (try to change someone's mind) - Modals (should, could, might) 
- Conditionals (If… , will/would)		    
3. Pitch (sell an idea) - Comparatives (bigger, better) 
- Superlatives (the best) 
- Future (will/going to)		    
4. Executive Briefing (short and formal for leaders) - Nominalization (build → the building of…) 
- Modal verbs (may, will)		    
5. Training / Instruction (how-to) - Imperatives (Do it!)
- Step-by-step language
- Modals (can, must)		    
6. Project Update (what's done / not done) - Present perfect (have/has done) 
- Passive voice (was done) 
- Reporting verbs (said, confirmed)		    
7. Vision / Strategy (future goals) - Future (will, going to) 
- Hedging (may, could, likely to)		    

 

Practice

For each presentation type, do the mini practice tasks with your teacher.

Type of Presentation Useful Language Mini Practice Task
1. Informative (give facts) - Passive voice (is/was done)
- Sequencing words (first, next, finally)
  1. Use "first", "next", "finally" etc. to explain how you got your job. Keep it simple.
  2. Use sequencing words ("first", "next", "finally" etc.) to explain how a customer survey was conducted.
  3. Use the passive voice to explain a critical data loss.
2. Persuasive (try to change someone's mind) - Modals (should, could, might) 
- Conditionals (If… , will/would)
  1. Write 2 sentences about why we should work from home. Use "should" or "could".
  2. Write 2 conditional sentences to explain the benefits of adopting a new strategy.
3. Pitch (sell an idea) - Comparatives (bigger, better) 
- Superlatives (the best) 
- Future (will)
  1. Compare your firm to a competitor. Use 1 comparative and 1 superlative.
  2. Compare a new strategy to the old one: use your imagination and 1 comparative and 1 superlative.
4. Executive Briefing (short and formal for leaders) - Nominalization (build → the building of…) 
- Modal verbs (may, will)
  1. Change: "We built the website." → "The building..."
  2. Turn this sentence into nominalized form: "We implemented the new system." → "The implementation of…"
5. Training / Instruction (how-to) - Imperatives (commands)
- Step-by-step language
- Modals (can, must)
  1. Give 3 short steps for starting up your laptop using imperatives.
  2. Give three short instructions on how to save a file in Word using imperatives (e.g., "click on", "select", "check", "don't").
6. Project Update (what's done / not done) - Present perfect (have/has done) 
- Passive voice (was done) 
- Reporting verbs (said, confirmed)
  1. Write 1 passive sentence about a project delay.
  2. Explain some things you have and have not done today and say why.
  3. Tell your teacher what your client said to you.
  4. Pass on a request from your client to your project leader.
7. Vision / Strategy (future goals) - Future (will, going to) 
- Hedging (maybe, likely, could well be)
  1. Write 1 future goal with "will:.
  2. Write 1 future outcome using "going to".
  3. Write 1 future prediction for your firm using "likely to".
  4. Write 1 future prediction for your country using "could well be"
Reflect & Review

As you can see, there are many different approaches to presenting an idea. It is better to be well-versed in a variety of methods, but think about what approaches you are most likely to use regularly. Why is this, and what aspects can you refine, develop further, and make your own? These links can also help you hone your skills:

 
 

Next Steps

Our next lesson is on how to start drafting and crafting your message. This will focus on your main idea—harking back to Simon Sinek's "Why".