Touchstones are projects that illustrate your comprehension of the course material, help you to refine skills, and demonstrate application of knowledge. You can work on a Touchstone anytime, but you can’t submit it for grading until you have completed the unit’s Milestone. After you’ve submitted a Touchstone, it will be graded and counted towards your final course score.
Unit 4 Touchstone: Oral Presentation
ASSIGNMENT: Imagine that you have been asked to give a five-minute oral presentation at the next staff meeting. The purpose is to teach your colleagues some strategy or technique for better communication. Feel free to draw on the content you have already learned in this class!
Since you will not be able to share a screen, it is recommended that you do not try to teach people how to use a technology, but some other best practice. You may do something related to technology, as long as you do not need to do a demonstration. Use of visual aids is optional and will not be assessed directly.
Example topics could be:
Humor at work: what’s appropriate and what’s not
How to soothe an angry customer on the phone
How to give constructive criticism in person
Advice for professional emails
These are some suggestions, but you can select any topic that is related to workplace communication and which can be explained in five minutes.
Don’t be daunted by the time limit. That’s as long as ten television commercials, which usually tell a story and make a pitch in 30 seconds!
In order to foster learning and growth, all work you submit must be newly written specifically for this course. Any plagiarized or recycled work will result in a Plagiarism Detected alert. Review Touchstones: Academic Integrity Guidelines for more about plagiarism and the Plagiarism Detected alert. For guidance on the use of generative AI technology, review Ethical Standards and Appropriate Use of AI.
A. DIRECTIONS
Step 1: Review Guidelines
As you begin, remember to follow the seven guidelines of professional communication.
Know your objective (to teach a communication skill).
Understand your audience (these are your colleagues; you have a professional relationship but also know each other well. Your colleagues want the presentation to be helpful and engaging, even entertaining).
Be relevant. Make sure the presentation stays focused on a communication skill everybody can use.
Be clear, concise, complete, and consistent. Because the presentation is short, pay special attention to being concise. Make sure that you can finish it in under five minutes. Your colleagues don’t want to go late into their lunch hour! Be consistent in your use of language and avoid using jargon.
Step 2: Select Topic and Draft Presentation
Select a topic and draft your presentation on paper as an informal outline. Prepare and practice. Organize your talking points so you can make full use of the full five minutes without going over. Time yourself and make appropriate edits until your presentation fits the five minutes.
You may want to review the content on Organizing Presentations.
Step 3: Record Video
Record a 5-minute video of yourself delivering your presentation. Remember that the assessment will be of verbal and nonverbal delivery, so use of visual aids is optional. If you do use them, make sure they are visible on the screen.
Note: You do not have to dress formally but should choose a wardrobe and background that are professional, or at least not distracting. It is important that you convey yourself as a professional and that background noise is minimal so that your speech can be clearly heard.
You may want to review the content on Delivering Presentations.
Step 4: Review Video
Review your video to make sure you like the results and that the recording was successful. But don’t overdo it! If you deliver the same speech too many times it will be harder to maintain a natural tone. Four or five runs should be plenty.
Step 5: Submit Video
Submit your video for a grade.
B. RUBRIC
Advanced Proficient Acceptable Needs Improvement Non-Performance
Content (10 points)
Content is accurate, relevant to the assignment, and engaging.
Content is accurate, relevant to the assignment, and engaging. Content is generally accurate, relevant to the assignment, and engaging, but may fall a bit short in one area.. Content is generally accurate, relevant to the assignment, and engaging, but may fall short in at least one area. Content is lacking in at last two elements of accuracy, relevance, and engagement. Content is not an appropriate response to the assignment, is not accurate, or otherwise falls so short of expectations that no points can be given.
Appropriateness to Audience (10 points)
Speaker uses language and tone that are appropriate to a diverse professional setting.
Speaker continuously uses language and tone that are appropriate to a diverse professional background. Speaker generally uses language and tone that are appropriate to a diverse professional setting with one or two exceptions. Speaker generally uses language and tone that are appropriate to a diverse professional setting with a few exceptions. Speaker’s language and tone are often inappropriate for a diverse professional setting. Language and tone are so unprofessional that no points can be given.
Verbal Skills (10 points)
Speaker is attentive to volume, pacing, pitch and intonation
Speaker is attentive to volume, pacing, pitch and intonation throughout the speech. Speaker is generally attentive to volume, pacing, pitch and intonation with one or two exceptions. Speaker is generally attentive to volume, pacing, pitch and intonation with a few exceptions. Speaker is inattentive to volume, pacing, pitch and intonation; parts of the speech may be effective but other parts are in a monotone or a tone inappropriate to the message. Speech is so inarticulate and poorly delivered that no points can be given.
Nonverbal Skills (10 points)
Speaker uses gestures, facial expressions, and other body language to clarify, support, and dramatize parts of the speech. Speaker minimizes distracting and unintentional gestures, facial expressions, or movements.
Speaker uses gestures, facial expressions, and other body language to clarify, support, and dramatize parts of the speech. Speaker minimizes distracting and unintentional gestures, facial expressions, or movements. Speaker generally uses intentional body language and avoids distracting body language with one or two exceptions. Speaker adequately uses intentional body language and avoids distracting body language with a few exceptions. Speaker insufficiently uses body language and/or has distracting body language that undermines their speech. Use of body language is so absent or inappropriate no points can be given.
Time Management (10 points)
Speaker makes effective use of the full five minutes without either finishing early or going over by more than a few seconds.
Speaker makes effective use of the full five minutes without either finishing early or going over by more than a few seconds. Speaker runs a little short or a little long by no more than 30 seconds. Speaker runs a little short or a little long by no more than a minute. . Speaker runs well short or long by over a minute. Speech is so brief or so long it is not an appropriate response to the assignment.
C. SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
The following requirements must be met for your submission:
All video content must be appropriate for an academic context
Presentation must be original and written for this assignment; plagiarism of any kind is strictly prohibited.
Video is about five minutes long.
Any video file format may be submitted.
Your video submission should include your name and the date.
Use this Sophia Learning video submission resource  to troubleshoot issues in uploading the video Touchstone.
I just need a 5 minute topic that I can record yself discussing.