Speaker
Description
Participants will gain insight into effective methods to help Japanese university students improve their English presentation skills. Drawing on classroom practice and research on EFL oral communication, this presentation will highlight common challenges such as presentation anxiety, over-reliance on scripts, and limited audience engagement. Practical classroom strategies and task-based activities used in Japanese university courses will be introduced to support the development of more confident and successful presentations. Attendees will leave with adaptable ideas and techniques that can be implemented in their own EFL classrooms to support students preparing and delivering presentations in English.
Abstract section 1: Relevance
Giving a presentation can be daunting. Research in EFL oral presentation pedagogy has highlighted the challenges Japanese university students face when presenting in English, including communication anxiety, limited speaking confidence, and a tendency to rely heavily on written scripts (Cutrone, P. 2009, Horwitz et al., 1986). However, reflective practice and structured presentation tasks have shown significant improvement in presenters’ confidence and performance (Toland et al, 2016). This session provides participants with examples and factors to understand and implement, in order to improve their students’ presentations in English, enhancing the benefits for both presenters and their audience.
Abstract section 2: Contribution/research questions
To highlight typical second-language presentation challenges for the participants and explore options to create better outcomes for the presenters and their audience. A typical problem could be the presenter reading a script, with little apparent practice beforehand. The delivery may be inaudible for various reasons and unsatisfactory for the audience. Factors to mitigate this type of circumstance are explored and developed.
Abstract section 3: Content/method
Examples of PowerPoint slides created by previous students will be shown. These provide a gateway to the context and type of presentations that the students in my class are required to deliver. We discuss common pitfalls and subsequently good practices to implement in order to benefit the students’ presentations and the satisfaction of their audience.
Abstract section 4: Outcomes/results
Participants will gain insight into effective methods to help Japanese university students improve their English presentation skills. Drawing on classroom practice and research on EFL oral communication, this presentation will highlight common challenges such as presentation anxiety, over-reliance on scripts, and limited audience engagement. Practical classroom strategies and task-based activities used in Japanese university courses will be introduced to support the development of more confident and successful presentations. Attendees will leave with adaptable ideas and techniques that can be implemented in their own EFL classrooms to support students preparing and delivering presentations in English.
Abstract section 5: References
Cutrone, P. (2009). Overcoming Japanese EFL learners’ fear of speaking. Language Studies Working Papers, 1, 55-63.
Horwitz, E. K., Horwitz, M. B., & Cope, J. (1986). Foreign language classroom anxiety. The Modern Language Journal, 70(2), 125-132.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4781.1986.tb05256.x
Toland, S. H., Mills, D. J., & Kohyama, M. (2016). Enhancing Japanese university students’ English-language presentation skills with mobile-video recordings. The JALT CALL Journal, 12(3), 179-201. https://doi.org/10.29140/jaltcall.v12n3.j207
| Title | From Script to Speech: Teaching English Presentations |
|---|---|
| Teaching Context | College and university education |