1. Communication and
Presentation Skills
Associate Professor Martin Davies
Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT)
wmdavies@unimelb.edu.au

2. Quotes about Public Speaking
“There are two types of speakers: Those that are nervous
and those that are liars”
Mark Twain
“People's Number One Fear is Public Speaking.
Number Two Fear is death. Death is Number Two!!!
Now, this means, to the average person, if you have to
go to a funeral, you're better off in the casket than doing
the eulogy!!"
Jerry Seinfeld

3. Outline
• The Art of Public Speaking
– What we value in a communicator
– A Fail-safe Structure
• Introductions
• Body
• Conclusions
• Tips for “Making an Impact”
• Preparing for a presentation

4. Common Mistakes
• Not preparing well
• Rushing one’s presentation
• Not looking confident and ‘in control’
• Bad eye contact and gesture
• Disorganised structure, rambling delivery
• Reading one’s speech
• Pitching the speech too high or low
• Complex overheads

5. The Art of Public Speaking
• It takes years to be a good public speaker, but you may
never become excellent
• Few people are “naturals”, most need to learn by practise
and from experience (practise alone is not enough)
• Take every opportunity—it is a crucial skill for gaining
employment and for life
• Consider joining Rostrum or Toastmasters
– http://www.rostrum.com.au/
– http://www.toastmasters.org.au/

6. What we value … (1)
• Directness: make your point and move on, no rambling or
verbosity
• The main claim: Get to this quickly. The whole talk hinges
on it. Make it relevant to the audience
• Simplicity: Any intelligent person in the field should be
able to follow you.
• Confidence: direct eye contact and good gestures, no
“false modesty”

7. What we value … (2)
• Planning: Well structured, 3 part presentations:
Introduction, Body and Conclusion
• Organisation: Use of connector language to guide
audience through speech
– Following on from this….
– My main point is…
– The central argument is..
– The evidence points to…
– There are three main issues here… firstly, secondly, thirdly
– What this suggests is…
– Finally I want to…

8. The golden rule
• Tell them what you’re going to tell them
• Tell them
• Tell them what you told them

9. A Fail-safe Structure (1)
• Introduction
– Gets interest of audience
– Gives main point/model to be tested
– Flags the structure of the talk
• Body
– Gives details, main evidence and arguments
• Conclusion
– Sums up main point(s)
– Ends with general remarks/implications/suggestions
about future work needed
(10: 80: 10)

10. The Introduction

11. Introductions
1. Appetiser/Attention getter
– Can be interesting fact/dramatic
comparison/quotation/ surprising statistic etc
2. Main point(s)/argument: “Today I am going to …” (this
will short and precise)
3. [Justification of talk: Why talk is needed]
4. Outline of content of speech: “The talk will cover 4 main
points. Firstly … Secondly …

12. Language: formal or less formal?
• Perhaps we should begin • OK, let’s get started
• Good morning, ladies and • Morning, everyone
gentlemen
• Thanks for coming
• For those of you who don’t
know me already, my • As you know, I’m…
name’s… • What I’d like to do today is
• This morning I’d like to talk to you about / show
discuss / report on / you…
present….. • Feel free to ask any
• If you have any questions you like as we go
questions, I’ll happily along
answer them as we go
• Perhaps we can leave any • And don’t worry, there’ll be
questions you have until the plenty of time left over for
end questions at the end

13. The Body

14. Make it interesting
 “Many empirical studies have focused on tests of the
Expectations Hypothesis (EH) relating interest rates at different
maturities. …
 “Recently there has been lots of media attention on interest
rates. The PM has indicated his belief that interest rates should
not go higher (pause). The Opposition has foreshadowed
“doom and gloom” (pause). So what are practical implications
of rises for people with mortgages? (pause). Well, a number of
studies suggest that…”

15. Body of Talk
• Use connector language to guide the listener AND TO
MAKE TRANSITIONS THROUGHOUT TALK
• Identify each point and the follow with supporting
– Arguments
– Facts
– Evidence
– Examples

16. ‘Signpost language’
• First of all… • To move on …
• Which brings me to my second • Allow me to recap…
point… • To turn to…
• Most importantly… • The result of all of this…
• On the other hand... • To digress…
• To be more specific… • If I could just elaborate…
• Let’s look at an example.. • To summarize…

17. Example
• “The third point I want to make is this. (pause) That XXX. This can be
seen in the following example, … (pause) It is clear from this that …
(pause) Let’s look at this chart to see why. (pause) As you can see ….
(pause) Now let’s move on to the last point.
Summarise occasionally:
• “We have just looked at X,.. So now let’s go on to discuss how
X has an impact on Y”
Modulate your voice:
• Let your voice roam and have peaks and troughs.

18. Language Used
• Public speaking experts refer to a heightened
conversational style.
• In-between “formal” and “informal”
• Do not read your speech. Only use “headings” or
lists of points to guide you.
• Practise it

19. More Golden Rules
DON’T APOLOGISE
DON’T READ DON’T RUSH
Get to the point quickly
Show enthusiasm

20. The Conclusion

21. “ummm, that’s the end of my talk, thanks”

22. Conclusions
1. Cue the audience you are about to end:
– “I have just have one more point I want to make
before finishing ..”
– “Well, I have covered my main points and I just want to
conclude by …”
2. Sum up the points (no details). Don’t waffle on and don’t
rush!
3. Hint at implications/further work
4. Smile. Pause. Thank the audience for their attention and
invite questions. Remain standing.

23. Making an Impact (12)
Welcome Questions from Your Audience
• Treat questions as an opportunity to get your message
across better.
• Questions will often remind you of things to say.
• Give yourself time to think: “Thank you for that question.
Can I paraphrase it so I am clear? You are asking if …. Is
that your point?
• If you can’t answer a question: Thank the questioner and
tell them you will investigate the issue further and get
back to them

24. Making an Impact

25. Making an Impact (1)
Leave Nothing to Chance
• Check everything before you are due to speak –
room, seating, visibility, acoustics and equipment.
• Does everything work! (have backups)
• Do you know how to move from PP to OHP to
visualiser?
• How do you use the whiteboard effectively?

26. Making an Impact (2)
Know Exactly How to Start
• Plan the first minute of your presentation down to the last
detail.
• Try to memorize your opening words. This helps you to
sound confident and in control. However don’t sound
“scripted”.
• Start and finish are MOST important

27. Making an Impact (3)
Get Straight to The Point
• Don’t waste time on long boring introductions.
• Try to make at least one powerful statement in the first
two minutes.
• Connect your topic to a current issue and make it relevant
to the audience.
• Move from general to specific:
– the importance of the reserve bank to the economy to interest
rates;
– personal hygiene to the use of a particular hair product

28. Making an Impact (4)
Make it Relevant to your Audience
• “Recently there has been lots of attention about interest
rates in the media. The PM has indicated that he thinks
that interest rates should not go higher (pause). The
Opposition has foreshadowed “doom and gloom”. (pause)
The issue of rising interest rates has real practical
implications for people with mortgages. (pause). …Today
I am going to talk to you about the threat of rising interest
rates in the Australian economy… My presentation will
cover four areas: 1) 2) 3) 4)….

29. Making an Impact (5)
Talk to Your Audience
• Many of the best presentations sound more like
conversations.
• So, refer back to your audience
– ask them questions
– respond to their reactions
• Rhetorical questions (that you answer) are effective
– “So what can be concluded about this kind of evidence? (pause)
Well …”
– “Can anyone see what might be wrong with this data?” (pause)
One problem is …
• Interaction is good but ask open not closed questions.

30. Making an Impact (6)
Know What Works
• Certain things are always popular with an audience:
– personal experiences,
– stories with a message,
– dramatic comparisons,
– Interesting facts they didn’t know

31. Making an Impact (7)
Be Concise
• Keep your sentences short and simple. Use deliberate
pauses to punctuate your speech.
• ‘What I want to talk about today is X (pause). There has been
a lot of interest in this recently (pause)…
• The first, (pause) and most important point (pause) is this:…
(pause)
• Speeches are NOT like assignments
• Write your speech out in simple sentences and read them
aloud into a tape recorder/ use Flashcards to remind you

32. Making an Impact (8)
Speak Naturally
• Don’t be afraid to hesitate when you speak, but make
sure you pause in the right places.
• A certain amount of hesitation is quite natural.
• You will have the natural tendency to “race”. This must be
controlled.
• Getting practical experience in presenting is the best way
to overcome this.

33. Making an Impact (9)
Take Your Time
• Whenever you make a really important point, pause and
let the full significance of what you have said sink in …
before you move on.
• Pausing is very effective in speeches (helps you as well as
the audience)
• You will tend to RACE because you are nervous – you
MUST control this

34. Making an Impact (10)
Common Beginners’ Problems:
• You will speaker faster than you think you are!
• You will over-prepare content! (and try to rush through)
• You will find that it is hard to keep the central idea clear!
– Use rhetorical questions:
• “So how does this relate to X? …”
– Summarise occasionally:
• “We have just looked at X,.. So now let’s go on to discuss how
X has an impact on Y”
– Be sure to keep the main message in focus during the
talk

35. Visuals

36. Making an Impact (11)
Visuals
• Don’t put boring tables of figures and long lines of text on
the overhead and read them out.
• NO LESS than 20 point font, and no fancy transitions or
sounds
• Use simplified diagrams
• Experiment with three-dimensional charts, cartoons, clear
typefaces – anything to catch your audience’s attention.
• BUT keep visuals simple and clear

37. Visual support
DON’T:
• use fonts smaller than 18pt
• use fancy transitions or sounds
• show and read boring figures or text
• hide behind the equipment

38. Visual support
DO:
• show only the main points
• keep visuals simple and clear
• use visuals to augment

39. Good or Bad?

40. Good or Bad?

41. Good or Bad?
The Bad

42. Good or Bad?

43. Good or Bad?

44. Good or Bad?
Sample Letter Advocating for Restoration of “Arthritis Care and Education” Funding
The Honorable ____________
Ohio House of Representatives
77 South High Street
Columbus, OH 43266-0603
Dear Representative ____________,
I am writing to ask for your support in restoring funding for the “Arthritis Care and Education” program which has been eliminated in Governor
Taft’s proposed 2002-2003 budget. As a member of the House Finance and Appropriations Committee, your support of the “Arthritis Care and Education” is
particularly important for this critical program’s continuance.
Arthritis is a painful and debilitating group of 100 diseases that affects 43 million Americans, including 23 million women and nearly 300,000
children. The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) names arthritis as the leading cause of disability in the nation, costing the
American economy $82.5 billion a year in medical expenses and lost productivity. Ohio has a particularly high occurrence of arthritis, with over 25% of the
population affected, costing an estimated $4 million annually. Arthritis is a serious public health issue that the “Arthritis Care and Education” program has
addressed in several important ways.
The “Arthritis Care and Education” program was created in 1977 (Am. Sub. House Bill 191) with the goal to “make optimum diagnostic,
treatment and rehabilitation services available and accessible to all clients and families with arthritis and related musculoskeletal diseases in Ohio.” Ohio
demonstrated its public health leadership with this program, the first of its kind in the nation. In 2001, the program will fund 12 projects at hospitals, local health
departments, community action agencies, voluntary agencies, arthritis treatment centers and clinics, and academic medical centers throughout the state. Project
activities will include exercise programs, patient education courses, support groups, in-home counseling, information and referral services, public awareness
initiatives, medical student rheumatology rotations, as well as juvenile rheumatoid arthritis nutrition monitoring, counseling, and education. These are critical
programs that simply must continue, if not increase, in the future.
Extensive research has documented and validated early detection and treatment, as well as educational services, as important components in
the prevention of disabilities and deformities associated with arthritis. The federal government recognized the value of such preventive measures when it began
funding the CDC’s “National Arthritis Action Plan” (NAAP) in 1998. Ohio successively competed with other states for one of the first CDC NAAP grants. The 2-
year, $60,200 grant is supporting the development of arthritis surveillance in Ohio, as well as the production of an “Ohio Arthritis Action Plan.” Work is already
underway to seek another CDC NAAP. However, the ability to attract such federal funding hinges significantly on the continuance of the “Arthritis Care and
Education” program.
Without the “Arthritis Care and Education” program, Ohio will fall seriously behind in addressing the critical public health needs of its citizens
with arthritis. In addition, all of Ohio will bear the financial burden of increased medical expenses and lost productivity. Please support the restoration of funding
for the “Arthritis Care and Education” program in the 2002-2003 budget.
Sincerely,

45. Preparation

46. Preparing for a Speech (1)
• Write your speech in full in short sentences, keeping a
conversational style
• Convert them to prompts and key words
• Write them on small “flash cards”
• Practice until you only need the flashcards
• Conceal the flashcards in your hand.

47. Preparing for a Speech (2)
• Practise in front of a mirror
• Better still use a tape recorder (sound or video)
• You’ll feel quite nervous, at first.
• If you make regular practice recordings, your nervousness
will leave you (a little)
• Important: Then practise in front of an audience, your
family or friends.

48. Preparing for a Speech (3)
• Nervousness:
– Some call it “excitement”. Symptoms are the same.
– You need it to perform well
– Make the mental jump from: “I can’t do it” to “This is
an opportunity too good to pass up”.
– Use positive visualization. Imagine the audience.
– No-one wants you to fail or do a bad job.

49. Preparing for a Speech (4)
• What to do with your hands and body
– Open-handed gestures (not fists, leaning or pointing)
– Gesture twice in each sentence when practising
– Move your torso to face different parts of the audience
(movement is more interesting)
– An occasional steady, confident walk
– Don’t hide behind equipment!
– Moving between different visual media is good, but
don’t overdo it

50. Final Tips …
• Dress appropriately (it does make a difference!)
• Use a lot of gesture for emphasis (overuse in practice)
• Use constant eye contact which ranges across the entire
audience (3 places in audience)
• Use connector language to mark out the parts of your
speech
• Smile (VERY IMPORTANT!!!)

51. Final Tips …
• Use examples which your audience can relate to
• Use surprising facts and statistics to gain interest
• DON'T HIDE BEHIND THE EQUIPMENT. Move around a bit
(but DON'T pace nervously)
• DON'T walk in front of your powerpoint slides
• Make sure that you summarise your main points and do
NOT just say: "we'll that's it" and walk off!
• Conclude appropriately by asking for questions.

52. Prepare
• Create flash cards
• Consider using a mirror or tape recorder
• Be aware many speeches run over time: does yours?
• Practise:
again
and again
and again
and again
and again
and again
and again

53. Group Presentations

54. Group Presentations
• Opportunity to do much more than an individual can do.
– Planning
– Practice
– Execution / Delivery
• Every stage is important as a team:
– MENTAL: the way you think, structure information, etc.
– VISUAL the way you look
– VOCAL the way you sound
– VERBAL the way you talk

55. Creating a Group Presentation: PLANNING
• Build your line-up- identify the strengths and weaknesses of each
member and determine best role fit
– Who is the best “opener”?
– Who is most confident?
– Teams do not have to “give all speakers a go”. Some team
members might do more research for the presentation.
• Decide on presentation style - it is ONE presentation!
– How is it going to be pitched?
– How will each presenter contribute?
– What is the “Team Line”?

56. Creating a Group Presentation: PLANNING
• Be a team, look like a team, sound like a team:
– dress similarly, match the event
– Avoid a mixture of strong and weak presenters. Work on
uniformity of delivery: in tone, length, style
• Transitions between speakers
– Don’t do a “your next” transition: “That was my bit, now here is
Xu”. This is unprofessional and boring.
– Transition to the next speaker: I have just outlined X and Y, now
we are going to hear from Dong about Z.
OR
– Sum up the point of the previous speaker: “We have just heard
Xin talking about X and Y, and making the point that Z. (pause)
Now I am going to elaborate on the Y point and look at …”.
– “Round off” by having the first speaker come back to finish.

57. Creating a Group Presentation: EXECUTION/DELIVERY
• Set-up and test – equipment, positioning
• Introduce team and topic
• Give overview
• Pay full attention to team-mates
• Monitor time
• Handle questions well
• Note: Teams do not have to use all team members in the
same way! Consider:
– Role plays
– Props
– Involvement of audience in games or activities

58. Creating a Group Presentation – PRACTISE
• Recognise the difference between spoken and written
language.
• Learn to work from bullets, don’t read notes.
• Not a theatre performance where all lines are learned.
• Use and test aids and props – laptop, microphone, visuals,
positioning
• Give honest feedback to each other
• Positive imaging – imagine your success !

59. In Conclusion
• Good communication skills, including presentation skills,
are vital for your studies, your future work, and your life
• Follow the tips for good public speaking
• Prepare well and make a conscious effort to learn the art
of public speaking
• Take EVERY opportunity to practise
• Some of this material is published in:
Martin Davies (2011) Study Skills for International
Postgraduate Students. Basingstoke: Palgrave, MacMillan.

60. Enjoy it!