Target Audience: Secondary, tertiary.

Language Proficiency: Variable, according to task.

Learning Focus: Reading, writing, business presentation guidelines, cross-cultural communication.

Technology Needed: Email, chat, discussion forum, or course web site.

Instructions:

Overview: Being able to communicate effectively is key to success in business. However, what is considered "effective" is culture-specific; acceptable practices vary across cultural boundaries – national culture, industry culture, and company culture.
Audiences vary around the globe in their expectations for presentation content, organization, and delivery style. Ethnocentric presenters who assume the rules are the same overseas as in their home office may well be mistaken.

Task: In this project, learners research presentation styles in different cultural (national, industry, and company culture) contexts. Learners use a questionnaire (see a sample below) to interview an expert in their home country or elsewhere about presentation delivery in that national and workplace culture context. Learners can conduct the interview face to face or administer the questionnaire by email, chat, discussion forum, or course web site.

Business Presentations Across Cultures: Sample Interview Questionnaire 1. What kinds of presentations do you have to give in your job? 2. Describe one type of presentation. What is its purpose? Who is the audience (age, gender, position, etc.)? 3. How do you prepare for the presentation? Do you work on it alone or with other people? 4. How do you organize your presentation? What do you do first? Next? How do you conclude? 5. Do you usually read the presentation, memorize it, or use notes? If notes, what format (e.g. cards), and why? 6. Do you use any kinds of audio-visual materials in your presentation? If so, what are the most common? 7. How do you deliver the presentation? Do you stand behind a lectern or a table, or move around? What do you do with your hands when you are presenting? 8. What is considered appropriate dress? 9. Do you get nervous? If so, what do you do to help relax? 10. What are one or two key pieces of advice for someone going to make a presentation in your field?

Expanded Options:

• Learners use the same or a similar questionnaire to interview a business person in the local community, and then report on similarities and differences in presentation styles in the different cultural contexts.
  
  
• Examine the effects of using a questionnaire face-to-face vs. email vs. telephone. What is gained and what is lost in each instance? See links to guidelines for creating questionnaires for conducting market research below.

More on the Topic of Business Research and Questionnaires:

Designing Surveys & Questionnaire Design, A Tutorial from StatPac.
http://www.statpac.com/surveys/

Free Survey Template Library, from Survey Console.
http://www.surveyconsole.com/console/showLibrary.do

Market Research, Questionnaires, from BizHelp.
http://www.bizhelp24.com/marketing/market-research

More on the Topic of Business Presentations:

Country-Specific Cultural Analysis Project, Resources
http://aei.uoregon.edu/esp/esp_20.html

Researching Companies and Creating Company Profiles.
http://aei.uoregon.edu/esp/esp_12.html

Kay Westerfield, Global Communication Consulting,kwesterf@uoregon.edu