Presentation & Academic Communication Guidance

Presentations and reports reward different skills from essays. A listener cannot re-read a slide they missed, and a report reader wants to find information quickly. Many students lose marks not on content but on how it is organised, shown and spoken.

What it means

Academic communication covers the ways you share your work beyond the written essay: seminar presentations, Referate, conference-style talks, posters, reports and the oral defence of a thesis, sometimes called a viva, Disputation or soutenance. Each has its own expectations.

This service helps you decide your core message, organise your material for the audience, present data so it is understood, and prepare for questions. It also helps if you feel confident writing in English but less confident speaking it.

Problems it addresses

• Slides full of text that you end up reading aloud
• A talk that runs over time, or rushes the most important part
• No clear message: the audience leaves without knowing your main point
• Tables and charts without labels, units or a sentence explaining what they show
• Reports where findings and interpretation are mixed together
• Recommendations that do not follow from the evidence
• Anxiety about unexpected questions, especially in a second language

When you might need it

• You have an assessed presentation, group presentation or poster session coming up.
• You are preparing for a thesis defence and want to practise explaining your choices.
• You need to present data and are unsure whether a table or a chart works better.
• Your report feedback mentions structure, executive summary or recommendations.
• You want to practise speaking in English in a low-pressure setting.

How the guidance works

1. Share brief, slides or report. Send the assessment criteria, time limit and your draft.
2. Agree scope and quote. We confirm whether guidance covers written feedback, a practice session or both.
3. Receive feedback or practice session. You get comments on structure, slides and data presentation, or you present over a video call and receive feedback on clarity, pace and signposting, with questions of the kind an examiner might ask.
4. Revise and present yourself. The content, slides and spoken words are yours.

What to prepare

• The assignment brief, marking rubric and any template
• Time limit, format and audience (seminar group, examiners, conference)
• Your draft slides, poster or report
• Speaker notes, if you have them
• Anonymised data, tables or charts you want to discuss
• Group-work rules, if it is a group assessment

What you receive

Depending on the scope agreed in your quote, this can include:

• written comments on your slides, poster or report
• an explained structure plan for your talk, showing how each part supports your main message
• a feedback summary of priorities, such as timing, text density or data labelling
• a list of likely questions to consider, so you can prepare answers in your own words
• feedback on delivery during a practice discussion by video call

Outside the scope

• Writing scripts, speaker notes or report sections for you
• Designing or building slide decks or posters
• Running calculations or analysis that are assessed
• Presenting on your behalf or joining an assessed session
• Guaranteeing a grade or a defence outcome

For group work, we only comment on your own contribution and respect your module's collaboration rules. See our academic integrity page.

An illustrative example

Frequently asked questions

Can you help with a group presentation?

Yes, we can comment on your own part and how it fits the group's structure. Check your module's rules on outside help for group assessments first.

I get nervous speaking English. Will practice help?

A practice session lets you rehearse with someone giving specific feedback on clarity and pace. A clear structure and a well-prepared opening often reduce nerves.

How should I plan before making slides?

Plan your message and structure first, then build slides. The presentation planner and our academic presentations guide walk you through it.