Cse Pcs Lab Manual 2025-26, Sem I
Cse Pcs Lab Manual 2025-26, Sem I
(UGC Autonomous)
2025-2026
Name:
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GEETHANJALI COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
(UGC Autonomous)
III/I
2025-2026
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INDEX
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AR22
GEETHANJALI COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
(UGC Autonomous)
Cheeryal (V), Keesara (M), Medchal Dist., Telangana- 501301
SYLLABUS
L T P/D C
- - 2/- 1
Course Outcomes (COs): At the end of the course students would be able to:
CO1. Use acquired vocabulary from etymology in different contexts
CO2: Demonstrate self-management, interpersonal skills and group discussion skills
CO3. Interpret and infer from the given text employing different reading techniques
CO4. Prepare diverse documents for various purposes
2. Reading Skills: Reading for facts, specific information, Reading between the lines,
negative facts – inferential reading- critical reading.
4. Activities on Presentation Skills: Oral Presentations (individual & group), seminars, ppts,
and written presentations through posters/ projects/ portfolio writing, brochures, and
reports.
Book(s) Recommended:
1. Technical Communication, Meenakshi Raman & Sangeetha Sharma, Oxford University
Press,2009.
2. English Vocabulary in Use series, Cambridge University Press, 2008.
3. Communication Skills, Leena Sen, PHI Learning Pvt. ltd., New Delhi 2009.
4. Communication Skills, Sanjay Kumar and Pushpa Lata, 2nd edition, Oxford University Press.
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PERFORMANCE INDICATOR
10
11
12
13
14
15
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Vision of the Institution
To bring out creativity in students that would promote innovation, research, and
entrepreneurship.
To Preserve and promote cultural heritage, humanistic and spiritual values promoting
peace and harmony in society
To produce globally competent and socially responsible computer science engineers contributing to
the advancement of engineering and technology which involves creativity and innovation by
providing excellent learning environment with world class facilities.
2. To prepare graduates to enter a rapidly changing field as a competent computer science engineer.
3. To prepare graduate capable in all phases of software development, possess a firm understanding of
hardware technologies, have the strong mathematical background necessary for scientific computing,
and be sufficiently well versed in general theory to allow growth within the discipline as it advances.
4. To prepare graduates to assume leadership roles by possessing good communication skills, the
ability to work effectively as team members, and an appreciation for their social and ethical
responsibility in a global setting.
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Program Educational Objectives (PEOs)
1. To provide graduates with a good foundation in mathematics, sciences and engineering
fundamentals required to solve engineering problems that will facilitate them to find
employment in industry and / or to pursue postgraduate studies with an appreciation for lifelong
learning.
2. To provide graduates with analytical and problem solving skills to design algorithms, other
hardware / software systems, and inculcate professional ethics, inter-personal skills to work in a
multi-cultural team.
3. To facilitate graduates get familiarized with state of the art software / hardware tools, imbibing
creativity and Innovation that would enable them to develop cutting-edge technologies of multi-
disciplinary nature for societal development.
COURSE OVERVIEW:
The introduction of the Professional Communication Skills Lab is considered essential in the 3rd
year. At this stage, the students need to prepare themselves for their careers. In order to gain
necessary interpersonal communication skills in a globalized context, students should be trained.
The proposed course enables students to use English in various contexts intelligibly and carry out
the following functions.
Gather ideas and information.
Organize ideas relevantly and coherently.
Develop skills to take failures as lessons and spring back.
Maintain cordial relationship with people around them.
Participate well in Group Discussions.
Face interviews boldly.
Write project/research /technical reports.
Make effective Oral Presentations.
Write Formal Letters lucidly.
Transfer information from non-verbal to verbal texts and vice versa.
Adept and active in social and professional communication.
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COURSE OUTCOMES:
Pos 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
CO 1 - - - - - - - - 3 3 - 3
CO 2 -
- - - - - - - 3 3 - 3
CO 3 -
- - - - - - - 3 3 - 3
CO 4 -
- - - - - - - 3 3 - 3
CO 5 -
- - - - - - - 3 3 - 2
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Mapping of Lab Activities with Course Outcomes
Pre-requisite(s)
None
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Evaluation Pattern
Total PCS Lab Examination Marks - 100 (Internal Exam - 40 Marks + External Exam - 60 Marks)
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General Instructions
1) Students are instructed not to use Pen Drives during Lab sessions.
2) Headphones should not be used for any other purpose except for listening to the
software.
4) Students must bring their Lab Work Books to the Lab without fail and get them signed
by the faculty-in-charge.
5) Use of mobile phones during Lab hours is strictly prohibited.
6) Students should come formally dressed. Jeans, shorts, and T-shirts are prohibited.
8) Students should enter their names and system number in the Log-in Register.
10) Students are not allowed into the Lab without ID cards.
12) Students are evaluated based on their active participation and behavior.
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List of Activities
2. Reading Skills: Reading for facts, specific information, Reading between the
lines, negative facts – inferential reading- critical reading.
Book(s) Recommended:
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List of Equipment
1. Computers
2. Round Tables
3. Advanced Communication Skills Lab SoftwareV1.0
4. Head phones
5. Camcorder
6. Microphone (Collar mike and Hand mike)
7. LCD Projector
8. Movable Chairs
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Module –I
Activities on Fundamentals of Inter-Personal Communication and Vocabulary Building
Objectives:
Students would develop the ability to:
• Interact and work in groups, improving their professional discourse skills.
• Analyze different personality traits among the group and also self.
• Identify their own strengths and weaknesses while communicating and correct them.
• Develop proper vocabulary to converse in a Multi-cultural Environment.
• Imbibe necessary skills to cope with any difficult situation.
Inter-Personal Communication
Interpersonal communication can be defined as the process by which people exchange ideas,
information, feeling and meaning through both Verbal and Non-verbal messages. It is not just
about what is actually said, the language used, but also focuses on how it is said. The Non-
verbal messages sent through the tone of voice, facial expressions, gestures and body
language also play an important role.
The development of Conversational Skills and Etiquette is an important part of socialization
and is the need of the hour.
Discourse Skills
Discourse is any spoken or written communication. It is an expression of thought through
language. The word discourse comes from the Latin word ‘discursus’, which means ―running
to and fro‖ which refers to the act of transferring information where the conversation flows
―to and fro.‖
Oral discourse is a communication or transfer of information using words that are spoken.
Written discourse is also the transfer of information, involves the written word.
Characteristics of Oral Discourse
Meaning of the word or the sentence is supported with proper non-verbal communication,
tone and intonation.
It is often less planned and contains less structure.
The pace of communication is generally determined by the speaker.
Mostly the words are used with fewer syllables and less complex sentences.
The receiver must listen to the speech or presentation at once to comprehend it.
Discourse cannot be changed or taken back once it is delivered.
It is more personable and involves a shared situation between speaker and listener.
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Characteristics of Written Discourse
The meaning might be supported by visual graphics.
More precise words can be thought through and carefully chosen.
The pace of communication is determined by the reader or receiver.
Larger words and more complex sentences are used to make the message more interesting.
Once written, words can still be changed or rearranged in order to make communication
more precise
The audience for written discourse is not always known.
It is less personable and can be very one-sided.
Types of Discourse
Discourse is primarily divided into four types - argument, narration, description,
and exposition. Many acts of communication include more than one of these types in quick
succession.
Argument: A form of communication meant to convince an audience that the writer or
speaker is correct, using evidence and reason.
Narration: This form of communication tells a story, often with emotion and empathy
involved.
Description: A form of communication that relies on the five senses to help the audience
visualize something.
Exposition: Exposition is used to inform the audience of something with relatively neutral
language, i.e., it‘s not meant to persuade or evoke emotion.
Important aspects to enhance the discourse
1. Conversation should be content related and never get deviated from the topic.
2. There should be meaningful flow of the speech or the text.
3. Relevant language should be used, formal or informal.
Kinesics - Role of Body Language in Communication: Body language plays an important
role in communication. Most often it sends signals stronger than words. The subconscious
mind controls the body movements, so listeners can easily understand if there is a difference
in what is said and thought. Hence, it is very important that words and body language
complement each other. Some of the aspects of Non-Verbal Communication are:
1. Eye contact: Eye contact is the most powerful and direct element that conveys one‘s
attitude and readiness for any situation.
2. Facial Expressions: The face is the index of the mind. Universal facial expressions are
connected with Universal Emotions. A smile indicates pleasantness; wide opening of eyes
shows interest etc.
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3. Posture: The variations in three postures standing, sitting, and lying down exhibit negative
and positive attitude. Upright position with shoulders in a straight line shows assertive
attitude of a person.
4. Body movement and Gestures: Body movement talks about movement of head, hand and
feet. Appropriate and controlled hand and feet movements reveal an assertive and matured
personality.
5. Proximity: One has to analyze the situation and the relation with others to maintain
suitable distance.
6. Appearance: Attire, jewelry, makeup, shoes, hairstyle all reveal your personality, attitude
and readiness to participate in a given situation.
Importance of Body Language: -
• Body language can instantaneously help in assessing the interest of people.
• It is a personal way of expressing emotions.
• It makes communication interesting.
Positive body gestures
Positive body gestures enhance confidence and security. They are signs of active
participation and leave a good impression. Positive gestures include:
• Walking upright
• Shaking hands confidently
• Having a pleasant face
• Nodding head in a positive gesture
• A steady eye-contact
Negative body gestures
Negative gestures symbolize insecurity and restlessness. Such gestures show lack of
confidence and should be avoided.
• Being up tied or stiff
• Biting nails
• Getting distracted
• Artificial smile
• Looking at something else while talking, instead of the speaker
• Improper gestures/postures
Points to remember:
• Never be stiff while making movements.
• Avoid body language that may be misunderstood or look unprofessional. E.g., Winking.
• A consistent eye contact is a positive sign and must be used.
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• Avoid fiddling with things around. It may distract the attention of the people.
• Each body part movement signifies something and helps in interpreting. E.g., standing
with hands on hips signifies aggression, nodding head signifies agreement and active
listening, and biting nails signifies nervousness.
• Body language does not give time to think and must be used appropriately.
Role-Plays:
Role-play is defined as Communication in various situations which is totally formal though
the situation may be informal. It is putting oneself in others‘ shoe and enacting the role.
Learning by doing is mostly preferred in the process of effective language learning. Role Play
is the platform where the students improve the speaking skills, non-verbal communication,
and contextual usage of language. This makes the student understand how to face real life
situation.
Few expressions that are generally used in Role Play are given below for better
understanding:
• Would you mind …………?
• I am pleased ……………...
• I wonder………………….
• Would be pleased ………..
• If I were …………………
• Should I ……………….?
Role-play can enhance the learning experiences. Role-Plays are useful in giving practice of
dealing with real-life situations/problems. Students are trained in developing interpersonal
skills especially Formal Communication in an organization/ industry.
Exercise:
Write appropriate conversation exchanges for the following situations.
1. You are the director of a company and decided to select the best manager of the year.
Address your colleagues on the criteria to select the candidate.
2. You and your friend have decided to attend a musical concert in the city. Write a
dialogue about the discussion on the choice of going to the concert.
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Vocabulary Building
Vocabulary is a sum or stock of words employed by a group or an individual. It can also be a
stock of words at a workplace or in a field of knowledge. It is the collection of words and
terms available in communication.
Uses of vocabulary
• It is a fundamental tool to sharpen communication.
• It makes a positive effect/impression on the listener.
• It improves reading comprehension and helps to think logically.
• Vocabulary helps in expressing appropriately and effectively (oral and written).
• It helps in acquiring knowledge and to become successful.
Tips to improve vocabulary
• Read, read, and read. Vocabulary can be improved by reading novels, newspapers and
magazines, as one gets exposed to a number of new words.
• Maintain a thesaurus or pocket dictionary, vocabulary guide, or a smartphone.
• Learn one word a day, its synonyms, and antonyms.
• Learn word roots (Etymology).
• Understand the meanings of as many prefixes and suffixes.
• Learn One-word substitutes, Business Vocabulary, and use them appropriately.
• Practice Verbal Analogy.
• Use Idioms and Phrases and Collocations in speech to make the conversation impressive.
Word Roots: The Root is the basic part of a word to which affixes (prefixes and suffixes) are
added to form the new word.
Ex: The meaning of the root Audi is ‘to hear’.
Words like audible and audience can be remembered by remembering the root word.
One-Word Substitute: Substituting a long sentence by a single word conveying the
meaning of the sentence.
Ex: A person whom one knows but is not particularly a close friend- Acquaintance.
Business Vocabulary: It is defined as set of words used for specific purpose. For example,
the words used by a lawyer are different from the words used by an engineer or a
technocrat.
Ex: Cash Cow: It is a business term that is used to talk about a business, investment or
product that gives steady income or profits.
Milord/ My Lord: It is a legal term used by lawyers which means a noble or a rich man.
Phishing: It is a term used by engineers which means a cybercrime.
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Verbal Analogy: Analogy means similarity between features of two different things, on
which a comparison can be made. It is often used to explain a principle or idea.
Ex: Play is related to the ground as pray is related to – the temple
Ice: cold: steel: hard
Sword: warrior: pen: writer
Collocation: It is the combination of words formed when two or more words are often used
together in a way that sounds correct but is difficult to guess.
Ex: Richly decorated, fully aware, irreparable damage, etc.
There are several different types of collocation made from combinations of verb, noun,
adjective etc. Some of the most common types are:
adverb + adjective: completely satisfied
adjective + noun: excruciating pain
noun + noun: a surge of anger
noun + verb: lions roar
verb + noun: commit suicide
verb + expression with preposition: burst into tears
verb + adverb: wave frantically
Exercise:
I. Write the meaning of the given root and form three words and make sentence
using the new word.
1. Bios,
2. Aster
3. Verbum:
II. Write five (5) One- word substitutes with its meaning.
II. Exercise on Business Vocabulary
Read the sentence and find appropriate meaning for the highlighted word
1. Vijay Malya is a Cash Cow.
a. Spendthrift b. Luxurious c. Moneyed d. Miser
2. We have to address this issue at the next meeting.
a. raise b. rise c. contact d. speak
3. The success of our company is largely dependent on strong and capable staff
members.
a. poor b. reliant c. efficient d. trust worthy
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4. Several of the sales personnel told me that they have received numerous complaints
from customers.
a. people b. cadre c. staff d. troop
5. Using mobiles while travelling has become a dime a dozen
a. usual b. unusual c. common d. very common
III. Write two (2) appropriate Collocations with the following combination and make
sentence using each collocation:
Combination
1. Adverb + Adjective:
a. Highly unusual
Ex: Receiving such intensive medical therapy is highly unusual.
b. Painfully Shy
Ex: As a child, I was painfully shy I didn‘t speak much.
2. Noun + Verb:
a. Birds tweet
Ex: The male birds tweet to attract their mates.
b. Snowfall
Ex: We never experienced such snowfall in our country as in this year.
3. Noun + Noun:
a. Single entry
Ex: Her new visa is for single entry and valid for one year.
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b. Speed Limit
Ex: They said he was exceeding the speed limit.
4. Verb + Noun:
a. Committing Murder
Ex: The prisoner was hanged for committing murder.
b. Give presentation
Ex: He has been asked to give presentation on his research topic.
5. Verb + preposition:
a. Admire for
Ex: I admire my colleague for his patience.
b. Get rid of
Ex: Could you please get rid of these pieces of cake?
RESILIENCE
Introduction:
We all live with a purpose. One of the common traits to live with purpose is to find meaning
and learning in all of life‘s experiences to make one emotionally strong.
This ability to find meaning in one‘s life experiences, especially when confronting life‘s
challenges offers a psychological buffer against obstacles. We sometimes undergo stressful
situations at the workplace which require some kind of special adaptability. This is termed as
Resilience.
What is Resilience?
Resilience is the ability to withstand, recover, and bounce back amid stress, chaos, and ever-
changing circumstances. Resilient people don't dwell on failure but acknowledge the
situation, learn from their mistakes, and move forward. Resiliency is a skill that can be
learned and improved with practice. It is a pro-active and determined attitude to face
challenges, being aware of risks, vulnerabilities and able to make strategic decisions.
Resilience is the ability to use external as well as internal resources successfully to resolve
issues.
The three main characteristics of resilient people:
• Face Challenges: Resilient people overcome stress as they are self-motivated, look at it in
a positive way and accept it.
• Personal control: In general, resilient people tend to accept challenges and work to
overcome and even master them.
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• Commitment: Resilient people persistently put in efforts because they are committed to
an active, engaged outlook toward challenges, which motivates them to actively attempt to
influence their surroundings and to persevere even when their attempts don't seem to be
working out.
Various other Attributes of Resilient People:
1. Resilience requires insight
2. Resilience is independent
3. Although resilience is independent, it is also dependent
4. Resilience calls for initiative
5. Resilience has an element of creativity
6. A resilient person is humorous
7. A resilient person has a strong sense of morality
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PERSONAL MANAGEMENT
TIME MANAGEMENT
In today‘s competitive and challenging life, Time Management plays a crucial role to achieve
one‘s goals not only for the purpose of better placements for livelihood but also for the
purpose of fulfilling one‘s ambitions and dreams.
In simple terms, Time Management is defined as, ―the process of organizing and planning
how to divide time on specific activities in order to increase efficiency or productivity‖.
Time Management Skills
The following are the important time management skills:
1. Goal Setting: The first step in goal setting is to plan and organize the goals. The next step
is to set the goals that are feasible. Set short term and long-term goals.
2. Prioritization: It is about making a check list of what is to be done and what has to be
avoided. It should begin with eliminating the tasks that are not necessary.
Prioritize your tasks as important and urgent, important but not urgent, Urgent but not
important and not urgent not important.
3. Decision Making: Decision making requires some preparation beforehand so as to have
clear plan of action to achieve goals. It involves taking decisions regarding the tasks, time
and resources available.
4. Planning and Organizing: It is an important Time Management Skill because it allows
one to understand all the required tasks to complete a specific work or a project. Organizing
tasks based on priority, availability of resources saves a lot of time. Planning and organizing
go together.
5. Communication Skills: Communication Skill is an important parameter in all the other
skills involved in Time Management. It involves inter-personal skills that need to be
enhanced. Brain storming, with the team members for decision making, planning and
organizing, Communication skills have a significant role to play.
Time Management Strategies
• Plan the day‘s work beforehand. Maintain an organizer and a planner.
• Keep a planner and make 2 to 3 plans for a goal to be achieved. In case Plan A fails,
then Plan B can be implemented.
• Start your day with clarity and purpose. Stay positive and calm.
• Have a task list and update the same as and when the task is completed.
• Revisit the task list and record what is done and what has to be done. Add or delete
tasks as required.
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• Focus on activities that add value to your task and have a positive impact on the
productivity or performance.
• Minimize interruptions and multi-tasking. Avoid the use of social media during the tasks.
• Review at the end of each task.
Multi-Tasking or No Tasking:
ANGER MANAGEMENT
Anger is an emotion which is neither good nor bad. It conveys a message that certain
situation is upsetting, or unjust, or threatening. Anger Management is two folded: to eliminate
unnecessary anger, and to express necessary anger in healthy ways.
Dos and Don‘ts when one is Angry
Do’s:
1. Focus on the physical sensations of anger
2. Take some deep breaths
3. Take a walk or meditate
4. Sense of sight, smell, hearing, touch, and taste are to be put to use
5. Stretch or massage areas of tension. (Roll your shoulders, or gently massage your neck
and scalp)
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6. Slowly count ten
Don’ts:
1. Don‘t speak or take hasty decisions
2. Don‘t make vague requests
3. Don‘t participate in arguments
4. Don‘t sleep, drive, eat or drink alcohol
5. Don‘t post about the conflict on Social Media.
When you start getting upset about something, take a moment to think about the situation.
Ask yourself:
• How important is it in the grand scheme of things?
• Is it really worth getting angry about it?
• Is it worth ruining the rest of my day?
• Is my response appropriate to the situation?
• Is there anything I can do about it?
• Is taking action worth my time?
EMPATHY:
Empathy is awareness of the feelings and emotions of other people. It is a key element of
Emotional Intelligence that links self and others which enable individuals to be empathetic.
Elements of Empathy are:
1. Understanding others: Shows sensitivity and tries to help them to resolve their problems
2. Developing others: Responding to others‘ needs and concerns and helping them to
develop their full potential
3. Being Service Oriented: Take an extra mile to help others
4. Leveraging Diversity: It‘s not just treating everyone exactly in the same way, but act on
their needs and feelings
5. Political awareness: Sensing and responding to the group‘s emotional undercurrents and
power relationships
Three important attributes to develop Empathy:
1. Listening: Listen intently to every word of the conversation. It is shown through
one‘s gestures, energy and posture
2. Openness to others: Value curiosity that one feels for the customs, experiences
and knowledge the other person has.
3. Not being egoistic: Let go off ego and pride as it leads to accept others as they are
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CULTURE SHOCK
Culture Shock is the term used to describe the feelings of confusion and uncertainty that
are experienced when one comes into contact with a culture that is vastly different from
one‘s own. Culture shock can be commonly seen in Communities, foreign students,
immigrants and refugees.
Living abroad can be an exhilarating experience that encourages to reduce culture shock,
increases cultural curiosity and supports willingness to explore unfamiliar terrains. Culture
shock has four different phases: Holiday - Frustration–Adjustment - Acceptance.
1. The Holiday Stage:
The first stage of culture shock is often overwhelmingly positive during which travelers
become infatuated with the language, people and food in their new surroundings. On short
trips, the holiday phase may take over the entire experience as the later effects of culture
shock don‘t have time to set in. On longer trips, this stage usually phases out.
2. The Frustration Stage:
Frustration may be the most difficult stage of culture shock and is probably familiar to
anyone who has lived abroad or who travels frequently. At this stage, the fatigue of not
understanding gestures, signs and the language sets in and miscommunication may occur
frequently. Short interactions, friends, missing loved ones, food, surroundings etc. may
trigger frustration. Frustration is a natural reaction of people spending extended time in new
countries.
3. The Adjustment Stage
Frustrations are often subdued as travelers begin to feel more familiar and comfortable
with the cultures, people, food and languages of new environments. Navigation becomes
easier, friends and communities of support are established and become more recognizable
during the adjustment stage.
4. The Acceptance Stage:
Sometimes weeks, months or years after wrestling with the emotional stages outlined
above, the final stage of culture shock is acceptance. Acceptance doesn‘t mean that new
cultures or environments are completely understood, rather it signifies realization that
complete understanding isn‘t necessary to function and thrive in the new surroundings.
On our own, we can quite easily understand the distinct differences like -Appearance,
Accent, Manners, Habit. However, this is just the tip of an iceberg. The differences that
cause culture shock are more often unseen and therefore more likely to be overlooked.
These are Attitudes,
Beliefs, Values, and Perceptions.
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SEVEN PRACTICAL TIPS TO MINIMISE CULTURE SHOCK
Few tips needed to develop one‘s own strategies to overcome culture shock are:
1. STOP THINKING ABOUT HOME
Avoid constant and relative comparisons with home. It won‘t help you to
settle in. ‗Be a Roman while you are in Rome.‘
2. BE OPEN MINDED
Be always positive-minded towards people or situations and make friends.
3. GET ACTIVE
Start a new hobby or pastime which makes you busy and keeps you away from
homesickness.
4. ACCEPT and ADJUST
When you are in a culture shock, accept the new situations and adjust to the people and
make new friends.
5. MINGLE
Enlighten others about your culture.
6. DON’T BE SHY
Being an introvert makes you feel the culture shock more so, have an open
mind to various unexpected situations.
7. EXPLORE!
Travel and see new places that will make you appreciate the new surroundings, people,
customs etc. This is a once in a lifetime experience, enjoy it. Go for trekking, explore
ruins, attend cooking classes, learn the language and, most importantly, don‘t look back
and say what if…...!?
Conclusion: It is a normal and natural reaction to be in a culture shock state in new and
strange surroundings. Coping up with culture shock makes an individual professionally and
personally successful.
‘Explore to make memories’
Explore new avenues and adapt
Outcomes:
By the end of the module the students will be able to
• Understand others well and behave as independent individuals
• Assist in building co-operative teams
• Recognize various tools to form sentences
• Accept and adjust to the new cultures
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• Enhance their adaptability
Discussion Topics
Activity: 1. Narrate an incident or a situation in your academic /professional life where you
lost your confidence but were resilient. How did you gain confidence in that situation?
Note: (Free response from students. They narrate their own experiences)
Usage of proper vocabulary, cohesion and coherence will be checked.
Activity: 2. When you are ‗in blues‘, mention all the unpleasant thoughts or feelings you get
and how do you try to come out of it?
Activity: 3. How would you react when you encounter an unprecedented experience or
situation at home or workplace?
Note: (Free response from students. They narrate their own experiences)
Students need to concentrate on proper use of vocabulary, cohesion and coherence.
Activity 4:
Answer the following questions:
1. How do you react to failures in life? (Free responses from students)
2. Narrate an incident where you were exposed to a Culture-Shock and slowly adapted to it.
Note: (Free response from students. They narrate their own experiences)
Students need to concentrate on proper use of vocabulary, cohesion and coherence.
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MODULE II
READING SKILLS
‘Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and
wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.’ Charles W. Eliot-
Objectives:
Students would develop ability to
1. Acquire healthy reading habits for their quality personal and professional life.
2. Enrich their vocabulary.
3. Read and comprehend texts and respond appropriately in different Socio- Cultural
contexts.
4. Think divergently.
Language is the amalgamation of four skills, listening, speaking, reading and writing. These
four skills are necessary to enhance the quality of life. Listening and reading are called
receptive skills. Speaking and Writing are the skills that produce the language for
communication. The words ‗Language‘ and ‗Communication‘ are used interchangeably when
we deliberate on Language Skills. Now-a-days, many students face trouble to read and follow
the instructions written on a medicine bottle. Most of them are unable to fill the various forms
necessary to go for career advancement and improvement of quality of life. These behavioral
lacunae are due to lack of proper Reading habits. Hence, the importance of Reading Skills is
an undeniable fact. It is imperative that Reading Skill leads to academic growth and a bright
career.
Uses of developing Reading Skills
1. It helps to learn listening thereby improves understanding ability.
2. It exposes persons to new things to find answers to the problems or proposes new avenues
to solve them.
3. It helps to maintain and build cognitive function. It is about increasing your capacity to
learn decipher codes and solve puzzles
4. It encourages self-improvement and Career Success.
5. It develops imaginative capabilities and helps to better personality. It also helps you to
empathize with people by understanding various emotions, feelings and different cultures.
6. It helps to recognize various and different patterns that occur in writing. It is a means of
language acquisition, communication and sharing information.
7. Reading fiction helps you understand social cues, and is joy forever.
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8. It develops critical analysis and analytical thinking. It is a well-known fact that all New
Innovations of Science are by voracious readers.
9. It can improve moral and ethical thinking. Reading books instill passion and make you a
better writer.
10. Reading habit helps students to build good Self-Image and drives them not to lose hope or
‗giving-up‘ attitude.
Reading is an important element of one‘s life. It is a means of discovering information to
expand one‘s knowledge and understanding of the subject of any kind and any field. Reading
helps in mental development and is known to stimulate the muscles of eyes. It involves
greater levels of concentration and improves the conversational abilities of the reader.
Activity No.1
1. Evaluate Facts and opinions in the following text.
Trees have been around for about 400 million years in contrast, humans have only existed
about 100 million years. Yale University founder Henry Solon Graves along with Gifford
Pinchot said ―The forests should be managed for the greatest for the greatest number in the
long run‖. The survival of the planet is certainly one of these ―greater goods‖. Trees have
many benefits for the entire life of our planet. Trees tower majestically into atmosphere to
absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen. Significantly trees have a large area of leaves per
unit of ground surface area as compared to other land plants - this account for immense
carbon capture. Trees live in association with fungi and microorganisms in the soil and build
healthy soil environment according to Tom Crowther - an acclaimed ecosystem ecologist.
2. Evaluate an Editorial for facts and opinions.
3. Read a newspaper and list the facts and opinions and write the context of that text.
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READING FOR SPECIFIC INFORMATION
General information is normally vague and represents a broad description of something
mentioned in the text.
Specific information refers to exact, precise fact or description of something mentioned in
the text.
In a way, reading for specific information is also a form of skimming and scanning of a text
to find specific information.
What is reading for specific information?
Specific information involves reading to understand information we are looking for, locating
it and reading a relevant part for detailed understanding. It is a Life-Long Skill. We read
newspapers, Research papers, Text Books and reports etc., for specific information.
Conclusions can be drawn from the located paragraph. It helps to compare, contrast, define
and show cause and effect relationships in a given passage. Reading for specific information
can be aroused by making the students to read Fiction and Non-Fiction books.
Why is reading specific information important?
Reading parts of texts for specific information should address the expectations, knowledge
gaps and interests of the reader. This skill gives us plenty of time to achieve certain tasks.
How specific information is identified?
Skimming headings, titles, sub titles help in identifying certain information we are looking
for.
The main skill required here is scanning which involves moving quickly over the text by
focusing on key words and ideas, working out unknown vocabulary therefore providing
specific information.
Reading for Specific Information
Specific goal is to be kept in mind, what kind of information we want to locate in a text
and read the relevant part of the text and ignore the irrelevant.
Jot down a list of points or keywords that we would like to locate or explore in a related
topic. This will help us to find relevant points.
Make use of headings, contents, sub headings and predict few texts by following list of
contains that we think are relevant for scanning.
While scanning, slow down at such keywords or points to read them thoroughly to
understand.
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Set a time limit for yourself. If you cannot find anything relevant after some time, the text
probably does not provide what you want. Then, re-do your strategy of reading.
Skimming and Scanning
Skimming and scanning are reading techniques which use rapid eye movement for locating
keywords.
Skimming is reading rapidly in order to get a general overview of the material. It is used in
previewing, reviewing and determining the main idea from a long selection or when trying to
find source material for a research paper or project.
Scanning is reading rapidly in order to find specific facts; helps to locate a particular fact the
reader is looking for. Skimming is like snorkeling, and scanning is more like pearl diving.
Scanning is used in research to find particular facts, to study fact-heavy topics, and to answer
questions requiring factual support.
Skimming for Specific Information
It is very useful as a preview to a more detailed reading or when reviewing a selected heavy
content. We can use skimming to overview textbook chapters or to review a general idea and
tone of the material, to know if we need to read it at all.
Technique
To skim is to move rapidly through the pages by paying special attention to typographical
cues, heading, italic type, bold face, numbering and bulleted lists.
We have to be alert for key words and phrases, dates, places and familiar words.
Steps to follow to skim a Text/ passage
1. Read the table of contents or chapter overview to learn the main division of ideas.
2. Glance through the main headings and headings of charts and tables.
3. Read the introductory paragraph and for each paragraph, read only the first few words of
each sentence or to locate the main idea.
4. Read the sentences containing keywords indicated in boldface or italics.
5. When you think you have found something significant, stop to read the entire sentence to
make sure. Then go on the same way.
6. Read chapter summaries when provided.
Skimming is always should be faster than your normal reading speed. Any how you
should slow down in the following situations:
• When you skim the introductory and concluding paragraphs
• When you skim topic sentences
• When you find an unfamiliar word
• When the material is very complicated
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You shouldn‘t stop whenever you find a difficult or un-understood word while reading. Do
not brood over to know the meaning of the words as the meaning can be either interpreted or
guessed contextually in the next step. While skimming, concentrate on sub-titles, any relation
between first and last sentences of a paragraph, key words, cues, capitalized words adjectives
and the words in italics, bold or underlined words or sentences.
Scanning for Specific Information
Scanning consists of letting your eyes move quickly through the text until you find what you
are looking for. As long as you know how the text is organised, scanning can be done quickly
and without reading every word. In scanning one can anticipate the gist, get the cues, skip
unnecessary details
Often informative text is grouped under headings, so to find specific details we need to locate
the appropriate heading.
If there are no headings, the topic sentence of each paragraph is like a heading, as it tells us
what the paragraph is about and details can be found in sentences that follows it.
Technique
The goal of scanning is to locate and swoop down on particular facts using keywords and
organizational cues.
There are long texts passages that have relatively little else to do with your topic but certain
facts are buried under such passages too, so do scan the table of contents, summaries,
headings and typographical cues.
After skimming the material, we can go ahead and scan it
1. Decide on few key words or phrases which will provide fresh search engine.
2. Rapidly scan through the pages until you find the word or phrase.
3. When you Scan through one particular material or keyword at a time as multiple material
scan can make us lose the data configuration.
4. Let your eyes eye catches a keyword or phrase makes sure to read the material of that
sentence carefully.
When we are scanning for facts or to answer a specific question, sometimes the question
itself supplies the keywords.
1. Read each question completely before starting to scan. Choose your keywords from the
question.
2. Look for answers to only one question at a time. Scan separately for each question.
3. When you locate a keyword in a sentence, read the text of that sentence carefully to
understand relevant meaning.
4. Re-read the question to determine if the answer you found is apt for the question asked.
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Scanning is a technique that requires concentration and can be surprisingly tiring. You may
have to practice it not allowing your attention to wander. Choose a time and place that you
know works for you and dive in.
Questions
1. How do you develop the skill of Reading for Specific Information?
2. Explain the process of preparation of ‗reading for specific information‘
3. What are the differences between skimming and scanning skills?
4. Write the steps to be followed while skimming and scanning for the information.
1.2
A: When did this happen?
B: Yesterday. I was playing hockey and I fell down.
A: Can you move your foot?
B: Only a little.
A: Can you walk?
B: No. It hurts.
A: I think we‘ll have to take an X-ray.
B: Will I be able to play the game tomorrow?
A: I‘m afraid not.
Question
1. Where are these people?
2. Who are they?
3. What are the people talking about?
Activity No.4
Read the passages. If the statements following the passages are valid inferences based
on those passages, mark the items I. If the statements cannot be inferred from the
passage, mark those items X.
2.1 A legend is a popular type of folk tale. In some ways, legends resemble myths, another
type of folk tale. But myths describe events from antiquity and usually deal with religious
subjects, such as the birth of a god. Legends tell of recognizable people, places and events
and often take place in comparatively recent times. Some legends are based on real persons or
events, but many are entirely fictional. The legends of the superhuman accomplishments of
Paul Bunyan and Pecos Bill are imaginary, while the legends about Washington and Lincoln
are mostly exaggerations of real qualities those two presidents had. All societies have
legends. Most legends began as stories about the heroes of a particular region, occupation, or
ethnic group. For example, John Henry was a legendary hero of black Americans, and Casey
Jones of railroad workers. Over time, however, these figures have become national heroes.
1. Both legends and myths can be classified as folk tales. ______
2. Myths generally take place in comparatively recent times. ______
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3. The stories of Paul Bunyan and Pecos Bill are not true, but they are based on actual people.
______
4. Legends about Washington and Lincoln are not entirely fictional. ____
5. John Henry and Casey Jones are today well-known only by small groups of people. _____
2.2 Natural flavorings and fragrances are often costly and limited in supply. For example, the
vital ingredient in a rose fragrance is extracted from natural rose oil at a cost of thousands of
dollars a pound; an identical synthetic substance can be made for 1% of this cost. Since the
early twentieth century, success in reproducing these substances has created a new industry
that today produces hundreds of artificial flavours and fragrances.
Some natural fragrances are easily synthesized; these include vanillin, the aromatic ingredient
in vanilla, and Benz aldehyde, the aromatic ingredient in wild cherries. Other fragrances,
however, have dozens, even hundreds of components. Only recently has it been possible to
separate and identify these ingredients by the use of gas chromatography and spectroscopy.
Once the chemical identity is known, it is often possible to synthesize them. Nevertheless,
some complex substances, such as the aroma of fresh coffee, have still not been duplicated
satisfactorily. Many of the chemical compounds making up these synthetics are identical to
those found in nature, and are as harmless or harmful as the natural substances. New products
must be tested for safety, and when used in food, must be approved by the U.S. Food and
Drug Administration.
The availability of synthetic flavors and fragrances has made possible a large variety of
products, from inexpensive beverages to perfumed soap to used cars with applied ―new car
odour.‖
1. Natural rose fragrance is 100 times more expensive to produce than artificial rose
fragrance. ______
2. Vanillin is easier to synthesize than Benz aldehyde. _______
3. In general, the more components there are in a fragrance, the harder it is to synthesize.
______
4. Once a substance has been chemically analyzed, it can always be easily synthesized.
______ .
5. Only recently has it been possible to satisfactorily synthesize the aroma of fresh coffee.
______
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INFERENTIAL READING
The ability to process written information and understand the underlying meaning of the text
and use it to determine deeper meaning that is not explicitly stated and drawing conclusions
is known as Inferential Reading.
It requires readers to combine ideas, identify tone and voice, interpret and evaluate
information and draw conclusions.
Getting the meaning of text
• Understanding similar meanings of different words and note different meanings for the
same word.
• Creating a picture from text to make meaning.
Encourage students to think aloud about the meaning of texts while reading, for example, 'I
wonder why/how/where ...' Follow this wondering with statements such as 'It could be …
because … What do you think? This opens up the discussion for students to take risks and
suggest their own ideas. Encourage students to justify their ideas by asking, 'What part of the
text makes you think that?'
He placed his hand firmly on her back and ushered her hurriedly out the door. ―Yes, yes,
yes. I will call you soon to set up another meeting. I will!‖ George said, punctuating the
end of his sentence with a firmly shut door.‖
In this extract the writer does not explicitly state that the man in the story wants to get rid
of the person he is addressing. He does, however, imply this is the case through the action
he describes. Reading this correctly is to infer. To imply is the throw, to infer is the catch.
Inferential Strategies.
Story sharing: approaching learning through narrative.
Learning maps: explicitly mapping/visualising processes.
Non-verbal: applying intrapersonal and kinaesthetic skills to thinking and learning.
Symbols and images: using images and metaphors to understand concepts and content.
Land links: place–based learning, linking content to local land and place.
Non-linear: producing innovations and understanding by thinking laterally or combining
systems.
Deconstruct/reconstruct: modelling and scaffolding, working from wholes to parts (watch
then do).
Community links: centring local viewpoints, applying learning for community benefit.
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Making inferences enables the students to:
• Provide explanations for ideas that are presented in the text that are not explicitly stated.
• Offer details or reasons for events that have occurred throughout the text.
• Recognize the author's point of view or bias.
• Interpret the language choices (technical and figurative) and how they shape the meaning
of the text.
• Consider and evaluate content that is presented as visuals within the text (where
applicable).
• Offer conclusions from facts presented in the text.
• Connect content and meaning of the text to prior knowledge and/or similar texts.
• Support inferences with evidence from the text.
Inferring Implied Meaning
Inferential reading is required where meaning is implied but not precisely stated in the text.
There are different levels of reading: literal, inferential, critical and creative.
Students need to consider the stated facts in texts and determine the implied meaning and
encouraged to ask the reasons and think about possible reasons for the stated facts.
Inferring Meaning between Words and Images
Linking related information through pieces of information, from sentence to sentence and by
locating it near casual words such as because, so is a process of synthesis that cannot be
undertaken without evaluating the ideas to fully understand the text.
Make Bridging Inferences by linking Cohesive Devices
Synthesis occurs as the reader summarizes what has happened and attributes it personal
meaning.
Making Inferences based on Implicit Casual and Temporal Relationships
The interpretation of information and the ability to draw conclusions requires the reader to be
able to read and understand the text whilst identifying the key message that the text is
conveying.
The ability to locate and identify important information and draw conclusions requires the
student to:
connect to the text (using prior knowledge)
predict the expected content of the text
visualize the content of the text (bringing the text to life)
locate and evaluate the significance of information or ideas within the text
link the supporting information or ideas to the key message and be able to use this as
evidence to support the conclusions drawn
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question the text content (is it authentic and accurate; critique the text)
question the author‘s intent and viewpoint
Draw inferences from the ideas, themes or characters in the text.
Inferential Thinking
Inferential thinking is a complex skill to understand when information is implied, or not
directly stated, helps in drawing conclusions and making inferences.
Inferences are what we figure out based on background information, experiences, evidence,
etc.
Understanding Personal Inferences
A reader needs to blend the content with selection of prior knowledge, intuition, and
imagination to identify their inference.
1. What is my inference?
This question helps students become aware that they may have just made an inference by
filling in information that wasn't directly presented.
2. What information did I use to make this inference?
It's important to understand the various types of information we use to make inferences
which may include information presented in the text, or it may be background knowledge
that we bring to the learning setting.
3. How good was my thinking?
According to Marzano, once students have identified the premises on which they've based
their inferences, they can engage in the most powerful part of the process — examining
the validity of their thinking.
4. Do I need to change my thinking?
The final step in the process is to consider possible changes in thinking. The point here is
not to invalidate original inferences, but rather to develop the habit of continually
updating new information which gathers.
Process of Inference
Make reasonable predictions as we read, test and revise those predictions as we read
further.
Create dynamic interpretations of text that are adapted as they continue to read.
Use the combination of background knowledge and explicitly stated information from the
text to answer questions they have as they read.
Make connections between conclusions they draw and other beliefs or knowledge.
Make critical or analytical judgments about what they read.
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Introduce an object with which students may be unfamiliar, for example, a bottle. Ask them
to infer the object‘s purpose.
After several guesses, introduce a second object with which the first object is used; for
example, in this case, water, juice. Continue to ask students to make inferences about the
purpose of the first object.
Show students how the first object is used with the second object – in other words, fill the
bottle.
Ask students who correctly guessed the purpose of the first object to explain how the
introduction of the second object helped them infer its purpose.
Other suggested object pairs follow.
Show a nutcracker. Ask students to make an inference – for what is it used? After several
guesses, introduce an unshelled nut.
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3. Evidence
We have to evaluate evidence to identify which piece of evidence supports the argument and
weakens the argument by ensuring the clear idea of the argument presented.
This will help you determine which statement provides evidence that supports the claim made
by the author.
4. Extending and Predicting
The ability to extend information to make predictions about what may occur in the future
based on the question and answer is a future action of a text.
Example of extending and predicting:
On the way home from the show, Pooja said to her daughter, ―I did like the rock concert, but
it was too loud. My ears will be ringing for days!‖
From the preceding statement, you can predict that Pooja will not attend another rock concert.
PREDICTING and INFERRING are often confused, but they are not interchangeable
concepts. Predicting is the process of asking what might happen next based on what we
already know from inside and outside the text. Inferring is more a process of enquiring as to
what the author meant?
Predicting focuses more on the WHAT whereas Inferring is more about the WHY!
Activity No.5
QAR (Question–Answer- Relationships)
Use the below passage to construct questions of three types. 3 Questions of each type
1. Write three type-questions that can be answered by simply locating the words in one
sentence (literal comprehension)
2. Think and Search type-questions that can be found in the passage but not in one
sentence (inferential comprehension)
3. On My Own type-questions that must be answered in the reader‘s head
(critical/creative comprehension)
The term ―neon light‖ was originally applied to a particular type of vapour lamp using the
inert, colourless gas neon. A long tube was filled with neon, which then became luminous
at low pressure when an electric current was passed through it. The lamp then emitted the
characteristic reddish-orange light of neon. Today, the term ―neon light‖ is given to lamps
of this general type which may be filled with a variety of gases, depending on the colour
that is desired. Argon, for example, is used to produce blue light. Colours can also be
altered by changing the colour of the glass tube. The tubes must be quite long in all these
lamps to produce light efficiently. As a result, high voltages are required. Neon tube
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lamps are not practical for indoor illumination, but they have found widespread outdoor
use in glowing, colourful advertising signs.
1. What is the significance of Neon Light?
2. Guess the scientific reason behind the emitting of colours by Neon Light?
3. Explain advantages and dis advantages of Neon Light?
CRITICAL READING
Critical Reading is the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully
conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered
from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a
guide to belief and action.‖
Critical Reading is to exercise your judgment by presenting a reasoned argument that
analyses and evaluates what we have read, therefore advancing your understanding that result
in enhanced clarity and comprehension.
Critical reading means being able to reflect on what a text says, what it describes and what it
means by scrutinizing the style and structure of the writing, the language used as well as the
content.
Critical Reading Process
Critical reading is a more ACTIVE way of reading. It is a deeper and more complex
engagement with a text. There are two steps for preparing to read critically:
1. Self-Reflect: What experiences, assumptions, knowledge, and perspectives do you bring to
the text? What biases might you have? Are you able to keep an open mind and consider other
points of view?
2. Read to Understand:
a. Examine the text and context:
Who is the author?
Who is the publisher?
Where and when was it written?
What kind of text is it?
What the text says: after critically reading a piece you should be able to take notes,
paraphrasing - in your own words - the key points.
b. Scan the text to know the writer’s purpose
What is the topic?
What are the main ideas?
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What the text describes: you should be confident that you have understood the text
sufficiently to be able to use your own examples and compare and contrast with other writing
on the subject in hand.
c. Resolve confusion:
Look up unfamiliar words or terms in dictionaries or glossaries. Go over difficult passages to
clarify them. One should be able to know and differentiate facts and opinions.
Critical Thinking
Critical Thinking is an Extension of Critical Reading.
Critical Thinking involves being rational, open – minded and be able to reorganize our
thoughts, prior knowledge and understanding to accommodate new ideas by being aware of
our own feelings, personal bias and opinions on the subject.
To read critically, you must think critically. This involves analysis, interpretation, and
evaluation. Each of these processes helps you to interact with the text in different ways:
highlighting important points and examples, taking notes, testing answers to your questions,
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brainstorming, outlining, describing aspects of the text or argument, reflecting on your own
reading and thinking, raising objections to the ideas or evidence presented, etc
Critical reading and critical thinking are therefore the very foundations of true learning and
personal development.
Analysis asks: - What are the patterns of the text?
Analysis means looking at the parts of something to detect patterns. In looking at these
patterns, your critical thinking skills will be engaged in analyzing the argument the author is
making.
Interpretation asks: - What do the patterns of the argument mean?
Interpretation is reading ideas as well as sentences. We need to be aware of the cultural and
historical context of its author‘s life, the context of debates within the discipline at that time
and the intellectual context of debates within the discipline today.
Evaluation asks: - How well does the text do what it does? What is its value?
Evaluation is making judgments about the intellectual, cognitive, aesthetic, moral or practical
value of a text. When we are considering its intellectual and cognitive value we ask
questions.
Negative Facts
1. Critical reading does not have to be all negative
‗Criticism is inherently negative‘ is a mistaken notion which leads to misunderstanding. The
aim of critical reading is not to find fault, but to assess the strength of the argument and show
the evidence.
The main barrier of critical reading understands the process is not to analyse and prove the
theory, text, or the author wrong but is an incredibly intimidating prospect.
Is it negative?
Many of us notate critical as negative, a pleasure in knocking down the efforts what other
people have created.
Critical Reading is a process of recognizing both positive and negative elements and to reach
a conclusion or give a verdict that something is good or bad.
Relativism
Critical reading can increase our sense of connectedness to a text by balancing our thoughts
of what is strong and what is weak.
Achieving critical thinking is being able to give a rationale and cite evidence for our ideas
while always being open to re-examining and rethinking in the light of further experiences.
In conclusion we may say that reading is essential factor to learn. Whether it is reading for
facts, specific information, general information such as news, magazine, digital media,
academic texts, etc... It is important to understand and imply reading between lines,
inferential reading and critical reading as it provides personal and professional growth of
connectedness, knowledge and enterprising skills which are impregnate skills in the present
world.
Outcomes:
At the end the students would be able to
• Develop healthy Reading habits
• Improve critical thinking abilities
Questions
1. What are the differences between Inferential reading and Critical reading? Explain the
strategies used to achieve them.
2. Give reasons for the essentiality of Inferential reading and Critical reading in any
profession?
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3. What is personal inference and SQ3R technique? Explain.
4. What are the negative facts of Inferential reading and Critical reading?
Activity No. 6
1. Select a book from the provided list of books (by the Faculty) and examine the author‘s
style, theme, relevancy of the title and contents. Record the findings in the space given
below.
2. Analyze the content and interpret the meaning for the selection given by the faculty.
Activity No.7
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MODULE-III
ACTIVITIES ON WRITING
Objectives
Students develop ability to:
• Communicate in formal and informal context
• Present their thoughts in formal layout
• inculcate critical thinking
• enhance the creative ability
Flair for writing is a divine gift. However, without putting hard work, this talent is of no use.
A piece of writing mirrors the mind of the writer. Aim of every writing is to communicate
ideas and thoughts; when this fails, it serves no purpose. Clarity, brevity and accuracy are the
hallmarks of good writing. To acquire this ability continuous practice and involvement are
necessary. To start with, follow the sequence- write- check your writing- rewrite. This
process not only improves one‘s writing but also answers umpteen questions related to the
write up. Information gathered from life experiences helps to improve writing by referring,
re-refereeing, analyzing and inferring. The written message has more essence if it is written
effectively. Writing is a medium or a tool of representing language in a visual or tactile form.
Writing is, therefore, the most formal form of human communication.
Writing is a quintessential skill. It is obvious that, to become good writer, one should be a
good reader too. Good writing is essential skill for job seekers. It is the base for one‘s
psychological development. Writing paves, the path for expression and equips the individuals
with communication skills.
Clarity, brevity and accuracy are the marks of good writing. To acquire this ability
continuous practice and involvement are necessary. To start with, follow the sequence- write-
check your writing- rewrite. This process not only improves one‘s writing but also answers
umpteen questions related to the write up. Information gathered from life experiences helps
to improve writing by referring, re-refereeing, analyzing and inferring. The written message
has more essence if it is written effectively. Hence, good writing is an important and useful.
Importance and use of good writing:
1. Good writing allows communicating with a larger audience effectively with clarity and
ease.
2. It enables to meet the demands of life.
3. Good writing reflects thinking process and psychological development.
4. It highlights command over the language and expression.
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To develop good writing Skills the following points would be helpful.
Strategies to develop writing ability:
• Perfect writing comes through practice.
• Life experiences should be converted to activity of writing.
• Grammatical errors should be continuously checked thoroughly and regularly.
• Concentration should be put more on Action words.
• Accuracy and coherence should be maintained to present the ideas clearly.
• Careful editing is mandatory.
• Remember the audience and its requirement.
• Choose a common medium for writing.
• Avoid jargon while writing. Keep it as simple as possible.
• Be gender sensitive.
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Read again. Re-reading helps in getting clarity of the subject matter.
Add extra information wherever necessary.
Write all the relevant points.
IV. Revising (Make it better)
Revise the content and rearrange words, sentences or paragraphs.
Read aloud to check for coherence in the write up.
V. Editing and Proof-reading. Make it correct.
Be sure all sentences are meaningful.
Check for spellings, punctuation and grammatical errors.
Make sure of appropriate words, expressions, style and format.
To improve one‘s writing, one should follow the following strategies,
• Keep it simple.
• Active and Passive Voice should be used with proper understanding.
• Work together by showing it to specialists in that area to get feedback.
• Invest on books and training. Look into dictionary or thesaurus to produce clear and
understandable vocabulary which makes writing effective and appealable. Training
Courses and workshops on Writing Skills will help to improve writing
• Make it interesting by using phrases, idioms, photos, graphs etc.
• Use latest Software Tools. Up-to-date knowledge by giving headings, margins, alignment
and new words.
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3. Combination Résumé
4. Targeted Résumé
Chronological Résumé
It starts by listing your work history with the recent position listed first. Your jobs,
educational qualifications are listed in reverse chronological order, with the recent one first.
Employers prefer this type of Résumé because it is easy to assess one‘s caliber.
Functional Résumé
This type of Résumé focuses on skills and experience rather than one‘s chronological work
history. It is used most often by people who are changing careers or who have gaps in their
employment history. It highlights major skill areas. Skills are emphasized over work
experience. Job titles, Dates or names of the employers may be left out. You may describe or
label this section in varieties of ways.
Skills
Abilities
Accomplishments
Experience
Areas of competence
Combination Résumé
A combination Résumé lists a person‘s skills and experience first. The employment history
comes next. With this type of Résumé one can highlight the skills relevant to the job one is
applying for. It also provides the chronological work history that employers prefer. You are
writing a targeted Résumé and need an effective way to match the skills to the job
requirements.
Targeted Résumé
A targeted Résumé is a customized report which specifically highlights the relevant
qualifications and skills needed for the job. It gives an idea of requisite experience for the
specific position. This Résumé is in response to an advertisement of a specific company with
different career objectives.
Résumé Structure
The Résumé structure is important in more than one way. The ideal Résumé structure gives a
professional outlook while displaying a career – oriented attitude of the applicant. It
influences the flow of the Résumé and thereby affecting its readability. Hence, constructing
the Résumé perfectly will improve your chances of gaining the important interview call. Each
applicant decides on the structure as per his strengths, capabilities and expectations of the
prospective employer and hence, every Résumé tends to differ from the other. In general, the
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structure contains the following steps.
Presentation
Planning
Projecting skills and strengths
Summary
Form and style
Expert advice (pet peeves)
Cover letter
A Résumé is divided in 3 sections Introduction, Primary section and secondary section
Introduction:
It contains a header and objectives.
Header:
Header includes name and contact details of the applicants. The name should be in bold
letters. The address, email id and telephone numbers are furnished.
Objectives:
It holds the aspirations and career plans. The applicant‘s potential qualities and his
expectations from the job are clearly indicated here.
Primary Section:
It is the most important part of a Résumé wherein the employer spends maximum time
reading it. So, the contents, flow and the look of this section should be perfect. Ideally, the
experience section should get more prominence and therefore should be written first.
Nevertheless, applicants can put forth educational qualification section prior to the other
ones.
Experience:
It contains work history, designation, place of work, total work duration and responsibilities.
While giving the above details bullet format and action words are used. Elaborate this section
wisely to bring out the best of the applicant‘s capacities.
Education Qualification:
This section should include qualifications both education as well as additional, name of the
awarding bodies, year of passing and grades scored.
Certifications
Extra courses, internships, workshops, seminars, projects and training sessions undertaken are
listed here.
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Achievements:
Any extra efforts put in and fetched awards or rewards are mentioned here.
Secondary section
Personal Details: It includes family background, marital status, age, interests etc.
References: This includes the name and contact details of the people worked with or studied
under the guidance of. However, the practice of writing references is thinning down and
concluded in one sentence, ―available on request‖. This is the last part of the Résumé.
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Conferences and courses
Skills
Certificates
Languages
Grants of fellowships
References
A CV and resume summarize professional history, education, skills and achievements.
They‘re also both documents that an employer would consider for an open position.
It is important to note that in the United States and most of Europe, resumes and CVs are not
interchangeable. A resume is a shorter-form (summary/abstract) document that provides a
concise overview of your previous roles, skills and details about your education. A CV, on
the other hand, is typically a longer, more detailed document focused largely on academic
coursework and research.
There are a few exceptions, however. In India, South Africa and Australia, the terms CV and
resume are interchangeable.
Here are seven steps for writing a simple CV:
1. Include contact information. This includes full name, phone number and email address.
Including physical address is optional.
2. Detail academic history in reverse-chronological order. This can include post-doctoral
programs, graduate school, undergraduate school and high school. Only include most
recent two educational experiences.
3. Record professional experience. List the company or organization, job title and dates
employed starting with most recent job. List job duties, experience gained and
achievements. Use numbers to measure impact when possible.
4. Include relevant skills and qualifications. This can be in a separate skills section. Reread
the job description to highlight the most important skills employers are looking for. These
can include both hard and soft skills that makes one the best candidate for the job.
5. List honors and awards. Use this section to outline achievements in the field related to
application. Start with the award name followed by year awarded, the organization that
gave the award and details about the award such as how often the award is given, how
many people receive it, etc.
6. Include relevant publications and presentations. Include relevant citations of
presentations, papers, studies, books or other publications important to the professional
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history. For publications, include authors, date published, summary, volume, page and DOI
number. For presentations, include the title, date and location of presentation.
7. List professional associations and affiliations. This should include the name of the
organization, geographic location or chapter and dates of active membership.
Now that the basic differences are clear, let us look at what data to put in both of them. The
differences can be tricky to understand, after all, they share a lot of similarities at their core.
CONTENTS OF A CV CONTENTS OF A RESUME
Cover letter Summary Statement
Contact Information Contact Information
Educational Background Education & Certifications
Work Experience Work Experience
Projects Undertaken Key Skills & Technologies
Honors, Awards, Fellowships, Grants Honors, Awards
Professional Memberships
References References
Check for the excellent writing resources which are open. Take writing resources from
various sources to make your document authentic.
Since organizations can ask for any of these documents depending on the position/job role
they have the opening for, let‘s take a couple of examples to understand more.
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STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
How to Write a Winning SOP?
It is important to note that you must be aware of the course for which you are writing the
SOP. Specifically, an SOP for an MBA application would be different from an SOP for a
Masters Course like an MS or an M.Sc. Similarly, an SOP for a Bachelor Course would be
different from an SOP for Post Graduate Course.
Five things to be included in an SOP for MS Courses:
Every SOP (Statement of Purpose) is a unique draft that is aimed at detailing your life‘s
journey, turning points and sharing the future goals and aspirations. Like no two individuals
can be truly alike, in the same way no two SOPs can be written in the same manner. Each
applicant would have his/her own unique characteristics, life stories, and academic
achievements. Even if the successes are similar, your graduation score for instance, would be
different. However, the basics of how to write an SOP for a Master‘s Program remain the
same. Along with the technique, there are a few things that you must include in your SOP for
a Masters‘ (MS/ MA/ M.Sc.) Program.
Here‘s a quick look at few of them:
1. Your Academic Goals
Elaborate on your academic interests. Summarize your graduate and undergraduate career.
Indicate important papers or projects you have completed and how they helped to focus on
your academics and what inspired you for your aspiring program. The areas of research
conducted, title of the project, responsibilities and outcomes of the research and scope for
further research in the program (MS) you aspire for, should be presented in detail. The SOP
should be technically sound.
2. Your Professional Goals.
Discuss the relevance of your recent and current activities that satiates the purpose in your
life at professional level. Summarize work experience (company/internship) and indicate
clearly how the path chosen/intended helps you reach your goal. Specify your work, design,
team, responsibility for testing, designing, research or interning in an area helps you in your
future studies and working place.
3. Your Final Project in detail
Any Master‘s Programs, be it MSc. or MS requires extensive practical work. As such, the
universities are looking to understand your ability to take up the task. Give a detailed report
of the project, the track record and finish of your project, that is, from idea to implementation
and the outcome. Be specific about the research you have done at graduate level which would
match the field you are applying for in Master‘s Program. Mention clearly your academic
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interests and how they would be applicable for further research after completing the Master‘s
Program you are aspiring for.
4. Your Personal Motivations
Many are of the opinion that a person should not mention about his or her family. We concur
with them. Introduce yourself; tell them your interests and what sparked your desire for the
program briefly. Indicate your excitement and readiness to meet the challenges ahead of you.
5. Specific Reasons for choosing the University and the Country you are applying
At the end as you try to summarize the SOP, state a strong reason/s that led you to seek
admission in the university you chose to apply. Mention what you like about the university,
and why do you like, facilities, infrastructure, etc. Mention names of one or two professors of
the Program in that university and state their work, and the reason for choosing them for your
study or work under their guidance. State the specific features of the graduate program and
the university, which motivates you personally.
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5. Demonstrate your knowledge of the program
Identify particular paths of study that appeal to you. Characterize your fascination with a
professor‘s research or your interest in a particular theory or school of thought.
6. Follow the rules
Evaluators who sift through thousands of applications are easily frustrated by any additional
or lengthy explanation. Limit the words as instructed. Eliminate typos, spell check, font,
format etc.
7. Seek feedback
Seek advice from your professors. Get your document proofread and the copy edited by a
professional writer or your seniors.
8. Conquer the blank page
While writing an SOP, shelve your inner-critic and mute your inner editor. Set a timer for 10
minutes or more and write uninterruptedly. Let your ideas flow. Write your achievements,
failures, hobbies, voluntary service, likes and dislikes. Anything about yourself is fodder for
your first draft.
9. Give yourself time to write
Creating a powerful document that reflects your goals takes a lot of time. You need to
develop ideas, create a first draft, and produce multiple revisions by critiquing and editing.
And when you‘re finally satisfied, you need to proofread your work several times.
10. Tap into free resources
Since organizations can ask for any of these documents depending on the position/job role
they have the opening for.
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Letter Writing and E-Correspondence
A letter can be defined as a written message that can be used in the formal and informal
context to communicate. Before the advancement of technology, the art of writing a letter
was considered an important means of communication. However, with new technology the
dynamism of letter writing has lost its luster but not its importance.
The primary structure of every letter remains the same. The common points in its structure is
given below.
1. Date
2. Recipient‘s Address in full
3. Sender‘s Address or just their email id
4. Salutation
5. Subject line (optional in case of informal letters)
6. Introduction (depends on type of the letter)
7. Body of the letter
8. Closing
9. Complementary close (optional in case of informal letters)
9. Signature
10. Enclosures
Types of Letters
Basically, there are two types of letters used for communication.
1. Formal Letter
2. Informal Letter
1. Formal Letter
Formal letter writing is one of the most challenging types of letters. The reason is through
formal letters, we address a person or an organization with whom/which we either have no
familiarity or acquaintance. So, the quality and quantity of the content (information) of the
letter including grammar and spelling is strongly scrutinized.
The types of formal letters are as follows,
Request Letter
Letter of Interest (Job/ Cover Letter)
Complaint Letter
Apology Letter
Letter of Appeal
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Invitation Letter
Resignation Letter
Letter of Recommendation
Letter of Requisition
Business Letter
Farewell Letter
Reference Letter
2. Informal Letter
Informal letter is the personal letter(s), usually written to family, friends, relatives,
neighbors or to acquaintances. Such type of letter may or may not have a concrete reason
of writing. Informal letter carries chatty, relaxed and friendly tone. It may be written just
to share an experience, enquire about someone‘s whereabouts, updating someone with a
general incident etc. The types of informal letter are,
Personal letters (letters to family, letters to relatives, love letters and letters to elderly
people)
Social letters (letters to friends, social invitations, congratulatory/apology letters, letters
of condolence/sympathy, thank you letters).
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E- Correspondence
Email is a medium of electronic communication. It can be used for intra and inter-
communication. These are quick in transcending the information to far off places.
Characteristics of an email
1. Concise fewest possible words are used
2. Accurate format is used
3. Clear: simple, familiar, direct, and specific words, appropriate linkers and transitional
signals should be used
4. Conventional tone: formal and conversational tone is used
5. Single theme: logical development of the content with sub-ordinating ideas related to the
context.
Advantages
Speed
Quick distribution
Flexibility to modify, edit and revise
Easy attachment of documents
Low cost
E mail format
To: receiver‘s email id
CC (carbon copy)
BCC (blind carbon copy) is a line of privacy for people concerned
Subject line: title of the message
Attachments: downloading material for the receiver to read
Body: sender‘s address, date, recipient‘s name, and address, salutation, complimentary
close
Outcomes
By the end of the module, the students would be able to:
• Write letters, and emails
• Write their resume or CV effectively suitable for various Jobs
Exercises:
1. Draft your resume/CV for a multinational company for the post of Assistant Engineer.
2. Write a letter of requisition to the Assistant Manager of your Firm for setting up a
Cafeteria in your campus.
3. Write a Statement of Purpose for doing MS in any of the universities abroa
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4. Write an article in 500 words on the topic ―The Effect of Economic Slowdown in the
World due to COVID-19 Lockdown‖.
https://economics.rabobank.com/publications/2020/march/coronavirus-economic-impact-
covid-19-on-india/
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Module-IV
Activities on Presentation Skills
Objectives: Students would develop the ability to
1. Persuade or influence the audience.
2. Plan and organize the presentation using the concepts of ordering and determining the
central, main, and supporting ideas.
3. Identify the benefits and uses of visual aids.
4. Apply the various media choices for displaying data and enriching the presentation.
Presentation skills are the skills you need in delivering effective and engaging presentations
to a variety of audiences. These skills cover a variety of areas such as the structure of your
presentation, the design of your slides, the tone of your voice and the body language you
convey.
Presentation Skills are very important in today‘s world to communicate messages clearly and
climb the ladder of success in career. These skills are useful to understand the listeners and to
enhance one‘s persuasive skills.
An oral presentation is a formal address by a person to a group of people with or without
using visual aids and other tools like slide show, video or audio clips. All successful
presentations are designed to meet the needs and expectations of the audience. It serves
various purposes such as improving speaking skills, increase the chances of getting good jobs
and to gauge the strength of oneself regarding language competency an persuasive skills. It is
therefore, a conscious effort of the speaker and is a purposeful communication and
establishes the reputation of the speaker.
To quote Emerson, ―All the great speakers were the products of rehearse and practice‖
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Steps involved in oral presentation
1. Deciding the topic. It is good to choose a topic that is decent and relevant to current time.
2. Collecting or gathering information, data and visuals on the topic chosen, accessing
library, internet and discussion with people.
3. Arranging the information in a coherent manner.
4. A rough draft should be prepared keeping the length and time of the presentation.
5. Revise the rough draft number of times, to make it error proof and Fair Draft.
Practice is essential. Rehearsing the speech before presenting it helps in boosting the
confidence. It helps to understand the flaws in delivery of speech for necessary correction.
Take the help of a friend or a mirror to practice.
Do’s of Oral Presentation:
Keep to the time limit at any cost.
Always concentrate on your audience‘s needs.
Try to speak rather than read from your notes.
Speak loudly and clearly and try to maintain eye contact with your listeners.
Give your listeners the chance to ask questions (you could tell them beforehand whether
you would like them to keep their questions until the end of the presentation or whether
they can ask in the course of it).
Prepare a handout which contains
o The most important points (but not your whole presentation!),
o all the sources you have used,
o Important quotations or examples,
o An image or information you think is vital.
Always spell-check the handout.
Use visualizing materials, e.g. mind-maps, tables, transparency, pictures, film sequences.
Remember to entertain your audience, keep them active and awake, e.g. by discussion
questions, small activities, provoking statements.
Always practice in advance.
Be on time for your presentation, check and prepare all the technical devices you need
before class starts.
Assume that you are in the audience and listening to the presentation. Treat your listeners
in the same way as you want to be treated.
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Don’ts
Don‘t ever exceed the time limit.
Never turn away from your audience to show the visuals. Always have a pointer and point
to the OHP rather than to the wall / screen.
Don‘t read from your text, speak freely.
Don‘t mumble, don‘t speak too quickly.
Don‘t look down, don‘t fiddle around with something (e.g. your hair or a pen)
Never download material from the internet while preparing your hand-out without
acknowledging it. It is worthy to write your own text.
Written presentations through PPTs on Technical reports and Project reports
The PPTs are prepared and presented on both Technical reports and also Project Reports.
Power Point is the most popular presentation. It is the most useful and accessible way to
present visual aids to the audience. PowerPoint presentations consist of a number of
individual pages or "slides". The "slide" is a reference to the slide projector. Slides may
contain text, graphics, sound, movies, and other objects, which may be arranged freely. The
presentation can be printed, displayed live on a computer, or navigated through at the
command of the presenter.
Some of the important features of a PPT which make it a popular method of presentation
technique are
Quick and Easy: the basic features are easy to master and make a presentation appear to be
organized,
Simple bullet points: It can reduce complicated messages to simple bullet points. Bullet
points are a good basis for the presentation and remind the speaker of main points and the
organization of the message.
Easy to create a colorful, attractive design: using the standard templates and themes,
amazing slides can be prepared.
Easy to modify: when compared to other visual aids such as charts, posters, it is easy to
modify the slides.
Easily re-order presentation: with a simple drag and drop or using key strokes, one can
move slides to re-order the presentation.
Slides used in a presentation should be spare, in terms of how much information is on each
slide, as well as how many slides are used. A thumb rule is to put no more than eight lines of
text on a slide, and with no more than eight to ten words per line.
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Selection of Font size is also important. The letters should be visible to the persons sitting
even in the last rows.
Do’s of presenting PPTs
Practice your presentation
Introduce yourself to the audience
Maintain eye contact with the audience
Use props, handouts and videos for added interest
Always ask if the audience has any questions
Use dark colors either for letters or visuals
For titles font size should be 14 and for content or points 12, Times New Roman.
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Choose a catchy but conceptual title
Start preparing early
Get rid of unnecessary details
Check everything before printing
Presenting at the conference
Use your poster to help yourself
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PORTFOLIO WRITING
A professional portfolio is a collection of Projects that charts your professional growth and
illustrates the best examples of the most relevant skills and experiences. It enables to
demonstrate allied qualifications clubbed with skills. The process of putting portfolio together
helps to determine how organized you are. It gives a clear picture of targets for chosen career.
It is a valuable tool that can be used throughout the career to assess the professional
development, negotiate effectively, prepare for performance appraisals, navigate career
transitions and track professional growth and opportunities. It is a proof of achievements and
rewards. Job seekers who use Portfolios often receive more offers with higher initial pay.
Creating a portfolio:
Collect and show case your accomplishments, skills and abilities in various areas. At the end
of each college semester or during each year of employment, collect and file evidence of
activities, work, assignment, internships, accomplishments, special trainings, workshops and
artifacts.
The artifacts are:
• Community or club activities
• College extracurricular recognition
• Leadership Skills
• Special interests
• Professional memberships
• Special skills or certifications
• Work related skills
• Social Service or voluntary work
• Next step is selecting artifacts that exhibit accomplishments. Select material that is
exemplary and lead nearer to goals
• Connect achievements with summaries or reflection papers that highlight learning. For
example, if you participate in Leadership Training Workshop connect the pamphlet with
written summary of what is learned and its growth prospects.
• Sort out portfolio materials and learning outcomes.
• Assemble a working portfolio by purchasing a professional binder, divider tabs, clear sheet
protectors and creative paper. Card stock for keeping photos and captions for each sheet is a
MUST. Use high quality paper for lay-out pages and strive for consistency and
professionalism.
• A portfolio should resemble a scrap book project.
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• Filter a Portfolio into a targeted presentation to potential employers and graduate schools.
For example, a presentation portfolio for a scholarship application might include items
related to Leadership, Service learning or academic excellence.
A portfolio is a proof to show in an Interview that you are well qualified for the job. Use SIR
(situation, input and result) approach. Respond to the questions based on the given approach.
A Portfolio is a part and parcel of documents to be presented in an Interview.
BROCHURE
A Brochure is an informative paper/document (often also used for advertising) that is
prepared in a template and folded, a pamphlet or a leaflet. It is a promotional document
commonly seen on shelves or racks featuring a variety of information about a company, an
event, a campaign, a product or a service. It is typically a single sheet that is either a bi-fold
or a tri-fold. Some brochures are c-folded, while others are z-folded. A professionally
designed brochure can be an important lead to nurturing marketing strategy. Brochures are
now available in electronic format and are called e-brochures.
Tips to design a Brochure
A powerful brochure can educate its readers, convey good credibility and authority to the
company increase the target audience, and persuade consumers to take action. For many,
creating a quality brochure is a challenge.
10 tips to design or create a Brochure:
1. Know your objective
To make your design effective, it‘s important to understand the purpose. Get as much
information about the objective of the brochure so as to design it according to the purpose.
2. Know your customers
A brochure is a communication tool, it‘s important that you know your target market to
capture reader/ consumer interests. The more you pinpoint the needs and wants of your target
market in the brochure, the more effective it‘ll be.
3. Be creative, be unique
Creativity is important. Aim for a design that is original and unique. It‘s also important that
its uniqueness is recognizable. Think of a design that can still stand out even when it‘s
shuffled with other leaflets in a rack. Strengthening the brand‘s identity through creativity is
recommended.
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4. Font restraints
When you start designing a brochure, show restraint when choosing which font or fonts to
use. If your company or organization already has a signature font, then go from there. You
can use that font for the entire brochure or you can add one or two more to jazz it up
5. Go straight to the point
It‘s a brochure, not a book. Too much information will just confuse the readers and dilute the
main point of the brochure. Instead, underline the object discretely so the readers can easily
grasp what is communicated to them.
6. Avoid high sounding words and make it easy for the readers to respond
The more complex the words are, the lesser is the credibility. You need not impress audience
with fuzzy words, use simple English /language.
Make sure that the name, website, contact information, and email of your business is visible
in the brochure. If your brand has social media accounts, add them.
7. Design for your readers
Serve for the pleasure of your readers‘. Prioritize the design for their wants. As a designer,
you need to put yourself in the shoe of the brand‘s market need/demand.
8. Put an emphasis on the headline
The headline of the brochure should tell the readers what the brochure is all about.
9. Choose the right colors with high-quality paper
Choosing the right colors is very challenging while creating a great brochure as people‘s
response to colors varies. Just like with fonts, if the company has signature colors, use them.
And then branch out to different shades and tones using the trademark colors.
When it comes to marketing, flimsy brochure paper is the equivalent of a weak handshake.
To make a good impression and promote confidence, choose high-quality paper.
10. Add appropriate images
A brochure without pictures is a boring leaflet. People crave for visual creations. Something
beautiful, intriguing, or fun attracts people more. To make the design more reader-friendly,
choose appropriate and relevant photos/images associated with the main theme of the
brochure.
Written presentations through Reports
In Engineering, one of the major forms of communication is the technical report. This is the
conventional format for reporting the results of research, investigations, and design projects.
They help to assess mastery of the subjects and ability to apply knowledge to a practical task.
The ability to produce a clear, concise, and professionally presented report is therefore a skill
student need to develop in order to succeed both in academics and in career.
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Technical reports are the primary written work products of engineers. As such, they present
facts and conclusions about designs, experiments, and other projects. They include research
about technical concepts and often include visual depictions of designs and data. A technical
report‘s purpose is for an engineer to communicate information gained through a process of
technical or experimental work. Therefore, the writing follows a strict sequential process that
is sometimes product driven, and which can be replicated exactly.
Technical reports include various types of "technical" information. For example, to report
why a design or piece of equipment failed, Or, to write about a design created. Technical
reports present facts and conclusions about designs and other projects. Typically, a technical
report includes research about technical concepts as well as graphical depictions of designs
and data. A technical report also follows a strict organization. This way, when other
engineers read the report, they can quickly locate the information that interests them the most.
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5. Structure the Report
A report typically has four elements:
Executive Summary. Your report will begin with the summary, which is written once
the report is finished. As the first item the reader encounters, this is the most important
section of the document. They will likely use the summary to decide how much of the
report they need to read so make it count!
Introduction: Provide a context for the report and outline the structure of the contents.
Identify the scope of the report and any particular methodologies used
Body: It‘s now time to put your writing skills to work! This is the longest section of the
report and should present background details, analysis, discussions, and recommendations
for consideration. Draw upon data and supporting graphics to support your position
Conclusion: Bring together the various elements of the report in a clear and concise
manner. Identify next steps and any actions that your reader needs to take.
6. Readability
Spend some time making the report accessible and enjoyable to read. If working in Word,
the Navigation pane is a great way to help your reader work through the document. Use
formatting, visuals, and lists to break up long sections of text.
7. Edit
The first draft of the report is rarely perfect so you will need to edit and revise the content. If
possible, set the document aside for a few days before reviewing or ask a colleague to review.
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Module-V
ACTIVITIES ON GROUP DISCUSSION
Objectives
Students develop ability to:
• Enhance team spirit and lead a team
• Understand the strengths and weaknesses of the team members
• Evaluate their self-performance and refine their Oral Skills
Introduction
―Man is a social Animal‖ to quote Aristotle, the great philosopher. Every individual has
thoughts and these thoughts/ideas are addressed/expressed to oneself in monologues or
conveyed to others in dialogues. Communication is both Verbal and Non-verbal. One aspect
of Verbal Communication is through Group Discussion.
A Group Discussion (GD) is an interactive, oral communication which takes place when a
group of people get together and discuss but do not debate. Each participant expresses ideas
about a particular topic gently, coolly and clearly in an objective manner.
Group discussions can be categorized as: a) Informal and b) Formal.
An Informal Group Discussion takes place when a group of friends talk about things in
general in college canteen, outside the classroom, at a bus stop or any other place, when a
family interacts/interactions about various issues or when a group of people talk about
different matters, such as sports, train travel, price rise, examinations, favorite film stars,
current affairs, etc. In these informal discussions, each one freely expresses his/her views on
the subject.
In formal contexts, structured group discussions are increasingly used as a tool to identify
candidates with the right abilities, either for employment or for admission to various courses.
As the term itself suggests, a GD is a discussion, but not a debate. What is actually expected
in a GD is participation in a systematic discussion, expressing opinions on a particular topic
and presenting different views.
There are two kinds of GDs- Structured and Unstructured.
Structured GD is formal which is usually conducted in placements, classrooms, Board
Rooms, etc., where each participant mentally structures the thoughts, words about the given
topic in a phased manner depending on time and chance one decides to speak. Here the
Verbal and Non-verbal Communication is judged by Evaluators or Moderators.
Unstructured GD is informal in which anyone in the group can speak at any point of time
without disturbing the general decorum of the discussion. The families get together, canteen
talks, chats in the airports, railway stations etc. are examples of such discussions.
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However, in any GD it is advantageous for the participant to cultivate a Civilized Approach
to use the right words and proper body language so that it becomes a part and parcel of one‘s
life.
The prospect of participating in a GD tends to leave good number of participants who are
petrified. You can dispel that fear by the experience you are exposed while participating in a
Group Discussions. Remember those discussions across the dinner table with family
members, friends and relatives in/on various occasions.GD is an open discussion and not a
debate between the members of a group
Uses of a GD
1. To express important thoughts/points about a given topic
2. To express/tell facts about the topic with justification
3. To develop oratory skills
4. To drive away/overcome inhibitions
5. To share opinions
6. To arrive at positive/general consensual conclusions
The main areas of a GD are
1. Subject knowledge about current affairs, politics, social issues, economic issues,
scientific and environmental problems like climate change, etc.
2. Systematic Analysis of the content to prove the stated point of view.
3. Listening, language, expression, articulation, pronunciation and body language.
4. Leadership skills like initiation, assertiveness, self-confidence, persuasiveness, patience,
motivation.
5. Team Management Skills like adaptability, positive thinking, cooperation, coordination
and correcting attitudinal lapses in the group.
Dynamics of GD
1. The opening of a GD should be attractive and direct the course of discussion.
2. Logical Approach plays an important role.
3. Plan a strategy to express appropriately...
4. The motivator or the leader of a group should roll the topic on, avoiding pauses.
5. The leader should see that bitter arguments and personal comments are avoided.
6. Understanding the topic from all possible angles.
7. Summing up is very important for a good GD.
8. Proper body language, eye contact and gestures make a GD effective.
9. Use PREP formula (preparation, reason, example and position).
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Some useful and encouraging phrases to intervene effectively in a GD
• Agreeing: You are absolutely right, I agree to/with your point of view
• Disagreeing: I am sorry, I don‘t see it in that way/my point is---------
• Interrupting: Sorry, do you mind, if I say something here? excuse me, would you listen to
• Dealing with interruptions: Could I just finish with what I am saying? let me say---
• Asking for information: Would you mind elaborating/saying a little more about it?
• Adding more information: Another point I would like to make or add is….
Time Management for a GD
For example, if the GD is for 15 minutes
• Chaos period (1-2 minutes)
• Ice breaker (1 minute)
• Generating ideas (1 minute)
• Discussion on the ideas (10 minutes)
• Conclusion (1 minute)
Strategies for effective Group Discussion
1. The opening sentences should create enthusiasm and interest among the listeners, usually
by the use of appropriate quotations, proverbs, statements, epigrammatic
sentences/punch lines.
2. Systematic and coherent presentation of the content.
3. Body gestures or Non-verbal Communication should be balanced.
4. Balancing the points of discussion while contradicting a statement.
5. Anticipating possible disruptions.
6. Express softly/politely but do not be a silent spectator/listener.
7. Be Open-minded.
8. Conclude the GD cheerfully recapitulating the ideas.
Do’s of a GD
• Listen to every speaker carefully.
• Put your thoughts in order.
• Initiate the discussion once you are through with the subject.
• Support your point with facts and figures.
• Give others a chance to speak and respect their contribution.
• Disagree politely.
• Summarize coherently.
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Don’ts of GD
• Initiate the discussion with insufficient knowledge about the given topic.
• Pose negative body gestures like sitting crossed arms and legs, sitting stiff,
• Scratching or rubbing the nose, leaning back in the chair, fidgeting etc.
• Tell irrelevant points and distract the discussion.
• Expressing anger or uncontrollable laughter.
• Over speak or intervene without proper vocabulary.
• Argue or shout
• Pass personalized comments.
• Mention intercultural or socio-economic background of any participant.
• Produce individualized comments.
Outcomes
By the end of the module, the students would be able to:
• Participate in Group Discussions expressing ideas pleasantly, relevantly, coherently and
cogently.
• Develop strategies to improve their soft skills on an on-going basis lifelong.
• Conduct oneself in a decent and dignified manner in various (Professional and personal
situations even under stress).
• Remain calm and composed all through to listen and participate.
• Exhibit cultural sensitivity.
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ACTIVITY
Group Discussion Topics
Students participate in discussion and record the same.
1. Environmental Protection-Human Responsibility
2. Yoga and Lifestyle only can cure health disorders
3. ‗Mars Mission‘ Is it justified?
4. Law should be an instrument of Social Change.
5. Foreign direct investments in local business- Is it good or bad for our country?
6. Visual aids are dangerous tools.
7. Human Diseases are manmade.
8. Indian Democracy.
9. Rural Development in India.
10. Impact of Covid 19 on Human Life.
Activity
The students will choose the topic and discuss in groups.
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ACTIVITIES ON INTERVIEW SKILLS
Objectives
Students develop ability to
• Face Interviews Confidently
• Participate well in Placement Drives
• Plan for a good career
• Understand the strategies to perform excellently in Interviews
• Succeed in securing Jobs
Interview is an opportunity to meet the challenges of professional life on the one hand and to
score well to acquire placements on the other. If the applicant wants to exhibit skills,
knowledge, self-confidence and motivation to secure employment, interview is the only way.
Interview Skills/performance determines the caliber of the candidate. In an Interview the
various parameters are applied to gauge the capabilities of the candidates to select/recruit the
right person. The guiding factor is ‗Right candidate for the Right job‘. It is a form of Formal
verbal and Non-Verbal Communication between the Interviewer and Interviewee which
proves the unique identity of the applicant.
Every interview has a process involving the following steps:
1. Type of interview
2. How to start an interview
3. Establishing rapport
4. Exchanging information
5. Closing the interview
6. Follow-up after the interview
7. Conclusion
Points to ponder about an Interview Process from the point of view of the employer
Open the interview process with an ‗Ice Breaker‘ session to put the candidate at ease
1. Arrangement/Fixing date, time, place and preparing a questionnaire
2. Eliciting relevant personal information as much as possible without infringing on privacy
3. Recording full information on academic qualifications (duly supported certificates)
4. Gathering job related information and knowledge to ascertain whether the candidate
meets all the requirement of the position opted
5. Assessing SWOC (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Challenges)
6. Evolve and analyze the interview strategies – Gather performance evaluation by the
previous Senior Employers, number of rounds of interview, selecting the Interview Panel,
One-to-one interview by seniors of the Company, make credential checks discretely and
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confidentially, ascertain during the interview whether the candidate is willing to give a
bond. Final offer may be given.
7. Evaluate whether the candidate fits into the slot. Avoid square peg fitting into a round
hole. Make a 360-degree analysis in terms of (a) Mental makeup (mindset) (b) physical
stamina (c)Competence, (d) Communication skills (e) Commitment (e) Judgment (f) Job
Knowledge (g) Work experience (h) Inter-personal skills (i) Past Achievements, (j) goal
orientation (k) consistency (l) Team Spirit/Team Player/Team Builder (m) Ability to
handle HR issues (n) any other relevant aspect.
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2. Attitude and Response: Interviewers will give a lead to the candidates. So, try and take
cues from the tonal variations, facial expressions and questions of the employer.
Prepare brief sentences to express your -
a. Family background
b. Education
c. Initiation
d. Interpersonal skills
e. Aptitude
f. Extracurricular Skills like - Sports, Arts, and Community Service etc.
Your holistic analysis of yourself should be portrayed in Interviews.
In any interview there are three stages: Pre-Interview, Interview process and Post
Interview
1. Pre - interview
• Identify your strengths, weaknesses, goals and skills, etc.
• Make a thorough study of the company – Management, Products, Location, Finance, Labor,
HR policies, Market demand etc.
• Rehearse what you plan to say.
• Practice answers to common questions.
• Prepare questions to enquire about the Organization.
2. Interview Process
• Make sure you report fifteen to thirty minutes before the schedule.
• Be aware of Non-verbal communication. Sit straight, look alert, speak clearly and audibly
but stay relaxed. Maintain good eye contact, avoid nervous mannerisms, and try to be a
good listener as well as a good speaker. Smile.
• Follow the interviewer‘s lead, so that you can relate your background and skills to suit the
context.
• Be specific, concrete, and detailed in your answers. More information you volunteer, the
better the employer will know you. However, ensure you answer to the point.
• Offer examples of your previous work and references which will document best qualities
in you.
• Answer questions as truthfully and frankly as you can. Answer honestly. Try not to say
more than necessary.
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3. Post interview
• Take notes on what you feel you could improve upon for your next interview.
• Write a brief thank-you letter to the interviewer.
• If offered the position, depending on your availability and professional viability take a
decision. The Offer letter should be respected and accepted. Do not forget to thank.
Preparing for an Interview
Research is a critical part of preparing for an interview. Spend time in thinking about yourself
and the questions you might ask at the end of interview. Self-assessment will enable you to
know what you have to offer to an employer. It is very important to develop an inventory of
skills, experience and personal attributes that can be used to ‗sell yourself‘ to prospective
employers.
Following is a list of marketable skills which are generic in nature.
• Analytical/Problem solving skills
• Flexibility/Versatility
• Interpersonal relationships
• Oral/Written communication
• Organization/Planning
• Time management
• Motivation
• Leadership
• Self-starter/Initiative
• Team player
Types of interviews
1. Face-to-face physical interview through pre-determined dates or Walk-in Interviews
2. Group interview
3. Behavioral interview
4. Telephonic interview
5. Panel interview
6. Stress interview
7. Video Conferencing
Face to face interview: This is also known as traditional interview. In this kind of interview
the employer and the job seeker can get to know each other about respective environment.
Group Interview: These interviews are conducted by large companies or MNC‘s for
graduate sat a time, either directly or through outsourced Placement portals They may give
some exercises to solve in a group and observes the leadership and communication skills of
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the participants. These interviews test the team work, listening comprehension and stress
managing skills among the group.
Behavioral Interview: In this, the candidates are asked to explain their skills, experience,
hobbies, projects and personal details. The interviewers will be analyzing and assessing the
candidate‘s capabilities and body language during such interviews.
Telephone Interview: These are to reduce the expenses of reaching the spot and cost-
cutting approach by the employers, both for the Interviewee and the Interviewer.
Panel interviews: The candidates will interact with several higher authorities and answer the
questions posed by a panel of members. Usually, this method is used to hire for top positions.
Stress interview: The main purpose of this interview is to test the candidate‘s ability to
handle stress situations. The employer will ask continuous questions to answer without giving
time to think. The interviewer might openly challenge beliefs or judgments. Sometimes
impossible tasks are given to test the candidate‘s abilities.
Interview through Video-conferencing
Interviews are also held through video-conferencing. This is very akin to a face-to face job
interview because the interviewers can watch the candidate answering the questions, and can
also assess his/her behavior and the candidate‘s communication skills. Some organizations
prefer to have a screening interview through video-conferencing. The video-conferencing
interview follows a fixed structure. The number of interviewers varies from one to eight. The
Chairperson of the selection committee introduces the members of the committee to the
candidate. Each expert will be analyzing the candidate‘s candidature.
Tips to succeed in interviews:
• Keep all necessary certificates/documents in a file
• Be confident
• Be a good listener
• Dress well (Formal)
• Switch off the cell phone
• Keep control on body movements
• Maintain eye contact
• Don‘t give pauses
• Smile (it‘s your greatest asset)
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Types of Questions
There are mainly seven types of questions that occur during interviews.
1. Open questions: Asked in the beginning of an Interview to motivate the candidates to feel
at home. e.g., Introduce Yourself, mention your areas of interests, your family background,
your Role-models etc.
2. Closed questions: To limit the scope of responses with specific answers. e.g., What is
Data processing?
3. Probing questions: To test the deeper understanding of the subject. e.g., Do you think
recession in 2020 might help the Developed and Underdeveloped Countries?
4. Reflective questions: To confirm the candidate‘s statements. e.g., Do you want the public
sector companies be privatized?
5. Loaded questions: To judge the abilities. e.g., You live in Telangana. Will you be able to
relocate to Kolkata? You are too short. Don‘t you think this is going to be a handicap for
you?
6. Hypothetical questions: To test the problem-solving capacity. e.g., Can you calculate and
give a statistical data regarding the Literacy Rate in Telangana?
7. Leading questions: To know the desired response. e.g., What is your opinion about the
Economic Status of our Country after Covid-19? What is your opinion about TRP
ratings?
General HR interview questions:
1. How would you describe yourself?
2. What specific goals, including those related to your occupation, have you established for
your life?
3. How has your college experience prepared you for this career?
4. What influenced you to choose this career?
5. Do you have the qualifications and personal characteristics necessary for success in your
chosen career?
6. Are you more energized by working with data or by collaborating with other individuals?
7. How would you describe yourself in terms of your ability to work as a member of a team?
8. Would you describe yourself as goal-driven?
9. Can you describe your long-range goals and objectives?
10. What do you expect to do in the next five years?
11. How would you evaluate your ability to deal with conflict?
12. Would you say that you can easily deal with high pressure situations?
13. Do you think that your grades are an indication of your academic achievements?
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14. Describe the characteristics of a successful leader?
15. Tell me what do you know about our company?
16. Which is more important to you, the job or salary?
17. How do you determine priorities in scheduling your time?
18. Tell me about a time you had to handle multiple responsibilities?
19. What is your greatest strength?
20. Do you have any questions to ask us?
21. What motivates you?
22. What is your definition of success?
23. Why should we hire you?
24. If we offer you the job, how would you react?
25. Define yourself in one word and justify.
Outcomes:
By the end of the module, the students would be able to:
• Develop holistic skills to improve their behavioral patterns while attending Interviews.
• Learn more about the strategies required in gaining confidence to navigate themselves to
attend various Types of Interviews.
• Enhance their speaking skills to face Interviews boldly.
Activities
1. Conducting Mock Interviews.
2. Showing videos of various Job Interviews.
References
1. www.Wikipedia.com
2. www.zetv.com/ blog/job-interview-questions and answers
3. Facing Interviews on You-tube
4. Most asked Interview Questions on YouTube
5. Group Discussions on You-tube
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Discussion Questions
Activity 1
1. Interpersonal communication is significant in personal and professional life. Discuss.
2. A person good at interpersonal communication will have a rich personal, social and
professional life. Justify
3. Body language can instantaneously help in assessing the thinking of a person. Discuss.
4. Role plays can lead to the improvement of conversation skills. Discuss.
5. Being resilient is necessary for a balanced life. Justify.
Activity 2
1. Reading enhances creativity and critical thinking. Discuss.
2. Skimming develops precision in writing
3. The skill of predicting and inferring develops higher order understanding skills. Discuss.
Activity 3
1. Developing writing skill is the most complicated one. Discuss.
2. A good resume will land you up in the best organization. Discuss.
3. Statement of Purpose is a unique document which aims at detailing one‘s life. Discuss.
Activity 4
1. A person with good presentation skills will climb the ladder of success at a early age.
Discuss.
2. All the great speakers were the products of rehearse and practice. Discuss.
3. Poster presentations at conferences- are they really worth it. Discuss.
4. A professionally designed brochure can be an important lead to nurturing marketing
strategy. Discuss.
Activity 5
1. Handling rejections during Group Discussions is an art. Discuss.
2. Structured Group Discussions are used as a tool to identify candidates with right abilities.
Justify.
3. Group Discussions evaluate verbal and non-verbal skills along with personality traits.
Discuss.
4. Research is a critical part in the preparation for an Interview. Discuss.
5. Video conferencing is the best way of interviewing a candidate. Discuss.
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Notes
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