Information on Your Final Presentation (Assignment #4)

Please think about an interesting business or social problem that relates to communication in some way. You can draw upon your own experience, an item in the news, or a hypothetical situation. Your goal will be to describe the problem, analyze what companies and/or individuals did wrong from a communication perspective, and what they could have done ("best practices for communication") for a better outcome. The communication solution(s) you suggest can come from your reading, class discussion, and/or your own original thinking.

Follow these approximate stages in your presentation (with whatever variation you choose):

1. Grab our attention (the chapter on Oral Presentations in your Management Communication book talks about ways to accomplish this goal.)
2. Describe your topic so that we know exactly what you are going to talk about.
3. Give a brief "roadmap" of how you plan to develop your topic.
4. Make your point(s), including some kind of support (an example, statistic, anecdote, authority, etc.) for what you say
5. Wrap up with a memorable conclusion that answers the question "So what?" (So what if your points are true? What final thoughts or action(s) do they lead to?)
6. Take two or three questions from the audience.

Your main presentation should take no more than four minutes. The Q & A section will take no more than two minutes. Your professors will signal remaining time (1 min., 30 sec., etc.) so that you come pretty close to the time limit. (We all need to respect the time so that there is enough time during the evening for everyone's presentations.) Don't worry if you run 20 or 30 seconds beyond your time, but no more.

You will be given the opportunity to sign up for your place in the order of speakers. Some people prefer to go early, some later.

In addition to your DVD copy of your speech, you will receive feedback from your professors. You will also pass out five feedback sheets to five classmates, who will give you additional praise and suggestions for improvement.

Feel free to use notes, but take care not to read your presentation. In your coaching sessions this coming Monday (July 28), we will work on the "10 Do's" specified in the Oral Presentations chapter as well as other professional tips for confident presenting. We will also have time during our July 28 presentation workshop to answer any specific questions you may have about this assignment.