Choosing a Topic for an Oral Presentation

Your Task. Select a topic from the following list or from the report topics in the activities at the ends of Chapters 11 and 12. For an expanded list of report topics, go to www.meguffey.com. Individually or as a team, prepare a five- to ten-minute oral presentation. Consider yourself an expert or a team of experts called in to explain some aspect of the topic before a group of interested people. Because your time is limited, prepare a concise yet forceful presentation with effective visual aids.

If this is a group presentation, form a team of three or four members and conduct thorough research on one of the following topics, as directed by your instructor. Follow the tips on team presentations in this chapter. Divide the tasks fairly, meet for discussions and rehearsals, and crown your achievement with a 15- to 20-minute presentation to your class. Make your PowerPoint presentation interesting and dynamic.

a. Is PowerPoint evil, as Yale professor emeritus Edward Tufte has claimed in his now famous essay? Consider this excerpt: "At a minimum, a presentation format should do no harm. Yet the PowerPoint style routinely disrupts, dominates, and trivializes content. Thus PowerPoint presentations too often resemble a school play-very loud, very slow, and very simple."

b. What information and tools are available at Web job banks to college students searching for full-time employment after graduation? Consider Monster.com and other job banks.

c. How could your peers (in college or in your workplace) be persuaded to make healthful food choices?

*See the Instructor's Manual and the Instructor's Resource CD.

d. What simple computer security tips can your company employ to avoid problems?

e. What is telecommuting, and for what kind of workers is it an appropriate work alternative?

f. How could your company use Facebook or Twitter to advantage?

g. How can consumers protect themselves against identity theft?

h. What is the economic outlook for a given product, such as domestic cars, laptop computers, digital cameras, fitness equipment, or a product of your choice?

i. How can your organization or institution improve its image?

j. What are the Webby Awards, and what criteria do the judges use to evaluate Web sites?

k. What brand and model of computer and printer represent the best buy for college students today?

l. What franchise would offer the best investment opportunity for an entrepreneur in your area?

m. What are the differences among casual, business casual, and busi- ness formal attire?

n. Which smartphone on the market today offers the best features for businesspeople?

o. Are internships worth the effort?

p. What risks are involved for companies without written policies for e-mail, instant messaging, texting, and social media Web sites?

q. Where should your organization hold its next convention?

r. What is your opinion of the statement "Advertising steals our time, defaces the landscape, and degrades the dignity of public institutions"?32

s. What are the advantages and disadvantages of fractional ownership, say, of corporate jets or yachts?

t. What is the outlook for real estate (commercial or residential) investment in your area?

u. What are the pros and cons of videoconferencing for [name an organization]?

v. What do the personal assistants for celebrities do, and how does one become a personal assistant? (Investigate the Association of Celebrity Personal Assistants.)

w. Can a small or midsized company reduce its telephone costs by using Internet phone service?

x. What scams are on the Federal Trade Commission's List of top 10 Consumer Scams, and how can consumers avoid falling for them?

y. What is fair trade coffee (or cocoa), and why should U.S. businesses such as Starbucks purchase it?

z. Should employees be allowed to use computers in a work environment for anything other than work-related business?

Text Book: Business Communication: Process and Product By Mary Ellen Guffey, Dana Loewy.