Unit-I

Activities on Interpersonal Communication and Building Vocabulary

Interpersonal communication can be defined as the process by which people exchange

information, feeling and meaning through both verbal- and non verbal messages. It is a kind of
face to face conversation that takes place between strangers or known individuals, in any context
or situation. It is not just about what is actually said, the language used, but also focuses on how
it is said. The non-verbal messages sent through the tone of voice, facial expressions, gestures
and body language also play an important role.

Conversation is a form of interactive, spontaneous communication between two or more people.

It is an important aspect in spoken communication. The development of conversational skills and
etiquette is an important part of socialization. The development of conversational skills in
English among engineering students is the need of the hour.

Kinesics or Role of Body Language in Communication:

Body language plays an important role in communication. Most often it sends signals stronger
than words. The sub conscious mind controls the body movements, so listeners can easily
understand if there is a difference in what you are saying and thinking. Hence, it is very
important that your words and body language complement each other. Body language comprises
of the gestures and movements we make of the different parts of our body when communicating
with people. Facial expression and eye movements are very important while conveying your
feelings. A smile on the face reflects confidence. Right body posture enables you to control your
voice easily. Your body weight should be balanced on the feet to have right and correct posture.
Observe your body language when you are happy and confident. You will notice that your body
is balanced and you take full breath at easy and your body moves synchronously with your voice.

Why body language:-

 Body language can instantaneously help to assess the interest of people

 It is a personal way of expressing emotions when words don’t or can’t help
 It makes communication interesting

Positive body gestures

Positive body gestures enhance confidence and security. They are signs of active participation
and leave a good impression. Positive gestures include:-

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  Walking upright
 Shaking hands confidently
 Having a pleasant face.
 Nodding head is a positive gesture
 A steady eye contact

Negative body gestures

Negative gestures symbolize insecurity and restlessness. Such gestures show lack of confidence.
Such gestures should be avoided in interviews or meetings.

 Being up tied
 Biting nails
 Getting distracted
 Faking a smile
 Looking at something else while talking instead of the speaker
 Proper etiquettes should be followed.

Points to remember:-

 Never be stiff while making movements.

 Avoid body language that may be misunderstood or look unprofessional. E.g. Winking.
 A consistent eye contact is a positive sign and must be used.
 Avoid fiddling with things around. It may distract the attention.
 Each body part movement signifies something and helps in interpreting. E.g. Standing
with hands on hips signifies aggressions, nodding signifies agreement and active
listening, biting nails signifies nervousness.
 Unlike emails, body language does not give time to think. Hence they must be used
appropriately.

How to start a conversation:

Starting a conversation to know someone, or breaking tongue-tied silence can be very stressful.
However, it is not difficult. The following guidelines can be used to start a conversation, when
there is nothing to talk about.

 Comment on the location or occasion: Look around to see if there is anything worth
pointing out. For instance, “I enjoy this view!” “Such incredible food!” etc.

 Ask an open-ended question: Open ended questions facilitate to start the conversation
and continue the conversation with ease. Open ended questions generally begin with

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 question words like who, when, what, why, where and how. For example, “What sort of
books do you like?” Which season do you prefer the most etc.

 Learn how to combine general remarks with open-ended questions: Sometimes either
one of these may be awkward or seem to be out of place or context on its own. In such
situations, combine general remarks with open ended questions for maximum effect. For
example, “That’s a beautiful hand bag, where did you get it?” This combination of
general remarks with open ended question allows the owner of the hand bag to talk about
the day she went for shopping and her experiences.

 Enquire about their pets: Talking about animals can create a common ground to speak
about when there is absolutely nothing to talk in common. Don’t talk about your pet, as it
may be annoying to some people. Instead, asking about their pets is a great way to allow
people to open up and talk with less effort.

 Acquire adequate knowledge on current events: Updating one’s knowledge on current

affairs is a good way to start a conversation or continue the conversation. When you are
ready to start a conversation, you can say something like, “Did you read the news about
earthquake in Nepal?”

 Make use of previous discussions: If the person is a known individual, recollect the list
of topics already discussed and continue with one of them. For example, children, or
projects or bad news that he/she shared. This gives a topic to talk about, and also makes
them understand that you care about them.

 Pose questions that are easy to answer: Some questions are hard to answer and make
the person think sometimes, “Do I really have to answer this question?” Many people
prefer easy questions to hard questions. For instance, “What are your plans for today?”,
“How do you feel working in summer?”etc.

 Understand their feelings: Don’t ask questions that invade their personal space. Some
people experience discomfort in discussing topics such as weight, or lack of possessing a
degree or qualification etc. Be thoughtful and avoid starting a conversation on such topics
even with strangers.

 Wash off your fears: When you feel that you are not able to participate in conversation,
with another person, it may be because you started telling yourself a few negative things
like you are boring, intruding or wasting their time. This can leave you embarrassed and
tongue-tied. Feeling self-conscious during conversation is not unusual and also not
productive.

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Tips for an effective conversation:

 Introduce yourself, if you don’t know the person. Look approachable, tell the person your
name and offer a firm hand shake and smile.
 Keep the conversation light and simple, especially if you are still getting to know each
one better.
 Use small talk to establish relationship and affinity. Small talk can be started on topics
like, the purchase of new car, vacation plans, a newly planted garden etc.
 Talking about weather is a cliché, but if there is something unusual about the weather, it
can be a great topic for conversation.
 Follow your partner’s cue for a smooth conversation.
 Employ active listening strategies to know what they are saying and to summarize their
feelings.
 Ask and answer the questions as part of conversation. Ensure that they get adequate time
to talk.
 Tell the other person’s name as a sign of respect and to make them feel comfortable. It
makes the conversation real and intimate.
 Utilize acknowledgement cues like nodding, giving short but encouraging statements like
“Is that true?”, “Is that so?” That’s quite interesting or amazing!”
 Keep your body language open and amicable. Nod while agreeing; make eye contact,
lean forward. This will make them feel more comfortable and makes the conversation
more natural.
 Keep a sensible bubble of personal space if the person you're talking to is a stranger or
someone that you don't know well.
 Remain engaged in the conversation.
 Respond naturally. Laugh for a funny comment or joke. Don’t force laughter.
 Practice getting conversations started. It is little difficult in the beginning, but becomes
easy with practice.
 Follow your partner’s lead: If your conversational partner appears to listen interestingly,
continue. If he or she looks at a clock or wrist watch, or searches for an escape strategy,
then you have been going on for too long. It is important to observe and following your
partner’s cues to make the conversation pleasant. This may be a hard skill to learn, but
can be practiced.
 Use sensory words: Words like ‘imagine’, ‘feel’, ‘tell’ etc. encourage the other person to
paint an imaginary and descriptive picture as part of the conversation. This will make
the conversation engaging and will also leave an impact on the other person.
For example “How do you feel about the new government?”
 Maintain the equilibrium: As the person who started the conversation, the responsibility

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 to continue the conversation and maintaining its momentum rests on you. If the other
person listens to actively and pose open questions back for you, take them as their cues
and keep them engaged in conversation by asking them open questions.
 Don’t be afraid of pauses: Pauses can be looked at as opportunities to change the topics,
re-energize the conversation. Letting a pause for a long time is the only time that you
should think or worry about silence in a conversation. As long as you can move naturally
to the next subject or topic, its fine and should not feel stressed.
 Don’t make your partner feel uncomfortable: Answer respectfully to someone who
remains uncomfortable in your presence. If your conversational partner appears
uninterested or withdrawn in conversing or sharing information with you, don’t irritate
too much and don’t ask too many questions.
 Give yourself an out: Entering into a conversation means that you can talk briefly with
your friends. This will not make your partner feel trapped or obligated, and also gives
you an opportunity to conclude, when necessary.

Role-Plays: Role playing is defined as pretending to be someone else or pretending to be in a

specific situation that you are not actually in at the time. An example of role playing is when you
pretend that your friend is your boss and you have a practice conversation in which you ask for a
salary hike.

In day to day life, we require information about many things. We have to ask for information
about various things and also give information to different people about different things.
Expressions utilized differ from situation to situation. For instance, the expressions used in
asking for information is different from complaining. Thus, the students should know the
differences and master them to be proficient in using the language. Few expressions that are
generally used during request are given below for better understanding as an example.

Making Requests:

 Could you possibly give me a glass of water?

 Do you think you could give me a glass of water?

 I wonder if you could give me a glass of water.

 Would you mind giving me a glass of water?

 I would be grateful if you could give me a glass of water?

 I would appreciate if you could give me a glass of water?

Helping students or trainers to understand human behavior is one of the most common problems
faced by teachers and trainers. Increasingly tutors are using experiential methods to give

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individuals practice at dealing with real life problems, and many of these methods involve the
use of role-play. If it is used well, role-play can vastly enhance the learning experience, but
often the full potential of the role-play is diminished as it is ineffectively, or inappropriately,
applied.

Discussion Questions:
1. Imagine that you are travelling in a train and would like to converse with the traveler
sitting opposite to you. How will you start a conversation?

2. You are the director of a company and decided to select the best manager of the year.
Talk to your colleagues on the criteria you have decided upon to select.

3. Mrs. Mary is baking cakes when her daughter Linda came home from school. Write an
imaginary conversation between Mary and Linda.

4. You and your friend have decided to attend a musical concert in the city. Write a few
lines of your conversation about the concert you have planned to attend.

5. You happened to meet your old friend in a super market. Write the dialogues between
you and your friend.

6. Browse and find out various formal expressions used in situations like complaining,
apologizing, giving and asking for information.
Exercise – I

CALL Lab:

Phonetics:

Introduction to Phonetics:

Phonetics is a branch of Linguistics. It is a word derived from the Greek word, phone =
sound/voice. It is the study of sounds and the human voice. Phonology is the study of sound
patterns of a particular language.
Phonetics and its importance:

Phonetics is the scientific study of the speech sounds of a language. The knowledge of
phonetics enables one to acquire a correct pronunciation, to give a true description of the
sounds of English, to point out the mistakes in the pronunciation and to differentiate sounds
of English from those of the mother tongue. All pronunciations use the International
Phonetic Alphabets. Many phonetics symbols e.g. /P/, /S/, /K/ sound exactly like the most
common pronunciation of the letter they look like.
Speech Mechanism:

English uses pulmonic egressive air-stream mechanism for the production of speech sounds.
The pulmonic air coming from the lungs is changed into a sound by an organ called Larynx
present in the throat. Various organs of speech also participate in the production and the
transmission of different speech sounds. The vocal cords in the throat play a significant role
in the production of speech. The vocal cords have two main functions. They determine the
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pitch of one’s voice and also give voice to our speech sounds i.e. they determine whether a
speech sound is voiced or voiceless.
The air-stream mechanism:

For the production of speech we need an air-stream mechanism. There are three types of
air-stream mechanisms.

Pulmonic (consisting of the lungs and the respiratory muscles which set the air-stream in
motion)

Glottalic(in which the larynx, with the glottis firmly closed, is moved up or down to initiate
the air-stream)

Velaric(in which the back of the tongue is in firm contact with the soft palate, and it is
pushed forward or pulled forward or pulled back to initiate the air-stream)
For the sounds of English and most Indian languages, we generally make use of pulmonic
regressive air-stream mechanism, i.e. the air is pushed out of the lungs.

Organs of Speech:

The organs of the human body, which produce speech sounds, are together called organs of
speech. The organs of speech can be studied under three systems – articulatory, phonatory
and respiratory systems.

Articulatory system comprises of pharynx and oral and nasal cavities. The chief articulators in
this system are lips, teeth (upper and lower), hard palate, soft palate/velum, uvula and
tongue. Tongue has three parts - tip, blade/front and back.

Phonatory system consists of trachea and larynx. Vocal cords and glottis are situated in the
larynx.
Respiratory system comprises of lungs and bronchial tubes.

The vocal cords: The vocal cords are two elastic folds situated in the Adam’s apple. The
opening between the vocal cords is called the glottis. The air-stream travels upwards from
the lungs through the vocal cords. When the vocal cords vibrate, voiced sounds are
produced. Sounds produced without the vibration of the vocal cords are known as voiceless
sound.
The lips: Lips are important part of the articulatory system.

The tongue: Among the organs of speech, the tongue is the chief articulator. The tongue has
three parts: the tip, the blade and the back. Any one of these three may be used in the
production of a sound.

The teeth-ridge: The teeth-ridge is situated behind the upper row of teeth. Sounds produced
with the tongue touching the teeth-ridge are known as alveolar sounds.

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The palate: The palate forms the roof of the mouth. The palate has two parts – the hard
palate and the soft palate, which is also called the velum. If you run the tongue along the
surface of the roof, you will find the first half of the palate hard and the second half soft.
ORGANS OF SPEECH

Received Pronunciation (R.P.)

R.P. is the pronunciation (English Accent) of Southern England. It is used by Oxford

University, B.B.C. and public schools in England; it is socially adopted by the British people
and widely accepted as a standard by rest of the world.

The difficulty with English language is that some letters stand for more than one sound. Each
symbol is always represented by the same sound. Each sound is always represented by the
same symbol.

As the spelling of a word in English is not the true guide to its pronunciation, we need the
help of other symbols to indicate pronunciation and such symbols are called Phonetic
Symbols, each symbol stands for one sound only. The phonetic symbols enable us to read
accurately the pronunciation of a word in the dictionary such as Oxford Advanced Learner’s
Dictionary of English and English Pronouncing Dictionary.
Sounds in English Phonetics:

The 44 sounds in English Phonetics are categorized into consonants and vowels. There are 24
consonants and 20 vowels. The 20 vowels are divided into two groups: pure vowels 12 and
diphthongs 8. All the vowel sounds are voiced, and some consonants are voiced and soe are
voiceless.
Consonants and Vowels:
The distinction between consonants and vowels
 If the air, once out of the glottis, is allowed to pass freely through the resonators, the
sound is a vowel;
 If the air, once out of the glottis, is obstructed, partially or totally, in one or more
places, the sound is a consonant.
Consonant sounds are classified according to three features of articulation.

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 1. Vocal fold activity/Force of articulation
2. Place of articulation
3. Manner of articulation
Articles:

There are two articles in English language. They are: 1) The Definite Article 2) Indefinite
Articles. The definite article is used before the uncountable nouns and the indefinite article is
used before the countable singular nouns.

The Definite Article is “THE.”

The definite article can be used before the colours, departments, oceans, seas, designations,
professions, superlative degrees, particular events and incidents etc.,

Ex: He uses the bluecolour always.

The girl is very innocent. (Known to all)

My friend joined in the police department.

The pacific is the deepest ocean.

The weaver is a skilled worker.

The Indefinite Article is divided into two types. They are: A(One)and AN(One).

“A” is used before the .Consonant sounds not before all the consonants. But Sounds are
considered.

Ex: It is a dangerous idea.

She is a girl who is an extraordinary talent.

It is a university for all.

He is a man who smiles always.

A member of parliament represents the people in the parliament.

“AN” is used before the Vowel sounds not before all the vowels. But Sounds are considered.

Ex: He is an engineer.

It is an interactive communicate skills lab.

He has joined in an honourable post.

It is really an excavation. Cell phone is an invention for wasting time of the students in this
century.

Prepositions: Preposition is a word which builds a relation between word to word or

sentence to sentence. It is used before a noun as pre means before or advanced, position
means placed. So preposition is placed before a noun or other parts of speech connecting a
sentence.

List of Prepositions: of, for, since, beside, besides, from, at, in, with, by, off, on, into, upon,
under, to, too etc., some examples are given below:
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OF: (Belongs to) this preposition is used to show the relation between person to person and
place to place. And it is also used to in the form of ‘in’.

Ex: Sachin is selected as the player of the decade.

Head phones of high quality.

FOR: (Reason, Price, Purpose etc.,) This is used to show the price reason and purpose etc.,
and it is also used to show the period of time in the present perfect continuous tense.

Ex: He has been waiting for three hours.

The lady has bought a car for two lakhs.

I am waiting for a right chance.

BESIDE: (By the side of) it is used in the sense of by the side of.

Ex: He parked the car beside my car.

She stays beside my home.

BESIDES: (In addition to) it is used in the sense of in addition to.

Ex: They have farms besides fields.

She has a bikebesides Car.

SINCE: This is used in the sense of from and it is also used to show the point of time in the
present perfect continuous tense.

She has been working in this college since January.

We have been doing research since 2006.

AT: This is used to show the smaller place, time etc.,

Ex: He is at his native place.

He must attend the meeting at 10 ‘O’ clock.

Word Formation: Characteristics of word formation, based on Prefixes and Suffixes and
compounding.

Prefixes: They do not alter the word class of the base. They are normally written together
with the base as a single word. Main stress falls normally on the base. They can be grouped
according to their meaning.

Ex: ‘un’ unfair, unadorned, unfortunately.

‘non’ non-detailed, non-existent

Suffixes:Suffixes rarely have a distinct meaning of their own. Suffix is fixed at the last of the
word. They change the word into which they are included into other parts of speech. They
can be classified according to the speech part they form.

Noun Suffixes:‘eer’ engineer, auctioneer etc.,

Adjective/Noun suffixes:‘ness’ goodness, happiness, selfishness etc.,

Verb suffix:‘ify’ certify, identify, qualify etc.,

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Adjective Suffixes: ‘able’ readable, drinkable, eatable etc.,

Synonym: A word or phrase meaning the same as another in the same language. Words that
are synonyms are said to be synonymous, and the state of being a synonym is called
synonymy. The word comes from Ancient Greeksyn("with") and onoma ("name").

Ex: Cunning - Clever

Dangerous – Risky

Eatable - Edible

Antonym: A word opposite to another in meaning.

Ex: Absence – Presence

Accept - Refuse

Exercise: II

CALL Lab:A syllable is a unit of organization for a sequence of speech sounds.

For example, the word water is composed of two syllables: wa and ter.

Similarly tomato = to.ma.to (threee syllables) andwindow = win.dow(two syllable)

A syllable is typically made up of a syllable nucleus (most often a vowel) with optional initial
and final margins (typically, consonants).

Syllable Structure

Syllables have internal structure: they can be divided into parts. The parts are onset and
rhyme; within the rhyme we find the nucleus and coda. Not all syllables have all parts; the
smallest possible syllable contains a nucleus only. A syllable may or may not have an onset
and a coda.

model for sing

Past Tense markers

In English, past tense verbs with an -ed ending are pronounced in three different ways:
[t]
[d] or

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 [Id].

For example, the past tense verb “walked“, as in, “I walked away,” what is the last sound
that you hear in the verb?
“Walked” [wakt]

The -ed verb ending sounds like a [t], “Walked” [wakt], even though it ends in the letter
“d”.

What do you hear when we say:

“smelled“, as in, “it smelled bad.”

The -ed verb ending sounds like a [d]: “smelled” [smeld]

And when we say, “visited”, as in “we visited New York City”, how did it pronounce that “-
ed” ending?
[Id] [vizitid].

The -ed verb ending sounds like [ɪd], [vizitid].

There are three rules that explain the differences in past tense verb “-ed” pronunciation.
vow | fake (vvv | fff)
zebra | snake (zzz | sss)

–> When we pronounce voiced sounds, our vocal chords vibrate when we say those sounds.
[v] [z].

–> When we pronounce voiceless sounds, our vocal chords do not vibrate. [f] [s]. No
vibration.

This vibration or lack of vibration then carries forward to the following sound in the word.
Therefore, this vibration or lack of vibration explains why we pronounce the past tense of
verbs in threevoiced or voiceless ways: [t], [d] or [Id].

1) [t] final sound

Verbs ending in voiceless sounds [p, k, θ, f, s, ʃ, tʃ] cause the “-ed” ending to be pronounced
as the voiceless [t] (with no vocal chord vibration).
[p] “He popped a balloon.” [papt]
[k] “They talked a lot” [takt]
[θ] “th”: “She frothed a cup of milk” [frawθt]
[f] “I laughed at the movie.” [læft]
[s] “She kissed a frog.” [kIst]
[ʃ] “sh”: “We brushed it off.” [bruʃt]
[tʃ] “ch”: “I reached around for it.” [riytʃt]

2) [d] final sound

Verbs ending in the voiced sounds [b, g, ð, v, z, ʒ, dʒ, m, n, ŋ, r, l] cause the “-ed” ending to
be pronounced as a voiced [d].
[b] “It bobbed up and down.” [babd]
[g] “He begged her to stay.” [bɛgd]
[ð] “She breathed loudly.” [briyðd]
[v] “They loved it.” [luvd]
[z] “We raised her expectations.” [reyzd]
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 [dʒ] “They bridged the gap.” [brIdʒd]
[m] “I claimed it was mine.” [kleymd]
[n] “They banned new members.” [bænd]
[ŋ] “She banged into the chair.” [bæŋd]
[r] “He cleared it up.” [kliyrd]
[l] “I rolled up the paper.” [rowld]

[əd] or [ɪd] final sound

Verbs ending in the sounds [t] or [d] will cause the “-ed” ending of a verb to
be pronounced as the syllable [əd] or [ɪd].
[t] “I visited the Empire State Building.” [vɪzɪtəd]
[t] “She edited the research paper.” [ɛdɪtɪd]
[d] “We ended the game early.” [ɛndɪd]
[d] “He breaded the chicken.” [brɛdɪd]

These “-ed” pronunciation rules are particularly important, because in English we connect
our speech when we have a word that:
ends in a consonant; and
is followed by a word that begins with a vowel.

In this case, the way you say the verb’s “-ed” ending will be heard loudly and clearly.

Example

“He walked away” [walkt] –> “He walk taway” [hiy WAWK təWEY]

Plural markers

If a word ends in the letter 's' (e.g. plural noun or verb in the third person), there are three
ways to pronounce this 's' - /S/, /Z/ and /IZ/.

In type one words, the final 's' should be pronounced as /S/.

These sounds are all unvoiced, which means that your vocal chords must be silent when you
make the sound.

maths, moths

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Type two sound /Z/

This sound is made with vocal chords vibration.

/b/ /B/ grabs, robs

/d/ /D/ lids, rods

/g/ /G/ pigs, dogs

/v/ /V/ loves, leaves

/D/ /DZ/ breathes, lathes

/l/ /L/ hills, fails

/m/ /M/ comes, trams

/n/ /N/ earns, burns

/N/ /Ñ/ songs, paintings

any vowel sound any vowel sound plays, employees, flees, goes, news

 Type three sound /IZ/

This sound is the same as the verb 'to be' in its third person form (is). Type three sounds are
the only ones which add an additional syllable to the word, for example 'miss' /MIS/ is one
syllable, but 'misses' /MIS IZ/ is two syllables. The final /IZ/ syllable isn't usually stressed.

Standard Viv's

phonetic phonetic Example word

symbols symbols
/s/ /S/ buses, places
/z/ /Z/ chooses, sizes
/∫/ /SH/ washes, wishes
/t∫/ /TCH/ watches, matches
/dƷ/ /DJ/ Judges, pages

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Strong vs Weak Forms

Grammatical words are words that help us construct the sentence but they don't mean
anything: articles, prepositions, conjunctions, auxiliary verbs, etc.

These words have no stress, and so they are weakened. That weakened form is called "weak
form" as opposed to a "strong form", which is the full form of the word pronounced with stress.
The strong form only happens when we pronounce the words alone, or when we emphasize
them. Weak forms are very often pronounced with a schwa, and so are very weak and
sometimes a bit difficult to hear properly.

Sometimes weak forms are easy to spot, because we use contractions in the spelling to show it:

I am French (strong form) I'm French (weak form)

But usually there is no change of spelling, only the pronunciation is different:

But strong form: /bʌt/ weak form: /bət/

example: I would like some fish and chips

strong forms /aɪwʊdlaɪksʌmfɪʃændtʃɪps/ it sounds unnatural.

weak forms /ɑwədlaɪksəmfɪʃəntʃɪps/ and we can use weaker forms

sometimes:/ɑdlaɪksəmfɪʃəntʃɪps/ so we can see that the auxiliary verb "would" has two weak
forms /wəd/ and /d/

Students who are learning English usually use only strong forms, and they sound very
unnatural. English speakers use weak forms all the time, every single sentence is full of them,
and students find it difficult to understand because they are not used to them, and very often
they don't even know they exist.

Consonant clusters

A group of two or more consonant sounds that come before (onset), after (coda), or between
(medial) vowels. Also known as cluster. A consonant cluster or consonant blend is a group of
consonants which have no intervening vowel. "The combination /st/ is a consonant cluster (CC)
used as onset in the word stop, and as coda in the word post.
There are many CC onset combinations in English as in black, bread, trick, twin, flat,Please,
pleasant, shrimp, thrills and throw . In English, for example, the groups /spl/ and /ts/ are
consonant clusters in the word splits. the longest consonant clusters in the word extra would be
/kstr/.
Social and Professional Etiquette:As people say, “Be like a roman when you are in Rome”
Etiquette is a convention of behavior accepted as polite. It has become popular in the global
world. Especially, people who join in corporates require many kind of etiquettes. As the world
is moving forward rapidly one has to learn social and professional etiquettes as per the
employer requirements.

15
The following etiquettes may be considered as social and professional etiquette:
Table manners
Correspondence
Dress Code
Greetings/Salutations/Body Language

Telephone Etiquette: It is very important to be conscious at the time of talking on the

phone.

One has to always identify oneself to at the beginning.

Must be sensitive to the tone of the voice.

Think through exactly what one plans to say and discuss before you place call.

Do not allow interruption to occur during the conversation.

Set a place to conversation properly and privately.

Speak clearly and slowly.

Do not allow one to be distracted by other activities while speaking on the telephone.

The above telephone etiquettes are very important especially for the professionals and
business people in the global world.
Words often Misspelt: Words are commonly misspelt while writing a document or any other
writings.
amateur - Amateurs need not be mature: this word ends on the French suffix -eur (the
equivalent of English -er).
apparent - A parent need not be apparent but "apparent" must pay the rent, so remember
this word always has the rent.
Words often Confused/Misused: Take a look at these two sentences – one of them contains a
mistake:
I poured over book after book.
We pored over the catalogues.
Are you uncertain which one is right? There are a lot of words in English that look or sound
alike but have very different meanings, such as pore and pour or flaunt and flout. It’s easy to
get them confused and most electronic spellcheckers won’t be much help in this type of
situation: they can tell you if a word has been spelled wrongly but they can’t generally flag up
the misuse of a correctly spelled word.

Word 1 Meaning Word 2 Meaning

accept to agree to receive or do except not including
adverse unfavourable, harmful averse strongly disliking; opposed
advice recommendations about advise to recommend something
what to do

16
 Vocabulary Building

Vocabulary means a sum or stock of words employed by a language, a group, an individual or a

work or in a field of knowledge. It is the collection of words and terms available for used in
communication. Developing good vocabulary is not only important to writers and speakers. It is
important in everybody’s life both personally as well as professionally. The three main reasons
to improve one’s vocabulary are:

 It sharpens your communication

 It opens your mind
 Vocabulary helps you to become successful

Tips to improve vocabulary

 Read, read, and read! The more you read novels, newspapers and magazines, the better is
your vocabulary, as you are exposed to number of different and new words.
 Keep a thesaurus or pocket dictionary, or a smart phone.
 Maintain a vocabulary journal.
 Learn a word a day, its synonyms and antonyms.
 Learn word roots (Etymology)
 Understand the meanings of as many prefixes and suffixes.
 Remember one-word substitutes, business vocabulary.
 Practice verbal analogy.
 Use idioms and phrases and collocations in your speech.

Synonyms: A synonyms is a word that has the same or similar meaning as another word.
Ex: Deceit – Dishonest

Antonyms: An antonym is a word that is opposite in meaning to the given word.

Ex: Turbulent x Tranquil

Idioms and Phrases: Understanding and remembering idioms and phrases is very important to
improve one’s vocabulary. The word ‘Phrase’ can be defined a small group of words standing
together as a conceptual unit, typically forming a component of a clause.
Ex: I cannot put up with that fellow. The italicized words are a phrase. The contextualized
meaning of the phrase is endured.

17
An ‘Idiom’ can be defined as a group of words whose meaning cannot be predicted from the
literal meaning of the constituent words.
Ex: To smell a rat: to suspect foul dealings.

One-Word Substitutes: Substituting a long sentence by a single word conveying the meaning of
the sentence.
Ex: A person whom one knows but is not particularly a close friend- Acquaintance.

Verbal Analogy: Analogy means similarity between like features of two things, on which a
comparison can be made.
Ex: Play is related to ground as pray is related to – temple

Prefixes and Suffixes: Prefixes are added to the beginning of an existing word in order to create
a new word with a different meaning.
Ex: In the word multicultural- multi is the prefix, and cultural is the word. Thus a new word
multicultural is formed by adding the prefix to the word. Suffixes are added to the end of the
existing word.
Ex: In the word childish, ‘ish’ is the suffix, and child is the word. Thus a new word childish is
formed by adding the suffix ‘ish’ at the end of the word child.

Business Vocabulary: It is defined as set of words used for specific purposes. For example, the
words used by a lawyer are different from the words used by an engineer.
Ex: Cash Cow: It is a business term that is used to talk about a business, investment or product
that gives steady income or profits.

Collocations: A familiar grouping of words, especially words that habitually appear together and
thereby convey meaning by association.
Ex: Richly decorated, fully aware, excruciating pain etc.

Study of word origin or Etymology: the study of the origin of words and the way in which their
meanings have changed throughout history.
Ex: The meaning of the root Audi is ‘hear’. Words like audible and audience can be
remembered by remembering the root word.

Discussion Questions / Exercises

1. Identify any ten difficult words from a newspaper article and write their synonyms and
antonyms.

2. Google to find out the meanings of the following idioms

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 1. Bag of Bones

2. Play Possum

3. A Hot Potato

4. A Pretty Kettle of Fish

5. To Bring to Book

4. Write one word to substitute the sentence

1. Person lacking in experience and competence in art or science ----------------------------

2. Obvious to the eye or mind ---------------------------------

3. Fear of great heights -----------------------------

4. To divide into branches or parts ----------------------------------

5. The science of colors --------------------------

5. Select any five prefixes and five suffixes. Write their meanings and form as many
meaningful words as possible.

6. Complete each of the sentences by choosing the correct word from the four options
given.

1. Drama is related to stage as tennis is related to----------------------

a. Field b. court c. net d. racket

2. Play is related to director in the same way journal is related to----------------------

a. Reader b. publisher c. producer d. editor

3. Disease is related to epidemic in the same way as skirmish is related to------------------

a. War b. ointment c. quarrel d. campaign

4. Horse is related to hay in the same way cow is related to -------------------------

a. Leaves b. fodder c. milk d. straw

5. Well is related to depth as office is related to---------------------------------

a. Subordinates b. promotion c. efficiency d. authority.

19
 Unit-II

Activities on Reading Comprehension

Introduction: Reading is an essential element at every stage of one’s life, especially in schools,
colleges and at workplace. This is because reading is a means of discovering information to
expand one’s knowledge and understanding of the subject of any kind and any field. Reading
helps in mental development and is known to stimulate the muscles of the eyes. It involves
greater levels of concentration and improves the conversational abilities of the reader.

Reading Comprehension passages find their place in every competitive examination. Apparently,
solving reading comprehension passages seems to be easy, but in reality, it is difficult. The
question that vacillates in every aspirant’s mind is “How to improve Reading Comprehension”?
Students are adapted and comfortable in solving simple and undeviating passages in their schools
days, but the task becomes difficult when it comes to competitive examinations. Students find
difficulty in understanding the vocabulary, concept of the passage and lose interest in solving
reading comprehension passages.

Reading Comprehension Strategies:

 Students often complain that they are unable to understand the given passage. If, you
happen to belong to this category of students, remember that you need not understand
each and every word, and at the same time you need to find out the summary or the gist
of the paragraph. Focusing on the key words is more important.

 Know your strengths. The conservative approach is, reading the passage and then
answering the questions. But some students do not feel comfortable with this approach.
Probably, they do not know which key words they have to remember, and waste a lot of
time in reading the passage again and again. In such situations, a ‘bottom up’ approach is
followed, where the students read the questions first and then look for corresponding
answers from the paragraph.

 Time management plays a crucial role. Apart from testing knowledge and skill,
competitive examinations also test an individual’s time management. Practice numerous
reading comprehension exercises with the help of a timer.

 Practice more. This will alone make you smart in managing time, understanding the
techniques and finally makes you proficient in answering the reading comprehension
passages.

 Improve your vocabulary. A person who has poor vocabulary stops more number of
times while reading a passage. Every time he/she comes across a new word, he/she stops

20
 and tries to understand the meaning. In such situations, understanding the gist of the
passage becomes difficult. Having good vocabulary improves reading speed. It also helps
in understanding the passage better and saves a lot of time.

 Use a pencil while reading. Underline the key words.

 Find out words that are not necessary. If you carefully observe any reading
comprehension passage, you clearly understand that there are more number of words,
sentences and phrases which do not add any meaning to the passage. Try to eliminate this
junk while reading. You can understand that even without these unwanted words,
sentences and phrases the meaning of the passage is clear.

 Come back later. Sometimes when we don’t find answer for a particular question, we
generally tell ourselves that “Okay, let me proceed, I will come back to it later.” This is
indeed a good strategy and saves time, but before moving on to another question, circle
on your choice of answer, which you feel correct at the present moment. In most
situations when you go back to answer the question, you don’t remember the gist of the
passage. So, you have to read again from the beginning which consumes a lot of time.

 Most reading comprehensions are complex passages taken from scientific essays, well-
known fiction, literature or economics. Solving passages from different fields of
knowledge will not only give practice, but also increases vocabulary and reading speed.

 Focus on the content. Don’t let your mind to waver here and there.

General Vs Local Comprehension

General comprehension or Global comprehension means understanding the general meaning of

what an individual is reading. It is referred to the central idea of a multiple paragraph. Local
comprehension can be defined as the most important point about the topic of an individual
paragraph. The general meaning is stated in the paragraph and hence visible to the reader. The
local or implicit main idea was suggested in the paragraph and hence less visible to the reader.

Reading for facts

Every reading passage contains facts and details. The facts and details tell more about the main
idea. Questions about facts and details ask you about something that was stated in the passage.
To answer a question about a fact or detail, look back to the passage to find the answer. Five WH
questions and one H question answers everything about facts or details. They are who, what,
when. Where, why and how.

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Guessing meanings from context

The ability to infer the meaning of an unknown word either by looking at the vocabulary around
it or its context is an important reading skill. The context here either refers to the sentence or the
paragraph where the unfamiliar word appears which provides the reader with information that to
give meaning or sense of the term. Four types of clues can be used to support reading
comprehension. They are synonyms, antonyms, examples and definitions and general
knowledge.

Scanning

It is another types of fast reading used to cover a great deal of material to locate a specific fact or
piece of information. While trying to find out meaning for a word in a dictionary, or looking for
a telephone number in the telephone directory, we scan and look for only specific information.
Scanning speed can be increased by regular practice and better concentration. Scanning is a very
important reading technique and serves several purposes, which include looking for

a. A specific point or fact

b. relevant details presented in the form of graphs or tables

c. a formulae in a text

d. a word in a dictionary

e. train or television schedules

f. references or bibliographical listings

g.examination results

Skimming

It is the rapid survey of the subject. This is to get a rough idea or to see quickly what the book is
about. It is a more sophisticated skill than scanning. The main objective of skimming is to
understand the central idea and the main points of a text. The reader has to read fast and make
quick analysis. Skimming involves three main skills: Identifying the central idea, recognizing
main ideas, and identifying the writing patterns of the passage. Skimming is indispensable for
better understanding of a text. Skimming should answer the following questions about a passage
or text.

What is the overall purpose of the text?

What is the theme or the central idea of the passage?

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I. Read the passage carefully and answer the questions.
A thing of beauty is a joy forever. But butterflies are multi-hued, delicate creatures that
have very short life spans. Did you know that the taste sensors of a butterfly are located in its
feet? This really means that by standing on their food they can really taste it? With six feet and
a body weight of two rose petals, butterflies can actually fly many, many miles! The wings of
butterflies and moths are actually transparent. The shimmering scales, which overlap like tiles
in a roof, give the wings the many shades , we see.
Both butterflies and moths belong to a genus called Lepidoptera and are the second largest
group of pollinators only after bees.
These creatures can smell with their antennae and breathe through openings in their abdomens
called spiracles. Butterflies also have a long straw-like structure called proboscis with which
they drink nectar from flowers. When not in use, the proboscis is curled up rather like a garden
hose.
Ranging in size from a tiny 1/8 inch to a hue light of almost 12 inches, butterflies can’t hear,
but they can feel vibrations and see the colours red, green and yellow. Butterflies are cold
blooded animals and warm their flight muscles in the sun. And when sufficiently warmed, these
delicate creatures can attain flight speeds of up to 15 kph.
2. What or who is being referred to as a : “A thing of beauty”?
Nature b. a beautiful thing c. butterflies d. beautiful creation
3. Where are the taste sensors of a butterfly located?
In its feet b. in its mouth c. in its head d. on its proboscis
4. The myriads of shades , on the wings are due to ?
Clean wings b. scales on the wing that overlap c. the flower they suck honey from
d. the environment in which they live.
5. What group of pollinators do the butterfly and moth belong?
Third largest b. largest c. second largest d. smallest
6. What is the most fascinating fact about butterflies?
They breathe through their structures in their stomach
They drink honey through straw like structures in their stomachs
Though very light they can fly long distances
They come in varied sizes.

23
 Discussion Topics/Exercises

Read the paragraph and answer the following questions

April fool’s Day

April fool’s Day, sometimes called All Fool's Day, is on the first of April every year. People can
play practical jokes. That's why you shouldn't believe what is said to you and you should be
doubtful of the people around you on this day. Someone might change the time on another
person's alarm to make him wake up very early or very late. Or she / he may put a lot of pepper
in another's food. Of course all this is done just for fun. When the trick is played people say
"April Fool" to make the poor person realize that it was just a joke.

Some of the well known and most successful pranks or practical jokes were on the media -
television, radio stations, newspapers... For instance, a BBC television program ran a famous
hoax in 1957, showing Italians harvesting spaghetti from trees. A large number of people
contacted the BBC wanting to know how to cultivate spaghetti trees. In 2008, the BBC again
reported on a newly discovered colony of flying penguins showing people walking with the
penguins in Antarctica, and following their flight to the Amazon rainforest.

Source: Wikipedia

Comprehension:

1. April Fool’s Day is also called Fool Day?

a. True
b. False
2. On this day
a. you must be suspicious about what people around you say or do
b. You should wake up early in order not to be hoaxed
3. After you play a trick on someone
a. say April Fool
b. say April Fool's Day
4. After the announcement of the BBC "spaghetti documentary"
a. people believed the piece of news
b. people called the BBC to complain about being hoaxed

24
 Unit-III
Listening Comprehension
Part I Gap filling

1. 1 of sophisticated, human behavior has been 2 by researchers of a period as

early as 750,000 years ago – some half a 3 years earlier than has previously been
estimated by archaeologists. The discovery was made in the course of excavations at the
4 Gesher Benot Yaakov site, located along the 5 rift in the southern Hula Valley
of northern Israel, by a team from the Hebrew University 6 of Archaeology. Analysis
of the spatial 7 of the findings there reveals a pattern of specific areas in which various
activities were carried out. This kind of 8 indicates a formalized conceptualization of
living space, requiring social 9 and communication between group members. Such
organizational skills are thought to be 10 to modern humans.
Ans-1.Evidence 2. Discovered 3. Million 4. Prehistoric 5. DeadSea 6. Institute
Organization 8. Designation 9. Distribution 10. Unique

2. What is aerodynamics? The 1 comes from two Greek words: aerios, concerning the
air, and dynamics, which means 2 . Aerodynamics is the study of forces and the 3
motion of objects through the air. 4 from the story of Daedalus and Icarus, humans
have been 5 in aerodynamics and flying for thousands of 6 , although flying in a heavier-
than-air 7 has been possible only in the last 8 years. Aerodynamics affects the
motion of a large airliner, a model rocket, a beach ball thrown near the shore, or a kite
flying high 9 . The curveball thrown by big league baseball pitchers gets its
10 from aerodynamics.
Ans- 1. Word 2. Force 3. Resulting 4. Interested 5. Years 6. Machine 7. Hundred 8.
Overhead 9. Curve
3. 1 (ancient Greek: ‘bios’ life, ‘metron’ measure) refers to two very different fields of
study and application. The first, which is the older and is used in 2 studies, including
forestry, is the collection, 3 , analysis and management of 4 data on biological
communities such as forests. Biometrics in reference to biological sciences has been studied
and applied for several 5 and is somewhat simply viewed as “biological statistics.”
More recently and 6 , the term’s meaning has been 7 to include the study of
methods for uniquely recognizing humans based upon one or more 8 physical or

25
 behavioral traits. Some researchers have 9 the term behaviometrics for behavioral
biometrics such as typing rhythm or mouse gestures where the analysis can be done
continuously without interrupting.
Ans:1. Biometrics 2. Biological 3. Synthesis 4. Quantitative 5. Generations 6.
Incongruently 7. Broadened 8. Intrinsic 9. Coined
Part 2: True / False
1. The first generation phone hardware was quad-band CDMA with EDGE.
a. True b. False
2. The iPhone was initially introduced in the United States on January 9, 2007.
a. True b. False
3. Lacking a physical keyboard, a virtual keyboard is rendered on the touch screen.
a. True b. False
4. The 9cm (3.5) liquid crystal display (320*480 px at 6.5 px/mm, 160 ppi) HVGA
touchscreen in specifically created.
a. True b. False
5. On july 11,2008, the iPhone 3G was released and supported faster 3G
data speeds and Assisted GPS.
a. True b.False
6. People who play games have had the urge to conquer and rule from times immemorial.
a. True b. False
7. Chess has not been a very satisfying game.
a.True b. False
8. Military simulations along with their rules and regulations have been the
largest inspiration for making computer games.
a.Trueb.False
9. The Express Card Standard is the next generation of PC Card technology
used in more than 95% of all notebook computers for adding new software
capabilities

10. a. True b. False

11. The Express Card has a maximum throughput of 2.5 Gbit/s through PCI Express and 480
12. Mbit/s through USB 2.0 dedicated for each slot, versus CardBus’s shared 1.06 Gbit/s
bandwidth.

a. True b. False

26
Sequencing of Jumbled sentences
I. Arrange the following sentences in correct sequence
1 His father was a lecturer in mathematics and physics, so he grew up in an
academic atmosphere.
2 ‘Chandrasekhar Venkata Raman, (7 November 1888 – 21 November 1970) was an
Indian physicist who was awarded the 1930 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on the
molecular scattering of light and for the discovery of the Raman Effect, which is named
after him.
3 His mother tongue was Tamil. At an early age Raman moved to the city of
Vishakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
4 His nephew Subramanian Chandrasekhar also won the Nobel Prize in physics in 1983.
Correct Answer: 4, 2, 1, 3, 5

2. Arrange the following sentences in correct sequence

a At the higher level these structures are revised and more exposure to English is provided
with the help of literary texts.
b Let us try to know the way English is being taught in this country.
c At the primary and secondary school level, structures and vocabulary are taught through a
structural syllabus and grammar-translation method.
d It is believed that this would help the learners construct correct English sentences with the
help of the structures learnt over the years.
Correct Answer: 5, 1, 3, 2, 4
III. Arrange the following sentences in correct sequence.
1. Early on in his life, Gates’s parents had a law career in mind for him.
2. Gates has one older sister, Kristi (Kristianne), and one younger sister,Libby.
3. Bill Gates was born in Seattle, Washington, to William H.Gates, Sr. and Mary Maxwell
Gates.
4. His family was upper middle class; his father was a prominent lawyer, his mother served
on the board of directors for First Interstate Bank System and the United Way.
5. He was the fourth of his name in his family, but was known as William
Gates III or “Trey” because his father had dropped his own “III” suffix.
Correct Answer: 5, 3, 1, 2, 4

27
 Unit-IV

Activities on Writing Skills

Writing skills are tended to be inborn talents. But without putting up hard work, the innate talents
are of no use. Sustained motivation and hard work are the two secrets to a good write up. The
skill of writing has taken last place in communicative skills (LSRW). To acquire this ability
continuous practice and involvement are necessary. If you would wish to write start writing, keep
writing and check your writing then rewrite. It is a process of answering umpteen (No. of)
questions related to the write up. Information gathering from day to day life experiences helps to
improve writing skills which are an integral part of good communication. The more effective
your writing skills are, the more you through influence on people around you.

Importance and uses of good writing skills:

1. Good writing skills allow you to communicate with a larger audience effectively with
clarity and ease.
2. It enables you to meet the demands of life.
3. Good writing skills create impression and avoid negative reactions.
4. The errors in writing may force the loss of credibility.

Strategies to develop writing skills:

 Command over writing comes through practice.

 Life experiences should be converted to activity ‘writing’.
 Grammatical errors are continuously checked
 Action words are concentrated upon
 Accuracy and coherence
 Re drafting
 Remember your audience and their requirement
 The medium and style of writing
 Gender neutral language

Different Types of Writing Skills

1. Letters, Formal and informal

2. Reports Project reports Memo reports and minutes of meetings

3. Résumé or Job Application

4. E mails

28
 5. Portfolio writing

6. Taking Notes

Improving One’s Writing

Important tips to improve writing skills

 Keep it simple
 Keep it active: passive voice is avoided
 Work together: share the work done by showing it to specialists in that area to get
feedback
 Invest on books and training: Look into dictionary or thesaurus to produce clear ad
understandable writing. Courses and workshops will help to improve writing
 Make it interesting. As the readers are not familiar with subject matter, necessary
details are given
 Use new and better Technology: update knowledge of giving headings, margins,
alignment and new words
 Hiring a professional: when the volume of wring is large and professional matter, it
can be given to persons who are proficient in writing

Résumé or Job Application

A Résumé is a calling card for one’s future. It is a brief summary of your talents, abilities
education, experience and skills. A successful Résumé will review summarize and present your
training, expertise in the said field and achievements clearly and concisely. Its main purpose is to
convince the prospective employer to contact you for an Interview. A Résumé is normally 2 to 3
pages. But a Curriculum Vitae is longer.

Major uses of a Résumé:

1. To help to go for an interview

2. To provide the employer with reference material during the interview
3. To serve as a reminder to the employer after the interview to send a letter

Types of Résumés

1. Chronological Résumé
2. Functional Résumé
3. Combination Résumé
4. Targeted Résumé

29
Chronological Résumé

It starts by listing your work history with the recent position listed first. Your jobs, educational
qualifications are listed in reverse chronological order, with the recent one first. Employers
prefer this type of Résumé because it is easy to assess one’s caliber.

Functional Résumé

This type of Résumé focuses on skills and experience rather than one’s chronological work
history. It is used most often by people who are changing careers or who have gaps in their
employment history. It highlights major skill areas. Skills are emphasized over work experience.
Job titles, Dates or names of the employers may be left out. You may describe or label this
section in varieties of ways.

 Skills
 Abilities
 Accomplishments
 Experience
 Areas of competence

Combination Résumé

A combination Résumé lists a person’s skills and experience first. The employment history
comes next. With this type of Résumé one can highlight the skills relevant to the job one is
applying for. It also provides the chronological work history that employers prefer. You are
writing a targeted Résumé and need an effective way to match the skills to the job requirements.

Targeted Résumé

A targeted Résumé is a customised report which specifically highlights the relevant

qualifications and skills needed for the job. It gives an idea of requisite experience for the
specific position. This Résumé is in response to an advertisement of a specific company with
different career objectives.

Résumé Structure

The Résumé structure is important in more than one way. The ideal Résumé structure gives a
professional outlook while displaying a career – oriented attitude of the applicant. It influences
the flow of the Résumé and thereby affecting its readability. Hence, constructing the Résumé
perfectly will improve your chances of gaining the important interview call. Each applicant
decides on the structure as per his strengths, capabilities and expectations of the prospective
employer and hence, every Résumé tends to differ from the other. In general the structure
contains the following steps.

30
  Presentation
 Planning
 Projecting skills and strengths
 Summary
 Form and style
 Expert advice (pet peeves)
 Cover letter

A Résumé is divided in 3 sections Introduction, Primary section and secondary section

Introduction:

It contains a header and objectives.

Header includes name and contact details of the applicants. The name should be in bold letters.
The address, email id and telephone numbers are furnished.

Objectives:

It holds the aspirations and career plans. The applicant’s potential qualities and his expectations
from the job are clearly indicated here.

Primary Section:

It is the most important part of a Résumé wherein the employer spends maximum time reading it.
So, the contents, flow and the look of this section should be perfect. Ideally, the experience
section should get more prominence and therefore should be written first. Nevertheless
applicants can put forth educational qualification section prior to the other ones.

Experience:

It contains work history, designation, place of work, total work duration and responsibilities.
While giving the above details bullet format and action words are used. Elaborate this section
wisely to bring out the best of the applicant’s capacities.

Education Qualification:

This section should include qualifications both education as well as additional, name of the
awarding bodies, year of passing and grades scored.

Certifications

Extra courses, internships, workshops, seminars and training sessions undertaken are listed here.

31
Achievements:

Any extra efforts put in and fetched awards or rewards are mentioned here.

Secondary section

Personal Details: It includes family background, marital status, age, interests etc.

References: This includes the name and contact details of the people worked with or studied
under the guidance of. However the practice of writing references is thinning down and
concluded in one sentence, “available on request”. This is the last part of the Résumé.

General Editing and Proof Reading of a résumé

A fresh eye can spot any mistakes which were overlooked. If it is reviewed, the reviewer may
notice a better way of saying something. Misspellings can also be avoided.

Résumé Parsing Services: these are Computer Programs that filter through Résumés utilizing
key words.

Key words from the job posting: Since a Parsing Service may be utilized, it is useful to include
actual wording from the job posting within your Résumé.

Titles: Make sure that the job titles on your Résumé match the job position

Don’t use the page Header and Footer Features: your Résumé will probably not make it past the
Parsing Service if you put your contact information etc., as a header or footer. Using a page
header or footer on Résumé is a good way not to get noticed.

Legible and Attractive:

Stay with the Times New Roman, Verdana or courier. The font size for the content would be
between 11 and 12 and for headers it could be 12 or 14, Leave a margin of 1 1/2” to left and
right. The content should be in black, highlighting headers with dark gray or deep navy blue.
Bold and words in italics should be sparingly used.

Final Formatting

Checks the job posting requirements to be sure you are submitting your Résumé in the prescribed
format through email, postal mail (hard copy) or fax. Most commonly used format is Microsoft
Word. A file name should be given for your Résumé.

32
Letter:
Cover Letter:
Introduction
Writing an application (covering letter) for job and preparing a data sheet or resume to
be sent along with it or separately, are among the most important skills.
In a way, an application letter serves the same purpose that of sales letter. The sales letter
aims at selling a product or service, while an application letter sells a person’s suitability for a
job or ability to work.
Purpose of Job Application Letter:

To introduce the applicant to the hiring organization.

To introduce the applicant’s resume.

To highlight the candidate’s positive personal traits or qualities and achievements.

To advocate the candidate’s special talents that would benefit the organization.

To emphasize the candidate’s suitability for the job by matching the requirements of
job with his/her qualifications.
What should go in the cover letter?
The letter of application should be similar to other business letters, i.e. it should have an
introduction, a body and a conclusion.
The introduction: The introduction should detail the job you are applying for and mention where
you got the information from (for example an advertisement, or the recommendation of an agency,
etc.)
The body: The body of the letter enables you to present yourself to the employer. So you must list
your skills and personal traits here. You must specially emphasize the skills you have which make
you suitable for the job. This is highlighting your relevant skills and the related experience.
The conclusion: The conclusion should round off nicely to leave a positive image of the writer. It
should also end with a polite thanks and anticipation.
Qualities of Good Job Application Letter
Professional Approach: Use standard letter format and style.
Positive Tone: The tone of letter should be consistently positive.
Genuine Interest: Show interest and concern towards the job and company.
Be Specific: Give specific details of the applicant’s education, training, experiences, and
skills should be emphasized.
Coherence: Organize your letter with consistent style and logical sequencing.

33
The Format

A cover letter usually contains three paragraphs. Each para has its own importance.
In the first para details of getting the information about the job i.e. through advertisements, job portal, and internet
are given.
The 2nd para should be about appraising the growth of the company and applicant’s self appraisal. The skills and
achievements also should be given.
The 3rd para consists conclusion with a complimentary word to prove one’s mettle. A brief mention of the
enclosures is also given.
All the 3 paras should be precise but very clear and impressive so that the employer can send an interview call.

COVER LETTER FORMAT

From

To

Respected Sir,

Sub:

Thanking you.

Date:
Place: Villupuram
Yours faithfully,
(NAME)

34
 SAMPLE COVER LETTER
20th Nov 2014
Chennai
From
Sundar,
C/o R. Vasan,
Kirthi Nagar, Main Road,
Chennai.
.
To
The HR Manager
Bitwise Solutions Pvt. Ltd,
Mumbai.
Sir,

Sub: Application for the post of “Trainee Engineer” – reg.

Ref: Your advertisement in The Times of India dated November 18, 2014

Your advertisement in “The Times of India” dated, for the post of Trainee Engineer’ has drawn my
attention. The job description is very interesting and I would like to apply for the same.
I have completed B.E. in Information Technology from Anna University. I have successfully completed a
project as part of my freelance work.
I have enclosed my resume for your kind consideration. Should you require any other information, please
feel free to contact me.

Thanking you.

Yours faithfully

A.Sundar
Enclosures:
Resume
Copies of qualification certificates.

35
 RESUME WRITING
A resume (or curriculum vitae) is a brief summary of your abilities, education, experience, and skills. A
successful résumé will review, summarize, and present your training, experience, and achievements clearly and
concisely. Its main task is to convince prospective employers to contact you for an interview. Resumes are used
for most jobs and are generally 1-2 pages. Curriculum vitae are used in academics and can be longer.
Aim :

To help getting a personal interview

Creating both the look and content of resume with unique skills

To provide the employer with reference material during the interview

To serve as a reminder to the employer after the interview

Parts of a Resume:
Following are the integral parts of resume:
a. Heading: It includes contact information, including applicant’s name, full postal address with PIN code,
telephone number with area code, fax number, cell number, and an email address.
b. Position Sought (applied for): It involves mentioning the position or post that you are applying for.
c. Career objective: It is specific one-sentenced statement focusing the candidate’s career goals in relation to the
targeted position.
d. Professional Summary: Professional summary is a one-sentence statement listing the applicant’s most
important qualifications, his/her essential skills, and his/her key work experience.
e. Education: This part includes the applicant’s education and professional training. The name and location of
the school/college/university/institute attended, dates of attendance, major areas of study, and degree/certificates
received should be mentioned. Reverse chronological order is used to list educational information that is starting
from the most recent one.
f. Work Experience: This part includes a brief and specific overview of the applicant’s work and professional
experience. It should be given in reverse chronological order by listing the most recent employment.

g. Special skills, abilities and aptitudes: In this part, the applicant’s special skills, abilities and aptitudes that are
of direct relevance to the job applied for are listed. For example, computer programming, computer processing,
data processing, foreign languages, machinery operation, drafting, consulting, technical writing etc.
Activities and interests: In this section, extra-curricular, co-curricular, professional activities, hobbies and
interests must be mentioned. It shows the applicant is a dynamic and energetic person and can accept challenges.
Achievements/accomplishments/honours: This part should include scholarships, fellowships, awards,
distinctions, or anything that shows achievement or recognition.
References: It means references as from the persons who know the applicant’s work
professional competence through formal and professional interaction with him/her. These persons may be
applicant’s previous employer, teacher, immediate supervisor, research guide, colleague, subordinate, and so on.

36
 In this name, designation, full contact address with telephone number and email address of the references should
be given.

Do’s:
Select proper font that makes the resume look professional.
Be concise and specific.
Use powerful action words. Employers look for specific words.
Give a phone number through which the employer can contact you during
business hours.

Don’ts:
Don’t lie about experience.
Don’t repeat words or phrases.
Don’t use fancy layout of presentation.
Don’t use fancy e- mail ID like xyz.com.

Tips to prepare a good résumé

1. See that a Résumé doesn’t have any typographical, spelling, grammar, syntax errors or factual errors
2. Key information is given i.e. Name, address, phone number and email id at the top of the first page.
Objectives are listed next in concord with the job requirements
3. Experience, educational qualifications in reverse chronological order. Additional information regarding
hobbies/interests is given
4. Specify the goals for opting the job
5. Strengths are highlighted
6. Make careful and strategic choices as how to organise, order and convey skills
7. It should be ‘You’ attitude not self.
8. Use most impressive and power words
9. Result oriented approach is used
10. Use phrases instead of long sentences

37
 FORMAT OF RESUME
NAME : E-MAIL ID:

ADDRESS : PHONE NO:

OBJECTIVE :

EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATION :

WORK EXPERIENCE :

SKILLS SUMMARY :

ACHIEVEMENTS :

SOFTWARE-SKILLS :

OTHER ACCOMPLISHMENTS :

RESPONSIBILITIES UNDERTAKEN AT SCHOOL & COLLEGE LEVEL:

REFERENCES:

38
 MODEL RESUME
xxxxxxx
No. 10, Rachel Apartments E-mail id: [email protected]

3rd Lane, I Main Road Phone no.: 8888888888.

Chennai- 16

OBJECTIVE:
To become a part of growing organization and apply my professional, technical, managerial
and interpersonal skills, and thus develop myself and work towards the goal and vision of the
company.

EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATION:
May 2008 Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering, BSA
Engineering College, Nagercoil with 83%.
April 2004 Passed Higher Secondary Examination from Scott Christian
Higher Secondary School, Nagercoil with 93%.

WORK EXPERIENCE:
November 2008 – till date Junior Manager, Mannar Automobiles Ltd.,
Pasumalai, Madurai.
July 2008 – October 2008 Supervisor, Tolby Mechanicals Ltd.,
Thuckalay, KK District.

39
 SKILLS SUMMARY:
Dynamic and result-oriented Engineering professional with a successful track record in
Automobile Industry, Articulate and persuasive in dealing with Management, peers and staff.
Strong decision-maker with leadership and creative skills. Willing to meet different kinds of
people and have the ability to bring out the best in them.
ACHIEVEMENTS:
Academics - University gold medalist at U.G. level.
Won the best project award at the U.G.level.
Workplace - Have been part of the team that designed a new carburetor to
improve fuel efficiency.
- Have reduced production cost by incorporating a new alloy.

OTHER ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
 Volunteer in N.S.S for one year.

 Active participation in karate.

SOFTWARE SKILLS:
 C, C++

 Visual C++

REFERENCES:

Prof. S. Subash Menon Head

of the Department, Department
of Information Technology
IIT, Kanpur.

Mr. P. Ashok Kumar Head of

the Department, Department of
Civil Engineering IIT,
Chennai.

40
 UNIT -V
PRESENTATION SKILLS
A presentation is a technique, method of communicating information, knowledge, facts
and ideas in a subtle manner to a group of people. Presentations are given at various occasions,
both at work and at colleges/school/ and at informal or semi-formal events. Nowadays almost
every speech is accompanied by some sort of a presentation. The most common presentation
building tool is MS PowerPoint, which allows the creation of separate slides, joined by one
common theme; inserts images and movie clips into your presentation; and even incorporates
sound effects into your speech.

Steps in Creating a Presentation

1. Learn about your target audience. When it comes to making speeches and
presentations, addressing your audience in a proper tone and manner is crucial.
Think of what this audience’s peculiar characteristics and preferences could be and
try to consider them when making your presentation. A targeted approach is
recognized to be the key to success when making a presentation.
2. Brainstorm your ideas. You might have a lot to say on the subject, but when it
comes to speeches and presentations (do not confuse with lectures and speaking
sessions), it’s all about being concise, short and easy. So try to keep it within a limit
of 10 minutes maximum if you do not want to lose your audience.
3. Highlight the most important ideas of your speech and put them into slides.
4. Make an outline of your presentation and organize all slides in accordance with it.
Make sure you are logical, consistent and coherent in presenting your ideas.
5. Think of a few ways to moderate/dilute the text with some images, video clips or
any other ways to illustrate your word, But make sure to keep it relevant to the topic.
6. Proofread your presentation and run it a few times to make sure that everything
works right.
7. Practice giving your speech while running the presentation.
8. Avoid word for word copy of the talk i.e., overuse of notes – as there is every danger
or losing eye contact with listeners. So practice loud before delivery.
9. Deliver your message like a professional.

41
Don’ts in an oral presentation:
Don‘t read the whole thing from a script or worse, rambling off the top of the head.
Don‘t mumble through.
Don’t use fillers words like “uh” “um” etc…
Don‘t speak too fast.
Don’t speak without pauses.
Don’t look down, without making eye contact.
Don’t dwell on mistakes in delivery.
Don’t use a lot of numbers or statistics.
Don’t present your audience with an avalanche of information.
Dos in an oral presentation:
Do speak loudly and clearly.
Do pause between ideas and do not speak overly fast or too slow.
Do make eye contact with the audience.
Do use your item well.
Do use visual aids.
Do gesture and move around some.
Do keep the report flowing smoothly.
Do dress appropriately for a professional presentation.
Do be enthusiastic, why should the audience care if the speaker does not feel this is an
interesting topic?
Do pay attention to your breathing.
List of presentation topics:
1 Social Networks
2 Alternative Energy Sources
3 Global Warming
4 E-waste
5 Impact of Western Culture
6 Future Classrooms
7 Academic pressure – ‘too much to handle’
8 Alternative fuels
9 Green Building
10 Eco friendly products
11 Impact of fast foods
12 Use of mobile phones in schools/colleges
13 Cyber crime
14 Digital Books
15 Match fixing
42
 Activities on Presentation Skills
An oral presentation is a formal address by a person to a group of people with or without using
visual aids and other tolls like slide show, video or audio clip successful presentations are
designed to meet the needs and expectations of the audience. It serves varies purposes such as
improving speaking skills, increase the chances of getting good jobs and to gauge the strength of
oneself regarding language competency an persuasive skills. It is therefore, a conscious effort of
the speaker and is a purposeful communication and establishes the reputation of the speaker.

To quote Emerson, “All the great speakers were the products of rehearse and practice”

TYPES OF ORALPRESENTATIONS

There are broadly three types of oral presentations. They are i. Impromptu ii.
Extempore iii. Seminar

Impromptu
Impromptu refers to the type of oral presentation were the person has to speak on the spot
without any previous preparation this skill demands a good level of presence mind and self
confidence apart from the skill of organizing the materiel in a quick pace. Impromptu reflects
highly competitive and agile environment in which we work.

In the absence of earlier arrangement of ideas and structuring of arguments, the speaker might
fail to present a coherence speech. The looseness as when compare to a seminar presentation is
expected. However, one should make an attempt to reduce chaotic presentation.

Extempore

In this format of presentation, the speaker is given time for presenting his speech. He or she has
time to work and rework his or her arguments and ideas taking into consideration the equipments
of the delivery say brevity, coherence and ample supporting evidence etc. in extempore, we
cannot directly use the materiel, that is, read it out while delivering it to the audience.
Consequently, extempore presentation demands a deeper and thorough understanding of the
issue/topic being spoken.

Seminar

For a student, seminar is important an early exposure to this form of oral presentation is a must.
Seminars are regularly organized and conducted in colleges with a primary objective of
evaluating certain features that are present in both the two earlier forms---- Impromptu and
Extempore. These provide the speaker with ample time to collect the material and organize ideas.

Further, in a seminar like impromptu, the presence of mind, quick k grasp of situation and
prompt action are essential. In a seminar the speaker can access his or her material directly.

43
Elements of oral presentation

A typical presentation will have the following steps

A) Introduction
B) Main Body
C) Conclusion
D) Questions and responses

Introduction: A well beginning is half done. The speaker has to prepare thoroughly and
motivate the audience. The introduction therefore should be attractive, attention drawing and
thought provoking. There are various ways to kick-start the presentation.

*greet the audience

*introduce yourself

*announce the topic either by asking questions or by directly giving clues before declaring it.

*explain the purpose of the presentation

*maintain time (duration of the pot)

*specify when you would like to ask questions

* give an outline of the ppt

Main Body

The main body should contain relevant matter, preferably divided into sub titles. Orderly
arrangement of these should cohere with the content. The relationship between the themes and
arguments should be clearly stated. It should contain a situation wherein, the audience can
effectively relate.

Conclusion

The main point here is, to reinforce the central idea, giving a brief summary of the main points.

“Great is the art of the beginning. But greater is the ending”

44
Specific Objectives of an oral presentation

1. Planning: - a. Purpose b. Audience c. Data needed and collection of it d. The action plan
2. Topic selection:- Right topic suitable for self and also for audience
3. Purpose:- Simple, concise statement of intention that helps to feel the pulse of the
listener throughout the presentation

Steps involved in oral presentation

1. Deciding the topic. It is good to choose a topic that is decent and relevant
2. Collecting or gathering information, data and visuals on the topic chosen, accessing
library, internet and discussion with people.
3. Arranging the information in a coherent manner.
4. A rough draft should be prepared keeping the length and time of the presentation.
5. Revise the rough draft number of times, to make it error proof.
6. Practice is essential. Rehearsing the speech before presenting it helps in boosting the
confidence. It helps to understand the flaws in delivery of speech for necessary
correction. Take the help of a friend or a mirror to practice.

Discussion Question

Prepare a presentation on any interesting topic of your choice.

45
 Sample Topic (MOBILE PHONE)
Dear friends, Good morning. The topic of my presentation today is Mobile Phone (also called
mobile, cellular telephone, or cell phone), an electronic device used to make mobile telephone
calls across a wide geographic area. Mobile phones are different from cordless telephones which
only offer telephone service within a limited range of a fixed land line, for example within a
home or an office.
16
A mobile phone can make and receive telephone calls to and from the public telephone network
which includes other mobiles and fixed-line phones across the world. It does this by connecting
to a cellular network owned by a mobile application network.
17
In addition to being a telephone, modern mobile phones also support many additional services
and accessories, such as SMSs (or text) messages, e-mail, Internet access, gaming, Bluetooth and
infrared short range wireless communication, camera, MMS messaging, MP3 player and GPS
Low-end mobile phones are often referred to as feature phones, whereas high-end mobile phones
that offer more advanced computing ability are referred to as smart phones.
18
The first handheld mobile phone was demonstrated by Dr. Martin Cooper of Motorola in 1973,
using a handset weighing 2 kg. In 1983, the Dynastic 8000x was the first to be commercially
available. In the twenty years from 1990 to 2010, worldwide mobile phone subscriptions grew
from 12.4 million to over 4.6 billion, penetrating the developing economies and reaching the
bottom of the economic pyramid.
19
Radiophones have a long and varied history going back to Reginald Fessenden's invention and
shore-to-ship demonstration of radio telephony, through the Second World War with military use
of radio telephone links and civil services in the 1950s.
20
The first mobile telephone call made from a car occurred in in St. Louis Missouri USA on June
17, 1946, using the Bell System's Mobile Telephone Service, but the system was impractical
from what is considered a portable handset today. The equipment weighed 80 pounds (36 kg),
and the AT&T service, basically a massive party line, cost $30 USD per month (equal to $337.33
today) plus $.30 to $.40 per local call, equal to $3.37 to $4.5 today.
21
In 1960, the world’s first partly automatic car phone system, Mobile System A (MTA), was
launched in Sweden. MTA phones were composed of vacuum tubes and relays, and had a weight
of 40 kg. In 1962, a more modern version called Mobile System B (MTB) was launched, which
was a push-button telephone, and which used transistors in order to enhance the
telephone’s calling capacity and improve its operational reliability. In 1971, the

46
MTD version was launched, opening for several different brands of equipment
and gaining commercial success.
All mobile phones have a number of features in common, but manufacturers also try to
differentiate their own products by implementing additional functions to make them more
attractive to consumers. This has led to great innovation in mobile phone development over the
last 20 years.
The common components found on all phones are:
 A battery, typically rechargeable, providing the power source for the phone functions.
 allow the user to interact with An input mechanism and display to the phone.
 Basic mobile phone services to allow users to make calls and send text messages.
 All GSM phones use a SIM card to allow an account to be swapped among devices.
Some CDMA devices also have a similar card called a R-UIM.
 Individual GSM, WCDMA, iDEN and some satellite phone devices are uniquely
identified by an International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number.
Low-end mobile phones are often referred to as feature phones, and offer basic
telephony,
as well as functions such as playing music and taking photos, and sometimes simple
applications based on generic managed platforms such as Java ME or BREW. Handsets with
more advanced computing ability through the use of native software applications became
known as smartphones. The first smartphone was the Nokia 9000 Communicator in 1996 which
added PDA functionality to the basic mobile phone at the time. As miniaturization and
increased processing power of microchips has enabled ever more features to be added to
phones, the concept of the smartphone has evolved, and what was a high-end smartphone five
years ago, is a standard phone today.
Several phone series have been introduced to address a given market segment, such as
the RIM BlackBerry focusing on enterprise/corporate customer email needs; the Sony Ericsson
Walkman series of music phones and Cyber shot series of camera phones; the Nokia N-series of
multimedia phones, the Palm Pre the HTC Dream and the Apple iPhone.
As shown, there are many advantages to having a cell-phone. The disadvantages are
also staggering. Overall, the decision to have one or not is yours, the consumers. Dependent on
your needs, you may want a cell-phone. Many risks may ensue. In fact, maybe the reason you
got into a car crash is because you were on a cell-phone. In the end, choices stems from one's
own self needs.

47
 UNIT-VI
GROUP DISCUSSION
A GD is a methodology used by an organization to gauge whether the candidate has certain
personality traits and /or skills that it desires in its members. In this methodology, the group of
candidates is given a topic or a situation, given a few minutes to think about the same, and then
asked to discuss it among themselves for 15-20 minutes.
Some of the personality traits the GD is trying to gauge may include:-
1. Ability to work in a team
2. Communication skills
3. Reasoning ability
4. Leadership skills
5. Initiative
6. Assertiveness
7. Flexibility
8. Creativity
9. Problem solving skills
GD as part of selection process
Company’s Perspective
Companies conduct group discussion after the written test so as to check on the
candidates’ interactive skills and how good he/she is at communicating with other people. The
GD is to check how one behaves, participates and contributes in a group, how much importance
do the candidates give to the group objective as well as their own, how well do one listen to the
viewpoints of others and how open-minded is one in accepting views contrary to one’s own.
The aspects which make up a GD are verbal communication, non-verbal behavior,
conformation to norms, decision-making ability and cooperation.
Types of GD
GDs can be topic-based or case-based.
Topic based GDs can be classified into three types
1. Factual Topics
2. Controversial Topics
3. Abstract Topics
Factual Topics
Factual topics are about practical things, which an ordinary person is aware of in his
day-to-day life. Typically these are about socio-economic topics. These can be current i.e. they
48
may have been in the news lately, or could be unbound by time. A factual topic for discussion
gives a candidate a chance to prove that he is aware of and sensitive to his environment. E.g.
The Education Policy of India
Tourism in India
State of the Senior Citizens.

Controversial Topics
Controversial topics are the ones that are argumentative in nature. They are meant to
generate controversy. In GDs where these topics are given for discussion, the noise level is
usually high, there may be tempers flying. The idea behind giving a topic like this is to see how
much maturity the candidate is displaying by keeping his temper in check, by rationally and
logically arguing his point of view without getting personal and emotional.
E.g. Reservations should be removed
Women make better managers

Abstract Topics:
Abstract topics are about intangible things. These topics are not given often for
discussion, but their possibility cannot be ruled out. These topics test your lateral thinking and
creativity.
E.g. A is an Alphabet
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
The Number 10
Case-based GD
1. Another variation is the use of a case instead of a topic.
2. The case study tries to simulate a real-life situation. Information about the situation
will be given to you and you would be asked as a group to resolve the situation.
In the case study, there are no incorrect answers or perfect solutions. The
objective in the case study is to get you to think about the situation from various
angles.
3. Management institutes have case – based discussion rather than topic-based
discussion in their selection procedures
Reasons for having a GD
5. It helps you to understand a subject more deeply.
6. It improves your ability to think critically.
7. It helps in solving a particular problem.

49
 8. It helps the group to make a particular decision.
9. It gives you the chance to hear other persons’ ideas.
10. It improves your listening skills.
11. It increases your confidence in speaking.
12. It can change your attitudes.

Do’s

 Speak pleasantly and politely to the group.

 Respect the contribution of every speaker
 Remember that discussion is not an argument. Learn to disagree politely.
 Think about your contribution before you speak. How best can you
answer the question/contribute to the topic?
 Try to stick to the discussion topic. Don’t introduce irrelevant information.
 Be aware of your body language when you are speaking.
 Agree with and acknowledge what you find interesting.
Don’ts

 Lose your temper. A discussion is not an argument.

 Shout. Use a moderate tone and medium pitch.
 Use too many gestures when you speak. Gestures like finger pointing and table
thumping can appear aggressive.

Dominate the discussion. Confident speakers should allow quieter students a chance to
contribute.


Draw too much on personal experience or anecdote. Although some tutors encourage
students to reflect on their own experience, remember not to generalize too much.

Interrupt. Wait for a speaker to finish what they are saying before you speak.
Leading a Discussion
You may be in a seminar group that requires you to lead a group discussion, or lead a
discussion after an oral presentation. You can demonstrate leadership by:
Introducing yourself and the members of the group
Stating the purpose of the discussion
Inviting quiet group members to speak
Being objective
Summarizing the discussion

50
How to face a GD
Success in a group discussion needs
 Communication skills
 Knowledge and ideas regarding a given subject
 Capability to co-ordinate and lead
 Exchange of thoughts
 Addressing the group as a whole
 Thorough preparation
Points to remember
Knowledge is strength. A candidate with good reading habits has more chances of
success. In other words, sound knowledge on different topics like politics, finance,
economy, science and technology is helpful.
Power to convince effectively is another quality that makes you stand out among others.
Clarity in speech and expression is yet another essential quality.
If you are not sure about the topic of discussion, it is better not to initiate. Lack of
knowledge or wrong approach creates a bad impression. Instead, you might adopt the
wait and watch attitude. Listen attentively to others, you may be able to come up with a
point or two later.
A GD is a formal occasion where slang should be avoided.
A GD is not a debating stage. Participants should confine themselves to expressing their
viewpoints. In the second part of the discussion, candidates can exercise their choice in
agreeing, disagreeing or remaining neutral.
Use simple, direct and straightforward language.
Don’t interrupt a speaker when the session is on. Try to score by increasing your size,
not by cutting others short.
Maintain rapport with fellow participants. Eye contact plays a major role. Non-verbal
gestures, such as listening intently or nodding while appreciating someone’s viewpoint
speak of you positively.
Communicate with each and every candidate present. While speaking don’t keep
looking at a single member. Address the entire group in such a way that everyone feels
you are speaking to him or her. Don’t look at the examiner while the discussion is in
progress.

Some Useful Expressions:

51
 There are some standard expressions used by people when they participate in group
discussions. Given below are sets of expressions useful for effective communication.
1. Expressing opinions I think/ feel that……
In my opinion/view……
From my point of view…..
2. Agreement I agree with…..
I couldn’t agree more…..
I think you’re absolutely right…..
As you say…..
That is a very good point
3. Doubt & Reservation Well……may be…….possible
I’m not sure about that.
You may be right.
I don’t think I’d say that.
Yes, but don’t you think…..
4. Disagreement I wouldn’t say that…..
On the contrary,
Not at all.
I don’t agree (at all).
I can’t accept that.
I’m sorry. I think you are absolutely wrong.
5. Refuting & Dismissing With respect……
Actually…..
As a matter of fact…..
That is not the point.
That has nothing to do with it.
It’s obvious that…..
6. Persuading & Convincing Look,
Surely…..
Why not….
Why don’t you?
Everyone knows that…..
Don’t forget……
Let’s not forget…..
52
 Let’s face it.
Exemplifying &
7. Emphasizing For example/for instance…..
Take the case of…..
And as evidence/proof of that…..
Remember…..
What’s more…..
This supports my argument that…..
It follows from that, therefore…..
8. Relating In other words…….
That is to say……
To put it in another way…..
What I’m suggesting is……
Look at it this way……
At all events……
In any case…..
Anyway…..
I mean…..
By which I mean…..

Some Common GD Topics

1. Is China a threat to the Indian software industry?
2. Should water resources be nationalized?
3. What is the effect of movies on youth good or bad?
4. Are studies more beneficial in India or in Abroad?
5. Advantages of Co-education.
6. How to deal with international terrorism?
7. Should we pursue our policy of dialogue with Pakistan?
8. Present stat of Indian Cricket team.
9. Is Globalization Really Necessary?
10. Is dependence on computers a good thing?
11. Should there be private universities?
12. Advertising is a waste of resources.

53
 MOCK GROUP DISCUSSION
Does Brain Drain affect India?
Group members involved in the group discussion were:
Pradeep , Varun , Lenon Priya , Leela Ram Venkatesh , Vidhya

Brain Drain means the migration of highly qualified experts like doctors, engineers,
scientist and other trained persons from the under developed countries to advancing countries.
More or less, all the backward countries are suffering from this problem. Whether India is also
suffering from this or not?
Pradeep:
People do going abroad to gain better knowledge and are coming back with fresh ideas
and setting up new companies and providing job opportunities for many. Even those who were
settled abroad for 10-15 years they are also coming back for better future here. So i won't agree
with my friend that they are serving to the foreign countries. There is nothing wrong in our
talented persons going out and enjoying facilities there. I will fully support this provided they
also put in some money in their home country.

Varun:
I hold an opinion that people who went to abroad are ruling the people there. In our
country there is deep rooted corruption at all levels, and the living conditions in many places
leave a lot to be desired. Bad roads, improper sanitation, unemployment, lack of proper health
care etc are problems which plague the major portion of the Country. This makes them to move
to abroad to live luxurious life.
Priya::
If you see the main reason for brain drain is unemployment, no job satisfaction and
inadequate salary. These are needs of a man their lifetime. So he cannot deny the opportunity to
go and settle their in foreign countries.
Vidhya:
I want to make a note on that point good quality of education is provided in our country.
To say the truth Most of the Indian universities lack international standard, according to the
report by
54
Indian parliamentary estimates committee. It says only 30 percent Indian universities offer
“high quality” education.

Ram:
I agree that our culture has been destroying but it is not because of only brain drain. The
people who are living in the country are spoiling their heritage culture in the name of new
generation. And no one is eager to follow the old Indian culture.
Lenon:
Excess of tax in India is also one of the major contributors for migration. Even though
large amount of money is paid as a tax it does not make any improvement in the country due to
corruption prevailing in our country. This is a very important reason. It is so deep rooted that it
is difficult to eradicate. Right from class 4 to minister, it is there .It is said that in Government
offices one has to be "either pay or pray" to get the work done.
Priya:
Our country is not losing the required quality man power, even if many are exported,
which is evident from the progress we are making in several fronts. Most of them working
outside, with the qualification gained from within our country, for whom this country has spent
a lot, are sending at least a portion of their income back to our country.

Venkatesh:
The reason for going abroad is to make their family happy for a long time. Then, in this
age of globalization, any invention or similar results obtained do peculate to every nation
irrespective of who invented it. So the results of the works of the brains drained from our
country might be coming back to us, and we will be making use of it.

Conclusively, Brain drain has become a crucial part of developmental problem of any nation
that is prone to it. The time has changed and we will have to speed up our understanding of the
nature. Once the so said problems are solved , India's youth will slowly regain faith in the
Country , and will start believing that their future is secure. This is the only way to stop Brain
Drain, and will ensure that India's potential is fully utilized in the most efficient manner. This
will automatically make India a force to reckon with.

55
 UNIT-VII
EMAIL
Characteristics of an e mail

9. Concise fewest possible words are used

10. Accurate format is used
11. Clear: simple, familiar, direct and specific words ,appropriate linkers and transitional
signals should be used
12. Conventional tone: formal and conversational tone is used
13. Single theme: logical development of the content with sub-ordinating ideas related to the
context.

Advantages
 Speed
 Quick distribution
 Flexibility to modify, edit and revise
 Easy attachment of documents
 Low cost

E mail format

o To: receiver’s email id

o CC (carbon copy)

o BCC (blind carbon copy) a line of privacy for people concerned

o Subject line: title of the message

o Attachments: downloading material for the receiver to read

o Body: sender’s address, date, recipient’s name and address,

salutation, complementary close,

Discussion questions

 Write an email to the book seller ordering for the supply of required books
 Send an email to the customer informing the dispa tch of the goods required

 Write to your colleagues in your office to save all their documents in view of the
changes to be made in the software.

56
 UNIT VIII

Portfolio Writing

A professional portfolio is a tangible collection of items that charts your professional growth and
illustrates the best examples of the most relevant skills and experiences. It enables to
demonstrate allied qualifications clubbed with skills. The process of putting portfolio together
helps to determine how organized you are. It gives a clear picture of targets for chosen career. It
is a valuable tool that can be used throughout the career to assess the professional development,
negotiate effectively, prepare for performance appraisals, navigate career transitions and track
professional growth and opportunities. It is a proof of achievements and rewards. Job seekers
who use Portfolios often receive more offers at higher starting pay.

Creating a portfolio:

Collect items that show case your skills and abilities in various areas. At the end of each
college semester or during each year of employment, collect and file evidence of activities,
work, assignment, internships, accomplishments, special trainings, workshops and artifacts.

The artifacts are:

o Community or club activities

o College extracurricular recognition

o Class room experiences

o Special interests

o Professional memberships

o Special skills or certifications

o Work related skills

o Service or voluntary work

Next step is selecting artifacts that exhibit accomplishments. Select material that is exemplary
and lead nearer to goals

Connect material to achievements with summaries or reflection papers that highlight learning.
For example if you participate in leadership training workshop connect the pamphlet with written
summary of what is learned and growth prospects.

Sort out portfolio materials and learning outcomes.

57
Assemble a working portfolio by purchasing a professional binder, divider tabs, clear sheet
protectors and creative paper. Card stock for keeping photos and captions is a MUST. Use high
quality paper for lay-out pages and strive for consistency and professionalism

A portfolio should resemble a scrap book project.

Filter it into a targeted presentation to potential employers and graduate schools.

For example, a presentation portfolio for a scholarship application might include items related to
Leadership, Service learning or Academic excellence.

A portfolio is a proof to show in an Interview that you are well qualified for the job. Use SIR
(situation, input and result) approach. Respond to the questions based on the above approach.
The portfolio can never be left with the interviewers.

Discussion topic:

Create your portfolio.

58
 UNIT IX
Technical Report Writing
Introduction: A Technical report is a formal report designed to convey technical information in
a clear and accessible format. It is divided into sections which allow different readers to access
different levels of information. The purpose of the individual sections is to produce an accurate
professional document.

Rules of writing a Technical Report: Four general requirements should be met to writing a
report. They are

14. Clarity
15. Continuity
16. Conciseness
17. Objectivity
Clarity: The purpose of a technical report is to transmit conclusions and their supportive
evidences. To do this, a report must convey the exact meaning of the writer’s intention to the
reader. Ambiguity regarding mathematical symbols must be clearly defined, the grammatical
errors should be rechecked and figures and tables must be easily understood.
Continuity: The matter of a report should be logically arranged so that it is interesting
statement. It requires continuity between succeeding sentences, paragraphs and sections. The
transitional words, phrases and sentences may be influencing the reader so one should be
careful in maintaining the continuity. While referring figures and tables limit the distractions the
references should be either at the beginning or at the end of the report.

Conciseness: The reports should be concisely written by using fewest possible words and
illustrations. Omit irrelevant details and conclusions. The quality of the report is inversely
proportional to the length of it. The supporting evidences for every conclusion should be given
simultaneously.

Objectivity: Technical report should show the restraint and expect the reader evaluate the data
honestly. Do not try to hide the deficiencies in the research. No technical report is better than
research. The assumptions, hypotheses and results should be frankly stated in a report. Do not
write any matter which may cause irritation or to impress the reader.

Types of Technical Reports:

Informal reports: Memorandum, brief analysis, Tour report laboratory report field report and
inspection report

Formal reports: Committee reports Institution reports, Project reports, Survey reports, Status
reports, Progress reports, Annual reports, Letter report, Feasibility study, Damaged report,
Maintenance report and Project Proposal.

59
The Format of a Report

The report should contain the following sections

1. Title page / Cover page

2. Abstract
3. Contents
4. Introduction
5. Objectives
6. Procedure
7. Conclusion
8. Recommendation or suggestion
9. References / bibliography
10. Acknowledgements
11. Appendices

Title Page: The title of a report or main text word is given at the beginning of a report in this
page.

Abstract: It is the summary of the whole report including important features, results and
conclusions.

Contents: Numbers and lists of all sections and sun-sections with page numbers. In other words
this is the preface or foreword of a report.

Introduction: The objectives of writing the report should be listed.

Procedure: The method and style of writing the report may be given here. This section separates
the main ideas and puts them in a logical order. The body of the report is divided into numbered
and headed sections.

Conclusion: The summing up of the theme(s) stated in the main text.

Recommendations or Suggestions: Details of opinions for further improvement.

References/Bibliography: Details of published sources of material, other material including

websites are given.

Acknowledgments: List of people who helped you to prepare the report. This can be put after
contents page also.

Appendices: Any other material essential for the maximum understanding of the report.

60
Writing Styles:

Presentation: As a part of assessment of a technical report, the following guidelines are

recommended.

13. The report must be printed on one side of white A4 size paper. It may be handwritten or
printed.
14. Margins must be at least 2.5 inches.
15. Page numbers start after contents page. Do not number the title page, summary and
contents pages.

Planning the Report: Collect the information from the library, handouts, lecture notes,
pamphlets, journals and reference books. Keep an accurate record of all the published references
to be used while writing a report. The following points should be remembered while writing
reference or bibliography.

 The name of the journal or article

 The author’s name
 Title of the article
 Year of publication
 Volume number
 Issue number in brackets
 Page numbers if needed
 Edition number if required
 Publisher
 Year of publication

Creative phase of planning

Write the topics and ideas from the researched material in random order. Arrange them into
logical groups. Keep note of the topics that do not fit into groups in case they come to use later.
Put the groups into a logical sequence which covers the topic of the report.

Structuring the Report:

Using the logical sequence of grouped ideas, write a rough outline with Headings and Sub-
headings.

Writing the first Draft

For the course work assignments, the readers, particularly in professional context would like to
consider the level of details given in the report. Begin writing the main text not the introduction.
Follow the outline in terms of headings and side headings. Let the Ideas flow. Do not worry

61
about style, spelling or word processing. If you are stuck, go back to the outline plan and make
more detailed preparatory notes to get the flow again. Make rough sketches of diagrams or
graphs. Keep a numbered list of references as they are included in the write up. Put the quoted
texts in quotation marks. Write the conclusion next, followed by the introduction. Do not write
the summary at this stage.

Revising the first draft

The report will take shape from this step. The accuracy and conciseness of the subject matter is a
prime point here. Whatever information intended to reach the reader should be concentrated
upon. To achieve the above result, the means would help more than words. Diagrams, graphs,
tables and pictorial representations are the most widely used tools in revising the draft.

The Report Layout

Appearance of a report is as important as its content. An attractive, clearly organized report

stands a better chance of being read. Use a standard 12pt font Times New Roman in the main
text. Use different font sizes, bold, italics and underline wherever necessary. Do not make too
many changes in the type style. Use side headings to break up the text and to facilitate reader.

Styles

A report document mostly uses styles called Normal, Caption, Header, Programme etc. There are
a few other points to note like, footer or foot notes. As far as possible, a report should contain
limited number of styles.

Note

Professional reports generally do not increase the font size for titles and headings.

Length: There will not be extra credits for long reports. So, concise reports are preferred.

Originality and Plagiarism

Whenever you make use of other people’s ideas or facts, you must indicate this in the references.
Any phrases, sentences or paragraphs which are copied unaltered must be enclosed in quotation
marks and referenced by a number. The material which is not reproduced unaltered should not be
put in quotations, but still must be referenced. It is not sufficient to list the sources of information
at the end of the report; indicate the sources of information individually within the report using
the reference numbering system.

Finalizing the report: Add page numbers, contents and title pages and summarize. The
summary should indicate the scope of the report and give conclusions. It must be intelligible.

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Proof-reading

Re-checking every aspect of the written matter from the beginning to the end is absolutely
necessary. This act should be either done by the author or given to someone else to check the
contents, style, structure and layout. Don’t forget to record the person’s name in
acknowledgment.

Topics for discussion

1. Write a letter report for establishing language lab in engineering colleges with advanced
software.
2. Write a note report of the importance of reading rooms in college libraries.
3. Write a technical report on the collapse of a newly constructed bridge to a newspaper
4. Report on the educational tour undertaken by your college.

63
 Unit-X

Activities on Interview Skills

Interview is an opportunity to meet the challenges of professional life on the one hand and to get
skilled personnel for the employer. It is an opportunity for both employee and employer. If the
applicant wants to exhibit his skills, knowledge, self-confidence and motivation, the interview is
the only way to determine the candidate’s caliber.

The interview has a wide range of uses. It is a form of oral communication, one to one or one to
group interaction which proves the unique identity of the applicant. Every interview has some
process involving the following steps.

1. Type of interview
2. How to start an interview
3. Establishing rapport
4. Exchanging information
5. Closing the interview
6. Follow-up after the interview
7. Conclusion

A few aspects regarding interview process are:

1. Arrangement of place , time and questions

2. Acquiring job related information and knowledge about the requirement
3. Assessing SWOC of one self
4. Opening strategies

Planning for the interview:

After sending Résumé to a company, the candidate will get a call from the hiring manager. The
interview may be either a phone interview or in-person interview. The phone interviews give a
chance to the employer to feel your skill set on conserving. In-person interview are usually
conducted if the candidate survives the initial phone interview. Mostly the in-person interviews
are based in asking questions relevant the job or to the person by a panel of members.

The opening strategies:

There are two stages in opening an interview.

1. Entrance and introduction: The best way to enter an interview room is to knock, ask
for permission to enter and then wait for a while before sitting down. Try to be
comfortable keeping your hands in the lap.

64
 a. Be presentable, have time sense, composed and give candid replies.
b. Be focused
c. Maintain eye contact
d. Introduce yourself clearly
e. Smile
f. Be expressive. Avoid using monotone.
g. Pronounce words clearly
h. Be concise
i. Stay focused and to the point
j. Be direct
k. Use appropriate hand gestures to emphasize key points
l. Negotiate well

3. Attitude and Response: Interviewers will give a lead to the candidates. So try and take
cues from the tonal variations, facial expressions and thrust of questions.
a. Family background
b. Education
c. Initiation
d. Interpersonal skills
e. Aptitude
f. Appealing gestures

In any interview there are three stages:

6. Pre interview
 Identify your strengths and weaknesses, goals, skills, etc
 Research the company
 Rehearse what you plan to say
 Practice answers to common questions
 Prepare questions to ask the employer

7. Process interview
 Make sure you arrive a few minutes early
 Be aware of nonverbal communication. Sit up straight, look alert, speak clearly
and forcefully, but stay relaxed. Make good eye contact, avoid nervous
mannerisms, and try to be a good listener as well as a good talker. Smile!
 Follow the interviewer’s lead, but try to get the interviewer to describe the
position and duties to you fairly early in the interview so that you can then relate
your background and skills in context

65
  Be specific, concrete, and detailed in your answers. The more information you
volunteer, the better the employer gets to know you
 Offer examples of your work and references which will document your best
qualities
 Answer questions as truthfully and as frankly as you can. Answer honestly, while
trying not to say more than is necessary
7. Post interview
 Take notes on what you feel you could improve upon for your next interview
 Write a brief thank-you letter to interviewer indicating your interest within 24
hours of your interview
 If offered the position, one to two weeks is a reasonable amount of time to make a
decision. All employment offers deserve whether you accept them or not

Interview preparation

Research is a critical part of preparing for an interview. Spend time in thinking about yourself
and the questions you might ask at the end of interview. Self-assessment will enable you to know
what you have to offer an employer. It is very important to develop an inventory of skills,
experience and personal attributes that can be used to ‘sell yourself’ to employers.

Following is a list of marketable skills which are generic in nature.

 Analytical/Problem solving
 Flexibility/Versatility
 Interpersonal
 Oral/Written communication
 Organization/Planning
 Time management
 Motivation
 Leadership
 Self-starter/Initiative
 Team player

Types of interviews

1. Face to face interview

2. Group interview
3. Behavioral interview
4. Telephone interview
5. Panel interview
6. Stress interview
7. Video Conferencing

66
Face to face interview: This is also known as traditional interview. In this kind of interview the
employer and the job seeker can get to know each other about respective environment.

Group Interview: These interviews are conducted by large companies or MNC’s for graduates
at a time. They may give some exercises to solve in a group and observes the leadership and
communication skills of the participants. These interviews test the team work, listening
comprehension and stress managing skills among the group.

Behavioral Interview: In this, the candidates are asked to explain their skills, experience,
hobbies, projects and personal details.

Telephone Interview: These are to reduce the expenses of reaching the spot.

Panel interviews: The candidates will meet several higher authorities and answer the critical
questions by a panel of members. Usually this method is used to hire for advanced positions.

Stress interview: The main purpose of this interview is to test the candidate’s ability to handle
stress situations. The employer will ask continuous questions to answer without giving time to
think. The interviewer might openly challenge beliefs or judgment. Sometimes impossible tasks
are given to test your abilities but not aim at a solution.

Interview through Videoconferencing

Interviews are also held through video conferencing. This is very akin to a face-to face job
interview because the interviewers can watch the candidate answering the question, and can also
assess his/her behavior and non-verbal gestures. Some organizations prefer to have a screening
interview through video conferencing. The video conferencing interview follows a fixed
structure. The number of interviewers varies from one to eight. The chair person of the selection
committee introduces the members of the committee to the candidate. Each expert may talk to
the candidate and asks him/her questions. This will continue until each member talks to the
candidate. As the form and structure of a videoconferencing interview is akin to face-to-face
personal interview, the candidate may apply the same techniques and strategies of interviewing.

Tips for successful interviews:

 Keep all necessary information within your reach

 Don’t be afraid, have a glass of water
 Be a good listener
 Dress well (Formal)
 Switch off cell phone
 Keep control on body movements
 Maintain eye contact
 Don’t give pauses
 Have a Smile on the face

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Discussion Questions

There are mainly seven types of questions that occur during interviews.

1. Open questions: To encourage the candidates to feel at –home. E.g. (i) Name some of your
interests? (ii) Tell something about yourself
2. Closed questions: To limit the scope of responses with specific answers. E.g. What is data
processing?
3. Probing questions: To test the deeper understanding of the subject. E.g. Do you think
recession might help Developing Countries?
4. Reflective questions: To confirm the candidate’s statements. eg. Do you want the public
sector companies be privatized?
5. Loaded questions: To judge the abilities. Eg. You are too short. Don’t you think this is
going to be a handicap for you?
6. Hypothetical questions: To test the problem solving capacity. Eg. How do you tackle the
problem of difference of opinion with your Boss at work?
7. Leading questions: To know the desired response. Eg. What is opinion about TRP ratings?

General HR interview questions with possible answers:

1. How would you describe yourself?

My background to date has been centered on preparing myself to become the very best
engineer I can become. I was born and raised in …………….. I’ve graduated from the
JNT University with a B.Tech degree in ................. I have worked for 2 years as a junior
engineer in LQ-Soft solutions. I enjoy playing cricket in my free time and learning
languages.

2. What specific goals, including those related to your occupation, have you established for
your life?
I want to be working for an excellent company like yours. I plan to contribute my
leadership, interpersonal, and technical skills. My long-range career goal is to be the best
engineer I can for the company I work for.

3. How has your college experience prepared you for this career?
I have prepared myself to transition into the work force through real-world experience
involving travel abroad, internship, and entrepreneurial opportunities which were given to
me at our college. As you can see from my academic, extracurricular and experiential
background, I have unconditionally committed myself to success as an engineering
professional.

4. What influenced you to choose this career?

I like engineering because my potential for success is limited only by how much of
myself I dedicate toward my goal. If any profession is founded on self-determinism, it
surely must be engineering.

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5. Do you have the qualifications and personal characteristics necessary for success in your
chosen career?
I believe I have a combination of qualities to be successful in this career. First, I have a
strong interest, backed by a solid, well-rounded, state-of the-art education, especially in a
career that is technically oriented. I am convinced that I possess these characteristics and
am ready to be a successful team member for your firm.

6. Are you more energized by working with data or by collaborating with other individuals?
I like the validity of information and also like the energy that comes with working with
people?
The best thing about working in a group is combining the great minds from different
perspectives and coming up with something extremely great, compared with when you’re
working alone. At the same time, information can generate vitality in the project you’re
working on.

7. How would you describe yourself in terms of your ability to work as a member of a
team?
I have had opportunities in both athletics and academics to develop skills as a team
player. I have experience of being team leader to do a project. I maintained excellent
communication among group members and coordinated towards reaching our team goals.

8. Would you describe yourself as goal-driven?

Yes. I demonstrated my goal orientation as president of the local community service. I
am proud of the fact that I set a goal of signing 50 new members this year and
accomplished it.

9. Can you describe your long-range goals and objectives?

My primary objectives are to learn as much as possible about your company and learn
professional techniques.

10. What do you expect to do in n next five years?

Although it is hard to predict future, I sincerely believe that I will become a successful
engineer.

11. How would you evaluate your ability to deal with conflict?
Yes. I believe that I am good at handling it. I explain what I need from the task given.

12. Would you say that you can easily deal with high –pressure situations?
Yes. My past experiences gave me the courage to deal with serious situations effectively
attending to emergency on-call duties also.

13. What were the reasons to select this college?

This college has had a reputation as having an excellent infrastructure and state-of-Art
class rooms and skilled faculty to nurture my career.
69
14. Do you thing that your grades are an indication of your academic achievements?
I have focused on gaining real- world experience. Sometimes my heavy load has not
allowed me to keep up with my studies, but my experience can be applied in my future
endeavor.

15. Describe the characteristics of a successful leader?

A successful leader should have vision, formulate strategies and communicates to the
team members.

16. Tell me what do you know about our company?

You are respected worldwide. Over the last fifteen to twenty years you have excellent
track record and won many awards.

17. Which is more important to you, the job or salary?

Salary commensurate with my experience and skills.

18. How do you determine priorities in scheduling your time?

I know time management skills. I list the works as per their importance and complete the
work.

19. Tell me about a time you had to handle multiple responsibilities?

While attending the college, I worked as a part timer in another firm and was successful.
As a student, I was coordinator for cultural, literary and sports committees.

20. What is your greatest strength and weakness?

I work well under pressure to reach the deadlines. My weakness is I work too hard.

21. How would you deal with difficult persons?

I would first keep an open mind and listen to them, which in itself calms down most
people.

22. What motivates you?

Recognition and promotion.

23. What is your definition of success?

Success is never giving up.

24. Why should we choose you?

Because I am the best and most appropriate person for this job.

25. If we did offer you the job, how would you react?
I would take it, thank you very much, when can I start (or) let me request you to give me
time as I am slightly indisposed.

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 Unit-XI

Conflict Management
Introduction:

Conflict management involves implementing strategies to limit the negative aspects of conflict
and to increase the positive aspects of conflict at a level equal to or higher than where the
conflict is taking place. Furthermore, the aim of conflict management is to enhance learning and
group outcomes (effectiveness or performance in organizational setting) It is not concerned with
eliminating all conflict or avoiding conflict. Conflict can be valuable to groups and
organizations. It has been shown to increase group outcomes when managed properly.

Definitions:

Conflict:

While no single definition of conflict exists, most definitions seem to involve the following
factors: that there are at least two independent groups, the groups perceive some incompatibility
between themselves, and the groups interact with each other in some way. Two example
definitions are, “process in which one party perceives that its interests are being opposed or
negatively affected by another party”, and “the interactive process manifested in incompatibility,
disagreement, or dissonance within or between social entities”.
There are several causes of conflict. Conflict may occur when:

1) A party is required to engage in an activity that is incongruent with his or her needs or
interests.

2) A party holds behavioral preferences, the satisfaction of which is incompatible with another
person's implementation of his or her preferences.

3) A party wants some mutually desirable resource that is in short supply, such that the wants of
all parties involved may not be satisfied fully.

4) A party possesses attitudes, values, skills, and goals that are salient in directing his or her
behavior but are perceived to be exclusive of the attitudes, values, skills, and goals held by the
other(s).

5) Two parties have partially exclusive behavioral preferences regarding their joint actions.

6) Two parties are interdependent in the performance of functions or activities.

71
What do organizations use conflict management for?

For any organization to be effective and efficient in achieving its goals, the people in the
organization need to have a shared vision of what they are striving to achieve, as well as clear
objectives for each team department and individual. You also need ways of recognizing and
resolving conflict amongst people, so that conflict does not become so serious that co-operation
is impossible. All members of any organization need to have ways of keeping conflict to a
minimum - and of solving problems caused by conflict, before conflict becomes a major obstacle
to your work. This could happen to any organization, whether it is an NGO, a CBO, a political
party, a business or a government.

Conflict management is the process of planning to avoid conflict where possible and
organizing to resolve conflict where it does happen, as rapidly and smoothly as possible.

Conflict between individual

People have differing styles of communication, ambitions, political or religious views and
different cultural backgrounds. In our diverse society, the possibility of these differences leading
to conflict between individuals is always there, and we must be alert to preventing and resolving
situations where conflict arises.

Conflict between groups of people

Whenever people form groups, they tend to emphasize the things that make their group "better
than" or "different from" other groups. This happens in the fields of sport, culture, religion and
the workplace and can sometimes change from healthy competition to destructive conflict.

Conflict within a group of people

Even within one organization or team, conflict can arise from the individual differences or
ambitions mentioned earlier; or from rivalry between sub-groups or factions. All leaders and
members of the organization need to be alert to group dynamics that can spill over into conflict.

How to identify signs and stages of conflict?

"Disputes of right" and "disputes of interest"

Especially in the workplace, two main types of disputes have been noted (although these two
types may also happen in other situations). These are:

 "Disputes of right", where people or groups are entitled by law, by contract, by previous
agreement or by established practice to certain rights. Disputes of right will focus on
conflict issues such as employment contracts, legally enforceable matters or unilateral
changes in accepted or customary practices. A dispute of rights is, therefore, usually
settled by legal decision or arbitration and not by negotiation.
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  "Disputes of interest", where the conflict may be a matter of opinion, such as where a
person or group is entitled to some resources or privileges (such as access to property,
better working conditions, etc). Because there is no established law or right, a dispute of
interest will usually be solved through collective bargaining or negotiation.

Stages of conflict

The handling of conflict requires awareness of its various developmental stages. If leaders in the
situation can identify the conflict issue and how far it has developed, they can sometimes solve it
before it becomes much more serious. Typical stages include:

 Where potential for conflict exists in other words where people recognize that lack of
resources, diversity of language or culture may possible result in conflict if people are not
sensitive to the diversity.
 Latent conflict where a competitive situation could easily spill over into conflict e.g. at a
political rally or in the workplace where there are obvious differences between groups of
people.
 Open conflict - which can be triggered by an incident and suddenly become real conflict.
 Aftermath conflict the situation where a particular problem may have been resolved but
the potential for conflict still exists. In fact the potential may be even greater than before,
if one person or group perceives itself as being involved in a win-lose situation.

Signs of conflict between individuals

In the organization leaders and members should be alert to signs of conflict between colleagues,
so that they can be proactive in reducing or resolving the conflict by getting to the root of the
issue. Typical signs may include:

 colleagues not speaking to each other or ignoring each other

 contradicting and bad-mouthing one another
 deliberately undermining or not co-operating with each other, to the downfall of the team

Signs of conflict between groups of people

Similarly, leaders and members can identify latent conflict between groups of people in the
organization or the community and plan action before the conflict becomes open and destructive:

 cliques or factions meeting to discuss issues separately, when they affect the whole
organization
 one group being left out of organizing an event which should include everybody
 groups using threatening slogans or symbols to show that their group is right and the
others are wrong

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How to build teamwork and co-operation (…and so minimize the possibility of conflict)

Teamwork and co-operation are essential in an organization which aims to be effective and
efficient, and not likely to be divided by conflicting factions. The best teamwork usually comes
from having a shared vision or goal, so that leaders and members are all committed to the same
objectives and understand their roles in achieving those objectives. Important behaviors in
achieving teamwork and minimizing potential conflict include a commitment by team members
to:

 share information by keeping people in the group up-to-date with current issues
 express positive expectations about each other
 empower each other - publicly crediting colleagues who have performed well and
encouraging each other to achieve results
 team-build - by promoting good morale and protecting the group's reputation with
outsiders
 resolve potential conflict - by bringing differences of opinion into the open and
facilitating resolution of conflicts

How to manage and resolve conflict situations?

Collective bargaining

Especially in workplace situations, it is necessary to have agreed mechanisms in place for groups
of people who may be antagonistic (e.g. management and workers) to collectively discuss and
resolve issues. This process is often called "collective bargaining", because representatives of
each group come together with a mandate to work out a solution collectively. Experience has
shown that this is far better than avoidance or withdrawal, and puts democratic processes in place
to achieve "integrative problem solving", where people or groups who must find ways of co-
operating in the same organization, do so within their own agreed rules and procedures.

Conciliation

The dictionary defines conciliation as "the act of procuring good will or inducing a friendly
feeling". South African labor relations legislation provides for the process of conciliation in the
workplace, whereby groups who are in conflict and who have failed to reach agreement, can
come together once again to attempt to settle their differences. This is usually attempted before
the more serious step of a strike by workers or a lock-out by management is taken; and it has
been found useful to involve a facilitator in the conciliation process. Similarly, any other
organization (e.g. sports club, youth group or community organization) could try conciliation as
a first step.

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The difference between negotiation, mediation, and arbitration:

Three methods of resolving situations that have reached the stage of open conflict are often used
by many different organizations. It is important to understand these methods, so that people can
decide which methods will work best for them in their specific conflict situation:

 Negotiation: this is the process where mandated representatives of groups in a conflict

situation meet together in order to resolve their differences and to reach agreement. It is a
deliberate process, conducted by representatives of groups, designed to reconcile
differences and to reach agreements by consensus. The outcome is often dependent on the
power relationship between the groups. Negotiations often involve compromise - one
group may win one of their demands and give in on another. In workplaces Unions and
management representative usually sue negotiations to solve conflicts. Political and
community groups also often use this method.
 Mediation: when negotiations fail or get stuck, parties often call in and independent
mediator. This person or group will try to facilitate settlement of the conflict. The
mediator plays an active part in the process, advises both or all groups, acts as
intermediary and suggests possible solutions. In contrast to arbitration (see below)
mediator’s act only in an advisory capacity - they have no decision-making powers and
cannot impose a settlement on the conflicting parties. Skilled mediators are able to gain
trust and confidence from the conflicting groups or individuals.
 Arbitration: means the appointment of an independent person to act as an adjudicator
(or judge) in a dispute, to decide on the terms of a settlement. Both parties in a conflict
have to agree about who the arbitrator should be, and that the decision of the arbitrator
will be binding on them all. Arbitration differs from mediation and negotiation in that it
does not promote the continuation of collective bargaining: the arbitrator listens to and
investigates the demands and counter-demands and takes over the role of decision-maker.
People or organizations can agree on having either a single arbitrator or a panel of
arbitrators whom they respect and whose decision they will accept as final, in order to
resolve the conflict.
How to be an effective mediator?

An effective mediator needs certain skills in order to achieve credibility and results:

 preferably a proven record of success in mediation or negotiation

 the ability to gain the trust, acceptance and co-operation of conflicting parties
 clear thinking in identifying the real problems and offering practical solutions
 knowledgeable about the organizational structures, strategies and attitudes of the
conflicting parties; as well as any relevant laws or agreements
 Tactful and diplomatic with the necessary powers of persuasion and strong character to
nudge the participants progressively towards an agreement.

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How to run a mediation process?

The mediation process can be broadly divided into the following three stages:

Stage 1: Introduction and establishment of credibility

During the first stage, the mediator plays a passive role. The main task is to gain the trust and
acceptance of the conflicting parties, so that they begin to believe that he/she will be capable of
assisting them fairly as a person on whom they can rely at all times. An experienced mediator
will leave most of the talking to the disputing parties, but will listen attentively and ask probing
questions to pinpoint the causes of the dispute, obstacles to a possible settlement and to identify
the issues in order of priority. Once credibility is achieved and sufficient background knowledge
gained, the mediator may begin to persuade the parties to resume negotiations, possibly with a
fresh perspective.

Stage 2: Steering the negotiation process

In the second stage, the mediator intervenes more actively in steering the negotiations. He/she
may offer advice to the parties, attempt to establish the actual resistance point of each party and
to discover areas in which compromises could be reached. The mediator will encourage parties
to put forward proposals and counter-proposals and (when a solution appears feasible) will begin
to urge or even pressurize the participants towards acceptance of a settlement.

Stage 3: Movement towards a final settlement

An experienced mediator will know when to use diplomacy and when to exert pressure towards
final settlement of the dispute. Timing and sensitivity to personalities and strategic positions is
important to maintain credibility and avoid rejection by one or more parties in the process.
He/she might use bi-lateral discussions with individuals or groups and during the final stages

may actually suggest or draft proposals for consideration. In the event of a final settlement being
reached, the mediator usually assists the parties in the drafting of their agreement, ensuring that
both sides are satisfied with the wording, terms and conditions of the agreement.

The process of mediation is dynamic and finely-tuned. A good mediator has to be flexible and
inventive, must ensure that his/her personal values are not imposed on the conflicting parties. At
most a mediator can advise, persuade or cajole them towards agreement

General suggestions for Conflict Management:

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 a) Organization Learning and Effectiveness- In order to attain this objective, conflict
management strategies should be designed to enhance critical and innovative thinking to
learn the process of diagnosis and intervention in the right problems.

b) Needs of Stakeholders- Sometimes multiple parties are involved in a conflict in an

organization and the challenge of conflict management would be to involve these parties in a
problem solving process that will lead to collective learning and organizational effectiveness.
Organizations should institutionalize the positions of employee advocate, customer and
supplier advocate, as well as environmental and stockholder advocates.

c) Ethics - A wise leader must behave ethically, and to do so the leader should be open to
new information and be willing to change his or her mind. By the same token subordinates
and other stakeholders have an ethical duty to speak out against the decisions of supervisors
when consequences of these decisions are likely to be serious. “Without an understanding of
ethics, conflict cannot be handled”

Do not avoid the conflict, hoping it will go away. Ask the participants to describe specific
actions they would like the other party to take. It would also be beneficial to have a third party
(meaning a non-direct superior with access to the situation) involved. This could be an individual
member or a board dedicated to resolving and preventing issues. Lastly, do not meet separately
with people in conflict. If you allow each individual to tell their story to you, you risk polarizing
their positions.

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 Unit-XII

Leadership Skills

Introduction:
Leadership has been described as the “process of social influence in which one person can enlis t

the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task.

Leadership involves:
 Being able to motivate & direct others
 Taking responsibility for the direction & actions of a team
 Setting objectives.
 Organizing & motivating others.
 Taking the initiative
 Persevering when things are not working out.
 Taking a positive attitude to frustration/failure.
 Accepting responsibility for mistakes/wrong decisions.
 Being flexible: prepared to adapt goals in the light of changing situations.

How to become a leader?

 Use initiative to act on opportunities. Become a leader before other people view you as one.
Healthy organizations reward those who take the lead, not just those with formal
management roles.
 Take responsibility for own objectives: set priorities.
 Display a "can do" attitude even in demanding situations... Try to solve problems, rather than
to pass them on to other people. First answer is ‘yes, I’ll make it happen’.
 "Go the extra mile" when asked to do tasks. Go beyond your job description. Do work that
gets you noticed.
 Show enthusiasm: this will be noticed and you will eventually be rewarded.
 Take ownership of problems: anticipate potential problems, take pre-emptive action and act
quickly to resolve problems.
 Introduce improvements to the way things are done.
 Develop innovative practices. Value innovative thinking.
 Learn new skills that will enhance capability.
 Common sense is not common!

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 Using the appropriate style of leadership in differing circumstances
Leadership involves managing, coordinating and supervising, taking responsibility for people;
directing, organizing and motivating them. A good leader will use a variety of styles of leadership
according to the situation whereas bad leaders tend to fall in to just one style. In practice, most leaders
use both task-oriented and people-oriented styles of leadership.

At university, a participative style may be most appropriate. Whereas a production manager in a

factory may need to use a procedural or authoritative style much or the time. So you need to take into
account the nature of the task.
A fire officer dealing with a serious fire may need to be authoritative, making instant decisions and
barking out commands, but when training staff, a participative style will be more effective.
Different individuals also require different styles. You may need to manage an intelligent, competent
and trustworthy team member by using transformational techniques whereas someone who is lazy and
unreliable may require an authoritarian style.

What makes a charismatic leader?

o Keep up good eye contact
o Develop a genuine smile.
o Have an open body posture
o Keep your hands apart with palms forwards or upwards and away from your face when
talking.
o Stand up straight but be relaxed.
o Let people know they matter and you enjoy being around them. Nod when they talk,
briefly touch them on the upper arm.
o In groups move around to appear enthusiastic, lean slightly forward and look at everyone
in the group from time to time.
o Keep your messages simple to understand.
o When speaking, be clear, fluent, forceful and articulate, evoke imagery, use an upbeat
tempo, occasionally slow for tension or emphasis

Leadership Skills

 Many years of experience in Exploring have shown that good leadership is a result of the
careful application of following skills that any leader or officer can learn to use.
 Understanding the needs and Characteristics of the Post
 Each individual participant of the group has certain needs and characteristics.
o A leader should understand his or her own needs and characteristics.
o A leader should understand the needs and characteristics of each participant of the
group. This helps the leader to deal with each person as an individual, to treat that
individual with respect, and to help the person.
o This understanding helps in planning the program and in getting things done.
o This understanding creates trust and builds condense among group participants.
 Through conversation and informal surveys of post participants, try to find out:
o Why they joined your post?
o What they expect from the post’s program?
o What their major interests?
o What are their future plans?

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Knowing and using the resources of the group

Resources include all those things necessary to do a job. Resources also include people, because
people have knowledge and skills. Knowledge is what a person learns through familiarity or
experience what you know. Skill is the ability to use what you know. Attitude includes the
desire to do something motivation and the belief that you can do it condense.
When the leader uses the knowledge and skills of group participants to get a job done, the
participants gain experience and improve skills. They also develop a positive attitude toward
using a skill.
• Keep the post’s program capability inventory up-to date and use it in planning.
• Understand the purpose and resources of your participating organization
• Find out your post participants’ skills, interests, and resources.

Communicating
To improve your skills in getting information:

a. Pay attention and listen carefully.

b. Make notes and sketches.
c. Ask questions and repeat your understanding of what was said.

To improve your skills in giving information:

d. Be sure others are listening before you speak.

e. Speak slowly and clearly.
f. Draw diagrams, if needed. Ask those receiving information to take notes.
g. Have the listeners repeat their understanding of what was said. Encourage
questions.

Planning

Planning is an important part of everything we do in Exploring. The following is a simple

process for

1. Consider the task and objectives. What do you want to accomplish?

2. Consider the resources equipment, knowledge, skills, and attitudes.
3. Consider the alternatives. Brainstorm.
4. Reach a decision, evaluating each option.
5. Write the plan down and review it with the post.
6. Execute the plan.
7. Evaluate the plan.

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 Evaluating

Evaluating helps measure the performance of a group in getting a job done and working
together. It suggests ways in which the group can improve its performance.
There are two basic categories of evaluation questions.
After any event or activity, ask these questions:
Getting the job done
Was the job done?
Was the job done right?
Was the job done on time?
Keeping the group together
Were relationships between group participants helped or hurt?
Was participation equally distributed among group participants?
Did the group enjoy the activity?
Did the group handle conflicts well?

Controlling group performance

A leader influences the performance of the group and individual participants through his or her
actions. Why is control needed?
A group needs control as an engine needs a throttle to keep it from running itself into the
ground. A group works together best when everybody is headed in the same direction. If a
plan is to be properly carried out, someone must lead the effort. Control is a function that the
group assigns to the leader to get the job done. Control happens as a result of recognizing the
difference between where the group is and where the group is going. The leader is responsible
for developing a plan to help the group get to its goal.
Setting the example is the most effective way of controlling the group. When working with post
participants, do the following:

a.Continually observe the group. Know what is happening and the attitude of the group.
b. Make your instructions clear and pertinent.
c. Pitch in and help when necessary.
d. Quickly deal with disruption. Guide the post toward self-discipline.

Counseling

Counseling is important…..
To help people solve problems
To encourage or reassure
To help an Explorer reach his or her potential
Counseling can be effective when a person is
Undecided he or she can’t make a decision
Confused he or she doesn’t have enough information or has too much information
Locked in he or she doesn’t know any alternatives

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 Unit-XIII
Team Building
Introduction:

Team-building is a philosophy of job design in which employees are viewed as members of

interdependent teams instead of as individual workers. Team-Building refers to a wide range of
activities, presented to businesses, schools, sports teams, religious or nonprofit organizations
designed for improving team performance. Team-building is pursued via a variety of practices,
and can range from simple bonding exercises to complex simulations and multi-day team building
retreats designed to develop a team (including group assessment and group-dynamic games),
usually falling somewhere in between. It generally sits within the theory and practice of
organizational development, but can also be applied to sports teams, school groups, and other
contexts. Team-building is not to be confused with "team recreation" that consists of activities for
teams that are strictly recreational. Team-building can also be seen in day-to-day operations of an
organization and team dynamic can be improved through successful leadership. Team-building is
an important factor in any environment, its focus is to specialize in bringing out the best in a team
to ensure self development, positive communication, leadership skills and the ability to work
closely together as a team to problem solve.
Work environments tend to focus on individuals and personal goals, with reward &
recognition singling out the achievements of individual employees. "How to create effective
teams is a challenge in every organization "Team building can also refer to the process of
selecting or creating a team from scratch.
Team Dynamics
When assembling a team it is important to consider the overall dynamic of the team. When
building a team we have to account for these five dynamics that are fundamental to team
success:
1. The Team Member. Successful teams are made up of a collection of effective individuals.
These are people who are experienced, have problem solving ability, openness to addressing
the problem, action oriented and charismatic personal style.
2. Team Relationships. For a team to be successful the members of the team must be able to
give and receive feedback.
3. Team Problem Solving. An effective team depends on how focused and clear the goal of
the team is. A relaxed, comfortable and accepting environment and finally, open and honest
communication.
4. Team Leadership. Effective team leadership depends on leadership competencies. A
competent leader is: focused on the goal, ensures a collaborative climate, builds confidence of

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team members, sets priorities, demonstrates sufficient “know-how” and manage performance
through feedback.
5. Organizational Environment. The climate and culture of the organization must be
conducive to team behavior.
Reasons for team building:
The overall goals of team building are to increase the teams understanding of team dynamics
and improve how the team works together. Unlike working as a group, working as a team
incorporates group accountability rather than individual accountability and results in a
collective work product. Team-building encourages the team approach to working on a
project. There are many advantages to this approach. These advantages include the following:

 Increased flexibility in skills and abilities

 More productive than work groups with individual mindset
 More beneficial in times of organizational change
 Encourage both individual and team development and improvement
 Focuses on group goals to accomplish more beneficial tasks

Leadership roles in team building:

Successful team leaders frequently contain six of the same leadership abilities.
(1) A team leader is usually goal-oriented to keep team the on track.
(2) They must promote a safe environment where members can openly discuss issues.
(3) A leader must build confidence amongst members by building and maintaining trust and
offering the members responsibilities.
(4) A leader should be technically competent in matters relating to team tasks and goals.
(5) It is important for a team leader to set a manageable list of priorities for the team to keep
members focused.
(6) Finally, leaders should offer clear performance expectations by recognizing and rewarding
excellent performance, and provide feedback to others.
Carl Larson and Frank Lafasto conducted a three year study of over 75 diverse teams. By
interviewing key members of each team, Larson & Lafasto identified eight effective strategies
a leader should employ to enhance team-building:
1. Establish clear and inspiring team goals
2. Maintain a results-oriented team structure
3. Assemble competent team members

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4. Strive for unified commitment
5. Provide a collaborative climate
6. Encourage standards of excellence
7. Furnish external support and recognition
8. Apply principled leadership
Team culture
In an effective team culture, the concept of context is addressed. Team members understand
why they are participating on the team and how the team fits within their organization. Team
members spend time defining their team culture by agreeing upon team norms and
expectations within the company’s overall team context. Finally, team members understand
that 20% of the problems they will experience as a team will fall within the context of the task
or mission the team is assigned to accomplish. The other 80% of the problems will relate to
their team culture and the processes team members establish and commit to for interacting.
Types of team building exercises
Team-building exercises consist of a variety of tasks designed to develop group members and
their ability to work together effectively. There are many types of team-building activities that
range from games for kids to games and challenges that involve novel and complex tasks that
are designed for improving group performance by addressing specific needs.
Team-building can range from simple social activities - to encourage team members to spend
time together- to team development activities -designed to help individuals discover how they
approach a problem, how the team works together, and discover better methods of
communication.
Team interaction involves "soft" interpersonal skills including communication, negotiation,
leadership, and motivation - in contrast to technical skills directly involved with the job at
hand. Depending on the type of team-building, the novel tasks can encourage or specifically
teach interpersonal team skills to increase team performance.
Whether indoor or outdoor, the purpose of team building exercises is to assist teams in
becoming cohesive units of individuals that can effectively work together to complete tasks.
Communication exercise: This type of team building exercise is exactly what it sounds like.
Communications exercises are problem solving activities that are geared towards improving
communication skills. The issues teams encounter in these exercises are solved by
communicating effectively with each other.
• Goal: Create an activity which highlights the importance of good communication in team
performance and/or potential problems with communication.

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Problem-solving/decision-making exercise: Problem-solving/decision-making exercises focus
specifically on groups working together to solve difficult problems or make complex
decisions. These exercises are some of the most common as they appear to have the most
direct link to what employers want their teams to be able to do.
• Goal: Give team a problem in which the solution is not easily apparent or requires the team
to come up with a creative solution
Planning/adaptability exercise: These exercises focus on aspects of planning and being
adaptable to change. These are important things for teams to be able to do when they are
assigned complex tasks or decisions.
• Goal: Show the importance of planning before implementing a solution
Trust exercise: A trust exercise involves engaging team members in a way that will induce
trust between them. They are sometimes difficult exercises to implement as there are varying
degrees of trust between individuals and varying degrees of individual comfort trusting others
in general.
• Goal: Create trust between team members

Conclusion

a) A team is a group of people working towards a common goal.

b) Team building is a process of enabling the team to achieve that goal.

c) The stages involved in team building including clarifying the goal, identifying the inhibitors
and removing them.

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