Short Presentations

SHORT PRESENTATIONS

Professionals need to make oral presentations in many formal occasions such as meeting, conferences, panel discussions, seminars, etc. while working in an organisation. Also, there may arise occasions in which one will have to present reports and express opinions/ decisions about certain viewpoints. Though we feel more at ease in spoken communication, than in written communication, presentations in formal contexts demand conscious effort and careful preparation. In fact, thorough preparation is the antidote for nervousness.

Before making an oral presentation, the following points should be given due attention.

(i) Analysing Audience and Locale

(a) Awareness of your audience (Who are they?) What are their needs or interests? What do they expect from you? Only then you can make sure what you say is interesting and relevant to your audience.

(b) Awareness of the Locale (A prior visit to the place of presentation will help the presenter get an idea about the ambience and he can also make some modifications in certain things like lighting, visual aid, arrangement of chairs etc., if necessary.

(ii) Organising Contents

The presentation should have a clear structure with a proper introduction and a conclusion. The contents should be organised with a sense of time in such a way as to give due importance to each and every part. There should be a clear connection between different parts or ideas. This can be done by using linkers or sequence words.

(iii) Preparing an Outline

An outline helps one to organise the contents in a clear and comprehensible format. Familiarity with the outline helps the presenter to present the ideas without forgetting, in a sequence. In addition, it will also prepare the listeners by giving them an idea about what they are going to listen.

(iv) Visual Aids

In using visual aids these points have to be paid attention:

(a) Use of relevant graphical illustrations like pie chart, bar chart, tables, graph, pictures, etc.

(b) Familiarity in handling the equipment - OHP, LCD etc.

(c) Coherence between the visual aid and the text.

(d) Checking for proper lighting and clarity.

(e) should not use too many ideas in a single slide.

(v) Understanding Nuances of Delivery

In delivering the presentation, using both verbal and non-verbal skills in correct proportion is essential.

Verbal Skill: Use of clear, simple and natural spoken language with appropriate intonation and pauses for emphasis.

Non-Verbal Skill: Use of eye contact with the audience, formal attire, strong, clear gestures for emphasis, positive, confident and relaxed posture.

Points to rememebr for an effective presentation:

• Analyse the audience - whether he is a lay man or a man with the technical know-how.

• Choose words according to the situation.

• Use brief, simple, comprehensible words.

• Time the delivery in a logical sequence and back up with actions, visuals and if possible, include three-dimensional models in motion.

• Create a climate of trust and confidence by using charm and an easy-going attitude.

• Take care to exhibit positive body gestures like facial expressions, eye contact, etc.

• Train the tone and modulation to be persuasive not authoritative or monotonous or dull. A charming countenance with a slight smile will be an asset to the person making the presentation.

• Have the key points of your presentation handy to trigger your thoughts as you speak.

• Always make your presentation interactive and that will help steer the delivery based on audiences' need and expectations.

• Use appropriate visual aids. Reports say that only 11% of what we learn is through hearing, 83% is through sight, 6% through the other senses. One picture is worth more than ten thousand words.

• Encourage audience participation making. Allow the audience to ask questions and sometimes allow them to answer also. When you have to reply, do it with confidence in a clear way. Do not get perturbed even if one of the audiences asks a provoking question.

If one takes care of all these criteria, then the presentation will be effective and successful. There is no magic formula to make an effective presentation other than adequate planning and preparation.

TASK

I. Fill in the blanks with the suitable form of the verb given in brackets. Using the information given, prepare a short presentation on the topic," The importance of Mother Tongue" and present before the class.

THE VALUE OF THE MOTHER TONGUE

The 1950s and 60s were the heydays of Tamil. In 1956 when a college ______ (celebrate) its centenary, the Education Minister was the chief guest. The Principal  ______ (speak) in English welcoming the Minister. The Minister ______ (stand) up and ______ (utter) his first word in Tamil and it was greeted with a thunderous applause. Now-a-days we ______ (hear) that Tamil is dying a slow death. Many children ______ (be) in English medium schools where the mother tongue is neglected. Those students ______ (be) not able to write Tamil. Some of them cannot even ______ (read) Tamil. It is a sad situation but can only be a passing phenomenon.

The mother tongue is buried in the subconscious. The subconscious ______ (saturate) with the mother tongue. One  ______ (hear) it all the time. Great literature ______ usually _____ (emerge) in poetry. It does so even in prose to a lesser extent. Such literature   ______ (represent) the fullness of the writer's personality. It does not issue from the surface mind. What ______  (be) true of literature is true of music also. Children can speak many languages. It will be useful. But it all ______ (emanate) from the surface mind, which is shallow. There is no evidence of great literature in prose or poetry written in a language which is not the writer's mother tongue. Sri Aurobindo ______ (do) it, as an exception.

The mother tongue ______ (give) a depth which no foreign language can give.  At times of crisis the first word is in the mother tongue. A story ______ (illustrate) it. Some one who ______ (be) fluent in many languages took lodgings in a house. The young boys ______ (be) anxious to know what his mother tongue was. One boy ______ (pour) hot water on him while he  ______ (sleep) and the man shouted his abuse in Tamil, disclosing that he is Tamil. The mother tongue cannot die, except when language dies. Those who are devoted to language know that the beauty one's own tongue reveals is not perceptible to him in another language, in spite of his proficiency.

II. Prepare on the following topics and make a technical presentation before your class.

(a) Global Warming and its Adverse Impacts

(b) The Prospects of Nuclear Energy

(c) Bio fuels

(d) Ethical Hacking

(e) Alternative construction materials

(f) Artificial Intelligence in Education