Oraal Communicatiion

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W UNIT 8 PRES
SENTA
ATION S
SKILLS
S
Objectivess

After readin
ng this unit yyou should be
b able to:

● Undersstand the meeaning of preesentation;

● Undersstand the esssentials of prresentations;;
● Prepare presentatioons;
● Analysses the functtion and typees of visual aids;
a
● Comprrehend the roole of body language
l in presentation
p ns;
● Learn how
h to overccome the feaar of public sspeaking.

Structure

8.1 Intrroduction

8.2 Meaaning of Preesentation

8.3 Typ
pes of Presenntations

8.4 nning the Presentation

Plan

8.5 Process of Preseentation

8.6 Usee of Visual A

Aids

8.7 Queestion and Answer

A Sessiion

8.8 Gloossophobia

8.9 Com
mponents off Effective Prresentation

8.10 Sum
mmary

8.11 Keyywords

8.12 Selff–Assessmennt Questionss

8.13 Refferences and Further Reaadings

8.1 IN
NTRODU
UCTION
Presentation skill is an art and it is an importannt mode of orral communication.
This requirres more focuus and attenntion while ppresenting ann idea or a concept.
An importaant thing to note
n here is that presentaations can be made to different
groups. If a student is giving
g a pressentation theen s/he has too present in front
f of
the faculty//experts. If itt is a presenttation in a buusiness orgaanisation thenn it can
be to a specified groupp such as to the t clients eetc. This requuires specifiic skills
as per the requirement
r s of the organisation. Inn this unit, we w will be leearning
different asspects of presentation wiith respect too business coommunicatioon.
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cation
8.2 MEANING OF PRESENTATION Presentation
Skills

Presentations are a way of communicating ideas and information to a group.

The objective of communication is to make your message understood and
remembered. In order to achieve this, the presenter must be clear, coherent,
articulate and convincing. A presentation puts you on display before your
audience. Therefore, in order to be effective and impressive in your
presentation, you need to prepare before you actually deliver. Even experts in
communication need to plan and prepare their presentations in advance.

Most presentations either inform the audience about something or try to

persuade the audience about a product, service, an idea or a concept. Hence,
we often hear of sales presentations for existing or prospective clients, as well
as presentations on projects, reports, proposals and updates on various
business activities for business associates, seniors, colleagues and
subordinates.

However, these days presentations have also become an important part of the
recruitment process in business organisations. Perhaps this is because the job
market has become so competitive that job interviews are not enough for
organisations to gauge the skills of their applicants. Therefore, in many
organisations, the short-listed applicants are asked to make presentations
before the selection panel. Through presentations the interviewers get an
opportunity to look at the ability of the applicants to identify and organize
appropriate material on a specific topic as well as to support and illustrate
ideas. On the other hand, the candidates have a chance to show their public
speaking skills, their ability to communicate to an audience, to persuade and
convince and to display their confidence and leadership abilities.

Thus, in brief the purpose of a presentation is -

● To introduce a new product or service

● To present a new business plan
● To market a product or increase sales of a product
● To give a talk in a seminar/ or a conference
● To give information on any issue
● To analyze a report or project
● To display oneself in an interview

8.3 TYPES OF PRESENTATIONS

The basic purpose of a presentation is to inform, persuade or motivate. Based
on the purpose for which a presentation is being made. They can be divided
into the following categories.

1. Informative Presentation: As the name suggests, this type of

presentation gives information to the audience. This information can be
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Oraal Communicatiion in the form of ddetails of ruules and reegulations, oor policies of the
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organissation. It alsso includes giving information to the
t employeees, the
media and the publlic.
2. Persuaasive Presen ntation: Thhis kind of presentation
p is generallyy about
selling something. It intends too convince thhe audience about the gooodness
of a prroduct or acttion. This kiind of a pressentation can
n also persuuade the
organissational headds to accept proposals onn any issue.
3. Motivaational Presentation: They T are deesigned to motivate
m or enthuse
e
people on an issuue or about a programm me. Generally, this kinnd of a
presenttation is madde to influennce people too accept a neew policy, innitiative
or ideaa of the organnisation.
The presenntation can also be classsified on thhe basis of mode of deelivery.
There are generally
g fouur kinds of prresentation ddelivery -

● Improm
mptu presenttations
● Extemp
pore presenttations
● Scripteed presentatiions
● Memorrized presenntations

The mode chosen forr delivering a presentattion dependds on the auudience

present andd the situatioon in which
h one is giviing a presenntation. In a formal
situation, one
o generallly resorts to Memorizzed or Scriipted presenntation.
Impromptuu and Extemppore presenttations are made
m in informal settings.

For a preseentation to bbe effective the

t presenteer not only hash to make her/his
presentation
n interestingg and relevannt, s/he alsoo has to preppare himself/
f/herself
well to makke an effectiive presentattion. Some oof the things s/he needs tto keep
in mind to make
m the preesentation efffective are as
a follows:

● Copingg with fear or

o nervousneess;
● Undersstanding the audience annd connectinng with them
m;
● Making
g the presenntation relevaant and interresting for thhe audience;

● Confiddently handliing the questtion answer session

8.4 PL
LANNING
G THE PRESEN
P NTATION
N
Planning a presentationn requires a lot of prepparation befo fore it takes a final
shape. Deppending on thhe focus of the
t presentattion, you decide the straategy or
sequence of ideas. One of the mosst common and a effectivee strategies used
u by
most peopple, is the STAR ST TRATEGY for planninng a presenntation.
According to this strateegy the preseentation needs to go throough the fivee filters
of WHO, WHY,
W WHEERE, WHEN N, and WHA AT before it takes
t a finall shape.
These five filters help to polish annd chisel the presentationn before it is ready
for the audiience. Now let
l us discusss these five filters in dettail.

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cation 1. Target audience (Who): This is the first filter which helps the Presentation
Skills
speaker to understand his/her audience. For this, the following
checklist can be followed to assess the target audience.
● Educational background
● Nature of job profile

● Basic attitudes
● Common language
● Number of people attending

If the speaker knows the basic background of the audience, then it

will help him/her to approach the audience in a more effective
manner.
2. Purpose (Why): This is the second filter which looks at the reason(s)
for making a presentation. The following questions need to be
answered when trying to focus on the ‘WHY’ aspect. These are:
● End result;
● Objectives/needs of the audience.

When the purpose is defined, the speaker may start the presentation
giving a general background of the subject or straightaway moving to
the specialised part of the subject. Usually the purpose of any
presentation is to:

● Presenting a new point of view;

● Additional information;
● Demonstration of a service, product or a system;
● Selling a concept/idea.
There can be many more new areas to define the purpose depending on
the situation. The crux here is that a clearly defined purpose helps in
making a presentation more effective.

1. Place (Where): The third filter is the place or location of the

presentation. This is important for the speaker as it will help him/her to
understand the ambience, seating arrangements, sound system etc. If the
speaker knows the ‘where’ of the presentation s/he will make
himself/herself comfortable before making the presentation.

2. Time (When): The next part is to know the time of the presentation.
This includes for how long the presentation will run. This will answer
the following queries:
● Time available;

● Time is taken to complete formalities;

● Time available for question and answer session.
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Oraal Communicatiion w help the speaker to check his/hher time
This fillter is imporrtant as it will
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accordingly and make m the presentation
p his will alsso help
precise. Th
him/herr to prepare for the presentation wiithin that tim
me period too retain
the inteerest of the auudience.

3. Contennt (What): T This is the most

m importaant part of thhe presentatiion as a
wrong choice of thhe subject matter
m may result in the presentationn going
wrong even if the presentation has been prepared nicely.
n The speaker
s
should concentrate only on thee most essenntial parts off the subjectt rather
than covering everyything.

Therefore, while plannning the presentation,

p , the star-strategy shoould be
followed too make the presentation effective.
e

8.5 PR
ROCESS OF PRE
ESENTA
ATION
Every pressentation follows a claassic patternn of Introd duction, bod dy and
conclusionn. These threee are essenttial componeents for makking a presenntation.
A presenterr should carrefully prepaare each onee of these inn order to make
m an
effective prresentation. Let
L us underrstand each oone of these in-depth bellow:

Introduction
This part is
i the first sstep while preparing
p foor a presenttation. Introdduction
should be such
s that it bbuilds the in
nquisitivenesss and the innterest of thee target
audience which
w will mmake an imp pact for the further courrse of presenntation.
The followwing points should be kept in mind m while preparing for f the
introductionn :

● Introduuce yourselff
● State your
y purposee
● Relate subject to thhe audience
● Give a brief outlinee
An introduction to the presentationn needs to bee imaginative and interessting to
capture thee attention of the audiennce. A good introductionn will motivvate the
audience too sit throughh the entire presentation.
p . You can fo
ollow the folllowing
ways to maake an impacctful introduction:
● Rhetorrical questionn
● Provoccative quote
● Interessting anecdotte
● Good joke
j
● The staatement of thhe problem
● ption of the topic’s impoortance to thhe audience
Descrip
● Piece of
o statistical informationn presented memorably
m
● Summaary statemennt of the struucture
● Definittion of the purpose of thhe presentatioon
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cation Activity 1 Presentation
Skills
In any presentation the introduction is crucial. Certainly, some things are
essential in an introduction and others are useful. Here is a list of what could
be included in an introduction. Mark them according to how necessary they
are from a scale of 1 to 3 where 1 means essential, 2 means useful and 3
means not necessary.

● Subject / title of talk

● Introduction of oneself, job title, etc.
● Reference to questions and/or discussion
● Reference to the programme of the day
● Reference to how long you are going to speak for
● Reference to the visual aids you plan to use
● The scope of your talk: what is and is not included
● An outline of the structure of your talk
● A summary of the conclusions
…………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………...

The Body
This is the middle part of the presentation. In this part the main content of the
theme is developed which should be precise so that the attention of the target
audience is retained. This part should focus on the following points -

● Do not present more than four main points/ideas

● Support main ideas with facts
● Use signposting
● Use visuals

Conclusion
This is the last part of the presentation. This part summarises the whole
concept of the presentation and also gives the future scope on the topic
considered. This part consists of the following point:

● Reiterate/reinforce what you have said/summarize main points

● Do not present new ideas
123
Oraal Communicatiion ● Make a conclusionn or recommendation, if necessary
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● Relate conclusion tto the audien
nce
● Invite questions
q
An effectivve way to coonclude is to review the points and connect
c themm to the
introductionn. This alsoo helps with the overall coherence of
o the talk. Restate
the most im
mportant poiint of the preesentation annd connect the
t conclusioon with
the main idea.
i This helps the audience
a rettain what you
y want thhem to
remember.

If the preseentation wass about a prroblem, the problem

p cann be restatedd. Then
provide thhe solution in no morre than tw wo sentencess. A timeliine for
implementiing the soluution is eveen better. The
T audiencee must leavve with
something valuable or beneficial
b foor them.

Ending witth a quotatioon or punch

h line usuallyy leaves a great
g impact on the
audience annd helps theem to conneect with the main them me through thhis exit
line. The ending shoulld help you interact withh the audiennce at an em
motional
level. This is possible only
o when you
y do not rread from yoour notes andd move
from the reeading stand toward the audience. Itt is importan
nt to have suustained
eye contact at this point just as it
i is in the bbeginning ofo the presenntation.
Hence, thee conclusioon must bee thought out carefullly and preesented
effectively..

8.6 US
SE OF VIISUAL AIDS
A

Most preseentations deaal with statisstics and othher complexx data whichh would
be confusinng if it weree described in words wiithout any visualv suppoort. It is
here that visual aids coome to our rescue.
r Theyy help us to present figuures, to
make compparisons andd contrasts, to t project fuuture performmances and to talk
about past, present annd future trrends, thus serving thee dual purppose of
enabling thhe presenter tto deal with this kind off informationn easily and making
m
it possible for listenerss to understaand these cllearly. A varriety of visuual aids
like flowchharts, line grraphs, bar grraphs, pie chharts, pictogrrams, maps, tables,
diagrams, photographs
p s etc. can be used for this purposee. Visual aids also
make a preesentation m more interestiing. Moreovver, they hellp you to cuut down
on the amount of talkinng one has too do.
However, youy must ennsure that your
y visuals are relevan
nt, appropriaate and
clear. Neveer overload them with information. Effective presenters inttroduce
and highlig
ght visual innformation briefly
b and clearly, makiing sure theyy allow
their audieence time too absorb thhe informatiion. We mu ust use visuuals to
reinforce and
a clarify, anda not to overwhelm
o the audience. There aree many
multimediaa presentatioon softwaree which cann be used while prepaaring a
presentationn. We willl discuss those in unit u 13 onn technologgy and
communicaation.

1244
cation Presentation
Box 1: Checklist for using visual aids Skills
1. Prepare each visual carefully and separately.
2. Check whether the visual really depicts what you are saying.
3. Make sure the visuals are legible like font size and colour
4. Find effective headlines.
5. Keep design and content simple.
6. Use bullet points.
7. Reduce text to a minimum.
8. Always prepare the audience for visuals.
9. Present information clearly and logically

Activity 2
a. Give two examples of business areas where it is advisable for the
presenter to use visual aids to present information.
……………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………
b. Give two functions that visuals help us to perform easily and effectively.
……………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………
c. Give two do’s and don’ts for the use of visual aids.
……………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………
d. Mention two major benefits of using visual aids.
……………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………

8.7 QUESTION AND ANSWER SESSION

No presentation is complete and satisfactory until you have successfully
handled your question answer session. In a typical presentation the presenter
talks almost all the time. The only interactive part of a presentation is the
question answer or discussion at the end.
The question answer option puts you in a superior position compared to the
audience. This means that you are seen as an expert and must be well
prepared to be able to answer all queries from the audience. On the other 125
Oraal Communicatiion hand, whenn you invite the audiencce to a discuussion, you are
a more or less on
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equal termss with the auudience. They can contrribute as muuch, or moree to the
discussion than you do.
There can be two pollicies on qu uestion answwers. If you are confideent and
knowledgeable about youry topic, you
y may alloow memberss of the audiience to
ask you quuestions duriing the course of the preesentation. But
B if you feelfe that
this would disturb the rhythm or flowfl of your talk or put you off, it is better
our audiencee questions at the end oof your presentation. Whatever
to invite yo
be your pollicy, this muust be commuunicated to tthe listeners in the beginnning of
your presenntation.
Questions give
g you a cchance to resspond to the concerns off your audiennce and
to clarify anny doubts orr confusions. Look at theem as an oppportunity forr you to
support your argumennt and reinfo orce your message.
m Theey also givee you a
chance to leearn more abbout your auudience.
How can you
y best preppare yoursellf for the auudience's questions? Thiis issue
should be addressed bby you whenn you makee an analysiss of your exxpected
audience ass part of youur preparatio
on. This is thhe right timee for you to predict
audience concerns
c andd questions. The next logical stepp is to thinkk about
answers forr them.
Remember that good ppreparation is the key to handlingg questions to t your
satisfactionn. Do not connfine your reeading and ppreparation of
o the topic to
t what
you plan to include in your talk. Gatheer additionaal informatiion. A
comprehen nsive and in depth underrstanding of your topic will
w come inn handy
during the question
q ansswer session or discussioon.
It is also essential
e thaat you be a good listenner. Make sure s you heear and
understand the full question
q beffore answerring. Ask for
f clarificattion of
anything yoou don't undderstand. Do o not preemppt the questiioner by ansswering
before the question
q is fu
fully stated.
Also be strraightforwarrd. If you doon't know thhe answer to a questionn, don't
guess. Admmit you don't know; offeer to get thee answer andd provide it to your
questioner.

Activity 3
1. Here are
a some tipss on what maakes a good presentationn. Can you think
t of
a keyw
word / phrasee that best deescribes eachh tip?

i. Taake interest iin what you are talking aabout and en

njoy the expeerience.
Bee energetic dduring your presentation
p .
ii. Plan beforehaand on how you will beegin the pressentation, appproach
thee important points
p and how
h you willl end.

iii. Sppeak for youur audience and

a not yourrself. Take evvery opportuunity to
sh
how how much common ground you share with them. t Addreess their
gooals, needs annd concerns.

1266
cation iv. Do not use commonplace or widely known information. Have Presentation
Skills
something new and relevant to say.

v. Don’t put mundane tables or figures and long lines of text on the
slides. Experiment with visuals that catch the attention of your
audience.
………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………
2. Here are some more clues on essentials of presentations. Complete them
by inserting the appropriate words:

i. A good presenter must have a sense of ……………………or the

ability to make people laugh.
ii. Check everything you need before you are due to speak – the room,
seating, visibility, acoustics and equipment. Leave nothing to
…………………….
iii. ………… the first minute of your presentation to the last detail.
iv. Try to ………………………. your opening words. This will help
you to sound confident and in …………………….

v. Stay connected with the audience. …………………… to their

reactions if you can.
vi. Keep your sentences short and simple. Be ….………………….

vii. Never talk ….…………………… to your audience. Treat them as

equals.
viii. Let your visuals ………………………... for themselves. Make
comments on them or analyze them. Never read them.

ix. Learn from other speakers but don’t try to copy them. Develop your
own ……………………
x. Treat questions as an opportunity to get your …………………
across better.

8.8 GLOSSOPHOBIA
Phobia is termed as fear. Glossophobia is a fear of speaking in public. This is
termed to be a deterrent while making a presentation. The ones who suffer
from glossophobia often suffer from fear and anxiety, especially while
speaking in front of a group of people. This makes them avoid public
speaking. In business communication, this type of phobia is disadvantageous.
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Oraal Communicatiion Therefore, it is important for orrganisations to diagnosse the causses and
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medial solutions to the employees
provide rem e ssuffering froom glossophhobia. It
is a commoon type of phhobia.

Overcomin
ng Glossoph
hobia
Most of us,
u even thoose who havve reached the highestt echelons of o their
profession struggle witth public-speaking anxieety. Nervousness or anxxiety in
certain situuations is nnormal, and d public sppeaking is no exceptioon. To
overcome glossophobia
g a, we will diiscuss certainn tips whichh may help a person
to become a good publiic speaker. These
T tips arre as followss –
a. Get orrganized: A Ahead of tim me, carefullyy plan out thhe informatiion you
want to
t present, iincluding anny props, orr audio-visu ual aids. The more
organizzed you are,, the less nerrvous you w will be. Alwaays have an outline
on a smmall card too stay on traack. If possiible, visit thhe place wheere you
will be
b speaking and review w the available equippment beforre your
presenttation so theere are no lasst-minute tecchnical hiccu
ups.
b. Knowlledge of th he topic. Thhe better yoou know thhe content oof your
presenttation the less likely you
u will make a mistake orr get off tracck. This
will alsso help you increase youur confidence level
c. Practice: Practice your complete presentattion several times. You may
m do
it in front
f of sommeone whomm you are ccomfortable with and ask a for
feedbaack or make a video off the presenttation, watchh it and seee places
where it can be impproved.
d. Challeenge specificc worries: When
W you are afraid of something, you may
overesttimate the liikelihood off bad thingss happening.. List your sspecific
worries, then directly challeenge them by identifyying probabble and
alternaative solutionns.

e. Visuallize success:: Imagine that your presentation is going

g well. Positive
P
thoughhts will help decrease som
me of your aanxiety.
f. Deep breathing: This can be very calm ming. Take two or morre deep
breathss slowly befo
fore you get up
u to go to thhe podium.
g. Focus on presentaation: Peoplle mainly paay attention tot new informmation.
They may
m not notiice your nerrvousness. Iff the audiennce does notiice that
you arre nervous, they are likely
l to bee sympathettic and wannt your
presenttation to be a success. Therefore, iit is importaant to focus on the
presenttation and noot on the auddience.
h. Do noot fear a mooment of siilence: If yoou lose tracck of what you y are
saying or start to feel nervouss and your m mind goes blank,
b it maay seem
like yoou have beenn silent for an
a eternity. IIn reality, itt is probablyy only a
few seeconds. Evenn if it is lonnger, it is likely your audience
a wouuld not
mind a pause to cconsider what you havee been sayinng. Just takee a few
slow, deep
d breaths and continuue.
i. Recognize your su uccess: Afteer your preseentation, giv
ve yourself a pat on
1288 the bacck. It may noot have beenn perfect, buut chances arre you are faar more
cation critical of yourself than your audience is. See if any of your specific Presentation
Skills
worries actually occurred. Everyone makes mistakes. Look at any
mistakes you made as an opportunity to improve your skills.

8.9 COMPONENTS OF
EFFECTIVEPRESENTATION
To make a presentation effective, one should try to capture the interest of
his/her audience right from the beginning by asking rhetorical questions,
telling an interesting story, quotation or joke, relating what you are saying to
the audience, using illustrations, eye-contact and body language. One must
not just read out the slides or his/her notes. In this section, we will discuss the
components of the effective presentation.

A. Making a Connect
In all the presentations connecting with the audience is the most crucial part.
Therefore, it is important to discuss this aspect.The first few minutes of the
presentation are very precious and crucial. If you fail to arrest the attention of
your audience in the beginning, you may lose it forever. You make your first
impression even before you have opened your mouth to speak. It has to do
with the way you look and carry yourself.
Your dress needs to be neat, smart and appropriate to the occasion. It is
mostly formal for presentations. The next thing to pay attention to would be
your gait and posture. Your body communicates different impressions to the
audience. People not only listen to you; they also watch you. Slouching tells
them you are indifferent or you do not care, even though you might care a
great deal. On the other hand, displaying good posture tells your audience
that you know what you are doing and you care deeply about it. Also, a good
posture helps you to speak more clearly and effectively. While you need to be
upright and look confident, you may need to guard against looking too stiff
and uncomfortable. The key is to look relaxed and comfortable and at ease
with your surroundings. Reaching the venue of your presentation well in time
could be immensely helpful in getting you comfortable with the place.

Eye contact is another crucial factor. It signals interest in others and helps
you to connect with the audience. The audience responds to you better when
you look them in the eyes. Do not keep your eyes away from the audience for
too long, even when you are attending to equipment or looking at your slides.

The expressions you wear on your face transmit a great deal. A smile is
contagious. When you smile at somebody, chances are that s/he will smile
back at you. A smile spreads happiness around you as it makes others smile
in response. It also transmits happiness, friendliness, warmth, liking and
positivity.
The voice is probably the most valuable tool you possess. It is the vehicle
that carries most of the content that you wish to pass on to the audience.
Hence the presenter needs to use his/ her voice to maximum advantage. You
must work on the speed at which you speak as well as the volume. The pitch
and tone are other areas that need your attention. It is a good idea to practice 129
Oraal Communicatiion before a coolleague or a friend and get feedbacck on whetheer you are tooo fast,
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too high, to
oo soft, etc. D
Do not speak in a monootone as it drrifts the attenntion of
the listenerr. Modulate your voice. Good speakkers lower their
t voice tot draw
the audiencce in, and raaise it to maake a point. Warmth off tone and thhe right
emotions to t accompanny your woords can heelp you to connect with w the
audience innstantly.
Lastly, do not forget thatt the auddience will forgive
f a loot if the speeaker is
enthusiasticc. If you aree interested and
a enthusedd, you will pass
p this on to your
listeners. But
B do not coonfuse enthussiasm with loudness.

So now yoou know thatt presentatioons are not jjust about well
w researchhed and
painstaking
gly gathered material, well
w organizeed and structtured but theey are a
lot about how you commbine the huuman elemennt with the content
c to reach out
and connecct.

Activity 4
State whethher the following statem ments are Truue or False. Mark ‘doesnn’t say’
for statemeents that the ppassage doesn’t deal witth.

i. The sppeaker must rreach the ven

nue on time..
ii. You shhould be form
mally dresseed for a preseentation.
iii. Peoplee spend moree time watchhing you thann listening too you.
iv. You caan feel relaxeed by talkingg occasionallly to the aud
dience.
v. Use yoour smile spaaringly durin
ng a presentaation.
vi. Your voice
v is the means
m of tran
nsport for yoour words.
vii. Your friends
f can help you out
o by lettinng you know
w whether you
y are
makingg the desiredd impact.
viii. The coontent of thhe presentattion is morre importan
nt than the human
elemennt.
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B. Langua
age Focus
Language focus
f puts thhe emphasiss on the struucture of the language w
which is
being usedd in the pressentation. Onne should carefully usee the phrasess while
talking aboout visuals annd making comparisons.
For instancce, while inntroducing a visual in the presenttation one can
c use
following phrases
p -

1300 ● First off all, let’s look at…

cation ● I’d like to show you… Presentation
Skills
● Have a look at this…
● This graph shows / represents…
● Here we can see…
● As you can see in this graph/table…

Whereas one can use, the following phrases while talking or explaining the
visual-
● On analyzing this graph…
● What is interesting in this graph…
● It is evident from this diagram…
● This visual clearly indicates…
● On taking a closer look…
● Here you see a comparison between…
● A close look at these two pie charts shows…
● In sharp contrast to …

Here are some useful phrases which one can use to conclude his/her
presentation or to give recommendations at the end of the presentation –
● I'd like to summarize/sum up…
● At this stage I would like to run through/over the main points...
● So, as we have seen today...
● On the basis of my arguments I propose that…
● As a result, we suggest that…
● My final comments concern…
● I would like to finish by reminding everyone that…
● I would now like to invite you to a discussion…

C. Body Language
Facial expression is a fundamental contributor to effective communication.
The scientific study of body language is called kinesics. Proper posture is
also important for good communication. Leaning backwards, swinging the
legs, resting the head backwards in a reclining chair or swiveling too
frequently or playfully — are all bad manners. Bend forward a little, keeping
the elbows at the side of the trunk of your body, to indicate that you are
listening attentively.
Silence is a powerful if intriguing medium of communication. It has a
dramatic impact. Silence can be interpreted in more than one way. Silence
can have a dramatic effect in presentations or speeches to draw the attention
of everyone — those who are chatting quietly, or even napping. However, if
it is not used appropriately, it is open to misinterpretation as lack of
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Oraal Communicatiion preparationn on the partt of the speaaker. Therefoore, Silence can be apprropriate
At Work
W
or inapproppriate dependding upon thhe situation
make an effective presentation -
Here are soome tips to m

● Dress appropriately
a y for the occcasion
● Hold the
t attentionn of the aud
dience by ussing visuals and audio clips
c to
break the
t monotonny
● Be cleaar and concise
● Ideas and
a informattion should be
b sequencedd well
● Use off humour in the
t presentattion
● Familiarise yourself with the venue
v
● Be punnctual
● Maintaain eye contaact with the audience
a
● Have positive
p bodyy language – enthusiasm
m, confidencee and sinceriity

Activity 5
Assume yoou have to give an im mportant preesentation at
a your worrkplace.
Keeping thhis in mind,, suggest a possible phhrase for eaach of the pprompts
below.
i. Greet your
y audiencce
ii. Introduuce yourselff
iii. Give thhe title of yoour talk
iv. Describ
be the structture of your talk
v. Explain
n that the auudience can interrupt
i if thhey want
vi. Say something aboout the lengthh of your tallk
vii. Say a colleague
c wiill be showinng a video laater
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8.10 SU
UMMARY
Y
In this unit you have leearnt about the
t differentt aspects of presentation
p s. They
are commoonly used inn workplacees for the puurpose of coommunicatioon in a
variety of situations tthat range from reportting about the progresss of a
departmentt or the proggress of an individuals’’ work to seelling products and
services.Beesides, they aare often parrt of the recrruitment pro
ocess. The obbjective
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cation of most presentations is either to inform or persuade the listeners about Presentation
Skills
something. You have also learnt and practiced commonly used structures for
presentations, the importance of an outline and how to write outlines. The
function of visuals and the extent to which they help deal more effectively
with content is also discussed. The essentials of presentations like connecting
with the audience, language focus etc. have been discussed. The importance
of suitable and impressive endings in presentations is emphasized along with
the question-answer session. Finally, the importance of body language and
ways of overcoming fear of public speaking are deliberated.

8.11 KEYWORDS
Presentation: A way of communicating ideas and information in a group.

Visual Aids: These are graphic representations of ideas or symbols.

Glossophobia: It is the fear of speaking in public.

8.12 SELF-ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS

1) What do you understand about presentation skills?

2) How is a presentation planned? Explain.

3) What is the role of visual aids in presentation?
4) Explain the concept of glossophobia.

8.13 REFERENCES AND FURTHER READINGS

Budhale, P. (2021). The Golden Book of Business Presentation Skills: Quick
and Easy Tips to Make Powerful Presentations. India: Bloomsbury
Publishing.

Duarte, N. (2012). HBR Guide to Persuasive Presentations. United

States: Harvard Business Review Press.
Monipally, M. M. (2017). Business Communication: From Principles to
Practice. New Delhi: McGraw Hill Education.

Rao, N. & Das, R. P. (2009).Communication Skills (2nd ed.). Mumbai:

Himalaya Publishing House.
Theobald, T. (2019). Develop Your Presentation Skills: How to Inspire and
Inform with Clarity and Confidence. United Kingdom: Kogan Page.

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Oraal Communicatiion
At Work
W

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cation Presentation
Skills

BLOCK 3
WRITTEN COMMUNICATION AT WORK

135
Oraal Communicatiion
At Work
W BLOCK
K 3 WRITTEN
N COM
MMUNIC
CATION
N
AT
T WORK
K
This blockk has 3 unitss and all th
he units cover different aspects of written
communicaation which are importan nt to organisations.

Unit 9 Basics of Wriitten Busineess Commu unication:Thhis unit deaals with

basics of written
w commmunication which
w discussses the role of accuracy,, clarity
and how efffective a wrritten commu
unication can be done. ItI also discussses the
purpose of writing.

Unit 10 Sh hort Busineess Corresp pondence:Inn this unit we w will discuss the
need and importance of o short bussiness corresspondence. We W will also learn
different tyypes of businness letters liike order lettter, refusal letter,
l enquirry letter
etc. based on
o different situations.
s
Unit 11 Loong Business Correspo ondence:Thhis unit discu usses the asspect of
business coorrespondencce in more detail.
d Here you will leaarn how to develop
d
reports be it long or short reportts. The unitt also discussses the diffference
between repport and prooposal.

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