Oral presentations

What is an oral presentation?

Oral presentations are a common university assessment task. They require you to communicate information, ideas or an argument clearly to an audience within a set time.

University presentations require thorough preparation, just like written assessments. Your ideas should usually be supported by appropriate research and evidence, unless the assessment instructions ask you to draw on personal or professional experience.

A successful presentation is:

• Carefully planned
• Clearly and logically structured
• Well researched
• Supported by appropriate evidence and references
• Prepared using speaking notes rather than a full script
• Well-practised and rehearsed
• Delivered clearly and confidently

Planning your presentation

Before you begin preparing your presentation, make sure you understand the assessment requirements.

Check the assessment requirements

• Review the Subject Outline, assessment instructions, and marking criteria
• Check the presentation length, format, due date, and submission requirements
• Identify what you will be assessed on
• Ask your tutor or Subject Coordinator if any requirements are unclear

Analyse the task

Identify what the presentation is asking you to do. For example, you may be required to:

• Explain – Make something clear by describing how or why it happens and giving relevant reasons or details.
• Analyse – Break down the topic/question given and provide an in-depth account.
• Compare – Recognise and explain important similarities and differences between two or more objects, ideas, or theories.
• Evaluate – Judge the value, strengths and weaknesses, or significance of a particular topic, and give reasons for your assessment using evidence.
• Argue – Present reasons for or against a statement, proposal, or question and support a position using evidence in attempt to persuade the audience.
• Recommend – Suggest the most appropriate option or action based on available evidence.

Also identify the topic and any limits on what you need to discuss.

Consider your audience

Think about:

• What your audience may already know about the topic
• What information or terminology may need to be explained
• What information is most important for your audience to understand

Research your topic

Locate credible and relevant sources to support your presentation. As you research:

• Record the details of your sources
• Identify evidence that supports your main points
• Check the referencing requirements for your assessment

Plan your main ideas

Decide on the main points you need to communicate and arrange them in a logical order.

Aim to focus on the most important information rather than trying to include everything you have researched.

Structure your presentation

Most academic presentations include an introduction, body and conclusion.

Introduction

Your introduction should:

• Introduce the topic
• Explain the purpose or main argument of the presentation
• Give the audience an overview of what you will cover

Body

The body contains the main information, ideas or arguments.

• Organise the content into clear sections or main points
• Support important points with appropriate evidence or examples
• Use transitions to show how ideas connect
• Keep the presentation focused on the assessment task

Conclusion

Your conclusion should:

• Summarise the main points
• Reinforce the main message or argument
• Finish with a clear concluding statement

Create effective slides and visual aids

Slides and visual aids should support what you are saying rather than contain your entire presentation.

When designing slides:

• Avoid overcrowding slides – keep the text brief and focus on key points
• Explain or expand on the key points on your slides as you present
• Use a font size that can be easily read from the back of the room
• As a rough guide, you may use around 1–2 slides per minute, depending on the content
• Practise aloud and time yourself to make sure your presentation fits within the allocated time
• Use consistent formatting if sections have been split amongst group members
• Use images, graphs, tables or diagrams when they help explain information
• Make sure visuals are clear and used only when relevant
• Reference sources as required
• Avoid reading directly from your slides.

Before presenting, make sure you can access your presentation. Save a backup copy in another location, such as cloud storage, email or a USB drive, and check any technology requirements in advance.

Prepare speaking notes

Speaking notes or palm cards can help you remember your main points without relying on a full script.

Your notes might include:

• Keywords or short phrases
• Important evidence or examples
• Prompts for transitions between sections
• Reminders to change slides
• Difficult names or technical terms

Avoid writing full paragraphs where possible. Practise enough that you can speak naturally, using your notes only as prompts.