How to Give a Presentation in Chinese?

From the Beginning to the End: How to Give the Perfect Presentation in Chinese

Written by Juliette Pitt

Giving a presentation can be nerve-racking in any language, especially if it is in Chinese! But not to worry, you’ve come to the right place, here are a couple of tips that can help you guide you to deliver the perfect presentation to your fellow colleagues!

#Opening 

When opening your presentation in Chinese, remember to start by expressing thanks to the host of the event and to the previous speakers. If you are at an event or meeting that has distinguished guests, it is also worth expressing thanks to them too.

For example, a good way to start is: 

• Distinguished [surname and title], ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon. I’d like to express my thanks to…
  • 尊敬的……，女士们，先生们，下午好! 我对……表示感谢。(zūnjìng de……, nǚshì men, xiānshēng men, xiàwǔ hǎo! wǒ duì……biǎoshì gǎnxiè）

After this it is usually good to introduce yourself and express which department you represent.

For example, you can say:

• I am [name], I represent…
  • 我是…，请允许我代表…。(wǒ shì…, qǐng yǔnxǔ wǒ dàibiǎo…)

Unlike in the West where perhaps one only says your name, it is best when delivering your presentation in Chinese to add a bit more and perhaps say a couple of words of who you are speaking on behalf of.

You could even go as far as to praise the previous speaker by remarking on their content.

For example, you could say:

• His/her speech was original and clear 
  • 他/她的发言条理清晰。(tā/tā de fǎyán tiáolǐ qīngxī)

#Main Body

After all the pleasant introductions, it is best to go straight into your intended speech. Our advice to you would be to avoid using humour, unless you are familiar with a couple of Chinese jokes, but it is best to avoid as some jokes are may be hard to translate and it might cross some cultural barriers.

A good structure to use when giving your presentation is First, Second, Third. It is straight forward and provides your presentation with a good flow.

Here are a couple of key words and sentences that you may find useful to use:

• The topic of today’s meeting is…
  • 本次会议的议题是…(běn cì huìyì de yìtí shì…)
• Firstly… 
  • 首先…(shǒuxiān…)
• Secondly
  • 其次…(qícì…)
• Also…
  • 再次…(zàicì…)
• Lastly…
  • 最后…(zuìhòu…)

For example, you could say:

• Firstly, we’re going to look at the results of a global e-commerce consumer behavior survey.
  • 首先，我们来看一下全球电子商务消费行为的调查结果。(shǒuxiān, wǒmen lái kàn yīxià quánqiú diànzǐ shāngwù xiāofèi xíngwéi de diàochá jiéguǒ)

#End 

Congratulations! You are nearly at the end of your speech! To end the talk, it is best to use some highly energetic and heroic words as a form of encouragement to your colleagues!

Also, it is important to summarize your main points and thank everyone for listening and for coming to attend your presentation!

For example, some useful sentences to incorporate towards the end are:

• Finally, I’d like to say…
  • 最后，我想说的是…( zuìhòu, wǒ xiǎng shuō de shì…)
• I’d like to thank you all for your tremendous support in today’s meeting.
  • 感谢你们对本次会议的大力支持。(gǎnxiè nǐmen duìběn cì huìyì de dàlì zhīchí)
• I hope we are able to use this opportunity to strengthen communication. 
  • 希望我们能够借此机会加强沟通。(xīwàng wǒmen nénggòu jiè cǐ jīhuì jiāqiáng gōutōng)
• In order to realize this great vision, we must devote ourselves to hard work. 
  • 要实现这美好的愿景，我们只有埋头苦干。(yào shíxiàn zhè měihǎo de yuàn jǐng, wǒmen zhǐyǒu máitóu kǔ gàn.

So, there you have it, a quick guide on how to give your presentation in Chinese. Remember to stay calm and collected.

Its best to practice your presentation with your colleagues first and perhaps with your Chinese teacher. You could even practice a joke with them or two, to see if they get it!

Good luck! 加油! If you have presented a talk or lecture before in Chinese, we’d love to hear all about your experience. Why not comment down below and share some useful tips!