Effective Oral Presentations

Presentations are an essential part of the business world, and most businesspeople will give at least one presentation in their careers.  Giving presentations is usually an unnerving experience; however, a few simple tips can ease the presentation experience.  With plenty of planning and rehearsal, anyone can give effective presentations.

The first tip for overcoming nerves is to plan the presentation well.  Presenters will find it much easier to present material that makes sense to them, so logical organization and transitions are an important element of a successful presentation.  It is also easier for presenters to present information that they know well.  With firm knowledge of the material, a presenter can overcome issues of forgetting the presentation order.

Overcoming forgetfulness can also be done through rehearsal.  Rehearsing several times allows a presenter to distinguish the weaknesses of a presentation and how they can be overcome.  Rehearsing also helps the presenter better understand the technical parts of the presentation, such as timings.  Another good idea with rehearsals is to rehearse in front of an audience.  This will help overcome the fear of presenting in front of a group.

As presenters carefully and thoughtfully plan a presentation, they come to know the material better, and they can better present the material in a meaningful way.  Rehearsal is an important part of preparing a presentation because it allows for better understanding of the presentation as a whole.  With these simple tips, presenters can overcome nerves and give any presentation with confidence.

Source: http://www.mycollegesuccessstory.com/academic-success-tools/class-presentation-tips.html

Huntsman School of Business Experience

Group work is not one of my favorite things because it often presents schedule conflicts and personality differences.  When I first learned that I would be required to do a major group project for Management 3110, I was less than thrilled.  This project alone accounted for a significant portion of my final grade; however, I ended up in a great group.  We set and achieved several goals, and I learned leadership skills as a result of the project.

The main goal for our project was to raise helmet awareness throughout Cache Valley.  As the semester progressed, each member of our group was able to step into different roles, and each of us got the opportunity to take leadership.  We were able to accomplish a lot.  We were able to visit four different elementary and junior high schools.  At each school, we made presentations and collected student signatures as they pledged to wear helmets.  In total we had about 700 pledges to wear helmets.

I learned a lot about working in groups throughout the project, and I learned how to lead better and follow through on responsibilities.  One of the greatest things I took away from the project is the ability to speak up for myself in group situations better.  In carrying out our project, I was given several tasks to complete.  For instance, I was in charge of maintaining the group Facebook page. Our Facebook page was helpful in spreading news pertaining to our project.  The Facebook page also allowed us to extend the reach of our project beyond Cache Valley.

Though I was quite nervous about working on this group project, the experience was enjoyable.  I was in an excellent group, and I learned some valuable lessons throughout the course of the project.  These lessons will be helpful to me as I continue my education, and I can apply them in my future career.

Collaborative Technology

Group work is essential in the business world, but sharing documents among group members is often a major inconvenience.  This is made more difficult by the expansion of the business world.  In a 2009 article, CBS reported that group work is no longer done with someone in the next cube, but help is received from someone "on the other side of the planet, or at home, or in some airport" (cbsnews.com). Sharing documents used to mean making physical copies and sending files through e-mail, but with newer innovations, such as Google Docs, sharing documents is an easy and powerful means of communication within a group.

Google Docs allows groups to create documents, which group members can read and edit in real-time.  All changes are automatically saved, and they can be viewed simultaneously by other members of a group.  These features ensure that all members of a group with Internet access can view and make changes to documents without sending files among the group.  This technology also eliminates the need of checking for the latest version of a file.  As a result, the inconvenience of sharing documents is greatly reduced.

Source:http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505125_162-51317530/managing-remote-teams-does-collaboration-technology-work/

Blogging in the Business World

Blog use among corporations has increased in the last several years.  Blogs have become popular because of the lines of communication they open.  Companies can maintain blogs cheaper, easier, and quicker than newspaper ads.  This added convenience often leads to new business opportunities for a company.

               

Companies can increase their business opportunities because blogs open lines of communication with potential customers.  For example the article mentions Sun Microsystems starting a blog.  Because of this blog, Sun Microsystems started closing deals with new customers much faster, and customers mentioned reading the company’s blog.  Soon the blog was getting traffic from its major competitors.  In this example, a blog allowed Sun Microsystems to send information to its customers quicker, easier, and cheaper than through traditional media.

In addition to being cheaper than traditional media, blogs allow companies to present information in the way they want it portrayed.  The article mentions that newspapers will take an interview and cut the content to get the message they want.  Because of this media can manipulate a story and tell it the way they want.  Companies can use blogs to bypass the media, and they can produce a message the way they want it to come across.

Blogs also increase the amount of interaction that a business has with its customer base.  Users have the ability to post comments and questions to a blog, and companies can answer pressing questions through comments.  According to the article, Michael Powell, chairman of the FCC, started a blog, and he takes the time to read and respond to customers’ comments.  This increase in communication between businesses and consumers often leads to higher sales and product awareness.

Companies realize many benefits from blogging, such as lower costs and increased communication with customers.  Blogging is an integral part of the business world, and companies should continue to utilize this tool.

Source:  http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/aug2004/tc2004089_3601_tc024.htm