In his MIT OpenCourseWare video, Patrick Winston delivers essential advice on effective communication, arguing that success hinges on your ability to speak, write, and generate quality ideas—in that order. He compares sending students into the world without communication skills to sending soldiers into battle unarmed.

Winston presents a simple formula for communication quality: Knowledge + Practice + Talent. Talent plays the smallest role. He illustrates this with a skiing example: he could outski Olympic gymnast Mary Lou Retton not because of superior athletic ability, but because he had more knowledge and practice on the slopes. The lesson? What you know and how much you practice matters most.

Starting Strong

Eliminate distractions first. Winston enforces a strict no-laptops, no-phones rule. Humans have only one language processor—if it's busy with email or browsing, you're not listening. Open laptops distract even the speaker.

Skip the opening joke. The audience is still settling in. Instead, start with an empowerment promise: tell people what they'll learn and how it will change their lives.

Core Speaking Techniques

Cycle on your subject. Tell them what you're going to tell them, tell them, then tell them again. About 20% of any audience zones out at any moment, so repetition ensures everyone catches your main point.

Build a fence around your idea. Clearly separate your concept from similar ones. Explain what it is and what it isn't.

Use verbal punctuation. Give your audience landmarks—outlines, numbered points, clear transitions. When people's minds wander, they need easy ways to rejoin your talk.

Ask strategic questions. Choose questions that aren't too obvious or too difficult. When you ask, wait seven seconds for an answer. That's the standard pause people need to think.

Time, Place, and Tools

Timing matters. 11 AM works best—people are awake but not yet tired from meals or the afternoon slump.

Light up the room. Dim lighting signals sleep time. Visit your venue beforehand to spot potential problems. Make sure the room is reasonably full—sparse audiences suggest lack of interest.

Choose your medium wisely:

Blackboards and whiteboards excel for teaching. They let you control information flow, matching the audience's absorption rate. Your hands have somewhere natural to go, and the physical act of writing activates mirror neurons in your audience—they feel themselves writing along with you.

Props stick in memory. They make abstract concepts tangible and benefit from that same empathetic mirroring effect.

Slides work for exposing ideas, not teaching them. Common slide mistakes include:

• Too many words: People read instead of listening to you
• Reading slides aloud: Audiences can read for themselves
• Tiny fonts: Use 40-50 points minimum
• Standing far from your slides: Creates a tennis-match effect
• Cluttered backgrounds and logos: Strip away distractions
• Laser pointers: They break eye contact and distract. Use arrows on slides instead
• Text-heavy slides: Leave white space and give people time to read

Special Speaking Situations

Inspiring others: Lead with a promise, help them see familiar problems differently, and show genuine passion for your subject.

Teaching thinking skills: Provide stories, the right questions about those stories, analysis tools, and ways to judge reliability.

Oral exams: Situate your research—explain its context and importance. Practice with friends unfamiliar with your work, since your advisor might fill in gaps that don't actually exist in your presentation.

Job talks: You have five minutes to show vision—a problem people care about and a fresh approach—plus proof you've accomplished something concrete. List the steps you've taken and what remains. End by stating your contributions clearly.

Getting Your Ideas Noticed

Winston calls this "packaging"—treating your ideas like children you want the world to recognize. Use his five-point star system:

• Symbol: A memorable image
• Slogan: A catchy phrase
• Surprise: An unexpected insight
• Salient idea: Something that stands apart from the crowd
• Story: How it works and why it matters

Strong Endings

Your final slide should list contributions. This mirrors job talk structure and leaves people with a clear sense of what you've achieved. Avoid thanking long lists of collaborators here, blank "Questions?" slides, or contact information nobody will copy down.

Your final words can include a joke now that the audience has adjusted. Skip "Thank you"—it suggests people stayed out of politeness rather than interest. Consider a benediction ending or simply acknowledge the audience for caring about effective communication.

Winston's central message endures: your ideas deserve the best possible presentation. The techniques for achieving that presentation can be learned, practiced, and mastered.

To learn more, check out his course: https://ocw.mit.edu/how_to_speak