Helping young executives develop oral communication skills is an important task of business schools. A course that requires informal, timed, extemporaneous talks as well as extended formal presentations allows students the opportunity to be evaluated by their peers and by faculty members as they grow in their ability to communicate. Formal presentations may involve the use of audio or visual devices and techniques and may include information gained from interviews. The incorporation of these skills in a major project helps prepare students for assignments which may be encountered in the business world. Conference planning, working with groups, experience in using parliamentary procedure, and practice in using such communication aids as flip charts, slide projectors, chalk boards, and tape recorders can all be aspects of communication skills courses. (The paper includes a speech evaluation chart, guidelines for interviewing business personnel, and materials for an assignment involving the planning of a sales conference.) (TJ)