Preface
Business Presentations (BP) provides a comprehensive, integrated approach to the study and application of oral business communication to serve both student and professor. It provides a modern context with real world examples that are immediately relevant to today's students.
This textbook features chapters with the following elements:
Learning Objectives
Introductory Exercises
Clear expectations, relevant background, and important theories
Practical, real-world examples
Key Takeaways or quick internal summaries
Key terms that are easily identified
In-chapter assignments
Post-chapter assessments linked to objectives and skills acquisition
Visual reinforcement and relevant images
Integrated, engaging video resources
Samples and examples
Each chapter is self-contained, allowing for mix-and-match flexibility and custom or course-specific design. Each chapter focuses on clear objectives and skill demonstrations that can be easily linked to your syllabus and state or federal requirements. Supported by internal and external assessments, each chapter features time-saving and learning-enhancement support for instructors and students.
Business Presentations Version 1.0 is designed to help students identify important information, reinforce for retention, and demonstrate mastery with a clear outcome product or presentation.
The text has three content categories:
Foundations
Process and products
Contexts
The first three chapters form the core foundation for the study of oral business communication. The next sequence of chapters focus on the process of oral performance with an emphasis on results and effective, engaging presentations. The final sequence focuses on contexts where oral communication interactions are critical for business success, from interpersonal to intercultural, from groups to leadership, from intercultural to international.
In each of the process and product chapter sequences, the chapters follow a natural flow from preparation for a presentation to performance. Each sequence comes together in a concluding chapter that focuses on action—where we apply the skills and techniques of oral communication in business, from a press conference to presenting a sales speech. These performances not only serve to reinforce real-world applications but also may serve as course assessments.
All chapters are compartmentalized into sections so you can choose what you want to use and eliminate the rest, and here the beauty of FlatWorld rings true—you can adapt and integrate content from other texts or your own work to truly make it fit your course and student needs.
Our 1.0 edition includes additional exercises, images, and videos throughout the text to reinforce learning, connections to the latest research, and new sections on mobile communication, family business communication, and intercultural communication.
Please consider adapting this text for your own use! While there are far more sections and chapters than many courses will need in a 6, 8, 10, 12 or even 16-week class, the diversity and range of those sections allows you to align the sections with your syllabus, your course calendar, your specific topic, audience, or need. I welcome adaptations, updates, and new versions of this text!