What you need to do at this point in your presentation
When you explain a chart, your goal is not to describe every number on the slide. Your goal is to guide the audience to the most important message: what changed, why it matters, and what action or decision follows. Your audience expects you to move logically. First, tell them what the chart shows. Then highlight the main trend or comparison. Finally, explain the business meaning. This structure helps you sound professional even if your grammar is not perfect.
Useful phrases for explaining charts and data
“This chart shows the change in monthly sales from January to June.”
Use this before giving any details, so the audience understands what they are looking at.
“The main point to notice is that sales increased steadily in the second quarter.”
Use this when you want to focus the audience on the key message, not every small figure.
“Revenue rose from 2.4 million to 3.1 million riyals during this period.”
Use specific numbers when the change is important for the decision.
“Customer complaints fell by 18% after the new support process was introduced.”
Use this structure to connect a decrease with a possible reason.
“Region A performed better than Region B, especially in March and April.”
Use this when the audience needs to compare teams, products, branches or time periods.
“One exception is May, where we saw a temporary drop due to delayed approvals.”
Use this to explain a point that does not fit the main trend.
“This suggests that the new pricing model is starting to have a positive impact.”
Use this after the data, to show what the numbers mean for the business.
“With that context, let me move to the forecast for next quarter.”
Use this to transition smoothly after finishing the chart explanation.
Example of explaining a chart well
Example: explaining a sales chart in a project update meeting
“This chart shows monthly sales for our premium service from January to June. The main point to notice is the steady increase from March onwards. Sales rose from 1.8 million riyals in March to 2.6 million in June. The strongest growth came after we changed the onboarding process for corporate clients. This suggests that faster onboarding is helping us convert more leads into active customers.”
Dos and don'ts for Arabic-speaking professionals
Do
- ✓Do start with the chart topic before discussing numbers, for example: This chart shows monthly customer growth.
- ✓Do choose one main message and make it clear to the audience.
- ✓Do use simple trend verbs such as increased, decreased, remained stable and peaked.
- ✓Do pause after important numbers so listeners have time to understand them.
Don't
- ✗Don't apologise before explaining the chart unless there is a real problem with the data.
- ✗Don't translate Arabic sentence structures directly if they make the English sound too long.
- ✗Don't read every number from the chart. Select the figures that support your main point.
- ✗Don't rush through percentages, dates or currency values. Say them clearly and at a steady pace.
A simple framework for explaining any chart
- 1
Name the chart
Say what the chart shows, including the topic and time period.
- 2
Highlight the main trend
Tell the audience the most important movement, comparison or pattern.
- 3
Support with one or two figures
Use selected numbers to make your point credible, but avoid reading the full chart.
- 4
Explain the meaning
Connect the data to the business impact, decision, risk or next step.
Frequently asked questions
How do I explain a chart in an English presentation?▾
What can I say when presenting data in English?▾
What should I avoid when explaining charts in English?▾
How can I move from a chart to the next slide?▾
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