Welcome to Business Presentation Skills. This course teaches you how to communicate effectively in business situations. You’ll learn public speaking, communication, and meeting management skills. 

What You’ll Learn 

Successful students will:

• Present yourself and your work in a professional manner
• Communicate clearly, efficiently and effectively to different audiences in a variety of contexts
• Run and manage productive meetings
• Create and use analog and digital presentation materials
• Participate actively in teams
• Avoid and manage conflict
• Skillfully give and receive feedback
• Practice reliable research and information presentation skills
• Develop self-reliance, responsibility, adaptability, project management and problem-solving skills

How to Succeed in this Class

Come to class and participate.

Attendance + Participation are worth 5% of your grade.
You’re expected to attend every class and participate in class discussions and activities. This includes volunteering for activities and acting as a leader to other students. Part of BUSM1500 is being the audience for your classmates’ presentations. In addition to helping your classmates improve their confidence and public speaking abilities, you’ll learn from watching other people’s presentations.

I take attendance each class. Here’s how it’s graded:

• 3 marks: You are ready at the start of class
• 2 marks: You arrive late or leave early
• 1 mark: You are absent and notified me by email at least 60 minutes before class
• 0 marks: You were absent and didn’t notify me

If you see an error in your attendance grade and want it corrected, notify me by email within 24 hours of the class with the incorrect grade. Grades won’t be corrected if you notify me more than 24 hours after that class.

Check Brightspace regularly.

You are responsible for:

• Keeping up with the course, knowing what has been covered, and covering any missed content
• Reading and responding to emails and announcements

Check your email daily, or forward it to an account you check daily.

• You are responsible for all email sent to your Langara account
• If you need technical support, contact IT

Be supportive and respectful. Public speaking makes most people anxious.

• Phones and devices must be muted and during class, except during certain activities
• Actively listen to presentations: don’t talk, sleep, shuffle papers or do anything else that distracts or disrespects the speaker. If you study or use your phone/device during a presentation you’ll lose 5% from your own presentation grade
• Please use the bathroom before class, after class or during break. If you must leave the room, please wait until between presentations, and wait until the end of the presentation to return

Practice your presentations: This will make a huge difference in your grade and your confidence.

• Spend time on your presentations: thinking, preparing and practicing
• Spend at least 5 hours outside of class on each of the two individual presentations

Be timely.

• Present on the date assigned. If you miss your presentation date without a valid, verifiable reason you’ll get 0 on the assignment. No exceptions. Ever. Not even for you.
• Submit before the deadlines. Each deadline is non-negotiable and connected to marks. Late submissions are heavily penalized. However, if you need help, or an extension, contact me BEFORE the due date and we can negotiate revised expectations. Don’t leave it to last minute.

Active Learning

This is an active learning environment. You are responsible for your learning. You’re expected to be present in class, participate in and contribute to activities, and ask for help when you need it. (If you need help, speak to me after class or make an appointment during my office hours.) You’re expected to prepare your presentations sufficiently, and to submit assignments before the deadline.

Grades

Grades are non-negotiable and are the result of your performance. Instructors are contractually obligated to assign grades based on performance and production. Please do not place an instructor in a conflict of interest situation by asking them to increase grades.

Plagiarism

Instructors are contractually obligated to report all plagiarism. All work containing plagiarised content will be graded 0 and reported to the office of Office of Student Conduct & Academic Integrity. No exceptions. Please do not place an instructor in a conflict of interest situation by asking them to ignore plagiarism.

Participation Grading Guide

Excellent, Exceptional (A+, A, A-)

• Alert, positive
• Contributes to class discussion & actively engages in activities
• Volunteers
• Takes initiative
• Always well-prepared, on time and ready to start
• Listens respectfully; encourages contribution
• Does only 1500 work in class
• Always professional
• 100% responsible for coursework

Good (B+, B, B-)

• Regularly contributes to class discussion & activities; asks questions; sometimes offers ideas
• Usually prepared and on time
• Listens respectfully
• Does only 1500 work in class
• Acts professionally
• 100% responsible for coursework

Satisfactory (C+, C) 

• Contributes to class discussion & activities when prompted
• Usually on time
• Listens well

Needs Improvement

• Rarely makes meaningful contributions to class discussion or activities
• Misses classes; often late and unprepared
• Often shows disrespect for others