· Before presenting, ensure that you understand as much about your audience as possible (what is their knowledge of the topic, what is their background, what will they be expecting?). Once understood, determine the approach you will take (what information to provide, what questions the presentation should answer, what tone should be adopted etc.). What questions might they ask?

· Outline your presentation by writing down all of the key points and in what order they should be presented.

· Make a video of yourself presenting to others. Critically review it with a colleague or friend.

· The best way to improve public speaking and develop confidence is through practice.

- Seek out opportunities that require you to make presentations to small groups, perhaps outside work with community or service organisations.

· To present opinions forcefully and directly, avoid phrases like ‘it seems to me’ or ‘it is likely that’. Use strong, ‘punchy’ verbs.

· Illustrate key points of your presentation with real life examples that your audience will understand.

· Examine the habits of an excellent speaker (for example, watch the weather presenters on TV). What is it that they do? What are their behaviours, body language etc? What can you learn from them? What are you prepared to try and do differently?

· Learn to read the reaction from the audience. Are they attentive throughout, do any look bored?

· Check your tone of voice and body language, is it consistent with your words? Ask others for feedback.

· Read the following books – Successful Presentation Skills by Andrew Bradbury, You’ve Got to Be Believed to Be Heard by Bert Decker, and The Definitive Book of Body Language, A&B Pease.

While the above is not meant to be an exhaustive list of tips to improve one’s presentation skills, it does serve as an example that a management training course may not be the answer to develop your presentation skills.

Some people are especially gifted with the right social skills. They are socially inclined to have the right ways of speaking, listening, and receiving messages. These people are very fortunate to have great social skills. People require basic knowledge of social skills because it is the primary way of communicating to others. It is dependent on verbal and nonverbal communication.

Verbal communication is a way of communicating with words, while nonverbal communication involves body language such as nodding, smiling, frowning and even the use of sign language (if you happen to be deaf).

Just as there are people who have good social skills, there are also people who are beset by problems with speaking and even listening. The results of poor social skills may lead one to become a loner with low self-esteem who is always being left out of discussions.

Proven Ways of improving social skill:

1. Try helping yourself first before asking others for their assistance. You can practice your social skill through daily situations such as going to work, shopping, talking with friends, chitchatting with family members and discussing work with colleagues.

2. Using a mirror can make you more self aware (compared to just speaking with a real person where you study the reactions of another person rather than yourself.)

By practicing, you will notice that you will eventually become comfortable with speaking with another person in no time. Even the nonverbal ways of communication (such as nodding, smiling, other facial expressions, and even body language) will then come automatically.

3. However, you should also be aware that nonverbal communication starts with involuntary actions. While talking with someone over a funny topic, you tend to smile unknowingly. For instance, agreeing with a speaker will make you nod. These are nonverbal ways of communicating. It comes naturally from a person without needing to be reminded.

4. Receiving information is also crucial. Getting the right message is proof of how well you can communicate. The fact that you always try to listen but somehow always get the wrong impression is a sign of weak social skills. Try to be a better listener so that receiving information becomes very easy.

5. Some social skill help can be found around you, if you think you need it. A family member can help you out anytime you ask. A good friend may also attempt to provide feedback on your level of social skill in a way that will not leave you embarrassed.

6. If your poor social skills is quite severe, there are social skill classes that may help you, particularly in communication. Classes are offered both for children and for adults. There are social skill deficiencies manifested by common disorders called ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) and ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) which manifest as early as in pre-school age children.

Schools for social skill building offer help with communication and relationship skills such as listening, conversing, reading and using proper body language, managing social interaction and peer relationships, developing self-control and self-esteem, getting along with other people and making friends, handling teasing and many more. Choose a program that is designed to fit your needs.

Learning these skills will enhance your chances for more successful social interaction. You will establish social competence, self-esteem and positive communication skills. It is very important to build communication skills as early as possible to create a good foundation for interacting with others.

A world without interaction is not healthy. Improving the social skill of individuals is very important for us and for our society.