Master group presentation coordination and virtual meeting management, learning essential skills for online team presentations and digital collaboration.
This is Lesson 18 of The English Farm's Professional English presentation series. Meetings are often held face-to-face or online. In this lesson, we will cover situations and phrases we use when we are in unfamiliar territory.
Discuss with your teacher.
- How often do you present online? Do you prefer online presentations or in-person presentations?
- How often do you present with someone else? Do you prefer presenting alone or would you rather present with a team?
Understanding different presentation formats helps you learn professional English skills that adapt to any business environment.
Look at the following phrases. Are they used in a group, virtual, or in-person presentation?
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"Can we quickly run through the slides together before we present?"
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"Please type your questions into the chat box."
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"As my colleague just mentioned, this leads us to the next point."
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"Let’s pause here so you can see the prototype up close."
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"We’ll wait a few more seconds to let everyone join the call."
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"I’ll hand over to Sarah for the next section."
Asking permission in virtual meetings
In online presentations, it’s polite and often legally necessary to ask permission before recording or capturing content. Use modal verbs ("may", "could", "would it be okay if…") for polite requests.
Useful phrases
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"Would it be okay if...?"
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"Would you mind if...?"
Mini practice:
Ask your teacher if you can record the class because you need it for notes later. What will you say?
Using the chat or “raise hand” function in virtual meetings
At the start of many online presentations, presenters explain how participants can interact—especially for questions or comments. This helps manage the flow and avoid interruptions. Use imperatives for clear instructions or polite modals (would, could) for softer guidance.
Useful phrases
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"Please use the chat box if you have any questions during the presentation.
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"If you’d like to speak, could you please use the ‘raise hand’ button first?"
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"Let’s keep microphones muted unless you’re speaking, just to avoid background noise."
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"You can also post your questions in the chat, and we’ll answer them at the end."
Mini practice:
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Open the meeting, giving clear instructions on how to ask questions (chat box/raise hand/mute).
Passing the torch in group presentations
In group presentations, smoothly handing over to another speaker makes you look professional and keeps the flow. Use the present continuous or present simple + polite lead-in phrases.
Useful phrases
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"Now, I’ll hand it over to [Name], who will explain our next steps."
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"At this point, [Name] will take you through the technical details."
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"I’m going to pass things over to [Name] to cover the budget analysis."
Mini practice:
You have just completed the handover of the next section of the presentation to your teacher. Remember to use their name!
Making space for others to contribute
Sometimes you need to invite your colleague to speak or open the floor to a teammate. Use invitations and indirect prompts.
Useful phrases
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"Maybe [Name] could add more detail on this point."
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"I think [Name] wanted to share something here."
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"Let’s hear [Name]’s perspective on this."
Mini practice:
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A client just asked a tough question. See if your teacher can answer the question. “That’s a great question—maybe Sarah could expand on that.” Remember to focus on intonation (Be friendly, collaborative, and not sudden).
Collaborative communication skills like these are what distinguish advanced professional English speakers in team presentation settings.
Your presentation is a virtual team presentation. Here are a few tasks you need to complete:
- Open the meeting by explaining that cameras are optional but everyone's audio should be muted. If there are questions, people should use the chat box.
- Ask permission to record the meeting. To accept, everyone should respond to the pop-up message and click "I accept."
- The introduction for the presentation is going to be done by Sarah. Pass the torch to Sarah.
As you can see, being able to read the room or virtual audience in real-time and be responsive and attentive is important. It ensures a confident presentation and an inclusive space, be it physical or virtual. Take one of the techniques or approaches from this lesson and look to apply it this week.