Primary Traits Of Oral Business Presentation: Translatable Use For Assessment In A Virtual Learning Environment

Abstract

As more and more classes are taught on-line, new challenges for assessment of student learning have come about. In this paper on the use of digital video (DV) as an acceptable means to assess student oral business presentation skills, content analysis was used to test for the presence of primary traits inherent in effective formal business presentation. A specific set of traits was identified through a comprehensive literature review. Primary traits: eye contact or absence of reading, vocal variety, credibility or confidence, appearance of nervous mannerisms, and the purposeful use of the body represented the five independent variables in a one-level experiment. The five factors were accumulated into a survey instrument for use by study assessors experienced in evaluating formal business presentation skills. Study assessors looked at each speaker to determine if they could assess the five traits. Overall results indicated the five primary traits were noticeable 88.8% of the time, thereby rejecting the null hypothesis. This suggests that digital video may offer a technological solution for oral presentation skills assessment. This is an important finding for faculty in time and distance constrained environments. Future research is suggested to isolate quality characteristics in the digital film environment and to examine the impact that digital video has on student learning and skills.