Teaching elevator pitch presentations through a multimodal lens: Insights from ESP students' experiences

Abstract

Abstract Professional and academic communication is changing rapidly due to the evolution of new technologies. In the context of language teaching, this scenario offers possibilities for genre innovation (Hafner & Miller, 2018) while also encouraging teachers' reflection on how to best prepare students for effective communication. To this end, it has been suggested that the development of students' multimodal literacy becomes essential (Lim & Tan‐Chia, 2022). This study presents the design and implementation of a genre‐based approach to enhance students' multimodal literacy through elevator pitch presentations. This approach was intended to involve students in the creation and production of a professionally oriented presentation while raising their awareness towards the expression of ideational, textual, and interpersonal meanings. In addition, we report on the students' experience during the pedagogical practice. Overall, the findings show that students were generally satisfied with the process of designing and delivering an elevator pitch presentation. Nevertheless, some students faced challenges during both the design and delivery process, primarily attributed to the demands of this particular genre.