harvard presentation skills course

Ideas and insights from Harvard Business Publishing Corporate Learning

Powerful and Effective Presentation Skills: More in Demand Now Than Ever

When we talk with our L&D colleagues from around the globe, we often hear that presentation skills training is one of the top opportunities they’re looking to provide their learners. And this holds true whether their learners are individual contributors, people managers, or senior leaders. This is not surprising.

Effective communications skills are a powerful career activator, and most of us are called upon to communicate in some type of formal presentation mode at some point along the way.

For instance, you might be asked to brief management on market research results, walk your team through a new process, lay out the new budget, or explain a new product to a client or prospect. Or you may want to build support for a new idea, bring a new employee into the fold, or even just present your achievements to your manager during your performance review.

And now, with so many employees working from home or in hybrid mode, and business travel in decline, there’s a growing need to find new ways to make effective presentations when the audience may be fully virtual or a combination of in person and remote attendees.

Whether you’re making a standup presentation to a large live audience, or a sit-down one-on-one, whether you’re delivering your presentation face to face or virtually, solid presentation skills matter.

Even the most seasoned and accomplished presenters may need to fine-tune or update their skills. Expectations have changed over the last decade or so. Yesterday’s PowerPoint which primarily relied on bulleted points, broken up by the occasional clip-art image, won’t cut it with today’s audience.

The digital revolution has revolutionized the way people want to receive information. People expect presentations that are more visually interesting. They expect to see data, metrics that support assertions. And now, with so many previously in-person meetings occurring virtually, there’s an entirely new level of technical preparedness required.

The leadership development tools and the individual learning opportunities you’re providing should include presentation skills training that covers both the evergreen fundamentals and the up-to-date capabilities that can make or break a presentation.

So, just what should be included in solid presentation skills training? Here’s what I think.

The fundamentals will always apply When it comes to making a powerful and effective presentation, the fundamentals will always apply. You need to understand your objective. Is it strictly to convey information, so that your audience’s knowledge is increased? Is it to persuade your audience to take some action? Is it to convince people to support your idea? Once you understand what your objective is, you need to define your central message. There may be a lot of things you want to share with your audience during your presentation, but find – and stick with – the core, the most important point you want them to walk away with. And make sure that your message is clear and compelling.

You also need to tailor your presentation to your audience. Who are they and what might they be expecting? Say you’re giving a product pitch to a client. A technical team may be interested in a lot of nitty-gritty product detail. The business side will no doubt be more interested in what returns they can expect on their investment.

Another consideration is the setting: is this a formal presentation to a large audience with questions reserved for the end, or a presentation in a smaller setting where there’s the possibility for conversation throughout? Is your presentation virtual or in-person? To be delivered individually or as a group? What time of the day will you be speaking? Will there be others speaking before you and might that impact how your message will be received?

Once these fundamentals are established, you’re in building mode. What are the specific points you want to share that will help you best meet your objective and get across your core message? Now figure out how to convey those points in the clearest, most straightforward, and succinct way. This doesn’t mean that your presentation has to be a series of clipped bullet points. No one wants to sit through a presentation in which the presenter reads through what’s on the slide. You can get your points across using stories, fact, diagrams, videos, props, and other types of media.

Visual design matters While you don’t want to clutter up your presentation with too many visual elements that don’t serve your objective and can be distracting, using a variety of visual formats to convey your core message will make your presentation more memorable than slides filled with text. A couple of tips: avoid images that are cliched and overdone. Be careful not to mix up too many different types of images. If you’re using photos, stick with photos. If you’re using drawn images, keep the style consistent. When data are presented, stay consistent with colors and fonts from one type of chart to the next. Keep things clear and simple, using data to support key points without overwhelming your audience with too much information. And don’t assume that your audience is composed of statisticians (unless, of course, it is).

When presenting qualitative data, brief videos provide a way to engage your audience and create emotional connection and impact. Word clouds are another way to get qualitative data across.

Practice makes perfect You’ve pulled together a perfect presentation. But it likely won’t be perfect unless it’s well delivered. So don’t forget to practice your presentation ahead of time. Pro tip: record yourself as you practice out loud. This will force you to think through what you’re going to say for each element of your presentation. And watching your recording will help you identify your mistakes—such as fidgeting, using too many fillers (such as “umm,” or “like”), or speaking too fast.

A key element of your preparation should involve anticipating any technical difficulties. If you’ve embedded videos, make sure they work. If you’re presenting virtually, make sure that the lighting is good, and that your speaker and camera are working. Whether presenting in person or virtually, get there early enough to work out any technical glitches before your presentation is scheduled to begin. Few things are a bigger audience turn-off than sitting there watching the presenter struggle with the delivery mechanisms!

Finally, be kind to yourself. Despite thorough preparation and practice, sometimes, things go wrong, and you need to recover in the moment, adapt, and carry on. It’s unlikely that you’ll have caused any lasting damage and the important thing is to learn from your experience, so your next presentation is stronger.

How are you providing presentation skills training for your learners?

Manika Gandhi is Senior Learning Design Manager at Harvard Business Publishing Corporate Learning. Email her at [email protected] .

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Presentation Skills: Harvard ManageMentor

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Product Description

Publication Date: October 01, 2017

This course will teach you to clarify your objective, identify your audience, and consider the setting for your presentation. It covers how to identify the single key point of your presentation, construct a presentation that hooks your audience and communicates your message, and use visuals and other media in a presentation to support and enhance your words. You'll also learn to create an engaging remote presentation, practice, refine, and prepare effectively for your presentation, keep your audience engaged, and objectively evaluate the style and substance of your presentation. You'll learn the key concepts with a mix of practical content, videos, infographics, and downloadable tools. You can then use the real-word scenarios, self-tests and assessments to measure your understanding. One-year single user license.

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Effective Organizational Communication

Through small group activities and real-time feedback, you will test out new approaches and learn to communicate to inspire action.

All Start Dates

8:30 AM – 4:30 PM ET

2 consecutive days

Registration Deadline

June 18, 2024

August 20, 2024

October 27, 2024

What You'll Learn

As your responsibilities grow, effective organizational communication can help you succeed—or hold you back. In any business role or function, you must be able to convey your ideas in ways that drive thoughtful debate, consensus, decisions and action.

This program is designed for individuals interested in developing essential communication skills to become more persuasive and credible communicators within a variety of settings. You will learn strategies, practical tools, and proven techniques to sway a group to your point of view and help you project a more polished and professional image. From one-on-ones to large groups, and from informal settings to formal presentations, you will become a more confident communicator.

Through large and small group activities and real-time feedback, you will put these techniques into practice, test out new approaches, and learn to communicate with greater poise, clarity, and conviction. You’ll leave the program with the skills needed to successfully interact with others in professional settings.

Program Benefits

• Learn to influence and persuade others without formal authority, and increase your overall interpersonal and organizational effectiveness
• Develop communication strategies for different business situations and audiences
• Learn how to create a compelling structure for your messages that moves your audience to action
• Develop meaningful insights and convey recommendations more effectively
• Cultivate your personal leadership and communication style to connect authentically with your audience
• Practice how to deliver difficult messages and achieve desired results
• Learn skills to think on your feet when in a position to deliver impromptu messages
• Earn a Certificate of Participation from the Harvard Division of Continuing Education

Topics Covered

• Generating ideas for organizing, preparing, and delivering effective presentations
• Building trust and credibility quickly, and effectively handling resistance
• Learning and applying the principles of logical reasoning to lead your audience to action
• Using various communications strategies (e.g. body language, persuasion) to achieve desired outcomes
• Understanding the powerful impact of storytelling and learn how to incorporate stories in your communications
• Leading and communicating in a crisis

Who Should Enroll

This program is appropriate for business professionals at all levels of experience looking to improve their communication skills or deliver messages across diverse stakeholders, such as C-suite executives, cross-functional colleagues, employees, customers, and strategic partners.

Leaders and professionals who need to simplify complex content for their audience will find this program helpful.

Considering this program?

Send yourself the details.

Related Programs

• Influence and Persuasion in Leadership
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June Schedule

• Building Trust and Credibility
• Structuring Communications into a Compelling Narrative
• Leading and Communicating in a Crisis
• Optimizing Non-Verbal Communications

August Schedule

November schedule, michelle ehrenreich, jill abruzese slye, certificates of leadership excellence.

The Certificates of Leadership Excellence (CLE) are designed for leaders with the desire to enhance their business acumen, challenge current thinking, and expand their leadership skills.

This program is one of several CLE qualifying programs. Register today and get started earning your certificate.

Notes For This Program

Participants must be fluent in English to participate fully in individual, small group, and large group discussions and exercises.

Note: This program focuses on organizational communications across key stakeholders. It is not suitable for politicians looking to communicate to their constituents or for those looking for media training.

Harvard Division of Continuing Education

The Division of Continuing Education (DCE) at Harvard University is dedicated to bringing rigorous academics and innovative teaching capabilities to those seeking to improve their lives through education. We make Harvard education accessible to lifelong learners from high school to retirement.

Persuasive Communication: Narrative, Evidence, and Impact

Persuasive Communication is designed to help you build a critical set of skills in writing, speaking, and presentation by providing a dynamic forum to learn, practice, and receive feedback on these essential skills.

Associated Schools

Harvard Kennedy School

What you'll learn.

This program will provide you an opportunity gain a better understanding of effective communication, as well as reflect on the role of communication in the larger policy landscape.

Course description

In Persuasive Communication: Narrative, Evidence, and Impact (Online) you will experience hands-on learning with the latest research in persuasive communication. Throughout the three-week program, you will join peers from around the globe to participate in live sessions led by Harvard faculty complemented with self-paced assignments and group work that can be scheduled at times convenient for you. Overall time commitment is approximately 8-10 hours per week. 

Course Outline

Participate in a knowledge-building and practice-oriented curriculum.

Write, and receive feedback on, an opinion piece.

Develop and deliver a presentation using evidence effectively.

Improve data visualization skills.

Learn how to craft robust arguments.

Understand the current state of the media, its interplay with policymaking, and costs of disinformation.

Grow your professional network and career opportunities.

Instructors

Lauren Brodsky

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Developed by Harvard Kennedy School faculty, this professional credential program equips you with the skills necessary to advance the public good.

Exceptional Presentation Skills

Instructor: Chris Soucy, Partner, Innate Force

Max Enrollment: 40

Date/Time: Jan 5/9:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Location: 510

Description: Would you like to be a more relaxed and engaging public speaker? Want to know how to control your nerves, connect with your audience, and get your message across succinctly?  Curious about the differences between classroom presentations you’ve given as a student and what is expected in those given by a working professional?

Preparation is the key to building confidence, calming nerves, and ultimately giving a successful presentation. In this workshop, we will explore the essential elements of effective presentations, including: organization, vocal delivery, physical presence, overcoming nervousness, using visual aids, as well as engaging and holding the audience’s attention. In addition, we will cover the key differences you’ll encounter between presentations given in the ‘safe’ environment of the classroom versus those you’ll give to clients, your peers, and your supervisors. Finally, you will be provided with time and tools to develop a simple practice presentation to try out your delivery.

The main learning concepts of the course are adapted from the book “The Exceptional Presenter” by Timothy Koegel.  In his book, he explains the “OPEN-UP” formula as a method to come across as a truly authentic presenter.  The “OPEN-UP” acronym stands for:

O = Organized P = Passionate E = Engaging N = Natural U = Understanding Your Audience P = Practice, Practice, Practice

This is a highly interactive course; there are multiple learning activities that serve to introduce each of these ideas and then give a quick exercise to put the concept into practice in the training room for immediate feedback and coaching.  The detailed participant guide includes many pieces of supplemental learning for those that seek a deeper dive into any one of the areas.

What you’ll learn:

• How to organize your presentation for maximum impact on any given audience • How to manage your nerves from start to finish and channel your energy productively • What your current strengths and challenges are as a public speaker

Requirements:

Cost/Materials:    

Countway Practical Presentation Skills

Presentation Slides

Story Telling

Presentation Software

Body Language

• Showtime! (Tips when "on stage")
• Upcoming Classes & Registration

On this page you will find many of the tips and common advice that we cover within our Practical Presentation Skills Workshop.

If you are hoping to attend a workshop in the future, please check the schedule of upcoming classes, and reserve your spot. Space does fill up each week, so please register early!

Creating slides to accompany your presentation can be a great way to provide complimentary visual representation of your topic. Slides are used to fill in the gaps while you tell the story.

Start your presentation with a brief introduction- who you are and what you are going to talk about. 

Think about your presentation as a story with an organized beginning (why this topic), middle (how you did the research) and end (your summary findings and how it may be applicable or inform future research). You can provide a brief outline in the introduction so the audience may follow along. 

Keep it simple with a few key concepts, examples and ideas.

Make sure your audience knows the key takeaway points you wish to get across.

A good way to practice this is to try and condense your presentation into an elevator pitch- what do you want the audience to walk away know? 

Show your enthusiasm!

If you don’t think it is interesting- why should your audience?

Some Good Alternatives to PowerPoint:

• Google Slides
• Keynote (Mac)  
• Prezi  
• Zoho Show  
• PowToon  
• CustomShow  
• Slidebean  
• Haiku Deck  
• Visme  
• Emaze  
• and more…  

Your body language speaks volumes to how confident you are on the topic, how you are feeling up on stage and how receptive you are to your audience. Confident body language, such as smiling, maintaining eye contact, and persuasive gesturing all serve to engage your audience.

• Make eye contact with those in the audience that are paying attention and ignore the rest!
• Speak slower than what you would normally, take a moment to smile at your audience, and project your voice. Don’t rush, what you have to say is important!
• Don’t’ forget to breathe. Deep breaths and positive visualization can helps slow that pounding heart.
• Work on making pauses where you can catch your breath, take a sip of water, stand up straight, and continue at your practiced pace.
• Sweaty palms and pre-presentation jitters are no fun. Harness that nervous energy and turn it into enthusiasm! Exercising earlier in the day can help release endorphins and help relieve anxiety.
• Feeling shaky? Practicing confident body language is one way to boost your pre-presentation jitters. When your body is physically demonstrating confidence, your mind will follow suit. Standing or walking a bit will help you calm those butterflies before you go on stage.
• Don’t be afraid to move around and use the physical space you have available but keep your voice projected towards your audience.
• Practice, practice, practice! Get to the next Practical Presentation Skills workshop in Countway Library http://bit.ly/countwaypresent and practice your talk in front of a supportive and friendly group!

• Excessive bullet points
• Reading your slides instead of telling your story
• Avoid excessive transitions and gimmick
• Numerous charts (especially all on the same slide)
• Lack of enthusiasm and engagement from you
• Too much information and data dump
• Clutter and busy design
• Lack of design consistency 

Now you are on stage!

When delivering the talk, watch out for these bad habits:

•  Avoiding eye-contact
• Slouching or bad posture
• Crossed arms
• Non-purposeful movement
• Not projecting your voice
• Speaking away from the microphone
• Speaking with your back to the audience (often happens when reading slides)
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• Last Updated: Jan 29, 2024 8:37 AM
• URL: https://guides.library.harvard.edu/presentation

Presentations 101

By: John Clayton

Inexperienced presenters make two kinds of mistakes: the intelligent kind that all of us must work through, and the kind that is so obvious that you just shake your head in disbelief. Herewith a…

• Length: 2 page(s)
• Publication Date: Nov 1, 2000
• Discipline: Organizational Behavior
• Product #: C0011B-PDF-ENG

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Inexperienced presenters make two kinds of mistakes: the intelligent kind that all of us must work through, and the kind that is so obvious that you just shake your head in disbelief. Herewith a guide for navigating those presentation pitfalls.

Nov 1, 2000

Discipline:

Organizational Behavior

Harvard Business Publishing Newsletters

C0011B-PDF-ENG

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• Presentation

Examples of Presentation in the Activity Database

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• Why use a Presentation?
• How-To-Guide
• Annotated Examples
• The amount of time available and content to be covered should be considered
• Group presentations have been shown to reduce performance anxiety and activate cooperative learning. However, students sometimes resist group projects if the division of labor becomes unfair.
• How long should it be?
• What format should it be in (Powerpoint, Written on the board, A Handout, etc.)?
• Should students be ready to field questions?
• Provide students with a rubric and make sure they understand how they will be accessed. 
• If students are presenting in groups, provide an opportunity for peer feedback. This will relieve frustrations of unequal contribution to the group. 
• Show students examples of different types of successful presentations. If copyright allows, post these online so students can refer to them later. 
• Highlight what works in each presentation so students have clear take-aways.
• Invite a guest speaker to talk about breathing and speaking techniques to calm nerves. 
• Create an imaginary scenario or role play .
• Bring snacks or play music as students enter to create a more relaxed environment. 
• As students are presenting, makes sure to be strict timekeeper. It is often helpful to have a 5- or 2-min warning signal so students know to speed up if they are not going to make the time limit. 
• Very soon after the presentation, provide students with constructive feedback on both the content and delivery of their presentation.
• You can also allow for peer feedback, after first modeling what constructive feedback looks and sounds like. This can also be accomplished with a written rubric or guiding questions. 

Although standing up to speak in front of the class can be a nerve-wracking experience (Adams, 2004; Barton, Heilker & Rutowski, n.d.; De Grez, Valcke, & Roozen, 2013; Shaw, 1999), students stand to reap many benefits from doing so (De Grez et al. 2013; Kirby & Romaine, 2009; Shaw, 1999). Instructors may assign presentations for a variety of reasons, including to strengthen students’ oral communication skills, to give the students a role in carrying out some of the teaching, to formally diversify the voices who are participating in classroom discourse, and as a method of evaluating students’ learning that goes beyond traditional exams and essays (University of Pittsburgh, n.d.). 

Despite the fact that oral communication is a key professional skill (Fallow & Steven, 2000; Maes, Weldy, & Icenogle, 1997; Pittenger, Miller, & Mott, 2004; Shaw, 1999), efforts to help undergraduates develop this skill are often confined to an isolated course on public speaking, if they are formally addressed at all (Shaw, 1999). Similar to writing skills, oral presentations may be integrated into content courses across the disciplines, thus giving students ample opportunity to practice and polish this skill (Barton, Heilker & Rutowski, n.d.). Requiring students to prepare and deliver oral compositions is rooted in rhetoric, the ancient art of effective and persuasive speaking (Barton, Heilker & Rutowski, n.d.; Haber, & Lingard, 2001).

Depending on the instructor’s pedagogical goals, as well as time constraints, students may be asked to complete presentations in groups or as individuals. Although one study found that group presentations, which activate cooperative learning processes (McCafferty, Jacobs & Iddings, 2006), were more effective than individual presentations in improving students’ speaking skills in a second language, students indicated a preference for completing individual presentations nonetheless (Chou, 2011). Problems associated with group presentations include that group members often have difficulties scheduling time to work together, making joint decisions about the presentation, and believing that all members contributed equally to the work (Chou, 2011). Nevertheless, instructors may think that it is important for students to work through the challenges associated with collaborative work, and researchers have noted that group, relative to individual, presentations tend to relieve students’ performance anxiety (Chou, 2011; Tucker & McCarthy, 2001). Some instructors address the problem of unequal group member contributions by letting the students know in advance that one portion of their presentation grade will be based on the instructor’s evaluation of the finished product (the presentation itself), while another portion will be calculated from group members’ evaluations of each other’s contributions to the product (Shaw, 1999). 

The research literature on oral presentations has been called  “fragmented” (De Grez, Valcke & Roozen, 2009a, p. 112); however, key topics in this literature include the need to set clear expectations and explicitly model good presentation skills (Barton, Heilker & Rutowski, n.d.; De Grez, Valcke & Berings, 2010; De Grez, Valcke & Roozen, 2009a; De Grez, Valcke & Roozen; 2009b; De Grez, Valcke, & Roozen, 2013; University of Pittsburgh, n.d.), the importance of providing students with constructive feedback on their presentations and giving them multiple opportunities to present within a semester so they can refine their skills (Arias et al., 2014; De Grez, Valcke & Roozen, 2009a; De Grez, Valcke & Roozen, 2013; Shaw, 1999), the need to provide supports around students’ public speaking anxiety (Barton, Heilker & Rutowski, n.d.; Hartman & LeMay, 2004; Shaw, 1999), and the importance of evaluating students’ presentations (Arias et al., 2014; Barton, Heilker & Rutowski, n.d.; Chen, 2010; Garcia-Ross, 2011; Shaw, 1999; Sterling, 2008; Weimer, 2013). There is a relatively robust literature on assigning student presentations to strengthen the oral proficiency of English Language Learners (Adams, 2004; Hill & Storey, 2003; Hincks, 2010; Kibler, Salerno & Palacios, 2014).

Students gain confidence in expressing themselves verbally through making presentations (De Grez, Valcke & Berings, 2010; De Grez, Valcke & Roozen, 2009a; De Grez, Valcke & Roozen, 2009b; De Grez, Valcke & Roozen, 2013; Weimer, 2013). If students will be later required to write a paper on the same topic as their presentation, instructors note that the feedback students receive during the presentation tends to improve the quality of their final papers (Shaw, 1999). In practicing the skills required to deliver an effective oral presentation, students also improve their higher-order thinking skills (Kirby & Romaine, 2009; Maes, Weldy & Icenogle, 1997; Ulinski & O’Callaghan, 2002). Although instructors may shy away from assigning presentations because of the pressure they feel to cover content (De Grez, Valcke & Roozen, 2009b; Hill & Storey, 2003),    Shaw (1999) notes that when students present material, they experience the twofold benefit of improving their oral communication skills while simultaneously strengthening their mastery of the content they present.

Written by Julia  Hayden Galindo, Ed.D., Harvard Graduate School of Education

References:

Adams, K. (2004). Modeling success:  Enhancing international postgraduate research students’ self-efficacy for research seminar presentations. Higher Education Research & Development, 23 (2), 115-130. DOI: 10.1080/0729436042000206618

Arias, M., Pando, P., Rodríguez, A., Miaja, P.F., Vázquez, A., Fernández, M., & Lamar, D.G. (2014). The master’s thesis:  An opportunity for fostering presentation skills. IEEE Transactions on Education, 57 (1), 61-68.

Barton, J. Heilker, P., & Rutowski, D. (n.d.). Teaching oral presentation skills in first-year writing courses. Virginia Tech. English Department. Retrieved June 4, 2014 from: https://www.brandeis.edu/das/downloads/TeachingOralPresentationSkillsinFirst-YearWritingCourses.pdf

Chen, C. (2010). The implementation and evaluation of a mobile self- and peer-assessment system. Computers and Education, 55 (1), 229-236.

Chou, M. (2011). The influence of learner strategies on oral presentations:  A comparison between group and individual performance. English for Specific Purposes, 30, 272-285.

De Grez, L., Valcke, M., & Berings. (2010). Peer assessment of oral presentation skills. Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2, 1776-1780.  

De Grez, L., Valcke, M., & Roozen, I. (2009a). The impact of an innovative instructional intervention on the acquisition of oral presentation skills in higher education. Computers and Education, 53, 112-120.

De Grez, L., Valcke, M., & Roozen, I. (2009b). The impact of goal orientation, self-reflection and personal characteristics on the acquisition of oral presentation skills. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 24 (3), 293-306.

De Grez, L., Valcke, M., & Roozen, I. (2013). The differential impact of observational learning and practice-based learning on the development of oral presentation skills in higher education. Higher Education Research & Development 33 (2), 256-271. DOI: 10.1080/07294360.2013.832155

Fallow, S. & Steven, C. (2000). Building employability skills into the higher education curriculum:  A university-wide initiative. Education & Training, 42, 75-82.

Garcia-Ross, R. (2011). Analysis and validation of a rubric to assess oral presentation skills in university contexts. Electronic Journal of Research in Educational Psychology, 9 (3), 1043-1062.

Haber, R.J. & Lingard, L.A. (2001). Learning oral presentation skills:  A rhetorical analysis with pedagogical and professional implications. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 16, 308-314.

Hartman, J.L. & LeMay, E. (2004). Managing presentation anxiety. The Delta Pi Epsilon Journal, 46 (3), 145-154.

Hill, M. & Storey, A. (2003). SpeakEasy :  Online support for oral presentation skills. English Language Teaching Journal, 57 (4), 370-376.

Hincks, R. (2010). Speaking rate and information content in English lingua franca oral presentations. English for Specific Purposes, 29 (1), 4-18.

Kibler, A.K., Salerno, A.S., & Palacios, N. (2014). ‘But before I go to my next step’:  A longitudinal study of adolescent English language learners’ transitional devices in oral presentations. TESOL Quarterly, 48 (2), 222-251.

Kirby, D. & Romaine, J. (2009). Developing oral presentation skills through accounting curriculum design and course-embedded assessment. Journal of Education for Business, 85, 172-179.

Maes, J.D., Weldy, T.G., Icenogle, M.L. (1997). A managerial perspective:  Oral communicative compentency is most important for business students in the workplace. The Journal of Business Communication, 34, 67-80.

McCafferty, S.G., Jacobs, G.M., & Iddings, A.C.D. (2006). Cooperative learning and second language teaching. Cambridge, England:  Cambridge University Press.

Pittenger, K.K.S., Miller, M.C., & Mott, J. (2004). Using real-world standards to enhance students’ presentation skills. Business Communication Quarterly, 67, 327-336.

Shaw, V.N. (1999). Reading, presentation, and writing skills in content courses. College Teaching, 47 (4), 153-157.

Sterling, D.R., (2008). Assessing student presentations from three perspectives. Science Scope, 31 (5), 34-35.

Tucker, M.L. & McCarthey, A.M. (2001). Presentation self-efficacy:  Increasing communication skills through service-learning. Journal of Managerial Issues, 13 (2), 227-244.

University of Pittsburgh (n.d.). Speaking in the Disciplines. Tips for Assigning Oral Presentations. Retrieved June 5, 2014 from: http://www.speaking.pitt.edu/instructor/oral-assignments.html

Ulinski, M., & O’Callaghan, S. (2002). A comparison of MBA students’ and employers’ perceptions of the value of oral communication skills for employment. Journal of Education for Business, 77, 193-197.

Weimer, M. (2013). Student presentations:  Do they benefit those who listen?  Retrieved June 3, 2014 from: http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/teaching-and-learning/student-presentations-do-they-benefit-those-who-listen/

Further Resources:  

• Pittenger, K.K.S., Miller, M.C., Mott, J. (2004). Using real-world standards to enhance students’ presentation skills. Business Communication Quarterly, 67, 327-336. Includes an assessment form that may be used to evaluate students’ presentations
• Sterling, D.R., (2008). Assessing student presentations from three perspectives. Science Scope, 31 (5), 34-35. Includes various rubrics and guides for assessment
• Shaw, V.N. (2001). Training in presentation skills:  An innovative method for college instruction. Education, 122 (1), 140-144.
• University of Pittsburgh:  Speaking in the Disciplines. http://www.speaking.pitt.edu/student/public-speaking/basics.html

Below we have annotated lesson plans for selected examplary activities from our database that highlight various ways to incorporate presentations into the classroom. 

(1)  Visualizing Humanitarian Crises and Interventions : ​​​Student groups  research a humanitarian crisis in a particular region and produce a visual timeline representing the processes precipitating and leading up to the crisis and the relief efforts undertaken in response. Find the original activity in our database  here.

• Concept Map
• Game/Simulation
• Quick Write
• Sequence Reconstruction
• Speed Dating
• Statement Correction
• Think, Pair, Share

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