Business Communication Chapter 14 Homework Team projects can be harmonious and productive when members establish ground rules and follow guidelines

IV. Developing Intercultural and Team Presentations (14-5, PPT Slides 45–53, DISC:

Cultural imperatives; Teamwork; Theory application)

a. In a globalized business world, adjusting to a multicultural audience can be

challenging. Follow these tips for success:

i. Anticipate differing expectations and perceptions (e.g., being direct).

b. When adjusting visual aids to intercultural audiences, use these guidelines:

i. Find out whether you will need an interpreter.

ii. Explain important concepts in several ways, using different words.

c. Team projects can be harmonious and productive when members establish

ground rules and follow guidelines.

d. When preparing to work together, use these tips:

i. Establish ground rules and put them in writing.

ii. Name a leader, recorder, and evaluator.

e. Guidelines for planning and preparing the document or presentation include

the following:

i. Establish the purpose for the document or presentation and the

main issues.

vi. Assign written tasks for oral presentations; decide how written

documents will be composed.

f. When collecting information:

i. Brainstorm for ideas, assign topics, and decide who gathers what.

g. When organizing, writing, and revising, be sure to:

i. Review the proposed organization and make necessary

adjustments.

ii. Use the same software to facilitate combining files.

h. Techniques for editing, rehearsing, and evaluating include the following:

i. Assign one person to merge files; run a spell-checker; and check for

consistency in design, format, and vocabulary.

i. Knowledge Check Activity: 15 minutes total. Test Your Workplace Etiquette

IQ

Have students check their workplace etiquette IQ by deciding whether the

statements are true or false and then discuss the answers with the class.

• At a business lunch, it is permissible to discuss topics such as sex,

politics, or religion only if you know the other guests very well.

• If a man has been invited to a business lunch by a businesswoman,

he should offer to pay for his own lunch even if the host has made it

clear that she is paying.

• When you are a guest at a business dinner, you should not order

expensive dishes, liquor, appetizers, or desserts unless the host

does.

o True — You should not order liquor, appetizers, or desserts

V. Adopting Smartphone Best Practices for Business (14-6, PPT Slides 54–60,

DISC: Synchronous messaging; Asynchronous messaging; Theory application)

a. When making telephone calls professionally, follow these suggestions:

i. Plan a mini-agenda.

ii. Use a three-point introduction.

b. When receiving telephone calls professionally, follow these guidelines:

i. Identify yourself immediately.

ii. Be responsive and helpful.

c. When using smartphones in business, consider these tips (Figure 14.11):

i. Be courteous to those around you.

Business Presentations

d. Many businesspeople make extensive use of voice mail to intercept and

screen incoming calls.

e. To make voice mail work effectively on the receiver’s end, follow these tips:

i. Don’t overuse voice mail.

f. For effective use of voice mail on the caller’s end, consider these tips:

i. Be prepared to leave a message.

g. Pair Activity: 20 minutes total. Activity 14.12—Practicing Phone Skills by Role-

Playing

Break class into pairs and have students complete the role-playing activity

found at the end of the chapter.

• What did you observe about your own performance as you played

your role?

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Discussion Questions

You can assign these questions several ways: in a discussion forum in your LMS; as whole-

class discussions in person; or as a partner or group activity in class.

1. Discussion: Preparation Is Key (Critical Thinking #1, 14-4, PPT Slides 37 and 38)

Duration 10 minutes.

a. Why should even veteran speakers plan their presentations when addressing

a business audience instead of just “winging it”?

i. Answer: Very few people can speak off the cuff competently. Without

have written copy to follow or return to, verbal signposts, transitions,

and even a certain amount of redundancy are desirable.

2. Discussion: Boredom Is Contagious (Critical Thinking #2, 14-2 and 14-4,

PPT Slides 12–13, 16, and 41) Duration 5 minutes.

a. Corporate communication consultant Dianna Booher believes that

enthusiasm is infectious and “boredom is contagious.”

b. What does this mean for you as a presenter?

i. Answer: If you want to stay in control during the talk, build credibility,

and engage the audience, you must try to move naturally, use visual

3. Discussion: Beyond Bullet Points (Critical Thinking #3, 14-2 and 14-3,

PPT Slides 17–20 and 25–26) Duration 5 minutes.

a. Why do many communication consultants encourage businesspeople to

move beyond bullet points?

i. Answer: PowerPoint is omnipresent in business. Millions of poorly

b. What do they recommend instead, and why?

i. Answer: Experts recommend substituting text with powerful images

whenever possible. Images are more memorable than text. Experts

4. Discussion: Combatting Glossophobia (Critical Thinking #4, 14-4, PPT Slide 39)

Duration 10 minutes.

a. Name at least five effective techniques for reducing stage fright.

i. Answer:

• Breathe deeply.

• Convert your fear.

5. Discussion: A Little Humor Goes a Long Way (Critical Thinking #5, 14-5, PPT Slide 46)

Duration 10 minutes.

a. Etiquette expert Jacqueline Whitmore offers this advice to aspiring speakers:

“A long, dry presentation of facts is sure to be a yawn-inducer, so consider

b. Consider what you’ve learned in this chapter. Is this good advice for all

audiences?

6. Discussion: Accountability and Team Presentations (Critical Thinking #6, 14-5, PPT

Slides 48–52) Duration 20 minutes.

a. Deborah Grayson Riegel, a communication skills expert, has this to say about

team presentations: “I’ve found that group presentations tend to fall into the

trap of creating a feeling of shared accountability (‘we’re all in this together’)

b. Can you relate? How can you ensure successful team presentations?

i. Answer: Answers will vary. Many students have encountered failing

teamwork and the kind of abdication of responsibility that Deborah

9. Where should the team members stand while the others are

presenting?

10. What should the non-speaking team members be doing/not

doing when they’re not “on”?

11. How will we keep track of our time in each section, for each

speaker, and overall during the presentation?

12. Who is taking notes/writing flipcharts/distributing materials?

13. Do we want to share one microphone or do we each need one?

What kind?

20. How can we support our weakest link and showcase our

strongest player?

Additional Activities and Assignments

1. Case Study: Zooming In—Jean-luc Doumont: A Globe-Trotting Engineer Teaches

Speaking Skills: In this case study, students will read about Belgium-based engineer

Jean-luc Doumont and his approach to speaking skills and presentations. They are

then asked to answer a series of critical-thinking questions.

a. Why is being audience-centric and focusing on the purpose crucial to

successful business presentations?

i. Audiences are focused on what’s in it for them, so presentations that

b. Why does Jean-luc Doumont say, “Do your slides right … or don’t do them at

all”?

i. When delivering a presentation, you want the audience to focus on

you, not your slides. Poorly designed slides that are difficult to read or

c. How can you build rapport with your audience?

i. Even before giving your presentation, you can get things off to a good

start by greeting audience members as you enter the room. When

2. Case Study: Zooming In—Your Turn: Applying Your Skills at an NGO: In this case

study, students will take on the role of an intern planning special projects for a

nongovernmental organization (NGO) that sends medical supplies to the needy in

developing countries. Break students into groups of three or four and have them

complete the assignment as a team. You may wish to have students present their

slides to the class or submit their responses electronically.

3. Chat About It: At the end of each chapter, you will find additional open-ended

questions related to the chapter material. You may assign these topics for

discussion in class, in an online chat room, or on an online discussion board. You

may also ask students to read and respond to postings made by their classmates.

Topic 1: In her best-selling book, the classic Slide:ology, Nancy Duarte says this

about presentations: “Save the decorations for the holidays.” What does she

mean and how does this piece of advice apply to business presentations?

Topic 4: Survey your class informally to find out what you and your classmates

consider acceptable smartphone use in various settings—when walking down

the street, in a restaurant, in a place of worship, in class, on a date, and more.

Additional Resources

Cengage Video Resources

• MindTap Videos:

o Learn It: Chapter 14 Business Presentations

▪ Learn It: Video Lesson 14-1

▪ Learn It: Video Lesson 14-2

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Appendix

Generic Rubrics

Providing students with rubrics helps them understand expectations and components of

assignments. Rubrics help students become more aware of their learning process and

progress, and they improve students’ work through timely and detailed feedback.

Standard Writing Rubric

Criteria

Meets Requirements

Needs Improvement

Incomplete

Content

The assignment clearly

and comprehensively

addresses all questions

in the assignment.

The assignment partially

addresses some or all

questions in the

assignment.

The assignment does not

address the questions in

the assignment.

0 points

Research

The assignment is based

upon appropriate and

adequate academic

literature, including peer

reviewed journals and

other scholarly work.

5 points

The assignment is based

upon adequate

academic literature but

does not include peer

reviewed journals and

other scholarly work.

3 points

The assignment is not

based upon appropriate

and adequate academic

literature and does not

include peer reviewed

journals and other

scholarly work.

0 points

References/Works

Cited

The assignment follows

the required citation

guidelines.

5 points

The assignment follows

some of the required

citation guidelines.

3 points

The assignment does not

follow the required

citation guidelines.

0 points

The assignment has two

or fewer grammatical

and spelling errors.

5 points

The assignment has

three to five grammatical

and spelling errors.

3 points

The assignment is

incomplete or

unintelligible.

0 points

Standard Discussion Rubric

Criteria

Meets Requirements

Needs Improvement

Incomplete

Participation

Participates in or

submits discussion by

the posted deadlines.

Follows instructions for

initial post and

responses.

5 points

3 points

Maintains appropriate

language. Offers

manner. Provides both

positive and negative

feedback.

Does not always

maintain appropriate

criticism in an offensive

manner. Provides only

negative feedback.

3 points

Does not participate in

discussion.

Does not participate in

or submit discussion by

the posted deadlines.

Does not follow

instructions for initial

post and responses.

Does not participate in

discussion.

0 points

conclusions are logically

related and consistent.

10 points

conclusions are mostly

logically related and

consistent.

7 points

logically related and

consistent.

0 points