Lecture-2 | Presentation and Communication Skills

Soft Skill Traning in Odia

If you missed our First lecture then click here

What is Communication ?
Oxford Dictionary defines communication as, “the transfer or conveying of meaning”.

Communication is transfer of information from one person to another, whether or not it elicits confidence. But the information transferred must be understandable to the receiver --G.G. Brown  

Now what is Business Communication? 
Business communication can be defined as sharing of information between people within and outside the organization that is performed for the commercial benefit of the organization. It can also be defined as relaying of information within a business by its people.--Wikipedia
Communication is a vast topic so it is impossible to cover every aspects of communication so here we will discuss only on the application part of the Communication skill, i.e. how we can utilize our skill in communication to get utmost applause from people around us. 

So now it is time to discuss about presentation skill 

Merriam Webster dictionary defines presentation as a descriptive or persuasive account (as by a salesman of a product).

A presentation is a means of communication which can be adapted to various speaking situations, such as talking to a group, addressing a meeting or briefing a team. To be effective, step-by-step preparation and the method and means of presenting the information should be carefully considered.

Importance of Presentation Skills:-

Interaction with others is a routine job of businesses in today’s world. The importance of good presentation skills is established on the basis of following points:

• They help an individual in enhancing his own growth opportunities. In addition, it also grooms the personality of the presenter and elevates his levels of confidence.

• In case of striking deals and gaining clients, it is essential for the business professionals to understand the audience. Good presentation skills enable an individual to mold his message according to the traits of the audience. This increases the probability of successful transmission of messages.

• Lastly, business professionals have to arrange seminars and give presentations almost every day. Having good presentation skills not only increases an individual’s chances of success, but also enable him to add greatly to the organization.

How to Improve Presentation Skills ?

Development of good presentation skills requires efforts and hard work. To improve your presentation skills, you must:

1. Research the Audience before Presenting: This will enable you to better understand the traits of the audience. You can then develop messages that can be better understood by your target audience. For instance, in case of an analytical audience, you can add more facts and figures in your presentation.
2. Structure your Presentation Effectively: The best way to do this is to start with telling the audience, in the introduction, what you are going to present. Follow this by presenting the idea, and finish off the presentation by repeating the main points.
3. Do a lot of Practice: Rehearse but do not go for memorizing the presentation. Rehearsals reduce your anxiety and enable you to look confident on the presentation day. Make sure you practice out loud, as it enables you to identify and eliminate errors more efficiently. Do not memorize anything as it will make your presentation look mechanical. This can reduce the degree of audience engagement.