PhD Symposium - Presentation Skills, Performance Power and Peer Feedback
Registration deadline: 20 January 2027
Organizer
Kasper Støy, Professor, Head of PhD School, the ITU
Bent Nørgaard (https://www.bentnørgaard.dk/)
Lecturers
Bent Nørgaard, Communication adviser
Date(s) of the course
March 8-9, 2027
How to register
You register for the symposium by filling out this registration form no later than 20 January 2027.
The PhD school supports sustainable thinking, so: please notify PhD Support within the final deadline of registration/cancelation. With such registration, the number of reservations equals participation, whereby we, hopefully, partake in minimizing waste of resources.
Time
8. March, 9:00 AM – 9. March, 3 PM
Location
Comwell Borupgaard. Participants are asked to arrange transport to/from the conference center themselves.
Course description
The course will cover disciplines such as voice use, body language, storytelling techniques, dramaturgical methods for structuring a presentation, use of visual devices, and structural tools.
The course emphasizes the practical element of communication, and takes its starting point in the participants' own research. The goal is to bring out the researcher's own personality (authenticity), thereby making science communication an experience without losing academic rigor. It should be noted that although the teaching draws on artistic disciplines, the goal is not to turn the researcher into an actor — but to strengthen the researcher's performative readiness (managing nerves), competencies, and above all, impact.
Learning outcome
- Strengthening the role as communicator of own research to support the academic career
- Increasing the impact of scientific communication
- Expanded knowledge of each other's research
- Developing capacity to communicate research with clarity, credibility and impact
- Practical tools for structuring presentations and holding the audience's attention
- Tools for managing nervousness and presenting with confidence
- Strengthened use of voice, body language and eye contact
- Strategic tools for preparing and building professional relationships at conferences
- Techniques for breaking the ice and networking through a "big ears, small mouth" approach — including how to pitch yourself and your research effectively
- Tools for independently developing your own communication and presentation style
- Methodological tools for peer coaching on academic presentations
Programme
Throughout the programme, participants work across research fields and knowledge domains, ensuring exposure to diverse academic perspectives and traditions. The course organisers are responsible for group divisions on both course days.
| Time | Session | Description |
| 09.00 – 09.30 | Welcome & Introduction | Welcome by Kasper Støy Bent Nørgaard introduces the programme and sets the agenda for the day |
| 09.30 – 10.00 | Plenary Exercise: Performative Readiness | Building connection and presence through posture and eye contact |
| 10.00 – 10.30 | The Power Opening | Practising the opening moments of a presentation: commanding attention, making eye contact, and inviting your audience in |
| 10.30 – 10.45 | Break | |
| 10.45 – 11.05 | The Art of the Pause | Techniques for mastering the three essential forms of the pause |
| 11.05 – 12.00 | Small Group Practice | Participants work in groups of four — mixed across research fields and academic traditions — each delivering their prepared presentation (3–4 minutes). Each presentation is followed by 5 minutes of structured peer feedback, focusing on the techniques practised earlier in the day |
| 12.00 – 12.45 | Lunch | |
| 12.45 – 13.00 | Shared Reflection | Plenary debrief on the morning's sessions |
| 13.00 – 15.00 | The 7 Steps to Freedom | An effective preparation method for any presentation. Participants work with their own presentation |
| 15.00 – 15.15 | Break | |
| 15.15 – 15.30 | Rhetorical Tips | A curated set of practical rhetorical tools |
| 15.30 – 16.30 | Individual Work | Participants revise and refine their own presentation |
| 16.30 – 17.00 | Closing Reflection & Tomorrow's Assignment | Plenary reflection and briefing on the task for Day 2 |
| Time | Session | Description |
| 09.00 – 09.15 | Welcome & Introduction | Bent Nørgaard introduces the programme and sets the agenda for the day |
| 09.15 – 9.45 | Pair Practice | Participants work in pairs – across academic disciplines: deliver own presentation, give feedback, make final adjustments |
| 9.45 – 10.05 | How to Give Feedback | Short introduction to effective peer feedback |
| 10.05 – 10.30 | Performance Practice | Body and voice exercises |
| 10.30 – 10.45 | Break | |
| 10.45 – 11.45 | Group Presentations & Peer Feedback | Participants are divided into new, cross-disciplinary groups of four — presentation delivery and peer feedback |
| 11.45 – 12.00 | Shared Reflection | |
| 12.00 – 12.45 | Lunch | |
| 12.45 – 14.30 | Strengthen Your Networking Muscle at Conferences | Presentations and exercises in breaking the ice and building strong relationships through a “big ears, small mouth” strategy. The participants will learn to pitch themselves and their own project most effectively. |
| 14.30 – 15.00 | Wrap-Up & Thank You | Summary, key takeaways, and thank you for today |
Preparation
The participant should prepare a 3-4 minutes presentation. In addition, a relevant conference for participant should be identified (as part of learning how to target specific audiences).
The course material is the lecture slides shared after the course.
Prerequisites
To attend, you must be a PhD student enrolled at the IT University
Evaluation
Upon completion, attending PhD students are invited to evaluate the symposium.
Exam
2 pages reflection note on the topic of the symposium with emphasis on aspects you find relevant for your work and how they are relevant. The reflection note will be evaluated and approved by Kasper Støy.
Exam submission date
TBD. Send your reflection notes by email to Kasper Støy (ksty@itu.dk).
Credits
2 ECTS for full attendance