The Hindu Business Line : Use `parking lot' in presentation!

TALK your way to success, urges Asha Kaul in The Effective Presentation, from Response Books (www.indiasage.com). "Presentations are ideas, concepts or issues that are talked about or shared with a group of people or an audience," defines the author, who is Associate Professor at IIM, Ahmedabad. Isn't size of the group a key factor, you may wonder? No, says Kaul. "What is important is that the presenter is convincing and is able to capture and hold the attention of the audience."

The book guides you through different stages of presentation. Thus, for instance, in the chapter on planning, Kaul advises presenters to anticipate questions, which may be open-ended, close-ended, or rhetorical. Examples for each of these are: "What are your views on leadership? Don't you think in moments of crisis one should act rather than think or debate? Do you think leadership exists in India?"

The chapter on delivering presentations returns to the topic of audience questions. These posers help you to establish your credibility, emphasises Kaul, and lists four steps when responding to questions. These are: Listen, affirm, discern, and respond. "Do not be in a rush to answer questions. Listen very carefully to the questions, affirm or acknowledge the questions, try and figure out the worth, value, or merit of the questions, that is, discern their importance and finally give an answer," counsels the author.

A helpful tip she offers is to make a column on the board or flip chart and label it `parking lot', to place all questions, views, suggestions or comments that could not be attempted in the course of the presentation! "When the audience raises simple queries, there is absolutely no problem. You can look terribly interested before framing a response."

A book you can present to yourself!

Success equation

THE equation for success that Koh Seng Choon offers in Elements of Success: Education, from Marshall Cavendish (www.teksons.com) has a series of icons such as of the heart, a clock, a book, first aid, a dollar and a window. These stand for love, time, knowledge, health, money and opportunity, which the parents need to ensure for their wards. Choon advises that motivation is necessary to get children to study. Next, "find time for them to study". How? Prioritise, and create a daily routine. As for `knowledge', remember the five Cs, viz., comprehension, communication, checking, critique, and correction. "Staying mentally healthy does not mean hours on computer games and the Playstation," points out the author. Money is needed to support studies, and that's well-spent, counsels Choon. Opportunity is the factor of all the other elements, because it refers to situations that can enhance them, explains the author. Helpful advice.

Traits of winners

JAGJIT Kumar Kharbanda proposes `a practical approach to experience change and eliminate stress' in Be a Dynamic Leader, from Vikas (helpline@vikaspublishing.com). He identifies the traits of winners, drawing from the work of management writers. Authenticity is a basic trait, he mentions. Authentic persons remain themselves, rather than putting on an act and pretending, writes Kharbanda. "Winners are not afraid to do their own thinking," he adds. "They can separate facts from opinion and don't pretend to have all the answers." Thirdly, they are responsible; "winners do not play `helpless', nor do they play the blaming game... They are their own bosses, and they know it." Fourth, spontaneity; winners don't respond in "predetermined, rigid ways". Not only do they enjoy without guilt their own accomplishments, but also they acclaim, without envy, the achievements of others. Fifth is discipline; winners can postpone enjoyment, and they "do not get their security by controlling others". Finally, `caring'; winners are "concerned, compassionate, and committed to improving the quality of life" to make the world a better place. Useful analysis, with many diagrams.

Those were the woes

EARLY computing systems had no operating systems, writes K. J. George in Operating System: Concepts and Principles, from Shroff Publishers (www.shroffpublishers.com). "There was only computer hardware. These systems were physically large, with limited memory and were very slow in operation. The computer system was operated by the same person who wrote the programme," narrates the author about what may seem pre-historic, given the current status of IT. But those were days when programmes were written `in absolute binary, first on paper'. "Each instruction was then loaded into the memory via a set of switches. Then the appropriate button was pushed to load the starting address of the programme into the programme into the programme counter." What about output? "There were no output devices," explains George. The programmer had to read the output from "a set of display lights on the operator's console". What a consolation that our machines don't demand such hard work from us! A journey into history.

Judgers vs Listeners

MARILEE G. Adams packs `7 powerful tools for life and work' in Change your Questions Change your Life, from Tata McGraw-Hill (www.tatamcgrawhill.com). The book is about QuestionThinking, "an easy-to-use system for transforming thinking, action, and results". It can help you approach any situation, promises Adams. "The system can literally put action into your thinking," she adds, while pointing out that often we are barely conscious of asking questions. "Thinking actually occurs as a question and answer process." An insightful box differentiates between questions of judgers and learners. The former has posers such as: "What's wrong? Who's to blame? How can I prove I'm right? How can I protect my turf? How can I be in control? Why bother?" And so on. The `learner' questions are: "What works? What am I responsible for? What are the facts? What's the big picture? What are my choices? What can I learn? What's possible?" The two categories have different mindsets and relationships too. The judger believes in debates, while the learner banks on dialogues. The judger listens for right/wrong, agree/disagree, and differences, while the learner listens for facts, understanding, and commonalities. Constructive read.

Tailpiece

"And then he spoke of white crow flying!"

"A case of senility or colour blindness?"

ReadingRoom@TheHindu.co.in

D. Murali

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