Business Communication 9th Edition by Amy Newman

Exercise 2

Prepare and deliver a team presentation.
Divide into teams of four or five students. Your instructor will assign you to either the pro or the con side of one of the following topics:
• Drug testing should be mandatory for all employees.
• All forms of smoking should be banned from all public spaces.
• Employers should provide flextime (flexible working hours) for all office employees.
• Employers should provide on-site child care facilities for the preschool children of their employees.
• Employees who work with the public should be required to wear a company uniform.
Assume that your employee group has been asked to present its views to a management committee that will make the final decision regarding your topic. The presentations will be given as follows:
a. Each side (beginning with the pro side) will have eight minutes to present its views.
b. Each side will then have three minutes to confer.
c. Each side (beginning with the con side) will deliver a two-minute rebuttal-to refute the arguments and answer the issues raised by the other side.
d. Each side (beginning with the pro side) will give a one-minute summary.
e. The management committee (the rest of the class) will then vote by secret ballot regarding which side (pro or con) presented its case more effectively.
Gather whatever data you think will be helpful to your case, organize it, divide up the speaking roles, and prepare speaker notes. ( Hint: It might be helpful to gather information on both the pro and the con sides of the issue in preparation for the rebuttal session, which will be given impromptu.)