Presentation Skills

Presentation Skills

(  Contributor  :  H R Shenoy )

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Sometime in 1993, VH Iyer brought some Materials Management guys attending some training program to Powai and asked me to explain our systems to them.

I had full knowledge of the system but zero presentation skills.  I completed the presentation in one or two sentences and told them to ask questions.

I was so embarrassed by my inability that I vowed to myself to develop.

The opportunity came soon, courtesy Mr VS Shiroor to whom I was reporting to from 1.4.1981 till 29.4.2000 – in the department named Data Processing Section, later upgraded to Switchgear Information Systems.

In 90s, NITIE at Powai used to conduct Materials Management Training Program, duration being 5 days.  L&T PSW were allotted some 3 hour slot to explain our systems, by far the best in the industry as far as I am aware.  Mr Shiroor made one or two presentations.

When he had an opportunity to make the next one, I requested him to allow me to accompany him as an observer, to which he readily agreed.

The next time such the opportunity came I asked him “Can you allow me to take this session?”  Without hesitation, he did.  I did a wonderful job; I did not mess up like the first time.

I also told Mr Shiroor one more thing.  “I know they offer an honorarium (it was some Rs 300 for the 3 hour session).  Apart from the experience of developing presentation skills, I need that extra money too (all 3 children were studying engineering at various stages at that time)”.

For the next 5 years or so, I did those presentations and earned those few extra bucks.

An unforgettable generosity on the part of Mr Shiroor – one of the many !

HR Shenoy, 

7666128505

Co-Founder, Tejora Technologies Limited, tejora.com