UNIT 2
Self – Development and Communication
Self development is subjective and relative, which is studied to know the completeness of human behavior. It has different meanings for different people. For example, the pursuit of higher levels of consciousness for the spiritual person, success and growth in his search for the scientist, and breaking old records and creating new records for a player can be self-destructive. Each person defines it and expands it according to his existence and personality. Self-development is made up of two words 'Atma' and 'Vikas'. Here the word Self refers to the totality of a person's qualities, which is related to his personal qualities and traits. The meaning of development is the development of new features and abilities in a person, which starts in early life and goes on to maturity.
Self-development is the name of qualitative changes in the body due to which the progress and progress in the performance and behavior of a person. In other words, self-development refers to the development in a person in the balance style of qualities like physical, intellectual, spiritual materialism etc.
In narration, 'self-development' is a process of developing physical, intellectual, physical and physical qualities in a person.
Objective of Self development :
Following are the main objectives of self-development -
(1) Development of favourable personality - The main objective of self-development is to develop proper and balanced personality of the person. Society is a group of different qualities according to Mnovane which reflect the nature and behavior of man.
(2) Development of self-respect - Self-development leads to the development of self-respect or self-respect. Self-development refers to what we experience about ourselves. Self-development makes a person polite and gentle. Self-development allows a person to analyse himself based on his behavior.
(3) Development of positive attitude - Self-development is both the cause and the result of positive attitude. The nature of the approach is based on adverse or favourable performance, which depends on the nature of the individuals. Self-development helps a person with unfavourable feelings and increases his / her favourable outlook. Positive outlook is optimistic and pleasant to the person of life.
(4) Holistic development - Self-development develops physical, physical, intellectual and spiritual / religious qualities in a human being. All these things help in the overall development of a person.
(5) Developing cultural harmony - Self-development expands one's vision. Only a person with a broad / broad vision respects the value of different cultures or religions or communities. It increases the cultural concentration of the originating country.
(6) Development of thought power - Self-development is helpful in increasing one's thinking power. Only a thoughtful person is capable of taking appropriate decisions. This person develops a sense of crappiness, kindness, cooperation, and makes him anxious.
(7) Organization Capability Development - Self-development increases organization capacity in an individual. A good organizer is a boon for society.
(8) Development of self-confidence - Self-confidence helps in increasing self-development. It develops leadership ability in a person. A self-believer is more courageous than the other and is capable of taking risks.
(9) Development of good qualities - Self-development is a prerequisite for development of good qualities in a person. While saving well, saving money and energy is helpful. At the same time, it makes a person rich.
(10) Development of knowledge - The aim of self-development is to develop the spirit of learning and doing something in a person. This increases the desire to learn in person, and the power to analyse. One becomes more courageous and dynamic of self-development.
INTER –DEPENDENCE OF SELF-DEVELOPMENT AND COMMUNICATION:
Self-development and communication processes are mutually dependent on each other. Self-development where communication becomes more dynamic and effective on the one hand, effective communication on the other hand leads to a permanent increase in self-development, thus helping to make communication effective through self-development and self-development through effective communication.
IMPROVEMENT IN COMMUNICATION THROUGH SELF-DEVELOPMENT:
Self-development helps in improving communication efficiency and making it more effective. The relationship between self-development and communication can be explained on the basis of the following points -
(1) Improving communication efficiency by self-development - By improving self-development, communication efficiency can be made more effective. Various communication skills such as writing, speaking, listening and body language can be brought to perfection through self-development. Self-development makes a person more qualified, educated and physically capable. Intellectual development makes a person's writing style more creative and useful.
(2) Development of broad viewpoint by self-development - Self-development gives a broad form to a person's attitude. With this, one can quickly examine the persons in understanding different types of communication.
(3) Development of analysis power by self-development - Self-development analysis helps in increasing the power. A self-developed person is able to find solutions to related problems even in complex or difficult situations. He is able to debate and suit the problems and can also analyze the audience. Therefore, due to the above qualities, he can contribute very effectively in a communication process.
(4) Development of critical style by self-development - Self-development develops critical style in a person. Through self-development, it develops the ability to carry out communication planning, modification and editing. Self-developed. He is also able to express his reaction by critically analyzing the dialogue.
(5) Development of other, abilities by self-development - Some other abilities like perfection, clarity, subtlety, consciousness etc. are also developed in self-development.
SWOT ANALYSIS:
The term SWOT stands for-
S = Strengths
W = Weaknesses
O = Opportunities
T = Threats
The SWOT analysis is a technique for matching organisational strengths and weaknesses with environmental opportunities and threats. In fact, SWOT analysis enables an enterprise to use its strengths to exploit the opportunities by the environment: Whereas, threats of environment are neutralised by reducing its weaknesses to the minimum level. SWOT can thus be used to take a broader view of strategy through the formula
Where,
SA= Strategic Alternatives
O = Opportunity
S = Strengths
W = Weaknesses
This reflects an important issue facing strategic managers Should we invest more in our strengths to make them even stronger or should we invest in our weaknesses to at least make them competitive? While, the experience of conducting a SWOT analysis is always challenging, the actual process is as below;
(1) First of all, the group discusses the strengths which exist, in a given situation. The list of such strengths is prepared and some discussion will take place regarding these strengths. In this process, we just identify and list the strengths.
(2) Then we proceed to list the weaknesses. To identify the weaknesses is as important as strengths stage because a number of potential opportunities are identified which emerge out of the weaknesses.
(3) Next step is to generate the comprehensive list of opportunities. Opportunities might be gathered by considering each of the strengths in turn and then each of the weaknesses. It is worth mentioning that this stage is still about exploring or analysing the problem rather than building solutions. This opportunity stage of the SWOT analysis is the longest of the process and groups should seek to generate as many opportunities in terms of both
Communication refers to the process when information is exchanged between two mediums. In this, the person who receives the information is the Receiver and the Sender. And the medium for exchanging information is called Medium. The exchange of information can be through oral, written or physical expressions.
Be it humans or animals, all of them communicate with their emotions and voices. Humans too have constantly progressed in communication methods over time. Latter is sent for communication first. After that faxes, then pagers came in which only communication was done through message. Then came the phone which could be spoken by talking to a person sitting far away from a place. Now technology has progressed and brought smartphones in which we can not only talk but can also see each other through video chat.
Communication is a major part of our life, let's know how we adopt the process of communication in ordinary life. In communication, information is exchanged through data, language, pictures, etc.
The major part of the process of communication is -
Message -
It is the information or data that is exchanged.
Sender or Sender-
The sender of any information is called Sender.
Medium (Medium) -
The way in which information is sent to others is called medium. Just like if you are communicating by speaking, then voice is the medium. If you are communicating by writing in a letter, then that letter is the medium. Today, you can communicate with any person while sitting far through technology. That is why, there are many mediums for communicating today.
Receiver -
The one who receives the information is called the receiver. This person can be a telephone, computer. A television is also a receiver. Who can get the pictures and show us the picture and video,
Decoding (Code Indication) -
Any information is sent either directly or by a code signal. Realizing these signals, the receiver encodes them.
Protocol -
For any communication, some protocols are made, on the basis of which communication can be done. Just like we communication two mobiles through bluetooth and exchange any kind of data, it is possible only through a protocol.
Corporate communications refer, to the way in which businesses and organizations communicate with internal and external various audiences. These audiences commonly include:
Corporate communications can take many forms depending on the audience that is being addressed. Ultimately, an organization’s communication strategy will typically consist of written word (internal and external reports, advertisements, website copy, promotional materials, email, memos, press releases), spoken word (meetings, press conferences, interviews, video), and non-spoken communication (photographs, illustrations, infographics, general branding).
The Functions of a Communications Department;
In most organizations, the communications department is responsible for overseeing a wide range of communications activities. One of the simplest ways of understanding these different activities is to group them according to the role that they play within an organization, as below.
1. Media and Public Relations;
This refers to the way in which a company or organization communicates with the general public, including the media, by:
2. Customer Communications and Marketing
Though most businesses still differentiate between their marketing and communication departments, the lines between the two have begun to blur in recent years. Corporate communication strategy often impacts marketing strategy, and vice versa, which has increased cooperation and collaboration between the two functions.
It is not uncommon, therefore, for members of the communication department to help generate various marketing materials and general customer communications, including:
3. Crisis Communication
Crisis communication refers to the specific messaging that a company (or individual) portrays in the face of a crisis or unanticipated event which has the potential to damage their reputation or existence. In the event of such a crisis, it is the responsibility of the communications department to create a strategy to address it (often done with the aid of outside experts) which may include:
Exactly what constitutes a “crisis” will depend on the type of organization but may include anything from workplace accidents and violence to business struggles to product defects, chemical spills, litigation, and more.
4. Internal Communications
In addition to being responsible for communicating the organization’s message with external audiences, most communications teams will play at least some role in internal communications, including:
Internal communication is often done at the direction of or in partnership with the human resources management team.
FORMAL COMMUNICATION
It refers to the flow of messages along the routes prescribed in the organisation structure, which follows through a formal channel. These channels, are designed to represent authority responsibility relationships between different positions in the organisations. It is a formal organisation structure, which follows through a formal channel. These channels are designed to represent authority responsibility relationships between different positions in the 'organisation. It is an official communication among official for solving official's problems. For example, if a branch manager wants to communicate with the chairman of the bank, the former has to pass his message through the area manager, regional manager and other functionaries, channels are formed. Formal communication is often slow. and rigid, especially the sender and receiver.
For the smooth and orderly flow of messages, these officially prescribed when chain of command is long or there are several authority levels in between the sender and the receiver.
Formal communication is generally in the form of:
(1) Policy manuals
(2) Procedural hand books
(3) Memoranda
(4) Scheduled meetings
(5) Orders
(6) Conferences
(7) Special interviews
(8) Company news bulletins
(9) Information regarding:
(a) Promotion
(b) Suspension
(c) Termination.
Formal communication flows in the following direction:
(1) Downward communication
(2) Upward communication
(3) Horizontal communication
(4) Diagonal communication
(5) Multi-directional communication
INFORMAL COMMUNICATION :
An authority on grapevine communication has offered the following vivid description:
The grapevine operates fast and furiously in almost any work organization. It moves with impunity across departmental lines and easily by passes superiors in chains of command. It flows around water coolers, down hall ways, through lunch rooms, and wherever people get together in groups. It performs best in informal social contacts, but it can operate almost as effectively as a side line to official meetings. Wherever people congregate, there is no getting rid of the grapevine. No matter how management feels about it, is here to stay.
There is no formal path of grapevine communication Keith Davis has, identify four different networks for transmitting information through the grapevine as follows
1. Single or Straight-Line Chain Model-
As it is clear from the modal No. 1 that A has communicated secrets/private affairs/weakness of his boss to B' by saying that I am only sharing these things with you in confidence but please do not share with anybody. But B' feels after knowing the information from 'A' that how he can ignore his very close friend C, B' says to 'C', I am only telling to you but please do not share it with anybody, but likewise B', 'C' also shares that talk with D' who further share It with 'E' and within few hours every employee Working in that organisation come to know what that talk.
2. Cluster Model of grapevine -
This model has got much faster spread as compared to straight line model of grapevine. As it is clear from the model No. 2 an employee e.g. 'A has shared some information to all the employees working in the Accounts Department where B, C, D, E are working and D' has further given that information to production Department. employees F, G, H, I and I has further shared it marketing Dept, people J, K, L, M and in this way, information reaches within two hours to all the employees working in different departments and every employee will know it in very short time of two to three hours.
3. Star of Gossip Pattern of Grapevine -
This is known as the fastest model of grapevine. In this Model No. 3 suppose X is P.A.to Managing Director he happens to know that during this year the Mr. M.D. has announced a Bonus of 20% he wants to share this information will all the employees, in that case X would be a sharing that good news with all the employees in a gathering form.
Grapevine
In every organisation, there exists an informal channel called grapevine. This type of communication is free from all the formalities planned in an organisation. No formal channel is prescribed. It is the result of the natural desire of the people to communicate each other on a regular basis. Under this personal and organisation matters are discussed. When one comes to know things like
(a) Retrenchment of a colleague
(b) Love affair of the boss
(c) Differences of a peer with his wife.
They whisper these matters to other, which gives them pleasure too. This communication is supplementary to formal communication. Information under this system may be conveyed by a single glance, gesture, nod, smile or mere silence too. The grapevine is basically a channel of horizontal communication, for it is only people working at same level of hierarchy who can informally communicate with one another with perfect ease. However, it does not follow any set pattern and can be effective horizontally, vertically and even diagonally
Miscommunication (Barriers)
Effective communication is said to be achieved when the message is received with 100% accuracy, which is rare phenomenon. But when transmission of the message reaches the receiver, as per sender's expectation, it is considered effective communication. So, communication is seldom complete in all respects. This is because of various hurdles or obstacles or barriers which often arise in the communication process. These hindrances often distort the message and render the communication incomplete and ineffective. These hindrances are known as barrier to communication. A prudent manager must to minimise their influence in be aware of these barriers and seek the daily operations of the enterprise. These barriers are broadly discussed below:
Physical barriers: Physical barriers are communication interference that occur in the environment in which the communication takes place. A typical physical barrier is a sudden distracting noise that temporarily drowns out a voice message.
- Noise- Physical barrier are communication interference that occur in the environment in which the communication takes place.
Noise means interference that occurs in process which blocks the receiver to receive the information and understand at the expected degree of perfection. The word noise is also used to refer to all kinds of physical interference like illegible handwriting, bad photo copying, poor telephone connections, incorrect typing, faulty TV cable etc. In fact, noise means, "Interference that occurs in a signal that prevents you from hearing sounds properly." Noise may be psychological. Psychological noise means mental disturbance. For example: Fatigue, anxiety, ego-hang ups etc. which distracts attention. Physical discomfort such as hunger, pain or exhaustation can also be considered a form of noise and can interfere with effective communication. It may be a visual noise eg., the late arrival of employee results in distraction of superior attention. So, noise may reduce the effective of communication. Therefore, it is necessary to take preventive action to reduce the level and intensity of noise to make communication effective. It can be very tiring to listen to employees who speak softly on a noisy assembly line or to try to conduct a conversation over telephone.
2. Improper Time - Improper Time of communication also hinders the process of communication e.g., an order at closing hour to help in routine operation, may cause resentment in the staff nurse who has changed the clothes and is ready to catch bus for going back to her house.
3. Physical Distance - This happen in organisations where the staff sit at distant locations or there are many divisions of the enterprise situated in the different cities. When receiver of the communication is far away it becomes difficult for the sender to check whether he has received, understood, accepted and properly acted upon the message or not for an effective communication. One needs proper distance, proper time, noise free environment and surroundings.
Variety of Meanings-
Semantic is the science of meaning, as contrasted with phonetics, the science of sounds. Words seldom mean the same thing to two persons. Symbols or words usually have a variety of meanings. The sender and the receiver have to choose one meaning from among many, If both of them choose the same meaning, the communication will be perfect. But this is not always so because of differences in formal education and specific situations of the people. In a nutshell, semantic problem occurs when people use either the same word indifferent ways or different words in the same way. It is worth mentioning, that there are 15 different meanings of the word 'charge' in the English Language?
It may be noted that 500 common English words have an average of 28definitions each.
MURPHY AND PECK in their book "Effective Business Communications "mention that in an abridged dictionary the little word 'run' has 71 meanings as verb, another 35 as a noun and 4 more as an adjective. If this word occurs in a message, the receiver is at liberty to interpret it any of 110 senses.
For instance-
There was a "run" on the bank today
Who will "run" for President this year?
Please "run" my bath water.
She has a "run" in her stocking.
Did you see him "run"?
What headlines do you want to "run" today?
Thus, semantics may be a barrier to communication and it is not only the words but actions, implications and the entire situational contexts that produce misunderstanding. Similarly, Reserves/Profits may mean to management sound financial position, whereas to. employees, it may suggest excess fund spiled up through paying inadequate wages and bonus. To some people, the word government' may mean interference or deficit spending, to others, the same word may mean help, equalisation and justice.
Suppose that different departments of a company receive a memo that anew product is to be developed "in a short time". To people in research and development, 'a short time' might mean 2 to 3 years. To. people in finance department, "a short time" might be 4 to 9 months, whereas the sales department might think of 'a short time' as 4 to 6 weeks.
The factors internal to the organisation which adversely affect the flow of communication, are called organisational barriers. These are explained as follows
Organisational Policy - If the Organisational policy is not supportive to the flow of communication in different directions, communication flow will not run smooth,
Organisational Rules and Regulations
Rules and regulations affect the flow of communication by prescribing the subject-matter to the communicated and the channel through which these are to be communicated. Rules may restrict the flow of certain messages and may leave important ones. As rules are rigid, especially in public sector enterprises, these may cause delays in communication.
Status Differences
Organisations often express hierarchical rank through a variety of symbols (titles, offices, carpets, etc.). Such status differences can be perceived as threats by persons lower in the hierarchy and this can prevent or distort communication. If the sender has higher status than that of the receiver then he has the tendency of not disclosing all the information to the receiver just to maintain his importance in the organisation or sometimes he does not disclose out of fear of competition from the subordinate. On the other hand, if the status of the sender is lower than that of the receiver, he will like to transmit only those, information which can please his superior. Sometimes the subordinates do not communicate just because they are of the view that the superior does not consider their suggestions or does not take interest in solving their problems. Also, the subordinate hesitates in going again and again to his superior for clarifications just to remain in his good books. Many employees fear that expressing their true feelings about the enterprise to their boos could be dangerous or they are not going to be rewarded for good suggestions so why to suggest anything
The importance of communication depends on the mental condition of both the parties. Different persons have different perceptions about reality which can adversely affect the free flow of communication and hence, are called perceptual barriers. These are
Selective Listening
In this form of selective perception, the individual tends to block out new information, especially if it conflicts with existing beliefs. Thus, in a directive from management, the receiver notices only things that reaffirm his beliefs. Thing that conflict with preconceived notions are either ignored or distorted to confirm those preconceptions.
For example, a notice may be sent to all operating departments that costs must be reduced if the organisation is to earn a profit. The communication may not achieve its desired effect because it conflicts with the perceived "reality" of the receivers. Thus, operating employees may ignore or be amused by such information in light of the large salaries, travel allowances, and expense accounts of some executives. Whether such preconceptions are justified is irrelevant; what's important is that they result in breakdowns in communication. In other words, if we only hear what we want to hear, our "reality" can't be disturbed.
In words of Joseph Dooher, "Listening is the most neglected skill of communication. Half listening is like racing your engine with gears in neutral. Half listening is no listening.
Premature Evaluation
We have two ears and one tongue in order that we may hear more and speak less. There are many talkers but few listeners. It is normally seen that some officers have got a tendency to form a judgement before listening to the entire message. Understand the problems, situation, ideas before you take your decision or do evaluation. Think before speaking or taking any action. Listening without making hasty judgements can make the whole enterprise more effective.
Communication barriers adversely affect the efficiency of the enterprise every effort, therefore, should be made to overcome them. Following measures can help in this direction:
1. Shortening the line of communication. The line of communication should be as short as possible. This can be done by reducing the number of levels. As far as possible there should be direct contact between the communicator and the communicatee.
2. Use of simple and meaningful language. The message should be sent in simple and easy to understand language. Double meaning words should not be used in the message to avoid ambiguity in the message. Moreover, educational background of the receiver, should be kept in mind and only that language should be used which he can understand.
3. Developing patience to listen and understand others. Executives and subordinates should develop skill to listen and understand others even if they think that what the other person is talking is all rubbish and irrelevant. It is dangerous to presume what other has to say. The listener should, see the expressed idea not only from his own angle but from other person's, point of view also. Communication barriers adversely affect the efficiency of the enterprise every effort, therefore, should be made to overcome them. Following measures can help in this direction:
1. Shortening the line of communication. The line of communication should be as short as possible. This can be done by reducing the number of levels. As far as possible there should be direct contact between the communicator and the communicatee.
2. Use of simple and meaningful language. The message should be sent in simple and easy to understand language. Double meaning words should not be used in the message to avoid ambiguity in the message. Moreover, educational background of the receiver, should be kept in mind and only that language should be used which he can understand.
3. Developing patience to listen and understand others. Executives and subordinates should develop skill to listen and understand others even if they think that what the other person is talking is all rubbish and irrelevant. It is dangerous to presume what other has to say. The listener should, see the expressed idea not only from his own angle but from other person's, point of view also.
A well-known quote says "Never stop listening, never stop learning and
Never stop training"
Professor Keith Davis has given the following ten command for good listening:
(i) Stop talking.
(i) Put the talker at ease.
(ii) Show him that you want to listen.
(iv) Remove distractions.
(v) Empathise with a talker.
(vi) Be patient.
(vii) Hold your temper.
(vii). Go easy on arguments and criticism.
(ix) Ask questions.
(x) Stop talking.
The first and the last guides are the most important; people have to stop talking before they can listen. Thus, listening helps in increasing the effectiveness, efficiency and retention of communication.
4. KISS (Keep it short, stupid). As Shakespeare has said in his famous play Hamlet, Brevity is the soul of wit. So, avoid over communicating. Too much communication is as bad as too little communication. If the people are flooded with communication, many of its aims are probably lost or defeated. Too much talking or writing on a subject reduces the interest of the recipient. Thus, the communication should be brief so that the receiver does not get bored. Some, helpful hints in written communication are suggested by Robert
Degise as follow
(a) Keep Words Simple. This makes the message clear and easily understand by the receiver. The message will lose its significance if the words are complex.
(b) Do not be bogged down by Rules of Composition. While the rules of grammar and composition must be respected, they should not take priority over the ultimate purpose of communication.
(c)Write Concisely. Use as few words as possible. Do not be brief at the cost of completeness but impress your thoughts, opinions and ideas in the fewest number of words possible.
(d) Be Specific. Vagueness destroys accuracy which leads to misunderstanding of the meaning of the intent of message. Accordingly, be specific and to the point.
5. Utilise Feedback. Too often information is transmitted without communicating, since communication complete only when the message is understood by the receiver. And one never knows whether communication is understood unless the sender gets feedback. This is accomplished by asking questions, requesting and reply to a letter and encouraging receivers to by their reaction to the messages.
6. Develop Mutual Trust. Status and position create many communication barriers. Subordinates do not like to state anything which is true but may offend the boss. Such barriers can be overcome by developing a feeling mutual trust and confidence between the subordinate and the superior. Both parties should try to appreciate each other's problems. The parties should mutually accept criticism, admit faults and welcome suggestions.
Practices for Driving Engagement :
We share bellow tips and best practices for driving engagement through great business communication. And the cool thing about these best practices is that you can use them in different contexts: during a crisis, when your company is undergoing a merger or acquisition, or when you’re about to launch a new product.
Are you ready? Let’s dive in!
1. Don’t Sugar coat Your Messages. Tell the Truth
If you want to build long-term relationships with your employees and your external audiences, one of the first things you’ll have to do is earning their trust.
Simply put, it means that you need to build an open and transparent business communication. No matter what happens at the company, you need to inform your audiences and drive discussions with them.
In times of crisis, don’t try to make things look better than they are. Information will start leaking anyway, so you may want to be proactive and tell the truth before your employees and your customers start making assumptions that turn into rumors.
But your customers don’t want to hear about your business only in times of crisis! They want to learn about your vision, your core values and the social causes your company supports.
The same goes for your employees: they want to understand the company’s north star metric, your strategy overall, and how their jobs contribute to the business’s success.
Keep in mind that business communication is an on-going process. Don’t open up only in times of crisis — keep the discussions going on. It’s the only way to build a solid brand!
2. Communicate Complex Situations in a Simple Way
Don’t get me wrong — being transparent doesn’t mean sharing with your employees and external audience long presentations, financial reports (that no one is going to read), or unengaging activity reports!
Neither your customers or employees like business jargon. And let’s be honest, they don’t have time for that! So, you need to keep your messages short and sweet!
The key here is to repurpose your content. Turn your reports and presentations into videos, infographics, or short posts that your employees and customers (if you share your reports externally) can easily digest.
Remember, infographics, images and videos are processed by the human brain.
3. Don’t Share Messages. Enhance Dialogues!
The thing is, your employees’ and customers’ expectations have changed. They don’t want to have a passive role in your business communication, they want their voice to be heard.
They don’t expect you to share messages with them. Instead, they want to join your community and share their own messages and thoughts with the other members of your community.
The old days of one-way communication where top management would communicate the messages they want with the employees and the customers are over! Most businesses are turning their communication strategies into dialogues. They organize poll surveys, focus groups, and one-on-one sessions to collect employees’ feedback and improve their business communication accordingly.
An average GD usually features 10 to fifteen participants. The GD process begins by the announcement of the subject to the group, which is (usually) followed by a preparation time of three to five minutes. quite 5 minutes’ prep time could also be given as long as the GD may be a case-study discussion, and features a long case statement.
At the top of the prep time, the panel signals the group to commence the discussion, and from then on plays the role of a non-participating observer. this suggests that the discussion isn't moderated or ‘anchored’ by a panellist. The group members must discuss the subject as they deem appropriate with none quite suggestion from the panel. The panel expects no particular order of speakers to be followed nor a minimum or maximum duration of chatting with be followed by individual participants.
The average duration of most GDs is quarter-hour (not including the prep time). In some exceptional cases (such as IIFT), the GD may continue for up to 45 minutes. One must remember that the longer the GD goes on, the more seriously the panel looks at the standard of the content (facts, analysis, explanation and argument) of the participant.
The panel usually consists 3 or 4 panellists, who check out various aspects of the participants’ content and delivery. Please remember that the panellists may end the GD whenever they need to, and also extend the GD for the maximum amount as they need to. Nobody among the participants is meant to stay time for the group or act on the idea that the GD will end after the 15th minute.
The GD ends in either of the 2 ways: first, the panel may abruptly stop the GD and announce the top of the process; second, they'll ask a participant (or quite one participant) to summarise the GD. If you're asked to summarise, do remember what summary means – your summary cannot have anything in it that wasn't discussed during the GD. I especially stress now because the participants who are mostly quiet during the GD are usually asked to summarise it, and that they tend to require this chance to air their views which aren't presented during the discussion. The summary must be an objective recapitulation of the details mentioned during the discussion, and therefore the conclusion of the discussion.
TYPES OF GROUP DISCUSSIONS:
Most Group Discussions are often divided into 3 kinds:
A) Topical Group Discussions, which are supported current affairs or ‘static’ matters – for instance, a GD on the subject of the recent demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes would be the previous, whereas a GD on whether India should adopt a presidential model of democracy would be the latter, because it has no limitation of a time-frame.
B) Case-studies, which present the group with a posh business situation that needs a choice to be made. Such cases usually have multiple problems embedded within the given situation, and both the individual participants and therefore the group are required to analyse things, identify the issues , and suggest how out.
C) Abstract Group Discussions, which are called so because they provide us no definite framework of the subject, and hence no definite direction to require within the discussion. Instead, the participants are required to interpret the subject in their own ways and demonstrate innovative thinking in doing so. Such topics might be single-worded, like ‘Blue’, or a brief cryptic sentence, or maybe a picture.
Contrary to popular perception, nobody quite GD is necessarily easier or harder than the other, because the quality of response in any case depends largely on the preparation of the individual and therefore the way they typically think.
What is the evaluation criteria during a Group Discussion?
The evaluation of participants happens in two broad perspective: Individual qualities and group skills.
Individual qualities ask the competencies that you simply may demonstrate in or outside the context of a gaggle. They include the following:
A) Content: What you say during the discussion is looked into from two perspectives – relevance and comprehensiveness. it's possible that a participant has talked an excellent deal during a GD, but he or she may have deviated from the subject significantly, during which case the content is deemed largely irrelevant without the likelihood of further evaluation. If the content has been relevant to the subject, the panel examines whether your treatment of the subject is superficial or in-depth, distinction we shall discuss intimately within the next few posts.
B) Analytical skills: The panel is in fact curious about your facts, but they also wish to see whether or not you'll explore the ‘why’ and therefore the ‘how’ of the topic matter. this is often put to the sternest test during a case-study topic.
C) Reasoning skills: The panel looks at how you support your standpoints, and the way you answer those of the others, how effectively you'll ‘strengthen or weaken’ an argument, how logical you're in your overall approach to the subject
D) Organisation skills: you'll have the facts, the supports, the reasons, but are you ready to present them within the right order so on maximise the impact of your good content? The panel wants to look at this.
E) Communication skills: you'll have exhibited all the talents stated above, but are you able to get your point across to someone during a simple (not simplistic) language they understand, with relevant illustrations they will identify with
F) Creativity: Are you ready to bring back the table a completely unique perspective on the topic? are you able to check out a drag differently from ten other participants and suggest a path-breaking solution? are you able to interpret an abstract topic in ways the others cannot? If yes, the panel looks at you as someone with one among the rarest of human qualities.
On the opposite hand, the group skills ask those skills which may only be evaluated within the context of a gaggle . They include the following:
A) Listening skill: The panel constantly observes whether or not every participant is taking note of the discussion. In my experience, most participants are concerned only with speaking, and feel that they're through with the work as soon as they need spoken, which is contrary to the spirit of a discussion. There are some ways a panel may infer that a participant may be a poor listener, like a scarcity of eye contact with the group, or a poor summary at the top . it's one among the rarest skills, and a requirement for a would-be manager.
B) Leadership quality: In highly-charged discussions, one or two participants usually play the role of the anchor, therein they define the subject appropriately, offer the initial analysis of the keywords of the subject , and also attempt to hold the group together in pursuit of a standard goal. Such individuals could demonstrate effective leadership, and score some extra points. However, one cannot score anything extra just because one spoke first within the group, or was the loudest.
C) Body language: While assessing the visual communication, the panel primarily looks at eye contact and hand movements. The speaker must maintain a uniform eye contact with the whole group as he or she speaks, and therefore the listeners must reciprocate. If the either doesn’t happen, you permit the panel to infer whatever they want to – from a scarcity of confidence to a scarcity of interest within the GD to the shortage of concern for others. All very detrimental to the ultimate score. Hand movements are to your speech what punctuation is to your writing. If used wisely they beautifully enhance the effect of your words; if used unwisely they attract unnecessary attention and distract the listener from your words. i like to recommend that you simply simply ‘free’ your hands. don't engage them with something pointless like twiddling with the pen, or tapping on the desk, or running through your hair (common among female participants). The body has an intelligence of its own. Just leave your hands alone and specialise in the subject . The hands will start moving naturally. Please remember that visual communication can't be faked. a talented observer will quickly see through such deception. Just specialise in the task at hand and therefore the body will obediently follow. The panel can also concentrate to your voice modulation. an uneventful pitch may reduce the impact of even the foremost powerful words unless you're a Tommy Lee Jones! Vary the pitch of your voice so as to make emphasis wherever needed.
D) Group behaviour: this is often usually assessed during a broad distinction – assertive or aggressive. Avoid the latter regardless of what. Assertiveness may be a rational display of conviction of one’s thoughts, while aggressiveness may be a display of domination through subtle intimidation. Assertiveness allows room for flexibility – which may be a desired trait – while aggressiveness results in irrational rigidity of viewpoint. Please remember that B-schools are trying to find sensitive individuals, not skinhead bouncers.
Now that you simply skills you'll be evaluated, specialise in specific areas of improvement during your practice GDs. Identify with the assistance of your trainer the strengths and weaknesses. Set clear goals for yourselves, and don't lose the sight of them during your practice.
Your interview preparation includes researching the organization and, if possible and without "stalking" them, researching the people, too.
The Internet provides a wealth of data for job seekers. These are 10 (or more) places where you'll start your research.
If you've got time, keep looking. The more you recognize , the higher off you'll be. Not only will you be in knock-their-socks-off mode for the interview, your research could assist you determine that the employer won't be an honest place for you to figure .
1. Very carefully analyze the work description.
It is too easy to skip this step and an often deadly mistake if you are doing .
Ask them for a replica of the work description, if you do not have already got it. Then read it word-by-word. Pay careful attention to:
How they describe themselves - if they describe themselves.
The "requirements" of the work - experience, skills, education needed to try to to the work .
The "duties" of the work - what the person doing the work are going to be liable for .
Any "nice-to-have" needs that are not specified as needed for this job, but are skills or knowledge which will gain you bonus points.
Build Your Interview Checklist: Make an inventory of how you meet their requirements, have proven ability to accomplish the duties, and are an "ideal" candidate for this job.
Don't assume that the work requirements and duties are necessarily so as of importance -- they ought to be, but aren't always within the order that the interviewer would like . So, specialise in your strengths.
2. Prepare samples of your accomplishments.
Saying you're very skilled at something isn't as effective as sharing an accomplishment that proves your skill level. a superb thanks to share your accomplishment is by describing situations where you successfully used that skill. consider this as "success story telling."
Think of the days once you have successfully navigated through a difficult or challenging situation. If possible, specialise in work-related situations or, at least, once you have achieved something associated with what's required for this job. for instance , when you:
Solved a drag , major or minor.
Created a replacement process.
Lead a team (as the team leader or not).
Managed a situation (as the manager or not).
Did something else innovative or original.
Preferably, these accomplishments helped your employer increase profitability, reduce expenses, improved customer or employee satisfaction, or provided another major benefit to your employer at the time. Then, build a STAR description of every situation:
S -- situation things -- the circumstances and context.
T -- the Task -- the matter or the target you were trying to realize .
A -- the Action -- what you probably did to accomplish the Task successfully.
R -- the Result -- the successful resolution of things .
For samples of STAR stories, read Be a STAR in Your Next employment interview . the great news is that when you've got prepared your STARs, you'll use them to answer many various questions for other employers, too.
3. Examine the organization's website.
If this employer has no website, move on. The employer's website presents "the party line" about the organization -- what they tell the planet , and potential customers/clients, about themselves. Study the house page, but don't stop there.
Read the "About Us" and "Contact Us" sections. Then, shop around at the opposite pages.
Know the industry or purpose of the organization. make certain that's what you expect and need to be involved in.
Become conversant in the products or services. Know the brand names, if any, or a minimum of the aim or function.
Check for press releases or the newest news about the organization.
Look for names of the senior officers or founders and other highly visible employees. Are any of them familiar to you or, perhaps, known to you?
Where are they located?
Do they need their jobs posted?
Does the knowledge on the web site raise any questions or concerns for you? does one see any opportunities?
Read the way to Leverage the knowledge on Employer Websites for more details on digging out information from the employer's website, LinkedIn and more.
4. Put Google, DuckDuckGo, Bing, and YouTube to figure gathering important information about the organization.
This is where you see how well "the party line" on the web site relates to what the remainder of the planet thinks. Reality about an employer might be quite different than what the web site tells you, counting on the standard of the web site and/or the standard of the organization.
If you've got product or service names, use an enquiry engine (or two) to ascertain what's being written, said, and videoed about the products or services. Dig in past the primary few pages of results.
Look for product or service reviews.
Look for happy and unhappy customers and therefore the reasons for both. search for the names of competing organizations and competing products or services. Be very careful in your sharing of what you've got found. the neatest thing could also be to use the knowledge as a basis for asking questions (without regard to your research) and observing what's happening once you are there. Also, use these reviews to direct further research.
Read their annual reports, if available.
If the employer may be a company which sells stock on the stock exchange within the USA, search for the newest financial report on AnnualReports.com. Companies with "publicly traded" stock must publish independently-audited financial reports per annum. Quarterly reports also are required, but aren't necessarily independently audited.
In annual reports, you'll find details on sales, profits, key executives, locations, and far more for this company. Also, search through AnnualReports.com to seek out the newest reports from this employer's competitors. they're gold mines of data , if they're available.
5. Check the LinkedIn and Facebook Company Profiles.
Hopefully, you already found links to those profiles with the Google search (step 3, above). Click on the links to ascertain what additional information you'll find.
LinkedIn Company searchOn LinkedIn, the term "company" extends to high school districts, nonprofits, government agencies, and other non-corporate entities. to seek out an employer, type the corporate name within the search bar, and on the results page select "Companies" from the menu you discover once you click on "More.
For many organizations from Fortune 500 to local small nonprofits, LinkedIn will often have information about the people that work there (and how you're "connected" to them inside LinkedIn) also because the organization itself plus job openings.
6. Use Google, YouTube, and LinkedIn to research any names you've got .
You may find that you simply have something in common with someone interviewing you. Perhaps you attended an equivalent college or share a former employer. Check them out, too, on search engines and LinkedIn.
Hopefully, you recognize the names of the people that are going to be interviewing you. If they are not offered when the interview is scheduled, invite them. you would like both their names and their job titles. Then, head for LinkedIn to ascertain what you'll discover about each -- how long they have been with the employer, where they've worked within the past, where they visited school.
If they need written and posted articles on LinkedIn or other websites, read a number of those articles. search for a topic (e.g. social media marketing is great or international sales are the longer term of the company) and anything you would possibly have in common with them.
Try to get a way of the type of individuals who work there. Are all of them holders of advanced Ivy League degrees, several veterans of the USMC, mostly twenty-somethings, all one gender, all one race, a mix of ages and races, or anything that catches your eye.
INTERVIEWS:
Interview is that the widely used (election method. it's a face-to-face interaction between interviewee and interviewer. If handled carefully, it is often a strong technique in having accurate information of the interviewee otherwise unavailable. At an equivalent time, if the interview isn't handled carefully, it is often a source of bias, restricting or distorting the flow of communication.
Different scholars have defined ‘interview’ differently. consistent with Scott et al. , “an interview may be a purposeful exchange of ideas, the answering of questions and communication between two or more persons”. Bingham et al. define an interview as a ‘conversation with a purpose”.
Thus, interview are often defined as an effort to secure maximum amount of data from the candidate concerning his/her suitability for the work into account .
It tries to realize an accurate appraisal of the applicant in terms of his/her educational qualification, training, family background, previous work experience and judge the applicant’s certain qualities like manners, appearance, conversational ability, meet people pleasantly, etc.
Objectives of Interview:
In the selection process, interview serves the subsequent objectives:
1. Verifies the knowledge obtained through form and tests.
2. Helps obtain additional information from the applicant otherwise not available.
3. Gives the candidate necessary facts and knowledge about the work and therefore the organisation.
4. Helps establish mutual affection between the corporate and therefore the candidate and build the company’s image.
According to Richard Calhoon, job interview serves the subsequent three objectives.
First, it's the sole thanks to see an applicant in action – how he looks, his manner, his bearing.
Second, it's the sole thanks to witness how he interacts and the way he responds, his way of thinking, the effect of his personality on others.
Third, it's perhaps the simplest thanks to get at the ‘will do’ features of a performance- motivation, initiative, stability, perseverance, work, habits and judgments.
TYPES OF INTERVIEWS
Employment Interview or Selection Interview: the foremost important and widely used interview types are job interview or selection interview. this sort of interview is conducted to seek out out potential suitable candidates for the vacant positions.
a crucial objective of job interview is to assess the suitability of candidates for jobs. In most organizations, employment or selection interviews are taken by a panel of interviewers. the target of such interview is to prolong and reveal important aspects of the candidate’s personality which are relevant to the requirements of the work . it's also referred to as job selection interview.
Business Communication
Assessment or Appraisal Interview: An appraisal interview is conducted to appraise or assess the general performance of the workers . it's usually held once a year.
By assessment interview, the employer tends to understand the employee’s performance and shortcomings. it's also possible to seek out out the employee’s ambition, motivation, interest and therefore the state of his morale by appraisal interview.
Promotion Interview: In organizational laddering system, employees are promoted to higher ranks counting on their skill and job performance. Promotion interview is an interview that's conducted so as to pick the simplest candidate from the workers for promotion to higher post. purpose of such interview is to live the attitude of the person and his fitness to require up the responsibility of the upper post. The interview also provides a chance to the management to form the person conscious of the responsibilities he will need to shoulder.
Termination Interview: Termination interview takes place when the manager calls problem employees to tell them the causes of termination of job. Sometimes it's going to be inevitable to warn the workers who are continuously violating the principles of the organization. In such case, the management reminds them the explanations of termination of job but wants to retain relationship if they abide by the organizational rules.
Conflict Resolution Interview: If an interview takes place to resolve conflict between two rival groups within the organization. it's called conflict resolution interview. during this interview the solicitor or moderator of the interview tries to form the conflicting parties approximate , minimize their misunderstanding, build positive attitudes and eradicate conflict.
Exit Interview: The exit interview takes place when the worker is leaving the organization either voluntarily or through dismissal. This sorts of interview is extremely important for a corporation for several reasons. Firstly, the management can determine the rationale for the employee’s decision to go away and may clear up any misunderstanding or ill feeling which may have developed. Secondly, the management tries to urge the workers assessment of the corporate in terms of its employee relations, PR, sales policies etc. His opinions are going to be usually representative of the overall opinions of the staff and can be useful to switch its employee policy.
Problem Interview: An interview where a drag employee attends as an interviewee and therefore the management as interviewer is named a drag interview. When the performance of an employee is unsatisfactory in spite of warnings by his supervisor, an interview is more likely to point out an answer than simply another warning. the target of such interview is to seek out out the explanations behind the poor performance of the worker for instance, dissatisfaction with the work, domestic or personal problem, poor health and lack of adjustment to the environment or to the work. Giving advice and suggestions and to assist the worker to beat the matter also are some major purposes of problem interview.
Grievance Interview: many of us are working in a corporation especially in large organization there could also be some grievances with some employees that are to be removed immediately. In such cases manager calls the grieved employees in interview to understand their resentment and pacifies them to attenuate these as early as possible. this sort of interview is understood as grievance interview.
Reprimand Interview: Reprimand interview takes place when the management criticizes an employee severely by taking him to his room for a few undesirable statement or action. Sometimes the manager summons the worker to his room and talks to him in his official capacity. A reprimand may be a sort of disciplinary action likely to be resented by the workers. The objectives of such interview are to enhance the work performance of the workers, to stop the recurrence of such offences and to guard the opposite employees from the malaise of anti-organizational behavior. There are two aspects of reprimand interview. The disciplinary aspect where the worker is run a warning and therefore the guidance aspect where the worker is helped to enhance his performance.
Limitations of Interview:
Research studies have firmly established that, among all selection methods, interview has been the foremost researched and punctiliously documented method.
However, interview suffers from some limitations also.
1. Interviewers might not have a clearly defined technique developed. This leads to lack of validity in evaluation of the candidate.
2. there's always variation in offering scoring points to the candidate by the interviewers.
3. Interview can help judge the personality of the candidate but not his ability for the work.
4. one characteristic of the candidate acknowledged on the idea of interview, may affect the judgment of the interviewer on other qualities of the applicant. this is often called ‘halo effect’.
5. The biases of interviewers may cloud the objectivity of interview.
6. Finally, interview may be a time consuming and expensive device of selection.
The above listed limitations or defects in interview underline the necessity for observing certain guidelines to form interviews simpler.
Even if, seminar talks might look like speeches, but there is a marked difference between the two. While speeches are made to celebrate or mark a occasion, happy or sad, to felicitate someone, to, bid someone farewell or welcome someone, they do not raise a particular issue for discussion. In a seminar talk, the speaker, who has made a special study of the subject, gives his exposition of it and presents his views on it.
Acquiring skills of effective listening is not an easy task but it is very Crucial. Cart Rogers states that listening rejects a basic attitude about people rather than just a set of skills. Listening is half of oral communication, and itis a skill that needs to be practised and taken equally as seriously as speaking. So, listening is a skill not a trait which can be taught, trained ans improved. Real or effective listening is that experience of being totally understood by another person. It produces harmony, resolves conflicts, promotes mutual understanding and public relations. Common guides and practice drills are given below for improving the communication skill to ensure effective listening and improved listening:
2. Put the talker at ease: Welcome the person, and express your availability. If you make the talker feel at ease, he or she will do a better job of talking. So, help a person feel free to talk by making him or her comfortable. In your daily communications to0, establish a permissible environment for each communicator.
3. Show a talker that you want to listen : Look interested. Establish eye contract and give 'non-verbal responses. In fact, establishing eye contact shows that you are listening, as does your posture. When any of the audience do not look at the speaker it means he or she is not interested in listening Doing things like reading, looking at your watch and looking away distracts the talker.
4. Resist distractions: Tune out internal and external distractions by facing and maintaining contact with the speaker. When a listener develops an ability to convert the distraction into simple hearing, his listening skill increases manifold. It is because hearing is unsemantic while listening is semantic process. The ability to throw away distractions is difficult to attain but not impossible. Looking at one's own watch, shufilling papers, reacting own nail, tapping with a pen or pencil, passing something along, offer to shut the door or the like distracting activities should not be practiced.
5. Empathize with a talker: Empathy means placing yourself in the shoes or speaker. True exchange of information can take place only if we place Ourselves in the position of the talker. If you place yourself in the talker's position and look at things from his or her point of view, you create a climate that encourages others to communicate honestly and openly.
Report is defined as communication: from someone who has to inform, to someone who wants to use that information. Report states or describes about the events or facts to someone who requires it. These reports can be written by the individual or by the committees. Reports can be prepared only after careful investigation, experiments, research, surveys and logical thinking. Such reports send with expert advice, suggestions and recommendations. Due to the increased complexity in the business environment, today the management have to be involved in a widespread activities. A large number of decisions regarding these activities are taken on the basis, of information, analysis, interpretation, recommendation and suggestions made in the reports. These reports help the management for evaluation, assessment and appraisal of the employees and their organisational activities. The large industry, which employs thousands of employees in the various departments, relies on the reports furnished by different departments to bring coordination among them Reports are vital to the communication needs of all large organisations. The larger the organisation, the greater the need for report is likely to be. Also, the more technical and complex the work within the organisation, the more likely it is the report will be needed."
