Keep listeners on track
🗣️ Fluency & FlowImagine speaking for 2 minutes without pausing. If you don't help your listener understand the STRUCTURE of what you're saying, they get lost.
❌ No Signposting
"I went to university and I studied marketing and then I worked in advertising and I met my boss who was really interesting and..."
Result: Rambling, hard to follow.
✓ With Signposting
"Let me tell you about my career path. First, I studied marketing at university. Moving on to work, I started in advertising. Later, I met my current boss who..."
Result: Clear, organized, easy to follow.
🧭 WHAT IS SIGNPOSTING?
Signposting = Using connecting phrases that tell your listener WHERE you are in your talk. Like road signs!
Today you'll learn: 5 signposting phrases that make your longer speeches clear and professional.
Use these phrases to guide listeners through your speech:
Examples:
• "First, I'd like to talk about my educational background."
• "First, I'd like to discuss the main problem we're facing."
Say: "First, I'd like to talk about..." (complete with your own topic)
Examples:
• "Moving on to my professional experience, I worked in three different sectors."
• "Moving on to the financial implications, we need to consider..."
Use this to transition from one topic to another
Examples:
• "Coming back to my earlier point about sustainability, this connects to business strategy."
• "Coming back to what I mentioned at the start, the data now shows..."
Reference something you said earlier using this phrase
Examples:
• "To summarize what I've said so far, we've covered three main challenges."
• "To summarize what I've said so far, the key points are education, experience, and attitude."
Summarize 2-3 points you've mentioned using this phrase
Examples:
• "Finally, I want to mention the importance of teamwork in achieving these goals."
• "Finally, I want to highlight one last opportunity we shouldn't miss."
Say: "Finally, I want to mention..." (your final point on any topic)
Practice using all 5 signposting phrases in one 2-minute talk:
Opening: "First, I'd like to talk about..." (education)
Point 2: "Moving on to..." (first job)
Point 3: "Then, I'd like to discuss..." (current role)
Recap: "To summarize what I've said so far..." (three main transitions)
Reflection: "Coming back to my earlier point..." (connect to education)
Conclusion: "Finally, I want to mention..." (future goals)
Practice out loud. Use ALL 5 signposting phrases. Aim for 2 minutes.
💡 Speak slowly. Pause after each signposting phrase. Let your listener follow.
Opening: "First, I'd like to talk about..." (the problem)
Point 2: "Moving on to..." (why it matters)
Point 3: "Now, let me discuss..." (the solution)
Recap: "To summarize what I've said..." (key points)
Ending: "Finally, I want to mention..." (action steps)
Practice out loud. Choose a real issue you care about.
💡 Make it persuasive by using clear signposting.
Choose one topic and speak for the full time. Use all 5 signposting phrases in order.
Option 1: Personal
• Your educational and professional journey
• A major change in your life and how you adapted
• Your hobbies/interests and why they matter to you
Option 2: Ideas/Topics
• Why a particular book/movie/show was meaningful
• A solution to a problem you see in society
• Why a particular skill is important to learn
Your Task:
Speak for 2.5 minutes including:
✓ "First, I'd like to talk about..."
✓ "Moving on to..."
✓ A summary recap
✓ "Coming back to my earlier point..."
✓ "Finally, I want to mention..."
Goal: Speak continuously and smoothly. Record yourself!
These lessons connect to signposting!
Opening, Development, Closing
Signposting WITHIN each part helps listeners follow the flow!
"In other words..." / "To put it another way..."
Reformulation is like a MINI signpost that says: "Let me explain this differently."
Sequence words: "First... Then... Eventually..."
These ARE signposting! You've been learning this all along!
Give a 3-minute talk about a time you learned something important. Use:
• Signposting phrases (lesson 36)
• Three-part structure (lesson 23)
• Reformulation when explaining difficult concepts (lesson 29)
Can you make it flow naturally?
Hint: The better your signposting, the easier it is for listeners to follow your story
I can use signposting phrases to structure longer monologues clearly
How confident do you feel?
1 = Need more practice | 5 = I've got this!
✓ "First, I'd like to talk about..." - Start
✓ "Moving on to..." - Transition
✓ "Coming back to my earlier point..." - Circle back
✓ "To summarize what I've said so far..." - Recap
✓ "Finally, I want to mention..." - Conclude
Record a 3-minute monologue on any topic. Check your signposting:
✓ Do you use at least 3 different signposting phrases?
✓ Can a listener easily follow your structure?
✓ Do you pause after each signposting phrase?
✓ Is your speech natural and not robotic?