Subject: Personality Development (OPN273)

Unit 1: Discovery of Self and Developing the Right Attitude

1. What are the 4 aspects of Emotional Intelligence?

Answer
Emotional intelligence is a set of emotional and social skills that collectively establish how well we perceive
and express ourselves, develop and maintain social relationships, cope with challenges and use emotional
information in an effective and meaningful way. Basically, it is a predictor of success in life and work.
In order for leaders to attract and retain staff who are ‘EI savvy’, they need to engage and explore EI for
themselves. And in doing so, they will acquire a symbiotic emotional quotient assessment tool and knowledge
platform – used to measure an individual’s adequacy in areas such as social responsibility, self-expression,
empathy and decision making – to recruit, induct and develop their workforce.
This will ultimately enable an organization’s employees to meet and exceed the challenges faced within an
ever-changing economic and industrial landscape.
Building your emotional skills
Building your emotional skills is essential to understanding your own feelings and attuning yourself to the
feelings of others. If you are attuned to such feelings you can use your understanding to enhance your own
performance and manage and support the performance of others (if in a managerial or supervisory role).
To better understand your emotional skills, the first step to take is to familiarize yourself with the four basic
components of emotional intelligence.
1) Self-awareness
This is considered the foundation for all the other components of emotional intelligence. Self-awareness means
being aware of what you are feeling; being conscious of the emotions within yourself.
People who are in touch with their emotions are better able to guide their own lives. Team members need to be
in touch with their emotions to interact effectively and appreciate emotions in others.
Those with high levels of self-awareness learn to trust their ‘gut feelings’ and realise that these feelings can
provide useful information about difficult decisions. Answers are not always clear regarding who is at fault
when problems arise. In these situations, team members have to rely on their own feelings and intuition.
2) Self-management
This is the second key component of emotional intelligence in managing emotions. Operationally it means that
team members need to be able to balance their own moods so that worry, anxiety, fear or anger do not get in the
way of what needs to be done.
Those who can manage their emotions perform better because they are able to think clearly. Managing emotions
does not mean suppressing or denying them but understanding them and using that understanding to deal with
situations productively. Team members should first recognise a mood or feeling, think about what it means and
how it affects them, and then choose how to act.
3) Social awareness
Being socially aware means that you understand how to react to different social situations, and effectively
modify your interactions with other people so that you can achieve the best results.
It also means being aware of the world around you and how different environments influence people. Increasing
social awareness means improving your skills to connect with others verbally, nonverbally and in the
community.
4) Relationship management
The final component of emotional intelligence is the ability to connect with others, build positive relationships,
respond to the emotions of others and influence others on the team.
Relationship management includes the identification, analysis and management of relationships with people
inside and outside of your team as well as their development. It is also vital in negotiating successfully,
resolving conflicts and working with others toward a shared goal.
 2. What is the significance of Emotional Intelligence at the Workplace?
Answer
We need emotional intelligence (EQ) most where we’re least likely to find it: at work. The workplace remains
the last bastion of IQ worship because many people still believe that getting personal interferes with
productivity.
At work, you don’t have the ties of love to motivate you to get along with others as you do at home. You don’t
have the benefit of a shared history to help you understand what moves those around you. That makes it all the
more important that you have a way to tune in to what those you work with need right here, right now. You
already have that facility – it’s active awareness and the empathy that flows from it. Using those elements of
your EQ can help achieve success and solve problems on the job. Office politics, morale problems, and lack of
cooperation don’t have to ruin your work life if you can read and respond to people’s feelings.
The four elements of emotional intelligence
Emotional intelligence is composed of four elements: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness and
relationship management. How well acquainted are you with each of these resources?
Self-awareness: the ability to recognize your emotions and their impact while using gut feelings to guide your
decisions.
Can you walk into a room, meet a stranger, attend a meeting and quickly sense that something is not as it
seems? Formerly known as “intuition,” this instinctual knowledge is based on emotional intelligence.
Self-management: the ability to control your emotions and behavior and adapt to changing circumstances.
Can you adequately harness your anger, disappointment or fear so your emotions don’t interfere with your
ability to listen or problem solve? Do you know when you need help, and can you ask for it?
Social awareness: the ability to sense, understand, and react to the emotions of others and to feel comfortable
socially
Can you tell when you are unintentionally making another person uncomfortable or when someone who is
smiling is really upset?
Relationship management: the ability to inspire, influence, and connect to others and to manage conflict.
Can you remain calm, energized and focused in the face of another’s distress or during an upsetting situation?
Can you defuse conflict with humor or by listen convincingly to another’s point of view?

3. What are the 5 characteristics of Emotional Intelligence?

Answer
Emotional intelligence (EQ) is the ability to identify and manage your emotions, as well as other people's
emotions.
If you're emotionally intelligent you have the ability to:
 Identify what you're feeling
 Know how to interpret your emotions
 Understand how your emotions can impact others
 Regulate your own emotions
 Manage other people's emotions
Some people naturally inherit high EQ but it's a skill that you can practice and develop. By practicing
emotionally intelligent behaviours your brain will adapt to make these behaviours automatic and replace less
helpful behaviours.
The 5 features of emotional intelligence
Daniel Goleman determined that there are five fundamental features of EQ, each with their own benefits:
1. Self-awareness
2. Self-regulation
3. Empathy
4. Motivation
5. Social skill
1. Self-awareness
Self-awareness is the ability to accurately recognise your: emotions, strengths, limitations, actions and
understand how these affect others around you.
 Benefits:
1. By knowing your strengths and weaknesses you can improve your organisation's performance, for
example, you may hire individuals who perform well in areas you struggle with.
 Improve self-awareness by:
1. Keeping a diary of the situations that have triggered disruptive emotions in you, such as anger, and your
thoughts and behaviours during those situations. With this information you can form an understanding
of your emotions and reactions and work towards self-regulation.
2. Self-regulation
Self-regulation allows you to wisely manage your emotions and impulses - you show or restrain certain
emotions depending on what is necessary and beneficial for the situation. For example, rather than shouting at
your employees when you're stressed you may decide which tasks can be delegated.
2. Benefits:
1. Self-regulation helps earn the respect and trust of employees.
2. Useful when adapting to change.
 Improve self-regulation by:
1. Taking responsibility if you have made mistakes. Rather than blaming others admit that you are at
fault. You'll feel less guilty and your team will respect you for it.
3. Empathy
To be empathetic means you are able to identify and understand others' emotions i.e. imagining yourself in
someone else's position.
 Benefits:
1. Provides you with an understanding of how an individual feels and why they behave in a certain way.
As a result, your compassion and your ability to help someone increases because you respond genuinely
to concerns.
2. Especially helpful when delivering constructive feedback.
 To develop empathy:
1. Imagine yourself in someone else's position. Even if you have not experienced a similar situation,
remember a situation where you have felt the same emotion your employee is experiencing.
2. Practice listening to your employees without interrupting them.
4. Motivation
Being self-motivated consists of: enjoying what you do, working towards achieving your goals and not being
motivated by money or status.
 Benefits:
1. Reduces your likelihood of procrastinating
2. Increases self-confidence
 To increase your motivation:
1. Remember why you're doing your job - maybe think about why you wanted it initially.
2. Set new goals if you lack them.
5. Social skills
Effective social skills consist of managing relationships in a way that benefits the organisation.
 Benefits:
1. Effective social skills helps you to build rapport with your employees and earn their respect and loyalty.
2. Employees will trust you which is especially valuable if unwelcomed decisions have been made, such as
a rise in performance targets.
 Improve social skills by:
1. Developing your communication skills. Problems can arise if there is bad communication, such as,
misunderstandings upsetting employees. Listen to feedback to work out what to target, for example, the
manner in which you speak may need work or perhaps your body language.
2. Learning how to provide praise and constructive feedback
 4. What are emotional intelligence Skills?
Answer
The skills that make up emotional intelligence can be learned at any time. However, it’s important to remember
that there is a difference between simply learning about EQ and applying that knowledge to your life. Just
because you know you should do something doesn’t mean you will—especially when you become
overwhelmed by stress, which can override your best intentions. In order to permanently change behavior in
ways that stand up under pressure, you need to learn how to overcome stress in the moment, and in your
relationships, in order to remain emotionally aware.
The key skills for building your EQ and improving your ability to manage emotions and connect with others
are:
1. Self-management
2. Self-awareness
3. Social awareness
4. Relationship management
key skill 1: Self-management- Building emotional intelligence, In order for you to engage your EQ, you must
be able use your emotions to make constructive decisions about your behavior. When you become overly
stressed, you can lose control of your emotions and the ability to act thoughtfully and appropriately.
Think about a time when stress has overwhelmed you. Was it easy to think clearly or make a rational decision?
Probably not. When you become overly stressed, your ability to both think clearly and accurately assess
emotions—your own and other people’s—becomes compromised.
Key skill 2: Self-awareness
Managing stress is just the first step to building emotional intelligence. The science of attachment indicates that
your current emotional experience is likely a reflection of your early life experience. Your ability to manage
core feelings such as anger, sadness, fear, and joy often depends on the quality and consistency of your early
life emotional experiences. If your primary caretaker as an infant understood and valued your emotions, it’s
likely your emotions have become valuable assets in adult life. But, if your emotional experiences as an infant
were confusing, threatening or painful, it’s likely you’ve tried to distance yourself from your emotions.
Key skill 3: Social awareness
Social awareness enables you to recognize and interpret the mainly nonverbal cues others are constantly using
to communicate with you. These cues let you know how others are really feeling, how their emotional state is
changing from moment to moment, and what’s truly important to them. When groups of people send out similar
nonverbal cues, you’re able to read and understand the power dynamics and shared emotional experiences of
the group. In short, you’re empathetic and socially comfortable.
Key skill 4: Relationship management
Working well with others is a process that begins with emotional awareness and your ability to recognize and
understand what other people are experiencing. Once emotional awareness is in play, you can effectively
develop additional social/emotional skills that will make your relationships more effective, fruitful, and
fulfilling.

5. Which skills do you consider as your strengths?

Answer
When it comes time to toot your own horn, you need to be specific. Assess your skills to identify your strengths.
This is an exercise worth doing before any interview. Make a list of your skills, dividing them into three
categories:
 Knowledge-based skills: Acquired from education and experience (e.g., computer skills, languages,
degrees, training and technical ability).
 Transferable skills: Your portable skills that you take from job to job (e.g., communication and people
skills, analytical problem solving and planning skills)
 Personal traits: Your unique qualities (e.g., dependable, flexible, friendly, hard working, expressive,
formal, punctual and being a team player).
Some examples of strengths you might mention include:
  Enthusiasm
 Trustworthiness
 Creativity
 Discipline
 Patience
 Respectfulness
 Determination
 Dedication
 Honesty
 Versatility
When you complete this list, choose three to five of those strengths that match what the employer is seeking in
the job posting. Make sure you can give specific examples to demonstrate why you say that is your strength if
probed further.

6. What is the impact of body language?

Answer
1. You make an impression in less than seven seconds
 Adjust your attitude. People pick up your attitude instantly. Before you greet a client, or enter the
conference room for a business meeting, or step onstage to make a presentation, think about the situation
and make a conscious choice about the attitude you want to embody.
 Smile. Smiling is a positive signal that is underused by leaders. A smile is an invitation, a sign of
welcome and inclusion. It says, “I’m friendly and approachable.”
 Make eye contact. Looking at someone’s eyes transmits energy and indicates interest and openness. (To
improve your eye contact, make a practice of noticing the eye color of everyone you meet.
 Lean in slightly. Leaning forward shows you’re engaged and interested. But be respectful of the other
person’s space. That means, in most business situations, stay about two feet away.
 Watch your posture. Research from Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University
discovered that “posture expansiveness,” positioning oneself in a way that opens up the body and takes
up space, activated a sense of power that produced behavioral changes in a subject independent of their
actual rank or role in an organization. In fact, it was consistently found across three studies that posture
mattered more than hierarchy in making a person think, act, and be perceived in a more powerful way.
 Shake hands. This is the quickest way to establish rapport. It’s also the most effective. Research shows
it takes an average of three hours of continuous interaction to develop the same level of rapport that you
can get with a single handshake. (Just make sure you have palm-to-palm contact and that your grip is
firm but not bone-crushing.)
2. Building trust depends on your verbal-nonverbal alignment
 Trust is established through a perfect alignment between what is being said and the body language that
accompanies it. If your gestures are not in full congruence with your verbal message, people
subconsciously perceive duplicity, uncertainty, or (at the very least) internal conflict.
 Neuroscientists at Colgate University study the effects of gestures by using an electroencephalograph
(EEG) machines to measure “event related potentials” – brain waves that form peaks and valleys. One of
these valleys occurs when subjects are shown gestures that contradict what’s spoken. This is the same
brain wave dip that occurs when people listen to nonsensical language.
3. What you say when you talk with your hands
 Hidden hands. Hidden hands make you look less trustworthy. This is one of the nonverbal signals that
is deeply ingrained in our subconscious. Our ancestors made survival decisions based solely on bits of
visual information they picked up from one another. In our prehistory, when someone approached with
hands out of view, it was a signal of potential danger.
 Finger pointing. I’ve often seen executives use this gesture in meetings, negotiations, or interviews for
emphasis or to show dominance. The problem is that aggressive finger pointing can suggest that the
 leader is losing control of the situation – and the gesture smacks of parental scolding or playground
bullying.
 Enthusiastic gestures. There is an interesting equation of hand and arm movement with energy. If you
want to project more enthusiasm and drive, you can do so by increased gesturing. On the other hand,
over-gesturing (especially when hands are raised above the shoulders) can make you appear
erratic, less believable, and less powerful.
 Grounded gestures. Arms held at waist height, and gestures within that horizontal plane, help you –
and the audience – feel centered and composed. Arms at waist and bent to a 45-degree angle
(accompanied by a stance about shoulder-width wide) will also help you keep grounded, energized, and
focused.
4. Your most influential communication medium is (still) face-to-face
 In this fast-paced, techno-charged era of email, texts, teleconferences, and video chats, one universal
truth remains: Face-to-face is the most preferred, productive, and powerful communication medium. In
fact, the more business leaders communicate electronically, the more pressing becomes the need for
personal interaction.
 Here’s why:
 In face-to-face meetings, our brains process the continual cascade of nonverbal cues that we use as the
basis for building trust and professional intimacy. Face-to-face interaction is information-rich. We
interpret what people say to us only partially from the words they use. We get most of the message
(and all of the emotional nuance behind the words) from vocal tone, pacing, facial expressions, and
other nonverbal cues. And we rely on immediate feedback – the instantaneous responses of others – to
help us gauge how well our ideas are being accepted.
 So potent is the nonverbal link between individuals that, when we are in genuine rapport with someone,
we subconsciously match our body positions, movements, and even our breathing rhythms with theirs.
Most interesting, in face-to-face encounters the brain’s ”mirror neurons” mimic not just behaviors, but
sensations and feelings as well. When we are denied these interpersonal cues and are forced to rely on
the printed or spoken word alone, the brain struggles and real communication suffers.
5. If you can’t read body language, you are missing half the conversation
 More business executives are learning not only how to send the right signals, but also how to read them.
Peter Drucker, the renowned management consultant, understood this clearly. “The most important thing
in communication,” he once said, “is hearing what isn’t said.”
 Communication happens over two channels – verbal and nonverbal – resulting in two distinct
conversations going on at the same time. While verbal communication is obviously important, it’s not
the only message being sent. Without the ability to read body language, we miss crucial elements to
conversations that can positively or negatively impact a business.

7. What is the importance of Johari Window?

Answer
Johari Window is a technique for improving self-awareness within an individual. It helps in understanding your
relationship with yourself and others. Johari Window model can be a useful tool if you want to improve
your communication skills.
It was developed by American psychologists Joseph Luft and Harry Ingham in 1955, hence the name Johari.
Johari Window is generally used in Self-help groups in exercises which help a person to learn and discover
things about themselves, like heuristic exercise.
Johari Window is a method used for self-discovery. Let us understand Definition and meaning of Johari
Window Model with examples.
What is Johari Window?
Generally, it is believed that we have in a group based on our perception of others. And that is why to improve
communication in a group it is important to develop the perception of an individual in the group.
Johari window model is based upon two things – to acquire the trust of others by revealing your information to
them and by learning about yourself through feedback by others.
There are four questions in the model just like panes in a window and each person fits into one of this pane.
Each window in Johari window model signifies feelings, personal information, and motivation.
Also, the important point to know here is that through window panes one must determine whether one is known
or unknown to oneself as well as the others.

Here as you can see in the photo there are four different panes and each signifies one crucial idea behind it.
Further, the panes are in the horizontal axis as well as the vertical axis. So, you have to determine in which
window you fall and based on that your personality can be known.
In this model, the main focus is on feedback. Accepting of feedback and conveying of this feedback is done
through this model. The panes given in the vertical direction represents part that is known and unknown to
others. While the horizontal part represents the known and unknown part to your self.
That is two windows represent your true self while the other two windows represent the part that is known to
others but unknown to self.
This information which is known to self and unknown to others can be transferred through socializing with
others. While the part that is known to others but unknown to self is conveyed through feedback that you get
through other members in the group.
This model works on the basis of communication happening in the group and how to improve yourself. The
model is very simple to understand and as a result, it is used in various organizations.
Now, we have divided the panes into 4 different panes to make you understand further about how compromises
in these panes.

8. Describe the first quadrant of Johari Window.

Answer
Johari Window Quadrant 1: Open Area or Arena
This area or pane is called open area because the information in this pane about the behavior, feelings, emotions
about the person is known to that person itself as well as the other members in this group.
In this arena, all the communication occurs through a two-way process. Such that the person socializes about
himself with others and constantly receives feedback from the other members of the group. As a result, the group
becomes more effective and the relationship in this group is very dynamic.
In this group, the process of feedback solicitation is very common. This process occurs in the group that has an
understanding and the feedbacks of the other person are heard.
So, the open area through this group can be increased horizontally such that the blindspot area is reduced and
vertically it is increased so that the hidden and unknown areas of a person are reduced when that person reveals
about his feeling to the other person.
9. Describe the second quadrant of Johari Window.
Answer
Johari Window Quadrant 2: Blindspot or BlindSelf
Blindspot is the area in which the certain information on your personality is known to others but that information is
not known to you.
In simple terms, other people may interpret your personality different than you might have expected. For efficient
communication, this area must be reduced.
One way to do it is through feedback that you get from other members in the group.

10.What is the third quadrant of Johari window?

Answer
Johari Window Quadrant 3: Hidden Area or Hidden Self
Hidden area is the information that you hide from others. Here, the information is known to you but the others are
unknown to this information.
The reason for this may be the information might be personal to you so that you are reluctant to share it with others.
This includes secrets, past experiences, feelings, etc. Many people keep their information private and do not share it
with others.

11.Elaborate the fourth quadrant of Johari Window.

Answer
Johari Window Quadrant 4: Unknown Areas or Unknown Self
In this area, the information is unknown to you as well as the others. Generally, certain feelings, talents,
information, etc fall in this area.
The reason for this might be some traumatic experience in the past about a particular event or experiences which
might be unknown for your ever.
The person, as well as the group, is unaware about this till he or she discovers it. One way to reduce this area is
through open communication.

12.What is Personality?
Answer
In psychological parlance, "personality" refers to a person's unique and enduring pattern of thinking, feeling,
and behaving. When viewed in this manner it becomes evident that "personality" encompasses nearly every
aspect of human experience. Subsequently, our personalities have the potential to greatly impact our well-
being. In particular, the quality of our relationships is significantly affected by our personalities. Moreover,
because human beings are social creatures, this means our personalities greatly influence our overall success
and satisfaction with life. These are pretty bold assertions, so let's examine why this is so:
Let's begin by examining the relationship between our personalities and our thoughts, feelings, and behavior. In
each and every moment, we receive enormous amounts of information from everything going on around us in
the world. Psychologists use the term "environment" to refer to these external events going on around us. As
we receive this information from our environment, it undergoes a subjective, internal process of evaluation and
interpretation. We begin with a subjective evaluation of the information detected by our senses (what we see,
hear, etc.) Then, an interpretive thought forms about what we think is going on. In addition, the information is
assigned some kind of meaning and importance. As this occurs, we will experience an array of feelings, in a
varying degrees of intensity, about what we think is going on around us. The intensity of the feelings that arise
in us is usually determined by the importance we assign to a particular thought. We tend to have very strong
feelings about things that are highly important to us, and less intense feelings about things that are less
important. This process of interpretation (our thoughts) and assigning meaning and importance (our feelings
about those thoughts) will then determine our behavioral response to these external events in our environment.
In other words, what I think and feel determines how I will behave.
 13.Explain the four quadrants of Johari Window.
Answer
Johari Window Quadrant 1: Open Area or Arena
This area or pane is called open area because the information in this pane about the behavior, feelings, emotions
about the person is known to that person itself as well as the other members in this group.
In this arena, all the communication occurs through a two-way process. Such that the person socializes about
himself with others and constantly receives feedback from the other members of the group. As a result, the group
becomes more effective and the relationship in this group is very dynamic.
In this group, the process of feedback solicitation is very common. This process occurs in the group that has an
understanding and the feedbacks of the other person are heard.
So, the open area through this group can be increased horizontally such that the blindspot area is reduced and
vertically it is increased so that the hidden and unknown areas of a person are reduced when that person reveals
about his feeling to the other person.
Johari Window Quadrant 2: Blindspot or BlindSelf
Blindspot is the area in which the certain information on your personality is known to others but that information is
not known to you.
In simple terms, other people may interpret your personality different than you might have expected. For efficient
communication, this area must be reduced.
One way to do it is through feedback that you get from other members in the group.
Johari Window Quadrant 3: Hidden Area or Hidden Self
Hidden area is the information that you hide from others. Here, the information is known to you but the others are
unknown to this information.
The reason for this may be the information might be personal to you so that you are reluctant to share it with others.
This includes secrets, past experiences, feelings, etc. Many people keep their information private and do not share it
with others.
Johari Window Quadrant 4: Unknown Areas or Unknown Self
In this area, the information is unknown to you as well as the others. Generally, certain feelings, talents,
information, etc fall in this area.
The reason for this might be some traumatic experience in the past about a particular event or experiences which
might be unknown for your ever.
The person, as well as the group, is unaware about this till he or she discovers it. One way to reduce this area is
through open communication.

Unit 2: Be a part of the Team

1. What are the qualities a good team leader must have in order to have effective
team performance?
Answer
Our discussion so far has focused mostly on a team as an entity, not on the individuals inside the team. This is
like describing a car by its model and color without considering what is under the hood. External characteristics
are what we see and interact with, but internal characteristics are what make it work. In teams, the internal
characteristics are the people in the team and how they interact with each other.
For teams to be effective, the people in the team must be able to work together to contribute collectively to team
outcomes. But this does not happen automatically: it develops as the team works together. You have probably
had an experience when you have been put on a team to work on a school assignment or project. When your
team first gets together, you likely sit around and look at each other, not knowing how to begin. Initially you are
not a team; you are just individuals assigned to work together. Over time you get to know each other, to know
what to expect from each other, to know how to divide the labor and assign tasks, and to know how you will
coordinate your work. Through this process, you begin to operate as a team instead of a collection of
individuals.
Stages of Team Development
This process of learning to work together effectively is known as team development. Research has shown that
teams go through definitive stages during development. Bruce Tuckman, an educational psychologist, identified
a five-stage development process that most teams follow to become high performing. He called the stages:
forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning. Team progress through the stages.
 Forming stage
 Storming stage
 Norming stage
 Performing stage
 Adjourning stage

2. Explain various stages of team formation.

Answer
 Forming stage
The forming stage involves a period of orientation and getting acquainted. Uncertainty is high during this stage,
and people are looking for leadership and authority. A member who asserts authority or is knowledgeable may
be looked to take control. Team members are asking such questions as “What does the team offer me?” “What
is expected of me?” “Will I fit in?” Most interactions are social as members get to know each other.
 Storming stage
The storming stage is the most difficult and critical stage to pass through. It is a period marked by conflict and
competition as individual personalities emerge. Team performance may actually decrease in this stage because
energy is put into unproductive activities. Members may disagree on team goals, and subgroups and cliques
may form around strong personalities or areas of agreement. To get through this stage, members must work to
overcome obstacles, to accept individual differences, and to work through conflicting ideas on team tasks and
goals. Teams can get bogged down in this stage. Failure to address conflicts may result in long-term problems.
 Norming stage
If teams get through the storming stage, conflict is resolved and some degree of unity emerges. In the norming
stage, consensus develops around who the leader or leaders are, and individual member’s roles. Interpersonal
differences begin to be resolved, and a sense of cohesion and unity emerges. Team performance increases
during this stage as members learn to cooperate and begin to focus on team goals. However, the harmony is
precarious, and if disagreements re-emerge the team can slide back into storming.
 Performing stage
In the performing stage, consensus and cooperation have been well-established and the team is mature,
organized, and well-functioning. There is a clear and stable structure, and members are committed to the team’s
mission. Problems and conflicts still emerge, but they are dealt with constructively. (We will discuss the role of
conflict and conflict resolution in the next section). The team is focused on problem solving and meeting team
goals.
 Adjourning stage
In the adjourning stage, most of the team’s goals have been accomplished. The emphasis is on wrapping up
final tasks and documenting the effort and results. As the work load is diminished, individual members may be
reassigned to other teams, and the team disbands. There may be regret as the team ends, so a ceremonial
acknowledgement of the work and success of the team can be helpful. If the team is a standing committee with
ongoing responsibility, members may be replaced by new people and the team can go back to a forming or
storming stage and repeat the development process.

3. Explain the role of motivation in team maintenance.

Answer
It’s important for plant leadership to keep their personnel motivated. As a critical part of operations, workers
must be invested in, and satisfied with, their role to perform at their best.
The five tips below offer guidance for keeping your maintenance team motivated, efficient and successful.
  Foster self-ownership. Self-ownership, agency, commitment — however you want to define it – is
giving employees a degree of control over their role and responsibilities. This is one of the most
effective ways to better ensure that they feel a personal stake in operational success. Some steps to
achieve this include:
1. Avoid micromanaging and excessive “check-ins” beyond the requirements of the task.
2. Avoid requiring employees to do something only the way that you would do it — encourage
them to identify processes that work best for them (while, of course, remaining in adherence
with safety and regulatory standards).
3. Follow the other tips below — many of them feed into the concept of self-ownership over a role, and
can help your employees stay happy and motivated.
 Invest in your employees. By supporting ongoing training and development, employees feel
appreciated. Increased confidence in their role – alongside growing stature within the organization –
translates to feelings of responsibility and loyalty to the company, which will encourage employees to
complete their tasks quickly, efficiently and conscientiously.
This tip is a true “win-win,” since you, as a manager, gain the benefit of better-trained workers, while
your employees become more familiar with new technologies and processes – ultimately helping you
and your team stay current with industry best practices.
 Encourage — and act on — feedback. This step is another way to support employee self-ownership.
Be sure to make it clear that employee feedback is welcomed and heard — whether in areas of process
improvements, safety, unidentified efficiencies and more. Those who have the most hands-on
experience with a task are often in the best position to identify a better way to do it. Employees will be
more motivated to continue looking for improvements if they know that you listen to their feedback.
Even if a particular suggestion isn’t aligned with business objectives or requirements, be sure to give
due time to listening.
 Know when you need extra help. Overworked or undertrained employees will likely feel
unappreciated by their management – and motivation to do their best work will drop as a result. Be
ready to identify or anticipate times where the required maintenance capacity is beyond your available
resources, and be prepared to address the need for support.

In times like these, outsourced maintenance services can provide extra resources for expected or
unexpected workload surges. Outsourcing can also provide expertise for processes and tasks in which
your in-house personnel may not yet be skilled in.
 Be open to change. It’s true that change can sometimes be intimidating for workers and management
alike, but if change is sought and implemented in good faith, the benefits can far outweigh the growing
pains. It’s important to keep an open mind, whether in process or technology. Overlooking the potential
improvements may lead to a feeling of employee stagnation and demotivation. Assess any positive
changes you can make — whether they are identified through employee feedback, management
directives or your experience — and determine if a new method may be right for you.
As a maintenance manager, it is your job to ensure that your team is operating safely and efficiently. Having a
motivated team under on your side will ensure that the work gets done, and at the end of the day, your
employees will leave feeling accomplished, and most importantly, appreciated.

4. As a team leader how will, you solve conflicts, which arise in team?
Answer
Conflicts are a natural part of life, both in our personal lives and in the workplace. Workplace conflicts occur
because team members do not always agree or know how to work together despite their differences. These
differences could be in the way they manage their tasks, their work styles or personalities. In order for a team to
work together effectively, conflicts need to be resolved in a timely and professional manner that minimizes
disruption to productivity. The ability to resolve team conflicts is crucial to the success of any organization.
Whether you are involved in a conflict or acting as a mediator, you will need to remain calm throughout the
process and work to understand the different perspectives of all parties involved. In this article, we will examine
the most common types of conflicts that can arise, steps for resolving these conflicts and why conflict resolution
is important in workplace.
What is team conflict?
Team conflicts arise when there are disagreements over their goals, methods or needs of the team. Conflicts can
also occur when there are differing personalities. At first, these conflicts may seem commonplace, but failing to
resolve them could have a negative impact on productivity and overall morale. When conflicts between team
members arise, addressing these disagreements and coming to a mutual understanding allows everyone to
collaborate in a harmonious and productive way.
Conflict resolution is a valuable leadership skill to have. Individuals with the ability to recognize conflicts,
acknowledge differences and find quick and peaceful resolution are essential to any organization.
Why is conflict resolution important?
Conflict resolution is important for the success of any team. Leaving a conflict unresolved can negatively
impact morale and productivity, resulting in a tense and uncomfortable work environment for all. Resolving
conflicts in the workplace allows teams to trust each other and work better together to achieve their goals.
Conflict resolution allows team members to understand each other better and create smoother working
relationships in the future.
Types of team conflicts
1. Task-based conflicts
2. Leadership conflicts
3. Work style conflicts
4. Personality clashes
How to resolve team conflicts
Many conflicts at work are caused by misunderstandings and a lack of communication among team members.
However, when these conflicts are resolved properly, team members are able to develop better working
relationships and are more productive as a result. Here are some productive steps to take to resolve workplace
conflicts:
Stay calm
When a conflict arises, it’s important to stay calm and professional. Take several deep breaths and clear your
mind before attempting to address the conflict. Come up with a plan to resolve the conflict before tension grows
and things worsen.
Communicate (and listen)
Find a place where you can discuss the conflict in private. It’s important that all parties involved have the
opportunity to share their side and listen to what others have to say. Be attentive and empathetic, and try to
understand how the other person feels while still saying everything you need to say.
Acknowledge the conflict and find a resolution
Part of conflict resolution includes acknowledging there’s a problem in the first place. Once the conflict has
been recognized, everyone involved needs to come to an agreement about reaching a resolution. Try to see the
conflict from the viewpoint of your other team members and focus on the things you can agree on. This will
help you better understand what they feel and how they think and allow you to come to a resolution together.
Involve leadership or HR
In some cases, you may need to involve your HR department or a supervisor if a conflict can’t be resolved,
whether it’s because someone is failing to cooperate or something much more serious, such as harassment or
discrimination. Resolving workplace conflicts requires teamwork and an understanding of each other’s differing
viewpoints. Once conflicts are resolved, the best way to move forward is to recognize that mistakes happen. A
team that is willing to work together to resolve workplace conflicts can strengthen their relationships and
accomplish their goals.

5. What is the importance of planning and preparation in performing a task in a

team?
Answer
Planning is process of deciding in detail how to do something before we start doing it.
Planning of work is the most important and efficient way to complete any project. Beginning a project without a
thoughtful plan is like starting a road trip without a map. Maybe we know, in which direction our project is
going, and we are spending our energy and resources on that but without any plan we can’t reach our
destination. Lets see how:
 A clear and detailed work plan may not remove all obstacles that may come up during course of the
project, but will give you an opportunity to organize your thoughts, evaluate your options and reduce
potential difficulties.
 When we make a proper and detailed plan, not only the project runs smoothly but also the team
members who are assigned work, regularly report to assigner and establish deficiencies if there are any.
If there is a work plan, then multiple tasks can be handled and worked upon.
 A strategic plan will ensure that you are on the right track. There is a proper framework through which
each and everything can be covered.
Planning allows us to systematically prioritize and make us done more in less time.
 When we plan there is organized way of doing work that gives good qualitative and quantitative output.
We cover each milestone of work that makes us closer to the completion. Work plan makes us proper
utilization of time, resources and budget.
 A clear plan gives you a sense of aim and makes you accomplish short term as well as long term project.
When we make a work plan there is emergence of new ideas and methods that can be evaluated and then
implemented in a proper way.
That is why Planning of work is the backbone of any project, big or small.

6. As a team leader how will, you motivate your team members.

Answer
1. Pay your people what they are worth
When you set your employees' salaries, be sure that their pay is consistent with what other companies in your
industry and geographic area are paying. Remember: 26 percent of engaged employees say that they would
leave their current job for just a 5 percent increase in pay. Don't lose great people because you're underpaying
them.
2. Provide them with a pleasant place to work
Everyone wants to work in an office environment that is clean and stimulating, and that makes them feel good
instead of bad. You don't have to spend a lot of money to make an office a more pleasant place to be.
3. Offer opportunities for self-development
The members of your team will be more valuable to your organization, and to themselves, when they have
opportunities to learn new skills. Provide your team with the training they need to advance in their careers and
to become knowledgeable about the latest technologies and industry news.
4. Foster collaboration within the team
According to Weekdone.com, 39 percent of employees don't feel that their input is appreciated. Encourage the
members of your team to fully participate by inviting their input and suggestions on how to do things better.
Ask questions, listen to their answers, and, whenever possible, implement their solutions.
5. Encourage happiness
Happy employees are enthusiastic and positive members of the team, and their attitude is infectious. Keep an
eye on whether or not your people are happy with their work, their employer, and you. If they're not, you can
count on this unhappiness to spread.
6. Don't punish failure
We all make mistakes. It's part of being human. The key is to learn valuable lessons from those mistakes so we
don't make them again. When members of your team make honest mistakes, don't punish them--instead,
encourage them to try again.
7. Set clear goals
In one study, 63 percent of employees reported that they wasted time at work because they weren't aware of
what work was a priority, and what wasn't. As a leader, it's your job to work with the members of your team to
set clear goals. And once you do that, make sure everyone knows exactly what those goals are, what their
relative priority is, and what the team's role is in reaching them.
8. Don't micromanage
No one likes a boss who is constantly looking over her shoulder and second-guessing her every decision. In
fact, 38 percent of employees in one survey reported that they would rather take on unpleasant activities than sit
next to a micromanaging boss. Provide your people with clear goals (see number 7, above), and then let them
figure out the best way to achieve them.
9. Avoid useless meetings
Meetings can be an incredible waste of time--the average professional wastes 3.8 hours in unproductive
meetings each and every week. Create an agenda for your meetings and distribute it in advance. Invite only the
people who really need to attend, start the meeting on time, and then end it as quickly as you possibly can.

7. Training is very important for all team-members. Discuss the statement.

Answer
Training: Training is instruction aimed at procedural knowledge and proficiency, at knowing how to execute
the procedures necessary to do a job. It can be distinguished from declarative knowledge, which is knowledge
of facts or static information. Training programs have three general goals: successful training, transfer to the
work situation (generalization), and long-term use on the job of what was learned (maintenance). Training can
be structured for trainees to learn individually (either in competition with peers or on their own) or in teams.
Training can focus on individuals who are selected from their job situations (or from a general population of
potential job applicants), assigned to training teams and given training, and then returned to their job situations
(where the trainees work alone or as part of a team, which may be nested in a network of teams). Or training can
focus on cohort, intact teams that are given training as a team at a training site and then returned to the job site.
Team training can be defined as training in which teams are used to increase individual procedural knowledge
and proficiency in doing a job (taskwork), individual procedural knowledge and proficiency in functioning as
part of a team (teamwork), and overall team performance. Team training can be differentiated from team
building, which takes place at the job site and focuses on analyzing a work team's procedures and activities to
improve the team's productivity (see Chapter 6). Team training can also be differentiated from cooperative
learning, which usually takes place in schools and is focused primarily on declarative knowledge, rather than
procedural knowledge and proficiency
Preparation: Prior to formal sessions, trainees can be prepared for a team training experience in a number of
ways. First, trainees can be helped to set goals for what they will learn and how hard they will work during the
training. Cohen (1990) found that trainees who set goals prior to training began with higher levels of motivation
to learn. Second, an accountability system can be provided to motivate trainees to take the training seriously and
to use what they learn on the job. Trainers can inform members that how hard they work and how much they
learn during training will be directly assessed after the training is over. Baldwin and Magjurka (1991) found that
trainees who entered training expecting some form of follow-up activity or assessment afterward reported
stronger intentions to transfer what they learned to the job. The fact that an organization would require them to
prepare a post training report or undergo an assessment meant that they were being held accountable for their
learning and apparently conveyed the message that the training was important.
Third, trainers can lessen constraints to using what is learned on the job. Trainees can be assured that what they
learn in training will be used on the job and shown how constraints for doing so will be reduced. Mathieu et al.
(1990) found that trainees who reported many situational constraints in their jobs (e.g., lack of time, equipment,
and resources) entered training with lower motivation to learn. The trainees had little incentive to learn new
skills when they worked in an environment in which the skills could not be applied.
TRAINING PROCESSES
Training programs try to ensure that trainees gain proficiency in both task work procedures and teamwork
procedures and that the performance of the team as a whole is enhanced. In most work situations, task work and
teamwork are so interrelated that it is difficult to separate them. No matter how great individual task work skills
may be, they will be ineffective if they are not coordinated with the supporting efforts of teammates. In work
(performance) situations, both individual technical skills and skills in interacting and coordinating efforts with
other team members are needed to succeed and, therefore, both have to be learned and practiced. In reviewing
the research, however, we consider separately each of the parts of the training process.
Task work
This section considers in detail nine components of task work that are relevant to the likelihood of successful
training, transfer, and maintenance in team training:
1. conceptual understanding;
2. applying conceptual understanding;
3. procedural learning;
4. feedback;
5. social support;
6. relevant attitudes;
7. use of technology;
8. positive professional identity among team members; and
9. behavioral models

8. Give an example of how to organized event in a team.

Answer
1. Define the purpose and format
It seems pretty obvious but it’s worth having a critical approach to this issue. Formulate your goal as
specifically as possible: do you want to convey knowledge to participants; express gratitude to partners; raise
funds for a project or offer guests aesthetic pleasure? The format of the event will depend on the answer: its
concept, timing and duration, role distribution within the team, the layout of the hall, catering and sound.
2. Pay sufficient attention to planning
The plan should include logistics, content and the promotion of the event. Create a document available to the
entire team where each member would be able to see the tasks of the others and the big picture. First, prepare a
list of the main tasks, and then flesh them out in as much detail as possible in the form of specific steps that
must be completed. It is important to designate the timeframe in the plan: the time required for completing a
task. It is often underestimated and preparation goes slower than you expected.
3. Draft your budget taking into account unforeseeable situations
Look at the list of tasks and reflect them in your budget. It is also worth thinking about a reserve in case of
unforeseeable situations. For example, there was an incident in my work when it rained on the day of an open-
air event. We had to immediately change the location and transport all the equipment and furniture. It is better
to think about such things in advance and be prepared for them financially.
4. The devil is in the detail
If you want to pleasantly surprise your guests, think about everything down to the smallest detail: how they
register, who will greet participants and how, what music will be playing, do you have an interesting photo
corner, how do your presentations look and how is your team dressed, what to do during breaks.
For example, during registration, participants could be offered the chance to attend a brief master class, play
games or watch an information video.
5. Check the location and have a plan B
Always check the location in person as early as the selection stage. At the most unexpected moment it could
turn out the air conditioning doesn’t work properly in the hall, there are no toilets for the disabled or the
equipment won’t get through the door. Therefore, check such issues in advance. Once I held a conference for 50
people and an hour into the event, the owner of the space asked to vacate the place without giving any
explanation.
6. Allocate responsibilities
It is very important to distribute tasks among the team members not only at the preparation stage but also during
the event. Allocate responsibilities by zone. For example, someone is responsible for the registration zone,
someone else for greeting the speakers, a different person for the equipment, for catering, communication with
the press, etc. Every person needs to have his or her zone, which he or she should be responsible for throughout
the entire duration of the event.
7. Tell your audience about the event
Do not underestimate the time required for the successful promotion of an event. The type of event, its target
audience, internal resources and the budget all determine your marketing approach. When choosing your media
partners, focus on those who target your audience. It’s better to have a few partners but targeted ones, rather
than talk about the event to just about everyone.
8. Pay attention to service
Make sure that your team follows The Duck Face Rule. Be friendly to participants, speakers and partners. Try
to address their problems or questions and meet their expectations, even if you feel tired and not everything runs
to plan. At the end of the day, what people remember is how they were treated and the atmosphere not what the
speaker was saying on the stage.
9. Carry out a final check 24 hours before the event
Make sure that you’ve informed the participants of how to get to the location, invited all the important guests,
and prepared the printed materials, audio and video content. Check whether everyone understands his or her
tasks and responsibilities and whether the space is ready. For this purpose you can draft a checklist, like
this one.
10. Ask for feedback
You’re probably going to be tired and happy after the event, but it will be difficult for you to give an objective
assessment of how it all went. That is why ask participants to complete a printed evaluation form at the end of
the event or an online form when they get home. Ask them to assess various aspects of the event: logistics,
speakers, locations, and the work of the organizers. This information will help you to avoid mistakes in the
future and improve the quality of your events. If possible, get feedback through social networks or record video
reviews at the end of an event. This will come in handy if your event is held again.

9. How will u deal with passive members in your team?

Answer
Stay Calm: You may make the situation worse if you react emotionally to your team member. She may feel
threatened, withdraw further, and become even more entrenched in her negative behaviors.
Speak to her in a measured, even tone and remain composed . She might not even realize she's being passive
aggressive, so you might want to use an empathic approach to defuse any anxiety and anger. However, if she
is repeatedly behaving in this way, and you've raised the issue in the past, you may need to be firmer, and
consider disciplinary action.
Identify the Cause: If passive-aggressive people claim that they are "fine" when their behavior suggests
otherwise, don't accept their answers at face value. Probe more deeply by asking questions to identify the root
of the problem. Give them the opportunity to explain themselves, but don't let them pass the blame.
For instance, if someone seems to be responding negatively to a disappointing work decision – perhaps he got
passed over for promotion – ask him if his behavior stems from this. Explain that you want to understand how
he feels, and work with him to explore other ways that he might handle the situation more constructively. For
example, he might improve a particular skill, so that he has a better chance of promotion next time.
Provide Training: Consider providing some one-to-one coaching using the GROW Model , and coach your
team member in how to communicate assertively . In particular, role-play the raising of issues, so that people
become comfortable doing this in a confident, non-passive-aggressive way.
Set Clear Standards and Consequences: If your team member deflects your feedback, for example by saying
your standards are too high or that she didn't realize what your expectations were, she may be trying to divert
attention away from herself.
You need to establish clear standards, and regularly reiterate what you want from her, so that you can hold her
to account . It's also important to explain that her negative behavior will not be tolerated, and set out the
consequences of what will happen if she does step out of line again.
Confirm any discussions that you have about deadlines and actions in writing, by sending follow-up emails after
meetings, or drafting a performance agreement . That way, your team member will have difficulty claiming
that she didn't understand what you expect from her.
Open up Channels of Communication: Passive-aggressive people often lack good communication skills,
because they struggle to express their emotions openly. They may prefer to send emails, rather than address
issues face-to-face, for example. When this is the case, encourage them to develop the skills and confidence to
speak to others directly.
If your team members know that you welcome their insights and opinions, they are more likely to talk about
issues. Be a good role model and communicate regularly with them. Practice Management by Wandering
Around , so you can develop strong relationships, build trust, and identify problems before they escalate.
Key Points: Passive-aggressive people mask their hostility with subtly aggressive actions. Telltale signs include
procrastination, disruptive behavior, and blaming others.
Although it can be difficult to detect, passive aggressiveness can poison the work environment if it's left
unchecked, so you'll need to take a proactive approach.
Once you've identified the behavior, address it directly. Stay calm during your conversation, and ask questions
to find out the reasons behind your team member's actions so you can deal with them.
Set clear standards and hold people to account. Make sure you encourage open, two-way communication and
provide training so they are able to air their views and become comfortable addressing issues in a non-passive-
aggressive way.

10.As a team member how will, you motivate your colleague.

Answer
1. Share your vision and set clear goals
You can only motivate and inspire your team if they know what they are working towards. Make sure your
employees are aware of your vision and what your ultimate goals for the business are. This encourages
everyone to work together to achieve better results. As well as this, regularly set clear and measurable goals that
are framed by this vision so that you and your teams can track progress and they are able to see their success in
a tangible way. This cultivates productivity and helps employees to feel valued and motivated.
2. Communicate with your staff
Part of clear goal-setting relies on effective communication with your team. Communication is a two-way street
and you should make sure that there is a constant flow of communication between you and your employees.
This way you can not only keep them up-to-date with what needs to be done but you can also listen to their
ideas, opinions and feedback. This will ultimately have a positive impact on your business as they may
approach dilemmas in a different way to you.
3. Encourage teamwork
The best kind of companies are those where everyone works together cohesively. Encouraging and promoting
teamwork boosts productivity because it makes employees feel less isolated and helps them to feel more
engaged with their tasks. You can do this by regularly holding team-building exercises and opportunities for
your team members to bond and get to know one another.
4. A healthy office environment
Our environment has a significant impact on our productivity, contentment and creativity. Healthy and happy
employees are more likely to feel motivated and engaged. Create a space that is enjoyable to work in and an
office where your employees want to spend their time. Be conscious of privacy, noise, air quality, natural light,
areas to relax and the ambience. Encourage healthy attitudes by offering healthy snacks and access to exercise,
whether this is in the form of a gym membership or participating in team exercise classes.
By promoting healthy habits you can help your staff to maintain their energy levels and reduce their stress.
Office perks such as these will also make your team feel appreciated and further encourage them to do their best
work.
5. Give positive feedback and reward your team
The power of positive praise is sometimes overlooked but recognizing and applauding achievement inspires
team members as they can see themselves progressing towards the goals of the company. When employees
achieve results, put in extra effort or do outstanding work make sure to tell them that you’re grateful and be
specific in your praise. For example, don’t just say ‘good job’, explain why it was a good job and how it helped
to benefit the business. This will not only motivate your employee but help them succeed with future work.
6. Provide opportunities for development
Team members feel more valuable when they are learning and enhancing their skills. To motivate and inspire
your team to achieve great results you should provide your employees with opportunities for growth and
development. These opportunities should be tailored specifically to suit the individual employee and can be in
the form of further training, setting challenging targets, inviting an employee to shadow you or spending your
own time teaching and mentoring somebody. Focus on teaching your team transferable skills they could use in
different positions and encourage them to set themselves learning goals.

11.“Empowering people is a very important skill”. How is empowerment useful for

effective teams?
Answer

Unit 3: Evolving Creativity, Decision Making

1. What is Creativity?
Answer
 Creativity is defined as the tendency to generate or recognize ideas, alternatives, or possibilities that may
be useful in solving problems, communicating with others, and entertaining ourselves and others.
 Three reasons why people are motivated to be creative:
1. need for novel, varied, and complex stimulation
2. need to communicate ideas and values
3. need to solve problems
 In order to be creative, you need to be able to view things in new ways or from a different perspective.
Among other things, you need to be able to generate new possibilities or new alternatives. Tests of
creativity measure not only the number of alternatives that people can generate but the uniqueness of
those alternatives. the ability to generate alternatives or to see things uniquely does not occur by change;
it is linked to other, more fundamental qualities of thinking, such as flexibility, tolerance of ambiguity or
unpredictability, and the enjoyment of things heretofore unknown.
 ..."creative" refers to novel products of value, as in "The airplane was a creative invention." "Creative"
also refers to the person who produces the work, as in, ?Picasso was creative." "Creativity," then refers
both to the capacity to produce such works, as in "How can we foster our employees' creativity?" and to
the activity of generating such products, as in "Creativity requires hard work." (page 4)
 All who study creativity agree that for something to be creative, it is not enough for it to be novel: it
must have value, or be appropriate to the cognitive demands of the situation."
 Ways that "creativity" is commonly used:
1. Persons who express unusual thoughts, who are interesting and stimulating - in short, people who appear
to unusually bright.
2. People who experience the world in novel and original ways. These are (personally creative) individuals
whose perceptions are fresh, whose judgements are insightful, who may make important discoveries that
only they know about.
3. Individuals who have changes our culture in some important way. Because their achievement are by
definition public, it is easier to write about them. (e.g., Leonardo, Edison, Picasso, Einstein, etc.)
 The Systems Model of Creativity:
1. the creative domain, which is nested in culture - the symbolic knowledge shred by a particular society
or by humanity as a whole (e.g., visual arts)
2. the field, which includes all the gatekeepers of the domain (e.g., art critics, art teachers, curators of
museums, etc.)
 3. the individual person, who using the symbols of the given domain (such as music, engineering,
business, mathematics) has a new idea or sees a new pattern, and when this novelty is selected by the
appropriate field for inclusion into the relevant domain
 Creativity is any act, idea, or product that changes an existing domain, or that transforms an existing
domain into a new one...What counts is whether the novelty he or she produces is accepted for inclusion
in the domain."

2. What is Lateral Thinking?

Answer
With logic you start out with certain ingredients just as in playing chess you start out with given pieces. But
what are those pieces? In most real life situations the pieces are not given, we just assume they are there. We
assume certain perceptions, certain concepts and certain boundaries. Lateral thinking is concerned not with
playing with the existing pieces but with seeking to change those very pieces. Lateral thinking is concerned with
the perception part of thinking. This is where we organize the external world into the pieces we can then
'process'.
A healthy human brain does not want to always be creative, it is designed to figure out how to do things or how
to think about things and then 'locks' that automatic response or behavior into a subconscious process so that
your conscious brain can focus on other matters.
This is why Dr. de Bono developed the Lateral thinking techniques to help overcome our natural proclivity to
get 'locked' into patterns and allow you to be creative on demand. These techniques can be used by individuals
and groups are used in most Fortune 500 companies as a way to develop creative and innovative ideas.

3. What are the techniques of Lateral Thinking?

Answer
Lateral Thinking is a set of processes that provides a deliberate, systematic way of thinking creatively that results in
innovative thinking in a repeatable manner. While critical thinking is primarily concerned with judging the true value of
statements and seeking errors. Lateral thinking is more concerned with the "movement value" of statements and ideas. A
person uses lateral thinking to move from one known idea to creating new ideas. I define four main catagories of Lateral
thinking tools:
 Idea-generating tools, which break free your current thinking patterns from their usual pathways.
 Focus tools that open your mind to new possibilities in the search for new ideas.
 Harvest tools that help maximize value is received from the idea generating output
 Treatment tools that ground the creativity process by making the wild ideas and make them fit the real world
constraints, resources, and support. Often trying to think harder in the same direction may not be as useful as
changing direction. Effort in the same direction will not necessarily help you achieve your goal. Lateral thinking
deliberately distances itself from "vertical" or logical thinking (the classic method for problem solving: working
out the solution step-by-step from the given data) or "horizontal" imagination (having many ideas but being
unconcerned with the detailed implementation of them by deferring judgement).

4. How can one improve lateral thinking?

Answer
1. Identify Limiting Cognitions
Certain online learners may have the ability to lateral think, but their beliefs and past assumptions are holding
them back. They are so used to looking at problems in a particular frame of mind that they are "stuck" in the
box. However, if they have the ability to acknowledge these limiting cognitions then they can move beyond
them. Ask your online learners thought-provoking questions that prompt them to reflect on their beliefs. Maybe
a past experience is an obstacle that they must overcome. For example, they naturally assume that this solution
is the ONLY solution because it's always worked in the past.
2. Incorporate Online Group Collaboration Activities
Online learners have a lot to offer their peers. Every member of your audience has unique insights, experiences,
and knowledge that they have to share. They are also able to provide their peers with a different perspective,
which is the greatest gift of all. Online group collaboration projects allow them to collectively problem-solve
and offer their point-of-view. As a result, every online learner gets to look at the problem from a new angle.
They also recognize that there's more than one way to achieve the desired outcome.
3. Use Puzzles To Get The Mental Gears Turning
Puzzles and riddles are fun. More importantly, they require creative reasoning. Online learners must be able to
throw their preconceptions out the window to make room for new ideas. As an example, here is one of the most
popular lateral thinking puzzlers:
"A father and his son are in a car accident. The father dies. The son is seriously injured and is taken to a nearby
hospital. The doctor comes in and states “I cannot operate on this boy. He's my son." How is this possible if the
father died in the wreck?"
4. Integrate eLearning Simulations And Branching Scenarios
eLearning simulations and branching scenarios mimic real world environments and situations. However, they
also mimic the emotions that come with it and give online learners the chance to explore. They're able to
interact with objects, meet memorable eLearning characters, and get all the information they need to find a
solution. These interactive exercises encourage online learners to move beyond their comfort zone and see
things from a fresh perspective. They can investigate every aspect of the situation, which gives them the power
to challenge their cognitions. Every online learner must make their own decisions, which leads to a particular
outcome. As such, they can repeat the eLearning activity time and again to figure out different approaches.
5. Develop Mind Maps
Mind maps are a more visual eLearning exercise. Online learners begin by writing a word, challenge, or idea in
the center of the page or screen. Then they create branches that explore potential outcome or sub-topics. For
example, online learners place the problem in the middle of the word map. Each branch contains a possible
solution. This allows them to brainstorm ideas they may not have considered in the past. Take it a step further
by following it up with group project. Invite your online learners to break off into teams and share their mind
maps. The team collectively decides which approach to use based on the ideas they've gathered.

5. What are the benefits of Lateral thinking?

Answer
Lateral thinking is “the solution of problems through an indirect and creative approach.” At it’s most basic
level, lateral thinking is like looking at something at a different angle. With the screen up, your laptop proudly
displays this web page. If you close your laptop, you can appreciate it’s slim design. Look even closer and you
can see the vent, screws, and various ports.
Here’s an example of how it helps with problem solving:
Say you’re building a new house. Someone just asked you to make the living room brighter. What do you do?
A common answer is to add more windows. Or expand the size of the current windows. That’s nice and
straight-forward thinking.
However, if you were to employ some lateral thinking, and no doubt some of you already have, you might come
up with answers such as:
 Paint the rooms white.
 Put in a sky light.
 Put mirrors in the room.
 Add lots of recessed lighting in the ceiling.
 Change the placement of the room so it faces the direction with the most sunlight.
 Set the room on fire (that’ll sure make it bright, and hot!)
If you sat down and really thought about it, I’m sure you could add more to that list. The primary mental
activity is looking at the question in a different way, a different angle. Reframing it, so to speak. Instead of
viewing it from a carpenter’s perspective, you could answer it from an electrician’s perspective. Or a
firefighter’s perspective. Or a young child’s perspective. All of these could give you distinctly different
answers. That’s lateral thinking.
How can this help your business? It can help with brainstorming business ideas, whether they be new features,
new products, new services, or enhancements on current offerings. It can help with your marketing campaign,
especially in social media and viral marketing, where clever and creative hooks can expand your reach
exponentially.
It can help with your operations too. Take a look at your current distribution system. Or product development
process. Or accounting system. Look at it from someone else’s perspective. Are there ways to improve those
processes? If you tore down all preconceptions and assumptions, are there new alternatives you hadn’t
considered before?
So don’t forgot to think outside… I mean, think laterally. Employ lateral thinking. It will expand not only your
business, but your mind.

6. What is the importance of Lateral Thinking?

Answer
Lateral thinking is the art of looking at things sideways, and not choosing the obvious answer. When we think
laterally, we look a little bit deeper into things.

It can be quite challenging to think laterally, as we have always been taught to think vertically, this is expected
of us, the norm, and often thought as the right way to think. I believe both lateral and vertical thinking help in
varied situations. Vertical thinking is our day-to-day logic. When considering vertical thinking to be ‘what we
believe to be correct’, it made me wonder, how are we supposed to evolve without lateral thinking?

Lateral thinking makes new ideas possible. Sometimes, one way of doing this is to take two random, unrelated
ideas, and put them together to create something new. Edward De Bono, 1990, advises to us “play around
without any purpose or direction. Play around with experiments, with models, with notation, with ideas” If we
are able to look at things differently, and make an unlikely connection, this will take us to a new way of
problem solving, as suggested by O’Sullivan, 2008, “search as far outside the boundaries of convention as you
can

Lateral thinking leads us away from the rules and structure we normally encounter; this can be a mental block
on our creativity. “Breaking the rules wont necessarily lead to creative ideas, but its one avenue. And staying on
the same road may eventually lead to a dead end” (Von Oech, 2008, p.86). If we always think vertically, and are
not prepared to try a new thinking process, our thoughts will never be generative.

Although I feel lateral thinking is a valuable tool in advertising, I think it’s important to bring the relevance
back to the product/service you are advertising. I agree with Bill Bernbach when he says, “The creative person
has harnessed his imagination. He has disciplined it so that every thought, every idea, every word he puts down,
every line he draws…makes more vivid, more believable, more persuasive the product advantage”. In the
advertising world, after an exciting and lateral idea, we need to remind ourselves of the product/service – and
more importantly the message we are trying to get across in order to keep it relevant.

7. Enumerate characteristics of Lateral Thinking.

Answer
In the Information Age, intellectual property can be the most important asset in a business." Mary Stewart
(Launching the Imagination, 110).
Who is and isn't creative? I think everyone is, to some degree. I also think creativity can be cultivated. Below
are the common characteristics of creative thinkers according to Stewart.
Receptivity
"Creative people are open to new ideas and welcome new experiences." Judgement is something we project on
people due to conditioning we've received whether that be by others or our own observations. While we can
determine probability based on past events, we have to be open to the idea that we may be missing information.
Just because someone is short one day, doesn't mean this person is inherently ill-tempered, it means that for that
encounter their reaction was situational, and temporary to you. However, it could very well mean that they have
adapted this temperament. What's clear is, we don't know. Be open to new ways of thinking about things.
Curiosity
"Researching unfamiliar topics and analyzing unusual systems is a source of delight for most creative people."
While undertaking unknown concepts, with the intent to fully understand, can be scary, it's necessary if you
want to learn, what you have set out to learn. This thing has to be self-realizing or self-serving, it cannot be
what someone else wants you to learn, or what you think someone else thinks you should know, you have to
want to learn it. Because you might reach a learning curve doesn't mean you should abandon this journey.
Conflict or tension is present in almost everything in my opinion. During your process of learning, it's important
to be honest with yourself.
Wide Range of Interests
"...an artist who has a background in literature, geology, archery, music and history can make more connections
than a narrow-minded specialist." Stewart makes being a specialist sound unworthy, while it can be the
opposite, however, creative people have the propensity to learn about various different areas of life. This
assortment of knowledge enables us to make more connections. It's important while learning to make clear
goals for your self and organize effectively.
Attentiveness
"Realizing that every experience is valuable, creative people pay attention to seemingly minor details." My
belief is that everything is interconnected. I'm constantly finding myself connected to objects like paper or
materials like cement, because i think, how they can be transformed. Pay attention to the details, they're how
you get to a functional big picture.
Connection Seeking
"Seeing the similarity among seemingly disparate parts has often sparked a creative breakthrough." This harks
back to making connections, once we are receptive to new ideas, we see how even opposites are connected.
Conviction
"Creative people value existing knowledge". Our knowledge base is built upon. Scientists build upon old ideas
to extend their work, sometimes transforming those older ideas and creating something new. I've always hated
the adage "Don't re-invent the wheel". I've always felt as though the wheel needs to be re-invented, especially as
time progresses, however, there is something to leaving the wheel the way it is. There are some fundamentals
that might not be absolutely true, albeit they can give us direction nonetheless.
Complexity
"The risk-taker gets the job started; the safe-keeper gets the job done." There are a plethora of things/emotions
that occur when completing a project. There's excitement, there's fear, there's passion, there's critical analysis,
you may have to start over a few times, you might abandon the project, you might need to follow certain steps
to get the work done, the project might require you to experiment. Either way you must continue to have focus,
determination or direction and consistency. Whatever you need to do to regroup- do it.
Citation
Stewart, M. (2008). Launching the imagination. Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill.

8. What is decision making?

Answer
A decision is the selection of a course of action (or decision) out of many available alternatives. The marketing
manager may be arrived to a particular decision by analyzing, evaluating and carefully planning.
The decision making is the basic and fundamental key of all managerial activities. It is the study of identifying
and choosing best possible choice (or option) based on the values and preferences of the business organization.
Haynes and Massie: “Decision-Making is a process of selection from a set of alternative courses of action
which is thoughtful to fulfill the objective of the decision problem more satisfactorily than others.”
Philip Kotler: “A decision may be defined as a conscious choice among alternative courses of action.”
Peter F. Ducker: “Whatever a manager does he does through making decisions.”
E. Mc. Farland: “A decision is an act of choice wherein an executive forms a conclusion about what must be
done in a given situation. A decision represents a behavior chosen from a noumber of possible alternatives.”
George R. Terry: “Decision making is the selection based on some criteria from two or more possible
alternatives.”
Koontz & O’Donnell: “Decision is the selection from among alternatives of a course of actions.”
Franklin G. Moore: “Decision making is the blend of thinking, deciding and acting.”
Ernest Dale: “Marketing decisions are those decisions which are always made in the course of one of true
management activities, planning, organizing, staffing, directing, controlling, innovation and representation.”
Mary Cushing Nits: “Decision making takes place in adopting objectives and choosing the means, and again
when a change in the situation creates a necessity for adjustments.”
Thus, the marketing decision making refers to decisions about marketing instruments that affect marketing
activities like planning, organizing, directing, controlling, staffing, etc.

9. What is a decision tree?

Answer
Decision Tree : Decision tree is the most powerful and popular tool for classification and prediction. A
Decision tree is a flowchart like tree structure, where each internal node denotes a test on an attribute, each
branch represents an outcome of the test, and each leaf node (terminal node) holds a class label.

A decision tree for the concept PlayTennis.

Construction of Decision Tree :

A tree can be “learned” by splitting the source set into subsets based on an attribute value test. This process is
repeated on each derived subset in a recursive manner called recursive partitioning. The recursion is completed
when the subset at a node all has the same value of the target variable, or when splitting no longer adds value to
the predictions. The construction of decision tree classifier does not require any domain knowledge or
parameter setting, and therefore is appropriate for exploratory knowledge discovery. Decision trees can handle
high dimensional data. In general decision tree classifier has good accuracy. Decision tree induction is a typical
inductive approach to learn knowledge on classification.
Decision Tree Representation :
Decision trees classify instances by sorting them down the tree from the root to some leaf node, which provides
the classification of the instance. An instance is classified by starting at the root node of the tree,testing the
attribute specified by this node,then moving down the tree branch corresponding to the value of the attribute as
shown in the above figure.This process is then repeated for the subtree rooted at the new node.
The decision tree in above figure classifies a particular morning according to whether it is suitable for playing
tennis and returning the classification associated with the particular leaf.(in this case Yes or No).
For example,the instance
(Outlook = Rain, Temperature = Hot, Humidity = High, Wind = Strong )
would be sorted down the leftmost branch of this decision tree and would therefore be classified as a negative
instance.
In other words we can say that decision tree represent a disjunction of conjunctions of constraints on the
attribute values of instances.

10.What are the three types of decision making?

Answer
1) Extensive decision making process –
This type of decision making process is used when the product is a very high involvement product, possible a
high investment product as well. Typical examples include buying a house for a consumer, or buying a new
manufacturing plant in case of industries. In both cases, there are multiple people involved, and the decision
making is extensive as the customer wants to get maximum benefits. There are also risks involved in such
endeavors, hence extensive decision making is done.
2) Limited decision-making process –
Buying a television or buying a car will be a limited decision making process. When you are buying such
white goods, the investment is nominal and not very high. At the same time, you have some experience with the
product as you regularly watch television and you regularly sit in cars.Thus, you do not spend as much time on
buying these products. Nowadays, the limited decision making process is further helped with the presence of
online media, where people know a lot about the product while sitting at home itself. The speed of the limited
decision making is dependent on the customer experience and his knowledge about the product as well as the
amount of time he has to make the decision.
3) Routine decision making process –
Routine decision making happens in day to day life like buying a soap or shampoo. In this case, the customer is
more likely to stick to a single brand for a long time. He is unlikely to switch to different brands because he
wants to invest minimum time in routine decision making. There are a lot of things which influence the routine
decision making process, like regular advertising by FMCG companies. This is because, the routine things are
brought over and over again. And once the company gets such a customer, they are likely to reap long term
profits from the same customer.
Thus, the above 3 are the different type of decision processes. Depending on the type of customer, and the
amount of investment in the product, the decision making process may vary from time to time.

11.What are the steps of decision making?

Answer
1. Identify the decision
To make a decision, you must first identify the problem you need to solve or the question you need to answer.
Clearly define your decision. If you misidentify the problem to solve, or if the problem you’ve chosen is too
broad, you’ll knock the decision train off the track before it even leaves the station.
If you need to achieve a specific goal from your decision, make it measurable and timely so you know for
certain that you met the goal at the end of the process.
2. Gather relevant information
Once you have identified your decision, it’s time to gather the information relevant to that choice. Do an
internal assessment, seeing where your organization has succeeded and failed in areas related to your decision.
Also, seek information from external sources, including studies, market research, and, in some cases, evaluation
from paid consultants.
Beware: you can easily become bogged down by too much information—facts and statistics that seem
applicable to your situation might only complicate the process.
3. Identify the alternatives
With relevant information now at your fingertips, identify possible solutions to your problem. There is usually
more than one option to consider when trying to meet a goal—for example, if your company is trying to gain
more engagement on social media, your alternatives could include paid social advertisements, a change in your
organic social media strategy, or a combination of the two.
4. Weigh the evidence
Once you have identified multiple alternatives, weigh the evidence for or against said alternatives. See what
companies have done in the past to succeed in these areas, and take a good hard look at your own organization’s
wins and losses. Identify potential pitfalls for each of your alternatives, and weigh those against the possible
rewards.
5. Choose among alternatives
Here is the part of the decision-making process where you, you know, make the decision. Hopefully, you’ve
identified and clarified what decision needs to be made, gathered all relevant information, and developed and
considered the potential paths to take. You are perfectly prepared to choose.
6. Take action
Once you’ve made your decision, act on it! Develop a plan to make your decision tangible and
achievable. Develop a project plan related to your decision, and then set the team loose on their tasks once the
plan is in place.
7. Review your decision
After a predetermined amount of time—which you defined in step one of the decision-making process—take an
honest look back at your decision. Did you solve the problem? Did you answer the question? Did you meet your
goals? If so, take note of what worked for future reference. If not, learn from your mistakes as you begin the
decision-making process again

12.What is the decision making process?

Answer
1. Identification of problems: the first step of decision-making is identification of problems. First of all,
managers must identify the problem. The problem has to be found and defined. Symptoms are identified and
problems should be judged, symptoms are not problems. They are warning signs of problems. So, managers
should search for symptoms for identification of problems. Such symptoms can be falling of sales, profit etc. It
is said that problem identified is half solved is identification of problem should be effective.
2. Analysis of problem: after identification of problems, the problem should be analyzed by the decision
maker. It is the assembly of fact and clarifying it. Relevant information must be collected and analyzed
according to the complexity and nature of problems.
3. Developing the alternative solution: after identification and analysis of problems different probable
solutions have to be developed which is known as developing the alternative solutions. There may be many
alternative past experience, expert opinion, discussions etc which may be helpful to develop the alternative.
4. Evaluation of the best alternative: after developing the alternative solution evaluation of the best
alternative is done. It is determined that which alternative has how much advantage and disadvantages. in other
words, alternatives are evaluated in so many factors like cost factors, risk , benefits, facilities etc. therefore it is
very important.
5. Selection of the best alternative: after evaluating alternative, the best alternative is to be selected from
various alternative. After developing alternative, the managers should taste each of them by imagining things
that he has already put in effect. He should try to foresee the desirable consequences of adopting each
alternative. It is done for best selection. Therefore, it is very important.
6. Implementation of the best alternative: after selection of the finest alternative, it must be used in the
organization effectively. Effectiveness of decisions in achieving the desired goals depends upon its
implementation. It they are not implemented effectively then best results can’t be obtained. Therefore, proper
implementation of the best alternative is necessary.
7. Review of implementation: it is the last step of decision-making process. When the implementation of the
best alternative is reviewed, the process of decision-making is finished. The result of implementation should be
monitored and evaluated through which effectiveness can be measured.
Unit 4: Stress Management

1. Write a short note on „Eustress‟. Give five examples of Eustress.

Answer
Eustress means beneficial stress—either psychological, physical (e.g. exercise), or biochemical/radiological
(hormesis).
The term was coined by endocrinologist Hans Selye, consisting of the Greek prefix eu- meaning "good",
and stress, literally meaning "good stress".
It is the positive cognitive response to stress that is healthy, or gives one a feeling of fulfilment or other positive
feelings. Selye created the term as a subgroup of stress to differentiate the wide variety of stressors and
manifestations of stress.
Eustress is not defined by the stressor type, but rather how one perceives that stressor (e.g. a
negative threat versus a positive challenge). Eustress refers to a positive response one has to a stressor, which
can depend on one's current feelings of control, desirability, location, and timing of the stressor. Potential
indicators of eustress may include responding to a stressor with a sense of meaning, hope, or vigor. Eustress has
also been positively correlated with life satisfaction and well-being
Examples of negative personal stressors include:
 The death of a spouse.
 Filing for divorce.
 Losing contact with loved ones.
 The death of a family member.
 Hospitalization (oneself or a family member).
 Injury or illness (oneself or a family member).
 Being abused or neglected.
 Separation from a spouse or committed relationship partner.
 Conflict in interpersonal relationships.
 Bankruptcy/Money Problems.
 Unemployment.
 Sleep problems.
 Children's problems at school.
 Legal problems.
Examples of positive personal stressors include:
 Receiving a promotion or raise at work.
 Starting a new job.
 Marriage.
 Buying a home.
 Having a child.
 Moving.
 Taking a vacation.
 Holiday seasons.
 Retiring.
 Taking educational classes or learning a new hobby.
 Excessive job demands.
 Job insecurity.
 Conflicts with teammates and supervisors.
 Inadequate authority necessary to carry out tasks.
 Lack of training necessary to do the job.
 Making presentations in front of colleagues or clients.
  Unproductive and time-consuming meetings.
 Commuting and travel schedules.

2. What is the relationship between managing stress and communication skills?

Explain with the help of an example.
Answer

1. “Counselling is a therapy for managing stress”. Explain the statement with the help
of an example.
Answer

2. Explain different therapies available for stress management.

Answer
What treatments are there?
Stress isn't a medical diagnosis, so there's no specific treatment for it. However, if you're finding it very hard to
cope with things going on in your life and are experiencing lots of signs of stress, there are treatments available
that could help. These include:
 talking treatments
 medication
 Ecotherapy
 complementary and alternative therapies
To access most treatments, the first step is usually to talk to your GP. (See our pages on seeking help for a
mental health problem for tips on how to talk to your doctor about your mental health.)
Talking treatments
Talking with a trained professional can help you learn to deal with stress and become more aware of your own
thoughts and feelings. Common types of talking treatments which can help with stress are:
 Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which helps you understand your thought patterns, recognise your
trigger points and identify positive actions you can take.
 Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), which combines mindfulness, meditation and yoga with a
particular focus on reducing stress. See our page on learning mindfulness for more information.
Medication
Feelings of stress are a reaction to things happening in your life, not a mental health problem, so there's no
specific medication for stress. However, there are various medications available which can help to reduce or
manage some of the signs of stress.
For example, your doctor might offer to prescribe:
 sleeping pills or minor tranquillizers if you're having trouble sleeping
 antidepressants if you're experiencing depression or anxiety
 medication to treat any physical symptoms of stress, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), or high
blood pressure
Ecotherapy
 Ecotherapy is a way of improving your wellbeing and self-esteem by spending time in nature. This can
include physical exercise in green spaces or taking part in a gardening or conservation project.
 (You can find out more about Ecotherapy, including details of local programmers, in our pages
on Ecotherapy.)
Complementary therapies
You may find certain complementary therapies help you manage feelings of stress. These might include:
 yoga and meditation
 acupuncture
 aromatherapy
  massage

3. Define stress. Explain its symptoms.

Answer
Stress
Stress is a normal reaction the body has when changes occur. It can respond to these changes physically, mentally, or
emotionally.
What is stress?
Stress is the body's reaction to any change that requires an adjustment or response. The body reacts to these changes with
physical, mental, and emotional responses. Stress is a normal part of life. You can experience stress from your
environment, your body, and your thoughts. Even positive life changes such as a promotion, a mortgage, or the birth of a
child produce stress.
How does stress affect health?
The human body is designed to experience stress and react to it. Stress can be positive, keeping us alert, motivated, and
ready to avoid danger. Stress becomes negative when a person faces continuous challenges without relief or relaxation
between stressors. As a result, the person becomes overworked, and stress-related tension builds. The body's autonomic
nervous system has a built-in stress response that causes physiological changes to allow the body to combat stressful
situations. This stress response, also known as the "fight or flight response", is activated in case of an emergency.
However, this response can become chronically activated during prolonged periods of stress. Prolonged activation of the
stress response causes wear and tear on the body – both physical and emotional.
Stress that continues without relief can lead to a condition called distress – a negative stress reaction. Distress can disturb
the body's internal balance or equilibrium, leading to physical symptoms such as headaches, an upset stomach, elevated
blood pressure, chest pain, sexual dysfunction, and problems sleeping. Emotional problems can also result from distress.
These problems include depression, panic attacks, or other forms of anxiety and worry. Research suggests that stress also
can bring on or worsen certain symptoms or diseases. Stress is linked to 6 of the leading causes of death: heart disease,
cancer, lung ailments, accidents, cirrhosis of the liver, and suicide.
Stress also becomes harmful when people engage in the compulsive use of substances or behaviors to try to relieve their
stress. These substances or behaviors include food, alcohol, tobacco, drugs, gambling, sex, shopping, and the Internet.
Rather than relieving the stress and returning the body to a relaxed state, these substances and compulsive behaviors tend
to keep the body in a stressed state and cause more problems. The distressed person becomes trapped in a vicious circle.
What are the warning signs of stress?
Chronic stress can wear down the body's natural defenses, leading to a variety of physical symptoms, including the
following:
 Dizziness or a general feeling of "being out of it."
 General aches and pains.
 Grinding teeth, clenched jaw.
 Headaches.
 Indigestion or acid reflux symptoms.
 Increase in or loss of appetite.
 Muscle tension in neck, face or shoulders.
 Problems sleeping.
 Racing heart.
 Cold and sweaty palms.
 Tiredness, exhaustion.
 Trembling/shaking.
 Weight gain or loss.
 Upset stomach, diarrhea.

4. Give few tips on managing relationships.

Answer
Develop People Skills
You need skills like collaboration, clear communication, and conflict resolution, but it is not all about just
developing these soft skills. The five most essential people skills are as follows:
 Inflict Excitement: Your emotions are contagious. Be excited, and others will be too.
 Avoid Dream killers: Avoid close connections with people who shut down excitement, passion or joy in
others because they are disengaged, depressed, or jealous.
 Add, Don’t Subtract: Don’t be a dream killer yourself. Add to a conversation and ask reciprocating
questions.
 Decode Hidden Emotions: Pick up on cues to understand how people are really feeling (more on that in
a moment)
 Stop People Pleasing: Be able to say no to the wrong people so you can say yes to the right ones, and put
your energy there.
Developing this set of skills will greatly enhance your work relationships. However, building these relationships
is about more than just building skills.
Discover Emotional Intelligence
In order to be emotionally intelligent, you need to not only be in touch with your own emotions and how you feel
in any given moment, but also about being able to understand the feelings of others and sense where they are
coming from.
This means you must regulate yourself and be able to empathize well with others even if you disagree with them.
Developing solid emotional intelligence is possible, but some people have more natural aptitude than others in
this area. Make this a priority for both you and your employees.
Show Appreciation
Be thankful, and let people know that you are grateful for their help and their efforts. This means everyone from
your boss to the janitorial staff. Don’t fake this. Actually understand the value of what other people do, and show
them gratitude not just in words, but in what you do for them as well.
Be vocal. Express your appreciation out loud and even announce it publicly. If you are in a leadership position,
offer real rewards and recognition.
Schedule Time to Build Relationships
If it’s all business, all the time, you won’t ever really develop good relationships at work. It’s not just about
getting the job done right now, but about investing time in relationships that will pay off in the future.
If you don’t make time for social activities and forming relationships intentionally, it won’t happen. Sometimes
this means outsourcing tasks that would normally take up large parts of your time. This may mean hiring video
marketing services like Square Ship or simply streamlining a few processes using programs like Asana for
project management, and Slack for team communication.
Be Positive
Again, focus on being positive. People do not want to be around someone who is negative all the time. Besides, it
leads to you being the dream killer you want to avoid.
Even when things are difficult, try to find a positive or humorous aspect of it. This will help others to trust you
and your judgement, as long as you are not unrealistic at the same time.
Manage your Boundaries
Want to avoid spending time with dream killers? Manage your boundaries, and make sure people know them. At
the same time, keep your work and home life separate as much as possible.
Also, let others know when it is time to work and when it is time to socialize. While you can mix the two to a
certain extent, you need to have boundaries with your time and energy.
Actively Listen
 Receiving: you need to be able to hear the person. If you are in a distracting or noisy environment, move
to a better location.
 Understanding: This is something you show by the reflection and asking relevant questions mentioned
above.
 Responding: Once the person talking has finished, you need to respond by addressing their concerns or
showing empathy.
  Remembering: Many of us are challenged with short-term memory issues, and we are so busy we tend
to forget what we have heard even a short time ago. Working hard to remember what you have been told
will help a lot with your work relationships.

5. How relationship management is connected to stress management. Explain.

Answer

6. “Are hobbies important in managing stress”. Explain the statement.

Answer

7. What is the role of meditation and yoga in stress management?

Answer
Stress-Relief Techniques Involved in Yoga
Many of the popular techniques found to reduce stress derive from yoga:
 Controlled breathing
 Meditation
 Physical movement
 Mental imagery
 Stretching
Yoga, which derives its name from the word, “yoke”—to bring together—does just that, bringing together the
mind, body, and spirit. But whether you use yoga for spiritual transformation or for stress management and
physical well-being, the benefits are numerous.
Effects on the Body
The following is only a partial list of yoga’s benefits:
Reduced stress and anxiety2
Sound sleep
 Reduced cortisol levels
 Improvement of many medical conditions
 Allergy and asthma symptom relief3
 Lower blood pressure
 Smoking cessation help4
 Lower heart rate
 Spiritual growth
 Sense of well-being
 Reduced muscle tension
 Increased strength and flexibility
 Slowed aging process
Yoga’s benefits are so numerous, it gives a high payoff for the amount of effort involved.
What’s Involved With Yoga?
The practice of yoga involves stretching the body and forming different poses while keeping breathing slow and
controlled. The body becomes relaxed and energized at the same time.
There are various styles of yoga, some moving through the poses more quickly, almost like an aerobic workout,
and other styles relaxing deeply into each pose. Some have a more spiritual angle, while others are used purely
as a form of exercise.
Benefits
Virtually everyone can see physical benefits from yoga, and its practice can also give psychological benefits,
such as stress reduction and a sense of well-being, and spiritual benefits, such as a feeling of connectedness with
God or Spirit, or a feeling of transcendence. Certain poses can be done just about anywhere and a yoga program
can go for hours or minutes, depending on one’s schedule.
There are several mechanisms in yoga that have an effect on stress levels, meaning there are multiple ways that
yoga can minimize your stress levels. Studies show that the most effective ways in which yoga targets stress are
by lifting your mood (or positive affect), by allowing for increased mindfulness, and by increasing self-
compassion.1
By simultaneously getting us into better moods, enabling us to be more focused on the present moment, and by
encouraging us to give ourselves a break, yoga is a very effective stress reliever.

Unit 5: Presentation Skills and Group Discussion

1. Step for prepare before delivering a presentation?

Answer
Planning Your Presentation
Preparing a presentation can be an overwhelming experience if you allow it to be one. The strategies and steps
below are provided to help you break down what you might view as a large job into smaller, more manageable
tasks.
Step 1: Analyze your audience
The first step in preparing a presentation is to learn more about the audience to whom you'll be speaking. It's a
good idea to obtain some information on the backgrounds, values, and interests of your audience so that you
understand what the audience members might expect from your presentation.

Step 2: Select a topic

Next, if possible select a topic that is of interest to the audience and to you. It will be much easier to deliver a
presentation that the audience finds relevant, and more enjoyable to research a topic that is of interest to you.

Step 3: Define the objective of the presentation

Once you have selected a topic, write the objective of the presentation in a single concise statement. The
objective needs to specify exactly what you want your audience to learn from your presentation. Base the
objective and the level of the content on the amount of time you have for the presentation and the background
knowledge of the audience. Use this statement to help keep you focused as you research and develop the
presentation.

Preparing the Content of Your Presentation

Step 4: Prepare the body of the presentation
After defining the objective of your presentation, determine how much information you can present in the
amount of time allowed. Also, use your knowledge about the audience to prepare a presentation with the right
level of detail. You don't want to plan a presentation that is too basic or too advanced.
The body of the presentation is where you present your ideas. To present your ideas convincingly, you will
need to illustrate and support them. Strategies to help you do this include the following:
 Present data and facts
 Read quotes from experts
 Relate personal experiences
 Provide vivid descriptions
Step 5: Prepare the introduction and conclusion
Once you've prepared the body of the presentation, decide how you will begin and end the talk. Make sure the
introduction captures the attention of your audience and the conclusion summarizes and reiterates your
important points. In other words, "Tell them what you're going to tell them. Tell them. Then, tell them what you
told them."
During the opening of your presentation, it's important to attract the audience's attention and build their interest.
If you don't, listeners will turn their attention elsewhere and you'll have a difficult time getting it back.
Strategies that you can use include the following:
 Make the introduction relevant to the listeners' goals, values, and needs
  Ask questions to stimulate thinking
 Share a personal experience
 Begin with a joke or humorous story
 Project a cartoon or colorful visual
 Make a stimulating or inspirational statement
 Give a unique demonstration
 Practicing and Delivering
Step 6: Practice delivering the presentation
Most people spend hours preparing a presentation but very little time practicing it. When you practice your
presentation, you can reduce the number of times you utter words and phrases like, "um," "well," and "you
know." These habits can easily diminish a speaker's credibility. You can also fine-tune your content to be sure
you make your most important points in the time alloted.
In addition to planning the content of your presentation, you need to give advanced thought to how you want to
deliver it. Do you want to commit your presentation to memory, use cards to guide you, or read from a script?
Or, you might want to use a combination of methods. To help you decide, read the advantages and
disadvantages of the four delivery methods described below.
 Speaking from Memory
 Speaking from Notes
 Speaking from Text
 Using a Combination of Methods

2. Describe points to evaluate candidate’s presentation skills?

Answer

3. How do you develop good presentation skills?

Answer
1. Practice!
Naturally, you'll want to rehearse your presentation multiple times. While it can be difficult for those with
packed schedules to spare time to practice, it's essential if you want to deliver a rousing presentation. I’m
famous around the office for staying up late the night before a big presentation, practicing over and over. If you
really want to sound great, write out your speech rather than taking chances winging it – if you get nervous
about speaking, a script is your best friend.
2. Transform Nervous Energy Into Enthusiasm.
It may sound strange, but I'll often down an energy drink and blast hip-hop music in my earphones before
presenting. Why? It pumps me up and helps me turn jitters into focused enthusiasm. Studies have shown that an
enthusiastic speech can win out over an eloquent one, and since I'm not exactly the Winston Churchill of
presenters, I make sure that I'm as enthusiastic and energetic as possible before going on stage. Of course,
individuals respond differently to caffeine overload, so know your own body before guzzling those monster
energy drinks.
3. Attend Other Presentations.
If you're giving a talk as part of a conference, try to attend some of the earlier talks by other presenters to scope
out their presentation skills and get some context. This shows respect for your fellow presenters while also
giving you a chance to feel out the audience. What's the mood of the crowd? Are folks in the mood to laugh or
are they a bit more stiff? Are the presentations more strategic or tactical in nature? Another speaker may also
say something that you can play off of later in your own presentation.
4. Arrive Early.
It's always best to allow yourself plenty of time to settle in before your talk. Extra time ensures you won't be
late (even if Google Maps shuts down) and gives you plenty of time to get adapted to your presentation space.
5. Adjust to Your Surroundings.
The more adjusted to your environment you are, the more comfortable you'll feel. Make sure to spend some in
the room where you will be delivering your presentation. If possible, practice with the microphone and lighting,
make sure you understand the seating and be aware of any distractions potentially posed by the venue (e.g., a
noisy road outside).

4. Why do companies focus on presentation skills?

Answer
Creating Positive Impressions
You wouldn’t go on a first date in your scruffiest clothes, mumble all evening and never make eye contact,
would you? It sounds obvious, but good presentation skills make a positive impression on others. This rule
applies whenever you converse with other people, who may be your customers, your colleagues or even your
prospective employers.
Even job interviews are a sort of presentation, as is the moment you meet your co-workers for the first time. In
an interview you will sell your skills and aim to communicate the reasons why you would be good at the job in
as clear a manner as possible. This may seem far-fetched at first but when you give it some thought, it makes
perfect sense. You are presenting and hoping to sell your services to this group of people. You will take pains
over your preparation, strive to make the best impression, hope to communicate the worth of your product
clearly and memorably and you will be prepared to answer any questions afterwards. Thus, effective
presentation skills are very important. They can get you a job, they can win you friends and more importantly,
win you clients.
Focusing Attention
Are you a go-getter, a goal-setter, a rampant ladder climber? If you are keen to get ahead in the working world,
your presentation skills will help you greatly. Presentation skills, when well used, will bring you to people's
attention. Even when you are presenting on behalf of your team, you are in the spotlight.
If you present effectively, chances are that promotion will follow. In addition, effective communication, which
is the heart of the presentation, is a two way process. If you communicate well with your team and other
members of staff then you avoid misunderstandings and confusion. They are thus better able to do their work.
Time Saving
Having good presentation skills also gives you the ability to summarise what you need to say as succinctly as
possible, thus saving yourself and your audience vital time. Yet this does not just mean that a good presentation
is free from waffle and jargon. A good presentation is both clear and memorable. The viewers leave it with a
full picture of what they have been told and they will be more inclined to remember it. Not only does this save
confusion, but the audience will not need to have the information explained again at length. Such a situation has
clear advantages, both for presentations involving clients and those involving colleagues. After all, you want
your audience to remember the information you have so painstakingly researched, don’t you?
Boost Sales
Which would you, as a client, prefer to see: a dull and uninspiring lecture which fails to imbibe you with any
salient points, or a bright, sharp presentation which gives you all the information you need in a timely manner?
It is a sad fact that people truly are influenced by appearances and often the whole image of a company rides on
its presentation. This may seem facile and unfair but many do judge books by their covers and there is no point
complaining about this. Instead, you need to accept it and ensure that your presentation is as attractive and as
enticing as possible.
5. What are the Dos and Don’ts of presentation skills?
Answer
Do’s
 Think carefully before the event: what does this audience want to hear? Hint: they are not interested in
hearing how great you or your company are, they want to learn new things that can make them more
successful.
 Use story-telling and your passion. Find a story about people (yourself and others) that illustrates your
message and tell it with your passion. Storytelling always beats lectures!
  Tell the audience not to take notes, say that you will email or post your presentation summary online
immediately afterwards.
 Keep an eye contact with the audience and move around the stage, don’t hold on to the speaker stand.
Use a clicker to control your presentation. Remember that 70% of your communication is in your body
language!
 Engage the audience during your talk, at least every 10 minutes. For example by letting them vote on
a question with their hands or green/red cards or mentometers.
 Slow down, speak slower than usual and add pauses for emphasis. This enables the audience to take in
what you are saying and increases their understanding. It also gives you more respect. Never try to cram
a 30-minute speech into a 20-minute time slot, that is a big no-no!
Don’ts
 Don’t read word by word from your script. You will sound like a robot and miss the all-important eye
contact with the audience. Use stiff cue cards with key words and starter sentences instead.
 Don’t read out loud from text bullets in your slides. If you have to use text bullets, keep them very short
and very few per slide, then first let the audience read it and then expand on the subject using your own
words.
 Don’t use complete sentences in your slides. Your voice shall tell the story, and the slides shall only
support it.
 Don’t speak with a too low or monotonous voice. If people can’t hear you well at the back of the room,
or if you don’t have any energy in your voice, you will lose the attention of the audience in a minute.
Hire a voice coach!
 Don’t talk too fast and try to cram a 45-minute presentation into a 30-minute time slot by speaking at a
machine-gun pace.
 Don’t start talking immediately on top of your slides. Let the audience interpret the slide for a while,
then add your insights.

6. What is group discussion process?

Answer

Companies conduct group discussion after the written test so as to check on your interactive skills and how
good you are at communicating with other people. The GD is to check how you behave, participate and
contribute in a group, how much importance do you give to the group objective as well as your own, how well
do you listen to viewpoints of others and how open-minded are you in accepting views contrary to your own.
The aspects which make up a GD are verbal communication, non-verbal behavior, and conformation to norms,
decision-making ability and cooperation. You should try to be as true as possible to these aspects.
Evaluation of a Group Discussion
A Group Discussion is evaluated on the following parameters:

Your Knowledge of the Topic

Communication Skills
Leadership Quality
Creativity
Initiative
Self Confidence
Assertiveness
Decision Making and Facilitating Skills
Enthusiasm
Ability to think on ones feet

GDs can be topic-based or case-based.

Topic based Gds can be classified into three types:-
Factual Topics
Controversial Topics
Abstract Topics

7. How can I improve my group discussion skills?

Answer
1. Let your appearance talk
Dressing yourself up for the occasion makes a statement that you are here with a purpose. Your looks always do
some talking. Look into the mirror imagining that you are already part of your Dream Company, and you are
getting ready for an important meeting. This will not only make you noticed, in the group, but also will give you
confidence.
2. Know the topic
Make sure that you open all doors to the topic for the group discussion. Analyze the topic from all sides and
note down all the points- both positive and negative, which comes to your mind. Have them listed on your
notepad. If there is any doubt regarding the topic, make sure that you get it clarified before the discussion starts.
It is not proper to do so once the discussion has begun. Including various statistics, references, events, opinions
of famous people, and historical data related to the topic can be very crucial as this gives an impression that you
are aware of the events that happen around you.
3. Be the first to get off the blocks
Initiating the discussion always gives you a slight edge. A right start can help you win the attention
of evaluators for sure. But do not get disappointed if you are not the one to do so, because there is more to
come. Make sure that you shoot the first arrow only if you have good knowledge on the topic. Most often
people stumble at the start and getting back on the track will seem difficult at most times. Begin it in a neutral
stand, rather than totally supporting or opposing the topic. It should be made in such a way that it lays the path
for more interactions and opinions.
4. Be a good listener
This is one of the most essential traits for a good discussion. It is very important to listen patiently to what the
other members who are part of the discussion have to say. An expression of interest on your face only sparks a
positive opinion for the valuator. Lending your ears to the points that others shoot out, increases your
knowledge on the topic and helps you to give a makeover for your points. It may also open up a door for you to
put forth a suggestion on the opinion that the previous person has spoken about. Be sure that you note down all
the important points that are put in by others of the group, so that you can use these later on in the discussion.
Remember that this skill is very important from a company’s view, to listen to the good suggestions put up by
your colleagues.
5. Be clear on your points
It is not about talking for a long time, but being clear about the topics and presenting it in such a way, that the
people around you understands what your opinions are. Often people talk a lot and this takes them off the topic.
What the evaluators will mainly look for is whether you are able to communicate what is inside you to the
people of the group. This is the foremost essence that most companies look in fresh minds – to see if you are
capable enough to communicate your ideas to your team. The search for this quality arises from the fact that in
today’s corporate world, active communication between team members are the primary reason for the success
of teams, which ultimately takes the company to greater heights. Support the points that you put in, with facts,
related events in the past and present, statistics and words by famous people. Remember to maintain eye contact
with the members, not the evaluators while you talk. The evaluator is not a part of the discussion team and so
looking at his face while talking makes no sense.
6. Remember, it’s not an argument
It is always good to stick to the truth that you are not taking part in a debate, so as to emerge victorious among
the group. The discussion should be done in such a way that everyone in the group gets a chance to express
his/her views and these opinions are then taken to common grounds. Learn to appreciate others for their views.
Make a statement like – “I totally agree to what you said” before you come up with your share. If you do not
agree to what someone else said, do not interrupt by raising the sword, but in turn, wait for the person to finish,
and then raise your objection.
7. Move to a conclusion
Always keep the topic in mind and be aware to not slip off the boundaries. The aim is not to stretch the
discussion for a longer time, but to reach a common destination – one that is acceptable for all the folks of the
discussion. Try to make the evaluator feel that you are striving for a conclusion fortified by gathering points
from each member of the discussion.

8. What skills are judged in group discussion?

Answer
Communication: Communication skills make the first impression about the personality of the candidate. It is
the responsibility of the speaker to ensure that what he/she intended to communicate has been communicated
correctly and understood the way it was expected to be understood.
Content: Content is an important aspect of the evaluation process. Thus, you need to clearly display your
understanding of all the issues pertaining to the topic. The more valid points you make, the more marks you
score.
Language: The way you talk matters a lot. As long as you are able to convey your ideas in reasonably correct
English, your fluency does not matter. Keep it simple while you are expressing your ideas.
Listening: Don’t think that Group Discussions are only about speaking. You have to make sure that you focus
your attention on what other group members are saying instead of concentrating only on speaking.
Behavior: Your group behavior will matter a lot when it comes to group discussion as your behavior will be
noted on the way you put your opinion, how you interact with the other members, how relevant you talk, and
your body language and so on.
Thus, actions such as shouting to gain attention and making snide remarks about others contributions will not do
you any good at all.

9. What are the rules of group discussion?

Answer
Rule 1: Prepare
Work begins long before you sit for the group discussion. Your performance is as good as your preparation.
Half the preparation is about knowledge. If you think you can wing it with aggression, you are mistaken. Find
out the kind of topics that are given at the institution or company you are applying for.
Prepare well in time with as many topics as you can, not just the ones given in the past, but related ones too.
You never know when the subject would be changed. Make a habit of active reading. It’s different from passive
reading. Passive reading is where you read merely to understand the subject. Active reading is where you not
only understand the subject, but also begin to raise questions and voice your opinion – positive, negative or
neutral about the subject. This is critical in the group discussion to counter or support others’ points of view.
Rule 2: Know the Participants
Carry a notepad and pen to note down your discussion points as soon as the topic is given. Most people who
attend GDs are as focused on their performance as you tend to be. Take a deep breath and when the team
introduces itself, note down the participants’ names. In the heat of the discussion, calling out the person’s name
is a good way to get his attention. All of us respond instinctively when our name is called out, so use this
technique. Not only does it get you their attention, it also shows your people skills and presence of mind.
Rule 3: Take Care of your Posture
Your body posture reveals your state of mind. At the same time, it conditions you to a particular way of
thinking. Lean back and relax and you will be relaxing the intensity you need in a GD. Lean forward
aggressively and there will be a lot of aggression in your tone and posture, causing others to mirror your image
and make things more difficult than they can be. Find the balance.
Let your body posture be of polite intensity so that you come across as a balanced individual with plenty of
energy. This also shows empathy and respect to others when they speak and is an asset that brings you
additional points.
Rule 4: Take Charge
Take charge of the discussion right at the beginning. It shows your leadership capability. Introduce the topic by
setting the framework for the ensuing discussion and state your opening point before leaving it to the group.
Further, when it comes to conclusions, many GDs fall through and participants don’t make good use of it
although it brings points. Conclude the discussion by summing up if you can. To do this, listen actively
throughout the discussion and note down the key highlights – say, in columns of negative and positive points on
your notepad or any other format that suits the discussion.
Rule 5: Retain Your Balance
During the discussion itself, give your logical counterpoint without aggression when there is a disagreement.
You are not there to prove that your stand is right, but to show your maturity and logical thinking. When the
discussion drags over a point, it is time for you to interject and turn the discussion in a new direction, either
with a related point or with an opposite view.
Be to the point and intervene when another candidate is taking all the airtime. When he pauses for breath is a
good time to take your chance, state your point and then, pass the chance to someone who hasn’t had his say.
Through this, you show your no-nonsense nature while remaining empathetic.
Rule 6: Follow the Company Culture
Companies have a culture of their own. Some are highly aggressive, others less so. This factor reflects in their
objectives for the candidates they recruit. Aggressive companies would expect you to stand for yourself in an
aggressive environment. Companies with a more empathetic culture would look askance at it. Know the
company culture beforehand. In either case, look out for yourself. But, don’t take all the airtime. You will look
immature and self-centered.
Rule 7: Follow your Domain
Each department within the company is likely to have a culture of its own. Human Resources is one of the most
approachable ones by the very nature of its domain; sales is likely to be aggressive; marketing, a combination of
the creative and the operational while being people-oriented since it has to bring sales and finance functions
over the same platform and so on. Keep the domain in mind while projecting your image. Let’s suppose you are
facing a group discussion for a sales function, you may have to take a more aggressive approach whereas a
marketing function could veer towards the creative and the practical approach in assessment.

10.What are the Dos and Don’ts of group discussion?

Answer
Do’s
 Make sure your first entry is well planned. The first impression goes a long way in establishing your
credentials. Enter the discussion with a strategy, rather than a random input.
 If you are the first speaker understand the difference between starting and initiating the discussion.
Initiating is about imparting an overall direction to the discussion and panning out an agenda for the
group. Starting is merely speaking for the sake of speaking.
 Establish eye contact with the key participants, but do not ignore the other participants. While the active
participants need to be acknowledged more frequently, the passive ones should not be completely
overlooked. You may follow Pareto’s 80-20 rule here, with 80% of the attention being given to the key
participants and the balance 20% being given to the other lot.
 Use a strong voice, clear diction and correct grammar. This gives you an operational advantage.
 Try getting as many likes as possible. Eventually the discussion boils down to group dynamics and
collaboration. Creating likeability may help you to navigate more effectively through the course of the
discussion. However this doesn’t imply lack of constructive arguments wherever required.
 Do take counter arguments gracefully and display good listening skills, projecting you as a good learner.
Don’ts
 Don’t start for the sake of starting. This may project you as an impulsive person with lack of planning
and organizing skills, which totally discounts your candidature for a management program.
  Don’t speak randomly without a plan and structure. This may give an impression to the panel that you
are speaking and not adding any value to the discussion.
 Don't be arrogant, overaggressive or vain. This may evince a negative attitude with poor interpersonal
skills.
 Don't show a lack of attention or energy. This may show that you are indifferent to the task at hand.
Kindly appreciate that energy is the capacity for doing work and any compromise on adequate energy
levels will portray you as someone who is not task driven.
 Don't look at only the key speakers in the discussion. It is your responsibility to respect all members of
the group. The key speakers should definitely be given more attention, but this should not imply that the
passive speakers are totally neglected.
 Don't condemn or severely criticize anyone’s view point. Everyone has a right to his/her opinion. It is
possible that some members of the group get aggressive while expressing themselves but they need to be
managed in a certain other way.

Unit 6: EVOLVING PERSONAL VISION SETTING GOALS

1. What is the importance of Vision?

Answer
A vision is a mental picture of the result you want to achieve---a picture so clear and strong it will help make
that result real. A vision is not a vague wish or dream or hope. It’s a picture of the real results of real efforts. It
comes from the future and informs and energizes the present. Visioning is the most powerful tool I’ve witnessed
in over twenty years of helping organizations and individuals get the results they want.
The practice of using visions is mainstream. Some companies use visions to communicate their values and
goals. Professional sports teams use visioning exercises to improve performance (there are studies showing that
basketball players who practice free throws only by “envisioning” the ball going through the hoop improve their
shooting percentage almost as much as those who actually throw the ball). The director of a play might
“envision” a perfect production before rehearsals begin.
Here’s why a vision is so powerful:
 A vision inspires action. A powerful vision pulls in ideas, people and other resources. It creates the
energy and will to make change happen. It inspires individuals and organizations to commit, to persist
and to give their best.
 A vision is a practical guide for creating plans, setting goals and objectives, making decisions, and
coordinating and evaluating the work on any project, large or small.
 A vision helps keep organizations and groups focused and together, especially with complex projects
and in stressful times.
 Not every picture is a vision. Your vision should:
 Be clear—so sharp and so detailed that you can see, smell and taste the smallest details.
 Be positive. Acknowledge the difficulties, but don’t try to motivate yourself or others with a vision of
bad things that might happen if you don’t succeed. A vision based on fear may help fuel immediate
action, but it can also limit your results to damage control rather than getting to positive change.
 Be big enough. Create a bigger picture of the effects of your work than just solving the problem at hand.
A vision that’s too small may not provide enough inspiration, or generate enough energy, to get you past
the tough spots. It might even close your mind to what you could achieve.
 Include changes in attitudes. The challenge you see in front of you is only the part of the problem you
can see—the rest of the challenge is deeper and often involves personal attitudes that may be strongly
held. Remember the ”iceberg” in Coach’s Corner #3.
 Include a clear picture of your personal role, not just that of your organization, if you’re in one. This
isn’t about ego. It’s about you taking full responsibility for helping achieve the results you want.
 Come from the heart, not the head. Don’t try to think your way to a vision. To create a vision that’s
exciting and compelling, you’ve got to give yourself the freedom to dream—to use your imagination to
 see and feel what does not yet exist. A vision is not the same as goals or objectives; those come from the
head. A vision comes from the heart.
 Learning how to create and communicate a vision is useful whether you’re starting a project on your
own or you’re joining a group already organized around a project. Later, I’ll show you how to
communicate your vision to a group or team, pulling in volunteers and resources. I’ll also explain how
to use a vision to guide your planning process, to get institutions and bureaucracies to listen to you, and
to shape your communications---from speeches to brochures.

2. Why should a person have goals?

Answer
Goal setting does not have to be boring. There are many benefits and advantages to having a set of goals to
work towards.
Setting goals helps trigger new behaviors, helps guides your focus and helps you sustain that momentum in life.
Goals also help align your focus and promote a sense of self-mastery. In the end, you can’t manage what you
don’t measure and you can’t improve upon something that you don’t properly manage. Setting goals can help
you do all of that and more.
In this article, we will review the importance and value of goal setting as well as the many benefits.
We will also look at how goal setting can lead to greater success and performance. Setting goals not only
motivates us, but can also improve our mental health and our level of personal and professional success.
Before you read on, we thought you might like. These creative, science-based exercises will help you learn
more about your values and goals and will give you the tools to inspire a sense of meaning in the lives of your
clients, students or employees.

3. What are SMART Goals?

Answer
it’s fundamental to set yourself objectives and goals, even resolutions, but we tend to generalize our goals. For
example, an objective could be to ‘increase sales’. But increase them by how much? And by when? A much
more achievable goal could be to ‘Increase sales by 10% by the end of this month’. Then you have just set
yourself a much more achievable goal, this is the purpose of an SMART goal.
 S Specific
A vague goal such as ‘our company wants to enhance its turnover ’indicates that the current situation is not
satisfactory. Apparently the turnover must be enhanced. However, there is not a real plan to realize this goal. So
it is unclear for all the parties involved what they should do. The SMART goals should therefore be formulated
more precisely and specifically so that everyone knows what is expected of them. The specific goal must
describe an observable action, behaviour or result. It helps if a quantitative value is linked to a number, amount
or percentage.
 M Measurable
Each SMART goal has a starting point as well as a finishing point and they are indications of the quality of the
effort to be made. A system, method and procedure must mentioned which determines to what extent the target
moment has been achieved (measurable goals). Therefore, it is advisable to have a benchmark and to determine
a baseline measurement of the starting situation to measure progress:
What was the turnover of the past year? (1.2 million in 2017)
How do you know whether the goal has been achieved (20% of 1.2 million is 240,000.00)
What efforts are required? (a good advertising campaign must be launched with good follow-up actions from
the office sales and field sales departments)
How can it be measured? (by comparing the monthly and quarterly sales figures with the figures of the previous
year)
 A Acceptable (Ambitious)
SMART goals must be acceptable for you as well as for the group or the department. For managers it is
important to create support for the goal among the employees. Only then the goal stands a chance of
succeeding. The support base will increase if employees are involved in the decision-making. This applies
especially to short term goals. If it turns out that 20% more turnover than the year before means that this is too
ambitious and that this results in a decrease in job satisfaction, the percentage will have to be adjusted.
Therefore Acceptable is also referred to as Ambitious; both go hand in hand and they should be in balance.
Ambition is great when it is a motivator. If it brings down motivation, then the ambition is too high and as a
result it stretches everyone to the limit.
 R Realistic (Relevant)
A realistic goal takes into account the practical situation and the work in which everyone is involved. It is
impossible that everyone’s focus will be on the same goal all the time; after all, there are always other issues
requiring attention. For example urgent jobs, tasks that need to be carried out and unforeseen events.
Furthermore, the goal must be relevant to those who are going to work on it. If the finance department is
instructed to increase the turnover by 20% then it will probably come to nothing.
 T Time-bound
It is especially important that short-term goals are formulated the SMART way. This is not always possible for
long-term goals. Time-bound and time based is often confused with measurable, but there is a clear difference
between the two. Time-bound is actually about the time that is allocated to reach the goal. A SMART goal
therefore has a clear starting time and a clear end date. A very tight deadline on the other hand has a
demotivating effect and is therefore not acceptable. The sub-question ‘when does it happen?’ has in fact been
answered under the heading Specific: from 1 January up to and including 31 December 2018, work is to be
carried out to increase sales by 20% and on 31 December 2018 this will have to result in
240,000 extra turnover. One year from now is not a concrete goal, by setting a date and year for the goal, the
organization can work towards this. Incidentally, a year is a long period. By dividing the goal into sub-goals
that have a monthly deadline, everyone can work towards an interim completion. This enhances motivation and
makes it pleasant to continue the work even when faced with adverse conditions.

4. What are the 3 types of Goals?

Answer
1. Time goals are the ones we refer to as short-term or long-term. An example would be having a short-term
goal of learning how to make a roux with a long-term goal of learning how to make gumbo.
2. Focus goals remind me of a BHAG (big hairy audacious goal). It's the one thing that's driving the majority
of decisions. For instance, I had a goal last year to write a book. Big goal. It was a huge endeavor and impacted
many of my personal and professional decisions.
3. Topic-based goals can be personal, professional, career, and financial. Maybe you have a goal to save a
certain amount of money. Or to complete a leadership development program. These are goals that are important
in a certain aspect of our life. Time, focus, and topic goals are not mutually exclusive. We can have short-term
financial goals, long-term career goals, and a personal BHAG.

5. What are the 5 steps to Goal Setting?

Answer
1. Determine what you want to achieve
This is the easiest part of goal setting. Just ask yourself, “What is it that I would like to achieve within one
year?” One year is enough time to make a big goal a reality. To make it easy for yourself, stick to one big
goal. If you have no clue where to start, pick one goal in one of the following areas of life:
 Health
 Wealth
 Relationships
 Happiness
2. Break down how you will get there
After you have determined what you would like to achieve, it gets more challenging. This is also the step
where most people fall off the bandwagon. How are you planning to make your goal a reality? You need
concrete steps to get to your destination. To fly from point A to B, you need to know the route. The same
idea applies to goal setting.
A lot of people have the goal of becoming “a millionaire”, but then have no clue how to become one. Or
someone wants to have a body like Zeus but is clueless on what to do. That’s why new years resolutions do
not work, because it is just wishful thinking. You need clarity (one of the essential productivity mindsets)
by having the steps outlined.
3. Write it down
To go from wishful thinking to actually achieving your goals, you need to write down your commitments.
You have to tell your brain that you are serious about this endeavor by making it think there is an
investment level. As humans, once we have invested into something, we hate losing our investment and we
will do anything to keep it. By writing down your goals and steps, you have clarity but also you’re telling
your brain “Hey, see, this is important to me and I’m investing in it so let’s not drop the ball on this. ”
4. Make it stick
The destination is known, the map is clear, and the route is defined. All you have to do now is stick to the
game plan. Unfortunately, this is another hurdle for most people that end up quitting on achieving their
goals. The big key here is to keep reminding yourself of the goals you want to achieve. That statement is
worth repeating.
 Setup motivation pages. Look at these every day. If you want to be a real Efficient Asian, you make
it part of your morning ritual.
 Surround yourself with the right people that align with your goals. The closest people to you have a
major impact on your productivity. Make sure they are conducive to you. Many readers accomplish
this inside our productivity community, The Dojo. Sometimes it’s hard when we don’t have others
in our family or life who have the same level of focus. It helps to be with your people, and online
communities can help here.
 Create your ecosystem that is aligned with your goals. Your environment, besides the people, also
help to make it stick. See #8 of our 10 essential productivity mindsets.
 Create a desktop background on your laptop or computer with the desired outcomes.
 On your whiteboard (if you don’t have one, you should get one), write down your big goals.
5. Do one thing every day that brings you closer to your goals
How do you make sure that you will reach your goals? Work on them every single day. Yes, every single
day. No matter if it is only ten minutes or two hours. Work on your goals every single day so it is inevitable
you will get what you want. Use the compound effect in your favor; the earlier you start, t he bigger the
changes become as time goes by. And the more time you spend working towards your goals, the faster you
will achieve them. If you want to be an Efficient Asian, you make them your most important tasks.
That is really it to goal setting. Implement these 5 simple steps and you will get what you desire. Let me
ask you this, what are some of your goals you want to achieve? Leave a comment behind and we will help
you achieve them.

6. What is the main purpose of life?

Answer
Your life purpose consists of the central motivating aims of your life—the reasons you get up in the morning.
Purpose can guide life decisions, influence behavior, shape goals, offer a sense of direction, and create meaning.
For some people, purpose is connected to vocation—meaningful, satisfying work. For others, their purpose lies
in their responsibilities to their family or friends. Others seek meaning through spirituality or religious beliefs.
Some people may find their purpose clearly expressed in all these aspects of life.
Purpose will be unique for everyone; what you identify as your path may be different from others. What’s
more, your purpose can actually shift and change throughout life in response to the evolving priorities and
fluctuations of your own experiences.
Questions that may come up when you reflect upon your life purpose are:
 Who am I?
  Where do I belong?
 When do I feel fulfilled?
Your life purpose is your contribution
Some people feel hesitant about pursuing their life purpose because they worry that it sounds like a self-serving
or selfish quest. However, true purpose is about recognizing your own gifts and using them to contribute to the
world—whether those gifts are playing beautiful music for others to enjoy, helping friends solve problems, or
simply bringing more joy into the lives of those around you.
Richard Leader, a nationally-ranked coach and purpose expert, says that “genuine purpose points to the end of a
self-absorbed, self-serving relationship to life.” When your authentic purpose becomes clear, you will be able to
share it with the whole world.

Unit 7: Efficient Utilization of Time

1. Why is it important to manage your time?

Answer
1. Time is limited.
No matter how you slice it, there are only 24 hours in a day. That applies to you, and to your coworker who
only seems able to do half the amount of work you do. But it also applies to the former coworker who
consistently accomplishes more than you, and was promoted as a result. If you want to rise through the ranks,
you have to acknowledge the importance of finding a way to manage this limited resource.
2. You can accomplish more with less effort.
When you learn to take control of your time, you improve your ability to focus. And with increased focus
comes enhanced efficiency, because you don’t lose momentum. You’ll start to breeze through tasks more
quickly (the workday will also seem to fly by).
3. Improved decision-making ability.
Whether you rely on a time-chunking technique or discover the power of list-making, you’ll soon find that a
nice side benefit of good time management skills is the ability to make better decisions. When you feel pressed
for time and have to make a decision, you’re more likely to jump to conclusions without fully considering every
option. That leads to poor decision making.Through effective time management, you can eliminate the pressure
that comes from feeling like you don’t have enough time. You’ll start to feel more calm and in control. When
the time comes to examine options and make a decision, instead of rushing through the process, you can take
time to carefully consider each option. And when you’re able to do that, you diminish your chances of making a
bad decision.
4. Become more successful in your career.
Time management is the key to success. It allows you to take control of your life rather than following the flow
of others. As you accomplish more each day, make more sound decisions, and feel more in control, people
notice. Leaders in your business will come to you when they need to get things done. And that increased
exposure helps put you in line for advancement opportunities.
5. Learning opportunities are everywhere.
Obviously, the more you learn, the more valuable you are to your employer. And great learning opportunities
are around you, if you’ve got time to stop and take advantage them.When you work more efficiently, you have
that time. You can help out with that new product launch your development team’s been working on. Volunteer
to help host your company’s open house. Even just enjoying a nice lunch with teammates in other departments
can prove eye-opening.The more you learn about your company and your industry, the better your chances of
making a positive impression on the C-suite.

2. Why it is important to delegate?

Answer
 1. Through delegation, a manager is able to divide the work and allocate it to the subordinates. This helps
in reducing his work load so that he can work on important areas such as - planning, business analysis
etc.
2. With the reduction of load on superior, he can concentrate his energy on important and critical issues of
concern. This way he is able to bring effectiveness in his work as well in the work unit. This effectivity
helps a manager to prove his ability and skills in the best manner.
3. Delegation of authority is the ground on which the superior-subordinate relationship stands. An
organization functions as the authority flows from top level to bottom. This in fact shows that through
delegation, the superior-subordinate relationship become meaningful. The flow of authority is from top
to bottom which is a way of achieving results.
4. Delegation of authority in a way gives enough room and space to the subordinates to flourish their
abilities and skill. Through delegating powers, the subordinates get a feeling of importance. They get
motivated to work and this motivation provides appropriate results to a concern. Job satisfaction is an
important criterion to bring stability and soundness in the relationship between superior and
subordinates. Delegation also helps in breaking the monotony of the subordinates so that they can be
more creative and efficient.
5. Delegation of authority is help to both superior and subordinates. This, in a way, gives stability to a
concern’s working. With effective results, a concern can think of creating more departments and
divisions flow working. This will require creation of more managers which can be fulfilled by shifting
the experienced, skilled managers to these positions. This helps in both virtual as well as horizontal
growth which is very important for a concern’s stability.

3. How to prioritize work when everything is important?

Answer
Seven strategies for prioritizing tasks at work
1. Have a list that contains all tasks in one
2. Identify what’s important: Understanding your true goals
3. Highlight what’s urgent
4. Prioritize based on importance and urgency
5. Avoid competing priorities
6. Consider effort
7. Review constantly and be realistic

1. Have a list that contains all tasks in one

Effective prioritization comes from understanding the full scope of what you need to get done—even the most
mundane tasks should be written down and considered. To give yourself a complete picture, it’s a good idea to
include both personal and workday tasks in a single task list.
2. Identify what’s important: Understanding your true goals
While it might seem like an immediate time management strategy, prioritization is key in achieving long-term
goals. Understanding what you’re really working toward—be it a promotion, a finished project, or a career
change—helps you identify the tasks most pertinent to those future outcomes. It can be a good idea to break
these larger goals into smaller, time-related goals. For example, a yearly goal can be deconstructed into monthly
to-do lists, which then lead to weekly tasks, daily priorities, etc.
3. Highlight what’s urgent
Your to-do list should provide full visibility of deadlines, helping you to identify which tasks must be
completed promptly and to plan ahead according to future deadlines.
Creating deadlines even when they’re not formally required is also important; otherwise, you will continue
pushing back important tasks simply because they aren’t time-sensitive. (This strategy can also be helpful in
increasing productivity and reducing procrastination.)
4. Prioritize based on importance and urgency
In his 1989 book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, businessman and keynote speaker Stephen Covey
suggests tasks should be categorized (and then prioritized) according to importance and urgency.
Urgent and important: These tasks should be done first
Important but not urgent: Block off time on your calendar to get this done, without interruption
Urgent but unimportant: Delegate. Delegate. Delegate.
Neither urgent or important: Remove from your to-do list
5. Avoid competing priorities
When the tasks you’re working on aren’t particularly difficult, it’s relatively easy to manage them in tandem.
However, as difficulty increases, research shows people who are in positions of power are more likely to
prioritize a single goal, whereas people in low-powered positions will continue to try and manage multiple
priorities. This dual-task strategy has been linked to a decline in performance, which means the most important
tasks aren’t fulfilled to the highest standard.
6. Consider effort
When staring at a long to-do list, it’s easy to become overwhelmed by the work that needs doing—a feeling that
reduces productivity and leads to procrastination. A strategy to overcome this involves evaluating tasks
according to the effort required to complete them.
7. Review constantly and be realistic
One of the steps in the five-step “Get Things Done” (GTD) methodology from productivity consultant David
Allen involves critical reflection. Frequently reviewing your task list and priorities is key in “regaining control
and focus”, Allen argues.

4. What are the time management strategies?

Answer
1. Plan your work ahead
Knowing what you want to accomplish in a specified timeframe already sets you up for success, study
reveals. In his paper “The Impact of Planning on Project Success”, Pedro Serrador from University of
Toronto points to a correlation between planning and project success. Based on the literature review,
Serrador found that project success is closely linked to both project and cost efficiency. It means that
quality planning can not only increase the chance that the project will be completed successfully, but it
will also be cost-effective.
2. Set clear priorities
Sometimes a list of things you need to do may seem overwhelming. To make it manageable, it’s better to
divide your to-do list into smaller chunks. Setting clear priorities will help you order your tasks according
to their importance, urgency and effort needed to accomplish them.
To distinguish important and urgent tasks from your to-do list, you may use the Eisenhower Matrix. It’s a
productivity tool with a clear focus of organizing your tasks into four categories:
 Important and urgent – these are the tasks you should do first
 Important but not urgent – tasks you can schedule to do later
 Not important but urgent – if possible, you may delegate these tasks
 Not important and not urgent – you can skip tasks falling into this category
3. Focus on one task at a time
While some praise multitasking, it appears to make more harm than good. According to the article
on perils of multitasking published on Entrepreneur, doing several tasks at once is ineffective and
inefficient. As human brain needs time to switch from one task to another, trying to do too many things
create a lag time, when we’re actually not being as productive as we might want to be.
Instead, try to focus on one task at a time and complete it, and after that switch to another one. This way,
especially if you give yourself at least few minutes of rest between assignments, the transition is smooth
and your brain is ready to take on a new task.
4. Minimize interruptions
This one can be tricky, as according to PMI 90% of PM’s work is communication, but sometimes you do
tasks that require deep focus and minimizing interruptions. It may be working on a project documentation
or creating a report.
Say you’re using a Pomodoro Technique. In order to use it effectively, you need to cut out any possible
distractions, so you can remain deeply focused on a task for 25 minutes.
 If you worry about missing an important emails, set yourself a dedicated time when you’ll check your
inbox. Every other time is dedicated to the assigned tasks.
 Tell your teammates not to disturb you when you use headphones. At the same time, you may listen to
music that helps you concentrate (or to some white noise, if you prefer).
 Snooze notifications and put your phone out of sight to avoid checking it compulsively.
5. Set yourself shorter deadlines
Ever felt like the more time you have for a given task, the bigger the chance that you’ll procrastinate
instead of using that time to get things done earlier? This tendency to put work aside, called
the Parkinson’s Law, has been first explained in the Economist article back in 1955.
Parkinson stated that “the work expands as to fill the time available for its completion”. Thus, if you have
more time to finish a task than you actually need, the chances are you won’t do it any quicker.
6. Learn to delegate
No man is an island. Chances are that there are people at your organization with skills and time to help
you deliver some of the tasks you struggle with, or simply don’t have time for.
As you’ve seen already while completing the Eisenhower Matrix, it’s actually advised to find the tasks
you can delegate, so you can focus on more important and urgent ones.
7. Learn to say no
Knowing your limits when it comes to the amount of work you’re able to finish in a given timeframe is
very important to not only deliver what you’ve committed to. It also helps to avoid work -related stress
and, eventually, feeling burnt out.
Saying no to your supervisor, manager or even boss may be intimidating, but there are ways to do it
politely and assertively:
 Give a reason – explain what other important tasks you’re doing at the moment and how taking on new
ones will affect them.
 Let them prioritize – if you already have lots on your plate and your supervisor asks you to take on
another one, present them with your list of priorities. Let them decide whether the task they’re asking
you to do have a higher priority, or not.
 Don’t lie – fake excuses are not a good way to deal with requests. Be open about why you’re not able to
do something at the moment.
 Ask if the task may be postponed – lots of time the initial date someone asks you to deliver a task is not
it’s definite due-date. Show them that if it’s possible to schedule new task for later, it would be possible
for you to take it on.
8. Summarize each day
Keeping daily summaries of your work helps you to discover where you did well, and what remains to be
done.
At the end of each day, take a look at your list and check the tasks you’ve completed. Seeing what you’ve
managed to accomplish is a great way to get motivated for the next day.

5. What are the 4 D‟s of time management?

Answer
Time management skills are increasingly important in a world where people rush headlong from one crisis to
another. Add in the effect of social media and addictive computer games that can be accessed from anywhere at
any time and it’s no wonder that some people struggle to fit everything into their days.
If you’re wondering how to solve this, why not invoke D to the Power of Four? This quick and simple method
makes sure you use your time more effectively by sorting tasks into four categories: delete, delegate, defer and
do.
Delete
The first category requires learning how to filter through your task list.
Delete irrelevant emails on your inbox. Junk or spam mail deserves to be sent straight to the recycling bin if
they’re cluttering up your inbox. For tasks that you still need to accomplish, double check if you still need to
complete them. Take them off your to-do list if you don’t.
You should also learn how to say no to certain tasks. Review your existing list before agreeing to take on extra
work. Refuse politely in case you aren’t equipped to add more tasks to your current workflow.
Delegate
If there are tasks that could be taken charge of by someone else, then delegate it. Don’t mistake delegation for
running away from your responsibilities. Delegation is an important function of management.
Make sure whomever you delegate the task to have the skill, capacity, ability and time to get it done by the
deadline. As a business owner, you will need to learn the art of delegating work to specific team members based
on their efficiency level.
Be careful not to turn something you delegate into a boomerang that’s going to hit when you least expect it. The
worst pitfall of delegating is having to do double the work when you realise certain tasks have not been done
well.
Defer it
Prioritise. Know that accomplishing certain tasks can be deferred to a later time.
Look through your plan of action for the day and decide which tasks need immediate attention. No matter how
much you have on your plate, it is important to deal with the most urgent ones first.
You might have the luxury of securing an extended deadline when you need more time to finish a task than you
have immediately available. Determine when the most effective time to return to it but make sure you don’t
defer it until it becomes more problematic to deal with.
Finalising the biggest tasks first shines a brilliant light on the end of the tunnel. Use this to help you stay
focused and motivated throughout the rest of your work.
Do It
If the job is urgent, it’s better to do it immediately.
The most successful entrepreneurs know that starting early helps kick start their day into being more productive.
They work on their tasks as soon as possible to be able to do more afterwards.
Be diligent with your work even when you start feeling stuck. It’s easier to polish up work that’s lacking than to
force a perfect report in one run. As soon as the first task has been accomplished, move on to the next.
Having more power over your itinerary is a great stepping stone towards managing your business more
efficiently. Make sure you incorporate these four D’s into your time management strategy as soon as you start
feeling overwhelmed.

Unit 8: Resume Writing and Interview Skills

1. List different sections of effective resume?

Answer
1. Name and Contact Info
2. Career Summary
3. Professional History
4. Core Competencies/Skills
5. Education
6. Community Engagement
7. Optional: Technical Skills Listed in Separate Resume Section
8. Certifications or Continuing Education
9. Testimonials
10. Languages

2. What is the difference between CV and resume?

Answer
CV:
A CV (Curriculum Vitæ, which means ‘course of life’ in Latin) is an in-depth document that can be laid out
over two or more pages and it contains a high level of detail about your achievements, a great deal more than
just a career biography. The CV covers your education as well as any other accomplishments like publications,
awards, honors, etc.
The document tends to be organized chronologically and should make it easy to get an overview of an
individual’s full working career. A CV is static and doesn’t change for different positions, the difference would
be in the cover letter.
Resume:
A resume, or résumé, is a concise document typically not longer than one page as the intended reader will not
dwell on your document for very long. The goal of a resume is to make an individual stand out from the
competition.
The job seeker should adapt the resume to every position they apply for. It is in the applicant’s interest to
change the resume from one job application to another and to tailor it to the needs of the specific post. A resume
doesn’t have to be ordered chronologically, doesn’t have to cover your whole career like, and is a highly
customizable document.
FACTORS CV RESUME
Length Much longer in length Maximum up to 2 pages
Focus Focus is on career Focus is on professional skills
Contact Multiple ways to contact you can be Mainly phone number & email is
details mentioned sufficient
Mentions designation, duration, & firm
Work details Mentions detailed work experience mainly
Multiple ways to contact you can be Mainly phone number & email is
Cover letter mentioned sufficient
Skills with highest proficiency are
Skills Certifications in chronological order prioritised

3. What’s The Real Purpose of a Resume?

Answer
The purpose of a resume lies in the intersection of how it is used by recruiters and by applicants. Let’s deal with
the myth first: the purpose of a resume is to get you hired. This is not true. People aren’t hired solely from their
resume. So what is the purpose, what is the intersection? Getting an interview.
Take the personal purpose of telling your story and the business purpose of spotting opportunities as an
example. There is only so much of your story you can fit into a resume, and the employer can only see so much
of an opportunity from one-two pages. To truly fulfil these needs, a further discussion is required. That
discussion is the interview. Getting a job is not linear; it’s staged. The first stage starts with your resume, which
eventually leads to an interview, which hopefully leads to you getting your job.

No matter what point of your career you’re in, everyone talks about your resume when applying for a new job.
Whether you’re just starting out or transitioning into a new field, it’s resume, resume, resume. While we hear
resumes are important for getting a job – is that really their purpose? If you’ve landed here, chances are you’re
either writing your first resume or, like me, you stopped for a minute to think: wait, why am I doing this?
Personal Purpose: What Resumes Do for You
1.They tell your story.
2. They facilitate self-discovery
3. They act as representation
4. They give you a reference for future applications
Business Purpose: What Resumes Do for the Recruiter
1. Serves as an introduction
2. Provides a snapshot of your career
3. Filters unsuitable candidates
4. Allows them to identify opportunities

4. What is “Keywords” And How Do I Use Them in My Resume?

Answer
Resume keywords are critical to helping you get your resume noticed by employers. By including keywords in
your resume and cover letter, you'll increase your chances of landing a job interview.
Keywords are words or short phrases that relate to particular requirements for a job. They are the skills,
abilities, credentials, and qualities that a hiring manager looks for in a candidate.
When a hiring manager looks through a pile of resumes, he or she scans each resume to find these keywords.
Many companies even use automated applicant tracking systems (ATS), also known as talent management
systems, to screen candidates for job openings.1
One way an ATS works is to eliminate resumes that are missing certain keywords. If the software or the hiring
manager does not detect any of the keywords in your resume or cover letter, your application might get thrown
out. By embedding keywords in your resume or cover letter, you will demonstrate, at a glance, that you fit the
requirements of the position.2
Types of Resume Keywords
Your resume keywords should include specific job requirements, including your skills, competencies, relevant
credentials, and previous positions and employers. Essentially, keywords should be words that, at a glance, will
show the hiring manager that you are a good fit for the job.
For example, based on experience, a candidate for an employee benefits management position might use the
following resume keywords:
 Employee benefit plans
 Health care benefits
 Benefit policy
A customer service representative could include:
 Customer service
 Customer tracking system
 Computer skills
 Order entry experience

5. Explain important thinks to avoid while writing effective resume?

Answer
1. Typos and grammatical errors
Yes, we know, it’s probably the most obvious of all resume tips: It needs to be grammatically perfect. If your
resume isn't, employers will read between the lines and draw not-so-flattering conclusions about you, like, "This
person can't write," or, "This person obviously doesn't care."
2. Lack of specifics
Your resume shouldn’t simply state the obvious to a hiring manager. Employers need to understand what you've
done and accomplished. For example:
A. Worked with employees in a restaurant setting
B. Recruited, hired, trained and supervised more than 20 employees in a restaurant with $2 million in annual
sales
Both of these phrases could describe the same person, but the details and specifics in example B will more
likely grab an employer's attention.
3. Attempting the "one–size–fits–all" approach
Whenever you try to develop a generic resume to send to all job ads, you almost always end up with something
employers will toss in the recycle bin. Your lack of effort screams, “I’m not particularly interested in your
company. Frankly, any ol’ job will do.”
Employers want to feel special and want you to write a resume specifically for them. They expect you to clearly
show how and why you fit the position in a specific organization.
4. Highlighting duties instead of accomplishments
Your resume needs to show how good you are at your job, but it's all too easy to slip into a mode where you
simply start listing your duties. For example:
 Attended group meetings and recorded minutes
 Worked with children in a day-care setting
 Updated departmental files
That’s more or less an echo of your job description. Employers, however, don't care so much about what you've
done as what you've accomplished in your various activities. One of the most basic resume tips is to go beyond
showing what was required and demonstrate how you made a difference at each company, providing specific
examples. They're looking for statements more like these:
 Recorded weekly meeting minutes and compiled them in a Microsoft Word-based file for future
organizational reference
 Developed three daily activities for preschool-age children and prepared them for a 10-minute holiday
program performance
Reorganized 10 years worth of unwieldy files, making them easily accessible to department members
Need help? Ask yourself these questions:
 How did you perform the job better than others?
 What were the problems or challenges faced? How did you overcome them? What were the results?
How did the company benefit from your performance?
 Did you receive any awards, special recognitions, or promotions as a result?
5. Going on too long or cutting things too short
Many people try to squeeze their experiences onto one page, because they've heard resumes shouldn't be longer.
By doing so, job seekers may delete impressive achievements. Other candidates ramble on about irrelevant or
redundant experiences. Despite what you may read or hear, there are no real rules governing resume length.
Why? Because human beings, who have different preferences and expectations where resumes are concerned,
will be reading it.
That doesn't mean you should start sending out five-page resumes, of course. Generally speaking, you usually
need to limit yourself to a maximum of two pages. But don't feel you have to use two pages if one will do.
Conversely, don't cut the meat out of your resume simply to make it conform to an arbitrary one-page
standard. When writing your resume, ask yourself, "Will this statement help me land an interview?" Every word
should sell you, so include only the information that elicits a "yes."
6. Bad summary
Many candidates lose their readers right at the beginning, with their career summary. Employers do read this
portion of your resume, but often they plow through vague pufferies like, “Accomplished professional seeking
career growth." Such statements are overused, too general, and waste valuable space.
Give employers something specific and, more importantly, something that focuses on their needs as well as
your own. Example: "An accomplished marketing manager that developed award-winning campaigns for
Fortune 500 clients that contributed to 50% increase in stock value.”
7. No action verbs
Avoid using phrases like "responsible for." Instead, use action verbs. Not only do these words help to show off
your initiative, they also help punch up the overall tone of your resume. For example:
 Resolved user questions as part of an IT help desk serving 4,000 students and staff.
 Increased organic search visits 20% year over year
 Developed a comprehensive onboarding program for new hires
8. Leaving off important information
You may be tempted, for example, to eliminate mention of the jobs you've taken to earn extra money for school.
Typically, however, the soft skills you've gained from these experiences (e.g., work ethic, time management)
are more important to employers than you might think.
9. Visually too busy
If your resume is wall-to-wall text featuring five different fonts, it will most likely give the employer a
headache. So show your resume to several other people before sending it out. Do they find it visually attractive?
If what you have is hard on the eyes, revise.
10. Incorrect contact information
I once worked with a student whose resume seemed incredibly strong, but he wasn't getting any bites from
employers. So one day, I jokingly asked him if the phone number he'd listed on his resume was correct. It
wasn't. Once he changed it, he started getting the calls he'd been expecting. Moral of the story: Double-check
even the most minute, taken-for-granted details sooner rather than later.

6. Explain in short how to introduce yourself?

Answer
1. State your purpose
Many people introduce themselves by stating their name and current job title, but you should also try to add
information your new contact can’t find on your business card. If you are at a networking event, consider
starting with your name, then stating what your passion is. You could also mention what your goal is for the
encounter, such as finding someone to collaborate with on a new idea you have.
2. Control your body language
Both your words and your body language make an impact on first impressions. Controlling your body language
is essential to staying poised and professional in a new introduction. For example, when you approach a new
coworker in your department, start with a strong handshake, and maintain eye contact during the conversation.
Doing this shows the other party you are engaged in your interaction.
3. Explain why you are valuable
Employers might schedule multiple interviews throughout the day or week for a job opening. Your professional
introduction should convey your unique experience and qualifications so you stand out from other candidates.
Hearing an introduction that sounds different from previous ones directs your new contact’s attention toward
you and tends to make it more memorable. During an interview introduction, for example, you should let your
interviewer know why you would make a valuable contribution to the team.
4. Understand the culture
Consider researching the company before an interview or meeting to understand their culture. Before an
introduction with a computer programming company, for example, review their website or social media pages
to see what the culture is like. If the company seems more casual, it may be appropriate to include humor in
your introduction. For a more formal position or meeting with a potential client, keeping a more professional
demeanor could make you more likely to be hired or gain the client’s business.
.

7. What are the Dos and Don’ts of interview?

Answer
Sr. DO’s Don’ts
no
1 Do make sure that your hands are attractive. This means Don’t be late. In fact, plan to be early for any
spotlessly cleaning with trimmed nails. scheduled interview. If you are late or arrive just
in the nick of time, the interviewer will start to
wonder how prompt you might be after you
start to work.
2 Do make sure your hair is in place and conservative. Don’t wear your outer clothes into an interview.
Take any kind of overcoat off. Take rubber boots
off and leave them in the employment lobby.
Wearing those to an interview gives the
impression you are anxious and want to leave.
3 Do pay attention to your scent. Women with powerful Don’t sit down until you are asked. Don’t worry
perfumes and men with intense colognes can destroy about this, the recruiter won’t make you stand-
interviews. Moderation is recommended. but if you move quickly to your chair and sit
down, you will appear forward.
4 Do go to the rest room before you visit the employment Don’t have anything in your mouth except your
lobby. It is embarrassing to interrupt an interview, and teeth-no gum, no candies, no breath mints and
you want to be as comfortable as possible. no cigarettes (obviously!)

5 Do get a good night’s sleep before each day that you Don’t lean on or put your elbows on the
search for employment. If you yawn in the lobby or interviewer’s desk. Sit back in your chair, so the
smother a yawn during the interview, it will cost you. Be interviewer can see more of you. Sit erect.
rested and at your alert best.

6 Do look the interviewer in the eye. Recruiters place a lot Don’t wear tinted glasses into an interview and
of emphasis on eye contact. if don’t wear your eyeglasses all the time, don’t
park them on top of your head. Take them off
and put them in your purse or pocket.
7 Do try to sparkle! Use gestures in your conversation. Don’t carry an oversized handbag even if it is
Make sure they are smooth and emphatic. fashionable. Carry a bag that is smaller and
more manageable. Put it on the floor during the
interview. Never place it on the interviewer’s
desk.
8 Do make sure you get the interview’s name right and use Don’t have unusually long fingernails. This
it a few times in the interview. applied to men as well as women.

9 Do have some money with you. You never want to be in Don’t keep adjusting your clothes.
the embarrassing position of having to say, “I don’t have
any money with me.” The employer will almost always
pay any expenses for something the company asks you to
do

10 Do take notes if you wish. Write down some questions Don’t fiddle with your hair.
before you go into the interview.

8. List and explain in short different types of interview?

Answer
1. The Telephone Interview.
2. The Video Interview.
3. The Panel Interview.
4. The Assessment Day.
5. Group Interviews.
6. Individual (face-to-face) Interviews.
1. The Telephone Interview.
Telephone interviews are hugely valuable because they speed up the interview process and minimise time-
wasting, whilst culling your weaker candidates earlier on. A face-to-face interview will take up your time as
well as your candidate’s, so having a quick chat to suss out whether they’re suitable, before meeting up,
will benefit both of you. A CV only tells part of the story; hearing the candidate’s tone of voice and assessing
their direct answers will provide a much more detailed insight into their personality.
2. The Video Interview.
Video interviews (Skype, Google Hangouts, FaceTime) are a great alternative to telephone interviews.
The fact that you can actually see each other adds a certain level of importance and professionalism to the ‘call’
and removes the temptation for either party to multi-task or lose focus. Of course, you could still face similar
issues to those that plague the telephone interview. Background distractions could still occur, other calls could
come through, bad signal could distort the conversation and, as you can both see each other, there’s no hiding
from them!
3. The Panel Interview.
Panel interviews are the same as individual, face-to-face interviews, but with two or more interviewers in the
room. The main advantage of panel interviewing is that it precludes any personal biases that might creep into
the assessment process. Each interviewer will pick up on different characteristics, strengths and weaknesses and
together (hopefully) make a much fairer judgement.
4. The Assessment Day.
Assessment “days” can be used to assess larger groups of interviewees at the same time, for a range of different
skills. Common amongst graduate employers, they are a great way to evaluate candidates in more detail, for a
longer period of time. If you’re interviewing a large group and your offices are only small, it’s a good idea to
seek out a local assessment centre to host the day for you.
5. Group Interviews.
Group interviews are used a lot less regularly than the other interview techniques we’ve mentioned, but they
still have their place in modern recruitment. You could conduct your group interview in two key ways… like an
individual interview; asking exactly the same questions that you would ask in an individual interview, openly,
to the whole group, allowing candidates the chance to compete to impress. Or like the assessment day, with
brief introductions, leading into group tasks and activities.
6. Individual (face-to-face) Interviews.
Individual, face-to-face interviews are by far the most popular and efficient form of assessment. Allowing you
to get up close and personal with each candidate while keeping an eye on their body language is far more
effective than any other interviewing format. Think about it: do you find it easier to build a relationship with
someone over the phone or face-to-face?

9. What are the qualities judged during any interview?

Answer
Prior to your interview, it’s important to have past examples of where you added to team and company culture.
Can you think of a time where you brought diverse opinions, experience or specialized skills to your team that
they were lacking without you? Was there a time you went above and beyond to encourage success within your
team or company? Anything that shows you will not only fit in, but will also help overall culture thrive, will set
you apart from other candidates. Often times, multiple candidates share the same set of hard skills. While it’s
important to highlight these skills, you can also set yourself apart from other candidates by showcasing your
soft skills. The top soft skills to keep in mind include:
 1. Communication
2. Conflict resolution
3. Creativity
4. Critical thinking
5. Dependability
6. Empathy
7. Flexibility
8. Problem-solving
Highlighting these skills can prove that you will be a top functioning employee, work well with others, and
present both yourself and the company in a positive light. Sharing these skills is often an excellent response to
the question, “Do you have anything else to add.” The interviewer will appreciate that you’re highlighting areas
that might not have been addressed directly, but could significantly impact your ability to do the job.
But also keep in mind that the interviewer is often forming opinions on your soft skills without you knowing.
Be sure to arrive on time, which shows dependability, maintain eye contact and ask thoughtful questions, which
shows active listening. And give credit where credit is due, which shows integrity.

10.What is STAR interview method?

Answer
The STAR Interview Method
STAR is a structured approach to respond to behavioral interview questions. STAR stands for situation, task,
action, and result, to be presented in that order.
1. Situation
First you need to describe the situation. This doesn’t mean that you need to explain your overall work
experience, or go into too much detail. Stick to a brief 2-4 sentence description of the situation, providing
enough details to help the interviewer get acquainted with the relevant facts as they apply to this answer.
2. Task
The task is the core aspect of the story, it’s the reason you’ve selected this story to share. Highlight your
involvement in the situation.
The task describes the situation in further detail, the goal, and how you fit the situation.
The task does not describe the actions you took - that comes next.
3. Action
After you’ve described your assignment and goals, you need to explain what you actually did. Avoid providing
generic and overly general answers like “I did some research” or “I’ve worked really hard”.
Try to provide references and details where possible. Describe the plans and the reality, and how and why they
may have differed.
4. Result
The result is the big finale, where you describe the outcomes and how you contributed to them.
Talk about what was accomplished, or what wasn’t and how you learned from it.
Depending on the question, describe your role and how it helped or stalled the situation. But try to finish the
story with a strong conclusion on a positive note.