Mastering the genre of oral presentations is important for the success of ESL/EFL students in both educational and professional contexts. As in writing, arguments in oral presentations must be adequately supported through information such as statistics and expert opinion. In addition, graphics and video have become increasingly important elements in oral presentations. Like us, you may have noticed in your own classrooms that appropriately citing and interweaving these sources of support pose a challenge for ESL/EFL students. We have also found that instructional materials are lacking, as is research about training students in oral presentation skills, including the integration of supporting material (Bankowski, 2010).

To address this gap, this article outlines instructional strategies (cite, contextualize, and capitalize) used to scaffold learners toward effectively incorporating source material, visuals, and multimedia files into their formal presentations. Drawing on the corresponding principles espoused in L2 writing literature (e.g., Pennycook, 1996; Gu & Brooks, 2008) and recognizing L2 students’ limited ability to paraphrase and summarize properly, we developed these strategies for adult English language learners. The article also provides ways of reflecting this instructional focus in assessment materials.

Strategy 1: Teach Students to Cite Explicitly on Slides and in Speech

Regardless of the specific type of source material (e.g., quotations, statistics, graphics, or video), we should instruct learners about what to cite on slides and what to cite orally. In other words, we ask them “What does the slide say?” versus “What do you say?” In general, the same standards as for writing apply.

• If a speaker includes borrowed information on a slide, an in-text citation (or footnote) must appear on that slide.
• While speaking, if the presenter has included a citation on the slide, then stating the citation orally is optional.
• If a speaker verbalizes borrowed information that is not shown on a slide, it is mandatory to acknowledge the source of that information orally.
• While there is no one way to use oral signal phrases (just as there is no one way to use written signal phrases), one example is to say, “According to April Jones, author of Readings on Gender…” (example from The University of Southern Mississippi Gulf Coast, n.d.).
• The source of any borrowed information, whether shown on slides or presented only orally, should be included in the References or Works Cited slide at the end of the presentation. Suggested citation formats are APA or MLA.
• Providing students with examples or planning worksheets can help them understand how to appropriately incorporate attributions both visually (on slides) and orally (in speech). Without providing examples, we have found that students do not know how to enact instructions such as “You should quote, paraphrase, or summarize all source material, identify the source of information as you speak, identify sources within PowerPoint slides, and include a complete list of all the sources cited in your presentation.”
  
  

Strategy 2: Teach Students to Contextualize

In addition to teaching students how to cite sources in oral presentations, we must also instruct them on how to contextualize visuals. Although the importance of providing context might seem obvious, students might not understand the need to explain the relevance of an image (e.g., a picture), graph (e.g., a table or pie chart), or multimedia file (e.g., a YouTube clip) to their narrative. Thus, before describing the particulars of the visual, speakers need to lead in with an introduction that (1) provides a brief explanation of how it relates to the presentation content, and (2) includes a setup of the visual. Table 1 provides examples of what students might say for these two purposes.

Table 1. Contextualize Examples

Strategy 3: Teach Students to Capitalize

The third strategy is to instruct students on how to capitalize on the primary reason they are using a particular visual to support their presentation. Whether using an image, graph, or multimedia file, students should maximize the impact of the content by highlighting key information, discussing implications, or giving the audience a task. If the audience were assigned a task, follow-up of the task is also necessary. Table 2 provides examples of language that students might use to capitalize on their visuals.

Table 2. Capitalize Examples

Assessment

Once you have explicitly instructed students in these strategies, it is important to assess them on their ability to incorporate sources. Of course, you might not use the terms "cite, contextualize, capitalize" with your students, but you do want to use the same language across the presentation guidelines—but you do want to use the same language across the presentation guidelines, related instructional materials, and the rubric so that your expectations are clear to students. Table 3 shows this alignment in a sample assignment incorporating a video clip.

Table 3. Sample Wording for Using Video Clips in Presentations (Guidelines and Corresponding Evaluation Form)

Conclusion

Using the instructional strategies of citing, contextualizing, and capitalizing is one means of scaffolding learners toward effectively incorporating source material, visuals, and multimedia files into their formal presentations. These strategies will help learners master the genre of oral presentations for use in their academic and professional lives.

References

Bankowski, E. (2010). Developing skills for effective academic presentations in EAP. International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 22(2), 187–196.

Gu, Q., & Brooks, J. (2008). Beyond the accusation of plagiarism. System, 36, 337–352.

Pennycook, A. (1996). Borrowing others' words: Text, ownership, memory and plagiarism. TESOL Quarterly, 30, 201–230.

The University of Southern Mississippi Gulf Coast. (n.d.). The Speaking and Writing Center: Citing sources in oral presentations. Retrieved from http://www.usm.edu/gulfcoast/sites/usm.edu.gulfcoast/files/groups/speaking-and-writing-center/pdf/citing_sources_in_speeches_web.pdf

Dr. Heather Weger is a senior instructor for the Center for Language Education and Development at Georgetown University. With a PhD in applied linguistics and more than 10 years of English teaching experience in the United States and abroad, she promotes a task-based, integrated-skills approach to teaching academic English skills for international students. She is a frequent conference presenter and consultant on topics such as curriculum development, assessment design, and classroom motivation.

Heather Gregg Zitlau is an EFL instructor in the Center for Language Education and Development at Georgetown University, where she teaches a variety of academic and business English courses. She also has extensive experience teaching and conducting teacher training in South Korea, China, and Armenia. She earned an MA in ESL from University of Minnesota. Ms. Zitlau's teaching interests include academic writing and content-based instruction.

Jennifer Lubkin Chávez is a senior instructor in the Center for Language Education and Development at Georgetown University. She earned an MA in TESOL from American University following Peace Corps service in Azerbaijan. Her areas of interest include teaching writing, teaching critical and creative thinking, bridging research and teaching practice, and using technology to facilitate learning and teaching.

Heather Tatton-Harris is a former Georgetown EFL adjunct instructor. She is currently the curriculum coordinator at Carlos Rosario Public Charter School. She earned an EdM in applied linguistics from Teachers College, Columbia University. She enjoys exploring innovative ways to contextualize curriculum for ESL courses and workforce pathways.