B2-9 · Guide listeners through your points
Presenting
Structure a short presentation with numbered arguments, additions and a clear closing statement.
About 5 minutes to read · 12 quiz questions
01
Give the talk a route
Ravi presents a plan for a neighbourhood reading evening. Listeners need to hear where his argument is going. Erstens and zweitens number points; zunächst introduces the first stage of the talk.
Zunächst stelle ich den Plan für unseren Leseabend vor.
First, I will present the plan for our reading evening.
Erstens brauchen wir einen ruhigen Raum.
Firstly, we need a quiet room.
Zweitens sollen die Texte für alle gut hörbar sein.
Secondly, the texts should be easy for everyone to hear.
Die erste Folie zeigt den Ablauf des Abends.
The first slide shows the evening's schedule.
These words occupy the first position when they open a main clause. The conjugated verb comes next: Erstens brauchen wir …, not Erstens wir brauchen … .
02
Add a reason, then an example
Zudem adds another point without starting a numbered list. Zum Beispiel introduces an illustration. Use these markers when the relationship between two statements might otherwise be hard to hear.
Zudem bietet die Bibliothek genug Sitzplätze.
In addition, the library offers enough seats.
Zum Beispiel könnten zwei Personen abwechselnd vorlesen.
For example, two people could take turns reading aloud.
Zudem bleibt nach jeder Lesung Zeit für Fragen.
In addition, there is time for questions after each reading.
Auf dieser Folie sehen Sie die geplanten Pausen.
On this slide, you can see the planned breaks.
Zudem means moreover or in addition. It does not signal a contrast. The verb still follows it directly when it starts the sentence: Zudem bietet … .
03
Bring the proposal to a close
The ending should make the proposed next step easy to remember. Abschließend signals that the talk is ending. Zusammenfassend introduces a summary of what listeners have already heard.
Abschließend schlage ich einen Probelauf vor.
To conclude, I propose a trial run.
Zusammenfassend brauchen wir einen Raum und zwei Vorlesende.
In summary, we need a room and two readers.
Zudem könnten wir die Gäste um Rückmeldung bitten.
In addition, we could ask the guests for feedback.
Können wir den Probelauf für nächsten Monat planen?
Can we plan the trial run for next month?
Abschließend is a sentence adverb here and needs no comma after it. Keep the verb second. A final question can invite a decision rather than another long explanation.
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Check what you remember with 12 short questions.
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