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The IUP Journal of Soft Skills

Mar'17

Focus

Adam Small says, “Networking is the single most powerful marketing tactic to accelerate and sustain success for any individual or organization!” Relationship is an important catalyst for success.

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Articles

People Matter: Networking and Career Development

--R Venkatesan Iyengar

Networking is the art and science of creating a group of acquaintances and associates and being in constant touch with them through regular communication for mutual benefit. Networking, as a soft skill, can immensely help in the development of interpersonal and communication skills and thus in the advancement of one’s career. This paper discusses the ABCs of networking and how successful networking skills can help one grow as a person, employee, entrepreneur, and/or businessperson.

How to Walk Your Talk: Effective Use of Body Language for Business Professionals

--Amit Kumar Kar and Ajit Kumar Kar

Personal and professional relations are built on human communication. And, body language plays an important role in human communication. Before we created words to communicate with each other, we used expressions and gestures to communicate. Research confirms that 60 to 90% of our communication with others is nonverbal; it means body language is vital. In addition, it is particularly essential to make a good first impression, because in the first few minutes of meeting someone, we make the first impression. Thus, the way we present ourselves in those first few minutes could make or break what could potentially be very important to us. Hence, the paper focuses on various aspects of body language for building rapport with others and at the same time to create a positive self-impression.

Teaching Soft Skills to Engineering Students: A Case Study of BITS, Pilani

--Sushila Shekhawat and Geetha Bakilapadavu

Engineering education in India largely focuses on imparting knowledge in the respective technical areas. Undoubtedly, technical expertise is important for students aspiring to become successful professionals at their workplaces; however, apart from their technical expertise, they have to work with people from varied backgrounds. Hence, presentation skills, teamwork, negotiations, emotional intelligence and leadership skills are some of the soft skills required by the technocrats in their respective arenas to discharge their duties successfully. Right from the moment, they appear for the interviews, their soft skills come to the driver seat. In fact, even the hiring officials place the soft skills as a top priority for the job. Moreover, acquisition of the skill to communicate persuasively, positive attitude towards work, teamwork, etc. impart a finishing school touch to the students undergoing engineering education. The present paper discusses the multifarious soft skills the engineering students need to possess and the various ways in which these skills are imparted to them. The paper also discusses the experience of handling such courses in one of the premier institutes of India—Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani (Rajasthan).

How to Listen at Workplace: Lessons from Ten Mythological Stories

--Pratibha Kumari Singh and Indu Prabha Pathak

This paper makes a novel attempt to suggest how to listen at workplace with a narration of 10 mythological Indian stories from the past. Based on the narrative framework and using these stories, the authors highlight the different types of listening and how these listening skills, when practiced, can strengthen the interpersonal relationship at workplace. Since narratives increase comprehension and engage and arouse interest, this paper synthesizes the mythological narratives within a professional context. Through these stories, the authors argue that managers and leaders need to train and equip themselves in the art of listening, engage in deliberate practice and become role models for their subordinates and employees, so that in this digital age, when they are under information overload, they know how to listen, connect better, build better relationships, take decisions and resolve conflicts in their professional domains.

Be Silent to Listen

--Revathi Turaga

In organizations, while many do want to listen to each other, it is very easy to slip into giving advice in the heat of the moment, correcting and/or giving directives. With the multiple demands employees have on themselves, managing day-to-day, good communication skills, including effective listening, can often be pushed to the back burner. However, research has shown, time and again, that the skill of listening needs to be learned and mastered by each individual for them to be able to hone all of the other communication and interpersonal skills that help them succeed professionally and even personally. This paper takes a look at how to listen effectively.