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Communication and Presentation
Successful Business Communication
"There are four ways, and only four ways in which we have contact with the world. We are evaluated and classified by these four contacts: what we do, how we look, what we say, and how we say it." Dale Carnegie
How has technology impacted on the quality of our communication? Axelrod (2009) noted “technologies are only artifacts in our search to keep making our work and life more efficient, effective and meaningful.” If a technology does not make our work and life more efficient, effective, and meaningful, is it really worth using.
When organizations demonstrate effective communication, they also find more involved employees, as well as improved productivity and corporate reputation. The converse is also true.
10 Steps to Successful Virtual Presentations
Research shows audiences dread virtual presentations for three main reasons, borne out by painful past experiences:
The technology is clunky.
The presenters are boring.
The meetings are too long and waste time.
This is one of those books I wish I had written. Millions of web meetings take place every day, yet they are often boring, poorly conducted, and technologically challenged. But that doesn’t have to happen to you!
Now you can learn how to make your online meeting as engaging as an in-person presentation. Whether you’re presenting general information, training exercises, team meetings or sales pitches, this book helps you present like a pro and appear calm under pressure.
The First Steps to Presentation Excellence
Most of the men and women at the top levels of business and government share a common skill. In addition to the specialised experience in a particular business or function, they have developed the ability to effectively present their ideas to a group.
In a recent survey 1500 executives, who had been promoted to the position of Chairman of the Board, President, or Vice President of leading American corporations, were asked to identify which course they considered most important in preparing them for their management careers. Seventy-two percent responded with communications.
In a broader survey three thousand people were asked to name their greatest fear. What was the most frequent answer? Speaking before a group.
Some Presentation Delivery Tips
- Select language which will deliver your ideas clearly and directly to your audience:
- Prefer the specific word to the general one, the concrete to the abstract
- Avoid unnecessary words
- Avoid technical language or the jargon of your profession unless your audience is composed entirely of specialists who will understand jargon
- Use figures of speech to clarify an idea
2. Keep these considerations in mind when delivering your presentation:
- Rate of Delivery
- Enunciation
- Variety in rate and pitch
- Adding emphasis
- Using pauses for stress
Apartheid has no future- A Rhetorical Analysis of Nelson Mandela’s Speech - 11 February 1990 by Andy Brough
On February 11 1990, after being freed from Victor Verster Prison following 27 years of incarceration as a political prisoner, Nelson Mandela delivered his first public address (Mandela, 1990). What follows is a rhetorical analysis of this speech, with particular reference to the relationship between the communication, negotiation, and conflict resolution concepts used in the speech and the outcomes of those concepts.
Communication Concepts
In examining the communication concepts in the speech, this section provides an analysis of the speaker, the audience, the language of the speech, as well specific rhetorical devices that Mandela used.
The Speaker
Communication: A Duplication of Ideas- Andy Brough
Communication: A Duplication of Ideas
by Andy Brough
In the technology savvy world of social and electronic media, it’s certainly worth considering whether or not our interpersonal communication is actually improving as a result of these advances. This is particularly important when one considers the dynamic of the leader-follower relationship. Even with the modern luxuries of email on our mobile phones, instant messaging, and video conferencing, the possibility for misunderstanding, ambiguity, and even confusion still exists. When all of these complexities are considered in a global and even cross-cultural setting, the challenge of interpersonal communication is even further exacerbated.
Enter the World of the Virtual Classroom
During the recent downturn in the economy, many large companies and multinationals were looking for alternative ways of training. The virtual classroom has become an effective and popular alternative. Andy Brough gives us insight into this new trend in training, sharing valuable tips for trainers.
Virtual Classroom an Important Reality by Andy Brough
The management development and training market has had to reinvent itself over the past 18 months. As corporates have taken the opportunity to reexamine the investment in organizational development, providers have found creative ways to continue to offer top-quality content and expert faculty to the markets where they are needed most. One of the tools that has facilitated this process is the virtual classroom. There is no doubt that first prize in a development context is a face to face intervention, however the past year has shown that, when used correctly, the virtual platform offers a multitude of possibilities:
(a) Real time interactivity across numerous geographies
