Lauren Woodcock

Lauren enrolled on one of our Graduate School training courses to help refine the presentations she was working on as part of her PhD.  The skills and confidence gained led to a Best Oral Presentation award at a recent conference.

'I am currently enrolled on a PhD programme at King’s College London, studying Wildlife Forensics. My research involves visualising finger-marks on wildlife samples (particularly pangolin scales, rhino horn and elephant ivory) for anti-poaching purposes. I was in the third year of my four-year programme when I found and enrolled on the “Improving your Presentations” course with the Graduate School at Oxford Continuing Education. This was the perfect course to help me refine the presentations I was completing as part of my PhD, as I sometimes struggle with pacing and organisation of my thoughts while presenting.

'I was further inspired to take this course because a small group setting was ideal for improving my confidence when presenting in a safe space. I had presented my research previously at several conferences, but those experiences always felt daunting. Both course tutors (Dr Sarah Frodsham and Dr Alistair Beecher) did a fantastic job of making everyone feel comfortable. This course is ideal for neurodivergent students, as advice was given on dyslexic-friendly slide formats and which colour schemes to use to ensure slides are inclusive of all audience members.

'The course was split into two sections. In the first section, Sarah and Alistair gave a presentation each as an example, one in the style of an upgrade viva and another in the style of a lecture. They then invited us to discuss what aspects we thought were strong and some points for improvement, which was a useful reflective exercise.

'The second section allowed us to present our own ten-minute presentations, either on the day of the course or in a supplementary session. Giving my presentation was the most challenging part of the course but by far the most rewarding. Both the course leaders and the participants gave positive feedback and constructive advice. Through this, I was able to improve the layout of my slides and figures to ensure that the audience’s eye is drawn to the parts of my slides that complement my script. I also enjoyed giving constructive feedback to other participants and boosting their confidence. I was invited back to present a 20-minute version of the same presentation to Oxford DPhil students as part of a student seminar, and this was an excellent opportunity to share my work with fellow academics before presenting at a formal conference.

'I presented the slides that I workshopped on this course at a conference recently, and I won the award for Best Oral Presentation. I am much more confident now when I am speaking about my subject in all walks of academic life, especially during thesis progression meetings with my external experts. This course will continue to help me when I give future presentations.

'As I move into the final year of my PhD, I will continue to look for relevant conferences in my field to show off my new presentation skills! I will do my best to attend more courses that Oxford Continuing Education runs, as this one helped me so significantly.

'This course has been so helpful, and Sarah and Alistair really helped me to believe in myself. To get the most out of the courses, I recommend preparing beforehand if appropriate, as one of the most helpful parts of the course I attended was workshopping the presentation that I had prepared. I cannot wait for the next one!'

Learn more:

• Graduate school courses and training

Photo: David Tett Photography