LCL Q&A - Communication

Hi friends. This is Nina, back again :-) somewhat faster than expected as I received an SOS from  Trivandrum. Straightaway let`s go to the question. Surprisingly the first Q&A entry and this one is interconnected. Please check it out. I have passed the question to our subject expert in Bangalore: Mr Nibras.



Your first seminar; preparation is the key


Q: I am doing my LLB first year. I have to do my first seminar tomorrow or the day after.(Nov.30) we are not allowed to refer notes and there wont be any PPTs to assist too, this time. I will be glad if you could let me know how to handle the situation.

A:It is said that “Success is where preparation and opportunity meet”. Let it be their 1st or 100th seminar, experts in the field prepares for it well. Once we know that preparation is the key to success in conducting a seminar, what we need to know then is 'how' to prepare for it? Let us discuss some of the key points. 

1. Know yourself: As a presenter, understand your strengths and weaknesses. If you are good in story telling, use it as your best ally during the seminar and if you have issues with remembering things, then prepare really well by practicing the seminar before hand. 

2. Know the audience: Most of the times, at academic level, your audience would be your classmates, or a mix of students and teachers. Most probably, they would have some basic knowledge about what you are going to speak. What they would expect from you is how you are presenting it with stories, confidence, some jokes; ultimately the information shared should be useful, clear, and the audience should feel engaged. 

3. Know your material: You should be thorough with what you are speaking. Imagine your audience asking questions to you about what you just spoke. This is why it is imperative that you practice the seminar in front of a smaller group of friends before going on to the big stage.

4. Tell stories and experiences: People like stories. Try to covey the message with the help of a story that you have read, or made up or even your experience. Audience should be able to relate to the content spoken. Take lot of examples and case studies.

Above three things would be useful, if you had enough time to prepare. Imagine a situation where you need to do speak to a group where the topic is given to you 10 minutes before the presentation. In this case, best way is to use something called as Mind Map (check for Mind Maps by Tony Buzan in the Internet). Ultimately, you should be able to visualize a central theme (the topic given to you) and some sub topics (branches).  Speak about the central theme by defining it or giving your version of meaning to it - what you think about it and list the sub topics and then talk another 5 minutes about each of the sub topics. Here as well, try to share some personal experiences. 

Good luck to you with your seminar!
Nibras