Dr. N. Padmasree and Ms.Krati  Sharma work with Jaipur National University, Jaipur, India.

ESL learners especially those who are pursuing professional and technical courses need to know and understand the importance of making presentations in their professional life. For them it is a tool, a medium, a way to express themselves with the provided aid. In the present education scenario, it is the responsibility of the facilitator to groom his/ her learners so well that they can give presentations in English. The activity will fulfill the following objectives: first the learners get to know how to use visual aids which is a powerful medium to interact with the audience. Secondly, the learners also get to know about the impact of body language in speaking effectively thus becoming confident in facing the audience. Thirdly, as the emphasis is on using English language,  while making the presentation, the ESL learners are able to develop fluency and dexterity in the language.

In this paper, we have focused on the significance of presentation skills in enhancing the communication skills of the ESL learners.  The learners are given the freedom to choose a topic of their own understanding and liking for making the presentation. Selection of the topic on their own gives them a wide range of areas of exploration where they are asked by the facilitators to choose the topics from  general interest like sports, history, places, famous personalities, events, monuments, art and craft.  This provides them with an opportunity to study and investigate on subjects outside their disciplines. Secondly, they learn the techniques of preparing a power point presentation. The learners are also able to master the skills and the art of speaking. Other skills that they learn are the skills of sorting of relevant material from the vast body of available sources, organizing it and then finally preparing the presentation.

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