This recipe makes 12 cookies. Add some pictures and make it visually appealing. 2 introduction slides and make the ending nice.

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Memo

DATE: March 25, 2020

TO: BA 105W Students

FROM: Deborah Hart

SUBJECT: Screencast presentation assignment

SUMMARY Students will be graded on their delivery of a simple, narrated screencast of slides on an

approved topic. The screencast should be

 Fact-based, objective, and purposeful.

 Four to six minutes in length.

 Narrated by the speaker.

 Introduced by webcam view of speaker speaking, wearing business casual attire.

 Directed at peers, yet professional.

The screencast is worth 80 points, or 8 percent of your final course grade.

WHAT TO DO This assignment asks that you to record a narrated slideshow presentation (MS PowerPoint,

Google Slides, or the equivalent) on an approved topic using a simple, free screen recorder like

Screencast-o-matic (https://screencast-o-matic.com).

Screen recorders can capture whatever is on your device’s screen. They can also simultaneously

record audio (using built-in or external microphones) or video (using a device’s camera or

webcam).

In the narrated screen recording of your slideshow, begin with a webcam view of you

introducing yourself and your topic. Additional webcam shots showing you speaking are

optional. For example, you may choose to include video in the corner of your screen that shows

you narrating throughout the entire video. All webcam shots of you should include at least your

upper torso and head. For best appearance, choose a neutral, non-distracting background and use

good, natural lighting behind the camera (facing you). Out of respect for your audience (and

yourself), please wear business casual attire in the webcam view, at least from the waist up.

Throughout the screencast, use a simple, natural spoken style to present each slide. Do not

simply read every slide title and bullet word-for-word. You may follow a script that you prepare,

but try to sound like you’re speaking extemporaneously or conversationally rather than reading.

Limit your presentation length to four to six minutes and your completed media file to less than

500 MB. To submit, upload to Canvas assignment.

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The following definitions may help you reflect on this assignment:

 Informative: Serving to inform; providing or disclosing information; instructive.

 Fact-based: Relies on accurate data from credible sources.

 Objective: Data presented without bias or unethical manipulation through use of skewed visuals or coverage.

 Purposeful: Having a clear goal; answering the audience’s unspoken question, “Why do I need to know this?”

 Speaking extemporaneously: “Talking through” the presentation, usually without reading word-for-word. For this assignment, make your script sound natural, conversational.

 Professional: A polished presentation for a business audience using language appropriate for business contexts (think “Ted talk”).

Your completed screencast video will be uploaded to the Canvas assignment and shared with

peer reviewers.

The topic Your informative, fact-based, objective presentation should focus on one of the three speech

topics introduced below. Unacceptable approaches to the assignment that will result in a failing

grade include

 Delivering an argumentative speech (often about a political, social, or ethical issue).

 Relying primarily on personal opinion or religious belief.

 Presenting data in a biased way.

 Marketing or selling a product.

 Using of language or graphics inappropriate for professional settings.

 Submitting a video produced by someone else as your own, even if you record new audio for it [also violates campus policy on cheating and plagiarism.]

HOW TO PREPARE

Organizing the presentation Your presentation should begin with an introduction that gains attention and previews the topic;

continue with a body that describes the research findings; and end with a conclusion that

summarizes key points and offers a “takeaway” (followed by recommendation(s), if any).

A good beginning “hooks” the audience. Include a title visual/slide with your name. Follow

with a preview of topics to be covered.

Your data, covering no more than three key points, should follow in a logical order. After the

two introductory slides, use as many slides as you need for the body of your presentation. A

presentation seven minutes long or less usually needs less than 10 slides total. You should plan

things to say in transition from one point to the next.

For your conclusion, briefly summarize what you’ve discussed. Good presentations come to an

obvious end (the audience knows you’re done) without the tags “that’s all” or “the end.”

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Selecting content The best screencasts remained focused on the topic at hand. Avoid tangents or anecdotal

interruptions. However, in addition to providing facts about your topic, you can use humor,

questions, and stories to increase listener interest (such as by gaining attention in the

introduction) and/or illustrate points. Especially with humor, be careful to not to offend or

distract the audience.

Writing a script Screencast narrators usually follow a script. However, your reading of the script needs to sound

like conversational but professional spoken language. Avoid adopting an obvious “reading

aloud” style. If reading a script makes you sound boring or static, consider following an outline

and talking through your subtopics in a more extemporaneous style without saying, “um” or

inserting other speech fillers (“like, you know). Script or no, you should practice the entire

presentation aloud several times before recording. Be prepared to do multiple takes if necessary.

Although the free version of Screencast-o-matic only allows you to cut (edit) the beginning or

end of your recording, you will be able to complete an appropriate screencast with this tool.

Designing graphics Good visuals supplement/support presentations only. For some tips on presentations and slides,

see “The 10/20/30 Rule of Powerpoint” in Chapter 14 of your textbook. Some hints include (1)

limiting the number of words per slide; (2) choosing simple, pleasing color schemes; (3) using

graphics like charts or pictures where appropriate. One short video clip of 30 seconds or less in

length may be used to help illustrate a point. Additional materials, such as handouts, are allowed

and can be used effectively.

ASSESSMENT Presentations are assessed using the following categories: organization, content, nonverbal skills,

voice, and use of visual aids. The instructor rubric and student feedback sheet are posted on

Canvas. Note that you will lose points in the rubric is your presentation is less than four minutes

or more than six minutes in duration.

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WHAT TO PRESENT

Choose from the following options for your screencast topic. At least one week before the

screencast’s due date, notify the instructor on Google Classroom about the topic you’re going

to cover.

Your screencast should be informative. As noted above, argumentative speeches (usually for or

against a political, social, or ethical issue), or presentations based primarily on personal opinion

or religious belief, or a biased presentation concerned with marketing or selling a product, or

presentations using language or graphics inappropriate for professional settings, are not

acceptable for this assignment.

OPTION A: An instructional video Prepare a screencast instructing your audience in how to perform a complex task or complete a

project. Completion of this task or project should require taking multiple steps in order. Include

adequate explanation and/or illustrations of each step. You should also consider using verbs in

the imperative mood (https://grammar.collinsdictionary.com/us/easy-learning/the-imperative) in

your slides to emphasize the action to be taken in each step.

OPTION B: Your formal, written report topic

Share with your classmates the results of your research on the report topic assigned. Your

presentation must include a summary of the report’s findings, its conclusions, and any

recommendations. Given our time constraints, you may only be able to cover a portion of your

written report’s content.

Since you’re the one who conducted the research, you may consider yourself a kind-of expert,

called in to explain your research to a group of interested people. Note: Since your audience

already knows why the report was written, you don’t need to cover this information (its problem

and scope) in the presentation.

OPTION C: Propose your own informative presentation topic To select Option C, you must propose an alternate topic (e. g. a project, an interest, an area of

skill) on Google Classroom and attach an outline of the presentation on that topic one week

in advance of your assignment due date. Choose any topic about which you want to inform your

audience. Preferably, it should be a topic of some interest to you. For example, you could

provide information on a class project you have completed, a job you’ve held, or on an area of

interest (such as a hobby or a skill). As with Option A and B above, support your presentation

with appropriate visuals.