Death of a Salesman – Arthur Miller

 Death of a Salesman – Arthur Miller 

 

Willy Loman is a salesman living in New York City in the late 1940’s. He lives with his wife, Linda, in the same house for the last twenty-five years. The house once set apart from other houses, now it is surrounded by apartment buildings, which makes Willy feel closed in. 

 

Willy is having trouble in concentrating on driving and often makes mistakes such as crossing the white line, driving off the road, and running red lights, while stopping for green lights. He has begun to talk to himself more and more, which causes concern for Linda. He, at the beginning of the play, has come home from a business trip because he has had trouble with his driving. He is also concerned, because his sons are not progressing in the business world the way he had hoped they would. His first son Happy does have a job and lives in his own apartment, but his second son, Biff, rambles from job to job, as a farmhand, never making much money. 

 

Willy has been demoted from a salaried employee to a commission employee at his job. This means he makes less money to support himself and his wife. This combined with the constant driving and lackluster sales, causes Willy so much stress, that he begins to hallucinate. He thinks he is living in an earlier time in his life. He speaks to people who aren’t there, and he disturbs his friend, Charley, who come over to play cards with Willy. During the game Willy thinks his dead brother, Ben, is in the room with them. He is talking to Ben and Charley at the same time, which causes Charley and Willy to have a disagreement about the card game, Charley leaves, but Willy is still talking to Ben asking him how he made his fortune. Ben had gone to Africa and worked in the diamond mines; this is how he became rich. Willy also needs Ben to tell him he is proud of Willy and his sons. During this hallucination the boys are teenagers and Biff is the sports star at his school. Willy sees a very bright future for his son, but in reality, this does not come to pass. Willy is not as proud of Happy, who does all he can to garner some attention from his father. He is constantly telling his dad about the weight he has lost, but Willy instead of praising his son, tells him more ways in which to lose weight. 

 

Biff and Happy are surprised at the turn their father has taken. Happy knew his father would often talk to himself but did not know he was so loud about it and how often it occurred. Biff, meanwhile, had no idea his father was behaving in this manner. Now their mother tells them the car accidents Willy has been having, are in fact attempts at suicide. The boys agree to try to stay closer to home and start a business together. Biff decides to ask his former boss for a loan to help start the new business. 

 

At the beginning of act two. Willy and Linda are full of hope for their family’s future. Willy is going to talk to his boss, Howard, and try to change his job from that of traveling salesman to floor salesman in the store. They are also hopeful about Biff’s and Happy’s future business venture. If Biff can receive the loan from his former employer, then it will mean a bright future for the boys. Biff at age 34, needs to settle down and make a career for himself, he sees that and so does his parents. 

 

Willy tries to talk to Howard about the job change, but Howard tells him he just doesn’t have a position open for him in the store. He needs Willy to keep selling to the clients in the New England area. Willy becomes angry with Howard and starts to yell at him. Howard after trying to calm Willy down, eventually has to fire him. 

 

Biff is left waiting in his former boss, Bill Oliver’s office for six hours and he only sees Bill, as he is leaving for the day. It is clear either doesn’t remember Biff or doesn’t want to speak to him. Biff, after all did steal some basketballs from Bill’s business. Biff in a pique of anger enters Bill’s office and steals his pen. As he is making his escape from Bill’s office, he realizes he and Bill never did have a real relationship and he has made a mess of his life. 

 

Biff and Happy have made plans to meet their father in a restaurant to celebrate the anticipated good news from the day. Instead, it is all bad news and Willy is not willing to accept the truth from Biff. The two boys meet some girls and leave Willy alone in the restaurant, which causes Willy to have another hallucination about a woman he had used to cheat on Linda. 

 

At home, Linda is furious with the boys for leaving their father behind at the restaurant. She tells them it would be better if they left and never returned, because they cause so much stress for their father. Willy and Biff finally tell each other how they feel, which makes Willy understand that his son loves him. Willy decides the insurance money, or twenty-five thousand dollars would benefit his family. He talks to Ben and decides to kill himself. Afterward, Linda has a hard time dealing with Willy’s death. She cannot bring herself to cry, because she keeps on waiting for him to return from another business trip. She is sad, because finally the house is paid for and now, she does not have a husband to share it with.

 

This play shows how false perceptions of ourselves and others can bring about the ruin of a person. If a life is based on a lie, then eventually the truth can be too much to endure.

 

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All The World's A Stage - William Shakespeare

 All The World's a Stage -- William Shakespeare

All the world's a stage,

And all the men and women merely players

They have their exits and their entrances;

and one man in his time plays many parts, 

His acts being seven ages. As, first the infant

Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms.

And then the whining schoolboy, with his satchel

And shining morning face, creeping like snail

Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,

Sighing  like furnace, with a woeful ballad

Made to his mistress' eyebrow. Then the Soldier

Full of strange oaths, and bearded like the pard.

Jealous in honour, sudden and quick in quarrel,

Seeking the bubble reputation

Even in the cannon's mouth. and then the justice,

In fair round belly with good capon lined,

With eyes severe and beard of formal cut,

Full of wise saws and modern instances;

And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts

Into the lean slipper'd pantaloon, 

With spectacles on nose and pouch on side;

His youthful hose, well saved , a world too wide

for his shrunk shank; and his big manly voice,

Turning again toward childish treble, pipes

And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all, 

That ends this strange eventful history,

Is second childishness and mere oblivion,

Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.

                                 -------

 

On The Day Of My Superannuation

On The Day Of My Superannuation 

The most respected and honourable Chairman of our College Governing Council Sri Gonal Rajashekar Garu

The most revered and honourable Principal of our College Dr. Rajashekar garu

My beloved secretaries of our Staff Club Dr. Thippeswamy and Sri Mallanagoud garu

And my most beloved colleagues and my bosom friends

Sri. B O Sathayanaryanareddy, Sri Manjunath, Sri Nagareddy, Dr. K C Sajjan, Sri A Mallikarjunappa, Sri Siddaram Mualji, Sri. P Suresh, Sri. Vidya Sagar, and many others who remain absent on account of Carona propagation.

First of all let me pray and  pay my heartfelt obeisance by touching the lotus feet of Goddess of Learning Sri Saraswathi for her unparalleled blessings and filled my begging slings with wisdom to fulfil my duties as a teacher, meeting with thousands of pupils (students) to share my knowledge for their betterment of life during my service of 29 years 5 months and 21 days.

At this moment I must be grateful to the Government of Karnataka for giving me this opportunity to serve in this holy state which considered to be the land of Lord Shiva though I was belonging to other state. On that moment when I joined to my job, I owed to be faithful to my duties till to the last day of my service and retained my owe to the core of my heart.

Secondly, I must be grateful to the most respectable Veerashaiva Vidya Vardhaka Sangha, Ballari for   providing me the most conducive space to discharge my duties. At this juncture I must be grateful to the Sangha, under whose warm wings I took shelter with unflinching confidence and trust for the successful completion of my service.

On this occasion I must remember and be grateful to all principals from Prof Gurubasavaraj sir, Chandrappa Shetty sir, Maregouda sir, Jayaprakash gouda sir and many others who remain unsung here though their names registered in my heart with golden letters  and down to my beloved Principal Dr. G Rajashekar sir whose munificence identified my strengths and shaped me as a teacher  to perform my duties to the satisfaction of my soul.

I never forget my bosom friends and colleagues whose intimacy is very close to my heart helped me in all respects when I was in difficulties and encouraged me when I was in the mood of discouragement  and invited me to participate in their happy occasions shared their joys and tears without making me feel as an outsider. They treated me as I am one of their family members. For all those friends and well-wishers, I am indebted which is never repayable.

On this occasion I must remember all Office Personnel by name Smt. MB Rajeswari Madam

Sri Ameresh, Sri Panduranga, Sri Basavaraj, Sri Chandre gouda, Sri Pramod, Sri K Veeresh, Sri Pamapapathi, Sri Nagaraj KB, Sri Umapathi, Sri Yerriswamy, our Principal’s personal assistant Sri Shanmukha, and Sri Ramappa who treated me great respect and held me whatever I need from the office and library. Once again, I extend my heartfelt thanks for their memorable cooperation in discharging my duties successfully.  Thank you, my friends.

I hope this is not the end of my gratitude to my colleges where I worked and finally to the sangha it will be remembered till to the last day of life and remember every moment of help, I received in the wee hours of every morning.  

Finally, I must be thankful to my wife Smt. Rani and my children Chirangeevi Rishal babu and Chirangeevi Rishvanth babu who supported in all my critical times and helped me to take care of my duties. With their help I did nothing to my family but my professional duties. I extend my special gratitude to my family who pulled me back from the jaws of death in 2012 and gave me second life with the blessings of the God in Whom she has faith. She is responsible to make stand before you and to talk with you all today.

With all these sweet memories

Thank you and thank you one and all for giving me this warm farewell felicitation.

Adieu

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John Milton (1609 - 1674)

John Milton (1609 – 1674)

John Milton was an English poet, best known for his epic poem Paradise Lost, was born on December 9^th, 1609.

Milton was educated at St. Paul’s School. London. He was originally destined for a ministerial career, but his independent spirit led him to give this up. He matriculated at Christ’s College, Cambridge in 1625 and studied there for seven years before he graduated as Master of Arts cum laude on July 3^rd, 1632. At Cambridge, Milton tutored the American theologian Roger Williams in Hebrew, in exchange for lessons in Dutch. On graduating from Christ’s College, Milton undertook six years of self-directed private study in both the ancient and modern disciplines of theology. Philosophy, history, politics, literature and science, in preparation for his prospective poetical career. As a result of such intensive study, Milton considered to be among the most learned of all English poets. In a Latin poem, possibly composed in the mid 1630s, Milton thanks his father for supporting him during this period.

Milton spent several years devoted almost entirely to prose work in the service of the Puritan and Parliamentary cause. The onset of glaucoma (a type of Eye disease), caused by his labours setting the typeface for numerous controversial pamphlets (Thus straining his optic nerve), eventually le to permanent blindness, forcing him, from 1654, to dictate his verse and prose to his granddaughter.

Milton wrote propaganda for the English Republic in the early 1650s, including the Eikonolastes, which attempts to justify the execution of Charles I. When he was caught and arrested in October 1659, he was not summarily executed several influential people had spoken on his behalf. Milton then lived in retirement, devoting himself once more to poetical work, and publishing Paradise Lost in 1667, the epic by which he attained universal fame (blind and improvised, he sold the publishing rights to this work on April 27 that year for £ 10), to be followed by Paradise Regained, together with Samson Agonistes, a drama on the Greek model, in 1671.      

Milton penned paradise Lost and Paradise Regained through dictation because of his blindness. This required him to store vast portions of the poems in his memory oral recitation.

Milton’s literary career cast such a formidable shadow over English poetry in the 18^th and 19^th centuries that he was often judged favourably against all other English poets, including Shakespeare. 

The unparalleled scope of Paradise Lost, his masterpiece, sees Milton justifying the ways of God to men, and the poem also depicts the creation on the universe, earth, and humanity; conveys the origin of sin, death, and evil; imagines events in hell, the Kingdom of Heaven, the garden of Eden, and the sacred history of Israel; engages with political ideas of tyranny, liberty ad justice; and defends theological positions on predestination, free will, and salvation. Milton’s influence on the literature of the Romantic era was profound. John Keats found the yoke of Milton’s style debilitating; he exclaimed that “Miltonic verse cannot be written but in an artful or rather artist’s humour.” Milton died on November 8^th, 1674. The John Milton Society for the blind was founded in 1928 by Helen Keller to develop an interdenominational ministry that would bring spiritual guidance and religious literature to deaf and blind persons.

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Communication Skills for IV Semester Basic English Students (part - 2)

Communication Skills for IV Semester Basic English Students (Part – 2)

Personal Conduct and Appearance

·      Etiquette and Manners

According to OALD the Etiquette is “the customary code of polite behaviour in society or among members of a particular profession or a group” and Manners is something “a person’s outward bearing or way of behaving towards others”. 

It will create poor impression on a person who behaves himself / herself badly despite his / her educational qualifications and experience. The way in which we behave ourselves says a lot about our character. Others judge us by our behaviour rather than by what we say. A well-mannered person finds it easy to work within a group and contribute towards its success. Now let us examine some forms of behaviour that are generally recognised as good manners.

1.     It is considered courteous to make a room for elderly people and women with children while getting in and getting off a bus or a train. Giving up your seat for a person who deserves it more adds beauty and grace to your behaviour.

2.     Listen to your friends and relatives or even to strangers when they wanted to share their problems.

3.     In case you feel like sneezing or coughing in crowded places, hold your handkerchief over your nose and mouth, and apologise later to the people around you by saying ‘sorry’ or ‘excuse me’.

4.     Being on time to a meeting, class or any other appointment is considered polite and professional. If you do happen to be late for such an event, apologise to the people who have been kept waiting.

5.     Pointing your index finger at a person especially at close range is considered offensive body language. Try to avoid such gestures.

6.     Showing undue interest in personal details of others and being inquisitive about them can be irritating to others.

7.     ‘I disagree with you’ is very simple to say to a person with whom you disagree but it is crude expression.

8.     Looking into the personal files of others’ mobile phones and reading personal letters without their permission and knowledge is considered as bad etiquette.

9.     Taking away to a little distance and whispering with one of your friends in front of other friends creates suspicion among other friends and it will be considered as breach of trust. 

10.  Whispering to the person seated next to you during a meeting, especially while some one speaking, is not an acceptable behaviour.

The way you behave yourself and the language that you use are the important parts of your personality. Rudeness and insensitivity to other people’s feelings will harm your image.  A well-behaved person is always be noticed and people are happy to interact with such person.

·      Table Manners

There is a code of conduct, called table manners, that is considered acceptable at the dining table. We cannot behave in a way that may irritate others seated with us while eating something at a dinning table. Table manners are context-specific, and they also differ from culture to culture. A loud burp of after a meal may considered as an appreciation of the food in some cultures, whereas it could be considered uncultured behaviour in some other cultures. So, you try to be very sensitive to others’ likes and dislikes when you are at the dining table, especially when it is a formal meal.

Here are some tips to improve your manners and mannerisms while you join other at a dinning table.

1.     It is bad table manners to eat nosily. Many people make slurping sounds while eating. This is considered bad manners especially in western culture. The best thing that you can do is keeping your mouth closed while munching the food and avoid making unpleasant noises which may irritate others.

2.     The noise made by a spoon, or by a knife or by a fork on a plate can be irritating to the person seated next to you. Therefore, you are requested not make any such noises while stirring the contents of a cup.

3.     The way you place your cutlery on the table and the way you use them are also part of your table manners. Hold the fork in your left hand and the knife in your right hand. Hold the food item with the fork and use the knife to cut it.

4.     Similarly, placing the fork and knife on the plate may indicate some meaning. If you place them (the fork and knife) on the sides of your plate indicate that you need another serving, and placing fork and knife crossed on the plate indicate that you finished your meal.

5.     In an Indian context, smacking your fingers during a meal or afterwards is considered a sign of appreciation. The person who cooked the food feels flattered by such behaviour but, in modern life, smacking fingers is considered bad manners.

6.     Leaving the dining table in the middle of a meal without specific reason is certainly considered bad manners. If you must leave the table on an important reason you must beg the pardon of the others at the table. 

The manners and behviour of person at a dining table enhances your personality that can yield respect from others. Therefore, you are advised to identify your weaknesses in your behavioural attitude and try to amend them.

·      Dress Code

The clothes you wear can express your personality. The colours of dress you choose, the ornaments you wear and other accessories you use will certainly tell about that what kind of person you are. Feel free to express yourself with your appearance, but there are conventions that you need to follow when dress suitable to the occasion. Of course, being well-dressed is not always an indicator of being cultured.  

The formal dress code varies according to the cultural milieu according to the context. For formal meetings or interviews you are advisable to wear a dark-coloured trousers, a light coloured shirt and matching despite well shined shoes. This type dress may be appropriate for men. If this type of dress code recommended in your organisations, you must also wear a coat. Students appearing for an interview may also follow this basic dress code. 

Black trousers with brown shoes, white shirt and a maroon coloured tie will be a bit odd to look at. A well shined black shoes, black trousers, a shite and a grey or blue tie would look sober. The dress code for women in an Indian company is usually a simple silk or well-starched and ironed sari with matching blouse, may not be acceptable in specific regions, but commonly acceptable dress code in all over India. Avoid wearing a lot of jewellery when you are going to your workplace. A couple of bangles, a pair of simple earrings and a chain around your neck may enhance your personality and appearance. Using odd and gaudy coloured dress may not express your personality in a proper manner.

·      Gender Bias in Communication

Gender Bias is the tendency to prefer one gender over another gender. Generally speaking, Bias or Biased Communication is prevalent in every aspect of our lives. Usually our brains are hardwired (very insensitive) to categorise things which we encounter every day the incidents of bias in order to make sense of the complicated world around us. However, biases can cause us to form prejudice against other, which allow very egregious inequalities to form between different demographics of the society.  

Bias can be experienced in many forms in day-to-day life. Those are for example, communal bias, caste bias, religious bias, linguistic bias, regional bias etc.  But here I have to focus on gender bias as per the topic I choose, and its role within the workplace. This topic covers what is gender bias, where and when it happens along with a few remedies which can reduce gender bias and ultimately build a more diverse and inclusive workplace. It should be noted that while there is a spectrum of gender identities, due to constraints within existing literature will focus on the gender binaries – male and female.

We have several instances which are deeply ingrained gender prejudices against women in our everyday conversations. We prejudiced that certain professions are prerogative rights of men only. We are not ready to accept that women can also be successful professionals like surgeons in medical sciences, pilots in Air Force or Civil Aviation, truck drivers, Loco pilots or any other such jobs. We always think that women are likely to be primary school teachers, nurses in hospitals, receptionists, secretaries etc.   

Traditionally, women have not been given prominent roles in our society, but today several organisations have given women very prominent roles in decision making and Execution in their organisations successfully. Arundhati Bhatacharya, former Chairperson of the State Bank of India, Chandra Kochhar, former Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of ICICI Bank, Indra Nooyi is an Indian American Business Executive and former Chief Executive Officer of Pepsico are the best exemplary women who had led their organisations successfully. Therefore, using disrespectful or abusive language to women colleagues either in their presence or in their absence is absolutely unacceptable and such incidents will lead to angry protest. Giving respect to women which is due to them creates a pleasant working environment, which will increase efficiency and productivity.

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Style of Presentation

Style of Presentation:

There are varieties of styles in presentation as you can think off. There are en-number of presentation styles. But I wanted to discuss here only about two types presentations.

One is customised style of presentation

And other is non-customised style of presentation

The style of presentation depends upon the choice of an individual who is presenting the presentation to the audience.

Generally, in customised style of presentation the presenter has to organise the points in a logical sequence, similar to the sequence of a textbook and present all points in a sequential order. This style of presentation is only suitable for short presentations lasting for fifteen to twenty minutes and also it is suitable style to make a presentation before an interested adult audience.

The above style of presentation may not be suitable for a group of audience who are not so motivated and for whom the topic is new and unfamiliar. For such audience, the textbook method or serial style may create boredom and monotony during the presentation.

Instead of customised or traditional style a presenter should adopt a different style that is customised style of presentation which can create ‘Cognitive dissonance’ (a kind of disbelief) among the audience to arouse their curiosity and interest. This could attract the “not-so-motivated” listeners towards the topic.

This unique style of presentation sustains the audience’s interest and motivation and ensure their active participation in the session where in you are presenting presentation. Such presentations are likely to yield better results and better feedback from the audience.  This style of presentation is very useful when the topic of your choice is highly theoretical and complex. These attempts in the strategies of presentation can surely make a great impact on the audience.

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Communication Skills for IV Semester Basic English Students (Part - 1)

Communication Skills for IV Semester  Basic English Students (Part -1)

There are two chapters namely

Presentation skills and Personal Conduct and Appearance

are prescribed for IV Semester B.A. / B. Sc. / B. Com. / BBM Basic English

each chapter contains 4 topics

There is a possibility of asking each question on each topic. There will be eight questions given in the question paper out of which you are asked to write any six of those. Each question carries 6 marks. Total 36 marks are allotted for Communication Skills for Basic English students.

Before starting the first chapter Presentation Skills for IV Semester let us recall what we had learnt in the last III semester.

In III Semester we had learnt about some important aspects of different types of Communication Skills

Those are broadly Oral Communication and Written Communication  

In connection with Oral Communication we had learnt

§  Face-to-face communication in informal situations

§  Communication over a telephone

§  Communication to a group

within this topic we have learnt

·      Facing an interview

·      Informal discussions

·      Group discussions

·      Debates making public speeches etc.

And in Written Communication we had learnt

·      Communication through E-mails

·      Writing about product and service specifications

·      Resume writing

·      Covering letters for Job applications

·      Compering an event etc.

The present chapter Presentation Skills contains the following topics

They are….

·      Synchronized Body Language

·      Use of appropriate Media

·      Style of Presentation

·      Overall impression

The later chapter Personal Conduct and Appearance contains the following topics

·      Etiquette and Manners

·      Table Manners

·      Dress Code

·      Gender Bias in Communication 

Let us learn now each of the sub-topic of both chapters in detail

The Presentation Skills focus on the essential skills involved in increasing effectiveness of your presentations. A well-done presentation is surely enhancing the effective communication in sharing your information, your ideas, feelings, emotions and thoughts with your audience.  To develop your Presentation Skills, you must concentrate on developing the following skills.

·      Synchronized Body Language

Synchronized Body Language is predominantly the expressions of your body while you speak that appropriately syncs with the meaning of the words that you use in your speech. “Body Language” includes the facial expressions, gestures, body postures, nodding of your head, shrugging of your shoulders, movements of your arms and legs must be very expressive to enhance the meaning of your speech. Anybody can use body language to augment your verbal communication and can become a successful communicator by training yourself to synchronize both verbal communication and body language.  A major part of our communication is carried out through your body language.

Similarly, Body Language as a part of non-verbal communication we need not send symbols of sound attaching to the meaning as we do in the verbal communication. The non-verbal communication takes place through the movements of the body parts like hands, fingers, nodding of head, facial expression, posture, gestures, sauntering, walking briskly, walking with drooped shoulders, wearing gloomy look, red eyes, torn clothes, neat dressing, biting nails to communicate different types of moods and feelings of a person. So, in non-verbal communication we express our feelings or thoughts through what we do and act but not by words.

Here are some decodes of body language:

Action	Part of body	You feel…/ convey
bite	lips	Nervous
clench	fist	angry, aggressive
click	fingers	You are trying to remember sth.
click	tongue	annoyed / disturbed
Drum/tap	fingers	Impatient
hang	head	Ashamed
lick	lips	anticipating sth good, nervous
nod	head	Agreement
purse	lips	disapproval, dislike
raise	eyebrows	inquiring, surprise
scratch	head	Puzzled
shake	head	Disagreement
shrug	shoulders	doubt, indifferent
stamp	foot	Angry
wrinkle	nose	dislike, distaste
wrinkle	forehead	Puzzled

Example: She bit her lips nervously. He scratched his head and looked thoughtful. I wrinkled my nose in disgust. She raised questioning eyebrows. (Source OALD)

It is obvious that we deliberately do not use body language. It just happens without our knowledge while speaking or interacting. These visible codes are different aspects of our body, which includes our looks, our posture, our facial expressions, eye contact, gestures and social space distancing etc., It is natural tendency to wear a body language proportion to the status of our mind. The mind has a direct bearing on our body language. Hence the oral communication and non-verbal communication go hand in hand, they cannot be treated isolation. It has been observed that a perfect blend of both communications could prove to be a total communication, because neither of them exists without the other. A fine synchronization of both verbal communication and body language is what we need in this modern life.

·      Use of Appropriate Media

There are three important methods (media) in the process of communication

They are…

1.     Visual medium[mp1] : Presently visual medium is very popular in effective communication process.  All possible methods of print, audio and video visuals can be used in this teaching and learning process. Let us discuss it later in detail.

2.     Kinaesthetic medium: Kinaesthetic[mp2]  method of communication is adopted through physical activity. This method of communication can be adopted to the learners whose memories associated with emotions.  For them learning process through physical activity is facilitated through dance, debate, drama, role-play and charades. This kind of learning leads to a long-term memory since it is associated with emotions such as excitement, curiosity, anger, disappointment and success. But, a very few learners prefer this method of learning. 

3.     Tactile medium: This method of communication related to the sense of touch. This method of tactile[mp3]  device is adopted to the people who are physically impaired in terms dumb, deaf and blind.  A tactile device can translate a text-to-braille which can help the blind to touch and understand / learn.

Now let us learn the above said visual medium in detail.

a.     Print: Copies of printed material (handouts) are to be given to your audience if your presentation contains a lot of verbal descriptions. Listeners can make notes on the margins of those copies related to your topic while listening to your speech. This will help them to read leisurely and understand better than listening to your verbal bombast. You must prepare handouts that follow the structure and sequence of your presentation.

b.     Tables and Graphs:  Providing Tables and Graphs (data) related to the topic will enhance the effectiveness of your presentation. Giving them out to the audience as handouts also has its advantages as they can analyze the data and seek clarifications there and then. Projected shorter tables and graphical presentations have visual impact and they augment your verbal presentation.

c.     Drawings and Cartoons: Drawings and cartoons, with or without captions, can quickly convey information or an idea to the audience in a subtle and focused manner. In fact, a cartoon can convey more than what a picture conveys as it is more focused, and its effect is heightened because of the cartoonist’s sense of humour.

d.     Paintings and Photographs: The Paintings and photographs will add colour and value to your presentation. An apt painting or a photograph can replace a thousand words and convince audience in a better manner.

e.     Presentations of a Series of Photographs in a Sequence: When your presentation contains a number of examples, just one photograph or an image may not be sufficient. A series of photographs are to be presented in a sequence using slides on overhead projector or computer enabled multimedia projector which can enhance the effectiveness of your presentation

f.      Video and Audio Clips: These two media go together hand-in-hand in their formats in presentation. These audio-visual clippings can help you to explain your topic very effectively. Of course, with the advent of [mp4] Multimedia Messing Services (MMS) technology, students are now well-equipped to handle these media systems.

g.     Animations: Animations are created by graphic designer artists to enhance the level of understanding by giving learners an opportunity to visualize which cannot be seen or experienced.  Explanations based on diagrams on the blackboard or the drawings available in books are two-dimensional pictures of a three-dimensional objects. Two-dimensional pictures help a person to explain the concept of a machine but not help the audience to understand it completely. Thus, animated motion pictures will certainly helpful to the presenter to make his presentation successfully and meaningfully.

h.     Multimedia Packages: Multimedia package is a learning package which contains text, photographs, graphs, animations and even video clippings, where the relevant media appear as and where require according to the desire of the user.  An approach where different media are used in a balanced way and the material presented in a package will enhance understanding of concepts and their applications.

The presenter must keep in mind the appropriate media can only support your presentation. The content of the presentation and its sequence are to be decided by the presenter only. Even the multimedia tools cannot completely replace the presenter, but they can only support you. Therefore, the presenter should have thorough practice in presentation skills.

·      Style of Presentation:

The style of presentation depends upon the choice of an individual who is presenting the presentation to the audience. There are varieties of styles in presentation as you can think off.

Generally, the presenter has to organize the points in a logical sequence, similar to the sequence of a textbook and present all points in a sequential order. This style of presentation is only suitable for short presentations lasting for fifteen to twenty minutes and also it is suitable style to make a presentation before an interested adult audience.

The above style presentation may not be suitable for a group audience who are not so motivated and whom the topic is new and unfamiliar. For such audience, the textbook method or serial style may create boredom and monotony during the presentation.

Instead of customized or traditional style a presenter should adopt a different style which can create ‘Cognitive dissonance’ (a kind of disbelief) among the audience to arouse their curiosity and interest. This could attract the “not-so-motivated” listeners toward the topic.

This unique style of presentation sustains the audience’s interest and motivation and ensure their active participation. Such presentations are likely to yield better results and better feedback from the audience.  This style of presentation is very useful when the topic of your choice is highly theoretical and complex. These attempts in the strategies of presentation can surely make a great impact on the audience.

·      Overall Impression

Apart from how you begin your presentation, the media that you chose, and the style of presentation you selected, there are other features that can make an impression on your audience.  A few of such features are listed below to draw a good impression from your audience upon your presentation.

1.     Eye Contact: Staring at a single person or looking away from your audience may create disinterest among the audience. Moving your eyes from one end to the other end will ensure that everyone feels included. The eye-contact also serves the purpose of obtaining feedback from your audience.   

2.     Synchronized Expressions: a pleasant face and synchronized expressions will sustain the interest the interest of the audience.

3.     Voice Pitch: A base pitch is to be preferred during the presentation.  It makes pleasant for the listeners. The voice pitch can be altered depending on emotional overtones which emphasizes a particular point.

4.     Voice Amplitude: Voice amplitude or loudness of your voice has to be adjusted depending the size of the hall and the noises from outside which distract the attention of the audience. If you are making your presentation in a normal-sized hall with an audience of about forty people. Just raise your voice above the normal level and ask a member of the audience who is sitting at the far end of the hall if it is auditable to him or to her. If it is audible, then you can your presentation with the same amplitude of voice. 

5.     Pauses: Using pauses at appropriate points in the presentation may evoke curiosity in the audience.  Further, these pauses help you to gather visual feedback from the audience looking at their facial expressions. Pausing at raising an issue, or asking a question, or create ‘Cognitive dissonance’ gives interest to listeners time to time.

6.     Encouraging Audience Participation: The presenter must take the lead to encourage audience in the process of developing his presentation. This attitude can add the value to the presentation. Now and then the presenter may ask to form a hypothesis based on the information and data provided in the presentation.

7.     Quotations and Anecdotes: The use of appropriate quotations anecdotes[mp5]  can enhance the overall impact on the audience. Choose relevant quotes from well-known sources and connect them to your topic. Look at the reaction of the audience and then proceed to explain the connection of quotation to your topic and leave it to the imagination of the audience. This technic of presentation will definitely add an indelible impression on your presentation.

Thus, a well-trained presenter may make his presentation very successful by executing all these technics to achieve overall impression from the audience to his presentation.

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Note: The next chapter Communication skills Personal Conduct and Appearance is followed in next post.

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 [mp1]Medium is singular

Media is plural form of medium

 [mp2]Through physical activity

 [mp3]Learning through touch

 [mp4]With the introduction of

 [mp5]A short amusing or interesting story about a real incident or a person