BEING A GOOD LISTENER AND AN EFFECTIVE PRESENTER ARE TWO KEY SKILLS A MANAGER MUST SHARPEN

MBA/15/3761 S.A.S.R.W. Jayathilake

 Course : MBA 502: Business Communication

 Instructor : Prof. Uditha Liyanage

 Term : January – March 2015

Postgraduate Institute of ManagementUniversity of Sri Jayewardenapura

DECLARATION

“I am fully aware of the content under plagiarism stated in chapter VI of the PIM student

Handbook, and I hereby declare and affirm that I have strictly observed the law relating to

intellectual property, copyright and plagiarism in this exercise (Student Handbook,

2011:10)”

………………………………

Ranjaya Jayathilake

MBA/15/3761

CONTENTS

1.0 INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1

2.0 KEYS TO EFFECTIVE LISTENING...........................................................................................2

2.1 Hearing and Listening.....................................................................................................................2

2.2 Types of Listening..........................................................................................................................3

2.3 The Listening as a Process..............................................................................................................3

2.4 Keys to Effective Listening.............................................................................................................4

3.0 KEYS TO EFFECTIVE PRESENTER.........................................................................................7

3.1 Purpose in Oral Presentations.........................................................................................................7

3.2 Keys to Effective Presenter.............................................................................................................8

4.0 ACTION PLAN.............................................................................................................................12

4.1 Way Forward to Sharpen the Listening Skills...............................................................................12

4.2 Way Forward to Sharpen the Presenting Skills.............................................................................13

5.0 CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................14

6.0 LIST OF REFERENCES..............................................................................................................15

7.0 APPENDIX....................................................................................................................................16

1.0 INTRODUCTION

“Communication” is to share or transfer information, emotions, feelings etc. among the

living objectives. It is not about only people, there are various methods that animal, and

other living objectives passing their messages. Verbal, Non verbal and Para verbal are the

main types of communication styles that use by the communicators. Key skills to develop

under verbal communication are reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills.

Business communication is sharing of information between people within an organization

that is performed for the commercial benefit of the organization. Communication skills for

managers and leaders are different from communication skills for the average employee of

an organization. Good communication skills allow managers and leaders to perform their

role more effectively. Communication is core to leading and it is a cornerstone of a

leader’s legacy. When someone accepts a role of a leader, he implicitly agrees to be a

communicator for the organization. This accountability comes in hand in hand with the

authority of the job. It is not a responsibility to which he can opt in or pot out.

Today’s job advertisements for CEO’s, GM’s or any other senior managerial positions,

there is one phrase is common in job descriptions; that is “The candidate must be a strong

and skilled ‘communicator’.” Most important word in that phrase it is a strong and skilled

“communicator” not a “talker”. The definition of a communicator is very different from a

talker.

"Good executive communication involves more than one's presentation skills. Just as

important are a leader's ability to listen, recognize, and engage in dialogue with people at

all levels of the organization. Knowing how to communicate in a way that encourages

commitment and an understanding of how to be successful is vital to being a good

manager. This involves understanding how to personally model the business strategy and

culture, and tell powerful stories that help translate that strategy into action for each

person," (De Silva, 2008)

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So it is important that leaders and managers are good communicators. The above quote

supports the fact that among communication skills, listening and presentation skills are

two key skills that a manager must sharpen.

2.0 KEYS TO EFFECTIVE LISTENING

While verbal communication is all about reading, writing, speaking, and listening.

Listening is the neglected communication skill. There are plenty of teaching and

instructions in reading, writing, and speaking in our small days, but few have had any

formal instruction in listening. This void in our education is especially to be address. It is

interesting in light of research done by Kline ( 2006) showing that most of us spend seven

of every 10 minutes we are awake in some form of communication activity. Of these

seven minutes (or 70 percent of the time we are awake), 10 percent is spent writing, 15

percent reading, 30 percent talking, and 45 percent listening.

2.1 Hearing and Listening

Among the great hindrances to effective listening are the fallacies that people hold about

listening. These false ideas often cause people to have inflated opinions of their own

listening performance. Believing that they have no problem with listening, they make no

effort to improve. Main reason for this ignorance is they believe hearing and listing as

same. We hear things rather than listen. Therefore it is important to learn how to listen

effectively. Simply having good hearing does not make one a good listener. In fact, many

people who have perfectly good hearing are not good listeners. Having good hearing does

facilitate one’s perception of sound; but good listeners don’t simply hear words they focus

on the meaning.

Davis (1977) in his book Human Behavior at Work, states it this way “Hearing is with the

ears, but listening is with the mind”.

Payne (2001) sates that hearing as a sense that allows you to perceive sound. Hearing is

more like a physical act which requires only the reception of sound waves where as

listening is an active process.

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Raman & Singh (2006) listening is art of hearing and understanding what some one is

saying. It involves concentration, interpretation and understanding of sender’s message.

Lesikar, Flatley, Rentz and Pande (2008) sated that listening is sensing sounds and they

refer sounds as spoken words.

2.2 Types of Listening

According to Raman & Singh (2006) there are six types of listening.

Informative listening: Most common in the learning processes. Some examples

for informative listening could be; listening to lectures in classrooms, instructions,

reports, procedure updates, etc. in the corporate sector.

Attentive Listening: Attentive listeners can be classified according to the body

language displayed, and the type of responses they give when listening to a person

speaking. Body language characteristics displayed are known as attention skills.

Relationship listening: As the name suggests, this type of listening is seen is

situations where one intends to improve relationships between people. One key

element in relationship listening is the human quality of empathy. Professionals

such as counsellors, psychologists and medical personnel employ this listening

skill to let their patients talk.

Appreciative listening: This is where one listens simply because one likes and

appreciates what that person is hearing. Listening to one’s favourite type of music,

a movie, drama or a speech because one likes the speaker’s style, all fall into this

category. The quality of appreciative listening depends upon presentation,

perception and previous experience.

Critical listening: The reaction or response of the listener is based on one’s own

judgment and state of mind. Speakers more likely to be subjected to critical

listening are politicians, salesmen, advocates of policies and procedures.

Discriminative listening: The main focus on this type of listening is how the

listener understands more than what is being said. Discriminative listener is able to

detect the actual message of the speaker, by keeping a close attention on rate,

volume, force, pitch and emphasis made on what is being said.

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2.3 The Listening as a Process

Lesikar et al. (2008) as well as Raman and Singh (2006) stated in their books that listening

as a process. Lesikar et al. (2008) stated that it has three areas, Sensing, Filtering and

Remembering. Raman and Singh (2006) has elaborated the process in to five steps;

Sensing, Interpreting, Evaluating, Responding and Memorizing. In order to learn how to

listen, it is important to clearly understand the steps involve in the listening as a process.

Sensing: In simple terms it is hearing the words. Hearing is determined by two

factors. One is ability to pick the sound from ears. Second one is listener’s

attentiveness to listen. More specifically this is listener’s mental concentration to

listen. We hear a lot of messages in any day. But we do not listen to all of these.

We select one message from among a multiple of stimuli which is more important

at that point of time.

Interpreting: Payne (2001) stated that interpreting as deriving meaning from the

words. At this stage the listener is engaged in the act of decoding the message in a

way he or she can understand well. In this process listener may face the barriers of

communication.

Evaluating: Raman and Singh (2006) stated this step as filtering. It is a process the

content of the mind serve as a sort of filter through which giving a meaning to

incoming message. It is formed by the unique contents of mind; knowledge,

emotions, beliefs, biases, experiences and expectations. This is a stage where a

great deal of critical listening takes place.

Responding: It completes the two way communication process. The listener starts

to respond to the message. The listener’s feedback, action and reaction will depend

on whether he or she has clearly understood the message or not. This stage also

reveals the level of the listener’s attention on what the sender has sent.

Memorizing: The fact is we retain very little of what we hear. Lesikar et al. (2008)

mentioned that listeners forget one fourth of the messages they receive from an

oral communication after two days. An effective listener can retain to a greater

extend what he or she has heard. The communication process is complete once the

receiver understands the sender's message.

2.4 Keys to Effective Listening

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Developing above cognitive areas would be the key for emergent listening skills. To

expand the each of the above areas Acker (1994) has come up with 13 practical

suggestions to develop effective listening skills. “The Ten Commandments of Listening”

developed by Lesikar et al. (2008) also came up with the similar practical suggestions.

Schilling (2012) has come up with 10 tips to develop effective listening skills. In common

all these writers has come up with similar practical tips to develop the effective listening

skills. They all suggested that effective listening is a skill which needs to be improved by

practicing on an ongoing basis. (Please refer annexure 1)

Stop talking: Acker (1994) and Lesikar et al. (2008) both have come up with that

listener should prepare him or herself for listening and avoid talking while

listening. When someone is talking he/she can’t concentrate on listening. So it is a

must, to establish the correct mental attitude to listening. Stop talking and

concentrate on what the other person is saying.

Recognize your own biases: Acker (1994) stated that, though people hear a lot of

things they take only that which relates to their personal frame of reference. To be

an effective listener, listener should realize what his/her biases are and need to

make adjustments for them.

Resist distractions: People can think much faster than they hear. As per Hybels

and Weaver (1986) difference between thinking and hearing might be as much as

400 words a minute. Listeners have to be careful not to distract as they can easily

lose track of what is being said. It is important to arrange the environment in a way

that it minimizes all possible distractions and thereby encouraging a listener to

concentrate on the speech.

Keep an open mind: A good listener can participate in the communication with an

open mind. Listen without judging the other person or mentally criticizing the

things he/she tells. As soon as listner indulge in judgmental bemusements, he/she

compromised their effectiveness as a listener. (Schilling, 2012)

Find an area of interest: “There is no such thing as an uninteresting subject; there

are only uninteresting people”. (G.K. Chesterton as quoted in David D. Acker,

1994) Active listener always tries to find ways to relate the message to themselves

and/or their work environment.

Acknowledge the speake:. It is always important for effective listening to let the

speaker understand that you are actively listening. Certain body postures and

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movements are culturally interpreted with specific meanings. The crossing of arms

and legs is perceived to mean a closing of the mind and attention. The nodding of

the head vertically is interpreted as agreement or assent. (It is worth noting that

nonverbal clues such as these vary from culture to culture just as the spoken

language does.) Facial expressions i.e. smile, eye contact with the speaker, nodding

your head, all covey to the speaker that he has listeners attention.

Show some empathy: Look at the conversation from speaker’s point of view.

Delay the judgments and emotions until you have fully understood the intent and

the content that of the message being communicated.

Hold your fire, be patient. Do not interrupt the speaker until he or she finishes

what they intend to say. Make sure that you are clear about what is being said.

Listen critically and delay judgment: Effective listeners do not make a judgment

beforehand. They listen critically and ask questions for clarification.

Face the speaker and maintain eye contact: Schilling (2012) In most Western

cultures, eye contact is considered a basic ingredient of effective communication.

Strategic Pauses: Pauses can be used very effectively in listening. For example, a

pause at some points in the feedback can be used to signal that you are carefully

considering the message, that you are "thinking" about what was just said.

Questioning/Clarifying: Questions can serve the same purpose as restating the

message. If listener is unclear about the intent of the message, ask for more

information after allowing sufficient time for explanations. If the message does not

get through, two people have failed the speaker and the listener.

You cannot listen while you are talking: Stop talking! is the first commandment

of Lesikar et al. (2008) as well as the last one. This is very obvious, but very

frequently overlooked or ignored. An important question is why are you talking: to

gain attention to yourself? or to communicate a message?

In common view point in corporate world is when some one is going top of the corporate

ladder listening skills become neglicted. Inculcating good listening habits is essential to be

an effective Manager. It will enable him/her to understand, assess and evaluate situations

more effectively, which in turn will help perform well in decision making. The creative

managers are good listeners. They listen to their personnel and build on their suggestions.

They in particular seem to have the ability to draw out the best in their subordinates.

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3.0 KEYS TO EFFECTIVE PRESENTER

American neuroeconomist Gregory S. Berns once stated that “A person can have the

greatest idea in the world, completely different and novel, but if that person can’t convince

enough other people, it doesn’t matter.” A presentation is a means of communication

which can be adapted to various speaking situations, such as talking to a group, addressing

a meeting or briefing a team. To be effective, step-by-step preparation and the method and

means of presenting the information should be carefully considered.

Presentations are an essential tool for effective management in any organization. It is a

part of manager’s role to present information or offer explanations to others. Jennifer

Rotndo J. & and Rotondo M. (2001) defined presentation as a visual and oral event

intended to communicate, for the purpose of providing information, helping to understand.

Graphical presentation is a very useful and powerful tool that can be used in both forms of

presentations.

3.1 Purpose in Oral Presentations

Intelligent, typically confident executives turn into quivering teenagers when they get up

on the podium. Voices squawk. Shirts get stained with sweat. Once the lights go off and

the PowerPoint goes on, engaging conversationalists turn into automatons, reciting slide

after slide of data while the audience snoozes or drinks Starbucks to stay awake.

An effective presentation could make the difference between closing the biggest ever deal

with a massive organization yielding profits of great magnitude or crashing of a company

making losses that could take years for a company to recover. This is looking at the

highest level a firm’s presentation can go. However, even in regular business activities, the

skill to make good presentations can take a person a long way in his/her career.

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A survey of middle and upper managers found that the ability to communicate ideas and

plans effectively in front of an audience was ranked the number one critical skill for

managers who wanted to progress in their careers. (Samuel and Malone, 1997) Therefore,

it is very important for a manager to develop effective presentation skills to express his or

her ideas in a way that the others can understand.

3.2 Keys to Effective Presenter

Good presentation skills are not innate. Presentation skills can be developed by learning,

practicing and constantly evaluating the feedback. Malone (2012) in his book has stated

that Planning, Preparation, Presentation and Postmortem are the four essentials of good

presentation skills. Similarly

Planning: Key element of planning a presentation is to answer the basic questions of

what, why, when, how, where and who. Establishing a purpose or an objective is the first

most important step in planning a presentation. The four main objectives of any

communication are; to inform, to persuade, to request for an action or to build a

relationship.

Objective of the presentation will influence the design, structure and approach of the

presentation. When planning the presentation, presenter should make sure that the

audience will listen, understand and be influenced by what he or she says.

When planning the presentation script, regardless of complexity, shares the four basic

parts of other business correspondence,  opening, body, summary and closing.

Opening: The opening of the presentation sets the stage for what is to follow.

Body: This is the part of the script in which the bulk of the subject matter is

presented. The body of a long presentation should be separated into smaller, easily

assimilated modules. Each module or sub-section should make a single point or

convey one idea.

Summary: Summary should be very brief and simple. Briefly emphasize the key

points and main ideas of script in this section.There is an old axiom that says …

“Tell them what you are going to tell them, tell them, and then tell them what you

told them.” This pretty well sums it up.Question and answer sessions often follow

a final summary and are very productive if managed properly.

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Closing: In a well structured closing, points raised during the question and answer

session (if any) are summarized.

Almost everyone listens at the beginning of a presentation. If the introdcution and

begininng is good theattention of the audiwence would be high. Typically next high point

of a presentation is the conclusion. So proper planning should be available to start the

presentation and end the presentation at high note.

Preparation: “Fail to prepare is to prepare to fail” (Pemberton, 1982). As explained by

this old quote preparation is the key to success. Therefore it is a must to be prepared well

to deliver a good presentation. After defining the objective of the presentation, presenter

should research the audience, identify what information need to be presented and plan the

structure of the presentation and finally should review the environmental arrangements.

Researching the audience is very important to get an idea of the background, status and the

experiences of the audience. Good understanding of the audience will help presenter to

decide on what and how it should be presented. For example if the majority of the

audience includes non technical people then presenter should be careful, when using the

technical jargons and need to see the effective ways to present technical matters.

Defining the content is the next most important step in preparing a successful presentation.

“Focus on your audience, not yourself - tell them what they need to know, not all you

know!” De Silva, (2008)

As De Silva, (2008) states presenter should decide what information the listener will need

if the objective of the presentation is to be achieved. It is important to organize the

thoughts in not more than seven main headings to make the presentation brief and

interesting.

Structure of the presentation is also equally important for a successful presentation. Clear

and logical presentation of information will help to increase the understandability. Good

structure of a presentation would tell the audience what you are going to tell them, then

telling them and ending the presentation by telling them what you have told them.

Though the presenter gets a minimum chance to review the arrangement it is worth to do

so when the presenter gets a chance. Reviewing arrangement includes making seating

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arrangements, test the equipment and identify the best place to stand which gives the

audience a clear view of screen. When arranging the seating it is important to arrange it in

a way which minimizes distraction.

Presentation: As stated by the quote of “It’s not what you say as much as how you say

it” (Malone, 1997), it is not the content but the way you present is most important.

Recent studies show that the speaker’s appearance and delivery are much more important

than the content. This tells the importance of body language for a successful presentation.

How the presenter can use body language or non verbal communication to boost the

presentation?

Eye contact: as per Locker (2012) eye contact with audience helps to maintain the

flow of the communication and to build the speaker’s credibility throughout the

presentation.

Avoid Fear: Acker (1994) stated that the fear of public speaking is often listed

before the fear of death, loneliness, and flying.

Facial Expressions: Smiling is a powerful action that presenter can use to show

his friendliness, warmth and liking towards the audience. It helps to keep the

audience at ease and encourage them to listen.

Gestures and posture: Great speakers use the hand gesture to emphasize the main

points. Move around the room and move the rest of your body while you are

presenting. This helps to get the attention of the audience and to keep them

interested.

Proximity: Keeping a comfortable distance from the audience facilitates to better

interaction of each other. This helps you to make better eye contact and increase

the opportunity for others to speak.

Use voice effectively: “Your voice is the musical instrument you use to put your

message across and keep your audience interested” (Malone,1997). Presenter

should use tone, pace, pitch, pause and volume to modulate the impact of the

message when and where necessary. If the speaker doesn’t manage his voice well

it makes the presentation boring and dull.

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Make it colourful: Locker (2012) stated that use of visual aids where necessary

and appropriate illustration, anecdotes, examples and humour make the

presentation alive.

Walk within the group: There is power in walking within the group presenter is

presenting to. It would create a center aisle whenever the speaker is speak to a

group, as it allows he /she to freely move about the audience, and truly form a

stronger bond with each person there.

Postmortem: Evaluation of the feedback is a must to develop good presentation skills.

This helps the presenter to learn from the mistake he or she has done and correct those.

By observing the audience, presenter can get an idea on whether he or she is holding the

concentration and the interest of the audience. Body language of the audience will tell well

whether the presenter has the audience with him or not. Presenter should analyze the

presentation on what worked and what didn’t and why.

A Manager in the corporate world is constantly placed in situations where he has to make

presentations with the purpose of informing, persuading or building good will among

subordinates, peers and superiors. However speaking in front of an audience is known to

be the number one fear in the world. Even this can be overcome by sufficient time spent

on practicing the presentation. Furthermore any nervous energy felt at the time of

presenting, which is common to even the most experienced of speakers, can be used

effectively to make the presentation lively and energetic. Good presentation skills give a

manager the edge to demonstrate one’s ability as well as distinguish one’s self as an

outstanding manager among good managers. The most important thing is presenter should

have the passion to do the presentation if he can’t get excited as the presenter, how in the

heck can he expect others to get truly interested in their words.

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4.0 ACTION PLAN

An overriding objective of any communication developing plan should be to effect a

behaviour change. The desired change might be an attitudinal, knowledge, skills change or

it may be a significant change in work processes to support a major shift in organisational

or personal direction.

I personally believe that I have qualities of a good listener, although there are certain

aspects which are yet to be developed which I have listed in Table 1. However, when it

comes to presentation skills there is a great deal of room for improvement. With this

general evaluation of my own skills and abilities I have listed down the action plan for

myself for the next 3 months (20th February 2015 to 20th May 2015).

4.1 Way Forward to Sharpen the Listening Skills

As per Lesikar et al. (2008) as well as Raman and Singh (2006) Listening as process is

Sensing, Interpreting, Evaluating, Responding and Memorizing. So, the action plan to

develop listening skills is based on their findings.

Table 1: Action Plan for the Next 3 Months to Become an Effective Listener

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Actions Objective Change Type Target Starts Target CompletionMeet a doctor and check the hearing. (It is just as surprising how often people do not realize that they cannot even hear other people.)

Skill 20th Feb 2015 25th Feb 2015

The practice of meditation. (Listen to difference sounds daily basis)

Skill 25th Feb 2015 20th May 2015

Watch different types of clips spoken by different nationalities in YouTube.(As accent of different cultures are different from each other)

Knowledge14th of March (Week Ends)

20th May 2015

Set a target and give the brain a quick break at least every hour, at office and listen to the various sounds around and concentrate on those.

Skill20th Feb 2015(Daily Basis)

20th May 2015

Call meetings with each and every subordinate and try to listen to their ideas, suggestions for the current issues they face. (Normally happened is I give the instructions and they follow)

Attitudinal 01st March 2015 20th March 2015

Try to develop critical listening skill by watching corporate world discussions and arguments and assess the situation.

Knowledge/Skill

14th of April(Week Ends)

20th May 2015

Respond to subordinates ideas and come up with solutions for the issues as they raise and review with them the situation remembering their view points.

Attitudinal 01st April 2015 20th May 2015

Increase the listening skills and respond well in the Exams at PIM.

Knowledge/Skill

20th Feb 2015(Daily Basis)

01st April 2015

Set aside specific times during the day in order to let my mind wander or my concentration drift.

Attitudinal20th Feb 2015(Daily Basis)

20th May 2015

Try to memorize maximum possible information listening to PIM lectures and do short notes at every following morning for one an hour before go to work.

Knowledge/Skill

20th Feb 2015(Daily Basis)

01st April 2015

Devoloping "Responding"

Devoloping "Memorizing"

Devoloping "Sensing"

Devoloping "Interpreting"

Devoloping "Evaluating"

Source: Author

4.2 Way Forward to Sharpen the Presenting Skills

Good presentation skills are not innate. Presentation skills can be developed by learning,

practicing and constantly evaluating the feedback. Malone (2012) in his book has stated

that Planning, Preparation, Presentation and Postmortem are the four essentials of good

presentation skills.

Table 2: Action Plan for the Next 3 Months to Become an Effective Presenter

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Actions Objective Change Type Target Starts Target CompletionGive up the idea that I am a not good presenter syndrome.And keep remembering that in each day that I am the best attitude.

Attitudinal 20th Feb 2015 20th May 2015

Read out the articles and journals about key skills that to be plan out a presentations. (From accessing through PIM library )

Knowledge 14th of March 01st April 2015

Watch documentaries done by various business leaders and analyze how they have structured their presentations.

Knowledge14th of March (Week Ends)

01st April 2015

Practice company presentations home and record them.Do self critical evaluation of voice, gesture and posture)

Skill14th of March (Week Ends)

20th May 2015

Before do the presentation infont of superiors, practice the presentations in front of subordinates and let them to analyze and get feed backs.

Skill 20th Feb 2015 20th May 2015

Learn to speak too slowly, rather than too quickly Skill 01st March 2015 20th March 2015Attend to public speaking skill work shops to develop presentation skills

Knowledge/Skill

01st April 2015 20th March 2015

Join to company Toastmaster club and attend to the sessionsKnowledge/

Skill01st March 2015 20th May 2015

Record the audience body language when I am doing the presentation and review the feed backs.

Knowledge/Skill

01st April 2015(Week Ends)

20th May 2015

Analyze the audiences body languages in each stage of the presentation and point out the areas that has gone wrong.

Knowledge/Skill

20th Feb 2015(Week Ends) 01st April 2015

To develop design,

structure and approach

To overcome the Fear, Tension,

Perfectionism

To get Attention,

Interest, and avoid

distractionsTo change

wrong Attitudes and find out the Mistakes

Source: Author

5.0 CONCLUSION

Warren Buffett, Steve Jobs, and Bill Gates have all attributed their success to one factor.

In fact, this one trait is behind the success of all people that have performed massively

better than the average person. How do the best leaders motivate and inspire their people?

Through clear communication. How do the best organisations promote discipline,

accountability and strategic alignment? With clear communication.

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Listening and presenting are two major verbal communication skills that any manager

should poses in order to be successful and effective in his role as a leader.

Good listening is an essential part of being a good leader. Anyone cannot be a good leader

unless he/she is a good listener. Leader must be very aware of the feedback he’s receiving

from the people around them. If he is not a good listener, his future as a leader will be

short. In addition to being a good listener is a skill important in many other settings.

As Larry King once said “I remind myself every morning: Nothing I say this day will

teach me anything. So if I’m going to learn, I must do it by listening”. Keys to effective

listening would be to determine the goals to be achieved in the conversation, being aware

of the options available, when to speak and when to listen, planning what to say, listening

attentively.

American neuroeconomist Gregory S. Berns once stated that “A person can have the

greatest idea in the world, completely different and novel, but if that person can’t convince

enough other people, it doesn’t matter.” A presentation is a means of communication

which can be adapted to various speaking situations, such as talking to a group, addressing

a meeting or briefing a team. To be effective, step-by-step preparation and the method and

means of presenting the information should be carefully considered.

Effective presentation is a result of better planning and preparation. Continuous practicing

helps to make an effective presenter. There is no unique way of making presenter. It is

depend on the personality and the different abilities of the presenter. Ultimately what

matters is whether the presenter is effective enough to get its objectives accomplished.

From all the facts that have been compiled in the above pages, it is evident that these are

skills which cannot be ignored if one strives to move forward in the corporate ladder.

6.0 LIST OF REFERENCES

Acker, D. (1994). Skill in Communication, 2nd ed.: Virginia: Diane Publishing Co.

Campbell, R. (1997). Leadership: Getting IT Done, University of Missouri Press.

Davis, K. (1977). Human Behavior at Work, 5th ed., New York: McGraw-Hill Book Co.

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De Silva, P.M.S.A. (2008). Effective listening and presenting: Essential skills for a

manager. Retrieved from www.slideshare.net/.../effective-listening-and-presenting-

presentation

Hybels, S. and Weaver II, R. L. (2011). Communicating Effectively, 1st ed., Kathleen

Kline, J. (2008). Listening Effectively,11th Ed.; Air University Press.

Lesikar, R.V., Flatley, M. E., Rentz, K., & Pande, N. (2008). Business Communication:

Making Connection in a Digital World. 11th ed.: The McGraw Hill Education (India)

Private Limited.

Locker, K. O. (2012) Business and Administrative Communication,10th ed., McGraw-

Hill/Irwin.

Malone, S. A. (1997). Mind Skills for Managers, Gower Publishing Ltd.

Payne, J. (2001). Application. Communication: For personal and professional contexts.

Topka: Clark Publishing Inc.

Raman, M. & Singh, P. (2006). Business Communication, New Delhi: Oxford University

Press.

Rotondo, J. and Rotondo M. (2001) Presentation Skills for Managers, McGraw-Hill.

Schilling, D. (2012 November 9). 10 Steps to Effective Listening. Retrieved from

http://www.forbes.com/sites/womensmedia/2012/11/09/10-steps-to-effective-listening/

7.0 APPENDIX

Acker (1994) has come up with 13 practical suggestions to develop effective listening

skills. “The Ten Commandments of Listening” developed by Lesikar et al. (2008) also

came up with the similar practical suggestions. Schilling (2012) has come up with 10 tips

to develop effective listening skills.

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Acker, D. (1994) Lesikar et al. (2008) Schilling (2012) Skill in Communication Ten Commandments of Listening 10 Steps To Effective Listening

1 Realize that listening is a hard work Stop Talking Face the speaker and maintain eye contact.2 Prepare to listen. Stop talking! Put the talker at ease Be attentive, but relaxed.3 Recognize your own biases. Show the talker you want to listen Keep an open mind.4 Resist distractions. Remove distractions Listen to the words and try to picture what the speaker is saying.5 Keep an open mind. Empathize with the speaker Don’t interrupt and don’t impose your “solutions.”6 Find an area of interest. Be patient Wait for the speaker to pause to ask clarifying questions.7 Acknowledge the speaker. Hold your Temper Ask questions only to ensure understanding.8 Show some empathy. Go easy on argument and criticism Try to feel what the speaker is feeling.9 Hold your fire, be patient. Ask Questions Give the speaker regular feedback.

10 Listen critically and delay judgment. Stop Talking. Pay attention to what isn’t said—to nonverbal cues.11 Judge content not delivery12 Exercise your mind but don’t let it wander13 Captalise on thought speed

Source: Author

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