Structuring a Presentation
Structuring a Presentation
A Dutch presentation is signposted aloud from beginning to end. Speakers announce each move — Ik neem u mee in, Ik sta even stil bij, Tot slot — so the audience always knows which part of the argument it is in.
Grammar Comparison
Grammar Comparison
Announcing moves with separable verbs
Ik neem u mee in de achtergrond. Ik sta even stil bij de cijfers.
Let me walk you through the background. Let me pause on the figures.
meenemen in ('to take through') and stilstaan bij ('to dwell on') are the two workhorse presentation verbs, and both are separable, so each sentence ends on its prefix. Note the u — presentations to an external audience stay formal throughout, even in organizations where colleagues use je among themselves.
Signposting the structure explicitly
Ik behandel drie punten. Ten eerste ... daarna ... en tot slot ...
I'll cover three points. Firstly ... then ... and finally ...
Announcing the number of points and then numbering them off is expected rather than pedantic. The fronted markers each invert the verb, giving a strongly segmented rhythm. Closing markers are tot slot, samenvattend and afrondend; note that tot slot is a fixed phrase and takes no article.
Handling questions and pushback
Goede vraag. Daar kom ik straks op terug. / Als ik het goed begrijp, bedoelt u ...
Good question. I'll come back to that shortly. / If I understand correctly, you mean ...
Two moves cover most of the question round: deferring with Daar kom ik op terug — again a separable verb with its prefix at the end — and checking understanding with Als ik het goed begrijp. Dutch audiences interrupt and challenge more readily than the formality of the language suggests, so having these frames ready matters more than in cultures where questions wait until the end.
Vocabulary
Vocabulary
- English
- to walk through
- English
- to dwell on
- English
- the background
- English
- finally
- English
- in closing
- English
- to cover / deal with
- English
- to clarify
- English
- the slide
- English
- the question from the audience
- English
- If I understand correctly
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