Speaking Effectively

Students are often asked to develop and support a point of view in an oral presentation, either individually or in groups. While effective oral arguments have much in common with effective written arguments, they have some distinctive characteristics as well.

Oral presentation skills - Princeton University
A brief description of key skills required to make an effective oral presentation, including preparation, organization, and delivery, developed by the McGraw Center for Teaching and Learning

Brief Guide to Effective Oral Presentations (Microsoft Word 75kB Apr17 09)
A one-page handout for students describing the key elements of an effective oral presentation, developed by the Educational Initiatives Director of the National Communication Association

Designing effective oral presentations - Rice University
An excellent resource for students about preparing an oral presentation for an academic audience, including suggestions for analyzing the audience, choosing and organizing content, practicing delivery, and using visual aids, prepared by the university's On-Line Writing Lab

Persuasive speaking - Iowa State University
Notes for students on types and purposes of persuasive speaking; alternative organizational patterns in persuasive presentations; types of supporting material; and logic and reasoning.

The structure of oral presentations - University of Pennsylvania
A brief handout for students describing the principal organizational components of an effective oral presentation, from the university's Communication Across the Curriculum Program

Speaking and oral presentations resources - Rice University
A large compendium of on-line resources developed by the Cain Project in Engineering and Professional Communication for a variety of oral communication assignments – individual presentations, group presentations, poster presentations, interview assignments, and interactive lectures. Some of the links are specific to scientific and technical presentations, but many have more general application

Oral Presentation Comprehensive Rubric for Instruction and Evaluation (Microsoft Word 77kB Apr17 09) - AAC&U VALUE Project Oral Communication Team
A detailed rubric for evaluating oral presentations that doubles as an instructional handout for students, developed by an inter-institutional team of faculty and speech-communication professionals participating in the VALUE metarubric project sponsored by the American Association of Colleges and Universities