Effective Presentations
Build clear, confident academic presentations through step-by-step planning, structured language practice, visuals, delivery skills, and short presentation tasks.
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Course Overview
- • Plan presentations with a clear purpose, audience, and structure
- • Use signposting language to guide listeners through your ideas
- • Build stronger openings, transitions, explanations, and conclusions
- • Improve slide design, visual support, and spoken delivery
- • Practise in short stages before producing longer presentations
How this course works
Plan → Structure → Practise → Present → Reflect
Each topic gives you practical language, examples, listening or viewing tasks, and short presentation activities. Work through the cards in order, complete the interactive tasks, and use feedback to improve your next presentation.
Course Units
Welcome
Understand
- • How this course is organised and assessed
- • Participation norms and constructive peer feedback
Practice
Set one personal goal for your presentation skills
Topic 1 — Planning your presentation
Understand
- • What makes presentations effective
- • Time expressions and verb tenses
Practice
Short background-information presentations
Topic 2 — Introductions
Understand
- • What makes a strong introduction
- • How to introduce yourself and your talk
Practice
Giving the introduction to a presentation
Topic 3 — Linking the parts
Understand
- • Common ways to organise a presentation
- • Keywords and phrases for linking ideas
Practice
Signposting the organisation of your presentation
Topic 4 — The right kind of language
Understand
- • Why speaking beats reading from a script
- • Personal and impersonal language choices
Practice
Turning written wording into natural spoken language
Topic 5 — Visual aids
Understand
- • Visual design principles and effective slides
- • Describing trends, charts, and graphs
Practice
Designing and using visual aids in context
Pratice Week 1
Understand
- • Students practice giving presentations using the information l;earned so far in the course.
- • Topics are preferably about their major, but the Nike presentation can also be used.
Practice Week 2
Understand
- • Students practice giving presentations using the information l;earned so far in the course.
- • Topics are preferably about their major, but the Nike presentation can also be used.
Topic 6 — Body language
Understand
- • Why body language matters for credibility
- • Ways to emphasise or soften your message
Practice
Aligning delivery and language so your message stays clear and persuasive
Topic 7 — Finishing off
Understand
- • What a strong ending includes (signal, summary, recommendation, invitation)
- • Closing with clarity and confident delivery
Practice
Planning and delivering the closing section of a presentation
Topic 8 — Question time
Understand
- • Handling audience questions productively
- • Polite patterns for asking and answering questions
Practice
Managing question time after your presentation
Topic 9 — Putting it all together
Understand
- • Review what makes a presentation effective
- • Evaluate delivery, structure, and key language
Practice
Giving short presentations and evaluating peers
Preparation Week
Understand
- • Students can use this week to plan and prepare for the end of course exam