Oral Communication
Communicating orally is a cyclical process that requires you to assess and prepare to deliver your message. This section provides valuable insights into effective speaking strategies so that you may develop the skills needed for confident and clear presentations. It covers essential aspects of oral communication, including audience engagement, presentation structure, and delivery techniques, providing advice for various scenarios in which you may speak or present. The foundational concepts and best practices below will equip you with the tools to communicate effectively in both formal and informal scenarios.
Introduction to Oral Communication
The essential steps for effective communication are assessment, preparation, and delivery. Following these steps will help perfect your message and deliver it with confidence.
Assess: Assessment is determining the ‘who’ (understand your positionality and biases, know your role; consider the audience), the ‘what’ (refine your topic), ‘when,’ ‘where’, ’how’ (virtual/in-person), and ‘why.‘ It is important to recognize that assessment happens repeatedly and informs your preparation and delivery.
Prepare: Preparation is the work you put into outlining and creating your talk. No matter your format, practice is critical once your preparation is complete.
Deliver: Delivery is the action, ie when you present your talk to listeners.
Prepare for Any Talk was built with these steps in mind. As you explore each page you will see these themes. Through all of the provided exercises you will be promoted on how to assess, prepare, and deliver any talk.
Types of Talks
There are many format possibilities for oral communication. Some talks have a given structure and rules, while others are flexible and freeform.
Resources:
Long Talks (>30 minutes)
- Grand rounds: There is no defined structure for this type of talk since grand rounds typically cover an entire body of work. That is to say, they do not typically focus on one study.
- Keynotes: Often occur at conferences and can be at least an hour long. They typically set the tone or summarize the conference theme.
Short Talks (30 seconds-30 minutes)
- Ten-minute Research Talk: This fomrat has a given structure that typically highlights the abstract, background/hypothesis, methods, results, and/or conclusion.
- To prepare for and evaluate your research talk, check out the Follow a Structure page and review our Research Talk Rubric (PDF). Watch Give a Great Research Talk by the American Psychological Association to learn how to supercharge your talk
- Elevator Pitches: A way to explain any topic, including your research, in a short, clear, and concise way.
- For more information, visit our Elevator Pitch page.
- Poster Presentations: A form of oral communication that includes a visual component (the poster).
- Visit our Posters page for more resources.
Additional Examples of Oral Communication Types
- Lectures/Education Talks & Public Speaking
- Lectures/ Education Talks
- Communicating with Research Participants
- Communicating with Investors
- Communicating with Media Outlets
- Podcasts
- Podcasts have become increasingly popular in the clinical and translational community. Listen to this episode of I’m a Scientist…Why Do I Need a Podcast? to learn more about how a podcast can bolster your career. Check out ThinkResearch, Harvard Catalyst’s podcast.
Put it into Practice
In considering any format, take time to consider accessibility and inclusivity.
- Explore Inclusive SciComm, resources and strategies for communicating science in ways that are inclusive, accessible, and equitable to diverse audiences.
- Watch Disability Accessibility in Science Communication – Barriers and Opportunities by the University of Rhode Island Metcalf Institute, which provides guidance on how to effectively communicate complex scientific concepts to non-expert audiences, focusing on clarity and accessibility.