Strayer JWI 505: Assignment 2 – Designing Description

ASSIGNMENT DESCRIPTION

This is a two-part assignment that requires the submission of (1) your PowerPoint (PPT) presentation and
(2) a paper that provides a written explanation of the PowerPoint presentation. Please submit both the
PowerPoint and the paper in the assignment submission area of Blackboard (Week 5, Assignment) – the
presentation as a PowerPoint file (.ppt or .pptx) and the paper as a Word document (.doc or .docx).

• Part 1: Please prepare a PowerPoint presentation that on a business topic of your choice that is
relevant to your role and current situations in your workplace (e.g. business operations or
management practice issues). This is a presentation that you would present either currently or in
the future as it is related to your work role. Please select a topic that you believe is important, not
only to you but is one that would be highly relevant to your audience. Your audience can be your
work colleagues, decision makers, customers, or even your course peers. The presentation should
be approximately 15-20 slides in length and should have a title slide as well as a questions and
closing slide.

• Part 2: Please write a paper (not to exceed 5 pages, excluding references) that describes your
audience, explains the type of presentation style you selected, and explains why you chose it. As
with all papers please make sure to use and integrate the course materials and other relevant
presentation information you have learned so as to demonstrate application of learning and
explanation in all of your writing. The paper must integrate in-text sources and include references.
The paper will help to ensure your understanding and application of important elements that
comprise a great presentation.

Grading for this assignment will be based both on the substantive quality of the actual content of the paper
as it pertains to the focus of the assignment as well as the composition, logical and progressive
organizational flow, formatting, grammar, syntax, punctuation and other evidences of writing skill using the
following rubric.



Points: 200 Assignment Two: Designing a Compelling Professional Presentation
Criteria Unacceptable
Below 70% F
Fair
70-79% C
Proficient
80-89% B
Exemplary
90-100% A
1. Content of paper
addresses and
explains key aspects
of the presentation
design, including:
Did not submit or
incompletely
included content
requirements of
the assignment.
Partially included
content
requirements of
the assignment.
Satisfactorily
included content
requirements of
the assignment.
Thoroughly
included content
requirements of
the assignment. presentation topic
rationale, audience
alignment, and
integration of course
ideas on
presentations.

Weight: 50%
2. Composition of
paper includes
professional
formatting, grammar,
organization, and
logical structure.
Weight: 15%
Did not submit or
incompletely met
paper
composition
criteria.
Partially met
paper
composition
criteria.
Satisfactorily met
paper
composition
criteria.
Thoroughly met
paper
composition
criteria.
3. Composition of
presentation includes
professional
formatting,
grammar,
organization, and
logical structure. The
presentation
incorporates
presentation strategies
raised in the course.
Weight: 35%
Did not submit or
incompletely met
presentation
composition
criteria.
Partially met
presentation
composition
criteria.
Satisfactorily met
presentation
composition
criteria.
Thoroughly met
presentation
composition
criteria.



GUIDING QUESTIONS FOR ASSIGNMENT TWO

Please use the following to assist you in ensuring that you present a well-written paper with the appropriate
content. Please make sure that your paper addresses the following questions.

1. Consider the following questions that pertain to the content of your paper:
• Do you describe your audience with specificity and context and explain the relevance of your
presentation topic to this audience?
• What type of presentation style did you choose to accomplish your presentation goal and why did
you choose it (See Munter)?
• How did you approach ‘grabbing the attention’ of your audience?
• How does your presentation persuade your audience? Why are you persuading your audience;
what is it you want them to do, change, or consider? What are the take-a-ways from the
presentation?
• How does your presentation showcase your "brains, talent, and ability to lead?"
• How do you approach setting up your presentation to avoid the “bringing out the Blackberries”
audience response?
• Do you apply any of Duarte’s Five Rules? How? • How successful do you believe your presentation will be? What are your greatest challenges in
accomplishing the goal of your presentation?
• How did this experience impact your confidence as a presenter and as a leader?

2. Consider the following features that pertain to the composition of your paper:
• Is a professional cover sheet included?
• Is the paper well organized with transitions and connections between your sentences and
paragraphs?
• Are you using sections that appropriately guide the reader?
• Are paragraph and sentence transitions logically presented? Do the transitions flow throughout the
report?
• Are paragraphs well structured and emphasize explanation?
• Does the writing follow the rules of grammar usage and punctuation? Is language clear and
precise?
• Does the formatting (font, margins, headings, citations, and references) convey professionalism?
• Is the paper no more than 5 pages in length, not including the cover and reference pages?

3. Consider the following features that pertain to the composition of your presentation:
• Is the presentation free of syntax, grammar or spelling errors?
• Is there an agenda slide: can it stand-alone? How will you present it?
• Does the logical structure follow the agenda?
• What is the quality of your "grabber slide?"
• What connector approach did you use and why (i.e. consistency, reputed agenda, trackers)?
• Is your slide master professional?
• What rules did you follow for the layout of individual slides?
• Did you use message titles rather than topic titles?
• Are your charts and diagrams clean with no "chart junk?"
• Do your text slides represent key ideas applying a minimalist approach?