Student Resources
Student Organizations
MS Professional Communication Club
MS-PCC gives students the purpose and opportunity to practice both prepared and impromptu talks, and receive constructive feedback.
MBA Professional Communication Club
The Professional Communications Club is dedicated to providing opportunities for full-time MBA students to develop, practice and master their communication skills.
The OCC offers coaching support and also trains students as peer consultants.
Campus resources for students
UMD Professional Writing Program (PWP)
Professional writing courses teach the research, analysis, writing, and language skills that students will need in their lives beyond the classroom. Currently, ENGL394: Business Writing, is offered by the PWP.
The Writing Center provides opportunities for UMD’s diverse undergraduate student body to improve their writing, research, and critical thinking skills.
The Grammar Hotline
Do you have a question about word choice, punctuation, sentence structure, or proper citation? For answers to quick questions like these, call the Grammar Hotline! The Grammar Hotline can be reached at 301-405-3785.
UMD Department of Communication
In courses from public speaking to mediated communication, from public relations to intercultural communication, University of Maryland students continue to learn about the history, processes, and effects of human communication.
At the Smith School, tailored career services are offered for students at every stage of their career.
The Graduate School Writing Center
The GSWC offers support for graduate students at every stage of their development as academic and professional writers.
English Editing for International Graduate Students
The English Editing for International Graduate Students (EEIGS) program is for international students to submit portions of required academic writing for free editing.
The mission of the Maryland English Institute (MEI) is to provide English language instruction and assessment at the postsecondary level for speakers of other languages who wish to learn English for academic, professional, or personal reasons.
Accessibility & Disability Service
The Accessibility and Disability Service (ADS) provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals to ensure equal access to services, programs and activities sponsored by the University of Maryland.
Our Favorite Resources
Critical Thinking
Critical Thinking skills are an integral part of academic rigor. These six standards have been selected as being relevant for business communication assignments.
Recommended Readings
Anderson, C. (2018). TED talks: The official TED guide to public speaking. London: Nicholas Brealey Publishing.
Atkinson, C. (2018). Beyond bullet points: Using PowerPoint to tell a compelling story that gets results. S.l.: Microsoft.
Duarte, N. (2012). HBR guide to persuasive presentations. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Review Press.
Duarte, N. (2011). Slide:ology: Oder die Kunst, brillante Präsentationen zu entwickeln. Beijing: O’Reilly.
Garner, B. A. (2012). HBR guide to better business writing. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Review Press.
Meyer, E. (2014). The culture map: Breaking through the invisible boundaries of global business. New York: PublicAffairs.
Pink, D. H. (2012). A whole new mind: Why right-brainers will rule the future. London: MC, Marshall Cavendish.
Reynolds, G. (2012). Presentation zen: Simple ideas on presentation design and delivery. Berkeley, CA: New Riders.
Roam, D. (2014). Show and tell: How everybody can make extraordinary presentations. New York: Portfolio Hardcover.
Strunk, W. (2018). The elements of style. Middletown, DE: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.
Wong, D. M. (2013). The Wall Street Journal guide to information graphics: The dos and don'ts of presenting data, facts, and figures. New York, NY: Norton.
Prepare and Plan for Presentations:
Structure Your Presentation Like a Story
The most effective presenters use the same techniques as great storytellers. Understand how to structure your presentation so that it will grab your audience’s attention.
How to Start Your Presentation: 4 Step Formula for a Killer Intro Lighthouse Communications
This video gives you a step-by-step formula to create interest in your topic, connect to your audience, and establish credibility.
Ways to Hook Your Audience
TED Talk Takeaways: 8 Ways to Hook Your Audience: Learn how great hooks get audiences on the edge of their seats and give you a legitimate chance to have a lasting impact.
Garr Reynolds explains to readers how there is a better way to reach your audience via simplicity and storytelling, and discusses relevant content surrounding presentations.
Tailor your presentation to fit different cultures - Harvard Business Review
No matter which type of country you were raised in, and which cultures you are working with, it helps a lot to be able to adapt your style according to your audience. Here are tips to guide your presentation.
TED is a nonprofit devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks (18 minutes or less).
Beat The Elite Case Competition Toolbox
This toolbox is a collection of useful tips, tools, advices and frameworks that have proven useful for several different case solvers and winners in the past. The Beat the Elite Toolbox is developed by past case team members and winners and therefore all material rights belong to CBS Case Competition.
Create Compelling Visuals
Really Bad PowerPoint by Seth Godin ebook
PowerPoint could be the most powerful tool on your computer. But it’s not. Countless innovations fail because their champions use PowerPoint the way Microsoft wants them to, instead of the right way...
10 Ways to Avoid Death by PowerPoint
These are 10 techniques to use on your slides if you are stuck with the bullets, and a way to minimize the chance your audience will fall asleep.
The Assertion-Evidence Slide Design Structure by Robert Yale
This video introduces the Assertion-Evidence Structure (AES) for slide design. Dr. Yale examines the weaknesses of typical PowerPoint slide layouts and presents AES and how to use it to increase the effectiveness of presentations.
Gapminder produces free teaching resources making the world understandable based on reliable statistics.
Exceptional Design, Advertising, Illustration, Photography, Interactive and Typography, since 1959.
At Duarte we help you write, design, and deliver groundbreaking stories and visual presentations for every occasion. With the Duarte Method you and your team will learn the skills necessary to deliver persuasive presentations that improve careers, companies, and lives.
Before & After Magazine
Today . . . design something beautiful! Do you love (or just need to know) graphic design? At Before & After, you’ll learn how to design Web pages, brochures, presentations, logos, ads, business cards, magazines, business documents, posters, and more.
Improve Your Writing Skills:
A Plain English Handbook: How to Create Clear SEC Disclosure Documents
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission publishes a free PDF guidebook to writing in plain English.
Writing Guides
Through the Writing Center, find guides for: Writing Your Resume, Introduction to Business Letters, and Writing a Personal Statement.
The Purdue Online Writing Lab offers free resources including Writing and Teaching Writing, Research, Grammar and Mechanics, Style Guides, ESL (English as a Second Language), and Job Search and Professional Writing.
GrammarBook guide to English grammar, punctuation, and usage
Capital Community College Foundation Guide to Grammar and Writing
Course Materials
BUDT758A
- Berinato, S. (2016). Good Charts: The HBR Guide to making smarter, mMore persuasive data visualizations. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Review Press
- Nussbaumer Knaflic, C. (2015). Storytelling with data: A data visualization guide for business professionals. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley
BUAC784
- Poe, R. W., & Fruehling, R. T. (1989). Business communication: A problem-solving approach. New York: McGraw-Hill, Gregg Division.
BUM758
- Berinato, S. (2016). Good Charts: The HBR Guide to making smarter, more persuasive data visualizations. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Review Press
- Duarte, N. (2012). HBR guide to persuasive presentations. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Review Press.
- Garner, B. A. (2012). HBR guide to better business writing. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Review Press.
- Nussbaumer Knaflic, C. (2015). Storytelling with data: A data visualization guide for business professionals. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley
BUS0705
- Weissman, J. (2009). Presenting to win: The art of telling your story. Upper Saddle River: New Jersey.
- Wong, D. M. (2013). The Wall Street Journal guide to information graphics: The dos and don'ts of presenting data, facts, and figures. New York, NY: Norton.
COMM107
- Rothwell, J. D. 2nd Edition (2017) . Practically Speaking