BACHELOR OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES
Osmania University - SYLLABUS (2011-14) -- 1st Year – 2nd Semester (206) BMS
(2012-2015) at SFC, Begumpet
CORPORATE SOFTSKILLS
&
COMMUNICATION
INTRODUCTION
0.1. Objectives
0.2. Learning
Outcome
0.3. Relevance
0.4. Hard
Skills Vs Soft Skills
0.5. Enhance
Your Soft Skills
0.6. Tips
To Enhance Your Soft Skills
0.7. Aec Of Soft Skill
0.8. Are Technical/ Job-Related Skills Enough?
0.9. Formal Training To Enhance Soft Skills
0.10.
Getting Tough With
Soft Skills
0.11.
Knowledge Vs.
Skills
0.12.
Behavioral
Indicators
0.13.
Etiquette
0.14.
Who Needs The
Trained & Why ?
0.1.
OBJECTIVES
1. Develop
effective presentation and business communication skills.
2. Become
self-confident individuals by mastering inter-personal skills, team management
skills, and leadership skills and develop all-round personalities with a mature
outlook to function effectively in different circumstances.
Syllabus covered in five
Units.
Unit 1- Emotional
Intelligence in Leadership
Unit2- Brand You Better
Under Corporate Culture
Unit 3- Public Relations
Corporate Style
Unit 4- Public Relations
Business Style
Unit 5- Reporting And
Documentation
Unit -1 concentrates on the Self Development
towards making the individual fit for the corporate, Business and such Social
requirements. Interpersonal, Team, Leadership Skills are to be developed in
giving confidence to the individual. This Self Deverlopment gives confidence in
them to Communicate and Brand them better.
Unit -2 is to mold the self under the
corporate culture. Human Relation, Social Skills Customer Relationship, Listening,
Negotiation, Presentation Skills and Conducting Meetings to Media
Correspondance are the Tasks.
Unit-3 is more to get into the learning of Public
Relation as a Corporate Executive. This is mostly for internal upward and
downward correspondence, Conducting Meetings etc.
Unit -4 is on the Business Relationship
culture. Dealing on Quotes, Banks, Insurance Claims are dealt. Talks about work
ethics, responsibility etc.
Unit -5 is on Reporting and documenting.
Conduct of Meetings, Negotiations, Interview and Group Discussion is also
included.
0.2.
LEARNING OUTCOME
·
The main objective of this subject is to
learn how to communicate in a corporate environment.
To achieve this a
broader perspective; related issues are discussed to get into specific
etiquettes.
Communication (from Latin "communis",
meaning to share) is the
activity of conveying information through the exchange of thoughts,
messages, or information, as by speech, visuals, signals, writing, or behavior
within and outside a community. Communication depends upon the situation.
Communication can be verbal, non-verbal and written. Communication requires a
sender, a message, and a
recipient. Transmission and understanding of the message are parts of
communication. Listener is more important than the speaker. The sender
therefore, needs to analyze the level of understanding and mannerisms of the
receiver. Anything can be interpreted in multiple ways. Hence it is essential
to convey the right thing, at the right time, right way, right place and right
people. Written Communication should be mastered to convey right meaning.
Perfect communication occurs when the intended meaning is received in the same
manner it is transmitted. Sometimes not communicating is better than
communicating.
Attitude is a way of thinking or feeling,
typically reflected in a person’s behavior and body language. A person’s
attitude is determined by his observation, past experiences, beliefs and
environment. Attitude differs from place to place. A police officer behaves
different at the police station and at home. We need to develop a realistic and
positive attitude in life.
Behavior is the range of actions and mannerisms
made by organisms in response to
various stimuli or inputs. Our manas is a mirror. Behavior is a
reflection. That is why the way the other speaks we respond back. It is
influenced by culture, emotions, values, ethics, and social norms.
Soft skills are
personal attributes that enhance an individual's interactions, job performance
and career prospects. Unlike hard
skills, which are about a person's skill set and ability to perform a certain
type of task, soft skills are interpersonal and broadly applicable. It's often
said that hard skills will get you an interview but you need soft skills to get
(and keep) the job.
The
idea is not to learn it theoretical, more practical oriented learning through
different innovative group activities. More than Soft Skill, the learning has
to be a LIFE Skill orientation. Thus the learning for the Corporate LIFE will
also make the LIFE otherwise too interesting and self-contained with a feeling
of dignity and achievement.
0.3.
RELEVANCE
World
is witnessing a major change in communication and working culture, with
expanding social spheres, openness in communication and professionals working
in multicultural corporate environments. India's workforce have to be world-class,
to be competent, competitive and successful. To create and nurture successful
professionals learning corporate soft skill and communication is essential. Acquisition,
cultivation and fine-tuning of soft skills are the key to professional success.
Soft
Skills and Communication is part of educational process that produces top-notch
professionals with Attitude, Communication and Etiquette. Foundations of soft
skills and communication lie in a strong attitude. Attitude gets manifested as
communication, which gets further refined as etiquette.
Soft
Skills covers a variety of intra-inter-personal skills including personal
accountability, listening skills, business proposals, formal and informal
relation at workplace etc.. Learning in this course is to give insightful,
practical and all-round perspective into soft skills through entertainment.
Learning
though this course is though for coaching for corporate values and career
development; it gives a holistic personal view towards a life. Thus it is more
a Life Skill Training that can be experienced by a good learner enabling a
change. Age 18 is the peek in life when one has to get to a maturity change
which gives them a turn from teen to twenty. Special are Girls who need a real molding for a better social life
that determines the self and family life ahead.
Soft
Skills as opposed to hard skills (such as technical skills) greatly impacts the
emotional
intelligence of employees. Making them better leaders require a good
soft skill culture inculcated in all in the office. Professional development of
employees is important in maintaining relationships with their customers and
developing a successful business. Continuous training provided in 'soft skills'
for workforce is necessary to improve business, professional development of their
employees, which in turn leads to higher employee retention. Most of the
organizations realized the importance of soft skills and communication training
for global business. They found that soft skills such as Cultural Sensitivity,
Business Etiquette and good Communication Skills (telephone etiquette, email
etiquette, information gathering and listening skills) make a greater impact on
clients from across the world rather than a high degree of technical skills.
0.4.
HARD SKILLS VS SOFT
SKILLS
In the world of work, “hard skills” are technical or
administrative procedures related to an organization’s core business. Examples
include machine operation, computer protocols, safety standards, financial
procedures and sales administration. These skills are typically easy to
observe, quantify and measure. They’re also easy to train, because most of the
time the skill sets are brand new to the learner and no unlearning is involved.
By contrast, “soft skills” (also called “people skills”) are
typically hard to observe, quantify and measure. People skills are needed for
everyday life as much as they’re needed for work. They have to do with how
people relate to each other: communicating, listening, engaging in dialogue,
giving feedback, cooperating as a team member, solving problems, contributing
in meetings and resolving conflict. Leaders at all levels rely heavily on
people skills, too: setting an example, teambuilding, facilitating meetings,
encouraging innovation, solving problems, making decisions, planning,
delegating, observing, instructing, coaching, encouraging and motivating.
Obviously, people come to organizations with interpersonal
behavior patterns already thoroughly ingrained, and they weren’t learned in a
classroom. Instead, individuals learn how to deal with relationships and other
life challenges “on the street” at a very early age. They observe how the
people around them do things, they experiment, and they stick with what works
for them.
So everyone ends up with a unique portfolio of people skills; some
behaviors may be effective, but others cause problems. By the time employees
get to a training room, they’ve already worked hard for decades to reinforce
the way they deal with people.
Like all behavior patterns, interpersonal skills are “hard-wired”
in the neuronal pathways of the cerebral cortex. This means that at some point
a behavior was repeated often enough that neurons grew dendrites that reached
out to other neurons to make the connections needed to make behavior pattern
automatic. A myelin sheath coated the cells like electric wire insulation,
making the connection extremely efficient. The end result: these ways of
behaving now feel natural, easy and comfortable.
0.5.
ENHANCE YOUR SOFT SKILLS
Four out of 10 employers expect to
struggle to fill graduate vacancies because of a shortage of applicants with
the right skills, a survey says. These employers feel most graduates lack in
‘soft skills’ such as communication as well as verbal and numerical reasoning.
Soft skills is a term used related
to a person’s EQ (emotional intelligence quotient) the cluster of personality
traits, social graces, communication, language, personal habits, friendliness,
and optimism that characterise relationships with other people. These skills
are considered important by many recruiters as they believe that soft skills
complement hard skills (part of a person’s IQ), which are the occupational
requirements of a job and many other activities.
Speaking on the importance of soft
skills, a HR professional says a candidate with proper soft skills has an edge
over others in this competitive world. “It is essential to gauge a person’s
soft skills before recruiting because behaviour is often associated with one’s
thought process,” he adds.
Employers are now realising the
need to hire the right talent as they feel hiring staff strictly on the basis
of skills and expertise may provide an answer to tactical needs. However, if
the employee is technically inclined and deficient in communication and people
skills, the ability of an organisation to execute its strategy is often
compromised.
Speaking to the media, CVK Maithreya, a business advisor and behaviour consultant,
says, “Communication is a holistic subject and soft skills are an important
subset. Without soft skills, there could be misunderstanding, particularly when
people are from different backgrounds.”
One of the most important aspects
of soft skills in professional world is relationship management: the ability to
inspire, influence, and develop others while managing conflict.
0.6.
TIPS TO ENHANCE YOUR
SOFT SKILLS
Awareness: You need to begin by making a
list of skills that you lack by discussing with your close friends, co-workers
etc. Awareness is the first step in building up your soft skills forte.
Interact: To build an understanding with
your teammates, you should interact more with them. Also take up projects and
get involved in some voluntary work.
Be optimistic: Exude that positivism and spread
the infectious optimism.
Self-motivating: Set personal goals to reach new
highs and keep targets for yourself.
Possess a forgiving and benevolent
ego – Humble
oneself, accept and learn sincerely from criticism.
Be a team player – Learn to trust, build
comradeship, set common goals, provide support, friendship& get your hands
dirty!
Communicate effectively – Be clear, tactful, diplomatic
& pace the conversation.
Think out of box: Be creative and hone your innovative
and creative skills
Look at the Big Picture – Consider all aspects, potential
opportunities, threats & contingencies
Learn how to multitask and
prioritise
– Practice empowerment and delegation, mange time well when multitasking and
prioritizing.
0.7.
AEC OF SOFT SKILL
(ATTITUDE, COMMUNICATION AND ETIQUETTE)
Our world is witnessing a major
change in communication patterns, with expanding social spheres, openness in
communication and professionals working in multicultural environments. It is
crucial, therefore, that India's workforce remains world-class, through
re-training and continuous improvement, to remain competent, competitive and
successful. To create and nurture successful professionals, the acquisition,
cultivation and fine-tuning of soft skills are highly essential in the given
business paradigm.
The ACE of Soft Skills is a part of
this educational process that produces top-notch professionals. Divided into
three parts-Attitude, Communication and Etiquette-this unique book provides a
broad-based coverage of what constitute soft skills. The foundations of soft
skills lie in a strong attitude; this attitude gets manifested as
communication, which gets further refined as etiquette.
0.8.
ARE TECHNICAL/
JOB-RELATED SKILLS ENOUGH?
Technical and job-related skills are a must,
but they are NOT sufficient when it comes to progressing up the ladder.
With the traditional paternalistic style of
leadership becoming passé, professional managers expect their teams to be
proactive and communicate openly.
"Soft skills are very important in business.
It is essential to be technically sound, but one should also have the ability
to convey the idea to the masses in the simplest possible manner,"
says Mayurkumar Gadewar, an ERP consultant with Pricewaterhouse Coopers.
With the boom in outsourcing taking root
across industries, many professionals and subject matter experts directly
deal with their clients on a regular basis.
Their approachability and people skills are what
ultimately sustain the contract their employers have bagged.
"Planning is necessary but execution is also
equally important. And it takes soft skills to execute any idea because it
involves dealing with people directly," says Gadewar.
0.9.
FORMAL TRAINING TO
ENHANCE SOFT SKILLS
There is a lot of argument in the industry as to
whether it is possible to enhance soft skills in a few hours of training,
especially when one considers the fact that a person has lived with those
traits all his life. To this, the answer is harsh but real -- a professional
who wants to do well in his/ her career does not really have a choice.
In the initial years of your career,
your technical abilities are important to get good assignments. However,
when it comes to growing in an organisation, it is your personality that
matters, more so in large organisations where several people with similar
technical expertise will compete for a promotion.
Training on soft skills becomes all the more
relevant in a country like India where the education system does not delve into
personality development. Though some part of the syllabus cover the theory part
ands nothing is done for the skill development.
Be your own trainer!
While organisations are definitely investing in
augmenting their staff's people skills, here are some inputs for professionals
and students who would like to initiate the process themselves:
i. Be a part of team
activities
It could be either as a part of your
church choir, or an NGO, or your local youth circle.
Observe your own behaviour in the group and how you
relate to others.
ii. Ask family members or
close friends to write down your best and worst traits.
Ideally, have at least four to five people do this
for you.
Evaluate the common traits all of them have
mentioned. Thus, you can be aware of your strengths and work improving your weaknesses.
iii. How well do you manage your
time?
Think.
Can you do more in life? Or is your day too crammed
with activities? Effective time management is very essential in the corporate
world.
iv. Introspect on how you react
to feedback.
In organisations, people skills mostly come into
the picture when there is feedback given -- be it for an idea, an executed
project or a presentation.
You are judged by the way you respond to feedback.
Do you get defensive?
Do you insist you were right?
Do you meekly accept criticism?
Remember, people tend to be judged and stereotyped
according to their responses. You will, too.
v. How good are you at
critiquing?
While responding to feedback is one side of the
coin, giving feedback is the other side.
Are you aggressive? Pessimistic? Do you believe in
constructive criticism? Or prefer to be the yes-man?
vi. Live consciously
Any organisation is manned by people, therefore
soft skills are all about how you deal with people and present yourself.
Though it may be easier said than done, soft skills
can be enhanced simply by being aware of oneself and living consciously.
0.10.
GETTING TOUGH WITH SOFT SKILLS
Teaching
to impart a skill is inherently different than teaching to impart knowledge.
With an eLearning course, designers have the added challenge to create a course
that allows learners to practice behavioral skills, also known as soft skills,
in a medium that does not always lend itself to interpersonal interactions. By
employing the tips below, you can facilitate the process of learning behavioral
skills online. These tips will help you to ensure that your course motivates
your learner, that you’ve made the material relevant to the learner by
providing examples of behavioral indicators they can observe and detect, and
that you’re enabling learners to apply the material to their own lives by
structuring assessments and feedbacks throughout the course and by including
take-home messages.
Businesses
have long used online courses to teach “hard skills,” such as typing and
software development. But increasingly they’ve also turned to eLearning to
impart “soft skills” (also known as behavioral skills)—people-oriented
capabilities like project management or conflict resolution, which
traditionally have been taught in the classroom. Online training provides a
handy solution for imparting behavioral skills to the fresh crop of young,
inexperienced workers entering the job force, reducing the time it can take to
learn those skills in the “real” world.
Often,
online soft skills courses can be less expensive than those offered in a
classroom. A virtual environment also allows learners to make consequence-free
mistakes—if the employee makes a flub, your business won’t lose
clients/customers/money. However, simulating interpersonal skills in a virtual
environment can be tricky, because many of these skills by definition require
human interaction. You can ensure you get the most out of your soft skills
course design by keeping in mind the tips mentioned here.
0.11.
KNOWLEDGE VS. SKILLS
Designing
a course to impart knowledge is different than developing a training to impart
a skill. Think of all the tasks an employee would complete in a typical
workday—for example, logging hours in a time sheet, helping customers select a
product suitable to their needs, programming a widget, sending an email. Which
of these tasks are skills and which simply require knowledge of the task to
complete?
According
to instructional designer Julie Dirksen, the way to differentiate between a
skill and knowledge is simple: ask yourself, “Is it reasonable to think someone
can be proficient at this task without practice?” If the answer is yes,
then that task is not a skill.
Practice
We’ve
hit on a key distinction between knowledge and skills. Many learning courses
are designed strictly to communicate information to learners. But just having
knowledge doesn’t mean learners will be able to apply it. The process of
designing to impart knowledge poses a challenge. You have to:
- Keep your content concise
- Build on the learner’s prior
knowledge
- Be sure to address any
misconceptions the learner may have
To
keep the learner engaged, introduce some “friction”—that is, control the
course’s flow so learners don’t barrel through the content they think they
already know.
For
learners to master a skill, the key is to design opportunities for practice,
practice, and more practice. Space the skills practices throughout the course
and manage the flow of the content so there is an engaging interplay between
ability and challenge for the learner.
0.12.
BEHAVIORAL INDICATORS
One
way to incorporate examples into soft skills courses is to brainstorm a list of
positive and negative behavioral indicators that demonstrate competency in the
soft skill you’re trying to teach. For example, for selling a customer a new
mobile phone, some positive behavioral indicators could be:
- Listening to the customer’s
needs and evaluating those against products for sale
- Relating the product
specifications to what the customer would actually use it for
- Recommending additional
accessories for the product
In
contrast, some negative behavioral indicators could be:
- Asking the customer only yes
or no questions
- Providing a laundry list of
product specifications
- Suggesting a product solution
without listening to the customer’s needs
Remember
that the key to learning any new skill is practicing it—repeatedly. First,
however, the learner needs to see it in action. Fortunately, behavioral
indicators are relatively simple to model and behavioral modeling is most
effectively presented through motion or activity. Include a video with a live
actor or an animation depicting both effective and ineffective behaviors.
Develop a mental checklist that the learner can refer to when practicing the
skill, focusing on demonstrable behaviors like body language or active listening.
Ask the learner to dissect the behavior in an essay, or include a checklist or
assessment of key behavioral indicators and instruct the learner to note which
are demonstrated effectively.
To
make your media more interactive, try a spin on the usual format of
user-generated content. For example, for managers who need to deal with
customers making a product return, a course needs to accomplish a few tasks.
First, the manager needs to be aware of the ins and outs of their store’s
return policy, which is the course’s knowledge component. But more importantly,
the manager needs to learn to strike a careful balance in refusing a customer’s
return when necessary without offending them and potentially losing their
business in the future.
Try
constructing a role-play scenario that includes a video of a customer who wants
to return an item and give the learner—who’s playing the role of the
manager—options for how to reply. Based on the learner’s response, the scenario
may continue onto multiple paths with different developments—for example, the
customer becomes distressed or demands special treatment, and so on. These
types of role-plays let the learner practice the skill in a risk-free, virtual
environment.
Social
media can also be used as a social simulator, a step beyond the eLearning
course’s fabricated environment. Through social media, learners can practice
core skills together regardless of how geographically dispersed they are.
Learners can also seek advice and tips from other learners or an expert.
As
with any eLearning course, be sure to employ a variety of media—videos, audio
narrations, and interactive elements. Not only will the learner be more
engaged, but you are also more likely to hit on multiple levels of learning,
making the learner more likely to absorb and apply the soft skills.
0.13.
ETIQUETTE
Historically
Etiquette is all about good manners and how we make people around us feel
comfortable from our general behavior. Etiquette itself defines that good
behavior. Proper exhibition of etiquette determines what is specifically
expected of us which we could term respectful.
The
word etiquette stems as far back as 1600 s – 1700s in the French royal courts
under the reign of King Louis XIV. The true meaning emanating from the word
“ticket” or “placard” in French. This was devised where rules (manners) were
posted to be followed seriously. It was then adopted by the English in 1750
translated into a code of social behavior or regulation among the elites.
During the reign of Queen Victoria etiquette was connected to sophisticated
behavior, where the wealthy were ostentatious and cut a class that would
distinguish them by their behavior and social activities. Today’s 21st Century
has changed the manner of etiquette due to lifestyle, multicultural differences,
globalization and urbanization.
Etiquette
today is seen as:
1. Set rules of precedence
2. Custom of salutation
3. Norms for body carriage
4. Facial expression
5. Communication of status
ETIQUETTE AND TODAY’S YOUTH
According
to Maura Graber - ‘Teens need manners as a social tool, to navigate their way
through the differing social events they will encounter as they grow up into
mature adults.’
Etiquette must be encouraged right from youth years to become success in life.
0.14.
WHO NEEDS THE TRAINED & WHY ?
- Corporate Organizations: aspiring to create and
promote loyalty, team spirit, department cohesiveness and corporate image
- Senior Management: wishing to improve soft
skills to excel in the business arena
- Middle and Junior Management: lacking protocol skills
essential for career advancement
- Front Line Personnel: i.e personal / executive
assistants, receptionists, client service personnel who are in dear need
of essential polish
- Marketing and Sales Force
Team: who
represent the corporate brand during and after work hours
- Corporate Executives: requiring the essential
polish and social graces
- Expatriate Personnel: engaged in business in other
countries
- New Hires: To induct them into the
organization to ensure that proper manners, behavior, corporate style and
expectations are adhered to
- Professionals: in the field of Law, Medicine
and Finance
- Diplomatic Personnel: looking to improve soft
skills to excel in the International and Business arena
- Women: looking to improve soft
skills and entertaining with grace
- Bride and Grooms to be: Looking into the bright
future ahead
- Entrepreneurs: looking to improve soft
skills to excel in the local and global market
- Today’s Youths: looking to boost confidence
and Self Esteem
