SOFT SKILLS

UNIT 1
Modified notes
BASICS OF COMMUNICATION SKILLS

COMMUNICATION SKILLS: In present environment a strong communication is the

most required and essential need for a person. Succesful communication helps us
better understand people and situations. It helps us overcome diversities, build trust
and respect, and create conditions for sharing creative ideas and solving problems.
Although communication itself seems simple, often when we try to establish
communication with others, there is always a chance for a lack of understanding that
might cause conflicts and frustrations in personal or professional life in relations with
other people. Therefore, one must know the various communication skills. There are
basically four skills for communication i.e. LSRW.
Communication: “Communication is sharing of thoughts, knowledge, information
or message with others.”
“Communication is the ability of the various functional groups within the enterprise
to understand each other and each other’s functions and concerns”
“Effective communication is one of the most important functions of management”.
“Communication is the transfer of information and understanding from person to
another person. It is the way of reaching others with facts, ideas, thoughts and
values”.
Basically, communication has it's two forms: Verbal and Non Verbal
Verbal Communication: Communication stands for both the spoken and the
written words, used in the commuication process. Verbal communication is perhaps the
most obvious and understood mode of communication, and it is certainly a powerful tool in
your communication toolbox. Put simply, verbal communication is the sharing of
information between two individuals using words.

Non Verbal communication: Nodding, facial expressions, leaning toward the

speaker to show interest—all of those are forms of nonverbal communication. Body
language can reinforce your spoken message or it can contradict it entirely. when you
speak, only 35 percent of your communication is verbal and 65 percent of it is
nonverbal. Sometimes situation may vary according to the context and condition. It
is, however, absolutely true that nonverbal communication can make or break your
message. Nonverbal communication reveals a lot about you as a communicator and
how you relate to other people. It pays to be aware of the elements of your nonverbal
communication so you can maximize the impact of your message.
Here are some types of nonverbal communication these are:
• Kinesics It is for our body language which is consisted our Facial expression,
Eye contact, Gesture, Posture, and Personal Appearance.
• Paralinguistics: Our voice quality or voice dynamics or vocal cues
 • Proxemix Behavioural space
• Chronemics Study of time or time management comes under this category.

Roles of Communication:
• It increases interaction in a giant organization.
• It helps in operating in global business organization.
• Many companies operate in the international level.
• This requires dealing with people of different language and culture.
• Timely information.
• To keep pace with a changing environment.
• Better decision making.
• Better human relations.
• Achieving organizational goals.
• Better public relations.
• Generations of better ideas.
• Helpful as a motivational force.

Process of Communication:
1) Communication is process which involves sender of a message and
receiver.
2) Communication is complete only when the receiver is able to inter
spread a message as desired by the sender and responds to it.
3) Elements of Communication:
4) Sender: The person who feeds the needs to express certain ideas and
thoughts is known as sender or communicator. It initiates the message.
5)
6) Message: Message is the fact idea, meaningful content or piece of
information that sender wants to convey and send to the receiver.
7) Encoding of Message: Encoding is the process by which the sender
translates his thoughts, ideas into a series of symbols (words, signs) or any
medium that is shared between the sender and receiver. It is for safety
purpose.
8) Communication Channel: Communication channel is the medium through
which the message passes. It may be formal channel (ex-member,
presentation, reports) or informal medium (ex personal letters).
9) Receivers: The person who receives the message and provides feedback is
called Receivers.
10) Decoding: Decoding is the process of comprehensing meaning and all the
sense of the message so that the receiver understands it.
11) Feedback: Feedback is the receiver‟s response to the message sent by the
sender. Feedback confirms the receipt of message by the receiver.
Cv Nonverbal Communication
Public Speaking:
PRESENTATION STRATEGIES:
A presentation can be „Theme Presentation‟ or „Presentation of report of Project ‟
orally.
Defining Purpose:
Deciding the purpose of making presentation before planning or preparing the
presentation. The purpose determines the content and style of presentation.
Four main purposes of presentation are:
i). to inform
ii). to entertain
iii). to persuade
iv). to motivate
i). To inform :
 Supply information to colleagues or customers in the form of presentations.
 Ex: (a). Human resources manager gives presentation to new employees on rules,
procedures and benefits.
(b). Department supervision conducts training programs.
(c). A consultant gives presentations on analysis of problems and their solutions.
(d). Oral reports on a project.
ii). To persuade:
 To promote and idea or a project.
 Presenter should start with certain arguments or suggestions.
 Also, offer conclusions and recommendations.
 Interact with audience.
 Use politeness tactics like „please‟ and „thank you‟ to have influence over the
audience.
iii). To entertain:
 Used to break monotony (boring) of main presentation.
 Speaker can use humor, tell funny stories, and have short quizzes.
 Slang words (yeah, kidding) should be avoided.
iv). To motivate:
 A presentation can also be used to motivate or encourage new employees to perform
well at their job and also old employees to take up new projects which are
challenging.
Audience and Locale:
 It is important to know about the audience beforehand. This information of audience
should be about their-age, gender, interest, background and nature and change his
presentation content and style as per the audience‟s requirement.
 For example: A salesman making presentation to higher income group which is
well-educated and belongs to higher level of society; he will provide them with
maximum information of the product with chosen vocabulary. Next, he will try to
persuade them to buy that product. Hence, his sales presentation will be combination
of informative and persuasive presentation.
Hence, it is very important to know the needs and characteristics (profile) of the
audience before making a presentation. There are 6 ways of making audience profile:
i). Identify the primary audience (decision makers).
ii). Determine audience size.
iii). Determine audience composition – needs, interests, attitudes, cultural
backgrounds.
iv). Determine audience‟s level of understanding.
v). Determine audience‟s expectations from presentation.
vi). Estimate audience‟s possible reaction to presentation.
Therefore, it‟s important for the speaker to understand audience‟s requirement of
information, media they prefer for presentation and make a good communications
with them from the beginning.
Locale: Physical environment (for giving presentation) The speaker should know
about:
i). Place of presentation (auditorium or conference room).
ii). Podium or only a table.
iii). Public address system available (microphone or speaker).
iv). Seating arrangement, room temperature and lightning.
v). Visual-aids available.

What is Oral Communication?

Oral communication is transfer of information from sender to receiver by means of verbal and
visual aid. Examples of oral communication include presentations, speeches, discussions, etc.
Though the message is conveyed through words, most of the times oral communication is
effectively carried out with the help of non-verbal communication like body language and tone
modulations. Oral communication is also at times mixed with visual aid to help establish the
conveyed message in a clear manner.

Advantages of Oral Communication

1. Immediate feedback
2. Time Saving
3. Economical
 4. Personal touch
5. Flexibity
6. Group communication
7. Effectiveness
8. Persuasive Power

Disadvantages of Oral Communication

1. Poor Retention
2. No Record
3. Time Consuming
4. Misunderstanding
5. Lengthy Message
6. Lack of Responsibility
7. Imprecise

Tips for Oral Presentation: (Example: Report on a Project)

i). Before giving introduction of presentation, create audience interest by storytelling
or quotation or question to have attention of audience.
ii). Introduce topic of presentation next.
iii). Organize the speech in parts starting with introduction, paragraph, and main
paragraph and concluding paragraph.
iv). Be clear and precise.
v). Give pauses and stresses wherever required.
vi). Personal appearance and speaker should be good and body posture should be
proper.
Types of Presentation:
1). Individual presentation: participation of single person or organization on a theme.
2). Group presentation: a presentation made by a group of people.
7 steps for successful presentation:
1). Decide the objective: Define the theme of presentation.
2). Manner of presentation: Speaker decides whether formal or informal
presentation as per demands of the audience.
3). Mode of presentation: Whether formal or informal, speaker should understand
needs of audience and their demands and interests
and try to meet them.
4). Preparation of Script: It generates confidence.
5). Preparation of visual aids, handouts and Feedback Forms: All these help in
the following:
 Visual Aids: Increases memory of data in presentation.
 Handouts: Brings out competence in subject matter.
 Feedback Forms: Brings perfection and confidence.
6). Rehearse: It is very important to practice giving the presentation to improve
quality of presentation.
7). Presentation: During final presentation, following should be kept in mind:
 Clarity: Presentation should be given in clear voice.
 Simplicity: Presentation should be clear and acceptable.
 Share knowledge, information and ideas.
Organizing the Content:
1). Introduction:
a). Attention of audience: It must capture attention of audience, hence the opening
statement may be
i). a question
ii). simple statement
iii). a story related to a topic
iv). refer to some interesting data
b). Winning audience confidence:
i). good introduction builds up credibility (reputation) with audience of the speaker.
ii). a good way to do so is by introducing and giving his (speaker ‟s) qualifications
and referring to organization he has worked with.
c). Previewing the presentation: Give the audience a preview of what is going to be
presented to keep them attentive and alert.
2). Main Content (Body): The main content should be clear and hold audience
attention. It can be organized in the following manner:
a). Inductive order: The speaker moves from particular to general statements.
b). Deductive order: General to particular statements.
c). Question to Answer order: The speaker begins with certain questions which are
soon answered.
d). Chronological: When the topic needs to be presented in time basis. Ex: History of
X-Ray machines.
e). Cause and Effect:
 Explain the cause and then the effect of the situation.
 While using this method speaker uses words like: therefore, so , because, however,
or finally.
3). Close:
a). Give at least 10% of total time for ending.
b). When developing your conclusion use words like – “In conclusion” or “So, sum it
all up”.
c). Restate your main points.
d). Make final words memorable with a quote, a call to action or some encouraging
words.
e). Do not introduce any new ideas at this stage.
Presentation Delivery Tools:
1). Consideration of Personal Aspects:
a). Confidence: have confidence in yourself but also earn the confidence of the
audience by creating the right image and talking
in a strong clear voice.
b). Sincerity: It is important to be sincere while presenting data.
c). Thoroughness: Give complete details to audience.
d). Friendliness: Create an image of friendliness.
2). Audience Analysis:
a). Preliminary Analysis: look for audience characteristics that will affect speech,
things like audience gender, age, education
and knowledge.
b). Analysis during presentation: audience reaction during the presentation
(feedback), facial expressions, movements, etc.
3). Appearance and Physical Actions: 6 factors which help audience form
impression about speaker:
a). Communication Environment
b). Personal appearance
c). Posture
d). Walking
e). Facial Expression
f). Gestures
The communication environment is physically surrounding like stage, lightning, etc.
It should help in presentation delivery not distract from it. Personal appearance
should be neat and clean.
4). Use of Voice:
a). Pitch Variation: It is important to keep changing the pitch of speaker (volume).
b). Speaking speed: It is required to change the speed regularly to have audience
attention.
c). Vocal Emphasis: Gain emphasis on words with help of pitch and speed.
Audio Visual Aids: Visual aids help the speaker to create interest in the audience and
have their attention. Ex: maps, picture, charts, overhead projectors and blackboards.
Following things should be considered:
1). Use visual aids with related topic.
2). Show the visual aid only when required.
3). Help the audience understand the visual aid and its data for that topic.
4). Emphasize on important points only and do not put too much information in the
visual aid.
Selecting the type of Visual Aid:
1). Select the visual aids as per the message as every message (topic) needs a
different type of visual aids.
2). Cost and time also should be kept in mind while selecting a visual aid. Too much
cost or time should not be spend while collecting information and making the visual
aids.
3). Also audience size should be considered.
Selecting the right Visual Aid:
There should be a perfect relation between the verbal oral information and the
information provided by the visual aids. Following are most popular types of visuals
and their uses:
1). To show exact values – Use tables
2). To show trend over time – use bar chart or line chart
3). To compare one item with another – use bar chart
4). To compare one part with whole – use a pie chart
5). To shoe geographical locations – use maps
6). To explain a process – use flow chart or diagram
Types of Visual –Audio Aids:
1). Posters: It can be made on thick paper by writing with sketch pens.
2). Black Board or White Board: It is useful during a presentation. After writing on
the board, read from it and do not stand between
the audience and the board.
3). Flip Chart:
 It consists of white sheets of thick paper joined at top by spiral binding. A thick
sketch pen is used to write on it.
 It is on a straight stand and the presenter turns the pages for audience to see what is
written on the sheet.
4). OHP (Over Head Projector):
 This projects the writing from transparency on to screen, with the help of bright
light, magnifying glass and a mirror.
 Writing should be big and clear.
 Pot off OHP when not referring to transparency to have listener ‟s complete
attention.
5). Video Cassette Recorder and TV:
 It is used for a small audience. VCR is played and transferred to the TV screen.
 Educational films are also available on cassettes.
 Professional presentation makers shoot special video films for their presentation.
6). Slide Projectors:
 It is used by professional photographers.
 It is a large wall mounted screen.
7). Power point presentation:
 LCD projectors are used to give presentation with the help of laptop/computer.
 The visual effect of photos, data, graphs, diagrams, charts etc is very impressive.
Paralanguage: Paralinguistic features are non-verbal vocal cues that help you to give
urgency to your voice. Your voice is your trademark. It gives immediacy to your
words. Various paralinguistic features are as below:
Quality: quality is a characteristic that distinguishes one voice from another. Each
one of us has a unique voice and its quality depends upon its resonating mechanism.
While the quality of one's voice cannot be changed it can be trained for optimum
impact. It may be rich and resonant, soft and alluring, thin and nasal, hoarse and
husky, or harsh and irritating.
Volume: Volume is the loudness or softness of the voice. Your voice should always
project but need not always be loud. If the place you are speaking in is large and
open, the volume should be high, and if the place is small and enclosed, the volume
should be low. If your volume is too high you may sound boorish and insensitive,
whereas if it is too low you may convey an impression of timidity, which has no place
in the business world.
Pace/ rate: rate is the number of words you speak per minute. It varies from person
to person and from 80 to 250 words per minute. The normal rate is from 120 to 150
words. Cultivate your pace so as to fit in this reasonable limit. If a person speaks too
slowly and monotonously, he is most likely to be considered a dull speaker even
though the contents of his speech may be highly interesting. Similarly,a fast speaker
also causes discomfort because the listeners do not get time to grasp the thoughts and
switch from one thought to another. Under these circumstances, listeners may just
stop listening to you and their attention may go astray.
Pitch: pitch refers to the number of vibrations per second of your voice. The rise and
fall of the voice conveys various emotions. Thank you is such a phrase. You can find
out the differences when you utter it indifferently and when you say it with sincerity.
Inflections give warmth, lustre, vitality and exuberance to your speech. Lowness of
pitch can indicate sadness, shock, dullness, guilt etc.
Syllable: Syllable: It is a unit for analysis of speech on air-stream mechanism from
lungs while saying a word which results in s chest pulse. Each chest pulse (or muscle
movement) corresponds to a syllable. Vowel sound forms the nucleus of a syllable. A
word can be classified into monosyllabic, disyllabic and polysyllabic words.
i). Monosyllabic words – words with one syllable only. Ex: teach, read, out,care,
part, stand.
ii). Disyllabic words – words with two syllables. Ex: teacher, reader, outer,
careful, partner, standard.
iii). Polysyllabic words – words with more than two syllables. Ex: readership,
leadership, outermost, carefully, partnership.
Accent: Accent is peculiar to an individual, location, or a nation. Usually the region
to which you belong affects your accent. Not only the locality but the economic status
ethnicity, caste, etc. all have impact on your accent. It is an important fact
whetherEnglish is your first language or your second language.
Rhythm: English is a rhythmic language. Rhythm being a feature of phonological
structure of English. Rhythm generally refers to the timing pattern. There are two
factors that influence the rhythm of English: sentence stress and connected speech.
Maintaining a rhythm in a speech makes the speech sound natural and fluent.
Intonation: the intonation of a language refers to the patterns of pitch variations or
the tones it uses in its utterances. In normal speech, the pitch of our voice goes on
changing constantly ---going up, going down and sometimes remaining steady.
Different pitches of the voice combine to form patterns of pitch variations or tone,
which together constitute intonation.
Articulation:
Produce speech sounds clearly without removing sounds between words or
sentences. Modify voice or breathe with tongue, teeth, and lips to produce correct
speech sound. It helps to focus attention on message. For Example: I dunno should
be said as – “I do not know”. I wanna go, should be – “I want to go”.
Pronunciation: if articulation means speaking out all the sounds distinctly, then
pronunciation requires us to speak out sounds in a way that is generally accepted. The
best way is to follow British Received Pronunciation. One should be careful enough
to pronounce individual sounds along with word stress according to the set norms.
Don't be taken in by the fancy that you know the correct pronunciation of all the
words.
Voice modulation: while intonation refers to tonal variations, modulation pertains to
the way we regulate, vary, or adjust the tone, pitch, and volume of our sound or
speaking voice. Modulation of voice brings flexibility and vitality in your voice, and
you can express emotions, sentiments like impatience, careful planning despondency
suspicion, etc. in the best possible way.
Pause: a pause is short silence flanked by words. A pause in speaking lets the listener
reflect on the messages and digest it accordingly. It helps you glide from one thought
to another. It embellishes your speech because it is a natural process to give a break.

Kinesics: Kinesics is the study of body's physical movements. In other words, it is the way the body
communicates without words, i.e., through various movements of its parts. These are:
Personal Appearance: personal appearance plays an important role; people see you before they
hear you. Appearance for our purpose includes clothing, hair style, jewelry, cosmetics etc. you
should expect appearance to be a part of your message you communicate. Plan your appearance in
such a way that it communicate effectively to others.
Posture: posture generally refers to the way we hold ourselves when we stand, sit or walk. Certain
mannerisms creeps in, usually from nervousness – pacing constantly, bobbing the shoulders, either
constantly moving or running straight. You need to analyze the effects of body shape and posture to
understand their role in non verbal communication.
Gesture: Gesture is the movement of hands arms, shoulders etc. a well timed gesture not only drive
home a point but also enhance the impact and adds greater value to what is being said. Gesture
clarify your ideas or reinforce them and should be well suited to the audience and occasion. Gesture
are numerous than any form of non verbal communication.
Facial Expression: A popular saying goes like this,” the face is the index of the heart.” whatever
we feel deep within ourselves is at once reflected on our face. It plays an important role in the face
to face communication. As it is a more expressive part of your body. A smile stands for friendliness,
raised eyebrows for disbelief, tightened jaw muscles for antagonism etc. you can use them in a
variety. Your facial expressions may also show anxiety, hesitation, and pleasure in quick succession.
Eye contact: the eyes are considered to be the windows of soul. You look into the eyes of a speaker
to help find out the truthfulness of his speech, his intelligence, attitudes, and feelings. Eye contact is
a direct and powerful form of non-verbal communication. Looking directly as listeners eyes, build a
rapport with the audience.

Modes of Delivery:
There are a number of methods of delivery from which the speaker can choose the best one as per
his requirements:
1). Extemporaneous: Extemporaneous presentation is by far the most popular and effective
method when carefully prepared. When speaking extempore you must prepare the notes beforehand
and rehearse your presentation. It should sound quite spontaneous to the audience as it is a result of
thorough preparation. Let us look some positive and negative aspects of this mode of presentation.
Advantages:
• As you have enough time to prepare for the presentation, you work hard on the theme and
present it in the best possible way.
• Thorough preparation on your part makes you feel secure and you carry out your
responsibility with great aplomb. Adaptation is also possible if the need arises. You can be
flexible in your use of languages.
• The supporting material helps to present your points clearly and also weight to your
agreement.
• Your delivery sounds natural and spontaneous to the audience as it allows you to establish a
rapport with the audience through more eye contact.
• It enables one to move freely, with ease.
Disadvantage:
• If preparation is inadequate, you can get lost and find yourself uncomfortable.
• If you rely too much on note cards and start reading out from them instad of just consulting
them for reference, then your speech will lose its spontaneity.

2). Manuscript: It means reading out the written material aloud. it is used for complex or technical
presentations such as company policies or machine description. The reader must practice the speech
regularly before going to a presentation. In this presentation the contact between speaker and
audience is broken while reading the manuscript. For effective use of this mode, you should have
gone through the material several times beforehand till you become absolutely familiar with the
text.You should know what is written where.
Advantage:
• It's a permanent and accurate record of whatever you have to say.
 • There is no chance of tampering with facts and figures.
• The material is organized systematically. Keep in mind the step by step development of
• main points.
• Language gets polished because you can write and rewrite your material until
Disadvantages:
• Since you will be reading from the manuscript, you get less time for makingproper eye
contact, which is essntial to feel the pulse of your audience.
• Since you are reading to the audience, you cannot talk to them. There is not much scope
ether for non-verbal communication.
• Adaptation is rather difficult, if the need arises, to give a different twist to your material.
• In the absence of effective reading skill, you fumble over words, lose your pace, and miss
punctuation marks, etc. This adds up to an uninteresting speech and loss of audience
attention.
• Conversational flavour along with vocal inflection takes a back seat here, which is a great
asset for you as a speaker.
3). Impromptu: Impromptu means done without preparing or planning. Thus impromptu speech
means delivered without any preparation done before i.e. unrehearsed (no practice) delivery in
speech.
Advantages:
• You sound very natural because you do not get enough time to make any elaborate
preparation.
• You get a chance to express your thoughts irrespective of what others think or say about that
particular topic.
• You are spontaneous as you say what you feel, not what you ought to say.
Disadvantages:
• The presentation lacks organized development of ideas because of the shortage of time.
• There is no supplementary material to substantiate the speech.
• Chances of rambling are very high. Various points may hang loose.
• There is frequent use of vocalized pauses. The presentation may turn out to be a faliure if
you you have inadequate proficiency in the language you use.
Memorization: This method of presentation is very difficult for most people. Probably only a
handful of you can actually memorize an entire speech. This type of delivery stands somewhere
between extemporaneous and manuscript presentation.
Advantages:
• It is very easy for such speakers to maintain an eye contact with the audience throughout the
presentation.
• The speaker can easily move and make use of appropriate non-verbal communication to add
extra value to the speech.
• It is possible to finish the speech in allotted time.
Disadvantages:
• memorization requires too much of time.
• There are chances of making it a dull and monotonous presentation because you go exactly
by whatever you have memorized.
• Even your mnemonic skills fail you if you have not rehearsed properly.
• No flaxibility or adeptation is possible during the speech.

PUBLIC SPEAKING: CONFIDENCE, CLARITY AND FLUENCY

To grow in our academic or professional career, we must have the ability to stand in front of an
audience and deliver a lecture for presentation on a certain topic. It should be convincing, supported
with facts and examples, and be able to create an impact. We may have brilliant ideas, but it is very
important to get them across to others for them to be appreciated. Similarly, in our personal or
community life, we made have to meet people, talk to them about some matter, or persuade them to
do something. We may have to speak in various situations, Be it with colleagues at the workplace,
friends and teachers in college, or others in our neighbourhood. The effectiveness with which we do
it shapes the perception of us in others mind. You probably remember times when you persuade
your parents to agree to something, given a motivational talk to your siblings or friends, or inform
your teacher about something. On the other hand you might have paid in convincing or pursuading
others at some other occasions. Thus, different experiences might have made you realise that being
confident, clear, and fluent is the key to effective oral communication. Let us discuss how we can
enhance our confidence, clarity, and fluency in speeches and presentations.

Confidence: Most people tend to become anxious or nervous before doing something important in
public. Following are a few tips to overcome nervousness before a speech:
• Believe that fear is your friend; it makes your reflexes sharper, heightens your energy as
more adrenaline is pumped into your blood when you are nervous or stressed.
• Given a choice, choose a topic you truly like. If you are given a specific topic, develop
genuine interest in it.
• Prepare, prepare, and prepare until you become comfortable with the living the topic.
Thorough preparations is the antidote for nervousness.
• If you are a novice speaker, then prepare more than the required material so that you do not
go blank during your speech on any main or subtopics.
• Give a mock speech in front of your friends and find out your strengths and weaknesses.
• Try the positive visualisation techniques that requires you to concentrate on how good you
are and to think all is well. You should practice this a day or a few hours before your speech:
assume that you are just chatting with your friends; close your eyes and imagine that your
audience is instantly listening to you, smiling and applauding; at the end of your speech
many people come to you, shake hands and appreciate your speech; and then you enjoy your
favourite food with your family and friends in a nice restaurant.
• Anticipate easy and difficult questions and prepare answers for the same.
• Work hard on your introduction material. Practice till it is a smooth. Generally the speaker's
anxiety level begins to drop significantly after the first 30 seconds. Hence, once you are
thoreau 3 with the initial part of your introduction you may feel better
• Take a couple of slow, deep breaths before you start your speech.
• Do not start immediately after reaching the stage. Take a few seconds to look into the eyes
of your audience.
• Check the venue and other arrangements. For instance, if the mike or projector does not
work, your nervousness may get aggravated. Hence, it is better to check the equipment.
• While waiting for your audience you can take a quick walk in the room.
• Look at the friendliest faces in the audience.
• Do not explicitly show your nervousness; if your hands are trembling keep them close to
your body. If your legs are shaking, lean on the lectern or table on the stage.
• Do not comment on your nervousness.
• Remember that nervousness does not show even one-tenth as much as it feels.

Clarity: many speakers despite having a complete control of what they were speaking find
it very difficult to speak clearly even if they spend hours in preparing for their speeches for
presentations and deliver it confidently and audience may not understand most part of the
 speech if there is no clarity in their speecch. A speech may lack clarity, if the speaker:
• Speaks either very fast or very slow
• Does not articulate the words properly
• Pronounce incorrectly or does not follow the standard pronunciation
• Gives wrong emphasis on words
• Does not have a well organised material
• Uses too many unfamiliar words
The following are some of the ways in which the clarity of speech can be improved:
• The average number of words can be spoken permanent is about 120 to 140. Inexperienced
speakers generally tend to speak faster because if their nervous energy. Hence, a conscious
effort to slow down can reduce the speed significantly. Likewise, if the speed is very slow,
and effort to speed up should be made. However, in both cases the speaker should always
look natural.
The following exercises that involve speech organs such as jaw, tongue, etc., should be practiced:
(a) open your mouth wide and then close. Repeat it several times.
(b) Touch the inner parts of your mouth with your tongue or rotate your tongue, thereby touching all
parts of your mouth.
(c) Make wide chewing motion while humming gently.
(d) Stretch your jaw muscles (as though yawning) while moving your jaw sideways and in circles.
(e) Puff air into your mouth, keep for a few seconds, and then release it. Repeat it several times.
• One should learn the correct pronunciation of words while preparing for a speech. Listening
to English News in television channels may also help us as the news readers speak Standard
English.
• While speaking, the volume should be adjusted keeping in mind the number of audience, the
size of the room, etc. If using a mic one need to adjust the volume before one begins the
speech or presentation and has to get it checked Thoroughly.
• All the words in each sentence of one's speech is not equally important. Take for example a
statement 'We all want the best solution'. As a speaker, one should know which word should
be stressed – all, best, or solution. One's misplacing of emphasis may make the audience
confused. Hance, while rehearsing, it is always better to highlight the words that are to be
emphasized and to speak them with the right accent. One should believe in the saying
'practice makes one perfect'.
• Simple and unambiguous words and expressions should be used in a speech.
• Recording one's presentation may help know how one should and where the problem lie a
video recording would be an even better idea.
Fluency: We can ask these following questions to ourselves and try to answer them:
• Do I say 'umm.....', 'ah....' because I don't get the right words to continue my statements?
• Do I pause a lot when i speak?
• Do I use certain expressions such as 'you know', 'I mean', 'actually' etc., during my speaking
assignment?
• Do I speak very slowly and carefully because I feel that I may commit mistakes?
• Do I mumble some words because I am not very sure about my pronunciation?
• Do I feel irritated when a member of the audience interrupts me during my speech?

If the answer is yes then we have a problem is speaking english fluently. Fluency is nothing but
delivering continuous flow of message at an appropriate rate with necessary pauses. The fluency in
speaking English depends mostly on our proficiency in English. We must realise that gaining good
command over a language will pave the way for fluency which in turn may enable us to face the
audience confidently. The following guidelines Mein help and hence are fluency in English.
• Aim for clear oral communication devoid of speech errors.
• Write personal diary in English.
 • Listening to good speakers and read material written in good English. Listen to news in
English. Watch English documentaries. Read the newspaper both for content and language.
• Expand vocabulary by learning at least five words per day, along with their meaning and
usage.
• Practice correct pronunciation, accent, and tone to make the speech impressive.
• Learn from your mistakes.
• Concentrate on your ideas rather than your appearance, the impact you are creating etc.
• Read aloud the passages from books or magazines that you enjoy reading.
• Watch English movies to understand the manner of speaking conversational English.
• Think in English what you have done or what you are going to do.
• Practice your speaking skills in small talks -- on weather, games, hobbies, current affairs
etc.-- with your friends or family members.
• To enhance fluency, one need to keep speaking english and continue to learn from one's
mistake.

PROXEMICS

Proxemics is the study of physical space in interpersonal relations. Space is related to behavioural
norms. The way people use space tells you a lot about them. In a professional setting, space is used
to signal power and status. For instance, the head of a company has a larger office than more junior
employees, and you, as a speaker, will have an open space before you when addressing an audience.
You should use the psychological power of this space to your advantage.

Your gestures should be in accordance with the space available. When you have plenty of space to
manoeuvre, move more boldly and expand your gestures. When seated at a table, use milder
gestures. Even here, though, you can subtly reach out over the table to extend your space. This
expresses control and authority,

Moving closer to an audience is useful to invite discussion, to express agreement, or to emphasize a

point. However, do not retreat from this close position when you make an important point or
conclude your presentation. This encourages the audience to downplay the importance of your
point.

You can learn a great deal about how to use space to great advantage by observing dynamic,
influential speakers. It is interesting to note that like kinesics, proxemics also has cultural variations.
A Latin American or a French is likely to stand closer to another person when conversing than an
Anglo-Saxon would in the same situation. Americans, addressed from a close distance, may feel
offended or become aggressive. Studies show that Americans, unlike many other nationals, avoid
close contact with one another in public places.

Edward T. Hall in The Hidden Dimension divides space into four distinct zones.

Intimate
This zone starts with personal touch and extends up to 18 inches (one and a half feet). Members of
the family, lovers, spouses, relatives and parents fall under this zone. The best relationship that
describes this zone is the mother-child relationship. No words are spoken; if all something is
spoken, it is just some whispering sounds. Other individuals come close for a very brief period and
only under special circumstances when they want to congratulate you, sympathize with you, or
console you. A handshake, a pat on the back, or a hug all come into this space
Personal This zone stretches from 18 inches (one and a half feet) to four feet. Your close friends,
colleagues, peers, etc. fall in this tier. Instead of whispering sounds or utter silence, normal
conversation takes place. Though this zone is personal, it is quite a relaxed and casual place. It
permits spontaneous and unprogrammed communication. Sitting or standing so close brings you
closer to the listener and gives the impression of friendliness and warmth.

Social
Social events take place within this radius of four feet to 12 feet. In this layer, relationships are
more official. You tend to become more formal. People are more cautious in their movements. You
should be smart enough to conduct it with less emotion and more planning. Here the number of
people decides whether it should be sitting-sitting or sitting-standing position. It is through
experience that you decide which position to take. If the number of people is less and you can
maintain eye contact, you could go in for a sitting position. If you have to be authoritative and the
audience is large, you can opt for the sitting-standing position.

Public
This zone starts from 12 feet and may extend upto 30 feet or to the range of eyesight and hearing.
Events that take place in this zone are formal. Here the audience views what is happening as an
impartial observer. The degree of detachment is very high. The audience is free to do whatever it
feels like. Here the speaker has to raise his voice to communicate to others or use a microphone.
Public figures like the Prime Minister of a country, for example, have to maintain this distance for
security reasons.

CHRONEMICS

Chronemics is the study of how human beings communicate through their use of time. How do you
communicate with others? What does time mean to you? In order to use time as an effective
communication tool, you should understand the impact it has and then act accordingly. We attempt
to control time, trying to use it more effectively.

In the professional world, time is a valuable commodity. When you are late for an appointment,
people react negatively. If you arrive early, you are considered either over-eager or aggressive. So
always be on time. Through time, you communicate both subtly and explicitly.

People have their own 'time language'. To one person who wakes up at 8:00 a.m., 6:30 a.m. may be
early; to another, 8: 00 a.m. may be late if he wakes up at 5:00 a.m. everyday!

Time language also varies from culture to culture. In Latin American countries, meetings usually
begin well after their appointed time. Everyone knows this. It is customary, and no one is offended
by the delay. In Scandinavia or Germany, on the other hand, strict punctuality is the rule, and
tardiness is frowned upon. on

As a speaker, your awareness of schedules is a chronemic element. Good timing is crucial, and you
should rehearse a formal presentation until it is a little under time, because staying within time
limits is a mark of courtesy and professionalism. If, at the beginning of your presentation, you
assure the listeners that you will be giving them time at the end of your presentation and then keep
talking till the time allocated, without allowing scope for the audience to respond, you will
undoubtedly elannoy the audience.

The shorter the time allotted, the more difficult the task. The more difficult the task, the greater the
need not just for careful planning and effective visual aids but also for diligent rehearsal.
To recapitulate, oral presentation is an art that requires careful planning, preparation, and a great
deal of practice. This tool is both valuable and relevant. Apart from communicating the main
purpose of your presentation, there are various factors that you need to blend inextricably to convey
your message clearly. These features are: audience analysis, organization of matter, preparation of
an outline, nuances of delivery, kinesics and paralinguistics, and visual aids. Your aim should be to
keep all these threads intact, neither too loose nor too tight. With care and practice, you can achieve
wonders with your oral presentations.