Past Triumphs and Future Plans: Business English for Company Presentations (C1-C2)
Podcast Introduction
Hello, I’m Daryush, and welcome to the Business English Hub, the podcast that helps you speak clearly and confidently at work. This podcast is for professionals, students, and job-seekers who use English in meetings, presentations, interviews, and beyond. Listen regularly to build your vocabulary, improve your fluency, and feel more comfortable using English in the workplace. I’m joined today by my co-host, Hana.
Hana: Hello everyone! It’s great to be here with you.
Welcome to the podcast, Hana. By the way, we have a free transcript for this episode and an interactive exercise for you. If you want to read along or practice these phrases later, just check out the links in the episode description.
Episode Introduction
Today’s episode is all about how to discuss business milestones and future aspirations during a presentation. I'll talk about ways to highlight your company’s key achievements and how to articulate your future goals in a clear, engaging way. This is such an important skill for anyone who needs to present progress at work.
Think about it: have you ever had to sum up your team’s accomplishments and then explain what’s next, all in front of an audience? It can feel like a lot of pressure to get the tone just right, especially in a second language, right? Well, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. We’ll break it all down and guide you step by step so you can do it confidently.
Hana: I remember when I had to present my department’s achievements and plans for the next year to our company’s board. I was so nervous! I spent days practicing because I was afraid I’d either leave out something important or use the wrong words.
Oh, I’ve been there too. Presenting your company’s story in a clear and inspiring way can definitely be nerve-wracking. And doing it in English when it’s not your first language adds an extra challenge. But the good news is, like any skill, you can learn how to do it well. There are some key phrases and structures that can really help. Our goal today is to teach you those phrases and show you how to use them naturally. By the end of this episode, you’ll have a solid approach and plenty of expressions for talking about past milestones and future aspirations in a presentation.
Hana: Sounds great! How are we going to do that?
We’ll walk through a realistic example together. We thought it’d be useful to actually hear what a good presentation on this topic sounds like. So, in our scenario, Hana will step into the role of a CEO at a fictional company, presenting her company’s recent milestones and where they’re headed next. As you listen, pay attention to how she structures her talk, how she opens the presentation, how she highlights the key milestones, and how she then transitions to discuss future goals. Also, listen out for some useful business expressions and idioms, like “key milestones,” “blood, sweat, and tears,” or “reach for the moon.” After the presentation, we’ll break down some of those phrases and talk about why they work. Alright, shall we dive into the presentation?
Hana: Let’s do it!
Scenario: Presenting Company Milestones and Aspirations
Imagine you have to give a presentation to an audience of colleagues and stakeholders about your company’s progress and where it’s headed. In this scenario, Hana is the CEO of a company called Apex Innovations, and she’s speaking at an all-company meeting. Listen for how she emphasizes the company’s achievements and uses motivational language to describe their future plans.
Presentation
CEO: Thank you, everyone, for taking the time out of your busy schedules to attend today’s meeting. As you know, the purpose of this meeting is to outline our key milestones over the past year and share our vision for the future. First, I’d like to start by highlighting an important achievement from this past year. In March, we successfully rebranded our company with a new logo, a new slogan, and a fresh website. Our marketing and design teams really pulled out all the stops to make that happen quickly. In fact, we completed the entire rebranding project in just three months, a month ahead of schedule. It took a lot of blood, sweat, and tears, but the results have been fantastic. Our new brand image is much more modern and professional, and it’s helping us connect better with our customers.
Now, another milestone I’m incredibly proud of is how we developed and nurtured talent within our team. This year we launched a new Professional Development Program to help our employees grow their skills. We partnered our junior staff with experienced mentors, and we provided workshops and courses for everyone. The goal was to invest in our people, and I can confidently say it’s paying off. We’ve seen a big boost in morale and productivity, and some of our junior members have already stepped up into larger roles. Nurturing talent isn’t just a nice-to-have for us, it’s a key part of our business strategy.
Now, let’s look ahead to where we’re going next. We have some ambitious goals on the horizon. We’re aiming to expand into three new European markets by the end of next year. We’re really reaching for the moon with that target. It won’t be easy, but I believe that with the same dedication you all showed this past year, we can achieve it. I know our team is up to the challenge.
Another aspiration for the coming year is to double our online platform’s user base. To do that, we plan to build on our recent successes and keep innovating. We’ll be rolling out at least two major updates to our product, including one that users have been asking for since last year. And of course, we’ll continue to nurture our talent and bring in new experts, because our people are the ones who make these ambitious goals possible.
In conclusion, Apex Innovations had an outstanding year. We hit some major milestones through a lot of hard work and collaboration. And as we look to the future, we’re setting our sights high. I’m confident that if we continue to work together, and give it our all, yes, even if it takes some blood, sweat, and tears, we’ll turn these aspirations into reality. Thank you everyone for your incredible effort and for always striving for excellence. Let’s make this next year our best year ever!
Language Focus
Alright, that was our example presentation. Great job, Hana!
Now, let’s break down some of the language Hana used in that talk. Before anything else, did you notice how she opened the presentation? She started by thanking everyone for their time and stating the purpose of the meeting. That’s a strong way to begin. It’s polite and it immediately tells the audience what to expect. For example, she said the purpose of the meeting was “to outline our key milestones over the past year and share our vision for the future.” This introduction gives listeners a roadmap of the presentation.
Hana also clearly signposted the different parts of her talk. She used words like “first” to introduce the first milestone, and later a phrase like “now, let’s look ahead” to signal she was moving from past achievements to future plans. Using transition phrases like these makes it easier for your audience to follow along.
Let’s talk about some of the specific vocabulary and expressions she used. One phrase that stood out was “key milestones.” The word “milestone” means a significant achievement or a noteworthy event. When you say “key milestones,” you’re referring to the most important achievements. In a business presentation, highlighting key milestones shows your audience what major progress has been made.
Another great expression Hana used was “blood, sweat, and tears.” Did you catch that one? She said it took a lot of blood, sweat, and tears to complete the rebranding project. This is a common idiom that means a lot of hard work and effort. Of course, it’s a figurative way to emphasize that people worked really hard. They didn’t literally bleed or cry! Using an idiom like this in a presentation adds a bit of color and emotion. It shows that you recognize your team gave their all to achieve something.
Hana also used the phrase “pull out all the stops.” This idiom means to do everything you possibly can to achieve a result. When she said the team “pulled out all the stops to make it happen,” it means the team used every resource and tried every possible approach to accomplish the rebranding quickly. This is another way to praise the team’s hard work and determination. It’s a slightly informal phrase, but it’s quite common in business contexts when celebrating a big effort.
Now, another key phrase we heard was “developed and nurtured talent.” To “nurture talent” means to support and develop the skills of people, in this case, employees. Hana mentioned a Professional Development Program as a way the company nurtured talent. This is a good collocation to use when talking about training or mentoring in a company. It tells your audience that you’re investing in your people’s growth. You can also say “nurture talent” when discussing one of your future goals, as Hana did when she said the company will continue to nurture its talent. It implies caring for and encouraging employees to reach their potential.
Let’s not forget the expression “reach for the moon.” This one is pretty vivid, right? To “reach for the moon” means to aim for something very ambitious, to set your goals very high. Hana used it to describe the company’s big expansion target: expanding into three new markets in one year. That’s a huge goal, so she described it as “reaching for the moon.” These kinds of idioms are great for talking about aspirations and they can inspire your audience, suggesting that you’re aiming high and dreaming big. Just remember, when you use a colorful phrase like that, make sure the tone of your presentation allows for it. In many cases, if you’re presenting to your team or colleagues, a motivational idiom like “reach for the moon” works well to energize people.
Notice that Hana didn’t just list achievements; she also acknowledged the hard work behind them. Saying “it took a lot of blood, sweat, and tears” showed she appreciated the team’s effort, and that kind of recognition is great for morale.
And then, when talking about the future, she used positive and hopeful language. She said, “I’m confident that we can achieve it,” “if we continue to work together,” and so on. Expressing confidence in your team and painting an optimistic vision motivates your audience. Even if the goals are challenging, showing that you believe in your team’s ability, with phrases like “I know our team is up to the challenge,” can be very inspiring.
So, structurally, the presentation basically had three parts:
Introduction: Thank everyone, state purpose.
Body: Discuss past milestones with clear transitions between each major achievement and then outline future aspirations.
Conclusion: Summarize the achievements and re-emphasize commitment to future goals, ending on a motivational note and a thank-you.
Following a clear structure like that helps your listeners stay engaged and remember your message. If you’re presenting milestones and aspirations, it often makes sense to go in chronological order: past then future, like we just heard.
So, what can you take away from this for your own presentations? Here are a few tips:
Highlight achievements in context: Don’t just list accomplishments; add a bit of story or detail to show why they mattered.
Include the human element: Acknowledge the “blood, sweat, and tears,” the hard work, behind the milestones, and give credit where it’s due. This makes your presentation feel more authentic.
Be ambitious but realistic with goals: It’s great to “reach for the moon” and show enthusiasm, but also give an idea of how you’ll achieve those goals.
End on a positive, motivating note: Thank your team or audience, and inspire them for the future. Ending with a confident, optimistic message, for example, “Let’s make this next year our best year ever!” leaves anyone feeling energized.
If you keep these points in mind, you’ll be well on your way to delivering a clear and compelling presentation about your company’s progress and future plans. And of course, feel free to borrow some of the phrases we practiced today and adapt them to your own situation. The more you practice these expressions, the more natural they’ll feel when you need to use them.
That brings us to the end of Episode 9 of Business English Hub. Thank you so much for joining us today. Before we go, we’d love to hear from you. Have you ever had to present your company’s achievements and future plans to an audience? How did it go, and what did you find most challenging or rewarding about it? Share your experiences with us in the comments. We read every comment and we love hearing your stories. It also helps other listeners learn from your experience!
If you found this episode helpful, please remember to hit the like button and subscribe to our podcast. It really helps us reach more people. And feel free to leave a comment or question as well. We absolutely love hearing from you.
And don’t forget, you can get the full, free transcript of this episode on our website with all the phrases we covered, plus some extra practice exercises. If you prefer a video experience, check out our YouTube channel for this episode with captions. Sometimes reading the captions while listening can boost your understanding. And of course, you can listen to the audio-only version on Spotify and Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Thank you once again for listening and spending time with us. Keep practicing these phrases whenever you can. The more you use them, the more confident you’ll become in your business English. Until next time, keep learning, keep reaching for the moon, and stay confident in your communication. Talk to you soon.
Click here to download the full transcript in PDF format.
Click here to take the quiz and test your understanding of the phrases.
