Communication Skills and Soft Skills An Integrated Approach

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Communication Skills and Soft SkillsAn Integrated Approach



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Communication Skills and Soft SkillsAn Integrated Approach

E. Suresh Kumar P. SreehariJ. Savithri



Assistant Production Editor: Amrita NaskarComposition: Ace Pro India Pvt. LtdPrinter:

Copyright © 2011 Dorling Kindersley (India) Pvt. Ltd

Th is book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior written consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser and without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publica-tion may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above-mentioned publisher of this book.

ISBN 978-81-317-3453-7

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Published by Dorling Kindersley (India) Pvt. Ltd, licensees of Pearson Education in South Asia.

Head Offi ce: 7th Floor, Knowledge Boulevard, A-8(A), Sector – 62, Noida, UP 201309, India.Registered Offi ce: 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi 110017, India.



CONTENTS

Preface vii

Unit 1 Interpersonal Communication 1

Unit 2 Goal-setting 23

Unit 3 Personality Development 43

Unit 4 Critical Thinking 65

Unit 5 Stress Management 83

Unit 6 Team Work 99

Unit 7 Time Management 113

Essential Written Communication 131

Appendixes 157

Transcripts 167



PREFACE

Communication skills and soft skills are essential to everyone to interact effi ciently and eff ectively with various people in various situations. Communication skills and soft skills are as important as or even more important than traditional qualifi cations and technical skills or hard skills for personal, academic and professional success. Being soft skills savvy is an asset. Students need soft skills as they experience a lot of diversity in their places of study and learn things in a changing environment, where teaching/learning methods are characterized by modernity and interactivity. People of various professions need soft skills as they experience a lot of diversity in their workplaces.

The book, with its perfect blend of theory and practice, not only endeavours to train students of professional courses, job seekers and people of various professions in the key soft skills, like personality traits, goal-setting, critical thinking, time management, stress management, interpersonal skills and team work but also helps in improving communication skills with its uniquely designed practical approach. It is also hoped that the book will not only meet the needs of the target group but also be found equally useful by all those who are working towards improving their communication skills and soft skills. This book can be used as a self-study resource book or as a core text for the students of professional courses and others.

The unique feature of this book is that it off ers training in essential soft skills, integrating them with all the four language skills—listening, speaking, reading and writing—and all the four language components—pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar and spelling.

Thanks are due to the publication team for its painstaking eff orts in bringing out the book in a neat and attractive manner. Thanks are also due to our family members whose co-operation helped us to complete the book in time.

E. Suresh KumarP. SreehariJ. Savithri

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Interpersonal Communication

After studying this unit, you will be able to: know what cross-cultural communication is know about the functions of interpersonal communication learn eff ective listening strategies learn about diff erent communication styles understand your own style of communication know how to write a Statement of Purpose (SOP) learn and practise modal verbs in English learn words related to ways of speaking practise pronouncing word endings correctly

INTERPERSONAL SKILLS SURVEYTick ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to the following statements to check your interpersonal eff ectiveness.

1. I express myself well both verbally and non-verbally. (Yes/No)2. I interact with people in order to fi nd more about them. (Yes/No)3. I focus on what is being said and how it is being said. (Yes/No)4. I go beyond words to understand the speaker deeply. (Yes/No)5. I use language as a tool to make friends and establish relationships. (Yes/No)6. I change my style of communication depending on the situation. (Yes/No)7. I take up topics for discussion that are appropriate to the setting. (Yes/No)8. I know how to keep a conversation going and how to end it. (Yes/No)9. I disclose personal information in appropriate ways. (Yes/No)

10. I am good at small talk. (Yes/No)11. I plan responses aft er the speaker has fi nished speaking. (Yes/No)12. I do not fi nish the sentences of others. (Yes/No)13. I am good at establishing rapport with people. (Yes/No)14. I focus on persuading and inspiring people. (Yes/No)15. I focus on shared interests in negotiations. (Yes/No)

If your answer is ‘yes’ to most of the above, you have good interpersonal skills.

1



2 COMMUNICATION SKILLS AND SOFT SKILLS: AN INTEGRATED APPROACH

READINGInterpersonal Communication and Relationship DevelopmentI. Read the following information on interpersonal communication and relation-

ship development and do the tasks that follow:Researchers have studied relationships to understand how they develop. Mark Knapp’s Relational Stages Model and Stephen Duck’s Relationship Filtering Model are used to describe many types of relationships. Read about these models and then answer the questions to test your knowledge.

Knapp’s Relationship Escalation Model

Initiation Th is stage is very short, sometimes as short as 10–15 seconds. In this stage, interactants are concerned with making favorable impressions on each other. Th ey may use standard greetings or observe each other’s appearance or mannerisms.

Experimenting In the next stage, individuals ask questions of each other in order to gain information about them and decide if they wish to continue the relationship. ‘Many relationships progress no further than this point’.

Intensifying Self-disclosure becomes more common in the intensifying stage. Th e relationship becomes less formal, the interactants begin to see each other as individuals, and statements are made about the level of commitment each has to the relationship.

Integrating Th e individuals become a pair in the integrating stage. Th ey begin to do things together and, importantly, others come to see them as a pair. A shared relational identity starts to form in this stage.

Bonding During the bonding stage, a formal, sometimes legal, announcement of the relationship is made. Examples include a marriage, ‘best friend’ ritual, or business partnership agreement. Few relationships reach this level.

Duck’s Relationship Filtering Model

Sociological/Incidental Cues

Duck’s model is a set of fi lters through which we make choices about the level of relationship we wish to pursue with others. Th e fi rst fi lter, sociological/incidental cues, describes the constraints placed on our meeting people due to where we live or work. In other words, given our sociological location, there are some people we see a lot of and others we never meet.

Preinteraction Cues

Information we gain about people before we even interact with them leads us to exclude or include individuals with whom we wish to have a relationship. For instance, the appearance of some individuals will cause you to avoid or approach them.

UNIT 1: INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION 3



Interaction Cues As we begin to interact with others, we make judgments about whether to include or exclude them from possible relationships.

Cognitive Cues At the deepest level, we make judgments about people based on their personality and the degree to which we think it will match ours. As others reach this level, we consider them ‘best friends.’

Now, do the following based on the above information.

1. Match the interaction stages under ‘A’ with the interaction activities under ‘B’, based on Knapp’s Relationship Escalation Model.

A B1. initiation (a) asking questions to gain information2. experimenting (b) formal announcement of the relationship is made

3. intensifying (c) get into a shared relational identity4. integrating (d) greeting and observing5. bonding (e) revealing themselves fully

2. Match the relationship fi lters under ‘A’ with the factors that infl uence the interaction under ‘B’, based on Duck’s Relationship Filtering Model.

A B1. sociological/incidental

cues(a) constraints like where we live and work come into play

2. preinteraction cues (b) your knowledge about your interactants you gain before you start interacting comes into play

3. interaction cues (c) judgments that you make as you interact come into play4. cognitive cues (d) judgments that you make about the personality of your interactant

comes into play

Johari WindowII. Read the following information about the Johari Window and do the tasks that

follow:Th e Johari Window is a good model for understanding interpersonal communication. It shows you how much information you know about yourself and how much others know about you. Th e window contains four areas/panes, as shown below:

Known to self Unknown to selfKnown to others OPEN

known to self and others BLIND blind to self, seen by others

Unknown to others HIDDEN open to self, hidden from others

UNKNOWN unknown to self and others




1. Th e ‘open’ quadrant represents things that both you know about yourself, and that others know about yourself. Th is includes information such as your physical appearance and your qualifi ca-tions, etc.

2. Th e ‘blind’ quadrant represents things that others know about yourself, but that you are unaware of. You might think you are a great, but others think you exhibit poor leadership skills.

3. Th e ‘hidden’ quadrant represents things that you know about yourself, which others do not know. Th is includes information you wish to keep private, such as dreams or ambitions.

4. Th e ‘unknown’ quadrant represents things that neither you know about myself, nor others know about you. You may have hidden talents, for example, that you have not explored.Th e process of enlarging the open quadrant is called self-disclosure. self-disclosure might help you

to bond with people easily. But the fl ip side to it is that it can also have a damaging eff ect. As you interact with people take care of your grammar, choice of words, organisation of thoughts, and use of logic in arguments because others tend to form either a high or low opinion about you using these aspects.

Try These Out:

1. Which quadrant of the Johari window reveals information about the colour of your eyes?

2. In a healthy relationship, both individuals disclose the same amount of information.

3. Which quadrant of the Johari window reveals information about your hidden talents?

4. Which quadrant of the Johari window reveals information about your secret dreams and ambitions?

Pair Work

Work with someone who knows you reasonably well and describe each other with reference to the Johari window.




SPEAKINGStyles of CommunicationI. Read the following information about styles of communication and discover

your style of communication.Every time you speak, you choose and use one of the three basic communication styles: assertive, aggressive, and passive.

AssertiveWhen you are assertive, you express your ideas and feelings in an open, honest and direct way. You are aware of your own rights and respect the rights of others. When you are being assertive, you care about the relationship and strive for a win-win situation. You know our limits and refuse to be pushed beyond them just because someone else wants or needs something from us.

AggressiveAggressive communication always involves manipulation. You may attempt to make people do what you want by inducing guilt or by using intimidation and control tactics like anger. Covert or overt, you simply want your needs met.

Passive

When you are passive, you comply with what others say and avoid confrontation at all costs. You are vague in your requests for help. You don’t make your wishes and desire known. You don’t talk much, question even less, and actually do very little. You may feel it is safer not to react and better to disap-pear than to stand up and be noticed.

Try These Out:

1. Are you assertive, aggressive or passive?

2. Which communication style do you think is healthy? Why?

3. Do you think the style of communication you use depends on the person or situation? Substantiate?




Persuasion TechniquesII. Read the article below on persuasion techniques and answer the questions that

follow:Persuasion Techniques: Social Needs and Chosen Words

Michael LeeSome people go about life, blissfully unaware of the subtle infl uences that other people may be trying to show them. But the art of persuasion is being used everywhere. While some people may be using persuasion techniques in order to sell you a product, others may be trying to get a date or trying to get you to join their religion.

Common persuasion techniques include creating needs in others, which can be basic or social needs. Others can include the use of certain powerfully persuasive words.

Perhaps one of the most important persuasion techniques is creating a social need. An example of a social need is the need to be popular and have everyone like you. Many would say that this is not an important factor in life; however, it drives many people to do certain behaviours.

In the area of television, a commercial might use the example of a need to be popular by convinc-ing you that you need a product in order to fi t in. Let’s say you are a teenager suff ering from acne. A commercial comes on and shows a picture of someone all alone with acne. Th en they skip to the same person with a clear face surrounded by friends. Th e teenager may then wish to purchase the product so that they can get rid of their acne and acquire more friends.

Th e art of using powerful words is also one of the top persuasion techniques. You will fi nd these examples on television as well or maybe on labels and in print advertisements. Advertisers will use words such as new, natural and free. Th ese three words have been known to get the consumer’s atten-tion and that is exactly what the advertisers want! Persuasive words can also be used by pretty much anyone who is trying to elicit certain behaviour out of another individual or group. Some more of the most infl uential words include: discover, proven, guaranteed, save, good and easy. Gaining an aware-ness of the many persuasion techniques going on around you can prove to be one of your biggest assets. It can help you when dealing with strangers, your personal life and your work life. Learning the art of persuasion can be the diff erence between meeting your life goals and falling short. It can also help you to gain an understanding of when other people and companies are using persuasion on you. You will then be able to keep a clear head and only allow yourself to be persuaded in situations where you would like to be.Now, decide if the following statements are true or false based on the above article:

1. A persuader does not necessarily use powerful words. (True/False)2. Creating certain need is an important aspect of persuasion. (True/False)3. Persuasion is used for a variety of purposes. (True/False)4. Persuasion techniques are used only when talking to strangers. (True/False)5. Th e art of persuasion cannot be learnt. (True/False)

Asking for Information Politely

Pair Work

III. Collect information about your partner for the following topics using questions that begin with ‘Can…’, ‘Could…’, and ‘Would…’, etc. Share the information you have gathered with the class.




Example:

Could I know what your favourite book is?1. Favourite actor2. Favourite actress3. Favourite author4. Favourite book5. Favourite colour6. Favourite day of the week7. Favourite holiday spot8. Favourite movie9. Role model

10. Goals in lifeMy partner’s profi le

The Person I Admire the MostIV. Give a speech about the person you admire the most, focussing specifi cally on

the following: how he or she uses the language how eff ective is he or she as a communicator how eff ective is he or she as a listener how powerful is he or she nonverbally how he or she relates himself or herself with others

Use the space below to draft your speech.




LISTENINGListening Exercise 1

Listen to the dialogue on interpersonal communication between an interpersonal eff ectiveness coach and her student.

Now, answer these based on the above conversation:

1. What is interpersonal communication?

2. What are the functions of interpersonal communication?

3. What needs to be done to achieve interpersonal eff ectiveness?

4. What are some of the conversation techniques?

Listening Exercise 2

Listen to this presentation on eff ective listening skills. Here, a communication skills trainer shares some valuable information on eff ective listening with his students.Now, answer these based on the presentation on eff ective listening you’ve just listened to:




1. How important is listening as a skill?

2. With what effi ciency do people tend to listen?

3. What is the diff erence between listening and hearing?

4. How important are nonverbal cues in listening?

5. Why should a listener empathize with the speaker?

WRITINGWriting a Statement of PurposeTh e Statement of Purpose (SOP) is an essay you write about yourself so as to convince the admissions committee of your prospective college or university why you are the right candidate to pursue your studies there.

In your SOP, you will have to substantiate your reasons for pursuing the course you are applying for. As the admissions committee gets to know about what type of person you are, what you have achieved so far in your fi eld of study it is very important that you spend considerable amount of in draft ing a winning statement of purpose.




Th e substance or content of your SOP use the internet or the university prospectus to study about the university you are applying to and

the course you want to study write down all your past accomplishments—academic, extracurricular, social contributions, sports mention in your SOP as to why you chose the university you are applying to the area of study in which you wish to specialize your future use of your graduate study your special preparation and fi tness for study in the fi eld

Th e form or style of your SOP write your SOP in the form of an essay understand that your SOP is an example of careful persuasive writing make sure that your SOP is objective yet self-revelatory write directly and in a straightforward manner make sure that there are no grammar, vocabulary and typographical errors ensure a good fl ow arrive at your fi nal draft only aft er you have revised your several rough draft s

A Sample Statement of Purpose(Note: Th is sample SOP is included just to give you some idea of how an SOP can be written. It is in no way ideal. Please note that you have to write your own SOP keeping several points mentioned above in mind.)

The current global recession and the context of free trade and exchange worldwide have brought about immense opportunities to develop newer tools, instruments and methodologies in the field of financial management. It is this challenging environment to which I intend to contrib-ute by evolving meaningful and optimal solutions to various problems of finance. Thus, my goal is a career in International Finance wherein I could advance analytical approaches to financial management.

To achieve my career goals, I need to learn much more about current developments and tech-niques in fi nance, fi nancial markets and fi nancial applications and acquire hands-on experience of fi nancial analysis. A Master’s Degree will provide me with theoretical understanding, an in depth idea of practical approaches in aiding managerial decision-making and research skills to enable me to develop an expertise in the core areas of fi nancial strategies and global corporate fi nancial operations.

I opted for Finance as a specialization in my MBA because fi nancial aspects are crucial to success-ful running of any organization. As blood is to a human being, fi nance is to an organization. Strong quantitative skills, familiarity with computer applications and experience gained while working on my recent MBA project have helped me to develop sharp analytical abilities. I would like to get into the corporate sector and contribute a great deal in fi nancial management. But before that I thought I must gain clearer understanding of key concepts in fi nance which is the reason why have been working as faculty in a PG college where I teach fi nance.

I wish to pursue my MS (fi nance) program in the US, the land of opportunities, as I believe will expose me to get globally acclaimed and globally recognized practices here. And the post study ben-efi ts like opportunities to work in challenging atmosphere of organizations of repute in various coun-tries including India are really promising for the ones who have studied in universities of repute like yours in the US. I have learned that the University of Princeton has outstanding faculty and research facilities, emphasis on a collaborative learning environment, fl exibility in curriculum, global perspec-tive to various key issues. I hope to become a part of this dynamic culture which will give me a leading edge to work eff ectively in diverse teams and situations.




In conclusion, I would like to add that the essence of University education lies in the synergetic relationship between the student and his department. I feel that graduate study at your University will be the most logical extension of my academic pursuits and a major step towards achieving my objectives. I would feel privileged if I’m accorded the opportunity to pursue my graduate studies with fi nancial assistance at your institution. I promise that I would be able to justify your faith in me.

Try This Out:

Study some sample SOPs online and write your own SOP.

PRONUNCIATIONPhonemic Symbols/SoundsI. Learn the following phonemic symbols to help you fi nd out the correct pronun-

ciation of English words using a good dictionary.

Listen and Repeat

Vowel Sounds

Symbol/Sound Keyword /ә / about /a:/ ask /I/ it /i:/ eat /Ω / pull /u:/ pool /e/ pen /æ/ pat /�/ cut / e:/ girl / a/ cot / c:/ caught say ice boy dear /e e/ fair /Ω e/ poor /aΩ / out / eΩ / go

Consonant Sounds /p/ pack /b/ back

/eɪ/ /aɪ/ /ɔɪ/ /ɪə/




/t/ ten /d/ den /t∫/ cheap /dȜ/ jeep /k/ kit /g/ get /f/ fan /v/ van /θ/ thin /ð/ then /m/ meet /n/ neat /ђ/ bank /h/ hat /s/ seat /z/ zoo /∫/ ship /Ȝ/ pleasure /r/ read /l/ lead /j/ yet /w/ wet

Pronunciation of ‘–ed’ and ‘–es’II. Study the pronunciation of words that end in ‘–ed’ and ‘–es’.

Listen to the words below: booked bagged batted books bags buses

You might have noticed that in the word ‘booked’ the letters ‘ed’ are pronounced as /t/, in the word ‘bagged’ the letters ‘ed’ are pronounced as /d/ and in the word ‘batted’ the letters ‘ed’ are pronounced as / d/. And in the word ‘books’ the letter ‘s’ is pronounced as /s/, in the word ‘bags’ the letter ‘s’ is pronounced as /z/ and in the word ‘buses’ the letters ‘es’ are pronounced as / z/.

Th e variation in pronunciation of ‘–ed’ and ‘–es’ is due to the phonetic environment (whether they come aft er voiced or voiceless sounds) in which they occur. In English the voiceless sounds are /p/, /t/, /k/, /f/, /θ/, /s/, /∫/, /h/ and /t∫/ and the voiced sounds are the rest of the consonant sounds and all the vowel sounds. (Refer to the pronunciation key in appendix 1 to learn these symbols.)

Here are the three rules for pronunciation of ‘ed’:‘ed’ is pronounced as

1. /t/ aft er voiceless sounds excepting /t/.

Examples:

clapped /klæpt/ missed /m st/

ɪɪ

ɪ




crushed /kr�∫t/ reached /ri:t∫t/

2. /d/ aft er voiced sounds excepting /d/.Examples: dragged /drægd/ fried /fra d/ cleaned /kli:nd/ summed /s�md/ cured /kju ed/ loved /l�vd/ curbed /k e:bd

3. /Id/ aft er /t/ and /d/.Examples: painted /pe nt d/ wanted /w c:nt d sounded /saΩnd d/ grounded /graΩnd d/

Pronunciation of ‘–s/es’Here are the three rules for pronunciation of ‘s/es’:‘s/es’ is pronounced as

1. /s/ aft er voiceless sounds excepting /s/, /∫/ and /t∫/Examples: caps /kæps/ writes /ra ts/ laughs /la:fs/ picks /p ks/ hits /h ts/ pats /pæts/

2. /z/ aft er voiced sounds excepting /z/, /Ȝ/ and /dȜ/ Examples: rags /rægz/ toys /t cz/ friends /frendz/ ends /endz/ dreams /dri:mz/ legs /legz/ cleans /kli:nz/ fans /fænz/

3. / z/ aft er /s/, /∫/, /t∫/, /z/, /Ȝ/ and /dȜ/ Examples: places /ple s z/ crushes /kr �∫ z/ searches /s e:t∫ z/

ɪ

ɪɪ

ɪɪ

ɪ

ɪɪ

ɪ

ɪ

ɪɪɪ

ɪ

ɪ




Note that the words ending in –ed that function as adjectives are pronounced as / d/. For instance, when the word ‘blessed’ is used as verb it is pronounced as /blest/ but when it is used as adjective it is pronounced as /bles d/.

III. Listen and repeat the following sentences making sure that you pronounce the bold faced parts of the words correctly.

1. Vandana visited many places.2. She worked in a reputed organisation.3. Th ey’ve demolished many buildings.4. Th ey cleaned some lakes and rivers.5. We watched many movies.

VOCABULARY PLUSWays of Speaking

Match the words under ‘A’ with their meanings under ‘B’.

A B 1. announce (a) to cry out loudly, in fear, pain or excitement 2. argue (b) to give a formal talk to a group of people 3. assert (c) to give unwanted advice

4. babble (d) to interrupt a conversation or discussion 5. bellow (e) to make a continuous low sound 6. blurt out (f) to make a loud, deep sound 7. butt in (g) to make a low rough noise 8. chat (h) to make something clear giving details 9. clarify (i) to make something known10. croak (j) to say or write something, especially clearly and carefully11. discuss (k) to say quickly and in a confused way12. gossip (l) to say something in a quiet angry way13. grunt (m) to say something suddenly and without thinking14. hiss (n) to say that something is certainly true15. hum (o) to speak about something quickly, giving little detail16. lecture (p) to speak angrily17. mention (q) to speak in a high-pitched voice18. murmur (r) to speak in a soft , quiet voice that is diffi cult to hear clearly19. narrate (s) to speak tremulously, because you are nervous or upset

ɪ

ɪ




A B20. preach (t) to speak unclearly, without separating the words correctly21. quaver (u) to speak with a rough voice22. slur (v) to speak with pauses and repeating the same sound or syllable23. squeak (w) to talk about a subject with someone24. stammer (x) to talk about other people’s private lives25. state (y) to talk to someone in a friendly informal way26. yell (z) to tell a story

GRAMMARModal VerbsYou can use words like ‘can’, ‘could’, ‘will’, ‘would’, ‘may’, ‘might’, ‘shall’ and ‘should’ to talk about dif-ferent functions of language such as asking for information, making off ers, requests, or suggestions. Th ese words in English are referred to as modal verbs.Can is used to express ability, seeking/giving permission, polite request, possibility, etc.

1. I can swim really well. (ability)2. Can I borrow your bike for an hour? (polite request)3. Can I go out with my friends this evening? (seeking permission)4. You can leave the offi ce a bit early today. (giving permission)5. I can practise more on Sundays. (possibility)6. Parking vehicles here can be risky. (generalization about what is true all the time)

Try This Out:

Use ‘can’ and write a sentence that indicates the following:1. ability/inability

2. permission

3. polite request

4. possibility

5. generalization about what is true all the time




Could is used to express suggestion, permission, polite request, past ability, etc.1. Could I say something here? (opinion)2. Could I use your pen? (seeking permission)3. Could you please do me a favour? (polite request)4. He could climb very tall trees in his younger days. (past ability)5. He could have revealed the secret. (guess)6. I can’t sing a song. (present ability)7. You could go out for a walk in the evenings. (suggestion)8. You could use my phone. (giving permission)

Note: In making requests, could is more polite than can.

Try This Out:

Use ‘could’ and write a sentence that indicates the following:1. guess

2. past ability/inability

3. permission

4. polite request

5. present ability/inability

May is used to express possibility, uncertainty, wish, seeking/giving permission, etc.1. I may go to Goa next Monday. (possibility)2. May you have a bright career! (wish)3. I may not be complete my project before the deadline. (doubt/uncertainty)4. May I leave now? (seeking permission)5. You may go out now. (giving permission)

Try This Out:

Use ‘may’ and write a sentence that indicates the following:1. doubt

2. giving permission

3. possibility




4. seeking permission

5. wish

Might is used to express possibility, probability, request, etc.1. It might rain heavily. (possibility)2. You might try some potato chips. (suggestion)3. Might I come with you? (request)4. I might help you here if you like. (off er)

Try This Out:

Use ‘might’ and write a sentence that indicates the following:1. possibility

2. suggestion

3. request

4. off er

Will is used to express promise, willingness, command, insistence, futurity, intention, prediction, etc.1. I will not reveal the secret. (promise)2. I will take care of your belongings. (off er)3. India will become a superpower. (prediction)4. Th is hall will not accommodate 50 people. (capacity)5. We will go to Osman Sagar on a picnic. (intention)6. Will you close the window for me, please? (request)7. You will do exactly as I tell you to do. (obligation)8. You will not go out to play today. (command)

Try This Out:

Use ‘will’ and write a sentence that indicates the following:1. capacity

2. command

3. intention




4. obligation

5. off er

6. prediction

7. request

Would is used to express determination, intention, habitual action, willingness, futurity, request, wish, etc.1. Would you please get that for me? (request)2. Every morning he would sell newspapers. (past habitual action)3. I would like to join your party. (express wish)4. She said she would serve the nation. (intention/desire)

Try This Out:

Use ‘will’ and write a sentence that indicates the following:1. express wish

2. past habitual action

3. request

4. intention/desire

Shall is used to express intention, command, threat, promise, compulsion, determination, certainty, etc.1. Shall I get back to you later? (suggestion)2. We shall form a new party. (intention)3. You shall not smoke here. (command)4. Shall we go out and have lunch? (request)5. We shall fi ght till the end. (determination)6. I shall visit you tomorrow. (future)

Try This Out:

Use ‘shall’ and write a sentence that indicates the following:1. suggestion




2. command

3. intention

4. request

5. determination

6. future

Should is used to express obligation, instruction, duty, opinion, advice, futurity, purpose, sugges-tions, etc.

1. You should serve your country. (obligation)2. You should complete your work this evening. (instruction)3. Everyone should take regular exercise. (advice)4. Should I accept this off er? (opinion)5. He should discover the secret anytime. (expectation)6. Shouldn’t you be in class now? (surprise)

Try This Out:

Use ‘should’ and write a sentence that indicates the following:1. obligation

2. instruction

3. advice

4. opinion

5. expectation

6. surprise




Must is used to express obligation, prohibition, necessity, duty, certainty, probability, etc.1. I must get up early in the morning. (obligation)2. Th is must be the right way to do this. (certainty)3. We mustn’t play here. (prohibition)4. Everyone must submit their résumés in two days. (strong recommendation)

Try This Out:

Use ‘must’ and write sentences that indicate the following:1. obligation

2. certainty

3. prohibition

4. strong recommendation

ArticlesCorrect the following sentences:

1. Out of offi ce he had mild fondness for letters.2. A cool breeze smote his face, bringing with it pleasant scents and soothing sound of God’s

creatures beginning a new day.3. Miss Pillenger increased to the third speed. As she did so, she had vision of headlines.4. He stopped suddenly in his stride, partly because his shin had struck chair, partly because a idea

had struck his mind.5. He had run very hard. He had taken practically no exercise for twenty years, and pace had told

upon him.

PrepositionsFill in the blanks with appropriate prepositions:

for from in onto to

Th e process begins early ____________ the morning. Cooked food is picked up ____________houses and caterers by dabbawallahs and taken ____________ the nearest railway station.Th ere, the diff erent tiffi n boxes are sorted out ____________ specifi c destination stations andloaded ____________ large, rectangular trays accordingly.




SPELLINGFinding out the word with the correct spelling.

Look at the sets of words below and circle the word with the correct spelling. Check your answers with the members of your team. Take the help of a good dictionary to fi gure out the correct spelling, if necessary. 1. recomendation recammendation recommendation recommendetion 2. questionaire questionnaire questionniare quesstionnaire 3. permmission permision permmission permission 4. certainity cartainty certtainty certainty 5. prohibition prahibition prohibission prohibision 6. privilige privelege previlege privilege 7. disapear dissappear disapper disappear 8. disclosare disclosure dissclosure disclosur 9. higemony heggemony hegemany hegemony 10. disuasion dissuasion dissuassion disuassion

Project: Communication Skills and Soft Skills: An Integrated Approach ACE Pro India Pvt. Ltd.File: X:\Pearson\Soft Skills for Professionals - KumarSreehari\MAIN\M02\LAYOUT_M02\M02_SREEISBN_10_C02.indd

Modifi ed Date: Wed, Jun 23, 2010 03:58:17 PM Output Date: Wed, Jun 23, 2010 03:58:37 PM Rev-II

Goal-settingAfter studying this unit, you will be able to:

know what goals are know how to set goals know how to achieve goals talk about things that are important to you in life know important areas for goal-setting read and understand ‘I Have a Dream’ speech practise word stress and sentence stress in English learn some synonyms and collocations learn how to write a feature story learn conditional clauses and wish clauses

GOAL-SETTING SURVEYTick ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to these.

1. I think a goalless life is a rudderless boat. (Yes/No)2. I believe that goals are like road maps. (Yes/No)3. I feel big goals can create a fear of failure, but lack of goals guarantees it. (Yes/No)4. I think goals help me to decide what is important for me to achieve in life. (Yes/No)5. I believe that goals motivate me to achieve something in life. (Yes/No)6. I am of the opinion that goals give some direction/purpose to your life. (Yes/No)7. I think one should not have too high or too low goals. (Yes/No)8. I think goals must be clearly written down. (Yes/No)9. I think it is important to have both short-term goals and long-term goals. (Yes/No)

10. I think it is important to prioritize goals properly. (Yes/No)If your answer is ‘yes’ to most of these questions, you are probably goal-oriented.

2




READING’I Have a Dream’ by Martin Luther KingRead the following speech titled ‘I Have a Dream’ by Martin Luther King, Jr., a driv-ing force in the push for racial equality in the USA.I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. Th is momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the fl ames of withering injustice. It came as a joyousdaybreak to end the long night of their captivity.

But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and fi nds himself an exile in his own land. And so we’ve come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.

In a sense we’ve come to our nation’s capital to cash a check. When the architects of our repub-lic wrote the magnifi cent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. Th is note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the ‘unalienable Rights’ of ‘Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.’ It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note, insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked ‘insuffi cient funds.’

But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insuffi cient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so, we’ve come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice. We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fi erce urgency of Now. Th is is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God’s children.

It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. Th is sweltering summer of the Negro’s legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. And those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. And there will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. Th e whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.

But there is something that I must say to my people, who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice: In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must

UNIT 2: GOAL-SETTING 25



not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.

Th e marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. And they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom.

We cannot walk alone.And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead.We cannot turn back.Th ere are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, ‘When will you be satisfi ed?’ We can

never be satisfi ed as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality.We can never be satisfi ed as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodg-

ing in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfi ed as long as the Negro’s basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfi ed as long as our children are stripped of their self-hood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating: ‘ForWhites Only.’ We cannot be satisfi ed as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfi ed, and we will not be satisfi ed until ‘justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream.’

I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. And some of you have come from areas where your quest—quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suff ering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suff ering is redemptive. Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed.

Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends.And so even though we face the diffi culties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a

dream deeply rooted in the American dream.I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We

hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.’I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of

former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injus-

tice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be

judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.I have a dream today!I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his

lips dripping with the words of ‘interposition’ and ‘nullifi cation’—one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today!I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be

made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; ‘and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all fl esh shall see it together.’

Th is is our hope, and this is the faith that I go back to the South with.




With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful sym-phony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

And this will be the day—this will be the day when all of God’s children will be able to sing with new meaning:

My country ‘tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing.Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim’s pride,From every mountainside, let freedom ring!And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true.And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire.Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York.Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania.Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado.Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California.But not only that:Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia.Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee.Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let free-

dom ring.And when this happens, when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and

every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:

Free at last! Free at last!Th ank God Almighty, we are free at last!

Source: http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm

Now, answer these questions based on the above ‘I Have a Dream’ speech. 1. Describe the condition of Negroes as depicted in the speech.

2. ‘In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds.’ Explain this in your own words as to what Martin Luther King was referring to.




3. Pick out one of Martin Luther King’s dreams that appealed to you the most. Explain why?

SPEAKINGPair/Group Work

I. What I Wish to DoRank the following dreams in order of importance to you. Aft er having discussed with your partner or in your group about the priority, add any other to this list.

Be Happy Be Honored and Respected Develop Talent or Skill Enjoy Loving Relationships Have Comfort and Leisure and Recreation Have Financial Abundance Increase Sense of Purpose Live in a Clean and Beautiful Environment Obtain Increased Health …………………………….. …………………………….. …………………………….. ……………………………..

II. Giving a SpeechChoose one of the topics you strongly believe in from the above list and give a speech. Make sure you prepare notes thinking of what should go into the introduction, body and conclusion of your speech.

In the introduction, make a clear statement.In the body, explain the reasons for your opinion and give examples.In the conclusion, reiterate your opinion and appeal for action.

III. Setting Short-term and Long-term GoalsHere are the seven important areas for goal-setting. Th ink of some short-term goals and long-term goals for these seven important areas in life. Write down as many goals as possible for each area and then share them with your partner.

Attitude (how you wish to be seen by others, what aspects of behaviour you need to change, etc)Short-term goals: 1) 2) 3)




Long-term goals: 1) 2) 3)

Education (how do you wish to progress in studies, how long do you want to study, how many degrees you wish to earn, etc)

Short-term goals: 1) 2) 3)


Career (when and where you wish to work, how do you plan to go up the ladder, how many jobs and organisations you wish to be associated with, etc)



Family (how do you want to be viewed by your family, how do you plan to spend quality time with your family, what roles would you like to perform, etc)



Financial (when do want start earning money, how much money do you want earn, how do you plan to save, etc)



Physical (how do you plan to stay fi t, what type of physical exercises you want to do, when do want to exercise, etc)






Social Service (how do you wish to contribute to society, when do you want to start, how much do you want to contribute, etc)



LISTENINGTips for Goal-setting


Listen to this talk in which a speaker gives some tips on goal-setting.Now, answer the following questions based on what you have just listened to. You may listen to the above talk again as you answer. Ask your teacher to pause when required.

1. What is a prerequisite to achieving success?2. What does WAST stand for?3. What does PEER stand for?4. How should a goal be stated?5. What are the seven important areas for goal-setting?6. What are the two types of goals?

Talking About Goals


Listen to the following speakers talking about their goals. Listen to the above speakers again and do the following.

1. Write down three things Geetha wishes to do.




2. Write down three things Aravind wishes to do.

3. Write down three things Priyanka wishes to do.

WRITINGWriting a Feature StoryA news story provides information about an event, idea or situation. Whereas a feature article interprets news, adds depth and colour to a story, instructs or entertains.

Top tips for writing feature storyStructure:

Th e introductionTh e bodyTh e conclusionIn your introduction, you must entice your reader. Use drama, emotion, quotations, questions,

descriptions.In the body of the story, maintain an ‘atmosphere’ that was created.In the conclusion, use a strong punch line to help the reader remember the story’

Some points to keep in mind:Focus on human interest: Write the story in such a way it arouses the feelings and emotions of your readers about your story.Make it purposive: Be clear about why you are writing the story—is it to inform, persuade, observe, evaluate, or evoke emotion?Use active voice: Write in the active voice to focus on what people do.

Focus on your audience: Keep your audience clearly in mind—what are their desires, what really matters to them?

Avoid clichés and sentimental statements.Interviews for features usually need to be in-depth and in person rather than over the phone.Use anecdotes and direct quotes to tell the story—try not to use too many of your own words.Talk to more than one person to provide a more complete picture.Decide on the ‘tense’ of your story at the start and stick to it. Present tense usually works best.Avoid lengthy, complex paragraphs.




Try These Out:

1. Interview some famous personalities and fi nd out how they achieved success. Use the informa-tion about these famous people and add any other to write a special feature to be published in a newspaper/magazine on ‘Success Tips’.

Success Tips

2. Write on ‘Th e World of My Dreams’ to be published in your college magazine.

3. Napoleon Hill said, ‘Th e starting point of all achievement is desire.’ Write to your friend explain-ing the importance of this statement.




4. Contrast loft y goals with ignoble ones with examples.

PRONUNCIATIONWord StressAccent/stress is a signifi cant aspect of English language. Phonetically speaking, stress means expend-ing extra breath eff ort on a particular syllable in a word. In other words, stress is a matter of greater prominence and greater audibility.

Stressing on the right part of the word can make your speech intelligible. For instance, look at the words personal and personnel. In the word personal the accent is on the fi rst syllable and in the word personnel the accent is on the third syllable.

Th e bar ‘on the top of a syllable in a word indicates that that particular syllable is stressed (which is known as primary stress) and is more prominent than the other syllables. Th ere might also be a bar below a syllable in a word (which is known as secondary stress). Th is indicates that this particular syl-lable is the next most prominent syllable. e.g. aft er’noon

You can notice that both primary stress and secondary stress are marked in the above example.

I. Listen and repeat the words below making sure that the bold faced part of the words is said loudly.

Exercise A

1. alert2. become




3. challenge4. damage5. delight6. demand7. energetic8. focus9. modern

10. modify11. participate12. people13. prepare14. productivity15. quality16. remove17. response18. service19. social20. value

Exercise B

execute executionevaluate evaluationdetermine determinationimplement implementationcontend contentionattend attentionseparate separationdecide decisionrepeat repetitionprioritize prioritisation

Pronunciation TipMost words that end in—ion are stressed on the second syllable from the end.

Exercise C

1. aff ectionate2. annoying3. boisterous4. cunning5. domineering6. dynamic7. diffi dent8. enigmatic




9. empathetic10. gullible11. magnanimous12. manipulative13. optimistic14. pessimistic15. visionary

Syllable

A syllable is a single unit of speech, either a whole word or one of the parts into which a word can be separated, usually containing a vowel sound. For instance, the word ‘determination’ has fi ve syllables. Th ey are de, ter, mi, na, and tion.

Words in English can be thought of as monosyllabic, disyllabic or polysyllabic.A monosyllabic word contains only one syllable. e.g. goal, set, short, long, aim, dream etc.A disyllabic word contains two syllables. e.g. decide, achieve, career, carrier etc.A polysyllabic word contains three or more syllables. e.g. ambition, determination, decision,

implementation etc.

Pair Work

Here are a few words put them under the correct category.

focus style balance control decide satisfactionhappy careful patience eff ort loft y ignoble

Monosyllabic Disyllabic Polysyllabic___________ ___________ _______________________ ___________ _______________________ ___________ _______________________ ___________ _______________________ ___________ ____________

VOCABULARYSynonymsSynonyms are diff erent words with similar meanings. Words that are synonyms are said to be synony-mous, and the state of being a synonym is called synonymy. An example of synonyms are the words brave and courageous.

Here are a few words and their synonyms:

Word Synonymsamazing astonishing, surprising, stupefying, awesome, astounding, awe-inspiringbrilliant superb, magnifi cent, glorious, bright, brainy




courageous brave, daring, gutsy, plucky, valiant, audacious, spirited, bolddazzling glittering, stunning, impressive, astoundingfabulous wonderful, tremendous, magnifi cent, marvellous, remarkablegregarious social, outgoing, extroverted, companionable, expressiveheinous monstrous, shocking, dreadful, atrocious, awful, horribleidiosyncratic idiotic, eccentric, peculiar, oddlackadaisical lazy, careless, laid-back

Try This Out:

Find words from the above passage that mean the same as the following.1. contemptuous; scornful : ______________________2. imprisonment : ______________________ 3. handcuff s : ______________________4. banishment : ______________________5. search : ______________________6. penniless : ______________________7. leaps; jumps : ______________________8. deserted : ______________________9. boiling; scorching : ______________________

10. dissatisfaction : ______________________11. revitalizing : ______________________12. doorstep : ______________________13. deteriorate : ______________________14. providence; fate : ______________________15. oath : ______________________16. violence; rough treatment : ______________________17. exhaustion; tiredness : ______________________18. misfortunes : ______________________19. harassment; maltreatment : ______________________20. hopelessness; anguish : ______________________

CollocationsCollocations are combinations of words formed when two or more words are frequently used together in a way that sounds correct. Th e phrase ‘a strong wind’ is a right collocation whereas ‘a powerful wind’ is a faulty collocation. It is correct to say, ‘I’m under a bit of stress at the moment.’ However, it is wrong to say ‘I’m below a bit of stress at the moment.

Study the words below which collocate with a number of lexical items.

1. Bright2. Goal3. Harbor4. Joyous5. Loft y




6. Measurable7. Mighty8. Radiant9. Realistic

10. Take

bright sun/light/sky/idea/colour/red/future/prospects/childrealistic/attainable/unrealistic/smart/silly/meaningful/specifi c/measurable/ignoble/worthy goalharbour doubt/grudges/uncertainty/suspicionjoyous hymn/event/voice/daybreak/journeyloft y ideas/ideals/sentiments/dreams/goals/thoughtsmeasurable benefi t/goal/progressmighty empire/kingdom/river/streamradiant sun/light/smilerealistic plan/goal/idea/eff ect/modeltake a look/a holiday/a rest/a letter/time/notice/a walk

Complete the sentences below using the above words.

1. Vasantha is a woman of ___________ sentiments.2. He felt great about participating in such a __________ event.3. Everyone thinks that he will have a ___________ future.4. Th is product off ers ___________ benefi t to people’s health.5. Please ______ time to study this section carefully.

GRAMMARConditional ClausesConditional sentences are oft en used in spoken communication. You can use them to talk about a pos-sible future occurrence, an unlikely situation or something that might have happened in the past, but did not actually happen. Study the following three types of conditional clauses.

1st Conditional

Example: If you pursue your goals passionately, you will achieve success easily.

Form: The if-clause is put in the present simple (V1), the main clause has a ‘will’ + V1.

Use: We use this type of sentence pattern when we express an intention (what is likely to happen). It is usually used in offers, suggestions, warnings and threats.

Examples: If we plan properly, we will accomplish our goals.

If we don’t prioritize our goals, we won’t achieve much.




2nd Conditional

Example: If you had pursued your goals passionately, you would have achieved success easily.

Form: Th e if-clause has a past perfect tense (had + V3); the main clause has a ‘would have’ + V3.

Use: We use this conditional to talk about things in the past happen-ing diff erently from the way they really happened. Th is sometimes means criticizing people, pointing out their mistakes or expressing regret about the past.

Example: If you pursued your goals passionately, you would achieve success easily.

Form: The if-clause is put in the simple past (V2), the main clause has a ‘would’ + V1.

Use: We use this type of sentence pattern when we express suppositions.

Th ese suppositions can be:1. statements of unreal situations

‘If I were you, I would be more goal-oriented.’ (I’m not you.)2. about things that we don’t expect to happen

‘If I had a magic wand, I would change the entire world.’ (But I don’t really expect to have a magic wand.)

3rd Conditional

First Conditional Exercise

Complete the clauses by choosing the correct option.1. If I become a Prime Minister of my country, I…

(a) would create more jobs. (b) will create more jobs.

2. If you follow my advice, your… (a) dreams will be fulfi lled. (b) dreams would be fulfi lled.

3. If you set goals for diff erent areas of life, you… (a) would lead a balanced life. (b) will lead a balanced life.

4. Our plans will come to fruition, if… (a) we work meticulously. (b) we work meticulously.

5. Don’t be shocked. If you don’t have proper resources, you… (a) will not fulfi ll all your ambitions. (b) wouldn’t fulfi ll all your ambitions.




Second Conditional Exercise1. If Karan knew how to plan notes, he…

will give a great speech. would give a great speech.

2. We would be much better off , if… had set right goals. would set right goals.

3. You would be glad, if you… would learn them on your own. learnt them on your own.

4. If I had a lot of money, I… bought myself a holiday resort. would buy myself a holiday resort.

5. Hemanth would be very upset, if… he knows about your plans. he knew about your plans.

Third Conditional Exercise

1. If I had learnt this technique earlier, I… would gain so much. would have gained so much.

2. We wouldn’t have failed, if we… had executed our plans properly. will execute our plans properly.

3. Mohan’s life wouldn’t have gone out of control, if he… had balanced different areas of life. balanced different areas of life.

4. She wouldn’t have messed up her life, if she… had got her priorities right. will got her priorities right.

Mixed Conditionals Exercise

Choose the correct answer.1. If people were more goal-oriented…

our world would have been a better place. our world would be a better place. our world will be a better place.

2. If she had balanced her career and family, she… will be happier. would have been happier. would be happier.




3. If you lead a hectic life, your life… would be restless. will be restless. would have been restless.

4. I would never set out to do a task, if I… am not sure of its consequences. was not sure of its consequences. had not been sure of its consequences.

5. You will never be disappointed, if you… would learn to view things in proper perspective. learn to view things in proper perspective. had learnt to view things in proper perspective.

Pair Work/Group Work

Give at least three ideas of your own for the following:

1. If we were politicians,

2. If we were millionaires,

3. If were aliens,

4. If were birds,

5. If were magicians,




Wish ClausesYou can use wish clauses when you would like things to be diff erent from the way they actually are. Use the verb ‘wish’ to refer to how you would like things to be in the present, to talk about how you would like things to be in the future or to talk about the way things were in the past.

Wishes About the Present

If you want to talk about your present situation, you can use the structure wish + past simple or continuous.

Examples1. I haven’t got a bike. I wish I had a bike.2. I don’t remember names easily. I wish I remembered names easily.

Th e same form can be used to talk about someone else’s situation.However, there is another structure that you use to talk about actions that take place in the pres-

ent, but you want them to change in the future. Th is structure is used to talk about another person, and generally about things you don’t like. Th e structure is wish + would/could + V1.

Example SituationYour friend never writes her goals down and is always confused about her priorities. You could say to her:

1. I wish you wouldn’t be confused about your priorities.2. I wish you would bother to write your goals down.

Wishes About the Future

When you talk about the future, you use the same structure as you use to talk about present states. Th e future you talk about cannot be changed, and so the situation is seen as unreal and has to be referred to using past tenses.

Examples

1. I have to prepare the agenda for the meeting tomorrow. I wish I didn’t have to prepare the agenda for the meeting tomorrow.

2. I’ll have to do some extra work over the weekend. I wish I didn’t have to do any extra work over the weekend.

Wishes About the Past

When you think about a situation in the past, naturally you can’t do anything to change it. Th erefore this is a way of expressing regret. Th e structure is wish + past perfect.

Examples

1. I did not do the work as planned. I wish I completed the work as was planned.2. Now we’ve failed get this done. I wish we honoured the deadlines so that we could have been

successful.

Wish Clauses Exercises

Wishes About the Present

1. We are living in a small fl at. I wish we __________________ in an independent house.2. I too self-complacent. I wish I __________________.




Wishes About the Future

1. My uncle is coming to stay with me next week. I wish _______________________________.2. I’m giving a speech in front of a large audience tomorrow. I wish __________________.

Wishes About the Past

1. I promised our friends we’d arrive on time. I wish ____________________________, because now they’ll be waiting for us.

2. She failed to achieve her dreams because she was over-ambitious. I wish ________________________________.


Look at the sets of words below and circle the word with the correct spelling. Check your answers with the members of your team. Take the help of a good dictionary to fi gure out the correct spelling, if necessary.

1. prominent praminant promminent promminant 2. acheive achieve achiev acheiv 3. decision desision dicision decition 4. perceverance perseverance persavarance perseverence 5. profesional proff essional profesional professional 6. personality parsanolity persanality personnality 7. entrepreneur entrpreneur entreprenur entreprener 8. reiterrate rieterate reitterate reiterate 9. posible possibel possible passible10. diff erence diff erance diference deff erence



Personality Development

After studying this unit, you will be able to: know what personality development is understand diff erent personality types talk about success traits practise thinking positively listen to a talk which gives ideas to develop your personality read about a prominent personality learn to write about a person you admire the most learn to use question tags

PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT SURVEYTick ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to the following:

1. I am keenly ambitious to get on in life. (Yes/No)2. I am self motivated. (Yes/No)3. I can handle time, stress and anger reasonably well. (Yes/No)4. I don’t normally take an upsetting view of the world. (Yes/No)5. I exhibit a wide range of emotions. (Yes/No)6. I spend quality time with people. (Yes/No)7. I balance my physical, emotional, intellectual, social, and spiritual needs. (Yes/No)8. I stay positive and strive tirelessly to achieve my goals. (Yes/No)9. I follow the right means to achieve my goals. (Yes/No)

10. I have courage of convictions. (Yes/No)11. I interpret and respond to situations using a right attitude. (Yes/No)12. I know what type of person I am. (Yes/No)13. I know why I behave the way I behave in diff erent situations. (Yes/No)14. I make well-informed choices. (Yes/No)15. I respect and value relations. (Yes/No)16. I review my thoughts and actions on a regular basis. (Yes/No)17. I understand the ways of the world well. (Yes/No)18. Great deeds, books and motivational speeches usually inspire me. (Yes/No)19. I view successes and setbacks with a right spirit. (Yes/No)20. My convictions stem out of my knowledge, skills and experience. (Yes/No)

If your answer is ‘yes’ to most of the above, you probably have a strong personality.

3




Personality TypesHere are some statements which could possibly tell you the type of personality you are more naturally associated with. Th e statements relate to personality types like extraversion, introversion, sensing, intuition, thinking, feeling, judging and perceiving. We all use many of the traits included under each category type. However, within the context of personality type, the important distinction is which way of life do you lean towards, and are more comfortable with.

Extrovert1. I act fi rst and think about it later. (Yes/No)2. I always want to be busy. (Yes/No)3. I am enthusiastic and energetic. (Yes/No)4. I am interested in things and people. (Yes/No)5. I am oriented to the outside world naturally. (Yes/No)6. I am very lively. (Yes/No)7. I am very sociable. (Yes/No)8. I change topics quickly. (Yes/No)9. I love to express myself as much as possible. (Yes/No)

10. I love to perform in front of large audiences. (Yes/No)11. I oft en want to be a centre of attraction. (Yes/No)12. I talk more than listen. (Yes/No)13. I tolerate noise and crowds better. (Yes/No)14. I usually think aloud. (Yes/No)15. I want to do many things at the same time. (Yes/No)

Introvert1. I am focused on ideas, concepts, and inner impressions. (Yes/No)2. I am more cautious and hesitant. (Yes/No)3. I am oriented to the inner world. (Yes/No)4. I am usually more refl ective. (Yes/No)5. I am usually more reserved. (Yes/No)6. I avoid crowds and seek quiet. (Yes/No)7. I have a calm, measured demeanour. (Yes/No)8. I keep enthusiasm to self. (Yes/No)9. I normally think fi rst and then speak. (Yes/No)

10. I oft en avoid being in the limelight. (Yes/No)11. I prefer to spend time by self. (Yes/No)12. I prefer to listen more than talk. (Yes/No)13. I take up one task at a time. (Yes/No)14. I tend to interact less with others. (Yes/No)15. I tend to talk less. (Yes/No)

UNIT 3: PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT 45



Sensor

1. I am a clear thinker. (Yes/No)2. I am down to earth. (Yes/No)3. I am quick at noticing changes. (Yes/No)4. I am sensible. (Yes/No)5. I attend to practical and factual details. (Yes/No)6. I focus on actual experiences. (Yes/No)7. I focus on nonverbal communication. (Yes/No)8. I focus on physical realities. (Yes/No)9. I follow step-by-step procedure. (Yes/No)

10. I love to live in the present moment. (Yes/No)11. I make an active use of the fi ve senses. (Yes/No)12. I see little things in everyday life. (Yes/No)13. I speak in a lucid style. (Yes/No)14. I speak literally. (Yes/No)15. I use facts and real examples in speech and writing. (Yes/No)

Intuitive

1. I am good at perceiving with memory and associations. (Yes/No)2. I like to do things diff erently. (Yes/No)3. I come up with innovative ideas. (Yes/No)4. I depend on my hunches. (Yes/No)5. I don’t depend much on logic. (Yes/No)6. I focus on fi gurative use of language. (Yes/No)7. I focus on repeating, recapitulating and rephrasing. (Yes/No)8. I focus on the possibilities. (Yes/No)9. I have a complex thought and speech process. (Yes/No)

10. I look for patterns. (Yes/No)11. I look for the big picture. (Yes/No)12. I perceive underlying meaning in what people say or do. (Yes/No)13. I read between the lines. (Yes/No)14. I tend to fi nish other peoples thoughts. (Yes/No)15. I think about future implications for a current action. (Yes/No)

Thinker

1. I always consider the pros and cons. (Yes/No)2. I am usually very assertive. (Yes/No)3. I argue and debate for fun. (Yes/No)4. I deal with people fi rmly. (Yes/No)5. I establish guidelines to follow for performing tasks. (Yes/No)6. I expect world to run on logical principles. (Yes/No)7. I focus on causes and eff ects. (Yes/No)




8. I get convinced only if the arguments are logical. (Yes/No)9. I give praise sparingly. (Yes/No)

10. I make decisions in a rational, logical, impartial manner. (Yes/No)11. I may seem insensitive, blunt and tactless at times. (Yes/No)12. I notice ineff ective reasoning. (Yes/No)13. I reason more naturally with objectivity. (Yes/No)14. I research a product via consumer reports and then buy it. (Yes/No)15. I tend to be analytical. (Yes/No)

Feeler

1. I am empathetic. (Yes/No)2. I am generous with praise. (Yes/No)3. I am subjective. (Yes/No)4. I am usually very gentle and diplomatic. (Yes/No)5. I am very friendly. (Yes/No)6. I am very sensitive to other’s feeling. (Yes/No)7. I avoid arguments, confl ict and confrontation. (Yes/No)8. I decide not to take a job because I don’t like the work environment. (Yes/No)9. I decide to buy something because I like it. (Yes/No)

10. I may lack assertiveness. (Yes/No)11. I refrain from telling someone something which I feel may upset them. (Yes/No)12. I take most things personally. (Yes/No)13. I tend to base my decisions primarily on people centered values. (Yes/No)14. I tend to be sensitive. (Yes/No)15. I tend to be warmer towards people. (Yes/No)

Judger

1. I am goal oriented. (Yes/No)2. I am more formal and conventional. (Yes/No)3. I choose the best and most complete things. (Yes/No)4. I dislike surprises. (Yes/No)5. I dress more for appearance. (Yes/No)6. I express strong opinions. (Yes/No)7. I focus on completing things. (Yes/No)8. I focus on perfection. (Yes/No)9. I like to take charge to be in control. (Yes/No)

10. I make lists of things to do. (Yes/No)11. I make decisions following objective criteria. (Yes/No)12. I need rules, systems and structures. (Yes/No)13. I prefer a structured, ordered and fairly predictable environment. (Yes/No)14. I tend to be more organized. (Yes/No)15. I want to work productively. (Yes/No)




Perceiver

1. I always wait to see what is going to happen next. (Yes/No)2. I am liable to change goals. (Yes/No)3. I am more casual and unconventional. (Yes/No)4. I am oft en disorganized. (Yes/No)5. I decide what to do as I do it, rather than have a plan ahead of time. (Yes/No)6. I do things at the last minute (Yes/No)7. I dress more for comfort. (Yes/No)8. I enjoy surprises and like adapting to last minute changes. (Yes/No)9. I fi nd rules, systems, structure confi ning and limiting. (Yes/No)

10. I prefer a leisurely pace. (Yes/No)11. I seek jobs that are fun. (Yes/No)12. I tend to be more fl exible. (Yes/No)13. I tend to procrastinate. (Yes/No)14. I use sensing or intuitive perception outwardly. (Yes/No)15. I want things to be fl exible and spontaneous. (Yes/No)

Under whichever type you have more ‘yes’ you are that personality type. Remember that identify-ing your own personality type and others around you could help you to deal with people in a better fashion. For instance, you may learn to befriend with people having same preferences to that of yours and develop yourself enough to be able to accept others’ diff erences.

READINGTheories About Human BehaviourI. Read the passage below and answer the questions that follow:Human behaviour is hugely complex. And this makes it diffi cult to capture or break down human behaviour into certain modalities or theories. However, several researchers and theorists have made eff orts to study human behaviour and have come up with certain useful concepts in the process. An attempt is made here to look at the contributions of Sigmund Freud and Eric Berne in understanding human behaviour and transactions.

Sigmund Freud, in the early 20th century proposed his theories about personality. Freud believed that personality had three components, namely id, ego, and superego. According to Freud, the Id func-tions in the irrational and emotional part of the mind, the ego functions as the rational part of the mind, and the superego can be thought of as the moral part of the mind, a manifestation of societal or parental values. It was Freud’s belief that these three components needed to be well-balanced to produce reasonable mental health and stability in an individual.

Freud also thought that the human personality is multi-faceted. Regardless of the classifi cation or name given to a particular area of personality—id, ego, superego—each individual possesses factions that frequently collide with each other. And it is these collisions and interactions between these per-sonality factions that manifest themselves as an individual’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Th us, under Freud’s theories, an individual’s behavior can be understood by analyzing and understanding his/her three factions.




Dr. Eric Berne, a psychoanalyst, who developed a theory known as Transactional Analysis (TA) in the 1950’s. TA tries to explain how we have developed into who we are, how we relate and communicate with others, and off ers suggestions and interventions which will enable us to change and grow.

Berne devised the concept of ego states which talks about the ways we think, feel and behave. Th e concept includes three ego states called Parent, Adult, and Child. Each ego state is given a capital letter to denote the diff erence between actual parents, adults and children.

Th e Parent Ego State is the set of feelings, thinking and behaviour that we have copied from our parents and signifi cant others. For example, we may notice that we are saying things just as our father, mother, grandmother may have done, even though, consciously, we may not necessarily want to. Another example is that we may treat others as we might have been treated.

Th e Adult ego state is about direct responses to the here and now. Th e Adult ego state is about being spontaneous and aware with the capacity for intimacy—we are able to see people as they are, rather than what we project onto them. We can ask for information rather than stay scared or make assumptions.

Th e Child ego state is the set of behaviours, thoughts and feelings which are handed down to us from our past. It holds both positive and negative memories.Now, answer these based on the above:

1. Why does any theory fail to capture human behaviour?

2. What, according to Freud, is required for an individual to be stable?

3. What are Eric Berne’s three ego states?

4. Can you think of some examples of human behaviour or transactions that refl ect the two theories that were discussed above?




SPEAKINGTalking About Personality TraitsGiven below are words that can be used to describe people in both positive and negative ways. Find out which words fi t you? Talk to your partner or members in your group sharing your experience with some of these traits in specifi c situations.

aff ectionate arrogant annoyingbrave boisterous bullycalm caring cunningdomineering dynamic diffi denteasy-going enigmatic empatheticfi ckle frugal fastidiousgreedy gentle gulliblehardworking heroic hot-temperedloyal lazy livelymagnanimous manipulative mawkishobnoxious obdurate optimisticpessimistic petulant pickyresourceful responsible rebellioussecretive selfi sh sensibletenacious timid tyrantunderstanding unyielding unfeelingvengeful vivacious visionarywitty wicked waspishyouthful yucky yuppiezealous zestful

Success WordsPick out fi ve words that are essential to personal and professional success and discuss them with the other person(s) in your team.My fi ve ‘success’ words:

1. _______________2. _______________3. _______________4. _______________5. _______________

Positive ThinkingStaying positive is an important aspect of developing your personality. Th e proverb ‘Every cloud has a silver lining’ tells us that we need to look for a hopeful or comforting prospect in the midst of diffi culty. Th ink of some of the diffi cult situations or events (personal, societal, national, global etc) and look for a silver lining in them. Discuss with your partner or members of your team and make of a list of them. Th e following two are given as examples. Add at least another fi ve.




Diffi culty Comforting prospect1. Global meltdown global warming will reduce2. IPL 2 moving out of India the event went global3. __________________________ _________________________________________4. __________________________ _________________________________________5. __________________________ _________________________________________6. __________________________ _________________________________________7. __________________________ _________________________________________

LISTENINGTips for Personality Development

Listening Exercise

Listen to the talk in which a person speaks on how to develop ones’ personality. Lis-ten to the talk again and jot down words or phrases for the following:

1. Defi ning personality.

2. Factors that infl uence personality development.

3. Have a vision.

4. Imagine yourself becoming what you want to be.




5. Be clear about your short-term and long-term goal.

6. Be assertive.

7. Be mentally sound.

8. Be physically fi t.

9. Be spiritually strong.

10. Build up your confi dence.

11. Communicate eff ectively.




12. Cultivate a sense of humour.

13. Deal with people on a win-win basis.

14. Develop a sense of appreciation.

15. Develop convincing skills.

16. Develop critical thinking.

17. Develop your creativity.

18. Have a sense of gratitude.




19. Have self esteem.

20. Have self motivation.

21. Know the ways to overcome failure.

22. Learn to deal with criticism.

23. Learn to empathize.

24. Manage your time, stress and anger well.

25. Mature with age.




26. Never be self-complacent.

27. Th ink positively.

28. Value relationships.

29. Be a role model.

WRITINGEssay WritingWriting is a process. Th is means you have to be clear with diff erent stages involved in coming up with a written piece.

Writing a good paragraph or an essay involves some stages. Remember the acronym ‘TOWER’ to know the fi ve steps involved in writing a paragraph/essay. TOWER stands for thinking, organising, writing, editing and rewriting.

Thinking

Brainstorm yourselves on key words and phrases related to your topic. Th ink of how much informa-tion to be included etc.

Organizing

Organize information using techniques like outlining, fl ow chart, grouping, mind mapping.

Writing

Write your fi rst draft .




Editing

Edit your fi rst draft looking for possible mistakes in arrangement of your ideas and language.

Rewriting

Rewrite your fi nal version freeing it of all possible errors.

A Sample EssayNote how the process approach was used to write an essay on a role model.

Stage 1: Thinking/Brainstorming

Th e following key words were jotted down as the author brainstormed on the topic.architect of modern Indiaeminent engineersimplevegetarianteetotalerhardworkinghoneststatesmanvisionaryBharath Ratna

Stage 2: Organizing

Grouping technique was used to organize the information.Personal Achievementssimple architect of modern Indiavegetarian eminent engineerteetotaler statesmanhardworking visionaryhonest Bharath Ratnalost his father at early age

Stage 3: Writing the First Draft

Th e following was the fi rst draft .Sir Mokshagundam visvesvaraya was an eminent engineer and statesman who played a key role

in building of modern India. He received our country highest honour, the Bharat Ratna in 1955. He was responsible for building the very fi rst electricity generation plant in Asia at Shivanasamudram near Mysore in 1894.

He had many acheivement to his credit these include implementing an extremely intricate system of irrigation in the Deccan area, designing and patenting a system of automatic weir water fl ood-gates, and supervising the construction of the KRS dam across the Cauvery River from concept to inauguration.

Th e automatic fl ood gates designed were fi rst installed in 1903 at the Khadakvasla reservoir near Pune. Th ese gates were employed to rise the fl ood supply level of storage in the reservoir to the highest level likely to be attained by its fl ood without causing any damage to the dam. Based on the success




of these gates, the same system was installed at the Tigra dam in Gwalior and the Krishnaraja Sagara (KRS) dam in Mysore.

Visvesvaraya achieved celebrity status when he designed a fl ood protection system to protect the city of Hyderabad fl oods. He was also instrumental in developing a system to protect Vishakapatnam port from sea erosion. Sir M. V. supervised the construction of the KRS dam across the Cauvery River from concept to inauguration. Th is dam created the biggest reservoir in Asia at the time it was built.

During his period of service with the Government of Mysore state, he was responsible for found-ing of under the aegis of that government the Mysore Soap Factory, the Parasitoid laboratory, the Bhadravati Iron & Steel Works, the SJ Polytechnic Institute, the Bangalore Agricultural University, the State Bank of Mysore, the Mandya Sugar Mills and numerous other industrial ventures. He also encouraged private investment in industry during his tenure as Diwan of Mysore.

Sir M. Visvesvaraya lead a very simple life. He was strict vegetarian and teetotaller. He was known for his honesty and integrity. In 1912, Maharaja of Mysore appointed Visvesvaraya as his Dewan. Before accepting the position of Dewan of Mysore, he invited all his relatives for dinner. He told them very clearly that he would accept the prestigious offi ce on the condition that none of them would approach him for favours.

He known for sincerity, time management and dedication to a cause. He was also instrumental in charting out the plan for road construction between Tirumala and Tirupati.

Stage 4: Editing

See how ideas were organized carelessly and language was used incorrectly in the above draft .

Stage 5: Rewriting

See the fi nal version here which was free from all possible errors.

My Role Model: Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya

Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya was an eminent engineer and statesman who played a key role in building of modern India. He received our country’s highest honour, the Bharat Ratna, in 1955. He had many achievements to his credit. Th ese include implementing an extremely intricate system of irrigation in the Deccan area, designing and patenting a system of automatic weir water fl oodgates, and supervising the construction of the KRS dam across the Cauvery River from concept to inaugura-tion. He was responsible for building the very fi rst electricity generation plant in Asia at Shivanasamu-dram near Mysore in 1894. He was also instrumental in charting out the plan for road construction between Tirumala and Tirupati.

Th e automatic fl ood gates he designed were fi rst installed in 1903 at the Khadakvasla reservoir near Pune. Th ese gates were employed to raise the fl ood supply level of storage in the reservoir to the highest level likely to be attained by its fl ood without causing any damage to the dam. Based on the success of these gates, the same system was installed at the Tigra dam in Gwalior and the Krishnaraja Sagara (KRS) dam in Mysore.

He achieved celebrity status when he designed a fl ood protection system to protect the city of Hyderabad fl oods. He was also instrumental in developing a system to protect Vishakapatnam port from sea erosion. Th e KRS dam across the Cauvery River, constructed under his supervision, created the biggest reservoir in Asia at the time it was built.

During his period of service with the Government of Mysore state, he was responsible for found-ing of, under the aegis of that government, the Mysore Soap Factory, the Parasitoid laboratory, the Bhadravati Iron & Steel Works, the SJ Polytechnic Institute, the Bangalore Agricultural University,




the State Bank of Mysore, the Mandya Sugar Mills and numerous other industrial ventures. He also encouraged private investment in industry during his tenure as Diwan of Mysore.

Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya is an endearing fi gure not only for his public achievements but also for leading an exemplary personal life. Sir M. Visvesvaraya led a very simple life. He was a strict vegetarian and a teetotaller. He was known for his honesty and integrity. In 1912, Maharaja of Mysore appointed Visvesvaraya as his Dewan. Before accepting the position of Dewan of Mysore, he invited all his relatives for dinner. He told them very clearly that he would accept the prestigious offi ce on the condition that none of them would approach him for favours. He was also known for his time manage-ment and dedication to a cause.

Try This Out:

Role models (people whom you admire) can serve as an inspiration to set goals for yourself. Write about your role model using the fi ve stage writing process shown above. Mention, among other things, the qualities and behaviour that you like in your role model and which aspects of his/her personality you wish to inculcate.

Writing a response using personal experience and knowledge of the world.WHAT ARE WE?We are human and inhumanWe are rational and irrationalWe are creative and crazyWe are divine and devilish




We are sacred and sinfulWe are daring and docileWe are selfl ess and selfi shWe are sensible and senselessWe are sane and insaneWe are sanguine and sanguinaryWe are a bundle of endless contradictions.Write your response to the above using your knowledge and experience about the world. Th ink spe-cifi cally about what you get to hear, read and know about how people behave.

PRONUNCIATIONMinimal PairsMinimal pairs are pairs of words or phrases whose pronunciation diff ers at only one segment-vowel or consonant sound, such as seen and sin, or cheep and chip.

Practice minimal pairs to enable you to speak English with clarity.

I. Listen and repeat the words below loudly. (1) beam

ream seem team

(2) fame game name shame

(3) cut dot dot hot nut rot shot




(4) feel heel meal seal zeal

(5) chick lick pick sick tick

(6) beat heat meet neat seat wheat

(7) bed dead head led said wed

Try These Out:

Give at least fi ve words for each of these following the sets of words shown above.

(1) vote

(2) bite

(3) lack




(4) perk

(5) fan

VOCABULARY‘Personality’ WordsUse the given words and complete the sentences below:

arrogant boisterous bullydomineering diffi dent enigmaticempathetic fastidious gulliblemawkish obnoxious obduratepetulant picky vengefulvivacious visionary waspishyucky yuppie

1. Apurva is good at putting herself in the shoes of others. Th is makes people say that she is very __________________.

2. Arun fi nally turned ___________ because he was so badly harmed and humiliated by his colleagues.3. Ashok thinks that he is smaller or less powerful than others. And he always lets others __________

him into doing things he doesn’t want to do.4. Dr APJ Abdul Kalam is known for his ___________ thinking.5. Everyone was terrifi ed because the boys played a ___________ game.6. Karan makes cruel remarks. Th is makes people think that he has a ___________ tongue.7. Kiran fell madly in love with a __________ blonde.8. Many quacks survive because there are people ___________ enough to believe them.9. Movies that do not show emotions in a right way are termed____________.

10. Mukesh is such an ________________ fi gure no one can understand him completely.11. Pavani thinks that her husband is ___________ because he never takes her feelings into

consideration.12. People consider that Yamuna is a _____________ as she spends a lot of money on buying fash-

ionable and expensive things.13. People think that Ganesh is _____________ because he gives too much attention to small details

and wants everything to be correct and perfect.




14. Pinky is ____________ about her sarees.15. Praveen’s colleagues think that he is _____________ because he always complains in a

childish way.16. Sharmila felt very embarrassed for she wore a ________ grey dress.17. Shekhar is unpleasantly proud and behaves as if he is more important than other people. Many

fi nd him ____________ and rude.18. Th e president of the workers’ union is _______________ on his demands. He refuses to change

his mind even aft er so much convincing by the management.19. Th ough Mamata does things really well, she is ____________ about her achievements. Th is gives

the feeling that she is lacking in self-respect.20. When Revathi is in a bad mood she is ___________ to everyone.

GRAMMARTag QuestionsShe is a great personality, isn’t she?

Th e above sentence is a tag question in which you can fi nd a statement followed by a mini-question. Th e whole sentence is a ‘tag question’, and the mini-question at the end is called a ‘ques-tion tag’.

We use tag questions at the end of statements to ask for confi rmation.Th e basic structure of tag questions is positive statement + negative tag or negative statement +

positive tag.Positive statement + negative tage.g. You are an extrovert, aren’t you?Negative statement + positive tage.g. You are not introvert, are you?

Look at the following examples with positive statements:

1. You are very adaptable, aren’t you?2. You act fi rst and then think, don’t you?3. We have learnt several ways of improving our personal eff ectiveness, haven’t we?4. She is good at juggling family and work, isn’t she?5. He should know what type of personality he is, shouldn’t he?6. Vinod has led an exemplary life, hasn’t he?

Look at the following examples with negative statements:

1. Samatha isn’t smart working, is she?2. Most of us are not goal-oriented, are we?3. You don’t use to-do lists, do you?4. He hasn’t got his priorities right, has he?5. We won’t buckle under pressure, will we?6. Th ey mustn’t be disappointed by their failures, must they?




Some special cases:1. I am dynamic, aren’t I? (not amn’t I)2. He has many role models, doesn’t he? (not hasn’t he)3. She has been successful in accomplishing her goals, hasn’t she? (not hasn’t been she)4. Nobody arrived in time, did any? (nothing, nobody etc are negative statements, hence a

positive tag)5. Let’s go, shall we? (let’s = let us)

Question tags with imperatives:Sometimes we use question tags with imperatives (invitations, orders), but the sentence remains

an imperative and does not require a direct answer. We use won’t for invitations. We use can, can’t, will, would for orders.

Examples:

1. Please join me, won’t you? (invitation)2. Do this, could you? (order)3. Don’t do this, will you? (with negative imperatives only will is possible)

Same-way question tagsYou can sometimes use a positive-positive or negative-negative structure (same-way question tag)

to express interest, surprise, anger etc, and not to make real questions.

Examples:

1. So you’re working on your project, are you? Th at’s wonderful!2. So you think he can’t be changed, do you? Th ink again.3. So you don’t like my report, don’t you? (Negative-negative tag questions usually sound rather

hostile)

Notice that you can also use tag questions to ask for information or help, starting with a negative statement. Th is is quite a friendly/polite way of making a request.

Examples:

1. You don’t know where the post offi ce is, do you?2. You couldn’t help me with repairing this machine, could you?

Answers to tag questionsYou can often a tag question using Yes or No. Sometimes you may repeat the tag and

reverse it.

Examples with Correct Answers:

1. You have a great personality, don’t you? Yes, I do.2. Swapna is not sentimental, is she? Yes.3. Ahmed can’t express his ideas eff ectively, can he? No, he can’t.




Try This Out:

I. Complete the tag questions by matching the statements under ‘A’ with question tags under ‘B’.

A B

1. You haven’t been honest with me, __________? (a) do you

2. You don’t trust me, _________? (b) have you

3. You have hired someone to replace me, _______? (c) haven’t you

Pair Work

II. With a partner, create a conversation that begins with one of the tag questions above. Decide who the characters are, and fi gure out what the situation is. Create and practice a role-play, and then present it to the class.

III. Use appropriate question tags and complete the following.1. I draft ed my report really well, ___________.2. Saritha seems to be good at multi-tasking, _____________?3. Our boss is in a great mood today, ____________?




1. boistarous boisteros bosterous boisterous2. charecteristic charactaristic characteristic charracteristic3. diffi dent diff edent diffi dant difi dent4. inttellectual intelectual intellectual intallectual5. persanality parsonality personnality personality6. posess posses possess passess7. repet ripeat repeat repeate8. senguinary sanginary sanguinery sanguinary9. tetotaller teetotaller teetoteler teetotallar

10. visionary visionery visinary visonary





Critical ThinkingAfter studying this unit, you will be able to:

know the importance of imagination vis-à-vis critical thinking know what critical thinking is distinguish a fact from opinion know how to develop critical thinking learn about reasoning techniques understand logical fallacies learn when and how to use connectives learn about debates and group discussions learn how to write a critical essay

CRITICAL THINKING SURVEYTick ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to these.

1. I am good at resolving issues. (Yes/No)2. I am more rational and intellectual than emotional and sentimental. (Yes/No)3. I can collect evidence carefully and weigh it objectively. (Yes/No)4. I can identify bias, self-deception, distortion, misinformation, etc. (Yes/No)5. I can look at things from multiple perspectives. (Yes/No)6. I challenge things when appropriate and propose alternatives to consider. (Yes/No)7. I collect information and analyse it carefully to arrive at right conclusions. (Yes/No)8. I do not normally make any sweeping statements or jump to conclusions. (Yes/No)9. I normally exercise control before expressing something. (Yes/No)

10. I normally tend to respond rather than react to things. (Yes/No)

If your answer is ‘yes’ to most of these questions, you are probably a critical thinker.

4




READINGCritical Thinking DevelopmentI. Read the following passage on critical thinking and understand what critical

thinking is all about.Critical thinking is an important soft skill which helps you to excel in your personal, professional and academic fronts. Critical thinking can be defi ned as purposeful and refl ective judgment about what to believe or what to do in response to observations, experience, verbal expressions, or arguments. Th e process of critical thinking involves the careful acquisition and interpretation of information and use of it to reach a reasonable conclusion. Critical thinking is important, because it enables you to analyze, evaluate, explain, and restructure your thinking, thereby decreasing the risk of acting on a false belief.

To be a good critical thinker you must give due consideration to the evidence, the context of judg-ment, the relevant criteria for making the judgment well, the applicable methods or techniques for forming the judgment, and the applicable theoretical constructs for understanding the nature of the problem and the question at hand.

Critical thinking can occur whenever you judge or solve a problem; in general, whenever you need to fi gure out what to believe or what to do, and do so in a reasonable and refl ective way. Reading, writing, speaking, and listening can all be done critically.To develop critical thinking you must:

learn to view things from various perspectives cultivate good analytical bent of mind arrive at solutions considering the issues scientifi cally and objectively rather than depending on

subjective feelings and emotions hone your intellectual and rational faculty use proper reasoning techniques not make any sweeping statements or jump to conclusions learn to respond rather than react to things learn to identify bias, self-deception, distortion, misinformation, etc in any argumentation collect evidence carefully and weigh it using proper reasoning techniques

Try These Out:

1. Make a list of situations in which you are expected to use your critical thinking.

UNIT 4: CRITICAL THINKING 67



2. Make a list of situations in which you had bitter experiences as a result of being uncritical.

3. Make a list of points you normally take into consideration for judging people or things.

4. Make a list of sweeping statements that you know.

5. Mention how one can learn to respond rather than react.

Inductive and Deductive ReasoningII. Read the following and ponder over the types of arguments discussed.Developing critical thinking involves understanding the type of arguments used in one’s speech or writing. An argument consists of one or more premises and one conclusion. A premise is a state-ment (a sentence that is either true or false) that is off ered in support of the claim being made, which is the conclusion (which is also a sentence that is either true or false). Th ere are two main types of arguments: deductive and inductive. A deductive argument is an argument such that the premises provide required support for the conclusion. An inductive argument is an argument such that the premises provide required support for the conclusion. If the premises actually provide the required degree of support for the conclusion, then the argument is a good one. A good deductive argument




is known as a valid argument and is such that if all its premises are true, then its conclusion must be true. If all the argument is valid and actually has all true premises, then it is known as a sound argu-ment. If it is invalid or has one or more false premises, it will be unsound. A good inductive argument is known as a strong inductive argument such that if the premises are true, the conclusion is likely to be true.Consider the following example.

Arun: I’ve noticed previously that every time I kick a ball up, it comes back down, so I guess this next time when I kick it up, it will come back down, too.

Ramesh: Th at’s Newton’s Law. Everything that goes up must come down. And so, if you kick the ball up, it must come down.

Arun is using inductive reasoning, arguing from observation, while Ramesh is using deductive reasoning, arguing from the law of gravity. Ramesh’s argument is clearly from the general (the law of gravity) to the specifi c (this kick); Arun’s argument may be less obviously from the specifi c (each indi-vidual instance in which he has observed balls being kicked up and coming back down) to the general (the prediction that a similar event will result in a similar outcome in the future) because he has stated it in terms only of the next similar event—the next time he kicks the ball.

As you can see, the diff erence between inductive and deductive reasoning is mostly in the way the arguments are expressed. Any inductive argument can also be expressed deductively, and any deduc-tive argument can also be expressed inductively.

Even so, it is important to recognize whether the form of an argument is inductive or deductive, because each requires diff erent sorts of support. Arun’s inductive argument, above, is supported by his previous observations, while Ramesh’s deductive argument is supported by his reference to the law of gravity. Th us, Arun could provide additional support by detailing those observations, without any recourse to books or theories of physics, while Ramesh could provide additional support by discussing Newton’s law, even if Ramesh himself had never seen a ball kicked.

Th e appropriate selection of an inductive or deductive format forms a specifi c fi rst step towards sound argumentation.Now, answer the following based on the above passage.

1. What does an argument consist of ?

2. What is a premise?

3. What is a sound deductive argument?

4. What is a sound inductive argument?




Logical FallaciesIII. Study the following logical fallacies and provide an example of your own for

each logical fallacy.When you err in reasoning, you commit a logical fallacy. To be more specifi c, a fallacy is an argument in which the premises given for the conclusion do not provide the needed degree of support. A deductive fallacy is a deductive argument that is invalid (it is such that it could have all true premises and still have a false conclusion). An inductive fallacy is less formal than a deductive fallacy. Th ey are simply arguments which appear to be inductive arguments, but the premises do not provide enough support for the conclu-sion. In such cases, even if the premises were true, the conclusion would not be more likely to be true.

1. Deductive Fallacy(arriving at a false conclusion)Premise 1: If Mumbai is the capital of India, then it is in India.Premise 2: Mumbai is in India.Conclusion: Mumbai is the capital of India.(Mumbai is in India, but Delhi is the capital.)

2. Inductive Fallacy(giving false supporting details)Premise 1: Having just arrived in Maldives, I got accommodation in a multi-storied building.Conclusion: Multi-storied buildings are very common in Maldives.(While there are some multi-storied buildings in Maldives, multi-storied buildings are very rare.)

3. Fallacy of Accident(overlooking exceptions)e.g. Cutting people is a crime. Surgeons cut people. Th erefore, surgeons are criminals.

4. Converse Fallacy of Accident(making sweeping statements)e.g. Every rose I have seen is red, so it must be true that all roses are red.

5. Irrelevant Conclusion(diverting attention away from the subject in question rather than address it directly)e.g. My teacher feels that television serials are boring therefore it must be said that television seri-

als are boring.6. Begging the Question

(arriving at a conclusion by means of premises that assume that conclusion)e.g. Th omas must be telling the truth, because I have heard him say the same thing many times

before.7. Fallacy of False Cause or Non Sequitur

(assuming incorrectly that one thing is the cause of another)e.g. You will be able to overcome all your problems because God is great.

Try These Out:

Look at the following claims and decide which of them are best expressed by inductive reasoning and which ones by deductive reasoning. Explain why.

1. Your entry test results usually indicate how you will do in the course.




2. Th e internal exam accounts for 50% of the course grade.

3. Applications submitted aft er last date will not be accepted.

4. Th is region’s population growth rate increased last year.

SPEAKINGDistinguishing Between Fact and Opinion

Pair/Group Work

Distinguishing between a fact and an opinion is an important aspect of improving one’s critical thinking. A fact is a statement that can be proven true or verifi ed by observation, research, and/or experiment. An opinion expresses one’s belief, feeling, view, idea, or judgment about something or someone.Discuss the following and decide if they are factual or opinionated.

1. Every human activity is latently political.2. Politics is an integral part of human civilisation.3. We are far better off than our ancestors.4. Valentine’s Day celebrations lead to consumerism amongst our youth.




5. Valentine’s Day is celebrated in most parts of the world.6. A survey conducted among patients at a Cancer Hospital revealed that over 75 per cent of those

aff ected by the disease in their lungs were smokers.7. Th e Taj Mahal is one of the new Seven Wonders of the World.8. Th e Taj Mahal is perhaps the best of new Seven Wonders of the World.9. Intellectual apathy is the root cause of social unrest.

10. Barking dogs seldom bite.

LISTENINGSpeeches on Capital Punishment


Listen to the following speeches in which two speakers talk about capital punish-ment.

Now, write a critical evaluation of the arguments of the two speakers. You can listen to the speeches repeatedly pausing wherever necessary to help you do this thoroughly.

Evaluation of arguments of speaker 1

Evaluation of arguments of speaker 2




Group Discussion on Euthanasia


Listen to this group discussion on the topic ‘Should euthanasia be allowed?’Now, write a critical analysis of the group discussion. You can listen to the discus-sion repeatedly pausing wherever necessary to help you do this thoroughly.Analysis of the group discussion on euthanasia

WRITINGWriting a Critical EssayA critical essay is a coherent and logically developed presentation of a thesis or central idea. Th is point of view must be supported with suffi cient evidence and careful argument which aim to convince the reader of the importance and validity of that thesis.




Steps in Writing a Critical EssayFirstly, Research the selected topic, gathering information from varied sources.

Secondly, critically evaluate the information assessing the material in terms of structure and ideas, as well as the way these ideas refer to the topic. At this point ask yourself whether the material is suffi cient or not, whether viewpoints are reasonable or not.

Th irdly, narrow down the scope of your topic and decide on the thesis statement for your essay. You should be able to formulate this thesis in a single sentence or two. Ask yourself: what exactly is the point I want the reader to understand?

Fourthly, analyse your material and review it until you are familiar enough with it to form a judg-ment or take a position on the topic selected. Organize your information in light of this argument or thesis.

Fift hly, divide the material you have gathered into the separate points of the argument and arrange these in order of increasing strength, ending with your best point. Deal with opposite points of view. Disposing—in a fair and logical manner—of counter-arguments in the body of your essay actually strengthens your thesis.

Sixthly, prepare a detailed outline or plan before writing the fi rst draft . As you do so, check that there are no contradictions in your argument, no gaps in your reasoning and no irrelevant points included.

Seventhly, write a fi rst draft based on an appropriate structure and then revise your fi rst draft .Finally, write or type your fi nal version making it error free.

The Structure of a Critical EssayTitle

Your title should refl ect the thesis or central argument of your essay.

Introduction

Th e fi rst paragraph of your essay serves as the introduction. It introduces the main idea of your essay. In the introduction, you should capture the interest of your reader and tell why your topic or argument is important. You must include your thesis statement and provide some background information about your topic. You may off er an overview of your essay without giving a summary of what is to follow.

Body or Supporting Paragraphs

Supporting paragraphs make up the main body of your essay. Th ey develop the main idea of your essay. List the points that develop the main idea of your essay. Place each supporting point in its own paragraph. Develop each supporting point with facts, details, and examples. Like all good paragraphs, each supporting paragraph should have a topic sentence, supporting sentences, and a summary sen-tence. Avoid overly long or short paragraphs. Each paragraph should contain one major point, and must be related logically to the preceding and following ones. Use connecting words such as however, therefore, in addition and nevertheless (refer to the grammar section of this unit to study them at length) to ensure smooth and clear transitions between points and paragraphs. Make sure that the argument progresses in a manner that is both coherent and convincing.

Conclusion or Summary Paragraph

Th e summary paragraph comes at the end of your essay aft er you have fi nished developing your ideas. Th e summary paragraph is oft en called a conclusion. It summarizes or restates the main idea of the




essay. Restate the strongest points of your essay that support your main idea. Conclude your essay by restating the main idea in diff erent words. Leave the reader with a sense that your essay is complete. Give general implications of your argument or suggest a plan for action.

Try This Out:

Corporal punishment is a deliberate form of infl icting punishment with a view to disciplining or changing one’s behaviour. Corporal punishment is still being practised in many parts of the world. Write a critical essay on capital punishment.

PRONUNCIATIONStress and Grammatical CategoryIn most words in English, grammatical category determines which part of the word is stressed. When disyllabic words are used as nouns or adjectives stress is on fi rst syllable and when they are used as verbs stress is on the second syllable.




I. Listen to the words rebel and convert below and note how stress shift s depending on grammatical category of these words.

rebel (noun) e.g. Th e rebels overthrew the dictator.rebel (verb) e.g. Rakesh rebelled against the system when he was very young.convert (noun) e.g. Smitha is a religious convert.convert (verb) e.g. She converted herself recently.

Try This Out:

Use the words below to write sentences as shown above. You can use a dictionary to know the mean-ings of the words.

1. a) confl ict (noun)

b) confl ict (verb)

2. a) content (noun)

b) content (verb)

3. a) contract (noun)

b) contract (verb)

4. a) convict (noun)




b) convict (verb)

5. a) decrease (noun)

b) decrease (verb)

6. a) desert (noun)

b) desert (verb)

7. a) discourse (noun)

b) discourse (verb)

8. a) escort (noun)

b) escort (verb)

9. a) exploit (noun)

b) exploit (verb)




10. a) export (noun)

b) export (verb)

11. a) extract (noun)

b) extract (verb)

12. a) import (noun)

b) import (verb)

13. a) insult (noun)

b) insult (verb)

14. a) object (noun)

b) object (verb)

15. a) perfume (noun)




b) perfume (verb)

16. a) permit (noun)

b) permit (verb)

17. a) present (noun)

b) present (verb)

18. a) refuse (noun)

b) refuse (verb)

19. a) reject (noun)

b) reject (verb)

20. a) survey (noun)

b) survey (verb)




VOCABULARY‘Critical Thinking’ WordsStudy the meanings of the following words.

1. logical—rational2. fallacious—misleading; erroneous3. dogmatic—doctrinaire; rigid4. controversial—divisive; argumentative5. premise—basis6. proposition—idea; suggestion7. critical—giving opinions using sound reasoning8. sentimental—infl uenced by emotional feelings9. objective—based on real facts and not infl uenced by personal beliefs or feelings

10. subjective—based on personal beliefs or feelings, rather than based on facts

Use the words given above and complete the sentences.1. He started his article with the ___________ that human relations are very complex in nature.2. You must stay calm even when you are talking on a topic which is ___________ in nature.3. You sound incredible if your arguments are _____________.4. I’ve put my ___________ to the principal of the college for his consideration.5. She gave a ________ account on the happenings in the offi ce.6. He made sure that his ideas were expressed in a ___________ way.7. As he was very ___________ his ideas were not accepted by the majority.8. It’s a not an expensive wrist watch but it has great _________ value for me.9. I can’t really be __________ when I’m judging my best friend’s work.

10. I think you are the most decisive person in the world, but I realize my judgment is rather ________________.

GRAMMARConnectives or Transition DevicesTh e fi rst step in deciding whether something that you read or hear is an argument is to determine whether it has a conclusion and if so what that conclusion is. Once you identify the conclusion, you can usually fi gure out the premises. Identifying premises and conclusions based on the occurrence of these indicator words works well in most cases. But there are exceptions. Some arguments oft en do not contain any indicator words at all. When this happens ask yourself: what is the other person trying to get me to believe? Once you fi gure this out, you’ll have the conclusion, and then it should be relatively easy to locate the premises.




Indicator Words or Connectives

Conclusion Indicators include ‘therefore’, ‘thus’, ‘so’, ‘hence’, ‘consequently’, ‘accordingly’, ‘entails that’, ‘implies that’, ‘we may conclude that’, ‘this establishes that’, ‘this gives us reason to suppose that’, ‘in short’ etc.

Premise Indicators ‘because’, ‘for’, ‘since’, ‘aft er all’, ‘in as much as’, ‘in view of the fact that’, ‘in virtue of ’, ‘here are the reasons’ etc.

A List of Connectives

Study the table below which presents some of the main connectives classifi ed roughly according to their broad meaning.

Broad Meaning Connectivesaddition also, too, similarly, in addition, even, indeed, let aloneopposition however, nevertheless, on the other hand, in contrast, though, alternatively,

anyway, yet, in fact, even soreinforcing besides, anyway, aft er allexplaining for example, for instance, in other words, that is to say, i.e., e.g.listing fi rst(ly) … second(ly), fi rst of all, fi nally, lastly, for one thing … for another,

in the fi rst place, to begin with, nextindicating result therefore, consequently, as a result, so, thenindicating time then, meanwhile, later, aft erwards, before (that), since (then), meanwhile

Meanings of Connectives with Example Sentences

1. accordingly—in a way that is suitable or right for the situation She’s an expert in this fi eld, and is paid accordingly.

2. alternatively—used to suggest another possibility We could go out and eat, or alternatively, we could skip our meal.

3. as well—in addition; also Standing behind the lectern, he looked at the audience and decided he should wait for the rest to arrive, as well. as well—to the same eff ect You might as well walk as drive in this traffi c.

4. because—for the reason that We shouldn’t buy this product because it doesn’t appear to be genuine.

5. because of—as a result of Th e match was abandoned because of bad weather.

6. besides—in addition to; also You must collect information carefully—besides, analyse it relating it to your topic.

7. by far—by a great amount Shashank is by far the best orator in the class.

8. consequently—as a result He didn’t argue cogently and consequently didn’t leave much impact on the audience.

9. hence—that is the reason or explanation for His father is a communist, hence his name—Stalin.




10. however—despite this Th is is one possible solution to the problem. However, there are others.

11. inasmuch as—used to introduce a phrase which explains why or how much something described in another part of the sentence is true Inasmuch as you are the boss, you are responsible for increasing the productivity of your organization.

12. insofar as—to the extent or degree that I agree only insofar as the style of presentation is concerned.

13. likewise—in the same way Just use these points for enhancing your critical thinking, and likewise to develop problem-solving skills.

14. meanwhile—until something expected happens Suman is expected to give a presentation next week. Meanwhile, he has to prepare for the same. meanwhile—while something else is happening You’ll be able to meet the principal aft er 10 minutes. Meanwhile, you may go through today’s newspapers.

15. moreover—also and more importantly Th e whole speech is badly delivered. Moreover, the ideas are illogical.

16. nevertheless or nonetheless—despite what has just been said or referred to I watched this movie already, but I’d like to go with you again nevertheless.

17. on the one hand … on the other hand—used when you are comparing two diff erent facts or two opposite ways of thinking about a situation On the one hand I like playing cricket, but on the other hand I think it’s a waste of time.

18. therefore—for that reason We were not convinced with her arguments therefore we did not give her a good grade.

19. whereas—compared with the fact that; but He normally analyses the issues objectively, whereas he’s being very subjective this time.

20. yet—still; until the present time I haven’t fi nished my report yet.

Try These Out:

1. Complete the short passage below using the connectives given.

and because besides just yet

We shouldn’t buy that new building set for our kid ___________ he hasn’t learned to take care of the toys he already has. ___________ yesterday he shoved all his toys into the closet or kicked them under his bed. ___________, I don’t think he’s old enough ___________ for that set. Th e box says it’s for 8 to 10-year-olds, ___________ our kid is only 4.

2. Complete the following sentences using the connectives given.

although because because of but despite

even when ever since hence however moreover

1. Global meltdown has aff ected many sectors. ____________, pharmaceutical industry is an exception.

2. Stress levels have increased _________ modern life has become much too complex.




3. Organizations will select you only if your résumé is attractive. ________ , it is a good idea to undergo some training in soft skills and personal grooming.

4. ____________ traffi c chaos, commuting has become a nightmare in cities. 5. Prices of essential commodities continue to be skyrocketing ___________ zero infl ation. 6. _____________ there are strict directives against corporal punishment, it continues to be

widely practised in Indian schools. 7. We shouldn’t hate politics because politics is an integral part of human civilisation. _________,

our lives are directly governed by policies framed by our politicians. 8. Th ey were hoping to sell their car for Rs 2 lacs, ________ settled for Rs1.5 lacs. 9. He went on lecturing ________________ the audience were restless. 10. He’ s been depressed ____________ he lost his job.


Look at the sets of words below and circle. Th e word with the correct spelling. Check your answers with the members of your team. Take the help of a good dictionary to fi gure out the correct spelling, if necessary. 1. controversil contraversial controversial cantroversial 2. erroneous erraneous eroneous erroneus 3. doctrinire doctrinire dactrinaire doctrinaire 4. falacious fallacious fellacious fallecious 5. appropriate apropriate approprite appropriat 6. euthenasia ethanasia euthanesia euthanasia 7. belief beleif bellief belif 8. intelectual intallectual intellectal intellectual 9. oppourtunity oportunity opportunity opporttunity10. varriety vareity variety veriety



Stress ManagementAfter studying this unit, you will be able to learn:

how moderation and humour kill stress how to identify causes of stress about presentation anxieties collocations with ‘stress’ and ‘stressful’ ways of making suggestions when to use active and passive voice

STRESS CONTROL SURVEYTick ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to these.

1. I can come up with strategies to get things done under deadlines. (Yes/No)2. I can easily identify things that cause stress. (Yes/No)3. I can easily let go of my anger. (Yes/No)4. I can easily turn to friends or family members for a calming infl uence. (Yes/No)5. I do not get angry with others when I am stressed. (Yes/No)6. I do not tend to be distracted or moody? (Yes/No)7. I do not turn to drugs when I am under stress. (Yes/No)8. I know how to boost myself when my energy is low. (Yes/No)9. I know how to quickly calm and soothe myself when I feel agitated. (Yes/No)

10. I normally accept things when I cannot control them. (Yes/No)If your answer is ‘yes’ to most of these questions, you are probably in control of stress.

READINGCoping with StressRead the following article by Nancy Howard on coping with stress. Nancy Howard has a degree in Nursing and was a member of SparkPeople before joining the staff as a community moderator. Her mission is to help others learn the process of living a healthy lifestyle and to let them know it is never too late to start. An avid runner, Nancy has competed in more than 55 races in 2.5 years. Her goal is to become a certifi ed running coach. She wants to inspire the world and let everyone know you don’t have to be an Olympian to run.

5




Coping with the Stress in LifeOne of the toughest challenges of this journey we call life is dealing with those issues that are not within our control. Th is year has certainly been one of those years. Not only has the economic situa-tion hit close to home, but recently hearing news of friends and family members fi ghting for their lives has certainly caused me to step back and re-examine where I am at this point in my life. While we can’t control many of the events in our lives, we do hold the power in how we deal and react to these stress-ors. We have the choice to let the stress control us or we can learn ways of helping us control the stress.

Th e sense of helplessness is certainly at the top of many of our lists of stressors. But there are ways that can help us through these obstacles. Below are a few measures I have incorporated into my life to help make the transition a little less stressful. I hope they will help you as well.

Have a Plan

Planning is crucial for me in order to get through these tough times. Making a list of things to do and accomplishing each day gives me a sense of control. Checking these items off my list at the end of the day allows me to experience a sense of achievement.

Take Time to Breathe

Deep breathing is known to reduce stress, lower blood pressure, and help our bodies to relax. Just taking a few deep breaths can help calm our emotions and bring us back to center.

Allow Yourself Time to Go Through the Emotions, but Do Not Allow These Emotions to Rule You

Suppressing emotions will not and does not change the situation. Sooner or later we must come to terms with where we are. Being angry or sad doesn’t change our situation but allowing ourselves time to go through the emotions is what will eventually allow us to release them.

Use These Events as an Opportunity to Learn

I believe every obstacle that is thrown in our path is the greatest opportunity to learn about who we are truly meant to be. When we are never faced with obstacles then how do we change the path which we are on? Th is is how we grow into the people we are meant to be.

Lean on Others

So many of us, me included, shun help because we don’t want others to view us as weak. But the older I get the more willing I am to allow my friends and family to hold my hand and walk this journey with me. Life is too short to have to walk it alone.

Enjoy the Moment

For the past few months I have been setting aside a few minutes every morning to make a promise to myself that I will fi nd one good thing to be thankful for each and every day. It doesn’t have to be grandi-ose-even the simple things in life such a friendly smile or a beautiful song can bring me great comfort.

Th ese are just a few ways I am learning to deal with the stress in my life. One of my all-time favor-ite inspirational quotes reads:

‘Th e ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.’ Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

UNIT 5: STRESS MANAGEMENT 85



Th is quote embodies the true essence of not allowing stress in our lives to defi ne us, instead allows us to defi ne who we are by surviving the challenges in our lives.

Source: ‘How Do You Cope with the Stress in Your Life?’ by Nancy Howard,www.dailyspark.com/blog.asp?post=how_do_you_cope_with_the_stress_in_your_life

Try These Out:

1. Which of Nancy’s ideas you would like to follow?

2. Make a list of your own ideas for dealing with stress.

SPEAKING

Pair/Group Work

Stressful Life EventsRank the following stressful life events in order of seriousness aft er having discussed with your partner or in your group. Add any other events that cause stress to this list.

Death in the family Family problems Job loss Major injury or illness Unsatisfactory job …………………………..




………………………….. ………………………….. ………………………….. ………………………….. …………………………..

Talking About Giving Speeches/PresentationsShare with the class what you feel about giving speeches/presentations.

You can use the space below to jot down your feelings about giving speeches.

LISTENINGA Talk on Reducing Stress


Listen to this talk in which a speaker gives some tips on reducing stress. Answer these questions based on the talk you have listened to.

1. What are the positive eff ects of stress?

2. What are the negative eff ects of stress?

3. What does managing stress involve?




4. What are the four areas that need attention to deal with stress eff ectively?

5. List out fi ve points from the talk that appeal to you the most.

Presentation Anxieties


Listen to this conversation between a teacher and his student on presentation anxieties. Now, answer these based on the above conversation.

1. What is the structure of a presentation?

2. What tools/methods can be used to make presentations?

3. What should be done to overcome stage fright?

4. What should be done to ensure eff ective delivery of a presentation?

5. What aspects of language are important for presentations?




6. How to handle the question and answer session eff ectively?

7. What are the criteria for assessing a presentation?

WRITINGWriting PersuasivelyTh e chief function of any communication is to tell or to sell. Persuasive writing is all about ‘selling’ with words.Janice Jacobs, a professional freelance technical copywriter feels:

Using persuasive writing in your ads, sales letters, or sales pitches, is, really, salesmanship in print.Commenting further on persuasive writing she says:

Persuasive writing focuses on benefi ts, not features. It sells on emotion and reinforces the decision to buy with logic. It paints a compelling picture and an irresistible off er. Persuasive writing doesn’t always use ‘grammatically correct’ English. It uses short sentences, fragments. Like this. Th e combination of these elements persuades your reader to act, and to act now! Th is is persuasive writing at its best!Jennifer Stewart opines:

When writing an advertisement, your aim is to persuade your readers to follow a particular course of action—willingly.In writing an advertisement persuasively, according to Jennifer Stewart, three elements are involved:

1. you must win the trust of your audience2. you must appeal to their emotions (rather than to their intellect)3. you must rationalise their decisions for them, so that they feel comfortable in making it.

So, you can see persuading writing is all about focussing on your readers, their interests and desires.Th ere’s a well-known structure in persuasive writing, described by the acronym AIDA. Th e AIDA

stands for: Attention, Interest, Desire and Action.First, you capture your prospect’s attention. Th is is done with your headline and lead. If your ad

fails to capture your prospect’s attention, it fails completely. Your prospect doesn’t read your stellar copy, and doesn’t order your product or service.

Th en you want to build a strong interest in your prospect. You want him to keep reading, because if he reads, he just might buy.

Next, you channel a desire. Having a targeted market for this is key, because you’re not trying to create a desire where one did not already exist. You want to capitalize on an existing desire, which your prospect may or may not know he already has. And you want your prospect to experience that desire for your product or service.

Finally, you present a call to action. You want him to pick up the telephone, return the reply card, attend the sales presentation, order your product, or whatever. You need to ask for the sale (or response, if that’s the goal). You don’t want to beat around the bush at this point.




If your letter and AIDA structure is sound and persuasive, here’s where you present the terms of your off er and urge the prospect to act now.

Sample Persuasive WritingLook at the fl ier below which persuades people to join a course that deals with stress management.

A Three-week Course on Stress ManagementAre you able to lead a healthy lifestyle?Are you successful in balancing life?Can you work under pressure?Do you know what’s causing stress in your life?

If your answer is ‘no’ to the above important questions, here’s what you need.Stress can be damaging no doubt. But be relieved! Th ere are sure remedies for dealing with it

eff ectively. And what’s more you can learn them all in just three week’s time. Th e astonishing fact is that you’d be celebrating each day of your life aft er you undergo this course.Th e course trains you in:

Understanding stress in right spirit Identifying stressors at home and place of study or work Dealing with stressors eff ectively Managing your attitude, relations, environment and life style

Gains for participants who undergo the course:

Lead a healthy lifestyle Learn to work and relax well Balance work and family Stay fi t and alert View life in perspective Enjoy meaningful relations Work productively Celebrate life and its myriad spheres

Th e course will be conducted by well-trained and highly motivated trainers in a fun-fi lled way in spacious halls with great ambience and excellent infrastructure.

Limited seats! Admissions on a fi rst-come-fi rst-served basis!For registrations, contact:

LiveInfi nity5-5-507VijaynagarHyderabadPhone: 040-55 77 66 22

Try This Out:

You are working for a company which is going to launch an energy drink targeting people who work under stress. Prepare an exciting advertisement, with visuals, text and caption.




PRONUNCIATIONContractionsIn spoken English, a shortened form of a word or combination of words is oft en used instead of the full form. For instance, ‘can’t’ is a contraction of ‘cannot’. You should learn to use contractions so as to speak English more naturally and fl uently.I. Listen and repeat the following full forms and their contracted forms as clearly

and loudly as possible.I am I’mI have I’veI will I’llI would/had I’dit is/has it’sit will it’llit would/had it’dhe is/has he’she will he’llhe would/had/ he’dshe is/has she’sshe will she’llshe would//had she’dthey are they’rethey have they’vethey will they’llthey would/had they’dwe are we’rewe have we’vewe would/had we’dyou are you’reyou have you’ve




you will you’llyou would/had you’dare not aren’tcannot can’tcould not couldn’tdare not daren’tdid not didn’tdo not don’tdoes not doesn’thad not hadn’thas not hasn’thave not haven’tis not isn’tmust not mustn’tneed not needn’tought not oughtn’tshall not shan’tshould not shouldn’twas not wasn’twill not won’twould not wouldn’t

II. Listen and repeat the sentences below. Say the bold faced parts of the words clearly. 1. I’d like to work in a focussed and eff ective way to accomplish my high payoff tasks. 2. Dinesh doesn’t fritter his time away on confl icting priorities. 3. She’s worked on strategically important tasks. 4. We’ve leant techniques to minimize the interruptions. 5. He’d rewarded himself for completing high priority tasks in time. 6. Th ey’ve devised ways to beat procrastination. 7. He’s good at scheduling his time eff ectively. 8. I don’t normally over commit to others. 9. I’ve realised that careless decisions could kill time.

Try This Out:

Write sentences beginning with the following.

1. I’m

2. I’ve

3. I’ll




4. I’d

5. It’s

6. It’ll

7. It’d

8. He’s

9. He’ll

10. He’d

11. She’s

12. She’ll

13. She’d

14. Th ey’re

15. Th ey’ve

16. Th ey’ll

17. Th ey

18. We’re




19. We’ve

20. We’d

21. You’re

22. You’ve

23. You’ll

24. You’d

25. You aren’t

26. I can’t

27. She couldn’t

28. You daren’t

29. He didn’t

30. We don’t

31. It doesn’t

32. Th ey hadn’t

33. She hasn’t




34. I haven’ t

35. He isn’ t

36. We mustn’ t

37. You needn’ t

38. You oughtn’ t

39. I shan’ t

40. We shouldn’ t

41. It wasn’ t

42. He won’ t

43. It wouldn’ t

VOCABULARYCollocations of ‘Stress’ and ‘Stressful’Study the following words collocating with ‘stress’ and ‘stressful’ and use them in your speech and writing.

stress level/reduction/buster/sign/symptom/indicator/warningcause/reduce/combat/fi ght/manage/cope with stressstressful event/work place/environment/situation/life/journey/day/job

Try This Out:

Complete the following sentences using an appropriate collocation.1. I wish to __________ stress by surrounding myself with positive cues.2. Th e stressful work _________ caused many people to leave the organisation.




3. _________stress is a must to lead a balanced life.4. Th ey attended many workshops on stress___________.5. She was ________ severe stress which was the reason why she couldn’t do the job well.

GRAMMARExpressing Suggestions

Pair Work

I. Read the following situations and suggest ways to manage stress.I feel…I fi rmly feel…I think…I strongly believe…I suggest…I think it’s important…I believe it’s essential…I recommend…If were …, I would…

Swapna has to complete her project work in a week’s time. She also has to take care of her younger brother because her mother is away on a business trip.

Smitha thinks that some of her classmates are talking about her behind her back. She is so much worried that it’s aff ecting her studies.

Murthy hasn’t been sleeping well. He fi nds it hard to function eff ectively during the day. He’s probably stressed at work.

Vamshi is a workaholic. He has been neglecting his family for a very long time. His family is worried.

Saritha has fi ve important assignments to complete in three weeks time. Saritha fi nds it diffi cult to fi nish all them in time. Her class teacher is very strict about the work she assigns.

While off ering your suggestions in the above situations try to use active voice and not the passive voice.Instead of saying:

Swapna’s younger brother must be left with her relatives.Say:

Swapna must leave her younger brother with her relatives.Note: Study the information given below to learn about the active and passive voice.

Active and Passive VoiceVerb forms are said to be in active voice when they express actions performed by the subject (doer/agent). But when they express what the objects of those actions received, the verb forms are said to be in passive voice.




Active Voice : Govind gave a presentation. Passive Voice : A presentation was given by Govind. Active Voice : Teachers must value the ideas of their students. Passive Voice : Students’ ideas must be valued by their teachers.

Th e passive voice is generally used

(a) when the action, but not the doer/agent is important.e.g. Many interactive sessions were organized on stress management.

(b) when the doer/agent is not known.e.g. Th e reports have not been sent.

(c) when the doer/agent is obvious.e.g. Salaries have been hiked.

(d) when, for some reasons you don’t want to mention the doer/agent.e.g. Steps must be taken to boost the morale of the employees.

Try This Out:

Turn the following into the active voice.

1. Th e complaint box must be used by employees.

2. Presentation tips must be learnt by students.

3. Stress management sessions must be arranged by the organisation.

4. Friendly and co-operative atmosphere must be ensured by staff members.

5. Subordinates’ work must be recognized by managers.






1. anxiety anxety anxeity anxietty 2. workhalic workaholic workholic workohalic 3. inferiority inff eriority inferoirity inferiorrity 4. parspective perspictive perspectave perspective 5. charracteristic characterristic charactaristic characteristic 6. managment manegement management menagement 7. atmosphere atmasphere atmmosphere atmospher 8. assignment asignment assinment assignmant 9. niglect negglect neglact neglect 10. parsuade persade perssuade persuade



Team WorkAfter studying this unit, you will be able to:

know about the limiting conditions of team work know how to work eff ectively in a team learn dos and don’ts for team work know how to generate ideas for various topics learn how to solve some tasks as a team

TEAM WORK SURVEYTick ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to these.

1. I am comfortable in working with others to accomplish tasks. (Yes/No)2. I am methodical and planned in my work. (Yes/No)3. I can communicate clearly when working in teams. (Yes/No)4. I can get things done working co-operatively. (Yes/No)5. I can handle the stress that accompanies deadlines. (Yes/No)6. I can use time wisely to help me stay on schedule and meet deadlines. (Yes/No)7. I have the ability to get along with others. (Yes/No)8. I tend to be fl exible in the way I deal with things. (Yes/No)9. I understand the roles and tasks clearly when working in teams. (Yes/No)

10. I use persuasion as a technique to get things done. (Yes/No)If your answer is ‘yes’ to most of the above, you are probably a good team player.

READINGStages of Team Development I. Read the following information on Bruce Tuckman’s stages of team development

and answer the questions that follow.Bruce Tuckman in 1965 proposed the Forming—Storming—Norming—Performing model of group development. According to him, these phases are all necessary and inevitable in order for the team to grow, to face up to challenges, to tackle problems, to fi nd solutions, to plan work, and to deliver results. Th is model has become the basis for subsequent models of team development and team dynamics and a management theory frequently used to describe the behaviour of existing teams.

6




Forming

In the fi rst stages of team building, the forming of the team takes place. In this stage the members of the team get to know one another and make new friends. Th e team meets and learns about the oppor-tunity and challenges, and then agrees on goals and begins to tackle the tasks. Team members tend to behave quite independently. Th ey may be motivated but are usually relatively uninformed of the issues and objectives of the team. Team members are usually on their best behaviour but very focussed on themselves.

Storming

Every group will then enter the storming stage in which diff erent ideas compete for consideration. Th e team addresses issues such as what problems they are really supposed to solve, how they will function independently and together and what leadership model they will accept. Team members open up to each other and confront each other’s ideas and perspectives.

Th e storming stage is necessary to the growth of the team. It can be contentious, unpleasant and even painful to members of the team who are averse to confl ict. Tolerance of each team member and their diff erences is crucial in this stage. Th e maturity of team members usually determines how quickly the team moves out of this stage.

Norming

At some point, the team may enter the norming stage. Team members adjust their behavior to each other as they develop work habits that make teamwork seem more natural and fl uid. Team members oft en work through this stage by agreeing on rules, values, professional behaviour, shared methods, working tools and even taboos. During this phase, team members begin to trust each other. Motiva-tion increases as the team gets more acquainted with the project.

Th e team members can be expected to take more responsibility for making decisions and for their professional behavior. However, some members can begin to feel threatened by the amount of responsibility they have been given. Th ey would try to resist the pressure and revert to storming again.

Teams in this phase may lose their creativity if the norming behaviors become too strong and begin to stifl e healthy dissent.

Performing

Some teams will reach the performing stage. Th ese high-performing teams are able to function as a unit as they fi nd ways to get the job done smoothly and eff ectively without inappropriate confl ict or the need for external supervision. By this time they are motivated and knowledgeable. Th e team members are now competent, autonomous and able to handle the decision-making process without supervision. Dissent is expected and allowed as long as it is channeled through means acceptable to the team.

Th e team will make most of the necessary decisions. Even the most high-performing teams will revert to earlier stages in certain circumstances. Many long-standing teams will go through these cycles many times as they react to changing circumstances. For example, a change in leadership may cause the team to revert to storming as the new people challenge the existing norms and dynamics of the team.

Tuckman later added a fi ft h phase, adjourning, that involves completing the task and breaking up the team. Others call it the phase for mourning.

UNIT 6: TEAM WORK 101



Now, answer these questions.1. What, according to Bruce Tuckman, are the four stages of team development?

2. What is the importance of Bruce Tuckman’s model of team development?

3. In which stage do team members work according to rules?

4. In which stage do team members take independent decisions?

5. In which stage do team members brainstorm and come up with a lot of ideas?

6. In which stage do team members know about opportunities and challenges?

Qualities of an Eff ective Team PlayerII. Read the following article which discusses ten qualities of an eff ective team player.

Ten Qualities of an Eff ective Team Player

If you were choosing team members for a business team in your organization, who would the best team players be? Assuming that people have the right technical skills for the work to be done, what other factors would you use to select your team members? Teams need strong team players to perform well. But what defi nes such people? Read on…

Demonstrates Reliability

You can count on a reliable team member who gets work done and does his fair share to work hard and meet commitments. He or she follows through on assignments. Consistency is key. You can count on him or her to deliver good performance all the time, not just some of the time.




Communicates Constructively

Teams need people who speak up and express their thoughts and ideas clearly, directly, honestly, and with respect for others and for the work of the team. Th at’s what it means to communicate construc-tively. Such a team member does not shy away from making a point but makes it in the best way possible—in a positive, confi dent, and respectful manner.

Listens Actively

Good listeners are essential for teams to function eff ectively. Teams need team players who can absorb, understand, and consider ideas and points of view from other people without debating and arguing every point. Such a team member also can receive criticism without reacting defensively. Most impor-tant, for eff ective communication and problem solving, team members need the discipline to listen fi rst and speak second so that meaningful dialogue results.

Functions as an Active Participant

Good team players are active participants. Th ey come prepared for team meetings and listen and speak up in discussions. Th ey’re fully engaged in the work of the team and do not sit passively on the sidelines.

Team members who function as active participants take the initiative to help make things happen, and they volunteer for assignments. Th eir whole approach is can-do: ‘What contribution can I make to help the team achieve success?’

Shares Openly and Willingly

Good team players share. Th ey’re willing to share information, knowledge, and experience. Th ey take the initiative to keep other team members informed.

Much of the communication within teams takes place informally. Beyond discussion at organized meetings, team members need to feel comfortable talking with one another and passing along impor-tant news and information day-to-day. Good team players are active in this informal sharing. Th ey keep other team members in the loop with information and expertise that helps get the job done and prevents surprises.

Cooperates and Pitches in to Help

Cooperation is the act of working with others and acting together to accomplish a job. Eff ective team players work this way by second nature. Good team players, despite diff erences they may have with other team members concerning style and perspective, fi gure out ways to work together to solve prob-lems and get work done. Th ey respond to requests for assistance and take the initiative to off er help.

Exhibits Flexibility

Teams oft en deal with changing conditions—and oft en create changes themselves. Good team players roll with the punches; they adapt to ever-changing situations. Th ey don’t complain or get stressed out because something new is being tried or some new direction is being set.

In addition, a fl exible team member can consider diff erent points of views and compromise when needed. He or she doesn’t hold rigidly to a point of view and argue it to death, especially when the team needs to move forward to make a decision or get something done. Strong team players are fi rm in their thoughts yet open to what others have to off er—fl exibility at its best.




Shows Commitment to the Team

Strong team players care about their work, the team, and the team’s work. Th ey show up every day with this care and commitment up front. Th ey want to give a good eff ort, and they want other team members to do the same.

Works As a Problem-solver

Teams, of course, deal with problems. Sometimes, it appears, that’s the whole reason why a team is created—to address problems. Good team players are willing to deal with all kinds of problems in a solutions-oriented manner. Th ey’re problem-solvers, not problem-dwellers, problem-blamers, or problem-avoiders. Th ey don’t simply rehash a problem the way problem-dwellers do. Th ey don’t look for others to fault, as the blamers do. And they don’t put off dealing with issues, the way avoid-ers do.

Team players get problems out in the open for discussion and then collaborate with others to fi nd solutions and form action plans.

Treats Others in a Respectful and Supportive Manner

Team players treat fellow team members with courtesy and consideration—not just some of the time but consistently. In addition, they show understanding and the appropriate support of other team members to help get the job done. Th ey don’t place conditions on when they’ll provide assis-tance, when they’ll choose to listen, and when they’ll share information. Good team players also have a sense of humor and know how to have fun (and all teams can use a bit of both), but they don’t have fun at someone else’s expense. Quite simply, eff ective team players deal with other people in a professional manner.

Team players who show commitment don’t come in any particular style or personality. Th ey don’t need to be rah-rah, cheerleader types. In fact, they may even be soft -spoken, but they aren’t passive. Th ey care about what the team is doing and they contribute to its success—without need-ing a push.

Team players with commitment look beyond their own piece of the work and care about the team’s overall work. In the end, their commitment is about winning—not in the sports sense of beating your opponent but about seeing the team succeed and knowing they have contributed to this success. Winning as a team is one of the great motivators of employee performance. Good team players have and show this motivation.

Try These Out:

1. Working in small groups, rank the above ten qualities of an eff ective team player in the order of their importance to you as a team.

Th e ten qualities of an eff ective team player in the order of their importance




SPEAKINGThings in Common ActivityGet into a small group consisting of fi ve or six members. Discuss and fi nd out what you have in com-mon as a team. Share your common things with other teams in the class.

Use the space below to write things your group has in common.

Deciding on a Team LeaderPlay an interesting game of your choice and choose the winner as your team leader.

Use the space below and describe the process involved in selecting your team leader.

Naming the TeamNow, the team leader is to ask each member to suggest an interesting name to the team. Get them to give the reason for their choice. Aft er discussion and debate each team should announce the name of their team and explain the reason for their choice.




Performing a TaskWorking in your teams brainstorm on why the employees of the organizations want good team play-ers. And also have a discussion in your team on what is that is required to be able to work in teams successfully. One member from the team is to share their ideas with the class.

Talking About the Experience of Working in TeamNow, describe in as much detail as possible your experience of working on the above tasks in your team. Share your experience with the class orally.

LISTENINGA Conversation on Team WorkListening Exercise

Listen to this conversation on team work between a soft skills trainer and his student.Now, answer these based on what you have just listened to.

1. What is team work?




2. What is synergy?

3. What qualities are required to be able to work in teams eff ectively?

WRITINGWriting About ExperiencesI. You might be on a committee, or in a club or volunteer organization at some

point in time. Describe your experience of working in the team in as much detail as possible.




II. Vincent Lombardi says, ‘Th e achievements of an organization are the results of the combined eff ort of each individual.’ Write your opinion on it.

PRONUNCIATIONSentence StressEnglish is a stress-timed language which means that you need to decide the words that are normally to be stressed in a sentence. In English content words like nouns, adjectives, adverbs and main verbs are generally accented, where as structure words like articles, pronouns, prepositions, conjunctions and auxiliaries are not generally accented.

Listen and repeat the sentences below making sure that the bold faced part of the words is said loudly so that your sentence sounds rhythmic and natural.

Exercise A

1. She wants to achieve her goals quickly.2. Remember to write your goals precisely.3. Th ey pursued their dreams with a great determination.4. Th e starting point of all achievement is desire.5. He became a prominent personality in a short time.6. We depended on the proven methods to attain our aspirations.7. Th ey progressed remarkably well.8. We transformed our lives totally.9. Th ey faced several trials and tribulations.

10. He showed indomitable spirit and overcame insurmountable problems.

Exercise B

1. Modern life is full of demands.2. Stress has become a way of life.3. Stress helps you stay focussed, energetic, and alert.4. Th e stress response helps you rise to meet challenges.




5. Stress can damage your productivity and quality of life.6. Be prepared to modify your values.7. Take delight in fi nding good things in other people.8. Participate in social service activities.9. Change your lifestyle by removing the causes of stress.

10. You must learn to celebrate your life.

Try This Out:

Identify the content words and structure words in sentences below.

1. I always get the jitters the morning before an exam.2. Th e collapse of the company has caused jitters in the fi nancial markets.3. He felt all jittery before the interview.4. I get really jittery if I drink too much of coff ee.5. Th e very thought of giving a speech in front of a large audience unnerves me.

VOCABULARY‘Career’ WordsStudy the words and phrases related to ‘career’ given below.callingcareer developmentcareer diversitycareer laddercareer managementcareer man/womancareer stagescareer trainingjobnew careerprofessionvocationwork

Related/ Theme WordsWork in teams and gather words related to the following.

1. Words denoting occupations/jobs




2. Words and phrases related to team work

3. Words and phrases related to workplace

GRAMMARSubject and Verb AgreementStudy the points of information below and understand how subjects and verbs agree.

1. When the subject of a sentence is singular, it takes a singular verb and if the subject is plural it takes a plural verb. Ganesh goes to offi ce every day.

2. When the subject of a sentence has two or more nouns or pronouns connected by and, a plural verb is used. Sushma, Monika and her Sharat are in the same team.

3. When a singular noun and a plural noun are joined by or or nor, the plural noun is placed nearer the verb and the verb is plural. Either Anand or his parents are going to come to the party. Neither Anand’s parents nor Anand is going to come to the party.

4. Th e verb agrees with the subject, not with a noun or pronoun in the phrase. Th e team leader, as well as the other members of the team, is excited about the new project.

5. Th e words each, each one, either, neither, everyone, everybody, anybody, anyone, nobody, some-body, someone, and no one are singular and require a singular verb. Everybody thinks that Saritha is smart-working.

6. Nouns such as scissors and trousers require plural verbs. Th ose trousers are made of cotton.

7. In sentences beginning with there is or there are, the subject follows the verb. Th ere are many good leaders in our country. Th ere is one leader in our locality who is honest to the core.




8. Collective nouns such as group, team, committee, class, and family take a singular verb. Th e team wants to complete its project in time. Ravi’s family never agrees to what he wants to do. In some cases, a sentence may call for the use of a plural verb when using a collective noun. Th e team have lost the match.

9. Expressions such as with, together with, including, accompanied by, in addition to, or as well do not change the number of the subject. Th e Prime Minister, accompanied by his wife, is travelling to Nepal.

10. Some nouns are plural in form, but take singular verbs. Physics is my favourite subject.

Try These Out:

Working in small groups, discuss what is wrong with the following sentences. Write the correct ver-sion in the space provided.

1. Shyam clock in at 9 o’clock every day.

2. Ramu and Ravi clocks out at 4 o’clock.

3. Swapna doesn’t gets along with her colleagues.

4. Karan don’t under his role in the team clearly.

5. We doesn’t like working in teams.

6. Brian have a bike.

7. Th ere is twelve months in a year.




8. Th e news of the killing are spreading clearly.

9. Th e new student, along with the boss, were seen at the gate.

10. Th e reasons he give for his absence is silly.

11. All of them likes working in teams.

12. None of them are clear about how to go about the task.

13. Some of them wants to stay away from the meeting.

14. None of them want to go on a picnic.

15. Manoj’s ability to lead the teams were appreciated by all.

16. Th ese qualities helps you in achieving your goals.

17. Neither the team leader nor members has understood the problem correctly.

18. Th e surface of some tables were damaged.




19. Th e equipment were broken.

20. Th e teams was reconstituted.



1. compromise compromize campromise compramise2. consistancy cansistency consisstency consistency3. defensive deff ensive difensive defenssive4. expartise expertize experteese expertise5. oponent opponant opponent oponant6. performence performance parformance perrformance7. priparation preparration preparation preparattion8. prevint privent prevvent prevent9. relability relaibility relliability reliability

10. valunteer volunter vollunteer volunteer


Modifi ed Date: Thu, Jun 24, 2010 12:44:57 PM Output Date: Thu, Jun 24, 2010 12:45:21 PM REV-II

Time ManagementAfter studying this unit, you will be able to:

learn the importance of time management identify your time robbers how to optimize your time learn proverbs, phrasal verbs and idioms related to time learn and practise contractions in English learn about intonation learn reported speech

TIME MANAGEMENT SURVEYTick ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to the following statements to check your time management skills.

1. I am good at estimating the time required to complete my tasks. (Yes/No)2. I am good at prioritizing things. (Yes/No)3. I am not normally stressed about deadlines and commitments. (Yes/No)4. I am well-organized. (Yes/No)5. I do right things at the right time. (Yes/No)6. I don’t normally put off things. (Yes/No)7. I have coping skills to withstand life’s challenges. (Yes/No)8. I have enough time in the day for high priority tasks. (Yes/No)9. I leave contingency time in my schedule to deal with the unexpected. (Yes/No)

10. I make quick and wise decisions. (Yes/No)11. I review how I spend my time periodically. (Yes/No)12. I set clear cut goals and create eff ective schedules to accomplish things. (Yes/No)13. I spend quality time with people. (Yes/No)14. I focus on completing a task in time even if it is not perfectly done. (Yes/No)15. I use ‘to-do’ lists and prioritize my tasks. (Yes/No)

If your answer is ‘yes’ to most of the above, you are successful in managing your time.

7




READINGEff ective Time ManagementI. Read the article below on eff ective time management carefully and answer the

questions that follow.

Eff ective Time Management

Time management is an essential skill that can help you to achieve your personal and professional success. You can complete your tasks in time and learn to enjoy your life to a maximum by managing your time eff ectively. Eff ective time management involves proper goal-setting, prioritization, manag-ing interruptions, beating procrastination and eff ective scheduling.

Goal-setting

To start managing time eff ectively, you need to set goals. Setting up of goals gives you a sense of direction in your day to day life. If you are goals are not clearly written down, you’ll fritter your time away on a confusion of confl icting priorities.

People tend to neglect goal setting because it requires time and eff ort. What they fail to consider is that a little time and eff ort put in now saves an enormous amount of time, eff ort and frustration in the future.

Prioritization

Prioritizing what needs to be done is especially important. Without it, you may work very hard, but you won’t be achieving the results you desire because what you are working on is not of strategic importance.

Most people have a ‘to-do’ list of some sort. The problem with many of these lists is they are just a collection of things that need to get done. There is no rhyme or reason to the list and, because of this, the work they do is just as unstructured. So work on to-do list following some priory matrix.

High Pay-off Tasks

To work effi ciently you need to work on the most important, highest value tasks. Th is way you won’t get caught scrambling to get something critical done as the deadline approaches.

Managing Interruptions

Having a plan and knowing how to prioritize is one thing. Th e next issue is knowing what to do to minimize the interruptions you face during your day. It is widely recognized that managers get very little uninterrupted time to work on their priority tasks. Th ere are phone calls, information requests, questions from employees, and a whole host of events that crop up unexpectedly. Some do need to be dealt with immediately, but others need to be managed.

However, some jobs need you to be available for people when they need help—interruption is a natural and necessary part of life. Here, do what you sensibly can to minimize it, but make sure you don’t scare people away from interrupting you when they should.

UNIT 7: TIME MANAGEMENT 115



Beating Procrastination

Th e tendency to postpone things is one of the main causes for stories of failure. Th e lazier you become, the heavier your work gets. Remember that procrastination is as tempting as it is deadly. Th e best way to beat it is to recognize that you do indeed procrastinate. Th en you need to fi gure out why. Once you know why you procrastinate then you can plan to get out of the habit. Reward yourself for getting jobs done, and remind yourself regularly of the horrible consequences of not doing those boring tasks!

Eff ective Scheduling

Much of time management comes down to eff ective scheduling of your time. When you know what your goals and priorities are, you then need to know how to go about creating a schedule that keeps you on track, and protects you from stress.

Th is means understanding the factors that aff ect the time you have available for work. You not only have to schedule priority tasks, you have to leave room for interruptions, and contingency time for those unexpected events that otherwise wreak chaos with your schedule. By creating a robust schedule that refl ects your priorities and well as supports your personal goals, you have a winning combination: One that will allow you to control your time and keep your life in balance.

Be guided by the points mentioned here and accomplish your tasks eff ortlessly and at the same enjoy your life to the maximum.Now, answer these based on the article above.

1. How can setting up of goals save one’s time?

2. Why is prioritizing of tasks important?

3. What should one do in dealing with interruptions?

4. What has to be done to beat procrastination?




5. What should be kept in mind in creating an eff ective schedule?

Multi-TaskingII. Read the article below on multi-tasking carefully and answer the questions that

follow.

Multi-Tasking: An Eff ective Time Management Tool

Modern life is characterized by hectic life styles. Multi-tasking is an asset in this fast paced world. Suc-cessful multi-tasking is the key to managing your time eff ectively.

Understanding Multi-tasking

Multi-tasking has two connotations. One, it refers to your ability to do two or more tasks simultane-ously without any loss of attention. For example, you may listen to a song as you work on your project. Th e other connotation is your ability to wear multiple hats. In other words, multi-tasking is your abil-ity to do more than one task competently. For example, you may have the ability to work effi ciently both as system administrator and front offi ce executive.

An Asset

Multi-tasking of some kind or the other goes on in everyone’s life almost every day. Multi-tasking is certainly an asset as you can save a lot of time as you get more done in less time. Remember, employers highly appreciate and even think that you are indispensable if you have the ability to multi-task.

Successful Multi-tasking

Successful multi-tasking involves two important things. One, understanding and training oneself in skills required to perform more than one job in an organization. You may even be required trans-fer skills from one job to the other. Two, learning to use technology effi ciently. You may familiarise yourself to talk on cell phone, messaging, voice mailing, web conferencing, emailing and chatting. However, you shouldn’t get distracted by the same and must know when to use them, when not to use them, how to use them, and how much use you should put them to etc.

Strength of Focussing Ability

Th ere are some things that aren’t done well by multi-tasking. If you are working on your high priority task it is not a good idea to attempt to do other things as well. When you are doing some unimportant or mechanical jobs you can multi-task. Multi-tasking also depends on the nature of work you do and your own focussing abilities. For instance, you may not actively listen to someone on the phone and type in an email.




Finally, a word of caution. Th ough it is believed that certain combinations of tasks actually improve one’s productivity, there are some who believe that multi-tasking is meaningless.Now, answer these based on the article above.

1. What is multi-tasking?

2. Why is multi-tasking an asset?

3. What does successful multi-tasking involve?

Try This Out:

Work in pairs or teams and debate on multi-tasking. One person or team would say ‘multi-tasking is an asset’ and the other person or team would say ‘multi-tasking is meaningless’.

SPEAKINGTime RobbersIn pairs, talk about how you lose your time. Make a list of time robbers and talk about ways to deal with each of the time robbers you’ve identifi ed.Time robbers Ways of dealing with time robbers




Time Management ToolsDiscuss with your team members and identify the common time management tools the team uses. Talk about advantages associated with each of the time management tools. One member from the team is to share them with the class.Time management tools Advantages

LISTENINGA Conversation About Time Management


Listen to the conversation between a trainer and his student on time management.Now, answer the following based on the above conversation.

1. What is time management?

2. How important is it to manage one’s time?

3. What should one do to manage one’s time eff ectively?

4. What is the importance of the Pareto principle?




5. What is the POSEC method?

A Presentation on Time Management


Listen to this presentation by a personality development trainer on time management.Now, answer these based on the presentation above.

1. What are the three aspects of time management that were covered in the presentation?

2. How important is time?

3. What are the common time robbers?

4. What needs to be done to optimize one’s time?




WRITINGExpanding ProverbsYou can develop your knowledge of the world, critical thinking and writing skills by working on prov-erbs. Attempt to expand a proverb as suggested below.

Discuss the literal and symbolic meaning Provide explanation using your personal experience Present a critical view Discuss how relevant the proverb is to the given time

Expand the following time proverbs into a paragraph or two.

1. Time and tide wait for none.

2. Procrastination is the thief of the time.




Writing an ArticleAn article is a written composition in prose, usually nonfi ction, on a specifi c topic, forming an inde-pendent part of a book or other publication, as a newspaper or magazine.

You may need to write an article for a magazine, newspaper, your teacher. Keep the points below to write an eff ective article.

choose a topic research on the topic decide on the purpose and length give a catchy title use an eff ective introduction keep the body informative use suffi cient white space use short paragraphs use logical and convincing ideas give evidence to your claims, sharing your personal experiences where necessary use a clear style use an eff ective conclusion eff ective conclusion

Write an article to be published in an online newsletter on time management.




PRONUNCIATIONIntonationIntonation is an important aspect of pronunciation in English. Intonation refers to rise and fall of pitch in order to convey a range of meanings, emotions or situations.

Intonation performs an accentual function in that it enables the speaker to make any part of his/her utterance prominent in accordance with the meaning s/he would convey.

A variety of meanings can be conveyed through intonation changes in a single sentence.Consider the sentence below in which you can stress each word in turn, and see the totally diff er-

ent meanings that come out.His arguments are fallacious.His arguments are fallacious.His arguments are fallacious.His arguments are fallacious.Once you are clear on the intonation changes in the seven sentences, you can add context words

to clarify the meaning:His arguments are fallacious, not yoursHis arguments are fallacious, not his beliefs.His arguments are fallacious, not in the past.His arguments are fallacious, not true.

Try These Out:

1. Listen and repeat the sentences below. Say the bold faced part more audibly.She argued logically.She argued logically.She argued logically.Now, add context words to clarify the meaning.She argued logically, ____________.She argued logically, ____________.She argued logically, _____________.

2. Listen and repeat the sentences below. Say the bold faced part more audibly.Th ey noticed many logical fallacies in his speech.Th ey noticed many logical fallacies in his speech.Th ey noticed many logical fallacies in his speech.Th ey noticed many logical fallacies in his speech.Th ey noticed many logical fallacies in his speech.Th ey noticed many logical fallacies in his speech.Th ey noticed many logical fallacies in his speech.Now, add context words to clarify the meaning.Th ey noticed many logical fallacies in his speech, ____________________________________.Th ey noticed many logical fallacies in his speech, ____________________________________.Th ey noticed many logical fallacies in his speech, ____________________________________.




Th ey noticed many logical fallacies in his speech, ____________________________________.Th ey noticed many logical fallacies in his speech, ____________________________________.Th ey noticed many logical fallacies in his speech, ____________________________________.Th ey noticed many logical fallacies in his speech, ____________________________________.

Examples:

1. You don’t know who I am, do you? (/ rising) real question.2. You don’t know who I am, do you? (\ falling) real question.

VOCABULARY‘Time Management’ WordsMatch the words and their meanings.Match the words under ‘A’ with their meanings under ‘B’.

A B 1. accomplish (a) based on good judgment and practical ideas 2. conscious (b) being practical and purposeful 3. periodically (c) happening repeatedly over a period of time 4. prioritize (d) strong and healthy 5. procrastinate (e) to be aware of the existence or presence of a particular thing 6. result-oriented (f) to decide which of a group of things are the most important 7. robust (g) to fi nish something successfully 8. scramble (h) to make smooth and effi cient 9. sensible (i) to move with diffi culty10. streamline (j) to put off doing things

‘Time’ ProverbsStudy the following proverbs related to time. A proverb is a brief statement of a general truth, principle or rule for behaviour.

1. Better late than neverTh is means that it is better to do something late than not do it at all.

2. Tomorrow is another day Th is means that things might turn out better or that there might be another opportunity in the future.

3. Time and tide wait for none or Time and tide wait for no manTh is means that people should act without delay.

4. Procrastination is the thief of the timeTh is means that putting things off robs people of the opportunity to accomplish them.

5. Stitch in time saves nine Th is means that if a job needs doing it is better to do it now, because it will only get worse, like a hole in clothes that requires stitching.




6. Here today, gone tomorrowTh is means that things do not last for very long.

7. Even a broken clock is right twice a day or Even a stopped clock is right twice a dayTh is is used when people get lucky and are undeservedly successful.

8. Feast today, famine tomorrow Th is means that if you indulge yourself with all that you have today, you may have to go without tomorrow.

9. Time’s a great healerTh is means that a painful or diffi cult situation will seem less bad as time passes.

10. Time fl iesTh is means that time passes very and surprisingly quickly.

11. Time is moneyTh is means that you should not waste time, because you could be using it to earn money.

12. Time hangs heavyTh is means that minutes, hours, weeks, etc. seem to go past very slowly.

‘Time’ Phrasal VerbsA phrasal verb consists of a verb and a preposition or adverb that modifi es or changes the meaning. ‘Turn down’ is a phrasal verb that means ‘reject’, which is very diff erent from ‘turn’. Th e word or words that modify a verb in this manner can also be called particle. Study the following phrasal verbs related to time.

1. clock in or clock on—to record the time you arrive at work on a special machine

Example Sentences

What time did you clock in this morning?Our offi ce clocking-in time is 9.00 a.m.

2. clock out or clock off —to record the time you leave at work on a special machineExample Sentences

What time did you clock out this evening?Our offi ce clocking out time is 9.00 p.m.

3. clock up—to record or reach

Example Sentences

India hasn’t clocked up many gold medals in any Olympics so far.My motorbike clocked up 5000 kilometres.

‘Time’ IdiomsAn idiom or idiomatic expression is a set expression of two or more words that means something other than the literal meanings of its individual words. Study the following idioms related to time. Meanings of the idioms and example sentences are given to help you understand them clearly.

1. a day late and a dollar short—too late and is not good enoughShiva shows up a day late and a dollar short all the time. He needs to get organized.




2. all the time—continuouslyIt’s a bad habit to criticize people all the time.

3. all the time in the world—a large number of minutes, hours, etc. availableTh e doctor made me feel as if she had all the time in the world to listen to my problems.

4. a race against time—to work very quickly in order to do or fi nish something before a certain timeIt was a real race against time to get myself ready for that all important presentation.Th e author worked against time to deliver the manuscript before the deadline.

5. ahead of time—happening early or before the set timeA section of audience left the conference hall ahead of time.

6. at the drop of a hat—do something immediately and without hesitationTh ey signed the contract at the drop of a hat.

7. call it a day—to stop working and leaveI’m getting a bit tired now—shall we call it a day?

8. eleventh hour—happening at the last minuteSome rules were changed at the eleventh hour.

9. for a time—for a short periodFor a time, we all thought that Suraj and Fareena would get married.

10. for the time being—temporarilyLeave these exercises for the time being—we’ll do them later.

11. have no time for somebody—to disapprove of someone and not want to be involved with themI’ve got no time for people who are always complaining.

12. have time to kill—to have nothing to do for a particular periodWe’ve got some time to kill before our train arrives— shall we have a drink?

13. in the fullness of time—at the right and appropriate timeEverything will become clear in the fullness of time.

14. in good time—do faster than expectedSuman submitted the report in good time.

15. in hour of need—a time when someone really needs somethingShe helped me in my hour of need.

16. in an instant—happening very rapidlyIn an instant, all the fi les were blown away.

17. in one’s own sweet time—you take as long as you please to do it, in spite of the orders or wishes of others‘Ok, I’ll do it—but in my own sweet time.’

18. in the blink of an eye—happening instantaneously, with hardly enough time to notice itIt all happened in the blink of an eye.

19. in the interim—taking place during a period of time between two eventsTh e new principal takes over in June, but in the interim the vice-principal will look aft er everything.

20. in time—before it is too lateGet your high quality work done in time to meet deadlines.He arrived just in time for his presentation.

21. just in the nick of time—managing to do it just in timeWe reached the airport just in the nick of time.




22. like clockwork—happening at very regular times or intervalsAft er the schedule has been revised, the trains are running like clockwork.

23. like there’s no tomorrow—do something very fast and energeticallyVijay is working on the project like there’s no tomorrow

24. living on borrowed time—a period of time aft er an illness or accident which could have caused deathWe cannot expect any policy changes as the government is living on borrowed time.

25. make up for lost time—increase eff orts or work harder to complete something or meet a deadlineI couldn’t work hard last month but I’m certainly making up for lost time now.

26. no time to lose—you must do quickly whatever it is that you want to doCome on, there’s no time to lose, we must get home before it rains heavily.

27. now and then—occasionallyWe used to go out every now and then.

28. once in a blue moon—happening rarely or hardly everMy sister lives in America, so I only see her once in a blue moon.

29. play for time—to delay something from happening in order to gain an advantageWe can’t sign the agreement yet—we’ll have to play for time.

30. pressed for time—be in a hurry or work against a very tight scheduleI’d love to stop and chat but I’m rather pressed for time.

31. question of time—used when you think that something will happen at some point in the near future If you carry on working like that, it’ll only be a matter of time before you become a great fi gure.

32. round/around the clock—all day and all nightTh e patient needed round-the-clock nursing.

33. run out of time—to not have enough hours, etc. to fi nish something you are trying to doShe ran out of time and had to close her speech abruptly.

34. sign of the times—something that shows the nature of today’s societyRampant corruption is the sign of the times.

35. since time immemorial—for a very long timeTh e tribal people had lived here since time immemorial.

36. small-time—not very successful or importantWe had a meal in a small-time hotel.He is a small-time crook.

37. some other time—some indefi nite time in the future or possibly neverDon’t worry about that now—we’ll do it some other time.

38. spur-of-the-moment—done without planningWe didn’t plan to go away—it was one of those spur-of-the-moment decisions.

39. stand the test of time—valuable or useful aft er many yearsShakespeare’s writings stood the test of time.

40. time and again—very oft enMy mother tells me time and time again I must look before I cross the road.

41. time is ripe—the right moment to doI’m waiting till the time is ripe before I make my next move.




42. time’s up—minutes, hours, etc. not availableOK everyone, you time’s up—handover your papers now.

43. time of your life—enjoying yourself very muchI went on a picnic last week and had a time of my life.

44. time on your hands—to have nothing to do Many parents think that they will have time on their hands once the children get married and start to live away from them.

45. time on your side—not have to do quicklyYou can submit your assignments next week, so time is on our side.

46. to the end of time—foreverTh e great souls live to the end of time.

Try This Out:

in good time the time is ripe at the drop of a hat all the time time on my hands

1. If you submit your assignments __________________ you’ll be appropriately rewarded.2. Have patience! You can do this when _____________.3. He did all that ______________________.4. She uses to-do lists ___________________.5. My exams are over and now I fi nd that I have ___________.

GRAMMARDirect and Indirect SpeechYou can report what someone says in direct speech or indirect speech. When you use exact words of the speaker you use direct speech. In other words, direct speech is quoted speech that is presented without modifi cation, as it is uttered by the original speaker. Th is reporting is shown in quotation marks.

Example

‘I’m preparing my to-do list,’ said my father.or

My father said, ‘I’m preparing my to-do list.’When you report what someone says without using the exact words of the speaker but present the

same with some modifi cations, you use indirect speech. In other words, indirect speech is reported speech that is presented with grammatical modifi cations, rather than as it is uttered by the original speaker. Th is reporting is not shown in quotation marks.

Example

Direct‘I have learnt how to beat procrastination,’ said my sister.

IndirectMy sister said that she had learnt how to beat procrastination.




Tense changes are common as you have to account for the time gap in reporting what someone has said. Note the following tense changes from direct speech to indirect speech.

Direct speech Indirect speechpresent simple past simplepresent continuous or progressive past continuous or progressivepresent perfect past perfectpresent perfect continuous past perfect continuouspast simple past perfectpast continuous past perfect continuouspast perfect past perfectpast perfect continuous past perfect continuouswill wouldcan couldshall shouldmay mightmust hadNote: could, would, should, might and ought to will remain the same in indirect speech too.Other changesTh is (morning) that (morning)Th ese (days) those (days)Today that dayYesterday the previous day or the day beforeTomorrow the following day or the next day(a week) ago (a week before)Now thenNotice how the reporting verb, tense forms, pronouns, punctuation marks are used depending on

the type of sentences- statements, interrogatives, imperatives and exclamations.

Statements

Direct speech: ‘I am doing a workshop on time management,’ said he.

Indirect speech: He said that he was doing a workshop on time management.

Direct speech: Th ey said to him, ‘We will be successful in beating procrastination.’

Indirect speech: Th ey told him that they would be successful in beating procrastination.

Interrogatives

He said to me, ‘What is eff ective time management?’

He asked me what eff ective time management was.

She said, ‘Is the Pareto principle useful?’

She asked (me) if the Pareto principle was useful.

I said to him, ‘Do you use the Pareto principle or POSEC method?’

I asked him whether he used the Pareto principle or POSEC method.




Imperatives

My father said to me, ‘Don’t waste your time’

My father warned me not to waste my time.

Th e boss said to him, ‘Please fi nd ways to beat your procrastination’

Th e boss requested him to fi nd ways to beat his procrastination.

Exclamations

I said, ‘How amazing his presentation is!’

I exclaimed with wonder that his presentation was amazing.

She said to him, ‘Wow, I managed to complete my project in time.’

She exclaimed with surprise that she had managed to complete her project in time.

Try These Out:

1. Turn the following into Indirect Speech

He said, ‘I wish to make a prudent use of my time.’

He said to her, ‘Where is your digital pocket organizer?’

Her boss said, ‘Learn how to deal with your time robbers.’

Th e team members said, ‘Wow! We have found the solution to the problem.’

2. Turn the following into Direct Speech

Our coach advised us not fritter away our time on confl icting priorities.

Th ey exclaimed with sorrow that they failed to submit their work before the deadline.

He wanted to know if I found multi-tasking meaningless.

She said that she was unhappy with the way she scheduled her tasks.

Th ey exclaimed with joy that they had learnt how to balance work and family.

3. Write sentences using clues as shown in model sentences.

Model: He says he’s doing his work.they/enjoy/work


she/write/an article

Model: She said she had wasted a lot of time.admit/not prioritize/his tasks properly

say/learn/many techniques of time management

Model: Th e teacher told me to help her.My boss/complete the project in time

Our team leader/come up with new ideas

Model: She asked me where I was going.when/leave

which book/read

Model: Th e trainer asked us if (whether) we had learnt many useful techniques.boss/her/proofread/your report

the facilitator/us/enjoy/workshop


Look at the sets of words below and circle the word with the correct spelling. Check your answers with the members of your team. Take the help of a good dictionary to fi gure out the correct spelling, if necessary. 1. cantingency contingensy contengency contingency 2. manegement management managment managemant 3. priority priorrity proirity priorety 4. procrastinete proccrastinate procrastanate procrastinate 5. purposefull purpuseful purposeful parposeful 6. succesful successfull successful sucessful 7. proverb provarb provverb prroverb 8. evidance eviddence evidence evidenc 9. megazine magazzine magazine magazin 10. interuption interruption intterruption intteruption

Project: Soft Skills for Professionals_ Kumar Sreehari ACE Pro India Pvt. Ltd.File: X:\Pearson\Soft Skills for Professionals - KumarSreehari\MAIN\Z01\Z01_SREEISBN_10_Z01_EWC.indd

Modifi ed Date: Fri, Jun 25, 2010 04:49:12 PM Output Date: Fri, Jun 25, 2010 05:42:11 PM Rev-IV

ESSENTIAL WRITTEN COMMUNICATION

After completing this section, you will learn how to write:

Formal Letters Resumes Reports E-mails

FORMAL LETTERSThe letters you write to friends and family are called informal letters. However, the letters you write to business people and offi cials are considered formal letters.

Diff erent Kinds of Formal LettersRoutine

i. Enquiriesii. Quotations and tenders

iii. Ordersiv. Payment

Special Purposei. Circulars

ii. Personnel—employmentiii. Agencies—banks, insurance agents

Sales Lettersi. Off ers

ii. Promotionsiii. Replies to queriesiv. Resale

EXTERNAL BUSINESS CORRESPONDENCEProblem Letters

i. Complaints and follow upii. Concessions

iii. Overdue accounts—collection letters

132 ESSENTIAL WRITTEN COMMUNICATION



Formats of Formal LettersMost business letters have the following parts:

1. Heading–Letterhead This as we have seen earlier will include the name and contact details such as telephone and fax num-bers and e-mail or website address of the ‘sender’ of the letter.

2. Date Since we correspond in a global environment, and diff erent parts of the world follow diff erent conven-tions to write the date, we suggest you follow an alphanumeric format like ‘15 September 1992’ for your letters.

3. Reference Number This again is an alphanumeric notation and helps in the fi ling of the letter and is also useful for reference in future correspondence in which it can be quoted to help the receiver. This is a descriptive label and will be named in the letter.

4. Inside Address This will include the name (optionally) and the address of the proposed addressee of the letter. Remem-ber to include the designation along with the name if your letter is meant for a specifi c individual.

5. Subject LineThis should be a short phrase clarifying the purpose of your letter. This is a descriptive label in the letter.

6. Salutation You can choose to use ‘Dear’ plus the name of the addressee. Remember to use the surname since this is formal communication. Often, people use the entire name in their salutation. This applies if you choose not to sound too informal. So, instead of writing ‘Dear George’ you could write ‘Dear Mr. George Varghese’. If you do not know the name of the addressee, you can choose to write ‘Dear Regional Man-ager’ or ‘Dear Director’. Writing ‘Dear Sir or Madam’ is gender insensitive and dated. (The word Madame comes from My dame; many women object to it being used)

7. Body—This is where your text goes in.

8. Complimentary Close You can use ‘Truly’ or ‘Sincerely’, but will use ‘Yours’, only if you used ‘Dear’ in the Salutation. Remember ‘Dear’ and ‘Yours’ are always together and a letter does not have one without the other.

9. Signature Area Remember to sign, write your name in block letters below your signature and mention your designation.

10. Enclosure NotationThis is a descriptive label and will be named in the letter.

ESSENTIAL WRITTEN COMMUNICATION 133



1) SRUJANA COMMUNICATIONSHARINI TOWERS

HYDERABAD, ANDHRA PRADESHINDIA

PHONE: 040-23658941; e-mail: [email protected]

2) 2nd March, 2010

3) Reference Number: CAD/007/2010

4) Mr. Shantha SinhaExecutive Sales Manager12, SD RoadAndheri, Mumbi—22000022

5) Dear Mr. Sinha

6) Subject: Order for 150 Folders

7)

.

8) Yours Sincerely

9) Abhay

(ABHAY)Manager, Procurement Division

10) Enclosure(s): (i) (ii)

TYPES OF FORMATS

I. Full Block Format




1) SRUJANA COMMUNICATIONSHARINI TOWERS

HYDERABAD, ANDHRA PRADESHINDIA

PHONE: 040-23658941; e-mail: [email protected]

2) 2nd March, 2010

3) Reference Number: CAD/007/2010

4) Mr. Shantha SinhaExecutive Sales Manager12, SD RoadAndheri, Mumbi—22000022

5) Dear Mr. Sinha

6) Subject: Order for 150 Folders

7)

.

8) Yours sincerely

9) Abhay

(ABHAY)Manager, Procurement Division

10) Enclosure(s): i) ii)

II. Modifi ed Block Format




A SAMPLE ENQUIRY LETTER

The United India CollegeUniversity of Bharat502 Swatantra MargNew Delhi 110077Phone: 24682468e-mail: [email protected]

29 February 2010

Reference Number: UIC/123/2010

Retail Sales Manager,Srujana CommunicationsHarini towersHyderabadAndhra PradeshIndia

Dear Mr Takia,

Subject: Enquiry regarding alternative lighting systems

We have recently celebrated our silver jubilee as a premier residential institution of higher learning in the National Capital Region. In our endeavour to promote sensitivity towards the environment among our stu-dents and staff , we have decided to allocate resources in the next fi nancial year to make our campus energy effi cient.

Towards this end, we are seeking information regarding alternative lighting systems. Your company has the reputation of manufacturing superior quality CFL products and we would like you to send us detailed information about your range of products, along with prices and payment options.

We look forward to hearing from you at the earliest to enable us to make the necessary decision and arrangements.

Yours truly,Animesh Khatri

(Animesh Khatri)Estate Manager




A SAMPLE REPLY TO ENQUIRY LETTER

Srujana CommunicationsHarini towersHyderabadAndhra PradeshIndiaPhone: 040-23658941e-mail: [email protected]

15 March 2010

Your Reference: UIC/123/2010Our Reference: SCL/123/2010

The Estate Manager,The United India College,University of Bharat,502 Swatantra Marg,New Delhi 110077.

Subject: Alternative lighting systems

Dear Mr Khatri,

Thank you for your letter dated 29 February 2010, enquiring about alternative lighting systems for your college. You have made the right decision by deciding to shift to CFL in your campus and are sending out a message to the community that your institution teaches important lessons even beyond the classroom.

You will be happy to know that we are currently promoting the switchover to this environmentally friendly technology and, as an incentive to our customers, have an attractive off er for you. In addition to fulfi lling your order, we will be happy to off er you, free of cost, appropriate holders for the CFL bulbs. Our technician will come at a time convenient to you and change all the light fi xtures in your college and you will have no trouble for life. We also provide a replacement guarantee on our products for two years. I have enclosed our latest catalogue giving our range of products along with prices and payment options. I urge you to place your order at the earliest. For your convenience, I have also enclosed an order form that you can mail or fax to me at your convenience.

I look forward to receiving an order from your institution and can promise that you will not regret your decision. Not only will you save electricity and reduce costs, but also fi nd this lighting alternative very conve-nient as you do not need to change the bulbs frequently. CFL bulbs last ten times longer than ordinary bulbs.

Yours truly,Bhavik Takia

(Bhavik Takia)Retail Sales Manager

Enclosures:

i. Srujana Communications Catalogueii. Order Form




Notice in the letters in the earlier pages, that Animesh Khatri clearly stated the purpose of his letter and also indicated what was required as response. This helped Bhavik Takia to respond appropriately. He replied promptly indicating that the business was welcome and referred to Animesh Khatri’s enquiry. The eff ective-ness of Bhavik Takia’s letter lies in its ability to secure the order from the college.

Abbreviations Used in Letter WritingThe following abbreviations are widely used in letters:

asap = as soon as possiblecc = carbon copy (when you send a copy of a letter to more than one person, you use this abbre-

viation to let them know)enc = enclosure (when you include other papers with your letter)pp = per procurationem (A Latin phrase meaning that you are signing the letter on somebody

else’s behalf; if they are not there to sign it themselves, etc)ps = postscript (when you want to add something after you’ve fi nished and signed it)

pto (informal) = please turn over (to make sure that the other person knows the letter continues on the other side of the page)

RSVP = please reply

RESUME WRITINGYour resume (also called bio-data or curriculum vitae) is a necessary annexure to any job application. it is a document that lists the personal details, objectives and achievements of a person in a simple format. There is, as such, no standard format for a resume. The most important thing to remember while drafting a resume is the purpose—the task that you expect the resume to accomplish. Therefore, apart from being informative, the resume must also be persuasive. This is not an overt persuasiveness, rather the arrangement of data in a manner that makes the document focused and convincing.

Resume Writing Tips Use headings for the separate sections of the resume.

Use phrases in point form rather than full sentences.

Refer to those aspects fi rst which have a direct relationship with the application that you are preparing.

Be positive in the choice of terms, not hesitant.

Arrange those items fi rst where you have more achievements.

The resume could be thematically arranged under diff erent headings or be chronological, that is, the entries could be organized according to dates. In the latter aspect, the preference may be given to reverse chronol-ogy, that is, the latest entry is listed fi rst.

HeadingsPossible headings for a resume for job applications are:

Name Contact information Statement of professional objectives Work experience Academic and professional qualifi cations Extra-curricular activities References




Statement of Professional ObjectivesMention your career objective in a short statement based on your skills and competencies as well as the job you are applying for.

Note: The next section depends on whether you have more things under work experience or educational qualifi cation. Whichever has greater signifi cance comes next.

Work ExperienceList your work experience starting with your current job fi rst, mentioning the name of organization, position held, nature of post, work responsibilities, period of work and pay package (optional).

Academic and Professional Qualifi cationsArrange your academic qualifi cations and professional qualifi cations separately, again with the most recent ones coming fi rst. You should mention the name of the course, the examination passed, and year of passing, institution and results. Any special distinction achieved may also be pointed out. You could use a tabular format, too.

Extra-curricular ActivitiesUnder this heading list all those activities and achievements which help in projecting you as a person with a range of interests. Remember to include awards from school and college, positions held, social service initia-tives taken and publications.

ReferencesDo not give too many references. Two or three should suffi ce. You should seek the prior consent of your refer-ences before you actually give their names. Provide their postal addresses, e-mail, telephone numbers, etc., so that they are easily contactable. Try and provide a variety of referees from your teachers, supervisors in the workplace or business friends. Do not include relatives. Resumes may be customized for particular purposes. They could also be styled in ways to project textual aesthetics of the applicant.




Name

Contact Information

Objectives

Work Experience

Extra-curricular Activities

References

Signature

RESUME TEMPLATES




Here is another resume template where academic qualifi cations follow the description of work experi-ence. Remember that it is very important to detail your work experience, so that your employer has a clear idea of what kind of work you actually do. It will help them to place you better in their organization.

Name

Address

Phone

e-mail

Career Objective

Job Experience (most recent one should come fi rst)1. Job Title Dates (Month/Year)

Employer

Responsibilities:

2. Job Title Dates (Month/Year)

Employer

Responsibilities:

Education (most recent one should come fi rst)

Degree Date (Month/Year)







Training and Certifi cation

Certifi cate Date (Month/Year)

Certifi cate Date (Month/Year)

Publication(s)

Title

Source

Date

Hobbies

Reference:




WRITING THE JOB APPLICATION LETTER OR COVER LETTERAlong with the resume, you will need to send a covering letter. Its purpose is to attract the interest of your prospective employer, to call you for an interview.

Sections of a Job Application LetterThe following are the three sections of a job application letter:

Opening

Middle paragraphs

Closing

OpeningIn the opening part, give reference to how you learnt about this job opportunity. Write a two or three sen-tence summary of your most outstanding qualifi cations related to the job you are seeking.

Middle Paragraph—Data and DetailsThe middle paragraph of your letter contains:

Education Work Experience Personal Details—attitudes, interests, activities, qualities.

EducationMention how your overall education prepared you for the work you are seeking. Also, talk about your special-ization along with an in-depth knowledge of certain areas. Give details of any extra educational qualifi cations you have in addition to the course you graduated in. State any other courses that complement your knowl-edge in the areas of accounts and communication.

Work ExperienceHere, you can state the following:

how you gained practical experience in addition to your education? how you adapted to diff erent working environments? things you have accomplished in any of the tasks assigned to you in your previous jobs. how well do you work in a group, towards the fulfi lment of a shared goal? how you can prove your sustained interest in your chosen fi eld? things that show your determination, initiative, integrity, etc.

Closing ParagraphGive details of how and when you can be reached—by phone, fax, e-mail, etc. Show the employer that you are interested in being interviewed for the advertised position by mentioning something like—‘I look for-ward to hearing from you’.

Other Essentials of a Cover Letter The cover letter should be concise and to the point (usually one page).

It should be addressed formally and to the most appropriate person in the organization.

The letter should be formatted well with proper spacing.

Leave about six or seven lines blank at the top of the page.




If you know who should be contacted, mention the person’s name beginning with ‘Dear’. Try avoiding the ‘Dear Sir or Madam’ salutation. Today, in many e-mail communications, it is suffi cient to write ‘Dear Recruiter’ or Dear Human Resource Manager’.

Add your contact details on the cover letter.

Mention that you have enclosed your resume.

Sign and date your letter.

It is always the best to go through the letter a few times before making the fi nal draft.

Try These Out:

1. Create a resume for yourself, keeping in mind all that you have learnt and following an appropriate format.

2. Draft an application letter in response to an advertisement. From the weekly employment supplement of the newspaper, or from the internet, collect any fi ve advertisement that is related to the kind of job you are interested in. Write an application letter you would send.




E-MAIL ETIQUETTEE-mail (electronic mail) is the exchange of computer-stored messages by telecommunication. It is one of the most popular internet activities. Sending an appropriate and business like e-mail is an important prerequi-site, especially for business situations.

Etiquette GuidelinesUse the points of information below and use e-mail communication eff ectively, thereby enhance your image and that of your organization.

1. Be Business-likeKeep your e-mail as short as possible. Avoid longer e-mails as they can be very diffi cult to read.

2. Do Not AbbreviateSending emails using abbreviations like U instead of you, 2 instead of to or too is not a good idea especially in business communication.

3. Use Right Spelling, Grammar and PunctuationThe use of proper spelling, grammar and punctuation is important not only for conveying a good impression about you but also for conveying the message properly. Remember correct punctuation facilitates quicker reading.

4. Use a Proper e-mail AddressMake sure your e-mail address seem unusual or crazy. Get a formal e-mail address.

5. Make it PersonalNot only should the e-mail be personally addressed, it should also include personal i.e., customized content.

6. Answer SwiftlySend replies as quickly as possible. If the e-mail is complicated, just send an e-mail back saying that you have received it and that you will get back to them.

7. Do Not Attach Unnecessary FilesIt is a good idea to take permission before sending attachment as many are worried about viruses. You need to have a good virus scanner so that you do not send documents full of viruses!

8. Use Proper Structure and LayoutSince reading from a screen is more diffi cult than reading from paper, the structure and layout is very impor-tant for e-mail messages. Use short paragraphs and blank lines between each paragraph. When making points, number them or mark each point as separate to keep the overview.

9. Do Not Write in CapitalsIF YOU WRITE IN CAPITALS IT SEEMS AS IF YOU ARE SHOUTING. This can be highly annoying. Therefore, try not to send any e-mail text in capitals.

10. Do Not Leave Out the Message ThreadWhen you reply to an e-mail, you must include the original mail in your reply, in other words click ‘Reply’, instead of ‘New Mail’.

11. Do Not Overuse Reply to AllOnly use Reply to All if you really need your message to be seen by each person who received the original message.




12. Use the ‘Bcc:’ Field or Do a Mail MergeWhen sending an e-mail, some people place all the e-mail addresses in the To: fi eld. There are two drawbacks to this practice: (1) the recipient knows that you have sent the same message to a large number of recipients, and (2) you are publicizing someone else’s e-mail address without their permission. One way to get round this is to place all addresses in the Bcc: fi eld. However, the recipient will only see the address from the To: fi eld in their e-mail, so if this was empty, the To: fi eld will be blank and this might look like spamming. You could include the mailing list e-mail address in the To: fi eld, or even better, if you have Microsoft Outlook and Word you can do a mail merge and create one message for each recipient. A mail merge also allows you to use fi elds in the message so that you can for instance address each recipient personally.

13. Take Care with Rich Text and HTML MessagesBe aware that when you send an e-mail in rich text or HTML format, the sender might only be able to receive plain text emails. If this is the case, the recipient will receive your message as a .txt attachment. Most e-mail clients however, including Microsoft Outlook, are able to receive HTML and rich text messages.

14. Do Not Forward Chain LettersDo not forward chain letters. They are normally considered hoaxes. Just delete the letters as soon as you receive them.

15. Do Not Use e-mail to Discuss Confi dential InformationSending an e-mail is like sending a postcard. If you don’t want your e-mail to be displayed on a bulletin board, don’t send it. Moreover, never make any libelous, sexist or racially discriminating comments in emails, even if they are meant to be a joke.

16. Use a Meaningful SubjectTry to use a subject that is meaningful to the recipient as well as yourself. For instance, when you send an e-mail to a company requesting information about a product, it is better to mention the actual name of the product, e.g. ‘Product A information’ than to just say ‘product information’ or the company’s name in the subject.

17. Use Active Voice Instead of Passive VoiceTry to use the active voice of a verb wherever possible. For instance, ‘I will send the report today’, sounds bet-ter than ‘The report will be sent today’.

18. Do Not Send or Forward e-mails Containing Libelous, Defamatory, Racist or Obscene Remarks

Such mails can damage your reputation and sometimes result in huge penalties.

19. Do Not Reply to SpamBy replying to spam or by unsubscribing, you are confi rming that your e-mail address is ‘live’. Confi rming this will only generate even more spam. Therefore, just hit the delete button or use e-mail software to remove spam automatically.

20. Use ‘Cc:’ Field SparinglyTry not to use the cc: fi eld unless the recipient in the cc: fi eld knows why they are receiving a copy of the mes-sage. Using the cc: fi eld can be confusing since the recipients might not know who is supposed to act on the message. Also, when responding to a cc: message, should you include the other recipient in the cc: fi eld as well? This will depend on the situation. In general, do not include the person in the cc: fi eld unless you have a particular reason for wanting this person to see your response. Again, make sure that this person will know why they are receiving a copy.




REPORT WRITING

What is a Report?A report can be defi ned as a communication in which the writer gives information to some individual or organization because it is his or her responsibility to do so. It is an assigned communication for a purpose and for a specifi c receiver/reader.

The common element in all reports, as a distinct form of writing, is the element of responsibility. The writer is obliged to communicate what he/she knows to one who needs it, as a part of his/her assigned, clearly defi ned and time-bound task.

Purpose of a ReportReport is primarily a source of information to the management or an individual to help in decision-making. It can be used also for off ering a solution to a business problem. Its purpose can be:

To give information about a company’s activities, progress, plans and problems.

To record events for future reference in decision making.

To recommend specifi c action.

To justify and persuade readers about the need for action in controversial situations.

To present facts to the management to help decide the direction the business should choose.

Factors Determining the Choice of the Form of ReportIn the world of business, a report can be a short informal account of the present state of work, say a project (essentially a memo), to a long, formal, well-documented report of a corporate or government department.Each organization, normally, has its own ‘in-house’ method of presentation, which will always be adhered to by its report writers.

The writer of a report in an organization is guided by: (1) a specifi c layout—sequence of information and (2) its own cover—organization, code number and other related information about the author, subject and details of submission.

In an organization, the task of producing a report on a specifi c problem can be assigned to an individual or a team. The problem, purpose, scope/limitations, budget, cultural consideration, if any, related to ethical or ethnic values of the organization, and the date for (submission time-limit) are clearly given while authoris-ing the person responsible for submitting the report. These specifi cations guide the report writer. They form what is called ‘Terms of Reference’.

Report writing involves research and analysis and presentation. The writer has to fi rst investigate the problem, search for facts, gather evidence for the facts observed, and then analyse before presenting obser-vations, conclusions and suggestions as solutions to the problem. The writer can, however, choose from vari-ous methods of enquiring into the problem—visits, interviews, questionnaires, data banks, studying records of the organization, consulting existing literature and documents as relevant sources of information. The writer also needs to know the total context and background of the subject of investigation. Background study and data collection may sometimes pose diffi culties, but without this eff ort, a report will not be authentic.

Objectives of a ReportThe basic purpose of a report is to help the management identify the reasons underlying a situation that the management already knows.

The study should be comprehensive. It should examine a problem and its solution from all aspects. For example, the recommended solution and its advantages or disadvantages should be analysed in relation to the management as a whole, not just the entrepreneur but all groups—workers, staff , customers, and so on. Whose interests may be aff ected in diff erent ways by a change in situation.




Guidelines for Defi ning Report ObjectivesConsider the objectives of report from the point of view of its recipients and ask the following questions:

For whom is the report written? What is their level of information and education? How much do they already know about the problem? Why do these people want the report? What do they want to know, and in what detail? How does the report’s result (conclusion) help them? What do they want to understand, what action do

they want to take, or what decision do they wish to?

Writing ReportsA report presents facts, conclusions, and recommendations in simple and clear words, in a logical and well-defi ned structure. The elements/parts of a full report, in the order of their sequence are:

Cover Title Page Acknowledgement Table of Contents Executive Summary Introduction Discussion/Description Conclusions Recommendations Appendix List of References Bibliography Glossary Index

The fi rst fi ve elements constitute the front matter, the next four elements form the main body and the last fi ve, constitute the back matter.

Sample of a Short Formal ReportReport on the fall in profi ts at Shoppers Stop, Retail Store, Ansal Plaza, New Delhi August 30, 2002

Terms of ReferenceAt the request of the General Manager, Shoppers Stop, in his letter of July 16, 2002 (ref PO/LT/44/03), the author was instructed to:

1. Investigate the reasons for the fall in profi ts at the Shoppers Stop, Ansal Plaza, during the period January 1, 2002 to June 30, 2002.

2. Make recommendations in the light of the fi ndings.

Procedure1. The sales records for the period January 1–June 30, 2002 were inspected and compared with those for

the second half of 2001.2. Two hundred customers were interviewed over seven days (2–8 August).3. The premises was carefully inspected, both internally and externally.




4. The store manager, three sales assistants and two cashiers were interviewed.5. Recent developments in Khelgaon Marg and the surrounding area were noted.

Findings1. Extent of the fall in profi ts.

Profi ts fell from a monthly average of 8 per cent in the second half of 2002 to an average of 6 per cent in the fi rst 6 months of 2002.

2. Factors contributing to the fall in profi ts.

A: Internal1. Since December 2001, the Manager Mr RS Shah has had a number of domestic problems, which have

clearly aff ected his effi ciency, particularly in the training and supervision of staff .2. One of the cashiers, Ms P Kurien has been consistently discourteous to customers. A majority of the

customers interviewed complained of her brusqueness and her negative attitude. She certainly made an unfavourable impression when interviewed. Ms Kurien had no satisfactory explanation to off er for her behaviour.

3. The three sales assistants appointed between December and April to replace those who left for other Jobs are inexperienced and ineffi cient. The RSM found that shelves had not been properly stocked and that the old stock had been kept on display after the ‘sell-by’ date.

B: External1. The opening in January 2002 of a new branch of Ebony, South Extension, half a mile from the Shoppers

branch has probably attracted customers chiefl y by means of special off ers and intensive advertising in the local press.

2. The completion of the fl yover in March 2002 has diverted some trade from Khelgaon as a whole, as the new shopping mall at South Extension is now easily accessible.

Conclusions1. The decline in profi ts is partly the result of external developments – most notably, increased competi-

tion and restricted access to the store.2. The fall in performance of the manager, together with the inexperience or discourtesy of some of the

staff , is an additional important factor.

RecommendationsIt is recommended that:

1. An advertising campaign be mounted in the local press, including details of a competition and special off ers.

2. The manager be advised that he must raise the standard of his work.3. Ms. Kurien be issued with a verbal warning about her behaviour.4. A training programme for the three sales assistants to be implemented immediately.5. Staff performance to be reviewed in six weeks time.6. The viability of the store to be reviewed in December 2002.

P. MisraSales Manager




Elements of a Long Formal ReportThe Title PageMention:Name and status of author:Department and date of issue:The Heading (title of the report) should be short, clear and unambiguous:Example of a title:A feasibility report on the incorporation of outdoor health education activities in the ESCORTS Management Development Programme.

AcknowledgementsYou should thank everyone associated with the assignment and preparation of your report. Be generous in expressing gratitude.

Cover LetterA cover letter is usually written by top management/or project guide as a preface or foreword to a report, refl ecting the management’s policy and interpretation of the report’s fi ndings, conclusions and recommen-dations. It forwards the report and tells why it is being sent to that person. It is placed between the cover and the title page. It is never bound inside the report. It can be written as a memo or a letter or a forwarding certifi cate.

Letter of TransmittalMany times, a formal report is accompanied by a letter to outside readers. Although the letter of transmittal is usually placed after the title page, it functions as a greeting to the reader.

The letter covers a summary of the fi ndings, conclusions and recommendations to give an idea of the report. It is best written in a direct conversational manner.

1. Begin directly by talking about the subject of the report. Dear Miss Shobha, Here is the report you requested on August 20 about a nice plot of land for your proposed play school

in Greater Noida.2. Give a brief review of the contents of the report.3. Acknowledge the contribution of others to your study, if any.4. End the letter by thanking the authorising person or body and expressing hope for helping again.

Table of ContentsLong reports must have a Table of Content placed after Acknowledgements and before the Summary. It is an important element in a long formal report. It identifi es the topics and their page numbers in the report (or any long document) for the reader. The Table of Contents indicates the hierarchy of topics and their sequence also. Also mention the main sections of your report in the contents exactly as they are worded in the text.




TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Introduction 2

2. Existing Business of the Company 4

3. Background 6 3.1 Signifi cance of the Study 6 3.2 Research Problem 7 3.3 Research Objective 7 3.4 Research Problem in Detail 7 3.5 Scope of the Study 8 3.6 Data Sources 8

4. Theoretical Framework for Study 9 4.1 Statistical Methods 9 4.2 Survey Methods 9 4.2.1 Expert–Opinion Method 10 4.2.2 Consumer Interview Method 10 4.3 Market and Product Analysis 13 4.3.1 Buying Intentions 13 4.3.2 Market Tests 13

5. Design and Methodology of Study 15 5.1 Market Survey: Rice Bags 15 5.1.1 Data Collection 16 5.1.2 Description and Analysis of the Study and Data 17 5.2 Market Survey: Consumer Shopping Bags 20 5.2.1 Data Collection 22 5.2.2 Description and Analysis of the Study and Data 22

6. Results and Conclusions 25 6.1 Rice Bags 25 6.2 Shopping Bags 33 6.3 Recommendations 39

7. Bibliography 40

8. Annexures 41 Annexure I i Annexure II ii Annexure III iv Annexure IV v




Abstract and Executive SummaryAn abstract or summary is placed immediately after the list of tables, or after the title page or on the title page itself.

Normally, a report uses either an abstract or an executive summary, according to the length of report or expectations of the readers. A company practice may be to have both an abstract and executive summary with long reports.

A summary should: give the context of report. provide most important fi ndings, conclusions and recommendations. act as a time saver for the busy management.

Usually management reports use executive summaries instead of abstracts. An abstract is a summary of report’s most important points. An abstract can be either descriptive or informative, it is generally written in about 200 words in just one paragraph. An executive summary is a more detailed overview of a report than an abstract. It can run into one or two pages. It presents the reader with a preview of a report’s main points, conclusions, recommendations and the way the fi ndings are likely to aff ect company planning. Often, we like to know the contents of a report specially its conclusions and recommendations, just by reading a detailed synopsis in the form of an executive summary.

Descriptive AbstractA descriptive abstract only mentions the topics discussed in a report. It does not give details of those top-ics. For details, the reader has to go through the report. Executives have little patience with such a skeletal account of a report’s important conclusions and recommendations. Therefore, abstracts are less popular with writers of business reports.

For example, consider writing a descriptive abstract of the report on ‘Market potential and entry identi-fi cation for consumer paper bags’. It would be as follows:

The study fi nds that the market potential for paper bags is not picking up due to its price as compared to price of polybags. It is recommended that the company PPL Feedback should supply paper bags at a lesser cost to compete with polybags.

Informative AbstractAn informative abstract discusses the main subjects, presents conclusions and recommendations. Formal reports and scientifi c and technical articles often use an informative abstract.

An informative abstract on the same report for which the descriptive abstract was just given would read as follows:

This report explores new ways to expand the company’s (PPL Feedback and Packaging Limited) business to meet its growth targets from industrial packs to consumer packs.

The objective of the study was to study the market potential of consumer paper bags for rice and to identify the entry strategies for the company. It was found that the market potential for paper bags for rice is about 27 lakh bags per annum at present; there is an interested segment whose requirement is 27 lakh bags. The recommendation is that the company (PPL Feedback) should supply bags at cost lesser than that of polybags.

This abstract provides more details of the report’s contents than the earlier descriptive abstract.

Executive SummaryAn executive summary covers all the major elements of a report’s content:

(a) background of the problem(b) major topics(c) important details(d) major conclusions(e) recommendations(f ) discussion of the ways that the implementation of recommendations would aff ect the company




For example, an executive summary of the PPL Feedback report could be as follows:Stiff environmental regulations have brought in new concerns in packaging. These concerns include

hygiene, safety, disposability, and recyclability in a developed world. Paper being eco-friendly and carrying premium image has replaced other packaging material, such as tin, plastics and so on for packaging goods for exports.

The market for export is a highly fl uctuating one and so is the demand of packaging material. Last year that is, in 2003, exports were low in the fi rst half as compared to the second half. Also in segments like carbon black where paper packaging is used, the demand is almost saturated.

Considering these factors the company (PPL Feedback and Packaging Ltd.) is exploring new ways to expand business from industrial packs to consumer packs to meet growth target. The lucrative segments are shopping bags and consumer packs for rice, for which there is a steady demand.

The aim of this research was to study the market potential of consumer paper bags for rice and shop-ping bags, and to identify entry strategies for the company. To calculate the market potential, the consumer sample survey method, explained in Chapter IV was adopted. Chapter I and II provides details about the exist-ing business of the company. Chapter III provides details about the signifi cance of the study for the company, the research objectives, scope of study and data sources. Chapter V explains the design and methodology of study. To estimate the market potential, the questionnaire approach was followed and the respondents were interviewed personally for relevant details about paper bags. Chapter VI provides details about the results and conclusions arrived at through the study. The market potential for paper bags for rice is for about 27 lakh bags per annum at present. There is an interested segment whose requirement is also for 27 lakh bags. The main factor working against the popularity of paper bags is its price in comparison to polybags. But PPL Feedback can supply bags at a lesser cost as it has an existent idle capacity to manufacture bags and its machines are fully depreciated. The consumer shopping bags market for paper bags has a potential of about 32.4 lakh bags per annum at present. If the company goes for mechanised operations at this stage, then the operations may not be profi table for the company in the short run as per the break-even capacity utilisation for the machine, (given on page 35). The operations, however, may be viable in the long run. This study was for the corporate retail segment only; there is another segment of individuals, and retail showrooms which also use paper bags. At the time of market testing for corporate retail segments, the company could study this segment under the set conditions of product mix, explained in Chapter VI, to calculate the size of market of paper bags for retail showrooms. At the time of test marketing, essential for entry-strategy fi nalisation, the company should go for testing the various possibilities identifi ed in the marketing mix and specifi cations for the fi nal product launch, explained in Chapter VI.

IntroductionStates the details of the:

Authorising person or body requesting the report. Author or group of authors responsible for investigation (and submission of the report). Purpose or reason for the report. Methods of enquiry (the research method used). Arrangement or grouping of data. General background to report’s subject.

FindingsPresent the results of the investigation.

Conclusions

State the results of the investigation. Off er answers to questions raised in the beginning of the report. No new information should appear in the conclusion.




Recommendations

This part is the action centre of the report. State how the conclusions should be acted upon. Make clear and defi nite recommendations. If further investigation is required, mention it as a condition for a more comprehensive study of the

problem.

You cannot have a report without recommendations, even if you have not been asked to give them. Recom-mendations fl ow out of conclusions, as conclusions do from discussion.

Discussion of Findings and AnalysesThis part is the main body of the report. It discusses fi ndings and analyses results. The information is devel-oped in one of the ways given, below.

Chronological DevelopmentChronological development—The information is arranged in the order in which the events hap-

pened. This is the simplest method of presenting information—in its sequence of occurrence, like a story with a beginning, a middle, the end. Chronological development requires little planning and organising. Thewriter selects and arranges the major topics in the order of their occurrence. Non-signifi cant events are left out.

This method is usually used for writing short reports, progress reports describing progress of a project and investigative reports that discuss investigations conducted over a long time and involved visits to diff er-ent places to gather evidence.

By discussing each event step-by-step, the cumulative eff ect of a variable (factor/thing) can be seen through the conclusions drawn at suitable intervals. The sequencing of information is easy to determine, for the report writer is guided by the order in which the events actually took place.

Subject-wise DevelopmentSubject development—The information is arranged according to the subjects. The subjects are grouped

in a predetermined order. This arrangement makes the presentation of information coherent and logical.When a research involves the study of two or more variables acting upon an event/happening, the

writer has to arrange his discussion in subject order. The writer would describe the eff ect of one variable on a subject and would go on in chronological order to determine the cumulative eff ect of the variable on the subject of study. Then, in a similar manner he would study and describe the eff ect of the other variables, and record chronologically its cumulative eff ect.

The question is in which sequence the eff ect of each should be presented, if there are several variables. The writer has to choose the sequence according to the variable he wants to recommend. He can move in increasing order of suitability or begin from the most suitable to the least suitable. But before structuring information he should make his choice of order clearly knownby stating, whether he is following the ascend-ing or descending order in discussing each variable.

Suppose you want to recommend, as an automobile dealer, the most suitable model of a luxury car to an executive. You will follow the subject method and tell him/her that you have evaluated the price, fuel consumption, speed, automation, seating capacity, space and after-sales services guaranteed (free servicing for a year) for diff erent models of luxury cars. You would then recommend the most suitable model for his/her use.

You have in fact, made a comparative study of the essential parameters that determine a buyer’s choice of a car, and presented the information accordingly.

Concept DevelopmentConcept development—The information is organised ‘concept wise’. The writer develops his argument and reasoning on the lines of his thought.




As a report writer, you can arrange the details of your topic by following the logical sequence of your investigation. You can develop the topic by describing each step as a sequence to the step that follows it, in a series of steps, which fi nally build up your argument (topic). The logic of your argument guides your orga-nization of the subject. Each part or stage of a project is seen as a well-linked procession of ideas forming a complete concept.

In the concept method you tell the reader how you arrived at the results and why they are valid.This method is to be employed when the topic is complex and reasoning is required to explain the

reader the various ideas and their careful consideration, in reaching the end result of the investigation. When a selection of the best result can be made, for instance, the choice of a car, or a site for a new house by a sim-ple and direct analysis, the subject development would be appropriate, not the concept method. Whatever be your method of developing the main argument of your report, see that the report is logically organised and the narration is interesting and convincing to the reader.

Distribution list When a report is meant to be sent to several persons, it will contain a list of all the per-sons who are supposed to receive a copy of report. The distribution list is placed according to its size or the customer’s choice or company’s practice. However, it seems proper to place it as a separate appendix if the list happens to be long. But a short distribution list can appear at the foot of the table of contents page.

GlossaryGlossary is the list of technical or special terms used in a report/technical paper used placed at the end of a report and before the index. It alphabetically lists words or phrases which need special attention. It explains the usage of technical terms peculiar to industry. A glossary of usage includes rules for forming compound words, abbreviating technical terms, and writing unusual or diffi cult words. A glossary also acts as a diction-ary of some select words, which often get confused, misused or wrongly spelt.

These are:

Words often confused because they are similar in meaning; for example diplex and duplex, ground fl oor and fi rst fl oor, postpone and cancel or imply and infer.

Common unnoticed errors of grammar, such as many a times (should be many a time), one of the best option (in place of one of the best options), comprised of (for comprises)

Words that tend to be wrongly spelt; e.g. agism (correct ageism), accomodation (for accomodation), seprate (should be separate).

Words having more than one acceptable spelling; for example, program, programme. In case of words like symposiums and symposia where both versions are in use, both are given in the glossary and a choice is indicated for one of them.

Words like data, often wrongly used as singular or used as datas in the plural, are specially entered in the glossary and their usage is fully explained. Data is plural, (also treated as singular, although the singular form is datum). In scientifi c philosophical and general use, data generally means a number of items and is thus regarded as plural with datum as the singular. But in computing and related subjects, it is taken to denote a mass or collective noun and therefore used with words like this, that, and much, with singular verbs, for example, useful data has been gathered. The glossary, like the Oxford Dictionary, will draw our attention to the usage of the word data and point out that although some people consider the use of data with a singular verb incorrect, it is now in common use. It will also point out that data is not a singular countable noun and should not be preceded by words such as ‘a’, ‘every’, ‘each’, ‘either’ or ‘neither’ or be given a plural form datas.

AppendixThe appendix is used to give a variety of information separately, as its inclusion in the main body could inter-fere with the smooth reading of the report. It usually includes the text of questionnaires or other instruments of survey. Tables, fl ow charts, maps, summaries of raw data, and details of mathematical formulation are




generally included in the appendix. Each appendix is numbered Appendix A. Appendix B and so on to help the reader identify the material given in appendix. Sometimes a descriptive title is given it. Sometimes, the word Annexure is used for Appendix.

BibliographyAll published and unpublished sources of information used in preparing the report are listed under Bibliog-raphy. All reference documents, previous reports, books, periodicals, and even letters written and received by the writer are mentioned in it.

IndexIndex (plural indexes or indices) is the alphabetical list of subjects, names and so on with references to page numbers where they occur in the report or a book. It is usually placed at the end. It should not be confused with the contents which always appears at the beginning of a report or book.

In long reports and voluminous works, index helps the reader locate a subject easily in the text of the report wherever it has been mentioned or discussed. For example, order refusals 115 entered in a report’s index means we can fi nd it mentioned on p. 115. In a book’s index, an entry like Research question 34 a—675 would mean it appears on p. 675 discussed under section 34 a.

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Modifi ed Date: Thu, Jun 24, 2010 04:59:16 PM Output Date: Thu, Jun 24, 2010 04:59:23 PM FPP

APPENDIXES

Appendix 1Pronunciation KeyLearn the following phonemic symbols to help you fi nd out the correct pronunciation of English words using a good dictionary.

Listen and RepeatVowel sounds

Symbol/Sound Keyword

/ə/ about

/ɑ:/ ask

/ɪ/ it

/i:/ eat

/ʊ/ pull

/u:/ pool

/e/ pen

/æ/ pat

/ʌ/ cut

/ɜ:/ girl

/ɒ/ cot

/ɔ:/ caught

/eɪ/ say

/aɪ/ ice

/ɔɪ/ boy

/ɪə/ dear

/eə/ fair

/ʊə/ poor

/aʊ/ out

/əʊ/ go

Consonant sounds

Symbol/Sound Keyword

/p/ pack

/b/ back

/t/ ten

/d/ den

/tʃ/ cheap

/dʒ/ jeep

/k/ kit

/g/ get/f/ fan

/v/ van

/θ/ thin

/ð/ then

/m/ meet

/n/ neat

/ŋ/ bank

/h/ hat

/s/ seat/z/ zoo

/ʃ/ ship

/ʒ/ pleasure/r/ read

/l/ lead/j/ yet/w/ wet

158 APPENDIXES



Appendix 2A List of Regular VerbsA regular verb is a verb that forms its past tense and past participle by adding –d or –ed.

Listen and repeat the following words making sure that you pronounce the word endings clearly and correctly:

Present Tense Form Past Tense Form Past Participle Form

abandon abandoned abandon

accept accepted accepted

add added added

admire admired admired

advise advised advised

approve approved approved

balance balanced balanced

bat batted batted

battle battled battled

behave behaved behaved

bless blessed blessed

blink blinked blinked

boil boiled boiled

book booked booked

borrow borrowed borrowed

call called called

challenge challenged challenged

cheat cheated cheated

continue continued continued

copy copied copied

chew chewed chewed

claim claimed claimed

coach coached coached

communicate communicated communicated

compare compared compared

complete completed completed

confess confessed confessed

connect connected connected

crack cracked cracked

APPENDIXES 159




crush crushed crushed

cycle cycled cycled

damage damaged damaged

decay decayed decayed

deceive deceived deceived

delight delighted delighted

deliver delivered delivered

demand demanded demanded

design designed designed

develop developed developed

disappear disappeared disappeared

dislike disliked disliked

double doubled doubled

drop dropped dropped

earn earned earned

embarrass embarrassed embarrassed

end ended ended

examine examined examined

excuse excused excused

expand expanded expanded

extend extended extended

face faced faced

fetch fetched fetched

fi le fi led fi led

fl ash fl ashed fl ashed

fl oat fl oated fl oated

found founded founded

gather gathered gathered

glue glued glued

govern governed governed

grab grabbed grabbed

guarantee guaranteed guaranteed

guess guessed guessed

guide guided guided

hammer hammered hammered

hand handed handed

(Continued)

160 APPENDIXES




hang hanged hanged

happen happened happened

harass harassed harassed

head headed headed

hop hopped hopped

heat heated heated

hope hoped hoped

hunt hunted hunted

hurry hurried hurried

identify identifi ed identifi ed

ignore ignored ignored

imagine imagined imagined

impress impressed impressed

include included included

increase increased increased

infl uence infl uenced infl uenced

inform informed informed

inject injected injected

instruct instructed instructed

interfere interfered interfered

interrupt interrupted interrupted

invent invented invented

invite invited invited

jail jailed jailed

jog jogged jogged

join joined joined

joke joked joked

judge judged judged

juggle juggled juggled

jump jumped jumped

kick kicked kicked

kill killed killed

kiss kissed kissed

kneel kneeled kneeled

knock knocked knocked

label labelled labelled

APPENDIXES 161




last lasted lasted

laugh laughed laughed

lick licked licked

lie lied lied

live lived lived

load loaded loaded

look looked looked

love loved loved

manage managed managed

marry married married

match matched matched

measure measured measured

melt melted melted

memorise memorised memorised

mend mended mended

mix mixed mixed

move moved moved

name named named

need needed needed

net netted netted

nod nodded nodded

notice noticed noticed

obey obeyed obeyed

object objected objected

observe observed observed

obtain obtained obtained

occur occurred occurred

off end off ended off ended

off er off ered off ered

order ordered ordered

own owned owned

pack packed packed

pause paused paused

peep peeped peeped

permit permitted permitted

persuade persuaded persuaded

(Continued)

162 APPENDIXES




place placed placed

pour poured poured

powder powdered powdered

practise practised practised

preserve preserved preserved

pretend pretended pretended

prevent prevented prevented

pronounce pronounced pronounced

punish punished punished

push pushed pushed

question questioned questioned

queue queued queued

race raced raced

ready readied readied

refuse refused refused

regret regretted regretted

reject rejected rejected

relate related related

remain remained remained

remand remanded remanded

remove removed removed

repair repaired repaired

rescue rescued rescued

restore restored restored

retire retired retired

return returned returned

reward rewarded rewarded

rock rocked rocked

sack sacked sacked

scratch scratched scratched

scribble scribbled scribbled

search searched searched

shelter sheltered sheltered

shock shocked shocked

shop shopped shopped

signal signalled signalled

APPENDIXES 163




skip skipped skipped

slip slipped slipped

smile smiled smiled

smoke smoked smoked

soak soaked soaked

spoil spoiled spoiled

squeeze squeezed squeezed

stretch stretched stretched

succeed succeeded succeeded

suff er suff ered suff ered

suggest suggested suggested

surround surrounded surrounded

talk talked talked

taste tasted tasted

telephone telephoned telephoned

thank thanked thanked

tick ticked ticked

tie tied tied

tip tipped tipped

touch touched touched

train trained trained

transport transported transported

travel travelled travelled

tremble trembled trembled

trouble troubled troubled

type typed typed

undress undressed undressed

unite united united

unlock unlocked unlocked

use used used

vanish vanished vanished

veer veered veered

veto vetoed vetoed

visit visited visited

waddle waddled waddled

wander wandered wandered

(Continued)

164 APPENDIXES




warn warned warned

wash washed washedwaste wasted wastedwatch watched watchedwave waved wavedwelcome welcomed welcomedwhine whined whinedwhisper whispered whisperedwhistle whistled whistledwink winked winkedwobble wobbled wobbledwonder wondered wonderedwrap wrapped wrapped x-ray x-rayed x-rayedyawn yawned yawnedyell yelled yelledzip zipped zipped zoom zoomed zoomed

Appendix 3A List of Irregular VerbsAn irregular verb is a verb that does not form its past tense and past participle by adding –d or –ed.

Listen and repeat the following words making sure that you pronounce the word endings clearly and correctly:


be was, were beenbeat beat beatencost cost costcut cut cutdeal dealt dealteat ate eatenfall fell fallenfeel felt feltfi nd found foundfl y fl ew fl ownlie lay lainmean meant meantread read readrise rose risenshine shone shone

APPENDIXES 165



Appendix 4Tenses Chart with Active and Passive Verb Forms

Study the following table which gives the active and passive verb forms of the twelve tenses in English:

Tense Simple Continuous Perfect Perfect Continuous

ACTIVEPRESE N T

PASSIVE

He drafts a report.

A report is drafted by him.

He is drafting a report.

A report is being drafted by him.

He has drafted a report.

A report has been drafted by him.

He has been drafting a report.

No passive form

ACTIVEPAST

PASSIVE

He drafted a report.

A report was drafted by him.

He was drafting a report.

A report was being drafted by him.

He had drafted a report.

A report had been drafted by him.

He had been draft-ing a report.

No passive form

ACTIVEFUTU RE

PASSIVE

He will draft a report.

A report will be drafted by him.

He will be drafting a report.

No passive form

He will have drafted a report.

A report will have been drafted by him.

He will have been drafting a report.

No passive form

Appendix 5Spelling Rules

1. Most words add s to the root forms without any change (tree—trees).2. Words ending in sh, ch, ss, x, and z, usually add es to form the plural (bus—buses).3. Words ending in a consonant and y change the y to i and add es (party—parties).4. Some words ending in f change the f to v and add es (calf—calves).5. Some singular words have diff erent words for their plural form (man—men; mouse—mice; goose—geese).

166 APPENDIXES



6. Many words are formed by adding ed and ing without any change (play—played—playing).7. Words ending in a silent e drop the e before adding ed and ing (smile—smiled—smiling).8. Words ending in a consonant and y change the y to i before adding ed, but do not make any change

before adding ing (rely—relied—relying).9. Words ending in a vowel and y add ed and ing without making any other change (delay—delayed—

delaying).10. Words of one syllable ending in a single consonant preceded by a single vowel double the fi nal conso-

nant before adding ed and ing (trim—trimmed—trimming).11. Words of two or more syllables double the fi nal consonant before adding ed and ing when these condi-

tions are met: the last syllable ends in a single consonant preceded by a single vowel, and the accent is on the last syllable (refer—referred—referring).

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TRANSCRIPTS

Unit 1


Student: Could you please tell me what is interpersonal communication?

Coach: Interpersonal communication refers to your ability to relate yourself to people around you verbally and nonverbally. You communicate interpersonally when you talk to your family, friends, teachers, doctors, colleagues, sales people etc.

Student: What should I do to be eff ective in my interpersonal communication?

Coach: You must possess an ability to deal with diff erent people in diff erent situations. You should also learn to communicate with people in a one-on-one and a group setting. Your interpersonal eff ectiveness is deter-mined by how successful you are in diff erent situations with diff erent people.

Student: Could I possibly know some tips?

Coach: You must change your pace, pitch and tone depending upon the situation. And also learn to use the right expression depending on the relationship you share with the person who you are talking to. It is also a good idea to understand that topics of discussion change depending on the setting and the mood of the people involved in a conversation.

Student: Can you talk about the functions of interpersonal communication?

Coach: You can engage in interpersonal communication to know about others, to establish your identity, to express interpersonal needs, and to build relations.

Student: I’d be glad if could explain them in some detail?

Coach: Well, you normally engage in interpersonal communication so that you can gain knowledge about people around you. You attempt to gain information about others so that you can interact with them more eff ectively. Another reason for you to engage in interpersonal communication is to establish your identity in the society around you. You also engage in interpersonal communication to express and receive interper-sonal needs. These include greetings, wishes, requests, orders, permissions, complaints etc. and fi nally, you engage in interpersonal communication to develop relationships with people. You can make friends and establish relationships depending on how successful you are as a communicator.

Student: Could you let me about some conversation techniques?

Coach: Remember that in most conversations, greetings, exchanging pleasantries, talking about topics like weather, current happenings are very important. You should also look for environmental triggers. Ask easy questions to get the conversation going smoothly. Get to know about hobbies, interests and topic of choice of other people and try and talk about them.

Student: Any tips on how to close conversations?

168 TRANSCRIPTS



Coach: Well, indicate verbally and nonverbally that conversation is coming to an end. But make sure that you don’t close a conversation abruptly. Let the person you are talking to know how you’ve enjoyed talking with him/her and say that you’d like to meet them again.

Student: Thanks for sharing your ideas on interpersonal communication.

Coach: You are welcome. Good luck!


Good morning everyone. In this short presentation I shall cover key listening strategies you need for develop-ing your interpersonal skills. You are welcome to ask questions, if any, at the end of my presentation.

I’d like to state that good listening skills are very vital for eff ective communication. You cannot become a successful communicator unless you are a great listener. However, listening is normally taken for granted. Research has shown that people listen with only 25 per cent effi ciency.

You must understand that listening is not just hearing. You hear when you just catch what the speaker says. But real listening involves understanding and evaluating what you hear.

Let me now talk to you about ten important strategies for eff ective listening.

1. Listen for main ideas As you listen decide which information is vital and which is unnecessary. Focus mainly on the signifi cant

details.

2. Stay attentive Involve fully. Don’t let your mind wander or be distracted. Concentrate on the speaker’s words and body

language. Maintain an active body state. If you are alert, it will be easier to fi ght any distractions that would prevent you from comprehending the message.

3. Get interested Get genuinely interested in the other person and the message. If you are bored both with the person

and the message, it will defi nitely show both in your body language and your replies.

4. Observe nonverbal cues Observe body language like smiles, gestures, eye contact, and even your posture. to help you go beyond

what people say to what they really mean.

5. Give feedback verbally and nonverbally Encourage the speaker by paraphrasing to show you are listening. Use nonverbal cues to raise the chan-

nel of interpersonal communication. Maintain eye contact with the speaker. Now and then, nod to show that you understand. At appropriate points you may also smile, laugh, or be silent.

6. Focus on content and delivery Listen not only to the words but also to the tone of voice.

7. Ask questions Ask questions that will help you get the right response. The questions should help you get as much detail

as you can from the person about the message. This means asking intelligent and pertinent questions.

8. Listen fully Do not fi nish the sentence of the speaker. And also let the speaker fi nish before you begin to talk. Very

importantly, don’t keep yourself busy thinking about what you want to say next. Let the speaker talk. Do not interrupt incessantly.

TRANSCRIPTS 169



9. Don’t be too emotional Be objective and open-minded rather than getting too emotional. Be aware of biases and perceptions.

Control your biases and validate your assumptions. If the other party uses emotion-laden words, sieve through the message without reacting automatically to the emotion. This will help defuse a potentially-volatile situation.

10. Learn to empathise Feel empathy for the other party when you are listening. You will be able to absorb what the other per-

son is saying better if you have empathy because the content will be close to your heart.

I’d like all of you to follow these ten strategies of eff ective listening and become successful in your everyday interactions with people. This brings my presentation to a close. Thank you very much for your time and cooperation. If you have any questions, please do feel free to do so.

Unit 2


Good morning every one, in this short talk I’m going to share a points of information about goal-orientation. At the outset I’d like to say that setting up of clear written goals and implementing them with perseverance is a prerequisite to achieving success. In fact, your life becomes more purposive, productive and fruitful if you have worthy goals. Please know that academic, professional and personal success is possible only with careful setting up of goals.

Now, I’d like to throw some light on how to set your goals. Please follow the WAST technique in setting up of our goals.

The acronym WAST stands for:

W – Worthy (your goals must be socially acceptable)

A – Attainable (set realistic goals taking into account your ground realities and resources)

S – Specifi c (your goals must be clear and precise)

T – Time bound (set a reasonable time frame for achieving your goals)

And also:

Write your goals down

State each goal as a positive statement

Be precise in expression

Do not set goals too low or too high

I must now tell you what you need to do to achieve your goals. To achieve your goals, I want you to keep these three things in mind:

One, have to-do lists

Two, prioritize your goals

Three, follow PEER principle. The acronym PEER stands for:

P – Plan (list of tasks to be achieved)

E – Execute (implement your plans)

170 TRANSCRIPTS



E – Evaluate (assess your progress, what went well, what went wrong etc)

R – Reset (based on evaluation you must reset your goals)

Now, let me give you seven important areas for goal-setting. These include:

Attitude Career Education Family Financial Physical Social service

Think of some short-term goals (STGs) and long-term goals (LTGs) for these seven important areas in life.

I hope these points of information will help you to set goals and achieve them in style. Thanks and all the best!


Hi guys! I’m Geetha.

As you all know I’m a student of fi rst year engineering. Well, I wish to do very well in my studies. I’d like to take up challenging topics with practical utility for my project work. I wish to become a famous engineer in the next 10 years from now. I’d love to come up with several innovations that will usher in far reaching changes in the society. I’d like to be known as an innovative engineer with social commitment.

Good morning everyone! I’m Aravind. I wish to become a great motivational speaker in the next 10 years. I’d like to enlighten people on several aspects. I wish to concentrate on helping people to make the best use of resources. I’ll also impress them upon how to preserve these resources for future generations. And also, I’ll use all my knowledge to help people lead an eco-friendly life.

Hi folks! I’m Priyanka. I hope to become an entrepreneur ten years down the line. I’d like to be known as per-son with exemplary corporate ethics. I wish to prove the point that profi ts can be made following higher prin-ciples rather than resorting to deceptive methods. I won’t be the person who makes the mistake of equating practicality with greed. Moreover, I wish to conduct my business with social responsibility. In fact, I’d love to live life abiding the adage, ‘honesty is the best policy.’

Unit 3

Listening Exercise

Good morning. I deem it a pleasure to talk to you about personality development. Personality comes from the Greek word ‘persona’, meaning ‘mask’. In a general sense personality refers to a particular type of behav-iour a person possesses.

Personality can be defi ned as a dynamic organisation of psychophysical systems that create a person’s characteristic patterns of behaviour, thoughts, and feelings. It can also be understood as an integrated organ-siation of physical, emotional, intellectual, social, psychological, spiritual characteristics of an individual.

In simple terms your personality is something that distinguishes you from others.

TRANSCRIPTS 171



To develop your personality you need to work with a tremendous amount of focus and perseverance. And also you must understand that developing an impressive personality is something that cannot hap-pen overnight. You must also understand that developing your personality is a conscious and focussed effort, not a matter of luck.

Factors that infl uence your personality are your biological determinants or heredity, environment, educa-tion, experiences and conditioning of the mind. Take time to look at how these factors are shaping up your personality. Alternatively, you can also consider these factors to study the personality of others.

Try the following to mould yourself into a well-rounded personality:

Have a vision

Having a compelling vision of a future that is in line with your values, interests and desires gives you an edge in bringing it into reality.

Imagine yourself becoming what you want to be

You must form a mental picture of who you are going to be and what you are going. This will help your thoughts and desires to proceed in an orderly fashion.

Be clear about your short-term and long-term goals

Your goals, both short-term and long-term, must be clearly written and proper plans must be devised to achieve them. Understand that lack of a goal-orientation is the reason why many people do not suc-ceed in life.

Be assertive

Assertiveness means communicating what you want in a clear manner, respecting your own rights and feelings and the rights and feelings of others. By being assertive you will be able to express your feelings, opinions, and needs fi rmly.

Be mentally sound

If you are mentally sound, you will realize your own abilities. You can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully.

Be physically fi t

The maxim ‘a sound mind in a sound body’ goes to suggest that if you don’t take care of your body, you can’t have a sound mind. Take some energetic exercise on a regular basis and eat nutritious food so that you can function more productively and enjoy life fully.

Be spiritually strong

If you are not spiritually strong, you will fi nd it extremely diffi cult to make sense of the world. A lack of spiritual strength, in all probability, will result in negative actions, thoughts or energies.

Build up your confi dence

If you are confi dent in yourself you will be able to achieve your goals untiringly. As much as success builds confi dence, confi dence also builds success. They essentially feed off of one another.

Communicate eff ectively

Your ability to communicate your feelings, emotions, ideas etc eff ectively is crucial to your success. Eff ective communication will strengthen your existing relationships and help you to form positive bonds in future interactions.

Cultivate a sense of humor If you have a sense of humour people will be far more receptive to you. Cultivating a good sense of

humour is essential to enjoying your life. It can act as a stress buster. It can help you bond with people in a better fashion.

172 TRANSCRIPTS



Deal with people on a win-win basis

In life you should only get what you deserve. You must expect things to work for the mutual advantage of people concerned in every situation. If you expect to gain at the cost of other people, you become greedier. Don’t ever think ‘I win, you lose.’

Develop a sense of appreciation

You can fi nd the world to be a beautiful place if you cultivate a sense of appreciation. Look for oppor-tunities to express your appreciation as frequently as possible as this is bound to aff ect your mental and spiritual well-being. This attitude will help you to count your blessings.

Develop convincing skills

In many situations of your life you are expected to convince people so that cordial relations are main-tained. You can develop fresh thinking and democratic spirit by practising convincing skills.

Develop critical thinking

Critical thinking is very important for you to stay balanced. You won’t be swayed into believing things if you have a critical mind.

Develop your creativity

When you are creative, you are trying to be original, imaginative and valuable. These are essential to your success in every fi eld.

Have a sense of gratitude

You need to be thankful to god, things and people for everything that you have. The more you express your gratitude, the nobler you become.

Have self esteem

You must hold yourself in high regard so that you can channelise your energies to achieve success. If don’t have a sense of self worth, then your life is a misery. And mind you no one can make you feel inferior without your permission.

Have self motivation

You must motivate yourself to fi nd strength to do things wish to do without the need of being infl u-enced to do so by others. Self motivation can keep your spirits high even when things are discouraging. Have bigger goals and cultivate a ‘never give up’ attitude to help you motivate yourself.

Know the ways to overcome failure

The proverb ‘failures are the stepping stones to success’ must help you to view failures in a right per-spective. A failure gives you an opportunity to learn more and more about things you do.

Learn to deal with criticism

Respond to criticism with nobility, detachment or objectivity. When criticism is constructive value it and learn from it. Ignore it when it is debilitating or false. Don’t take it too personally

Learn to empathise

You need to people’s emotions and feelings putting yourself in their shoes. This ability helps you to be sensitive, rather than cold-hearted.

Manage your time, stress and anger well

Managing your time, stress and anger well is crucial to leading a quality life.

Mature with age

This means that you have to look at things from a broader perspective as you age.

TRANSCRIPTS 173



Never be self-complacent

Don’t sit on your laurels. Now is the time to prove yourself. Strike a balance between being complacent and over ambitious.

Think positively

The world is how look at it. Feed yourself on good things, discard the bad ones.

Value relationships

Your life becomes much more pleasurable when you value your relationship with god, family, friends and others. Be generous with what you can give to others but expect less.

Be a role model

You must lead an exemplary life. Feel proud about your achievements. Share your stories of success and failure with others so that they can learn from them. Live your life trying to contribute as much as you can to your family and the society.

I’m sure you will become great personalities by following the points I’ve shared with you consciously. Thank you for your time and wish you all success in all your endeavours.

Unit 4


Spe aker 1: Good morning every one I’m Manisha. I’m here to express my views on capital punishment.

I strongly feel that death penalty should be there. I believe that capital punishment acts as a deterrent. My intuition tells me that it will deter criminals from killing. Even if there isn’t much data to support this claim, ridding ourselves of capital punishment on account of its lack of deterrence would be neither decent nor rational. Until people fi nd a better way to deter crime, the death penalty is our strongest defense.

From my limited knowledge I can say that several religious scriptures too require the death penalty for a wide variety of crimes.

I support death penalty as many people feel that killing convicted murderers will satisfy their need for justice and/or vengeance. They feel that certain crimes are so heinous that executing the criminal is the only reason-able response.

Death penalty is very much warranted in view of the public safety. It is felt that once a convicted murderer is executed, there is no chance that he will break out of jail and kill or injure someone.

I also believe that death penalty serves as a form of respecting the value of human life. Edward Koch echoed the same when he said ‘It is by exacting the highest penalty for the taking of human life that we affi rm the highest value of human life.’

I’d like to conclude by saying that the working benefi ts of capital punishment outweigh its downfalls.

Speaker 2: Good morning every one I’m Adwait. I’m here to express my views on capital punishment.

I’m here to argue that the capital punishment or death penalty is unfair. I’m against it for several reasons. I’d like to mention that as societies keep evolving they tend to be refi ned in the way they deal with criminals. As you all know, we eliminated the death penalty for pre-marital sex, practising a diff erent religion, engaging in prostitution, homosexual behavior, blasphemy, rebellion by teenagers, etc therefore, we should eliminate it for murder as well.

174 TRANSCRIPTS



Capital punishment lowers the value of human life as seen by the general population and brutalizes society. Some feel that permitting premeditated murder is totally unacceptable, even if committed by the state. It is based on a need for revenge. In addition, we must consider that as a person is part of family and the entire family gets devastated when someone they love and care about has died, this practice must be abolished. Moreover, it has to be kept in mind that we have no right to take someone’s life away from them even though they have committed a tragic crime. It should also be noted that executing a person kills him before the time of their natural death. Our religious belief tells us that god places people on earth for a purpose. If we kill them prematurely, then we may be thwarting god’s will.

I’m also of the view that the idea of the death penalty negates our belief in the human capacity for change. Moreover, it powerfully reinforces the idea that killing can be a proper way of responding to those who have wronged us. I don’t this augurs well for us to lead to healthier and safer lives.

We sometimes hear of the government putting the wrong people on death row. There have been innocent people put to death row. If we are not really sure of who did what then is it the governments right to decide if they are to die or not? I don’t think so. Many convicted murderers are later found innocent, and have been pardoned. It is impossible to pardon a corpse.

Th e death penalty has not been shown to be eff ective in the reduction of the homicide rate. There are some indications that executions actually increase the murder rate. I don’t think the death penalty deter homicides. As we all know people murder for a variety of reasons and under many diff erent situations like during domestic disputes, when passions are infl amed, under the infl uence of alcohol or other drugs, when the perpetrator is not in rational control, hit-men doing contract killings; they typically never expect to be arrested, psychopaths and other mentally ill individuals who have little regard for human life and who are unable to accept responsibility for their actions, self-destructive individuals who believe that they deserve to die and want to be arrested and executed, brain-damaged individuals, who experience periods of rage, and occasionally kill. With the exception of professional hit-men, very few people are in a rational frame of mind when they kill others. It may be hopeless to expect any form of punishment to act as a deterrent.

I’m also of the view that we need to practice forgive and forget attitude. I know that it’s hard to forgive someone that has killed your loved and it’s even harder to try and forget about it. We have to remember that we are just human and we do make big mistakes. I just think it’s easier to live your life looking forward then looking back at the bad things in your life. If we spend our time thinking about this matter, then we will forever be cold hearted and live an unpleasant life. I’m sure we would like to be forgiven when we have done something wrong so why do we want to automatically put someone to death for something they have done wrong as well.

Yes, I do agree that if someone has committed a serious crime that person should be punished. But I don’t think anyone deserves to be killed for the same. I believe a better punishment would be to leave that person in prison for his entire life. I don’t think anyone would like to live a life with the image of killing someone. This is too much guilt someone would have to deal with. This would make him suff er much more. Moreover, the pain will only be short when killed with an injection, the electric chair or hanging compared to the pain of a lifetime imprisonment.

There are some who argue that maintenance cost can be reduced by carrying out executions instead of life imprisonment. However, I don’t support this view for two reasons. One, anyhow the state will have to incur huge expenditures in the form of multiple appeals. Two, given the reckless spending by the state on several trivial matters, the cost of imprisoning an inmate is not very high. In addition, that money aids us in restrain-ing murder rates and also serves as retribution to a victim’s family.

There are many more things that could be done instead of the death penalty. Why choose the wrong one?

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Should euthanasia be allowed?

Manoj: Good morning every one! We are here today to discuss the topic ‘Should euthanasia be allowed?’ I guess we have been given a very important topic for discussion. I guess most of you know that the term ‘eutha-nasia’ comes from the Greek word for ‘easy death’. It is the one of the most public policy issues being debated about today. Formally called ‘mercy killing’, euthanasia is the act of purposely making or helping someone die, instead of allowing nature to take its course. Basically euthanasia means killing in the name of compassion. Euthanasia can be either ‘voluntary’, ‘passive’, or ‘positive’, Voluntary involves a request by the dying patient or their legal representative. Passive involves, doing nothing to prevent death—allowing someone to die. Posi-tive involves taking deliberate action to cause a death. We get to hear cases of an individual suff ering from a terminal illness or an incurable condition going to the court to end his/her life. Some of you know that in many countries including our own it is against the law to allow the doctor-assisted suicide or mercy killing to take place. Let us try and discuss this topic and see what points might emerge for and against euthanasia.

Archana: I am of the view that mercy killing can possibly be allowed. However, required precautions should be taken to prevent its misuse. A medical board under the control of the government should be constituted to monitor the cases involving terminally ill patients.

Swapna: I guess it should be legal. If a person is suff ering from an incurable and is unable to bear the pain caused, there is no point in getting the person to continue with it.

Jagan: I’m completely against it. It has nothing to do with mercy at all. No one, including the best doctors around, can tell you if the patient can be saved or not for sure.

Suman: I recently read a report containing the practice of euthanasia in the Netherlands. The gist of it is that legalization of physician-assisted suicide might weaken society’s resolve to expand services and resources aimed at caring for the dying patient.

Ajay: Yes, I agree with what Suman has stated. I also read a survey according to which a majority of respon-dents felt that it may be misused in India.

Archana: But if you don’t allow mercy killing how can we relieve the patient from extreme pain. I advo-cate mercy killing. However, abundant precaution should be taken to prevent its misuse. A medical board under the control of the government should be constituted to see monitor the cases involving terminally ill patients.

Swapna: Moreover, shouldn’t it be viewed as a case of freedom of choice. This then would be a great help especially when medical expenses are too high.

Ranjith: But what if the right becomes an obligation? And what about the potential for abuse by impatient heirs? And I also feel that every citizen must be entitled to health care. On this premise I’d say it is not at all appropriate to allow for mercy killing in the name of reducing medical expenditure for the family.

Jagan: Medical professionals need to challenge themselves and think of ways and means to kill pain with-out killing the patient. When someone’s pain is relieved that person usually wants to go on living.

Manoj: But does this mean we need a ‘right to die’ law? Or is there more to the issue than fi rst meets the eye? Public discussion of the treatment of dying patients often confuses two separate issues. First, is the right of the terminally ill person to be allowed to die without being subjected to invasive medical procedures? Second, is the question of whether a dying person should also have the right to hasten his or her own death, and require the help of doctors and nurses to do so?

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Ranjith: In the present climate of opinion, it is easy to imagine a doctor giving a lethal dose of pain-killing drug and then claiming that death was the best way to eliminate physical suff ering. If the doctor could also show that the patient had requested the lethal dosage, the court might well interpret the law in the doctor’s favor.

Suman: Friends let me also tell you that how legalized euthanasia can be misused. According to a report in Netherlands, in 1990, 1,030 patients were killed without their consent. Of 22,500 deaths due to withdrawal of life support, 63 per cent were denied medical treatment without their consent. Twelve per cent patients who were mentally competent were not consulted.

Ajay: We need to think of the potential for abuse if mercy killing becomes legal. What if someone stands to inherit a huge amount when someone dies? Might the heir not fi nd it tempting to nudge that person in the direction of accepting a lethal injection?

Ranjith: The alternatives are appropriate medical care-including the withdrawal of treatment upon patient request, or if that treatment serves no therapeutic purpose; and dispensing drugs as necessary to control pain. No doctors, laws, or organizations oppose ceasing care when the time to die has arrived.

Manoj: I think we need to wrap up our discussion as we are running short of time. In conclusion we might say emphasis must be on care and comfort for the dying. Support their growth, as this will reduce the attractiveness of legalized euthanasia. Thank you all.

Unit 5


Modern life is full of hassles, deadlines, frustrations, and demands. For many people, stress is so common-place that it has become a way of life.

The stress response is the body’s way of protecting you. When working properly, it helps you stay focused, energetic, and alert. In emergency situations, stress can save your life—giving you extra strength to defend yourself, for example, or spurring you to slam on the brakes to avoid an accident.

The stress response also helps you rise to meet challenges. Stress is what keeps you on your toes during a presentation at work, sharpens your concentration when you’re attempting the game-winning free throw, or drives you to study for an exam when you’d rather be watching TV.

But beyond a certain point, stress stops being helpful and starts causing major damage to your health, your mood, your productivity, your relationships, and your quality of life.

Yo u may feel like the stress in your life is out of your control, but you can always control the way you respond. Managing stress is all about taking charge: taking charge of your thoughts, your emotions, your schedule, your environment, and the way you deal with problems. Stress management involves changing the stressful situation when you can, changing your reaction when you can’t, taking care of yourself, and making time for rest and relaxation.

To deal with stress eff ectively, you must learn to manage your relationships, your environment, your lifestyle, and your attitude.

To manage your attitude, you must:

avoid looking at people and things negatively,

know about personal characteristics creating stress such as inferiority complex, lack of self esteem, per-fectionism, need for approval of others, and a wish to avoid confl ict,

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learn to view things that happen to you and in your society in proper perspective,

prepare to modify your values as you learn from various experiences of yours and the knowledge you gain from observing and reading.

To manage your relationships, you must:

learn to be friendly and cooperative with people,

take delight in fi nding good things in other people rather than being busy detecting errors in others,

learn to have assertive conversations with those who create anxiety,

protect your personal freedom and space,

respect the views and rights of others,

share your worries with close ones,

participate in social service activities,

take initiative in suggesting solutions to problems.

To manage your environment, you must:

identify the stressors, e.g., clutter in the house, journey to work,

fi nd ways to deal with the stressors eff ectively,

surround yourself with cues from positive thoughts and relaxation,

fi nd a time and place each day where you can have complete privacy.

To manage your lifestyle, you must:

change your lifestyle by removing the causes of stress,

do physical exercises daily,

not let your neighbour to set standards for you,

have a suffi cient sleep,

have time to pursue your hobbies,

learn to slow down by setting reasonable goals,

maintain a good diet,

practise relaxation and meditation skills,

take short breaks during your work.

I hope you what I have shared with you now will help you in managing your stress eff ectively. Thank you and good luck!


Teacher: Hello, Harish, you look so tensed today, what’s the matter.

Harish: Sir, I need to give a presentation today and I’m so worried about it.

Teacher: Oh, where’s the venue and when are you giving your presentation?

Harish: It’s in the Department’s seminar hall at 3 pm.

Teacher: How are you going to make your presentation?

Harish: I’m planning to make a powerpoint presentation. I hope there won’t be any power failure at that time.

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Teacher: I guess you should also be ready with your notes on some cue cards. And also be prepared to use whiteboard for your presentation.

Harish: Thank you sir for your advice. Can you please give me some more tips?

Teacher: Prepare the structure of your presentation/seminar carefully and logically. Start your presentation eff ectively. Organise the body of your presentation logically and conclude smoothly. Think of the objectives of your presentation and the main points you want to make. Remember to rehearse your presentation to yourself at fi rst and then in front of some classmates.

Harish: Tell me what I can do to overcome my stage fright.

Teacher: Channelise your fear into energy. Appear confi dent and cheerful. Be energetic and enthusiastic. You can move around on the dais. Use the right gesture for the right eff ect. And you can also use your theatri-cal skills moderately.

Harish: Sir, I’m also worried about my delivery of presentation.

Teacher: I suggest you to be natural without sounding conversational. Change your delivery e.g.: speed, pitch and tone of voice. Do not speak too loudly or softly - judge the acoustics of the room. Don’t rush, or talk deliberately slowly. However, you can deliberately pause at key points.

Harish: Can I know what care I need to take about my language?

Teacher: I must say, your language should be clear, concise, correct and courteous.

Harish: The very thought of facing questions from audience unnerves me.

Teacher: I think you must stay cool and not worry much about it. Take care to leave suffi cient time for question and answer session. Learn to handle negative questions. Be frank if you can’t answer some ques-tions. You can promise to follow your presentation by telling them how and when you’ll get back to your audience.

Harish: Another thought that gives me jitters is how my presentation is going to be evaluated.

Teacher: Relax. Let me give you the criteria we normally follow to assess a presentation. We take into account aspects like topic, preparation, delivery, body language, language, purpose achievement, time man-agement, voice management, audience involvement and handling Q&A and evaluate them on a scale of 0–10.

Harish: Thank you very much indeed for all your suggestions.

Teacher: That’s all right. Good luck for your presentation.

Unit 6

Listening Exercise

Student: Sir, could I know what is team work?

Trainer: To put it simply, working with others to accomplish tasks is team work.

Student: I heard that employers want their employees to work in teams. Will you please elaborate on this?

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Trainer: That’s right. Every organsiation has its own goals and only if the staff work together they will be able to achieve their goals easily. Organsiations believe that team work at its best results in a synergy that can be very productive

Student: What does ‘synergy’ mean, sir?

Trainer: Synergy can be defi ned as the combined power of a group of individuals when they are work-ing together which is greater than the total power achieved by each individual working separately.

Student: Could I know some of the qualities that are required to be able to work in teams eff ectively?

Trainer: To be able to work in teams eff ectively you must have good interpersonal skills, eff ective commu-nication, co-operative and friendly nature, adaptability, and optimism.

Student: Could you talk about them further?

Trainer: Yes, let me try and explain each of them in some detail.

Interpersonal skills: Interpersonal skills refer to your ability to get along with others. To be good at this you need to communicate appropriately with your team members, listen to the ideas and concerns of each and every one.

Eff ective communication: You need to develop an ability to communicate your clearly and freely. This helps in achieving the other members what you are thinking about the goals of your team and how you wish to accomplish them. You must also have persuading skills so that you can take other members along.

Co-operative and friendly nature: as a good team player, you need to co-operate and not compete with other members of your team. This helps the team to stay united and achieve the goals of the team without much confl ict.

Adaptability: You must be open to other points of view. Learn to have a give and take attitude. Others will perceive you as negative if you are rigid to new concepts or change.

Optimism: Remember that others feel happy to work only if exude confi dence and optimism. You have to focus on the positive. This involves learning from your setbacks and keeping confi dent about achieving good results even in the face several diffi culties.

Student: What else is required to function effi ciently in teams?

Trainer: Apart from these, you must also be able to understand the roles and tasks clearly. Be methodical and planned in your work. Be ready to handle the stress that accompanies deadlines and other limitations or constraints. Use the time wisely so that you can stay on schedule and meeting deadline.

Student: Thank you very much enlightening me on the importance of team work and how to work eff ec-tively in teams.

Trainer: That’s fi ne! I’d be glad if you can become a great team player using this information. Good luck!

Unit 7


Student: Good morning sir, I wish to know what time management is.

Trainer: Simply put, time management refers to making the best use of the time that’s available to you.

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Student: Why is time management important?

Trainer: Time management is an essential skill that can help you to achieve your personal and professional success. You can complete your tasks in time and learn to enjoy your life to a maximum by managing your time eff ectively.

Student: Could I know how to manage my time eff ectively?

Trainer: To manage your time eff ectively, you need to focus on being productive, not being busy. The secret to making the best use of the time is to concentrate on the things that matter the most and be as result-oriented as you can.

Student: Would you like to suggest any methods or principles I need to follow?

Trainer: There are many methods and principles. But, for now, I’d like to talk to you about the Pareto Prin-ciple and POSEC method.

Student: Could you throw some light on them?

Trainer: The Pareto Principle, or the ‘80:20 Rule’ states that that, for many events, roughly 80 per cent of the eff ects come from 20 per cent of the causes. In other words, typically 80 per cent of unfocussed eff ort gener-ates only 20 per cent of results. This means that the remaining 80 per cent of results are achieved with only 20 per cent of the eff ort. When applied to time management and your daily to-do list, it means that 80 per cent of your measurable results and progress will come from just 20 per cent of the items on your daily to-do list.

Student: Does this mean that of the things I do during my day, only 20 per cent really matter?

Trainer: You got it right! Those 20 per cent produce 80 per cent of your results. Identify and focus on those things. If something in the schedule has to slip, if something isn’t going to get done, make sure it’s not part of that 20 per cent.

Student: So, I shouldn’t just be working hard throughout the day. Instead, focus on doing the right things.

Trainer: That’s the right thing to do, I guess. I want you to make sure that you concentrate much of your time and energy on the high payoff tasks.

Student: Could I know about POSEC method?

Trainer: POSEC is an acronym for Prioritize by Organizing, Streamlining, Economizing and Contributing. Pri-oritize your time and defi ne your life by goals. Organize things you have to accomplish regularly. Streamline your work and other chores so that you can move quickly and eff ectively. Economize things you should do or may even like to do, but they’re not pressingly urgent like pastimes and socializing. Contribute by paying attention to the few remaining things that make a diff erence like social obligations.

Student: Could I possibly know the underlying signifi cance of this method?

Trainer: It suggests that by attending to one’s personal responsibilities fi rst, an individual is better posi-tioned to shoulder collective responsibilities.

Student: Thank you for sharing your valuable knowledge on time management.

Trainer: I hope you’ll use this knowledge to make the best use for your time and accomplish your tasks in an eff ective manner.

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Good morning everyone. Thank you for this opportunity to share my knowledge with you on how to manage your time.

In this short presentation I shall focus on some aspects related to managing your time. These include a) under-standing the value of time, b) understanding how you lose your time and c) learning to optimize your time

You are welcome to ask questions, if any, at the end of my presentation.

Let me talk to you about understanding the value of time. You’ll be conscious about managing your time once you realize how important time is. Time is the most valuable resource available to all of you. It is more important than even money. However, most of you take it for granted and are not aware how to use this pre-cious thing to achieve your success.

You all know the famous proverb ‘Time and tide wait for none’. This tells you that you should act without delay in doing things. But ask yourself how many of you tend to postpone things unnecessarily.

I’d like to urge upon you to make the best use of time and carry out your day-to-day tasks eff ortlessly.

Making the best use of time involves understanding how you lose your time or what your time robbers are. Some of the time robbers for many people include:

No clear planning

Not prioritizing tasks

Not taking right decisions

Procrastinating

Uncontrolled conversations

Unnecessary chatting

Watching TV overly

Ask yourselves what your time robbers. Once you are ready with your own list of time robbers you must make conscious eff orts to reduce or overcome them.

I’d now like to focus on helping you to optimize your time. To optimize your time:

Have clear written goals

Use to-do lists

Prioritize things (now, later, urgent, not so urgent, etc)

Use diaries, planners, track sheets, digital pocket organizers

Make right decisions at the right time

Review periodically

Work smarter, not harder

In the end I’d like to say that have time to rest, to get things done, and to know how you’ve done. You can be more productive and more relaxed using the points I’ve just presented.

This brings my presentation to a close. Thank you very much for your time and cooperation. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.

Communication Skills and Soft Skills An Integrated Approach

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Transcript of Communication Skills and Soft Skills An Integrated Approach