Day 21 - Presentation Skills

Today’s lecture was about “Presentation Skills”. Objective of this lecture was to discuss,

• How to do a presentation
• How to prepare for a presentation
• Pressure points when doing a presentation

Initially Mr Iranian discussed about many types of presentations. Following are few types,

• Lectures
• Project presentations
• Academic conferences
• Business presentations

After that Mr Eranjan discussed about one important factor which is how to make a good impression. First impression is a key factor because it attracts audience towards the presenter from beginning to end of the presentation.

There are many ways to make a first impression,   

• Gather content before a presentation and go through with it.
• Keep summery card, but only for important points.
• Control the speed of voice, do not rust.
• Summarize main points at the end of presentation.
• Control voice.           
• Maintain eye contact with the audience.
• Act natural.
• Always stick to the subject.
• Make pauses when appropriate.

When someone do a presentation, he/she should use following criteria on the subject,

• Brief
• Precise
• Effective
• Interesting

In presentation first impression is really important. Another important thing is attention of the audience. One can use many techniques to get the attention of the audience and maintain throughout the presentation. Following are some of the techniques,

• Jokes
• Questions
• Quotes
• Videos
• Images

These techniques should be used for small time because it will take away the real subject from the audience. Then Mr Eranjan discussed how to do a presentation. This was discussed in 3 aspects,

Preparation

• Prepare the logical structure of the overall presentation - Opening, Presentation, Conclusion, and Follow up.
• Be familiar with presentation metrical (Que cards) and topics.
• Oral communication – Rehearse is the best way to develop a good oral communication.  

Speaker

• Know the audience
• Body language and gesture
• Dress professionally
• Pause when necessary
• Be confidence
• Maintain eye contact
• Avoid jokes
• Conceder time limit

Delivery

• Speak clearly
• Do not rush, maintain a regular pace, and be natural
• Do not bore the audience
• Change your delivery depending on the importance of points
• Use body language to emphasize points
• Look at the audience; try best to keep eye contact
• Leave time for discussion
• Do not use graphical media for longer time

Reflection of today's lecture

Today lecture was definitely informative and useful. Presentation is something which can be regular in our lives. It can be in university or in office. Because of that learning proper way to do a presentation is so important. Today lecture just did that. It was a complete package about how to tune your presentation skills. As BIT students we have done many presentations for past two years. Until now we didn’t realize the exact way to do a presentation. Today lecture taught us how to prepare, how to present a certain subject in front of a crowd, how to act during a presentation, and how to do a presentation effectively. I hope these things will help me for my future presentations, especially for final year presentation.        

Day 20 - Curriculum Vitae

Today lecture was about curriculum vitae. It is one way that a person can brand and market himself. In today’s lecture, Mr Eranjan explained different aspects of a CV. Following are some main points discussed during today’s lecture.

What is a curriculum vita?

A curriculum vita is a sales document that highlights his/her skills (cognitive, motor, and affective), experiences, and achievements in such a way that the reader is motivated to meet him/her.

Mr Eranjan further explained that,

·  In this sales document, person who delivers become the product and it should compete against other candidates.

· CV must present in a professional manner, which should indicate that he/her is the perfect candidate for the job.

· The right skills, experience, behavior and attitude should be included according to employer’s interest.

·  The challenge in CV writing is to be more appealing and attractive than the rest.

After that Mr Eranjan instructed students to identify 10 attributes in a professional. There were many attributes discussed during lecture and following are some of them,

·        Good communication skills.

·        Punctual.

·        Time management.

·        Responsible.

·        Flexible.

·        Positive thinking.

·        Loyalty.

·        Self-motivated.

·        Good listener.

·        Courteous.

·        Credible…. Etc...

Following are contents that should include in a professional CV,

·        Personal data.

·        Career Objective.

·        Education (Within the period of last five years).

·        Work Experience(In a company or volunteering services)

·        Professional affiliations.

·        Leadership, Honors, Achievements.

·        References.

10 Rules to a Great CV

1)     Do not play resume roulette.

2)     Skip the Summary.

3)     Sell not Tell.

·        Eliminate all self-serving descriptions

                e.g. – strategic thinker, excellent leader

·        Focus on Facts –

               eg -headed a sales team of 12 people to raise revenue by Rs 2m.

4)     Mind your language.

·        Don’t use jargon

               eg – Received Taiki Amoto Award

               eg - Implemented ABCD system

·        Don’t use “I”.

5)     Nothing personal.

·        Keep your personal details short

                     - Name and address in small fonts.

                     - Age, gender, marital status irrelevant.

                     - Avoid listing all your hobbies/ extracurricular activities.

                     - Use hobbies only to supplement the job.

6)     Drop the irrelevant affiliations.

   Affiliations and memberships can be controversial and create an unintended/ unwanted  consequence.

7)     Keep it real.

·        Skip the history lesson (focus on a 5 year period)

·        Don’t be dishonest instead be creative. 

8)     Include a photo.

·        Eliminate doubts.

·        Better chances at the interview.

·        Serious, well dressed, not a crowded background – professional passport size photo is best.

9)     Write a Cover Letter.

·        Short and sweet.

·        Personal name of the Manager.

·        Re-emphasize your contact details. 

10) Don’t forget the basics.

·        Use good paper (conqueror – cream).

·        Word Process.

·        Spell checked.

·        Easy to read not verbose.

·        1 – 2 page (max).

After explaining 10 rules for a great CV, Mr Eranjan concluded a session.

Reflection of today's lecture

Today lesson gave me basic knowledge about how to write a professional CV that will compete against many other CV’s. As many CV’s compete together, it’s really important to make our own CV’s according to things I learned in today’s lecture. I felt that this subject is step by step preparing us for a professional career. And CV is one of important thing when somebody applies for a job. As it represent and market he/her to employers, it should be in perfect manner so you could compete with thousands and fulfil your career objectives.  

Day19 - Negotiation

Today lecture was a guest lecture conducted by, Attorney-at-Law Mr Chamila Talagala in the topic of 'negotiation'. Objectives of this lecture were to identify and improve negotiation skills. Following are some topics discussed during the lecture,

What is negotiation?

Negotiation is a process by which two parties with an interest in the same issue seek to reach an argument that is acceptable to both sides.

As Mr Talagala explained, negotiation is a personal choice. After explaining basic concept of negotiation, there was an exercise to identify styles of negotiation. According to Thomas and Kilmann there are five styles of negotiation (ways or methods of negotiating).

1)     Competing.

2)     Collaborating.

3)     Compromising.

4)     Avoiding.

5)     Accommodation.

Before using above mentioned methods, there are few skills that he/her needs to be developed. Skills like,

1)     Search for interest – Search for what each party requires.

2)     Try to understand – Listen to others and encourage.

3)     Control emotions.

4)     Avoid the presumption of evil.

5)     Break down bigger problems to smaller ones.

6)     Move away from blame.

7)     Maintain integrity.

In negotiation theory, BATNA (Best alternative to a negotiated agreement) is the best way to come up with a solution for a party if the current negotiations fail or acceptable agreement cannot be reached.

WATNA is worst alternative to a negotiated agreement. This is useful in evaluating whether to walk away from an agreement.

After explaining BATNA and WATNA, Mr Talagala concluded the session.

Reflection of today's lecture

Today lecture was an interesting lecture because negotiation is something that everyone encounters in their lives. I learnt that there is a methodical way to conduct a negotiation. I realise that there are many negotiation methods that we can use to negotiate with another party rather than doing things with no thinking. To use these methods we have to practice negotiation skills as well. Overall this was a successful lecture which gave us knowledge about how to negotiate things in life. I would like to personally thank Mr Chamila Talagala for delivering a useful lecture for us.

Day 18 - Personal Branding

Today lecture was about “Personal Branding”. Mr Eranjan explained that process of selecting his/her first job and preparation process is depending on individual’s personal branding capability. Following are some topics discussed by Mr Eranjan during today’s lecture. 

What is personal branding?

According to Liar at (2005),

"Personal branding is, for some people, a description of the process whereby people and their careers are marketed as brands".

Before someone brands himself, first it should identify his/her strengths and weaknesses. Then Mr Eranjan told us to identify few of our strengths and weaknesses. Following are some strengths and weaknesses identified on myself,

Strengths	Weaknesses
·        Good communication skills. ·        Good with people. ·        Organized. ·        Positive thinking. ·        Responsible person.	·        Not a morning person. ·        Too much kind. ·        Too much spending. ·        Trust people instantly.

Then Mr Eranjan discussed how to market someone’s brand (Career). There are few ways of marketing such as

·Personality – attitude, artistic skills.  

·Networking / social groups – establishing contacts using social groups such as toastmaster, lion and rotaract Clubs etc.

·Presentation of oneself – For example having a personal website, blog and social network pages etc…

·Attire – dress professionally.

·CV – Document that includes personal details, qualifications and achievements.

After that Mr Eranjan concluded the session and also gave a home work to create our own brand logo.

Reflection of today's lecture

Today lecture was a successful one regarding evaluating ourselves. I was able to identify my strength and weaknesses in process of the lecture and also understood how important these factors when branding myself. I also figured out that, there are many ways I can brand myself. This process is really important because it affects preparation process of a job. Today lecture was an effective one because I learnt something new to myself and I hope today’s learning will come handy in the future. 

References

Lair, D, 2005. Marketization and the Recasting of the Professional Self. Management Communication Quarterly, [Online]. 18, 307–343. Available at: http://mcq.sagepub.com/content/18/3/307.abstract [Accessed 20 August 2012].

Day 17 – Critical Evaluation

Today also I didn’t attend lectures because of next day submission. Today topic was about critical evaluation. Following are important topics discussed in today’s lecture,

What is critical evaluation?

A critical evaluation is a formal argument which highlights both, the positives and negatives and there is sufficient amount of evidence to support the argument.

A critical evaluation consist of three steps,

• Argument
• Evidence
• Justification

After discussing these points, Mr Eranjan has played an audio clip of students and lecturers speaking of critical evaluation. The students were recommended to watch the movie "the others" as it would help us based on this topic. After that lecture was concluded.

Day 16 – Research Design Continue...

Today I was unable to attend lectures. But according to our class members today lecture was a continuation from previous session, research design. Following are some areas discussed during today’s lecture.

What is research?

According to Oxford Dictionary (2012) research is “systematic investigation and study of materials, sources, etc., in order to establish facts and reach conclusions.”

A research should be able to answer three questions,

1)     How: How the research is going to be done.

2)     Where: Where you obtain your sources.

3)     What: what the researcher is trying to conclude.

      Types of research

Mr Eranjan has explained several types of research. Main two types are technical research and domain research. And both together they make up a literature review.

The technical and domain research each consists of academic, primary, and secondary research. Mr Eranjan have discussed about primary and secondary research in previous sessions. Academic Research is what you find from other people's research using academic sources like books, journal articles etc…

Mr Eranjan also has explained that secondary research should be carried out before primary research. 

The Research Process

• Establish what you need to know

–        Define the scope of what you need to find out – problem definition

• Determine how you can get the information

–        ‘Where and how will I find this information?’ – research plan

• Find out what you need to know

–        Conduct your research – raw facts (Academic + Secondary Research on Technical and Domain related matters)

Finally Mr Eranjan has explained students that that the final year project should be innovative, challenging, independent, interesting and logical. After that session was concluded.

Reflection of today's lecture

Today lecture has given great idea about research process which has three phases. If anyone use this three phases he/she can identify problem in detailed way so that clearly he/she can think of a solution. Because of that research design part is so crucial in any kind of project especially for our final year project. 

Day 15 – Research Design Continue...

Today is a continuation lecture from the previous lecture, research design. Firstly Mr Eranjan explained why research is so important. Research is so important because it helps researcher to uncover not clear and doubt areas.

After that Mr Eranjan gave a group activity. Group activity was to come up with a research design for an Intelligent Clinic Management System.

Research design for Intelligent Clinic Management System

Objective

To build a clinic management system that would help the clinic improves their efficiency.

Aims

To find a solution to the current system and its faults.

Outcome

Tangible- Document, application, User manual.

Intangible: Reliability, security, efficiency.

Literature review

Go through documents on the current system and data stored in files.

Primary research

Interview the doctors and give questionnaires to customers.

Sampling method

Probabilistic sampling.

Research method

Survey

Research tools

Interviews, questionnaires  

After a time Mr Eranjan checked our answers and he was not satisfied. So to further improve our research design he assigned each group with a type of primary research which could be conducted in APIIT. Our group got the task of observing the library process at APIIT. After that Mr Eranjan concluded the session.

Reflection of today's lecture

Today lecture helped us further to understand about research design. As we learned it in theory last week, we never understood because we didn’t use it practically. But with today’s group work to design research plan for an Intelligent Clinic Management System, I personally cleared many doubts I had. I felt it helped all of us to understand what research design is all about. Overall an effective and fun lecture.