The personal and environmental factors that contribute to successful oral presentations: A survey of English program MA students at Thammasat University

Oral presentation is one of the most commonly used assessment methods in many programs at higher education institutions as the ability to communicate effectively in a presentation is one of the key factors that lead students to succeed. The purpose of this study was to investigate the personal factors and environmental factors that MA students in an English program think contribute to successful oral presentations. The participants were 43 second-year students studying in the Master of Arts program in Career English for International Communication (CEIC) at Thammasat University. The data were collected using questionnaires. The findings revealed that the participants thought clear pronunciation was the most important personal factor that contributes to successful oral presentations, followed by the ability to use appropriate vocabulary, and the use of appropriate paralanguage. In addition, no noise was ranked as the most important environmental factor, followed by the presenter’s knowledge of the audience, and the presentation location. Moreover, the study also revealed that confidence, practice, and preparation were perceived to play a role in the success of oral presentations. The findings from this study can increase instructors’ understanding of students’ views regarding factors that impact their oral presentations so that they can adjust the guidelines to fit the students’ needs. In addition, the finding of the study should also enable language students to become more aware of the personal and environmental factors that affect oral presentations so that they can avoid potential pitfalls in their future presentations.