Investigating EFL Learners’ Perceptions Towards the Difficulties in Oral Presentation at Kandahar University

This research paper examines the difficulties of oral presentation, strategies coping with difficulties used in oral presentations and the perceived role of lecturer in improving EFL learners’ oral presentation skills. The study used quantitative approach in which a survey questionnaire comprising 34 items based on four likert scales was distributed to EFL learners in a public university. The data was collected from 150 learners from two English Departments through random sampling which 109 were male and 41 were female learners. The data was analyzed and interpreted in terms of mean and standard deviation through SPSS software (22) version. The results of the study revealed that learners had a problem with oral fluency, accuracy and pronunciation during oral presentation, feel frightened when a lot of people are watching them, afraid of being assessed by their classmates in front of the class, having low self-confidence. The results also revealed some strategies coping with difficulties used in oral presentation such as, learners have to prepare themselves properly before an oral presentation, they have to build self-confidence for presentation to present very well and they have to concentrate more on phonetics and phonology of language. Furthermore, considering a crucial role of lecturer in improving oral presentation skills, the following factors such as lecturer has to design a specific course in teaching oral presentation skills for EFL learners, lecturer has to show learners videos of good speakers for enhancing their presentation skill and lecturer has to give learners freedom to choose their own topic that lowers their anxiety were discovered for more consideration.

An immense analysis on problems faced by EFL people while writing technical papers

Publishing research work in journals has become a general practice to every research scholar. Because English is the only language which can be acceptable and understandable by many of the people globally. This article explains the importance of practices in academic writing, publication. Content Presentation skill in English is important. It is the only way to share our views to the outer world.

Improvement of presentation performance through feedback

Presentation is a type of public speaking which requires special skills besides language competency. Presentation skill in English is a lesson or subject which can be found in some educational institutions in Indonesia. Besides presentation, public speaking can be in a form of speech, debate, and meeting. In public speaking, a speaker can face more than two people or even hundreds or thousands of people. While in ordinary conversation, the speakers and the listener called interlocutors are limited to only a few people. Presentation class is meant to improve the students’ performance in English public speaking. Feedback is usually given after a presentation activity is completed. In this case, the students who were trained were given feedback by the teacher. Feedback is given thoroughly on the language, content, and method of presentation. Research on feedback or assessment on oral presentation is underexplored. The present research is proof supported with empirical data which suggests that the role of feedback is important and statistically assessed as significant in making the later performance better. The main factor that determines the quality of a presentation is language skill. However, there are other aspects that are quite decisive such as the material or topic of the presentation and the presentation method.

Menumbuhkan Integritas melalui Karakter Anti Korupsi untuk Mempersiapkan Remaja menjadi Agen Perubahan

ABSTRAK Meskipun telah dilakukan berbagai upaya, Indonesia kembali dinilai sebagai negara paling terkorup di Asia. Sejak awal tahun 2004 dan 2005 berdasarkan hasil survei dikalangan para pengusaha dan pebisnis oleh lembaga konsultan Political and Economic Risk Consultancy (PERC). Hasil survei lembaga konsultan PERC yang berbasis di Hong Kong menyatakan bahwa Indonesia merupakan negara yang paling korup di antara 12 negara Asia. Predikat negara terkorup diberikan karena nilai Indonesia hampir menyentuh angka mutlak 10 dengan skor 9,25 (nilai 10 merupakan nilai tertinggi atau terkorup). Pada tahun 2005, Indonesia masih termasuk dalam tiga teratas negara terkorup di Asia. Ini seharusnya mampu membangkitkan suatu pemahaman baru, bahwa diperlukan suatu sistem yang mampu menyadarkan semua elemen bangsa untuk sama-sama bergerak memberantas korupsi yang telah menggurita.Cara yang paling efektif adalah melalui media pendidikan. Belajar dari pengalaman negara lain yang relatif berhasil memberantas korupsi, selain aspek penegakan hukum (law enforcement) yang tidak kalah pentingnya adalah Aspek pencegahan dalam bentuk Pendidikan Anti Korupsi (PAK). Program kampanye anti korupsi ini menerapkan pendekatan yang menumbuhkan kesadaran untuk menjadi agen perubahan dengan menerapkan sembilan nilai integritas yaitu Jujur, Peduli, Sederhana, Tanggung Jawab, Kerja Keras, Mandiri, Disiplin, Berani dan Adil. Melalui abdimas ini para remaja diajak untuk mulai berkomitmen untuk menyebarkan konsep integritas melalui perilaku kehidupan sehari-hari dan melakukan kampanye anti korupsi melalui sosial media untuk Indonesia yang lebih bersih. Katakunci: Anti Korupsi, Integritas, Change-Maker, Area of Control, Area of Influence ABSTRACT Despite various efforts, Indonesia was again rated as the most corrupt country in Asia in early 2004 and 2005 based on the results of a survey among entrepreneurs and business people by the Political and Economic Risk Consultancy (PERC) consultancy. The results of a survey by the Hong Kong-based consulting agency PERC stated that Indonesia was the most corrupt country among 12 Asian countries. The predicate of the most corrupt country was given because Indonesia's score almost touched the absolute number 10 with a score of 9.25 (10 is the highest or most corrupt score). In 2005, Indonesia was still among the top three most corrupt countries in Asia. This should be able to generate a new understanding, that we need a system capable of awakening all elements of the nation to jointly move to eradicate corruption that has plagued us.The most effective way is through the media of education. Learning from the experiences of other countries that have been relatively successful in eradicating corruption, apart from the aspect of law enforcement which is no less important is the aspect of prevention in the form of Anti-Corruption Education (PAK). This anti-corruption campaign program applies an approach to raise awareness to become an agent of change by applying the values of integrity, through characters namely Honest, Caring, Humble, Responsibile, Hard Work, Independent, Discipline, Courageous and Fair. Through this community engagement, teenagers began to commit to spreading the concept of integrity through their daily life behavior and carrying out anti-corruption campaigns through social media for the future corruption-free Indonesia.Keywords: presentation skill, moment of truth, empathy, assertiveness

Analyzing Students’ Voice of Using Semantic Mapping Technique in Oral Presentation Class

Oral presentation skill is one of the crucial skills which should be possessed by students in higher education. Students are expected to be able to express their ideas and show their understanding of the subject matter, either in verbal or non-verbal communication. Semantic mapping is a strategy which can be used to manage ideas in delivering topics of oral presentation. Therefore, the aim of this study is to explore what students perceive the use of semantic mapping in their oral presentation class. Thirty students were involved in this study. They joined 800 minutes of Teaching English to Young Learners (TEYL) subject. They should read and report what they have read orally through group presentations. Their oral presentation skills were assessed based on four aspects: quality of information and organization, quality of non-verbal communication, visual tools, appropriate use of terminology, as well as precision and details in the document produced. At the end of the course, it was revealed that the use of semantic mapping could help students in giving an effective oral presentation. It can improve students' performance in oral presentation project by enhancing the quality of presentation criteria aforementioned above. The result of the questionnaire also revealed that students positively perceive the use of semantic mapping when giving an oral presentation. They claim that the use of semantic mapping is beneficial for them for giving an effective oral presentation. Keywords: oral presentation, semantic mapping, students’ perception, TEYL

Penerapan Metode Talkshow untuk Mengembangkan Keterampilan Komunikasi Siswa dalam Pembelajaran Biologi

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui keefektifan metode talkshow dalam menumbuhkan keterampilan komunikasi siswa SMP Shafiyyatul Amaliyyah Medan TP 2019/2020. Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian tindakan kelas model Kemmis & Mc.Taggarte yang dilakukan sebanyak dua siklus pada bulan Agustus 2019 s.d Maret 2020. Masing – masing siklus terdiri dari empat tahap, yaitu: 1) perencanaan, 2) aksi, 3) observasi dan 4) refleksi. Keterampilan komunikasi yang dimunculkan adalah: komunikasi oral (oral communication), komunikasi reseptif (receptive communication), intensitas memperhatikan (discerns intent), menggunakan strategi komunikasi (uses communication strategies), berkomunikasi dengan jelas (communicates clearly for a purpose) dan keterampilan presentasi (presentation skill). Teknik pengumpulan data menggunakan lembar obsrvasi dan catatan lapangan. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa metode talkshow efektif dalam memunculkan enam keterampilan komunikasi. Ini dibuktikan dengan ketercapaian indikator aksi dalam penelitian tindakan kelas, yaitu sebanyak ≥50% dari total siswa mampu memunculkan keterampilan komunikasi pada tingkat teladan (exemplary).

Pelatihan Menjadi Pembicara yang Menginspirasi untuk “Start-up’s Coach”

ABSTRAK Seorang pembimbing yang handal adalah faktor yang penting bagi keberhasilan sebuah bisnis start-up. Mereka harus menguasai keahlian komunikasi, keahlian presentasi yang menginspirasi serta mampu mengoptimalkan potensi dari bimbingannya. Program pengembangan komunitas ini mengembangkan kemampuan pembimbing dalam mengasah keahlian pebisnis start-up. Metode penyampaian dimulai dengan konsep diri yang positif. Ke dua adalah menjelaskan konsep “Moment of Truth” dengan mengasah kemampuan komunikasi yang efektif. Bagian ke tiga adalah latihan empati dan asertif. Pada bagian akhir setiap peserta melakukan praktek melakukan presentasi de depan audiens dengan menggunakan semua keahlian yang telah diajarkan dan para peserta menunjukkan performansi yang menggembirakan. Mereka telah menunjukkan kemampuan untuk memberikan presentasi yang berdampak dan menginspirasi. ABSTRACT A coach for a startup business needs to have a good communication skill, and a good presentation skill, in order to unleash the utmost potential of their counselees. This community development project is developing the capacity building of coaches to be able to optimize their skills in giving training and coaching sessions to their counselees. The process starts with the initial phase of Understanding the self-concept. The second step is to improve the moment of truth through the communication skill. The third is mastering empathy and using assertiveness. And the final step is practicing in front of the audience using all the skills taught and practiced in the program. Based on obsertvation, visually, verbally and through the participant’s workbook, the participants are showing a promising improvement in delivering presentation. After the completion of the training, the participants show the ability to conduct impactful and inspiring presentation

THE IMPLEMENTATION OF METACOGNITIVE STRATEGY TRAINING TO ENHANCE EFL STUDENTS ORAL PRESENTATION SKILL

Doing oral presentation has been a common classroom activity for university students including EFL students for almost any subject they are taking, but the writer found that students still had problems with their presentation and could not do their presentation effectively. In order to do the task successfully, students need metacognitive skill because they need to think about the task, plan for the task, monitor the task, and evaluate how well they have done the task. To reach this purpose, teachers need to facilitate the process through strategy instruction, especially metacognitive strategy instruction. By applying metacognitive strategies, students will be more aware of the importance of their active role in their learning. This paper is intended to present metacognitive strategy instruction adopting Oxford’ metacognitive strategies to enhance EFL students’ oral presentation skill in their speaking class and the students’ responses toward the strategy instruction. Based on the analysis of the students’ performance, video recording, teacher evaluation, self evaluation, peer evaluation, and written reflection, they have done their oral presentation better, and they had positive responses toward metacognitive instruction and became more aware of themselves as learners who are responsible for their success. Keywords: EFL students, Oral presentation skill, metacognitive strategy training

USING TED TALKS TO ENHANCE PRESENTATION SKILL FOR THE 1ST YEAR ENGLISH MAJORS AT THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION

Trong thời kỳ công nghiệp hoá, hiện đại hoá đất nước, với chính sách đổi mới và chính sách mở, hội nhập quốc tế của Đảng và Nhà nước, kỹ năng thuyết trình, đặc biệt là kỹ năng thuyết trình tiếng Anh đóng một vai trò rất quan trọng. Kỹ năng thuyết trình hiệu quả là một phần của giao tiếp. Tất cả các kỹ năng thuyết trình giúp định hướng quan điểm và giải thích về những thành tựu một cách có hiệu quả nhất. Đó là lý do tại sao kỹ năng thuyết trình đóng vai trò rất quan trọng trong cuộc sống, sự nghiệp và trong kinh doanh. Mục tiêu của nghiên cứu này là điều tra hiệu quả của việc sử dụng TED Talks như một công cụ học tập giúp học sinh năm nhất trường Đại học Sư phạm – Đại học Thái Nguyên nâng cao kỹ năng thuyết trình tiếng Anh. Cách học tập này sử dụng các video của TED Talks làm tài liệu học tập để khuyến khích học sinh đạt được kết quả tốt hơn trong thuyết trình. Trong khi đó, nhằm tìm ra những khó khăn mà ảnh hưởng đến kỹ năng trình bày của học sinh và kết quả của việc sử dụng TED Talks để giúp sinh viên nâng cao kỹ năng thuyết trình. Đối tượng nghiên cứu là sinh viên năm nhất chuyên ngành Sư phạm Tiếng Anh tại Trường Đại học Sư phạm – Đại học Thái Nguyên, trong cùng một nhóm tuổi 18-19 tuổi. Thông qua việc áp dụng phương pháp phân tích của sinh viên, nghiên cứu đã thu thập các lỗi thuyết trình mà sinh viên gặp phải và đề xuất các giải pháp để cải thiện các lỗi đó. Những phát hiện của nghiên cứu sẽ hữu ích cho sinh viên chuyên ngữ năm nhất tại Trường Đại học Sư phạm – Đại học Thái Nguyên nói riêng cũng như sinh viên chuyên ngành tiếng Anh nói chung.