How to Present Numbers and Results in English

1 Example dialogue

Read the conversation. Then read it out loud. Try both parts.

Wei presents the quarterly sales results to his team and his manager, Claire, in a video meeting.

Wei OK, if you look at this chart, you can see our sales for the last four quarters.
Wei In the first quarter, sales rose sharply, by about 12%. That was mainly because of the new product.
Wei In the second quarter, they levelled off at around 3.2 million pounds.
Wei Then, in the third quarter, we saw a slight fall, of just under 2%. This was expected, because of the summer holidays.
Wei And this quarter, sales have recovered. We're now at 3.4 million, which is our best result so far.
Claire Thanks, Wei. What do you expect for next quarter?
Wei We expect steady growth, probably between 3 and 5%. But it depends on the new contract.

These are the most useful phrases from the dialogue, with what they mean and when to use them.

“If you look at this chart, you can see...”
A clear way to tell people what to look at. Use it at the start of each new slide.
“rose sharply / fell slightly”
Add an adverb to show how big the change was: sharply, significantly (big); slightly, gradually (small).
“by 12% / to 3.4 million”
"By" shows the size of the change. "To" shows the final number. This small difference is very important.
“levelled off at around...”
"Level off" means stop rising or falling and stay about the same.

UK / US: British English spells it "levelled" (double L). American English uses "leveled".
“just under / just over”
Use these for numbers near a round figure: "just under 2%" means 1.8% or 1.9%.
“This was mainly because of...”
Always explain why the numbers changed. This is what managers really want to hear.
“We expect... but it depends on...”
A careful way to talk about the future. You give a forecast, but you are honest about the risk.

Answer each question out loud, not in your head. Use the key phrases. If you can, record yourself on your phone and listen back.

Describe a number from your work that went up last year. Say how much it changed and why.
Say these numbers out loud: 3.25 million, 0.5%, 1,250, 18.7%.
Explain the difference: "Sales rose by 10%" and "Sales rose to 10 million".
Describe a chart with four points: a rise, a levelling off, a small fall and a recovery.
Your manager asks, "What do you expect next quarter?" Give a careful answer with "it depends on".

Many learners make these mistakes in this situation. Here is the natural version.

Not: The sales were increased by 10%.

Say: Sales increased by 10%.

"Increase", "rise" and "fall" usually don't need a passive form when you describe a trend.
Not: Three point twenty-five million.

Say: Three point two five million.

After the decimal point, say each number separately: "point two five", not "point twenty-five".
Not: Profit raised in March.

Say: Profit rose in March.

"Rise" (rose, risen) has no object. "Raise" needs an object: "We raised prices."
Not: Revenue was 3,4 million.

Say: Revenue was 3.4 million.

In English we use a full stop (point) for decimals and a comma for thousands: 3.4 million, 1,250 units.