改まった発表Formal Presentations
Chapter Objectives
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
- Organize a short formal presentation into an opening, a body with clearly signaled sections, and a closing.
- Use formal transition phrases such as まず, 次に, 最後に, and 以上を踏まえ to guide a listener through a presentation.
- Hedge a claim appropriately using patterns such as 〜と考えられます and 〜のではないかと思います rather than overstating certainty.
- Attribute information to a source aloud, distinguishing the presenter's own view from reported information.
- Comment on a simple chart or set of figures in formal spoken Japanese.
- Frame an answer to an audience question politely, including when the presenter does not know the answer.
- Read and interpret a set of presentation slides that use terminology lists and Japanese typographic conventions for headings and bullet points.
- Deliver a short formal presentation and respond to at least one follow-up question.
Communication Scenario
With the notice posted and the application forms coming in, Emma has been asked to present a short update on the autumn recycling awareness event at the organization's monthly staff meeting. The presentation needs to cover why the event is being held, what has been prepared so far, what the current volunteer numbers look like, and what remains to be done before the event date. 田中さん has told Emma that the meeting audience will include people from other departments who were not part of the original planning meeting in Chapter 7, so the presentation needs to stand on its own, with a clear structure and time set aside for questions at the end. This chapter gives Emma the tools she needs: organizing a formal presentation into clear sections, using transition language to guide the audience, commenting on simple figures, hedging claims appropriately, and answering audience questions politely and confidently, even when she does not know the answer.
- The learner reads a set of presentation slides and identifies their structure and terminology.
- The learner listens to a short formal presentation and identifies its sections and main claims.
- The learner writes a short presentation outline using this chapter's transition and hedging language.
- The learner delivers a short formal presentation using the outline.
- The learner responds to at least one follow-up question, including a question the learner cannot fully answer.
Core Vocabulary
This chapter's vocabulary supports research presentations, briefings, reports, proposals, cultural analysis, and Q&A. All items below are active for production.
| Japanese | Reading | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 発表 | はっぴょう | presentation | noun; also 発表する "to give a presentation" |
| 資料 | しりょう | materials, data, handout | noun; recycled from Chapter 4 in a presentation context |
| 見込み | みこみ | projection, prospect, expected outcome | noun; often with a number, e.g. 三十人の見込みです |
| 質疑応答 | しつぎおうとう | question-and-answer session | noun; commonly appears on a slide or agenda |
| 踏まえる | ふまえる | to take into account, to base on | verb; often in 〜を踏まえ before a conclusion |
| 現状 | げんじょう | current situation, present state | noun; common opening word for a status update |
| 課題 | かだい | issue, remaining task, challenge | noun; distinct from 問題 "problem" in formal usage |
| 検討する | けんとうする | to consider, to examine (a plan or option) | する-verb; formal register, common in proposals |
| 補足する | ほそくする | to add supplementary information | する-verb; often used when answering a question |
| 確認する | かくにんする | to confirm, to check | する-verb; recycled and extended to presentation Q&A contexts |
All items above are productive at this chapter's level. 資料 and 確認する are recycled from earlier chapters in the new context of formal presentations.
れんしゅう — Practice: Write one original sentence using each vocabulary item above, in a context involving a presentation, a status update, or a question-and-answer session.
Script and Orthography Focus
This chapter's script focus is slide layout, Japanese typography, terminology lists, and accessible layout for presentation materials.
Presentation slides in Japanese typically compress ideas into short noun phrases and headings rather than full sentences, relying on bold section titles, short bullet points, and occasional numbers or simple charts to carry the content. A slide heading such as 現状と課題 ("current situation and remaining issues") functions as a section label rather than a sentence and should be read as an organizational cue, similar to the numbered items in an official notice from Chapter 8. Learners should scan slide titles first to build a mental outline of the presentation before reading each bullet point closely. Furigana appears only on 発表, 見込み, 現状, and 課題 the first time each appears, matching this volume's exceptional-furigana policy.
Bulleted slide content in this chapter uses a simple centered dot ・ to mark each item, a common convention that differs from the numbered １． style used for regulatory lists in Chapter 8; both are legitimate depending on whether items form a sequence or a simple list.
れんしゅう — Practice: Before reading the presentation slides in Reading Practice, scan only the slide titles and predict, in English, what content each slide is likely to contain.
Pronunciation and Listening Focus
Formal spoken presentations in Japanese tend to use a measured pace with a clear pause at each transition word, such as まず, 次に, or 最後に, signaling to the audience that a new section is beginning. This differs from the flatter, item-by-item read-aloud style of a formal notice in Chapter 8; a presentation is delivered with more variation in pitch and pace to hold audience attention while remaining more controlled than casual conversation. In this chapter's Listening Practice, listen for a slight pause and a small pitch reset at each transition word as a marker of a new section.
Continue maintaining mora timing, vowel length, moraic ん, and phrase-level intonation as in previous chapters. No new pitch-accent notation is introduced in this chapter.
Grammar: Presentation Language
This chapter activates formal transition phrases, hedging language, source attribution, data commentary, and answer framing, building on the formal written style introduced in Chapter 8.
Guiding the audience with transition phrases
Purpose: to signal the structure of a presentation clearly, so the audience can follow each new section without losing track of the overall organization.
Hedging a claim with 〜と考えられます
Purpose: to present an interpretation or projection carefully, without overstating certainty, appropriate to formal spoken register.
Attributing information with によると
Purpose: to distinguish information drawn from a source, such as an earlier report or another department, from the presenter's own view.
Framing an answer during Q&A
When answering an audience question, a presenter typically opens with a brief acknowledgment such as ご質問ありがとうございます before answering, and may add supplementary information with 補足いたしますと. When a presenter cannot fully answer a question, an honest, polite response such as その点については確認して後日お答えいたします ("regarding that point, I will confirm and respond at a later date") is far more appropriate than guessing or appearing evasive. Learners should practice this kind of honest, face-saving framing rather than avoiding questions they cannot answer.
Grammar Practice
- Identify the function of 次に in the following sentence and explain it in English: 次に、現状の課題についてご説明いたします。
- Rewrite the following overly certain statement as an appropriately hedged projection: 当日は三十人来ます。
- Identify whether the following sentence reports someone else's information or the speaker's own view, and explain how you know: 田中さんによると、会場の予約は済んでいるそうです。
- Write one polite way to respond to an audience question you cannot fully answer, using the pattern modeled above.
Model Dialogue
Setting: Emma delivers a short update at the monthly staff meeting and takes a question from a colleague in another department.
ないようりかい — Comprehension questions:
- How does Emma organize her presentation into sections, and which words signal each new section?
- What hedged projection does Emma make about the number of volunteers, and why does she hedge it rather than state a fixed number?
- How does Emma handle the question she cannot fully answer?
Guided Practice
タスク１ — Structure hunt. Given the presentation slides in the Reading Practice passage below, label the opening, each body section, and the closing.
タスク２ — Pattern spotting. Underline every instance of a transition word, a hedge, and a source attribution in the Model Dialogue and state the function of each.
タスク３ — Answer framing walkthrough. Working with a partner, take turns asking each other an unpredictable question about a plan or project, and practice framing an honest answer, including at least one instance of politely deferring an answer.
Listening Practice
Ask your instructor, a partner, or a text-to-speech tool to read the following passage aloud at a measured, presentation-style pace, with a clear pause at each transition word.
きくタスク — A short status-update presentation
それでは、資料の準備状況について発表いたします。まず、資料の作成は八割ほど終わっております。次に、印刷についてですが、来週の水曜日までに完了する見込みです。最後に、課題についてです。配布方法についてはまだ検討中で、担当部署の資料によると、会場での配布が最も現実的だとのことです。以上を踏まえ、来週の会議で最終的な配布方法を決定いたします。ご質問があればお願いいたします。
聞くタスク — Listening task: Identify (1) the three sections of the update and the transition word that introduces each, (2) the projection made about printing, (3) the source cited for the distribution comment, and (4) what remains to be decided.
Speaking Practice
コントロールされた練習 — Controlled practice: Building a section transition
- まず、＿＿＿＿＿についてご説明いたします。
- 次に、＿＿＿＿＿についてです。
- 最後に、＿＿＿＿＿という課題が残っております。
コミュニケーションタスク — Delivering a status update
In pairs or small groups, one learner delivers a two- to three-minute status update on a project of their choice (real or invented), organized into an opening, at least two body sections signaled with transition words, and a closing that uses 以上を踏まえ. The listening partner should ask at least one follow-up question.
ひとりでもできる練習 — Solo practice: Recorded Q&A response
Record a 20–30 second response to an imagined audience question that you cannot fully answer: acknowledge the question politely, explain honestly that you do not have the information yet, and state when and how you will follow up. Listen back and check that your response sounds confident and professional rather than evasive.
Reading Practice
Read the following presentation slides, then answer the questions below. Furigana is provided only on the first occurrence of each new chapter kanji compound.
スライド１：秋のリサイクル啓発イベントについて
秋のリサイクル啓発イベント 準備状況発表
・目的：地域住民のリサイクル意識を高める
・開催日：来月十五日
スライド２：現状と課題
現状
・ボランティア申請：十五人（見込み：二十人程度）
・会場：確保済み
課題
・当日の係員の人数（検討中）
・雨天時の対応（未定）
スライド３：今後の予定
・来週：係員の割り当てを決定
・再来週：最終確認会議
・当日：イベント実施
質疑応答
ないようりかい — Comprehension questions:
- What is the stated purpose of the event, according to Slide 1?
- How many volunteers have applied so far, and what is the projected number, according to Slide 2?
- List the two remaining issues named on Slide 2 and restate each in your own words in English.
- What three events are listed under "today's plan" on Slide 3, and in what order do they occur?
Writing Workshop
In this workshop you will write a short presentation outline covering a project's purpose, current status, and remaining issues, following the layout modeled above.
- Write an opening line naming the presentation topic, following the modeled layout.
- Write a first body section introduced with まず, stating the purpose or background.
- Write a second body section introduced with 次に, describing the current status, including at least one hedged projection with 〜と考えられます or 〜のではないかと思います.
- Write a third body section introduced with 最後に, naming at least one remaining issue.
- Write a closing line using 以上を踏まえ to state a next step, followed by 質疑応答.
- Audit your outline for accurate vocabulary, correct kanji, consistent formal register, and a clear, complete structure.
チェックリスト — Editing checklist:
- My outline has a clear opening naming the topic.
- Each body section is introduced with a transition word.
- At least one claim is appropriately hedged rather than stated as certain.
- At least one remaining issue is named clearly.
- The closing uses 以上を踏まえ and states a next step.
- I have checked kanji, particles, formal predicate forms, and register consistency throughout.
Culture and Communication
Learners sometimes read hedged Japanese presentation language, such as 〜と考えられます or a deferred answer during Q&A, as a sign that the speaker lacks confidence or is avoiding the question. In professional and academic Japanese presentation contexts, careful hedging of projections and honest deferral of unconfirmed information are usually read as signs of competence and reliability rather than weakness: a presenter who states an uncertain figure as fact, or who guesses at an answer rather than confirming it, is generally seen as less trustworthy than one who hedges appropriately and follows up. This expectation exists in many professional and academic settings beyond Japanese-speaking contexts as well, though the specific language used to hedge differs.
The exact structure, slide density, and level of formality expected in a presentation can vary by industry, academic discipline, and individual organization; some workplaces favor dense, text-heavy slides, while others favor minimal slides with more spoken explanation. The patterns in this chapter are broadly usable defaults for a general institutional status update, not the only acceptable format.
The formal nominalization patterns from Chapter 8, such as 〜こと and 〜ものとする, belong to written regulatory style and are not typically spoken aloud in a presentation. Spoken formal presentation language instead favors the transition, hedging, and attribution patterns introduced in this chapter, delivered with the operational keigo from Chapter 6. Recognizing which register belongs to which medium is part of controlling formal Japanese as a whole system.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Error: 当日は三十人来ます。 used to describe an expected, not yet confirmed, number of attendees.
Correction: 当日は三十人程度になると考えられます。 — an unconfirmed projection should be hedged rather than presented as settled fact.
Error: Answering an unexpected question with an invented or uncertain guess presented as fact, such as たぶん大丈夫だと思います for a question the presenter has not actually checked.
Correction: その点については確認して後日お答えいたします。 — when information has not been confirmed, defer the answer honestly rather than guessing.
Error: Moving directly from one topic to the next with no signal, leaving the audience unsure whether a new section has begun.
Correction: Mark each new section clearly with まず, 次に, or 最後に — formal presentations rely on explicit verbal signposting, unlike casual conversation.
Chapter Review
Section A — ごい (Vocabulary)
1. Write one original sentence for each vocabulary item in the Core Vocabulary table, applied to a presentation, a status update, or a question-and-answer session.
Section B — もじ (Script)
1. Write the readings for 発表, 見込み, 現状, and 課題 from memory, then check them against this chapter.
Section C — ぶんぽう (Grammar)
1. Explain, in your own words, the difference between 〜と考えられます and 〜のではないかと思います as ways of hedging a claim.
2. Identify a transition word, a hedge, and a source attribution in the Reading Practice slides, and explain the function of each.
Section D — どっかいりかい (Reading comprehension)
1. Look again at the presentation slides in Reading Practice. Summarize, in English, the event's purpose, current status, remaining issues, and next steps.
Section E — かくこと (Writing)
1. Complete your presentation outline following the Writing Workshop steps, as part of the Practical Performance Task below.
Section F — はなすこと (Speaking)
1. Present or record the status-update task from Speaking Practice, as part of the Practical Performance Task below.
Practical Performance Task
パフォーマンスタスク
改まった発表 — Delivering a formal status-update presentation
Complete both parts below to demonstrate control of this chapter's systems.
- Presentation outline: Write a short presentation outline (following the Writing Workshop steps) covering a project's purpose, current status with at least one hedged projection, at least one remaining issue, and a closing next step. Audit it using the Writing Workshop checklist before submitting.
- Spoken presentation and Q&A: Deliver a two- to three-minute formal presentation based on your outline to a partner or instructor, clearly signaling each section with a transition word, and respond to at least one follow-up question, including one you must politely defer if you cannot fully answer it.
Assessment focus: clear presentation structure signaled with transition words; accurate recognition and controlled use of hedging and source-attribution language; correctly used chapter vocabulary; consistent formal spoken register distinct from formal written style; a polite and honest framing of at least one deferred answer; and comprehensible pronunciation with measured, presentation-style prosody.
Answer Key
Vocabulary and Script Review
Open-ended for original sentences; check readings for 発表 (はっぴょう), 見込み (みこみ), 現状 (げんじょう), and 課題 (かだい) against this chapter.
Grammar Practice
Model answers: (1) 次に signals the beginning of the second section of the presentation, moving from the purpose to the current issues. (2) 当日は三十人程度になるのではないかと思います。 (3) It reports 田中さん's information, identifiable by 〜によると and the reported-information ending 〜そうです, rather than the speaker's own direct claim. (4) Model deferred answer: その点についてはまだ確認しておりませんので、確認して後日お答えいたします。
Model Dialogue — Comprehension
- Emma organizes her presentation into three sections — purpose, current status, and remaining issues — signaled by まず, 次に, and 最後に.
- Emma hedges the volunteer number with 〜のではないかと思います because the final number is not yet confirmed and the deadline has not passed.
- Emma acknowledges the question politely, honestly states that she has not yet confirmed the information with the responsible department, and promises to confirm and respond later.
Listening Practice — Model summary
The three sections and their transition words are: materials preparation status (まず), printing (次に), and remaining issues (最後に); the projection is that printing will be completed by next Wednesday; the source cited for the distribution comment is the responsible department's materials; the distribution method still needs to be finalized at next week's meeting.
Reading Practice — Comprehension
- The stated purpose is to raise local residents' awareness of recycling.
- Fifteen volunteers have applied so far, with a projected total of around twenty.
- The two remaining issues are the number of staff members needed on the day (still under consideration) and the plan for rain (not yet decided).
- The three events under "today's plan" are, in order: deciding staff assignments next week, a final confirmation meeting the week after, and the event itself on the day.
Chapter Review — Sections A and B
Open-ended; check against the Core Vocabulary and Script and Orthography Focus sections above.
Chapter Review — Section C
See the grammar explanations and model answers above.
Chapter Review — Section D
See the Reading Practice comprehension answers above.
Chapter Review — Sections E and F, and Practical Performance Task
These are open-ended production tasks. Evaluate the written outline against the Writing Workshop checklist above, and evaluate the spoken presentation and Q&A against the assessment focus listed under the Practical Performance Task.
Looking Ahead
いまできること — What you can do now
You can organize a formal presentation into clear sections signaled with transition words; hedge a claim or projection appropriately; attribute information to a source aloud; comment on simple figures; frame an answer to an audience question politely, including a deferred answer; and read a set of presentation slides using terminology lists and Japanese typographic conventions. Chapter 10 is this unit's cumulative assessment, integrating operational keigo, meetings and negotiation, official documents and notices, and formal presentations from Chapters 6 through 9.