How to prepare yourself

Delivering a research presentation in only four minutes requires clarity, conciseness, and credibility. Rin4min is not just a competition; it's an opportunity to practise and improve your communication skills.

To help you master this skill, UPF has launched several initiatives and compiled a selection of useful resources. Here are some useful resources:

Courses

ORAL COMMUNICATION OF SCIENTIFIC CONTENT. KEYS FOR COMMUNICATING YOUR RESEARCH EFFECTIVELY

Teacher: Emma Rodero
Program
Schedule and timetable:
- March 23, 25 and 26
- 12:30 PM to 15:00 PM (7.5 hours total)
Room: 40.035 (Campus de Ciutadella)

REGISTRATION: pending

More information at: CÍCLIKS

Public Speaking Guide for Doctoral Students

VERBAL COMMUNICATION

Focus: How to structure and articulate your message clearly and effectively

🔹 Designing an Effective Research Message

Cornell Graduate School – Tips for a Memorable 5-Minute Research Presentation
Emphasizes structure, clarity, audience adaptation, and a compelling hook.
The Pipette Gazette – 11 Tips for the 3-Minute Thesis Competition
Practical, contest-specific advice on narrowing focus, timing, and clarity.
Purdue OWL – Public Speaking and Presentations
Detailed guidance on speech structure, clarity, transitions, and rhetorical techniques.

🔹 Supporting with Effective Visuals

TED’s Slide Guide – 10 Tips for Better Slide Decks
Focuses on minimalist and impactful slide design that supports the spoken word.

NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION

Focus: How to use body, gestures, eye contact, and voice effectively

Emma Rodero – TEDx Talk: Persuade with Your Voice
Explores how vocal delivery can convey credibility, emotion, and impact.
MIT Communication Lab – Public Speaking: Nonverbal
Covers body posture, gestures, spatial movement, and facial expressions.
American Management Association – Nonverbal Communication Skills That Affect Presentations
Describes how tone of voice, posture, and nonverbal cues shape audience impressions.
Harvard DCE – 10 Tips for Improving Your Public Speaking Skills
Offers guidance on presence, nonverbal coherence, and vocal delivery.
3MT – How to Present Your Research in 3 Minutes
Focused on preparation, structure, and delivery for research presentation contests.

MULTIMODAL COMMUNICATION

Focus: How to synchronize voice, gestures, and visuals effectively

Wu et al. (2024) – “Trinity: Synchronizing Verbal, Nonverbal, and Visual Channels…”
Academic article on multimodal presentation delivery.
Sümer et al. (2021) – “Estimating Presentation Competence using Multimodal Nonverbal Behavioral Cues”
Empirical study on how nonverbal features predict presentation quality.

Video Resources

Emma Rodero – TEDx Talk: Persuade with Your Voice
Explores how vocal delivery can convey credibility, emotion, and impact.
YouTube: "Body Language for Presentations"
Practical examples of movement, posture, and gestures on stage.

Recommended Books

Anderson, C. (2017). TED Talks: The official TED guide to public speaking. Harper Business.
A practical guide to short-form presentations—ideal for developing content, structure, and delivery.
Nussbaumer Knaflic, C. (2015). Storytelling with data: A data visualization guide for business professionals. Wiley.
Essential for crafting clear, persuasive visuals in research presentations.
El Hakim, S. (2021). Código no verbal. Alienta Editorial.
A complete manual on nonverbal communication in Spanish—gesture, body language, and expression.