SPEECH and PRESENTATION

What is the difference between SPEECH and PRESENTATION?

A speech is more of a formal communication usually given at formal meetings and dinners.

A presentation is less formal.

Its purpose is to teach something to the audience.

It is used in classes, business meetings, committees or groups.

Good and powerful presentation ability helps you compete and win over others.

We shall be looking into the techniques that one has to learn to do impressive presentation.

Let us look into the stages of developing this skill.

To make a powerful presentation, firstly, you should be able to

ü  SPEAK, then

ü  SPEAK FLUENTLY, especially

ü  SPEAK FLUENTLY IN ENGLISH, and, finally

ü  SPEAK FLUENTLY IN GOOD ENGLISH (i.e., like an Englishman)

There are many people who targeted, worked for that and made it possible.

Why can’t you!?

Table Manners

While eating is an instinct, doing so with proper table manners comes only by practice.

Table manners are more than about proper eating; it's about being kind and considerate of others. Other people will judge us on how we appear.

Learning good table manners involves breaking bad habits and introducing ourselves to acceptable ones.

It may look crazy, when you read the long list given below; but, familiarizing ourselves with these may save us from embarrassing moments.

ü  Wash your hands before sitting down.

ü  No books at the table.

ü  Wait until everyone is seated.

ü   Sit up and do not hunch over your plate; wrists or forearms can rest on the table, or hands on lap. Keep your elbows off table.

ü  To use a knife and fork in England, use the fork in the left hand and the knife in the right.

ü  Do not be greedy. Eat slowly and don't gobble up the food. Someone took a long time to prepare the food, enjoy it slowly. 

ü  Look after other people; do not help yourself only.

ü  Don't reach over someone's plate for something. Ask politely for dishes to be passed. Show consideration.

ü  Use kind words; "Yes, please" or "No Thank You" are quite adequate to accept or reject offers of food.

ü  Never chew with your mouth open. Chew with your mouth closed. No one wants to be grossed out seeing food being chewed up or hearing it being chomped on.

ü  Never talk with a mouth full of food. 

ü  Use utensils quietly without banging them on the table or plate.

ü  Do not eat off your knife.

ü  Only engage in 'polite table talk.'

ü  Don't interrupt conversations; wait your turn to talk.

ü  Turn your head away from table and cover your mouth to sneeze or cough.

ü  Wipe your hands on your napkin, not your shirt or tablecloth.

ü  Always use a napkin to dab your mouth, which should be on your lap when not in use. Remember, dab your mouth only. Do not wipe your face or blow your nose with a napkin, both is gross. Excuse yourself from the table and go the restroom to do those things.

ü  Don't make any rude comments about any food being served. It will hurt someone's feelings.

ü  Do not pick anything out of your teeth, it's gross. If it bothers you that bad, excuse yourself and go to the restroom to pick.

ü  Ask to be excused from the table before you leave.

When eating at someone's home or a guest of someone at a restaurant, always thank the host and tell them how much you enjoyed it. At least say that you liked the dinner or mention a specific item that was particularly tasty, i.e. the dessert was great. Again, someone took time, energy, and expense to prepare the food, so show your appreciation.

ORDER OF LEARNING: LSRW

To acquire communication skills and express yourself effectively, you should be aware of the learning process:

L: Listening S: Speaking	Basic Skills
R: Reading W: Writing	Advanced Skills

This does not apply only to language learning. This is relevant in the learning process of any subject.

Even if it is a Chemistry or Economics class,

First, LISTEN intently to the teacher explaining,

Then SPEAK about that topic to others,

READ more and more,

And, naturally, you will be able to WRITE well.

Be aware that the learning process starts with LISTENING. 

                                      To put it simply, LISTENING is LEARNING.

TIPS TO IMPROVE YOUR LISTENING SKILL

The difference between ‘HEARING’ and ‘Listening’:

 v    HEARING is an involuntary action. There are no doors for your ears, like the eyes have eyelids. So, all the noises made around you enter your ear and you hear.


v  LISTENING is a voluntary action. You pay attention to someone, speaking or singing or playing music, absorb it in your heart or mind; you make a conscious effort to register in your brain what you heard

• TECHNIQUES TO IMPROVE YOUR LISTENING SKILL:

1. Don’t hear; Listen.
2. Don’t interrupt when the other person speaks; do only when you need clarification.
3. Show interest; Don’t let your eyes or attention to wander elsewhere.
4. Don’t say or think, “I already knew”.
5. Don’t use the words, ‘no’, ‘but’, and ‘however’.
6. Stay focused on the other person; let him feel that he is important.
7. Pay attention to non-verbal messages; watch the body language of the speaker.

WATCH THE CLIPPING AND LEARN MORE ABOUT GROUP DISCUSSION - Part I

WATCH THE CLIPPING AND LEARN MORE ABOUT GROUP DISCUSSION - Part II

Group Discussion

What and why? A GD is a method by which way institutes judge if the candidate fits into its cultural setup. Following are the points that a GD brings out about candidates personality-       Ability to work in a team  Communication skills [including listening, speaking and expressing]  Reasoning ability  Leadership skills  Initiative  Assertiveness  Flexibility  Creativity  Ability to think on ones feet. How to approach a GD Always use time given for before discussion starts judiciously and efficiently. Step 1:   Read/ listen to the topic very carefully Step 2:   Identify the main ideas and themes about the topic Step 3:   Write your points on the sheet provided and try to structure them [5-6 points are enough] Roles people play during a GD 1. Initiating the GD started by introducing the topic to the groups and adding his points 2. Facilitating participation of all the group members, and if anyone or few dominate a group moderator tries to control that, 3. Keeping the content of discussion around the core issue 4. Giving and asking for information, reactions, critiques 5. Discussing and questioning each other’s interpretations of materials 6. Summarizing what the group has said and moving on giving new direction to the discussion 7. Final conclusion

Soft Skills! What? Soft Skills Training! Objectives?

The soft skills training provides strong practical orientation to the students and helps them in building and improving their skills in communication, the effective use of English, business correspondence, presentations, team building, leadership, time management, group discussions, interviews, and inter-personal skills. By the end of any soft skills training program, the students should be able to: ·         Develop effective communication skills (spoken and written). ·         Develop effective presentation skills. ·         Conduct effective business correspondence and prepare business reports which produce results. ·         Become self-confident individuals by mastering inter-personal skills, team management skills, and leadership skills. ·         Develop an all-round personality with a mature outlook to function effectively in different circumstances.

Soft Skills! Why?

Everyone talks about the importance of ’soft skills.’ The buzz words in the job market at every level are ‘Soft Skills’. In many of the corporate ‘Multi National Companies’ including Infosys, Satyam, Wipro and others the training is a part of initiation into the office. Every new employee placed from campus interviews will have to undergo technical as well as Soft Skills programme.        There is a need to understand the definition and scope of the term ‘Soft Skills’. It may be difficult to give out a precise definition of the term ‘soft skills,’ but in general it is used to describe on-the-job abilities that go beyond an employee’s job description.        For example, a computer programmer’s ability to create and read programs would generally be described as a hard skill, whereas his or her ability to work effectively with co-workers, communicate with clients and manage projects would be lumped together under the soft skills banner.       Soft skills provide students with a strong conceptual and practical framework to build, develop and manage teams. They play an important role in the development of the students’ overall personality, thereby enhancing their career prospects. The term Soft Skills implies critical thinking, interpersonal communication and innovation. These are treated on par with technical skills and expertise.

Know about English Language

v  English is so widely spoken that it has often been referred to as a "world language", the lingua franca of the modern era.  

v  v About a quarter of the world's population is already fluent or competent in English, and this figure is steadily growing.

v  v It is the first language of 300-400 million people and a second language for 500 million more. Nearly 2 billion people worldwide ‘use’ English commercially.

v  v English has official or special status in at least 75 countries.

v  v English is an official language of the United Nations and many other international organizations, including the International Olympic Committee. It is, by international treaty, the official language for aerial and maritime communication.  

v English is spoken by upwards of 350 million people in urban areas of India.