Speaking and argument
Speeches, presentations, debate cases and talking about your work without reading a script.
An argument made aloud has the same bones as one on paper and different rules of delivery. A speech has to be heard once and understood; a debate case has to survive someone attacking it; a viva has to show you know why you did what you did.
These guides cover writing the thing, structuring the case, answering the objection, and the part people forget: how to credit a source out loud, so that what you say can be checked.
21 guides
October 2, 2026 · 13 min read
How to add speaker notes in PowerPoint, Google Slides and Keynote
How do I add speaker notes in PowerPoint, Google Slides and Keynote, and see them while I present?
How to add speaker notes in PowerPoint, Google Slides and Keynote, see them on one screen or two, print them, and use them in Teams or Meet, from the makers' help.
Everyone
October 2, 2026 · 13 min read
How to ask a good question in a seminar, with examples
How do I ask a good question in a seminar or class discussion?
Good questions to ask in a seminar or class, with examples: Bloom's levels, Socratic question types, asking where a figure came from, and conference Q&A.
Undergraduate
October 2, 2026 · 12 min read
Presentation handout: how to make one from your speaker notes
How do I turn my speaker notes into a presentation handout with references?
Turn speaker notes into a one-page presentation handout: what goes on it, when to give it out, accessible print, a template, and references from the record.
Everyone
October 2, 2026 · 13 min read
Speaker notes for a class presentation: template and examples
How do I write speaker notes for a class presentation?
Speaker notes for a class presentation: what rubrics mark, timing per slide, group hand-offs, citing aloud, and a template with a worked student example.
Undergraduate
October 2, 2026 · 13 min read
Speaker notes for a conference talk: timing, citing and Q&A
How do I write speaker notes for a 10-, 15- or 20-minute conference talk?
Speaker notes for a conference talk: a timing table for 10-, 15- and 20-minute slots from organisers' own rules, citing aloud, Q&A and accessibility.
Researcher
October 2, 2026 · 13 min read
Speaker notes for a work presentation to senior management
How do I write speaker notes for a work presentation to senior managers or executives?
How to write speaker notes for a work presentation: answer first, figures with their sources and caveats, executives' questions, accessibility, and an example.
Everyone
October 2, 2026 · 12 min read
Speaker notes vs a full script, cue cards or memorising
Should I use speaker notes, a full script or cue cards, or memorise my presentation?
Speaker notes, a full script, cue cards or memorising: when each works, the risks, what memory research shows, and how to read a script well if you must.
Everyone
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
Debate formats explained: British Parliamentary to Public Forum
What are the main debate formats, and how do British Parliamentary, World Schools, Lincoln-Douglas, policy and Public Forum debate differ?
Debate formats explained from their own rulebooks: British Parliamentary, World Schools, Lincoln-Douglas, policy, Public Forum and the Oxford Union, with times.
Secondary schoolUndergraduate
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
Debate prep time: what to do in 15 minutes, with a prep sheet
How do I use debate prep time, and what should I do in 15 minutes of British Parliamentary preparation?
Debate prep time, minute by minute: what the WUDC, World Schools and NSDA rules allow, how to spend 15 minutes, a prep sheet and a worked example motion.
Secondary schoolUndergraduate
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
How to cite sources in a speech or debate, with verbal examples
How do I cite sources in a speech or a debate, and what do I say out loud?
How to cite sources in a speech or debate: what to say aloud, what goes on slides and in the outline, debate evidence rules, and verbal citation examples.
Secondary schoolUndergraduate
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
How to design slides that help: what the research shows
How do I design presentation slides that actually help my audience?
How to design slides that help: assertion-evidence slides, Mayer's research, words per slide, the 10-20-30 rule, accessible slides and a checklist.
Secondary schoolUndergraduate
September 26, 2026 · 12 min read
How to give a presentation without reading your slides
How do I give a presentation without reading off my slides?
How to give a presentation without reading off your slides: what the research shows, a rehearsal plan, cue cards, eye contact, questions and nerves.
Secondary schoolUndergraduate
September 26, 2026 · 12 min read
How to network at an academic conference as a PhD student
How do I network at an academic conference as a PhD student or early-career researcher?
How to network at an academic conference: preparing from the programme, approaching people, questions after talks, posters, follow-up emails and grants.
PostgraduateResearcher
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
How to rebut an argument: rebuttal in debate, with examples
How do I rebut an argument in a debate or a discussion?
How to rebut an argument in a debate: four-step refutation, the four kinds of reply, weighing, attacking evidence and flowing, from the debate rulebooks.
Secondary schoolUndergraduate
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
How to speak up in seminars when you are nervous
How do I speak up in seminars and tutorials when I am nervous?
How to speak up in seminars and tutorials when you are nervous: how participation is marked, ways in, phrases, good questions, online seminars and a routine.
Secondary schoolUndergraduate
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
How to write a best man speech, eulogy or retirement speech
How long should a best man speech, eulogy, retirement or graduation speech be, and how do I write one?
How long a best man speech, eulogy, leaving or graduation speech should be, from named sources, with structures, word counts and three templates of our own.
Everyone
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
How to write a debate case: definitions, burden and an example
How do I write a debate case, from the motion and definitions to the first proposition speech?
How to write a debate case: motion types, fair definitions and burden of proof from the WUDC, World Schools and NSDA rules, a template and an example case.
Secondary schoolUndergraduate
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
How to write a persuasive speech: outline, structure and topics
How do I write a persuasive speech, and what outline should I use?
How to write a persuasive speech: an outline template, Monroe's motivated sequence, ethos, pathos and logos, what research says about evidence, and topic ideas.
Secondary schoolUndergraduate
September 26, 2026 · 12 min read
How to write a speech: structure, timing, openings and endings
How do I write a speech, and how many words is a 5-minute speech?
How to write a speech: the structure, how many words for 3, 5 or 10 minutes from published speaking rates, openings, endings, writing for the ear and rehearsal.
Secondary schoolUndergraduate
September 26, 2026 · 12 min read
How to write speaker notes: what to include, with examples
How do I write speaker notes, and what should I put in them?
How to write speaker notes: what to put in them, how much, a script or cue cards, rehearsing from notes, and notes you hand in, with a worked example.
Secondary schoolUndergraduate
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
Logical fallacies: 15 common ones and how to answer each
What are the most common logical fallacies, and how do you answer them?
Fifteen common logical fallacies, defined from the philosophy encyclopedias, each with our own example, how to answer it, and which are not always fallacies.
Secondary schoolUndergraduate