Presentation Skills

“Speaking is not just about saying things — it’s about embodying your thinking and giving it strength.”

Workshop Overview & Objectives

Offered as part of the Academic Excellence Program, the Presentation Skills workshop equips students with the tools to speak clearly, confidently, and persuasively in academic and professional contexts.

Far from improvisation or recitation, this workshop treats oral presentations as strategic and structured acts of communication. Speaking effectively means thinking before speaking, planning your message, adapting to your audience, and delivering ideas with clarity and impact. Students learn how to structure a presentation, engage listeners, manage their voice and body language, and speak with credibility in diverse settings — from debates to interviews, from pitch sessions to academic oral exams.

By the end of the workshop, students are able to build and deliver compelling oral presentations with confidence, precision, and presence — a vital skill across disciplines, careers, and leadership roles.

Who Is This Workshop For?

This workshop is ideal for students who want to:

  • Build or improve their public speaking confidence
  • Learn to organize and express their ideas clearly in front of an audience
  • Prepare for oral exams, interviews, debates, or academic presentations
  • Develop strong communication skills that are essential for leadership and collaboration

It is suitable for both students who are naturally comfortable speaking and those who feel anxious but are ready to improve.

Why This Skill Matters? 7 Key Reasons

  1. Because speaking is thinking out loud: Clear, structured speaking reflects clear, structured thinking.
  2. Because higher education includes many oral assessments: Oral exams, presentations, and project pitches all demand clarity and control.
  3. Because ideas have no impact if they are poorly communicated: Great thoughts need strong delivery to be heard, understood, and remembered.
  4. Because persuasion depends on how you speak: Voice, tone, pace, posture — all shape how your message is received.
  5. Because communication is a core professional skill: From meetings to negotiations, leadership requires strong verbal expression.
  6. Because oral expression can be learned like any academic discipline: Effective public speaking is not a gift — it’s a method.
  7. Because clarity and presence distinguish those who lead: Presentation skills set apart the confident thinkers from the silent executors.

What Happens If You Don’t Develop This Skill?

  1. You’ll struggle to express your ideas effectively: Even great ideas fall flat if delivery is hesitant or unclear.
  2. Stage fright or stress can become a major obstacle: Without training, speaking in front of others often creates fear and avoidance.
  3. Your presentations may lack structure and impact: Without planning, speeches can become scattered, dull, or confusing.
  4. Opportunities may slip away: Whether in interviews, discussions, or group work, poor speaking skills are a disadvantage.
  5. You risk becoming dependent on scripts or visual aids: Reading slides or memorizing lines can block real communication.
  6. Your ability to collaborate and lead is weakened: Strong teams and leaders communicate clearly and convincingly.
  7. You miss a powerful tool for influence: Those who speak well are heard, respected, and trusted.

Skills You’ll Build & How the Workshop Works

This workshop helps students develop structured, engaging, and confident oral communication. It balances intellectual preparation (what to say) with expressive control (how to say it).

Students will learn to:

  • Build the structure of a speech or presentation
  • Use their voice and body language effectively
  • Engage and adapt to different audiences
  • Speak with clarity, confidence, and flow
  • Use rhetorical tools to persuade or explain
  • Handle stress, timing, and improvisation when needed

The Workshop Is Structured in 5 Modules:

Module 1: What Makes a Good Presentation?

Analyze examples of oral presentations to identify what works (and what doesn’t).

Key skill: Developing a critical understanding of effective communication.

Module 2: Preparing Your Message

Learn to interpret prompts, define goals, and build the structure of your presentation.

Key skill: Organizing your content for clarity and impact.

Module 3: Persuasive Speaking & Argumentation

Learn to build and deliver a clear thesis, with persuasive arguments adapted to the audience.

Key skill: Speaking to convince and inform with purpose.

Module 4: Mastering Voice, Body & Presence

Train your breathing, tone, posture, gestures, and eye contact.

Key skill: Delivering your message with confidence and presence.

Module 5: Practice & Performance

Practice different formats: debates, interviews, project pitches, impromptu speeches.

Key skill: Adapting your message and delivery to various high-stakes contexts.

Workshop Duration

Total: 45 hours, divided into 5 sessions of 9 hours. Each session includes 6 training periods, alternating between:

  • Technical instruction
  • Guided analysis of presentations
  • Rehearsals and feedback
  • Live practice in real or simulated conditions

This format ensures consistent progress and builds lasting habits of clarity, preparation, and presence.

Support & Guidance

The workshop uses individualized tutoring and group coaching, tailored to each student’s level and goals.

  • Personalized feedback on delivery and structure
  • Practical techniques to manage nerves and uncertainty
  • Individual progress tracking
  • Encouragement to develop a personal speaking style
  • Emphasis on building confidence and genuine presence, not performance tricks

What’s Expected from Students

Success depends on the student’s active commitment and engagement. Presentation skills are built over time — through trial, feedback, and refinement.

Students are expected to:

  • Take an active role in their own progress
  • Participate in all practice activities
  • Be open to feedback and willing to step out of their comfort zone
  • Prepare between sessions and rehearse seriously
  • View challenge and exposure as part of the learning process, not as failure
  • Respect the workshop format and the feedback of peers and tutors

Entry Requirements

Admission requires a MarcoPolo Academy placement test evaluating:

  • Verbal expression
  • Confidence level and clarity of speech
  • Ability to structure a spoken message
  • Capacity to adapt in real-time

The workshop is open to students with a solid command of spoken English and a desire to grow their presence, clarity, and confidence in formal speaking situations.

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