Employability Skills

Unit 1 Communication Skills

Session 1: Methods of Communication
Communication has three important parts:
1. Transmitting
2. Listening
3. Feedback
The process of conveying a message is complete only when the
person receiving it has understood the message in its entirety
The various elements of a communication cycle are:
1. Sender
2. Message
3. Channel
4. Receiver
5. Feedback
Methods of Communication
 Face-to-face informal communication
 e-mail
 Notices/Posters
 Business Meetings
 Other Methods
Choosing the right method of communication depends on
• target audience
• costs
• kind/type of information
• urgency/priority
Session 2: Verbal Communication
Verbal communication includes sounds, words, language, and
speech.
Types of Verbal Communication
 Interpersonal Communication: takes place between two
individuals and is thus a one-on-one conversation
 Written Communication: involves writing words. It can be
letters, circulars, reports, manuals, SMS, social media chats, etc.
 Small Group Communication: when there are more than two
people involved
 Public Communication: when there are more than two people
involved
Mastering Verbal Communication:
 Think Before You Speak
 Concise and Clear
 Confidence and Body Language
Session 3: Non-verbal Communication
Non-verbal communication is the expression or exchange of
information or messages without using any spoken or written word.
In other words, we send signals and messages to others, through
expressions, gestures, postures, touch, space, eye contact and para
language.
Importance of Non-verbal Communication
 55% communication is done using body movements, face,
arms, etc.
 38% communication is done using voice, tone, pauses, etc.
 only 7% communication is done using words.
around 93% of our communication is non-verbal.
Non-Verbal Communication:
 Gestures
 Expressions
 Body language
Types of Non-verbal Communication:
 Facial Expressions
 Posture
 Gestures or Body Language
 Touch
 Space
 Eye Contact
 Paralanguage
Visual Communication
it involves interchanging messages only through images or pictures
and therefore, you do not need to know any particular language for
understanding it.
Session 4: Communication Cycle and Importance of Feedback
when you observe someone perform their work and then,
communicate with them to help improve their performances, you are
giving feedback. Feedback can be positive or negative. Good
feedback is always
 specific
 helpful
 kind
Types of Feedback:
 Positive Feedback
 Negative Feedback
 No Feedback
Feedback, if shared properly, can help reinforce existing strengths
and can increase the recipient’s abilities to rectify errors. It can have
a long-term effect in managing and achieving goals. Good feedback is
one that is:
 Specific
 Timely
 Polite
 Offering continuing support
Importance of Feedback:
 It validates effective listening
 It motivates
 It is always there
 It boosts learning
 It improves performance
Session 5: Barriers to Effective Communication
7 Cs i.e., Clear, Concise, Concrete, Correct, Coherent, Complete and
Courteous. Absence of any of these 7Cs can lead to
miscommunication.
Barriers to Effective Communication
Physical Barriers
Linguistic Barriers The inability to communicate using a language is
known as language barrier to communication.
Interpersonal Barriers to interpersonal communication occur when
the sender’s message is received differently from how it was
intended.
Organisational Barriers
Cultural Barriers
Cultural barriers are when people of different cultures are unable to
understand each other’s customs, resulting in inconveniences and
difficulties.
Ways to Overcome Barriers to Effective Communication
 Use simple language
 Do not form assumptions on culture, religion or geography
Notes
 Try to communicate in person as much as possible
 Use visuals
 Take help of a translator to overcome differences in language
 Be respectful of other’s opinions
Session 6: Writing Skills — Parts of Speech
Writing skills are part of verbal communication and include e-mails,
letters, notes, articles, SMS/chat, blogs, etc.
Capitalisation: ‘TINS’ is a set of simple rules that help you capitalise
words correctly.
Punctuation: Certain set of marks, such as full stop, comma, question
mark, exclamation mark and apostrophe are used in communication
to separate parts of a sentence for better clarity of message.
Basic Parts of Speech:
 Noun
 Pronoun
 Adjective
 Adverb
 Verb
Supporting Parts of Speech Types
 Articles
 Conjunctions
 Prepositions
  Interjections
Session 7: Writing Skills—Sentences
Subject: Person or thing that performs an action.
Verb: Describes the action.
Object: Person or thing that receives the action.
Types of Objects
there can be two types of objects —Direct and Indirect.
Direct objects are directly ‘acted on’ by the verb. On the other hand,
an indirect object answers questions, such as ‘to/ for who.’
Active and Passive Sentences
Sentences where the subject does an action are known to be in the
Active voice, whereas sentences in which the subject receives an
action are known to be in the Passive voice.
Types of Sentences:
 Statement or Declarative Sentence
 Question or Interrogative Sentence
 Emotion/Reaction or Exclamatory Sentence
 Order or Imperative Sentence

Unit 2 Self-management Skill

Basics of Self-management
Skills you must master to succeed in life:
 Self-awareness
 Responsibility
 Time Management
 Adaptability
Session 1: Stress Management
What is Stress?
Stress can be defined as our emotional, mental, physical and social
reaction to any perceived demands or threats. These demands or
threats are called stressors.
Stress Management
ABC of stress management
A: Adversity or the stressful event
B: Beliefs or the way you respond to the event
C: Consequences or actions and outcomes of the event
Management Techniques:
 Time management
 Physical exercise and fresh air
 Healthy diet
 Positivity
 Organising academic life; no delaying
 Sleep
 Holidays with family and friends
Emotional Intelligence Emotional intelligence is the ability to identify
and manage one’s own emotions, as well as the emotions of others.
 Emotional awareness
 Harnessing emotions
 Managing emotions
Some steps to manage emotional intelligence are as given below:
 Understand your emotions
 Rationalise
 Practice
Session 2: Self-awareness— Strength and Weakness Analysis
Being self-aware means that you can identify your strengths and
weaknesses. Self-awareness, therefore, will help you in converting
your weakness into strength and strength into an exceptional talent.
Knowing Yourself
Strength and Weakness Analysis
Techniques for Identifying your Strengths and Weaknesses
Finding Strengths (or abilities)
Finding Weaknesses
When your interests do not match your abilities, you can either
improve your abilities or follow some other path.
Session 3: Self-motivation
Self-motivation is simply the force within you that drives you to do
things. Self-motivation is what pushes us to achieve our goals, feel
happy and improve our quality of life.
Types of Motivation:
Internal Motivation: LOVE
External Motivation: REWARD
Qualities of Self-motivated People:
 Know what they want from life
 Are focussed
 Know what is important
 Are dedicated to fulfil their dreams
Building Self-motivation:
 Find out your strengths
 Set and focus on your goals
 Develop a plan to achieve your goals
 Stay loyal to your goals
Session 4: Self-regulation— Goal Setting
Goal setting is a very essential factor in your personal life. The
process of goal setting in your life helps you decide on how to live
your life, where you want to be, and how you want to be in the
future.
How to Set Goals?
 Specific
 Measurable
 Achievable
 Realistic
 Time bound
Session 5: Self-regulation— Time Management
Time management is the ability to plan and control how you spend
the hours of your day well and do all that you want to do.
Time management is the thinking skill that helps you to
• complete tasks on time.
• make a daily timetable.
• make a good guess at how long it will take you to do something.
• submit homework and assignments on time.
• not waste time during the day.
Four Steps for Effective Time Management
 Organise
 Prioritise
 Control
 Track
Tips for Practicing the Four Steps for Effective Time Management

Unit 3 Information and Communication Technology

Session 1: Basic Computer Operations
ICT stands for Information and Communication Technology. ICT refers
to all the methods, tools, concepts related to storing, recording and
sending digital information.
ICT devices are tablets, smartphones and laptops.
Computer Hardware and Software A computer system consists of two
main parts— the hardware and the software. The physical parts that
we can see and touch are called hardware.
The most important software in any computer is the Operating
System (OS). This is the software that starts working as soon as we
switch on a computer
Most commonly used operating systems for laptops and desktop are
Ubuntu, Microsoft Windows and Mac OS.
Mobile operating systems are Apple iOS and Google Android
Starting a computer
To start a computer, press the Power button on the CPU.
Basic Functions performed when a computer starts
A computer automatically runs a basic program called BIOS (Basic
Input/Output System) as soon as it is switched on or the power
button is pushed on.
Login and Logout
Shutting Down a computer
Using the Keyboard
Function Keys: Keys labelled from F1 to F12 are function keys.
 Control keys: Keys, such as Control (CTRL), SHIFT, SPACEBAR,
ALT, CAPS LOCK and TAB, are special control keys.
 Enter key: The label on this key can be either ENTER or RETURN.
  Punctuation keys: colon (:), semicolon (;), question mark (?),
single quotation marks (‘’), and double quotation marks (“”).
 Navigation keys: arrow keys, HOME, END, PAGE UP, and PAGE
DOWN are navigation keys
 Command keys: Keys, such as INSERT (INS), DELETE (DEL), and
BACKSPACE are command keys.
 Windows key
Using a Mouse
Use to move, select and open items on your computer screen, Roll
Over or Hover, Point and Click, Drag and Drop Double-click.
Session 2: Performing Basic File Operations
Information on a computer is stored in electronic files, which can be
put into separate folders. It is easier to manage the electronic files as
they can be simply copied, moved, renamed or even deleted.
Files and Folders All information stored in a computer is kept in files.
Each file is given a file name and has a file name extension that
identifies the file type. The file name and file name extension are
separated by a period or a ‘dot’. An image file usually has an
extension .jpg while a sound file usually has .mp3. A folder is a
location where a group of files can be stored.
Creating a File
Creating a Folder
Session 3: Computer Care and Maintenance
Keeping a Device Clean
Prepare a Maintenance Schedule
Backup Your Data Backing up data means to save the information
present on your computer on another device, such as CD/DVD drives
or hard disk.