Search

Persuasiveness in oral communication in English can be expressed with various vocal phonetic cues that may not be readily accessible to English second language (L2) learners whose native language may employ a different set of cues. With a goal to increase L2 learners' perceived spoken confidence and persuasiveness, and obtain empirical evidence for phonetic adjustments that native English speakers make to influence listeners, the current study explored the use of consonant prolongation in stressed syllable onsets for emphasis by native British English speakers and English L2 learners. The native speakers' durations of continuant consonants and voiceless stop consonant voice onset times (VOTs) in (1) neutrally-produced speech and (2) persuasively delivered motivational/shocking/emotional messages were compared to Latvian L2 English speakers' productions. The results revealed that in persuasive speech, the British speakers' consonantal durations, particularly those of continuants, got significantly longer relative to the vowels that followed them; for English L2 learners, the duration of consonants did not change as a factor of speech type. This is in line with our previous research with American English speakers and carries implications for L2 speech learning and teaching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low-stakes assessment has gained attention in recent years due to its link to enhancing learning effects and its essential role in learning evaluation. Unlike high-stakes assessments, low-stakes assessments have little or no consequences for learners' academic performance, and are designed to support the feedback-oriented learning process. Providing multiple low-stakes assessments to students yields significantly greater long-term retention of knowledge and skills. However, learners may not give their best efforts when taking low-stakes assessments, which could lead to poorer learning outcomes. Using emerging technologies such as social robots in the learning environment could foster interactive learning, engagement, and motivation for learning assessments. Therefore, integrating low-stakes assessments and robots might encourage students to exert greater effort while performing learning tasks. This study aimed to discover the impacts of robot-based multiple low-stakes assessments on students' oral presentation performance, collective efficacy, and learning attitude. A quasi-experiment was conducted in two sixth-grade classes of elementary students. The Robot-based Multiple Low-Stakes Assessment (Robot-MLSA) was randomly assigned to one class, while the Computer-based Multiple Low-Stakes Assessment (C-MLSA) was assigned to another class. The findings showed that the Robot-MLSA could enhance students' oral presentation performance, support their collective efficacy, and improve their learning attitude toward robots. Furthermore, an in-depth discussion of students' learning perceptions and experience is provided to explore the effectiveness of the Robot-MLSA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research on providing feedback on public speaking has investigated the effectiveness of feedback sources, namely teacher feedback, peer feedback, and self-feedback, in enhancing public speaking competence, predominantly individually. However, how these sources of feedback can be collectively harnessed to optimize learner engagement and public speaking performance still warrants further investigation. Adopting a pre- and post-test quasi-experimental design, this study randomly assigned four classes to four feedback conditions: Group 1 received teacher feedback, Group 2 self-feedback and teacher feedback, Group 3 peer and teacher feedback, and Group 4 feedback from all three sources. Both student engagement, measured using the Public Speaking Feedback Engagement Scale (PSFES), and their public speaking performance ratings, assessed using the Public Speaking Competency Instrument (PSCI), were validated using Rasch analysis. The inferential statistics revealed that Group 3 showed significant improvements across nearly all three dimensions of engagement, whereas Group 2 experienced significant declines in all dimensions of engagement except behavioral engagement. Group 3 demonstrated significantly greater engagement gain compared to Groups 2 and 4, indicating the synergistic effect of peer and teacher feedback in contrast to the limited impact of self-feedback. Additionally, all groups demonstrated significant improvements except for Group 2, which showed significantly lower improvement compared to Group 4. The following correlation analysis identified a significant correlation between the gain of students' behavioral engagement and the gain of public speaking performance, whereas such association was absent between cognitive or emotional engagement and public speaking competence. This study suggests that peer feedback should be preceded by group discussion and supplemented with teacher feedback in classes for enhancing the teacher–student dialog, while self-feedback should be conducted after class to improve student engagement and public speaking performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Purpose: Various factors affect the assessor’s ability to assess an oral presentation and arrive at an accurate assessment of the interconnected skills such as fluency, coherence, syntax, grammar, diction, and task achievement concurrently. The oral presentation rubric aids in achieving consistency in assessing this complex skill. This research investigates assessors’ application and perceptions of the speaking assessment rubric prepared in-house and used in the Foundation Program (FP) English Unit at Dhofar University (DU) for levels 1, 2, and 3 in order to identify the rubric’s possible weakness and ambiguities to provide insights to plug the loopholes and ensure fair, objective and uniform assessment. Methodology: Data was collected in a 3-phase data collection cycle through a pre-session task (n=18), a hands-on focus groups session (n=16) to explore qualitative data regarding actual application of the rubric, and a questionnaire (n=40) to obtain quantitative data for further investigation of teachers’ perceptions to cross check with implementation. This makes the present study a mixed-methods one in an exploratory sequential design. Findings: The findings of this research clearly showed the loopholes in the current oral presentation rubric used by the FP for formative and summative assessments. This research has exposed a notable inconsistency in grading practices of the oral presentation using the in-house rubric despite the surprising finding regarding assessors’ confidence in the rubric’s reliability and their level of training. The identified gap between assessors’ perceptions and the application of rubric criteria highlights potential issues in the design of the rubric leading to inconsistencies in the assessment outcomes. Contributions: This research emphasizes the importance of the regular refinement of assessment rubrics to minimize ambiguity and subjective elements, coupled with comprehensive user training to enhance assessment practices, support professional development, promote clearer learning expectations for students, and mitigate the impact of grading disparities in evaluation processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cognitive theory of multimedia learning (CTML) describes a set of empirically tested principles that technical and professional communication research largely acknowledges as important to the design of presentation slides. However, presenters often run into difficulties understanding how to apply CTML principles to contexts in which it has not been tested. We present three pilot studies that extend our knowledge of how to apply CTML principles. Pilot study one suggests that CTML principles can be effective for presenting advanced research to expert audiences. Pilot study two highlights the importance of user testing nonessential images added primarily for visual interest, specifically finding that visual organizer images such as Microsoft PowerPoint's SmartArt, can backfire by unintentionally indicating imprecise relationships while adding little in terms of visual interest. Pilot study three suggests that, when needing to present a long quotation, presenters should avoid verbatim reading and consider abridging or paraphrasing the quotation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the nature of the construct underlying classroom-based English for academic purpose (EAP) oral presentation assessments, which are used, in part, to determine admission to programmes of study at UK universities. Through analysis of qualitative data (from questionnaires, interviews, rating discussions, and fieldnotes), the article highlights how, in EAP settings, there is a tendency for the rating criteria and EAP teacher assessors to sometimes focus too narrowly on particular spoken linguistic aspects of oral presentations. This is in spite of student assessees drawing on, and teacher assessors valuing, the multimodal communicative affordances available in oral presentation performances. To better avoid such construct underrepresentation, oral presentation tasks should be acknowledged and represented in rating scales, teacher assessor decision-making, and training in EAP contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background & Aims Oral presentation skills play an important role in the personal, academic and professional success. It is the most common method of educational assessment in higher education settings. This study aims to determine the oral presentation competency of nursing students from Ardabil university of medical sciences (AUMS). Materials & Methods This is a descriptive cross-sectional study that was conducted in 2023 on 274 nursing students from AUMS, who were selected using a convenience sampling method. The data collection tool were a demographic form and Chiang’s oral presentation evaluation scale (OPES). The collected data were analyzed in SPSS software, version 20, using independent t-test and one-way analysis of variance. Results The total score of OPES was 58.81±7.75. The scores of the dimensions of accuracy in content, effective communication, and clarity of speech was 4.01±0.348, 3.72±0.658, and 4.02±0.673, respectively. Competency was higher in Persian speaking students than in Azari-speaking students. Also, students with a history of more oral presentation and reading of public speaking books obtained higher scores. Conclusion Considering the importance of oral presentations for nurses, it is recommended that nursing professors in AUMS and the educational system in Iran pay more attention to promote this skill in Azerispeaking nursing students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various pedagogical strategies promote the development of communication skills that enable graduates to leave their mark and make positive changes in society. This article focuses on instructional lessons learned from undergraduate student perspectives of the pedagogy of the lightning talk, a three-minute oral presentation delivered without the use of supporting materials and without audience engagement in a noncompetitive environment. Drawing from the data of a mixed-methods study conducted at a metropolitan university, this article highlights key pedagogical lessons. Students' responses indicate that instructors can implement instructional strategies that enhance students' preparatory work and accessibility. Students also shared that they developed valuable public speaking-related skills. Overall, the findings can inform how instructors can enhance learners' communication skills with inclusive teaching strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate the situation concerning oral and poster presentations given at Turkish and International Scientific Medical Congresses and adding to scientific knowledge before and after the change in associate professorship eligibility criteria that occurred in December 2016. Methods: Poster and oral presentations at four consecutive emergency medicine congresses held between 2015 and 2018 by the Emergency Medicine Physicians Association of Turkey were included in the study. As data were collected from presentation booklets accessed online, ethics committee approval was not obtained. Since the associate professorship eligibility criteria changed in December 2016, the last two congresses before that date and the following two after they were compared. Numbers of authors, domestic and international participation rates, the departments involved, and the presence or absence of oral or poster presentations were assessed. Results: Members of emergency medicine departments contributed to congresses with significantly more case reports than other participants (p<0.001). Presentations at congresses held before the change in associate professorship criteria in December 2016 involved larger numbers of authors, while those appearing after the change involved fewer names (p<0.001). Participation involved more poster presentations before the change in criteria, while the proportion of oral presentations increased after the change (p<0.001). Participation in congresses prior to the change in criteria more frequently involved case reports, while the proportion of original articles increased thereafter (p<0.001). Conclusion: Presentations at congresses held prior to the change in associate professorship criteria involved a large number of author names, while fewer author names were observed following the change in criteria. In addition, prior to the change, participation involved more poster presentations, while the proportion of oral presentations increased after that change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines whether a web-based training on English discourse intonation leads to better spontaneous speech quality for Mandarin Chinese speakers who reside in the U.S. and in China. The four-week fully online training consisted of meta-instruction videos as well as listening and speaking activities, including instant visual pitch contour feedback and individualized evaluation. The students gave a one-minute spontaneous speech on a given topic at the beginning and the end of the study via videoconferencing. Four native English speakers judged the students' speech comprehensibility, fluidity, accent, confidence and attractiveness, in addition to their intonation performance. Two-way ANCOVA test results show that the experimental group made statistically significant improvement in their speech comprehensibility and speaking confidence. In contrast, the control group did not show improvement. The participants' residence in the U.S. or in China did not affect the training effects. There was not an interaction between the participants' residence and the training. The web-based training, visualization and CMC technology provided an effective scaffolding experience and benefited both EFL and ESL students equally. This study also explores Chinese students' challenges with specific intonation features based on both the raters' judgments and the learners' self-evaluations. The results suggest they have more difficulties with thought groups and prominence than with tone choices. While the trainees gave high ratings to all the activities, they preferred individualized evaluation from the researcher to self-created visual feedback using Praat. The findings have implications for Chinese L1-specific intonation instruction and developing web-based computer assisted pronunciation training systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Raters vary from each other in their severity and leniency in rating performance. This study examined the factors affecting rater severity in peer assessments of oral presentations in English as a Foreign Language (EFL), focusing on peer raters' self-construal and presentation abilities. Japanese university students enrolled in EFL classes responded to self-construal questionnaires and gave and assessed in-class presentations. The results of path analysis revealed that peer raters' self-construal and presentation abilities might be potential sources of subtle biases in peer assessments. Whereas peer raters who placed a high value on maintaining harmonious relationships with others were more likely to give lenient ratings over time, those who were sensitive about being evaluated by others tended to become gradually more severe in their ratings. Furthermore, a peer rater's presentation ability positively predicted rater severity, indicating that individuals with better presentation abilities were more severe in their peer assessments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peer review has been promoted for decades in order to engage students in the assessment process which then leads to better learning outcomes. This teaching pedagogy is relatively innovative in the Hong Kong language classroom because English as a Second Language (ESL) students are not aware of their responsibility in the language learning process and they think that all assessment-related tasks are the teachers' sole responsibility. The focus on the language system also hinders the importance of skills. Engaging students in the assessment process is challenging. In this Innovations in Practice article, the integration and implementation of online peer review of oral presentations into an undergraduate English Literature curriculum will be presented. The aim of the integration is to bridge the gap between tertiary education and the workplace, equipping students with better oral presentation skills. The two-staged setting could encourage learners to reflect on their performance and bring the feedback forward to the next assessment. Being a reviewer and reviewee provided them with opportunities to learn from the enhanced number of exemplars and peer feedback. They could also realize the discrepancies between their own and their classmates' performances. Such realization allowed them to better understand the assessment requirements and the required skills, and then develop their own personalized plans for improvement before the actual assessment. As a result, they could learn and improve throughout the semester, both inside and outside the classroom. Involving learners in the assessment process and enhancing their assessment literacy seemed to counter-balance the dominance of content-based, summative assessment in the ESL context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recent 13th South American Symposium on Isotope Geology (SSAGI) in May 2024 in Buzios (Brazil) was an excellent conference, showcasing the current diversity and high standard of isotope geochemistry and geology at universities and research institutions across Latin America. Three days of oral and poster presentations provided a great forum for scientific and social exchange. This conference, however, also further supported observations made at earlier events that many oral and poster presentations by postgraduate students and docents alike suffer from a number of problems. There is ample scope for improvement, in the interest of more efficient information transfer and better exchange with colleagues. The main problem areas noted (e.g., overloading of powerpoint slides, and of posters, with diagrams and/or text; application of poor color, etc.) are discussed here, and suggestions are made how to avoid these issues and improve our scientific communication. • Both oral and poster presentations at geo-conferences are frequently not optimally prepared. • Major observations/problematics regarding style and efficiency of presentations are discussed. • Recommendations are made on how to alleviate these problematics in science communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prevailing civil engineering graduates' technical writing and oral presentation-related drawbacks have necessitated the design and implementation of demand-driven courses applying interdisciplinary pedagogy. This study investigates civil engineering academia-industry interdisciplinary contents, methods, and situations needed to design technical communication course. The analysis which engaged students, instructors, and professionals from industries employed sequential mixed methods design which grounds the quantitative analysis with exploratory detailed interviews. This revealed that classroom, internship, and industry contexts are essential foundations of interaction for stakeholders. Oral presentation, writing, reading, and evaluating technical documents infused with engineering design processes of initiating, designing, managing, and evaluating civil engineering projects were the contents selected from the needs analyses. Basic skills, rhetoric analysis, ethical and critical issues, and teamwork were the precedence pedagogical frames preferred to establish the methods of technical communication instruction. These interdisciplinary needs analyses imply how technical communication-related courses should be designed to enhance students' multiple competencies better than solely addressing instrumentally codified skills that deny the author and the discourse community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a technology -driven society, it is very essential to have effective communication skills as medical graduate with patients and peer members. Assessments are vital in the process of teaching and learning. Assessing oral presentation skills is considered as assessing the behavioural skills in Millers' prism of Clinical competence in Medical Education. In alignment with the Saudi Med competency Framework, the rubric was designed keeping the core competency at the centre like Communication & Collaboration and arranging the other auxiliary competencies around, then the parameters like dimensions were derived. An evaluation rubric for grading the presentations was designed to allow faculty evaluators to objectively score student performances in the dimensions of presentation like speech elocution, eye contact along with subject content. Rubrics create clarity for students and rubric dimensions represent various outcomes for students, giving them a realistic destination for their assignment. The students are informed about plagiarism malpractices and are instructed to maintain academic integrity. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the rubric scoring assessment for oral presentation was used for online assessment on Zoom webinar. This assessment tool along with online conferencing tools has provided a framework for integrated and interactive evaluation that can be used to facilitate the modification of traditional assessment methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Purpose: Peer feedback has received significant research attention in teaching and learning of oral presentation skills. However, literature reveals a number of challenges concerning students' provision of peer feedback. A mobile application was thus developed to scaffold students in this context. This study purports to evaluate the efficacy of the developed application by introducing it to the target users in an actual classroom setting. Methodology: Thirty-three (33) ESL learners from one of the polytechnics in Malaysia were involved in this descriptive study. Both the peer feedback records (pre- and post-) were analyzed for the differences in peer feedback before and after the implementation of mobile application. A 20-item questionnaire was later administered to the target group to examine their perceptions on the developed application. Findings: It was revealed that with the use of the newly developed application, students generally constructed more peer feedback with specific suggestions to improve oral presentation. Positive perceptions regarding the presentation, visual design, navigation and mobile app accessibility were also found. Contributions: This study adds to the limited research on the use of mobile-assisted peer feedback, which can be a practical way to develop ESL learners' oral presentation skills. The findings offer insights into how a mobile application can help scaffold students in peer feedback provision and could help inform that scaffolding is deemed necessary in building an effective classroom culture of feedback. The outcome could serve as a guide for instructors who wish to contemplate using similar approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work aims to i) show a didactic device of the textual genre oral presentation and ii) describe and characterize the actions of students during presentations of a children's book of a Higher Technical and Professional Course that trains technicians of educational action. Focusing on the framework of socio-discursive interactionism and the teaching practices recommended in this context, this text presents a training experience of a Portuguese language course unit in which it is intended to provide students with linguistic strategies that allow them to build an academic and professional path with success. The study focuses on the description of the students' actions and the way in which they appropriate the teacher's guidelines, the informative contents of the children's album and its transposition to the oral presentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we present a didactic device for working the oral exposé genre in French, standing out the didactic model, its application in an extension course and the preliminary analysis of the students' productions. Our theoretical framework is the Sociodiscursive Interactionism (BRONCKART, 1999), mainly the concepts of language capacity (DOLZ; PASQUIER; BRONCKART, 1993), didactic model (DE PIETRO; SCHNEUWLY, 2003) and didactic sequence (DOLZ; NOVERRAZ; SCHNEUWLY, 2004). The didactic model was proposed considering several examples of the genre and allowed the elaboration of a didactic sequence. By comparing the students' initial and final productions, we found out that there was an evolution with regard to action, discursive and multisemiotic capacities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the extent of chemistry undergraduates' graphicacy in a scientific communication course, while giving oral presentations produced from original research articles. Researches carried out by Wolff-Michael Roth et al was adopted as a theoretical reference during the analysis, which consisted of: classifying the functions of the inscriptions (material visual representations created inherently in scientific tasks, such as graphs, photographs, tables, equations, maps, schemes, etc.) in oral presentations into decorative, illustrative or complementary; describing the production of meanings from the inscription readings using a Semiotic Model to the Reading of Inscriptions; and classifying types of inscription readings into competent, transparent, or problematic reading. Concerning the extent of the graphicacy of the groups investigated, one of them can be found in the analytical dimension, in which the students see and use the inscriptions as scientific data. The other groups are in the elementary dimension, in which the students use and see the inscriptions primarily as illustrators of scientific knowledge, having restricted contact with the various types of inscription. Competent reading was predominant in all presentations, which was expected and appropriate due to the context and communicative nature of the oral presentation. A new type of reading for inscriptions was identified called reverse competent reading. In addition, this study contributes to designing actions that promote graphicacy, as well as theoretical contributions to include the discussion of this theme in teacher training courses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When students of English deliver oral presentations at university on academic topics, there is often a dilemma as to whether to incorporate academic vocabulary into their monologues or not. Academic vocabulary can help students to present their ideas concisely and be a 'badge of identity' to the academic community. However, acquiring a productive use of these words is problematic due to their abstract nature and low frequency of occurrence. This paper reports on the strategies of Chinese students of English in deploying academic vocabulary while delivering an oral presentation in a third-year undergraduate module. The paper demonstrates how some students succeed by using academic vocabulary in relatively circumscribed ways while some avoid the vocabulary. Less successful strategies are observed if students rely too heavily on academic vocabulary when they do not have a productive knowledge of the words. The paper suggests that language idiosyncrasies may operate which compound the dilemma for teachers and students of English. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pre-clerkship clinical skills courses at many medical schools use objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) to assess students' development as it relates to the foundational clinical skills of history taking, communication, and physical examination. The authors report on a curriculum in which OSCEs also serve as a springboard for additional learning by linking them to activities that include patient write-ups, oral presentations, clinical reasoning discussions, clinical question generation, and video review with faculty. The rationale for using OSCEs as an assessment for learning tool is discussed, and some lessons learned are reported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pre-clerkship clinical skills courses at many medical schools use objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) to assess students' development as it relates to the foundational clinical skills of history taking, communication, and physical examination. The authors report on a curriculum in which OSCEs also serve as a springboard for additional learning by linking them to activities that include patient write-ups, oral presentations, clinical reasoning discussions, clinical question generation, and video review with faculty. The rationale for using OSCEs as an assessment for learning tool is discussed, and some lessons learned are reported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Personality traits and motivation have been identified as influential factors in language acquisition and educational achievement. In recent years, as instructors have adapted curriculums to prepare students for academic and professional pursuits, collaborative inquiry-based projects and presentations, where students work together in groups to socially construct knowledge and achieve stipulated outcomes, have become common features of tertiary learning landscapes. This study utilizes 441 English as a foreign language university students' Big Five Inventory-44 and Collaborative Inquiry-based Project Questionnaire ratings to predict performance on their collaborative inquiry-based projects requiring presentations. Regression analysis revealed Extraversion and Project Work as predictors of Presentation Scores. Furthermore, Extraversion and Conscientiousness emerged as partial mediators between Project Work motivation and Presentation Scores. The results underscore the advantage extraverts possess in oral presentation situations while simultaneously stressing the importance of diligence and effort in inquiry-based projects. Implications and suggestions for future study are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

'Flap those hands' – The influence of gestures on retention and speaker's assessment in an informative presentation To convey information during an oral presentation speakers not only use words, they also gesticulate. Their gestures can be divided into iconic, metaphoric, deictic and beat gestures (McNeill, 1992). Beats (repetitive, short movements) are frowned upon by some presentation skills advisers. Earlier research that focused on short speeches, mostly about concrete topological content, found that gestures help the listener to understand and remember the content. Presentation skills courses, however, focus on longer, more abstract informative speeches. To explore how gestures influence both retention and assessment of the speaker in such longer speeches, an experiment was conducted. Participants (N = 229) were asked to watch a fifteen minute informative presentation accompanied by PowerPoint slides, either (i) without gestures, (ii) with only beat gestures, or (iii) with a mix of iconic, metaphoric, deictic, and beat gestures. Participants were tested on retention and on their assessment of speaker qualities. An ANOVA showed a significant effect for retention. When a speaker accompanied his speech with only beat gestures, this resulted in higher scores than when this speaker remained in a static position. Also, when the speaker used only beat gestures, he was seen as more 'natural' than when he remained in a static position. These results do not imply causality. They may, however, temper advisers' warnings against using beat gestures in presentations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Group peer assessment of oral performance is implemented with young EFL learners. • Peer assessment practice fosters students' assessment skills and presentation skills. • Group interaction in collaborative peer assessment should not be idealized. Abstract While studies of peer assessment (PA) of both written and oral performance are more common in higher education settings, particularly in first-language contexts, PA's potential for familiarizing elementary-level students with assessment criteria, empowering them to gain ownership of their learning, and developing their motivation and collaborative skills is less well understood. This study investigated the implementation of group PA of oral performance in English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) classes in Taiwan. A mixed methodology research design integrated analysis of teacher- and peer-assessment ratings for each presenting group, post-assessment survey data, and an instructor interview, documenting the perceptions of and attitudes toward PA of 130 upper elementary students (ages 10–12) and their instructor. The results show that the ratings by fifth and sixth graders, but not fourth graders, were significantly correlated with those of the instructor. Practical and research implications for future implementation of PA of oral performance are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: As digital modelling programmes become increasingly prevalent in interior design education, there is concern that graduates are entering the workforce relying too much on strong graphic presentation skills while lacking the basic ability to speak about design. This study explores the gap between practitioners’ perceptions of importance regarding oral presentation competency and students’ perceptions of their oral presentation performances. Additionally, the study explores correlations between in‐class activities and students’ perceptions of their oral presentation competency. Mixed‐methods of investigation include a Delphi study with a panel of interior design practitioners and a survey questionnaire of both practitioners (n = 102) and currently active interior design students (n = 91) in the USA. An Importance‐Performance framework is employed for comparison. Results identify performance criteria for evaluating oral presentation competency and indicate variances between students’ perceptions of their performance and industry perceptions of importance. Furthermore, students’ in‐class activities including studio critiques and written peer assessments show significant correlation with student oral presentation performance indicating activities already frequently incorporated into a design curriculum may have a greater impact on improving performance than specific oral presentation instruction alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Students receive little guidance on how to give the oral presentations that increasingly feature in third level modules. It has been observed that several communication tools employed effectively in conversation – in particular stories – are not used in presentations. The aim of this study was to demonstrate this effect and explore possible reasons for the omission of stories in student presentations. Postgraduate students (sample size 17) attended a three-hour presentation skills training session where they prepared and delivered group presentations. The conversations during preparation and the presentations were all recorded. The difference between story use in the two settings was marked. Three of the four presentations contained no stories, whereas the conversations were characterised by frequent story use, sometimes clustering with a frequency of four or five a minute. It seemed that stories perform a dual role in conversations – ‘social interactive’ and ‘meaning building’ – that does not naturally occur in a presentation. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Abstract: Objective: In this study, we aimed to determine the publication status of the abstracts presented at the Turkish Respiratory Society Congress between 2011 and 2014. Methods: The abstracts were classified according to presentation type (oral presentations, poster discussion, etc.), study type, study design, topic, publication status, time interval between the presentation and the publication date, and the journal in which the article was published. The conversion rate of presentations into full‐text articles in peer‐reviewed journals were surveyed through Elsevier's Scopus. Results: The total number of abstracts submitted in the congress was 2 009. In terms of study type, the majority of abstracts were case reports (56.4%) and the remainder was original research. Totally, 179 abstracts were published in an indexed journal with an overall publication rate of 8.9%. 18.3% of oral presentations were converted into full‐text article. Publication rates according to study types were 14.8% for original researches and 4.4% for case reports. The first three subspecialties with the highest publication rates were “sleep related breathing disorders” (16.9%), “interventional pulmonology” (16.7%) and “pleural diseases” (15.2%). Median publication/acceptance time was 8.0 months (0–38). Conclusion: This is the first study evaluating the publication rates of abstracts presented in a respiratory congress. Although the number of presented abstracts in the congress increased year by year, prominently in the case reports, over all conversion rates were decreased. We put forward that encouraging the authors to conduct higher‐quality investigations would raise the publication rate as well as improve the scientific quality of congress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Academic oral presentations (AOPs) often feature as part of assessment suites on English for Academic Purposes programmes. This paper documents what teacher assessors do and pay attention to when reaching score decisions on student assesees' oral presentation performances on two EAP modules. The fieldwork conducted at two EAP sites was informed by a blend of constructivist grounded theory and ethnographic inquiry traditions. In this paper, an analysis of rating discussions and interviews demonstrates that a series of filters are applied by EAP practitioners to AOP performances when assigning scores. The processes described demonstrate how the social and learning context on EAP programmes influence assessment decisions. The visual representation of the rating process teamed with the description of processes may prove a useful heuristic with which to better understand and critically appraise decision making in EAP classroom-based oral presentation assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The opportunity to give oral presentations is important because it helps develop skills that are necessary for many aspects of professional careers. Competencies for oral presentations include appropriate content, design and organization of the presentation, and delivery skills. Self-assessment has been shown to help students develop meta-cognitive skills that can be used in all aspects of higher education, and it has been shown to improve student achievement in a range of different academic areas. In this study, students were recorded while giving two PowerPoint presentations on a topic of their choice. One section was required to complete a self-assessment rubric of their first presentation, while the other section was encouraged to watch themselves, but it was not required. All students also received instructor and peer evaluations. For their second presentations, the students who completed the self-assessment rubric received higher scores than the other group; significant differences were seen in content explanation, timing, and speech skills. Peer assessment scores correlated moderately well with the instructor scores, whereas the self-assessment scores did not. Despite the lack of congruence between self- and instructor scores, the combination of instructor, peer, and self-assessment resulted in consistently high-quality presentations. The students found the multiple types of feedback, use of video technology, and the opportunity to repeat their presentations useful. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of this article is to present the new instrument for evaluating congress abstracts of SCCh, in use from 2014, so as to standardize its application item by item. Material and method: Two-stage study with qualitative methodology for generating items and construction of the measuring instrument. In the first stage a collection of items was based on a review of the literature. In the second, the instrument was built by applying reduction items through a panel of experts. Thus, content validity was determined. The expert panel consisted of 6 members. Three clinical epidemiologists and three members of the SCCh. All with Master's degree or PhD and research experience. Qualitative strategy is applied by Delphi technique; after the draft was presented to a panel of experts other than the above, at a meeting of ad-hoc working group, organized by the SCCh; at which time the proposal was discussed, the wording of items and domains was refined based on examples and the final instrument defined. Results: The items generated in the first stage (n = 15), who finished with the second draft; were grouped into 5 domains: introduction, material and method, results, conclusion, importance, originality and interest of the study; and overall presentation. When applying the questionnaire to the second panel of experts, a reduction items was generated and an item is added. Thus, the final instrument was composed of 10 items, grouped into 6 domains was constructed. Conclusion: A detailed description of the scale and guidelines for its implementation is presented, which will confer adequate reliability of the measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the Indonesian students, delivering oral presentation in English as foreign language become one of challenging assignments. This study is directed to find the influence of interpersonal intelligence toward the students oral presentation proficiency in academic presentation. The researcher employed case study to answer the problem. It was done by conducting the implementation of interpersonal intelligence in Seminar class at the eight semester students during three months. The data were obtained through interview, observation and questioners. Meanwhile, the qualitative interactive data analysis was employed to analyze the collected data, it consisted of data collection, data reduction and verification. From the result of the research, it can be seen clearly that interpersonal intelligence strongly enhances student oral presentation proficiency. The result shows that the oral implementation of interpersonal intelligence in Seminar class helps students to prepare their presentation. Based on the result of the questionnaires, it can be seen that 80% of the respondents state strongly agree that building good relationship among classmates foster their ability to speak both formal and informal speech. This was supported by the result of the observation that more than 85% students have good relationship to their friends, they always communicate better especially in preparing any works to be presented. Meanwhile, based on the interview to the respondent, it can be seen that they need to increase their communication to their friends to enhance their way of communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Peer marking is an important skill for students, helping them to understand the process of learning and assessment. This method is increasingly used in medical education, particularly in formative assessment. However, the use of peer marking in summative assessment is not widely adopted because many teachers are concerned about biased marking by students of their peers. Objective The aim of this study was to investigate whether marking of summative peer assessment can improve the reliability of peer marking. Methods In a retrospective analysis, the peer-marking results of a summative assessment of oral presentations of two cohorts of students were compared. One group of students was told that their peer marks would be assessed against a benchmark consisting of the average of examiner marks and that these scores together with the peer and examiner marks would form their final exam results. The other group of students were just informed that their final exam results would be determined based on the examiner and peer marks. Results Based on examiner marks, both groups of students performed similarly in their summative assessment, agreement between student markers was less consistent and more polar than the examiners. When compared with the examiners, students who were told that their peer marking would be scored were more generous markers (their average peer mark was 2.4 % points higher than the average examiner mark) while students who were not being scored on their marking were rather harsh markers (their average peer mark was 4.2 % points lower than the average examiner mark), with scoring of the top-performing students most affected. Conclusions Marking of peer marking had a small effect on the marking conduct of students in summative assessment of oral presentation but possibly indicated a more balanced marking performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whilst much research has been conducted on teacher feedback in various teaching and learning contexts, little is known about how teachers give feedback on student oral presentations to enhance students’ oral communicative skills in second-language (L2) education. Drawing on data from semi-structured interviews, this case study investigated the methods used by an experienced Chinese teacher of English as a Foreign Language to provide feedback on student oral presentation tasks. Data analysis revealed that the teacher gave oral comments mainly on pronunciation, content and logical thinking, and focused on PowerPoint design in his written commentary. The analysis also revealed that the teacher used the specific pattern of ‘praise-criticism-suggestion’ to comment on the students’ oral presentations. Relevant pedagogical implications for L2 teacher feedback practices and teacher-education programmes are discussed in the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: To measure the effects of participating in structured oral presentation evaluation sessions early in pediatric clerkships on students' subsequent presentations. METHODS: We conducted a single-blind, 3-arm, cluster randomized controlled trial during pediatric clerkships at Boston University School of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. Blocks of students at each school were randomly assigned to experience either (1) no formal presentation feedback (control) or a small-group presentation feedback session early in pediatric clerkships in which students gave live presentations and received feedback from faculty who rated their presentations by using a (2) single-item (simple) or (3) 18-item (detailed) evaluation form. At the clerkship end, overall quality of subjects' presentations was rated by faculty blinded to randomization status, and subjects reported whether their presentations had improved. Analyses included multivariable linear and logistic regressions clustered on clerkship block that controlled for medical school. RESULTS: A total of 476 participants were evenly divided into the 3 arms, which had similar characteristics. Compared with controls, presentation quality was significantly associated with participating in detailed (coefficient: 0.38; 95% confidence interval [Cl]: 0.07-0.69) but not simple (coefficient: 0.16; 95% Cl: —0.12-0.43) feedback sessions. Similarly, student self-report of presentation improvement was significantly associated with participating in detailed (odds ratio: 2.16; 95% Cl: 1.11-4.18] but not simple (odds ratio: 1.89; 95% Cl: 0.91-3.93) feedback sessions. CONCLUSIONS: Small-group presentation feedback sessions led by faculty using a detailed evaluation form resulted in clerkship students delivering oral presentations of higher quality compared with controls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the abstracts of oral presentations that were accepted to the National Surgical Congress by CONSORT, STROBE and Timmer criteria and to recommend development of a national abstract assessment system. Material and Methods: Presentation scores were calculated for oral presentations that have been accepted to the 2010 and 2012 National Surgical Congresses and have been included in the digital congress abstract booklets by two independent reviewers who were blinded to information regarding both the author and the institution. The CONSORT and Timmer criteria were used for randomized controlled trials, and for observational studies the STROBE and Timmer criteria were used. The presentation score that was obtained by three different evaluation systems was accepted as the main variable. The score changes according to the two congresses, the influence of the reviewers on the presentation scores, and compatibility between the two reviewers were evaluated. Comparisons regarding study types and total presentation number were made by using the chi-square test, the compatibility between the total score of the presentations were made by the Mann-Whitney U test and the compatibility between the reviewers were evaluated by the Wilcoxon signed ranks test. Results: There was no difference between the two Congresses in terms of study type distribution and total number of accepted presentations (p=0.844). The total scores of randomized controlled trials and observational studies from the 2010 and 2012 National Surgical Congresses that were evaluated by two independent reviewers with different assessment tools did not show any significant difference (p>0.05). A significant difference was observed between the reviewers in their evaluation by CONSORT, STROBE and Timmer criteria (p<0.05). Conclusion: Implementation of standard criteria for the evaluation of abstracts that are sent to congresses is important in terms of presentation reporting quality. The existing criteria should be revised according to national factors, in order to reduce the significant differences between reviewers. It is believed that discussions on a new evaluation system will be beneficial in terms of the development of a national assessment system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the abstracts of oral presentations that were accepted to the National Surgical Congress by CONSORT, STROBE and Timmer criteria and to recommend development of a national abstract assessment system. Material and Methods: Presentation scores were calculated for oral presentations that have been accepted to the 2010 and 2012 National Surgical Congresses and have been included in the digital congress abstract booklets by two independent reviewers who were blinded to information regarding both the author and the institution. The CONSORT and Timmer criteria were used for randomized controlled trials, and for observational studies the STROBE and Timmer criteria were used. The presentation score that was obtained by three different evaluation systems was accepted as the main variable. The score changes according to the two congresses, the influence of the reviewers on the presentation scores, and compatibility between the two reviewers were evaluated. Comparisons regarding study types and total presentation number were made by using the chi-square test, the compatibility between the total score of the presentations were made by the Mann-Whitney U test and the compatibility between the reviewers were evaluated by the Wilcoxon signed ranks test. Results: There was no difference between the two Congresses in terms of study type distribution and total number of accepted presentations (p=0.844). The total scores of randomized controlled trials and observational studies from the 2010 and 2012 National Surgical Congresses that were evaluated by two independent reviewers with different assessment tools did not show any significant difference (p>0.05). A significant difference was observed between the reviewers in their evaluation by CONSORT, STROBE and Timmer criteria (p<0.05). Conclusion: Implementation of standard criteria for the evaluation of abstracts that are sent to congresses is important in terms of presentation reporting quality. The existing criteria should be revised according to national factors, in order to reduce the significant differences between reviewers. It is believed that discussions on a new evaluation system will be beneficial in terms of the development of a national assessment system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peer assessment plays an important role in engineering education for an active involvement in the assessment process, developing autonomy, enhancing reflection, and understanding of how to achieve the learning outcomes. Peer assessment uncertainty for oral presentation skills as part of the FYP assessment is studied. Validity and reliability for complex assessments were conceptualised in the context of quantification, hierarchical system of uncertainties, aleatory uncertainty, and epistemic uncertainty. Systems as assessment methods were also conceptualised to define elements (i.e. examiner, examinee, and difficulty) as variables or/and constants, and to study the uncertainty behaviour of the peer assessment within the framework of the parametric uncertainty model. As a result, a singularity, at which the hierarchical structure of uncertainties breaks down, and its related behaviour were theoretically predicted and experimentally verified. Also, a validity paradox, when the ‘difficulty’ level is sufficiently lowered, was found to be possible and verified for oral presentation skills. It may be useful for understanding fundamental characteristics of the peer assessment in which epistemic uncertainties are dependent on how the assessment is close to the singularity point. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Accessories are extremely important, because combined with success they allow to enhance the human figure as a whole, they transmit a valuable information about their carriers and they constitute an ideal resource to change the appearance in very few minutes. In the article different aspects related to the female and male complements are approached, fundamentally aimed at combating vulgarity, the bad taste and the erroneous concept of modernity in some minds and positions, because the oral presentation of a scientific work is a special circumstance that demands from speakers a equally distinctive behavior and personal image, in order to avoid that they can be disqualified by the auditory before beginning to speak to have neglected this basic element in their attire. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many controversial subjects characterize geography in the 21st century. Issues such as climate change, sustainability and social exclusion generate much discussion and often involve clear differences in opinion of how they might be addressed. Higher education is an important space for critical engagement with challenging issues. Preparing for and participating in debates enables students to develop critical thinking skills, alongside a variety of oral presentation and discussion skills. This paper reflects on the potential for teaching through debate in geography. The arguments are illustrated through a debate about whether asylum seekers should be allowed to work in the UK. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

By a good background of knowledge and by a sufficient preparation, anyone can give an effective oral presentation. This article has been compiled in hopes of providing some helpful instructions on effective ways to present scientific communication. It is aimed at improving the quality of presentation and is designed primarily for young scientists who might be approaching their first professional conference, but other colleagues might also find useful information for improving their own presentations. Effectiveness of an oral presentation depends on the ability of the speaker to communicate with the audience. An important part of this kind of a scientific presentation is focusing on two to three key points and emphasizing those points during the talk. It's observed that the audience learns best when the information presented matches their needs; when they are motivated to learn and anticipate that they will benefit from the experience; when both visual and auditory aids are used; when the aims of an oral presentation are clear, relevant, and in context; when they are actively involved in the learning process or when the experience is enjoyable. If our instructions are kept in mind during both preparation and talk of an oral presentation, the people will be attentive and speaker's effort will be effective. Many oral presentations concern interesting scientific work, but are nevertheless difficult to follow because the speaker unknowingly makes a number of presentation errors. By far the largest mistake is that a speaker does not realize how an audience listens. If we are well aware of what errors we should avoid, the chances are high that we shall be able to greatly improve our oral presentations. These possible errors are evoked in this article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Cooperative learning has frequently been used in language classrooms, from in-class task-based group work to group presentations. Research suggests that cooperative learning provides mutual support, as well as successful and effective learning outcomes of tasks. The present research addressed a number of problems discovered in group oral presentations in an EAP context where cooperative learning is the core of the course. As learning is strongly related to strategies or approaches adopted to facilitate one’s comprehension and production of the target language, the purposes of the present study were to investigate the use and influence of learner strategies in cooperative and individual learning, and the benefits of cooperative learning in improving students’ English speaking ability. Fifty-two, third-year French major college students taking the Professional English Course at a college in Taiwan participated in the study. All participants were required to give oral presentations on the topics taught in class. Research methods included questionnaires, interviews, and oral assessments. The findings showed that, first, certain learner strategies had positive impacts on the students’ language performance in the two types of presentation and second, that group oral presentation had the greatest influence on improving students’ speaking ability, while other forms of cooperative learning activities enhanced their motivation for learning. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This study reports on the integration of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) multimedia courseware for oral presentations into a self-learning and elective program for non-English major students in an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) setting. A computer-aided instruction approach, combined with a task-based learning approach, was adopted. Computers played a central role as the means of information delivery. The courseware acted as a silent partner and played the role of a tutor and adjunct teacher to provide students with authentic materials for learning to give English oral presentations in international business and technical settings. It offered a variety of learning activities with instant on-line self-evaluation for students to practice integrative language skills and learn content knowledge. Evaluation of student performance was based upon data from pre- and post-tasks, student questionnaires about concerns, and an open-ended questionnaire. After active participation and self-learning, most of the non-English major students clearly indicated they had made some improvement or progress and felt their learning effectiveness for preparing speech texts was significantly improved. In addition, they had become more concerned about their English ability and the ESP courseware was able to meet their need for greater linguistic support to enhance their language ability. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The paper starts by emphasising that final year engineering projects are regarded important in the training and education of professional engineers in Australia and Europe. The sources of projects available to students were also mentioned. Some Australian universities insist on individual projects but some not, each with their own reasons. However, it can be argued that all European universities run individual projects. In most cases, whether it is in Australia or Europe, the total load for final year engineering projects is about 6.25% of the load of engineering programmes. Assessment methods were also described. They were all different whether in Australia or Europe but not very significant. It was discovered that literature reviews, oral presentations and written reports or dissertations were important elements in the assessment schemes. Many university staff, in both continents, encouraged students to publish their work in international conferences and journals if the originality of the projects was high. It can be argued that the individual project is most effective in learning outcome; however, the cost involved is also very high and its sustainability in smaller universities in Australia is in doubt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Collaborative learning (CL) methods were evaluated by a group of 101 university students in a first-year ESL course on Communication and Study Skills. The principal objective of the new approach was to encourage students to work together, to express their ideas more freely and to learn from each other. Student opinions on a course project (applying for a job) were recorded by interview and questionnaire. The results show that students enjoyed the new approach and found it helpful, with only minor reservations. The paper discusses the results in the light of current thinking on cultural influences on teaching and learning, and points to the implications they have for third-level language pedagogy and course design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article offers our ideas on why it is important to teach our students how to speak about mathematics and some practical resources for incorporating speaking activities, helping students prepare, evaluating student presentations, and getting your department to talk about student presentations. The ideas in this article were compiled when the authors were members of the MAA Committee on the Teaching of Undergraduate Mathematics (CTUM) which sponsored a workshop on teaching mathematical speaking at the AMS-MAA Joint Mathematics Meetings in Phoenix in 2004. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The oral case presentation is an essential part of clinical medicine, but teaching medical students to present clinical data remains difficult. Presentation skills depend on the ability to obtain, process, and organize patient data. Clinical reasoning is fundamental to the development of these skills. We compared a clinical reasoning curriculum with standard ward instruction for improving presentation skills and clinical performance.Subjects and Methods: Between October 1998 and May 1999, 62 third-year medical students at three hospitals were assigned to a 4-week clinical reasoning curriculum (n = 27) or a control group (n = 35) that underwent routine instruction. The curriculum consisted of four 1-hour group sessions and 1 hour of individual videotaped instruction, and taught students to use the principles of clinical reasoning, such as generation and refinement of diagnostic hypothesis, interpretation of diagnostic tests, and causal reasoning, to determine data for inclusion in the oral presentation. We videotaped students presenting two standardized case histories; one at baseline and a second 4 weeks later. Two independent evaluators who were blinded to the group assignments reviewed the videotapes and scored them for presentation quality and efficiency, and general speaking ability.Results: Mean (+/- SD) presentation times at baseline were similar in the two groups (intervention group: 8 +/- 2 minutes; control group: 8 +/- 2 minutes; P = 0.74). Presentation time in students who were taught clinical reasoning decreased by 3 +/- 2 minutes, but increased by 2 +/- 2 minutes in control students. The difference in the changes between the groups was statistically significant (mean difference = 4 minutes; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 3 to 5 minutes; P <0.001). Presentation quality scores at baseline were similar in both groups (intervention group: 17 +/- 8 points; control group: 20 +/- 7 points; P = 0.11). Students who were taught the clinical reasoning curriculum had an improvement of 9 +/- 6 points in the quality of their presentations, while control students had an improvement of 2 +/- 7 points (on a scale of 4-36). The difference in the changes between the groups was statistically significant (mean difference = 4 points; 95% CI: 1 to 7 points; P = 0.04).Conclusion: A clinical reasoning curriculum, in combination with video-based individual instruction, improves the efficiency and quality of oral presentations, and may augment clinical performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inherited phagocyte defects are one of the subgroups of primary immunodeficiency diseases (PIDs) with various clinical manifestations. As oral manifestations are common at the early ages, oral practitioners can have a special role in the early diagnosis. A comprehensive search was conducted in this systematic review study and data of included studies were categorized into four subgroups of phagocyte defects, including congenital neutropenia, defects of motility, defects of respiratory burst, and other non-lymphoid defects. Among all phagocyte defects, 12 disorders had reported data for oral manifestations in published articles. A total of 987 cases were included in this study. Periodontitis is one of the most common oral manifestations. There is a need to organize better collaboration between medical doctors and dentists to diagnose and treat patients with phagocyte defects. Regular dental visits and professional oral health care are recommended from the time of the first primary teeth eruption in newborns. • Early detection of oral manifestations in Congenital Phagocyte Defects is crucial for preventing further morbidities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to investigate how college students, who studied English as a Foreign Language (EFL), enhanced their audience awareness through online role-reversal to improve oral presentation. Twenty-eight college students volunteered to participate in a speaking training class. They underwent four phases of online role-reversal, peer modeling, peer feedback, peer assessment, and reflections on their scripts for better oral presentation. Data collected included the log files of online role-reversal, students' first and final scripts, the evaluation rubric of presentation, and an open-ended questionnaire. Results showed that online role-reversal played a key role in raising the students' audience awareness between presenters and audience, leading to oral presentation improvement. Specifically, the active students outperformed the passive students in the dimensions of content, logical structure, delivery manners, and interaction with peers. The active students experienced online role-reversal to a greater extent and produced better quality final scripts and oral presentations while the passive students made very few revisions on errors of content and structure. They merely copied peers' feedback for grammatical corrections. This study suggests that students are engaged in online role-reversal to negotiate meaning, deal with difficulties, and reflect on their scripts to enhance audience awareness and consequently improve their oral presentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An English scientific presentation in front of audience is not always so easy . Practice and pre-preparation will improve and sharpen your presentation skills. In this article, helpful hints will introduce to help in preparation and delivery of a scientific talk. Early preparation and practice are the key points to make a good international talk. This article may help residents in dermatology training who are the first time english language presenter. A good talk should be informative and focused on subject. A good delivery with supportive slides is another important point. A general rule is to finish the talk on time. Practice is only defense against making major errors in calculating the actual time of your talk. The purpose of this article is to offer some guidelines for preparing an excellent english talk for the young residences. (Turkderm 2012; 46: 59-61) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]