Questions and Answers of Business Communication Essentials

Determine an appropriate report format and organization in a business situation.
Describe typical components of a business report.
Explain how the writing style for a report may differ from other types of writing.
Format a footnote to cite a given source.
Distinguish design and formatting guidelines for slide decks from other types of reports.
Before you consider delivering a presentation, think about preparing one. How do you feel about the work? If you feel anxious, try to reframe the prospect. Focus on your knowledge of the subject and
Do you feel more competent preparing content or delivering a presentation? How can you use your skills from one to improve your competence at the other? For example, are you good at organizing a
How do you perceive others’ visuals during presentations? Have you been harsh in criticizing PowerPoints and other visuals? What can you learn for your own development process?
How comfortable would you be using a demonstration as part of a presentation? Imagine that you want to reduce sexual harassment in an organization. Could you include a role play by actors or
Imagine that you have a great idea for a new business—and maybe you already have one. Plan to present your idea to two different audiences: potential investors and prospective employees. In small
Imagine that you work for a university as the head of transportation. You want to encourage people to take the bus rather than park on campus because spots are limited. Prepare agenda slides for two
Imagine that you made it through first-round interviews with a company you admire. For the second round, they ask you to prepare a three-minute presentation on any topic. You’ll deliver this to the
To prepare for a presentation, imagine different audiences. In small groups, describe how you would identify audiences that are hostile, skeptical, or laid-back. Try to be specific about their body
Watch a presentation or meeting in person or online. Identify audience reactions by observing each person carefully. Would you describe anyone as hostile, skeptical, or laid-back? What about their
Imagine that you’re preparing to talk with your team of employees about a new inventory management system at a retail store. You have noticed items missing and want a better tracking system. The
Watch two TED Talks. Identify stories—either parts of a presentation or the entire presentation as a story. How does each story follow the format shown in Figure 3? In what ways does it differ? How
Think about a show you watch that has multiple episodes. How is suspense used to keep you engaged? What happens at the end of each episode that makes you want to watch the next one? Give a few
To prepare for an upcoming presentation, create a storyboard. Use software, a PowerPoint template, or paper and sticky notes. Draw pictures and write a few words to capture what you would create on
For an upcoming presentation, prepare an engaging opening. Try something original and creative but consider the audience carefully so you don’t lose credibility by trying to capture attention in a
In small groups, discuss the following and identify which organizational pattern might work best in each situation. Review Figure 6 for a description and example of each pattern: benefits, issues or
Go to Canva or another design website. Look at the available slide templates and choose two that appeal to you. Why are you drawn to these examples? What about the colors or format do you like? What
You are the owner of a mid-sized insurance company. You have 25 agents who travel throughout the country, making presentations to small groups of 10–20 people. You want to create a template that
Attend a business meeting, city council meeting, student organization meeting, conference, or some other event where presentations will take place. Imagine that you were hired as a consultant to help
If you created a report deck for individual reading, this is your chance to use it to create new decks for two presentations. First, imagine a presentation for a small group. Reduce the heavy text
If a colleague showed you the slide in Figure 16, how would you change it? Working in trios, reduce the text on this slide to make it easier to read, more logically organized, and more graphical.
Find a slide presentation you created. Revise the title and agenda slides to include your main points if you didn’t in the original version. You might have to add descriptive text or remove generic
For the same presentation you revised in Exercise 17 or another one, revise the slide titles. Read them all first. Are they logically sequenced, descriptive, and parallel? If not, revise them to meet
For the same slides used in the previous exercise, add divider slides. You might repeat the agenda slide and highlight each part, or you might use images and other text as dividers. Also add a
Imagine that you want to present the ideas for using video in presentations from this chapter to a group of people. Convert the “Using Video” section of this chapter (11-5a) to one slide. Use
In small groups, describe examples of how your school faculty effectively use videos and handouts during lectures. How do these visuals illustrate points or reinforce your learning? How have you used
For your second-round job interview, a prospective employer has asked you to deliver a presentation on any topic. To make the best impression—and to leave something for the audience to remember
Describe ways to adapt your presentation for an audience in a given business situation.
Identify steps for developing a presentation as a story.
Redesign a given slide to improve visual appeal.
Identify ways to reinforce a main point in a presentation.
Explain the value of using video and handouts in a presentation.
To what extent are you anxious or excited about giving presentations? In what situations are you more comfortable, and in what situations are you more nervous? How do you think your reaction compares
Think about presentations you have given in the past. Identify one that makes you feel proud. Write a list of what you did that contributed to your success. Try to be specific. What and how did you
If available, watch a video of a presentation you delivered in the past. On a scale of 1 to 5, how nervous did you feel? How nervous do you look? Ask a friend to watch the video as well. How does
Use the tool at speaking.amynewman.com to identify strategies to try before, during, and after a presentation. Which have you used successfully in the past? Which five or six would be most useful for
One of the ideas in the speaking tool is to write out your fears and identify coping strategies for each, particularly those that aren’t rational. Complete this activity. For example, if you write,
How quickly do you judge others’ presentations? Think about the opening of a presentation you saw recently. How did it start? Did the speaker capture your attention? For a similar presentation,
After completing the speaking tool (speaking.amynewman.com), share your results with another student in class. Identify five or six strategies you will try before, during, or after a presentation.
Prepare a three-minute presentation, using an outline, about one strategy for managing speech anxiety. You may include sources in the speaking tool or from your own research.Before delivering the
Over the next few days, consider how presenters use different methods of delivery in different situations. You might see professors teaching classes, a student addressing members in an organization,
Find any video of an executive giving a talk about a company or find an entrepreneur pitching an idea on Shark Tank. How would you describe the style of presentation? In what ways do you find it
In small groups, deliver two versions of the same presentation. Choose a topic that interests you: a hobby, service work, business idea, or something else. Prepare to deliver two or three sentences
Watch any two presentations. Search for a company executive, a commencement speaker, a politician, or someone else. Try to find two different types of presentations—one formal and one more
Watch the videos from Exercise 6 again. This time, observe the delivery skills more closely. What do you find effective and ineffective in each presenter’s movement, gestures, and eye contact? Stop
For an upcoming presentation, prepare your first couple of sentences. Say them out loud to a small group of students for feedback. Ask for feedback. Is your main point clearly up front? Did you make
In small groups, take turns delivering short presentations to each other. Speak for between one and three minutes at a time. Talk about any topic that interests you: your favorite TV show, movie,
Practice an upcoming presentation three times—at least once in the room where you will deliver it. Each time you practice, write notes about your observations and plans for improvements. Use the
Imagine that you work as a data analyst for a technology company and have prepared a presentation about data security. You’ll deliver your presentation to employees in three countries in addition
Working in groups of three or four, have one person deliver a short presentation online to the rest of the team. Choose Zoom, Google Meet, or any other program. Select a presenter, who will be in a
As you did for the previous exercise, plan for one person in another room to present to two or three team members online. This time, something goes wrong. The audience can invent whatever mishap they
In teams of three or four, plan how to divide parts of a presentation. Choose a topic that interests your team: a business idea, a current news item, an upcoming campus event, and so on. Follow these
Divide into teams of four or five students. Your instructor will assign you to either the pro or the con side of one of the following topics:a. Drug testing should be mandatory for all warehouse
Working in small groups, plan a presentation to different audiences. Imagine that you’re the management team of a moving company and are announcing the acquisition of a storage company. The storage
When you prepared a presentation about a new inventory management system at a retail store. Working in small groups, plan the first few minutes of the presentation.Then have one person deliver the
In this chapter, you read about using humor in presentations. In small groups, discuss your experience and views on the topic. When have you used humor successfully in a presentation? Describe the
Find an interview with a company leader on a business news program. Identify the types of questions the reporter asks: easy, hostile, leading, negative, or something else. What strategies does the
For an upcoming team presentation, brainstorm a list of questions you might receive. Then, practice your presentation and interrupt each other with the most challenging questions. After each, pause
Attend a presentation or meeting that includes time for questions. You might attend a campus event, a company presentation at a job fair, or a local community meeting. What types of questions do
In class, have one student deliver a three-minute presentation on any topic. Before the presentation, five students in the audience sign on to Twitter. During the presentation, using the same hashtag
Identify five strategies to feel more confident for a presentation.
Describe how to use body movement and voice during a large-group presentation.
List ways to prepare for an online presentation.
Describe how to adapt your delivery to a specific, challenging audience.
Identify a list of challenging questions for a given presentation and practice responding.
First, answer the questions in Figure 1. Next, think about five times in your life when you felt that you were your “best self”—or at your best. Jot down notes about each situation,
Given the previous exercise and your own thinking about your career, how would you describe the best job situation for you? Next, consider two more options in case your idea doesn’t work out. What
How do you feel about your resume—your present one and the prospect of updating it? When you read it, what makes you feel proud? What makes you feel sad, worried, or inadequate? Try to reframe your
Have you ever stretched the truth on an application? What were the consequences—positive and negative? How do you feel about your decision now? Would you make the same decision again if you had
Follow the steps described in the chapter to manage your online reputation. What did you find in a thorough search that included different search engines, name and term combinations, and videos and
How do you interact with people in public online spaces? Consider social networks where employers might see and judge your relationships. Are you professional, helpful to others, and engaged? Are
Review your answers to the first question in the previous section, Reflecting on Your Communication and Character Development. With a classmate, share as much as you’re comfortable revealing. Find
Complete the Work and Personal Values form at https://career.berkeley.edu/Plan/Values. Identifying what is most important to you provides direction as you consider potential careers and places to
Choose a company that interests you. Go to the website and find the careers section. In small groups, answer the following questions:● How easy is it to find information about careers or jobs at
Exchange generic resumes (not for a particular job) with two classmates. Using the principles in this chapter, analyze each other’s resume. Imagine that you’re a human resources manager who
After you incorporate feedback on your generic resume, revise your resume for a particular job. Find a job posting that interests you and tailor your experience and other information to fit that
Share the job posting you used for the previous exercise with two classmates. Use the questions in Figure 24 to provide feedback to each other.Discuss your feedback in trios. When you do, explain
Before you do this exercise, complete Exercise in the previous section, Reflecting on Your Communication and Character Development. After you’re satisfied with your review, ask two friends, family
Connect with two classmates to share LinkedIn profiles. Use the criteria in Figure 25 to provide feedback to each other.Figure 25 CRITERIA Name is consistent with cover letter and resume. Audio
Join a LinkedIn professional group that interests you. Spend a couple of weeks observing the online discussions, and then post a question and see what, if any, responses you get. Share your posts and
Imagine that you have some extra time and want to develop new content online. What most interests you that could also attract attention? Brainstorm a few ideas. Next, find a couple of people who are
Find ways to expand your LinkedIn network. If you haven’t already, consider syncing your email address book to get recommendations for connections. Spend time thinking about everyone in your life:
Revisit the job posting for which you customized your resume in Exercise 5. Now write a cover letter for that position. How will you express interest in this specific company? Which experiences will
Revise a cover letter you wrote previously to a version you’ll send as an email. Imagine that the company didn’t request a cover letter—just a resume. Think of your email as a brief
To expand your job search, push yourself to join groups that may be uncomfortable for you. Most of us have some social anxiety when meeting people for the first time, but the more you meet new
Find a few businesspeople with whom you would like to network. For this exercise, you can decide—based on your own career goals—what you would like to get out of the experience.This could be a
Describe your strengths for a position that interests you.
Identify questions to guide decisions about resume content.
Assess whether a LinkedIn profile meets given criteria.
Tailor a cover letter for a given position.
How have your interviews for jobs, clubs, or other organizations gone in the past? How would you describe your comfort level? What were your strengths, and in what ways did you fall short?Describe
Think about an interview during which you didn’t do as well as you had hoped. Don’t spend too much time fretting about what went wrong. Instead, visualize a “do-over”: imagine watching a
Read a job description that interests you. Compare your qualifications for the position. Imagine that you’re someone else reviewing your resume and matching up skills and experience. What are your
In this chapter, you read that ghosting happens on both sides of the selection process. What is your experience—in your personal or your professional life—with being ghosted? How did you feel at
How did you feel reading the chapter section about negotiating offers? How comfortable have you been in the past asking for a higher salary? What might hold you back in the future? How might your
Assume that your favorite company has invited you to an interview. To prepare for the interview, research the company by reviewing its website, reading news stories, and exploring websites like

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