Course – MBA

Subject – English Communication and Life Skills

Unit – 5

Presentation Skills

Meaning of self introduction :

• Self Introduction means when we tell peopleabout ourselves.

• Self-introduction is when you tell people whoyou are, what you do, what your interests are,where you are from, etc.

• Our Self Introduction can create a good firstimpression on others.

• Self Introduction is telling about you to anaudience, interviewer, reader, etc.

• It is a formal presentation of one person toanother or others.

• Definition: The act ofintroducing or thestate of beingintroduced is calledSelf Introduction.

• Self Introduction isessential (important) inbusiness, academicand social world.

• If we can give animpressive SelfIntroduction, it helpsus in our personal andprofessional life.`

Meaning of self image:

• Self Image: We define Self Image as the idea,conception, or mental image one has of oneself.

• Self Image is how you perceive yourself.

• It is the way a person feels about his or herpersonality, achievements and value to society.

• Your self-image can be very different from howthe world sees you. Some people who outwardlyseem to have it all (intelligence, looks, personaland financial success) may have a bad self-image.Conversely, others who have had a very difficultlife and multiple hardships may also have a verypositive self-image.

• Self-image may consist of three types:

1.Self-image resulting from how the individualsees himself or herself.

2.Self-image resulting from how others see theindividual.

3.Self-image resulting from how the individualperceives (understand and identify) others seehim or her.

Master the art of introducing yourself

• By keeping the below given points in mind, we can masterthe art of introducing ourselves:

1) For giving a good self introduction, having positive selfimage/concept is essential.

2) We should be confident.3) We should understand that there is nothing to be scared

about.4) Greeting should be friendly and polite.5) Self Introduction should be brief; unless we are asked to

elaborate.6) Remember the line between confidence and over

confidence, friendly and over friendly, never cross thatline.

7) You should presentyourself as a modestand intellectual person.

8) Learn to be a goodlistener.

9) Practice and try to starta conversation. Learnto break the icesmartly.

10)Speak clearly.

Self Definition:

• Self definition is being able to know who you are and whatyour purpose is in life.

• An example of self definition is when you know you are astrong, capable, confident teacher and daughter.

• It is the understanding or determination of one's own natureor basic qualities

• Never ever forget that no one but you can define you,because you're unique.

• Be honest to yourself and not mean by saying or giving anegative Self Definition.

• Don’t compare yourself to others.

• Self Definition is about describing yourself in one sentence.

Types of self introduction

• Self Introduction gives us an opportunity to create apositive and long lasting first impression.

• Depending on the situation one has to decide howhis/her Self Introduction should be.

• The different types of Self Introduction are:1)Self Introduction in a speech2)Self Introduction is an essay3)Self Introduction for public/event4)Self Introduction for an interview5)Self Introduction for business purpose – Elevator

Speech6)Self Introduction while introducing others7)Self Introduction for classroom

Self Introduction for classroom

• Read aloud:My name is Priyanka Patel. I come from Mehsana. OR I am from Mehsana. OR I belong to Mehsana.There are four members in my family, my parents and my younger/elder brother/sister.I am pursuing MBA, I am in the first year, Semester I.My ambition is to become a successful business woman/Chartered Accountant.

Self Introduction in a speech• Greeting:

• Good morning/afternoon sir/ma’am, and all my dear friends.

• Today I am here to tell you about Myself. OR I would like to introduce myself.

• My name is Pooja Patel.

• I come from Palanpur. OR I am from Palanpur. OR I belong to Palanpur.

• There are four members in my family including me. My father is a farmer. My mother is a house wife. My younger brother is a student.

• My hobby is listening to the music. OR

My hobbies are watching TV and surfing. OR In myfree time I like to play games on the computer.

• My strength is my family/ I am good at drawing/hardworking.

• My weakness is my health/ I cannot speak fluentEnglish/ I am lazy / I am emotional.

• My ambition is to complete MBA and join a goodcompany/ become a teacher/journalist.

BASIC QUESTIONS TO ANSWER (VIVA)

• What is your name?Ans: My name is Pooja Patel.• Where are you from?Ans: I am from Ahmedabad.• What is your hobby?Ans: My hobby is watching movies.• What are you doing now?Ans: I am (I’m) pursuing MBA, I am in the first semester.• Tell me something about your family.Ans: There are four members in my family. My father is a

farmer. My mother is a house wife. My younger brother is astudent.

• What is your ambition?

Ans: My ambition is to speak fluent English.

• What is your strength?

Ans: My strength is my confidence.

• What is your weakness?

Ans: My weakness is I trust people easily.

• Where are you studying?

Ans: I am (I’m) studying at Rai University Gujarat.

• How old are you?

Ans: I am (I’m) eighteen years old.

• When is your birthday?

Ans: My birthday falls on 12th January.

Self Introduction for business purpose – Elevator Speech

• An Elevator Pitch, Elevator Speech, or ElevatorStatement is a short summary used to quickly andsimply define a person, profession, product, service,organization or event. – Definition.

• The name "Elevator Pitch" reflects the idea that itshould be possible to deliver the summary in the timespan of an elevator ride, or approximately thirtyseconds to two minutes.

• The term itself comes from a scenario of an accidentalmeeting with someone important in the elevator. If theconversation inside the elevator in those few seconds isinteresting and value adding, the conversation willcontinue after the elevator ride or end in exchange ofbusiness card or a scheduled meeting.

• It is important to make good eye contact while givingan Elevator Speech.

• Also we should take care of our body language. Nofidgeting, moving hands, stiffness, etc.

• We should be relaxed and confident.

• One should not pause for a long time. Pausing for along time while giving an Elevator Speech indicatesbeing confused or hesitant.

• We should not go non stop as going non stopindicates nervousness.

• The purpose of the elevator speech, is also to sell.Similar to cold-calling, the elevator speech has onemain goal: to interest the other person in you and/oryour product and potentially make a sale.

USES FOR AN ELEVATOR SPEECH

• Any cold call opportunity• Voice mail message• Career fairs• Receptions• Interview introductions• Conferences• Any networking opportunity• SPECIMEN:

Hi, my name is Pooja. I am currently a MBAstudent attending Rai University, Ahmedabad. I’min the first semester. I have always had an interestin Marketing and in future I plan my career inMarketing.

Self Introduction while introducing others

• Introducing yourself and others:

SPECIMEN:

• Hi, my name is Pooja. Nice to meet you. Letme introduce myself. I am from Ahmedabad. Iam currently a MBA student attending RaiUniversity, Ahmedabad. I’m in the firstsemester. Meet my friend Priya. Priya meetSeeta, she is my school friend. And Seeta,Priya is my college friend. We are classmates.

SPECIMEN 2:

• Hello, my name is Ram. Pleased to meet you. Iwould (I’d) like to introduce myself. I belong toAhmedabad. I am pursuing MBA from RaiUniversity, Ahmedabad. I’m in the firstsemester. I would (I’d) like to introduce Rohitto you. Rohit meet Ajay, he was my neighbor.And Ajay, Rohit is my college friend. We studytogether.

Self Introduction for an interview

• Q) Tell me something about yourself:

• SPECIMEN:My name is Ram Sharma. I am from Mehsana. I was born inAhmedabad and brought up in Mehsana. I have done my highschool from Mehsana. I have passed H.S.C. with 70%. I havecompleted BBA from A.L. College. I am pursuing MBA from RaiUniversity, Ahmedabad. I am in the first year.

Coming to my family background, there are three members in myfamily including me. My father is an engineer and my mother is ahousewife.

My short term goal is to do MBA. And my long term goal is toattain good position in an organization.

Elements of a presentation

• There are five elements of a Presentation:1) Opener2) Preview3) Body4) Summary5) Conclusion• Presentations and reports are ways of communicating ideas and

information to a group. But unlike a report, a presentation carriesthe speaker's personality better and allows immediate interactionbetween all the participants.

• We make presentations for conference talks, interviews, course lectures, etc.

Elements of a presentation

OPENER

• Attract your audience toyour topic.

• Explain them of your topic’simportance and relevance.

• Use attractive backgroundsand color combinations.

• We can also use pictures toincrease audience interest.

PREVIEW

• Previewing your maincontents is extremelyimportant.

• This will increase youraudience's comprehension.

• Think of it as “signposting.”

BODY

• This is the main part of youpresentation.

• Although it is the third part,it should be prepared first.

• After it is prepared, theother parts will follownaturally.

• Always use transitions.

SUMMARY

• This is quite similar to thepreview.

• Remind your listeners of themain contents.

• Summary should beprecise/exact.

• Summarize your points for aquick recap for theaudience.

Conclusion

• Leave a good impression with your listeners.

• Remind them again of the importance orrelevance of your topic.

• You might also suggest future areas of research.

• Thank the audience for being patient.

• Do not end by saying “that’s all” or “the end.”

• Your final words can be as simple as “thank you.”

• Knowing your objectives is the key to an effectivepresentation.

Guidelines for a good presentation

Presenter

• Makes good eye contact.• Movement is deliberate and

purposeful.• Nothing in hands.• Excitement about the

presentation/story/idea.• Verbal clutter at a minimum.• Proper pronunciation and

grammar.• Relates to the audience.• Appropriate humor.• Dress for success (presenter)• Well prepared.

Presentation

• Clear and concise message.

• Organized logically.

• Conduct a dry run.

• Information up to date.

• Correct spelling.

• Slides – relevant & good colors.

• Animation and transitions.

• Include resources where required.

• Simple and not over crowded.

• Interesting presentation of subject matter.

Top ten mistakes made by presenters

• No presentation objectives.

• Poor visual aids.

• Ineffective closing/concluding.

• Mediocre first impression.

• No preparation.

• Lack of enthusiasm.

• Weak eye contact & Fidgeting.

• Ignoring audience reaction.

• Lack of facial expressions.

• Sticky floor syndrome.

Do’s and Don’ts for giving a presentation

Do’s

a) Use appropriate visual aids.

b) Speak slowly, clearly and loudly.

c) Keep your hands out of yourpockets and away from your face.

d) Arrive before time, spend sometime in getting familiar with the room,space and equipments.

e) State your points with interestingmaterial.

f) Time your presentation.

g) Make proper eye contact and havepositive body language.

Don’ts

a) Don’t hide behind thepodium/lectern.

b) Don’t talk to the screen, talk to theaudience.

c) Don’t jump start your presentationwithout an introduction.

d) Don’t use too many slides and don’tload them with content.

e) Don’t merely read the informationfrom the slides.

f) Don’t have a dull voice, unclearpictures and small fonts.

g) Don’t use many technical terms.

Delivery skills for giving a presentation

• Delivery Skills for giving a presentation comprises of:

a) Voice

b) Body Language

c) Active Listening

d) Nerves

e) Questions

After the purpose and content of the presentation are determined, visual aids are

prepared and speakers should practice delivering their presentation incorporating the

visual aids. Additionally, it is beneficial to practice in the environment in which the

presentation will be given, if possible. As the presenter practices and builds

confidence, the quantity of notes used should be reduced. Ideally, notes should be

limited to key words and phrases, because the fewer the notes, the more the speaker

is free to concentrate on the audience.

1] Voice• How you say is equally important as what you say.• Volume: How loud the sound is. The goal is to be heard

without shouting. Good speakers lower their voice todraw the audience in, and raise it to make a point.

• Tone: Having the right tone is important for effectivecommunication.

• Pitch: Decide the pitch high, low or moderate as perthe content.

• Pace: Talking too fast causes the words and syllables tobe short, while talking slowly lengthens them. Varyingthe pace helps to maintain the audience's interest.

• Listening to your own voice is a good way ofimproving it.

2] Body Language

• Your body communicates different impressions tothe audience. People not only listen to you, theyalso watch you. Slouching tells them you areindifferent or you do not care, even though youmight care a great deal! On the other hand,displaying good posture tells your audience thatyou know what you are doing and you caredeeply about it. Also, a good posture helps you tospeak more clearly and effective.

• Always display the given body language whilegiving a presentation:

1) Eye contact – Eye contact helps convey interest,warmth, concern and credibility (sincerity &reliability.2) Facial Expression - Smiling is a powerful cue thattransmits happiness, friendliness, warmth, andliking.3) Posture and body orientation - You communicatenumerous messages by the way you talk and move.Standing erect and leaning forward communicatesthat you are approachable, receptive, andfriendly. Speaking with your back turned or lookingat the floor or ceiling should be avoided as itcommunicates disinterest.

Body Language while speaking

1) Empty your hands - Put down anythingyou’re holding, whether it be a pen, a bookor your notes.

2) Keep your hands free – Let your hands be atyour sides. Never in your pocket.

3) Steepling – Steepling is what you call palms thatface each other with just the fingertips touching.This is a display of confidence and self-assurance.

4) Hands in the back - This is usually shows someamount of confidence.

3] Active listening

• Good speakers not only inform their audience,they also listen to them. By listening, you know ifthey are understanding the information and if theinformation is important to them. Activelistening is NOT the same as hearing. Hearing isthe first part and consists of the perception ofsound. Listening, the second part, involves anattachment of meaning of how thecontent/information is perceived. Passivelistening occurs when the receiver has littlemotivation to listen carefully.

4] Nerves

• The main enemy of a presenter is tension,which ruins the voice, posture, andspontaneity. The voice becomes higher as thethroat tenses. Shoulders tighten up and limitsflexibility while the legs start to shake andcauses unsteadiness. The presentationbecomes boring as the speaker locks in on thenotes and starts to read directly from them.Remember winners continue, losers stop.

5] Questions

• Questions do not mean you did not explain the topicgood enough, but that their interest is deeper than theaverage audience.

• Always allow time at the end of the presentation forquestions. After inviting questions, do not rush ahead ifno one asks a question. Pause for about ten seconds toallow the audience to gather their thoughts. When aquestion is asked, repeat the question to ensure thateveryone heard it (and that you heard it correctly).When answering, direct your remarks to the entireaudience. That way, you keep everyone focused, notjust the questioner. To reinforce your presentation, tryto relate the question back to the main points.

Visual Aids

• Using visual aids can make a presentation moreinteresting and effective. When an audience can bothhear and see what you are saying, they are more likelyto retain the information.

• Visual aids are a great assistance to the speaker as wellas to the audience.

• These serve to allow the speaker to remember all theimportant points and stay on the track. Moreover,people retain visual part of the information fromgraphs and tables far better than listening to someoneexplain the results, conclusions, etc. The visual aidsmust be appropriate.

• The choice of visual aids may be made from:

• --Overhead projector (OHP). • --Slides. • --Multimedia. • --Charts. • --Blackboard. • --White board. • --Handouts. • --Samples or objects.

• All of the above mentioned visual aids can be used inaccordance to type of environment and venue ofpresentation. Nowadays there are some more advancedvisual aids available like digital white board that convertordinary white board into interactive computer desktop.

Guidance on using slides as a visual aid

1) Style:

• Begin each body slide with a sentence-assertion headline that is left justified and nomore than two lines.

• Support the assertion headline with visualevidence: photographs, drawings, graphs, orwords and equations arranged visually.

2) Typography:

o Use bold type face/font face such as Arial orCalibri.

o Use 28 point type/font size for headline and

3) Layout:o In body text, keep paragraphs not more than three to five lines.o Keep bullet lists of maximum two lines.o Be generous with white space, there should not be any crowding. Important tips to enhance your slides:• Use design templates.• You should aim not to have more than one slide for every 1-2

minutes of presentation time. If your presentation time is of 20minutes then it is advised not to have more than 10 slides.

• Discuss directly and incorporate your slides (content) into talk.Don’t assume the audience will understand everything on theirown.

• When you practice your presentation, practice with your slides,you should know which slide has exactly what content and weshould not search for slides in front of the audience.

• Slides aren't always necessary. Perhaps the mostimportant thing to know when using slides in apresentation is when to turn them off. There is norule that says that it is a good idea to be show slidesduring the entire talk. Slides are not always the bestmedium for your information and you should get intothe habit of asking yourself, “Is a slide necessary?”.

• For example, if you are discussing a personalexperience or observation, that information might bemore effectively communicated without a slide.Additionally, your slides should not be visible unlessthey are relevant to what you are currently discussingin your talk.

• When you finish with the point discussed in a slide,choose to blank the screen so that the audiencefocuses entirely on you. Blanking the screen can beone of your most powerful tools because it refocusesthe attention of the audience onto you.

Overhead Projector

Overhead projector/ transparencies

• An overhead projector projects images drawn on clearsheets of plastic, called transparencies, on to a screenso that the images can be seen by a large group.

• To see the projected image clearly, we don’t require toswitch off the lights.

• During the presentation we can mark on sheets andhighlight the important points by underlining it.

• We should not put too much of information on ourtransparency, not more than ten lines on atransparency.

• Distortion in the OHP is called Keystone Effect.

Other utilities

Screen used for OHP Transparency

Posters• Posters can include charts, graphs,

tables or photographs.

• Charts, graphs and tables candisplay statistics or other importantdata; be sure the information isaccurate.

• Large posters are best for largegroups to ensure visibility toeveryone.

• Mounting the posters to thick,sturdy boards may avoid the postersbecoming flimsy (delicate) or fallingdown.

• Use an easel to display posters;never hold them up by hand.Professional posters will be clean,neat and full of contrast.

Flip Charts

Flip Chart – A visual aid

• A flip chart is a large pad of paper on a stand, which is a veryeffective visual aid tool.

• It is a very useful and flexible way of recording information duringyour presentation (while delivering the presentation, we speakand write points/draw diagram) - you can even use pre-preparedsheets for key points (already drawn and written before thepresentation).

• Record information as you go along, keeping one main idea toeach sheet. (Give Headings)

• Flip back through the pad to help you recap your main points. Usethe turning of a page to show progression from point to point.

• Remember to make your writing clear and readable and yourdiagrams as simple as possible.

•

Flip Charts

Videos• Videos can be a successful type of visual aid. Be sure

all necessary equipment is available in thepresentation room. If not, bring your own and be sureit is set up properly before the presentation begins.

• Practice beforehand so there will be no hidden issues.• Keep video clips short and be sure that everyone in

the room will be able to see the screen.• Video gives you a chance to show stimulating visual

information. Use video to bring movement, picturesand sound into your presentation. Always make surethat the clip is directly relevant to your content. Tellyour audience what to look for. Avoid showing manyvideos, choose the most relevant and effective one.

Handouts

• Handouts are incredibly useful. Use a handout if yourinformation is too detailed to fit on a slide or if you wantyour audience to have a full record of your findings.

• Consider the merits of passing round your handouts at thebeginning, middle and end of a presentation. Given tooearly and they may prove a distraction. Given too late andyour audience may have taken too many unnecessarynotes. Given out in the middle and your audience willinevitably read rather than listen.

• One powerful way of avoiding these pitfalls is to give outincomplete handouts at key stages during yourpresentation. You can then highlight the missing detailsvocally, encouraging your audience to fill in the gaps.

Graphs• Graph is a visual aid to show statistical trends and patterns.

• Graphs are most helpful for showing trends in data. They generallyfeature data arranged along an x-axis and a y-axis.

• The most common type of graph is Line Graph.

• The pie graph is best suited for illustrating simple distributionpatterns. A pie graph is used to dramatize relationships among theparts of a whole, you should keep the number of different segmentsin the graph as small as possible. A pie graph should ideally have fromtwo to five segments; under no circumstances should it have morethan eight divisions.

• The bar graph is a particularly good way to show comparisons amongtwo or more items. It also has the advantage of being easy tounderstand, even by people who have no background in reading

graphs.

Line Graph Pie Graph

Bar Graph Use of Graph as a Visual Aid

Pictograph

• Definition: A pictorialrepresentation of statisticson a chart, graph orcomputer screen is calleda Pictograph.

• Pictographs, also calledpictorial graphs, are avariation of a bar graph,but instead of using barsthey use symbols toillustrate quantity.

• The symbols may or may not realistically correspondwith the quantities that they illustrate.

• Although pictographs have visual appeal, they cannotaccurately represent exact numbers such as those withdecimals and fractions.

• Be sure to include a key which describes the quantityrepresented by each symbol.

• A pictograph uses pictures or symbols to represent anassigned amount of data.

• A pictograph is easy to read, makes the data interestingand clear.

Tables

• Tables are those rows andcolumns of numbers and,sometimes, words. They allowrapid access to informationand comparison ofinformation.

• The biggest use of tables is fornumerical data. Imagine thatyou are comparing differentmodels of coffee makers. Allspecifications, whether theyare price or physicalcharacteristics such as height,depth, length, weight, and soon are perfect for a table.

White board/Black board

• Whiteboard is a common visual aid generally used in meetingsand presentations in offices.

• In professional and formal places, white board and flip chartsare regarded to be unprofessional because they are hand-written.

• Whiteboard is an informal form of visual aid, used in smallmeetings which are suddenly planned and in situations wherethe only purpose is to have a semi-formal interaction with theaudience.

• White boards/Blackboards are useful to explain data insequence.

• They are helpful in noting down key points and spelling outterminologies.

• If we wish to write ‘live’ then we should make sure ourhandwriting is legible.

• Ask if the audience has noted down before rubbing off.

Multimedia presentations

• Multimedia is media and content that uses acombination of different content forms.

• Multimedia includes a combination of text, audio, stillimages, animation, video, or interactivity contentforms.

• A presentation providing information using a variety ofmedia, including text and graphics displays, voice andother audio, photographs, and video segment is calleda Multimedia Presentation. – Definition.

• Multimedia may be defined as the presentation ofcontent in various forms such as voice, graphics,videos, tables, animation, music, etc. – Definition.

• As the name implies, multimedia is theintegration(mixing) of multiple forms of media.This includes text, graphics, audio, video, etc. Forexample, a presentation involving audio andvideo clips would be considered a "multimediapresentation."

• Educational software that involves animations,sound, and text is called "multimedia software.“

• Microsoft PowerPoint is far and away the mostwidely used program for multimediapresentations.

Purpose of using visual aids

• Improves audience understanding and memory.• Serves as notes.• Provides clearer organization.• Facilitates more eye contact and motion by the speaker.• Contributes to speaker credibility.• Visual aids support your ideas and improve audience

comprehension of your presentation.• Visual aids add variety to your presentation by

giving the audience a break from listening and letting themsee something.

• Visual aids help illustrate complex ideas or concepts• It is helpful in reinforcing(support/strength) your ideas.

• Enliven a difficult/boring subject.

• Make a presentation entertaining.

• Help the presenter to stick to the intended plan.

References / Sources

1) highered.mheducation.com/sites/dl/free/.../lucas10e_sample_ch13.pdf

2) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elevator_pitch