20 Considerations and Strategies for Oral Presentations
Introduction
Whether short, informal and require sharing of specific information within a small group, or more lengthy and structured, requiring visual aids and sharing on a specific topic to a larger audience, oral presentations are anxiety producing.
Reflect
What do you think are the biggest causes of anxiety for your students associated with giving oral presentations? Are there specific anxieties you would associate with the different groups of learners in your class?
Did You Know?
About 25% of the population are anxious and afraid to make presentations. According to neuropsychologist Dr. Theo Tsaousides as outlined in the article “Why Are We Afraid of Public Speaking?” there are many factors which contribute to this sense of dread induced by the thought of speaking in public (glossophobia). Four of the main contributing factors are:
- Physiology – the autonomic nervous system is aroused in response to a potentially threatening stimulus which leads to fear – this fear of public speaking can be heightened for some who then worry about how their fear will manifest itself and how they will be perceived.
- Thoughts – personal beliefs about public speaking and about themselves as speakers can lead to inflating the stakes of the speech event. Having personal self-doubt about one’s own ability to communicate effectively can increase anxiety and fear
- Situations -certain situations trigger anxiety including:
- lack of experience presenting in the target format,
- fear of being evaluated on the performance,
- status difference – presenting with the professor present or presenting to others perceived to be more competent
- presenting something new – the topic many not be that familiar and there is a fear of being asked related questions that the speaker is unable to answer
- new Audiences – presenting to the unfamiliar people and not knowing what to expect induces fear
- Skills – how well a speaker is able to communicate. Practice helps develop skills, even for naturally good speakers.
If 25% of the population experience fear and anxiety when speaking in public, think about how amplified that likely is for some non native speakers who are speaking publicly in a language that is not their mother tongue. On top of overcoming the nerves many feel while speaking, they also have to be processing their thoughts and converting them to another language with all its nuances, grammar, pronunciation and structures, under pressure to perform according to North American expectations in a given amount of time and be evaluated – now that’s pressure!
Key Takeaways
It might be time to reflect on how you are actually using presentations in your course and if there might be a better way for your students to showcase their understanding of and ability to apply the course concepts. Based on the principles of socio-cultural constructivism, UDL and CRP, offering options for students to choose from in order to demonstrate their learning can lead to higher levels of engagement and achievement. If the ability to create and make a presentation is not part of your learning outcomes, you may want to consider some alternate dynamic learning ideas and tools outlined in Dr. Matthew Joseph’s post “Moving to Dynamic Learning”
Keys to Supporting Your ELLs’ Oral Presentation Success
Expand Your Knowledge
Create a Linguistic and Culturally Inclusive Space
You have learned about the linguistic and cultural diversity of students in Module 2 and the need to create an equitable and supportive environment in Module 3. Looking at all teaching and learning through a CRP lens and adhering to UDL principles helps to create inclusive learning spaces.
Determine English Expectations
In the classroom your linguistic expectations are communicated through course outcomes, assignments and rubrics as well as classroom interactions. Your treatment of linguistic diversity signals acceptable attitudes and behaviours within the class towards the sociolinguistic diversity of the ELLs.
Foster Tolerance of Sociolinguistic Diversity
One of the goals of higher education is to graduate learners who can competently interact and communicate with others in the classroom, in the workforce and in a global environment. This is one of the greatest assets of studying in a multi lingual/cultural classroom because ALL students can develop awareness of different styles of communication and learn from each others’ background knowledge and worldviews. This can help to debunk the beliefs of some who prejudicially believe that individuals who do not speak the same “standard” English as they do, have a low level of intelligence or poor cognition (Crawford, 1992 as cited in Kamara, 2004). Additionally, cross-cultural dialogue provides the “opportunity for the development of tolerance, understanding, and ultimately unity…”. Cross cultural dialogue can decrease tensions between groups and can lead to the dominant group learning more about others, which can improve social cohesion (Jones, 2005, p. 57 as cited in Hao, 2010).
Determine Acceptable Varieties of English
There is no question that clarity of communication is important for both native and non native speakers in your class. For ELLs, this generally means using the grammar and vocabulary appropriate for the context; using the wrong tense or incorrect pronoun can interfere with comprehension. Furthermore, using an unfamiliar word or placing the accent on the wrong syllable making the word unrecognizable can also obscure the clarity of the transaction. However, English grammar and vocabulary usage are not universal. Consider the differences in countries such as the USA, Australia New Zealand, Ireland, South Africa and some Caribbean territories where the official language is English. Do we all speak the same English? Do we have the same way of organizing our thoughts and conveying ideas? Do we all use the same word to describe an object or is it dependent on the geographic location? Do we speak with the same accent? Of course the answer is ‘no.’ Then when we take into account all the countries that use English for transactional purposes around the world, there is even more variety in the English used. Native speakers of English are actually in the minority of English speakers globally. English is used as the language of communication (lingua franca) between populations that do not share a common language and is the universal language used in the science fields, for many jobs such as pilots and is the default choice for transnational communication. This lingua franca is referred to as World English as the varieties and registers do follow standardized patterns of use associated with the profession. While this use of English globally is generally aligned with the accepted practices in certain disciplines, the notion of a standard English in today’s global environment is unrealistic. The term ‘World Englishes’ better captures the reality of English used globally. Localized or indigenized varieties of English have emerged in various contexts globally as a result of contact with local and other languages and usage purpose .
Distinguish Between Pronunciation and Accent
Like grammar, pronunciation can sometimes interfere with others’ ability to comprehend the speaker. Pronunciation of certain consonant or vowel sounds (segmentals) may be strongly influenced by the ELL’s first language. In some languages, there may be words that are the same or very close to the same word in the ELL’s native language; however, the stressed syllable (suprasegmental) may be different, so when spoken aloud, the word may not be recognizable by others in the class. ELLs are not alone in mispronouncing words. It is common for native speakers to incorrectly pronounce unfamiliar words.
- It’s helpful for all learners in your class to see key vocabulary written and provide the pronunciation of the words orally.
- Encourage learners to use text to speech software so they can hear the pronunciation of their pronunciation. MS Word had a screen reader function or you can you a program like Balaboka. Learners can record their presentation script and then read along to practice the pronunciation.
Accents, on the other hand, should not interfere with comprehension. However, it is common for NA students to express frustration at not being able to understand some ELLs in the class or even their teachers who may have a pronounced accent. Linguistics research indicates that decoding accents is possible if learners have the right mentality. Researchers found that students’ personal expectation of how easy or difficult a speaker will be to understand plays a significant role in their ability to understand the speaker’s accent (Stellino, 2019).
Watch & Share
Watch the video about strong accents or read the transcript Strong Accent Transcript [Word] S4 Strong Accent Transcript [PDF] . Do you agree with the speaker?
The notion of ‘English’ today needs to be retuned from thinking of it as a single, monolithic entity, a linguistic ‘standard’ and a reference system, to understanding it as a set of related, structurally overlapping, but also distinct varieties, the products of a fundamental “glocalization” process with variable, context-dependent outcomes (Schneider, 2018).
Make Connections
Consider the backgrounds of the students in your class and their purpose for taking the course. The content knowledge is very important for all the learners but is the English standard equally as important? Will your ELLs be working or living in an environment that requires strict adherence to North American ‘standards?’ Or is communicating competently in World Englishes their goal? The weighting and priority you place on oral communication using ‘standard’ English should reflect the realities of global communication.
- Check in with your students and ask them how and where they think they will be using the knowledge and skills covered in your class.
- Ask your students about what their personal goals are for their English oral skills.
Class Engagement During Presentations
In addition to performance anxiety, many learners worry about performing in front of their peers. It is important to collaboratively develop expectations about the responsibilities and expected behaviours of others in the class during a learner’s or group of learners’ presentation. Determine the following:
- Who is managing the class? Is the presenter responsible for the class during the presentation? Should the presenter ensure that the class is paying attention?
- What expectations are there around chatter in the class during the presentation? Do you need to teach learners strategies such as using physical proximity to draw the chatters’ attention? Should the presenter stop talking? Should the presenter ask for attention?
- Should the audience have a specific task associated with each presenter so they are required to actively listen to the presentation to successfully complete the task? Should answers to the task be assessed by the teacher for marks?
- What should happen if the presenter goes over the allotted time?
All students in the class should be listening actively. Active Listening is an important skill that students can use in the classroom, the workplace and in all interactions. Active listening is non-judgmental , involves providing verbal and non verbal feedback and asking clarification questions. These behaviours support and value all learners in the classroom.