B2 · Module 05 · Class 19 — On Your Feet
Narrative Scene
With the Series C closed, Brian has been invited to speak at the London Fintech & SaaS Partnership Summit — a 400-person event with investors, scale-up founders, and partnership directors in the audience. His 10-minute slot is titled "Building Partnerships for Global SaaS Expansion." It is not a sales pitch for Meridian; it is a thought leadership talk — but everyone in the room knows who he is and what he has just done.
James Whitfield has told Brian this is as important as any investor meeting: "The people in that room are future investors, future clients, and future team members. Ten minutes. Make it count." Brian has the content. What he needs is the language to deliver it in a way that is structured, engaging, and memorable. This class gives him the complete toolkit for professional spoken presentations at B2+ level.
Spoken Presentation Language
A presentation is not a written document read aloud. The language of a good spoken presentation is different from formal writing: shorter sentences, more signposting, explicit transitions, and constant awareness of the audience's attention. Every phrase in this class has been chosen because it works in speech, not just on paper.
1. Opening a Presentation
The opening has one job: tell the audience what they are going to get and why it is worth their time. A weak opening is a missed opportunity.
Structure | Example |
What I want to cover today is... | "What I want to cover today is three things: what works, what doesn't, and what most people get wrong." |
I want to start with a question... | "I want to start with a question that I think most of you have already asked yourselves." |
By the end of this talk, you'll have... | "By the end of this ten minutes, you'll have a framework you can take straight into your next partnership conversation." |
I'm not going to tell you [X]. What I am going to tell you is [Y]. | "I'm not going to tell you that global expansion is easy. What I am going to tell you is that it is predictable." |
What I'd like to do in the next ten minutes is... | "What I'd like to do in the next ten minutes is walk you through the three decisions that make or break a market entry partnership." |
2. Signposting Transitions
Transitions in a spoken presentation are more explicit than in writing. The audience cannot re-read — so every section move must be announced.
Structure | Example |
Moving on to... | "Moving on to the second point — what goes wrong." |
Having established X, let me turn to Y. | "Having established that market timing is the primary driver, let me turn to the question of partner selection." |
This brings me to... | "This brings me to the most counterintuitive finding in the data." |
Now — let's talk about... | "Now — let's talk about what most companies get wrong." |
That's the 'what'. Let me get to the 'why'. | Classic spoken structure — separates levels of the argument |
So far I've talked about X. The question I haven't answered yet is Y. | "So far I've talked about timing and partner selection. The question I haven't answered yet is pricing." |
3. Emphasising Key Takeaways
A 10-minute talk has two or three genuinely memorable moments. These phrases mark them — they tell the audience: this is the thing you should write down.
Structure | Example |
What I really want you to take from this is... | "What I really want you to take from this is that the partner selection decision happens before the market entry, not after." |
The single most important point here is... | "The single most important point here is that exclusivity is not a commercial term — it is a relationship test." |
If you take nothing else from today, take this:... | "If you take nothing else from today, take this: your partner's floor is almost always lower than their opening number." |
This is the part that surprises most people:... | "This is the part that surprises most people: the timing of the deal matters more than the rate." |
And here is the key insight:... | "And here is the key insight: the best partnerships are built around shared calendar risk, not shared revenue." |
4. Referencing Evidence in Speech
Data and examples in a talk must be introduced verbally. The audience cannot read a footnote — they need to be told what the evidence is and why it matters.
Structure | Example |
The data show that... | "The data from our Mexico pilot show that acquisition rates in emerging markets outpace UK benchmarks by month three." |
What this tells us is... | "What this tells us is that the local partnership network is more valuable than direct sales capacity." |
A good example of this is... | "A good example of this is the DataBridge MOU in Singapore — a relationship that took six months to build and closes a twelve-month sales cycle instantly." |
I want to give you a number here:... | "I want to give you a number here: GBP 340,000 in contracted ARR in twelve weeks. That's what a well-structured partnership looks like." |
To put it another way:... | "To put it another way: the rate negotiation is not the most important conversation in the room." |
5. Managing Questions During the Talk
Some presentations allow questions throughout; others hold them to the end. In either case, the presenter needs language to acknowledge, defer, or invite.
Structure | Function |
Let me stop there — any questions so far? | Invites mid-talk questions; signals awareness of the audience |
I can see a few of you have questions — let me finish this point and then I'll take them. | Acknowledges questions without losing the thread |
Hold that thought — I'm going to address it in the next section. | Defers a question the presenter is about to answer anyway |
That's exactly the right question to ask — let me come back to it at the end. | Defers with a compliment — keeps the questioner engaged |
I'll take questions at the end — but if something is urgent, signal me. | Sets Q&A ground rules at the start |
6. Handling Q&A — four moves
Professional Q&A management has four moves: acknowledge the question, clarify if needed, answer, and close. Skipping any step leaves the exchange incomplete.
Move | Example phrases |
Acknowledge | "That's a great question." / "That's exactly what I was expecting someone to ask." / "I'm glad you raised that." |
Clarify | "Can I just check — are you asking about the rate structure or the exclusivity scope?" / "Let me make sure I understand what you're asking." |
Reframe | "What I think you're really asking is..." / "The deeper question behind that is..." |
Defer | "I don't have the exact number with me — can I follow up after the session?" / "That's slightly outside the scope of today — but I'd love to talk offline." |
Close | "Does that answer your question?" / "Is that helpful?" / "Let me move on — but come and find me afterwards." |
7. Closing with Impact
The last 60 seconds of a talk are remembered disproportionately. A weak close wastes everything that came before it.
Structure | Example |
To wrap up... | "To wrap up — three points: select your partner before your market, negotiate on scope before rate, and build the relationship before you need it." |
Let me leave you with this:... | "Let me leave you with this: the best partner deals are not won in the negotiation. They are won in the six months before it." |
If I could leave you with one thought... | "If I could leave you with one thought, it would be this: your partner's local knowledge is more valuable than your product." |
To summarise what I've argued today:... | "To summarise what I've argued today: timing, trust, and terms — in that order." |
Thank you. I'm happy to take questions. | Clean, confident close — leaves space without over-explaining |
Register comparison — The same transition at four levels
● Level 1 — Conference presentation (formal spoken): "Having established the importance of market timing in partner selection, I want to turn now to what I consider the most underestimated variable: the partner's internal stakeholder dynamics. This brings me to a finding that I think will surprise most of you in this room."
● Level 2 — Senior leadership briefing: "OK — so we've covered timing. Now I want to talk about something that most people overlook: the partner's internal politics. This is where most deals stall, and it's not about money."
● Level 3 — Team meeting update: "Right — timing done. Next thing: the partner's internal stuff. This is the part that trips everyone up."
● Quick message: "Timing = covered. Next = internal politics at DataBridge." |
Vocabulary
Presentation and Public Speaking
Term | Meaning |
keynote (speaker) | the main or featured speaker at an event — sets the tone |
slide deck | the set of presentation slides used as a visual aid |
to walk someone through | to explain something step by step, guiding the listener |
hook | an opening statement designed to capture audience attention immediately |
punchline | the key point or surprising conclusion — the most memorable moment |
to field a question | to receive and respond to a question from the audience |
to run over | to exceed the allotted time for a presentation |
to wrap up | to bring a presentation to a close |
heckler | someone who interrupts a speaker aggressively — rare in professional settings |
floor (the floor) | "The floor is open for questions." — the space for audience questions |
Brian's Presentation Script
Read the first four minutes of Brian's talk. Notice how every transition is named and every key point is signalled.
LONDON FINTECH & SAAS PARTNERSHIP SUMMIT Speaker: Brian Okafor, Meridian Technologies Talk: "Building Partnerships for Global SaaS Expansion"
[OPENING] "Good morning. I want to start with a statement that I think is going to sound obvious — and then I'm going to show you why it isn't.
The statement is this: who you partner with matters more than where you expand.
By the end of these ten minutes, you'll have a three-part framework for partner selection that I wish someone had given me eighteen months ago.
[SECTION 1 — TIMING] "I want to cover three things: timing, trust, and terms. Let's start with timing — because it's the one most people treat as a given.
What the data from our Mexico expansion show is that the single biggest predictor of partnership success is not the partner's client base size. It is whether you sign before or after a competitive window opens.
To put it simply: we were in Mexico before our two biggest competitors. That head start is worth more than any revenue-share negotiation.
[TRANSITION] "That's the timing argument. Moving on to trust — and this is the part that surprises most people.
[SECTION 2 — TRUST] "Most partnership negotiations focus on the commercial terms. What I want you to take from this section is that the commercial terms are the last thing you should be discussing — not the first.
A good example of this is our Singapore partnership. We spent six months building a relationship with DataBridge before we had a single commercial conversation. When we finally got to the terms, the negotiation took three calls instead of ten. Because the trust was already there.
If you take nothing else from today, take this: your partner's yes to the relationship comes before their yes to the contract." |
Analysis:
• Find every signposting phrase. Which category does each belong to (opening / transition / takeaway / evidence)?
• "I want to start with a statement that I think is going to sound obvious — and then I'm going to show you why it isn't." — Why is this an effective hook?
Practice Exercises
4 questionsNew exercises to reinforce what you learned. Different from the lesson material.
[Opening a talk on the cost of poor partner selection:] '___ that most companies choose their expansion partner too late.'
[Moving from timing to trust:] 'That covers the timing question. ___.'
[Wrapping up:] '___ three things: time your entry, build the trust first, and negotiate terms last.'
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