11

PRESENTATION SHILLS

lbjectiues
OTo learn howtogetpreparedfor a presentation
Tounderstandthe principles of verbal communication
OTo understand the importance and the salient features of
nonverbal communication
O Tostudythe significance ofinteraction with an audience
To learn how to rehearse for presentation

Apresentation can become successful when it combines rich

and relevant content and effective and appealing delivery.
The quality ofthe content epends on how wellthe presenter
has followed the principles of focus, investigation,
Organization and the principles of the style of language. The
presentation of the content which is the equally important
other half, is tailored for a specific audience and aspecited
time. Whether it is one-to-one presentation, one presenting
to a small or large group of audience or a group presenung
t0 another, it has to be designed, practised and delivered
according to certain prescribed guidelines.
 CREDIT
l40 Communication Skills

ACHECKLUST FOR PRESENTATION

O Be clear about the purpose. Is it to
persuade or just to entertain? What
inform
should and
audience do after the speech? the
O Think about the audience. What are they and
willthey expect from the speaker? what
O Check the structure: check whether the
content andhas
an inspiring introduction, athought-provoking
argumentative body and aconvincing conclusion
Check the time the delivery takes if a time limit hae
been prescribed.
ORehearse theuse of audiovisual aids like charts, viden
clips and slides. They help very much to explain the
main points.
Check your verbal and nonverbal communication
while practising in front of a mirror.

ANXIETY: HOW TO OVERCOME IT

The very first obstacle in effective presentation is the speaker's
anxiety that he should do well and the resultant fear whether
he would do [Link] following stepswill help him get nd o
that anxíety.
1. The speaker should knowhis material well, If the speaker s
not thorough about the subject and his script, he Tmay
become uncomfortable with the latter and his nervousness
will increase. Fine-tuning the content and practising ltuu
he feels he çan present it with ease is
important.
2. The speaker should know his audience. Preparation iself
should include audienc analysis. The speaker should
gather information about them and their needs. Awell
prepared content delivered to the wrong audience can
have an adverse effect which is similar to that of a poorty
 Presentation Skil s 141
prepared speech given to án elite
Laskowski uses the wword AUDIENCE asaudience. Lenny
an acronym and
analyses them as follows.
Analysis Who are-they? How many will be there?
Understanding What is their knowledge of the subject?
Demographics What is [Link], sex, educational
background?
Interest Why are they there? Who asked therm to
1235e2: be there?
EnvironmentWhere will I stand? Canthey all see and
hear me?
Needs What are their needs? What are your
needs as the speaker?
Customized What specific needs do you need to
address?
Expectations What do they expect to learn or hear from
you?
Answers to these questions can help the speaker go closer to
the audience.
3. The speaker should learn how to relax, The speaker should
ease his tension by doing exercises. He should sit
comfortably and breathe slowly and deeply. The muscles
of the entire body should be kept relaxed.
4. The speaker should-visualize-himself speaking. He should
imagine himself walking confidently to the podium and
can imagine that the audience applaud him. He should
imagine himself speaking in a loud, clear and confident
voice. When he imagines he is successful, he will be
successful,
5. The [Link]. that people listen to others ony to
-Succeed Peoplego to presentations only to sincerely watch
 elivery
u

142 Communication Skills

them, make use of the message ånd become

They do not come to tease the presenter Or successt
waste theiut.
time.

DELIVERY (VERBAL COMMUNICATION)

Generally it is better to be informal while delivering the content
Agood judgement of theacoustics of the room is essential for
a clear and succesful presentation. He should look natural
and be relaxed and that is the way to control gestures.
He should know to adjust the volume of his speech according
to the size of the audience and the nature of his topic. He
should first make himself quickly familiar with the hall, the
equipment at his disposal and the use of backup resources.

Do's and Don'ts of Clear Speech

Do's
Attractaudience'sattention first
O Geton the same
o Tellthem
level of the audience
O Speakin whatyou intend to give them
O normalrhythm,
Speakfull sentences
not staccato speech
(not broken
Be prepared to rephrase what yousentences)
necessary have said, l
O Make sure every nowN and
understood then vou have beern
Don'ts
Shout
O Mumble
O Speak too fast
O Use sloppy speech
OSuddenlychange the
subject
TIV

Presentation Skil s 143

Content
oof the
The coontent presentation should have adequate.
background| and
supporting evidence. The concepts should
explained in appropriate subject
be
terminology.
onization
he descriptive mode should have been
4ocus
The argument should belogical and satisfactorily appied.
nould be on problerm solution (Gf achronological and the focus
problem has been taken).
Sructure
In theintroduçtion the speaker should introduce himself,
and establisheredibility. Heshould then intiodce the
and state the purpose o sspeech. The body is the heme
argument where he presents the main points keeping the
focus all the time clear. The supporting details should be,
presented accurately and tools like definitions, examples
illustrations, comparisons through similes and metaphors,
and anecdotes should be cectively used. The conclusiorn
should be strong and positve. It should sum up the entire
speech crisply and give recommendations to the audience
for follow up. It is followed by aquestion and answer session.

NONVERBAL CONMUNICATION
1. Apearance
It is the first impression that makes the best impression, It is
the dress thatmakes thefirst impressionand the speaker should
dress conservatively and appropriately for the occasion, It
Should resemble the audience's dress.

2. Voice
It should be friendly and establish a good rapport with the
144 Communication Skills

3. Gestures
It is natural for the speaker to gesture and if he Suppresses his
impulse to gesture, he will become tense. At the samne time,
the gestures should be involuntary, motivated by the content
of the presentation: Every gestüre he makes shoud be
purposeful and enrich his words so that the audience will note
only the effect, notthe gesture separately. Vigorous gestures
should be avoided as there may be a conservative audience
who will feel irritated by them. Gesturing- by one hand is
preferred always to gesturing by both the hands. Even a smile
or eyes widened is a gesture. The eye contact should be
uniform to all the sections of the audience and in fact the
speaker should look at each person in the audience if their
number is relatively small. His facial expression shouldbe
pleasant, be free of any tension or favouritism to particular
persons in the audience.

Body Language: Some Don'ts

Don't
O grip or lean on the podium
O bite lips or lickthem
O adjusthair or clothing
O putboththe hands in pockets
go for inappropriate facial expression like
frowning or laughing aloud
Owalktoo much on the stage; continuous pacings
distracting and it will work against the speaker
O stand drooping, and give adiffident look
Oglançe at the notes frequeptly
Olookata particular person in the audience
O lookalways serious and concerned
 Presentation Skills 145
CONCLUSION
Afer presenting an inspiring introduction and thought
provoking body comes a convincing conclusion. Though any
discussion on"conclusion" is part of the disCussion on
*preparation", it is worth speaking about it here, because, it is
how the speaker concludes his speech, that keeps the
audience's interest alive even after the speech is over. The
conclusion first summarizes the main points in an emphatic
style. It reviews the entire speech and highlights the key points.
The speaker then gives his list of recommendations for a follow
up by the audience. His recommendations answer the
following questions.
1. As far as today's topic is concerned, where are we at
present?
2. What does the speech specifically mean to you?
3. What is the immediate next step we should take?
4. What is the future course of action?

"QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS" SESSION

The "Questions and Answers" session after the conclusion,
makes the speech indeed memorable. The speaker should
encourage the audience to interact among themselves
and with him by questions.
answer one question at a time carefully. His answers
should be brief andtothe point. Any lengthy, isolated
one-to-one dialogue with a specific individual may take
the situation out of control.
O be honest if he does not know the answer.
avoid interrupting when the audience puts questions.
Obe prepared to question the audience, but should put
"friendly questions.
146 CommunicationSkills

avoid risky questions on sensitive areas.

aim at a mutually satisfying
questioning. experience while,
be candid and firm when challenged.
O be assertive and control the session till the
should not allow interruptions and end. He
questions to throwhim of-balance provocative
O prepare key questions prior to the
Sessioandn.
A committed speaker anticipates questions
rehearses answers. to them. His answers become ana
additional strength to his main argument finally,

TASKS

ate whether the olowig are Tue or False

1. There is no relationship between thespeaker's knowiedg
of the content and stage fear.
2. Preparation of the speech itself should include audience
analysis.
3. Before the presentation, the speaker shouldimagine
himself shouting at the audience.
4. The audience comes to tease
the speake.
5. It is better to be informal while delivering the speech.
6. As soon as the speaker goes to the podium, heshould
attract the fellow speaker's attention first.
He should
8. He deliver his sppeech very fast.
9. Itis should not use sloppy
the speecn.
10. The dress of the speaker that makes thefirst
impresson.
11, speaker
should Suppress his impulse to gesture.
HF 12. Vigorous
The gestures on the stage should be avoided.
speaker should grip or lean on the podium
his nervVOUsness. tohide
 Presentation Skil s 147
13. The speaker should not glance at the notes
14. The speaker should
questions. challenge the audiencefrequetly.
with risky
15. Time management is notimportant for a
public speaker.
nswer the 10HOWIigquestions biely

.How does Lenny Laskowski use "audience" as an

, How should the speaker relax
acronym?
presentation?
himself before the
3. What are the criteria of a clear speech?
A What do you mnean by the structure of a speech?
5. What is the speaker's checklist for presentation?

F. Answer the tollowing questions in 200 words each

1. Explain the verbal communication ofaspeaker.
2. Explain the nonverbal communicationof a speaker.