Presentations & Group Working
Presentations
Making Academic Presentations
23-minute video
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Top Tips for Academic Presentations
Academic presentations are a common method of assessment in business and law at University. Here are some top tips for making successful academic presentations:
Tip 1: Have a clear structure and use signposting
When writing an essay or report, you would usually structure it clearly by introducing the issue, addressing the key points logically and in turn, and then concluding the overall piece of work.
An academic presentation should be produced in the same way. There should be a clear overall structure that makes sense and provides signposts for your audience. For more help with the idea of signposting, see our hand-out on this topic.
Tip 2: Make sure the tone is academic
Remember that your presentation is a formal piece of course work, so:
Explain how what you are saying is supported by evidence, where relevant.
Reference your sources on your slides/hand-outs.
Tip 3: Use your slides to support your presentation
Remember that your slides are a visual aid to support what you are saying.
This is a formal piece of academic work, so ensure that your slides are formal, clear and straightforward to read.
A simple colour theme that avoids excessive animation/sounds will help you to keep your audience focused on the subject, rather than on the presentation itself. With academic presentations, “less is more”.
Tip 4: Engagement with the audience
Avoid simply reading the text from slides (or note cards) to your audience, practise using your slides to guide you
Be formal but friendly, making eye contact with the audience and remaining focused, to support your presentation (for more help with presentation nerves and communication, see our handout on this topic).
Give the audience the opportunity to ask questions, if relevant.
Overcoming presentation nerves
Concerned about giving academic presentations? Here are our top tips for overcoming nerves...
Before the presentation:
Think positive, and pretend that you are having fun! “You are more likely to act yourself into feeling than feel yourself into action” (attributed to Jerome Bruner, Harvard psychologist).
Aim to be able to deliver the presentation without the use of your visual aids if (use index cards, if allowed/needed). Remember you are the person delivering the information, the slides are simply visual aids for your audience
If you have a choice, being the first group to present is often the best option (everyone else will be too worried about their own presentation to worry about yours).
Practise. Don’t practise until you get it right, practise until you can’t get it wrong.
Nerves can be a useful tool to keep you alert. If you are really nervous, try keeping moving prior to the presentation (to burn off some of the nervous energy).
During the presentation:
Stand in a confident position, and take a deep breath.
Pause for a few seconds before starting. This can help you to focus, and will encourage people to be quiet. Have some water to drink if you want to create a natural pause.
Try to slow down your speaking voice (lowering your pitch helps with this), and try as hard as you can to project your voice.
If you feel confident enough, make eye contact with audience members as you speak. Engaging with people is the best way to get them on your side and make yourself feel more comfortable. If you are nervous ask two friends to sit at opposite sides of the room, and look from one to the other while you are presenting (this makes it look as though you are scanning the audience).
Alternatively, look at the back of the room, just above the heads of the audience (everyone assumes that you are looking at somebody behind them, and they pay attention!)
If you get stuck, don’t worry. Pause and start the sentence again. Nobody will mind, and you will quickly get back into the rhythm of the presentation this way.
Group Working
Working and studying in groups supportively
Encourage others – let others know what they are doing well. Ask their opinions and let people know if you appreciate their particular contribution. People really appreciate being told they have done something well, had a good idea or made a useful contribution. Don’t you?
Collaborate with others – if you find a really good resource for an assignment or a work task let others know. Discuss what you have read, or how you cope with problems that arise while you are studying. Share ideas on things like balancing study, work and home commitments, or where to buy IT supplies at a good price. If you share some useful information with someone else they will probably share some with you.
Co-operate with others – Help each other out. Have you got a book that somebody else would find useful? Can you help somebody with their group task and make things easier. It might make the overall result of the project better. Offer constructive criticism – We all hate being criticised but sometimes, when you are working in a group, you might not agree with an idea or the way something is being done. This is difficult but it can be made easier with a little thought. Only criticise the thing that needs criticising, don’t let it get personal.
E.g. if somebody is always late in submitting their work to the group, you might need to discuss it with them. Which of the following ways of raising this do you think would receive the best response from a colleague?
1. You always submit your work late, you are letting the group down, you are so lazy!
2. Your work tends to be submitted late, this is making it a bit difficult to meet our deadlines. Do you have a problem that is causing this?
The first response criticises the person directly. The word ‘you’ is used three times and the person is being accused of being late, letting the group down and being lazy. How would you respond to this?
The second response focuses on the work, it explains the problem it is causing and asks if there is a reason for the lateness. It is much more likely to receive a positive response and an improvement, or reveal a problem that the group didn’t know about.
Giving criticism constructively is a skill that needs to be developed, it is not easy, some ways to make it easier might be to:
Only offer criticism if you are asked to or if it is really necessary, not just because something irritates you.
Point out what is good and can be improved on rather than being completely negative feedback
Comment on the behaviour or work, not on the person.
Be realistic – if you are suggesting changes think about what can be achieved, you are not going to be able to bring about massive changes in one go, suggesting something that is unattainable may well lead to no change being made, or even a deterioration.
Be selective – choose one or two things that are important, or can be improved upon in the time available and concentrate on them.
Be precise – give clear examples of what you are talking about, make sure the person understands what you are telling them.
Be sympathetic – use a voice and manner that will help others to accept your criticism, don’t be aggressive or nagging.
Taking criticism – as well as being able to give criticism constructively it is also important to be able to take it. It is important to remember that nobody is perfect and we will all be criticised at some time in our lives. If this happens to you in group work it is important to:
Listen to what is being said.
Think about what is being said, and look to find the truth in it, it’s very easy to want to justify our actions to ourselves and others but just stop and think about whether what the person is saying might be true.
Ask questions, clarify what is being said, make sure you understand it and negotiate how you will do things differently, or calmly explain why you feel it should be done that way.
Working in a group and making it work
Group work can be difficult but it is a fact of life. It is necessary to work in groups and teams at university and in the workplace. This can be difficult for some people for all sorts of reasons. This advice is designed to help you find strategies to make group work easier for you.
Do you find working in groups difficult?
Ask yourself why you find working in a group difficult. Do any of the following reason sound familiar to you?
you are shy and do not like to speak up
you prefer to work in isolation
you do not trust other students to produce the level of work you want to produce
lack of co-operation from fellow students
other reasons that you cannot quite put your finger on
Whatever the reason why you find group work difficult, it is something you are going to have to get used to doing at university and in your career, so now is the time to start making it work for you.
How to start working with a group
When you are given an assignment that involves group work it is advisable to have a group meeting as soon as possible to:
decide how you will progress with the assignment
decide what role each of you will take in the group
arrange review meetings
set goals and deadlines
Making the first meeting a success
If the first group meeting is a success you have a much better chance of working well together and producing an assignment that will get a good grade. There are ways of helping to make it a success.
Make sure everyone has their say at the meeting. This may involve encouraging some people to speak up and say what they think. Some people might not speak willingly but that does not mean they do not have an opinion, and they may leave feeling resentful.
Make sure everyone is reasonably happy with what they have been asked to do. It is true that some people will not be able to do what they wanted but it is best to ensure that nobody is doing something they really hate or are not very good at.
Make sure everyone understands what they have been asked to do and that everyone feels they can talk to somebody in the group if they have doubts.
Agree the date and time of the next meeting and ensure, as far as possible, that it is convenient for everyone.
Suggest that if somebody finds they are not able to come to a future meeting, that they can send a progress report and that they will be kept up to date, so they still feel that they are part of the group.
What happens when somebody doesn’t pull their weight?
You might find that some people don’t turn up for group meetings, don’t produce the work that has been allocated to them and don’t appear to take any interest in the group. This is a common problem, but before you start to write them off there are a few things to think about.
The meeting times may not be convenient for them. They may have childcare issues or a job; see if a change of time would help them or venue. It may be easier for them to communicate on line by e-mail, chat room etc.
Do they understand what they have been asked to do? Are they struggling to fulfil their obligations?
Have they left things so long that they have become embarrassed to turn up?
Has something happened in their life that you are not aware of that might be affecting their ability to participate?
Is there a problem such as language that may be making it difficult for them to participate?
Try to communicate with them in a supportive way in the first instance. There may be a misunderstanding or problem that can be overcome.
What happens if it all goes wrong?
Keep good records as you go along
Whilst you should always try to overcome the problem in a supportive way you should also keep a record of correspondence. If you need to talk to your tutor about the situation, this will be your evidence.
Put everything in writing in an e-mail and keep it.
Use your university e-mail for all correspondence with the group. Set up a folder for e-mails for that project and file all outgoing and incoming e-mails in it. This is your record of what happened within the group.
After meetings send an e-mail to everyone in the group, whether they attended or not, just confirming what happened in the meeting and updating everyone on the current situation.
What to do next
Eventually, you might need to talk to your tutor, but make sure you have done everything you can to resolve the situation before going to do so.
Think about the following questions. Can you answer them positively?
o Was I encouraging to the person concerned?
o Have I done everything I can to resolve this situation?
o Did anything happen during the group work that may have caused this situation?
Finally, when everything else has been tried, you may need to report the situation to the tutor who set the work. Do this in a formal way by showing them your evidence and telling them what you have done to try to resolve the situation. Go to the meeting with a clear case, not just a list of complaints, and put the case calmly without making accusations.
Preparing a group assignment
With group assignments, variations in formatting, writing style and presentation can leave your marker with the impression of an unchecked piece of work, and lose your group marks.
Use this simple checklist to maximise your marks:
Consistency with presentation:
Does your assignment use a consistent typeface size, style and colour throughout?
Is your work aligned correctly (does it have the same margins) throughout?
Consistency with writing style:
Is the entire piece of work written in a consistent tone, for example, using a formal style, with no use of contractions and in the third person?
Has it all been fully checked using the same spelling & grammar checker so that it is all correctly written with UK spellings?
Is the entire piece of work written in full sentences and paragraphs of consistent length (avoiding extremely short/long paragraphs)?
Consistency with evidence:
Are all the citations and references presented in the same style, and are all citations included in the reference list?
If you make your group assignment look and feel like a single piece of work, it will be easier for your marker to read, and this will create a positive impression of your work. Providing your content is accurate, this means you will get higher marks!
Keeping Group Work Records
Download a group work meeting record template in PDF or Word format
Why use this document?
This document lets you:
Ensure that group tasks are allocated and agreed
Keep an accurate record of meetings (this is a helpful productivity tool and is also a great way of protecting yourself, and your other group members if anything goes wrong)
Tips for use
Complete one group meeting record for each meeting
Type the document up during/after the meeting, so it can be shared with all group members, and easily saved
For some subjects/units, students are instructed to agree on the proportional contribution of each group member (to share marks). The optional individual contribution record can be a good way of keeping a group on track, even if this isn’t part of your group project’s marking scheme.
Dealing with group work problems
Sometimes things do not go right or personalities clash. Below are four common problems and how to deal with them.
Strong Emotions
Strong emotions can arise in group work for a number of reasons:
Strong opinions – somebody may have a strong opinion about what they are saying. If you reject their opinion they may also feel rejected. This doesn’t mean you should necessarily accept their opinion, but argue your case calmly and ensure that the person knows you disagree with their opinion, on this particular issue, and are not rejecting them.
Emotions arising from group problems – If this happens you need to look at the way in which the group is working and see if compromises can be reached. Does the person have a point?
Emotions arising from outside the group – You should try to keep outside problems away from the group, but it is inevitable that there will be occasions when things spill over. It is important to be aware of other group members as individuals and perhaps give them an opportunity to air their problem before getting down to work.
Tears
If somebody is so distressed that they cry just give them space, let them dictate what happens, they may want to talk or be left alone. If they get up and leave the group give them space for a while. You may want to check on them later and ask them if there is anything they need. They may be embarrassed the next time they come to a meeting so be aware of them and try to include them.
Silences
If the group goes silent it may be because people are thinking, give it a bit of time and see if anything emerges. If this goes on too long you may want to try some other approaches.
if people are overwhelmed try to think of ways of breaking the task down into smaller parts
if you are all stuck try to think of the problem in a different way
brainstorm – you will come up with a variety of ideas, some of them will be impractical but one might lead to something that will work
Imbalances in group interaction
Group discussions can become unbalanced if:
one or two people dominate
two people are locked into a discussion
there are no spaces in which quieter people can get into the discussion
If this needs to be addressed by the group, you can:
thank the dominant people for their contribution and then seek the opinions of the others
ask if anyone who has not spoken would like to say something
point out the imbalance so the group can recognise it and address it
set time limits for important contributions such as updating on progress
Overall, ensure that everyone in your group is treated fairly and has equal time to talk and express their opinions and preferences. Negotiate!
For further information on working in groups try one of our recommended texts:
Cottrell, S. (2019). The study skills handbook (Fifth ed.). Macmillan Education UK.
Burns, T., & Sinfield, S. (2022). Essential study skills : the complete guide to success at university (Fifth edition.). SAGE Publications, Inc.