MANAGEMENT SKILLS

DEVELOPMENT

PRACTICAL REPORT

Submitted by

RAMYA.N

Register No: 098001115039

in partial fulfillment for the award of the degree

of

MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

NEHRU INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY

(Approved by AICTE, Affiliated to Anna University of Technology, Coimbatore)
Nehru Gardens, Thirumalayampalayam,
COIMBATORE - 641 001.
AUGUST 2010

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 History and Overview of Listening

“I like to listen. I have learned a great deal from listening carefully. Most people
never listen.” — Ernest Hemingway.
It is virtually impossible to think of a task that does not require hearing, which
most people are able to do. However, people do not always listen. The two terms, listening
and hearing, are often used interchangeably but mean very different things. According to
the International Listening Association:
• 45 percent of a student’s day is spent listening.
• Students are expected to acquire 85 percent of the knowledge they have by
listening.
• Only 2 percent of the population ever received formal listening instruction.

The majority of the population is born with the ability to hear, but not to listen.
There are several reasons that people do not or can not listen or remember, ranging from
physical conditions to cultural beliefs. Since the beginning of mankind, the skill of
listening has been necessary to communicate, relay messages and obtain information.
Before 3200 BC, when writing was first used by cultures such as the Sumerians or
Egyptians, listening to people speak and repeating the message was the only way to
communicate.

What is listening?
Listening involves a collage of skills:
• Predicting
• Guessing
• Reflection
• Recognizing connectors
• Recognizing discourse markers
• Understanding intonation
• Summarizing
• Identifying relevant and irrelevant points
• Understanding inferences

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 Listening happens in all aspects of life. We listen to each other talk, to gossip on
the street, to sermons, to advertisements, to lectures, to music and in all kinds of situations.
One must be able to listen to material in whatever form and however fast it is presented!
Students listen in different ways and for different reasons throughout the school
day. They listen to directions, they talk with their friends, they listen to stories, they listen
to game rules, they listen to announcements, etc. Each of these situations requires a
different type and level of listening skills.

There are four general types of listening that occur:

• Inactive listening: Inactive listening is simply being present when someone is
speaking, but not absorbing what is being said. Example: Imagine attending a
conference session that has no interest or applicability to you. You will be there
physically, but not mentally.
• Selective listening: Selective listening is hearing what you want to hear or what
you expect to hear instead of what is being said. Example: In your ninth grade
English class, Duane always does his homework. One day you ask students
individually who turned in an assignment, and Duane replies that he did not do it.
You move on to the next student without comment until another student complains
that it’s not fair that Duane gets excused from doing the assignment.
• Active listening: Active listening is hearing what is said, concentrating on the
message and absorbing it. Example: The Board of Education is offering bonuses to
teachers that complete a required list of professional development courses. You are
interested in the courses and the bonus. You take detailed notes and pay close
attention to what you need to do.
• Reflective listening: This is one of the most complex types of listening. It involves
actively listening; interpreting what is being said and observing how it is being
said. Example: A student regularly comes to class looking sad and depressed.
When you ask her if everything is o.k. at home, she responds that it is, but the look
on her face and body language scream it is not. You ask her again if things are o.k.,
but question her body language. She breaks down and begins to cry, revealing that
her parents have been arguing a lot.

Students need to receive instruction on how to become effective listeners, especially

students diagnosed with learning disabilities. It requires conscious planning by the teacher

3
to include listening activities and practice by the student. Here are some easy tips to start
helping your students become better listeners now:
• Place student’s seat in a place that will maximize learning
• Get the student’s attention before speaking to them
• Speak in short sentences
• Have the student repeat directions or important information after you say it
• Use body language to reinforce what you are saying
• Provide the student with written versions of what you are saying
• Teach students note-taking skills so they can write down important information
Teaching listening skills may not seem necessary, but according to statistics, studies
and state standards, it is. Listening is a skill that students can use in every subject, and it
will benefit them throughout life.

Common Listening Problems:

• Thinking of something else: preoccupied, tuning out, daydreaming

• Non verbal: distractions, poor eye contact, face, posture, space, fidgeting
• Interruptions
• Finishing sentences
• Changing the subject
• Anxious to rebut arguments
• Jump to conclusions
• Dismiss the information
• Prefer to talk rather than listen
• We are in a hurry
• The information is irrelevant, uninteresting, or too technical
• They talk too slow—We think too fast

Authentic Listening
The most important part of communication is to be a good listener -- to practice
what's called "Authentic Listening."
Authentic Listening involves three basic steps, which need to follow one after the
other; you cannot jump to the next step until you've completely fulfilled the previous step.

4
The three steps are:
a) Listening attentively to what the other person is saying without interrupting them.
b) Feeding back your understanding of what s/he is saying and feeling
c) Checking with your partner to confirm that you have understood him or her
correctly.

The listening must be genuine. Eye contact, feedback and acknowledgement are
essential aspects, but these will not work if they are used only as gimmicks to pretend that
you are listening when in truth you can't wait for your partner to stop talking so that you
could have your say. Authentic listening occurs when we are honestly prepared to put
aside our own story and fully focus on understanding the other person's story. Using the
right methods without the right intentions will not convey to the other person that they are
worthy enough in your eyes to be heard and understood. Authentic listening also means
being prepared not to judge the other person for having certain feelings. Statements like,
"Why are you so angry?" or, "Why are you so upset about such a little thing?" convey the
message that the other person is foolish for having such feelings. This will in turn give
him or her one more reason to be upset with you rather than focusing on resolving the
problem.
Responses like, "I can see you are very upset by what has happened," or, "I didn't
realize how hurt you are," or "If I were in your position, I would most probably feel the
same," will convey to the other person that he is entitled to feel the way he does. Whether
or not you agree that these feelings are justified is besides the point; the important thing is
that you understand and accept that your partner feels this way. Only when your partner's
feelings and thoughts have been acknowledged can the conversation progress for you to
express your own feelings and thoughts and how you view the situation, and from there
move on to the next stage which is problem solving.
You cannot skip over the "listening part" and go straight to solving the problem,
because: a) you cannot truly understand what the problem is without knowing the other
person's feelings; b) your partner is unlikely to be prepared to make the significant effort
that's needed to solve the problem with a person who doesn't care enough to authentically
listen to her and empathize with her feelings.

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 E Listening
What is e-Listening?
Our e-Listening service aims to provide professional bereavement support for
bereaved relatives of Iain Rennie patients. Our e-Listening team will have an
understanding of the range of emotions you may be experiencing and will provide a
personal and confidential response to clients.

Why use e-Listening?

This service may be of particular value to bereaved people who either find it
difficult to access other forms of support or those who may prefer to use email as their
chosen form of communication. It also allows us to offer support to people who live
outside our catchment area.
What is useful for creating and using e-Listening resources?

Software for text editing:

• Microsoft Word
• Text edit
• Apple Pages
• Google docs (web 2.0 ... in the cloud)

Software for listening to sound files on the Mac

• Quick time Player
• iTunes (not .mp3)
• VLC
• Audacity

Software for recording sound-files on the Mac

• Audacitysss
• Garage Band
• Podcast Capture - located in Applications > Utilities

Hardware:
• Computer
• CD Player
• Speakers connected to a computer for group listening
• Headphones
• Microphone

File formats for sound files:

• .mp3
• .m4a

6
 • .aif
Business Letter

Elements usually constitute the structure of a business Letter

1. Heading

2. Date

3. Reference – Your reference and our reference

4. Inside address

5. Attention line

6. Salutation

7. Subject

8. Body

9. Complimentary close

10. Signature

11. Identification Marks

12. Enclosure

Inviting Quotations

ABC / Quo / desks / 2010 10th September, 2010

Dear Sirs,

Sub: Quotation for desks

We intend to buy the following items of furniture for our new branch to be opened
shortly in ABC Complex, Coimbatore. Please quote your lowest rates and also indicate the
terms and conditions of payment.

Quantity Item Specifications

50 Single pedestal steel grey-coloured desks Length 60”
Width 40”
10 Double pedestal steel grey-coloured desks Height 30”

7
 Length 60”
Width 40”

We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Yours faithfully

D. Ram
Purchase Officer

8
 Sending Quotations

Quo / desks / 100 / 2010 15th September, 2010

Dear Sir,

Many thanks for your letter No. ABC / Quo / desks / 2010 dated 10th September,
2010. We are pleased to quote the following rates for the furniture you require.

Net Price Each

Sl. No. Item Description
/ per unit
1 Single pedestal steel grey-coloured desks (60”x40”x30”) Rs. 1,425.00
2 Double pedestal steel grey-coloured desks (65”x40”x30) Rs. 1965.00

Packing and transportation charges from our works to ABC Complex and other
duties and taxes are included in the price quoted above.
We hope to receive your order soon and help you to furnish you need branch office
without delay. We assure you of our prompt services and shall deliver the goods within a
fortnight of the receipt of your order.
A folder describing the LASTWELL furniture we manufacture is enclosed to make
it convenient for you to elect any other items you may wish to buy now or in future.

Yours faithfully,

Mohan
Manager

9
 Placing the Order
17th September, 2010
Dear Sirs,
Thank you very much for your quotation No Quo / desks / 100 / 2010, dated 15th
September, 2010. We should be grateful if you could arrange to deliver the following
items at ABC Complex, Coimbatore within a fortnight.

Item Description Quantity

Sl. No.
1 Single pedestal steel grey-coloured desks (60”x40”x30”) 50
2 Double pedestal steel grey-coloured desks (65”x40”x30) 10

It is very thoughtful of you to have sent us your folder. We shall certainly use it for
our future transactions with you.
Our bankers are SBI, Coimbatore Branch and we propose to pay you by a crossed
cheque drawn on them. Please confirm that this arrangement suits you.
Yours faithfully

D. Ram
Purchase Officer

10
 Sales Order Form

From
M/S Kannan Stores, Customer # Rajesh
6/31 Ilango Nagar,
Avarampalayam,
coimbatore Terms Glass Materials
Salesperson 12 no
To
The Store Manager, Week Of date : 12/10/2010
M/S Rayaperumal Store,
6thStreet,

Order # 24dozen(bags) Delivery Via: 14/10/2010 Routing Coimbatore to Chennai

Item Quantity Ordered Description Unit Count Unit Price Total

1 1200 photo frame 12 200 2400
2 1000 cool glass 10 150 1500

Total 3900
Special Notes
Date Approval Signature: Bhakiyarasu

Purchaser:Asok
Title: Sales Order

11
 Tender
Definitions:
1. To offer for delivery, as of a futures contract.
2. To surrender one's shares in return for payment following a tender offer.

TENDER
A tender is an offer to do or perform an act which the party offering, is bound to
perform to the party to whom the offer is made.
A tender may be of money or of specific articles; these will be separately
considered. Of the lender of money. To make a valid tender the following requisites are
necessary: It must be made by a person capable of paying: for if it be made by a stranger
without the consent of the debtor, it will be insufficient.
It must be made to the creditor having capacity to receive it, or to his authorized agent.
The whole sum due must be offered, in the lawful coin of the United States, or
foreign coin made current by law and the offer must be unqualified by any circumstance
whatever. But a tender in bank notes, if not objected to on that account, will be good. But
in such case, the amount tendered must be what is due exactly, for a tender of a five dollar
note, demanding change, would not be a good tender of four dollars. And a tender was
held good when made by a check contained in a letter, requesting a receipt in return which
the plaintiff sent back demanding a larger sum, without objecting to the nature of the
tender. When stock is to be tendered, everything must be done by the debtor to enable him
to transfer it, but it is not absolutely requisite that it should be transferred.
If a term had been stipulated in favor of a creditor, it must be expired; the offer
should be made at the time agreed upon for the performance of the contract if made
afterwards, it only goes in mitigation of damages, provided it be made before suit brought.
The tender ought to be made before day-light is entirely gone.
The condition on which the debt was contracted must be fulfilled. The tender must
be made at the place agreed upon for the payment, or, if there be no place appointed for
that purpose, then to the creditor or his authorized agent.
When a tender has been properly made, it is a complete defence to the action but
the benefit of a tender is lost, if the creditor afterwards demand the thing due from the
debtor, and the latter refuse to pay it

12
 Of the tender of specific articles. It is a rule that specific articles maybe tendered at
some particular place, and not, like money, to the person of the creditor wherever found.
When no place is expressly mentioned in the contract, the place of delivery is to be
ascertained by the intent of the parties, to be collected from the nature of the case and its
circumstances. If, for example, the contract is for delivery of goods from the seller to the
buyer on demand, the former being the manufacturer of the goods or a dealer in them, no
place being particularly named, the manufactory or store of the seller will be considered as
the place intended, and a tender there will be sufficient. When the specific articles are at
another place at the time of sale, that will be the place of delivery.

INCOME TAX DEPARMENT

AHMEDABAD

The Income Tax Department intends to print the following Income-tax Return
(ITR) Forms for the A.Y. 2008-09.

S. No. Description Quantity (Nos.)

1 ITR -1 80,000
2 ITR-2 80,000
3 ITR-3 40,000
4 ITR-4 80,000
5 ITR-5 15,000
6 ITR-7 10,000
7 ITR-8 10,000

Quotations are invited from reputed publishers latest by 04th June 2008 before
6.15 P.M. in the office of the Income Tax Officer (Public Relation), Room No.44, Ground
Floor, Aayakar Bhavan, Ashram Road, Ahmedabad – 380 009 in the tender format
enclosed with the notice. The copies of ITR Forms mentioned above may be increased or
decreased as per actual requirement.
• Tender Document
(R.D. Meena )
Income Tax Officer (Public Relation)
O/o Chief Commissioner of Income tax
AHMEDABAD

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 FORMAT OF TENDER DOCUMENT

1. Name, address & telephone No. :

of the tenderer
2. Permanent Account No.(PAN) :
3. Name & address of the Proprietor/
Partners/Directors & their PAN :
4. Specifications :
Sl. No Description

Sr.No
.
1. Size of paper – A4(WHITE)
2. GSM – 75
3 Dimension – 210 * 297mm

5. Rate :-
Type of Rate per 1000
Forms Forms
ITR -1 Rs.
ITR-2 Rs.
ITR-3 Rs.
ITR-4 Rs.
ITR-5 Rs.
ITR-7 Rs.
ITR-8 Rs.

6. Delivery : At Aayakar Bhavan,

Ahmedabad
7. Past experience may please be mentioned :

Name & signature of the Authorized signatory

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 Sales letter

From
Jani Basha. Shaik,
Marketing manager,
Sony electronics & service ltd,
Hyderabad.

To
The Manager,
Mind park software solutions,
Bangalore.

Respected sir,
Sub: Replay for order letter
As your company is asking for some electronic products. As we are agree for to
send the products. The price will be depended on your ordering quantity. Our main
concept is to send the quality of the products to the customers. We are giving the grantee 1
year for the products.

Thank you

Place: Hyderabad, Yours faithfully,

Date: 11-10-2010. Jani Basha.shaik .

15
 Complaint Letter about receiving poor service

Samantha Harbinson
1220 Water Way Dr.
Indianapolis, IN, 71233
714-336-1484

8/15/2009

Hotel Name
Hotel Address
Hotel City, State Zip Code

To whom it may concern:

My name is Samantha Harbinson and I frequently travel throughout the year as I am a

sales representative for the company I work for. While traveling, I usually always seek to stay at
the Hotel Name. I do so because in the past, your employees exemplify outstanding customer
service. However, that last time I stayed at the Hotel Name, I was highly disappointed and unsure
if I will ever stay at another Hotel Name again.
During my stay in City, State, hotel room #, on Date through Date, my stay at the Hotel
Name was rocky from the on-set. From check-in to check-out I experienced numerous problems
that I just cannot let go untold. When I first walked up to the desk to check-in the woman behind
the desk was on the phone. I waited patiently for over 20 minutes for her to even acknowledge I
was even there. When she did get off the phone, I overheard her say to the person on the other line
"Honey, I gotta go. This old lady is giving me dirty looks!" I assure you I did not give her dirty
looks, I was just looking at her to see if she was going to give me some kind of instructions like
'just a minute, I'll be right with you'. Forty minutes later I finally inserted my key card into the lock
of my room door. I was immediately knocked back from the sight and smell of the room.
Obviously she put me in a room that had not yet been cleaned but this room was not just dirty, it
was horrendous! It took another 30 minutes for her to change me over to a different room. Mind
you that there were not any other customers that she attended to during this time and it was after
4:00 pm.
I let all this go and set about preparing for bed as I had a very early breakfast meeting the
following morning. However, little did I know that my problems had just begun? Several rooms
on my floor were extremely loud through-out the entire night. When I tried to complain to the
Front Desk the next morning, I was told that there was nothing that they could do about it. This
nightly noise continued for 3 of the 5 days of my stay. While this in itself is intolerable, every day
of my stay I had to go to the front desk and inquire why my room had not been cleaned during the
day while I was out. Each day they told me that they were going to get to me soon.
This is by no means is an exhaustive list of the poor customer service I during this stay.
This stay at Hotel Name was costly and it is unacceptable to be treated in this manner. I hope that
this is a one-time experience that I will never have to endure again. However, I feel compelled to
make my complaint known if for no other reason than I do not wish to see anyone else go through
an experience such as this. Please respond with how you have handled this issue and how I can be
sure this will never happen to me again.

Sincerely,
Samantha Harbinson

16
 Claim Letters

How to write effective claim letters in minutes!

* At the beginning of your letter, indicate that you are making a claim and specify the
type of claim you are making (e.g., an insurance claim).
* State the policy number, if applicable.
* Describe the specific circumstances or details of the claim (for example, that a product
is defective or the details of an accident). Give all relevant facts concerning the claim.
* Indicate the dollar amount you are claiming or what action you would like the reader
to take and the date by which you expect the action to be taken.
* Refer to any documents you are including with your letter, including claim forms,
repair estimates, warranty, or records or receipts. Ask if there is any other information or
documents or forms you need to send.
* If you are using some of the enclosed documents as evidence to substantiate your
claim, specifically mention the content of the documents and illustrate how they support
your claim.
* Indicate by when you would like to receive a reply to your letter and include contact
information that will allow the person to easily reach you.
* You may want to thank the reader for his/her (anticipated) help before ending your
letter.

Claim Letter Tips:

* Remain courteous and respectful. Even if you feel you have been wronged, maintain a
professional, though assertive, tone at all times.
* Send your claim letter within the prescribed time period so that the claim will be
valid.
* If there are any necessary forms, etc., that you need to fill out or send, include them
with your letter for faster approval.
* Clearly state what it is that you hope to accomplish in sending your claim letter.

When denying a claim be sure to:

* Open by stating your regret that the claim must be denied.

* Include the policy number, if applicable.
* Give the reasons why the claim was denied or rejected. Include any documents that
provide evidence to support this action.
* Include information about what the claimant must do or change to have the claim
approved, if desired.
* Include any important dates, such as the date by which an appeal or resubmission
must be made, if applicable.
* Include the contact information for the person to whom an appeal would be made, if
appropriate.
* Reiterate your regret that the claim must be denied and express your willingness to
discuss the matter further or work to resolve the problem, if necessary.
* Close by stating that you value the reader’s business or that you appreciate him/her as

17
a customer.

Claim Letter – Customer Order

Posted under: Claim and Complaint Letter by admin

Recar Merchandising
Joseph Subdivision
Quezon City
July 15, 2008

Mr. Rino Castro

Sales Marketing
ABC Trading
# 451 Apple St.
Muntinlupa

Mr. Castro:

My order No. X-458176 of July 15, 2008 for three dozen boxes of face powder and five
cartons of liquid astringent arrived today. The shipment was so badly damaged that the
merchandise cannot be used.

I am accordingly shipping it back to you by express C.O.D., expecting you to send a

duplicate shipment at once. You will be able to determine whether the damage was due to
faulty packing or improper handling by the express company.

Such accidents are bound to occur occasionally, and I am not finding fault with your
usually excellent service; but since I wanted this merchandise for my Friday sale on
August 1, I shall appreciate your letting me know whether or not I can expect the new
shipment not later than August 15.

Yours truly,

Esmeralda Crisostomo

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 Enquiry Letter
12th October 2010

Mr. Prasad
12/28 Ashoka Building
100 Feet Road
Gandhipuram
Coimbatore

Dear Prasad,

With reference to your advertisement in Indian Express on 09-10-2010, we are writing to

know whether your company could offer the refined plastics which form the basic raw
material for our business. We are interested to purchase your material and services for
quality assurance for our products. We would also like to know if it is possible to purchase
through internet.
If we find your quality and price satisfactory then we are looking forward to purchase
more from you. Please send us a copy of your catalogue with the price list and inform
whether you can provide us with some discounts. on receiving your information we will
place an order for your service.
Please arrange to send your latest price list and new pattern as early as possible along with
sample. We hope to hear from you soon.

Your’s sincerely

Kiran. S.R
Marketing Manager

19
 REPORT WRITING
INTRODUCTION
A report is a presentation and summation of facts, figures and information either
collected or derived. It is logical and coherent structuring of information, ideas and
concepts. Reports provide feedback to the manager on various aspects of organization.
The information is needed for reviewing and evaluating progress, planning, for future
course of action and taking decisions.
Report writing is an art. The skill is to be developed by constant practice. Every
executive is supposed to submit reports to their superiors in scheduled time intervals. For
that he has to learn the skill of writing reports. In case of investigations also, the report is
submitted to take remedial actions. Market researchers conduct various field surveys has
to be prepared effectively.
The report is the ultimate result of the investigation efforts. The report format
varies depending upon its purpose and target audience. The presentation of research
reports to ultimate users is the art of communication. Report writing makes the complex
thing, simple. Suggestions given in the report forms are the action plan. New areas for
investigation may also be identified through reports.

TYPES OF REPORT
Reports may be Business report and Academic report.
Business reports are the once prepared in the organizations for the formal purposes.
Academic reports are the once prepared in the course of study. There may be a reports
prepared after summer training or after completion of a project of study or research.
Business reports are classified as:
1. Routine reports
 Progress report
 Inspection report
 Performance appraisal
 Periodic report
2. Special reports
 Investigation reports
 Survey/feasibility report

20
  FIR\
 Project report takes place.
1. Routine Reports
The reports are prepared on a routine basis in an organization are called routine
report. These are prepared in the normal course of business, whether or not
something extraordinary takes place. The different routine reports mat be as
follows:
 Progress Report: report about the growth of an organization or any department
within the organization. It may relate to the progress of an individual in an
organization.
 Inspection Report: in production industries or non productive industry regular
inspections are held to check the compliance of the products and services within the
specified norms. These inspections are done by the supervisors in the organization.
The report prepared by the inspection team is called inspection report.
 Performance Appraisal Report: performance appraisal report is done by the
personnel department. This is done to assess and evaluate the employees as per their
performance.
 Periodical report: a report prepared at regular time intervals is called periodical
report.
2. Special reports
Special reports are those reports which are not prepared on a routine basis, but only
in the event of special circumstances or exceptional happenings.
• Investigation report: In case of unusual happening like sudden downfall of sales or
fall in production or any other event, investigation may have to be carried out of
find the reason behind the event.
• Survey or feasibility report: These type of reports are prepared to record the
feasibility of events or projects.
• First information report: this is prepared by the first witness to the event, to report to
his superiors.
FEATURES:
• Formally structured.
• Written with a specific purpose and reader in mind.
• Written in style appropriate to each section.

21
 • Always include section headings.
• Offer recommendation for action.
A GOOD AND BAD REPORT
• Doesn’t answer the brief.
• Badly structured.
• Inappropriate writing skill.
• Poor grammar and punctuation.

TIPS FORWRITING REPORTS

• Check which section your report should have.
• Remember that reports are meant to be informative.
• Consider whom you are writing for.
• Write simply and appropriately.
• Spend more time on your discussion section.
• Make sure your references are correct and compelte.
• Make sure you know the scope.
• Plan your time.
• Proof read carefully.

UNDERSTAND HOW REPORTS ARE READ:

Managers read report in some systematic manner, which helps in analyzing the
report for making effective decisions. Research on how managers read reports discovered
that they were most likely to read in following order.
1. The abstract or summary
2. The introduction
3. The conclusions
4. The discussions
5. The findings and methodology

ELEMENTS OF STRUCTURE

22
 Custom and convenience have more or less standardized the parts or elements that
constitute a report and also established the sequence in which they appear. Variations in
structure are, however, made according to the purpose, scope, and contents of a report.
The order in which various elements are organized is given below. The first ten
elements are collectively termed as front matter, because they appear before the main
body. The last five are known as the back matter, because they follow the main body.

Front Matter
1. Cover
2. Frontispiece
3. Title page
4. Copy write notice
5. forwarding letter
6. Preface
7. Acknowledgements
8. Table of contents
9. List of illustrations
10. Abstract and summary

Main Body
1. Introduction
2. Discussion or Description
3. Conclusions
4. Recommendations

Back Matter
1. Appendices
2. List of Reference
3. Bibliography
4. Glossary
5. index

23
 Report Writing – On decline in the circulation news magazine “The women”

25 June, 2009

To,
The Board of Directors
Ram Krishna Magazine Pvt. Ltd.
New Delhi – 110010

I. Terms of reference
The sub – committee was a pointed by the following resolution of the Board which
was passed at the meeting held on 9 May, 2009.
“Resolved that a sub – committee consisting of Mr. Mahajan, convener, and Mr.
Mrs. Ashok is herby appointed to investigate the causes of the decline in the
circulation of the magazine. The Women and to report with recommendations
within a months time.

II. Procedure
a. The sub – committee met three times on 11, 23 and 28 may and the
view of the concerned are noted.
b. Thirty small magazine shop owners were questioned to find out heir
experience with the sale of women’s magazine.
c. One thousand questionnaires were collected from various readers
including our past and present subscribers and members of women’s
associations. Their interviews were sent out for filling in the
questionnaires.
d. Others women’s magazine available in Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata
were carefully compared with the magazines.
e. Circulation figures of the last four years for our magazines were
studied.
f. Viewpoints of academics and management experts are collected

24
 g. Opinions of editors for the related magazines are obtained.
III. Findings
From the investigations, the sub-committee arrived at the following magazines:
a. The decline in the circulation of the magazine became sharp in March
2008, although here was a gradual decline in the circulation over the
last 06 months period the fall by over 30% in Oct 2008 coincided with
the arrival of a new women’s magazine, “Eve’s Era’ in the market.
While the two competitors were able to withstand the impact. Our
magazine failed to retain its share of the market. This is largely due o
the fact that quality of our magazine had already begun deteriorating.
b. The deterioration in quality was traced to the decision to make no
increase in the actual expenditure on paper and to purchase paper in
bulk for all the company’s publications. The magazine suffered an
immediate set back when it was allotted ordinary newsprint.
c. As a result of using ordinary newsprint, photographers and illustration
became poor in reproduction. This caused reputed photographers,
artists, and illustrators to refuse to contribute to our magazines, as it
affected their reputation adversely. Gradually, reputed writers who
used to write regularly for our magazine began to contribute feature
articles to other periodicals. Hence, there s a general fall in the quality
of the magazine.
d. The company’s machines are old and obsolete.

IV. Recommendations
a. Adequate funds should be allocated to the magazine and the editor be
authorized to purchase good quality paper, specifically for the
magazine.
b. The editor should be instructed to write letters to reputed writers,
inviting contributions and offering enhanced honorarium
c. The service of good artists and photographers should be procured by
offering additional attractive terms.
d. Publicity campaign should be launched to impress upon the public
regarding their improved quality and impressive get up of the
magazine.

25
e. Automatic printing machines need to be acquired
f. The services of professional binders must be obtained

Mr. Mahajan Mr. Ashutosh Mr. Ashutosh

Convener.

26
 Agenda

Internet Marketing Association

Meeting Agenda
Start at 10:00 a.m. in Board Room
Item Responsible Time
Opening Remarks President 5 min
VP Membership Report VPM
-intramural report 20 min
-new member program intro
VP Financial Report VPF
-status of budget 7 min
-housebill status
VP Rush Report VPR
-status of current efforts 7 min
-status of next term plans
VP Internal VPI 5 min
VP External VPE 10 min
Guest Speaker Community Relations 15 min
End at 11:10

27
 Minutes of Meeting
Mougli fabricators
Type of meeting: Board Meeting Minutes
Reason: Shifting of place
Date:22nd August 2010

Board Members:
Present:
Bhata Bhatacharia
Jon White Bear
Douglas Carver
Elizabeth Drucker,
Pat Kyumoto,
Jack Porter
Mary Rifkin
Leslie Zevon

Absent:
Melissa Johnson

Quorum present: Yes

Others Present:
Exec. Director: Sheila Swanson
Other: Susan Johns, Consulting Accountant

Proceedings:
Meeting called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Chair, Elizabeth Drucker

(Last month's) meeting minutes were amended and approved

Chief Executive's Report:

28
 Recommends that if we not able to find a new facility by the end of this month, the
organization should stay where in the current location over the winter. After brief
discussion, Board agreed.
Staff member, Jackson Browne, and Swanson attended the National Practitioner's
Network meeting in Atlanta last month and gave a brief extemporaneous presentation.
Both are invited back next year to give a longer presentation about our organization.
After brief discussion, Board congratulated Swanson and asked her to pass on their
congratulations to Browne as well.
Drucker asserts that our organization must ensure its name is associated with
whatever materials are distributed at that practitioner's meeting next year. The
organization should generate revenues where possible from the materials, too.
Swanson mentioned that staff member, Sheila Anderson's husband is ill and in the
hospital. MOTION to send a gift to Anderson's husband, expressing the organization's
sympathy and support; seconded and passed.

Finance Committee report provided by Chair, Elizabeth Drucker:

Drucker explained that consultant, Susan Johns, reviewed the organization's
bookkeeping procedures and found them to be satisfactory, in preparation for the
upcoming yearly financial audit. Funds recommends that our company ensure the auditor
provides a management letter along with the audit financial report.
Drucker reviewed highlights, trends and issues from the balance sheet, income
statement and cash flow statement. Issues include that high accounts receivables require
Finance Committee attention to policies and procedures to ensure our organization
receives more payments on time. After brief discussion of the issues and suggestions about
how to ensure receiving payments on time, MOTION to accept financial statements;
seconded and passed.

Board Development Committee's report provided by Chair, Douglas Carver:

Carver reminded the Board of the scheduled retreat coming up in three months,
and provided a drafted retreat schedule for board review. MOTION to accept the retreat
agenda; seconded and passed.
Carver presented members with a draft of the reworded By-laws paragraph that
would allow members to conduct actions over electronic mail. Carver suggested review
and a resolution to change the By-laws accordingly. Kyumoto suggested that Swanson

29
first seek legal counsel to verify if the proposed change is consistent with state statute.
Swanson agreed to accept this action and notify members of the outcome in the next
Board meeting.
Porter noted that he was working with staff member, Jacob Smith, to help develop
an information management systems plan, and that two weeks ago he (Porter) had mailed
members three resumes from consultants to help with the plan. In the mailing, Porter
asked members for their opinions to help select a consultant. Porter asked members for
their opinions. (NOTE: Zevon noted that she was also a computer consultant and was
concerned about conflict of interest in her Board role regarding this selection, and asked
to be ABSTAINED from this selection. Members agreed.) The majority of members
agreed on Lease-or-Buy Consultants. MOTION to use Lease-or-Buy Consultants;
seconded and passed.
Swanson announced that she had recently hired a new secretary, Karla Writewell.

Assessment of the Meeting:

Kyumoto noted that the past three meetings have run over the intended two-hour
time slot by half an hour. He asked members to be more mindful and focused during
discussions, and suggested that the Board Development Chair take an action to identify
solutions to this issue. Chair, Carver, agreed.

· Meeting adjourned at 6:30 p.m.

· Minutes submitted by Secretary, Bhata Bhatacharia.

30
 REASONING
Analogy

1. Length : meter

Ans: The lenth of this table is 10 meter

2. Tailor : Needle

Ans: Tailor has complete the shirt with the help of the needle

3. Author : Book

Ans: The author of the book “You can win” is Sheive Keira.

4. Wine : Grapes

Ans: The delicious wine has been prepared from the red grapes.

5. Blood : Relation

Ans: Raju help his friend by donating blood in an accident, which shows
their good relationship.

2. Pointing out to a lady Rajan said, ‘she is a daughter of the women who is mother of the
husband of my mother’ who is the lady to Rajan?

a) Aunty b) Daughter c) Grand daughter d) Sister e) Sister-in-law

Ans: Aunty

3. Rahul told Anand, ‘Yesterday i defeated only brother of a daughter of my grandmother’

whom did Rahul defeat?

a) Son b) Father c) Bother d) father-in-law e) cousin

Ans: cousin

4. A & B are the married couple. X & Y are brothers. X is the brother of A. How is Y
related to B.

a) Brother-in-law b) Brother c) Son-in-law d) Cousin e) Non of these.

31
Ans: a) Brother-in-law

5. There are six persons A,B,C,D,E and F. C is the sister of F. B is the brother of E’s
husband. D is the father of A and grandfather of F. There are 2 fathers, 3 brothers and
mother in the group.

a) who is the mother?

A,B,D,F

Ans: B

b) Who is E’s husband?

B,C,A,F

Ans: A

c) How is F related to E?

Ans: Son

Situation reaction test:

1) You have gone enjoy diwai mela organized by a club. Suddenly come across and
lost child crying desperately you would:

a) Neglect and walk away

b) Ask the child to find his parent

c) Ask him to stop crying

d) Wait patiently for his parents

e) Contact with club authority to make an announcement for the parents.

Ans: c) contact with club authority to make an announcement for the parents.

2) While you board train at a station, you find a suitcase beneath your seat, you
would:

a) Report the matter to the police

32
 b) Open up the suitcase to look through its contents

c) Try to find out the address of the owner from the papers etc. In the suitcase.

d) Finding no one claim it

e) Take it into your own possession

Ans: c) Try to find out the address of the owner from the papers etc. In the suitcase.

3) You are passing by a river and you know swimming suddenly you wear the crying
of a drowning child, you would:

a) Dive into the driver

b) Wait to see if some other person these to help

c) Look for professional divers

d) Console the child’s parents

Ans:

Verification of truth of the statement

1) A train always has a

a) Engine b) Rates c) Driver d) Gaurd e) Passenger

2) Job always has

a) Battery b) Numbers c) Needles d) Frame

3) Pen always has

a) Tube b) Cap c) Holder d) Ink e) Nib

Logical reasoning

1. All men are goals

Some girls are students

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 Conclusion:

All girls are men

Some students are girls

Since both conclusion 1& 2 contain the middle term girls so neither of them can
follow

2. Some dogs are goats

All goats are cows

Conclusion

All cows are foats

some dogs are cows

Statement 1 is an preposition which distributes neither the subject nor the

predicate.

Statement 2 is an preposition which distributes the subjects that is goat only.

Conclusion 1 is a preposition which distributes the sbject cow only

Since the term cow distributed in conclusion 1 without being distributed in the
premises, so the conclusion 1 cannot follow.

GROUP DISCUSSION

Definition of Group Discussion

• Group Discussion is a modern method of assessing students personality.
• It is both a technique and an art and a comprehensive tool to judge the worthiness
of the student and his appropriateness for the job.

• The term suggests a discussion among a group of persons.

34
• The group will have 8 & 12 members who will express their views freely, frankly
in a friendly manner, on a topic of current issue.
• Within a time limit of 20 to 30 minutes, the abilities of the members of the group is
measured.
Prerequisites of a Group Discussion
• Topics given by panelists
• Planning and preparation
• Knowledge with self-confidence
• Communication skills/ power of speech
• Presentation
• Body Language and personal appearance
• Being calm and cool
Benefits in Group discussion
• Stimulation of thinking in a new way.
• Expansion of knowledge
• Understanding of your strength and weakness.
• Your true personality is revealed and qualities of leadership crystallize
• provides chance to Expose
• Language skills
• Academic knowledge
• Leadership skills
• people handling skills
• Team work
• General knowledge.

Salient features of G.D

• Topic may be given to judge your public speaking talent.
• Discussion revolves around a specific subject.
• The examiner does not interfere once he announced the topic.
• Maintain cordiality and free expression of thought and opinion.

Do`s in group discussion

• Appropriate to the issue .
• Make original points & support them by substantial reasoning .

35
• Listen to the other participants actively &carefully.
• Whatever you say must be with a logical flow,&validate it with an example as far
as possible.
• Make only accurate statements.
• Modulate the volume, pitch and tone.
• Be considerate to the feelings of the others.
• Try to get your turn.
• Be an active and dynamic participant by listening.
• Talk with confidence and self-assurance.
Don’ts during group discussion
• Being shy /nervous / keeping isolated from G.D
• Interrupting another participant before his arguments are over
• Speak in favour ; example: Establish your position and stand by it stubbornly
• Changed opinions
• Don’t make fun of any participant even if his arguments are funny.
• Don’t engage yourself in sub-group conversation.
• Don’t repeat and use irrelevant materials.
• Addressing yourself to the examiner.
• Worrying about making some grammatical mistakes, for your interest the matter
you put across are important.

Important points in group discussion

• Be assertive: An assertive person is direct , honest careful about not hurting others
‘self-respect’.
• A patient listener: listening to another person is one way of showing appreciation.
• Right language : Words can make friends & right words at the right time make the
best results.
• Be analytical and fact-oriented : It is necessary to make relevant points which can
be supported with facts and analyzed logically.

Accept criticism
• If any member of the group criticizes or disapproves a point, it is unwise to get
upset or react sharply.
• In case the criticism is flimsy, the same can be pointed out politely.

36
• Maximize participation ; one must try to contribute fully, vigorously & steadily
throughout the discussion.
• Show leadership ability: A group discussion also evaluates your leadership
qualities.
• Accept someone's point of view
• Praise the argument

Example: Remedial English communication is necessary for college students because they
fail in communication skill test.
Status of literacy of women , is increased from 30% to 70% when compared to past years,
in employment sectors organized ,in the IT & ITES field.
• Accept the contradicts view
• Express your argument with few facts, cases, %,
Newspapers publications etc.
• Express without hurting others feelings.

However these days, group discussions are being used for personality test to assess a
person’s:
→Leadership skills
→Communication skills
→Interpersonal skills
→ Persuasive skills
→Problem solving skills
→Conceptualizing skills
Having scored high marks, students who get selected for a higher course or
employment are placed at par based on their age, qualification and experience. It becomes
necessary to conduct further screening to choose a few from many. It is here that Group
Discussion plays an important part. It helps in choosing the socially suitable candidate
among the academically superior achievers. The Indian Defense Forces were the first to
tap the potential of group discussions and incorporate them into their battery of tests for
recruitment of officers. It is one of the best tools to study the behavioral and attitudinal
responses of the participants. Rightly speaking, it is more a technique than a conventional
test.

37
 A group discussion is designed as a situation test wherein a sample of a candidate’s
group worthiness and potential as a worker comes out quite explicitly .It is also known as
leaderless discussion. It means its aim is to find out the natural leadership level of the
candidates. Strictly speaking, no one from the group or outside will be officially
designated as leader or president or chairman or anything of the sort. Even the examiner or
supervisor who launches the discussion will retire to the background. No one will
participate or intervene in the deliberations of the group.
The conduct and behavior of each candidate will bring to the surface his or her
natural leadership, social, dynamic and organizing abilities in a spontaneous manner. It is
essentially a verbal-oriented performance where one has to talk one’s way out. It also
requires the verbal display of the knowledge of the candidate. The more is one’s
knowledge of the subject, the more interested, enthusiastic and confident one would
become in speech and be able to contribute effectively to the discussion.
The great task lies in scoring well in it and creating a good impression on the
examiners. They usually look for a very positive personality with varied potential. During
the progress of any group discussion, there will be conflicting views and as a result, heated
arguments. The winner has to reveal his positive personality traits and leadership abilities
to gain approval for his ideas .Since the test is conducted without a leader, there are
opportunities for the individuals who reveal leadership qualities to become group leaders.
Seizing the opportunity, the aspirant should impress and influence the group.
The ability to speak is the foremost of all. If one does not speak eloquently
and fluently, one cannot create any impact and make one’s presence strongly felt. One
must arouse other’s interest by the power of expression. Conveying all information in
well-balanced sentences in a manner that reflects a good grasp of the subject will indicate
a sharp and analytical mind. The delivery should be smooth and catching. The most
important of all is the tone. It should reflect the humility of a knowledgeable person. There
will be interruptions and they should be borne with patience and a winning smile. It is the
ability to hold the attention of the group members which matters.

All that one needs to do in a group discussion:

 Get off to a good start
 Speak out the Ideas jotted down
 Encourage other participants to speak

38
  Manage one’s emotions and body language
 Deal properly with late comers
 Avoid arguments and abusive language
 Inject humor
 Give examples but stick to the topic
 Be non judgmental and empathetic
 Give a concrete conclusion in agreement with other participants.

A GD is a methodology used by an organization to gauge whether the candidate

has certain personality traits and/or skills that it desires in its members. In this
methodology, the group of candidates is given a topic or a situation, given a few minutes
to think about the same, and then asked to discuss the it among themselves for 15-20
minutes. Freshersworld.com brings you an elaborate section for GD as you had ever seen
anywhere else.

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 Interpersonal skills
Interpersonal skills are the skills that a person uses to interact with other people.
Interpersonal skills are sometimes also referred to as people skills or communication
skills. Interpersonal skills involve using skills such as active listening and tone of voice,
they include delegation and leadership. It is how well you communicate with someone and
how well you behave or carry yourself. Also they help people further their careers.
An interpersonal skill refers to mental and communicative algorithms applied
during social communications and interaction to reach certain effects or results. The term
"interpersonal skills" is used often in business contexts to refer to the measure of a
person's ability to operate within business organizations through social communication
and interactions. Interpersonal skills are how people relate to one another.
As an illustration, it is generally understood that communicating respect for other
people or professionals within will enable one to reduce conflict and increase participation
or assistance in obtaining information or completing tasks. For instance, to interrupt
someone who is currently preoccupied with the task of obtaining information needed
immediately, it is recommended that a professional use a deferential approach with
language such as, "Excuse me, are you busy? I have an urgent matter to discuss with you
if you have the time at the moment." This allows the receiving professional to make their
own judgement regarding the importance of their current task versus entering into a
discussion with their colleague. While it is generally understood that interrupting someone
with an "urgent" request will often take priority, allowing the receiver of the message to
judge independently the request and agree to further interaction will likely result in a
higher quality interaction. Following these kinds of heuristics to achieve better
professional results generally results in a professional being ranked as one with 'good
interpersonal skills.' Often these evaluations occur in formal and informal settings.
Having positive interpersonal skills increases the productivity in the organization
since the number of conflicts is reduced. In informal situations, it allows communication
to be easy and comfortable. People with good interpersonal skills can generally control the
feelings that emerge in difficult situations and respond appropriately, instead of being
overwhelmed by emotion.
Some ways to improve interpersonal skills are to;

40
• Think positively, and enter the mindset to work well with others and maintain good
relationships.
• Do not criticise others or yourself.
• Be patient.
• Learn to listen, experts recommend listening 80% of the time and only talking 20%.
• Be sensitive to others, this includes not gossiping.
• Have a sense of humour appropriate to your situation. Many people benefit from a good
joke.
• Treat others and their experience with respect.
• Praise and compliment people when they deserve it.
• When someone is telling a story, don’t interrupt or try to upstage them with a story of
your own.
• Smile – even when you don’t feel like smiling.
• Be cheerful and try to make others smile.
• Look for solutions.
• When someone compliments you, don’t disagree or boast about it – simply say thank-
you with a smile and move on.
• Don’t complain.
• When you’re unhappy, try your best to act happy anyway. You will end up feeling better
and so will the people around you, your mood is contagious.
• Fake it ‘till you make it. If you’re not naturally confident or happy, fake it until you
generally possess the desired characteristics.
• Learn to appreciate, be helpful and not demotivate your team members. Work as a team,
not as an individual. This will achieve better results.
• Treat your team members and colleagues as friends and not as strangers or subordinates.
Beatrice Vincent once said, “The people with whom you work reflect your own
attitude. If you are suspicious, unfriendly and condescending, you will find these unlovely
traits echoed all about you. But if you are on your best behaviour, you will bring out the
best in the persons with whom you are going to spend most of your working hours.”

Soft skills
Soft skills is a sociological term relating to a person's "EQ" (Emotional
Intelligence Quotient), the cluster of personality traits, social graces, communication,
language, personal habits, friendliness, and optimism that characterize relationships with

41
other people. Soft skills complement hard skills (part of a person's IQ), which are the
occupational requirements of a job and many other activities.
A person's soft skill EQ is an important part of their individual contribution to the
success of an organization. Particularly those organizations dealing with customers face-
to-face are generally more successful if they train their staff to use these skills. Screening
or training for personal habits or traits such as dependability and conscientiousness can
yield significant return on investment for an organization. For this reason, soft skills are
increasingly sought out by employers in addition to standard qualifications.
It has been suggested that in a number of professions soft skills may be more important
over the long term than occupational skills. The legal profession is one example where the
ability to deal with people effectively and politely, more than their mere occupational
skills, can determine the professional success of a lawyer

Emotional intelligence
Emotional intelligence (EI) describes the ability, capacity, skill or, in the case of
the trait EI model, a self-perceived ability to identify, assess, and control the emotions of
one's self, of others, and of groups. Different models have been proposed for the definition
of EI and disagreement exists as to how the term should be used. Despite these
disagreements, which are often highly technical, the ability EI and trait EI models (but not
the mixed models) enjoy support in the literature and have successful applications in
different domains.
The earliest roots of emotional intelligence can be traced to Darwin's work on the
importance of emotional expression for survival and second adaptation. In the 1900s, even
though traditional definitions of intelligence emphasized cognitive aspects such as
memory and problem-solving, several influential researchers in the intelligence field of
study had begun to recognize the importance of the non-cognitive aspects. For instance, as
early as 1920, E.L. Thorndike used the term social intelligence to describe the skill of
understanding and managing other people.
Similarly, in 1940 David Wechsler described the influence of non-intellective
factors on intelligent behavior, and further argued that our models of intelligence would
not be complete until we can adequately describe these factors. In 1983, Howard Gardner's
Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences introduced the idea of multiple
intelligences which included both Interpersonal intelligence (the capacity to understand
the intentions, motivations and desires of other people) and Intrapersonal intelligence (the

42
capacity to understand oneself, to appreciate one's feelings, fears and motivations). In
Gardner's view, traditional types of intelligence, such as IQ, fail to fully explain cognitive
ability. Thus, even though the names given to the concept varied, there was a common
belief that traditional definitions of intelligence are lacking in ability to fully explain
performance outcomes.
The first use of the term "emotional intelligence" is usually attributed to Wayne
Payne's doctoral thesis, A Study of Emotion: Developing Emotional Intelligence from
1985. However, prior to this, the term "emotional intelligence" had appeared in Leuner
(1966). Greenspan (1989) also put forward an EI model, followed by Salovey and Mayer
(1990), and Goleman (1995). The distinction between trait emotional intelligence and
ability emotional intelligence was introduced in 2000.As a result of the growing
acknowledgement by professionals of the importance and relevance of emotions to work
outcomes, the research on the topic continued to gain momentum, but it wasn't until the
publication of Daniel Goleman's best seller Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter
More Than IQ that the term became widely popularized. Nancy Gibbs' 1995 Time
magazine article highlighted Goleman's book and was the first in a string of mainstream
media interest in EI.

Defining emotional intelligence

Substantial disagreement exists regarding the definition of EI, with respect to both
terminology and operationalizations. There has been much confusion regarding the exact
meaning of this construct. The definitions are so varied, and the field is growing so
rapidly, that researchers are constantly re-evaluating even their own definitions of the
construct. At the present time, there are three main models of EI:
• Ability EI model
• Mixed models of EI
• Trait EI model
The ability EI model
Salovey and Mayer's conception of EI strives to define EI within the confines of
the standard criteria for a new intelligence. Following their continuing research, their
initial definition of EI was revised to "The ability to perceive emotion, integrate emotion
to facilitate thought, understand emotions and to regulate emotions to promote personal
growth."

43
 The ability-based model views emotions as useful sources of information that help one
to make sense of and navigate the social environment. The model proposes that
individuals vary in their ability to process information of an emotional nature and in their
ability to relate emotional processing to a wider cognition. This ability is seen to manifest
itself in certain adaptive behaviors. The model claims that EI includes four types of
abilities:
1. Perceiving emotions – the ability to detect and decipher emotions in faces,
pictures, voices, and cultural artifacts—including the ability to identify one's own
emotions. Perceiving emotions represents a basic aspect of emotional intelligence, as it
makes all other processing of emotional information possible.
2. Using emotions – the ability to harness emotions to facilitate various cognitive
activities, such as thinking and problem solving. The emotionally intelligent person
can capitalize fully upon his or her changing moods in order to best fit the task at hand.
3. Understanding emotions – the ability to comprehend emotion language and to
appreciate complicated relationships among emotions. For example, understanding
emotions encompasses the ability to be sensitive to slight variations between emotions,
and the ability to recognize and describe how emotions evolve over time.
4. Managing emotions – the ability to regulate emotions in both ourselves and in
others. Therefore, the emotionally intelligent person can harness emotions, even
negative ones, and manage them to achieve intended goals.
The ability EI model has been criticized in the research for lacking face and
predictive validity in the workplace.

Measurement of the ability EI model

Different models of EI have led to the development of various instruments for the
assessment of the construct. While some of these measures may overlap, most researchers
agree that they tap slightly different constructs. The current measure of Mayer and
Salovey's model of EI, the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT)
is based on a series of emotion-based problem-solving items. Consistent with the model's
claim of EI as a type of intelligence, the test is modeled on ability-based IQ tests. By
testing a person's abilities on each of the four branches of emotional intelligence, it
generates scores for each of the branches as well as a total score.
Central to the four-branch model is the idea that EI requires attunement to social
norms. Therefore, the MSCEIT is scored in a consensus fashion, with higher scores

44
indicating higher overlap between an individual's answers and those provided by a
worldwide sample of respondents. The MSCEIT can also be expert-scored, so that the
amount of overlap is calculated between an individual's answers and those provided by a
group of 21 emotion researchers.
Although promoted as an ability test, the MSCEIT is most unlike standard IQ tests
in that its items do not have objectively correct responses. Among other problems, the
consensus scoring criterion means that it is impossible to create items (questions) that only
a minority of respondents can solve, because, by definition, responses are deemed
emotionally "intelligent" only if the majority of the sample has endorsed them. This and
other similar problems have led cognitive ability experts to question the definition of EI as
a genuine intelligence.
In a study by Føllesdal, the MSCEIT test results of 111 business leaders were
compared with how their employees described their leader. It was found that there were no
correlations between a leader's test results and how he or she was rated by the employees,
with regard to empathy, ability to motivate, and leader effectiveness. Føllesdal also
criticized the Canadian company Multi-Health Systems, which administers the MSCEIT
test. The test contains 141 questions but it was found after publishing the test that 19 of
these did not give the expected answers. This has led Multi-Health Systems to remove
answers to these 19 questions before scoring, but without stating this officially.

45
 Problem Solving

Problem Solving is very important but problem solvers often misunderstand it.
This report proposes the definition of problems, terminology for Problem Solving and
useful Problem Solving patterns.
We should define what is the problem as the first step of Problem Solving. Yet
problem solvers often forget this first step.

Further, we should recognize common terminology such as Purpose, Situation,

Problem, Cause, Solvable Cause, Issue, and Solution. Even Consultants, who should be
professional problem solvers, are often confused with the terminology of Problem
Solving. For example, some consultants may think of issues as problems, or some of them
think of problems as causes. But issues must be the proposal to solve problems and
problems should be negative expressions while issues should be a positive expression.
Some consultants do not mind this type of minute terminology, but clear terminology is
helpful to increase the efficiency of Problem Solving. Third, there are several useful
thinking patterns such as strategic thinking, emotional thinking, realistic thinking,
empirical thinking and so on. The thinking pattern means how we think. So far, I
recognized fourteen thinking patterns. If we choose an appropriate pattern at each step in
Problem Solving, we can improve the efficiency of Problem Solving.
This report will explain the above three points such as the definition of problems,
the terminology of Problem Solving, and useful thinking patterns.

Definition of problem
A problem is decided by purposes. If someone wants money and when he or she
has little money, he or she has a problem. But if someone does not want money, little
money is not a problem.
For example, manufacturing managers are usually evaluated with line-operation
rate, which is shown as a percentage of operated hours to potential total operation hours.
Therefore manufacturing managers sometimes operate lines without orders from their
sales division. This operation may produce more than demand and make excessive
inventories. The excessive inventories may be a problem for general managers. But for the
manufacturing managers, the excessive inventories may not be a problem.

46
 If a purpose is different between managers, they see the identical situation in
different ways. One may see a problem but the others may not see the problem. Therefore,
in order to identify a problem, problem solvers such as consultants must clarify the
differences of purposes. But oftentimes, problem solvers frequently forget to clarify the
differences of purposes and incur confusion among their problem solving projects.
Therefore problem solvers should start their problem solving projects from the definition
of purposes and problems

Terminology of Problem Solving

We should know the basic terminology for Problem Solving. This report proposes
seven terms such as Purpose, Situation, Problem, Cause, Solvable Cause, Issue, and
Solution.

Purpose
Purpose is what we want to do or what we want to be. Purpose is an easy term to
understand. But problem solvers frequently forget to confirm Purpose, at the first step of
Problem Solving. Without clear purposes, we cannot think about problems.

Situation
Situation is just what a circumstance is. Situation is neither good nor bad. We
should recognize situations objectively as much as we can. Usually almost all situations
are not problems. But some problem solvers think of all situations as problems. Before we
recognize a problem, we should capture situations clearly without recognizing them as
problems or non-problems. Without recognizing situations objectively, Problem Solving is
likely to be narrow sighted, because problem solvers recognize problems with their
prejudice.

Problem
Problem is some portions of a situation, which cannot realize purposes. Since
problem solvers often neglect the differences of purposes, they cannot capture the true
problems. If the purpose is different, the identical situation may be a problem or may not
be a problem.

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Cause
Cause is what brings about a problem. Some problem solvers do not distinguish
causes from problems. But since problems are some portions of a situation, problems are
more general than causes are. In other words causes are more specific facts, which bring
about problems. Without distinguishing causes from problems, Problem Solving can not
be specific. Finding specific facts which causes problems is the essential step in Problem
Solving.

Solvable Cause
Solvable cause is some portions of causes. When we solve a problem, we should
focus on solvable causes. Finding solvable causes is another essential step in Problem
Solving. But problem solvers frequently do not extract solvable causes among causes. If
we try to solve unsolvable causes, we waste time. Extracting solvable causes is a useful
step to make Problem Solving efficient.

Issue
Issue is the opposite expression of a problem. If a problem is that we do not have
money, the issue is that we get money. Some problem splvers do not know what Issue is.
They may think of "we do not have money" as an issue. At the worst case, they may mix
the problems, which should be negative expressions, and the issues, which should be
positive expressions.

Solution
Solution is a specific action to solve a problem, which is equal to a specific action
to realize an issue. Some problem solvers do not break down issues into more specific
actions. Issues are not solutions. Problem solvers must break down issues into specific
action.

Thinking patterns
This report lists fourteen thinking patters. Problem solvers should choose
appropriate patterns, responding to situations. This report categorized these fourteen
patterns into three more general groups such as thinking patterns for judgements, thinking
patterns for thinking processes and thinking patterns for efficient thinking. The following
is the outlines of those thinking patterns.

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Thinking patterns for judgements

In order to create a value through thinking we need to judge whether what we think
is right or wrong. This report lists four judging patterns such as strategic thinking,
emotional thinking, realistic thinking, and empirical thinking.

Strategic thinking

Focus, or bias, is the criterion for strategic thinking. If you judge whether a
situation is right or wrong based on whether the situation is focused or not, your
judgement is strategic. A strategy is not necessarily strategic. Historically, many strategists
such as Sonfucis in ancient China, Naplon, M. Porter proposed strategic thinking when
they develop strategies.

Emotional thinking
In organizations, an emotional aspect is essential. Tactical leaders judge whether a
situation is right or wrong based on the participants’ emotional commitment. They think
that if participants can be positive to a situation, the situation is right.

Realistic thinking
Start from what we can do Fix the essential problem first. These two criteria are
very useful. "Starting" is very important, even if we do very little. We do not have to start
from the essential part. Even if we start from an easier part, starting is a better judgement
than a judgement of not-starting in terms of the first part of realistic thinking. Further,
after we start, we should search key factors to make the Problem Solving more efficient.
Usually, 80 % of the problems are caused by only 20 % of the causes. If we can find the
essential 20 % of the causes, we can fix 80 % of problems very efficiently. Then if we try
to find the essential problem, what we are doing is right in terms of the second part of
realistic thinking.

Empirical thinking
When we use empirical thinking, we judge whether the situation is right or wrong
based on our past experiences. Sometimes, this thinking pattern persists on the past criteria
too much, even if a situation has changed. But when it comes to our daily lives, situations

49
do not change frequently. Further, if we have the experience of the identical situation
before, we can utilize the experience as a reliable knowledge data base.
Thinking patterns for thinking processes
If we can think systematically, we do not have to be frustrated when we think. In
contrast, if we have no systematic method, Problem Solving frustrate us. This reports lists
five systematic thinking processes such as rational thinking, systems thinking, cause &
effect thinking, contingent thinking, and the Toyotaﾁfs five times WHYs method .

Rational thinking
Rational thinking is one of the most common Problem Solving methods. This
report will briefly show this Problem Solving method.

 Set the ideal situation

 Identify a current situation
 Compare the ideal situation and the current situation, and identify the problem
situation
 Break down the problem to its causes
 Conceive the solution alternatives to the causes
 Evaluate and choose the reasonable solution alternatives
 Implement the solutions
We can use rational thinking as a Problem Solving method for almost all problems.

Systems thinking
System thinking is a more scientific Problem Solving approach than the rational
thinking approach. We set the system, which causes problems and analyze them based on
systems functions. The following are the system and how the system works.
Cause & effect thinking
Traditionally, we like to clarify cause and effect relations. We usually think of
finding causes as solving problems. Finding a cause and effect relation is a conventional
basic Problem Solving method.
Contingent thinking
Game Theory is a typical contingent thinking method. If we think about as many
situations as possible, which may happen, and prepare solutions for each situation, this

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process is a contingent thinking approach.
Thinking patterns for efficient thinking
In order to think efficiently, there are several useful thinking patterns. This report
lists five patterns for efficient thinking such as hypothesis thinking, conception thinking,
structure thinking, convergence & divergence thinking, and time order thinking.

Hypothesis thinking
If we can collect all information quickly and easily, you can solve problems very
efficiently. But actually, we can not collect every information. If we try to collect all
information, we need so long time. Hypothesis thinking does not require collecting all
information. We develop a hypothesis based on available information. After we developed
a hypothesis, we collect minimum information to prove the hypothesis. If the first
hypothesis is right, you do not have to collect any more information. If the first hypothesis
is wrong, we will develop the next hypothesis based on available information. Hypothesis
thinking is a very efficient problem-solving method, because we do not have to waste time
to collect unnecessary information.

Conception thinking
Problem Solving is not necessarily logical or rational. Creativity and flexibility are
other important aspects for Problem Solving. We can not recognize these aspects clearly.
This report shows only what kinds of tips are useful for creative and flexible conception.

Structure thinking
If we make a structure like a tree to grasp a complex situation, we can understand
very clearly. Upper level should be more abstract and lower level should be more
concrete. Dividing abstract situations from concrete situations is helpful to clarify the
complex situations. Very frequently, problem solvers cannot arrange a situation clearly. A
clear recognition of a complex situation increases efficiency of Problem Solving.

Convergence & divergence thinking

When we should be creative we do not have to consider convergence of ideas. In
contrast, when we should summarize ideas we must focus on convergence. If we do
convergence and divergence simultaneously, Problem Solving becomes inefficient.

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 NEGOTIATION
Meaning:
The word "negotiation" is from the Latin expression, "negotiatus", past participle
of negotiare which means "to carry on business". "Negotium" means literally "not leisure
Another view of negotiation comprises 4 elements:
1. Strategy,
2. Process
3. Tools,
4. Tactics.
Strategy comprises the top level goals - typically including relationship and the final
outcome.
Processes and tools include the steps that will be followed and the roles taken in
both preparing for and negotiating with the other parties.
Tactics include more detailed statements and actions and responses to others'
statements and actions.
Some add to this persuasion and influence, asserting that these have become
integral to modern day negotiation success, and so should not be omitted.
The advocate's approach
In the advocacy approach, a skilled negotiator usually serves as advocate for one
party to the negotiation and attempts to obtain the most favorable outcomes possible for
that party. In this process the negotiator attempts to determine the minimum outcome(s)
the other party is (or parties are) willing to accept, then adjusts their demands accordingly.
A "successful" negotiation in the advocacy approach is when the negotiator is able to
obtain all or most of the outcomes their party desires, but without driving the other party
to permanently break off negotiations, unless the best alternative to a negotiated agreement
(BATNA) is acceptable.
Traditional negotiating is sometimes called win-lose because of the assumption of a fixed
"pie", that one person's gain results in another person's loss. This is only true, however, if
only a single issue needs to be resolved, such as a price in a simple sales negotiation.
The new creative approach
Perhaps the most famous negotiation parable involves an argument over an orange.
The most obvious approach was to simply cut it in half, each person getting a fair share.

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But, when the negotiators began talking to each other, exchanging information about their
interests, a better solution to the problem became obvious
While Japanese society does have its own obstacles to creativity – hierarchy and
collectivism are two – they have developed a negotiation style that in many ways obviates
such disadvantages. Indeed, the ten new rules for global negotiations advocated by
Hernandez and Graham nicely coincide with an approach that comes naturally to the
Japanese:
1. Accept only creative outcomes
2. Understand cultures, especially your own.
3. Don’t just adjust to cultural differences, exploit them.
4. Gather intelligence and reconnoiter the terrain.
5. Design the information flow and process of meetings.
6. Invest in personal relationships.
7. Persuade with questions. Seek information and understanding.
8. Make no concessions until the end.
9. Use techniques of creativity
10. Continue creativity after negotiations.

Ten Ways to Generate More Ideas.

1. Establish common goals of what this "collaboration" would create. A more
workable deal? Some common long term goals? A closer partnership?
2. Establish the rules of engagement. The purpose of the exercise is to resolve
differences in creative ways that work better for both parties. All ideas are
possibilities, and research shows that combining ideas from different cultures can
result in better outcomes than those from a single culture.
3. Trust is key, and difficult to establish in many cultures. Certain techniques might
speed that process a little. Being offsite, for example. Establishing physical
proximity that unconsciously signals intimacy.
4. Add diversity (gender, culture, extroverts, different work specialties, experts,
outsiders) to the group. Indeed, the diversity associated with international teams
and alliances is the real goldmine of creativity in negotiations.
5. Use storytelling. This both helps establish who you are and what point of view you
are bringing to this collaboration.

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 6. Work in small groups. Add physical movement. Tell the participants to relax, play,
sing, have fun, and silence is ok.
7. Work holistically and using visuals. If, for example, there are three sticking points
where neither side is happy, agree to work on those points by spending a short time
– 10 minutes – on each point where both sides offer "crazy" suggestions. Use
techniques of improvisation. Neither side should be offended by the crazy ideas.
No one should criticize. Explain that by exploring crazy ideas that better ideas are
often generated.
8. Sleep on it. This enables the unconscious to work on the problems, and gives
negotiators time to collect opinions before meeting again the next day. Other kinds
of breaks, coffee, etc. are also helpful. The overnight part is particularly important.
[10]
Anthropologist and consumer expert Clotaire Rapaille suggests that the
transitions between wakefulness and sleep allow new kinds of thinking “…calming
their brainwaves, getting them to that tranquil point just before sleep” (page 8).
9. Doing this process over several sessions allows both sides to feel that progress is
being made, and actually generates better and more polished ideas that both sides
can invest in.
10. It is the process of creating something together, rather than the specific proposals,
which creates bonding around a shared task and establishes new ways of working
together. Each side feels honored and all can feel that something is being
accomplished.

Other negotiation styles

Shell identified five styles/responses to negotiation[11]. Individuals can often have
strong dispositions towards numerous styles; the style used during a negotiation depends
on the context and the interests of the other party, among other factors. In addition, styles
can change over time.
1. Accommodating: Individuals who enjoy solving the other party’s problems and
preserving personal relationships. Accommodators are sensitive to the emotional
states, body language, and verbal signals of the other parties. They can, however,
feel taken advantage of in situations when the other party places little emphasis on
the relationship.

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 2. Avoiding: Individuals who do not like to negotiate and don’t do it unless
warranted. When negotiating, avoiders tend to defer and dodge the confrontational
aspects of negotiating; however, they may be perceived as tactful and diplomatic.
3. Collaborating: Individuals who enjoy negotiations that involve solving tough
problems in creative ways. Collaborators are good at using negotiations to
understand the concerns and interests of the other parties. They can, however,
create problems by transforming simple situations into more complex ones.
4. Competing: Individuals who enjoy negotiations because they present an
opportunity to win something. Competitive negotiators have strong instincts for all
aspects of negotiating and are often strategic. Because their style can dominate the
bargaining process, competitive negotiators often neglect the importance of
relationships.
5. Compromising: Individuals who are eager to close the deal by doing what is fair
and equal for all parties involved in the negotiation. Compromisers can be useful
when there is limited time to complete the deal; however, compromisers often
unnecessarily rush the negotiation process and make concessions too quickly.

The effect of the partner’s emotions

• Anger caused the opponents to place lower demands and to concede more in a
zero-sum negotiation, but also to evaluate the negotiation less favorably.[26] It
provoked both dominating and yielding behaviors of the opponent.[17].
• Pride led to more integrative and compromise strategies by the partner.[17]
• Guilt or regret expressed by the negotiator led to better impression of him by the
opponent, however it also led the opponent to place higher demands.[16]. On the
other hand, personal guilt was related to more satisfaction with what one achieved.
[21]

Worry or disappointment left bad impression on the opponent, but led to

relatively lower demands by the opponent

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 GOAL SETTING
Introduction
Goal-setting ideally involves establishing specific, measurable, attainable, realistic
and time-targeted objectives. Work on the goal-setting theory suggests that it can serve as
an effective tool for making progress by ensuring that participants have a clear awareness
of what they must do to achieve or help achieve an objective. On a personal level, the
process of setting goals allows people to specify and then work towards their own
objectives — most commonly financial or career-based goals. Goal-setting comprises a
major component of Personal development. A goal can be long-term or short-term.
“Failures do what is tension relieving, while winners do what is goal achieving”.
- Dennis Waitley
Meaning
Goal setting involves establishing specific, measurable and time-targeted
objectives. Goal setting features as a major component of personal development literature.
Goals perceived as realistic are more effective in changing behavior.
Concept
Goals that are difficult to achieve and specific tend to increase performance more
than goals that are not. A goal can become more specific through quantification or
enumeration (should be measurable), such as by demanding "increasing productivity by
50%"; or by defining certain tasks that need completing.

Setting goals affects outcomes in four ways:

1. Choice: goals narrow attention and direct efforts to goal-relevant activities,
and away from perceived undesirable and goal-irrelevant actions.
2. Effort: goals can lead to more effort; for example, if one typically produces
4 widgets an hour, and has the goal of producing 6, one may work more intensely
than one would otherwise in order to reach the goal.
3. Persistence: An individual becomes more prone to work through setbacks
if pursuing a goal.
4. Cognition: goals can lead an individual to develop cognitive strategies to
change their behavior.
Goal Setting Techniques

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 1. Make sure that your goals are your own and no one else's
2. Deciding what is important for you to accomplish in your life and making your
options based on this knowledge
3. Motivating yourself to attainment to ensure their accomplishment
4. Building your self-confidence based on the measured attainment of goals
5. Separating what is significant from what is unrelated so that your focus is in the
right place
Get Smart
If you have been on the road of self improvement, or personal growth for any
length of time you have probably been exposed to the idea of goal setting. You might have
even heard of the S.M.A.R.T. goal setting method.
The S.M.A.R.T. method assumes that if you set a goal that is:
• Specific
• Measurable
• Attainable
• Realistic
• Timely
Specific
Goals should be straightforward and emphasize what you want to happen.
Specifics help us to focus our efforts and clearly define what we are going to do.
Specific is the What, Why, and How of the SMART model.
• WHAT are you going to do? Use action words such as direct, organize, coordinate,
lead, develop, plan, build etc.
• WHY is this important to do at this time? What do you want to ultimately
accomplish?
• HOW are you going to do it?
Ensure the goals you set is very specific, clear and easy. Instead of setting a goal to
lose weight or be healthier, set a specific goal to lose 2cm off your waistline or to walk 5
miles at an aerobically challenging pace.
Measurable
If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it. In the broadest sense, the whole goal
statement is a measure for the project; if the goal is accomplished, that is a success.
However, there are usually several short-term or small measurements that can be built into
the goal.

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 Choose a goal with measurable progress, so you can see the change occur. How
will you see when you reach your goal? Be specific! “I want to read 3 chapter books of
100 pages on my own before my birthday” shows the specific target to be measure. “I
want to be a good reader” is not as measurable.
Establish concrete criteria for measuring progress toward the attainment of each
goal you set. When you measure your progress, you stay on track, reach your target dates,
and experience the exhilaration of achievement that spurs you on to continued effort
required to reach your goals.

Attainable
When you identify goals that are most important to you, you begin to figure out
ways you can make them come true. You develop that attitudes, abilities, skills, and
financial capacity to reach them. Your begin seeing previously overlooked opportunities to
bring yourself closer to the achievement of your goals.
Goals you set which are too far out of your reach, you probably won’t commit to
doing. Although you may start with the best of intentions, the knowledge that it’s too
much for you means your subconscious will keep reminding you of this fact and will stop
you from even giving it your best.
A goal needs to stretch you slightly so you feel you can do it and it will need a real
commitment from you. For instance, if you aim to lose 20lbs in one week, we all know
that isn’t achievable. But setting a goal to loose 1lb and when you’ve achieved that,
aiming to lose a further 1lb, will keep it achievable for you.
The feeling of success which this brings helps you to remain motivated.
Realistic
This is not a synonym for “easy.” Realistic, in this case, means “do-able.” It means
that the learning curve is not a vertical slope; that the skills needed to do the work are
available; that the project fits with the overall strategy and goals of the organization. A
realistic project may push the skills and knowledge of the people working on it but it
shouldn’t break them.
Devise a plan or a way of getting there which makes the goal realistic. The goal
needs to be realistic for you and where you are at the moment. A goal of never again
eating sweets, cakes, crisps and chocolate may not be realistic for someone who really
enjoys these foods.

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 Be sure to set goals that you can attain with some effort! Too difficult and you set
the stage for failure, but too low sends the message that you aren’t very capable. Set the
bar high enough for a satisfying achievement!
Timely
Set a timeframe for the goal: for next week, in three months, by fifth grade. Putting
an end point on your goal gives you a clear target to work towards.
If you don’t set a time, the commitment is too vague. It tends not to happen
because you feel you can start at any time. Without a time limit, there’s no urgency to start
taking action now.
Time must be measurable, attainable and realistic.
Everyone will benefit from goals and objectives if they are SMART. SMART, is
the instrument to apply in setting your goals and objectives.
You will automatically be on your way to achieving that goal....
Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal;
nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.
- Thomas Jefferson

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 PUBLIC SPEAKING
The first known work on the subject was written over 3000 years ago, and the
principles elaborated within it were drawn from the practices and experience of orators in
ancient Greece. In ancient Greece and Rome, oratory was studied as a component of
rhetoric (that is, composition and delivery of speeches), and was an important skill in
public and private life. Aristotle and Quintilian discussed oratory, and the subject, with
definitive rules and models, was emphasised as a part of a liberal arts education during the
middle Ages and Renaissance.
The art of public speaking was first developed by the ancient Greeks. Greek
oration is known from the works of classical antiquity. Greek orators spoke as on their
own behalf rather as representatives of either a client or a constituency, and so any citizen
who wished to succeed in court, in politics, or in social life had to learn techniques of
public speaking. These skills were taught first by a group of self-styled "sophists" who
were known to charge fees, to "make the weaker argument the stronger," and to make their
students "better" through instruction in excellence. Plato, Aristotle, and Isocrates all
developed theories of public speaking in opposition to the Sophists, and their ideas took
on institutional form through the development of permanent schools where public
speaking was taught. Though Greece eventually lost political sovereignty, the Greek
culture of training in public speaking was adopted virtually wholesale by the Romans.
After the ascension of Rome, Greek techniques of public speaking were copied and
modified by the Romans. Under Roman influence, instruction in rhetoric developed into a
full curriculum including instruction in grammar (study of the poets), preliminary
exercises (progymnasmata), and preparation of public speeches (declamation) in both
forensic and deliberative genres. The Latin style was heavily influenced by Cicero, and
involved a strong emphasis on a broad education in all areas of humanistic study (in the
liberal arts, including philosophy), as well as on the use of wit and humor, on appeal to the
listener's emotions, and on digressions, often used to explore general themes related to the
specific topic of the speech. Oratory in the Roman empire, though less central to political
life, remained important in law, and became (under the second Sophistic) an important
form of entertainment, with famous orators or declaimers gaining great wealth and
prestige for their skills.

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 This Latin style was the primary form of oration in the world until the beginning of
the 20th century. After World War II there began a gradual deprecation of the Latin style
of oration. With the rise of the scientific method and the emphasis on a "plain" style of
speaking and writing, even formal oratory has become less polished and ornate than in the
Classical period, though politicians in democracies today can still make or break their
careers on the basis of a successful (or unsuccessful) speech. Abraham Lincoln, John F.
Kennedy, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama have all advanced their careers in large part due
to their skills in oratory.
These basic principles have undergone modification as societies, and cultures have
changed, yet remained surprisingly uniform. The technology and the methods of this form
of communication have traditionally been through oratory structure and rely on a large or
sometimes somewhat small audience. However, new advancements in technology have
allowed for more sophisticated communication to occur for speakers and public orators.
The technological and media sources that assist the public speaking atmosphere include
both videoconferencing and telecommunications. Videoconferencing is among one of the
more recent technologies that is in a way revolutionizing the way that public speakers
communicate to the masses. David M. Fetterman of Stanford University printed in his
1997 article Videoconferencing over the Internet: "Videoconferencing technology allows
geographically disparate parties to hear and see each other usually through satellite or
telephone communication systems". This technology is helpful for large conference
meetings and face to face communication context, and is becoming more widespread
across the world...
TRAINING
Effective public speaking can be developed by joining a club such as Rostrum,
Toastmasters International, Association of Speakers Clubs (ASC), Speaking Circles or
POWER talk International in which members are assigned exercises to improve their
speaking skills. Members learn by observation and practice, and hone their skills by
listening to constructive suggestions followed by new public speaking exercises. These
include:
* Oratory
* The use of gestures
* Control of the voice (inflection)
* Vocabulary, register, word choice
* Speaking notes, pithches

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 * Using humor
* Developing a relationship with the audience
TEAM BUILDING
Team Building refers to a wide range of activities, presented to businesses,
schools, sports teams, religious or nonprofit organizations designed for improving team
performance. Team building is pursued via a variety of practices, and can range from
simple bonding exercises to complex simulations and multi-day team building retreats
designed to develop a team (including group assessment and group-dynamic games,
usually falling somewhere in between. It generally sits within the theory and practice of
organizational development, but can also be applied to sports teams, school groups, and
other contexts. Team building is not to be confused with "team recreation" that consists of
activities for teams that are strictly recreational. Teambuilding is an important factor in
any environment, its focus is to specialize in bringing out the best in a team to ensure self
development, positive communication, leadership skills and the ability to work closely
together as a team to problem solve.
Work environments tend to focus on individuals and personal goals, with reward &
recognition singling out the achievements of individual employees. "How to create
effective teams is a challenge in every organization Team building can also refer to the
process of selecting or creating a team from scratch.
Reasons for Team Building
Reasons for Team Building include
• Improving communication
• Making the workplace more enjoyable
• Motivating a team
• Getting to know each other
• Getting everyone "onto the same page", including goal setting
• Teaching the team self-regulation strategies
• Helping participants to learn more about themselves (strengths and weaknesses)
• Identifying and utilizing the strengths of team members
• Improving team productivity
• Practicing effective collaboration with team members

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63
 Conflict Management
Meaning and Definition
Conflict management refers to the long-term management of intractable conflicts.
It is the label for the variety of ways by which people handle grievances standing up for
what they consider to be right and against what they consider to be wrong. Those ways
include such diverse phenomena as gossip, ridicule, lynching, terrorism, warfare, feuding,
genocide, law, mediation, and avoidance. Which forms of conflict management will be
used in any given situation can be somewhat predicted and explained by the social
structure or social geometry of the case
“Conflict management is the process of planning to avoid conflict where possible
and organising to resolve conflict where it does happen, as rapidly and smoothly as
possible”.

1. What do organisations use conflict management for?

For any organization to be effective and efficient in achieving its goals, the people in the
organisation need to have a shared vision of what they are striving to achieve, as well as
clear objectives for each team / department and individual. You also need ways of
recognising and resolving conflict amongst people, so that conflict does not become so
serious that co-operation is impossible. All members of any organisation need to have
ways of keeping conflict to a minimum - and of solving problems caused by conflict,
before conflict becomes a major obstacle to your work. This could happen to any
organisation, whether it is an NGO, a CBO, a political party, a business or a government.
2. Important things to know about "conflict" and "conflict management":
The differences between "competition" and "conflict"
"Competition" usually brings out the best in people, as they strive to be top in their field,
whether in sport, community affairs, politics or work. In fact, fair and friendly competition
often leads to new sporting achievements, scientific inventions or outstanding effort in
solving a community problem. When competition becomes unfriendly or bitter, though,
conflict can begin - and this can bring out the worst in people.
Common causes of conflict
Causes or sources of organisational conflict can be many and varied. The most
common causes are the following:

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 • scarcity of resources (finance, equipment, facilities, etc)
• different attitudes, values or perceptions
• disagreements about needs, goals, priorities and interests
• poor communication
• poor or inadequate organisational structure
• lack of teamwork
• lack of clarity in roles and responsibilities
Conflict between individual
People have differing styles of communication, ambitions, political or religious
views and different cultural backgrounds. In our diverse society, the possibility of these
differences leading to conflict between individuals is always there, and we must be alert to
preventing and resolving situations where conflict arises.
Conflict between groups of people
Whenever people form groups, they tend to emphasise the things that make their
group "better than" or "different from" other groups. This happens in the fields of sport,
culture, religion and the workplace and can sometimes change from healthy competition to
destructive conflict.
Conflict within a group of people
Even within one organisation or team, conflict can arise from the individual
differences or ambitions mentioned earlier; or from rivalry between sub-groups or
factions. All leaders and members of the organisation need to be alert to group dynamics
that can spill over into conflict.
3. How to identify signs and stages of conflict
"Disputes of right" and "disputes of interest"
Especially in the workplace, two main types of disputes have been noted (although
these two types may also happen in other situations). These are:
• "disputes of right", where people or groups are entitled by law, by contract, by
previous agreement or by established practice to certain rights. Disputes of right will
focus on conflict issues such as employment contracts, legally enforceable matters or
unilateral changes in accepted or customary practices. A dispute of rights is, therefore,
usually settled by legal decision or arbitration and not by negotiation.
• "disputes of interest", where the conflict may be a matter of opinion, such as where
a person or group is entitled to some resources or privileges (such as access to
property, better working conditions, etc). Because there is no established law or right,

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 a dispute of interest will usually be solved through collective bargaining or
negotiation.
Stages of conflict
The handling of conflict requires awareness of its various developmental stages. If
leaders in the situation can identify the conflict issue and how far it has developed, they
can sometimes solve it before it becomes much more serious. Typical stages include:
• where potential for conflict exists - in other words where people recognise that
lack of resources, diversity of language or culture may possible result in conflict if
people are not sensitive to the diversity.
• latent conflict where a competitive situation could easily spill over into conflict -
e.g. at a political rally or in the workplace where there are obvious differences
between groups of people.
• open conflict - which can be triggered by an incident and suddenly become real
conflict.
• aftermath conflict - the situation where a particular problem may have been
resolved but the potential for conflict still exists. In fact the potential may be even
greater than before, if one person or group perceives itself as being involved in a win-
loose situation.

Signs of conflict between individuals

In the organisation leaders and members should be alert to signs of conflict
between colleagues, so that they can be proactive in reducing or resolving the conflict by
getting to the root of the issue. Typical signs may include:
• colleagues not speaking to each other or ignoring each other
• contradicting and bad-mouthing one another
• deliberately undermining or not co-operating with each other, to the downfall of
the team
Signs of conflict between groups of people
Similarly, leaders and members can identify latent conflict between groups of
people in the organisation or the community and plan action before the conflict becomes
open and destructive:
• cliques or factions meeting to discuss issues separately, when they affect the whole
organisation
• one group being left out of organising an event which should include everybody

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 • groups using threatening slogans or symbols to show that their group is right and
the others are wrong
4. How to build teamwork and co-operation (…and so minimise the possibility of
conflict)
Teamwork and co-operation are essential in an organisation which aims to be
effective and efficient, and not likely to be divided by conflicting factions. The best
teamwork usually comes from having a shared vision or goal, so that leaders and members
are all committed to the same objectives and understand their roles in achieving those
objectives. Important behaviours in achieving teamwork and minimising potential conflict
include a commitment by team members to:
• share information by keeping people in the group up-to-date with current issues
• express positive expectations about each other
• empower each other - publicly crediting colleagues who have performed well and
encouraging each other to achieve results
• team-build - by promoting good morale and protecting the group's reputation with
outsiders
• resolve potential conflict - by bringing differences of opinion into the open and
facilitating resolution of conflicts
5. How to manage and resolve conflict situations
Collective bargaining
Especially in workplace situations, it is necessary to have agreed mechanisms in
place for groups of people who may be antagonistic (e.g. management and workers) to
collectively discuss and resolve issues. This process is often called "collective bargaining",
because representatives of each group come together with a mandate to work out a
solution collectively. Experience has shown that this is far better than avoidance or
withdrawal, and puts democratic processes in place to achieve "integrative problem
solving", where people or groups who must find ways of co-operating in the same
organisation, do so within their own agreed rules and procedures.

Conciliation
The dictionary defines conciliation as "the act of procuring good will or inducing a
friendly feeling". South African labour relations legislation provides for the process of
conciliation in the workplace, whereby groups who are in conflict and who have failed to
reach agreement, can come together once again to attempt to settle their differences. This

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is usually attempted before the more serious step of a strike by workers or a lock-out by
management is taken; and it has been found useful to involve a facilitator in the
conciliation process. Similarly, any other organisation (e.g. sports club, youth group or
community organisation) could try conciliation as a first step.
The difference between negotiation, mediation, and arbitration
Three methods of resolving situations that have reached the stage of open conflict
are often used by many different organisations. It is important to understand these
methods, so that people can decide which methods will work best for them in their specific
conflict situation:
• Negotiation: this is the process where mandated representatives of groups in a
conflict situation meet together in order to resolve their differences and to reach
agreement. It is a deliberate process, conducted by representatives of groups, designed
to reconcile differences and to reach agreements by consensus. The outcome is often
dependent on the power relationship between the groups. Negotiations often involve
compromise - one group may win one of their demands and give in on another. In
workplaces Unions and management representative usually sue negotiations to solve
conflicts. Political and community groups also often use this method.
• Mediation: when negotiations fail or get stuck, parties often call in and
independent mediator. This person or group will try to facilitate settlement of the
conflict. The mediator plays an active part in the process, advises both or all groups,
acts as intermediary and suggests possible solutions. In contrast to arbitration (see
below) mediators act only in an advisory capacity - they have no decision-making
powers and cannot impose a settlement on the conflicting parties. Skilled mediators
are able to gain trust and confidence from the conflicting groups or individuals.
• Arbitration: means the appointment of an independent person to act as an
adjudicator (or judge) in a dispute, to decide on the terms of a settlement. Both parties
in a conflict have to agree about who the arbitrator should be, and that the decision of
the arbitrator will be binding on them all. Arbitration differs from mediation and
negotiation in that it does not promote the continuation of collective bargaining: the
arbitrator listens to and investigates the demands and counter-demands and takes over
the role of decision-maker. People or organisations can agree on having either a single
arbitrator or a panel of arbitrators whom they respect and whose decision they will
accept as final, in order to resolve the conflict.
How to be an effective mediator

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An effective mediator needs certain skills in order to achieve credibility and results:
• preferably a proven record of success in mediation or negotiation
• the ability to gain the trust, acceptance and co-operation of
conflicting parties
• clear thinking in identifying the real problems and offering practical
solutions
• knowledgeable about the organisational structures, strategies and
attitudes of the conflicting parties; as well as any relevant laws or
agreements
• tactful and diplomatic with the necessary powers of persuasion and
strong character to nudge the participants progressively towards an
agreement.

How to run a mediation process

The mediation process can be broadly divided into the following three stages:
Stage 1: Introduction and establishment of credibility
During the first stage, the mediator plays a passive role. The main task is to gain
the trust and acceptance of the conflicting parties, so that they begin to believe that he/she
will be capable of assisting them fairly as a person on whom they can rely at all times. An
experienced mediator will leave most of the talking to the disputing parties, but will listen
attentively and ask probing questions to pinpoint the causes of the dispute, obstacles to a
possible settlement and to identify the issues in order of priority. Once credibility is
achieved and sufficient background knowledge gained, the mediator may begin to
persuade the parties to resume negotiations, possibly with a fresh perspective.
Stage 2: Steering the negotiation process
In the second stage, the mediator intervenes more actively in steering the
negotiations. He/she may offer advice to the parties, attempt to establish the actual
resistance point of each party and to discover areas in which compromises could be
reached. The mediator will encourage parties to put forward proposals and counter-
proposals and (when a solution appears feasible) will begin to urge or even pressurise the
participants towards acceptance of a settlement.
Stage 3: Movement towards a final settlement
An experienced mediator will know when to use diplomacy and when to exert
pressure towards final settlement of the dispute. Timing and sensitivity to personalities

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and strategic positions is important to maintain credibility and avoid rejection by one or
more parties in the process. He/she might use bi-lateral discussions with individuals or
groups and during the final stages may actually suggest or draft proposals for
consideration. In the event of a final settlement being reached, the mediator usually assists
the parties in the drafting of their agreement, ensuring that both sides are satisfied with the
wording, terms and conditions of the agreement.
The process of mediation is dynamic and finely-tuned. A good mediator has to be flexible
and inventive, must ensure that his/her personal values are not imposed on the conflicting
parties. At most a mediator can advise, persuade or cajole them towards agreement.
6. Outline for a Mediation Session
This is a session of at least 2 ½ hours. It is a suggested structure for a formal
mediation session around a conflict between two organisations, parties or groups. You
should be flexible when you structure a mediation session, e.g. a more informal mediation,
say between two neighbors, will need a different approach.
In this session, remember that you may want to be flexible with time, for example
to allow for translation, to allow each side time to caucus (speak among themselves) or to
give the mediator time to meet both sides separately.

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