Module 3

Oral presentation

Oral presentation is a short talk or speech on a given topic by the student or

candidate before the audience. He/she presents it on the basis of his /her
readings or research. The presentation may be given as an individual or as part
of a group. Oral presentations usually have a time limit and the students must
have a clear idea about the topic to be covered. You need to plan carefully and
focus on essential points when giving your talk.

Depending on your course, giving an oral presentation can involve:

• reading background material

• preparing and delivering a talk

• leading a group discussion

• preparing hand outs and visual aids

• preparing relevant and thought-provoking questions

• submitting a written assignment based on the presentation topic

Voice modulation

Voice modulation means controlling or adjusting your voice louder or softer,

faster or slower, dramatic or emotional. Basically, voice modulation means
using your voice and tone to communicate your message more effectively.
Voice modulation is one of the most powerful weapons that you can have while
delivering a speech. It shows your confidence and also helps in convincing your
ideas. Voice modulation helps you to understand the meaning of a word and to
express it correctly while speaking. Pace, pitch, pause, volume, etc. are some of
the components of voice modulation.

Tone

Tone means accent or inflection which expresses a mood or emotion. It is a

quality in the voice that expresses the speaker's feelings or thoughts, often
towards the person being spoken to. It is also used to express differences in
meaning.
Presentation skills

Most popular form is oral presentation. Speaker is aided by notes, slides, charts,
etc. Other forms are posters, brochures, installations etc.

Types of presentations

 Informative-to present specific time and information (date, time, cause,

effect etc.)
 Instructional-to teach a topic or method, longer than informative
 Arousing- to arouse emotion or enthusiasm in audience
 Persuasive-to grab the attention of the audience and bring them to a
specific view point
 Decision making-to arrive at a decision or agreement to go on with a
decision

Elements of a successful presentation

-preparation (should be well prepared)

-mode of presentation (based on the topic the mode should be decided, like oral
or online)
-audience (should know about the taste and standard of the audience)
-language and delivery (should be based on the subject and the standard of the
audience)
-non-verbal communication (gestures, postures, tone, pitch etc can be used)
-feedback (should get the feedback for improvements in future)

Tips for public speaking

-know your strengths and weaknesses

-learn the subject thoroughly, listen other presentations
-practise it in front of a mirror or camera
-dress properly
-give necessary pause
-be enthusiastic
-be confident, but not arrogant
-know your audience, bring positivity
-defend by being polite
-admit if you don’t know the answer of a question
-be aware of your surroundings
-end the presentation with a summing up

Business presentation

Business presentation means a formal introduction and information about the

business products or practices. It is usually presented by means of audio and
video using statistical data, charts, projectors, slides etc. It is used as a way to
sell an idea or product for motivating the audience or training purposes. The
presenter should be very confident and prepare a lot before the presentation.
The presentation should be connecting, informative, inspiring, and appealing.
The audience should feel that there is something in the presentation.
Presentation aids can be varied from the simple blackboard to most modern
devices. Some tips for a business presentation are,

-speak naturally
-use simple language
-know your stuff
-don’t put everything on slides
-use daily life situations as examples
-ask thought provoking questions
-be prepared to answer questions

Organising the material

Regardless of the subject, the presentation should always be a clear, well-

structured one. You should know what you want to say and how you are going
to say it. Clarity of ideas and good organisation will help a lively, logical and
compelling message, delivered in a confident and professional way.

Organising the presentation material may include:

-the ideas
-main points
-what all to be illustrated
-introduction and conclusion (introduction should give a preview of what you
are going to say and should get the attention of the audience with a statement of
purpose whereas the conclusion should repeat the main points)

To be more specific,
-by stating key elements, tell the audience in the introduction about your subject
and how you have organised the presentation
-expand the key elements
-summarise the key points

Self-introduction

Self-introduction is the most important part of your presentation. It is the first

impression you’ll make on your audience. It’s your first opportunity to get their
attention, to make them trust you and to receive their attention from the
beginning.

Use this general outline for your presentation.

 Welcome your audience and introduce yourself (your introduction should

include your name, company’s name, your team members, your job
position and proof that you are an expert on your topic)
 Capture their attention(for this you can use interesting or shocking facts
and statements)
 Identify your number one goal or topic of presentation(be specific and
clear)
 Give a quick outline of your presentation
 Use simple and clear language
 Make them feel free to ask questions

Introducing the topic

The key point to keep in mind here is that if you don’t grab your group’s
attention up front, you may not have it for the rest of your presentation. So
grasp the attention of the audience first.

-quote someone else which is related to your topic

-tell a joke or a story
-make a bold statement
-make the audience to participate
-give interesting examples
-ask a rhetorical question
- point out important facts
-use humour effectively

Answering questions

At the start of your presentation, make it clear when you would prefer to deal
with questions - as you go along or at the end of the presentation. Some
speakers prefer questions to be raised as they arise during the presentation. The
advantage of this approach is that any misunderstandings can be dealt with
immediately. However, there is also a danger that the question will disrupt or
distract the speaker, or that questions are raised that would have been covered
later in the presentation. If you leave questions until the end, plan to leave
enough time for questions so that the audience doesn’t feel rushed. These are
the tips for question answer session.

-listen to the whole question

-understand the context
-be calm and cool
-involve the whole audience
-respond briefly and comprehensively
-allow follow-up questions

If you have an apt answer, give the answer immediately. Ask the question back
or tell the person that you will talk later if you need time to clarify. If an idea or
the point from the audience is a good one, acknowledge and appreciate it.
Before answering a difficult question, repeat it and ask for clarification, if
necessary. If you don’t know the answer, don’t hesitate to admit it.

Presenting the visuals effectively

Visual aids can be a very powerful tool to enhance the impact of your
presentations. Words and images presented in different formats can appeal
directly to your audience's imagination, adding power to your spoken words.
Keep the following in your mind.

-ensure that the visual aids can be seen by everyone in the audience
-face the audience most of the time rather than the image
-avoid reading from the visual aid
-as soon as you show the visual aid the audience's attention will be drawn to it
and so you must immediately explain it
-if possible, give copies to the audience
-slides, pictures and charts should be clear
-avoid messing up things
-while using audios and videos make sure that unnecessary sounds are removed

Group Discussion

Discussions can be within persons both formally and informally. Informal

discussions can be seen in restaurants, college canteen and bus stops. Formal
discussions can be seen in an office setup, official meetings and in interview
sessions.

Discussion is actually a group talk to club various viewpoints. Group

Discussion is a communicative situation that allows its participants to express
views and opinions to other speakers. It is a systematic and purposeful
interactive oral process. Ideas, views and opinions are exchanging with each
other in this.

The abilities of the participants are checked thoroughly in a GD. A job seeker
may have to participate in a GD to get a job. The importance of GD has
increased nowadays. It helps the recruiter to understand

a) Problem solving skills

b) Decision making skills
c) Personality assessment
d) Negotiation skills
e) Cooperative mentality
f) Team work and team mentality etc.

By checking all these factors an interviewer can select the best candidates from
the group. It may be a better understanding level of one’s personality.

GD assesses

a. Communication Skills
b. Team Building Capabilities
c. Analytical ability
d. Reasoning skills
e. Assertiveness, Articulation and Inter personal skills
f. Creativity, Initiative and Thinking ability

Differences between Debate and GD

a. Debate is a formal method of argument in which the speakers take a

particular stand and remain in it till the end while GD aims at reaching a
consensus.

b. The aim of debate is to win while that of GD is exchange of ideas.

c. Defending and attacking are the norms in debate while listening, reasoning
and opinion sharing are the practices in GD.

d. Debates are conducted to judge the communication skills while GD is

conducted to judge the personality.

e. Debate is an argument while group discussion is communication of ideas.

f. Group discussion is constructive and cooperative while debate can be

destructive too.

What skills are judged in GD?

How good you are while communicating with others?

How you behave and interact with a group?

How open-minded are you?

Your listening skill

How you put forward your views?

Your leadership and decision-making skills.

Your analysis skill and subject knowledge.

Your problem solving and critical thinking skill.

Your attitude and confidence.

Pre-requisites of a Group Discussion

Planning and preparation

Knowledge with self-confidence

Communication skills/ Presentation

Extensive knowledge base related to state, country and globe.

Analyze the social, economic issues logistically

Listening skills

Body Language

Being calm and cool

How to prepare for GD?

GD preparation involves three basic aspects:

•Group Speaking Preparation

•Content Preparation

•Listening preparation

Group Speaking Preparation:

Enhance your vocabulary to enhance your fluency, practice tone modulation,

and try to speak in front of mirror on some topic.

Content Preparation:

Choose the current affair topic from different perspectives like personal, social,
political, cultural, academics, etc.

Listening preparation:

Participate in some discussions as an active observer and try to evolve one’s

thought process by adding different perspectives.

Participating in a GD

Do-s of Participating in a GD

• Listen to the subject carefully

• Put down your thoughts on a paper

• Initiate the discussion if you know the subject well

• Listen to others if you don’t know the subject

• Support your point with some facts and figures

• Make short contribution of 25-30 seconds 3-4 times

• Give others a chance to speak

• Speak politely and pleasantly. Respect contribution from other members.

• Disagree politely and agree with what is right.

• Summarize the discussion if the group has not reached a conclusion.

Don’ts of Participating in a GD

Do not,

•Initiate the discussion if you do not have sufficient knowledge about the given
topic.

•Over speak, intervene and snatch other’s chance to speak.

•Argue and shout during the GD

•Look at the evaluators or a particular group member

•Talk irrelevant things and distract the discussion

•Pose negative body gestures like touching the nose, leaning back on the chair,
knocking the table with a pen etc.

•Mention erratic statistics.

•Display low self-confidence with shaky voice and trembling hands.

•Try to dominate the discussion

•Put others in an embarrassing situation by asking them to speak if they don’t

want.

Understanding GD
Better understanding of the subject
Solve problems
Improve listening skills and confidence
Enhance communication and interpersonal skills
Team building exercise

Brainstorming the topic

An effective idea generation technique
Group activity based on the principle of suspending judgement – i.e, idea
generation and evaluation phases are separate
No idea is rejected as impossible or unsuitable in this phase.

The four rules of brainstorming are,

Criticism is not allowed – Judging ideas negatively should be avoided.

Wild ideas are allowed and encouraged.

Generation of large number of ideas – quantity is the focus

Participants are free to build on other ideas.

Steps in brainstorming are,

The questioner states the problem with necessary explanations and

clarifications.

The problem is re-worded (redefined) with inputs from the team members as
well and stated as a series of questions.

The questioner chooses the redefinition(s) that seem most relevant to him.

Ideas are generated keeping these redefinitions in view.

Questioning and clarifying

 Clarification is the skill we use to ensure that we have understood the

message of the speaker in an interpersonal exchange.
 When using clarification follow these guidelines to help communication
and understanding.
  Admit if you are unsure about what the speaker means.
 Ask for repetition.
 State what the speaker has said as you understand it, and check whether
this is what they really said.
 Ask for specific examples.
 Use open, non-directive questions - if appropriate.
 Ask if you have got it right and be prepared to be corrected.

Purpose of clarification

 Ensure that the listener's understanding of what the speaker has said is
correct, reducing misunderstanding.
 Reassure the speaker that the listener is genuinely interested in them and
is attempting to understand what they are saying.

Some examples of non-directive clarification-seeking questions are:

 “I'm not quite sure I understand what you are saying.”

 “I don't feel clear about the main issue here.”

 “When you said ........ what did you mean?”

 “Could you repeat ...?”

Ensuring Success in GD

 Maintain comfortable sitting posture which displays confidence.

 Be respectful to others’ opinions.
 If possible, be the one to start the discussion.
 Bring the discussion back on track if the discussion deviates.
 Be mindful of body language and eye contact.
 Speak loud and clear.
 Have valid points when you speak.

Roles and functions

Gatekeeper

 Often the group leader who leads the discussion

  Establishes the focus of the group
 Keeps discussion on track

Facilitator

 Enables everyone to participate

 Encourages reticent members
 Routes the discussion subtly to get diverse viewpoints or consensus
 Keeps the flow of the discussion

Mediator

 Manages conflict within the group

 Identifies differences and works to resolve them

Timekeeper

 Keeps track of the time

 Ensures each point that comes up is allowed adequate time
 Prompts for closure / conclusion at the right time

Recorder

 Keeps track of ideas / opinions / points

 Uses writing / blackboard where relevant
 Has to be careful about editing the words of the participants when putting
it in writing

Reporter

 Draws conclusions
 Presents conclusions to the entire class

GD strategies

 Read voraciously
 Initiate the discussion
 Speak politely and pleasantly
 Be precise
 Acquire and apply knowledge
 Agree with the right
 Speak confidently
  Use positive body language
 Be a team player

Activities to improve GD skills

 Be an active listener and don't let your attention drift

 Identify the main ideas being discussed
 Evaluate what is being said
 Listen with an open mind and be receptive to new ideas and points of
view
 Test your understanding
 Ask yourself questions as you listen