COM 23 - STANFORD UNIVERSITY CONTINUING STUDIES

English for Professional Purposes
Presenting in English

Home | Syllabus | Class Notes | Stanford Continuing Studies

Winter 2010 COM23

English for Professional Purposes:  Presenting in English

Description

The ability to communicate ideas effectively continually ranks at the top of the list of skills needed by business people, engineers, and other professionals. This series of advanced English courses gives nonnative English speakers the chance to identify and practice the essential speaking and writing skills needed in professional settings.  Designed for advanced non-native speakers working in professional contexts, COM23 focuses on the development of clear, effective presentation skills in English, with specific attention to the accurate use of American English sounds, stress, and intonation. Students will practice presenting to both small and large groups, learning how best to organize information and perform in order to communicate clearly and maintain audience attention. Goals are to develop confidence, fluency, and accuracy when presenting in English. Two presentations will be videotaped for analysis and personalized instructor feedback.

Course Organization

Topics will include:

·      Pronunciation. A basic overview of the sounds of English and stress, rhythm, and intonation.

·      Presentation skills

o   Overview of the process of developing a presentation

o   Analysis of speakers and speaking styles

o   The parts of a presentation: introduction, body, and conclusion

o   Practice with common presentation types

o   Using visuals (e.g., PowerPoint) effectively

·      Materials. There is no textbook for the course. Some materials will be passed out in class and others will be available online through the class website.

 The Nature of the Course:

Due to the nature of Stanford Continuing Studies, we  can expect a range of levels among students who attend this course in terms of both English and experience with public speaking as well as in the types of presentations they need to practice.  Please understand that this may mean that some parts of the course will be more suited to you than others.  There will be flexibility built into assignments, especially major ones, allowing you to focus on your particular needs. Note that there may be as many as 27 students in the class, which will impact my ability to give you the level of individual help that would be ideal. Because of that, a key feature will  be peer support. This will include being a polite and encouraging audience when others are speaking and regularly providing peer feedback, especially in the small group setting where I may not be present.

 Presentation Days

There will be two days devoted solely to presentations.  On these days I may have to divide the class into two groups, starting one group an hour before and ending with one group an hour later, assuming that fits schedules.

·         Each person will present

·         Others will watch and give feedback

·         There will be video-capture for review and reflection—details of this will be announced in class

·         Feedback:  You will receive written feedback from me on each major presentation at the following class meeting

·         Audio recordings: if you have a digital audio recorder, you may record the audio of up to two of your short presentations and submit it to me for additional feedback.

Assignments

·      Presentations: There will be a short presentation of some sort each week, which you should have prepared for and practiced prior to the class meeting.

·      Written homework:  Outlines and reflections – For each major presentation you will be expected to submit an outline, due at the beginning of class on the day of the presentation.  After each presentation, you should complete a reflection worksheet based on reviewing your video and submit a copy, due at 7PM on the day of the class meeting follow the presentation.  

Requirements and Grading: 

Students enter this course with a variety of English levels and experience in giving presentations, so grading will be individualized. Those taking the course for a grade (and those wanting to get the most out of it) should:

• Attend all class meetings – this includes arriving on time
• Perform all presentations
• Give constructive peer feedback on presentations
• Show  evidence of preparation and practice for presentations
• Demonstrate noticeable improvement in presentation and pronunciation

All assignments will be graded on a submitted/not submitted basis.  Due to the large number of students in the class, we will probably not be able to accommodate makeups and late assignments .  The final grade will be calculated according to the following percentages:

·         Attendance and class participation (including peer feedback) 40%

·         Outlines 10%

·         Presentations 30%

·         Reflections 20%

A passing grade is 70%. 

Tentative Schedule of Presentations

Note that topics and time ranges may change depending on class needs and interests. Boldfaced ones are whole class presentations and others are to be in small groups (7 or fewer). Major presentations (1 and 2) will be done in front of the class, typically with a computer and projector.  Small group presentations will be done without computer support.

January 12: Self Introduction

January 19: Describing your job, a recent project, or your field (3 minutes)

January 26: Describing a process (3 minutes)

February 2: Explaining data (3 minutes)

February 9: Practice introduction to Presentation 1 (2 minutes)

February 16: Presentation 1 (7-8 minutes)

February 23: Defending a position (3 minutes)

March 2: Answering questions (3 minutes)

March 8: Presentation 2 (7-8 minutes)

March 16: Impromptu speaking (2 minutes)