Simmonds · Lego Principle
B1 · Presentations · 10 min · 10 bricks

Signposting Language

Spoken transitions for a smooth talk — clear, short, and suited to the situation.

10 exercises · Worksheet (DE, EN) with answers · Audio · Final test (6 questions)

The one sentence you'll remember
So, moving on to the next slide — as you can see here, our sales grew by 12% last quarter.
Transition and pointing phrase in one smooth sentence.
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Signposting for Presentations: Key Phrases | Simmonds

Guide your audience aloud from one point to the next slide and back again.

Transcript

A lot of students tell me that they watch English films or TV series, and you know, that’s great. But osmosis, or soaking in a warm bath of English dialogue with the subtitles on, isn’t gonna help you present the latest figures to your multinational team on Monday morning.

So, it's Monday morning, and you're presenting. Your audience can't see your notes. They can't turn back a page. Without signposts, they get lost. Signposts tell your audience where you are, where you're going, and when you've arrived.

First, show them where you are. Point to the visual: Let's look at this slide. As you can see here… Or, more formally: If you look at the top line, you can see… When a point is complete, tell them where you're going. Right, let's move on to…

So, moving on to the next point. Or: That brings me to my next point. After a side question, bring them back: Back to the main point. Need to postpone something? I'll come back to that later. And when you've arrived, say so: So, to wrap up…

Remember, the brain is not a sponge, it’s a muscle, and it needs exercising.

So, give it some exercise. Now try it in the lesson.

Your build — 10 bricksReady
ListenHook
Meet the transitionsHook
The phrase bankRule
See the routeRule
Choose the phraseRecognise
Match the functionRecognise
Build the sentenceProduce
Say itProduce
Write your transitionsConsolidate
Final testConsolidate
One brick per slide. Each clicks into place as you complete it.
Taught brick by brick. Every lesson, every time.Simmonds · Lego Principle · Lesson 01 · Signposting Language
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Prerequisite

Structuring Your Presentation

B1 · 10 bricksNext step

Describing Charts and Graphs

B1 · 10 bricksAlso present

Discourse Connectors

C1 · 10 bricksAll lessons

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Lesson outline — 10 bricks

  1. Listen — Hook
  2. Meet the transitions — Hook
  3. The phrase bank — Rule
  4. See the route — Rule
  5. Choose the phrase — Recognise
  6. Match the function — Recognise
  7. Build the sentence — Produce
  8. Say it — Produce
  9. Write your transitions — Consolidate
  10. Final test — Consolidate

Which signposting language helps in presentations?

Use short spoken phrases to move on, point, come back, and wrap up. Choose by situation and register; written connectors belong in a separate lesson.

  • Signposting guides the audience aloud through the talk.
  • "Slide" replaces the German transfer word "foil."
  • "Move on" flows without a pause in speech.

Updated: July 2026

B1 · Presentations · 10 min

Use signposting phrases to move smoothly through a presentation.

Learn spoken transitions for points, slides, and a clear close — free to try with no signup.

  • CEFR levelB1 · Intermediate
  • Time to completeAbout 10 minutes
  • Spoken routeMove on — point — come back — wrap up
  • FocusSpoken presentations

Deep dive — slide by slide →

01 / 07

Which signposting language helps in presentations?

Signposting language helps in presentations by telling the audience aloud where the talk is going next. For a new point, use "So, moving on to the next point." Before a visual, "Let's look at this slide" directs attention. After a side question, "Back to the main point" returns the room, while "So, to wrap up, …" signals the close. These four jobs create a simple route through a spoken talk: move on, point, come back, and wrap up. Do not learn a long list without a purpose. Place every phrase in its phrase-bank group and ask what job it performs at that moment. The phrases do not replace your content; they make its sequence audible. Your audience cannot see a written paragraph in front of them, so these short verbal guides help listeners follow changes between points and slides.

02 / 07

Which presentation transition phrases move to the next point?

Three short presentation transition phrases move to the next point with slightly different registers. "Right, let's move on to…" is a neutral, direct choice for a team update. "So, moving on to the next point" states the function very clearly and is also neutral. "That brings me to my next point" sounds a little more formal in a client presentation. Use one of these lines only after the current point is complete; otherwise the change feels abrupt even if the phrase itself is correct. Complete the phrase with the specific next topic when the audience does not yet know it. In speech, connect the transition closely to the content that follows. A long pause after the phrase makes it sound like an isolated heading. This moving-on phrase group belongs to spoken presentations rather than written reports.

03 / 07

Which phrases move between slides in English?

Move between slides in English with a transition and a short pointing phrase. "Let's look at this slide" neutrally directs the room to the new visual. "As you can see here, …" connects that attention to the statement you are about to make. In a more formal situation, "If you look at the top line, you can see…" works well when one specific location matters. First tell the audience where to look, then state the relevant information. The pointing phrase by itself does not describe the data. Names such as line, axis, and bar, together with phrases for highlighting a figure, belong to Describing Charts and Graphs. This lesson trains only the spoken route to the slide. That boundary keeps a simple transition lesson from turning into a complete chart-description lesson.

04 / 07

How do you return to the main point and wrap up?

Return to the main point with a clear return phrase, and signal the close with a different phrase. After a short side question, use "Back to the main point." When a topic belongs later, say "I'll come back to that later." You are not rejecting the contribution; you are giving it a later place. At the end of the talk, "So, to wrap up, …" performs a new job by telling the room that the summary is beginning. Do not mix these functions. "Back to the main point" is not a closing signal, and "So, to wrap up, …" does not return to an interrupted argument in the middle. A concrete situation in a practice item makes the best choice clear. That way you learn each phrase as an action in the spoken interaction rather than as an interchangeable translation.

05 / 07

Which German transfer errors affect slides and return phrases?

The common German transfer errors affect the words for equipment and slides as well as the position of "later." An English projector is a "projector," not a "beamer." Correct "The beamer is broken" to "The projector isn't working." German "Folie" becomes "slide" in a presentation, not "foil." Change "Can you please show the next foil on the beamer?" to "Can we have the next slide, please?" In the return phrase, German word order produces "I come back later to this point." The natural target is "I'll come back to that point later." Here, "to that point" follows "come back" directly, while "later" comes at the end. Before a talk, check your notes for these three points: "projector," "slide," and the final position of "later."

06 / 07

Are signposting phrases the same as written connectors?

Signposting phrases in this lesson are spoken transitions, not the same as written connectors. "Right, let's move on to…" and "So, to wrap up, …" address the audience directly and accompany the talk in real time. Written links such as "moreover" and "nevertheless" belong to the C1 Discourse Connectors lesson. There they connect claims in a text; here you tell a listening audience what you are doing with the presentation. Use this spoken phrase bank in team updates, client presentations, and changes between slides. Do not automatically transfer it into a formal report. Conversely, a chain of written connectors can make a B1 talk sound like a text being read aloud. The boundary is clear: this lesson guides people orally through a talk, while Discourse Connectors organises written arguments.

07 / 07

How do you practise presentation signposting phrases?

Practise presentation signposting phrases with an existing slide deck and four marked situations. Before a topic change, say "So, moving on to the next point." Stand at the next visual and use "Let's look at this slide." Add a brief side question and return with "Back to the main point." Finally, close with "So, to wrap up, …" Read the complete section aloud because these phrases are designed for listeners. In "Let's move on," link "move" and "on" as /muː.vɒn/ without a pause. Then replace one neutral phrase with the more formal "That brings me to my next point." This lets you practise function and register separately. Describing Charts and Graphs is the next step for chart names and language that highlights data.

Worksheet: Signposting Language (PDF)3 pages · fillable on screen or print it · answer key includedDownload PDF

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TensesModalsArticlesSignal WordsBusiness WritingMeetingsSmall TalkTelephoningJob InterviewsIdioms & CollocationsWord OrderPronounsNouns and PluralsDeterminersQuestion FormsPrepositionsComparisonGerunds and InfinitivesConditionalsPassiveReported SpeechRelative ClausesEmphasisAdjectives and AdverbsConnectorsClausesRegisterAgreementPresentationsNumbers & DataPronunciationCustomer ContactSector VocabularyClassroom EnglishBusiness GrammarWorkplace SkillsNegotiationBusiness Travel

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