Now that you know how to manage the project, it's time to think about who you're presenting to and why. In this lesson, you will learn about tone and register.
Do you know what tone and register are? Can you describe the difference?
What are the different registers in language? Tell your teacher and give an example for each.
Picking tone and register
You will be presenting to senior members from the client's side. The audience will be a mix of VPs and senior members of the team. There might be someone from the C-suite. What tone and register should you use?
Grammar: register at work
You can use grammar to show different register. Study the table below and discuss it with your teacher.
| Grammar Focus | Function | Why | Example Sentences |
|---|---|---|---|
| Modal Verbs can/could, may/might, should, would, must | Politeness, tentativeness, assertiveness, hedging | They help soften language or express certainty-key for adapting tone. |
"Could you review the draft?" "We might consider delaying the rollout." "We should move forward this quarter." "There's a risk this might not solve the problem." |
| Passive Voice to be + past participle of main verb | Formality | Passive structures shift focus from the doer to the action to the outcome; common in reports and formal presentations. | "The test scripts were completed." (instead of "We completed the test scripts") |
| Conditionals first: if + simple present, will + base verb, second: if + simple past, would + base verb | Confidence, persuasion | Essential for professional tone when discussing consequences, recommendations, or risks. |
"If we miss the deadline, we'll need to escalate." (1st conditional, shows realistic future outcome) "If I had more time, I'd review it myself." (2nd conditional, diplomatic limitation) |
| Indirect Questions | Politeness, consultative | Softens requests and shows respect-useful in consultative register. |
"Could you let me know when you might finish?" "Would it be possible to delay the timeline?" "Do you happen to know if the boss is in?" |
Exercises
Now, choose the appropriate version for each scenario:
1. You're presenting to senior leadership. Which sentence is better?
a) "We'll just launch and see how it goes."
b) "We might consider delaying the rollout until after Q3."
Rewrite using a different grammar structure: ➡ "If we ___________, the rollout might ___________."
2. You want to ask your team lead to review your draft.
a) "Can you check this?"
b) "Could you take a quick look at the draft when you have a moment?"
Rewrite it with an indirect question: ➡ "Would it be possible for you to ____________?"
3. You're giving a project update in a formal meeting.
a) "We finished the report last night."
b) "The report was finalized yesterday."
Rewrite using a modal verb: ➡ "The report might __________ by end of week as well."
4. You're talking to a colleague casually.
a) "There's a risk that the implementation may face some delays."
b) "Looks like this might get pushed back."
Now rewrite the same idea in a formal tone using hedging and passive: ➡ "There's a chance the project __________ due to unforeseen factors."
You have been asked you to give a 10-15 minute presentation to the VP of Strategy, two senior managers, and a couple of analysts from the client's side. Your goal is to persuade them to move forward with your team's recommendation. They've already seen the data, so your job is to drive the point home with confidence, clarity, and appropriate tone.
You are talking to a senior consultant at your firm about this task. You want to check the tone and register you should use.
Read this to begin:
Thanks for making time for me. Before I finalize my script, I wanted to get your thoughts on the tone for in the presentation.
Continue the role play with your teacher. Answer their questions.
Matching the tone and register to your audience and tailoring your language accordingly is very important. Can you think of an instance where a speaker or presenter has got this wrong? What were the results or outcome?
Here are some more links if you are interested in this language aspect and teaching point:
https://theenglishfarm.com/blog/english-fluency-business-success-tips
https://theenglishfarm.com/blog/grammar-essentials-elements-language