Module 3 Unit 3.1 Presentation Structure

Verna May 18, 2026

 


Module 3 — Presentation Skills

Unit 3.1 Comprehensive Teaching Materials

Presentation Structure

Target Learners

Japanese professionals working in international companies

English Level

Intermediate to Upper Intermediate

Recommended Lesson Time

4–6 hours total or divided into several lessons

UNIT OBJECTIVES

By the end of this unit, learners will be able to:

  • Structure professional business presentations in English

  • Open presentations confidently

  • Explain charts, graphs, and visual data clearly

  • Use transition language naturally

  • Deliver strong conclusions

  • Maintain audience engagement

  • Improve presentation listening comprehension

  • Take organized notes during presentations

  • Use common presentation idioms and business expressions effectively

UNIT TOPICS

  1. Introduction and Opening Presentations

  2. Organizing Presentation Structure

  3. Explaining Charts, Graphs, and Data

  4. Using Transition Language Smoothly

  5. Engaging the Audience

  6. Delivering Strong Conclusions

  7. Listening and Note-Taking During Presentations

  8. Full Business Presentation Practice

TOPIC 1 — INTRODUCTION AND OPENING PRESENTATIONS

PART A — WARM-UP DISCUSSION

Discussion Questions

  1. What makes a good business presentation?

  2. Why are introductions important?

  3. What presentation styles are common in Japan?

  4. What makes audiences interested?

PART B — KEY VOCABULARY

Word/PhraseMeaning
AudiencePeople watching presentation
PresenterPerson giving presentation
ObjectiveMain goal
OverviewSummary
SlidePresentation page
Visual aidSupporting visual material
Opening remarkBeginning statement
IntroductionFirst section
TopicMain subject
AttentionFocus from audience

PART C — KEY EXPRESSIONS

Opening a Presentation

  • “Good morning everyone.”

  • “Thank you for attending today.”

  • “Today I’d like to talk about…”

  • “The purpose of today’s presentation is…”

Introducing Agenda

  • “First, I’ll explain…”

  • “Then, we’ll discuss…”

  • “Finally, I’ll summarize the key points.”

PART D — COMMON BUSINESS IDIOMS

IdiomMeaningExample
Get the ball rollingStart something“Let’s get the ball rolling.”
Set the stagePrepare audience“Let me set the stage first.”
Grab attentionInterest audience“The introduction should grab attention.”

PART E — MODEL PRESENTATION OPENING

Sample Script

“Good afternoon everyone. Thank you for joining today’s presentation. My name is Yuki Nakamura from Sunrise Marketing. Today I’d like to discuss our new international marketing strategy for Southeast Asia. First, I’ll explain the current market situation. Then, I’ll introduce our proposed campaign plan. Finally, I’ll summarize the expected results and future goals.”

PART F — SPEAKING PRACTICE

Activity 1 — Presentation Opening Practice

Instructions

Students create and present a 1-minute introduction.

Include:

  • Greeting

  • Name and company

  • Presentation topic

  • Agenda overview

Activity 2 — Attention Grabber Practice

Students Practice:

  • Asking questions

  • Sharing statistics

  • Using short stories

  • Presenting surprising facts

Example

“Did you know that online sales increased by 40% last year?”

PART G — LISTENING PRACTICE

Teacher Reading Script

“Good morning everyone, and thank you for being here today. My name is Michael Lee, and I work for Global Vision Consulting. Today’s presentation will focus on trends in international e-commerce. First, we’ll review recent market data. Then, we’ll examine customer behavior in Asia. Finally, I’ll discuss recommendations for future business growth.”

Exercise A — Listening Questions

  1. Who is the presenter?

  2. Which company does he work for?

  3. What is the presentation about?

  4. What will be reviewed first?

  5. What will be discussed last?

PART H — NOTE-TAKING PRACTICE

Presentation NotesInformation
Presenter
Company
Main Topic
First Topic
Final Topic

TOPIC 2 — ORGANIZING PRESENTATION STRUCTURE

PART A — KEY EXPRESSIONS

Organizing Content

  • “Let’s begin with…”

  • “There are three main points.”

  • “I’ll divide this presentation into three sections.”

Sequencing Ideas

  • “First…”

  • “Second…”

  • “Finally…”

PART B — COMMON IDIOMS

IdiomMeaning
Big pictureOverall view
Step by stepIn sequence
Lay the foundationBuild basic understanding

PART C — SPEAKING ACTIVITIES

Activity 1 — Organizing Ideas

Students organize random presentation topics into logical order.

Activity 2 — Presentation Outline Building

Instructions

Students create a presentation outline using:

  • Introduction

  • Main points

  • Conclusion

PART D — LISTENING PRACTICE

Teacher Reading Script

“Today’s presentation consists of three parts. First, I’ll explain the current sales performance. Second, I’ll discuss customer feedback trends. Finally, I’ll present our action plan for the next quarter.”

Exercise B — Questions

  1. How many parts does the presentation have?

  2. What is the first topic?

  3. What is the second topic?

  4. What is the final topic?

PART E — NOTE-TAKING PRACTICE

Presentation StructureNotes
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

TOPIC 3 — EXPLAINING CHARTS, GRAPHS, AND DATA

PART A — KEY EXPRESSIONS

Describing Data

  • “As you can see on this graph…”

  • “Sales increased by 15%.”

  • “There was a slight decrease.”

  • “The chart shows…”

Comparing Information

  • “Compared to last year…”

  • “This figure is higher than…”

  • “The largest increase occurred in…”

PART B — COMMON IDIOMS

IdiomMeaning
Upward trendIncrease
Downward trendDecrease
Hit a peakReach highest point

PART C — SPEAKING ACTIVITIES

Activity 1 — Graph Explanation Practice

Students explain sample charts and graphs.

Activity 2 — Data Comparison Challenge

Students compare:

  • Sales reports

  • Customer numbers

  • Marketing results

PART D — LISTENING PRACTICE

Teacher Reading Script

“As you can see from this graph, online sales increased steadily from January to June. The highest growth occurred in April, when sales rose by 25%. However, sales growth slowed slightly in May and June.”

Exercise C — Questions

  1. What increased steadily?

  2. When did the highest growth occur?

  3. How much did sales rise in April?

  4. What happened in May and June?

PART E — NOTE-TAKING PRACTICE

Data PointInformation
Trend
Highest Growth Month
Growth Percentage
Later Trend

TOPIC 4 — USING TRANSITION LANGUAGE SMOOTHLY

PART A — KEY EXPRESSIONS

Transition Expressions

  • “Moving on to the next point…”

  • “Now let’s look at…”

  • “In addition to that…”

  • “Another important point is…”

Changing Topics

  • “Before we continue…”

  • “Let’s turn our attention to…”

PART B — COMMON IDIOMS

IdiomMeaning
Move forwardContinue
Shift gearsChange topic
Connect the dotsLink ideas

PART C — SPEAKING ACTIVITIES

Activity 1 — Transition Practice

Students connect unrelated presentation points smoothly.

Activity 2 — Slide Transition Challenge

Students practice changing presentation sections naturally.

PART D — LISTENING PRACTICE

Teacher Reading Script

“Now that we’ve reviewed the sales data, let’s move on to customer feedback. Another important point to consider is the growing demand for online support services.”

Exercise D — Questions

  1. What was reviewed first?

  2. What is the next topic?

  3. What growing demand was mentioned?

PART E — NOTE-TAKING PRACTICE

Previous TopicNew TopicAdditional Point

TOPIC 5 — ENGAGING THE AUDIENCE

PART A — KEY EXPRESSIONS

Audience Engagement

  • “What do you think?”

  • “Have you experienced something similar?”

  • “Let me ask you a question.”

  • “Please take a look at this example.”

PART B — COMMON IDIOMS

IdiomMeaning
Catch someone’s attentionGain interest
Keep someone engagedMaintain interest
Make an impactStrong effect

PART C — SPEAKING ACTIVITIES

Activity 1 — Audience Interaction Practice

Students ask audience questions during mini-presentations.

Activity 2 — Storytelling Practice

Students share short workplace stories to support points.

PART D — LISTENING PRACTICE

Teacher Reading Script

“Before I continue, let me ask you a question. How many of you have used AI tools at work this month? As you can see, AI is becoming a regular part of our daily business activities.”

Exercise E — Questions

  1. What question did the presenter ask?

  2. What is becoming common in business activities?

PART E — NOTE-TAKING PRACTICE

Audience QuestionMain Message

TOPIC 6 — DELIVERING STRONG CONCLUSIONS

PART A — KEY EXPRESSIONS

Concluding Presentations

  • “To summarize…”

  • “In conclusion…”

  • “Thank you for your attention.”

  • “I’d be happy to answer any questions.”

Reviewing Key Points

  • “Today we discussed…”

  • “The main takeaway is…”

PART B — COMMON IDIOMS

IdiomMeaning
Wrap things upFinish presentation
Final takeawayMain conclusion
Leave a strong impressionBe memorable

PART C — SPEAKING ACTIVITIES

Activity 1 — Conclusion Practice

Students summarize short presentations.

Activity 2 — Final Message Challenge

Students create memorable closing statements.

PART D — LISTENING PRACTICE

Teacher Reading Script

“To summarize today’s presentation, online customer engagement has increased significantly over the past year. Our next goal is to improve response speed and strengthen digital marketing strategies. Thank you very much for your attention today.”

Exercise F — Questions

  1. What increased significantly?

  2. What is the company’s next goal?

  3. What does the presenter say at the end?

PART E — NOTE-TAKING PRACTICE

Key ResultFuture GoalClosing Statement

FINAL PRESENTATION TASK

Scenario

Business strategy presentation for international team

Students Must:

  • Open presentation professionally

  • Introduce structure clearly

  • Explain charts/data

  • Use transitions smoothly

  • Engage audience

  • Deliver strong conclusion

  • Handle simple questions

TEACHER’S GUIDE

RECOMMENDED LESSON FLOW

StageTime
Warm-Up Discussion10 mins
Vocabulary & Expressions25 mins
Presentation Modeling20 mins
Speaking Activities45 mins
Listening Activities30 mins
Note-Taking Practice20 mins
Presentation Role-Play45 mins
Feedback & Reflection15 mins

COMMON CHALLENGES FOR JAPANESE LEARNERS

1. Reading Slides Directly

Problem

Students depend too much on slides.

Teaching Tip

Encourage paraphrasing and eye contact.

2. Weak Presentation Openings

Problem

Introductions may sound flat or memorized.

Teaching Tip

Teach attention-grabbing techniques.

3. Difficulty Explaining Data

Problem

Students may struggle with numbers and trends.

Teaching Tip

Practice graph descriptions repeatedly.

4. Limited Audience Interaction

Problem

Presentations may feel one-sided.

Teaching Tip

Train learners to ask audience questions.

ANSWER KEY

Exercise A Answers

  1. Michael Lee

  2. Global Vision Consulting

  3. International e-commerce trends

  4. Market data

  5. Recommendations for future growth

Exercise B Answers

  1. Three parts

  2. Current sales performance

  3. Customer feedback trends

  4. Action plan for next quarter

Exercise C Answers

  1. Online sales

  2. April

  3. 25%

  4. Growth slowed slightly

Exercise D Answers

  1. Sales data

  2. Customer feedback

  3. Online support services

Exercise E Answers

  1. AI tool usage

  2. AI tools

Exercise F Answers

  1. Online customer engagement

  2. Improve response speed and digital marketing

  3. Thank you very much for your attention

SAMPLE NOTE-TAKING ANSWERS

Topic 3

Data PointInformation
TrendSales increased steadily
Highest Growth MonthApril
Growth Percentage25%
Later TrendGrowth slowed

RECOMMENDED FEEDBACK FORMAT FOR TUTORING NOTES

CategoryFeedback
Presentation StructureOrganized presentation clearly
FluencySpoke confidently and smoothly
VocabularyUsed presentation expressions effectively
PronunciationNeeds clearer pronunciation of numbers
Audience EngagementAsked questions naturally
Visual ExplanationExplained charts clearly
Next GoalPractice smoother transitions between sections

SAMPLE TEACHER FEEDBACK COMMENTS

Positive Feedback

  • “Excellent presentation structure.”

  • “Good use of transition expressions.”

  • “You explained the graph clearly and confidently.”

Corrective Feedback

  • “Try to reduce reading directly from slides.”

  • “Practice stronger eye contact with the audience.”

  • “Use pauses more naturally during transitions.”

HOMEWORK ACTIVITIES

Homework 1

Watch a business presentation on TED Talks and identify:

  • Opening expressions

  • Transition phrases

  • Conclusion techniques

Homework 2

Prepare a 3-minute presentation about your company or department.

Homework 3

Create a simple graph and explain it in English for 1 minute.

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