Professional presentation skills are the need of the hour

By Dr Birbal Jha*

Madhubani: Having the ability to present oneself pleasingly, and convey the message, succinctly and effectively, along with the facts and figures relating to the subject, is part of the presentation skills.

The students of the day need to improve their required soft skills to ace the test of professionalism and turn out to be corporate-ready. Even engineering students need to equip themselves with the art of essential employability skills in professional settings in today’s job market.

Presentation skills are now essential in every sector of professional work, and those involved in such an activity are under obligation to deliver presentations on occasion. While some people take it in their stride, others find it much more difficult. However, with a little effort and practice, a person’s presentation skills may be improved.

Students need to be encouraged to adopt the following seven key elements of effective communication skills:

1. being affable and personable
2. espousing means and medium of communication
3. following the rules of clarity in speech
4. having a sense of empathy and humour
5. having correct verbal and nonverbal communication
6. listening to others
7. showing respect to others

The fundamentals of presentation skills also include how to sit in a chair, walk and talk in professional and informal settings, meet, greet, and shake hands correctly, and maintain proper manners and mannerisms.

Professional presentation skills are much needed in today’s competitive environment and are a must for students to learn about.

*The writer is a noted author, accredited with having created a revolution in English training In India with the slogan ‘English for all’.