Team Presentations An Intern's Dilemma

An Intern's Dilemma (Abridged)

In June of 2010, Mark Yang (MBA 2011) was eagerly anticipating the start of his summer internship. He had secured employment with a technology security firm at one of

their global branch offices, performing market research and assisting in product development and client relationships. However, Yang grew concerned about how he was asked to conduct his research. Specifically, he was asked to misrepresent himself when contacting competitor companies to obtain sensitive data.

Lead Up to the Internship

Yang had met the company CEO, an HBS graduate, in the spring of 2010 after he spoke in a panel discussion on campus. Yang was interested in the company and approached the CEO. Soon after, the two exchanged emails, and with the CEO's encouragement, Yang applied for an internship. He received an offer to interview at one of the firm's global branch offices and, after meeting with the head of the office and the human resources vice president, was offered a summer position. Yang's primary duty would be conducting market research by reaching out to other technology security firms, including direct competitors, for information on products, services offered, customers, sales, and other data to help the company determine market share and other industry information.

As Yang finalized his travel preparations in early June, he ran into problems obtaining a visa. The earliest Yang could now travel early July. Yang called the global branch office head and offered to begin work from Boston. During this conversation, the global branch office head suggested that Yang could obtain better quality information, specifically from competitors, if he identifies himself as an HBS student and researcher and omits his position as an intern for the technology security firm. Yang was uncomfortable and changed the direction of the conversation. He assumed it was a passing comment and that the issue would not come up again.

However, in subsequent separate conversations with the global branch office's sales and marketing vice presidents, Yang was again urged to identify himself as an HBS student without mentioning his affiliation with the company. At that point, he realized it was a planned approach rather than off-the-cuff suggestions by individual employees. He avoided committing to the strategy and again changed the topic while thinking of how to address these repeated requests.

The situation weighed on his mind as he prepared to undertake his duties from Boston. He reached out to friends and family for their opinion and received mixed advice. His mother did not

see it as a major problem, while his two brothers thought it was unusual but did not lean strongly in either direction. When he asked his girlfriend, she felt strongly that the suggestion was unethical and that under no circumstances should Yang agree.

Yang reflected on the potential damage to his reputation—as well as to the reputation of Harvard University—if he agreed to misrepresent himself and was discovered by other companies or institutions. He also imagined how he might feel if he was lied to obtain sensitive data.

Not long after, he had the opportunity to discuss the firm's ethics with the CEO during a phone conversation. Without mentioning anything about his situation, Yang generally asked about the company's culture. Specifically, he asked whether the company had found it difficult to integrate new offices into its corporate culture and standards as it expanded. The CEO was

candid, telling him that the company was working to ensure that its offices across all geographies adhered to a uniform set of business ethics established by the corporate office. The conversation gave Yang reassurance that the CEO was genuine in his commitment to high ethical standards across the firm, and concluded that his situation reflected a disconnect between local practice and the company's broader values. He also sensed that the global branch office executives were not asking him to do something that they saw as unethical: rather, it may have been an accepted local business practice.

Handout 2: Reading Guide for "An Intern's Dilemma" Embodied Speaking in Team Presentations Workshop

Key Issues: What is Mark Yang's dilemma?

Mark Yang's dilemma is whether he should identify and present himself as an HBS student and researcher while working with competitors in Boston or end up losing his position as an intern in the technology security company.

Alternatives: What are some of Mark Yang's options?

There are several of Mark Yang's options:

1. Take part in the project and openly and completely disclose the technology security company that he is working for

2. Refuse to partake in the project and request the company to work on a different project while in Boston

3. Take part in the project, conceal his identity during the process

Consequences: What are the consequences of those options?

These options mentioned above do have their consequences:

1. Openly disclosing his identity might have the consequence of losing his internship opportunity at the security technology firm. However, the constructive consequence is that Mark will be able to maintain his ethical and moral stance.

2. Refusing to partake in the project involving concealing his identity could have the consequence of losing his internship opportunity or a lack of capability to undertake the work given in the organization. Therefore, ultimately, this might have the consequence of losing a full-time employment opportunity in the company.

3. Taking part in the project and concealing identity, as requested by the company, implies that Mark will build a good name in the organization. However, at the same time, there is the consequence of going against his moral stance, tarnishing his reputation, and also the reputation of Harvard University.

Recommendation: What course of action would you recommend? Why? What are the ethical implications of this recommendation?

The course of action that I would recommend is not to participate in the project. This is because Mark is only an intern at the security company. He is not a full-time employee with the contract. Therefore, if discovered, the company does not get tarnished. Rather, it is Mark who damages his reputation and also that of Harvard University.

Moreover, it is easy for the company to deny any associations with Mark if he is discovered. Most of all, Mark will be able to maintain his moral belief and stance. Furthermore, I truly believe that Mark can seek out another internship elsewhere because perhaps further along during his internship, he might be requested to undertake an action that is all the more immoral. The ethical implication of this recommendation is that Mark can maintain his reputation and that of the University.

Handout 3: Speaking Outline for Short "Intern's Dilemma" Presentation Embodied Speaking in Team Presentations Workshop

To ensure a purposeful presentation, identify your central message. Remember from In-class Workshop 1 that a central message asserts a debatable claim supported by specific evidence, thereby overviewing the presentation's main ideas. For this type of presentation, your central message will make a recommendation rooted in some clear rationale.

Central Message:

Mark should maintain his reputation and that of the University

Next, identify your key talking points. These provide evidence that will support your central message. Put your talking points in an order that makes sense for your presentation, and assign parts to each team member.

Remember to consider: What frameworks from class might apply here (i.e., corporate governance, organizational or national cultures, competitive advantage, market share)?

Talking Points:

One framework that is applicable is competitive advantage. This is an aspect that is inevitable in the marketplace especially amongst rivaling firms. However, it is imperative to have fair competition. The request handed out to Mark not to identify himself as an employee of the technology security company in order to obtain sensitive information would amount to unfair competition. Moreover, the technology security company should implement a moral and fair organizational culture.

Handout 4: Listening Guide for Peer Presentations Embodied Speaking in Team Presentations Workshop

For each presentation, fill in a new answer to each question:

1. Name something you saw a presenter do effectively that you want to try next time you present.

Something that I saw a presenter do effectively that I would want to try next time that I present is to use a short clip to accentuate his point. I realized that the video clip was able to grasp the attention of the audience and therefore facilitating the ability to ensure the point presented is fully understood.

2. Name one part of the presentation, where you got a little confused.

A part of the presentation that I got a little confused about is the use of metaphors and complex jargon. I realized that if only a small number of the audience understand such language, then the presentation fails to become effective.

Handout 5: Public Speaking Models, Exercises, and Resources on Campus Embodied Speaking in Team Presentations Workshop

Model Speeches

· Our website (blsci.baruch.cuny.edu) has model speeches designed to help you prepare for your next presentation (under the student tab). Each model speaker is an undergraduate or graduate student, and each speech is no longer than three minutes. We think you'll notice a lot of the things we discussed in today's workshop in these videos, and we hope they give you ideas for your upcoming presentations. Enjoy!

Exercises to Develop Confident, Relaxed Posture

· Stand up, with your feet parallel, hip-distance apart, with "soft knees" (i.e., not locked)

· Shake out stress in your hands, then flop and swing your arms

· Rest your head in your fingers, slowly letting the weight of your head increase in your hands. Then, remove your hands, letting your head drop forward.

· Roll your head and then body down one vertebra at a time. Focus on your spinal cord, not on touching your toes. Rollback up one vertebra at a time.

· Inhale and stretch your arms above your head, holding them parallel above you. Exhale and release your arms slowly down to your sides. At the end of the exhalation, focus on increasing the distance between your ears and your shoulders. Repeat a few times.

Breathing to Relax and Control Speaking Volume and Enunciation

· Inhale deeply for 5 seconds, expanding your rib cage and belly. Then exhale for 5 seconds. Repeat.

Exercises to Develop Eye Contact

· Split the room you are in into thirds. Practice speaking while periodically shifting your eye contact to each of the thirds.

· Repeat, adding to the above a slight shift in your body so that your eyes and also your shoulders square toward the third you're turned to.

· Ask a rehearsal audience to give you a thumbs-up as soon as each person feels your eye contact.

· If direct eye contact is a challenge, glance instead at the audience's foreheads.

Resources on Campus

· Tools for Clear Speech (tfcs.baruch.cuny.edu) is a free student support service devoted to helping English language learners and nonnative English speakers improve pronunciation, fluency, and pragmatic abilities. They offer one-to-one sessions with professional speech consultants, workshops, focused skills series, and more.

· The Writing Center (writingcenter.baruch.cuny.edu) offers free support to all Baruch students. Professional consultants work collaboratively with you to deepen your writing and English language skills.

Note: The campus resources listed above are still active and available remotely while classes are online.

Online Presentation Skills

Bernard L. Schwartz Communication Institute

Introduction. Online presentations take many forms. The guide below walks you through common strategies to prepare. Read strategically for your presentation context (e.g., if you're not presenting as a group, skim the opening and then read on carefully). Good luck!

Organizing Your Group. Planning your online presence as a group will require you to both coordinates (organize yourselves) and collaborate (engage in conversations) remotely. Especially in the case of virtual collaboration, to coordinate, your group will need to be in regular communication and to collaborate, you will need to discuss your ideas in-depth during multiple meetings over a platform (like Zoom) that allows for conversation (just texting isn't enough). To get started:

· Online Platforms. Agree upon platforms everyone can access for coordinating, collaborating, and sharing documents.

· Synchronous/Asynchronous Delivery. Check the assignment for whether you’re pre- recording your presentation or delivering it synchronously, and plan accordingly.

· Roles. Decide on roles for members of the group, according to your skills and interests. Useful roles to assign include: a group facilitator, who will lead coordination, a note-taker who will record collaboration, and a tech person responsible for trouble-shooting both before and during the presentation, should difficulties arise.

· Shared to-do lists. Identify and divide tasks, and prioritize and schedule them. Divide tasks based on skill sets and interests. Make sure the work is equitably divided.

· Next steps. During each meeting, schedule the next meeting, and agree upon concrete next steps and deadlines for each group member.

· Clear communication. Be extra mindful in your communications: tone doesn’t always come across in video or text, so be direct and friendly, give your colleagues the benefit of the doubt, and make sure everyone has a chance to speak.

Working with Visuals in Virtual Presentations. In virtual presentations, visuals are especially valuable tools to help your audience sort through complex information. You can improve your visuals by simplifying them, focusing on key takeaways.

· Visualize your organization. Give your audience a clear map for how you’ve structured your ideas, and a clear sense of the priority of information, by using consistent elements of font, size, order, and color.

· Simplify slides. Audiences can get overloaded in virtual presentations. Distill slides and include only the most important ideas and visuals—then use your spoken presentation to flesh out the details. This will keep people listening actively!

· Guide audience attention. Identify the parts of your presentation where, if you were in- person, you would use gestures to communicate (e.g., pointing to the relevant part of a graph). Use arrows, circles, or other methods of visual highlighting instead.