IPL IV TERM PSYCHOLOGY

(IIM) ROHTAK
PRE MID-TERM TEACHING
PRESENTED BY
DR. (MRS). URMILA RANI SRIVASTAVA
PROFESSOR
DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY
FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES
BANARAS HINDU UNIVERSITY
VARANASI- 221005.
Email: urssrivastava@gmail.com
 MODULE-2
LECTURES- 9 AND 10
COMMUNICATION SKILLS FOR
BUSINESS
ORAL COMMUNICATION
PRESENTATION OUTLINE
•The main section of the presentation will cover-
 The major objectives of Oral and Written
Communication
 To familiarize the participants about- Why are
oral and written communication skills
important?
 Best Practices of Oral Presentation followed by
practical activity or exercise on Oral
Presentation.
 Few specific tips for those participants who
are by nature highly apprehensive and
fearful in speaking at public place
 The presentation will end up with
summarizing the tips for effective Oral
Presentation and business Writing
•Communication skills are tools that we use to
remove the barriers to effective communication. It is
the ability to use language (receptive) and express
(expressive) information.
•Effective communication skills are a critical element
in your career and personal lives
•Research has shown that “The most important
factor is communication skills.
•“One of the Most Important Aspects to be Successful
in Your Research, Your Job and Your Career is
Excellent Oral and Written Communication “
Written communication Oral communications
•Oral communications is…
•Written communication is…
••more spontaneous
1. •Formal
••more direct
2. •Planned
••less formal
3. •Detailed
••elicits a prompt response of
4. •Official
some kind.
5. •elicits a response after
lapse of some time
6. •carries more authority and
is proof of a transaction
Oral Communication Written Communication
•Immediate feedback •Delayed feedback
•Shorter Sentences •Longer sentences
•More informal •Longer words
•Conversational focus •More formal
•Prompt action •Focus on content and
•Focus on relations precision
•Less detailed technical •Delayed action
information •Focus on actions
•More personal pronouns •More detailed technical
•Simpler construction information
•Lesser focus on grammar •Fewer personal pronouns
•Local phrases and idioms •More complex constructions
are used •Useful document
•Grammar accuracy
• Why are oral communication skills important?
• Communication skills are important to many aspects of your
life and career, including:
• Managerial role - how do you command respect from your
colleagues while building a strong culture and team spirit?
How do you deal with an unexpected crisis and communicate
your action plan to your team? Oral communication skills are
essential for many areas of management.
• Workplace success – you’ll frequently be talking to clients,
customers, talking in team meetings, requesting information,
giving feedback and discussing problems. All require strong
communication skills so that you are understood clearly
without any misinterpretation.
• Secure a new job – in employer surveys,
communication skills consistently rank amongst the top
soft skills companies look for. They want new
employees to be able to speaking clearly, concisely and
confidently.
• Advance your career – it’s important to be able to
communicate your thoughts on how the processes,
products or services can be improved.
• Business values these skills in management positions.
• Oral communication implies communication
through mouth.
• Oral communications are the messages that
come through the words, phrases and idioms
from the mouth of the speaker which can be
supported by visual aid.
• Receiver could be an individual, a group, or even
audience.
• It is a very convenient form of expression and
presentation.
• It is almost instantaneous, quick and least
expensive.
• Oral communication used within an organization includes
personal discussions, staff meetings, telephone discourse,
formal and informal conversations and presentations. ...
• Similarly, employees having excellent communication
skills are highly valued and demanded in any organization.
MOST FREQUENT MEANS OF ORAL COMMUNICATION IN
ORGANIZATIONS
Inside the Organization
Oral communication at
organization level include:
Staff meeting, Personal
discussion, Presentations,
Telephone discourse,
informal conversation
Outside the Organization
It takes the form of
Face-to-face,
Meetings,
Telephone Calls,
Speeches
Telephone Conference,
Audio/Video-conferences.
EFFECTIVE ORAL PRESENTATION
 • Oral Presentation

• It is a vital, integral part of the modern business

world. People in workplace spend over 75% of
their time communicating.
• Oral communication at organization level include:
Staff meeting, Personal discussion,
Presentations, Telephone discourse, informal
conversation. Out side the organization it take
the form of face-to-face, meetings, telephone
calls, speeches, telephone conference,
audio/video-conferences.
• Presentation is the practice of showing
and explaining the content of a topic to
the audience or learner. A good oral
presentation is well structured; this
makes it easier for the listener to follow.
• It is natural for presentation skill to improve
if presentation know-how is taught and
presentation opportunities increase. In
recent years, great emphasis has been laid
on presentation and documentation skills.
•Presentations are important to a
company or an organization
because good presentations
improve communications within
the company, which improves
morale and reduces stress and
enhance positivity in the
organization.
• Presenting well is all about achieving great levels of
impact in front of groups of people, and delivering
presentations that inspire and motivate others, or
communicate information in really powerful ways.
• Many people find presenting in front of large groups
very confronting. But as with most things in life,
there are certain techniques to learn that will greatly
help improve one's competence and confidence.
• Different aspects of presentation are informative,
persuasive, inspirational and entertaining.
 Maya Angelou was a civil rights activist, poet and award-winning author known for her
acclaimed 1969 memoir, 'I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,' and her numerous poetry and
essay collections.
 Often You May Experience
“Although he could boast of a PhD in his field, he was a
poor communicator.
He showed dozens of transparencies crammed with complex
equations and text descriptions.
He delivered, at times read, his narration in a monotone tone
addressed to the screen, oblivious to us, the audience.
I tried not to, but I fell asleep.”
 Myths and Mistakes of Technical
Presentations
• 1.Popular Myth: A technical audience requires a
lot of technical details in order to evaluate the
speaker’s ideas
– In 1989 HP conducted a survey to determine what
technical presenters want to hear from other technical
presenters.
• Result: Listeners want talks easy to follow and
well organized; they want simplified message
“less is more”
– Studies showed that simplifying and repeating the main
idea will result in increased attentiveness and retention
• 2. Popular Myth: Content is everything.
Style is unimportant and enthusiasm is
offensive
– HP study indicated that technical audience
wanted more enthusiasm and effective style,
which included better visual assistance.
– Often unenthusiastic delivery will ruin a
speaker’s effectiveness
• Mehrabian, a communication theorist, showed
that
– Body language and tone of voice together
supply 93% of the overall message impact
– Actual words only supply 7% of the overall
impact
• 3.Popular Myth: The text on the visuals is
more important than the speaker.
– Technical presenters traditionally rely too much
on slides
– Often, technical audiences find the slides
distracting and boring
• Remember, the speaker is always the focal
point of presentation, visual assistance helps
• Pace of the presentation
• Flow of the information presented
• 4.Popular Myth: Strategic organization is
not necessary for technical talks.
– Technical presenters often think that as long as they
supply all the details, the audience is capable of
drawing the appropriate conclusions.
– Technical speakers often jump into the body of the
presentation and start discussing data
– Often the objective of the talk is not stated until the
end of the talk
• Technical speaker must not rely on the audience to
fill in gaps and reach appropriate conclusions.
• Technical speaker must understand different types
of presentations, organization, and strategies for a
particular type of speech.
• Effective Presentations begin with a set of skills
• Oral presentation is a formal act of public speaking with a
definitive communicative purpose in mind.
• Examples- People make presentations for a variety of
purposes. Sales representatives and candidates for public
office make presentations to persuade their listeners.
• An instructor giving a lecture to students or personnel
manager explaining a new benefit programs to their
employees are presenting for the purpose of informing
their audiences.
• A third purpose may be to entertain as in the case of
dinner speech.
• The distinction between a persuasive speech,
informative speech, and an entertaining speech is a
fine one.
• A speech may do all three with the speaker’s goal
determining the mix.
• Even a largely informational presentation may
contain an element of persuasion.
• The personnel director wants employees to know
about the benefit programs but wants them to like
it as well.
• The purpose of presentation includes defining both
the topic and the response desired from the audience.
• It is important to state the purpose clearly at the beginning to talk
about, report on, to examine, to instruct, to explain, to outline, to
fill, to give an overview, to highlight and to discuss the subject of
presentation.
• Presentation should have three main elements: the introduction,
body and conclusion.
• Within the main body of the presentation, divide the key message
into three elements and then expand each of these points into
three sub-points.
• How would you like to be perceived as a
presenter?
• Qualities of an Effective Presenter
• • Confident
• • Knowledgeable
• • Relaxed
• • Clear & Concise
• • Enthusiastic
 THE 4 P's OF ORAL PRESENTATION

 PLAN
 PREPARE,
 PRACTICE
 PRESENT YOUR PRESENTATION
• Effective presentation requires:
• speaking clearly and confidently,
• convincing the audience your subject is important,
• presenting your information in a logical and
interesting way.
 Steps to effective oral communication:
•Typical steps students should follow when preparing to give an
oral presentation
•Step 1. Determine general purpose
•Step 2. Initial Preparation and Planning the Presentation
•Step 3. Determine the specific purpose and analyze the audience
• Step 4. Research the presentation
•Step 5. Organize and outline the presentation
•Step 6. Prepare visual aids
•Step 7. Rehearse the presentation
•Step 8. Deliver the presentation
•Step 9. Self-assess the presentation
• Step 1. Determine General Purpose

•Effective oral communicators are concerned with three elements: (1)

content; (2) organization and (3) delivery of messages.
• Content is the actual information that is conveyed in an oral
presentation.
• Organization is how the presentation is structured, including the
organizational pattern as well as the inclusion of an introduction,
body, and conclusion to the message.
• Delivery includes the verbal and nonverbal means by which the
message is conveyed to the audience.
 Step- 2 Initial Preparation and Planning the
Presentation
• The Initial preparation involves questions like-
Who, Where, When, What and How. To whom the
presentation being given?
• When and Where Will The Presentation Be
Given? (Small Conference room, Big auditorium
or Big and long conference room)

• What you should include and how should you

Present It?
• Good preparation-through certain tips like
natural talk to audience, standing rather than
sitting, varying the tone, eye contact, using
visual aids, checking timings, structuring the
presentation, staying focused and alert
throughout the presentation, answering honestly
and concisely to the questions raised-is the
groundwork for making a presentation effective.
 Planning Your Presentation
What do you present? Why do you present?

How do you
Who is your audience?
Present?

How Long do you present? Where do you present?

 Place (Where)
• Small Conference room
• Big auditorium
• Big and long conference room
 • A good speaker should prepare carefully for their talk
and be:

• P urposeful

• R elevant

• E nthusiastic

• P roficient

• A cademic

• R eliable

• E ngaging
 •Purposeful Indicate the structure of your talk
and give your audience a clear sense of direction.

•Relevant Make your material relevant to the

topic and to the audience.

•Enthusiastic Show that you enjoy your subject.

 •Proficient Maintain control throughout your
talk by researching and preparing your material
carefully. Practise using the equipment in advance,
and be ready to answer audience’s questions.

•Academic Use formal language and ensure that

the style and content of your slides are appropriate.
 • Reliable Provide sources for your information.
Include references when necessary and be prepared to
give your audience a short bibliography on request.

• Engaging Keep your audience's attention by

using good eye contact and delivering your material
as a talk, rather than reading from your notes or
reciting from memory. Use unobtrusive cards for your
notes so that they do not hide your face.
 Step 3 Determine the specific purpose and analyze the
audience
The specific purpose narrows the topic and focuses the
presentation. The specific purpose should be stated in
the presentation so the audience knows exactly what to
expect.
•Questions You Need To Ask
•To whom are you presenting?
•How much do they know about the topic?
•How educated and/or sophisticated are they?
•How large is the audience?
Audience Analysis • Audience Analysis includes
adapting the presentation to the
interests of the audience. There
are three major questions to ask
about an audience.
• 1. Who are the members of
the audience?
• 2. What do they need to
know?
• 3. What do they expect?
 • 1. Who are the members of the audience?
• This question deals with background characteristics of the audience
such as- age range, proportion of males and females, ethnic
origin of the audience, educational level, religious and political
affiliations.

• 2. What do they need to know?

• We should try to discover how informed or knowledgeable our
audience is about the topic. On this basis we can gauge their
interest in the topic. Rarely does every member of the audience,
particularly large number of the audience, have the same level of
interest. Since the audience degree of interest affect their res
•Speakers should also analyze demographic
characteristics of an audience such as sex, age,
ethnicity, religion, political affiliations, and so on.

•In short, a speaker should gather as much

information as possible prior to giving a
presentation, so that she or he presents the most
useful, relevant information possible and avoids
offending or embarrassing audience members during
the presentation.
•Step 4 Research the presentation
•Presenter should gather facts, figures, examples,
testimony, and so on to present to their audience.
•This information is gathered, for example, from
library sources, the Internet, interviews,
periodicals.
•Step 5 Organize And Outline The Presentation

•Organization is how the presentation is

structured, including the organizational pattern
as well as the inclusion of an introduction,
body, and conclusion to the message.
Presentations – Opening and Closings (What and How)

• Each presentation (as good stories) have an

– Introduction (tell them what you are going to tell
them)
– Body (tell them)
– Conclusion (tell them what you just told them)
•Formulas for Speech/Presentation Organization
• OIBCC – Basic Formula
– Opening – grab attention
• Good Opening – Purpose grab attention
• Startling question
• Challenging statement
• Appropriate short quotation or illustration
• Personal story or experience
•Poor Opening
• Long or slow-moving
quotation
• Self-introduction
• Apologetic statement
• Story, joke or anecdote
which does not connect to
the theme
• Stale remark
• Statement of your
objective
 – Introduction – “Why bring this topic
up?”
A good introduction should include:
• Your name (and perhaps your academic
background)
• The subject of your talk
• A brief background to the subject
• A statement as to why the subject is important
• An outline of the main points
• Any questions that you will address
Body – bulk of the presentation
– The body is the major part of the
presentation. This is where you elaborate on
your points, perhaps with images or sound.
• Remember that for every important
point that you make, you must provide
support and this support can take the
form of
– Statistics, analogies, testimony,
illustrations, or specific examples.
The Conclusion – summarize briefly points

1. Your conclusion should match the points in your introduction and body, but
never be longer than the introduction.
2. It should leave the audience with a final impression of the subject.
3. You should consider the following questions:
What were your major points?
Did you answer any questions during the talk?
Did you ask the audience any questions which you need to recap now?
Is there anything the audience is not clear about?
What do you want your audience to remember after your talk?
•Step 6 Prepare Visual Aids
•It is useful to have visual representations of
material in a presentation.
•Visual aids make a presentation more clear,
interesting, and memorable. Visual aids help a
speaker capture the attention of the audience and
also make the presentation more understandable to
the audience.
•Step- 7 Rehearse The Presentation
•It is helpful to rehearse the presentation many
times before delivering the presentation.
•The best way to do so is to practice the
presentation from beginning to end (from
introduction to concluding statement), following
their outline and incorporating their visual aids.
•Step-8 Deliver the Presentation
• Delivery includes the verbal and nonverbal
means by which the message is conveyed to the
audience.
TIPS FOR APPROPRIATE USE OF NON-
VERBAL CUES DURING ORAL
PRESENTATION
Some Tips
• Speak clearly. Don't shout or whisper - judge the
acoustics of the room.
• Don't rush, or talk deliberately slowly. Be
natural - although not conversational.
• Deliberately pause at key points - this has the
effect of emphasizing the importance of a particular
point you are making.
• Avoid jokes - always disastrous unless you are a
natural expert.
• Use your hands to emphasize points but
don't indulge in too much hand waving.
• Look at the audience as much as possible,
but don't fix on an individual - it can be
intimidating. • Don't face the display
screen behind you and talk to it.
• Vary your tone and voice to make the
presentation interesting. (MOST
IMPORTANT)
As a speaker there are several elements
of oral communication of which you
need to be aware in order to learn how
to use them to your advantage. Let’s
begin with few rudimentary skills for
interacting with your audience.
• Eye contact and Facial Expressions :Eye
contact with an audience makes a speaker seem
more believable and trustworthy and it also
helps speakers gauge audience feedback.
Maintaining eye contact with your audience is
the simplest thing you can do to establish a
relationship.
• Eye contact serves many purposes. First, it
establishes that the parties are listening.
Second eye contact indicates respect. If a
person is not making eye contact, they are
less receptive to what you are about to say.
Third eye contact is a basic expressive
form. A speaker can learn a lot from the
audience by just reading what there eyes
are saying.
72
•Appropriate facial expressions make a speaker more
interesting to listen to and enhance a speaker’s credibility.
Speakers can use facial expressions to convey their feelings,
attitudes and emotions. Appropriate facial expressions make a
speaker more interesting to listen to and enhance a speaker’s
credibility.
• Make sure your facial expression is conveying the right
message.
• Body Language (Gestures and movement): As a
speaker, the messages you send through your body
language affect how your audience perceives you.
• Whether you are interacting one to one with an
auditorium of 200 people, the effectiveness of
your message is affected by how you carry
yourself
• . For example, when speaking to a large
audience, crossing your arms is seen as bad body
language.
• It shows that you as the speaker are closed off
from the audience, which reflects negatively on
your attitude towards the audience and your
topic.
• You want your body language to establish
interest and sincerity toward your audience.
• Body position: Stand straight and
align your body with the
interviewer.
• Gestures: Use natural, but not
“big” gestures. Keep your hands
away from your face; do not cross
your arms, raise your eyebrows,
or shrug your shoulders.
• Avoid jerky or sudden movements.
• Hand Gestures When Presenting
Benefits:
• Relax entire body
• Communicate thoughts, feelings & ideas
• Add meaning to your words
• Keep audience attentive
• Appear more confident
• Let hands relax at your sides
• Gesture from shoulders/above the waist
• Use smooth, defined movements
 Engaging Your Audience
1.When you speak, try to engage your
audience. This makes you feel less isolated
as a speaker and keeps everyone involved
with your message.
2.If appropriate, ask leading questions
targeted to individuals or groups, and
encourage people to participate and ask
questions.
1. Also, pay attention to how you’re speaking.
If you’re nervous, you might talk quickly.
2. This increases the chances that you’ll trip over
your words or say something you don’t mean.
Force yourself to slow down by breathing
deeply.
3. Don’t be afraid to gather your thoughts; pauses
are an important part of conversation, and
they make you sound confident, natural,
and authentic.
4. Finally, avoid reading word-for-word
from your notes. When you read, you
are not looking at your audience so you
will not be seen as an engaging speaker.
Additionally, when you try to read from
your notes and look up occasionally, you
appear awkward and come across as less
confident.
4. Many people prefer to speak behind a podium when giving
presentations. While podiums can be useful for holding
notes, they put a barrier between you and the audience.
They can also become a “crutch,” giving you a hiding
place from the dozens or hundreds of eyes that are on you.
5. Instead of standing behind a podium, walk around and
use gestures to engage the audience. This movement and
energy will also come through in your voice, making it
more active and passionate.
6. Don’t forget to SMILE! When you smile, your audience
is more inclined to forgive nervousness and they will be
rooting for you.
7. Think Positively — Positive thinking can make
a huge difference to the success of your
communication because it helps you feel more
confident.
Fear makes it all too easy to slip into a cycle of
negative self-talk, especially right before you
speak.
• The delivery of effective oral presentations requires a
speaker to consider his or her vocal pitch, rate, and
volume.
• It is important to incorporate changes in vocal pitch to add
emphasis and avoid monotony.
• It is also helpful to vary the rate of speaking and
incorporate pauses to allow the listener to reflect upon
specific elements of the overall message.
• Finding the appropriate volume is crucial to the success of
a presentation as well.
• Finally, speakers should be careful not to add extraneous
words or sounds—such as "um," "you know," or
"okay"—between words or sentences in a presentation.
• Vocal variety : Vocal variety includes tone of voice,
the rate at which we speak, pitch, volume, proper
pronunciation, articulation, and the use of pauses.
Effective vocal variety is crucial to effective delivery.
We are all familiar with speakers who talk so fast
that their words become jumbled, or those who talk
so slow and monotone that they put us to sleep.
• Thus, Your tone and pace of speech affects how your
audience responds to you. You want to match your
tone to that of your audience.
• You do not want to come off as arrogant and
ignorant.
• Voice: Speak clearly and modulate your voice by
varying tone and volume.
• Slow down for emphasis when making important
points.
• how you say it is as important as what you say.
• Speakers should avoid using filled pauses such
as "um," "uh," "like," and "you know."
Speakers often vocalize pauses because they are
uncomfortable with even a second of silence
while standing before an audience.
• Rather, you need to sound confident at a
basic level so that you do not lose
credibility with your audience. The pace
of your speech is also important. You
can speak faster then you write and
understand.
• You need to give your audience time to
time to take in what you have just said,
or you risk losing your audience.
• Speakers should be encouraged to move
about the room as they speak, rather than
standing behind a podium or lectern for the
entire presentation.
• This movement makes the presentation
more interesting to listen to, creates a
more immediate environment in which the
physical and psychological distance
between the speaker and the audience is
lessened, and also helps a speaker channel
their nervous energy.
Keep in mind that some words reduce
your power as a speaker.

• “I just think this plan is a good one.”

• “I am confident that this plan will increase the
sales volume of our product”.
• “Actually, I’d like to add that we were under
budget last year.”
• By removing actually your message is clear,
concise and stresses confidence:
• “We were under budget last year.”
• The mechanics of Oral presentation
• Overcome Fear
• Develop Confidence
• Become a Professional
• Symptoms of Speech Anxiety:
– Nervous when asked to give a speech?
– Before speech your heart is racing?
– Are you fearful that you will begin to
shake?
– Are you fearful that your words will
somehow be lost?
– Are you afraid that you are not going to be
understood?
Tips to Overcome Speech Anxiety and Fear
S.No. Tips

1. Recognize that it’s natural to be nervous.

2. Be well-prepared, well-rehearsed and

well-organized.
3. Do practice your speech at home.
4. Forget about forgetting.
5. Breathe slowly and deeply before/during
speech.
Tips to Overcome Speech Anxiety and Fear
S.No. Tips

6. Keep your body relaxed.

7. Divert your nervous energy into helpful
gestures and movements, do not repress
your nervousness.
8. Remember that the audience wants you to
succeed.
9. .Visualize success – recognize the value of
what you’ve prepared
Tips to Overcome Speech Anxiety and Fear
S.No. Tips

10. Don’t put yourself in a position where you feel the need to
apologize – by not preparing enough, by not practicing
enough, by not bothering to make the effort.
11. Do memorize your first and last few sentences

12. Don’t pace

13. Don’t fumble with a pencil, watch, or ring while

you speak

14. Don’t speak too rapidly

• Realize that you are not alone. Most people are
apprehensive about speaking in public and just as
nervous as everyone else about giving a class
presentation.
• Focus on getting the message across to the
audience rather than on what the audience is
thinking of you as a speaker. Realize that you feel
more nervous than you actually look.
• The audience is focused on listening to your
message, not on how nervous you look. Remember
that the audience wants you to succeed.
 • Use positive visualization i.e. Visualize success –
recognize the value of what you’ve prepared.
 It is helpful to imagine yourself giving a
successful presentation to an appreciative audience.
Negative thoughts and doubts increase anxiety,
whereas positive visualization makes you feel more
comfortable and confident.
 Practice relaxation techniques.
Don’t put yourself in a position where you feel the
need to apologize – by not preparing enough, or by
not practicing enough
• Practice relaxation techniques. It is
helpful to manage speaking anxiety by
using techniques such as deep-
breathing, exercise, meditation, or
yoga. Practice.
• The more a speaker practices, the more
familiar he/she is with the information
and the more comfortable he/she will
be during the actual presentation.
 Summary
• Pay attention to oral communication in every technical
communication !!!
• Giving Presentations is not the only oral communication :
Asking good questions is also oral and memorable
communication
• Be sincere, interested, enthusiastic, warm and friendly – be
yourself!!!
• Ultimate Goal: Be effective Communicator in every
Situation
• Other Questions connected to Oral Communication
– What if people walk out in the middle of my talk?
– What if I don’t know the answer to questions?
– What if I make a mistake during presentation?
– What if I forgot a detail in my presentation?
•Steps for Preparation One Week Before You
Speak- Seven days before your talk
o Organize your notes and make sure they are ready for
your presentation date.
o Review your content to ensure you are including at
least one personal anecdote or story.
o Deliver your entire talk to two trusted colleagues and
ask for specific feedback, including the strengths and
opportunities in both your content and delivery.
•Three days before your talk:
o Deliver your entire talk in front of a full-length mirror,
paying close attention to whether your facial
expressions and body mechanics are aligned with the
message of your presentation.
o Perform a final review of any slide decks and visual
aids, keeping in mind that less is more and that aids
should complement your presentation, not drive it.
•The night before your talk:
o Perform a final run-through with someone in your
personal life, keeping in mind that regardless of how
specific the content, your delivery should resonate
with someone outside of the intended audience.
o Acknowledge any last-minute anxieties and address
them head-on.
o Relax and feel confident. You're going to do a great
job.
• In summary, To be a successful communicator
• · Use your voice effectively
• · Know your subject
• · Know what you want to say
• · Prepare your message care fully
• · Arrange your points logically
• · Display interest and enthusiasm
• · Sound convincing and sincere
• • Be credible, cite sources, be honest
• • Respect audience intelligence
• • Never apologize
• • Anticipate questions
• • Presentation, not a speech
• • Need not be a star
 Question
1. I dislike participating in group discussions. 1 - SA 2 -A 3-U 4-D 5 - SD

2. Generally, I am comfortable while participating in 1 - SA 2 -A 3-U 4-D 5 - SD

group discussions.*
3. I am tense and nervous while participating in group 1 - SA 2 -A 3-U 4-D 5 - SD

discussions.
4. I like to get involved in group discussions.* 1 - SA 2 -A 3-U 4-D 5 - SD

5. Engaging in a group discussion with new people makes 1 - SA 2 -A 3-U 4-D 5 - SD

me tense and nervous.

6. I am calm and relaxed while participating in group 1 - SA 2 -A 3-U 4-D 5 - SD

discussions.*
7. I have no fear of giving a speech.* 1 - SA 2 -A 3-U 4-D 5 - SD

8. Certain parts of my body feel very tense and rigid 1 - SA 2 -A 3-U 4-D 5 - SD

while giving a speech.

9. I feel relaxed while giving a speech.* 1 - SA 2 -A 3-U 4-D 5 - SD

10. My thoughts become confused and jumbled when I 1 - SA 2 -A 3-U 4-D 5 - SD

am giving a speech.
11. I face the prospect of giving a speech with 1 - SA 2 -A 3-U 4-D 5 - SD

confidence.*
12. While giving a speech, I get so nervous I forget facts I 1 - SA 2 -A 3-U 4-D 5 - SD

really know.
 CALCULATE MY TOTAL

ITEMS SCORING

Positive Items= Strongly

Agree
Agree Undecided Disagree Strongly
Disagree
1,3,5,8,10,12
1 2 3 4 5

Negative Items= Not at All Rarely Sometimes Often Very-Often

2,4,6,7,9,11 5 4 3 2 1
• Group Discussion Item 2 + Item 4 + Item 6 +Item 1 +Item 3 + Item 5 + 18

• Meetings Item 8 + Item 9 + Item 12 + Item 7 + Item 10 +Item 11 + 18

EXERCISE TIME
• This tactic is employed by athletes before a race. They visualize
themselves winning and focus on this idea intensely. This gives them
a mental boost which translates into a physical one. You can use this
technique before a big presentation – imagine standing on a podium
in front of hundreds of people, imagine delivering your speech and
the audience looking engaged, imagine finishing up your speech and
the audience applause. Repeating this several times and immersing
yourself in the event and the emotions will build effective
communication skills.
• Outcome visualization – where you visualize the outcome of your
success eg: Your speech going perfectly, receiving a standing ovation.
• Process visualization – where you visualize the steps necessary to
achieve that success.
• Rational visualization or coping rehearsal– where you visualize
 Exercise - Positive Visualization
• 1. Find a quiet place to sit down and relax
• 2. Close your eyes
• 3. Think back to an experience you have had that made you feel
really good. It can be anything - a personal accomplishment, a
youthful memory, a successful project at work
• 4. Take yourself back there and replay the sequence of events
• 5. be as detailed as you can in reliving the moment for yourself
• 6. Hear the sounds, see the sights and feel the emotions
• 7. Replay this a few times until you are immersed in this event
• 8. Now open your eyes
 Positive visualization Technique
• Visualization is a cognitive tool accessing imagination to realize all
aspects of an object, action or outcome. This may include recreating a
mental sensory experience of sound, sight, smell, taste and touch
Positive visualization is a big word but it describes a simple
technique for creating the results you want in life. Positive
visualization techniques have been used by successful people to
visualize their desired outcomes. It is helpful to imagine yourself
giving a successful presentation to an appreciative audience. Negative
thoughts and doubts increase anxiety, whereas positive visualization
makes you feel more comfortable and confident. Imagine that you are
delivering your presentation to an audience that is interested,
enthused, smiling, and reacting positively. Strengthen this positive
image in your mind and recall it right before you are ready to go on.
Positive Visualization To Alleviate
Stage Anxiety
 Steps Of Positive Visualization To Alleviate Stage
Anxiety
1. Sit relaxed peacefully and close your eyes.
2. Deep breathing
3. Relaxation
4. Control of random thoughts and feel that you are watching a
blank TV Screen. This sets the stage for a power of visualization.
5. Imagine standing on a podium in front of hundreds of people
6. Imagine delivering your speech and the audience looking
engaged
7. Imagine finishing up your speech and the audience applause
8. Repeating this several times and immersing yourself in the event
and the emotions will build effective communication skills.
 EXERCISE
POSITIVE VISUALIZATION

A SHORT ACTIVITY ON BSNL ENGINEERS

• Major Objective – To examine the effect of positive
visualization in alleviating communication apprehension of
BSNL executives.
• Method
• Participants were 32 BSNL executives from all over India.
They completed 12 item Communication apprehension
Questionnaire. This Questionnaire measured two factors of
communication apprehension namely- apprehension related
to Group discussion (6 items) and apprehension related to
public speaking (6 items). After 60 minutes an intervention
of Positive Visualization was conducted on them. The steps
of Positive Visualization were as follows
 Steps of Positive Visualization

1. Sit relaxed peacefully and close your eyes.

2. Deep breathing
3. Relaxation
4. Control of random thoughts and feel that you are watching a
blank TV Screen. This sets the stage for a power of visualization.
5. Imagine standing on a podium in front of hundreds of people
6. Imagine delivering your speech and the audience looking
engaged
7. Imagine finishing up your speech and the audience applause
8. Repeating this several times and immersing yourself in the event
and the emotions will build effective communication skills.
 Results
• The findings in general have indicated that the
participants scored lower on both the dimensions of
communication apprehension (apprehension related
to Group discussion and apprehension related to
public speaking) after the exercise on Positive
Visualization.
• Thus, it can be apparent from these findings that
Positive Visualization activity played important role
in reducing the communication apprehension of the
participants.
 Table-1 Mean and SD of two factors of Communication Apprehension before
and after the intervention of Positive Visualization (N=32)

Factors of Pre-Intervention Post-Intervention

Communication
Apprehension Mean S.D Mean S.D

Apprehension related 21.69 1.90 17.6 1.80

to Group discussion

Apprehension related 19.39 2.84 16.2 1.89

to public speaking
 Suggestions
• This simple exercise on positive visualization can be
used to alleviate various fears and apprehensions related
to oral presentations in organizations. By practicing this
simple activity many times, one feels more comfortable
and confident in public speaking. For more beneficial
results, it is suggested to practice this exercise many
times. If required, this activity can be practiced under the
guidance of a Psychological counselor or therapist.