Education blog by Pearson India

  • SIMPLE WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR PUBLIC SPEAKING SKILLS

    When it is time to climb the corporate ladder, one of the most sought-after skills that will help you on your ascent is the art of public speaking. Be it pitching your ideas in a meeting or motivating the team; speaking effectively is the key to connect with your audience. From Steve Jobs to Indra Nooyi, nearly every leader around the world brings impeccable oratorical skills to the table.

    Even though public speaking is a challenging game to perfect, practice can go a long way to help you get things right. As you work towards becoming an effective orator, you will realize that it really is the little things that matter.

    Be prepared

    Few things are worse than being caught off guard. Knowing your content inside out can be the difference between an evocative presentation and one that falls flat, leaving your audience not only bored but confused as well.

    Read up as much as you can on the topic that you’re going to talk about. Focus not only on the content of your speech or presentation but also on rooting it with a strong context. Explore the topic from multiple angles, even if you don’t touch upon those in your actual talk or presentation. This way, not only are you well informed but you are also well equipped to answer any questions that crop up.

    Know your audience

    What you speak is more about your audience than you, yourself. Your choice of words, body language, level of information and other relevant things will depend on who you are talking to. The way you speak to one group of people may not be as effective for another group. So before you craft your speech, or just set out make an impromptu announcement, make a note of who you are speaking to. Consider, their age, gender as well as the general cultural milieu and keep these factors at the top of your mind before you craft your words. It might be a good idea to think of some apt catchy phrases and one-liners that will attract your audience’s attention.

    Use visual aids wisely

    An audience that is unengaged is rarely receptive to what you have to say. The best ideas can die a silent death at the hands of a lackluster explanation. Think of a situation where you are having a conversation with your friend and instead of talking to you, your friend is reading out notes from a piece of paper.

    Did you lose interest?

    Your audience will too, if you rely too heavily on visual aids. Use visual aids like presentations, for the benefit of the audience. Leverage audiovisual content and innovative formats to keep the audience engaged. Do not use visual aids merely as tools to help you remember what to say next.

    Package your message right

    The way you present your message is more important than what you have in mind. Use a nice and catchy story or incident to open. You need to grab your audience’s attention with the opening line itself. Interact with them from time to time. This will make sure that you avoid any cognitive backlog. Make your presentation feel like a story and not a lecture to your audience. You can add some relevant anecdotes to establish a firm connection with your audience, and make sure you build on this connection at multiple points during your talk.

    Remember that the more often you speak, the better you will be able to ace the art of public speaking. You may not be able to shake off those nerves at once, but you will surely learn how to minimize them with time and by having command & expertise over the area you are speaking about.

    We, at Pearson Professional, offer career programs and other certificate programs around new-age skills from leading international universities to prepare you for the challenges that you would face in real life, make you a better leader and help you gain an edge over others to stay ahead in your career.

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  • ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: ON ITS WAY TO CHANGING BUSINESSES AND EVERYDAY LIFE

    Machines emulating human interactions was just an idea once confined to Sci-Fi movies. However, since the dawn of the ‘intelligent machines’ in 1950s, science has come quite far in making Artificial Intelligence (AI) a ubiquitous reality today. From voice-powered personal assistants such as Apple’s Siri and Amazon’s Alexa to fundamental and underlying technologies like behavioural algorithms and suggestive searches, AI has seeped its way into our lives in forms which once seemed implausible.

    Today, there are numerous practical applications of AI. Let’s take a look at some of them:

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  • 5 Golden Rules of Manage and Lead Business Effectively

    With a continuously evolving environment and multiple business functions at the workplace, every professional today can expect to assume the responsibility of a leader at some point in their career.

    Irrespective of the position you hold currently, there will come a time when it will be incumbent for you to motivate, inspire and challenge your subordinates… to lead! However, for being an effective leader, you first need to excel in different areas of management – from planning and organization to communication and delegation. While technical skills are a requisite for you to climb up the ladder, it must be complemented with good managerial and human skills for a sure-shot at career ascent.

    One of the most powerful leaders today, Indra Nooyi, CEO, PepsiCo, once said “Leadership is hard to define and good leadership even harder.” This can’t be truer. There is really no hard-and-fast guide to effective management and leadership; however, there are some golden rules that might make it easier for you to know exactly which trick you need from your bag of skills on the hardest of days.

    Here are some of the key skills that will help you become a successful manager and encourage the people around you to trust you enough as a leader to follow you willingly:

    1. Communication 

    Effective communication is critical to express your ideas comprehensibly and coherently and guide your team to a better understanding, which makes it a key management skill. More than anything else, a potent manager should possess the ability to listen and maintain an open dialog with his or her co-workers and subordinates. This will not only increase your credibility within the organisation, but also garner respect for you as an effective leader.

    2. Strategic Thinking 

    One of the most important requisites of being a manager is to be a strategic and tactical thinker. You should be able to use critical thinking to anticipate potential issues, identify their roots, and develop sound action plan while making decisions and solving problems.
    To be able to think strategically and see the bigger picture, a manager must also possess high levels of emotional intelligence (EI). It will not only improve your interpersonal skills, but also enable you to become a rational leader while de-escalating a difficult situation.

    3. Motivation

     According to Nelson Mandela, a leader is like a shepherd who stays behind the flock and lets them go ahead without them realising that they were being directed by him all along.
    Being a manager or a leader doesn’t necessarily imply that you have the authority to control. It is, in fact, an opportunity to let your team flourish by recognising their good work and providing them a second chance upon failure instead of criticism or flak. Creating a positive environment will motivate your fellow workers to perform better.

    4. Conflict Resolution

    For effective management, it is essential to handle issues that may disrupt the functioning of your team with a level-headed view. Playing favourites is most likely to foster a negative environment and inhibit motivation; hence leaving the team dysfunctional. While it may be a challenge to remain fair and consistent while resolving conflicts, adhering to a strict moral code will allow your team to feel at ease around you and define you as a successful leader.

    5. Lead with Example 

    In one of his books, John Maxwell has written “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.” To lead your team to excellence, you must first aspire to excel as a manager and hold yourself to the highest standards of professionalism.
    It is your attitude towards your role that will set examples for your team members and determine their behaviour. So, if you wish your team to work together and give their 100% to any assignment that comes through, all you need to do is do the same FIRST.
    Adopting these practices in your everyday work-life will ensure that when the time comes, you will emerge as an effective manager and a leader who is looked upon and respected.

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