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Item Name: Professional Skills Self Help Starter Kit

Version: 1
May, 2014
Copyright NIIT Yuva Jyoti Ltd., 2012. All rights reserved.
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About This Course
About This Course

Welcome to the first step in an exciting journey towards a bright future!
The Professional Skills Self Help Starter Kit is your springboard to a number of interesting
interventions that will support your growth and development as a working professional in
five critical steps:
1.
Understand the competencies required in todays global working environment.
2.
Analyse where you stand on each of these competencies.
3.
Work with us to improve your skills in all these areas.
4.
Get certified on each of the competencies, so that potential employers recognize

your job-readiness.
5.
Go ahead and build the career you always dreamt of!
The Starter Kit outlines the competencies that are considered global job-readiness skills, as
well as those that have been defined as essential professional skills by the IT & ITeS Sector
Skills Council of India and the National Skills Development Corporation.
We wish you all the best in your journey of learning and improvement and hope that you will
make the most of the opportunities being provided to you.
NIIT Yuva Jyoti
Table of Contents
Communication ---------------------------------------------------------------------------1
Critical Thinking and Problem Solving ----------------------------------------- 19
Accessing and Analysing Information------------------------------------------ 25
Teamwork and Collaboration ------------------------------------------------------ 29
Time and Resource Management ------------------------------------------------ 39
Values and Ethics ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 51
Health Safety and Security---------------------------------------------------------- 54
Building Aptitude----------------------------------------------------------------------- 70
Communication
The ABCs are Attitude, Behaviour and

Communication skills.
- Gerald Chertavian
Social Entrepreneur and Founder CEO of Year Up
Communication
Communication Skills
Communication is an integral part of our life. We all communicate to share information,
ideas, thoughts, and feelings. This session provides an introduction to communication and
its process. It describes the different elements of communication. In addition, it also
describes the types of communication and the medium of communication
In this module, you will:
Understand the elements of communication
Identify the types of communication
Discover how to communicate assertively
Identify ways to improve your conversational skills
Communication is defined as the process of sharing information, ideas, facts, or emotions
between two or more persons. The information is shared by various methods. These
methods are auditory such as speaking or singing and physical such as gestures, touch, or
eye contact.
Communication involves exchange of information. However, it is effective when the
communicating parties are able to comprehend the intended message. In perfect
communication, there will be no dilution, exaggeration, or distortion of messages. A clear
understanding of the terms used in the communication process is essential for effective
communication. Symbols, gestures, sounds, letters, numbers, and words are used to
represent or approximate the ideas that they are meant to communicate.
Communication takes place between a sender and a receiver. It can flow in one direction
(when there is no feedback from the receiver) or can be bi-directional (when there is
feedback from the receiver)
TRANSMIT
RECEIVE
MESSAGE
SENDER
ENCODING
MESSAGE
CHANNEL
DECODING
RECEIVER
NOISE
FEEDBACK
Communication Process
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Communication
The process of communication involves the following five elements:

Sender: Sender is the one who initiates communication.
Message: Message is the core idea that has to be communicated which may
consist of both verbal (written & spoken) and non-verbal (unspoken) symbols.
Medium: Medium refers to the channel used for sending messages.
Receiver: Receiver is the one who receives the message, that is, the reader or the
listener. Receiver is the person who senses or perceives the senders message.
Feedback: Feedback is the response from the receiver to indicate that the
message has been understood correctly.
If the message does not reach the receiver and if the desired response is not received, then
communication has not been effective.
Types of Communication
We are involved in varying degrees of regular contact with people. These contacts are
classified as follows:
Personal: It refers to face to face or telephonic conversations. This includes verbal
and non-verbal communication.
Verbal communication is expression of thoughts in spoken words; this could be

in words, phrases, or sentences.
Non-verbal communication consists of expressions and body language.

Impersonal: It refers to paperwork, that is, through letters or processing forms /
complaints.
Verbal communication
In a working environment, you need to focus on the words that you use in verbal
communication. Problems are inevitable at any place. However, you should avoid words that
are critical, judgmental, or harsh that tends to create a resistant and defensive mindset. You
should select words that normalize the issues and problems and reduce resistance. A
message conveyed should be clear and crisp. Further, listening to the message is another
part of verbal communication. Listening to a disorganized message is tedious and the
message loses its impact. However, to understand the message, you need to listen to the
message actively and understand the relevance of the message. Therefore, in verbal
communication, you need to choose appropriate words that are clear and concise. Avoid
jargon, confusing words and short form of a terminology. Do not use conflicting words that
might create a resistance in the mind of a listener.
It has been observed that 55% communication is based on non-verbal clues, such as facial
expression and body language. Voice intonation, which includes tone, tempo, pitch, and
volume, makes up 38% of our communication, while actual words account for only 7% of
communication.
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Non-Verbal communication
Non-verbal communication consists of:
Kinesics: This includes gestures, postures, and facial expressions. Your face
conveys your emotional information, especially the eyes. Eyes are very expressive
and instantly show joy, sadness, anger, and confusion.
Further, body postures can create a feeling of warm openness or cold rejection. For
example, a person sitting in a meeting with arms crossed portrays rigidity.
Whereas, a person sitting with hands loosely folded portrays a feeling of interest
and expectation.
Proxemics: This focuses on the distance to be maintained while talking. You need
to maintain a space while talking with another person to make the communication
more comfortable.
Paralanguage: This focuses on the tone, speed, and volume of your speech. For
example, the words on which you emphasize change the manner of your
communication.
I didnt SAY you were good.
I didnt say YOU were good.
I didnt say you were GOOD.

Therefore, while communicating, you need to focus on all these aspects.
Communication Styles
In addition to the nonverbal communication cues discussed, how we say things is influenced
by culture. This is referred to as "communication style." Each person has its own
communication style.
Lets learn about them.
Passive
Aggressive
Assertive
Communication Styles
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Words that describe aggressive style of communication:

Pushy; demanding; thoughtless; unyielding; angry; loud; violent; forceful; hostile;
destructive; belligerent; antagonistic; forceful; insistent; hard-line; assertive; hard hitting;
uncompromising; walking over others
Words that describe passive style of communication:
Inert, inactive, indecisive, unreceptive, submissive, no mind of her/his own, sedentary,
sluggish, lifeless, compliant, subservient, docile, meek, timid, rarely express opinions, shy,
anxious, tries to please others
Words that describe assertive style of communication:
Self-confident, self-assured, confident, firm, forceful, forward, open, honest, direct, calm, firm
To be an effective communicator, you have to be assertive -- and neither passive nor
aggressive.
To sum up, aggressiveness is pushing to get what you want and almost stepping on the
feelings and needs of others to get there. Such persons tend to show lack of respect for
others, as in an I win, you lose situation.
Passiveness is giving in and bending to the needs of others at the expense of you. Such
persons show a lack of respect for themselves. It is like a you win, I lose situation.
Assertiveness is working toward meeting your needs as well as of others. Assertive behaviour
looks for and offers open, honest and direct communication. It presents an example of win-win
situation.
We do not need to look at every step in a conversation to check for aggressiveness,
passiveness or assertiveness. We must look at the overall handling of a situation to see how
the communication has been handled.
Activity: Being Assertive in an Interview Setting

Instructions:
Respond to each of the following questions according to how you think you would
react in the given situation.
For each question, imagine that you are faced with the given situation in a job
interview, even if it seems unlikely. Then, select a response from the given options
that you think is the closest to how you would respond to the situation.
Answer as honestly as you can.
Interview Questionnaire
1.
The interviewer asks you several questions, in a row, that require you to provide
comprehensive responses. However, he gives you neither the time nor the
opportunity to share what you have to offer. What would you do?
a. Answer the questions, but tell the interviewer that you would like to provide
additional information that you think supports your application more
appropriately.
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b.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Answer the questions as best as possible, even though you can feel the
disappointment and despair setting in.
c. Instead of answering the questions and being unhappy about it, you tell the
interviewer that the questions he asked were besides the point.
As your discussion with the interviewer turns into an argument, you can sense his
displeasure mounting, gradually yet steadily. What would you do?
a. Resist the urge to continue the argument while you can still think calmly. Make
an effort to end the argument by mentioning that the discussion does not seem
to be leading to an agreement, in a polite and friendly manner.
b. Carry on with the argument looking for opportunities to prove the interviewer
incorrect.
c. Surrender by accepting the interviewers point of view.
The interviewer asks closed-ended questions that require nothing but a single word
response and rob you of the opportunity to explain your point. What would you do?
a. Provide one word responses, feeling both relieved at not having to give lengthy
explanations, and uneasy that you are not providing enough information.
b. Expand your responses, so that you provide more details to support your
application.
c. Provide one word responses in an irritable tone, which indicates that you are
unhappy with the interviewers style of questioning.
The interviewer appears to have a dominating personality. What would you do?
a. Adopt a formal interaction style. Thereby maintaining distance with the
interviewer.
b. Adopt a provokingly indifferent pose, while responding, in order to intimidate
the interviewer.
c. Be as straightforward as possible with your answers.
The interviewer congratulates you for being a member of the student committee.
What would you do?
a. Hastily add that you did not really have any competition for the post, the
committee had power only on paper and your only contribution to the
committee was to attend the meetings, which were rare and infrequent.
b. Provide a lengthy explanation of your contribution to this committee as well as
other posts in an effort to overwhelm the interviewer with your capability.
c. Accept the compliment gracefully and with a smile.
The interviewer shares with you that he is upset due to personal reasons. This
makes you a little uncomfortable. What would you do?
a. Wait for the interviewer to recuperate from his distress while maintaining
indifferent silence.
b. Briefly sympathize with the interviewer and patiently wait for him to respond.
c. Allow the interviewer to see your awkwardness but make an effort to lessen his
grief by making little of the situation.
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7.
You are not aware of the correct answer to a technical question that you have been
asked. However, this specific field was not covered at length in your professional
course. What would you do?
a. Tell the interviewer that your resume clearly shows that this field was not
covered in your course.
b. Try to answer the question somehow since you cannot admit to the interviewer
that you have no clue about what the answer could be.
c. Admit that you dont know the answer and that this field wasnt covered in your
course. You, however, attempt to provide an answer based on logic with your
limited knowledge on the subject.
8. The interviewer becomes considerably aggressive in his questioning. He speaks to
you in a raised volume and makes offensive comments. What would you do?
a. You respond in a similar manner.
b. You sit back in your chair, feeling angry yet fearful and unable to speak. Or you
apologize to the interviewer for offending him unknowingly.
c. You try to maintain your composure and convey to the interviewer in a polite
yet firm tone and language that his comments are insulting. You add that you
will continue to participate in the interview once the interviewer calms down.
9. You are very nervous and anxious about appearing for the interview. You are
certain that the interviewer is aware of this nervousness. What would you do?
a. Admit to your anxiety with a touch of humour, if possible, while explaining that
you are unfamiliar with this situation and its outcome is very important to you.
b. Mask your nervousness with an aggressive approach to the interview.
c. Steer clear of any discussions about your nervousness. You are afraid that any
mention of your anxiety will make it noticeable to the interviewer.
10. The interviewer presents a hypothetical situation and asks how you would act in
certain specific circumstances. The situation and the circumstances presented are
so unbelievable that they completely confuse you. You find the question so
ridiculous that you would be laughing out loud if you werent being interviewed.
What would you do?
a. Permit the interviewer to see your confusion without disclosing how hilarious
you find the question. You hope this will encourage the interviewer to
sympathize with you and help you out.
b. Answer the question with full seriousness, while permitting the interviewer to
see that you find the presented situation slightly far-fetched. You think through
the presented situation, asking for clarifications wherever you need it.
c. Mask your confusion and amusement but refuse to answer the question since
you find it senseless.
11. The interviewer asks if you agree with the companys policy, details on which were
sent to you prior to the interview. You werent exactly thrilled with all that you came
across in the policy. What would you do?
a. Admit that you were apprehensive about certain points in the policy, and
provide an example or two. You simultaneously acknowledge that your opinion
may be the result of insufficient experience and knowledge on the subject.
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b.
Speak about the policy with admiration, stating that your approval of the policy
wasnt really warranted.
c. Critique the points in the policy that you disagreed with at length. Provide
details about the changes you would make if it was your job to make the
policies.
12. The interviewer makes a suggestion that your professional course was an easy
way out compared with the other courses in the market. What would you do?
a. Make it clear to the interviewer that his statement has offended you by
responding with anger.
b. Hold back any anger that you might feel, and convey in a neutral and steady
tone that the interviewers suggestion has offended you. Carry on, providing a
realistic and justified evaluation of the difficulty standard of the course.
c. Despite feeling angry and hurt by the interviewers comments, you nod in
agreement, feeling afraid that you might offend him.
Scoring
Assign 1 point to every response you have selected.
Add the score for each style.
The communication style in which your score is the highest is the style you tend to
represent in job interviews.
Communication
Style
10
11
12
SCORE
Aggressive
Passive
Assertive
Reflect: Do you agree with the evaluation? Which questions did you find most applied to
you?
Attributes of Communication Styles

Take a look at some of the different attributes of each style.
Styles
Aggressive
Assertive
Passive
A style that permits

you to stand up for
your rights while
maintaining respect
for the rights of others.
A style in which you

put the rights of others
before your own,
minimizing your own
self-worth.
Features
Definition
A style in which you

stand up for your
rights, but you violate
the rights of others.
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Styles
Aggressive
Assertive
Passive
Features
Implications to
Others
Your feelings are not

important,
You dont matter,
I think Im superior.
We are both
important
we both matter,
I think we are equal.
My feelings are not

important,
I dont matter,
I think Im inferior.
Verbal Styles
Your statements that

implicate blame.
Loud voice.
My statements.
Firm voice.
Apologetic.
Overly soft or tentative
voice.
Staring, narrow eyes.

Tense, clenched fists,
rigid posture, pointing
fingers.
Looking directly at the

person
Relaxed posture,
smooth and relaxed
movements.
Looking down or away.

Stooped posture,
excessive head
nodding.
Guilt,
Anger from others,
Lower self-esteem,
Disrespect from
others,
Feared by others.
High self-esteem,
Self-respect,
Respect from others,
Respect for others.
Lower self-esteem
Anger at self,
False feelings of
inferiority,
Disrespect from
others,
Pitied by others.
Non-Verbal
Styles
Potential
Consequences
Changing your communication style will not happen overnight. It takes a lot of practice. To
reinforce new communication approaches or to learn about them, read books on being
assertive, listen to audiotapes, or learn by observing your colleagues who are assertive.
Learn how they communicate effectively with others.
Assertive Communication
Assertive communication means transmitting information, needs and feelings in an honest,
direct and open manner.
Honest means: This is really what I know or feel, not what I think you want or
expect me to know or feel.
Direct means: Im discussing it with you since you are the person involved. Im not
talking about it behind your back.
Open means: Im sincerely interested in your viewpoint on this issue and in other
areas of our relationship as well.
Open, honest and direct communication is sometimes difficult, especially when it exposes
your feelings. But assertive language can be helpful in difficult conversations.
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If you want to be more assertive, try the following:

Make direct eye contact with the person with whom you are speaking.
Have an open posture (stand erect; don't cross arms, for instance).
Speak clearly, audibly, firmly, and honestly. (This may take some practice.) Use "I
statements. For example, "I would prefer a sandwich that is not burned. I would
appreciate if you would take this one back to the kitchen and ask the cook to make
me another."
Do not apologize for your request or assertion. Do not say statements as if they
were questions (with the intonation rising at the end).Remember that it's perfectly
OK for you to ask for what you want in a non-aggressive way.
Techniques for Assertiveness

The following are different ways in which you can adopt a more assertive style of
communication:
1. Tension Control: The first step to assertiveness is controlling your anxiety.
Anxiousness leads to higher levels of stress and usually leads conversations to a
burn-off stage. When anxious, one is not able to reason or think logically. Various
strategies of tension control range from personal style of taking a deep breath to
meditation. Use what works best for you. As you relax, exercise your mind in a
positive way and avoid unhelpful distractions, thereby achieving an inner calm.
2. Positive Thinking: Assertive people have a positive self-image; they use positive
language; they look for positive outcome to interactions; they work with others to
provide positive solutions to problems which can make both sides win; they are
positive in their respect for others views and opinions, even if they do not share
those views.
a. Identify how you feel and what you need.
b. Acknowledge your true feelings to yourself.
c. Develop a value and belief system, which allows you to assert yourself. This is
the hardest part. It means giving yourself a permission to be angry, to say "no",
to ask for help, and to make mistakes.
d. Identify and label the feeling you are experiencing. For example, do you feel
angry, frustrated, hurt, bored, embarrassed, stressed, or anxious? It may be
difficult at first to identify and label your feelings if you are accustomed to
pushing feelings away.
e. Select the primary emotion that you feel. Some emotions mask other deeper
emotions. For example, some people will be angry at the surface, but feel hurt
or scared underneath.
f. Accurately identify the intensity of the emotion you feel. For example, anger
can be felt on a continuum of irritation to mad to furious.
g. Identify what you need from the other. For example, "I need to be heard," or "I
need to say no to that request."
3. Positive Self-Image: Undermined confidence equals a lower self-esteem, which in
turn can produce non-assertive behaviour. The image you present to others,
whether by your physical appearance, clothes, hairstyle or the body language has a
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4.
5.
lot to do with whether they perceive you as assertive. Assertive people have a
positive self-image; they will use positive language; they will look for positive
outcomes to interactions; they will work with the other person to provide positive
solutions to problems by which both sides win; they will be positive in their respect
for the other persons views and opinions, whether or not they share these views.
Body Language:
a. Maintain an assertive body posture.
b. Have direct eye contact. Looking at someone while speaking communicates a
stronger message, along with attention and interest.
c. Hold your body upright yet relaxed (do not appear stiff or stubborn) Standing or
sitting up straight when speaking communicates that you mean it.
d. Gestures - Use open gestures and postures. Usually a higher degree of show
of palms, indicating openness.
e. Face - Keep your face relaxed, showing sincerity, confidence and
responsiveness. Be sure your facial expression agrees with the message.
f. Breath - Try to breathe normally and don't hold your breath.
Positive Language: Clear, concise and constructive vocabulary is an
all-important aspect of assertiveness. So is the ability to phrase discussions in a
positive way; it helps your cause and makes the other person feel less threatened
and more responsive.
a. Listen attentively. Do not interrupt while the other person is speaking.
b. Concentrate more on the other person. Read the signs body language;
speech patterns and rhythms; levels of apparent tension or calmness.
c. Acknowledge (to yourself and to the guest) block out various barriers of
listening
d. Summarize and review.
e. Sift information discard assumptions, views and opinions and store facts.
f. Give 100% attention - be present on a one-to-one basis. Encourage the
speaker by your attentiveness, expressions of interest and by asking
questions. Read between the lines for non-verbal, hidden message. If need be,
clarify the same.
Benefits of Assertive Communication

The following are some of the benefits of assertive communication:
Leaves no scope for resentment to foster
Helps to uncover the actual needs of the person youre with
Improves the chances of finding a win-win situation
Reduces unproductive communication
Increases time for problem-solving
Increases self-esteem and personal sense of control
Promotes your ideas, products and services
Fosters teambuilding
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Brings feelings and issues in the open

Reinforces your leadership
Improving your Conversation Skills

In addition to good communication skills, you also need to possess good conversational
skills. To be a good conversationalist, you need to work on some basic skills that are
required to make a conversation effective. These skills can be broadly divided into the
following categories:
Speaking skills
Listening skills
Nonverbal cues
Emotional awareness
Speaking Skills
One way to improve your speaking skills is to increase your vocabulary. The more you read
and listen to people talk, the greater is the possibility of you picking up new words and
learning to use them in the right context. Correct use of grammar is important, not just to
create a positive impression on your listeners, but also to achieve clarity in your message.
Improperly constructed messages and wrong pronunciations can create confusion and
cause misunderstandings between you and the listeners.
Keep in mind that your voice reflects your attitude. For example, even if your usage
of words is correct and intended to be polite, your tone could indicate the opposite.
Your voice is made up of the following five distinct elements:
Tone: Your tone expresses your overall attitude and lets the person you are
communicating with know how you feel about him.
Inflection: This refers to the way you highlight certain words and phrases.
When used well, you can use inflection to stress the importance of certain
words and keep the listener engaged and on track.
Pitch: This refers to how high or low your voice sounds. Generally,
higher- pitched voices sound harsh, while lower and deeper voices tend to be
more soothing.
Rate of speech: This refers to the speed and pace of your voice. Speak slowly
and clearly, and/or adjust the rate of speech to match that of the conversation
partner.
Volume: This refers to how soft or loud you speak. Volume is the easiest
element to control. However, many people are unaware that they speak too
softly or loudly and need to be coached to use an appropriate level when
speaking.
Listening Skills
Apart from your ability to speak well, one of the most important conversation skills is the
ability to turn into a good listener. This is an aspect of effective conversations that cannot be
substituted with anything else. Effective and active listening involves not just hearing and
understanding the words that the speaker uses and the information that is passed on to you,
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it also involves identifying and understanding the feelings behind the speakers
communication. Effective listening can benefit a conversation in the following ways:
When you listen attentively to the speaker, it makes him feel heard and understood.
This in turn creates a foundation to form a stronger, deeper connection between
you and the speaker.
It enables the speaker to trust you enough to express his ideas, opinions, and
feelings without the fear of being judged. This leads to the better focus on creative
planning and problem solving.
Effective listening saves your time as well as the speakers. When you pay
attention to what someone is saying, you usually eliminate the need for the same
information to be repeated. This saves time and enables you to carry the
conversation forward with minimal repetition of points. It also enables you to ask
relevant and specific questions when clarification may be needed, thereby avoiding
misunderstandings.
Emotions can run high during a conversation, especially when the topic is
controversial or if the participants feel strongly about what is being discussed.
When the speaker feels that you are listening attentively to him and trying to
understand his point of view, it can help to calm his emotions. This takes the focus
away from negative feelings and diverts the conversation towards problem solving.
Listening effectively comes naturally when you are genuinely motivated and
interested in what the other person is saying. However, there may be instances
when distractions may occur and make it hard for you to pay attention to the
speaker. You can use the following tips to overcome such circumstances and make
your conversations more satisfying and rewarding:
Try and place complete focus on the speaker, such as what he says, how he
says it, what his nonverbal cues indicate, and so on. If you are distracted with
other conversations going around, checking the time, looking at your phone,
and so on, you will miss the important cues, which provide you with a great
deal of information about the speaker and the conversation itself. If you find it
hard to concentrate on what the speaker is saying, try repeating his words in
your mind. This helps to reinforce the message he is trying to convey and
keeps your mind from drifting away.
Minimize interruptions as much as possible. This also involves self-created

interruptions, such as cutting the speaker off to make your point or direct the
conversation to your concerns. If you want to contribute to the conversation,
wait for the speaker to finish, and then make your point. However, keep in
mind that you still need to pay attention and listen to the speaker while you are
waiting for your turn to speak. If you stop paying attention, it is possible that the
speaker is able to read your nonverbal cues and he/she realizes that you are
only pretending to listen to him/her.
It is possible that you may not agree with the speakers views, opinions,
feelings, or beliefs. However, set your judgment aside and show respect to the
speaker. You do not necessarily need to agree with him to be able to make
your communication effective and successful. Active listening involves
understanding. When you make an effort to understand the speakers point of
view, it may help you to form a kind of connection with the speaker, which you
had never thought could be possible.
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You may be a good listener, but sometimes, its important to convey this to the
speaker. Drop subtle hints in the form of nods and verbal cues, such as
Hmm, Ummhmm, yes, I see, and so on. This not only shows that you are
paying attention, but also encourages the speaker to continue.
Nonverbal Cues
The way in which you move or fail to move, react or fail to react tells the other
person as much, and sometimes even more, about you than your words do.
Developing and enhancing your knowledge of ability to understand and use
nonverbal communication can greatly enhance your ability to connect with people
effectively and express your message correctly. Correct display of appropriate body
language helps to create a positive impression about you. For example, when you
adopt an open body posture, keeping arms uncrossed and standing with an open
stance, it creates the impression that you are a confident person. When you
maintain direct eye contact, it conveys confidence and interest. Sitting with a
straight posture and a slight forward lean indicates you are interested in what the
speaker has to say.
Body language, when used in sync with verbal communication, enhances and
supports your verbal messages. However, when your body language gives a
different message than what your words imply, it may create a doubt in the mind of
the person you are interacting with.
Effective nonverbal communication has two aspects, such as your delivery of
nonverbal cues and your interpretation of others nonverbal cues. Mastering both
these aspects can greatly enhance your and your partners conversation
experience.
You can use the following tips to improve your interpretation of other peoples nonverbal
cues:
Exercise:
Practice by observing other peoples nonverbal cues. You can start in a relatively
safe environment such as your home, and then move on to friends home. This will
help you read and interpret each action, even if you do it with the help of trial and
error. Also, pay attention to how people act and react in malls, buses, trains,
restaurants, and so on. These observations can teach you a great deal about how
appropriate or inappropriate a certain action appears to others. Try to guess what
relationship the speakers share, what they might be discussing, and how each
individual feels about what is being discussed.
Pay attention to and be cautious of individual differences. Although most nonverbal
cues may be interpreted in a specific way across a particular culture, these
interpretations may not hold true for people belonging to different cultures and
backgrounds. People from different cultural backgrounds may exhibit nonverbal
cues that are different from those that you exhibit. They may also interpret your
nonverbal cues differently than what you had intended.
Look at an individuals nonverbal cues holistically. Sometimes, a single gesture
may not communicate enough information. In such cases, do not force yourself to
label that specific signal. Instead, look at the whole gamut of nonverbal signals
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Communication
presented by the person you are interacting with in context of the current situation.
Also, when you adopt this approach to nonverbal communication, you allow the
other person a certain margin of error. This is good as anyone can make an
occasional slip.
Reflect: How effective are you at picking up non-verbal cues?
Emotional Awareness
Emotions play an important role in the way you communicate with people. They
represent how you feel, and its usually feelings that provoke you to communicate
and make decisions. Your emotionally-driven words and nonverbal signals and
reactions influence how you understand others and how others understand you.
Not being in touch with your feelings, and not understanding why you feel the way
you feel, can create complications and hurdles in communicating your feelings and
needs to others. The consequences of this, ranges from frustration, anger,
misunderstandings, conflict, and many failed conversations. Therefore, it is
imperative for you to address your emotions and the causes behind them. A failure
in doing so leads to displaced emotions and reactions.
Emotional awareness provides you with the tools you need to interpret not just your
behavior but also that of others around you. It also provides clarity that helps you to
correctly interpret the messages that people try to convey to you. It helps you to
manage your feelings appropriately.
Emotional awareness helps you to:
Identify and understand what is really troubling other people.
Understand yourself, whats really troubling you as well as your expectations.
Stay motivated to understand and empathize with the people you are interacting
with, even if you do not approve of them or their messages.
Communicate clearly, effectively, and constructively.
Build strong, trusting, and rewarding relationships.
Indulge in creative thinking, problem solving, and conflict resolution.
Even though the benefits of enhancing your emotional awareness are obvious, it
may often be difficult for someone to identify and understand them. No matter how
hard this task may seem to you, remember that your ability to communicate
depends on staying connected to these feelings. You cant rely only on your
thinking when it comes to conversing with people or making decisions. Emotions
have a way of creeping up on you. Therefore, it is best to acknowledge them and
figure out a way to use them to your advantage.
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Communication
Conversation Etiquette
Conversation
Let us take a look at some of the guidelines that will help in following appropriate
conversation etiquette:
Do not interrupt: One of the most common mistakes that people make while
conversing is to interrupt the speaker while he is talking. The impression that this
act portrays is that you are not interested in what the other person is saying or
talking about. Regardless of what you want to say, refrain from cutting the other
person off. Wait for him to finish speaking, and then put your point forward. There is
a simple solution for this mistake, focus on listening to what is being said. Listening
means paying attention to what the person is saying, as well as its implied
meaning. Do not lose focus by using this time to think what you should say next.
This may lead to a situation where you miss chunks of the conversation, and as a
result, may not be able to contribute to it as you do not understand it completely.
Do not dominate the conversation: Remember a conversation involves more
than one person talking and listening to each other. If you are the only person
talking, it will be more like a lecture than a conversation. Even if you feel you have
more interesting stories to contribute to the conversation, give the other person a
chance to speak. Think of how you would feel if you were part of a conversation
with someone who did not allow you to talk at all.
Go with the flow: A conversation usually sees a multitude of topics being
discussed. It is possible that you may be more interested in few of them over the
others. However, this does not make it alright for you to change topics as and when
you want to. Do not make forced transitions from one topic to another, especially
when no one else is interested in talking about it. Go with the flow of the
conversation. Sense what everyone is interested in. Any shift in the conversation
should be subtle.
Focus on your audience: It is important that you get to know your audience.
Assertiveness in conversations is good. However, you should know when to draw
the line. Effective conversations are those that are tailored to their participants. If
the content, tone, and verbiage of your conversation is not suited to the people you
are interacting with, you may actually end up offending someone. Often your
relationship with the person you are talking to defines how you should go about
your conversation.
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Communication
Introduce the participants: Show respect to the people participating in the

conversation by introducing them to each other, if they havent met before. If this
slips your mind, although it shouldnt, correct your mistake immediately. It creates
an awkward situation if you are the only one who knows everyone who is present. It
may also be interpreted as a rude and disrespectful act on your part by the other
participants.
Dont treat a conversation as a competition: A conversation is an interaction
between two or more people. It is not a competition. This means that you do not
need to prove to everyone present that you are better than the other speakers. The
focus should stay equally on all the participants. However, even if someone else
seems to be walking away with the limelight for few moments, it is not a reason
enough for you to top the persons story. An act like this can alienate the other
person.
Eye contact: Maintaining eye contact communicates that you are interested in
what the person is saying as well as the person himself. On the other hand,
improper eye contact or constantly looking over the persons shoulder indicates that
you would rather be speaking to someone else. Nothing could be more
disrespectful than giving someone this feeling. There is a way to exit a
conversation.
Do not let your phone distract you: When you are conversing with someone, he
should be the focus of your attention. If you cannot switch off your phone, ensure
that it is in the silent mode. This is true even if the conversation isnt taking place in
a professional setting. If it is extremely important for you to answer a call, excuse
yourself appropriately from the conversation. Dont insult other participants by
checking every text message, e-mail, reminder, and so on. Few minutes wait wont
harm the person texting you.
Mind your language: Refrain from using any kind of profanity in your
conversations. This is especially true when the conversation takes place in a
professional setting or when you are interacting with someone for the first time.
Regardless of how strongly you feel about the topic being discussed, keep your
emotions and your language in check. You never know who you might offend.
Greet people appropriately: If someone approaches you and initiates a
conversation while you are seated, make an effort to greet the person
appropriately. If the person continues to stand while talking, it is only right that you
stand up or at least offer the person a seat.
Summary:
In this module, you learned:
Communication is defined as the process of sharing information, ideas, facts, or
emotions between two or more persons.
The process of communication involves 5 elements: Sender, Receiver, Medium,
Message and Feedback.
Communication can be personal or impersonal, verbal or non-verbal.
How we communicate is referred to as a communication style. Communication
styles can be Passive, Aggressive or Assertive.
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Communication
The most desirable style of communication is Assertive. Assertiveness can be

accomplished through:
Tension control
Thinking
Postive self image
Postive body language

Conversation skills can be improved by developing the following:
Speaking Skills
Listening Skills
Non-verbal cues
Emotional awareness
Maintaining rules for conversation etiquette will improve your communication skills
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Critical Thinking and

Problem Solving
The ability to ask the right questions is the single

most important skill
- Clay Parker
President, BOC Edwards
19
Critical Thinking and Problem Solving

Everyone experiences problems from time to time. Some of our problems are big and
complicated, while others may be more easily solved. In our everyday lives, we face multiple
challenges and issues that need to be resolved satisfactorily. Whether related to the tasks at
hand or to co-workers, the workplace presents challenges on a daily basis. Small or large,
these problems need to be dealt with constructively and fairly. Having the necessary skills to
identify solutions to problems is one of the skills that employers look for in employees.
Problem solving and critical thinking refers to the ability to use knowledge, facts, and data to
effectively solve problems. This doesnt mean you need to have an immediate answer, it
means you have to be able to think on your feet, assess problems and find solutions.
Successful organizations recognize that critical thinking and creative solutions to problems
significantly enhance business potential. Today's decision makers must use a variety of
thinking styles, methodologies and creative processes identify solutions and innovate.
Identify concepts related to critical thinking, problem solving and decision making
Understand and apply tools to enhance your skills in these areas
Critical Thinking
Critical thinking is the intellectually disciplined process of actively and
skilfully conceptualising, applying, analysing, synthesising, and/or
evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation,
experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to
belief and action.
(Michael Scriven & Richard Paul - 8th Annual International Conference on Critical Thinking
and Education Reform, Summer 1987)
In other words, a person who thinks critically learns to acquire data or information,
analyse the information, reach a conclusion, evaluate that conclusion to test its
reasonableness, and finally arrives at a logical result. This entire chain of events
represents the process of critical thinking.
Attributes of critical thinking

Experts believe that critical thinking includes the following attributes:
Analysing understanding a given situation in terms of nature, relationships,
functions
Applying standards making a judgment on the basis of personal, professional or
socially accepted yardsticks
Discriminating recognising and distinguishing between differences and
similarities
Information seeking actively gathering evidence, information and data, and
identifying appropriate sources of facts and figures
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Logical reasoning arriving at reasonable conclusions supported by available

evidence and data
Planning being able to use evidence and conclusions derived from it to plan for a
future period
Tools of critical thinking

The four main types of critical thinking tools are: Getting the Facts, Evaluating the Facts,
Drawing a Conclusion using Logic, and Evaluating a Conclusion. Data collection,
analysis and deriving appropriate and reasonable conclusions are all tools that help us to
think critically. However, the most important tool is questioning. It is not enough to collect
data; the data must then be questioned. Is this information relevant?, Is it important?, or
Is it significant? are some of the questions that may be raised to evaluate the value of
available evidence. Similarly when drawing conclusions from the data, one needs to ask if
the conclusion is reasonable, consistent with the data, or logical. Remember, it is as
important to question yourself and the conclusions you have reached as it is to question the
data you have obtained.
Getting the
Facts
Evaluating
a
Conclusion
Tools of Critical
Thinking
Evaluating
the Facts
Drawing a
Conclusion
using Logic
It is also important that we ask questions not just of other peoples thinking, but that we also
challenge, and ask questions of, our own thinking. One of the most important questions you
can ask another person is, Let me understand what you are saying. Are you saying?
Then in different words, repeat what you think the other person is saying, or repeat what you
think you are saying in a different way. This helps to express the problem in a different way
as well as to clarify the situation. Admitting that you may not understand what someone else
is saying is also a great way to open up more critical thinking questions.
Reflect: Imagine you have been called to the site of an accident to determine who was
responsible. How would you proceed?
(Hint: Begin by collecting basic data who was involved, what happened, where did it
happen, when did it happen, how did it happen, etc? What are the relevant facts? Do the
facts support your conclusion?)
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Decision Making
Decision making is the process of selecting a logical choice from available options, in order
to best achieve ones objectives. When trying to make a good decision, a person must
weigh the positives and negatives of each option, and consider all the alternatives. For
effective decision making, a person must be able to reasonably forecast the outcome of
each option as well, and based on all these items, determine which option is the best for that
particular situation.
This is something that you are familiar with from your everyday life. Each day, we make
hundreds of decisions, ranging from what to have for breakfast to which course of study to
pursue. Decisions may be strategic, as in long term or higher order, or tactical or short
term. A decision about what to have for breakfast or what to wear in the morning would thus
be tactical, while a decision about the career you want to pursue would be strategic. The
ability to take decisions is an important component of problem solving.
Problem Solving
In our daily lives, we face problems of various kinds. These can range from small to large;
for instance, rearranging your cupboard or planning your future career. The first is clearly a
small problem, while the second can be a very large one. A problem is simply a situation or
matter that presents difficulty or is troublesome, and needs to be overcome. The ability to
solve both personal and professional problems is a crucial and essential life skill, and stands
us in good stead as we progress through life.
Critical thinking is an essential prerequisite for successful problem solving. Problem solving
is a mental process that involves discovering, analysing and solving problems. The ultimate
goal of problem solving is to overcome obstacles and find a solution that best resolves the
issue.
The best strategy for solving a problem depends largely on the situation. In some cases,
people are better off learning everything they can about the issue and then using factual
knowledge to come up with a solution. In other instances, creativity and insight may be
better options.
Steps in Problem solving

In order to correctly solve a problem, it is important to follow a series of steps. This is often
referred to as the problem solving cycle, which includes developing strategies and
organising knowledge. It is important to note that while this cycle is described sequentially,
people rarely follow a rigid series of steps to find a solution. Instead, we often skip steps or
go back through steps several times until we reach a desired solution.
1. Identifying the Problem: While it may seem like an obvious step, identifying the
problem is not always as simple as it sounds. In some cases, it is possible to
identify the wrong problem, which can make attempts to solve it inefficient.
2. Defining the Problem: After the problem has been identified, it is important to fully
define the problem so that it can be solved. This means breaking it down and
formulating it in terms that clarify and explain the situation clearly.
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3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Forming a Strategy: The next step is to develop a strategy to solve the problem.
The approach used will vary depending upon the situation and the individual's
preferences.
Organising Information: Before coming up with a solution, we need to first
organize the available information. What do we know about the problem? What do
we not know? The more information that is available, the better prepared we will be
to come up with an accurate solution. (Remember the tools of critical thinking
discussed earlier?)
Allocating Resources: Of course, we don't always have unlimited money, time
and other resources to solve a problem. Before we start to solve a problem, we
need to determine its priority. If it is an important problem, it is probably worth
allocating more resources to solving it. If, however, it is a fairly unimportant
problem, then you do not want to spend too much of your available resources in
coming up with a solution.
Monitoring Progress: Effective problem solving requires close monitoring of
progress as you move towards a solution. This means setting up milestones in
advance against which progress can be measured. If we are not making good
progress toward reaching the goal, we will need to re-evaluate our approach or look
for new strategies.
Evaluating the Results: After a solution has been reached, it is important to
evaluate the results to determine if it is the best possible solution to the problem.
This evaluation might be immediate, such as checking the results of a math
problem to ensure the answer is correct, or it can be delayed, such as evaluating
the success of a training program after several months of implementation.
Some of you may be familiar with the Plan-Do-Check-Act model that is often used in
organisations. Also known as the Deming Wheel, this is another way to describe the steps
above, used for continuous improvement in organisations or for addressing long term
problems that need to be closely monitored.
Plan-Do-Check-Act Cycle
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Problem Solving Strategies

There are multiple strategies available for problem solving. Some of these are discussed
below:
1. Brainstorming is the generation and recording of ideas as they occur to you, either
alone or in a group. You do this for a set period of time, and then go through the list
of solutions to evaluate their suitability.
2. Appreciative inquiry develops solutions by analysing what is currently going right
and determining whether it can be applied to solve the problem at hand.
3. Design thinking means thinking like a product designer, observing how people
interact with a product or service and noting what problems they are having with it.
4. Algorithm is a step-by-step procedure that will always produce a correct solution.
A mathematical formula is a good example of a problem solving algorithm. While an
algorithm guarantees an accurate answer, it is not always the best approach to
problem solving. This strategy is not practical for many situations because it can be
time-consuming.
5. Trial-and-Error approach to problem solving involves trying a number of different
solutions and ruling out those that do not work. This approach can be a good option
if you have a very limited number of options available. If there are many different
choices, you are better off narrowing down the possible options using another
problem solving technique before attempting trial-and-error.
6. SWOT analysis is used to recognise Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and
Threats of a particular situation, allowing you to identify the best approach to
solving a problem.
In some cases, a combination of strategies may be the best approach to solving a problem.
Reflect: You have recently bought a new smart phone at a cost of Rs 15000. Three days
after you bought the phone, it seems to have developed some problems in operating. How
would you proceed to resolve the problem, and what steps would you take? Which of the
above methods (or a combination of them) would you use, and why?
Summary
The importance of developing critical thinking skills, and how these are applied to
decision making and problem solving in real life.
Whenever dealing with any situation, remember that it is important to:
Understand the situation
Gather all the relevant facts
Analyse them
Identify options
Arrive at a conclusion
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Accessing and Analysing

Information
There is so much information available that it is

almost too much, and if people arent prepared
to process the information effectively it almost
freezes them in their steps.
- Mike Summers
VP, Global Talent Management, Dell Computers
25
Accessing and Analysing Information

The technologies in the computer industry are constantly changing. The most daunting
challenge faced by computer professionals is therefore to keep pace with these changing
technologies. Sources, such as newspapers, magazines, periodicals, books and Internet
prove sufficient in providing informationanytime, anywhere.
Identify sources of information
Explore common methods of sourcing information on the internet
Identify steps to analyse information
Sources of Information
Where food grain was in abundance in the agricultural age, Information abounds in the
Information age. With more information available than can be handled, the need for
understanding and extracting the relevant piece of information is very important. With
multiple sources of information, the need also arises for an individual to cross-reference to
other sources of information for a complete understanding and generate and create an
abstract to present conclusions on the information researched from different sources.
Information consolidation is yet another skill that an information technology professional
should possess.
What then are the sources of information available to us? The most cost-effective universally
accepted media is the printed form. In this form we have daily newspapers, magazines,
journals, and technical books. A well rounded IT professional has to keep up with as many
of these sources as possible as well as othersnewspapers, magazines, journals, technical
books, and the Internet.
Search for Information on The Internet
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Information Search on the Internet

Search Engines
www.dogpile.com: One of the oldest and most favored meta-search engines. It
searches 25 search engines. However, it searches only one search engine at a
time. It also allows you to set the order of engines to search.
www.askjeeves.com: Searches six leading engines and its own knowledgebase of
six million answers.
www.infind.com: Searches six engines in parallel and clusters the results after
removing duplicate links. It can be configured to search additional engines.
www.metacrawler.com: Searches nine engines and ranks results based on their
relevance.
www.savvysearch.com: Sequentially searches 100 engines. You can select the
search engines of your choice and specify the order of search. You can also store
the customized set of search engines for future use.
Subject Directories or Virtual Directories

Searching the Net may give you the required results or may prove to be a futile exercise
depending on the methods and tools used to search for information. You can use some
simple techniques to narrow the search results and minimize the time spent on locating
information.
Before you submit a keyword for search on the Web, analyze your topic to determine how to
start searching for a topic. If you want to determine what is available in your subject area,
the best place would be to start with a subject directory, such as Yahoo! After you have
determined what is available under the topic, you can start searching for the subtopics on
other search tools. At this point, you must determine whether your topic contains any
distinctive words or phrases. For example, typing terms such as polymorphism and
protocols in the search field will give meaningful results. If you are seeking for an overview
or wishing to cover a broad topic, specify a narrow aspect for the broad and common topic.
Detailed search terms work best.
Analysing Information
Once you have a range of data and information on the subjects you are researching, you
need to start analyzing the data in order to present it. The following are some universally
applied steps for analyzing information:
Review the questions:
Look back and renew your understanding of the central issues and key questions
that you started the search with.
Important results that were not anticipated should not, however, be ignored.
Sometimes putting information together will raise important, unforeseen and
relevant questions. These can be noted for future reference and pointed out in the
presentation of results.
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Organise the information
Gather together all the relevant information collected
Structure it and group information that belongs together
Check if any key areas have been left out and narrow down your search for
these areas
Decide how to analyse the information
Is the data primarily numerical ? Are there elements that need to be contrasted or
compared? Decide on the analysis based on the outcome. Quantitative and
qualitative information need to be analysed differently.
Integrate the information
Integrate the different aspects of your information in order to tell a complete story.
Ensure that you have addressed the key premises of the research.
Present the information
Usually, the method of presentation is defined at the start of the project. However,
in case it is not, give some thought to where and to whom you will be presenting
the information. This will provide you clues as to how to present it. Usually a
presentation will have a mix of oral, visual and written information. People often
spend a lot of time on the visual and written part of the presentation, but neglect to
prepare the oral accompaniment. A good presentation requires appropriate
planning for all three.
Reflect: Identify an organization that has grown rapidly in the last one year, and analyse the
reasons for its growth. How would you research and analyse this?
Summary
In this module you learned:
Sources of information can be newspapers, magazines, journals, technical books,
and the Internet.
The internet can be searched through search engines, subject directories or virtual
directories
Steps to analyse information are:
Review the questions
Organise the information
Decide how to analyse the information
Integrate the information
Present the information
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Teamwork and Collaboration
Teamwork is the fuel that allows common people

to attain uncommon results
- Andrew Carnegie
Self-made steel tycoon and industrialist
29

Todays organisations require people to work together and collaborate, not only in the same
location, but also virtually and cross-functionally. In order to do this effectively, it is important
to understand what constitutes a team and enables effective networking and collaboration.
Understand what constitutes a team
Appreciate the importance of working in teams
Appreciate the importance of team communication
Understand how to reach a consensus
Realize the significance of relationships and trust
Explore methods to keep yourself and others motivated
What is a Team?
A team refers to a specific group of people who are collectively responsible and accountable
for achieving a common goal. Bernard Babington Smith, a great author, once said, A team
is a group in which the individuals have a common aim and in which the jobs and skills of
each member fit in with those of others.
Often, a group of individuals is considered a team; however this is not always the case.
Although merely forming a group does not make a team; it definitely provides a base in
building a team. The following aspects distinguish a group from a team:
Understanding: In a group, the members do not have a common goal. Sometimes,
they exchange their roles with other members. In a team, the members identify with
their personal and team goals. Moreover, time is not wasted in attempting personal
gain at the expense of others.
Ownership: In a group, the members tend to focus on themselves because they are
not sufficiently involved in planning the groups objectives. In a team, the members
feel a sense of ownership of the goals because they have been involved in setting
the team goals.
Creativity and contribution: In a group, members are instructed what to do instead
of being asked what the best approach would be. Suggestions and creativity are
not encouraged. In a team, the members provide their suggestions in order to
contribute to the organizations success.
Trust: In a group, the members do not trust the motives of other individuals as they
may or may not understand the role of other members. In a team, the members
work in an environment of trust and are encouraged to express their views.
Personal development: In a group, the members apply limited effort to make use of
the trainings they would have received. In a team, the members continually develop
their skills and further apply the skills to enhance productivity.
Conflict resolution: In a group, the members often crumble, in case of a complex
situation. This is so because they may not know how to resolve the problem at
hand. In a team, the members confront a complex situation as a challenge and
work constructively to overcome problems.
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Participative decision-making: In a group, the members may or may not participate

in effective decision-making. In a team, the members participate in decision-making
process. However, they do realize that the final decision is to be taken by their
team leader.
Commitment: In a group, the members are not committed towards their work.
Consequently, the performance levels can get hampered. In addition, talented
individuals often get frustrated in such an environment. In a team, only those
individuals are hired who are committed towards excellence.
Need For Teams

The knowledge, skills, experience, and perspectives of a wide range of people must be
brought together in order to succeed. Only then can an organization hope to resolve
multi-faceted problems, make good decisions, and deliver effective solutions to its
customers. This is the reason why there is an ever-growing need for teams. Teams create
environments in which all the members can keep up with the required changes, learn more
about the business, and gain skills in collaboration with each other. In a nutshell, teams are
needed in order to:
Simplify complex tasks: It is advisable to establish a team when the task is complex
and requires the interdependent efforts of a diverse group of people. This usually
occurs when the members of a team represent different functional areas, such as
research and development, engineering, manufacturing, and marketing, of an
organization. Members of the team are dependent upon each other for the
completion of a complex task.
Be more creative and innovative: In a team, the members are allowed to be more
involved with the decision-making process. They are encouraged to be more
creative with their ideas. It encourages an employee when the team accepts his/her
idea. It also gives him/her immense job satisfaction.
Optimize available resources: Every person is unique and distinct in his/her own
way. You may possess certain skills required for a particular task that the other
person working with you might not possess. Therefore, a team is formed to make
optimum utilization of every members skills and abilities to attain the organizational
objectives. Each member is allocated a task in which he/she is proficient, thereby
leading to enhanced productivity and job satisfaction.
For example, the cricket board chooses a team of 11 players and each player is a
specialist in a particular skill. Therefore, the team comprises of openers,
middle-order batsmen, pinch-hitters, fast bowlers, spinners, and a wicket keeper.
Similarly, in a business organization, a team is formed to make use of the unique
talent of every member.
Expedite learning process: A team is built to ensure that all the employees develop
and enhance their skills by continually sharing knowledge and wisdom with each
other. As a result, the employees are able to acquire those skills that are oblivious
to them. This helps the team members to keep themselves abreast with the
requisite abilities that are needed to meet the teams goal.
Consider a scenario wherein your team is facing a problem in the project. Your
team has to learn a new technology to deliver the software product to the client.
This particular technology has four modules and there is not enough time for each
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member to go through all the four modules individually. The only way out, in this
case, is that four members learn one module each. Then each member can assist
other teammates in learning their modules. In this manner all of the four members
can learn the technology and ensure timely delivery of the project.
The Importance of Communication in Teamwork and Collaboration

One of the most important ingredients of successful teamwork is effective communication.
Effective communication depends on:
Clear speaking: You should be able to state your ideas positively and express your
opinions with confidence. While interacting with your team members, you need to
clearly convey whats on your mind, give reasons for your opinions, and suggest
improvements, if required. Do not argue with your team members because
arguments can cause conflicts.
Active listening: You have to practice active listening, apart from presenting your
ideas. Concentrate on trying to understand your team members thoughts and
feelings. Focus on the non-verbal cues emanating from body language, vocal tone,
and emotions to grasp your team members messages. Acknowledge when you
completely understand the message and ask questions when you dont.
Effective networking: You should be able to use common networking tools such as
Skype, Google Groups, Webex, WhatsApp to communicate effectively with your
team.
Giving and Receiving Feedback

Feedback implies one team members reaction to another members actions or statements.
In the initial stages, teams do not give much feedback. With time, your team will open up
more and react to each others actions. For instance, if you forget to do a particular task,
your team members will remind you of the same.
Feedback can be positive or negative and can be given in a group or one-on-one. Some
important practices to follow when giving and receiving feedback are:
Positive reinforcement: You can give positive reinforcement by keeping the
following considerations in mind:
Encouragement: Your feedback should encourage a specific action or behavior

that you feel should be repeated.
Support: Your feedback should support what people want to accomplish or

what they are having difficulty with.
Descriptive: Your feedback should describe in detail what went well, what you
liked, and why the action was appreciable.
Understandable: You feedback must be crystal clear, without the use of any
jargon or unfamiliar terms.
Pure: You should not criticize or give advice while giving reinforcement.
Whatever you state should be supported by facts.
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Accepting Feedback: Accepting constructive feedback in the right spirit can be

difficult at times. You can use the following techniques to accept feedback
positively:
Listen: Listen carefully and try to look at things from other team members
perspective.
Stay calm: Breathe deeply and stay cool, calm, and composed.
Use questions: Use questions to ensure that you understand properly.

Acknowledge: Acknowledge what you listen and understand without arguing.
Reflect: How could you improve your skill in giving and receiving feedback?
Arriving at a Consensus
Team consensus is a decision that reflects the collective thinking of a team. It is an idea that
merges the best thinking of all team members. All the team members participate actively in
reaching a decision that is in harmony with others opinions. You can use team consensus
for making important decisions while setting the ground rules, resolving a conflict, or
analyzing a problem.
In order to reach a consensus decision, a team needs to move through the following
phases:
Creativity
Analysis
Decision
Creativity
The first phase of consensus decision-making is encouraging the team members to be as
creative as they can. This will trigger discussions, build participation, and generate
innovative ideas. The art of being creative can be perfected through brainstorming.
Brainstorming is an idea generation tool in which team members are confronted with a
question and they need to instantaneously provide top of the mind answers. In this manner,
team members prepare an exhaustive list of ideas. During the brainstorming session, all the
ideas are accepted no matter how impractical they are. The focus is on quantity and not on
quality.
Following list states some of the brainstorming techniques:
Card deck: In this technique, each team member writes his/her opinions on paper
slips. These slips are then combined and discussed by the team.
Post-it: In this technique, team members write their ideas on post-it stamps that are
placed on a wall for a discussion.
Round robin: In this technique, one member initiates a discussion by sharing an
idea with the team. Thereafter, the next person shares his/her point of view. This
discussion continues in an organized manner till everyone shares his or her ideas.
Popcorn: In this technique, team members come up with a word or a phrase that
summarizes their viewpoints.
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Bouncing ball: In this technique, a team member holds the ball and shares an idea.
Then, he/she throws the ball to another member who shares another idea. This
process continues till everyone shares his or her ideas.
Analysis
The second phase of consensus decision-making is to ensure that every team member
clarifies, understands, and respects all the ideas that have been put forth in the previous
phase.
In this phase, you need to perform the following tasks:
Group items: You need to organize similar ideas into sets by categorizing them. For
this, you can determine common themes on the list, name these categories, and
label each item.
Understand ideas: You need to reflect and contemplate over everyone elses ideas
in order to understand them better. Alternatively, you can split into pairs to discuss
the ideas on the list and update the entire team on what you concluded in your
discussion.
Decision
The third phase of consensus decision-making is to further decrease the list of ideas to a
manageable size. This phase comprises of the following tasks:
Narrowing: You need to use some specific criteria to get rid of items that are not
relevant. Alternatively, you can ask team members to vote as many times as they
want while one of the members enumerates the ideas in the list.
Ranking: You may want to arrange the items on the list in a sequential order by
deciding their priority.
Negotiating: You should come up with new ideas that mix current options into
solutions that satisfy every team member.
Relationship and Trust
You live in an environment where you are dependent on some people and they in turn are
dependent on you. This kind of a relationship is often termed interdependence. It helps to
have an understanding of how our routine interactions with our world impact it and vice
versa.
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You all know how banks operate. You make deposits into it from which you can make
withdrawals when needed. An Emotional Bank Account (EBA) is a metaphor that describes
the amount of trust that has been built up in a relationship. It is the feeling of security you
have with another human being. Small acts of kindness, such as being honest and keeping
your commitments, often create trust and is considered deposits in EBA.
Over a period of time, the goodwill accumulates to the extent that you can even call upon
the trust for help when the need arises. You may allow or accept others mistakes in the
relationship. You must have experienced this with your best friends. The Emotional Bank
Balance is so high that even if your friend does or says something that would normally upset
you, you do not mind very much. When trust is high, communication is easy and effective.
On the other hand, showing discourtesy, disrespect, overreacting, ignoring, betraying our
trust, or threatening people are considered withdrawals from EBA and it eventually erodes
trust levels. In such scenarios, you have to be very careful about everything you say. Such
relationships are full of tension and you cannot feel comfortable with the other person. Many
organizations, families, and marriages experience this. For instance, a marriage demands
constant deposits otherwise it may deteriorate.
Relationships need continuous and genuine deposits. Building and repairing relationships
takes time. Just like you cannot force a flower to bloom overnight or plants to harvest before
their time, you cannot build relationships overnight. They take their own time to mature.
Reflect: Do you make more deposits or withdrawals in your Emotional Bank Account with
your friends and family?
Describing Motivation
What is motivation? What do you think can motivate yourself to perform various tasks? To
answer these questions, you need to first understand the basic definition of the term
motivation.
Motivation, in simple terms, can be defined as the desire to accomplish a goal. Thinking one
step ahead, motivation can be defined as a process that accounts for an individuals
intensity, direction, and persistence of effort to attain a goal. Intensity, direction, and
persistence are the three key elements that define the motivation of an individual.
Intensity defines how hard an individual tries to achieve his/her particular goal. It is not
always true to say that high intensity will result in favorable job performance outcomes. In
fact, as defined by the second element, direction, high intensity can only work if the effort of
an individual is directed in the right direction. The third element, persistence, measures how
long an individual can maintain the effort, required to achieve a goal.
Motivation is extremely important for achieving goals. However, motivation itself is
stimulated through a source. For example, if you desire to have a better job, then the new
job with a bigger pay packet becomes your motivation. One of the good sources of
motivation is to be surrounded by success-minded people. No matter how positive or
motivated you are, you are still susceptible to negative influences. Surrounding yourself with
successful people not only motivates but also encourages positive thoughts. This, in turn,
helps you to achieve success faster.
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In addition, refer to the following links to know more about self motivation:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self_motivation
http://www3.telus.net/linguisticsissues/motivation.html
Steps Towards Motivation

People get motivated in number of ways. According to the motivational theories, following
the steps towards motivation not only drives you to your destination with the development of
positive energy in you, but it also helps in the enhancement of your self-esteem and
confidence.
The steps towards motivation, as described in the motivational theory are:
Decide your vision: A motivating vision is very important to achieve your goal.
Think about the force that motivates you from within to accomplish tasks. Think
about the elements that help you to concentrate. Identify the factors that drive you
towards your dream. This way, you can help yourself in developing a vision for
motivation.
Decide your goal: Since you have decided your vision, you can now move ahead
to define your goal. Use all your senses to progress towards the success goal and
keep on redefining your success goal. Once you start feeling the success, make
note of what you actually observe. This process of visualizing and experiencing the
achievement of goals will enable you to define your overall vision of success. Make
a note of what you feel, what you see, the location you are at, the apparel you are
wearing, and other peoples reaction towards you. The more detailed is your vision,
the better you would be able to define your goal. When you are clear about what
you are aiming to achieve, then you can concentrate on achieving the same.
Plan the steps towards the success of your goal: Once you have decided upon
your vision, have defined goals, and have a clear understanding of what success is
to you, you can start working towards your goal. Define the steps in the form of
milestones that will help you to climb the ladder of success.
How to Remain Motivated?

Although you may get motivated, you may face difficulty in remaining motivated until you
achieve your goal. It is not uncommon to lose interest before the goal is achieved. For
example, if you are assigned a very special task by your supervisor, you may express
tremendous enthusiasm at the beginning because you know that the task is special.
However, you can lose interest in the later stage and may not even complete the task. You
tend to give excuses to yourself, such as, being discouraged, getting bored, and having too
much work to do. Hence, although you have goals or dreams to accomplish, you are not
making the desired progress.
To remain motivated, you must:
Take care of your interest: Undertake tasks that interest you. For example, ask
any teenager how hard they will work to complete their school/college assignment
compared to making arrangements for a party with friends.
Understand your goals: It is very important that you remain clear about your goals
and dreams. You can accomplish every goal if you define and visualize it. It is not
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possible to accomplish a vague and undefined goal. Thus, you must define a goal,
which must be specific, precise, and concrete.
Set small milestones: Small milestones are always easier and more fun to
accomplish as compared to big milestones. For example, it is relatively hard to stay
motivated over the years to put one lac rupees in your bank account, but its easy
to start saving Rs 500 every month. You must have a clear, doable, and actionable
plan, so that you can take steps one after another.
Motivating Others
When you think about motivating others, such as family members, friends, and colleagues,
the main idea usually is to gel with them. Usually you motivate others to improve their
behavior and encourage them to perform an activity. This can be done by inspiring them
with your sense of achievement and motivational thoughts.
You can improve your ability of inspiring and motivating others by:
Being aware of the scope of motivation: As an individual, you must remember that
each person is unique and may respond to different situations in a different
manner. You can easily learn the various traits of an individual and process of
motivating him/her, if you understand that each individual is unique in his/her own
ways.
Developing leadership qualities: You must develop leadership qualities if you want
to motivate others. In other words, you must have the ability to lead others in order
to motivate and inspire them.
Following the eight rules of Adair: You can use the following eight rules of Adair to
motivate people:
Be motivated.
Select people who are highly motivated.
Treat each person as unique.
Set realistic and challenging targets.
Remember that progress motivates.
Create a motivating environment.
Provide fair rewards.
Give recognition.
Summary
A team refers to a specific group of people who are collectively responsible and
accountable for achieving a common goal.
Effective communication depends on clear speaking, active listening and positive
reinforcement
Team consensus is a decision that reflects the collective thinking of a team.
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In order to reach a consensus decision, a team needs to move through the

following three phases:
Creativity
Analysis
Decision
Building relationships and trust is an important factor in teamwork and
collaboration.
Motivation is defined as the desire to accomplish a goal. It is essential to motivate
yourself and motivate others in order to be an effective team player.
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Time and Resource

Management
Until we can manage time, we can manage

nothing else
- Peter Drucker
Management Guru
39
Time and Resource Management

Introduction to Time Management
Time is the most valuable resource and needs to be managed properly to utilize its full
benefits. Poor time management prevents you from completing your work on time, thereby
causing you a lot of stress. By managing time properly, you can organize your work
systematically and relieve yourself of stress caused by overload of unfinished work.
Most people consider time management as the simple concept of maintaining a diary and
planning activities. However, besides maintaining a diary and planning activities, effective
time management also helps you to schedule and prioritize your activities.
Along with managing time, it is also essential to manage your resources effectively, by
organising your workspace, and using resources efficiently.
In this module you will:
Explore methods to effectively manage your time
Identify time stealers
Analyse methods by which to reduce procrastination
Explore methods to organize your workspace and manage your resources
efficiently
Methods to Effectively Manage Time

Setting SMART Goals
To start managing time effectively, you need to set goals. When you have a destination, it is
only then that you can figure out the best way to reach it. Without proper goal setting, you
will fritter away your time on a confusion of conflicting priorities.
General perception about goal setting is that it takes a lot of time. Moreover, people tend to
think that when their goals are in their minds, why they should waste time in writing them
over. But what people fail to understand is that the effort spent in writing their goals and
planning how to achieve them strengthens their focus and confidence.
What are SMART Goals?

SMART goals are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, realistic, and time bound.
These are difficult and challenging goals which lead to a better performance. For example, a
goal such as I have to do my best today is less effective and challenging than saying I
have to beat my best performance till date. Difficult goals work on two aspects. They exert a
little healthy pressure on you by raising expectation levels which help you to motivate
yourself to do the job as per the expected level. Secondly, on achievement of difficult goals,
the feeling of accomplishment is much more pronounced. This boosts you up for achieving
other such goals in future.
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Smart Goals
Let us now discuss the five main characteristics of SMART goals in detail. SMART goals
are:
Specific: Goals should be clear, specific, unambiguous, non-confusing, and
non-vague. Goals should be clear enough to state the exact expectation from the
person. This avoids misunderstanding about requirements and expectations. When
a goal is vague, the result may not be in line with the requirements. For example, a
goal such as Review a document in 2 hours is more specific than a goal such as
Review a document quickly.
Measurable: Goals should be measurable and must also clearly state the reward
on achievement of the goal. When you know what is expected, you can use the
specific reward as a source of motivation. To improve your or your team's
performance, set clear and measurable goals. Some examples of measurable
goals are "Reduce defects by 15%" or "Resolve customer complaints within 24
hours".
Achievable: Goals should be achievable. A goal should not be something that no
one has ever been able to do before. A goal that you know you will surely fail to
achieve will de-motivate you and cause you a lot of stress. People are best
motivated by challenging, but achievable goals. For example, a goal such as Write
a 20 page whitepaper in three days is achievable, however, a goal such as Write
a 20 page whitepaper in 10 minutes is not achievable.
Relevant and realistic: Goals should be relevant when seen as a part of the big
picture. For example, setting a goal for yourself to keep Sunday free for family will
prove relevant only when you actually spend quality time with your family and not
just sleep the whole day off, using the goal to get away from office work. Goals
should also be realistic.
Time bound: Goals should always be time bound. Having a time limit for the
completion of a task ensures commitment and planning to achieve it. For example,
a goal such as Create a presentation on goal setting in one hour is a time bound
goal, whereas a goal such as Create a presentation on goal setting is not a time
bound goal.
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Creating Activity Logs

Activity logs are very useful in analyzing how you actually spend your time. The first time
you use an activity log you may be shocked to see the amount of time that you waste in
unimportant activities. You can use the given format for logging your activities .
Time
Activity
Description
Duration
Energy /
emotional state
(high / medium
/low)
Priority value
(high/
medium/ low)
Without modifying, try to note down everything that you do in a day, whether it is checking
mail, having coffee, or lunch break. The best way to do so would be to log activities when
you start or finish them.
While recording activities, also note whether you feel, alert, tired, energetic, bored, stressed,
guilty, satisfied, or happy. Do this periodically throughout the day and try to map it to the
activities. For example, if you join your colleagues for a third cup of coffee during the day,
you might feel guilty of leaving work for a coffee break under peer pressure.
After honestly recording your daily activities in the log, you can now analyze them. You may
find that you spend large amount of time doing jobs that do not contribute to any of your
official tasks.
You may also discover that while you are most energetic in the mornings, that time of the
day is generally used up in having coffee, office gossip, or checking mails. By the time you
start work, you may notice that you feel tired and take another break for coffee. Often peer
pressure results in more coffee breaks and leave you guilty and stressed as you discover
that time is running out fast.
Use your analysis to schedule your tasks more efficiently.
Creating a Master To-do List

A master to-do list gives you a big picture of all the tasks that you want to accomplish. It
helps in freeing your mind of a lot of clutter and improves memory because you need to
write everything down on paper. It also greatly helps you identify the most important tasks
from the less important ones. To create a master to-do list:
Keep a notepad nearby so you can write the tasks as they occur to you.
Empty all the to-do's in your head onto a piece of paper.
Do not worry about priority, importance, or time frame for completing.
Ensure that the list is exhaustive.
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Assigning Priorities to Activities

Prioritizing a list of your to-do activities is extremely important. Without it, you may
work very hard, but you wont be achieving the results you desire because what
you are working on is not of strategic importance.
Most people have a to-do list as a collection of things that need to get done. You
might be working on your to-do list from top to bottom, from bottom up, from easiest
to hardest, or in any other way you desire. However, to work efficiently you need to
work on the most important, highest value tasks first. This way you will not get
worked up scrambling to get something critical done as the deadline approaches.
Decide time limits for each task. Decide which of the items on your list must be
done today, this week, this month or even this year. Those with the shortest time
limits will obviously come at the top of your list.
Consider how the priorities on your activity list will affect the activity lists of others.
Consider the negative consequences of not accomplishing an activity on your list.
Do this with every item on your list and determine which items warrant top priority
by deciding which consequences you can or cannot live with.
Consider the benefits of accomplishing each activity on your list. A priority consists
of two elements, urgency and importance. To prioritize the activities on the basis of
urgency and importance, you can use the time management grid.
The time management grid is a simple diagramming technique that helps you choose which
activities to prioritize and which to drop to make the most of your time and opportunities. All
the activities in your to-do list can be listed in one of the quadrants in the time management
grid.
The time management grid contains four quadrants:
Quadrant 1: This quadrant contains activities that are both important and urgent. It
represents a fire fighting situation because it contains activities that need to be
dealt with immediately and urgently.
Quadrant 2: This quadrant contains activities that are important but not urgent. It
represents quality time. Although the activities here are important, and contribute to
achieving the goals and priorities, they do not have to be done right now. As a
result, they can be scheduled when you can give quality thought to them. A good
example would be the preparation of an important talk, or mentoring a key
individual. Prayer time, family time, and personal relaxation/recreation are also part
of Quadrant 2.
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Quadrant 3: This quadrant contains activities that are not important but are urgent.
It represents distractions because it contains activities that must be dealt with
immediately, despite being unimportant. For example, when you answer an
unwanted phone call, you have to interrupt whatever you were doing to answer it.
Quadrant 4: This quadrant contains activities that are neither important nor urgent.
It represents time wasters because the activities in this quadrant can be completely
avoided and the time spent on these activities can be utilized for doing some
productive work. At times, meetings can also fall into this category if they do not
achieve anything or you do not contribute to them.
Reflect: Which is the quadrant in which you most frequently operate?
Effective Scheduling
After understanding your priorities and your goals which define what you aspire to do with
your time, scheduling is where you can make these aspirations meet reality. Scheduling is
the process by which you look at the time available to you, and plan how you will use it to
achieve the goals you have identified. A carefully made schedule:
Gives you a fair idea of how much you can achieve with your available time.
Ensures that you use this time optimally.
Provides adequate time to high priority things.
Provides some time to manage interruptions.
Minimizes stress by avoiding over-commitment to others.
Enables you to provide adequate time for your personal goals
To create a schedule, you need to perform the following steps:
1. Identify the available time for work. This will depend on the nature and timing of
your job.
2. Review your action plan closely. Verify if you have included tasks such as regular
team meetings, meetings with your boss, problem solving of your team members,
and training your team. If not, include them now.
3. Schedule your most high priority tasks listed in the action plan.
4. Schedule some time for interruptions. This will prove extremely useful when you
have those unexpected contingency situations when you are required to help
leaving all priority projects aside. By accommodating time in your schedule for
interruptions, you give yourself the flexibility to rearrange your schedule to react
effectively to urgent issues.
5. Revisit your schedule once again to see if you would want to change anything in it.
You will be able to improve upon your scheduling with experience and time. Effective
scheduling may also be possible by leveraging the opportunities to delegate work to the
maximum.
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Time Stealers
For effective time management, you need to know which aspects of your personal
management need improvement. Sometimes you agree to take on things which have no
benefit to you in the long run. You do it only to help a friend in need or at times to avoid
monotony of work, or maybe just because you think you will be able to pull it off without
wasting time. However, each and every distraction from your schedule costs you time and
reduces your efficiency.
The distractions or interruptions that reduce your efficiency are termed as time stealers.
Time stealers squeeze out time from your important scheduled projects, leaving you with
less time and more work. This, in turn, can make you overworked and stressed. Some
common time stealers are:
Personal e-mail: Do not use valuable work time to send and receive personal
joke-sharing or other distracting e-mails. Sending and receiving personal e-mail
messages during office hours exhibits poor work ethics and causes a lot of
distraction from your scheduled work. Plan to check your e-mail two or three times
a day only. Allot time in your schedule for answering important e-mail messages.
Use a good spam filter to avoid junk mail and delete unnecessary
e-mails to keep your inbox light. Archive project-related e-mails under the name of
the project. This will help you find an important e-mail when required.
Telephone calls: Long telephone calls are a big wastage of time. Do not make or
receive telephone calls during times that you have scheduled for work, unless they
are part of the task. Use voice mail message to let people know you will return their
call at a particular time during the day. Let people who answer the phone for you
know that you cannot be interrupted during defined working hours. Return the call if
it is important. Promotional or sales calls need not be returned.
Peers and colleagues wanting some files or report: Help your peers and
colleagues understand that you are involved in a high priority project and are
pressed for time. Give them a time at which they can get their questions and issues
answered. Set firm boundaries when people come to chat with no clear purpose.
Internet browsing: Be careful about being drawn in by the Internet. Doing some
research on the Internet can lead to distractions such as online shopping or
browsing through interesting sites that are unrelated to your current project. The
Internet can be a huge distraction, while at the same time a necessity. Learn to
draw a line between the two. Set an alarm to remind you to get back to your project
work. You can also devise pop-ups on your computer to remind you about slipping
timelines periodically.
Other projects: Sometimes when you are working on one project, you suddenly
remember an important task or a new idea related to another project. In such a
case, do not jump to the other project the moment you remember the task or get
the idea. Instead, make a note of the activity/idea and plan to do it at some other
time. Getting up to work on the other project can be a way of procrastinating.
Personal disorganization: Organize your workspace properly. A messy office can
drain you of energy because you are never able to find things you need for your
work at the right place. Make sure the place you are working is relatively clear of
unessential materials before you start working. Schedule a cleaning time on your
calendar.
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Long meal times: Avoid long lunch breaks. You just need time to eat and stretch
before you come back to work. Too long a delay before resuming work may
hamper your focus and add distractions.
Frequent breaks: Avoid frequent breaks. Frequent breaks hamper your focus and
may be a sign of procrastination. Moreover, frequent breaks are a sign of poor work
ethics.
Overcoming Procrastination
Procrastination
Procrastination can be very harmful. It tarnishes your professional image and also causes
you a lot of stress by requiring you to do a lot of work in very little time.
Time Management- Procrastination
Realize that you are Procrastinating

Putting off tasks till a more suitable time is not always procrastination; sometimes it is good
time management. When you put aside less important tasks in order to complete more
critical ones, you are actually prioritising. In order to help you identify the difference between
procrastinating and prioritising, here are some helpful indicators. If you find yourself in any of
the following mentioned situations, you can be sure that you are procrastinating:
Your to-do list is filled with all routine tasks that you would do even if not listed.
You read an e-mail more than once without starting work on it or deciding when you
are going to start work on it.
As soon as you sit down to start a high-priority task, you want to have coffee first
and check your e-mail once again.
An important item appears on your to-do list every day without being finished or
even touched upon.
You are known in your friend circle to help anybody and everybody at any time of
the day or night.
You are known as someone who doesnt keep to time commitments.
You often find yourself relaxing when starting a task, but very rushed when
completing it.
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Analyze Why You Do So

Some of the common causes of procrastination are:
Lack of planning and focus
Lack of confidence in your capability to do the task
Lack of motivation
Unrealistic expectations
Search for perfection
The effort of analyzing why you procrastinate needs to be repeated in each situation to know
the different reasons of procrastinating. It is only then that you might think of suitable ways
of handling each such reason for putting things off.
Plan to Overcome Procrastination

If the reason behind procrastinating is lack of motivation, it means that you just might not
want to do the task for no good reason, and you would also not delegate it to someone.
Then you need to find ways to motivate yourself. You can use the following techniques for
motivation:
Reward yourself after completing each task. This will act as a booster and give you
confidence of taking up more such tasks.
Ask your peers to keep telling you about their progress with their projects. This will
exert the required peer pressure on you and motivate you to finish the task. This is
one of the most effective techniques for improving motivation.
Keep reminding yourself of the problems that will arise if you put the job aside to be
piled up again.
If you are putting off starting a project because you find it overwhelming, you can break the
project into a set of smaller, more manageable tasks which you may find more doable. Then
start completing small tasks. This initial feeling of achieving small tasks may help you
overcome the burden of the bigger project.
By overcoming procrastination, you make the most of the opportunities open to you. In the
process, you also relieve yourself of a lot of stress due to pending or incomplete and piled
up work.
Reflect: Do you procrastinate? How do you plan to stop procrastinating?
Organising your Workspace

Having a clean and friendly workplace is a very important. A workplace that is cluttered and
unpleasant gives the impression of an overload of work and a lack of care. On the other
hand, a clean and well organised work place gives a feeling that all work related tasks are
well organised. A clean and tidy workplace helps you achieve your targets in less time as
you need not waste time in searching for essential things. Your workspace is like your
personal space and it reflects your personality.
To avoid workspace clutter, you need to:
Put every bit of paper at its correct place, instead of dumping it on your desk. This
way you will not have to go back and do that later.
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Put all sticky notes at their correct place.

Keep important papers or equipment within reach. Your phone, computer, filing
cabinet, fax machine, and printer should be within reach, if you use them
frequently.
Keep only those papers and material on your desk that you need for your current
task. Moreover, keep these papers and material neatly arranged in a pile.
Keep frequently used files in your upper desk drawer, and store papers that you
need only periodically in the lower drawers.
Label file names clearly, and try color-coding your folders for better organization.
Arrange the files alphabetically.
Set up an inbox to receive incoming papers and an outbox to hold assignments you
have completed before forwarding them to the appropriate person.
Read incoming papers with a highlighter in hand, marking important text such as
deadlines or phone numbers. Deal with urgent papers immediately, set aside those
that are not urgent, and throw away the ones that are not important.
Tidy your desk space at the end of each day and leave it the way you would want it
next morning.
Organizing your Workspace
Efficient Use of Resources

One of the key aspects of being a professional or having a professional attitude is to be
conscious of the cost of using resources, and to use them efficiently to optimize cost. Here
are some ways in which you can optimize the efficiency or your resource usage:
Computers
Unplug computers when not in use.
You should always switch off your computer when you are not using it. In this
way you will save a lot of energy.
Turn off the monitor if you aren't going to use your computer for more than 20
minutes.
Turn off both the CPU and monitor if you're not going to use your computer for
more than 2 hours.
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Avoid screen savers. Using a screen saver may use more energy than not
using one.
Organise files and folders:
By organising your data into files and folders, you can easily find the files you
need instead of hunting through folder after folder, or scanning through a long
list of search items.
When you look through the list of the files on your computer, check the date on
which each file was last modified. If you notice that a file has not been modified
for over a year, you should consider whether you need to update the file,
achieve it, or discard it.
Avoid misuse of Internet facility:
Never misuse your official Internet facility for personal use. By doing personal
tasks in the office hours, you will be wasting your time and delaying the office
tasks. Also, organizations have strict policies and want their employees to
follow those policies.
Telephone
Avoid putting people on hold for long.
By putting people on hold, you waste their time and increase your phone bill.
Stationery
Use both sides of paper:
As far as possible, use both sides of paper to print information to avoid

wastage of paper and ink.
Practice efficient copying:
Before photocopying material, check for the number of copies you require.
Reuse old papers or one-side printed papers as notepads:
Old, used sheets of paper can be used as scratch-pads to note down

information or important points.
Minimize misprints:
Before giving a printout, always check for page margins, page layout etc. This
will prevent re-prints and wastage of resources.
Shred unwanted paper:
Shred unwanted pile of papers if you do not wish you use them again. This will
minimize unwanted clutter from your work place.
Avoid colour printing:
Colour printouts are costlier than black and white printouts. Therefore, take
colour printouts only when its absolutely necessary.
Important Documents
Box up must-keep documents:
Plan and evaluate the need for storage of all papers to determine which ones
should be discarded and which ones should be stored and where. Do not just
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stack papers, but file each paper accordingly. In this way, you will avoid losing
important papers and wasting valuable time in searching for or replacing them.
Keep the required documentation handy while you are on a business call.
Summary
Time management is the art of utilizing the available time in a productive and
efficient manner.
The best way to create time is to cut down on unproductive activities and tasks that
do not contribute towards our goals in life.
Procrastination leads to stress in the long term, therefore, it is better to make the
effort without wasting time.
There are several methods by which you can manage your time efficiently, such as
setting SMART goals, and prioritizing and scheduling tasks.
By organising your workspace, you can:
Complete more work in less time.
Avoid wastage of time in searching for things.
Keep important documents and Information safely.
Focus more on the given tasks, rather than unproductive activities such as
searching for documents
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Values and Ethics
Ethics is knowing the difference between what

you have a right to do, and what is right to do
- Potter Stewart
Associate Justice of the US Supreme Court
51
Values and Ethics
Values and Ethics

"What is wrong is wrong, even if everyone is doing it. Right is still right, even if no one else is
doing it." - William Penn
Think back to the person you have admired most in your life what is it about that person
that makes you admire them? Whether it is an important political or religious leader, your
primary school teacher, your father or mother, or a character in a book or film, chances are
that they are admired because they possess certain qualities. These are universal qualities,
cherished in most societies across the world, and it is these qualities that make such people
so special.
Explore the concepts of Values and Ethics
Examine the mission statement of an organisation to ascertain its values
Reflect on the qualities that determine character
Values
Values are those things that are important to, or valued by, an individual, an organisation, or
society. These are the things that drive their performance, and guide them in their daily
interactions with others. Thus, qualities of loyalty, professionalism, integrity, courage,
honesty, and teamwork are some values that are highly prized by individuals and
organisations. These are factors that motivate behaviour, and influence our perception of
our own worth and that of others.
In organisations, values represent what they stand for and the principles that guide their
path towards achieving their goals. When you work with an organisation, it is important to
share its values to avoid a disconnect. The values of an organisation can usually be found in
its vision statement, which sets out why it exists and what it seeks to do.
Values are learnt from an early age; we learn by observing our parents, relatives, teachers
and religious leaders. They are also taught to us as part of our education and upbringing.
We also learn through socialising with our peers.
Reflect: Use the internet to look at the vision statement of any company. What values can
you deduce from it? Which of these do you personally share, and why?
Ethics
Ethics are the standards by which society measures the correctness or otherwise of
behaviour and actions. Behaving ethically means to behave in a manner that is consistent
with the generally accepted view of what is moral or right, as opposed to being immoral or
wrong. Sometimes, there may be a conflict between an individuals values and ethics. Take
the example of someone who values achievement and success; would it be ok for him to
cheat and lie in order to be successful? Thus, ethics ensure that actions taken do not
become immoral or wrong. They are the yardsticks by which we measure whether an action
is positive or negative.
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Values and Ethics
In addition to defining moral right and wrong, ethics are also relevant across societies,
cultures and countries. Can you think of any ethical principle that might apply to India but not
to other countries? It would be hard to do so!
Reflect: Imagine you are the Purchase Manager of a large company, with a reputation for
only buying the best quality material. You need to place an order worth several lakhs of
rupees for the purchase of uniforms for staff. Your brother runs a tailoring business that is
well known in the city for the excellent quality of its products. Would it be correct for you to
place the order on your brothers firm? Why? Or why not?
Being a Quality Individual

An individual is the sum of his values and the ethics he observes. They define his/her
character, or the kind of person they are. Character represents the actions one takes to
carry out the values, ethics and morals one believes in. It is not reflected by what we say,
but by what we do.
A quality individual is one who believes in certain values, is ethical in his behaviour and can
be relied upon to do as he says. Such an individual brings excellence to all aspects of his
personal and professional life, and strives always to be the best he can. This could be in
matters of integrity, honesty, morality, courage, and so on. The important thing is to be clear
about your values and principles, and to hold fast to them in all circumstances.
Character can also be defined as inner values that determine outward behaviour. In
successful individuals, these may include:
Integrity
Humility
Loyalty
Positive thinking
Empathy
Self confidence
Discipline
Goal focus
Punctuality
Sensitivity
Sincerity
Reflect: What are some of your values? What steps would you like to take to improve
yourself and to become a quality individual?
Summary
Values and ethics influence our behaviour and make us into the individuals we are.
Being a quality individual requires us to build our character.
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Health, Safety and

Security
Better safe than sorry!
- Potter Stewart
Associate Justice of the US Supreme Court
54
Health, Safety and Security

While values and ethics define the kind of people we are and the behavior we exhibit when
we interact with others; this module on Health, Safety and Security elaborates good habits
we need to inculcate both as an individual and as a working professional.
By the end of this session, you will:
Understand the importance of nutrition and balanced diet
Identify good health practices
Identify good personal hygiene practices
Understand basic preventive measures against diseases
Define the terms accident and emergency
Explain how to address security threats and risks
Describe how to handle accidents and emergencies
Healthy Living
Meaning of Nutrition
Nutrition constitutes foods that we need to sustain our life. From the good health viewpoint,
nutrition refers to the foods that we eat to remain healthy.
We derive nutrition from the following group of foods:
Carbohydrate: They are energy giving foods, such as rice, chapatti, potato etc.
Proteins: They build our body muscles, such as egg, daal, paneer, meat, fish etc.
Fats: They constitute oils and butter we consume and are stored in the body as
energy reservoir, such as butter, vegetable oil, ghee, etc.
Vitamins: They are essential organic compounds needed in small amount and are
required for healthy functioning of the body, such as strong bones, good teeth,
good eye sight etc. Some examples of foods having vitamins include:
Carrots Vitamin A; develops good eyesight and prevents night blindness.
Milk and Fruits Vitamin B complex; needed for good skin, digestion, and
proper liver function.
Orange and Lemon Vitamin C; needed to build immunity and healthy gums.
Fish, egg, mushroom Vitamin D (this vitamin is also synthesized in sunlight);

makes bones and teeth strong.
Nuts and seeds Vitamin E; needed for healthy hair, nails, and working of
enzymes.
Green leafy vegetable Vitamin K; helps in proper functioning of blood and

increases its oxygen carrying capacity.
Minerals: They bare essential inorganic compounds needed for proper functioning
of the body. Our body requires a fixed amount of minerals; both excess of minerals
or their deficiency can cause diseases.
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Here are some of the minerals:
Potassium and Sodium forms parts of energy giving compounds and

maintains blood pressure; excess cause high pressure and deficiency causes
low pressure; present in fruits and vegetable.
Iodine required for proper functioning of thyroid glands; lack of iodine can
cause goiter; present in iodized salts.
Calcium required for healthy bones and teeth; deficiency can cause
deformed or brittle bones; present in milk, egg, fish, green vegetables.
Iron required for building haemoglobin, which carries oxygen in blood; iron
deficiency can cause anaemia; present in moil and green vegetables.
Balanced Diet
A balanced diet is a meal that provides you the right amount of carbohydrate, fat, protein,
vitamins, and minerals.
The diet pyramid is a guide that helps you choose the correct combinations of foods for a
balanced, healthy meal.
Here are the various points to note from a diet pyramid:
The pyramid shows different groups of foods that provide us nutrition. Each group
provide some of the nutrition we need and, therefore, our meal should be a
combination of different foods.
The first (bottom) section of the pyramid shows the foods that should have
maximum servings in your meal. It includes chapatti, rice, etc.
The second section of the pyramid includes fruits and vegetables. These provide us
with minerals and should have 3 to 5 servings in our meals.
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The third section of the pyramid shows protein-rich foods, such as daal, fish, milk,
paneer, etc. A balanced meal should have around 2 servings of such foods.
The topmost section of the pyramid shows foods that are source of oils and sweets.
A balanced meal should have least servings of these.
Good Health Practices

What do you understand by good health practices?
Habits and practices that help you stay healthy.
Enable you to lead a smooth, disease free life.
Involve external physical health and internal health (where your body organs
functions properly).
Like a good oiled engine

that runs smoothly, a
healthy body functions
smoothly.
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What are some good health practices?

Avoid consumption of alcohol, gutkas, paan, cigarettes, bidis, etc.
Avoid all addictive substance, such as bhang, cocaine, etc.
Eat three balanced meals daily.
Drink lots of water.
Try to minimize your stress through constructive activities.
Get proper amount of sleep daily.
Personal Hygiene
The habit of keeping ourselves clean and well groomed.
Personal hygiene is important because it:
Makes us look neat, clean, and presentable.
Keeps us healthy by preventing spread of germs and infections.
What are some good habits on personal hygiene?

Some good personal hygiene practices are as follows:
Teeth:
Brush your teeth twice a day.
Wash and rinse your mouth after each meal.
Visit a dentist in case of any tooth problem.
Do not chew tobacco products, such as gutka.

Body:
Take a bath daily to clean your body.
Wash your hands thoroughly with soap after each meal or after toilets.
Use a hand sanitizer before handling a patient or newly borne baby.
If you have skin irritation or allergies, consult a doctor.
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Hair:
Wash your hair with shampoo regularly.
Comb your hair and give it a neat appearance.
If you have short hair, trim or cut your hair at regular intervals.
Take care of overall hygiene of the hair and scalp, such as against dandruff or
lice.
For men, if you keep facial hair (beard and/or mustache), they should look neat
and clean.
Food:
Wash your hands before cooking or eating your food.
Keep your food covered.

Clothes:
Wear clean, washed clothes.
After washing your clothes, hang them in the Sun as sunlight kills germs.
Wash your undergarments and socks after each use.
Change your bed sheets and pillow covers at least once a week. Clean your
towels regularly.
Nails:
Cut your nails regularly.
Do not bite your nails.

Reflect: How good is your personal hygiene? What can you do to improve it?
Diseases and Prevention

How can you classify diseases on the basis of their transmission?
Classification of Diseases on the Basis of
Transmission
Airborne
Diseases
Insect Borne
Sexually
Transmitted
Diseases
Waterborne
Diseases
Deficiency
Diseases
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Airborne Diseases: These are the diseases that are transmitted through germs
present in the air we breathe in. These generally involve infection of the respiratory
tract. These diseases are caused by dry air, bacteria, virus, pollution etc. Unhealthy
lifestyle, such as excessive smoking, or occupational circumstances, such as
working in dust prone or polluted places, also causes these diseases.
Symptoms: Sore throat, running nose, cough and congestion, wheezing,

breathlessness, etc.
Examples: Flu, cold and cough, asthma, tuberculosis (TB).

Waterborne Diseases: These are the diseases that are transmitted through
contaminated water. These generally involve infection of the digestive tract, which
include esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, liver, and spleen.
These diseases include a variety of diseases and a physician should be consulted
to find out the exact disease.
Symptoms: Nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, fever, loss of

appetite etc.
Examples: Dysentery, cholera, etc.

Deficiency Diseases: These are caused by deficiency in essential foods, which
include carbohydrate, proteins, fats, vitamins, and minerals. These generally
involve malfunctioning of body parts due to deficiency of essential foods.
Symptoms: Vary according to the deficiency, such as:

Protein deficiency: Extremely underweight
Calcium deficiency: Thin and brittle bones
Iodine deficiency: Swelling of throat
Iron deficiency: Anemia
Example: Goiter, rickets, scurvy, marasmus, etc.
For more details check:

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/422916/nutritional-disease.
http://youroptihealthsite.com/nutritional-vitamin-deficiency-why-is-it-soimportant-to-avoid-and-how-to-avoid-it.
Sexually Transmitted Diseases: These include a variety of diseases that are
transmitted through unprotected sexual intercourse and can include a variety of
diseases. A physician should be consulted to find out the exact disease.
Symptoms: Sores or pain in genitals, pain during urination, and discharge from
genitals, etc.
Examples: AIDS, syphilis, etc.

Insect Borne: These are transmitted by insects, such as mosquito. Incidence of
such diseases generally occurs around the areas where the insects breed, having
poor hygienic conditions.
Symptoms: Vary according to the disease, such as:

Malaria: Shivering and high fever.
Dengue: High fever with body ache and lowering of blood platelet count.
Example: Malaria, Dengue, etc.
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How can you prevent each category of diseases?

Here are some measures to prevent different categories of diseases:
Airborne Diseases:
When sneezing or coughing, move your face away from people and use
something to cover your nose and mouth.
Wash your hands regularly.
Getting vaccinated.
Maintain proper hygiene.

Waterborne Diseases:
Maintain proper hygiene.
Keep fecal matter away from drinking water source.
Disinfect the drinking water, such as adding chlorine or alum (phitkari).
Drinking boiling water when you find incidents of waterborne diseases around
you.
Deficiency Diseases:
Have a balanced diet.

Sexually Transmitted Diseases:
Do not have unprotected sex.

Insect Borne:
Drain out standing water.
Keep the area around your house hygienic and clean.
Use insect repellent sprays.
Use mosquito nets over your beds at night.
Safety and Security

Accidents and Emergencies
An accident is an unplanned, uncontrolled, or unforeseen event resulting in injury or
harm to people and damages to goods. For example, a person falling down and
getting injured or a glassware item getting broken upon being knocked over.
Emergency is a serious or crisis situation that needs immediate attention and
action. For example, a person having a heart attack or sudden outbreak of fire at
workplace needs immediate attention.
Each organization has procedures and practices to handle and report accidents
and take care of emergencies. Although you will find most of these procedures and
practices are common across organizations, some procedures might be modified to
fit a particular type of business. For example, procedure to handle accidents
caused by slipping or falling will be similar across the organizations. As an
employee, you need to be aware of the general procedures and practices as well
as the ones specific to your organization.
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The following are some of the guidelines of identifying and reporting an accident or
emergency:
Notice and correctly identify accidents and emergencies: You need to be

aware of what constitutes an emergency and what constitutes an accident in
an organisation. The organisations policies and guidelines will be the best
guide in this matter. You should be able to accurately identify such incidents in
your organisation. You should also be aware of the procedures to tackle each
form of accident and emergency.
Get help promptly and in the most suitable way: Follow the procedure for
handling a particular type of accident and emergency. Promptly act as per the
guidelines and ensure that you provide the required help and support as laid
down in the policies. Do not act outside the guidelines and policies laid down
for your role even if your actions are motivated by the best intention.
Remember that only properly trained and certified professionals may be
authorized to take decisions beyond the organisations policies and guidelines,
if the situation requires.
Follow company policies and procedures for preventing further injury

while waiting for help to arrive: If someone is injured, do not act as per your
impulse or gut feeling. Go as per the procedures laid down by your
organisations policy for tackling injuries. You need to stay calm and follow the
prescribed procedures. If you panic or act outside the prescribed guidelines,
you may end up further aggravating the emergency situation or putting the
injured person into further danger. You may even end up injuring yourself.
Act within the limits of your responsibility and authority when accidents
and emergencies arise: Provide help and support within your authorized limit.
Provide medical help to the injured only if you are certified to provide the
necessary aid. Otherwise, wait for the professionals to arrive and give
necessary help. In case of emergencies also, act within your authorized limits
and let the professionals do the task allocated to them. Do not attempt to
handle any emergency situation for which you do not have formal training or
authority. You may end up harming yourself and the people around you.
Promptly follow instructions given by senior staff and the emergency

services: Provide necessary services as described by the organisations policy
for your role. Also, follow the instructions of senior staff who are trained to
handle particular situations. Work under their supervision when handling
accidents and emergencies.
Types of Accidents
The following are some of commonly occurring accidents in an organisation:
Trip and fall: People can trip on carelessly left loose material and fall down, such
as tripping on loose wires, merchandise left on aisles, elevated threshold. This type
of accident may result in simple bruises to serious fractures.
Slip and fall: People may lose foothold on the floor and stairs resulting in injuries.
Slips are mainly due to wet floors. Other causes can be spilling of liquids or
throwing of other slip-causing material on floors, such fruit peels. Tripping and
slipping is generally caused by negligence. It can also be due to broken or uneven
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walking surface, such as broken or loose floor tile. However, as an employee, you
should prevent any such negligence. In addition, everyone should be properly
cautioned against tripping and slipping. For example, a wet floor sign will warn
people to walk carefully on freshly mopped floors. Similarly, watch your steps
signs can prevent accidents on a staircase with a sharp bent or warn against a
loose floor tile.
Injuries caused due to escalators or elevators (or lifts): Although such injuries
are uncommon, they mainly happen to children, ladies, and elderly. Injuries can be
caused by falling on escalators and getting hurt. People may be injured in elevators
by falling down due to sudden, jerking movement of elevators or by tripping on
elevators threshold. They may also get stuck in elevators resulting in panic and
trauma. Escalators and elevators should be checked regularly for proper and safe
functioning by the right person or department. If you notice any sign of
malfunctioning of escalators or elevators, immediately inform the right people. If
organisations procedures are not being followed properly for checking and
maintaining these, escalate to appropriate authorities in the organisation.
Accidents due to falling of merchandise: Merchandise can fall on people from
shelves or wall hangings and injure them. This typically happens if pieces of
merchandise have been piled improperly or kept in an inappropriate manner.
Always check that pieces of merchandise are placed properly and securely.
Accidents due to props or moving objects: Moving objects, such as trolleys, can
also injure people. In addition, improperly kept props and lighting fixtures can result
in accidents. For example, nails coming out dangerously from props can cause
cuts. Loosely plugged in lighting fixtures can result in electric shocks.
Handling Accidents
Try to avoid accidents at your workplace by finding out all potential hazards and eliminating
them. If someone at your workplace is not following safety practices and precautions, inform
your supervisor or any other authorized personnel. Always remember that one persons
careless action can harm the safety of many others in the organisation. In case of an injury
to a person due to an accident, you should do the following:
Attend to the injured person immediately. Depending on the level and seriousness
of the injury, see that the injured person receives first aid or medical help at the
earliest. You can give medical treatment or first aid to the injured person only if you
are qualified to give such treatments. Let trained authorized people give first aid or
medical treatment.
Inform your supervisor about the accident giving details about the probable cause
of accident and a description of the injury.
Assist your supervisor in investigating and finding out the actual cause of the
accident. After identifying the cause of the accident, help your supervisor to take
appropriate actions to prevent occurrences of similar accidents in future.
Types of Emergencies
Each workplace also has policies and procedures to tackle emergency situations. The
purpose of these policies and procedures is to ensure safety and well-being of customers
and staff during emergencies.
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Categories of emergencies may include the following:

Medical Emergencies, such as heart attack or an expectant mother in labor: It
is a medical condition that poses an immediate risk to a persons life or a long-term
threat to the persons health if no actions are taken promptly.
Substance Emergencies, such as fire, chemical spills, and explosions:
Substance emergency is an unfavorable situation caused by a toxic, hazardous, or
inflammable substance that has the capability of doing mass scale damage to
properties and people.
Structural Emergencies, such as loss of power or collapsing of walls:
Structural emergency is an unfavorable situation caused by development of some
faults in the building. Such an emergency can also be caused by the failure of an
essential function or service in the building, such as electricity or water supply
failure.
Security Emergencies, such as armed robberies, intruders, and mob attacks
or civil disorder: Security emergency is an unfavorable situation caused by a
breach in security posing a significant danger to life and property.
Natural Disaster Emergencies, such as floods and earthquakes: It is an
emergency situation caused by some natural calamity leading to injuries or deaths,
as well as a large-scale destruction of properties and essential service
infrastructures.
Handling General Emergencies

It is important to have policies and procedures to tackle the given categories of
emergencies. You should be aware of at least the basic procedures to handle emergencies.
The basic procedures that you should be aware of depend on the business. Typically, you
should seek answers to the following questions to understand what basic emergency
procedures that you should be aware of:
What is the evacuation plan and procedure to follow in case of an emergency?
Who all should you notify?
Which external agencies, such as police or ambulance, you should notify in which
emergency?
What all services and equipment should you shut down during which emergency?
Here are some general emergency handling procedures that you can follow:
Keep a list of numbers to call during emergency, such as those of police, fire
brigade, security, ambulance etc. Ensure that these numbers are fed into the
telephone program and hard copies of the numbers are placed at strategic
locations.
Regularly check that all emergency handling equipment are in working condition,
such as the fire extinguisher and fire alarm system.
Ensure that emergency exits are not obstructed and keys to such exists are easily
accessible. Never place any objects near the emergency doors or windows.
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Handle Medical Emergencies

Follow the given steps to handle medical emergencies:
Determine the extent or severity of injury and call the emergency medical service or
ambulance.
Keep the patient comfortable and calm, such as keeping the patient warm.
Do not move the patient unless the patient is in some form of danger in the current
position. Ensure that the injured body part is not dangling.
Ask one of your colleagues to meet the ambulance or medical personnel and bring
them to the patient while you keep him or her calm. You should stay with the
patient till the help arrives. Since you are the one who has been keeping the patient
comfortable, he or she will begin to have trust and confidence in you. The patient
may panic if you leave his or her side.
Do not provide any medical treatment from your side unless you are qualified to do
so. For example, in the case of fall or fracture, you can provide first aid to the
person for external bruises but do not attempt to deal with the bone fracture. If you
do so, you may end up causing more damage to the injured person. Let it be
treated by certified medical practitioners.
Handle Substance Emergencies

In the case of substance emergencies, do the following:
Raise alarm: Switch on the emergency alarm if it is not sounding, by breaking the
alarm glass. Otherwise, raise an alarm by shouting. Use a loudspeaker to raise
alarm, if it is available. Ensure that the people around you are alerted about
evacuating the floor immediately. In case of fire, do not inhale the smoke as it
contains the lethal carbon monoxide gas. In case of toxic gas leakage or chemical
spillage, protect your eyes and cover your nose and mouth against toxic fumes.
You can use wet handkerchiefs or towels for this purpose.
Call the emergency service providers: Use fire extinguisher to douse the fire if
the fire is quite small and you know how to use the extinguisher. Otherwise, call the
fire brigade and inform the security personnel. Keeping the telephone numbers of
emergency services within reach is of crucial importance in handling such types of
emergencies. In case of toxic gases or fumes from chemicals, open the windows
and vents to allow the fumes to escape. However, in case of a fire, try to close
windows to cut off the oxygen supply.
Start following the evacuation procedures: Follow the evacuation procedures
laid down in your organisations policies. In case you are trapped or cannot reach
the exits, call the security or the fire department and inform them about your
location. Keep your head low, crawl to an open window, and signal for help. Do not
attempt to jump out of the windows unless your workplace is located on the ground
floor. In case your clothes are on fire, roll on the floor to douse the flames.
Each organization will has its own evacuation procedures as listed in its policies. An alert
employee, who is well-informed about evacuation procedures, can not only save himself or
herself, but also helps others in case of emergencies. Therefore, you should be aware of
these procedures and follow them properly during emergency evacuation. Read the policies
to know about the endorsed procedures.
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In addition, here are a few general evacuation steps that will always be useful in such
situations:
Leave the place immediately and start moving towards the nearest emergency exit.
Guide everyone to the emergency exits.
If possible, assist any person with disability to move towards the emergency exit.
However, do not try to carry anyone unless you are trained to do so.
Keep yourself light when evacuating the premises. You may carry your
hand-held belongings, such as bags or briefcase as you move towards the
emergency exit. However, do not come back to pick up your belongings unless the
area is declared safe.
Do not use the escalators or elevators (lifts) to avoid overcrowding and getting
trapped, in case there is a power failure. Use the stairs instead.
Go to the emergency assembly area. Check if any of your colleagues are missing
and immediately inform the personnel in charge of emergency evacuation or your
supervisor.
Do not go back to the building you have evacuated till you are informed by
authorized personnel that it is safe to go inside.
Handle Structural Emergencies

Follow these guidelines while dealing with power failure:
Stay calm and ask others to stay calm too. Inform the customers about the time in
which the backup systems will be ready.
Do not move around unless told to do so. You may end up hitting some objects or
people.
Close your cash drawers if you are handling cash.
Wait for the emergency lights come up or power back-up to start functioning.
Check whether all equipment is working properly or not, particularly security and
checkout systems.
Handle Security Emergencies

Follow the given guidelines while dealing with an armed robbery:
Stay calm and do not try to argue with the robbers. Follow the policy of live today
to fight tomorrow.
Avoid any eye contact with them, and do not get too close to them. If they are not
provoked, you and other people have better chances of not getting hurt. Try to
cooperate with them as much as possible.
Do not try to physically subdue them. You and your colleagues might be
outnumbered or unarmed to take on the robbers.
As far as possible, remember the details of the robbers, such as physical details,
marks or tattoos, mannerism, and attires. These attributes may help in creating
descriptions of the robbers.
After the robbers have left, call the police and security personnel. Provide them with
accurate details of the incidents and robbers descriptions. The success of police
investigation will depend on the accuracy of your details and descriptions.
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If you are assaulted, then do the following:
Do not wash or clean up till you get medical assistance and have talked to the
police. Washing and cleaning may remove valuable evidence.
Try to remember everything about your attacker and give a clear account to the
police.
Avoid taking a pain killer before you have given your statement so that you are
alert and give a clear account of what has happened.
Do not be ashamed of giving a clear, detailed account as you are the victim
and you have your legal rights.
Handle Natural Disasters

Follow the given guidelines while dealing with earthquakes:
Take shelter under tables or doorways. Ensure that the tables are strong enough to
withstand the impact of roof collapse. Hiding under plastic or glass tables is not
advisable.
Stay away from windows, large racks, or heavy furniture.
After the earthquake, check for any injured colleague or customers and refer them
to the medical team.
Evacuate the building as soon as possible by following the evacuation procedures
of the company.
Summary
In this session, you learned:
About Health
A balanced diet is a meal that provides you the right amount of carbohydrate,
fat, protein, vitamins, and minerals.
Good health practices involve those habits and practices that help you stay
healthy.
Personal hygiene is the habit of keeping ourselves clean and well groomed.
On the basis of transmission, diseases can be categorized into airborne,

waterborne, deficiency diseases, sexually transmitted, and water borne.
Preventive measures include following good health and hygiene practices,

such as not drinking or smoking, keeping your hands and body clean, having a
balanced diet, etc.
About Safety and Security
Identify and report accidents and emergencies:

Notice and correctly identify accidents and emergencies.
Get help promptly and in the most suitable way.
Follow company policy and procedures for preventing further injury while
waiting for help to arrive.
Act within the limits of your responsibility and authority when accidents
and emergencies arise.
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Promptly follow the instructions given by senior staff and the emergency
services personnel.
Handling accidents:
Attend the injured person immediately.
Inform your supervisor about the accident giving details.
Assist your supervisor in investigating and finding out the actual cause of
the accident.
General emergency handling procedures:
Keep a list of numbers to call during emergencies.
Regularly check that all emergency handling equipment is in working
condition.
Ensure that emergency exits are not obstructed.
Follow the given guidelines for handling medical emergencies:
Determine the extent of illness.
Keep the patient comfortable and calm.
Do not move the patient unless required.
Stay with the patient till help arrives.
Provide any medical treatment from your side only if you are qualified to
do so.
Follow the given guidelines for handling substance emergencies:
Raise alarm.
Call the emergency service providers.
Start following the evacuation procedures.
Follow the given steps for handling power failures:
Stay calm.
Do not move around.
Protect cash drawers.
Wait for emergency lights to come up.
Check all equipment for proper functioning.
Follow the given steps for handling armed robberies:
Stay calm and do not try to argue with the robbers.
Avoid any eye contact with them.
Do not try to physically subdue them.
Remember the details of the robbers as much as possible.
After the robbers have left, call the police and security personnel.
If you are assaulted, follow the necessary procedures.
Follow the given steps for handling earthquakes and other natural disasters:
Take shelter under tables or doorways.
Stay away from windows, large racks, or heavy furniture.
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Check for any injured colleague or customers and refer them to the
medical team.
Follow the given steps for handling armed robberies:
Stay calm and do not try to argue with the robbers.
Avoid any eye contact with them.
Do not try to physically subdue them.
Remember the details of the robbers as much as possible.
After the robbers have left, call the police and security personnel.
If you are assaulted, follow the necessary procedures
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Be the change you want to see in this world
- Mahatma Gandhi
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Building Aptitude
Our own growth and development is in our hands. In order to maximize our potential, it is
critical to first be self-aware, then identify ways in which we can improve, and finally, prove
our potential to those who can provide us with opportunities to apply it in a professional
environment.
Explore tools for personal development
Identify the 7 habits of highly effective people (Steven Covey)
Explore different types of aptitude tests
Understand the need of developing knowledge, skills and competence at work
Understanding the expectations from your role in the organization
Identify performance gaps and training needs
Identify the need of creating a training charter for your learning and development
Identify the different training methods for learning and development
Introduction to Personality Improvement

Everyone is different and has good and bad qualities. But what makes a person prominent
in society is his/her personality. You cannot define personality as right or wrong. However,
at times, when a persons personality is assessed and acclaimed, it enhances his/her image
in the society.
Development of Personality Type

Personality can be developed according to ones need. It is always better to have a good
mix of different types of personalities. A person who is willing to adjust his/her personality
based on the requirements is usually accepted by everyone and is regarded as a dynamic
person. For example, there is no need for an introvert to be always an introvert. He/she can
acquire some of the best characteristics of an extrovert, thus making him/her flexible. You
should make the most out of opportunities to equip yourself with the right skills and
personality.
Extroverts are people who are outgoing, confident, and generally seek excitement. They
tend to enjoy human interactions and are enthusiastic and talkative. They enjoy attending
large social gatherings, such as parties, community activities, public demonstrations, and
business or political groups. When given a chance, an extrovert will prefer talking with
someone rather than sitting alone and thinking.
There may be certain situations when an extrovert needs to adapt himself/herself as an
introvert. Positive traits of an introvert are the ability to listen, focus and reflect. To enable
these qualities in yourself, you can:
Sit quietly for one hour each day, for concentrated reflection.
Learn active listening techniques.
Make notes in meetings and important discussions.
Keep the focus on the other person when communicating.
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Learn the relaxation response, or try transcendental meditation or pranayam.

Take a long walk alone in the park, beach, or woods, and contemplate nature.
It is not a bad quality to have an extrovert personality. However, there may arise certain
situations, when it is required by an extrovert to be an active listener rather than an active
speaker. For example, while attending a seminar or a meeting, it is more essential for an
extrovert to be an active listener. He/she can speak his/her viewpoints when given a chance
to speak.
As you have already learned, introverts are people who are reserved, less outgoing, and
less sociable. However, do not consider introverts as asocial. They just tend to have smaller
circles of friends and are less likely to thrive on making new social contacts.
It is not advisable for an introvert to be always introverted. He/she should try to adapt
himself /herself to the good qualities of an extrovert, depending upon the circumstances. If
you are an introvert, then to grasp the good qualities of an extrovert, you can:
Attend assertive communication training classes.
Join a discussion group in which everyone has to talk about what is on their minds.
Introduce yourself and interact actively with others at parties, get-togethers or
conferences.
Attend role playing seminars and programs on effective presentation skills or public
speaking skills.
Refer to the following link to know more on development of personality types:
http://www.personalitypage.com/development.html
Relating and Responding to Others

It is important to relate and respond to people according to their personality types, in order
to make a positive impression. For example, you should try to relate to an individual with an
extrovert personality type according to his/her type.
If the person you are communicating with is an extrovert, then you should:
Listen attentively to what is he/she saying.
Be actively responsive to his/her queries.
Be energetic and enthusiastic during the discussion.
Support his/her need to communicate.
If the person you are communicating with is an introvert, then you should:
Relate to him/her one to one.
Value his/her need for privacy.
Ask questions to involve him/her in the discussion.
Give him/her time to change focus and should not pressurize him/her for instant
responses.
Tools for Personality Improvement

To improve your personality effectively, you can:
Perform Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, and Threat (SWOT) analysis.
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Perform Personal Quality Initiative (PQI).

Read and follow Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.
Performing SWOT Analysis

For any work you do, your personality contributes a lot to the success of the work.
Self-analysis, analysing the environment in which we work, and the real knowledge about
the work are the major factors that contribute to the success of your work.
SWOT analysis is an effective method for identifying your strengths and weaknesses, and to
examine the opportunities and threats you have. In addition, SWOT analysis is a strategic
planning method used to evaluate the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats
involved in a project or in a business venture. Generally, SWOT analysis is conducted for
teams or groups by the team or project leader.
The major benefits of performing SWOT analysis for an individual are:
It identifies the career growth of an individual.
It identifies the personal effectiveness and productivity of an individual.
It enables recognizing the potential of an individual which has not been identified so
far.
It nullifies the weaknesses of an individual and evolves a suitable action plan as a
part of remedial measure.
It identifies the various training needs for an individual from his/her weaknesses
identified during the SWOT analysis.
Thus, you can now identify that when performed for a team or group, SWOT analysis serves
as a balance sheet indicating the health of the team/group. Thus, you can build your
strengths and address your weaknesses by evolving appropriate action plans, leveraging
your opportunities, and eliminating threats.
Personal Quality Initiative (PQI)

After identifying your strengths and weaknesses and the opportunities and threats that you
face from the outside world, you will be wondering as to how you will tackle all these
problems. Since you have identified your problem areas, it is very easy to weed out the
problems. There are certain mechanisms that come handy to solve your problems. The
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mechanisms have more to do with your behaviour or habit, and are useful tools of
self-development.
One such tool is the Personal Quality Initiative (PQI). You always want to inculcate some
new habits or improve upon some of the tasks that you perform regularly. In PQI, you will
identify various parameters to improve your habits. A parameter is defined as the framing of
few good practices that you would like to acquire and some ineffective practices that you
would like to cast off in your personal and professional life.
You can use the PQI tool to identify meaningful parameters and to give you a simple
mechanism, where problems/improvement areas are the input and well-defined parameters
are the outputs.
There are many techniques and approaches that can be utilized to improve personal quality.
Adhere to the following steps that should be followed as an approach to self-improvement:
Identify the shortcomings: Identify the defects or shortcomings that you want to
improve in yourself. List the improvement areas in the following spheres of your life:
Self: You may want to improve your behaviour and habits. For instance, you
tend to get angry over extremely trivial matters. Consequently, you react in the
heat of the moment and regret the reaction later.
Family: You may not have harmonious relations with your spouse, siblings,
cousins, or relatives, and you wish to improve the same.
Health: You may have a disease or an ailment that you want to eradicate.
Social: You may not have cordial relations with your friends or neighbours,
and you wish to improve the same.
Set up measurement: Select any one of the preceding areas on which you wish to
work. Then, use a check sheet to quantify the problem and define it as clearly as
possible. Suppose you select the problem - I tend to get angry over trivial matters.
Now, quantify it in terms of the number of days in a week or month that you got
angry, as shown in the following table.
Checksheet used to Quantify and Define the Problem
S.
No
1.
Parameter
Get angry
over trivial
matters
3
-
4
-
5
-
6
-
WEEK1
4
When you measure this quantity after a period of time, you know whether or not the
situation has improved.
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Identify the possible causes: List the probable causes of the problem. You can
use the given fishbone diagram that will enable you to classify the causes or likely
reasons for the problem.
The preceding diagram defines the reasons of an individual getting angry over
trivial matters, as discussed in step 2. The diagram enables you to identify various
reasons and causes that are under your influence. By controlling the causes under
your influence, you can control the occurrence of the problem.
Identify the root cause: Merely providing a fix to the problem can be very
dangerous because this may lead to permanent damage. Therefore, you should
determine the root cause or the main reason behind the problem.
List the possible solutions: List the ways by which you can correct the problem.
Create a detailed list. Even if you think the solution is impractical, write it down. Do
not eliminate any possible solution at this stage. Some generic solutions to some
problems include:
Do breathing exercises to calm the mind and control your anger.
Do not expect people to behave the way you want them to.
Overcome the problem: Choose one of the corrective actions that you can take to
solve the problem. You should understand that people behave according to their
nature. Therefore, you should accept others as they are and do not expect them to
behave according to your whims.
Prepare a backup plan: Prepare a backup plan that can be used if the master plan
fails to be effective.
Evaluate and follow up: Use the check sheet to check the status after you start
implementing a solution to a problem. Verify if the number of instances of becoming
angry reduces or not. If the number has reduced, you can congratulate yourself.
Also, you should continue to tread the same path and before long you will be able
to get rid of your anger once and for all.
Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

Besides using the various techniques, such as SWOT analysis and PQI, use the seven
habits of highly effective people to improve your personality type. The Seven Habits of
Highly Effective People1, first published in 1989, is a self-help book written by Stephen R.
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Covey. Stephen Covey is an internationally respected teacher, chairman, and founder of

Covey Leadership Center.
Adhere to the following seven habits of highly effective people to improve your personality:
Be proactive: Covey emphasizes that you can either be proactive or reactive when
it comes to how you respond to different situations. When you are reactive, you
blame other people and circumstances for obstacles or problems. Being proactive,
you take the responsibility for every aspect of your life. Then, you take actions to
solve various problems.
Begin with the end in mind: Covey emphasizes on setting long-term goals. He
recommends creating a vision of ones own life. He sees visualization as an
important tool to develop a vision. In addition, Covey has mentioned about
organizational vision statements. According to him, the organizational vision
statements can be more effective, if developed and supported by all members of an
organization.
Put first things first: Covey describes a framework for prioritizing work aimed at
short term goals, at the cost of tasks that appear not to be urgent, but are, in fact,
very important.
Think win/win: Covey describes that win/win is a frame of mind and heart that
constantly seeks mutual benefit in all human interactions. It means that agreements
or solutions are mutually beneficial and satisfying. Win/win is a belief in the Third
Alternative. Its not your way or my way, its a better way. In relationships and
businesses, effectiveness is largely achieved through the cooperative efforts of two
or more people. Win/win is based on the paradigm that there is plenty for
everybody, that one persons success is not achieved at the expense or exclusion
of the success of others. Win/win sees life as a cooperative, not a competitive
arena.
Seek first to understand, then to be understood: Covey describes that
communication is the most important skill in life. You spend most of your life
communicating. Consider that you have spent years learning how to read and write
and years learning how to speak. But what about listening? What training or
education have you had that enables you to listen so that you really and deeply
understand another human being from that individuals own frame of reference? In
addition, Covey mentions that giving out advice without understanding a person
and their situation might result in rejection of that advice.
Synergize: Covey describes that synergy is the essence of principle-centered
leadership. It catalyses, unifies, and unleashes the greatest power within people. It
describes the way of working in teams, applies effective problem solving, applies
collaborative decision making, values differences, builds on divergent strengths,
leverages creative collaboration, and embraces and leverages innovation.
Sharpen the saw: Covey describes that this habit makes all the other habits
possible. It is preserving and enhancing the greatest asset you have, that is, You.
It focuses on balanced self-satisfaction. It is the renewal of the four dimension of
your nature, physical, spiritual, mental, and social/emotional. Without this discipline,
the body becomes weak, the mind becomes mechanical, the emotions become
raw, the spirit becomes insensitive, and the person becomes selfish.
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Taken together, these seven habits cultivate personal character, which is the foundation of
effectiveness.
Reflect: Which of these habits are existing strengths for you, and which of them are areas of
development?
Ways to Improve Self-Esteem

To be confident and effective in your life, you need to develop self-esteem. It is a
fundamental ingredient for success.
Consider a girl named Rukmini. She is a timid person who does not mingle with others and
always keeps herself away from her classmates. She is not confident about performing any
activity and off late has also developed an inferiority complex. She feels others can perform
better than her. She hesitates to share her ideas and believes that others might criticize or
make fun of her. As a result, she prefers to stay aloof.
After reading the preceding scenario, what do you think of Rosy? What kind of a person is
Rosy? What is the problem with her nature? How can she overcome the problem that she is
facing?
Let us now move forward to learn some of the ways that can help you improve your
self-esteem.
The various ways to improve your self-esteem are:
Build confidence: Confidence stays on the inside and builds from there. So,
whenever you want to accomplish any goal, picture yourself as having already
achieved the goal. See yourself as a successful individual and make it real in your
mind. Then put what you see into action.
Reach out to others: Give complements to others. Make a list of the things you
would like and appreciate in others. Lend a helping hand when you can. By helping
others, we feel more in control of our own lives.
Avoid perfectionism: Perfectionism paralyzes you and keeps you from
accomplishing your goals.
Take care of your physical appearance: Your physical appearance is a critical
factor in your self-esteem. Resist the urge to be sloppy on days when you feel bad.
In fact, those are the days when you should take extra care to look your best.
Get in touch with your own creative energy: When you can use your body
effectively, then you feel controlled. Do regular exercise. Listen to music,
communicate with nature, and do meditation. These actions enable you to let
thoughts come and go. What were your passions as a child? What do you fantasize
about now? Try to find answers of such questions.
Respect yourself: List 50 reasons why you can respect yourself. If you get stuck,
think of people who admire you or have admired you, and write down what they say
about you.
Look for a silver lining: When you are going through tough times, find strength or
a piece of knowledge.
Act in accordance with your own values: Sometimes your values conflict. In that
case, practice role playing with a friend and explore the various consequences of
each action. Then choose what feels best for you.
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Be good to yourself on a daily basis: Perform activities that makes you feel
good, thats just for you. Do such activities every day.
Challenge yourself: Travel to a new place. It is easier to try out new facets of your
personality when you are away from the familiar. As you meet new challenges, you
gain new confidence and enhance your sense of accomplishments.
Practice optimism: If you believe in pessimism, then come out of such negative
beliefs. Think of misfortunes as temporary and specific instead of permanent and
general. For example, you may feel All managers are fools, a view that can lead
to feeling hopeless about a particular problem you have encountered. My manager
was in a bad mood this morning is an explanation that takes the temporary/specific
viewpoint. It allows scope for improvement.
You should try and practice these positive measures to reinforce your own belief in yourself
and increase your self-esteem.
Aptitude Tests
Aptitude tests are designed to evaluate and assess an individuals ability to think and reason
in a logical manner. Aptitude tests generally consist of multiple choice questions. These
tests are strictly timed, that is, you will be given a certain amount of time to attempt a certain
number of questions.
Aptitude tests can be categorized as speed or power tests. Speed tests give importance to
the number of questions you can answer correctly in the allotted time. Speed tests are used
to select candidates for clerical and administrative jobs. Power tests, on the other hand,
represent more complex questions. They are used for selection at the professional or
managerial level.
Questions in aptitude tests can be divided into several categories:
Verbal ability and reasoning: Verbal ability questions assess your spelling and
grammar skills. They also assess your ability to comprehend analogies and follow
detailed written instructions. Most aptitude tests carry verbal ability questions as
employers want to know how well you can communicate. Verbal reasoning
questions evaluate your ability to solve problems. They may be in the form of
comprehension exercises that include simple and complex sentences. The focus
here is more on your reasoning ability than on your language skills.
Numerical ability and reasoning: Numerical ability questions assess you skills at
basic arithmetic, simple mathematics, and number sequences. Tests administered
specifically at the managerial level may also require you to interpret charts and
graphs. Most general aptitude tests have a section on numerical ability as
employers are interested in finding out how comfortable and capable you are while
working with numbers, even if it isnt a significant part of the job profile.
Abstract reasoning: Abstract reasoning questions evaluate your ability to
recognize the underlying logic of a pattern, and then determine the solution.
Abstract reasoning questions appear in most general aptitude tests as they are an
excellent indicator of fluid intelligence. They also help in evaluating an individuals
capability to learn and pick up new things quickly.
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Spatial ability: Spatial ability questions evaluate your ability to visualize

three-dimensional objects presented as two-dimensional pictures or manipulate
shapes in two dimensions. Spatial ability questions may not necessarily be found in
general aptitude tests unless the job profile requires the use of good spatial skills.
Mechanical reasoning: Mechanical reasoning questions are designed to measure
your awareness of the physical and mechanical principles. Mechanical reasoning
questions provide an assessment of skills required for a wide range of professions,
such as armed services, police forces, fire services, and many technical and
engineering occupations.
Fault diagnosis: Fault diagnosis questions evaluate the ability of an individual to
find and repair faults in electronic and mechanical systems. These tests are
required for the selection of technical personnel who need to work with electronic
equipment. They assess the individuals ability to approach problems logically in
order to find the cause of the problem/fault. Assessment of this criterion has
become important with the growing dependence of modern equipment on electronic
control systems as well as the complexity of electronic control systems.
Data checking: These questions assess how fast and accurately you can detect
errors in data. They are used in the selection of candidates for data input and
clerical jobs.
Work sample: This involves presentation of a sample of the work that the job
position would require you to do. These tests cover a wide range of questions. For
example, administrative jobs may use exercises involving the use of spreadsheets
or word processors. While the management or supervisory level jobs may include,
among other things, giving presentations.
Activity: Visit the following websites to test your aptitude:
http://www.indiabix.com/online-test/aptitude-test/
http://www.aptitude-test.com/
Managing Career Growth

Technology is changing at a tremendous speed. Therefore, it is important that you keep
yourself updated with latest technology through On-the-job learning and continuous training.
This plays an important role in your career.
Organizations today are also investing in employee development. This is critical to any
organizations success. Most of the organizations today are investing 3 to 5% of their
revenue into employee education. It is important that every individual appreciates lifelong
learning for their growth and development.
Understand Expectations from your Role in the Organization

To bring out maximum performance levels, you must understand the expectations your
organization has from your role.
It is also critical that you communicate and take feedback from your supervisor in your
organization. Lack of communication will translate into what are known as gaps between
performance expected and performance delivered by you. Therefore, you must strive to
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identify and close any such gaps by employing suitable performance enhancement
strategies.
Typically organizations use a systems approach to identify and evaluate employee
development needs and performance enhancement strategies. The approach is shown in
the given figure:
A systems approach to training and development provides a method to link individual

training to the strategic and operational goals of the organization. Linking learning to
strategic goals is critical to the success of a knowledge-based, service-focused organization.
It is important that you have current information on the organizations mission, core
business, and operational requirements in order to link them to the performance expectation
from you.
Performance Analysis
After you have understood expectations from your role in the organization, you should do a
performance analysis along with your supervisor. The basic objective of performance
analysis is to close the gap between optimum work performance levels and actual work
performance. To analyze performance, you need to follow five steps:
Step 1: Establish desired performance levels.

The first step in establishing desired levels of performance is to determine how you should
be performing according to expectations held by the organizations customers (or
stakeholders) and according to established organizational performance standards. To
establish desired performance levels, you must first identify the expectations of your
customers, and then review performance indicators for each position in your work unit.
For example, if you are working as a software test engineer in an organization, your
organizations expectation from you might be to test 12 programming codes in a day.
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Step 2: Determine current performance levels.

After you have identified desired performance levels, the next step is to consider two
questions:
How are you performing?
What results are now being achieved?
There are many different tools that are used to measure current performance such as run
charts, Pareto charts, and flowcharts. You should ask for this data from your supervisor and
study it.
Continuing with the previous example of a software test engineer, you should maintain
records of how many programming codes are you testing in a day.
Step 3: Identify performance gaps.

The next step in the process is to determine if there are any gaps between how you are
performing and how you should be performing. If your analysis of the performance data
indicates a performance gap, you will have to determine the extent of the gap and
correspondingly, how best to address it.
To identify performance gaps, you must begin by analyzing the data and then calculating the
gaps in performance. Calculating the gap is a simple process of comparing the desired
performance levels identified with actual performance levels.
Continuing with the previous example of a software test engineer, you should keep a record
of what is the difference in productivity that is expected from you and what you are
delivering.
Step 4: Identify training needs

After you have identified the performance gaps along with your supervisor, you should
identify the areas where you need training intervention.
You should establish a training charter along with your supervisor. By firmly establishing a
training charter, you will be able to establish the scope of your training program.
Constructing a charter along with your supervisor will also solidify the various learning
objectives and help stakeholders come to a consensus.
Continuing with the previous example of a software test engineer, you might need training
on a specific testing tool in order to meet the productivity norms of your organization.
Step 5: Explore training methods

Training is about gaining the skills needed for a job. These may be learned at the place of
work (on-the-job) or away from work (off-the-job).
Many methods of training are available- each has certain advantages and disadvantages.
Below is a list of different methods of training typically used in organizations:
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Technology-Based Learning
Common methods of learning via technology include:
1. Computer Based Trainings ( CBTs)
2. Interactive videos
3. Web-based training programs
4. ELearning
On-The-Job Training: In this mode, trainees learn on the job by reading manuals,
observation, feedback and practice. Reports indicate that people learn more
efficiently if they learn hands-on, rather than listening to an instructor.
Coaching/Mentoring: In this mode, employees get a chance to receive training
one-on-one from an experienced professional. Coaching/mentoring gives trainees
the chance to ask questions and receive answers - something they might not
receive in a classroom with a group of people.
Classroom Training: In this mode a trainer conducts training for a group of people
in a classroom environment. This might be a combination of lecture, hands on and
practice sessions.
Group Discussions& Tutorials: These most likely take place in a classroom
where a group of people discuss issues. For example, if a new version of an
application is launched, a group discussion on the new version would allow
employees to ask questions and learn the differences in the new release.
Role Playing: Role playing allows employees to act out issues that could occur in
the workplace. Key skills often touched upon are negotiating and teamwork. A role
play could take place between two people simulating an issue that could arise in
the workplace. This could occur with a group of people split into pairs, or whereby
two people role play in front of the classroom.
Case Studies: Case studies provide trainees with a chance to analyze and discuss
real workplace issues. They develop analytical and problem-solving skills, and
provide practical illustrations of principle or theory. They can also build a strong
sense of teamwork as teams struggle together to make sense of a case.
Any of the above training methods can be selected based on the training identified.
Summary
Everyone is different and has good and bad qualities.
Personality can be developed according to ones need.
To improve your personality effectively, you can:
Perform Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, and Threat (SWOT) analysis.
Perform Personal Quality Initiative (PQI).
Read Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.
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The various ways to improve your self-esteem are:
Build confidence.
Reach out to others.
Avoid perfectionism.
Take care of your physical appearance.
Get in touch with your own creative energy.
Respect yourself.
Look for a silver lining.
Act in accordance with your own values.
Be good to yourself on a daily basis
Challenge yourself
Practice optimism
Aptitude tests are designed to assess your cognitive capability and reasoning skills
in a variety of areas. Some of them are:
Verbal ability and reasoning
Numerical ability and reasoning
Abstract reasoning
Spatial ability
Mechanical reasoning
Fault diagnosis
Data checking
Work sample.
There are steps to manage your career potential. These are:
Step 1: Establish desired performance levels
Step 2: Determine current performance levels
Step 3: Identify performance gaps
Step 4: Identify training needs
Step 5: Explore training methods
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Item Name: Professional Skills Self Help Starter Kit

About This Course

About This Course

Understand the competencies required in todays global working environment.

Analyse where you stand on each of these competencies.

Work with us to improve your skills in all these areas.

Get certified on each of the competencies, so that potential employers recognize

Go ahead and build the career you always dreamt of!

NIIT Yuva Jyoti

The ABCs are Attitude, Behaviour and

NIIT Yuva Jyoti

The process of communication involves the following five elements:

Verbal communication is expression of thoughts in spoken words; this could be

Non-verbal communication consists of expressions and body language.

NIIT Yuva Jyoti

I didnt SAY you were good.

I didnt say YOU were good.

I didnt say you were GOOD.

NIIT Yuva Jyoti

Words that describe aggressive style of communication:

Activity: Being Assertive in an Interview Setting

NIIT Yuva Jyoti

NIIT Yuva Jyoti

NIIT Yuva Jyoti

Attributes of Communication Styles

A style that permits

A style in which you

A style in which you

NIIT Yuva Jyoti

Your feelings are not

My feelings are not

Your statements that

Staring, narrow eyes.

Looking directly at the

Looking down or away.

NIIT Yuva Jyoti

If you want to be more assertive, try the following:

Techniques for Assertiveness

NIIT Yuva Jyoti

Benefits of Assertive Communication

NIIT Yuva Jyoti

Brings feelings and issues in the open

Improving your Conversation Skills

NIIT Yuva Jyoti

Minimize interruptions as much as possible. This also involves self-created

NIIT Yuva Jyoti

NIIT Yuva Jyoti

NIIT Yuva Jyoti

NIIT Yuva Jyoti

Introduce the participants: Show respect to the people participating in the

NIIT Yuva Jyoti

The most desirable style of communication is Assertive. Assertiveness can be

Postive self image

Postive body language

NIIT Yuva Jyoti

Critical Thinking and

The ability to ask the right questions is the single

Critical Thinking and Problem Solving

Critical Thinking and Problem Solving

Attributes of critical thinking

NIIT Yuva Jyoti