Speaking to a General Audience: Activities for an Economics Capstone Course

Students in the economics capstone course usually complete regression-based projects and learn to write for and speak to their peers. However, students must be able to speak to a general audience, for example, in interviews or the workplace. This paper details a pilot activity implemented in a small class setting. The goal was to help students understand the importance of and improve effectiveness when speaking to a general audience about technical topics. Our takeaway, while not formally tested as an experiment, is that students struggled with this task and need training and practice starting earlier in the curriculum.