Skills that help professionals to interact effectively and make a favorable impression on listeners are critical to every manager. Extensive studies show that whether it is consulting, healthcare, sales, marketing or finance or human resources or technical, executives who possess a magical combination of technical skills and soft skills put their companies in the driver’s seat. In this world of unprecedented globalization, the quality of the communication of leaders and managers can make a huge difference to the fortunes of the organizations. It plays a key role not only in persuading the staff and motivating them towards the goals but also in inspiring vision and moving people closer to the results. Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, states that “a good presentation delivers information effectively and a great presentation inspires”. John Chambers, one of the greatest and successful CEOs of our times firmly believes that the future of executives’ career and company depends on communication. An astonishing public speaker and a presenter himself, he expects every executive to be a great communicator as he believes that a company can move faster and execute faster if the communication is effective. Every communicator must focus on clear and effective delivery as well as the content to become a best professional.

Against this background, the first paper of this issue, “The Importance of Effective Presentation for Organizational Success”, by T V S S Swathi, focuses on the types of presentation and building blocks of an effective presentation. Presentations vary on the basis of the objectives, namely, informative, persuasive, goodwill and sales presentation, to name a few. She talks about the ingredients of effective communication and emphasizes the need for training individuals in presentation. A highly complicated and dense presentation on technical matters can put off the audience and break a project but a presentation with adequate information and compelling style can hold the interest of an audience thus determining the outcomes of the projects.

In their paper, “Acquisition of Corporate Employability Skills: A Study with Reference to Engineering Graduates”, J Parasuraman and N Hari Prasad assert that an excellent blend of technical skills and soft skills is extremely critical in scripting the success of engineering students. Highlighting the nine aspects of employable skills, they adeptly present the importance of soft skills to become successful in this technology-driven world. As the information explodes, there is an increasing demand for people who possess sharp communication skills and hence the executives are relentless in their efforts to hone their communication skills.

The extent to which organizations extend support to their employees in integrating professional demands with personal responsibilities will determine the impact and the difference employees make to achieving organizational outcomes. Work-life balance strategies can help reap huge benefits to the organizations in terms of improving individual and organizational performance, as such strategies can reduce significant costs associated with absenteeism and poor motivation. The last paper, “The Impact of Work-Home Support on Individual and Organizational Outcomes: An Empirical Study”, by P David Jawahar and S M Soundria, states that Work-Home Support (SWH) of an individual has a decisive influence on the level of Individual and Organizational Outcomes (IOOC), which in turn helps the individual achieve a healthy work-life balance.

-- Mendemu Showry
Consulting Editor