Chapter 15

Communication and Presentation Skills

Communication

Definition:

Communication is the activity of conveying information. Communication requires a sender,

a message and an intended recipient. It requires that the communicating parties share an
area of communicative commonality.

• It is exchange of information and shared understanding between the people

• It is to impart, transmit, share exchange of facts, ideas, opinions, emotions by two or

more persons

• It is to convey an idea / message to another - what is intended to be communicated

• It is interpersonal process of sending and receiving symbols with meanings attached

to them

The communication process is complete once the receiver has understood the message of
the sender. Feedback is critical to effective communication between parties.

Importance:

Communication is the key factor in the success of any individual or organization.

Effectiveness of a person largely depends on his communication skills. It may be observed
that leaders are generally endowed with good communication skills. Communication is very
important because:

• It helps to understand others and to be understood by others

• Communication failures could be costly which could result in ill feelings,
misunderstandings, non-cooperation etc.
• It is the medium for seeking ideas and motivating others
• Imparting knowledge and ideas, coordinating, convincing, etc., require a great deal
of communication abilities

Common problem with Communication:

People often feel that communication is as easy and simple as it sounds. But what makes it
complex, difficult and frustrating are the barriers that come in its way. The basic problem
with communication is the slip-ups in dialogue.

 What you mean to say

 What you actually say
  What the other person heard
 What he thinks he has heard
 What he wants to say in reply
 What did actually he say in reply
 What you think he said
 All could be different
Disturbance or distortion is a common feature haunting all communications and clear
communication actually refers to reduction in distortion/disturbance. Communication
problems arise due to the following.

 Words have different meanings, which could be context and person specific
 Assume certain things
 Misunderstood because we do not accept signals against our perceptions
 No open space to people
 Not asking for feedback
 Negative reaction to feedback
 Interventions

Types of Communication:

Communication could be verbal and non-verbal. Verbal communication includes speeches,

presentations, discussions, readings, writings, performances and aspects of interpersonal
communication. Research shows that the majority of our communication is non verbal, also
known as body language. Some of the non verbal communications include gestures, body
language, eye contact, object communication such as clothing, hair style, symbols and tone
of voice as well as through an aggregate of the above. The verbal communications like
speech or written text also most of the times contain non-verbal elements such as speaking
style, emotion, hand writing style etc.

As a type of face-to-face communication, body language and voice tonality play a significant
role and may have a greater impact upon the listener than informational content. This type
of communication also garners immediate feedback. Perhaps, that is why it is said that we
understand a speaker most by:

 Verbal content - 7%
 Vocal content - 38%
 Body language - 55%

Barriers to Effective Communication

When it comes to effective communication, there are certain barriers that every individual
or organization faces. Following are the main communication barriers:
Perceptual and Language Differences: The linguistic differences also lead to communication
breakdown. Same word may mean different to different individuals.

Information Overload: If the information flow we are flooded with is not controlled, the
information is likely to be misinterpreted or forgotten or overlooked.

Inattention: At times, we just not listen but only hear.

Time Pressures: Often, the formal channels of communication are shortened or messages
are partially given, i.e., not completely transferred due to urgency, deadlines.

Physical Distraction/Noise: Physical distractions/settings such as poor lightning,

uncomfortable sitting, unhygienic room, loud speakers etc., also affect communication.

Emotions: Emotional state at a particular point of time such as angry, happy etc., also affects
communication.

Poor retention: Human memory cannot function beyond a limit and thus could lead to
communication breakdown.

Poor choice of Communication Channels: The channel of communication chosen could be

inappropriate making communication ineffective.

Physiological barriers: They may result from individuals' personal discomfort caused, for
example, by ill health, poor eye sight or hearing difficulties.

Tips for Effective Communication:

The following are the 7Cs of effective communication which are applicable to particularly
verbal communication.

 Completeness - The communication must be complete and should convey all facts
required by the audience which would help in better decision-making and response by
the receivers of message.
 Conciseness - Communicating what we want to convey in least possible words without
forgoing the other C’s of communication is time saving, more appealing and
comprehensive.
 Consideration- Effective communication must take the audience into consideration, i.e.
the audience’s view points, background, mind-set, education level, etc.
 Clarity - Clarity implies emphasizing on a specific message or goal at a time making use
of exact, appropriate and concrete words rather than trying to achieve too much at
once so that it makes understanding easier.
 Concreteness - It implies being specific and clear supported by facts and figures rather
than fuzzy and general so that an element of confidence is brought in and
communication is not misinterpreted.
 Courtesy - Courtesy in message implies that the message should respect the receiver
and the sender should be sincerely polite, judicious, reflective and enthusiastic in his
communication.
 Correctness - Correctness in communication implies that the message is exact, correct
and well-timed for if the communication is correct, it boosts up the confidence level
and has greater impact on the receiver.

Guide to Good Listening:

Active listening is an integral part of effective communication and refers to listening

attentively and carefully. There is a need to differentiate between “listening” and “hearing”.
Active listening means hearing with proper understanding of the message that is heard. The
following are some of the tips for active listening.

• Find area of interest

• Judge content, not delivery
• Delay evaluation
• Listen for ideas
• Be flexible
• Actively work at listening
• Resist distractions
• Keep your mind open
• Exhibit listening –nodding, paraphrasing, asking questions, expressions etc.

Presentation Skills

To really succeed in making effective presentations, there are several key areas one needs
to become skilled in. Effective presentation needs proper planning, usage of aids,
overcoming nervousness, confident delivery, handling questions etc. Some of the issues
relating to presentation skills are discussed hereunder.

Preparation/Planning:

Planning the presentation involves much of the work that we are going to do before we
actually deliver the presentation. One needs to prepare as under.

 Define purpose of your presentation

 Gather Information about audience
- Language, knowledge, age group, sensitivity level, etc
 Select topic - preferably
- Audience related / centered
 - Having subject knowledge
- Different / interesting
- With stand by topic (in case of exigency)
 Collect data / information from various sources
 Manage time
- Proper Organisation
- Preparedness for exigency (Reduction/expansion of time)
 Organize Presentation
- Identify Must, Should and Could content
- Collect tools, visual aids, kits etc., as necessary
- Prepare outline and rehearse, if necessary

Overcoming nervousness:

Before commencing a presentation or starting a public speaking, many become nervous as

they are gripped by fear. This fear is mainly caused by the Fear of Making Mistake, the Fear
of Forgetting and the Fear of Looking Foolish

If these are tackled through proper preparation and building up of confidence, the
nervousness could be reduced. It is often said that nervousness could be converted into
positive energy provided it is channelized properly. There are also techniques that could
help one to control nerves and build confidence before taking up a presentation.

Delivery of Presentation:
Effective delivery needs some of the key techniques and skills as we need to be confident
engage the audience and create an impact. So here our personal resources play a vital role.
Some tips for effective presentation are given hereunder.
 Introduction – Begin with a bang
- Start with something interesting and explain the objective
 Body of presentation – Be around must content
- Be precise and to the point
- Remember KISS (Keep it short and simple)
- Use small sentences and no jargons
- Use Anecdotes, poetry, jokes, humor etc., to make it
lively
 Conclusion - Paraphrase and sum up
- Recapitulate crux of the presentation
- End with a bang and action point
  Body language - Be conscious of body movements, gestures, eye contact
expressions
 Voice - Ensure it is confident, audible, clear, not monotonous
 Involvement of audience - Use involvement techniques for participation

Draw content more from experiences - Because, we can effectively recall

• 10% of what we read
• 20% of what we hear
• 30% of what we see
• 50% of what we hear and see
• 70% of what we say
• 90% of what we do

Handling questions:

It is important that we have the confidence to interact with our audience and deal with any
questions that the audience might throw at us. Often the questions could be unexpected
and strange and therefore, one needs tact, knowledge, skill and cool mind to handle the
situation. Some of the tips that help handling questions in a presentation session are
indicated below.

• Listen to the question carefully

• Allow the question to be completed
• Appreciate the question, if really good one
• Don’t abuse the questioner
• Paraphrase the question
• Seek clarification, if necessary
• Answer briefly, completely
• Have eye contact with the questioner
• Verify
• Don’t hesitate to accept, if you do not know