Presentation Skill 3

Presentation Skill 3

Using Signposting Language

“Tell the audience what you’re going to say; say it, and then tell them what you’ve said.”

Have you heard this before? Do you know who said it?

This comes from Dale Carnegie, a very successful American salesman and writer. He lived a long time ago, but his advice is still relevant today.

So, here’s a question: what does the quote mean?

It means that your presentation shouldn’t just give information. You also need to show people how your information is organized.

To do this, you need signposting language.

Imagine you go to a website. The website is full of really useful, interesting information. But, the information is all on one page. There’s no organization, and you have to scroll up and down, up and down this huge page, trying to find what you need. Would you stay on that website?

Probably not. You’ll find a website which makes it easier for you to find the information you need.

What’s the point here?

• The point is that having interesting or relevant information is not enough. How you structure and organize your information is equally important.

• If you don’t structure your presentation clearly, people won’t pay attention, just like you won’t stay on a website if you can’t find the information you want.

So, how can you do this?

You use signposting language. This means using words and phrases to show the audience where your points begin and end, to show what’s coming next, and to remind them about things you talked about before.

You can use signposting language to move from one point to the next. For example:

• Next, I’d like to talk about…

• Let’s move on and discuss…

• At this point, I’d like to turn to…

You can use signposting language to add detail to an idea:

• Let me go into some more detail about…

• Let’s examine … in more depth.

• I’d like to elaborate on…

You can use signposting language to show that you’ve finished your main points, and you’ve reached your conclusion:

• To wrap up, let’s remind ourselves of why this should matter to everyone here.

• Let’s review the key points from this session.

• So, you’ve heard what I have to say. What conclusions can you take away from this?

Conclusion

Use signposting language to move between points, to show when you’re giving a summary or going into more detail, and to signal that you’ve reached your conclusion.