MANONMANIAM SUNDARANAR UNIVERSITY

DIRECTORATE OF DISTANCE & CONTINUING EDUCATION

TIRUNELVELI 627012, TAMIL NADU

M.B.A. HUMAN RESOURCES - II YEAR

DKU27 - PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT

(From the academic year 2016-17)

Most Student friendly University - Strive to Study and Learn to Excel

For more information visit: [Link]

 DKU27: PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT
Unit - I
Personality- Definition- Determinants - Personality Traits - Theories of Personality -
Importance of personality Development. Self Awareness - Meaning - Benefits of self
awareness - Developing self awareness. SWOT - Meaning - Importance - Application -
Components. Goal Setting Meaning - Importance - Effective goal setting - Principle of goal
setting - Goal setting at the right level.
Unit - II
Self Monitoring - Meaning - High self - monitor versus low self monitor - Advantages and
Disadvantages of self monitor - Self - monitoring and the job performance. Perception -
Definition - Factors influencing perception - Perception process -Errors in Perception -
Avoiding Perceptual errors. Attitude - Meaning - Formation of attitude - Types of attitude -
Measurement of Attitudes - Barriers to attitude change - Methods to attitude change.
Assertiveness - Meaning - assertiveness in Communication - Assertiveness Techniques -
Benefits of being Assertive - Improving Assertiveness.
Unit - III
Team Building - Meaning - Types of teams - Importance of team building - Creating
Effective Team. Leadership - Definition - Leadership Style - Theories of leadership-
Qualities of an Effective leader. Negotiation Skills - Meaning - Principles of Negotiation -
Types of Negotiation - The Negotiation process - Common mistakes in Negotiation process.
Conflict management - Definition - Types Conflict - Levels of Conflict - Levels of Conflict
- Conflict Resolution - Conflict management.
Unit - IV
Communication - Definition - Importance of Communication - process of communication -
Communication symbols - Communication network - Barriers in Communication - Over
Coming Communication barriers. Transactional Analysis -Meaning - EGO states - Types of
Transactions - Johari Window - Life Positions. Emotional Intelligence - Meaning -
Components of Emotional Intelligence - Significance of managing Emotional Intelligence -
How to develop Emotional Quotient. Stress Management - meaning - sources of stress -
symptoms of stress - consequences of stress - Managing Stress.
Unit - V
Social Graces - Meaning - Social Grace at work - Acquiring Social Graces . Table Manners
- Meaning - Table Etiquettes in Multicultural Environment - Do's and Don'ts of Table
Etiquettes. Dress Code - Meaning - Dress Code for Selected Occasions - Dress code for an
Interview. Group Discussion - Meaning - Personality traits required for Group Discussing -
Process of Group Discussion - Group Discussion topics. Interview - Definition - Types of
Skills - Employer Expectations - Planning for the Interview - Interview - Interview questions
- Critical Interview Questions.

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References:
1. Dr. S. Narayana Rajan, Dr. B. Rajasekaran, G. Venkadasalapathi, [Link] Nayaham
and Herald M. Dhas, Personality Development, Publication Division , Manonmaniam
Sundaranar University, Tirunelveli, 2010.
2. Stephan P. Robbins, Organisational Behaviour, Tenth Edition, Prentice Hall of India
Private Limited, New Delhi, 2008.
3. Jit S. Chandan, Organisational Behaviour, Third Edition, Vikas Publishing House Private
Limited, 2008.
4. Dr. k. k Ramachandran and Dr. k.k. Karthick, From Campus to Corporate, Macmillan
Publishes India Limited, New Delhi, 2010.

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 Contents

Lesson Lesson Title Page No

1 Personality 5

2 Self Awareness 10

3 SWOT 12

4 Goal Setting 14

5 Self Monitoring 18

6 . Perception 21

7 Attitude 27

8 Assertiveness 36

9 Team Building 39

10 Leadership 44

11 Negotiation Skills 50

12 Conflict management 59

13 Communication 66

14 Transactional Analysis 79

15 Emotional Intelligence 82

16 Stress Management 95

17 Social Graces 107

18 Table Manners 109

19 Dress Code 114

20 Group Discussion 120

21 Interview 128

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 Personality Development

UNIT-1

LESSON 1 PERSONALITY

Definition

Personality refers to individual differences in characteristic patterns of thinking, feeling and

behaving. The study of personality focuses on two broad areas: One is understanding
individual differences in particular personality characteristics, such as sociability or
irritability. The other is understanding how the various parts of a person come together as a
whole. The pattern of feelings, thoughts, and activities that distinguishes one person from
another.

Personality is the supreme realization of the innate idiosyncrasy of a living being. It is

an act of courage flung in the face of life, the absolute affirmation of all that constitutes the
individual, the most successful adaptation to the universal conditions of existence, coupled
with the greatest possible freedom of self-determination.

The complex of characteristics that distinguishes an individual or a nation or group;

especially the totality of an individual's behavioural and emotional characteristics

Determinants

What determines personality? Of all the complexities and unanswered questions in the study
of human behaviour, this question may be the most difficult. People are enormously complex;
their abilities and interests and attitudes are diverse. An early argument impersonality
research was whether an individual's personality was the result of heredity or environment.
Was the personality predetermined at birth, or was it the result of the individual's interaction
with his or her environment? Personality appears to be a result of both influences.
Additionally, today we recognize another factor - the situation. The problem lies in the fact
the cognitive and psychological processes, plus many other variables, all contribute to
personality. The determinants of personality can perhaps best be grouped in five broad
categories: biological, cultural, family, social and situational.

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Biological Factors

The study of the biological contributions to personality may be studied under three heads:

Heredity: Heredity refers to those factors that were determined at conception.

Physical stature, facial attractiveness, sex, temperament, muscle composition and reflexes,
energy level, and biological rhythms are characteristics that are considered to be inherent
from one‘s parents. The heredity approach argues that the ultimate explanation of an
individual's personality is the molecular structure of the genes, located in the chromosomes.

Research on animals has showed that both physical and psychological characteristics can be
transmitted through heredity. But research on human beings is in adequate to support this
view point. However, psychologists and geneticists have accepted the fact that heredity plays
an important role in one's personality.

Brain: The second biological approach is to concentrate on the role that the brain plays in
personality. Though researchers make some promising inroads, the psychologists are unable
to prove empirically the contribution of human brain in influencing personality. Preliminary
results from the electrical stimulation of the brain (ESB) research give indication that better
understanding of human personality and behaviour might come from the study of the brain.
There seem to be definite pleasurable and painful areas in the human brain. This being true, it
may be possible physically to manipulate personality through ESB.

Biofeedback: Until recently, physiologists and psychologists felt that certain biological
functions such as brainwave patterns, gastric secretions, and fluctuations in blood pressure
and skin temperature were beyond conscious control. Now some scientists believe that these
involuntary functions can be consciously controlled through biofeedback.

If personality characteristics were completely dictated by heredity, they would be fixed at

birth and no amount of experience could alter them. But personality characteristics are not
completely dictated by heredity. There are other factors, which also influence personality.

Cultural Factors

Among the factors that exert pressures on our personality formation are the culture in which
we are raised, our early conditioning, the norms among our family, friends and social groups

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and other influences we experience. Traditionally, cultural factors are usually considered to
make a more significant contribution to personality than biological factors.

The culture largely determines attributes toward independence, aggression, competition, and
cooperation. According to Paul H Mussen "each culture expects, and trains, its members to
behave in the ways that are acceptable to the group. The personality of an individual to a
marked extent is determined by the culture in which he or she is brought up. It follows that a
person reared in a western culture has a different personality from a person reared in our
Indian culture.

Family Factors

Whereas the culture generally prescribes and limits what a person can be taught, it is the
family, and later the social group, which selects, interprets and dispenses the culture. Thus,
the family probably has the most significant impact on early personality development.

A substantial amount of empirical evidence indicates that the overall home environment
created by the parents, in addition to their direct influence, is critical to personality
development. For example, children reared in a cold, un stimulating home are much more
likely to be socially and emotionally Mal adjusted than children rose by parents in a warm,
loving and stimulating environment.

The parents play an especially important part in the identification process, which is important
to the person's early development. According to Mischel, the process can be examined from
three different perspectives. Identification can be viewed as the similarity of behaviour
including feelings and attitudes between child and model. Identification can be looked at as
the child's motives or desires to be like the model. It can be viewed as the process through
which the child actually takes on the attributes of the model. From all three perspectives, the
identification process is fundamental to the understanding of personality development. The
home environment also influences the personality of an individual. Siblings (brothers and
sisters) also contribute to personality.

Social Factors

Socialization involves the process by which a person acquires, from the enormously wide
range of behavioural potentialities that are open to him or her. Socialization starts with the

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initial contact between a mother and her new infant. After infancy, other members of the
immediate family – father, brothers, sisters and close relatives or friends, then the social
group – peers, school friends and members of the work group, play influential roles.
Socialization process is especially relevant to organizational behaviour because the process is
not confined to early childhood, taking place rather throughout one's life. In particular,
evidence is accumulating that socialization may be one of the best explanations for why
employees behave the way they do in today's organizations.

Situational Factors

Human personality is also influenced by situational factors. The effect of environment is

quite strong. Knowledge, skill and language are obviously acquired and represent important
modifications of behaviour. An individual's personality, while generally stable and consistent,
does change in different situations. The different demands of different situations call forth
different aspects of one's personality. According to Milgram "Situation exerts an important
press on the individual. It exercises constraints and may provide push. In certain
circumstances it is not so much the kind of person a man is, as the kind of situation in which
he is placed that determines his actions". We should therefore not look at personality patterns
in isolation.

Personality Traits

 traits and how you express them in the world. If you've never taken a personality test
or read much about your personality type, you probably rely on the feedback you've
heard about yourself from others. We take these descriptions and use them to help us
craft what we believe to be our ―personality.‖ Also, over time we learn things about
ourselves — our preferences, how we behave in certain situations, and how we
interact with others. If we pay attention to our words and actions, we can assimilate
and recognize more qualities that make up our personalities. In general, personality
consists of the recurring patterns of thoughts, emotions, characteristics, and behaviors
that make a person unique. It arises from within each individual and remains fairly
consistent and permanent throughout life. Research suggests that personality is also
influenced by biological processes and needs.. The trait theory suggests that
individual personalities are made up of broad dispositions, and many modern
researchers believe there are five core personality traits:

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  Extraversion: Including characteristics such as excitability, sociability, talkativeness,
assertiveness and high amounts of emotional expressiveness.
 Agreeableness: Attributes such as trust, altruism, kindness, affection, and other
prosocial behaviors. A tendency to be compassionate and cooperative rather than
suspicious and antagonistic towards others.
 Conscientiousness: High levels of thoughtfulness, good impulse control, and goal-
directed behaviors. Those high in conscientiousness tend to be organized and mindful
of details, as well as act dutifully, aim for achievement, and prefer planned rather than
spontaneous behavior.
 Neuroticism: Tendency to expediate

Importance of personality development

Many people still think that personality is related to the physical appearance of
a person. If a person is well-built and wearing a good dress it is said that he/she has a good
personality. But this is not a rational approach. In case the inner personality of a person is
weak he/she will lose impact as soon as he/she speaks or acts. Such a person fails to create a
lasting impression on others and rising in his/her career becomes a very difficult task.
Therefore, both the inner and the outer personality of a person should be strengthened. You
can develop your personality by practicing some interesting and easy things like- setting an
aim in life; having the power of knowledge; looking confident as it shows on your face when
you are confident of what you are doing and when you are not; speak in style because that
reflects your personality, shows how learned you are and whether you are what you are; dress
smartly because they say the first impression is the last one and people will judge you firstly
by your looks before going in for anything else. Also good dresses act as a stimulus for the
wearer. He/she feels more confident and relaxed. Some other important things are having a
healthy body and adopting good habits really nurture your inner strength. The personality
development tests that you see online or on paper are to develop these things of you don‘t
have in your general routine. When you follow the principle of think big and live big, there is
absolutely no stopping you. This is exactly where you need Personality Development.

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LESSON 2: SELF AWARENESS

Meaning

Self-awareness (sometimes also referred to as self-knowledge or introspection) is about

understanding your own needs, desires, failings, habits, and everything else that makes you
tick. The more you know about yourself, the better you are at adapting life changes that suit
your needs. Self awareness means knowledge and awareness of your own personality or
character Essentially, the more you pay attention to your emotions and how you work, the
better you'll understand why you do the things you do. The more you know about your own
habits, the easier it is to improve on those habits. In most cases, this takes a little
experimentation.

Benefits of self awareness

Self-awareness offers many benefits to help you live a happier, more fulfilling and genuine
life:

1. The ability to act consciously instead of reacting to people and events.

2. The ability to genuinely love yourself.
3. Being authentically happy rather than pretending you are.
4. Greater depth of experience and enjoyment of life.
5. The ability to redirect your negative thoughts and emphasize positive ones.
6. Behaving positively instead of creating additional obstacles.
7. Enjoying positive interpersonal relationships.
8. Being the real you.
9. Living courageously and without limits.
10. The ability to make your dreams come true.

Developing self awareness

Awareness of self and emotions can be developed. Spend some time recognising areas you
need to develop and intentionally making an effort to develop or strengthen that aspect of
yourself.

So, how can you become more aware of your strengths and areas for development?

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You could

 Rate Yourself: What do you think your strengths are?

 Ask others for feedback: Be open to hearing what others think of you.
 Complete a formal assessment test. These could include a personality test, discovering
your values, your skills, your abilities.

In reality a combination of all three of these is best.

Emotionally intelligent people plan to put time aside to build awareness. One way to do this
is to meditate or reflect daily.

This means that you plan to create a quiet space for yourself in the day, away from work or
other activities, and spend time focusing on doing something that opens your mind to deeper
thoughts.

Values, beliefs and assumptions

Values are the principles, standards, morals, ethics and ideals that guide our lives. Knowing
your values is an essential part of building awareness of yourself. Developing awareness of
the assumptions we hold about others is an important aspect of emotional intelligence. Self
awareness also means that we shouldn't ignore the assumptions we hold about ourselves.

Assumptions about ourselves can be positive or negative. Negative assumptions include

thoughts such as ‗Bad things always happen to me‘ or ‗I don‘t know enough to start my own
business‘. Positive assumptions might include thoughts such as ‗If I keep trying I will be
successful‘ or ‗People are inherently good other three parts of this assessment for a complete
awareness building exercise.

The beliefs that we have about ourselves are important as they determine our behaviour. To
have greater self awareness or understanding means to have a better grasp of reality. Dalai
Lama Self awareness is the essential building block for emotional intelligence. Becoming self
aware is a journey and we'll probably spend a life time learning about ourselves. But as we
improve self awareness we also improve our experience of life, create opportunities for better
work life balance , become aware of our emotions, and improve our ability to respond to
change.

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LESSON 3: SWOT ANALYSIS

Meaning

SWOT analysis (alternatively SWOT matrix) is an acronym for strengths, weaknesses,

opportunities, and threats and is a structured planning method that evaluates those four
elements of an organization, project or business venture. A SWOT analysis can be carried out
for a company, product, place, industry, or person. It involves specifying the objective of the
business venture or project and identifying the internal and external factors that are favorable
and unfavorable to achieve that objective. Some authors credit SWOT to Albert Humphrey,
who led a convention at the Stanford Research Institute in the 1960s and 1970s using data
from Fortune 500 companies. However, Humphrey himself did not claim the creation of
SWOT, and the origins remain obscure. The degree to which the internal environment of the
firm matches with the external environment is expressed by the concept of strategic fit.

 Strengths: characteristics of the business or project that give it an advantage

over others
 Weaknesses: characteristics of the business that place the business or project
at a disadvantage relative to others
 Opportunities: elements in the environment that the business or project could
exploit to its advantage
 Threats: elements in the environment that could cause trouble for the business
or project

Application

The uses of a SWOT analysis by a community organization are as follows: to organize

information, provide insight into barriers that may be present while engaging in social change
processes, and identify strengths available that can be activated to counteract these barriers.

 Explore new solutions to problems

 Identify barriers that will limit goals/objectives
 Decide on direction that will be most effective
 Reveal possibilities and limitations for change
 To revise plans to best navigate systems, communities, and organizations

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  As a brainstorming and recording device as a means of communication
 To enhance ―credibility of interpretation‖ to be utilized in presentation to leaders or
key supporters.

Importance

The SWOT analysis in social work practice framework is beneficial because it helps
organizations decide whether or not an objective is obtainable and therefore enables
organizations to set achievable goals, objectives, and steps to further the social change or
community development effort. It enables organizers to take visions and produce practical
and efficient outcomes that effect long-lasting change, and it helps organizations gather
meaningful information to maximize their potential. Completing a SWOT analysis is a useful
process regarding the consideration of key organizational priorities, such as gender and
cultural diversity and fundraising objectives.

Components

 Set objectives – defining what the organization is going to do

 Environmental scanning
o LInternal appraisals of the organization's SWOT, this needs to include
an assessment of the present situation as well as a portfolio of
products/services and an analysis of the product/service life cycle
 Analysis of existing strategies, this should determine relevance from the
results of an internal/external appraisal. This may include gap analysis of
environmental factors
 Strategic Issues defined – key factors in the development of a corporate plan
that the organization must address
 Develop new/revised strategies – revised analysis of strategic issues may mean
the objectives need to change
 Establish critical success factors – the achievement of objectives and strategy
implementation
 Preparation of operational, resource, projects plans for strategy
implementation
 Monitoring results – mapping against plans, taking corrective action, which
may mean amending objectives/strategies

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LESSON 4: GOAL SETTING

Meaning

Goal setting is the process of deciding what you want to accomplish and devising a plan to
achieve the result you desire. For entrepreneurs, goal setting is an important part of business
planning. This goal setting definition emphasizes that goal setting is a three part process.

Goal setting involves the development of an action plan designed to motivate and
guide a person or group toward a goal. Goal setting can be guided by goal-setting criteria (or
rules) such as SMART criteria. Goal setting is a major component of personal-development
and management literature.

Studies by Edwin A. Locke and his colleagues have shown that more specific and ambitious
goals lead to more performance improvement than easy or general goals. As long as the
person accepts the goal, has the ability to attain it, and does not have conflicting goals, there
is a positive linear relationship between goal difficulty and task performance.

Importance of goal setting

Provides focus

When organizations set goals for employees, it shows. Employees then know what to focus
on in the coming quarter or year, thus prioritizing projects and other tasks as they weigh how
their work will impact those goals. It also provides focus for management when deciding on
major projects and how to best divide tasks among employees.

Increase Motivation

Organizational goals give employees something to strive for in their daily tasks. For example,
instead of merely aiming for general profitability, employees can work to improve
profitability 10 percent by year-end. Most people strive to be successful, but having a specific
standard that constitutes success will especially motivate them to strive for excellence. If
goals are tied to other external awards, such as group recognition or rewards, it can further
improve the motivation level.

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Improves group cohesion

Many business goals cannot be reached unless employees of all levels work together as a
whole to reach the goals. This can improve group cohesion and collaboration when
employees realize the goals will only be reached when teamwork is present. Managers can
further enforce this through group rewards given when the organization meets its goals.

Increase employee worth

Including employees in the goal-setting process will increase their buy-in for the project and
the business as a whole. It tells them their input is valued and important, thus giving them a
sense of ownership. Consequently, the goals are no longer only managements; they are the
goals of everyone in the organization.

Offers measurability

Set goals using the SMART principle: specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and timely.
This will enable employees to gauge their progress, see how their efforts are having an
impact and assess how far they have yet to go to reach the goal.

Effective goal setting

1. Set specific goals in terms that can be measured.

Specific goals are more effective in improving performance than are general ―do your best‖
goals or no goals at all. An effective goal clearly indicates what a person needs to do to
accomplish it. This means that you must be able to measure the performance that relates to
the specific goal.

2. Set difficult but realistic goals.

Difficult or challenging goals produce better performance than moderate or easy goals. The
higher the goal, the higher the performance, as long as the goal does not exceed what the
person is capable of doing. Goals should not be so be so difficult that the person will fail to

14
take them seriously or will experience failure and frustration in meeting them. It is therefore
important to set goals in relation to an individual person‘s ability.

3. Set short-term as well as long-range goals.

Breaking down any long-term goals into smaller more attainable goals helps to promote
achievement and success. Short-term goals are important because they allow pers to see
immediate improvements in performance and thereby enhance motivation. Without short-
term goals, employee can lose sight of their long-term objectives, and the sub-goals needed to
attain them.

4. Express goals in positive rather than negative terms.

It‘s best to set goals positively (e.g., number of passes made or shots-on-goal) rather than
negatively (e.g., number of mistakes reduced). Positive goal-setting helps worker focus on
success instead of failure. Moreover, positive goals usually have clues on how to attain them.
To turn a negative goal into a positive one,

5. Set goals for both practices and works.

Setting goals for practice sessions is just as important as it is for works. Practices are the
times workers develop and hone their skills. When practice becomes meaningful as a result of
being tied in with specific goals, employees become more involved in what‘s going on.
Moreover, (a) setting specific practice goals, and (b) tracking progress toward them will help
to reduce the drudgery of practice.

8. Set up a performance feedback or goal evaluation system.

Research indicates that performance feedback is absolutely necessary if goals are to enhance
performance. Therefore workers must receive feedback about how their present performance
is related to both short- and long-range goals. Without such feedback, youngsters cannot
track their progress toward goals and may be unable to see improvement that is actually
occurring

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Principles of goal setting

1. Clarity
This is where SMART goals draw most from is the concept of setting clear, ―specific‖
goals for best results. Those who set a goal of ―make more sales‖ are less successful
than those whose goal is ―make 5% more sales than last year.‖ A clear goal is easier
to measure and easier to appreciate when you reach that goal. This makes the entire
process more inspiring.

2. Challenge
Goal setting theory indicates that people are more successful when they set
challenging goals. Any initiative requires effort and discipline. When you set the goal
too low, you‘re less likely to feel like the payoff is worth that effort, undermining
motivation. By contrast, setting a challenging goal balances effort with reward and
generates motivation. Just be careful not to confuse ―challenging‖ with ―unrealistic.‖

3. Commitment
This principle particularly applies in organizational settings where the goals in
question are achieved by a group. Personal ownership is critical for success. Managers
must deliver proper preparation and gain ―buy-in‖ from each member of the team
before the task is accepted or ―owned‖ by the group. Team members who do not feel
an internal ownership may not work with the diligence required, even with external
motivation (or threats).

4. Feedback
Feedback or asking questions allows for clarification and course correction. This is
particularly important if the first principle has clearly defined. A goal might be either
too difficult or too easy. A team leader may discover that there are members who have
not bought in as needed and will need to do the work to build ownership. If all is
going well, the only feedback required might be to measure progress and confirm that
the goal is on task to be met.
5. Task Complexity
This principle takes into account the observation that some goals require more
complexity to achieve. ―Working out 3 times a week‖ is a goal that requires only
identifying a preferred place or form of exercise. ―Making 5% more sales‖ may

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 involve many more tasks to reach – marketing plans and collateral, incentive plans for
salespeople, research, lead nurturing, etc.

Goal setting at the right level

goal setting is a powerful process for thinking about your ideal future, and for motivating
yourself to turn your vision of this future into reality.

The process of setting goals helps you choose where you want to go in life. By knowing
precisely what you want to achieve, you know where you have to concentrate your efforts.
You'll also quickly spot the distractions that can, so easily, lead you astray.

UNIT -II

LESSON 5 SELF MONITORING

It is defined as a personality trait that refers to an ability to regulate behavior to accommodate

social situations. People concerned with their expressive self-presentation) tend to closely
monitor their audience in order to ensure appropriate or desired public appearances. Self-
monitors try to understand how individuals and groups will perceive their actions. Some
personality types commonly act spontaneously (low self-monitors) and others are more apt to
purposely control and consciously adjust their behavior (high self-monitors).

High self monitor versus low self monitor

People who closely monitor themselves are categorized as high self-monitors and often
behave in a manner that is highly responsive to social cues and their situational context. High
self-monitors can be thought of as social pragmatists who project images in an attempt to
impress others and receive positive feedback.

Conversely, low self-monitors do not participate, to the same degree, in expressive control
and do not share similar concern for situational appropriateness. Low self-monitors tend to
exhibit expressive controls congruent with their own internal states; i.e. beliefs, attitudes, and
dispositions regardless of social circumstance. Low self-monitors are often less observant of
social context and consider expressing a self-presentation dissimilar from their internal states

17
as a falsehood and undesirable. People who are unwilling to self-monitor and adjust their
behavior accordingly are often aggressive, uncompromising, and insistent with others. This
may make them more prone to condemnation, rejection, and the possible consequent feelings
of anger, anxiety, guilt, low self-concept, isolation, and depression. Even the occasional
indiscretion can make social situations very awkward, and could result in the loss of a friend,
co-worker, client, or even job. Those who are willing to adjust their behavior will often find
that others are more receptive, pleasant, and benevolent towards them.

A score of 0–8 on Snyder's scale indicates low self-monitoring, while a score of 13–25
indicates high self-monitoring. Some traits of high self-monitors include readily and easily
modifying their behavior in response to the demands of the situation, whereas low self-
monitors care little about modifying their behavior in response to the situation and tend to
maintain the same opinions and attitudes regardless of the situation. High self-monitors find it
much easier to modify their behavior based on the situation than low self-monitors do. High
self-monitors would be more likely to change their beliefs and opinions depending on who
they are talking to, while low self-monitors would tend to be consistent throughout all
situations. This has been studied mainly in correspondence with relationships. Compared to
low self-monitors,

Advantages and disadvantages of self monitor

First of all, self-monitoring helps to create structure. Our academic progress becomes more
concrete when observed by visible, external measures.

A second benefit is that the mere act of recording behaviors changes the occurrence of the
behavior in the desired direction. For example, studies of people trying to quit smoking show
that keeping track of each cigarette smoked decreased the total number.

Finally, self-monitoring systems form the basis for active programs to change behaviors
because your measure of progress can form the basis for programs of reward or punishment.

However, self-supervision also has its share of disadvantages. You might be wondering what
these drawbacks could be when self-supervision is a highly beneficial skill. One of the
downsides of self-supervision is the tendency of individuals to decrease their level of work
efficiency.

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Another disadvantage is the decrease of work productivity, which is an effect of inefficiency.
Both negative aspects are very possible to happen especially if an organization takes away
first-line supervision. One other drawback of self-supervision is a tendency of the employee
to be authoritative or ―bossy‖ as they call it, towards other people.

Self Monitoring and job performance

It has been shown that there is a significant relation between an individual's performance at
his job and his or her ability to change their self-presentation in order to most adapt to the
situation. Self-monitoring was most important during early tenure. This history of finding
individual difference variables that relate to job performance has been [Link] of
the reasons why it is difficult to use individual difference variables to predict job performance
is because there is failure to consider contextual effects such as informational influence and
pressures for conformity. Other difficulties are a result from attempting to use personality
measures without having a good understanding of the nature of the job and the individual's
development in the job. This results in the individual differences being assessed without fully
understanding why they should affect job performance directly or how they may affect an
individual's performance when you take into consideration increased job knowledge that an
individual may gain through experience.

One case that shows how success could be related to individual predispositions is in
organizations where individuals hold boundary-spanning positions. Boundary spanners
purpose is to filter and transfer information across organizational boundaries. The individuals
that are responsible for this transfer of information may be in a roles both inside and outside
the organization. Therefore, they should be able to respond to social and informational
stimuli, inside and outside the organization. The nature of this job makes it likely that an
individual's performance in this role is likely to be influenced the degree to which that person
can perceive, understand and adapt to different social situations as appropriate. I essence, an
individual who is a high self-monitor would be better at responding to different social cues
and hence be more equipped to transfer information effective

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LESSON 6 PERCEPTION

Perception Meaning

perception) is the study of how people form impressions of and make inferences about other
[Link] learn about others' feelings and emotions by picking up information they
gather from physical appearance, verbal, and nonverbal communication. Facial expressions,
tone of voice, hand gestures, and body position or movement are just a few examples of ways
people communicate without words. A real-world example of social perception would be
understanding that others disagree with what one said when one sees them roll their eyes.
There are four main components of social perception: observation, attribution, integration,
and confirmation.

Definition

Perception is the process of selecting, organizing, and interpreting information. This process,
which, includes the perception of select stimuli that pass through our perceptual filters, are
organized into our existing structures and patterns, and are then interpreted based on previous
experiences. Although perception is a largely cognitive and psychological process, how we
perceive the people and objects around us affects our communication. We respond differently
to an object or person that we perceive favorably than we do to something we find
unfavorable. But how do we filter through the mass amounts of incoming information,
organize it, and make meaning from what makes it through our perceptual filters and into our
social realities?

Perception (from the Latin perceptio) is the organization, identification, and interpretation of
sensory information in order to represent and understand the presented information, or the
environment. Perception is not only the passive receipt of these signals, but it's also shaped
by the recipient's learning, memory, expectation, and attention.

Factors that Influence Perception

Frequently Used Shortcuts in judging others: Perceiving and interpreting what others do is
burdensome. As a result, individuals develop techniques for making the task more

20
manageable. These techniques are not fool proof. Several factors lead us to form inaccurate
impressions of others. These barriers to perception are inaccurate impressions of others.
These barriers to perception are

Selective Perception: We receive a vast amount of information. Therefore, it is impossible for

us to assimilate everything we see - on eye certain stimuli can betaken. That is why their boss
may reprimand some employees for doing something that when done by another employee
goes unnoticed. Since, we can't observe everything going on about us, we engage in selective
perception.

Selective perception is also out tendency to choose information that supports our view points;
Individuals often ignore information that makes them feel uncomfortable or threatens their
view points.

Selective perception allows us to "speed-read" others, but not without the risk of drawing an
inaccurate picture. Because we see what we want to see, we can draw unwarranted
conclusions from an ambiguous, perception tends to be influenced more by an individual's
attitudes, interests, and background than by the stimulus itself.

Stereotype: A stereotype is a generalization about a group of people. When we judge

someone on the basis of our perception of the group to which he or she belongs, we are using
the shortcut called stereo typing. Stereo types reduce information about other people to a
workable level, and they are efficient for compiling and using information. It is a means of
simplifying a complex world and it permits us to maintain consistency. It is less difficult to
deal with an unmanageable number of stimuli if we use stereo types. Stereo types can be
accurate, and when they are accurate, they can be useful perceptual guidelines. However,
most of the times stereotypes are inaccurate.

Attractiveness is a powerful stereo type. We assume that attractive individuals are also warm,
kind, sensitive, poised, sociable, outgoing, independent, and strong. Are attractive people
sociable, outgoing, independent, and strong? Are attractive peoplereally like this? Certainly
all of them are not.

21
In organizations, we frequently hear comments that represent stereo types based on gender,
age, nationality etc. From a perceptual stand point, if people expect tosee this stereo type, that
is what they will perceive, whether it's accurate or not.

Halo Effect: The halo error in perception is very similar to stereo typing. Where as in stereo
typing the person is perceived according to a single category, under the halo effect the person
is perceived on the basis of one trait.

When we draw a general impression about an individual based on a single characteristic, such
as intelligence, sociability or appearance, a halo effect is operating. The propensity for the
halo effect to operate is not random. Research suggests it is likely to be most extreme when
the traits to be perceived are ambiguous in behavioural terms, when the traits have moral over
tones, and when the perceiver is judging traits with which he or she has limited experience.
Example of halo effect is the extremely attractive women secretary who is perceived by her
male boss as being an intelligent, good performer, when, in fact, she is a poor typist.

First-impression error: Individuals place a good deal of importance on first impressions. First
impressions are lasting impressions. We tend to remember what we perceive first about a
person, and sometimes we are quite reluctant to change our initial impressions. First -
impression error means the tendency to form lasting opinions about an individual based on
initial perceptions. Primacy effects can be particularly dangerous in interviews, given that we
form first impressions quickly and that these impressions may be the basis for long-term
employment relationships .Contrast Effect: Stimuli that contrast with the surrounding
environment are more likely to be selected for attention than the stimuli that blends in. A
contrasting effect can be caused by colour, size or any other factor that is unusual (any factor
that distinguishes one stimulus from others at present). For example, a man walking down the
street with a pair of crutches is more attention getting than a common man. A contrast effect
is the evaluation of a person's characteristics that are affected by comparisons with other
people recently encountered that rank higher or lower on the same characteristics. The
"contrast" principle essentially states that external stimuli that stands out against the
background or which are not what are expecting well receive their attention. The contrast
effect also explains why a male students tends out in a crowd of female students. There is
nothing unusual about the male students but, when surrounded by females, he stands out.

22
An illustration of how contrast effects operate in an interview situation in which one sees a
pool of job applicants. Distortions in any given candidate's evaluation can occur as a result of
his or her place in the interview schedule. The candidate is likely to receive a more
favourable evaluation if preceded by mediocre applicants, and a less favourable evaluation if
preceded by strong applicants.

Projection: It is easy to judge others if we assume they are similar to us. This tendency to
attribute one's own characteristics to other people is called projection.

Projection can distort perceptions made about others. People who engage inprojection tend to
perceive others. According to what they they are like rather than according to what the person
being observed is really like. When managers engage in projection, they compromise their
ability to respond to individual differences.

They tend to see people as more homogeneous than they really are.

Implicit Personality Theories: We tend to have our own mini-theories about how people look
and behave. These theories help us organize our perceptions and take shortcuts instead of
integrating new information all the time. Implicit-personality theory is opinions formed about
other people that are based on our own mini theories about how people behave. For example
we believe that girls dressed in fashionable clothes will like modern music and girls dressed
in traditional dress like sari will like Indian classical music. These implicit personality
theories are barriers because they limit out ability to take in new information when it is
available. Self-Fulfilling Prophecies: Self-fulfilling prophecies are the situation in which our
expectations about people affect our interaction with them in such a way that our expectations
are fulfilled. Self -fulfilling prophecy is also known as the Pygmalion effect, named after a
sculptor in Greek mythology who carved a statue of a girl that came to life when he prayed
for this wish and it was granted.

The Pygmalion effect has been observed in work organizations as well. A manager's
expectations of an individual affect both the manager's behaviour toward the individual and
the individual's response. For example, suppose a manager has an initial impression of an
employee as having the potential to move up within the organization. Chances are that the
manager will spend a great deal of time coaching and counselling the employee, providing
challenging assignments and grooming the individual for success.

23
Perception process

Selecting Information

Selecting is the first part of the perception process, in which we focus our attention on certain
incoming sensory information. Think about how, out of many other possible stimuli to pay
attention to, you may hear a familiar voice in the hallway, see a pair of shoes you want to buy
from across the mall, or smell something cooking for dinner when you get home from work.
We quickly cut through and push to the background all kinds of sights, smells, sounds, and
other stimuli, but how do we decide what to select and what to leave out.

Visual and Aural Stimulation

It is probably not surprising to learn that visually and/or aurally stimulating things become
salient in our perceptual field and get our attention. Creatures ranging from fish to
hummingbirds are attracted to things like silver spinners on fishing poles or red and yellow
bird feeders. Having our senses stimulated isn‘t always a positive thing though.

Needs and Interests

We tend to pay attention to information that we perceive to meet our needs or interests in
some way. This type of selective attention can help us meet instrumental needs and get things
[Link] you need to speak with a financial aid officer about your scholarships and loans,
you sit in the waiting room and listen for your name to be called. Paying close attention to
whose name is called means you can be ready to start your meeting and hopefully get your
business handled. When we don‘t think certain messages meet our needs, stimuli that would
normally get our attention may be completely lost.

Expectations relationship between salience and expectations is a little more complex.

Basically, we can find expected things salient and find things that are unexpected salient.
While this may sound confusing, a couple examples should illustrate this point. If you are
expecting a package to be delivered, you might pick up on the slightest noise of a truck
engine or someone‘s footsteps approaching your front door. Since we expect something to
happen, we may be extra tuned in to clues that it is coming. In terms of the unexpected, if you
have a shy and soft-spoken friend who you overhear raising the volume and pitch of his voice

24
while talking to another friend, you may pick up on that and assume that something out of the
ordinary is going on.

Organizing Information

Organizing is the second part of the perception process, in which we sort and categorize
information that we perceive based on innate and learned cognitive patterns. Three ways we
sort things into patterns are by using proximity, similarity, and [Link] Coren,
―Principles of Perceptual Organization and Spatial Distortion: The Gestalt Illusions,‖ Journal
of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance 6, no. 3 (1980): 404–12. In
terms of proximity, we tend to think that things that are close together go together. For
example, have you ever been waiting to be helped in a business and the clerk assumes that
you and the person standing beside you are together? The slightly awkward moment usually
ends when you and the other person in line look at each other, then back at the clerk, and one
of you explains that you are not together. Even though you may have never met that other
person in your life, the clerk used a basic perceptual organizing cue to group you together
because you were standing in proximity to one another.

Interpreting Information

Although selecting and organizing incoming stimuli happens very quickly, and sometimes
without much conscious thought, interpretation can be a much more deliberate and conscious
step in the perception process. Interpretation is the third part of the perception process, in
which we assign meaning to our experiences using mental structures known as schemata.
Schemata are like databases of stored, related information that we use to interpret new
experiences. We all have fairly complicated schemata that have developed over time as small
units of information combine to make more meaningful complexes of information.

25
LESSON 7 ATTITUDE

Attitude Meaning

a. A manner of thinking, feeling, or behaving that reflects a state of mind or disposition: has a
positive attitude about work; kept a dignified attitude throughout the crisis.

b. Arrogant or aggressive disposition or behavior: One customer with a lot of attitude really
tried my patience.

2.

a. A position of the body or manner of carrying oneself: stood in a graceful attitude. See
Synonyms at posture

b. A position similar to an arabesque in which a ballet dancer stands on one leg with the other
raised either in front or in back and bent at the knee.

Formation of Attitude

Attitudes refer to the feelings and beliefs of ―individuals or groups of individuals. But the
question is how these feelings and beliefs developed? The point which has been stressed by
many people are that attitudes are acquired, but not inherited. A person acquires these
attitudes from several sources.

1. Direct Personal Experience:

A person‘s direct experience with the attitude object determines his attitude towards it. The
personal experience of an individual, whether it is favourable or unfavourable, will affect his
attitude deeply. These attitudes which are based on personal experience are difficult to
change.

For example, an individual joins a new job, which is recommended to him by his friend. But
when he joins the job, he find his work repetitive, supervisors too tough and co-workers not
so co-operative, he would develop a negative attitude towards his job, because the quality of
his direct experience with the job is negative.

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2. Association:

Sometimes an individual comes across a new attitude object which may be associated with an
old attitude object. In such a case, the attitude towards the old attitude object may be
transferred towards the new attitude object. For example, if a new worker remains most of the
time in the company of a worker, who is in the good books of the supervisor, and towards
whom the supervisor has a positive attitude, the supervisor is likely to develop a favourable
attitude towards the new worker also. Hence the positive attitude for the old worker has been
transferred towards the new worker because of the association between the old and the new
worker.

3. Family and Peer Groups:

Attitudes like values are acquired from parents, teachers and peer group members. In our
early years, we begin modeling our attitudes after those we admire, respect or may be even
fear. We observe the way our family and friends behave and we shape our attitudes and
behaviour to align with theirs. We do so even without being told to do so and even without
having direct experience. Similarly, attitudes are acquired from peer groups in colleges and
organisations. For example, if the right thing is to visit ―Hot Millions‖, or the ―Domino‘s‖,
you are likely to hold that attitude. If your parents support one political party, without being
told to do so, you automatically start favouring that party.

4. Neighbourhood:

The neighbourhood in which we live has certain cultural facilities, religious groupings and
ethnic differences. Further, it has people, who are neighbours. These people may be
Northerners, Southerners etc. The people belonging to different cultures have different
attitudes and behaviours. Some of these we accept and some of these we deny and possibly
rebel. The conformity or rebellion in some respects is the evidence of the attitudes we hold.

5. Economic Status and Occupations:

The economic status and occupational position of the individual also affect his attitude
formation. Our socio-economic background influences our present and future attitudes.
Research findings have shown that unemployment disturbs former religious and economic

27
values. Children of professional class tend to be conservatives. Respect for the laws of the
country is associated with increased years of higher education.

6. Mass Communications:

Attitudes are generally less stable as compared to values. Advertising messages for example,
attempt to alter the attitude of the people toward a certain product or service. For example, if
the people at Hyundai Santro can get you to hold a favourable feeling toward their cars, that
attitude may lead to a desirable behaviour (for them)-your purchase of a Santro car.

Types of Attitude

There are three different ways that attitudes are learned:

1. observational learning
2. classical conditioning
3. operant conditioning

One way that we form attitudes is through observational learning by watching our role
models. Say Amy's favorite professor wears glasses. He's smart and received his MBA from
Harvard. Therefore, unconsciously or consciously, Amy believes that people who wear
glasses are well-educated.

Classical conditioning happens when our reflexes are trained to respond to stimuli, in ways
similar to how Pavlov's dogs were conditioned to drool when they heard the meal-time bell.
When the fire alarm in Amy's building rings, her heart races and she feels a sense of urgency.
She responds by getting up and filing out of the building with the rest of her coworkers.

Operant conditioning is when we modify our behavior based on consequences like

punishment and reward. For example, Amy believes that red lights are merely a suggestion,
but after paying an expensive ticket for running a stoplight, she now waits for the light to turn
green.

Measurement of attitude

The study and measurement of attitudes forms a central focus of social psychology. Attitudes
are evaluated beliefs which predispose the individual to respond in a preferential way. That

28
is, attitudes are predispositions to react positively or negatively to some social object. Most
definitions of attitudes suggest there are three major components, the cognitive, affective and
behavioural components. The cognitive component involves what a person believes is so
whether true or not; the affective component is the feelings about the attitude object which
influences its evaluation; the behavioural component reflects the actual behaviour of the
individual though this is rather an unreliable indication of an attitude, study of ethnic
attitudes.

Barriers to attitude change

Lack of Feedback

Is lack of visible feedback a problem for hand washing? Absolutely. Bacteria are frequently
invisible, so hands look clean even when they are not. If healthcare professionals have visibly
dirty hands, or if their hands turned blue when they had bacteria on them, hand washing rates
would probably be much closer to 100 percent. It‘s not that they don‘t know hand washing is
important, but in high-pressure situations with competing priorities, it‘s natural that (in the
absence of visual reminders) dealing with a distressed patient might take precedence over
washing their hands for the 37th time that day.

Lack of Immediate Consequences

Hand washing also does not often have immediate, tangible consequences. For example, if
one of the catering staff has cold germs on his hands, he may never see the direct
consequence of that, even if some patients do get sick.

I will frequently look at the level at which consequences become visible. Can you see them at
the individual, group, or system level? For example, if I indulge in high-calorie foods while
on vacation, that individual behavior will have a consequence at the individual level (which
will be reflected when I step on a scale). But the consequences of inadequate hand washing
will almost never be visible at the individual level. If one of your patients gets sick, you don‘t
know if the bacteria was passed on by you, another staff person, or a visiting family member.
You may know how many patients on a particular ward get infections (group level), and the
hospital is almost certainly tracking infection rates (system level), but it can be very difficult
to match that to individual behaviours.

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Lack of Environment or Process Support

Sometimes the difficulty is due not to lack of motivation in the learner but lack of support in
the environment. Frequently, making the behavior easier is a better answer than trying to
make the learner more motivated. In one study, making an alcohol-based hand rub readily
available almost doubled the level of compliance with hand hygiene guidelines .

Social Proof

Social proof is possibly a factor. We look at others to see how to behave, and if, for example,
junior staff see senior staff skipping some of the hand washing, that will almost certainly
influence their behavior. Most medical personnel are probably convinced of the utility of
hand washing, but having sufficient time and resources is probably a challenge. Most medical
staff have far more to do than they have time to do it in, which means that corners do get cut.

Lack of Autonomy or Ownership

Lack of autonomy and ownership probably depends on the particular workplace. In his book
Better: A Surgeon‘s Notes on Performance, Atul Gawande recounts a case study on the topic
of hand washing in which the only really successful intervention was to group the entire staff
into small teams and have each team work on how to solve the problem. Even though teams
came up with similar solutions, the fact that each person was actively participating meant
they took ownership of the process and succeeded in dramatically lowering the infection rates
in the hospital.

Identifying Solutions

In the past, solutions for behavior change problems often took the form of telling people
again and again why they should do a particular thing. But if the problem isn‘t due to a
knowledge deficit, then more telling probably isn‘t going to change the behavior.

Identifying the likely causes for the issue make it possible to be much more specific about
solutions. If the problem is lack of visible feedback or consequences, that means solutions
should focus on improving feedback mechanisms, or making the consequences more visible
and immediate (for example, several hand washing curricula use light boxes to make the
bacteria visible for participants). If a particular problem is more related to social proof, then

30
the focus should be on solutions such as gathering testimonials, enlisting opinion leaders, and
modelling behaviours.

Problems related to lack of autonomy or ownership and lack of environment or process

support suggest that training isn‘t going to be the primary solution, but providing time in
training programs for people to brainstorm solutions or think about how to improve their
environment can be constructive contributions.

This list addresses only a few of the reasons behavior change challenges can occur. When it
comes to difficult behavior change problems, we need to make sure that we understand why
the problem is happening so we can make sure we are solving problems that really exist, and
targt those problems with the best possible solutions.

Methods to Attitude change

Attitudes are associated beliefs and behaviours towards some object. They are not stable, and
because of the communication and behavior of other people, are subject to change by social
influences, as well as by the individual's motivation to maintain cognitive consistency when
cognitive dissonance occurs—when two attitudes or attitude and behavior conflict. Attitudes
and attitude objects are functions of affective and cognitive components. It has been
suggested that the inter-structural composition of an associative network can be altered by the
activation of a single node. Thus, by activating an affective or emotional node, attitude
change may be possible, though affective and cognitive components tend to be intertwined.[2]

Attitudes can be changed through persuasion and an important domain of research on attitude
change focuses on responses to communication. Experimental research into the factors that
can affect the persuasiveness of a message include:

 Target characteristics: These are characteristics that refer to the person who receives
and processes a message. One such trait is intelligence - it seems that more intelligent
people are less easily persuaded by one-sided messages. Another variable that has
been studied in this category is self-esteem. Although it is sometimes thought that
those higher in self-esteem are less easily persuaded, there is some evidence that the
relationship between self-esteem and persuasibility is actually curvilinear, with people
of moderate self-esteem being more easily persuaded than both those of high and low

31
 self-esteem levels (Rhodes & Woods, 1992). The mind frame and mood of the target
also plays a role in this process.
 Source characteristics: The major source characteristics are expertise, trustworthiness
and interpersonal attraction or attractiveness. The credibility of a perceived message
has been found to be a key variable here; if one reads a report about health and
believes it came from a professional medical journal, one may be more easily
persuaded than if one believes it is from a popular newspaper. Some psychologists
have debated whether this is a long-lasting effect and Hovland and Weiss (1951)
found the effect of telling people that a message came from a credible source
disappeared after several weeks (the so-called "sleeper effect"). Whether there is a
sleeper effect is controversial. Perceived wisdom is that if people are informed of the
source of a message before hearing it, there is less likelihood of a sleeper effect than if
they are told a message and then told its source.

1. Message Characteristics: The nature of the message plays a role in persuasion.

Sometimes presenting both sides of a story is useful to help change attitudes. When
people are not motivated to process the message, simply the number of arguments
presented in a persuasive message will influence attitude change, such that a greater
number of arguments will produce greater attitude change.

 Cognitive routes: A message can appeal to an individual's cognitive evaluation to help

change an attitude. In the central route to persuasion the individual is presented with
the data and motivated to evaluate the data and arrive at an attitude changing
conclusion. In the peripheral route to attitude change, the individual is encouraged to
not look at the content but at the source. This is commonly seen in modern
advertisements that feature celebrities. In some cases, physician, doctors or experts
are used. In other cases film stars are used for their attractiveness.

Emoting and Attitude change

Emotion is a common component in persuasion, social influence, and attitude change. Much
of attitude research emphasized the importance of affective or emotion components. Emotion
works hand-in-hand with the cognitive process, or the way we think, about an issue or
situation. Emotional appeals are commonly found in advertising, health campaigns and
political messages. Recent examples include no-smoking health campaigns and political

32
campaign advertising emphasizing the fear of terrorism. Attitudes and attitude objects are
functions of cognitive, affective and conative components. Attitudes are part of the brain‘s
associative networks, the spider-like structures residing in long term memory that consist of
affective and cognitive nodes.

By activating an affective or emotion node, attitude change may be possible, though affective
and cognitive components tend to be intertwined. In primarily affective networks, it is more
difficult to produce cognitive counterarguments in the resistance to persuasion and attitude
change.

Affective forecasting, otherwise known as intuition or the prediction of emotion, also impacts
attitude change. Research suggests that predicting emotions is an important component of
decision making, in addition to the cognitive processes. How we feel about an outcome may
override purely cognitive rationales.

In terms of research methodology, the challenge for researchers is measuring emotion and
subsequent impacts on attitude. Since we cannot see into the brain, various models and
measurement tools have been constructed to obtain emotion and attitude information.
Measures may include the use of physiological cues like facial expressions, vocal changes,
and other body rate measures. For instance, fear is associated with raised eyebrows, increased
heart rate and increase body tension (Dillard, 1994). Other methods include concept or
network mapping, and using primes or word cues in the era.

Components of emotion appeals

Any discrete emotion can be used in a persuasive appeal; this may include jealousy, disgust,
indignation, fear, blue, disturbed, haunted, and anger. Fear is one of the most studied
emotional appeals in communication and social influence research.

Important consequences of fear appeals and other emotion appeals include the possibility of
reactance which may lead to either message rejections or source rejection and the absence of
attitude change. As the EPPM suggests, there is an optimal emotion level in motivating
attitude change. If there is not enough motivation, an attitude will not change; if the
emotional appeal is overdone, the motivation can be paralyzed thereby preventing attitude
change.

33
Emotions perceived as negative or containing threat are often studied more than perceived
positive emotions like humor. Though the inner-workings of humor are not agreed upon,
humor appeals may work by creating incongruities in the mind. Recent research has looked at
the impact of humor on the processing of political messages. While evidence is inconclusive,
there appears to be potential for targeted attitude change is receivers with low political
message involvement.

Important factors that influence the impact of emotion appeals include self efficacy, attitude
accessibility, issue involvement, and message/source features. Self efficacy is a perception of
one‘s own human agency; in other words, it is the perception of our own ability to deal with a
situation. It is an important variable in emotion appeal messages because it dictates a person‘s
ability to deal with both the emotion and the situation. For example, if a person is not self-
efficacious about their ability to impact the global environment, they are not likely to change
their attitude or behavior about global warming.

Dillard (1994) suggests that message features such as source non-verbal communication,
message content, and receiver differences can impact the emotion impact of fear appeals. The
characteristics of a message are important because one message can elicit different levels of
emotion for different people. Thus, in terms of emotion appeals messages, one size does not
fit all.

Attitude accessibility refers to the activation of an attitude from memory in other words, how
readily available is an attitude about an object, issue, or situation. Issue involvement is the
relevance and salience of an issue or situation to an individual. Issue involvement has been
correlated with both attitude access and attitude strength. Past studies conclude accessible
attitudes are more resistant to change.

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LESSON – 8 ASSERTIVENESS

Assertiveness meaning

Asertiveness is the quality of being self-assured and confident without being aggressive. In
the field of psychology and psychotherapy, it is a learnable skill and mode of communication.
Dorland's Medical Dictionary defines assertiveness as:

a form of behavior characterized by a confident declaration or affirmation of a statement

without need of proof; this affirms the person's rights or point of view without either
aggressively threatening the rights of another (assuming a position of dominance) or
submissively permitting another to ignore or deny one's rights or point of view.

Assertive communication

Assertive communication involves respect for the boundaries of oneself and others. It also
presumes an interest in the fulfilment of needs and wants through cooperation.

According to the textbook Cognitive Behavior Therapy (2008), "Assertive communication of

personal opinions, needs, and boundaries has been ... conceptualized as the behavioral middle
ground, lying between ineffective passive and aggressive responses". Such communication
"emphasizes expressing feelings forthrightly, but in a way that will not spiral into
aggression".

If others' actions threaten one's boundaries, one communicates this to prevent escalation.

In contrast, "aggressive communication" judges, threatens, lies, breaks confidences,

stonewalls, and violates others' boundaries.

At the opposite end of the dialectic is "passive communication". Victims may passively
permit others to violate their boundaries. At a later time, they may come back and attack with
a sense of impunity or righteous indignation.

Assertive communication attempts to transcend these extremes by appealing to the shared

interest of all parties; it "focuses on the issue, not the person". Aggressive and/or passive
communication, on the other hand, may mark a relationship's end, and reduce self-respect.

35
Assertive people tend to have the following characteristics:

 They feel free to express their feelings, thoughts, and desires.

 They are "also able to initiate and maintain comfortable relationships with [other]
people"
 They know their rights.
 They have control over their anger. This does not mean that they repress this feeling;
it means that they control anger and talk about it in a reasoning manner.
 "Assertive people ... are willing to compromise with others, rather than always
wanting their own way ... and tend to have good self-esteem".
 "Assertive people enter friendships from an 'I count my needs. I count your needs'
position"

Broken record

The "broken record" technique consists of simply repeating your requests or your refusals
every time you are met with resistance. The term comes from vinyl records, the surface of
which when scratched would lead the needle of a record player to loop over the same few
seconds of the recording indefinitely. "As with a broken record, the key to this approach is
repetition ... where your partner will not take no for an answer."

A disadvantage with this technique is that when resistance continues, your requests may lose
power every time you have to repeat them. If the requests are repeated too often, it can
backfire on the authority of your words. In these cases, it is necessary to have some sanctions
on hand.

Assertiveness Technique

Fogging consists of finding some limited truth to agree with in what an antagonist is saying.
More specifically, one can agree in part or agree in principle. Rather than arguing back,
fogging aims to give a minimal, calm response using terms that are placating but not
defensive, while at the same time not agreeing to meet demands.

Fogging involves agreeing with any truth that may be contained within statements, even if
critical. By not responding in the expected way, in other words by being defensive or
argumentative, the other person will cease confrontation as the desired effect is not being

36
achieved. When the atmosphere is less heated, it will be possible to discuss the issues more
[Link] is so termed because the individual acts like a 'wall of fog' into which
arguments are thrown, but not [Link] involves repeating what you want, time and time
again, without raising the tone of your voice, becoming angry, irritated, or involved in side
issues.

Negative inquiry

Negative inquiry consists of requesting further, more specific criticism.

Negative assertion

Negative assertion is agreement with criticism without letting up demand.

I-statements

I-statements can be used to voice one's feelings and wishes from a personal position without
expressing a judgment about the other person or blaming one's feelings on them.

Benefits of being assertive

As communication means multiply, especially one to many means, it is almost necessary that
we as a society become more assertive. We must be confident in who we are and present our
views without fear but also with respect for others. In business, it‘s not just about people
treating each other with respect. Assertiveness is a key to better and quicker decision making
and faster and more productive actions.

When people can express themselves freely without fear of others, more ideas can be
generated which leads to more creativity and productivity. Organisations benefit greatly from
a workforce whose members can debate, argue and challenge any system, process or concept.
Debates are no longer led by those who shout the loudest. Instead, the assertive style of
communication comes to be the mainstream, boosting the naturally shy to be more talkative
and moderating the expressions of the naturally aggressive and encouraging them to be more
considerate and open to others‘ ideas.

Naturally, an assertive tone sounds confident. Confidence comes from knowing what you
want and where you want to go. Confident people always seem to have a clear mission, a

37
goal that will come to define their behaviour. When you know your goals, it is much easier to
look beyond words and gestures and start to search for the true intention and meaning. You
want to know the motivation behind every action and communication. This attitude reduces
misunderstandings between people as everyone will have their view as well as others‘ views
in mind.

To be able to express yourself freely, you need to know what your rights are. In fact it is
necessary to know everyone‘s rights so you can successfully find the common interests and
act upon them.

UNIT -III

LESSON 9 Team Building

Meaning

Team building is a collective term for various types of activities used to enhance social
relations and define roles within teams, often involving collaborative tasks. It is distinct from
team training, which is designed by a combine of business managers, learning and
development/OD (Internal or external) and an HR Business Partner (if the role exists) to
improve the efficiency, rather than interpersonal relations.

Many team-building exercises aim to expose and address interpersonal problems within the
group.

Over time, these activities are intended to improve performance in a team-based environment.
Team building is one of the foundations of organizational development that can be applied to
groups such as sports teams, school classes, military units or flight crews. The formal
definition of team-building includes:

 aligning around goals

 building effective working relationships
 reducing team members' role ambiguity
 finding solutions to team problems

Team building is one of the most widely used group-development activities in organizations.

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Of all organizational activities, one study found team-development to have the strongest
effect (versus financial measures) for improving organizational performance. A 2008 meta-
analysis found that team-development activities, including team building and team training,
improve both a team's objective performance and that team's subjective supervisory ratings.

Types of Teams

Functional Teams

These types of teams, also called functional teams, perform specific functions in an
organization. They include members from the same department or work area who meet
regularly. A manager holds the primary responsibility, with subordinates reporting to this
person. Often, these are permanent.

Cross-Functional Teams

Workers across functions, or specialties, of the organization make up these types of teams.
People with separate areas of expertise work together; they are usually at about the same
hierarchical level and can often make decisions without management. Often, these are
temporary.

Leadership Teams

Management takes a strategic role in guiding business decisions. They are made up of leaders
from varied departments. The goals of leadership teams are generally aligned with the
mission and vision of the company.

Self-Directed Teams

Also called self-managed teams, these groups operate without managers, and no one is in a
position of authority. They are designed to give employees a feeling of empowerment and
ownership of the job. These types of teams are newer: they‘ve been around in the U.S. for
decades and originated in Great Britain and Sweden in the 1950s. Research has shown that
employees in self-managed teams have higher job satisfaction, increased self-esteem.

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Importance of Team Building

Build Trust

Team-building activities can help develop trust among your employees. Trust is a critical
component to business, especially when teamwork is required on a daily basis to achieve
objectives and grow companies. According to John Castro, the CEO of Merrill Corporation,
"Trust is critical in business because it can make or break a team, and business can no longer
survive without teams." Mutual trust fostered by team-building activities can allow your
employees to depend more on one another and be more productive and efficient as a result.
One team-building activity that can build trust pairs employees and requires them to maintain
eye contact for at least 60 seconds without looking away. According to cloud collaboration
company Huddle, this activity can make employees "become more comfortable and trusting
of each other through the practicing of eye contact."

Ease Conflicts

Depending on the varied personalities of your employees, unnecessary conflicts and disputes
might arise. Team-building activities can play an important role in easing conflicts between
coworkers by allowing employees to bond with one another and become more accustomed to
each others' personalities. To ease conflicts, use team-building activities that allow coworkers
to get to know one another on a personal level. These type of exercises might include having
each employee share three interesting personal facts about herself with the group. If conflicts
in the office are an issue with your team, hold your team-building activities in a neutral
location such as a retreat space, public park or rented hotel conference room where any
sentiment from the office won't be so palpable.

Increase Collaboration

Team-building activities can establish a stronger bond between coworkers who might blame
one another when problems arise within shared business projects. This bond can help in
increasing collaboration among employees during daily business activities. According to Inc.
Magazine, an effective team is one with "a penchant for collaboration and a keep awareness
of interdependency." Assign team-building activities that require all employees to participate
at once. For example, present your team with a hypothetical business problem, assign specific

40
responsibilities to each employee and give the team an hour alone to solve together. During
team-building activities, encourage employees to avoid blaming one another for solutions to
hypothetical situations that might not work well.

Effective Communication

Through team-building activities, employees can learn how to better communicate with one
another because they probably will be faced with activities that need to be solved as a group.
For example, one activity could include giving one sheet of paper to each of your employees.
Split your employees into two groups and ask them to compete in making the tallest structure
out of the paper provided. These two groups will be forced to pool their resources and
communicate to build the tallest paper structure. This type of communication practice can
translate into more productive and efficient daily work and allow employees to function
better as an overall team. During team-building activities, encourage your workers to
verbalize issues as they arise in a calm and professional manner.

Creating effective team

The effectiveness of team building differs substantially from one organization to another.
most effective efforts occur when team members are interdependent, knowledgeable and
experienced and when organizational leadership actively establishes and supports the team.

Effective team building incorporates an awareness of team objectives. Teams must work to
develop goals, roles and procedures. As a result, team building is usually associated with
increasing task accomplishment, goal meeting, and achievement of results within teams. [

Team building has been scientifically shown to positively affect team effectiveness. [Goal
setting and role clarification were shown to have impact on cognitive affective process and
performance outcomes. They had the most powerful impact on affective and process
outcomes, which implies that team building can help benefit teams experiencing issues with
negative affect such as lack of cohesion or trust. It could also improve teams suffering from
process issues, such as lack of clarification in roles.[ and role clarification have the greatest
impact because they enhance motivation, reduce conflict[ and help to set individual purposes,
goals and motivation.

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Teams with 10 or more members appear to benefit the most from team building. This is
attributed to larger teams having – generally speaking – a greater reservoir of cognitive
resources and capabilities than smaller teams.

Setting Goals

This emphasizes the importance of clear objectives and individual and team goals. Team
members become involved in action planning to identify ways to define success and failure
and achieve goals. This is intended to strengthen motivation and foster a sense of ownership.
By identifying specific outcomes and tests of incremental success, teams can measure their
progress. Many organizations negotiate a team charter with the team and (union leaders)

Role clarification

This emphasizes improving team members' understanding of their own and others' respective
roles and duties. This is intended to reduce ambiguity and foster understanding of the
importance of structure by activities aimed at defining and adjusting roles. It emphasizes the
members' interdependence and the value of having each member focus on their own role in
the team's success.

Problem solving

This emphasizes identifying major problems within the team and working together to find
solutions. This can have the added benefit of enhancing critical-thinking. as

Interpersonal-relations

This emphasizes increasing teamwork skills such as giving and receiving support,
communication and sharing. Teams with fewer interpersonal conflicts generally function
more effectively than others. A facilitator guides the conversations to develop mutual trust
and open communication between team members.

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LESSON – 10 LEADERSHIP
Definition
Leadership is defined as ―the process whereby one individual influences other group
members towards the attainment of defined group or organizational goals.‖other group
members towards the attainment of defined group or organizational goals.‖

According to Hollander, ―Leadership is a process of influence between a leader and those

who are followers‖.
According to Hamphill and Coons, ―Leadership is the behavior of an individual when he is
directing the activities of a group toward a share goal‖.

Leadership Style

Different types of leadership styles exist in work environments. Advantages and

disadvantages exist within each leadership style. The culture and goals of an organization
determine which leadership style fits the firm best. Some companies offer several leadership
styles within the organization, dependent upon the necessary tasks to complete and
departmental needs.

Laissez-Faire

A laissez-faire leader lacks direct supervision of employees and fails to provide regular
feedback to those under his supervision. Highly experienced and trained employees requiring
little supervision fall under the laissez-faire leadership style. However, not all employees
possess those characteristics. This leadership style hinders the production of employees
needing supervision. The laissez-faire style produces no leadership or supervision efforts
from managers, which can lead to poor production, lack of control and increasing costs.

Autocratic

The autocratic leadership style allows managers to make decisions alone ithout the input of
others. Managers possess total authority and impose their will on mployees. No one
challenges the decisions of autocratic leaders. Countries such as Cuba and North Korea
operate under the autocratic leadership style. This leadership style benefits employees who

43
require close supervision. Creative employees who thrive in group functions detest this
leadership style.

Participative

Often called the democratic leadership style, participative leadership values the input of team
members and peers, but the responsibility of making the final decision rests with the
participative leader. Participative leadership boosts employee morale because employees
make contributions to the decision-making process. It causes them to feel as if their opinions
matter. When a company needs to make changes within the organization, the participative
leadership style helps employees accept changes easily because they play a role in the
process. This style meets challenges when companies need to make a decision in a short
period.

Transactional

Managers using the transactional leadership style receive certain tasks to perform and provide
rewards or punishments to team members based on performance results. Managers and team
members set predetermined goals together, and employees agree to follow the direction and
leadership of the manager to accomplish those goals. The manager possesses power to review
results and train or correct employees when team members fail to meet goals. Employees
receive rewards, such as bonuses, when they accomplish goals.

Transformational

The transformational leadership style depends on high levels of communication from

management to meet goals. Leaders motivate employees and enhance productivity and
efficiency through communication and high visibility. This style of leadership requires the
involvement of management to meet goals. Leaders focus on the big picture within an
organization and delegate smaller tasks to the team to accomplish goals.

Theories of Leadership

Trait theories of leadership sought personality, social, physical or intellectual traits

those differentiated leaders from non-leaders. Trait theorists refer the people like

44
Mahatma Gandhi, Indira Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, [Link] Rao and describe them
in terms of charismatic, enthusiastic and courageous.

Trait theories assume that leaders are born not made. The research studies focus on
personal traits or characteristics that distinguish the leaders from the followers and a
successful leader from an unsuccessful leader. A number of research studies were
conducted during the last

50 years. The cumulative findings of these studies conclude that some traits increase
the likelihood of success as a leader, but more of the traits guarantee success.

- Intelligence and scholarship.

- Physical traits like age, height, weight, strength ect.

- Personality characterized by self-confidence, honesty, integrity, creativity

and imitation.

- Social status and experience.

- Task-orientation.

Managerial Grid Theory

Industrial psychologists Blake and Mounton developed the managerial grid basing on the
Ohio State study. The managerial grid identifies a range of management behavior based on
the different ways how production/service-oriented and employee-oriented styles interact
with each other.
Transformational leadership theory conceptualizes such developments Two types of
political leadership viz., transactional and transformational are identified. Transactional
leadership involves an exchange relationship between leaders and followers. Whereas
transformational leadership is based on leaders shifting the values, beliefs and needs of the
followers.
 Identify themselves as change agents

 Courageous

 Believe in people

 Value-driven

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  Lifelong learners

 Have the ability to deal with complexity, ambiguity and uncertainty.

 Visionaries.

Qualities of an effective leader

Good leadership is essential to business, to government and to the numerous groups and
organisations that shape the way we live, work and play. Having a great idea, and assembling
a team to bring that concept to life is the first step in creating a successful business venture.

While finding a new and unique idea is rare enough; the ability to successfully execute this
idea is what separates the dreamers from the entrepreneurs. And this is where leadership
transforms potential into reality.

Leaders are a key human resource in any organization. We generally think of companies
competing by means of their products, but they probably compete more by means of their
leaders than their products.

Better leaders develop better employees and the two together develop better products. The
importance of leadership in management cannot be overemphasized. To get things done by
people, management must supply leadership in the organization.

Team-work is essential for realizing organizational goals. Managers must influence the team
for work accomplishment through leadership. Secondly, leadership aids authority.

To gain a further insight into the importance of leadership in business success I recently had
the privilege of speaking to Mark Bilton, founder of Thought Patrol and one of Australia‘s
leading authorities on the subject matter.

Mark has journeyed from Sales Assistant to multi-national CEO and led transformational
change across many industries.

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His last turnaround was as Group Managing Director of Gloria Jean‘s Coffees, leading forty
countries. He is now on a mission to hack leadership and humanize the workplace.

Mark‘s impressive track record of taking broken businesses in diverse industries and turning
them around seems to make his case. Whilst he speaks to seemingly ‗soft‘ principals they
drive hard commercial results.

Below he shares his thoughts on what he believes to be the top 8 most common
characteristics of great leaders.

1. Collaborative

Transparency build‘s trust; if you are connected to your team and genuinely interested in their
participation and welfare, they will join you in your quest. People own what they help to
create.

[Link]

Hoffer said that ―The leader has to be practical and a realist yet must talk the language of the
visionary and the idealist.‖ Therein lies the balance. Leaders must live in the future state and
carry the vision yet engage in the purposeful motivation and practical realities of the present.

3. Influential

The key to successful leadership today is influence, and not in ‗command and control
authority. We live in a new day, a digital age with a new set of rules. Influence comes from
listening not talking, from taking time to earn respect and in being gracious and yet
persuasive.

4. Empathetic

We are all flawed human beings; we all have our bad days. Leaders, who recognise that he or
she is leading complete people and not just managing for an outcome, will engender a huge
amount of loyalty, engagement and productivity. Treating others, as we would like to be
treated, is a universal principal that‘s worked well for over 2000 years!

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5. Innovative

‗Innovate or die‘ is a truism that is probably more relevant now then in anytime since the
industrial revolution. As Dr. Gary Hamel so rightly says; Management innovation is going to
be the most enduring source of competitive advantage. There will be lots of rewards for firms
in the vanguard.

6. Grounded

Leaders need to be centered and balanced if they are to be effective and resilient. We need to
be mindful to look after ourselves so that we can effectively serve others. We are Body, Soul
and Spirit and each leader will need to tend to their own foundational well being, in order to
be sustainable in the cauldron of the modern workplace.

7. Ethical

Dispassionately choosing your moral framework sounds like an odd business success driver.
Very few choose to go off the path to corruption or excess, it is usually an incremental slide.
Making a stand early may save you, and others, a world of hurt and is a more sustainable life
and business choice. Often it‘s as simple as doing what you say you will do.

8. Passionate

The stony face leader that shows no emotion is a relic of the Industrial Age. Genuine passion
for your people and purpose is a great motivator that builds momentum. An engaged and
empowered team led with clear vision and purpose by a passionate leader is a force to be
reckoned with.

Whilst these seem like soft words they resonate with me at a human level. Listening to Mark
talk reminded me of the culture I like to work in; of the leaders I know who are worth
working for.

Maybe he is onto something, his impressive track record of saving businesses in ‗mission
impossible ‗ scenarios would indicate he is. I think he has a message that leaders need to hear
and one very relevant for our fast moving business world.

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LESSON 11 NEGOTIATION

Negotiation is a process of bargaining in which two parties, each of whom have

something that the other wants, try to reach an agreement, on mutually accepted terms.

Everyday examples of negotiation are:

 A brother and a sister debating on the choice of a movie.
 Two friends trying to settle the amount for which one wants to sell his old car to
the other.
 Two sisters fighting over how a box of chocolates should be divided between
them.
 A supervisor making a suggestion to his manager.
 A salesperson trying to arrange a meeting with a prospective wholesaler / dealer.

DEFINITION

The Oxford Dictionary of Business English defines negotiation as

a) The process of trying to reach an agreement through discussion.

b) A meeting where this discussion takes place

The Winston's Simplified Advanced Dictionary defines negotiation as, "The discussion and
bargaining that

goes on between parties before a contract is settled or a deal is definitely agreed upon."

According to Alan Fowler, "Negotiation is any form of meeting or discussion in which

you and/ or the persons you are in contact with use argument and persuasion to achieve
an agreed decision or action."

In simple words, negotiation is to bargain for mutually agreed exchange by using

persuasion and discussion

As Bill Scott says, "A negotiation is a form of meeting between two parties: Our Party
and the Other Party."
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The objective of most negotiations is to reach an agreement in which both parties
together move towards an outcome that is mutually beneficial
Principles of Negotiation

1. The greatest failure in negotiation is failing to negotiate.

2. The most important person to know in a negotiation is yourself.
3. Everyone has power in a negotiation.
4. Single-issue bargaining leaves both parties unsatisfied.
5. Urgency drives decisions.
6. Agreement is the end; trading off is the means.
7. Even in a collaborative environment, best results are obtained by keeping the other
party on a "need to know" basis.
8. The value of something is always in the eye of the beholder.
9. Success in negotiation is directly related to the amount and kind of preparation
preceding the negotiation.
10. The ability to walk away or select another alternative to a negotiated agreement puts
a negotiator in a very strong position.
11. Even when two sides are far apart on major issues, there are always things they can
agree upon.
12. Meaningful negotiation involves conflicts. The person who has a strong need to be
liked, or who tends to avoid conflict, is likely to be at a disadvantage.

Types of Negotiation

 Day to Day Negotiation at work place- Every day we negotiate something or the
other at the workplace either with our superiors or with our fellow workers for the
smooth flow of work. These are called day to day negotiations.
 Negotiation between employee and superior- At the work place, an employee has to
negotiate with his superiors so that he is assigned the responsibilities as per his
interests and specialization. Don‘t accept anything you are not comfortable with. Sit
with your boss and discuss things with him. Let‘s suppose your boss wants you to
prepare a report on branding and marketing strategies of the organization and
marketing was never your specialization. Do not accept it just because your boss has
told you to do so. Negotiate with him, probably you can cover some other subject and
50
 somebody else can be asked to prepare the report on marketing and branding. It is
better to negotiate at the first place to avoid conflicts and misunderstandings later. An
individual before accepting any offer should negotiate his salary with the concerned
person to avoid tensions later. If you are not getting what you deserve, you will never
enjoy your work. Don‘t just accept any offer just because you need a job, its always
advisable to negotiate well before joining any organization.
 Negotiation between colleagues- Negotiation is essential among team members to
reduce the chances of disputes and conflicts. Any particular team member should not
be over burdened while the other member is relaxing. One should negotiate with his
fellow workers and accept only those responsibilities he feels he is best capable of
doing. The responsibility of achieving the targets should not rest on only one
shoulder, but equally divided among all. Negotiate with your team members and
accept the responsibilities willingly. If you want to go for a leave for some days,
negotiate with your team member to take care of your work in your absence. When he
takes a leave, you can help him in the same way.

Negotiation helps to increase the output of the team and eventually the productivity of
the organization. People achieve what they expect and hence misunderstandings and
conflicts are reduced to a large extent and the office becomes a better place to work.

 Commercial negotiations- Commercial negotiations are generally done in the form

of contract. Two parties sit face to face across the table, discuss issues between them
and come to conditions acceptable to both the parties. In such cases; everything
should be in black and white. A contract is signed by both the parties and they both
have to adhere to its terms and conditions.

Cherry was representing the administration department of a reputed organization. He

was assigned the responsibility of buying bulk laptops for the office employees from a
vendor. He asked the vendor to quote a price for him. Cherry found the price was
beyond the company‘s budget and thus sat with the vendor, negotiated the price with
him and finally both of them agreed to a price suitable to both. A contract was signed
between Cherry and the vendor mentioning the payment details, mode of payment,
date of delivery, warranty details and other important terms and conditions.
Commercial negotiation generally involves an external party and thus a contract is
essential so that no party backs out later.
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  Legal Negotiation- Legal negotiation takes place between individual and the law
where the individual has to abide by the rules and regulations laid by the legal system
and the legal system also takes into account the needs and interest of the individual.

Negotiations are essential at workplace so that everyone is satisfied and no body feels left out
or neglected. It also reduces conflicts and misunderstandings among fellow workers.

Negotiation Process

The negotiation process

Every time you negotiate, you have to make choices that affect whether you achieve a
successful outcome for your business. To get the best outcomes, you need to understand the
steps involved in the negotiation process.

While many negotiations are straightforward, some will be among the hardest challenges you
face. Your success will depend on planning and preparation. Always approach negotiations
with a clear set of strategies, messages and tactics that can guide you from planning to
closing.

Planning your negotiation

No amount of preparation is too much in approaching complex or high-stakes negotiations.

Plan both your approach to the subject under negotiation, and your tone and communication
style.

In approaching the subject of your negotiations:

 set your objectives clearly in your own mind (including your minimum acceptable
outcome, your anticipated outcome and your ideal outcome)
 determine what you'll do if the negotiation, or a particular outcome, fails
 determine your needs, the needs of the other party and the reasons behind them
 list, rank and value your issues (and then consider concessions you might make)
 analyse the other party (including their objectives and the information they need)
 conduct research and consult with colleagues and partners
 rehearse the negotiation

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  write an agenda - discussion topics, participants, location and schedule.

In deciding your communication style, familiarise yourself with successful negotiating

strategies. Arm yourself with a calm, confident tone and a set of considered responses and
strategies to the tactics you anticipate.

Engaging with the other party during the negotiation

 Introduce yourself and articulate the agenda. Demonstrate calm confidence.

 Propose - make your first offer. The other party will also make proposals. You should
rarely accept their first offer. Evidence suggests that people who take the first
proposal are less satisfied and regret their haste.
 Check your understanding of the other party´s proposal.
 Remember your objectives.
 Discuss concepts and ideas.
 Consider appropriate compromises, then make and seek concessions.
 Suggest alternative proposals and listen to offered suggestions.
 Paraphrase others' suggestions to clarify and acknowledge proposals.
 Give and take.

Closing the negotiation

Take a moment to revisit your objectives for the negotiation. Once you feel you are
approaching an outcome that is acceptable to you:

 look for closing signals; for example

o fading counter-arguments
o tired body language from the other party
o negotiating positions converging
 articulate agreements and concessions already made
 make 'closing' statements; for example
o 'That suggestion might work.'
o 'Right. Where do I sign?'
 get agreements in writing as soon as you can
 follow up promptly on any commitments you have made

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Common Mistakes in Negotiation Process

Mistake 1: Failing to Prepare

Even if you have a clear idea about what you want from a negotiation, you still need to
prepare and rehearse your arguments carefully.

When you prepare, you feel more confident, which is important in any negotiation. If you can
demonstrate your knowledge of the subject in question, the other party will take you
seriously. And you'll be less likely to forget something if you're fully prepared – it's important
to include everything in your negotiation as it's extremely difficult to get new demands
accepted after the negotiation has taken place.

If you're entering into group negotiations, sit down with your team beforehand and decide
who is going to say what. Practice your "pitch," and clarify your arguments, perhaps using
role play . Discuss what the other side is likely to say, and what you're prepared to
compromise on. Make notes, and bring them to your meeting.

Mistake 2: Not Building Relationships

There may be occasions when you have to go into a negotiation "cold," so you're unaware of
the other side's wishes. But try to establish a relationship with the other party if you can. Just
making small talk can build trust and give you a better insight into his or her goals, ambitions
or even fears about the negotiation process.

There might be some tough talking ahead, but you're more likely to reach a satisfactory
agreement if you establish a good relationship early on.

Mistake 3: Being Afraid to Offend

Trying to secure the best deal for yourself, your team or your organization can be daunting.
You may be scared of saying the wrong thing, settling too early, or haggling. Perhaps you
find rejecting other people's proposals embarrassing or stressful, especially if your leadership
style is more consensual than directive.

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You can address these feelings by remembering that there's a difference between negotiating
and arguing. Unlike an argument, where each party makes the case for or against something,
the aim of negotiation is for both sides to reach an agreement. As both parties want different
things, you can only arrive at this point through discussion of what you are and are not
prepared to do – it's just part of the process.

Mistake 4: Not Listening

You need to listen to the other person to be a successful negotiator. If you talk over him, or
ignore what he's saying, it'll be harder to find areas of agreement. You'll also likely "put his
back up!"

When you have good listening skills, you can learn about what the other person wants,
identify whether you have any shared interests, and work out how far apart your positions
are. Use active and empathetic listening techniques to understand her motivations and
interests.

Mistake 5: Not Knowing Your "BATNA"

The term "BATNA" (which stands for "Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement")
originated in researchers Roger Fisher and William Ury's 1987 book,"Getting to Yes:
Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In."

Essentially, even though your aim in negotiation is to get what you want, you need to decide
what your next-best alternative is. This means that you know when it's best to cut your losses
and walk away.

Decide on your BATNA before you enter negotiations, and also make sure you know what a
"good" outcome is, even if you don't get exactly what you want.

Having a clear BATNA means you can push harder during negotiations, and potentially get a
better deal than you expected, because you've kept your options open.

55
Mistake 6: Caring too Much

You need to care about the outcome of the negotiation, but not so much that you make a bad
decision because you feel unable to walk away. In other words, keep your emotions in check,
treat the process as a game, and decide when to call it a day.

If you can turn your back on the negotiation, you'll also be in a stronger bargaining position
should the other party decide to try again. This is because the onus will be on him to improve
his offer.

Mistake 7: Assuming Something is Non-Negotiable

Imagine the following scenario: a star basketball player has signed a multi-million dollar,
four-year contract with a top team. It's a watertight agreement that will keep him – and his
revenue and sponsorship potential – at the club for the term of the contract, complete with
expensive penalty break clauses.

But he loses form in his first season and a rival team shows interest in him. Suddenly, the
"cast-iron" document with his club is negotiable, and the penalty break clause is up for
discussion. It's not an easy deal to complete but, the next season, he's with a new club and all
parties are happy.

This example shows that nothing is off the table in negotiation, and it pays to take your
context into account. If you think of everything as negotiable, you'll have a lot more options!

Mistake 8: Focusing on Price

Business negotiations are often about money. But if you go into a negotiation process fixated
on price – because you want to reduce it or protect it – you risk backing yourself or the other
party into a corner.

Price is, of course, important, but it's often just one aspect of a deal. Consider what else you
could negotiate. For example, perhaps you can agree an exclusivity clause, add additional
services, or improve the terms of your contract.

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Mistake 9: Trying to "Win"

Reaching an agreement might be more difficult if you expect to win outright, even if you're
entering the negotiation from a position of strength.

The most effective negotiation is where both sides leave the table feeling that they've gained
something. They may not have everything they wanted, but they have enough for the deal to
be worthwhile.

It's important not to be greedy. If the other party compromises, and the deal is acceptable to
both of you, you could jeopardize it if you play "hard ball" and put future negotiations at risk.
In other words, know when to stop negotiating!.

Mistake 10: Giving an Ultimatum

If you use the words "This is our best and last offer" in your initial negotiation, there's
nowhere else for the discussion to go.

The chances of finding a compromise are much slimmer when you issue an ultimatum like
this, because you back the other party into a corner. This approach can also come across as
aggressive and domineering, although it's sometimes necessary to do this when the other
party continues to try to "chip away" at your position.

Be aware, however, of the difference between giving an ultimatum and setting a deadline.
Experienced negotiators often use artificial deadlines to encourage the other party to reach a
decision, or to break a deadlock.

The downside is that it puts you under time pressure. The upside is that both parties are
focused on reaching an agreement within the time frame, which can speed up the process of
finding a compromise.

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LESSON 12 Conflict Management

Definition

Organizations can be thought of as arenas for staging conflicts with conflict as the
essence of what the organization is. In this way of thinking, conflict is not a byproduct
of normal operations or an unintended and unwanted consequence of day-to-day
activities, but the way the organization makes choices for future action, makes changes
in power relationships, and keeps itself flexible and adaptive.

According to Joe Kelly, ―Conflict is defined as opposition or disputes between

persons, groups or ideas‖.

According to Follette, ―Conflict is the appearance of differences, difference of

opinions, of interests‖.

Types of conflict

When you think of the different types of conflict, you might instantly think of the ones
referred to in literature, especially in fiction. They can be applied to real life, of course.
However, there are types of conflict which are easily identifiable in our contemporary times.
Before going any further, let us first give a brief description of what conflict is. There are
actually a lot of ways to define conflict due to how it is used in many areas. Hence, to keep it
simple for the layman, conflict pertains to the opposing ideas and actions of different entities,
thus resulting in an antagonistic state. Conflict is an inevitable part of life. Each of us
possesses our own opinions, ideas and sets of beliefs. We have our own ways of looking at
things and we act according to what we think is proper. Hence, we often find ourselves in
conflict in different scenarios; may it involve other individuals, groups of people, or a
struggle within our own selves. Consequently, conflict influences our actions and decisions in
one way or another.

Conflict is classified into the following four types:

 Interpersonal conflict refers to a conflict between two individuals. This occurs

typically due to how people are different from one another. We have varied
personalities which usually results to incompatible choices and opinions. Apparently,

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 it is a natural occurrence which can eventually help in personal growth or developing
your relationships with others. In addition, coming up with adjustments is necessary
for managing this type of conflict. However, when interpersonal conflict gets too
destructive, calling in a mediator would help so as to have it resolved.

 Intrapersonal conflict occurs within an individual. The experience takes place in the
person‘s mind. Hence, it is a type of conflict that is psychological involving the
individual‘s thoughts, values, principles and emotions. Interpersonal conflict may
come in different scales, from the simpler mundane ones like deciding whether or not
to go organic for lunch to ones that can affect major decisions such as choosing a
career path. Furthermore, this type of conflict can be quite difficult to handle if you
find it hard to decipher your inner struggles. It leads to restlessness and uneasiness, or
can even cause depression. In such occasions, it would be best to seek a way to let go
of the anxiety through communicating with other people. Eventually, when you find
yourself out of the situation, you can become more empowered as a person. Thus, the
experience evoked a positive change which will help you in your own personal
growth.

 Intragroup conflict is a type of conflict that happens among individuals within a

team. The incompatibilities and misunderstandings among these individuals lead to an
intragroup conflict. It is arises from interpersonal disagreements (e.g. team members
have different personalities which may lead to tension) or differences in views and
ideas (e.g. in a presentation, members of the team might find the notions presented by
the one presiding to be erroneous due to their differences in opinion). Within a team,
conflict can be helpful in coming up with decisions which will eventually allow them
to reach their objectives as a team. However, if the degree of conflict disrupts
harmony among the members, then some serious guidance from a different party will
be needed for it to be settled.

 Intergroup conflict takes place when a misunderstanding arises among different

teams within an organization. For instance, the sales department of an organization
can come in conflict with the customer support department. This is due to the varied
sets of goals and interests of these different groups. In addition, competition also
contributes for intergroup conflict to arise. There are other factors which fuel this type

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 of conflict. Some of these factors may include a rivalry in resources or the boundaries
set by a group to others which establishes their own identity as a team.

Being in conflict can be a real pain in the neck; to deal with someone else who has different
views from yourself can be daunting if dealt with narrow-mindedly. It can happen anywhere
where we find ourselves interacting with other people – may it be the workplace, in school, at
home and in other places. It can even be an internal conflict starting within oneself. Hence, it
is a natural occurrence that is inevitable; it is a part of our experience demonstrating that we
all have our respective ideas. By handling conflicts responsibly, we get to learn more
ourselves and the people concerned. It is an opportunity to get to understand a different
individual‘s perspective which could eventually lead to more strengthened relationships. It
might be cumbersome to ones who are stubborn in their points of view; but there are ways on
how to resolve conflict efficiently. At the end of the day, it can help you understand the
problem and get to think of creative ways to find a solution.

There are several kinds of conflict management styles discussed in this separate articl
Examining these styles may come in handy if you find yourself in conflict with someone else.
Deciding which would be the most appropriate strategy to use can mean the difference
between resolving the conflict or making matters even worse. Aside from the styles
mentioned, several skills and a proper mindset can help you in responsibly handling the
situation. Let‘s take conflict in the workplace as an example for the purpose of this
discussion, since conflicts are quite common in this scenario. For instance, if you find two of
your co-workers in a conflict situation that won‘t seem to come to an end soon, what do you
think should be done for a resolution to come into light? One approach would be by stepping
in and act as a mediator. Mediation involves a neutral third-party coming into the scene;
assisting the arguing parties to put an end to their conflict. The mediator will help the
conflicting parties in thinking of ways to assure that both of their interests will be met when
arriving at a resolution. The styles used in this approach will be dependent on what the
[1]
situation demands. In addition, another vital factor for conflict resolution is
communication. It is important if you want to clear out present issues by fostering an
environment of openness among people. The ability to listen while also sharing your views
would help in resolving conflict.

In resolving conflict, coming up with a resolution that would make all the parties involved
happy is important. However, learning how to resolve conflict isn‘t easy as it is a
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responsibility in itself. More practice or exposure to such situations can help you develop
better conflict handling skills.

 nts of view, there will always be instances when misunderstandings will occur among
us. With the arising of these intractable conflicts comes the need for conflict
management. Even in seemingly ordinary situations, conflict may be rooted by other
non-apparent reasons. Understanding the other sides of the issue would allow those
involved to come up with an ideal resolution to the problem. In dealing with conflict,
there are conflict management styles to be followed. The Thomas-Kilmann Conflict
Mode Instrument, which is an assessment used globally in conflict handling, specifies
five strategies used to address conflict. They are as follows:

 Accommodating

Accommodation involves having to deal with the problem with an element of self-sacrifice;
an individual sets aside his own concerns to maintain peace in the situation. Thus, the person
yields to what the other wants, displaying a form of selflessness. It might come as an
immediate solution to the issue; however it also brings about a false manner of dealing with
the problem. This can be disruptive if there is a need to come up with a more sound and
creative way out of the problem. This behavior will be most efficient if the individual is in the
wrong as it can come as a form of conciliation.

 Avoiding

In this approach, there is withdrawal from the conflict. The problem is being dealt with
through a passive attitude. Avoiding is mostly used when the perceived negative end
outweighs the positive outcome. In employing this, individuals end up ignoring the problem,
thinking that the conflict will resolve itself. It might be applicable in certain situations but not
in all. Avoidance would mean that you neglect the responsibility that comes with it. The other
individuals involved might think that you are neglecting the problem. Thus, it is better to
confront the problem before it gets worse.

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  Collaborating

Collaborating aims to find a solution to the conflict through cooperating with other parties
involved. Hence, communication is an important part of this strategy. In this mechanism,
effort is exerted in digging into the issue to identify the needs of the individuals concerned
without removing their respective interests from the picture. Collaborating individuals aim to
come up with a successful resolution creatively, without compromising their own
satisfactions.

 Competing

Competition involves authoritative and assertive behaviors. In this style, the aggressive
individual aims to instil pressure on the other parties to achieve a goal. It includes the use of
whatever means to attain what the individual thinks is right. It may be appropriate in some
situations but it shouldn‘t come to a point wherein the aggressor becomes too unreasonable.
Dealing with the conflict with an open mind is vital for a resolution to be met.

 Compromising

Compromising is about coming up with a resolution that would be acceptable to the parties
involved. Thus, one party is willing to sacrifice their own sets of goals as long as the others
will do the same. Hence, it can be viewed as a mutual give-and-take scenario where the
parties submit the same amount of investment for the problem to be solved. A disadvantage
of this strategy is the fact that since these parties find an easy way around the problem, the
possibility of coming up with more creative ways for a solution would be neglected.

Given the different conflict management styles, you might be thinking of the one style that
would suit you the most. It is important to note that the strategy involved in coming up with a
resolution is relative to the kind of the problem.

There are different ways to come with a definition of conflict. When speaking of conflict,
what would immediately come into mind would most likely be how differences and
disagreements make such an occurrence to spring up. Having that, let us have that question
again, for the purpose of a more comprehensive discussion. Hence, what is conflict? It can
be described as a disagreement among groups or individuals characterized by antagonism and
hostility. This is usually fueled by the opposition of one party to another, in an attempt to

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reach an objective different from that of the other party. The elements involved in the conflict
have varied sets of principles and values, thus allowing such a conflict to arise.

Taking a look into what causes conflict can help us understand this phenomenon even more.
Hence, let us take into consideration the common sources of conflict. In this manner, we can
address other aspects of the question (―what is conflict?‖) [Link] are the factors that
make conflict arise? For the purpose of this discussion, let us put into attention the three main
sources of conflict as proposed by American psychologist Daniel Katz. According to him,
conflict arises primarily due to these three:

Economic conflict is brought about by a limited amount of resources. The groups or

individuals involved then comes into conflict to attain the most of these resources, thus
bringing forth hostile behaviours among those involved.

Value conflict is concerned with the varied preferences and ideologies that people have as
their principles. Conflicts driven by this factor are demonstrated in wars wherein separate
parties have sets of beliefs that they assert (in an aggressive manner at that).

Power conflict occurs when the parties involved intends to maximize what influence it has in
the social setting. Such a situation can happen among individuals, groups or even nations. In
other types of conflict, power is also evident as it involves an asserting of influence to
another.

Conflict comes naturally; the clashing of thoughts and ideas is a part of the human
experience. It is true that it can be destructive if left uncontrolled. However, it shouldn‘t be
seen as something that can only cause negative things to transpire. It is a way to come up
with more meaningful realizations that can certainly be helpful to the individuals involved.
These positive outcomes can be reached through an effective implementation of conflict
resolution. Conflict can be seen as an opportunity for learning and understanding our
differences. We can all live harmoniously despite conflicts as long as we know how to
responsibly manage these struggles.

Conflict Resolution – Effectively Handling Conflict

Conflict is often inevitable in many situations. They may concern petty ones to the more
serious ones which can lead to hostility among individuals. The fact of the matter is, conflict

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is something that we live with. You cannot expect two people or groups to agree all the time.
In one way or another, we are faced with many types of conflict in our day to day lives.
However, conflict should not be seen as purely negative. It can become an opportunity for
better things and open up opportunities, if dealt with properly. It isn‘t as easy as it seems
though. Hence, this is where conflict resolution comes in.

The initial question would concern what conflict resolution is. What is it anyway? It actually
is an end which has been brought about by conflict management. It is seen as a peaceful
solution to individuals and groups that are in conflict. There are a lot of means and strategies
involved in dealing with conflict, and all of these aim to come up with a resolution to it.
Resolving a conflict may take time and this will ultimately depend on its scale. Hence, a
person who intends to acts as a mediator to parties in conflict need to have skills and know
the strategies necessary to resolve conflict. There are even available trainings for those who
intend to acquire these skills.

Oftentimes, when we find ourselves in conflict with other people, we seem to get into a
regressive and aggressive state. In such a case, we tend to become irrational and just
unreasonable so that we could get out of the conflict based on what we deem is right. This
kind of behavior is quite understandable but it shouldn‘t be something to be tolerated. Hence,
it is important for the parties involve to pay attention to how a conflict can come to an end in
a healthy manner. In line with this, there are ten strategies for conflict resolution shared to us
by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment which you could check through this
link. The strategies stated on the link would be efficient guidelines to anyone who needs to be
guided on how conflict should be dealt with.

Conflict is a concept familiar to most of us. Hence, we are aware of the consequences that it
can cause if it is mishandled. Thus, knowing how to go around a conflict by efficiently
implementing conflict management is important for it to be resolved. Keep in mind that with
the resolution of conflict comes an opportunity for growth, may it be personally or
professionally.

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UNIT-IV

Lesson 13 COMMUNICATION

INTRODUCTION TO COMMUNICATION

People spend more time communicating than doing anything else. Probably one spends a large
part of each day talking and listening. When one is not talking or listening, he is likely
communicating in other ways- reading, writing, gesturing, drawing. Or perhaps he is just taking
in information by seeing, feeling, or smelling. All of these activities are forms of
communication and certainly one does it throughout most of his conscious moments.

Just as communication is vital to our existence in civilized society, it is essential to the

functioning of the organizations our society has produced. In fact, we could go so far as to say
that organizations exist through communication; without communication, there would be no
organizations. As Herbert Simon expresses it, "Without communication there can be no
organization, for there is no possibility then of the group influencing the behavior of the
individual."

Human beings are poor communicators. The irony is we hardly ever realise that when we fail
to achieve our objective in relationships, negotiations, or decision-making, it is, to quite an
extent, owing to a failure in communicating our purpose and ideas accurately to the others
involved.
It may be a failure in terms of the content of the message or the form of the message/
communication, or both. Instances of such failures in communication are common in personal
and organizational communications.

People in organizations typically spend over 75% of their time in an interpersonal situation;
thus it is no surprise to find that at the root of a large number of organizational problems is
poor communications. Effective communication is an essential component of organizational
success whether it is at the interpersonal, intergroup, intergroup, organizational, or external
levels.

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MEANING & DEFINITION OF COMMUNICATION

The word "communication" is derived from "communis" (Latin), meaning" common". It stands
for a natural activity of all human beings to convey opinions, feelings, information, and ideas
to others through words (written or spoken), body language, or signs.
Robert Anderson, in his concept of communication, adds the element of medium also. In
Professional Selling, he observes, "Communication is interchange of thoughts, opinions, or
information, by speech, writing, or signs".
Emphasising the various processes of communication, Allen Louis says, "Communication is
the sum of all the things one person does when he wants to create understanding in the mind of
another; it involves a systematic and continuous process of telling, listening, and
understanding."

In Human Behaviour at Work, Keith Davis defines communication as ―The transformation of

information and understanding from one person to another person. It is a way of reaching
others with facts, ideas, thoughts, and values. It is a bridge of meanings among people so that
they can share what they feel and know. By using this bridge, a person can cross safely the
river of misunderstanding that sometimes separate people
.
Process of communication
Information source (ideation) The communication process begins with the information source.
The sender has some raw information. His intention changes that information into a message to
be communicated. The source of a message therefore, is the information source of the
communication process.
Encoding Having thought over the message, the sender puts it into words (verbal symbols or
any other symbolic form of expression). This process is called encoding.

Channel (transmission) An appropriate medium-oral, written, electronic, in code, or a

signaling system- chosen to send the message is known as channel.
Decoding The receiver gets the message through decoding by receiving, understanding, and
interpreting the message.

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Acting The communication process ends with the receiver putting the interpreted message
into action, as intended by the sender.
Thus, we see that communication completes a full circle, bringing together the sender and the
receiver to become two aspects of a single purpose. It is this unifying process and role of
communication that has made modem management organisations and systems consider
communication as an essential skill for successful managers. According to Davis, "The only
way that management can be achieved in an organisation is through the process of
communication."
Noise This process is open to "noise" which prevents or distorts communication. Noise may be
described as any distortion or hindrance, preventing transmission of the message from the
(mind of) sender to the (mind of) receiver.
For some communication theorists, noise basically stands for external disturbance in the
physical environment surrounding the act of communication, or noise in the machine used for
communicating the message, such as telephone, or poor printout, or bad handwriting.

Communication distortion caused by subjective factors such as mind sets of the sender and
receiver are attributed to what is called filters.

Filters These are mental in nature. They include attitudes, beliefs, experiences, consciousness
of personal status, and the ability to think clearly. Misunderstandings and different problems
may arise as the sender's message passes through the filters of the receiver, which comprise the
sender filters plus others such as low interest or involvement in the message or distraction and
fatigue causing loss of concentration.

Two-Way Communication Process

Later conceptualizations of the communication process look at communication as a two-way
process. A group of people are involved to complete the cycle of communication, in which
the receiver also acts as the sender of the feedback to transmitter (sender). Thus, both the
sender and the receiver play reciprocal and reversible roles, as in telemarketing, or call-centre
communication. Consider the following two-way flow of communication.

The two-way concept is more contemporary. It considers communication essentially to be a

reciprocal process and a mutual exchange of messages. It makes no sharp distinction between

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the roles of sender (source) and receiver, because the same person plays both roles, often
simultaneously.
earlier linear view treated the sender as the determiner of message and its meaning. The two-
way concept involves receiver as an active agent in the construction of meaning of the
message.
The message is as the receiver perceives it, in the light of his/her experiences, beliefs, and
feelings. The intended and received meanings may have common interpretations of
situations, ideas, schemes, and events to the extent people have lived and worked together
and have developed common attitudes and viewpoints with regard to the organisation they
work in or society they live in. The two-way communication is also known as transactional
communication.

ELEMENTS OF COMMUNICATION
The various elements of communication are briefly described to help you understand the
process of communication.
Message It is information, written or spoken, which is to be sent from one person to another.
Here, the word "person" stands for the two ends of a system, and may represent an individual,
or a group of individuals, or even electronic machines.
The most important characteristic of a message as an element of communication is that it is
organised, structured, shaped, and selective - a product of pre-writing or pre-speaking stage.
It exists in the mind of the sender (communicator).
Sender The person who transmits, spreads, or communicates a message or operates an
electronic device is the one who conceives and initiates the message with the purpose of
informing/ persuading/influencing/ changing the attitude, opinion, or behaviour of the receiver
(audience/listener). He decides the communication symbols, the channel, and the time for
sending the message after carefully considering the total situation in which communication
takes place.
Encoding Encoding is changing the message (from its mental form) into symbols, that is,
patterns of words/gestures/pictorial forms or signs (physical or of sounds) of a specific
visual/aural language. In short, it means putting ideas, facts, feelings, and opinions into
symbols, which can be words, actions, signs, pictures, and audio-visuals. The communication
symbols are used / selected by the sender, keeping in mind the receiver's ability to understand
and interpret them correctly.

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Channel This is the vehicle or medium which facilitates the sender to convey the message to
the receiver. The medium of communication can be written, oral, audio-visual, or live
projections. Again, the written medium can be in the form of letters, memos, reports, manuals,
notices, circulars, questionnaires, minutes, and soon.

Similarly, the oral medium can be in the form of a dialogue, a face-to-face interview, a
telephone conversation, a conference recording, and so on.
The channel (medium) can be visuals, such as hoardings, posters, slides, documentary films,
television programmes, and advertisements.
Receiver A receiver is the targeted audience of the message. The receiver gets the message,
understands, interprets, and tries to perceive the total meaning of the message as transmitted by
the sender.
Decoding This is the act of translating symbols of communication into their ordinary
meanings. However, the total meaning would consist of meanings of the words (symbols)
together with the tone and the attitude of the sender as reflected by the structure of the message
and the choice of words used by him (the sender).
Acting Communication manipulates the receiver to act in a desired manner. A receiver's
response action shows that he has understood the message. Finally, the receiver completes the
chain of communication by responding to the message.
Feedback This is the loop that connects the receiver in the communication process with the
sender, who, in turn, acts as a feedback receiver and, thus, gets to know that communication
has been accomplished. In communication, feedback plays an important role. It helps the
communicator know if there are any corrections or changes to be made in the proposed action.
It also ensures that the receiver has received the message and understood it as intended by the
sender.
In management, the decision-making process is greatly helped by receiving feedback from
those who are directly concerned with any changes proposed or effected and communicated to
them. The process of feedback assures the initiator of the action about its correctness and
possible impact.

GUIDELINES FOR EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

The responsibility for establishing effective communication rests with all. To create a learning
environment characterized by trust, respect, sharing, and open discussion of concerns, everyone

69
is expected to act in the manner in which they desire to be treated.
Learn to understand why someone believes what he/she believes, including why something is
very important.
 Be respectful of what others value.
 Learn important information about the cultures of others (i.e., eye contact,
interaction with professors or elders, differences in educational systems and
other distinguishing cultural traits.)
 Understand the body language of others. Effective communication relates to
nonverbal behavior and tone of voice, as well as words spoken.
 Maintain positive dialogue even when there are differences in opinions and
beliefs; do not attack the person. Agreeing to disagree may be an option.
Learn from differences.
 Share information (verbal, written, electronic) which can help others.
 Be specific and concise.
 Do not make discriminatory remarks or display discriminatory actions, as
others learn from what you say and do. Be a positive role model.

MAJOR DIFFICULTIES IN COMMUNICATION

The following are the main difficulties usually experienced by communicators:

 Ensuring that the received meaning affects receiver's behaviour in the desired
way.
 Achieving accuracy in communicating the message.
 Ensuring that the message conveys the desired meaning.

COMMON PROBLEMS IN TWO-WAY COMMUNICATION

To be effective, communication process needs to be two-way; but, the more detailed the
process is, the more are the likely difficulties. Given below are some of the common
problems related to two-way communication:

 No perceived benefit to the audience.

 Noise, outside disturbance - hard to hold attention.
 Variations in listening skills.
 Cultural differences.
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  Complexity of subject matter/message.
 Time restraints - real or perceived.
 Personal biases, hostility, or both.
 Responding to difficult questions.
 Sidestepping sensitive issues.

BARRIERS TO COMMUNCATION
In communication, as a psycho-semantic process, the word barrier implies, mainly,
something non- physical that keeps people apart or prevents activity, movement, and so on.
For example social/ ethnic/language barriers or lack of confidence. These negative forces
may affect the effectiveness of communication by acting upon any or all of the basic
elements of communication act/process and the sender / receiver / channel.
The commonly experienced barriers to communication are

 Noise
 Lack of planning
 Wrong/unclarified assumptions
 Semantic problems
 Cultural barriers

 Socio-psychologicalbarriers
 Emotions
 Selective perception
 Filtering
 Information overload
 Loss by transmission

 Poor retention

 Poor listening
 Goal conflicts
 Offensive style
 Time and distance
 Abstracting
 Slanting
 Inferring

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Broadly speaking, some of these barriers can be attributed to the sender and the receiver.

Sender

 Lack of Planning
 Vagueness about the purpose of communication
 Objectives to be achieved
 Choice of the wrong language resulting in baldly encoded message
 Unshared and unclarified assumptions
 Different perception of reality
 Wrong choice of the channel
Receiver

 Poor Listening
 Inattention
 Mistrust
 Lack of Interest
 Premature
 Semantic Difficulties
 Bias
 Different Perception of reality
 Lack of Trust
 Attitudinal clash with the sender
 Not in a fit physical state

A common barrier for the sender and the receiver can be created by the absence of a common
frame of reference affecting the smooth interpretation of thoughts, feelings, and attitudes
from the sender to the receiver in a specific social situation.

The mention of a well-defined social context in which communication takes place helps both
the sender and the receiver to perceive the content of the communication in a similar way, as
far as possible with similar implications and meaning.

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The physical noise and other faults in the surroundings and the instruments of transmission of
message relate mainly to the channel, but they may not distort the overall meaning of the total
message to be communicated.

Wrong and Unclarified Assumptions

All communications from one person to another are made under some assumptions, which are
never communicated to the persons about whom they are made. These assumptions may turn
out to be wrong and cause communication failure. For instance, we often assume that others:

 See the situation as we do.

 Should feel about the situation as we do.
 Think about the matter as we do.
 Understand the message as we understand it.

All such assumptions may be incorrect; therefore, one should try to verify them, whenever
possible. That would help the communication to be effective.

Socio-Psychological Barriers

Status Consciousness of one's status affects the two-way flow of communication. It gives rise
to personal barriers caused by the superior-subordinate relationship. A two-way vertical channel
is present in every organisation, yet few subordinates choose to communicate with their
superiors. Similarly superiors may be unwilling to directly listen or write to their subordinates.
They would seldom accept if they were wrong. Though organisations are culturally changing
and adopting flat structures, the psychological distance between the superior and the
subordinate persists.
Perception and reality The most important aspect of human communication is the fact that it
takes place in the world of reality which surrounds us. This world acts as our sensory
environment. While we are engaged in the process of communicating, our sense organs remain
stimulated by the signs (objects of the outside world - the so-called reality) registering different
sensations of smell, taste, sound, forms and colours, or feelings. All these sense perceptions
received by our brain through our senses recreate within each one of us the world which exists
within our mind as its content. Thus, there are two aspects of the same reality - the one that
actually surrounds the communicator from outside and the other which is its mental

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representation (in his mind) as he sees it or believes that he sees it.

The objects which excite our five sense perceptions / sense organs - eyes, ears, nose, tongue
(taste), flesh (touch) - are called signs. Our senses respond to these signs and we receive
sensations which pass from the senses into the brain through a network of sensory nerves within
our brain. Our perceptions, the mental images of the external world, are stored in our brains as
our viewpoint, experience, knowledge, feelings, and emotions. They constitute what we really
are, or how we really think of something, or how we feel or respond to something. These
stored perceptions colour and modify whatever our brain receives from any signs or set of
signs, fresh data, thoughts, or messages. That is why these conditioning perceptions, existing in
the brain, are called ―filters‖. The mind ―filters‖ the message received from the signs and gives
it meaning, according to individual perception.

It is obvious that each individual's filter would be unique. No two individuals have the same or
similar experiences, emotional make-up, knowledge, or ways of thinking. Because filters differ,
different individuals respond to a sign with different understanding. The sign may be a word, a
gesture, or any other object of nature; each individual will respond to it in his/her own way and
assign the total meaning to that sign according to his/her filter .

The presence of a unique filter in each individual communicator and communicatee (receiver)
causes the communication gap (distortion) in the message sent and the message received.
In face-to-face communication, this gap can be easily removed. In most cases the speaker does
realize that he/she has not been correctly understood through the listener's facial expressions,
gestures, or other forms of body language. Or the listener would say, "Sorry, I couldn't get
you." Of course, much depends on how formally / informally the two are related to each other
in office, work place, or life.
But, in situations in which the audience remains invisibly present, as in written
communications - letters, memos, notices, proposals, reports, etc. - the semantic gap between
the intended meaning and the interpreted meaning remains unknown to the communicator and
also to the unsuspecting receiver who misses the total meaning in terms of tone and feelings of
concern and seriousness of purpose of the sender. The feedback does help the sender, but it
may be too late.

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CONDITIONS FOR SUCCESSFUL COMMUNICATION
Basically, to communicate is to share "information", in its widest sense, with others in an
intelligible, participative form through the medium of words - spoken or written, or body
gestures, or other symbolic signs.

Two basic things stand out here. One, the message is to be both "known" and "Understood"
by others. Two, communication in its nature is a symbolic act, verbal or non-verbal.
These two aspects, the purpose and nature of communication, act as the two determining
influences in the theory and practice of communication in all contexts of speaking or writing.

Herein lies the crucial critical difference between effective and ineffective communication. If
"something" is communicated and it is not fully understood by the receiver, the communication
has been just ineffective. Not fully serving its other condition of being understood. The fact
that the message has been understood is established by the response of the receiver - the
feedback.

Rule of Five
Keith Davis1lays down the Rule of Five to guide the receiver to be an effective element of
the communication process.
"In the communication process, the role of receiver is, I believe, as important as that of sender.
There are five receiver steps in the process of communication-Receive, Understand, Accept,
Use, and Give a Feedback. Without these steps, being followed by the receiver, no
communication process would be complete and successful".
Communication is successful when

 The message is properly understood.

 The purpose of the sender is fulfilled.
 'The sender and receiver of the message remain linked through feedback.
SENDER MESSAGE RECEIVER

FEEDBACK
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CHARACTERISTICS OF SUCCESSFUL COMMUNICATION
Seven Cs of Communication

Francis J Bergin advocates that there are seven Cs to remember in verbal

communication. These are equally applicable to written communication. They are
 Candidness
 Clarity
 Completeness
 Conciseness

 Concreteness
 Correctness
 Courtesy
 Candidness
In all business transactions, our view of a matter should be honest, sincere, and guileless. We
should speak and listen without prejudice or bias. Our guiding principle should be fairness to
self and to others involved in the situation. Candidness, in a way, implies consideration of the
other person's (listener's) interest and his/her (the listener's) need to know things objectively
and fairly. We should share our thoughts without reservation in an unbiased manner, if we
want to help the receiver to understand what is communicated. It should be characterized by the
"you" attitude.

Candid talk also exhibits the speaker's self-confidence. In oral communication the key element
that creates impact is confidence. When we say something without hesitation or hitch, we say it
in a confident manner.

In everyday life or in business, we see persons in power doing things, such as appointing
relatives, neglecting merit in assigning jobs/functions or allowing too much closeness to an
individual or a group of individuals. This action is bound to emotionally alienate others from
that person. Out of consideration and concern for that person's long-term image and good
human relationships in the organisation, if you communicate your view of his administrative
fairness in an unbiased manner, you are being candid in your communication.
Clarity The principle of clarity is most important in all communications, especially when you
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are involved in face-to-face interaction. It is not always easy to verbalise ideas accurately on
the spot during conversation, presentation, or any other form of interaction.
To ensure that we express ourselves clearly, we should use accurate and familiar words with
proper intonation, stresses, and pauses. Our spoken language should consist of simple words
and short sentences. Thoughts should be clear and well-organised. We should know what we
want to say and why. It is a clear mind that can talk clearly and effectively.

However, in case of doubt or uncertainty, due to lack of clarity of thought or expression, the
listener can, in one-to-one communication, seek immediate clarification.

Completeness Clarity is ensured also by completeness of message. In conversation or oral

presentations one can miss some parts of the communication. It is, therefore, essential that
oral presentations, discussions, or dialogues should be as far as possible, planned, and
structured.
Therefore, when we begin the presentation or dialogue or address an audience, we should
ensure that we have given all the information that listeners need or expect for understanding
the message.

The principle of completeness requires that we communicate whatever is necessary, provide

answers to all possible questions which could be raised and add something additional, if
necessary as footnotes, to whatever has been said. We should be careful that we answer all
questions put to us. for example, in an interview, if we leave out answering any question, it
would imply that we are deliberately side-stepping a particular issue. It could also raise doubts
in the audience that there is something to hide regarding that matter.
If we have no information or answer or are unwilling to answer or discuss any particular
question, we should frankly express our inability to answer.

Conciseness In business and professional communications, we should be brief and be able to

say whatever we have to say in minimum words. We should avoid being repetitive. We
sometimes believe erroneously that by repeating whatever has been said, we add emphasis to
our message. Try to use single words for wordy phrases.
Concreteness means being specific, definite in describing events and things. It also means the-
vivid description of an event or state. Avoid using vague words. In oral communication we
cannot draw figures, tables, diagrams, or illustrations to make our statements vivid and
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concrete. But we can choose precise words and speak with proper modulation and force to
make their sound reflect the sense. For example, in oral communication passive voice is
avoided. Active voice verbs reflect force and action. They also sound more natural and direct.
Correctness In the spoken form of communication, grammatical errors are not uncommon. The
speaker tends to forget the number and person of the subject of the verb if the sentence is too
long. Sometimes even the sequence of tense is wrong. And most frequently the use of the
pronoun is incorrect especially in indirect narration (reported speech).

Courtesy In conversational situations, meetings, and group discussions, an effective speaker

maintains the proper decorum of speaking. One should say things with force and assertiveness
without being rude. Courtesy demands that we do not use words that are insulting or hurtful to
the listener
In business discussions, it is necessary that we respect the other person by listening to
him/her patiently. We should not interrupt. We should wait for our chance to speak and when
it is our turn to speak, we should speak with force and clarity
Our tone should reflect our respect for our listener/audience. And our pitch should not sound as
if we are talking at each other and not to each other. The tone we use in conversation should
not be aggressive.

Lesson 14 Transactional analysis

(TA to its adherents), is an integrative approach to the theory of psychology and

psychotherapy.
It is described as integrative because it has elements of psychoanalytic, humanist and
cognitive approaches. TA was first developed by Canadian-born US psychiatrist Eric Berne,
starting in the late 1950s.

Components of Transactional Analysis

1. Ego States

a. Parent ego

 Nurturing parent ego

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  Critical parent ego

b. Adult ego

c. Child ego

 Natural child

 Adaptive child

 Rebellion child

2. Types of Transactions

a. Complementary

b. Non-Complementary transactions

c. Gallows transactions

3. Life Positions

Advantages of Transaction Analysis

1. Interpersonal Effectiveness

2. Organizational Development

3. Conflict Resolution

4. Executive Development

Dis-Advantages of Transactional Analysis

1. Difficult to understand

2. Encourage Amateur Psychologising

3. Tool of manipulation
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 4. Not supported by scientific findings

Johari window

The Johari window is a technique created by Joseph Luft and Harrington Ingham in 1955
in the United States, used to help people better understands their relationship with self and
others. It is used primarily in self-help groups and corporate settings as a heuristic exercise.

When performing the exercise, subjects are given a list of 56 adjectives and pick five or six
that they feel describe their own personality. Peers of the subject are then given the same list,
and each pick five or six adjectives that describe the subject. These adjectives are then
mapped onto a grid.

An alternative mechanism for determining an individual's Johari Window is to plot the scores
from the Personal Effectiveness Scale (PES). The Scale comprises three factors : Self-
Disclosure, Openness to Feedback & Perceptiveness. The Self-Disclosure score is to be
plotted horizontally, whereas the Openness to Feedback score is to be plotted vertically. The
Johari Window formed naturally displays the sizes of the Open, Hidden, Blind Spot &
Unknown areas, the Dream Johari Window. The sizes of the areas in the Dream Johari
Window may be different from the sizes of the same areas in the current Johari Window. The
Dream Johari Window represents what an individual wants his/her personality to be like. The
individual having a Dream Johari Window identical to the current Johari Window may have a
balanced personality. The Perceptiveness score from the PES indicates how likely it is for the
individual to achieve the Dream Johari Window. For example, a LOW score on the PES
indicates less possibility of transition.

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Open: Adjectives that are selected by both the participant and his or her peers are placed into
the Open quadrant. This quadrant represents traits of the subjects that both they and their
peers are aware of.

Hidden: Adjectives selected only by subjects, but not by any of their peers, are placed into
the Hidden quadrant, representing information about them their peers are unaware of. It is
then up to the subject to disclose this information or not.

Blind Spot: Adjectives that are not selected by subjects but only by their peers are placed
into the Blind Spot quadrant. These represent information that the subject is not aware of, but
others are, and they can decide whether and how to inform the individual about these "blind
spots".

Unknown: Adjectives that were not selected by either subjects or their peers remain in
the Unknown quadrant, representing the participant's behaviors or motives that were not
recognized by anyone participating. This may be because they do not apply or because there
is collective ignorance of the existence of these traits.

Lesson 15 Emotional Intelligence

Meaning of Emotional Intelligence:

In recent years, a growing group of psychologists has come to the conclusion that the old
concept of IQ (intelligence quotient) revolved around a narrow band of linguistic and math
skills and doing well in IQ tests was most directly a predictor of success in academics but less
so as life‘s paths diverged from academic fields.

These psychologists have taken a wider view of intelligence, trying to reinvent it in terms of
what it takes to lead life successfully. In fact, one psychologist Daniel Goleman (1995, 1988)
has argued strongly that this other kind of intelligence is more important for a happy,
productive life than IQ. Goleman terms this kind of intelligence as Emotional Intelligence (or
EQ in short) and defines it as:

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―Emotional intelligence is a cluster of traits or abilities relating to the emotional side of life-
abilities such as recognizing and managing one‘s own emotions, being able to motivate
oneself and restrain one‘s impulses, recognizing and managing other‘s emotions and handling
interpersonal relationships in an effective manner.‖

Components of Emotional Intelligence

(i) Knowing our Own Emotions (Self Awareness):

Recognizing a feeling as it happens is the keystone of emotional intelligence. The ability to

monitor feelings from moment to moment is crucial to psychological insight and self
understanding. An inability to notice our own true feelings leaves us at their mercy. People
with greater certainty about their feelings are better pilots of their lives having a sure sense of
how they really feel about personal decisions.

To the extent, individuals are not aware about their own feelings, they cannot make
intelligent choices. Moreover since such persons aren‘t aware of their own emotions, they are
often low in expressiveness, they don‘t show their feelings clearly through facial expressions,
body language or other cues most of use to recognize other‘s feelings. This can have adverse
effects on their interpersonal relationships, because other people find it hard to know how
they are feeling or reacting. For these reasons, self awareness seems to be quite important.

ii) Managing our Own Emotions:

Handling feelings so that they are appropriate is an ability that builds on self awareness. This
component will examine the capacity to soothe oneself, to shake off rampant anxiety, gloom
or irritability and the consequence of failure at this basic emotional skill. People who are poor
in this ability are constantly battling feeling of distress, while those who excel in it can
bounce back far more quickly from life‘s setbacks and upsets.

Managing our own emotions is very important both for our own mental health and from the
point of view of interacting effectively with others. For example, consider those people who
cannot control their temper. Are they bound for success and a happy life? No, they will
probably be avoided by many people and will not get the jobs, promotions or lovers and
friends they want.

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(iii) Motivating Ourselves:

Thomas Edison, the famous inventor, once remarked ―Success is two percent inspiration and
ninety eight percent perspiration‖. While inspiration or creativity is certainly important, but
by perspiration we would mean more than simply hard-work. Marshalling emotions in the
service of a goal is essential for paying attention, for self motivation and mastery and for
creativity. Emotional self control-delaying gratification and stifling impulsiveness-underlies
accomplishment of every sort. Being able to get into the ‗flow‘ state enables. Outstanding
performance of all kinds. People who have this skill tend to be more highly productive and
effective in whatever they undertake.

(iv) Recognizing the Emotions of others:

Another component of emotional intelligence is the ability to read others accurately to

recognize the mood they are in and what emotion they are experiencing. This skill is valuable
in many practical settings. For example, if you can accurately judge the other person‘s current
mood, you can tell whether it is the right time to ask him or her for a favour. Similarly,
people who are skilled at generating strong emotions in others are often highly successful in
such fields such as sales and politics. They can get other people to feel what they want them
to feel

v) Handling Relationships:

The art of relationships is, in large part, skill in managing emotions in others. Some people
seem to have a knack for getting along with others, most people who meet these people like
them and as a result they have many friends and often enjoy high level of success in their
careers.

These are the abilities which ensure popularity, leadership and interpersonal effectiveness.
People who excel in these skills do well in anything that relies on interacting smoothly with
others. They are social stars. In contrast to these, there are some others, who seem to make a
mess of virtually all their personal relationships. According to Goleman, such differences are
another reflection of differences in emotional intelligence or as some researchers would
phrase it, differences in interpersonal intelligence.

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Interpersonal intelligence involves such skills as being able to co-ordinate the efforts of many
people and to negotiate solutions to complex interpersonal problems, being good at giving
others feedback that does not make them angry or resentful and being a team player. Again
these skills are distinct from the ones needed for getting good grades or scoring high on tests
of intelligence, but they play a very important role in important life outcomes.

Emotional Intelligence in Practice:

People differ in their abilities in each of the above mentioned components of emotional
intelligence. Some of us may be quite adept at handling say, our own anxiety, but relatively
inept at soothing someone else‘s upsets. The underlying basis of our level of ability is no
doubt, neutral but as we will see, the brain in remarkably elastic constantly learning. Lapses
in emotional skills can be remedied: to a great extent each of these components represents a
body of habit and response and that with the right effort can be improved upon.

Evidence on the Existence of Emotional Intelligence and Affects:

Researchers have put the concept of emotional intelligence to test, trying to determine
whether the distinct skills described by Goleman cluster together as a single factor and
whether this factor influences important life outcomes.

At present, we do not have adequate methods for measuring all aspects of emotional
intelligence. Further, these components may, in fact, be somewhat independent of each other.
Thus we may not be able to assign individuals a single overall EQ score comparable to the
single IQ score yielded by many intelligence tests. In a sense, though, this is not surprising.
After all, the more, the psychologists study intelligence, the more they recognize that it
probably consists of a number of distinct components—Verbal, Spatial, Speed of‖ processing
and many others.

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Importance of emotional Intelligence

Emotional Intelligence for a Better World

One of the key elements of heightening our EI is in reading and understanding body
language. Our knowledge expands with experience, but it is vital to developing empathy. So
– in an age when social interaction loses face-to-face value – more than ever we need to focus
on EI and empathy. Luckily, social media is creating a new type of empathyby allowing users
to be more exposed to views and ideas that are not their own. Still, it‘s imperative that we
hone our emotional understanding of others and situations around us.

Without a heightened empathy, we may be more prone to arguments, aggression, and even
violent actions towards others. This is especially telling in our current state; with shootings,
anger, racial tension, and political divide. All of it can boil down to a simple lack of
understanding or lack of empathy. Focusing our education system and businesses on
emotional intelligence might seem a simple solution, but the true change starts with us.

We can make the world a better place if we shift focus from rational thinking to emotional
thinking. By increasing our emotional intelligence in our own lives we may make a huge
impact just within our community. Through empathy, understanding, and acceptance of
differences, we can make an important change in our worldview that can create a ripple effect
for all those around us.

 Home
 Magazine
 Emotional intelligence: Boosting Your Emotional Quotient (EQ)

Emotional Quotient (EQ) refers to the capacity of an individual to understand others, what
drives them, what makes them tick, and how they can work in liaison with them.

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In this article we explore the historical development and categories of emotional quotient,
its importance, as well as the ways in which anyone can boost their EQ.

HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF EMOTIONAL QUOTIENT

Daniel Goleman published his first book in 1995 and ever since Emotional Quotient (EQ) has
become one of the most discussed topics in the corporate world. The term ‗Emotional
Quotient‘ is sometimes used interchangeably with ‗Emotional Intelligence‘.

It has become a widely accepted opinion that Emotional Quotient (EQ) is much more
important than actual intelligence (IQ) when it comes to securing success in one‘s life or
career.

In our different professions today, especially in the business world, success is highly
determined by one‘s ability to read people‘s cues and react in an appropriate manner towards
them.

For this reason, we must reinforce mature Emotional Quotient skills in order to understand,
negotiate, and empathize with other people especially in a time when the world is expanding
into a global economy containing diverse people with diverse backgrounds. Failure to comply
with these changing times implies an invitation of failure not only in our business endeavors
but also in our personal lives.

CATEGORIES OF EMOTIONAL QUOTIENT (EQ)

There are five main categories of EQ skills that have been acknowledged by researchers and
scholars alike. These are as illustrated below.

The very first category is Self-Awareness. Self awareness is the ability to accurately perceive
an emotion as it is happening in real time. The development of self awareness demands that
an individual deeply tunes into their own feelings. Once a person truly and accurately
evaluates their emotions they are in a position to manage them.

As such, the elements of self awareness are:

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  Emotional Awareness, which is one‘s ability to recognize their own emotions as well
as the effects of those emotions.
 Self Confidence, which is the sureness in one‘s own self worth and abilities.

The second category in EQ skills is Self-Regulation. It is agreeable that as human beings, we

have little control of when we experience which emotions and how. It is, however, possible
for an individual to determine how long they let an emotion last by implementing a number
of approaches to diminish negative emotions such as anger, depression, and anxiety. Some of
these approaches may entail activities such as meditating, envisioning the situation in positive
light as opposed to a negative one, taking walks, and even praying.

Like self awareness, self regulation has several elements:

 Self Control, which is the proper managing of disruptive compulsions.

 Trustworthiness, which is the art of maintaining a high standard of integrity within
oneself despite the adverse situation at hand.
 Conscientiousness is an additional element of self regulation which entails taking total
responsibility for one‘s actions and reactions.
 Adaptability, which implies one‘s ability to be flexible; and finally there is
Innovation, which is being open to new ideas and approaches.

The third category in EQ skills is Motivation. The ability to motivate oneself for the
achievement of any particular goals while maintaining a positive attitude is an important
aspect of mastering Emotional Quotient. Although different individuals naturally vary in their
propensity towards a positive or negative attitude, one can, with effort, condition their mind
to adopt a positive predisposition. This is made possible by habitually catching negative
thoughts as they materialize and reframing them more positively, which ultimately helps one
achieve their goal.

Motivation has the following elements:

 Drive for Achievement, which is an individual‘s consistent propulsion towards

excellence.
 Commitment is the second element and refers to one‘s devotion to their goals or cause
or those of the business or organization.

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  Initiative, which is the individual‘s preparedness to act in the face of an opportunity.
 Optimism that pushes one to remain persistent despite facing hurdles or setbacks.

Empathy is the fourth EQ skills category and it entails the ability to recognize how people
feel. Empathy is a quality that is not only important in business, but in life as well. It is only
logical that the more skillful a person is at discerning other‘s feelings, the more skillful they
will be at controlling the kind of signals that they send back.

Empathetic individuals often display excellent performance in the following things:

 Service Orientation in terms of anticipating the client‘s needs and meeting them
promptly.
 Inspiring Others, which comes as a result of recognizing people‘s weak points and,
hence, reinforcing their abilities and inspiring growth.
 Political Awareness, which refers to reading emotional cues in group settings and
how to make a connection and establish relationships.

The fifth category skill necessary for mastering EQ is People Skills. Great interpersonal
skills are directly proportional to success in business and beyond. In the world we live in,
where people are in constant connection and communication, it has become even more
important to posses people skills and EQ skills as a whole in order to be in a position to
understand, negotiate, and empathize with others people in the global economy. Some the
most important people skills are influencing others, communication expertise, leadership,
team playing, cooperation and collaboration among peers, conflict management abilities,
among others.

IMPORTANCE OF EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

It is not the smartest individuals that are the most successful or fulfilled in life. I am sure you
can think of one person who is academically brilliant but almost completely handicapped
socially, unsuccessful career-wise, or failing in personal relationships. Intelligence (IQ) alone
is inadequate in establishing a successful life. Undeniably, IQ will earn you impressive
credits and get you into the best schools, but emotional quotient helps you manage stress and

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emotions during demanding exam periods. Without EQ, IQ might fall to waste and end up
being nullified. EQ is important for several reasons described as follows.

First and foremost, mastering emotional quotient is important for Work Performance. EQ is
what enables an individual to maneuver through various social complexities at the workplace;
lead, inspire, influence, motivate peers, and ultimately succeed in one‘s career. As a matter of
fact, most business and companies these days emphasize more on the EQ of their employees
than their IQ.

Emotional Quotient is also important for one‘s Physical Wellbeing. If an individual is not
being able to manage their emotions, they are in all probability doing an equally bad job at
managing their stress levels too, which can manifest in the form of serious health issues.
Uncontrolled stress levels have been known to raise blood pressure, repress the immune
system, increase heart attack and stroke risk, catalyze infertility, as well as speed up ones
ageing.

EQ is also important in keeping a healthy balance in one‘s Mental Health. Unmanaged stress
levels also have a grave and adverse impact on ones mental health, making them vulnerable
to anger, depression, and anxiety. If a person is unable to understand, find comfort, and
manage their emotions, the they will often find that they are incapable of forming strong
bonds with others, which can leave them feeling isolated; leading us to the next point.

Relationships. Relationships are a fundamental and unavoidable aspect of every sector of our
lives. EQ is important for the healthy development and growth of healthy relationships. This
is because understanding one‘s emotions and how they can be controlled makes an individual
better at expressing how they feel as well as understanding how others feel. This paves way
for an avenue of open and effective communication that forges strong relationships, not only
at work but in one‘s personal life.

Watch this great talk on how good leaders become great using emotional intelligence.

It is not the smartest individuals that are the most successful or fulfilled in life. I am sure you
can think of one person who is academically brilliant but almost completely handicapped
socially, unsuccessful career-wise, or failing in personal relationships. Intelligence (IQ) alone

89
is inadequate in establishing a successful life. Undeniably, IQ will earn you impressive
credits and get you into the best schools, but emotional quotient helps you manage stress and
emotions during demanding exam periods. Without EQ, IQ might fall to waste and end up
being nullified. EQ is important for several reasons described as follows.

First and foremost, mastering emotional quotient is important for Work Performance. EQ is
what enables an individual to maneuver through various social complexities at the workplace;
lead, inspire, influence, motivate peers, and ultimately succeed in one‘s career. As a matter of
fact, most business and companies these days emphasize more on the EQ of their employees
than their IQ.

Emotional Quotient is also important for one‘s Physical Wellbeing. If an individual is not
being able to manage their emotions, they are in all probability doing an equally bad job at
managing their stress levels too, which can manifest in the form of serious health issues.
Uncontrolled stress levels have been known to raise blood pressure, repress the immune
system, increase heart attack and stroke risk, catalyze infertility, as well as speed up ones
ageing.

EQ is also important in keeping a healthy balance in one‘s Mental Health. Unmanaged stress
levels also have a grave and adverse impact on ones mental health, making them vulnerable
to anger, depression, and anxiety. If a person is unable to understand, find comfort, and
manage their emotions, the they will often find that they are incapable of forming strong
bonds with others, which can leave them feeling isolated; leading us to the next point.

Relationships. Relationships are a fundamental and unavoidable aspect of every sector of our
lives. EQ is important for the healthy development and growth of healthy relationships. This
is because understanding one‘s emotions and how they can be controlled makes an individual
better at expressing how they feel as well as understanding how others feel. This paves way
for an avenue of open and effective communication that forges strong relationships, not only
at work but in one‘s personal life.

Watch this great talk on how good leaders become great using emotional intelligence.

90
BOOSTING YOUR EMOTIONAL QUOTIENT

There are several measures that have been proven to improve one‘s Emotional Quotient once
adhered to. These measures are:

Reduction of Negative Emotions

This is perhaps the most important aspect of EQ. This is because it is paramount that one be
in control of their emotions in order to ensure that they do not affect their judgment. In order
for an individual to be in a position to change how they feel about a certain situation, they
must first be able to change how they think about it.

Reduction of negative emotions begins with the Reduction of Negative Embodiments. This
refers to situations where one feels adversely towards another person or their actions. In such
a situation, it is important to avoid negative conclusions in your mind as much as possible.
Rather, practice the art of viewing a situation through multiple dimensions prior to reacting to
it.

For example, it may be tempting to conclude that a certain colleague failed to return my
phone call because they are ignoring me but it would be better to conclude that they are
caught up and they will phone back whenever they can. When one avoids taking other
people‘s actions personally, they are able to look at those actions from an objective point of
view. Note that people‘s actions are inspired by their own selves more than they are by us;
this perception widens your perspective and reduces the possibility and occurrence of
misunderstandings.

Additionally, Reducing Fear of Rejection drives away negative emotions and boosts your EQ.
One sure way to reduce fear of rejection is by availing multiple options for yourself in crucial
situations. This is to ensure that no matter what the outcome may be, there are equally strong
options at your disposal. This will eliminate any negative emotions such as anxiety or
depression.

For example, if you are applying for a dream job, apply in numerous different organizations;
therefore, if one does not work out, the other options may still be open to you, hence relieving
you of a lot of angst.

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Staying Calm and Managing Stress

We all experience stress, be it at different levels. How you handle stressful scenarios is what
determines whether you are an assertive or a reactive person; a poised or an unstable person.
When under any kind of pressure, your most important asset is your ability to keep a level
head.

EQ is the ability to stay calm while handling extremely stressful situations. There are various
practices that can be employed to keep yourself calm, for example, avoiding caffeinated
beverages that may heighten your nervousness; instead, maintaining a cool temperature
around yourself may be far more effective in reducing one‘s anxiety or nervousness.

In addition, exercise is a great stress reliever and helps reduce your physical tension,
energizes you, keeps you collected, and enables you to deal with stressful situations in the
calmest way possible; thereby boosting your EQ in the process.

Remaining Assertive and Expressing Difficult Emotions

As much as it is good to get along with the people we interact with, to develop healthy
emotional quotient, you also need to be assertive and expressive and be able to set
appropriate boundaries in order for people to understand where you stand in when you
encounter one another.

This entails exercising your right to disagree without necessarily being disagreeable, or being
able to say ‗no‘ where appropriate without having to feel guilty. Boosting EQ demands that
one set their own priorities and protecting oneself from any forms of duress or harm.

As an additional pointer; when being assertive, it is important to avoid framing statements in

such a way that they come off as accusations or judgments because they automatically put the
recipient on the defensive, which may result in an unnecessary altercation.

Trusting Others

Each individual, no matter how socially inept, has at least one person that they have given
they trust and who almost understands them as intimately as they understand themselves.

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In scenarios that are stressful, and in situations where you feel overwhelmed by the pressure,
it helps to reach out to that individual and ask for a perspective beyond your own; an
objective perspective.

This activity will eventually train you to handle situations in an objective manner, hence
boosting your emotional quotient even without your awareness.

Constantly trying to handle stressful situations on your own is not independence, it is

limiting. It leads to a situation where you are never open to other approaches but your own;
therefore, hampering any form of growth in your EQ. Often, all it takes is an external opinion
to work through a scenario that is ongoing in your mind.

Bouncing Back from Adversity

Understand that life is not necessarily easy; at least not all the time, and how we choose to
feel or act in response to life‘s challenges can makes all the difference between optimism and
frustration; hope and despair; victory and defeat. It is important that you look at every
situation, especially the negative ones, as a learning experience. Ask yourself, ―How can I do
better?‖ ―What have I Learnt?‖ In the immortal words of Thomas Edison, ―I have not failed; I
have found ten thousand ways that do not work.‖ Thomas A. Edison went on to invent the
light bulb. Adopting this perception on life is one of the strongest ways to boost your EQ and
go on to live a successful and fulfilling life.

Develop a Genuine Interest in the People around You

Another way to boost your emotional quotient is by learning to develop a genuine and keen
interest in the people and the world around you.

For example, in a work environment you should not only strive to learn the names of
everyone you interact with but reach out to them and strive to learn as much as possible about
them. It is proven that there is a satisfaction or fulfillment that human beings draw from
establishing meaningful connections and relationships with others.

Showing genuinely friendly interest in the lives of colleagues or associates is not only
advantageous to you but to them too. When you reach out to people, they feel valued as
human beings and not mere cogs in a machine.

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The kind of fulfillment drawn from making such a connection or relationship, therefore, is
experienced by two parties and can act as a stress reliever, drive away any feelings of
anxiousness or depression, improve productivity, and ultimately boost EQ levels.

Lesson 16 Stress Management

Introduction to Stress

Stress is a part of day-to-day living. It is a common human phenomenon and part of life. As
college students you may experience stress meeting academic demands, adjusting to a new
living environment, or developing friendships. The stress you experience is not necessarily
harmful. Mild forms of stress can act as a motivator and energiser. However, if your stress level
is too high, medical and social problems can result.
Work for most call centre staff involves deadlines to meet, targets to reach and problems to
solve on a daily basis. The reality of working in the 21st Century, however, means that these
deadlines are often moved, targets become ever more challenging and despite the promise of
empowering workplaces, many individuals feel a loss of control over their daily lives. Everyone
in his or her job, at some time experiences pressure. Too much pressure over a sustained period
can however result in stress, that is, unless it is managed properly. Stress has been called the
„invisible disease‟ and can affect you, your employer, your colleagues and those closest to you.
It is important therefore that you understand what it is and how you can manage your working
life in order to minimise its occurrence.

Definition

Hans Selye was one of the founding fathers of stress research. His view in 1956 was that
―stress is not necessarily something bad – it all depends on how you take it. The stress of
exhilarating, creative, successful work is beneficial; while that of failure, humiliation or
infection is detrimental.‖ Selye believed that the biochemical effects of stress would be
experienced irrespective of whether the situation was positive or negative.
Since then, a great deal of further research has been conducted, and ideas have moved on.
Stress is now viewed as a "bad thing", with a range of harmful biochemical and long-term
effects. These effects have rarely been observed in positive situations.
The most commonly accepted definition of stress (mainly attributed to Richard S Lazarus) is
that stress is a condition or feeling experienced when a person perceives that “demands
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exceed the personal and social resources the individual is able to mobilize.” In short, it's
what we feel when we think we've lost control of events.
Stress is the ―wear and tear‖, our minds and bodies experience as we attempt to cope with our
continually changing environment.
We can say,

S=P>R

Stress occurs when the pressure is

greater than the resource How can we
know that one is under stress?

These are the ways to recognize…

Typical symptoms of stress

Types of Stress

• Eustress refers to the stress that is induced from events that are perceived
to be good or positive (also referred to as the ―good stress‖). Examples
include starting college, getting married, or having a baby
• Distress refers to stress that is induced from events that are perceived to be
bad or negative (also referred to as ―bad stress‖). Examples include failing
an exam, fighting with a friend, or getting a speeding ticket.
• Hypostress refers to the stress that is induced from lack of stimulation or
boredom, which may not have any consequential effect.

Under distress we have three types of stress as described, in the order of increasing
intensity:

 Basic Stress
 Cumulative Stress
 Traumatic Stress

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 Basic Stress:
Every individual experiences basic, minor stress in daily situations that may produce tension,
frustration, irritation, anger, etc. A person's vulnerability (reaction) is largely determined by
one's physical and psychological strength or weakness at these times, and thus the level of
stress will vary accordingly. For example, a person who is ill, has not had enough sleep, or is
troubled or worried, etc., is likely to react more readily and more intensely. Personal
attributes which may contribute to one's reaction to stress are:

 Past experiences;
 Education;
 Professional skills;
 Philosophical approach to life;
 Age;
 Level of physical fitness; and
 Personal self-esteem.

Stress consumes physical, cognitive and emotional energy. Although it is natural to suffer some
degree of stress in difficult situations, in order to avoid disruption of a person's ability to
function properly, both physically and mentally, stress should not be allowed to accumulate to
a point where it cannot be controlled.

Cumulative Stress
Cumulative stress is the result of strain that occurs too often (FREQUENCY), lasts too long
(DURATION) and is too severe (INTENSITY). In these circumstances, distress leads to
exhaustion and other manifestations so that a person is unable to cope with the amount of
stress he/she is experiencing.
He/she may be assigned to work with colleagues that are not personally or culturally
compatible. In addition a person may be challenged by minor, irritating strains related to
unfamiliar or unpleasant situations. For example, difficulties related to housing (privacy,
shortages of water, heat/cold, noise, etc.); travel (risks, threats, tedious controls at checkpoints);
food (shortages, diet, illness); unfamiliar language and culture, etc.
A person may suffer the personal stress of being away from home, friends and loved ones, and
become lonely and vulnerable to the effects of permanent low grade stress, or even to acute

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traumatic stress. If cumulative stress is not cared for, it may lead to burn-out or flame-out,
which may precede other very serious stress disorders.

Burn-out:

Ongoing stress may result in burn-out, or professional and personal exhaustion. A person
suffering from burn-out will exhibit changed attitudes concerning his/her work & colleagues.
For example, a person suffering from burn-out will either avoid work or, more often, become
totally immersed in it and will exclude all other aspects of life. Usually there are signs of
depression, loss of self-confidence and/or self- esteem, diffused sadness, guilt and grief.

Flame-Out

In the case of a rapid onset burnout, particularly if the needs for periodic rest, proper food and
exercise are overlooked or ignored, the so-called flame-out phenomenon may result. Usually
this reaction to stress can be treated at once by instructing the person experiencing flame-out to
leave the scene temporarily, until he/ she has regained control/composure. Some symptoms of
flame-out are:
Intense fatigue, often associated with exhausting hyperactivity;
 Feelings of sadness, discouragement, depression; guilt, remorse; hopelessness;
 Failure to admit to a state of psychological exhaustion, and denial of any loss of
efficiency;
 Inability to objectively and accurately assess personal and professional
performance;
 Physical signs of exhaustion may also be experienced, e.g. fatigue;
headache; back pain; and stomach ulcer (called stress ulcer).

Traumatic Stress
Whereas cumulative stress increases over a period of time and at some point can be
recognized and arrested, traumatic stress is the result of a single, sudden and violent assault
which harms or threatens an individual or someone close to him or her, either physically or
psychologically. The following are examples of trauma which may be experienced in the
field:

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  Being a powerless spectator of violence, murder, large scale massacres,
epidemics, disasters or famines;
 Hearing first-hand reports of ill-treatment and torture;
 Direct or indirect intimidations and threats;
 Bombing of buildings; mining of roads;
 Attacks on vehicles and convoys;
 Armed attacks and robberies;
 Witnessing large-scale material destruction.

Although the range of emotional reactions to trauma is limited, such reactions may vary from
one individual to another. The time it takes for these reactions to appear, and their severity,
depends on the person's character and vulnerability at the time. The reaction(s) may appear
immediately, or after a few hours or days: this is acute stress disorder. Or the reaction(s) may
appear after a few months, or in rare cases, in a few years: this is post-traumatic stress
disorder (PTSD).
PTSD may be compared to a wound that will not heal naturally.
An individual with PTSD may, after a period of well-being, experience a delayed onset disorder
which generally can be recognized by several criteria:

 Persistent re-experiencing of the traumatic event;

 Avoiding association with any stimulus that is a reminder of the trauma;
 Symptoms of exaggerated alertness or caution and possibly inappropriate,
or even violent, reactions to threatening situations.

What Causes Stress?

Although we tend to think of stress as caused by external events, it is the way in which we
interpret and react to events that makes them stressful. People differ dramatically in the type of
events they interpret as stressful and the way in which they respond to such stress. For
example, speaking in public can be stressful for some people, and not for others. Also the type
and severity of stress response varies from one individual to another, according to their
personality, experience, motivation and the support they receive from managers, colleagues,
family and friends.

It‘s important to identify the causes of stress and try and deal with those causes as quickly as
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possible before the more serious symptoms of stress become apparent.

Change is stressful

Stress is often caused by a major life event. It might be divorce, a child leaving home, getting
pregnant, moving to a new home, changing jobs, finding out we are ill, moving school, going
to college and so on. When change happens quickly, it is likely to be more stressful. If you
have many changes to cope with at the same time, more stress is experienced.

Routine and daily causes of stress

We don‘t very often have a major change in our life but, other things are stressful too. Because
these small upsets occur so often, they often give us the most stress.

Examples of daily causes of stress are:

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 Relationships

 Problems with friends.

 Splitting up with a partner, girlfriend or boyfriend.
 Disagreements with members of the family.
 Rebellious teenagers.

Social

Environment

 Living in an unsafe neighbourhood.

 Noise.
 Pollution.
 Light at night.

 Overcrowding.

Internal

 Dissatisfied with work.

 Too much work.
 Conflicts with boss or teachers.
 Conflicts with colleagues or peers.

 Work too difficult.

  Poverty.
 Financial pressures.
 Racial and sexual
 Discrimination or harassment.
 Unemployment.
 Isolation.

 Lack of social support.

 Uncertainty or worries.
 Pessimistic attitude.
 Self-criticism.
 Unrealistic expectations or beliefs.
 Perfectionism.
 Low self-esteem.
 Excessive or unexpressed anger.

 Lack of assertiveness
Below are some common causes of stress at work.
JOB DEMANDS
 unrealistic or unclear expectations
 too much to do or too little time to complete assignments
 lack of challenge or job burn-out

 lack of input on how you do your job

 difficulty juggling work and family responsibilities

JOB SECURITY

 performance evaluation, raise, or salary cut

 financial cutbacks, reorganizations, hiring freezes, and lay-offs
 change in job responsibilities or classification
RELATIONS WITH YOUR SUPERVISOR AND CO-WORKERS

 poor communication or conflicts among staff

 inadequate support from supervisor or co-workers
 favoritism, differential treatment, or insensitivity
 loss of staff or staff turnover

When Stress Becomes Distress

Stress is a fact of everyday life. And, in fact, studies indicate that mild levels of stress actually
facilitate learning, probably because they help us to mobilize our energy and resources and
motivate us to do our best. But, what happens when stress is at a high level for a long time? We
are at risk for depression, anxiety and panic -- not to mention a whole host of physical ailments.

Learn to recognize stress overload by these warning signs:

Recognizing stress in yourself and others

Stress can present itself through a wide range of physical, behavioural and/or psychological
symptoms. Common symptoms include:

 Physical

Headaches; high blood pressure; sleep disturbances; nausea; tearfulness; muscular aches and
pains; susceptibility to infections with an increase in cold/flu type illnesses etc.

When stress is experienced over long periods the acute stress reaction may evolve into a
chronic condition with the associated concerns of: persistent high blood pressure; development
of digestive disorders e.g. stomach ulcers; there is also an increased risk of strokes and heart
attacks.

 Behavioural

Poor concentration; memory loss; irritability; substance abuse (i.e. increase in intake of
alcohol, coffee, tobacco); lateness; an increase in absenteeism; reduced work performance;
more accidents at work and at home; an inability to achieve a good performance at work
despite good intentions and plans; withdrawal from usual social contacts.

 Psychogicalical

Depression; misplaced anxiety; apathy; lack of motivation; poor concentration and memory;
low self esteem; fear of failure.

Consolidating all the information:

 •Stage 1: Alarm Reaction

Perceived threat, drop in BP, muscle tension, the body prepares for confrontation.

•Stage 2: Resistance

Chemical production
Body keeps up defences, but becomes vulnerable.

•Stage 3 : Exhaustion

Body begins to manifest signs of prolonged hormone secretion, in need of recovery

e.g low blood sugar, kidney damage, low hormone levels.

What Does and Doesn’t Work

What doesn‘t work to manage stress? Drugs and alcohol may help suppress or mask certain
symptoms in the short-term, but they do nothing in helping us deal with the sources of the
stress itself and of course can be self-destructive in the long run. Catharsis -- screaming into a
pillow or playing aggressive video games -- doesn‘t work any better and can actually increase
some people‘s feelings of anger and aggression. While stress can't be eliminated, it can be
managed so that it's not a destructive force in our lives. The first strategy, wherever possible, is
to remove the stressor from your life, or to remove yourself from the stressor. In other words,
change what you can! Get rid of small irritations; end damaging relationships; drop from five
courses to four. The second option is to change your response and/or your interpretation of the
situation. Because part of the source of stress in any situation lies in our attitudes and beliefs,
we can never really run away from it. Thus, a good formula for coping with stress involves
striking a balance between changing our environment and changing ourselves.

Simple means to cope with Stress

Remember our goal is not to eliminate stress but to learn how to manage it and learn how to
use it to help us. Insufficient stress acts as a depressant and may leave us feeling bored or
dejected. On the other hand, excessive stress may leave us feeling tied up in knots. What we
need to do is to find the optimal level of stress which will individually motivate but not
overwhelm each of us.
Stress reduction/management
If any of the aforementioned relate to you, the following solutions may help reduce or make
you more resilient to stress:

Identify personal stressors

If you can, work out what in particular stresses you are and explore some practical ways to
minimize the cause. There may be some issues you cannot change immediately, but there may
be others you can alter or avoid.
Individual approach
Positive Ways to Cope with Stress

1. Exercise! Whether you garden, roller-blade or do yoga, physical activity is

one of the best methods to relieve stress and strengthen your body to
withstand its effects.
2. Escape -- for awhile. Get away from whatever is causing the tension. Lose
yourself in a book or take a bath so you can calm down and come back to
deal effectively with the situation.
3. Eliminate small hassles wherever possible. Don't shop at the busiest time.
Buy a bus pass if you‘re always short of change when the bus comes.
4. Breathe! Take time out to practice slow breathing. As you exhale very
slowly say the word "relax" or "calm." As the air expires, let the body relax.
5. Try relaxation or meditation. Consider taking a course to learn these
techniques. Or, make an appointment with a counsellor to learn the basics.
6. Be realistic. Don't try to be superhuman: be realistic and don‘t expect too
much from yourself. Make a good effort, but don't try to achieve the
impossible.
7. Draw on spirituality. If you draw strength from your spirituality, make
time for it. It may fortify you to cope with stressful demands or help you to
put things into perspective.
8. Set priorities and goals. Managing your time well reduces stress! When
 you‘re overwhelmed, take time to figure out what your priorities are. Then,
break down intimidating projects into smaller steps. Devising and sticking
to a weekly schedule can also help.
9. Take time for you. Plan a little time each day for fun and recreation,
whether your thing is playing the guitar, reading trashy novels or playing
pinball. You‘ll find that it will help you deal with stress and so, in the long
run, it will help your studies!
10. Note the positive. Take time to consciously reflect on and even write down
or all the things that are good in your life. This can help keep you grounded
as the tornado whirls around you.
11. Laugh! Whether you play charades with friends or watch Mr. Bean reruns
(whatever makes you giggle), research shows that laughing is an excellent
way to cope with stress.
12. Talk to others. Don't bottle up your feelings, reach out to those you trust: a
friend or family members. Talking may not take the source of your stress
away, but it can help you to put it into perspective, reduce your anxiety and
come up with some solutions.

UNIT-V

Lesson 17 Social Graces

Social graces are skills used to interact politely in social situations. They include
manners, etiquette (the specifically accepted rules within a culture for the application of
universal manners), deportment, fashion and refinement because you have many things
to say doesn't mean you're entitled to dominate every conversation, constantly interrupt
others when they're talking, or engage in loud, abrasive arguments if someone disagrees
with you. If you are a socially refined person, you understand why you have one mouth
and two ears and use them accordingly to encourage others, keep an open mind, eschew
gossip and practice discretion. The authors of "Social Graces: Manners, Conversation,
and Charm for Today" advise that you not only avoid controversial topics when
meeting others for the first time but that you steer clear as well of personal questions
that might make them uncomfortable. If you inadvertently offend someone or make a
mistake, the socially responsible thing to do is apologize as soon as possible.
SOCIAL GRACE AT WORK

Socially correct behavior is all about observing The Golden Rule you learned in childhood --
treating others the way you want to be treated. This means acknowledging their presence with
a pleasant greeting, always remembering to say "please" and "thank you," respecting their
privacy, opinions and possessions, and being a thoughtful and considerate guest, whether it is
for a dinner or a weekend stay. Opening doors, giving up your seat on public transportation or
simply lending a helpful hand to someone in need without anyone asking are all
demonstrations of proper manners. To this etiquette list is added the necessity of giving
others your undivided attention by not texting, taking or making cell phone calls, or reading a
book while they're trying to interact wit

ACQURING SOCIAL GRACE

How you behave in the privacy of your home is often different from how you act once you
step outside your front door. Social graces dictate your being mindful of how others perceive
both you and your actions. Talking or yelling loudly, engaging in inappropriate displays of
affection, spitting on sidewalks, littering, playing loud music, swearing or cutting ahead of
others in lines are all discourteous behaviors. If you travel abroad, you must also follow the
codes of conduct observed by other cultures. Consider your physical appearance as well.
Dressing inappropriately and/or smelling badly are not the trademarks of a well-bred person.
No matter your age, education or social status, modesty and cleanliness are always in fashion.

Everyone likes to know they are appreciated for kindnesses they have performed, writes
Peggy Post, author of "Emily Post's Etiquette." Whether it's a card, a present or a favor,
there's no excuse for not taking the time to express what it meant to you. In an earlier era, this
was by way of a handwritten note. The advent of technology, however, has reduced this
simple courtesy to emails, voice mails, text messages or, sadly, no "thank you" at all. No
matter how busy you are, keep in mind it will probably take you less time to compose a
thoughtful response than it took your recipient to do the kind deed initially. Another
important tradition that has fallen by the wayside is the gracious acknowledgment of social
invitations. Never leave your host hanging by failing to RSVP or, worse, bringing along
uninvited guests.
Lesson 18 Table Manners

If you dine with other people, focus on making it a pleasant experience for everyone at the
table. They may not act pernickety if you accidentally use the wrong fork. However, they will
notice if you talk with your mouth full, chew with your mouth open, park your elbows on the
table, take more food than everyone else, burp, belch and slurp, or do a farmhouse reach
across the table for something rather than asking someone to please pass it to you. They'll
also notice if you're rude to the wait staff, wad up your cloth napkin and plunk it on top of the
remains of your meal, floss your teeth, leave the table without requesting to be excused, or --
if you're a male -- sit down before all of the ladies sit first.

The food arrives at different times. If a significant time elapses between the arrival of the
respective diners' hot dishes, the host (or if there is none, the other diners) should urge the
first who have been served to go ahead and eat. If everyone is having cold dishes, follow the
rule of waiting until everyone is served.

You want to send food back. As a rule, send a dish back only if it isn't what you ordered; it
isn't cooked to order (a supposedly medium-well fillet arrives bleeding, for instance); it tastes
spoiled; or you discover a hair or a pest. Just speak calmly and quietly to the server when
making the request.

Your side dishes come separately. When vegetables are served in individual small dishes, it's
perfectly proper to eat them directly from the dish. Or, if you choose to transfer the food to
your dinner plate, use a fork or spoon to carefully slide them onto the plate. You could also
ask your server to transfer the side dish to your plate when he brings it. If necessary, ask for
the empty dishes to be removed so that the table isn't overcrowded.

You want to taste one another's food. Accepting another person's offer to taste a morsel of his
dish –or offering a bite of yours- is fine as long as it's handled unobtrusively. Either pass your
bread plate to the person so he can put a spoonful on it or (if he's sitting close by) hold your
plate toward him so that he can put the morsel on the edge. Do not hold a forkful of food to
another diner's mouth, and don't ever spear something off the plate of anyone else.

You're faced with unfamiliar foods. If a food you're not sure how to eat comes on a platter of
appetizers -a type of sushi, perhaps, or crab in the shell- you, as a polite diner, have three
choices of how to proceed: (1) Wait until someone else starts to eat and follow suit. (2) Ask
how the food should be eaten (fingers or fork, for example). (3) Avoid the food altogether.
Only the ill-mannered diner cries, "Ewww . . . what's that?"

You're not sure how to rest your utensils. During the meal, never place a fork or spoon you've
been using directly on the table. Instead, place the utensil diagonally on the edge of your
plate, not propped against it like an oar. In fact, how you place your utensils on your plate is a
code to the waiter, letting him know whether you have finished a course.

Leftover Food

When you have food left over that you don't want to go to waste, it's usually acceptable to ask
for a doggy bag-today, often a lidded container slipped into a small paper bag. When not to
request one? First, at most business meals. (If you're dining with a business associate who's a
close friend, it's fine to request a bag if you're going Dutch-but if she's the host, leave leftover
food behind.) Second, at a wedding reception or other special function.

Condiments

Condiments range from salt and pepper to the individual small dishes that accompany
Chinese, Indian, and other ethnic foods.

Fruit and Cheese

It's possible that a fruit course may be served at some point during the meal-either with the
salad, after the main course (in that case, often with cheese), or as dessert.

The days of peeling your own fruit are largely past, but a whole fruit should be quartered, cut
up, and eaten with a knife and fork. Cheese, seen on the menu in many upscale restaurants, is
served before the dessert course. The server female will either bring a tray of cheeses or
wheel out a cart, suggesting the most suitable choices. Slices of different types are then
arranged on a separate plate (often cantered with a piece of fruit, a wedge of fig, or plum
cake) for each diner. While the cheese can be eaten on bread, the full flavour comes through
if you eat it with a knife and fork. Start with the milder cheeses and progress to the strongest.
Dessert

In some place settings, a dessert spoon and fork are placed horizontally above the dinner
plate. Use the fork for eating and the spoon as a pusher-or vice versa, depending on the
softness of the dessert.

Coffee and Tea

If a waiter places a pot of coffee or tea on the table but doesn't pour, the person near the pot
should offer to do the honours, filling her own cup last. Two other points:

Do not take ice from your water glass to cool a hot drink. Just be patient.

Do not dunk doughnuts, biscotti, or anything else into your coffee.

Hot Towels

In some upscale restaurants, steamed hand towels are brought to diners at the end of the meal.
Use the towel to wipe your hands and, if necessary, the area around your mouth. (Wiping the
back of your neck or behind your ears is best not done in a restaurant.) Most waiters will take
the towel away as soon as you've finished, If not, leave the towel at the left of your plate, on
top of your loosely folded napkin.

Excusing Yourself

When you need to get up to go to the restroom, it isn't necessary to say where you're going-a
simple "Excuse me, please; I'll be right back" is sufficient. At other times, a brief explanation
is in order: "Please excuse me while I check with the babysitter." Leaving without a word is
rude.

Grooming at the Table

In most circumstances, it is more polite to excuse yourself and put on lipstick in the ladies'
room than to do it at the table. The exception is when the restaurant has an informal
atmosphere and you're among friends, in which case you can apply the lipstick quickly. What
you should avoid is a primping routine--no compact, no powder. And then there's that never-
to-be-broken rule: Whether you're a man or a woman, don't use a comb at a restaurant table,
nor should you rearrange your hair or put your hands to it wherever food is served. Using
dental floss at the table is a major never-ever. Believe it or not, some people have no qualms
about doing something so private in public.

A lot can happen over coffee and dinner, but not if you have poor table manners! Yes, you
get judged even at the dining table, whether you are meeting someone at a cafe, attending a
sit-down dinner party at a friend‘s home, or dining at a fancy restaurant. So, knowing proper
etiquette is important to make a good impression.

Always wait for your host to guide you to your seat; he/she may already have seating
arrangements in mind. If you are the host, keep in mind to guide the guests to their seats. The
guest of honor will always be seated to the host‘s right and the second most important guest
to the host‘s left

Sit upright; do not slouch. Remember not to place your elbows on the table. Keep them by
your side so that you don‘t elbow the person sitting next to you.
Unfold the napkin and place it on your lap as soon as you are seated. Large napkins should
be unfolded halfway and small ones should be unfolded completely. Use the napkin
occasionally to pat your lips or the sides of the mouth. Remember not to make a scene out of
wiping your mouth with the napkin. Also, don‘t even think about blowing your nose into the
napkin. Excuse yourself from the table and go to the restroom if you do feel like blowing
your nose. When you get up from the table temporarily, leave the napkin on your chair. At
the end of the meal, loosely fold your napkin and place it to the left of the plate in front of
you. If there is no plate at the center of the place setting, it is appropriate to lay the napkin in
the center.

At a formal sit-down dinner, each course will be brought to you and placed to your left. At a
casual dinner, however, the food may be served by the host, or it may be passed around for
the guests to help themselves.

Before picking up the cutlery and digging into your meal, make sure everyone else has been
served. Wait for the cue from the host before you begin eating. Traditionally, the host has
the first bite after all the guests are seated and all the food is served.

Try to make as little noise as possible while cutting up and later chewing your food. Also,
keep your mouth closed while chewing. Although it is advised to take active part in the
dinner conversation, remember not to speak with food in your mouth. Swallow, take a sip of
your drink if need be, and then proceed with what you have to say.

The food is usually placed to the left of your plate and the drinks to your right. There‘s a
trick to remembering where the forks and spoons should go. Fork has four letters. So does
the word left. So, it goes to your left. Similarly, spoon and knife have five letters each, just
like the word right. So, they go on your right. The dessert spoon and fork are usually placed
at the top of your plate.

Another question that plagues many of us is how best to remember where the utensils are
placed and the specific function of each fork, spoon and glass. Each course has its own
utensils. Every piece of silver from the entrée fork to the dessert spoon may be placed in front
of you when you are seated, or they may arrive as each course is served.

The universal rule is to start using the cutlery from the outside and working your way inwards
as the meal progresses. If a salad is served to you first, start with the fork farthest from the
left side of your plate. The knife and fork closest to your dinner plate should be used for
eating the main course.

The continental style is usually followed both during formal and informal dinners. This
would involve holding the fork in the left hand with the tines facing down, and the knife in
the right hand with your index finger resting on the blunt side of the blade. Cut the food with
the knife and spear it with the fork to bring it to your mouth. Cut the food into bite-size
pieces. Remember not to cut it all up at one go. Also, do not lick the knife or put it in your
mouth. If the knife isn‘t needed, it can remain on the table. Remember to bring the food up
to where your mouth is, instead of leaning down to your plate. Even if you find it difficult to
load food onto your fork or spoon, refrain from using your fingers to push the food onto the
cutlery. It is also impolite to use the utensils to point or gesture at somebody or something.

No matter how hot your food is, when served, do not blow on it. Wait for it to cool down
before attempting to eat it.

When the basket of bread or rolls is passed to you, take only one. Never cut up bread
with the knife. Instead, break it using your hands. Butter the pieces one bite at a time
before placing them into your mouth with your hand.
Lesson 19 Dress code

MART CASUAL

Women: Wear a pencil skirt or dress pants, paired with a silk or button-down top and high
heels.

Men: Opt for dressy trousers, paired with a collared shirt and loafers.

When to wear it: office parties, happy hours, business luncheons.

DRESSY CASUAL

Women: Avoid wearing denim, tennis shoes, and cotton tees. Instead, opt for silk pants,
dress pants, or a skirt. Pair with a patent leather flat, or one with nice embellishments such as
a bow, buckle, or a print.

Men: Wear trousers and a dress shirt with a leather loafer, oxfords, or a slip-on shoe. Pair
with a blazer or sport coat. Avoid showing up with wrinkles or clothes one size too big, too
small, or in a non-coordinating color. A tie is optional.

When to wear it: church, dinner, or an invite received via phone or e-mail.

COUNTRY CLUB CASUAL

Women: Choose an open-necked or polo shirt. You can also opt for dresses and skirts with
minimal accessories.

Men: Wear an open-necked or polo shirt, paired with khakis. Accessorize with leather shoes
and a belt.

When to wear it: cruise lines, the country club, friend‘s home for dinner, nice restaurant.
BUSINESS CASUAL

Women: Put on a skirt, khakis, or dress pants paired with long sleeve or three-quarter sleeve
tops. A casual dress and flats are options as well.

Men: Wear a button-down or a polo shirt, paired with khakis, or dress pants. If you so desire,
layer with a v-neck sweater, a blazer, or a sport coat. A tie is optional.

When to wear it: company party, daily work attire, business lunch meetings.

COCKTAIL ATTIRE

Women: Wear a shorter dress with some frill. The classic little black dress makes for great
cocktail attire, and is the easiest to show your personality by accessorizing to suit your mood.

Men: Wear a dark suit, coat, and tie. Opting for dark jeans paired with a jacket and tie is also
acceptable at some cocktail events, depending on how casual the atmosphere is.

When to wear it: adult birthday parties, evening social events.

LOUNGE

Women: Wear a dress that would be appropriate for brunch or afternoon tea. It should fall
to, or slightly above, the knee, and not be too sparkly or low-cut. Incorporate a jacket or
shawl to cover the arms.

Men: Opt for a dark suit, paired with a French-cuffed, crisp white shirt. You can go with or
without a tie. Opting for a vest instead of a tie adds to the informality of the look.

When to wear it: daytime engagement parties, business breakfasts, afternoon tea.

WHITE TIE

Women: A floor-length ball gown is a must. Accessorize with opera length gloves,
glamorous jewels, and up-do hairstyles.
Men: Wear a short or waist length black tailcoat (tails should reach the back of your knees,)
white bow tie, starched white shirt, and a cummerbund (optional). Sport high-quality black
pants.

When to wear it: charity fundraisers, government ceremonies, weddings, the opera.

BLACK TIE

Women: Gussy up in a floor-length ball gown. A very dressy cocktail dress may be
acceptable depending on the venue of the event.

Men: Wear a dark suit or a tuxedo without tails. Pair with a white shirt and a tie, or a bow tie
with or without a vest and a cummerbund.

When to wear it: charity fundraisers, political dinner parties, weddings.

CREATIVE BLACK TIE

Women: Dress up in a long gown, cocktail dress, or snazzy separates. Accessorize with the
latest trends, such as feathers, sequins, sheer fabrics, and capes. Show off your personality
with every detail.

Men: Incorporate trendy prints in with your tie and a dressy shirt. Mix fabrics such as a silk
blazer and a dress shirt to create a formal, yet interesting, look.

When to wear it: galas, silent auctions, weddings, and formal dinners that have a fun
atmosphere.

WARM WEATHER BLACK TIE

Women: Wear a long gown with white gloves and minimal jewelry.

Men: Wear a white dinner jacket, in a worsted wool, gabardine, linen, or cotton fabric
material. Pair this with a white dress shirt, bow tie, a cummerbund, and nice black leather
shoes.
When to wear it: formal events that are held outdoors, such as a cruise line or country club
dinners, weddings, and galas.

BLACK TIE OPTIONAL

Women: Look glamorous in a long gown, cocktail dress, or luxurious separates. Accessorize
with items such as long gloves, clutches, and jewelry to top off the whole look.

Men: If you own a tuxedo, put it on. If not, wear a suit in a dark color such as charcoal or
black, paired with a white dress shirt, and a solid colored tie. Make sure patterns are kept to a
minimum and shoes are shined. Accessorize your look with a pocket square and cuff links.

 Dressing for Work

 Career Clothes
 Dress Essentials
 Dressing for Career Fairs
 Dressing Business Casual
 Home >
 Jobs + Internships >
 Appearance and Attire >

Dressing for Interviews

Before you say a single word to the interviewer, you have already made an impression based
on how you‘re dressed. The guidelines given here are commonly accepted as appropriate for
interviewing. Every company has a different dress code; how you dress at the job may have
very little to do with how you dress for an interview.

Men

 Dress in a manner that is professionally appropriate to the position for which you are
applying. In almost all cases, this means wearing a suit. It is rarely appropriate to
 ―dress down‖ for an interview, regardless of company dress code policy. When in
doubt, go conservative.
 You should wear a suit to interviews. ―Suit‖ means the works: a matching jacket and
pants, dress shirt, tie, coordinating socks and dress shoes. A dark-colored suit with
light colored shirt is your best option.
 Your suit should be comfortable and fit you well so that you look and act your best.
There is a difference between not yet feeling at ease in a suit and trying to fit into the
same suit you wore to your sister‘s wedding when you were 15. (In the latter case, it‘s
time to invest in a new suit!)
 Avoid loud colors and flashy ties.
 Clothing should be neat, clean, and pressed. If you don‘t have an iron, either buy one
or be prepared to visit the dry-cleaner‘s often. Shower or bathe the morning of the
interview. Wear deodorant. Don‘t wear cologne or aftershave. You don‘t want to
smell overpowering or worse, cause an allergic reaction.
 Make sure you have fresh breath. Brush your teeth before you leave for the interview,
and don‘t eat before the interview. Don‘t smoke right before an interview.
 Your hair should be neat, clean, and conservative.

While it may be appropriate to dress more casually for a second interview, you must still
dress professionally. It‘s much better to be too dressed up than too casual. A good rule of
thumb is to dress like your boss. Shoes should be well-polished and in good condition, not
scuffed or run-down at the heels. They should also match your belt. You will get a great deal
of use out of a good-quality pair of dress shoes in a traditional style. Ask the salesperson at
the shoe store for advice. Be sure to shave the morning of the interview, even if you don‘t
ordinarily shave every day. If you have a full beard or moustache it should be trimmed and
[Link] may sound like a lot of rules, but these are the generally acceptable
guidelines you should follow when deciding what to wear to an interview. Dressing
professionally shows respect for yourself, the interviewer, and the company. You may not
have to dress like this every day, but you are more likely to be taken seriously when you
present yourself in a professional manner and take the time to attend to details.

Women

 Generally, you should wear a suit with a skirt or pants. When in doubt, be more
conservative.
 Your suit should be comfortable and fit you well; if your waistband is cutting you in
half or your jacket is too tight, you won‘t look or act your best. Some stores offer free
alterations when you purchase a suit, or you may want to find a tailor to adjust a suit
you already own.
 Interview suits should be simple and dark in color. Anything tight, bright, short, or
sheer should absolutely be avoided. (Interviewers have been known to complain about
the length of interviewees‘ skirts; if you have any doubts, it‘s probably too short.)
Knee-length skirts are suggested. Very long skirts, while modest, are also considered
too trendy for an interview.
 Wear a conservative blouse with your suit. Do not wear bright colors, animal prints,
or anything lacy, sheer, or low-cut.
 Make-up and nail polish should be understated and flattering; shades that are neutral
to your skin tone are generally advisable. Avoid bright or unusual colors or very long
nails.
 Keep your jewelry and hair accessories to a minimum, and stick to those that are not
flashy, distracting, or shiny. One ring per hand is best.
 Shoes should be conservative and fairly low-heeled. They should be in reasonably
good condition, not scuffed or run-down at the heels. Don‘t wear shoes with an open
toe or back; any shoes you would wear on a date or to a club are probably
inappropriate. A basic pump is flattering, versatile, and will stay in style forever (once
you own pumps, you can spend the rest of your money on fun shoes). The salesperson
in the shoe store can steer you in the right direction.
 Your hose should be neutral (matched to your skin tone). Make sure the heels are not
dyed black from your shoes and that there are no snags or runs. Only use the nail
polish trick in an emergency; you may want to carry an extra pair of hose with you
instead.
 Dress in a manner that is professionally appropriate to the position for which you are
applying. In almost all cases, this means wearing a suit. It is rarely appropriate to
―dress down‖ for an interview, regardless of company dress code policy. When in
doubt, go conservative (is this starting to sound familiar?).
 Your clothing should always be neat, clean, and pressed. If you don‘t have an iron,
either buy one or be prepared to visit the dry-cleaner‘s often.
 Shower or bathe the morning of the interview. Wear deodorant. Don‘t wear perfume:
you don‘t want to smell overpowering or worse, cause an allergic reaction.
  Make sure you have fresh breath. Brush your teeth before you leave for the interview,
and don‘t eat or smoke before the interview.
 Your hair should be neat, clean, and conservatively styled. Banana clips, brightly-
colored scrunchies or elastics, and cheerleader-type ponytails look out of place with a
suit. You may want to wear your hair in an updo, pull it back into a low ponytail, or
wear a barrette (this suggestion does not include the tiny little barrettes that only hold
the front of your bangs back). The idea is to look polished and professional, not to
advertise what a creative genius your hairdresser is.

While it may be appropriate to dress more casually for a second interview, you must still
dress professionally. It‘s much better to be too dressed up than too casual. This may sound
like a lot of rules, but these are the generally acceptable guidelines you should follow when
deciding what to wear to an interview. Dressing professionally shows respect for yourself, the
interviewer, and the company. You may not have to dress like this everyday, but you are
more likely to be taken seriously when you present yourself in a professional manner and
take the time to attend to details

LESSON 20 Group Discussion

Meaning

Group discussion involving a number of people who are connected by some shared activity,
interest, or quality Group Discussion! Is a methodology or in a simple language you may call
it an interview process or a group activity. It is used as one of the best tools to select the
prospective candidates in a comparative perspective. GD may be used by an interviewer at an
organization, colleges or even at different types of management competitions.

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 the topic among themselves for 15-20 minutes. [Link]
brings you an elaborate section for GD as you had ever seen anywhere else. It is a very useful
tool to screen the candidate‘s potential as well as their skills.
GD evaluation is done by the subject experts based on the discussions. A report will be
prepared on analyzing the facts at the end of the discussion.

personality traits required for GD:

 Communication skills
 Interpersonal Skills
 Leadership Skills
 Motivational Skills
 Team Building Skills
 Analytical /Logical Skill
 Reasoning ability
 Different Thinking
 Initiative
 Assertiveness
 Flexibility
 Creativity
 Ability to think on ones feet

Why GDs are implemented commonly:

The reason why institutes put you through a Group discussion and an interview, after testing
your technical and conceptual skills in an exam, is to get to know you as a person and gauge
how well you will fit in their institute. GD evaluates how you can function as a part of a
team. As a manager or as a member of an organization you will always be working in teams.
Therefore how you interact in a team becomes an important criterion for your selection.
Managers have to work in a team and get best results out of teamwork. That is the reason
why management institutes include GD as a component of the selection procedure.

Company's Perspective:

Companies conduct group discussion after the written test to know more about your:

* Interactive Skills (how good you are at communication with other people)
* Behavior (how open-minded are you in accepting views contrary to your own)
* Participation (how good an active speaker you are & your attention to the discussion)
* Contribution (how much importance do you give to the group objective as well as your
own)

Aspects which make up a Group Discussion are:

 Verbal Communication
 Non-verbal behavior
 Confirmation to norms
 Decision making ability
 Cooperation

Here are Some Tips for a Successful Group Discussion

 The first and the foremost tip for an individual to perform well in a GD is to learn the
art of participation. Don‘t expect others to force you to speak. Take the initiative,
participate in the discussion and share your ideas with others. Never shout in a group
discussion and always wait for your turn to speak. Remember it‘s a discussion, not a
fighting ground. Be polite but firm.
 Try to take the initiative. Don‘t wait for the others to start the discussion. Always
volunteer yourself and start the discussions in an extremely confident manner.
Introduce yourself and your team members and then start with the topic but one thing
to remember here is that one must initiate the Group Discussion only when he or she
is well versed with the topic. Don‘t take the risk if you yourself are not very clear
about your thoughts.
 A leader is the one who actually gives the group discussion a direction and guides
other team members when they seem to be lost or confused. Like a true leader, an
individual must try his level best to refrain from personal favours. Don‘t only ask
your acquaintance to speak, give equal opportunity to other participants as well. As
the leader of the group, he must ensure that the discussion does not end up in fighting
and reaches a conclusion.
 One must speak only if he is well prepared with the topic. Don‘t just speak for the
sake of points or marks; speak only when you are absolutely sure about what you are
 speaking. Never depend on guess works in group discussions as it sometimes can
seriously go against you. Avoid using slangs or crack jokes in between the discussions
as it is considered highly unprofessional.
 Never be rigid in group discussions. Always keep in mind that the other person is
also as learned as you. Always listen to what he is saying and then only respond. Be a
good and a patient listener. Don‘t just simply draw conclusions as there is always a
room for discussions. Debate logically and sensibly and try to take everyone along
with you.
 Read a lot and always keep your eyes and ears open. Always begin your day with
the newspaper and know what is happening around you. An individual must be aware
of the current events to succeed well in a group discussion.
 Be alert always. A participant usually gets around 15 minutes to think about the
topic. You need to think fast and cover as much as you can. Always take care of your
words. The content has to be sensible, crisp and well supported with examples or real
life situations. Don‘t adopt a laidback attitude or yawn in between group discussions.
 Take care of your dressing as well. Don‘t wear flashy clothes while going for a
group discussion or interview. Female candidates should also avoid cakey makeup or
flaunt heavy jewellery. The clattering sounds of bangles sometimes act as a disturbing
element in formal discussions. Be in professional attire and avoid loud colours.
 An individual must keep in his mind that group discussion is meant for bringing out
the managerial skills of an individual. The organizer of the group discussion will
never appreciate you or give you the credit if you shout or fight in group discussions.
Be calm, composed, confident and neutral to create an impression in the discussion
and win over others.
 n any kind of GD, the aim is to judge the participants based on
personality,knowledge,communicative ability to present the knowledge and
leadership skills. Today team players are considered more important than individual
contributors. Hence the potential to be a leader is evaluated and also ability to work in
a team is tested. The evaluators generally assess the oral competence of a candidate in
terms of team listening, appropriate language, clarity of expression, positive speech
attitudes and adjustments, clear articulation, and effective non-verbal communication.


Even before one starts communicating ,impression is created by the appearance, the
body language ,eye-contact,mannerisms used [Link] attire of a participant creates an
 impression ,hence it is essential to be dressed appropriately. The hairstyle also needs
to suit the occasion. Other accessories also have to be suitable for the occasion. The
facial expression helps to convey attitudes like optimism, self-confidence and
friendliness. The body language, a non-verbal communication skill gives important
cues to personality assessment. It includes the posture of a person, the eye-contact and
overall manner in which one moves and [Link] the entire participation in the GD,the
body language has an important role in the impact created. As non-verbal cues such as
eye contact, body movements, gestures, facial expressions, and so on can speak louder
than words, examiners closely watch the non-verbal behaviour of candidates. They
generally evaluate the body language cues of candidates to determine personality
factors such as nervousness, cooperation, frustration, weakness, insecurity, self-
confidence, defensiveness, and so forth. So, it is important to be careful while using
non-verbal messages. However, one should recognise the power of non-verbal
messages and use them effectively.
 Process of group discussion
 Content is a combination of knowledge and ability to create coherent, logical
arguments on the basis of that knowledge. Also a balanced response is what is
expected and not an emotional response. In a group discussion, greater the knowledge
of the subject more confident and enthusiastic would be the participation. Participants
need to have a fair amount of knowledge on a wide range of subjects. The discussion
of the subject must be relevant, rational, convincing and appealing to the listeners.
One needs to keep abreast with national and international news, political, scientific,
economic, cultural events, key newsmakers etc. This has to be supplemented by one's
own personal reasoning and analysis. People with depth and range of knowledge are
always preferred by dynamic companies and organisations. The topics for GD tests
may include interesting and relevant ideas pertaining to social, economic, political or
environmental problems; controversial issues,innovations or case studies. To read
daily newspapers, relevant magazines and periodicals, to watch news bulletins and
informative programmes on television are is a simple ways to gather the general
knowledge. One can use the Internet to improve one's knowledge about recent
developments in different areas. Internet is a valuable source to acquire information
along with mulitimedia form. Subject knowledge also includes the ability to analyse
facts or information in a systematic way and to place them in the context of the
framework of one‘s personal experiences. For the expertise in the GD, the only way is
 to practice wherever one can. The other members can evaluate the performance and
give suggestions.
 Communication Skills:
 First and foremost feature of communication skills is that it is a two way process.
Hence the communicator has to keep in mind the listeners and their expectations. The
participants need to observe the group dynamics. Since GD tests one‘s behavior as
well as one‘s influence on the group, formal language and mutual respect are obvious
requirements. One may not take strong views in the beginning itself but wait and
analyse the pros and cons of any situation. If one needs to disagree, learn to do so
politely. One can directly put forward the personal viewpoint [Link] may appreciate
the good points made by others;can make a positive contribution by agreeing to and
expanding an argument made by another participant. An idea can be appreciated only
when expressed effectively. A leader or an administrator has the ability to put across
the idea in an influential manner. Hence the participants in a group discussion must
possess not only subject knowledge but also the ability to present that knowledge in
an effective way. Since oral skills are used to put across the ideas, the ability to speak
confidently and convincingly makes a participant an impressive speaker. The
members of the selection committee closely evaluate the oral communication skills of
the candidates. The effective communication would imply use of correct grammar and
vocabulary, using the right pitch, good voice quality, clear articulation, logical
presentation of the ideas and above all, a positive attitude. It is expected that there are
no errors of grammar or usage and that appropriate words, phrases etc. are used. One
should try to use simple and specific language. One should avoid ornamental
language. Clarity of expression is one of the important criteria of communication.
When there is clarity of thinking, there is clarity in usage of language. Positive Speech
Attitudes is another criterion of evaluation in the GD whereby the participant‘s
attitude towards listeners including other group members is judged. The temperament
of the participant is also evaluated through the speech pattern.
 Listening Skills:
 Lack of active listening is often a reason for failure of communication. In the GD,
participants often forget that it is a group activity and not a solo performance as in
elocution. By participating as an active listener, he/she may be able to contribute
significantly to the group deliberations. The listening skills are closely linked to the
leadership skills as well.
 Leadership Skills:
 The success of any group depends to a large extent upon the leader. One of the
common misconceptions about leadership is that the leader is the one who controls
the [Link] are different approaches to the concept of leadership. By studying the
personality traits of great leaders or actual dimensions of behavior to identify
leadership one can learn to cultivate essential traits of leaders. In a GD, a participant
with more knowledge, one who is confident,one who can find some solution to the
problem and display initiative and responsibility will be identified as the leader. A
candidate's success in a GD test will depend not only on his/her subject knowledge
and oral skills but also on his/her ability to provide leadership to the group.
Adaptability, analysis, assertiveness, composure, self-confidence, decision making,
discretion, initiative, objectivity, patience, and persuasiveness are some of the
leadership skills that are useful in proving oneself as a natural leader in a GD. The
leader in a group discussion should be able to manage the group despite differences of
opinion and steer the discussion to a logical conclusion within the fixed time limit.
The examiners will assess whether each participant is a team player who can get along
with people or an individualist who is always fighting to save his/her ego. Employers
today look for candidates who can work in a team-oriented environment. GD
participants need a number of team management skills in order to function effectively
in a team. Some of the skills needed to manage a group effectively include
adaptability, positive attitude, cooperation, and coordination.
 In a selection GD, the group, which may consist of six to ten persons, is given a topic
to discuss within 30 to 45 minutes. After announcing the topic, the total GD time, and
explaining the general guidelines and procedures governing the GD, the examiner
withdraws to the background leaving the group completely free to carry on with the
discussion on its own without any outside interference. In the absence of a designated
leader to initiate the proceedings of the discussion, the group is likely to waste time in
cross talks, low-key conversations, cross-consultations, asides, and so on. The
confusion may last until someone in the group takes an assertive position and restores
the chaos into order. It could be any candidate. In order to get the GD started, the
assertive, natural leader will have to remind the group of its goal and request them to
start the discussion without wasting time. A few examples of the opening lines are
given below:
 • Well friends, may I request your kind attention? I am sure all of us are keen to begin
the GD and complete it within the allotted time. Let me remind you that we have only
thirty minutes to complete the task. So, let us get started. • My dear friends, may I
have your attention please? As you all know, we have to complete the discussion in
45 minutes and we have already used up five minutes. I think we should start the
discussion now. Hello everybody. I am sorry to interrupt but I have something very
important to say. We are here to discuss the topic — " Human cloning should be
banned."—and the time given to us is just 30 minutes. Let us begin, shall we?


Leadership functions during a GD include initiative,analysis,assertiveness and so on.

GD doesnot have a formal leader, hence one of the participants is expected to take the
initiative. The leader will promote positive group interactions; point out areas of
agreement and disagreement;. help keep the discussion on the right track and lead the
discussion to a positive and successful conclusion within the stipulated time. The
ability to analyse a situation is a quality of leadership. Analytical skills and objectivity
in expressing opinions are absolute requirements for leadership. With patience and
composure one can develop the analytical skills. Reaching consensus by considering
the group opinion will make the GD successful. Assertiveness, that is an ability to
bring order to the group by handling the conflict is another desirable quality of
leadership. Self confidence is a quality which helps win the agreement from other
participants. In GD, participants can make a favourable and forceful impact on the
group by being persuasive and convincing. In order to be persuasive, one has to
advance strong, convincing, and logical arguments properly supported by factual data
and forceful illustrations. A firm tone and a sober voice would also help in
establishing oneself. A leader's ability to convince others and make them accept
his/her views and suggestions will establish his/her credentials for [Link]
are charactrerised by a high level of motivation and can motivate others too. A person
with motivation can work hard to do the best job possible and can achieve targets.
Team Management skills are important for a leader to manage the members of varied
interests. Some of the skills needed to manage a group effectively include
adaptability, positive attitude, cooperation, and coordination.
  Group Discussion Topics

 everyone in your group. Some topics offer this unity through their diversity, providing
multiple angles for different group members to discuss, while other topics are simply
controversial. If you must choose the topic of your next group discussion, carefully
consider the people in your group and how each member might be able to contribute.

LESSON 21 INTERVIEW

Definition

An interview is a conversation where questions are asked and answers are given.[1] In
common parlance, the word "interview" refers to a one-on-one conversation with one person
acting in the role of the interviewer and the other in the role of the interviewee. The
interviewer asks questions, the interviewee responds, with participants taking turns talking.
Interviews usually involve a transfer of information from interviewee to interviewer, which is
usually the primary purpose of the interview, although information transfers can happen in
both directions simultaneously. One can contrast an interview which involves bi-directional
communication with a one-way flow of information, such as a speech or oration.

Interviews usually take place face to face and in person, although modern communications
technologies such as the Internet have enabled conversations to happen in which parties are
separated geographically, such as with videoconferencing software,[2] and of course telephone
interviews can happen without visual contact. Interviews almost always involve spoken
conversation between two or more parties, although in some instances a "conversation" can
happen between two persons who type questions and answers back and forth. Interviews can
range from unstructured or free-wheeling and open-ended conversations in which there is no
predetermined plan with prearranged questions,[3] to highly structured conversations in which
specific questions occur in a specified order.[4] They can follow diverse formats; for example,
in a ladder interview, a respondent's answers typically guide subsequent interviews, with the
object being to explore a respondent's subconscious motives.[5][6] Typically the interviewer
has some way of recording the information that is gleaned from the interviewee, often by
writing with a pencil and paper, sometimes transcribing with a video or audio recorder,
depending on the context and extent of information and the length of the interview.
Interviews have a duration in time, in the sense that the interview has a beginning and an
ending.

Employment. Interviews in an employment context are typically called job interviews which
describe a formal consultation for the purpose of evaluating the qualifications of the
interviewee for a specific position.[7] Interviews are seen as a useful tool in assessing
qualifications.[8] A specific type of job interview is a case interview in which the applicant is
presented with a question or task or challenge, and asked to resolve the situation. [9]
Sometimes to prepare for job interviews, candidates are treated to a mock interview as a
training exercise to prepare the respondent to handle questions in the subsequent 'real'
interview. Sometimes the interviews happen in several waves, with the first interview
sometimes being called a screening interview which is a shorter length interview, followed by
more in-depth interviews later on, usually by company personnel who can ultimately hire the
applicant. Technology has enabled new possibilities for interviewing; for example, video
phoning technology has enabled applicants to interview for jobs despite being in different
cities or countries than the interviewer.

Psychology. Psychologists use a variety of interviewing methods and techniques to try to

understand and help their patients. In a psychiatric interview, a psychiatrist or psychologist or
nurse asks a battery of questions to complete what is called a psychiatric assessment.
Sometimes two people are interviewed by an interviewer, with one format being called
couple interviews.[10] Criminologists and detectives sometimes use cognitive interviews on
eyewitnesses and victims to try to ascertain what can be recalled specifically from a crime
scene, hopefully before the specific memories begin to fade in the mind.[11][12]

Research. In marketing research and academic research interviews are used in a wide variety
of ways. Interview are often used in qualitative research hn which firms try to understand
how consumers think. Consumer research firms sometimes use computer- telephone
interviewing to randomly dial phone numbers to conduct highly structured telephone
interviews, with scripted questions and responses entered directly into the computer.]

Journalism and other media. Typically, reporters covering a story in journalism conduct
interviews over the phone and in person to gain information for subsequent publication.
Reporters can interview political candidates on television shows. In a talk show, a radio or
television "host" interviews one or more people, with the choice of topic usually being
chosen by the host, sometimes for the purposes of entertainment, sometimes for informational
purposes. Such interviews are often recorded and some of them can be released on an
interview disc

Other situations. Sometimes college representatives or alumni conduct college interviews

with prospective students as a way of assessing a student's suitability while offering the
student a chance to learn more about a college.] Some services specialize in coaching people
for interviews. Government officials may conduct interviews with prospective foreign
students before allowing them to study in the nation.

Types of Skills

Have you thought about the skills you're listing in your resume's Skills section? If you treat
this section as an afterthought, you could be missing an opportunity to show employers
you've got the right skills for the job.

When completing the Skills section, consider the skills that would be important to the job
you're seeking. The best way to get started is to search job titles on Monster and review
several postings for your target job. Look at the ideal requirements in the ads and write a list
of frequently repeated skills. Next, create a list of your matching skills that you can
incorporate in your resume. Keep in mind you develop skills in everything from work
experience to education and training, hobbies, extracurricular activities, volunteer work and
even self-study.

Types of Skills to Have on a Resume

1. Job-Related: These are relevant to a specific job. For example, an accountant's job-
related skills might include financial planning, budgeting and financial reporting.

2. Transferable: Skills learned in one field or job that are applicable to different ones
are transferable These skills can reflect how you deal with things (assembly, machine
operation), data (research, synthesize information) and people (instruct, manage and
negotiate).
 3. Adaptive: These skills are the hardest to substantiate as they include personality traits
and characteristics that determine your work styl Adaptive skills include reliability,
ability to get along with colleagues, honesty and productivity.

Employer expectations

what does the employer want from me?

1. What do I need to know?

2. How should I present myself?
3. What resources are available to help me prepare?
4. Only when these questions have been
5. answered can we teach these key points about
6. employer expectations:
7. Be on time – always.
8. Follow directions and accept feedback.
9. Don‘t text or talk on your cell phone when
10. You‘re working.
11. Maintain a positive attitude at all times.
12. Treat your supervisor and co-workers with
13. Respect.
14. Take job responsibilities seriously.
15. Avoid the ―that‘s not my job!‖ mentality.
16. Employers are looking for the right workforce
17. to keep their operations running smoothly and
18. 2 APSE Connections June 2013
• Problem solving and thinking outside the bo
• Collaboration and teamwork;
• Computer and phone skills;
• Active listening and questioning;
• Diversity awareness; and
• Time management.
Soft Skills
These assets are the wish list of every employer. If all of them were available within a single
person you'd have a perfect employee. Of course, no oneis perfect. Each young person has
strengths and areas where he/she needs to improve. Some will take lots of life experience to
learn. Whatever the
case, experience is the key, and soft skills are the glue that binds experience together.
Experience
allows a youth to develop skills (including hard skills) that ultimately advance their
employment
opportunities. Practicing a variety of interactions in real time leads to better employment
prospects.
Companies often say they are willing to train candidates on the hard skills of the job, but soft
skills need to exist from the beginning. (Hard skills are specific, teachable tasks that are
required
on the job.) On the other hand, soft skills relate to how the individual works, adjusts to the
work
environment, and interacts with others. They can be just as important as education or
experience.
Paying attention to a candidate‘s soft skills can make a big difference. When solid soft skills
are apparent, they can sometimes overshadow hard skills that may be a little lackluster.
Employers routinely indicate that poor soft skills are the main cause of being fired.

Understand their role in the company;

• Respect that other employees also play an
important role; and
• Demonstrate a positive attitude that leads to
a better workplace for everyone.

Plan for the Interview

• Know your resume inside and out, line item by line item. Know your cover letter too. Be
prepared to explain each item.
• Call ahead the day before the interview to confirm your appointment.
• Know the exact address of where you are going. Know the directions of how to get there
and how long it takes (including traffic time).

• Know everything you can about the person you are interviewing with (their name, job title,
responsibilities, needs, history with the company, anything you might have in common with
them like previous workplaces, alma maters, etc.).

• Find out where they are in the hiring process.

• Think like a consultant when preparing for an interview, so you can present your true value
and worth.

• Try to think ahead to the interview. If there is a possibility you will be required to perform a
task, be prepared. For instance, if you are applying for a job as a welder, you may be asked to
demonstrate your skills on the spot. Have your work clothes and tools available at the
interview.
• Research to be more informed about the general job market and the job market of the
industry for which you are applying.

• Look up company information on their website and find out about the company and its
industry and the backgrounds of executives. Check them out on Yahoo Finance. Look up
their most recent news, general industry trends and their place within those trends, industry
ranking, products, customer base, and basic financial information. A few hours of research
prior to an interview is worth landing a job that can turn into a career! If possible, you can
bring up this information during the interview to impress the hiring managers.

• Figure out how you can tie your past experiences to job, particularly in terms of what the
company is doing.

• Research challenges the company or department faces so you can discuss how you can help
tackle them.
• Know who your competition is, then figure out where you fit in and how you can bring
value to the company to outshine and outlast the competition.
• Know difficult interview questions and possible answers before starting to interview.

• Make a list of questions to ask during the interview.

• Know the interviewing skills you possess that make you stand out. Capitalize on these
during the interview.

• Be sure to have rehearsed, so that your comfort level is high.

• Print and take extra resumes with you.

Interview Questions

. What is your greatest strength?

. What is your greatest weakness?

Tell me about yourself.

What are your salary expectations? –

How do you handle stress and pressure?

Describe a difficult work situation / project and how you overcame it. -

Critical Interview Questions

Critical Interview Questions to Ask

1. “What kind of work do you like to do?”

This question almost never comes up, and that‘s really too bad, because it‘s one of the most
important interview questions to ask. First of all, candidates are surprisingly honest when
answering. They might tell you, straight up, that they prefer to grind away at their desk, or
interact with coworkers on projects, or switch back and forth between assignments. How they
answer is tremendously revealing about their work habits and how they might fit into your
company.

Beyond being an important gauge of personality, however, is the fact that you can sort out
who might be lazy, self-interested, or, worst of all, outright selfish Don‘t be naive – all
employees are a little bit all of these things, as are you, but someone who might only be
worried about their paycheck and not care about their team will probably reveal that in how
they answer. If someone responds that they don‘t want too much work, or that they seem too
―independent‖, be wary. You want to make sure your team is stocked with the most reliable
kind of people. Ask this question to sort out it out.

2. “When was the last time you failed at something? What happened?”

This question is difficult for interviewees, but great for managers. The thing is, everyone
fails, and ―if you‘re not failing every now and again, it‘s a sign you‘re not doing anything
very innovative.‖ Potential employees will rack their brains to find an answer both flattering
and genuine, but in that process you are going to hear about how they dealt with making a
mess of things, and what they did to pick up the pieces.

The best answers are the ones that are earnest. Some interviewees will claim they failed by
being too good at something, and these people are liars. The ones to pay attention to are the
people who are willing to admit a time they messed up, were able to recognize it, and then
improve the next time around. Not only does this reveal an employee who will be willing to
learn and not let their mistakes keep them down, but it also shows someone who isn‘t so
worried about their ego. These make great team members.

3. “Which of your previous jobs was your favorite? Why?”

This question is actually pretty similar to #1, except it will also highlight what aspects of a
job an interviewee appreciates most. It‘s a great culture question, and having employees that
fit into your company culture is important to your mission. So, what kind of responses should
you look for?

Some candidates will talk about the close friendships they formed with co-workers. Others
might talk about how they liked the upward mobility and achievements of a previous job. A
few might even mention they enjoyed the challenge of a position in their past. Even if they‘ve
built a resume that points strongly towards a certain type of job, asking this question will still
be revealing.

Whatever they say though, there isn‘t really a wrong answer. This one depends on, like I said,
the culture of your organization. If your team is made of ambitious and driven individuals,
you will want to pick someone who says their favorite job allowed them to wield those same
attributes.

4. “What was your most stressful experience at your previous job?”

You can think of this question as an opposite to #3. This question will tell you what a
candidate is least likely to handle. The fact of the matter is, all jobs have stressful situations,
and usually a range of them. Some employees will be better at handling some forms of stress,
while their teammates may struggle.

Again, this is a situation where there aren‘t any specific wrong answers. Perhaps someone
might show they aren‘t a good match – say a common situation at your company is
something likely to be difficult for a candidate to handle. In this instance, you probably
shouldn‘t hire them.

More important than what the stressors are, however, is how a candidate deals with them.
Take, for example, Homer Simpson as the safety inspector at Springfield‘s Nuclear Power
Plant He may have been hired to appease the local townspeople, but he was a perfect fit for
Mr. Burns‘ team. A dusty old energy baron, the last thing Burns wanted was an on-the-ball
regulator breathing down his neck. Homer‘s capacity to roll with the punches, not push
himself too hard, and to be generally incompetent was perfect for the Plant‘s team dynamic.

This isn‘t to say I‘d want to hire him, but understanding how an employee deals with stress,
whatever that method may be, can help determine how well they‘ll fit at your company.

5. “Why are you leaving your current company?”

This is actually a very common interview question, but I‘m including it because it offers a
useful window into what a candidate is like as an employee. Unless you‘re interviewing
candidate‘s fresh out of school, everyone has a reason for leaving their last job, or wanting to
leave their current one. Sometimes the reason can‘t be helped – layoffs or family member
needs to relocate, etc. However, and especially if a candidate currently has a job but plans to
leave, their reasons might be dissatisfaction, conflict with co-workers or management, or they
may be softly pushed out.

Regardless of the reason, pay attention to how an interviewee answers. If they begin to
complain about their previous employer, or make any problems seem like all on the part of
their old boss, you might have a difficult employee on your hands. Also, interviewee answers
that ―they just weren‘t that happy‖ or that they don‘t know why they want to leave, you might
have a waffler – someone who is unreasonably hard to satisfy.

What you are looking for is someone who acknowledges they‘d like to move on, but they
haven‘t burnt bridges and aren‘t looking to demonize their former or current employer. The
day may come when this employee moves on from your organization. How they talk about
previous employers is a good indicator of how they‘ll talk about you, as well as how things
might turn out with the interviewee should they join your team.

Bonus interview questions to ask

Those five should get you off to a great start, but here are a few more potent and fun
questions to ask in your next interview.

6. “Tell me about yourself!”

This is another common interview question, but one that can work really well for an
interviewer. Everyone‘s favorite topic is themselves, and this question is so open it leaves
room for them to impress, ramble, or even embarrass themselves. This will let you see how
quick a candidate can open up, how they talk about themselves, and a bit about (or a lot
about) their background and goals.

With this question, your job is to sit back, shut up, and let them go. If they are brief and
guarded, that‘s good information to have. If they go for 15 minutes and start talking about
their childhood pets – also good information. If they talk any longer, go ahead and ask them
to wrap it up. But the fact that they went on for so long, well, is also pertinent information.
7. “If you had to live on another planet in the solar system, which one would it be?”

This is one of my favorite interview questions to ask. Okay, it doesn‘t need to be exactly this,
but we recommend asking one off-the-wall question, and this is ours. Weird questions are
good for a few things. First, they throw candidates off. They make them stop and say, ―wait,
what!?‖ And because it gets candidates off their bearings a little, it is also a great icebreaker.
Instead of everything being so stiff and formal, it shows you have a little personality and they
can relax a little.

It also acts as a chance to see more of a candidate‘s personality than you otherwise would. If
they respond with a funny answer, that‘s great. If they are hesitant, you know that it might
take a while for this person to warm up. Again, questions like this reveal plenty about an
interviewee‘s personality, if you know how to read the situation correctly.

8. “Can I borrow a pen”

This final question is one of my personal gripes. If an applicant comes to an interview where
they might be asked to write something, sign documents, or take notes, and they haven‘t
brought their own pen, it is a red flag. Think about it – if they aren‘t prepared in this
fundamental way because they forgot – or neglected to care – how will they pay attention to
details on the job? It is a very little thing, and it shouldn‘t necessarily disqualify an
interviewee if they did forget. However, if there are other indicators that are less than great
and they didn‘t bring something to write with, my mind is made up.

Finding the perfect employee is never easy, but if you try a few of these out at your next sit-
down with an applicant, you will be surprised at what they can reveal. By conducting
efficient and revealing interviews, you‘ll be able to find the right mix of motivation and
greatness in your hires.