Communication Tips

Ask friends about the people and places that shaped them, and summer springs up quickly when they tell their story; their first kiss, first beer, first job that changed everything.


Nancy Gibbs in Time

My space

Ever since I started sharing my ideas with the wide wide world, this is the first time I feel entirely liberated. At last I have got a space to share, or rather shout the world at large, how i evolved as a trainer, from a much introverted, troubled youth. Those were days of boomeranging, violent ideas, and I was not alone.....

Year 2005, a twist, equivalent of a violent tornado happened in my life, when I turned my attention and passion to the turbulent world of communication.Till
then, for five years I had been more or less tinkering with the language training, its theory and practice. What I observed in my students was the severe lack of communication skills, and the tragic humiliation they felt when they had to stand in front of someone or a group when all they could do was to mumble like  six month old babies. It was sad to see aspiring faces losing its colour and sheen brooding over their future in far off, unfriendly and strange lands.

They are taught well the language called English, they can write well and when someone speaks to them they nod their heads in understanding. Even after assimilating the practical aspects of the language, still most of them falter in crucial times.Why? Why young girls and boys who finished their higher secondary education and  youth fresh from their graduation and post graduation lacks the courage to speak? All I had to do was to look back to my schooling days and I hit the bulls eye! I was expecting my students to do something that they were not TRAINED in their schools and colleges....I was expecting my students to do something that I didn`t TRAIN them. In fact the entire world was expecting something from them that they didn't KNOW!!

The children and the youth of my land were denied the most important thing in education, a skill which is placed with respect and has acquired the noble status of virtue in all cultured education systems across the world. It is nothing but the "skills of communication" and the resultant by products called self expression ,self awareness and above all the life changing elixir called self esteem.

Teach the child a language to understand, create an environment for him/her to communicate freely with no fear  and let him/her go all out to reach the world. What we need is `a school with no walls`, else .how the sun`s rays could kiss tender cheeks, how the wind could whisper stories from faraway lands into the ever ready ears and how mother nature could nourish its children with better life lessons?

AFRC India`s online educational initiative is subtitled, rightly too, 'A school without walls`. Otherwise how you and me can reach out and shake hands firmly with a smile! We promise a lot of adventurous learning experiences in the coming days, so don`t miss the bus :-)

Anil Emage

LCL - Communication, an introduction

AFRC graphics

Communication skills form the corner stone of soft skills. Every human being has to essentially and effectively communicate with others. Effective communication is hall mark of one's education. the ability to speak fluently using the right word in the right order sprouts good communication. Except a limited few , majority of our young generation are weak in communication. The reason can be attributed to poor educational background, lack of exposure to English, fear psychosis, inferiority complexes etc. Our educational system is more or less theory oriented and during their study time students are not initiated to communication and other activities which may enhance and sharpen their life skills.

AFRCresearch                                                                                                                                              

Research paper on education from Wayanad published

Kochi,Kerala ffNews India
In the documents compilation of research papers presented at the UGC sponsored International Conference on" Multi Modality, Multi Linguilism, Multiliteracies: New Pedagogie for New Times?" organised by the Department of English, St.Teresa`s College, Kochi in collaboration with London Metropolitan University, the paper "Literacy and Communication-The Innovative Experiment" prepared by AFRC Centre for Research, Development and Training ,Wayanad has been included by the organisers. The paper was prepared by Laila Saein and Anil Emage.



The paper "Literacy and Communication" dwelt on the 12 year old experimental educational activities done in Wayanad based on language, communication and leadership and the paper was well received by the scholars and delegates from UK and India.The paper explained the educational innovations introduced by AFRC and Leadership Village was featured prominently during the presentation. AFRC partnered with LeadCap in 2009 to form Leadership Village.The conference was organised on 24th & 25th January 2011 and the compilation of papers was published in October which is to be submitted to University Grants Commission - New Delhi

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

Communication lessons for beginners

 Conference on women/facefeaturesNewsIndia/archives

We may divide the presentation process into three:

1. Pre-presentation stage

2. Presentation stage

3. Post presentation stage


1.Pre-presentation stage:

Butterflies start to flutter deep within your subconscious, your body produces perspiration profusely and you might even welcome a fever so as to escape the ordeal. Of course we all wish to be the shining star in a crowd. Pre-presentation stage is the first step of your presentation and let`s see how we can do our best.

1.Make sure you have collected all the relevant data including study notes, text books and sources from internet.

2.Set your priorities: Theme of presentation, where to start, mid points and where to end.

3.Identify difficult/tough portions and prepare them seperately by dividing into smaller pieces.

4.Once all the points are balanced and made easy, go for preparation.

5.Do the presentation in front of a couple of your friends and welcome feedbacks from them.

6.Keep on performing in front of a mirror/friends until you feel confident.

Remember:The more you prepare the better will be the outcome!

2.Presentation stage:
Here the bell rings for your entry to stardom!
A good presenter make sure the following golden rules are never broken. Here we go!

Rule 1. A good presenter leaves nothing to chance. Starting from note making to ensuring smooth functioning of technical equipments.
Rule2. Starts in a captivating way as the attention span of the average listener is very short. A good beginning is half the battle won!
Rule3. A good presenter is never afraid of the audinece and talks to them in a pleasing manner, tension free.
Rule4. Possesses a natural language using notes as prompts rather than reading from a text.
Rule5. Enjoys the experience and makes the presentation a joy to watch.
rule6.  Is never afraid of questions as he/she is well prepared and armed to the teeth.

Post Presentation stage
Feedback from the audience is very important.
If the audience asks you more questions its a clear indication that they are interested in your presentation. Feel free to communicate with your colleagues, teachers and friends to know about how they felt about your performance. Always insist them to share their opinion without any reservations and be open and understanding to their words. accept all criticisms with a smiling face and wholeheartedly thank your well wishers.

All the best you!!

LCL Q&A - Communication

Presentation Jitters!!

Hello !

This is Nina, your friendly guide  :-)  Here we start a new interactive column. Our subscribers are requested to post us questions and doubts and experts shall answer your queries. Our first question is on communication and the mail is from  a software professional from Kochi. Here is her question:


Q:"How do I improve my presentation skills?
I always used to get stuck while I do some presentations. Especially when I am about to speak technically.As an IT professional presentations are part and parcel of my job.I hope LCL Q&A can come up with a solution :-)

Formal presentations, indeed are very important for all. It accilerates our career growith and is vital for self growth. I have passed this question to our communication desk and here is the answer:

A:Hi there!

Thanks for being our first Q&A participant :-)
Presentations  are an important form of business communication. More than WHAT you present, it is HOW you present the subject, and how you present yourself that bring laurels for you as a presenter.

It is obvious from your question that you need more exposure in delivering technical presentations. At the same time you also need to develop your communication skills. The biggest problem you face is  connecting your technical expertise with the communication process called presentation. While doing a presentation extreme focus is needed. If you are interested to develop yourself as a natural, easy going presenter, you shouldn`t depend too much on PPTs or notes. PPTs and notes are only presentation enhancements, not presentations. You the presenter should be prepared to the limit and before each presentation spend adequate time for preparation.

Self introduction based questions

Self introduction based questions guide you and your partner in your stride toward the world of communication. These questions help you speak with strangers.

Instruction:

Sit face to face with your partner and ask these questions. When you answer please do not be afraid to commit mistakes. REMEMBER Communication is all about ideas.

Section A- Basic information

1. May I know your name?

2. Where are you from?

3. What are you?

4. Where did you study/ Where do you study now?

5. How many members are in your family?

6. Who are they?

7. What are they?

8. Where are they now?

Section B – Personal details

1. .What ambition motivates you?

2. .Which is your hobby?

3. .What benefit do you derive from it?

4. Which newspaper do you regularly read?

5. Do you read magazines and newsletters?

6. Your mouth watering dish?

7. .Who are your best friends?

8. Your favourite teachers?

9. The colour you like most?

10The book you love to read again?

11The tourist spot which captivated your mind?

12 Your favourite outfit?

13Describe your neighbourhood.

Section C - About you

1. What are your positives?

2. What are your negatives?

3. What do you do for entertainment?

4. What are your hangouts?

5. What is your vision on yourself and the world you live in?

Softskills and you

Why soft skills?!

Soft skills are personal attributes like expertise in language, skills of communication and leadership that enhance an individual's interactions, job performance and career prospects. Unlike hard skills, which are about a person's skill set and ability to perform a certain type of task or activity, soft skills are interpersonal and broadly applicable.

Soft skills are often described by using terms often associated with personality traits, such as:

Soft skills are a bunch of skills which complement "hard skills". Technical knowledge of any subject is considered hard skill. Common sense knowledge of anything is soft skill. Soft skills are also called corporate skills. Soft skills can be more useful and practical (than?/to whom?). Effective communication skill can be the most sought after skill of students, managements and organisations.

The world is shrinking fast, thanks to the ever-changing global inner currents. English being the link language reigns supreme and an expertise in English plus sharp communication skills and bold leadership can catapult individuals, managements and organisations to heights of greatness unimaginable. Now English is unavoidable in all aspects of life and the world now is a global village and the sky is the limit for those who dare.