Make a Business Presentation

By: Sara Martin
Intermediate to Advanced English Language Learners

 

Business Presentation

Introduction

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Introduction: In order to prepare for a business presentation to your English speaking business partners in Dublin, we will learn the best practices for giving a presentation and this class will provide you with an opportunity to practice, practice, practice your English skills!

 

 

Task

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Task: In this project you will identify tips for giving a great presentation. We will practice by researching a topic of choice and presenting to the class. I’m going to be videotaping your first presentation so you can see what your strengths and weaknesses are. Finally we will work as a team to define the main points your business needs to portray in the presentation.  You will finish the project by using the tips we’ve learned to present your company’s presentation!

 

Process

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  1. Everyone will be assigned to groups of 3 or 4. As a group you will research some best practices for giving presentations. You will be expected to contribute at least 5 tips from your research. Presenting can be a daunting task, especially if it’s in your second language, these tips will help you build the confidence to give a great presentation!
  2. As a class we will talk about the tips that everyone has found. Bring your own experiences of giving presentations to the discussion. We will talk about each tip and why it is effective or if it wasn’t helpful to you in your experience. At this point we will also start talking about parts of a presentation.
  3. Now it’s your turn to pick a topic. It should be something you know a lot about or something you’re like to learn more about. This should be a topic you’d be comfortable presenting in front of the class.
  4. You will present your topic to the class in a 5 minute presentation. You can choose whether you want to make a power point or bring in materials but make it interesting! Use the tips we compiled as a class to practice some of the strategies we’re learning about. I will be videotaping your presentation and your classmates will be keeping notes.
  5. When your classmates are presenting you will take notes keeping track of the skills they are using and constructive suggestions you can offer.
  6. We will watch and discuss all of the presentations as a class. You will be expected to give some feedback to your classmates. What worked, what could be improved?
  7. Now as a class we will identify the main points that the company needs to convey in the presentation. With our presentation tools we can now organize the presentation and make a power point with important information and then you will practice giving the presentation to the class.

 

 

ResourcesPresenter
  1. Key Phrases for Making a Business Presentation: http://esl.about.com/od/businessspeakingskills/ss/presenting.htm
  2. Business Presentations and Speaking in Public
  3. http://www.englishclub.com/speaking/presentations.htm
  4. Useful Business Presentation tips for ESL Students
  5. http://www.englishlci.com/blog/business-english/business-english/2011/09/22/useful-business-presentation-tips-for-esl-students
  6. This article presents 7 main rules to giving a good presentation. The article also has great links to other sites about communication and leadership development.
  7. http://www.impactfactory.com/gate/registered/effective_presentation_skills_training_development/registeredgate_1629-5101-727331.html
  8. Templates for Business presentations in Power Point
  9. http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/company-background-presentation-TC006257859.aspx

Evaluation Rubric

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Skills Evaluated

No Attempt:

0 Points

Needs Improvement:

1-2 Points

Adequate:

3 Points

Excellent:

 4 Points

Participation in Presentation Tips group work

You didn’t provide any tips to the group.

You showed little effort and only provided 2 or 3 tips for the group.

You provided 4 tips for the group.

You provided 5 tips that were thoughtful and relevant to the group.

5 Minute presentation

You showed little interest in your topic. You weren’t prepared to present to the class.

Your topic was interesting but you didn’t use any tips from the group research and your presentation lasted less than 4 minutes.

Your presentation was interesting but only lasted 4 minutes. You used 1 or 2 tips from the presentation

Your presentation lasted 5 minutes, was organized and demonstrated using at least 3 tips from the group work.

Presentation Feedback

You did not take notes during other presentations and didn’t provide feedback to your classmates.

You didn’t take notes and only made several comments about presentation but they were not constructive. Example: “I liked your presentation”

You took notes and gave some feedback but lacked detail and demonstrated moderate comprehension.

You took detailed notes during your classmate’s presentation. You provided positive and constructive feedback.

Final Presentation Participation

You showed no effort to contribute to the class presentation.

You showed little effort and contribution to the group presentation. Didn’t use best practices from class research.

You were able to incorporate several tips from group research. Participated in presentation but lacked detail.

Demonstrated knowledge on presentation best practices and actively participated in developing company’s presentation.

 

Conclusion

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Congratulations! You have developed some great tips to give a successful presentation and had a couple opportunities to practice your skills. You are preparing yourself as an effective asset to the company. Giving a presentation can be intimidating in your native language so you should be proud of what you are accomplishing in this class. With more practice presenting in English it will become easier and easier!

Teacher Notes

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This class is designed for intermediate to advanced students at the X Company in Valencia, Venezuela. I will be working 5 hours a week with employees of the company to prepare them to build a stronger relationship with their partner company in Dublin, Ireland.