ENDING THE PRESENTATION

ENDING THE PRESENTATION

Summaries and Conclusions

Make sure you summarize:
A summary restates the main points and emphasizes what the audience must
remember. It should be brief and must not contain any new information.
Create an Effective Conclusion:
Don't just present data or summarized results and leave the audience to draw
its own conclusions.
You need to state the logical consequences of what you have said. The
conclusion may often contain recommendations. However, the conclusion
must also be brief.
Read the two texts that follow: 1 is the summary and 2 is the conclusion. In
the summary we highlight the salient points, while in the conclusion we give
recommendations.

1.  I’d like to end by emphasizing the
main points.
·  Contrary to our expectations our
students are not performing
better…..
·  This is mainly due to our inability
to improve teaching methods….
·  The students from rural areas
faced various difficulties in
overcoming cultural and
communication barriers

2  So what do we conclude from this?
·  We must have specific training in
communication skills especially
in English.
·  We must use an eclectic approach
in teaching English.
·  Encourage all groups of students
to interact and visit each other’s
homes.

Questions / Discussion

During a presentation you are required
to give the audience a chance to ask
questions. Your policy on questions
must be stated right at the outset.
While presenting the outline you
should let the audience know whether
they can interrupt you with questions
in the course of the presentations or
you would like them to ask questions
at the end of your presentation.
Alternatively you can invite the
audience to a discussion.

Remember that when members of the audience ask you questions, it means
that they have a genuine interest in what you are saying and want to know
more. Treat this as an opportunity to get your message across better.
Here are some helpful clues for handling questions:

·  try to anticipate questions and prepare responses in advance
·  rehearse answers to difficult questions
·  listen very carefully – avoid the temptation to interrupt
·  make sure you understand the question - paraphrase it, if necessary; repeat
it, if needed
·  give yourself time to think
·  be Honest: if you can't answer the question, say so
·  keep control over the audience and don’t allow any chaos
·  ensure that you entertain only relevant questions
·  keep a lookout for time – don’t allow the question / discussion session to
linger interminably
·  be polite
·  don’t forget to thank the audience at the end

VISUAL AIDS IN PRESENTATIONS

 VISUAL AIDS IN PRESENTATIONS

A variety of visual aids like flip charts,
line graphs, bar graphs, pie charts,
pictograms, maps, tables, diagrams,
photographs, etc. can be used for
presentations. Visual aids are commonly
used in presentations to present
information which is complex or
statistical in nature.
Visual aids can make a presentation more
interesting and easier to understand. They
also help you to cut down on the amount
of talking you have to do.
However, you must ensure that your visuals are relevant, appropriate and
clear. You must never overload them with information. Effective presenters
introduce and highlight visual information briefly and clearly, making sure
they allow their audience time to absorb the information.
Use visuals to reinforce and clarify, and not to overwhelm the audience.
Here is a sample of a visual commonly used for presentations. In order to be
able to talk about it you need language which is specifically used to describe
visuals.
Let us recap the useful expressions for introducing visuals and apply them to
the given visuals. The expressions are highlighted in bold. In addition, you
will also be introduced to some more formulaic language useful for describing
visuals.

LANGUAGE FOCUS IN PRESENTATION

LANGUAGE FOCUS IN PRESENTATION

Signposting

Signposts help to guide the audience through a presentation. Look at the
phrases given below. These will help you to guide your audience through a
presentation.
to move on              to go back                to summarize
to expand on            to recap                    to turn to
to digress                 to conclude             to elaborate on
to illustrate

Choose one of the signpost expressions from above for the following
situations:

i When you want to make your next point To………………………
ii When you want to change direction To………………………
iii When you want to refer to an earlier point To………………………
iv When you want to repeat the main points To………………………
v When you want to give a wider perspective To………………………
vi When you want to give an example To………………………
vii When you want to do a deeper analysis To………………………
viii When you just want to give the basic points To………………………
once again
ix When you want to deviate from your plan To………………………
x When you want to finish your talk To……………………....

More Signposting

Here are some more helpful signposts which you could use in the middle stage
of your presentations.
Showing steps
First of all let’s look at…………………………
Then………………………..
Next………………………..
Lastly………………………

Visuals too are included in the middle of a presentation. 

Using Visuals

Visuals like bar graphs, line graphs, pie charts, pictograms, maps,
photographs, charts, PowerPoint slides are commonly used in presentations to
present statistical information or to make comparisons.

 ways to present them:
Introducing a visual

I’d like to show you……………………
Have a look at this……………………..
This graph shows / represents………….
Here we can see………………………..
Let’s look at this……………………….
As you can see in this graph / table……
Comparisons This compares x with y
Let’s compare the………………
Here you see a comparison between…………..

Conclusion                     And here is some language input for the end of your

                                               presentation

Comparisons                       

                                                                                                                                                                                                                    This compares x with y

                                                Let’s compare the………………

                                                Here you see a comparison between…………..

Closing                    

                                 Finally, to sum up…………………….
                                 I’d like to sum up now………………..
                                 That concludes my presentation.

Questions / Discussion

At the end of a presentation you are required to invite the audience to ask any
questions that they may like to ask. Alternatively you could also permit them
to ask questions whenever they want in the course of your presentation. This
has to be told to them in the very beginning.

Inviting questions                

 Are there any questions?
If there are any questions I’ll be glad to try to answer

I’ll be glad to answer any questions you may have.
Now we could have a discussion on…………

ENGLISH IN INDIA : IT'S STATUS, ROLE AND FUNCTIONS

ENGLISH IN INDIA : IT'S STATUS, ROLE AND
FUNCTIONS

Why do you think we need to talk about the status, role and function English in India? We need to talk about these terns because they, to a very large extent, govern tile importance of English in India.

 Perhaps this can be explained wilt the help of an Analogy. Let me offer you some food for thought! I am sure most of us are familiar with various types of delicacies associated with certain cuisines. Most of us are familiar with Chinese cuisine. Soup, noodles and Manchurian is what immediately comes to our mind and not its actual delicacy which is 'Peking Duck'. Why is this? This is because the status of Chinese cuisine has become totally Indianised over the years. 

The availability of 'Indian Chinese' is no longer restricted to restaurants or hotels but can readily be found at roadside mobile vans. Our taste buds whole-heartedly welcome tile flavor of Indian Chinese noodles, which tlie Chinese would perhaps totally disown, if they were to get a taste of it  Indian family has the option of having this interesting diversion at least once a week. You may be wondering why we are talking about Chinese cuisine. What is the connection between this cuisine and English language'? Well, there certainly is a common link. Both have become an integral component of our lives, playing vital roles, Irldian Chinese cuisine in satisfying our palate on the one hand and English language - in satisfying our practical need for social mobility, opportunity, Powel and communication on the other hand. After all, aren't food and language two of our basic needs!

English in India, has the status of 'associate official language'. It is also popularly referred to as a second language. It has die status of a second language as we in India acquire and use one or more Indian language(s) as our first language.

The roles and function of English are innumerable. Its need can be discerned in every domain -administration, bureaucracy, education, science and technology, judiciary, trade and commerce. It is not only in tiles public domains that the knowledge of English is considered an essential necessity but also it is very important to take care of our personal 'communicative needs as well. Whether it is applying for school admission or a job, facing an interview, opening a bank account, ordering a meal, working as a receptionist or simply being a tourist guide at Taj Mahal - the need for English is felt by each one of us in our daily lives. The youth, especially, seem to be favorably inclined towards the language as they perceive it as significant for their career advancement.

It is actually the domain of education most interested in. So let's talk about its role in this sphere. English is learnt for a period ranging from six to twelve years depending on whether a child goes to ail English medium school or an Indian language medium school. In English medium schools, children get exposure to the language as a subject and as a medium instruction as well.

However, in Indian language medium schools, children get limited exposure to English, only as a subject, which is taught like any other subject History, Math’s or Science.

At the level of higher education, English in India plays a central role especially in fields of pure applied sciences, medicine, law, management, etc.

Going further up the ladder after higher education, job opportunities, social advancement, prestige, power become issues of consideration and English is often perceived as the language fulfilling these aspirations.

In the course of the spread of English all over the world, its role and functions diversified and multiplied in virtually all major walks of life. This increasingly led to a demand for English education in India. The practical value of the language and its benefits have contributed to Indian learners having a high motivation and positive attitude towards the English language. Although there is no major English speaking community in India, it is possible to learn and practice. English outside the formal educational setting: radio, TV, internet, books, newspapers, magazines are all readily available and accessible.

Although English is spoken as a first language in the five countries mentioned below-American English, British English, Canadian English, Australian English and New Zealand English-all differ in significant ways from each other. Not only that, English within each country lends itself to several varieties, each variety being distinct because of several factors - social, personal, geographical boundaries. We'll appreciate this better if we compare this to Hindi being spoken differently in Eastern U.P. (Bllojpuri and Avadhi) as compared to M.P.(Chattisgarhi and Bhageli) In Britain itself we have several varieties. All the varieties are' generally marked by a distinct accent, words and their usage. If you have heard Tony Greg and Geoffrey Boycott giving cricket commentary, you would understand that though both speak British English the e former speaks the Standard variety while the latter, the Yorkshire variety.

Let us consider a few examples from British English and American English and see Non-native varieties of English are all those varieties which are spoken as second or foreign languages. In other words, in all these diverse cultural contexts, English is not their first language.

 English in these socio-cultural contexts is learnt at different

stages, for different purposes, goals and aspirations. Since there is already a presence of another language, such as Hindi, Bangla, Tamil, etc. which is acquired as a first language, these languages have a considerable influence on English. When this happens, English begins to sound quite different in each context, with its own flavour and nuances.

'Indian English' has emerged in India which is systematically different from Standard British English. However, we must keep this in mind that this deviation is in no way a failure to learn English but a natural consequence of prolonged use of the language in the social context in which it is spoken. Consequently 'IndianEnglish' is an outcome of the 'Indianisation of English' which is culture bound in the socio-cultural context of India.

COMMUNICATION PROCESS

COMMUNICATION PROCESS

In order to develop a deep understanding of the subject of communication, it is important that everyone understands the complete process of communication. Broadly, it has two parts:
 Process at communicator‟s end (Senders‟ Part)
 Process at communicatee‟s end (Receivers‟ Part)

These have been described below:

 PROCESS AT COMMUNICATORS‟ END (SENDERS‟ PART)

The process at communicators‟ end can also be looked at in two halves as below:
(1) Inward journey
It entails the following steps:

(i) As received by senses

A human being perceives the world around him from spoken words, written words, visuals and cues from body language in terms of sounds, gestures, expressions, signs, signals etc through the five human senses of seeing, smelling, hearing, tasting and touching.
These are the external five senses – our antennas. However, ultimately senses only capture feelings, images etc and convey them to the human brain which is main receptacle of what is perceived by the five senses. That is why it is said that it is not the eyes that see but the brain; it is not the nose that smells, it is the brain; it is not the ears that hear, it is the brain; it is not the tongue that tastes, it is the brain and it is not the skin or hands that feel, it is the brain.

All that is captured by the human senses from environments are far from ideal i.e., without noise or distractions. On the contrary all kinds of distractions intervene and messages transmitted to the brain are far from perfect.

Additionally, there is also the problem of sensitivity of the senses. How sensitized they are varies very widely from one person to another. Someone remembers a scene from a movie very vividly after many years and another person cannot recall the scene from a movie seen a few minutes ago. Some people can detect a smell from long distance while others would not notice it even when they are passing besides its source. Some singers can hear a small variation in a note very clearly while others cannot. Thus this process of perceiving is very heavily dependent upon the faculty of receivers. Human beings vary widely in their ability to perceive different sensual inputs.

(ii) Influence of sources of distraction

If one is hearing music, even a small level of noise can be very disparaging – no wonder, music recording studious are noise proof. Similarly, speech delivered in noisy circumstances can be very difficult to understand and absorb. Noisy classrooms can be lethal for good learning. Even visuals placed in noisy room fail to make the impact they are intended to. Similarly, listeners may miss many cues from the body language that normally forms a major chunk of the message being delivered. A shabbily dressed person cannot make as good an impression as a well-dressed one.
If there are too many distractions behind or besides the speaker, the message may fall flat. The situation is similar to a young man having gone to see a bride at a place where there are many more beautiful girls present, finds very difficult to decide!

(iii) Receiving information by the brain

When information arrives at the brain, it passes through a kind of sieve that separates out difficult, strange or awkward words and simplifies them into familiar words. This is a part of the process of abstraction that takes place before the message is classified and stored

(iv) Searching for similar material in the brain memory

This is the second part of the process of abstraction that goes on in the brain – it is somewhat like classifying the message before storing. Once this search is completed, the material is stored next to the similar stuff already in the memory. Rarely, one can get identical material and one should be happy to get as near to the one in memory as possible. If it is totally new or alien material, it may not be possible to retrieve it when required!

(v) Storing the material in the brain

This is a complex stage. Needless to say that human memory is still the fastest to retrieve and recall. Owing to overload or bounded rationality, there is
 always a limit to what and how much can be stored in the human memory. This faculty or capacity to store also varies widely among individuals and has a significant influence on ones‟ competence to communicate.

(2)Outward journey

When an individual has the need to communicate with others, the process starts with the happenings in the brain of the sender who is already subjected to a lot of experiences, emotions, knowledge and opinions.

(i) Retrieval of information from human memory

This is very much like pulling a file from the filing cabinet. Since it is in response to a need, the file pulled out may not always be the one most appropriate to the stimuli. This may bring in variations in interpreting the message received.

(ii) Choosing the right words and phrases

This stage is highly subjective and is greatly influenced by the mastery of the sender over the language used for communication. Besides, linguistic competence extends to proper use of form of verbs, adjectives, adverbs etc

(iii) Delivery of message

Role of sender continues to be important as the style, speed and manner of speaking decide the impact of the message. The body language and ability of the sender to throw his voice towards the audience form the major part of the message delivered.

(iv) Sources of distraction

Once again, the message passes through a medium that may have one or several sources of distraction, impairing the message as received by the communicatee

GRAMMAR: VERBS OFTEN REQUIRED IN PRESENTATIONS

GRAMMAR: VERBS OFTEN REQUIRED IN
PRESENTATIONS

The grammar section is primarily for creating awareness which will be
useful for editing your written work. Do read it if you are shaky on some
aspects of English language.

Outlining Your Presentation

It is important to present an outline of your presentation at the very beginning.
This helps the audience to understand how you have structured your
presentation. A presentation will be much clearer to the audience if the
structure is clearly signaled.

The use of a variety of presentation verbs can help you to present the outline
clearly, specifically and effectively.

talking                 discuss             outline           filling         sharing
bring                   highlight             tell               report            start
go on to

Here are some more ways of signalling the structure of your presentation.
Pay particular attention to the verbs in bold.

Introduction

Greeting                     Good morning ladies and gentlemen / everyone…………..
Topic                           I’d like to talk to you about………….
                                     I’d like to say a few words about…………….
                                     I’m here to make a presentation on…………

This morning I’m going to be talking to you about / telling you
about / showing you / reporting / taking a look at…………….

Outline                          I’ll be dealing with three areas.

                                             I’ve divided my talk into………….
                                             So I’ll start off by filling you in on the background to /
                                             bringing you up-to-date on / giving you an overview of/
                                             making a few observations about / outlining………… and then
                                             I’ll go on to discuss in more depth / highlight what I see as the
                                            main / make detailed recommendations regarding………….
                                            I will conclude with……… / I will end my presentation
                                            with………………. / At the end of my presentation I will
                                            invite you to ask me any questions that you may have.

Communication and Power

Communication and Power

Communication is also the most powerful input resource in an enterprise. The various resources, just to recount, are as below:
1 Men
2 Money
3 Materials
4 Machines
5 Methods
6 Management
7 Measurement
8 Message covering both information and communication flows
9 Motive Power
10 Motivational Leadership
Messaging has emerged as the most important resource for, without it, nothing can be transacted anywhere. It is the lifeline of any society. It is the glue that holds companies, communities and countries together.
There is another process that is also used to influence others – it is the use of authority or power. They say if person has power it shows because it quickly shows his influence or hold on others‟ opinion. However, it must be understood in its proper perspective. Power has been described as „a process of influencing others to do something that, left to themselves, they will not do‟. This process is, then, quite different from that of communication where we influence others as equals - members of the family, members of the inter-departmental teams or customers or fellow members of an association. The process of communication is greatly dependent on the skill of individuals who, as equal members, are in a position to influence others so as to compel, propel or impel them to work together to achieve common goals!