WATCH THE CLIPPING AND LEARN MORE ABOUT GROUP DISCUSSION - Part I

WATCH THE CLIPPING AND LEARN MORE ABOUT GROUP DISCUSSION - Part II

Group Discussion

What and why? A GD is a method by which way institutes judge if the candidate fits into its cultural setup. Following are the points that a GD brings out about candidates personality-       Ability to work in a team  Communication skills [including listening, speaking and expressing]  Reasoning ability  Leadership skills  Initiative  Assertiveness  Flexibility  Creativity  Ability to think on ones feet. How to approach a GD Always use time given for before discussion starts judiciously and efficiently. Step 1:   Read/ listen to the topic very carefully Step 2:   Identify the main ideas and themes about the topic Step 3:   Write your points on the sheet provided and try to structure them [5-6 points are enough] Roles people play during a GD 1. Initiating the GD started by introducing the topic to the groups and adding his points 2. Facilitating participation of all the group members, and if anyone or few dominate a group moderator tries to control that, 3. Keeping the content of discussion around the core issue 4. Giving and asking for information, reactions, critiques 5. Discussing and questioning each other’s interpretations of materials 6. Summarizing what the group has said and moving on giving new direction to the discussion 7. Final conclusion

Soft Skills! What? Soft Skills Training! Objectives?

The soft skills training provides strong practical orientation to the students and helps them in building and improving their skills in communication, the effective use of English, business correspondence, presentations, team building, leadership, time management, group discussions, interviews, and inter-personal skills. By the end of any soft skills training program, the students should be able to: ·         Develop effective communication skills (spoken and written). ·         Develop effective presentation skills. ·         Conduct effective business correspondence and prepare business reports which produce results. ·         Become self-confident individuals by mastering inter-personal skills, team management skills, and leadership skills. ·         Develop an all-round personality with a mature outlook to function effectively in different circumstances.

Soft Skills! Why?

Everyone talks about the importance of ’soft skills.’ The buzz words in the job market at every level are ‘Soft Skills’. In many of the corporate ‘Multi National Companies’ including Infosys, Satyam, Wipro and others the training is a part of initiation into the office. Every new employee placed from campus interviews will have to undergo technical as well as Soft Skills programme.        There is a need to understand the definition and scope of the term ‘Soft Skills’. It may be difficult to give out a precise definition of the term ‘soft skills,’ but in general it is used to describe on-the-job abilities that go beyond an employee’s job description.        For example, a computer programmer’s ability to create and read programs would generally be described as a hard skill, whereas his or her ability to work effectively with co-workers, communicate with clients and manage projects would be lumped together under the soft skills banner.       Soft skills provide students with a strong conceptual and practical framework to build, develop and manage teams. They play an important role in the development of the students’ overall personality, thereby enhancing their career prospects. The term Soft Skills implies critical thinking, interpersonal communication and innovation. These are treated on par with technical skills and expertise.

Know about English Language

v  English is so widely spoken that it has often been referred to as a "world language", the lingua franca of the modern era.  

v  v About a quarter of the world's population is already fluent or competent in English, and this figure is steadily growing.

v  v It is the first language of 300-400 million people and a second language for 500 million more. Nearly 2 billion people worldwide ‘use’ English commercially.

v  v English has official or special status in at least 75 countries.

v  v English is an official language of the United Nations and many other international organizations, including the International Olympic Committee. It is, by international treaty, the official language for aerial and maritime communication.  

v English is spoken by upwards of 350 million people in urban areas of India.