Yashwantrao AEC111-C01

Chavan English
Maharashtra Open
Communication
University

Brief Contents
Credits
Vice Chancellor’s Message
Related Programmes
Course Syllabus
Credit 01
Unit 01-01: Introduction .......................................................... 11
Unit 01-02: Verbal and Non-Verbal Communication .............. 30
Unit 01-03: Working with Customers ...................................... 67
Unit 01-04: Developing Professional Telephone Skills .......... 87
Unit 01-05: Improving Informal Communication ................. 103
CREDITS
Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University
Vice-Chancellor: Dr E Vayunandan
School of Science and Technology
School Council (2014 – 2017)
01. Dr Manoj 02. Dr Sunanda 03. Mrs Chetana
Killedar More Kamlaskar
04. Dr Madhuri 05. Dr Madhavi 06. Dr Latika
Sonwane Dharankar Ajabani
07. Ram 08. Ar Vijay 09. Dr Narendra
Thakar Sohoni Deshmukh
10. Kiran 11. Mahesh 12. Dr Manoj
Garibe Bakshi Kulshrestha
13. Harsh --- ---
Gune

Development Team
Course Coordinator Book Writer Content and Language
Editor
Dr Manoj Killedar Michelle Jacobson Satish Kulkarni
B.E., M.Tech., PhD, B.A., M.A. (USA) M.A., M.Phil., B.Ed.
Director, AST, Experience 08 Years Emeritus Professor,
YCMOU, Nashik Sapat College of
Experience 32 Years Engineering, Nashik
Experience 39 Years
This work by YCMOU is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-
ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
 First Publication : 20-Nov-2016
 Publisher : Registrar, YCMOU, Nashik - 422 222, MH, India
Free Access for this book at: https://goo.gl/e6F69u
Send Your Feedback about this book to:
ycmoulr.feedback@gmail.com

AEC111-C01 Page 2
VICE CHANCELLOR ’S MESSAGE
Welcome to the “Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open
University (YCMOU), a Leading Mega Open University of India!
During Feb-2016, University Grants Commission proposes
“Choice Based Credit System (CBCS)” for the higher
education system of India. “AEC111: English Communication”
course of 04 Credits at “Semester 01” is an “Ability
Enhancement Compulsory Course (AECC)” for all
academic programmes at undergraduate level from any
university, as per the “Choice Based Credit System (CBCS)”.
For success in the world of work, English Communication skills
are important essential requirement for any student. Due to
this, YCMOU has developed following high quality learning
resource package (in “Self-Learning Material – SLM” format) for
this course:
1. Mobile Ready Text-Book: Total 19 Units
2. Mobile Ready Audio-Visual Lecture Modules: 90 Nos
3. Moodle LMS Ready Question Bank with
a. Short Answer Questions (SAQs):  200 Nos
b. Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs):  200 Nos
Above learning resource package is released for free access as an
“Open Educational Resource (OER)” under Creative
Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0
International License, that is, CC BY NC SA License.
I congratulate “Development Team” for the development of this
excellent learning resource package. We hope and believe, this
free high quality learning resource package will be immensely
useful for all students from any university.
Dr E Vayunandan
Vice Chancellor, YCMOU

AEC111-C01 Page 3
 R ELATED P ROGRAMMES

“AEC111: English Communication” course of 04 Credits at

“Semester 01” is an “Ability Enhancement Compulsory
Course (AECC)” for all academic programmes, as per the
“Choice Based Credit System (CBCS)” as proposed by the
“University Grants Commission (UGC)”.
This textbook is useful for “AEC111: English Communication”
course of 04 Credits at “Semester 01” of following academic
programmes of the Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open
University, Nashik – 422 222, MH, India.
1. School of Architecture, Science and Technology
a. V92: B.Sc. in Physics, Chemistry and
Mathematics
b. V96: B.Sc. in Actuarial Science

AEC111-C01 Page 4
 C OURSE S YLLABUS

Semester 01
AECC01 - AEC111: ENGLISH COMMUNICATION
PROGRAMME INFORMATION
SN Description Details
Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open
University
1 University
Nashik - 422 222, Maharashtra, India
Website: http://www.ycmou.ac.in/
School of Architecture, Science and
2 School
Technology
3 Discipline Science
4 Level UG
5 Course Used in V92: B.Sc.
Designed for Full (1) Instructional Template
6 Compliance to these
UGC Documents: (2) Templates of Syllabi for CBCS

COURSE INFORMATION
Sem Code Course Name Credits CAT EE TM Type Category
English 20 80 100 T AECC
01 AEC111 4
Communication

PRESUMED KNOWLEDGE AND LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Presumed Knowledge Learning Objectives
For successful completion of this After successful completion of this
course, student should have course, student should be able to
successfully completed:
 Communicate effectively in
 HSC (10+2) or equivalent English
from a recognized Board. OR  Think Critically
 10+3 Diploma (any stream)  Perform better in Team
awarded by any State Board of
Technical Education. 

AEC111-C01 Page 5
SYLLABUS FOR THEORY UNITS
UN Detailed Syllabus of the Unit Credit
Introduction: Theories of Communication, Types and
modes of Communication
Language of Communication: Personal, Barriers and
01- Strategies, Intra Personal, Inter Personal and Group
01 Communication
Speaking Skills: Monologue, Dialogue, Group
Discussion, Effective Communication/ Mis-
Communication
Understanding the Basis of Verbal Credit
Communication: Organizing Your Messages, Using 01
Vocal Elements Effectively, Understanding Nonverbal
01-
Language, Developing Credibility, Giving and Receiving
02
Feedback, Overcoming Barriers to Communication,
Communicating Ethically, Understanding Cross -Cultural
Issues
Working with Customers: Understanding Customer
01- Service Basics, Communicating Empathetically, Asking
03 Question to Understand Problems, Denying Request,
Coping with Angry Customers
Developing Professional Telephone Skills:
Exploring Professional Telephone Communication,
01- Placing Telephone Calls, Receiving Telephone Calls,
04 Using Voice Mail, Leaving Professional Messages, Taking
Calls for Other People, Screening, Holding, and
Transferring Calls, Developing Cell Phone Etiquette
Improving Informal Communication:
Communicating Informally, Listening Actively, Speaking
01-
Persuasively, Negotiating Effectively, Managing Conflict,
05
Participating in Meeting, Dealing with Office Politics,
Making Proper Introductions

AEC111-C01 Page 6
 Understanding Reading and Writing: Close
Reading, Comprehension, Summary Paraphrasing,
Analysis and Interpretation, Translation(from Indian
02-
language to English and vice-versa) Literary/Knowledge
01
Texts
Writing Skills: Documenting, Report Writing, Making
notes, Letter Writing
Uncovering the Secrets of Clear writing: Clarifying Credit
02-
Written Communication, Writing Solid Sentences, 02
02
Developing Effective Paragraphs, Mastering Punctuation
Communicating with E-Mail and Memos:
Understanding E-Mail Message and Memos, Composing
02- the Main Elements of Message, Creating Professional E -
03 Mail Message, Constructing Professional Memos, Writing
Request Messages, Writing Response Messages, Writing
Bad- News Messages, Technology Tools
Developing Reports and Proposals: Understanding
02-
Reports and Proposals, Planning a Report or Proposals,
04
Writing Proposals
Writing for Employment: Writing Effective Cover
Letters, Planning Resumes, Writing Chronological
02-
Resumes, Writing Functional Resumes, Requesting
05
Letters of Reference, Sending Follow-Up Messages,
Accepting or Rejecting Job Offers

Identifying and Defining Problems: Understanding

03- Problem Solving, Analyzing Problems, Determining
01 Causes, Simplifying Complex Problems, Identifying and
Managing Risks, Avoiding Problem-Solving Traps
Credit
Solving the Problem: Gathering and Analyzing Data, 03
Developing Alternatives, Evaluating Options,
03-
Implementing the Solution, Monitoring and Managing
02
the Solution, Using Adaptive Techniques, Developing
Ethical Solution

AEC111-C01 Page 7
 Thinking Critically: Understanding Critical Thinking,
03-
Assessing the Credibility of an Argument, Becoming a
03
Critical Thinker
Group Decision Making and Problem Solving :
Understanding Group Dynamics, Evolving From a Group
03-
to a Team, Using Divergent Thinking, Using Convergent
04
Thinking, Avoiding Common Group Traps, Working with
Large Group
03-
---
05

Working in Groups and Teams: Understanding the

Role of Team in Organizations, Defining the types of
04-
Groups and Teams, Recognizing Differences Between
01
Groups and Teams, Ensuring Team Success, Working
with Distributed Teams
Exploring Team Roles and Processes: Recognizing
the Need for Team Leadership, Selecting Team Member,
04- Credit
Choosing the Optional Team Size, Defining Common
02 04
Team Roles, Establishing Team Rules, Clarifying Team
Objectives, Making Collective Decisions
Building and Developing Teams: Understanding the
Benefits of Working in Teams, Fostering Relationships,
04-
Overcoming Resistance, Using Team-Building Activities,
03
Dealing with Difficult Team Member, Benefits of
professional networking
Presenting yourself Professionally: Meeting
04- Business Casual Standards, Maintaining a Professional
04 Wardrobe, Practicing good Grooming and Hygiene,
Improving Your Speech

AEC111-C01 Page 8
 Developing Your Interpersonal Skills: Networking
Professionally, Showing Basic Office Courtesies,
04- Recovering from difficult interpersonal situations,
05 Displaying Optimism and Enthusiasm, Developing
Diplomacy Skills, Interacting with others, Respecting
social protocols

LEARNING R ESOURCE D ETAILS

LR Title Edition ISBN
Code Author Year Publisher

Course Website Link for (1) Text-EBook (2) Mobile and Online
Lectures (3) Video Lectures (4) MOOCs (5) OERs (6) Discussion
Forum for online interaction (7) Live Virtual Class Lectures and (8)
Continuous Assessment Test

AEC111- https://goo.gl/e6F69u -
2016
WL (Copy and Paste URL in Browser) YCMOU

Books
AEC111- English Communication
2016
C01 Michelle Jacobson YCMOU

978-81-315-
AEC111- Soft Skills for Everyone
2010 1467-2
R01 Jeff Butterfield
CENGAGE

AEC111-C01 Page 9
AEC111-C01 Page 10
UNIT 01-01: INTRODUCTION
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After successful completion of this unit, you will be able to
 Recall and Describe the basic theories of
communication
 Identify the four basic modes of communication
 Define some ways communication is used
 Identify some potential barriers to successful
communication

INTRODUCTION

Since the beginning of time, humans have had the need to

communicate with others. Humans have only been able to
progress because of the progress of communication. In the early
days of humans, they had to communicate to find food, shelter,
and water. Now, communication is needed in every aspect of our
lives! Just imagine the situation of not being able to
communicate. Could you go a full day without using your body
language or words to communicate? You will certainly realize

AEC111-C01 Page 11
that it would not be possible for you to survive long without
communicating. In this unit, we will explore some of the
theories of communication, learn the basic ways to
communicate, communicating with yourself and others, and
explore barriers to communication.

01-01: THEORIES OF COMMUNICATION

How and why do we communicate is still a mystery to many
people. Communication has evolved and changed over time.
However, in order to understand how we communicate now, it is
useful to learn about how and why we communicated in the past.
For most of us, communication is such a normal part of our
everyday lives that we rarely pause to examine the roots of
communication and study the theories around communication.
Have you ever wondered how you communicate or why you say
certain things? How are you influenced (or not) to
communicate? Although there are many theories of
communication, let us examine some basic theories.
The first theory is called Cognitive Dissonance Theory. Let us
understand some key terms. The word cognitive is simply what
we are aware of in our conscious brains. For example, if you
were talking to a friend, you might say you have “cognitive
awareness,” knowledge or understanding of what subjects or
topics you talked about with your friend. Maybe you talked
about the movie you saw or your plans for the weekend.

AEC111-C01 Page 12
The term dissonance means anything that is not in harmony
with something. For example, imagine that your friend wants
you to go the cinema with her, and you really do not want to go
because you might believe that cinemas are too expensive.
However, to please your friend, you say you will go with her and
might even agree with her when she says she loves going to the
cinema.

Basically, in this theory, what you want to do is not in harmony

with your actions. Likewise, in the Cognitive Dissonance Theory,
people communicate in ways that might be in opposition to how
they really feel. In order to feel accepted into a group and create
group peace and harmony with team members, people might
change their attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors (basically what
they believe and how they act). As a result, people may make
decisions that are in disharmony with how they really feel.

However, it is also natural for the human conscious to want to

create harmony with differing beliefs. So, in a way, humans
sacrifice what they really believe in in order to fit into a group.
This “group” could be a friends circle, a neighborhood, a family,
or even a cultural group.

AEC111-C01 Page 13
The second interesting theory is Communication
Accommodation Theory. According to this theory, humans have
a natural exchange when they communicate. In other words,
humans naturally adapt their speech when they talk to others.
Think about all the times you have spoken with different people.
Do you speak to people in the same way? Probably not. How you
speak with your three-year-old nephew will be different from
how you speak with your teacher or your friend. Further, the
words you use will be different depending on the person and the
relationship you have with that person and will also influence
how you speak with them.

According to this theory, there are two ways humans change

their speech. One way humans change their speech is through
“divergence.” This simply means that when we disagree with
someone, we change what we say to be different. Think of
divergence as being different. When we diverge with people, we
try to be different from them.

This could be for many reasons. Maybe you disagree with

someone. Maybe you prefer to set yourself apart from that
person because you are a different age, ethnicity, or gender. For

AEC111-C01 Page 14
whatever reason, divergence is a process in which what you say
makes you different.
Another way humans change their speech is through
“convergence.” Think of convergence as coming together or
trying to be the same as someone. Have you ever wanted to be
someone’s friend, but you know that you might be too different
from them? Maybe the topics you like to talk about aren’t the
same as what they like to talk about.

So, through convergence, you might change what you say to

match the other person to avoid being alone. This allows you to
be accepted by that person or social group. You may change the
words you use or you use the words to match that person/group.
Cultivation Analysis Theory is the third theory we are going t o
learn now. This theory means that the media and technology
influence the way we communicate.

Can you imagine what the world might have been like before the
television was invented? Before the Internet? Before cell
phones? Before YouTube? It was very different. How people
communicated without these tools was very different from how
people communicate now. In fact, our beliefs about the world

AEC111-C01 Page 15
have changed so much because of the media. Media can be
music, movies, television, magazines, or the radio. For example,
if you see many violent Hollywood movies, you might start to
believe that life in the USA is violent. Also, the topics people
talk about are centered on the media: the televisions programs
and the movies you see. For example, you might talk to you r
friend about the latest movie that was just released or what they
thought about a certain TV program.
The fourth theory that can influence our life is called
Groupthink. According to this theory, a group is the strongest
factor in shaping someone’s communication. A group could be a
close group of friends, a family unit, a cultural group or a
country. The group is very strong in what they believe. In fact,
the group can be so strong in its thoughts that they fail to think
of better choices or thoughts. Basically, group members start to
think alike, in the same way. Naturally, this is a good thing, as it
brings group members closer.

However, the problem with Groupthink is that different

opinions and thoughts are not expressed or taken seriously

AEC111-C01 Page 16
because they are not a part of the dominant group. If most
people are thinking the same things, different thoughts will not
be accepted naturally. If you are a member of a group and you
have a different opinion about a topic and all the other group
members think a different way, you may not express your
thoughts. For example, imagine your group is thinking about
how to solve a problem. All the group members are in favor of
option A but you think option B is better. In order to stay
connected to the group, you might not express your opinions.
Or, sometimes in Groupthink, group members might not even be
thinking of other options and thoughts because their minds are
linked together. In this theory, as the group gets stronger,
mindsets and viewpoints also start to be similar. This is a good
and a bad thing. It is good for group connection but bad for
diversity.
The fifth and the last theory which we are going to discuss is the
Cultural Approach to Organizations. In this theory, companies
are like cultural groups. There are many different cultures.
There is the Japanese culture, the Indian culture, the American
culture, the Maharashtrian culture, etc. Just like cultures have
specific beliefs and values, so do companies. Even the languages
of specific cultures are different, just like the languages used in
different companies are different.

AEC111-C01 Page 17
For example, the language of a corporate business company like
Tata might be different from the language people use at a
primary school. The communication can change based on
vocabulary, tone of voice, and style. The primary school
employees and students might use educational vocabulary or
words, speak in a gentle way and have a more relaxed way of
speaking. On the other hand, a business employee might use
more technical words, a more assertive or aggressive tone of
voice and communicate quickly.

LEARNING ACTIVITY 01
 Activity: One family unit or your best friends can be defined
as one group. Ask one friend or family member if he/she is
influenced by Groupthink (thinking the same way as the
other members of their group). Ask if Groupthink has
influenced him/her in good or bad ways.
 Reflection: Think about the media. Have movies or videos
influenced (changed) how you view the world? Why or why
not? For example, how do you view America from the
Hollywood movies?
 Reflection: Do you speak to your family members the same
way you speak to your teacher? Why or why not?

SELF-TEST 01
1. Which theory best states that communication is altered
based on your beliefs and values?
a. Cultural Approach to Organizations
b. Groupthink
c. Cultivation Analysis Theory
d. Cognitive Dissonance Theory

AEC111-C01 Page 18
2. Imagine you are with a friend and she/he says that people in
America are very rich, even though she/he hasn’t been to
the USA. Which theory is probably shaping her/his opinion?
a. Cultural Approach to Organizations
b. Groupthink
c. Cultivation Analysis Theory
d. Cognitive Dissonance Theory

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 01

1. Which theory of communication best describes how YOU use
language? Give at least two examples.
2. Choose a different theory from the first question. Give at
least one example of where and how you see that theory in
your personal life.

01-02: TYPES AND MODES OF COMMUNICATION

Communication is a very broad term. In a general way,
communication is just the transfer of information from one
person to another. You can gain information from reading
something or listening to someone. You can also communicate
ideas from one person to another by speaking to them or writing
something that someone will eventually read. So, the four basic
modes of communication are: Reading, Writing, Speaking and
Listening. Let’s go through each mode of communication so that
you can understand clearly. Let’s start with speaking.

AEC111-C01 Page 19
Humans are natural speakers. Even when we were babies, we
were “speaking” in our own way by crying. As we get older and
increased our vocabulary, we began to talk. Words are a quick
and easy way to communicate to someone what we want. You
can speak in formal and informal situations. We speak to our
family members and friends in informal situations and to our
colleagues, teachers, and elders in formal situations.
Speaking is considered an “active” mode of communication
because we have to produce something in order to speak.

In other words, we have to open our mouths and actively do

something, give something (rather than receive something).
Speaking is what most people think about when they think of
communication, but communication is shown in other ways.

AEC111-C01 Page 20
Humans have created spoken language but have also developed
tools in order to preserve those words and to communicate ideas
that will last a long time.

In ancient times, humans had written words on scrolls and then

more recently, we have created the printing press, typewriter,
computer, and now we have the text messaging. Writing conveys
ideas for someone else to read. In that way, reading and writing
go together.
However, one difference between reading and writing is that
writing is an active way to communicate. Just like with
speaking, in writing, we have to produce something in order to
write. We have to “do” something, so it is active.
Many people enjoy reading and with that activity, they learn
about the ideas of another person. We read written words in
books, reports, in text messages, in email messages, in project
proposals, and even in reading traffic signs on the road. Imagine
how hard it would be to not be able to read anything. That is
why reading is an essential skill taught in schools. If humans
could not read, writing would have no purpose.

AEC111-C01 Page 21
Reading is a passive communication mode because in reading,
you are receiving something rather than producing something.
However, do not think that “passive” means that you are lazy. It
simply means that you are receiving input from somewhere.
The last basic communication mode is listening, which is the
hardest to attain. Just like reading and writing go together,
speaking goes along with listening. When someone is speaking
to you, you are listening.

The reason why listening is the hardest to attain is because

people do not know how to listen actively. People are distracted
and do not know how to give their full attention to their
speaker. Maybe they are driving while listening to you on the
cell phone. Maybe the listener is hearing other noises in the
background. Whatever may be the reason, active listening is
very difficult.

AEC111-C01 Page 22
We need to listen to spoken words in a conversation or even
when we watch the TV or listen to the radio. We could also listen
to a podcast, a voice message, or a fun video on YouTube.

Listening is considered a passive language mode because when

you listen, you receive something and are not required to give
anything. Remember, passive does not mean you are lazy. It just
means you are receiving rather than giving input.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES 02
 Reflection: Which type/mode of communication is easier for
you in your mother tongue (your first language)?
 Reflection: When you are learning a new language (or your
second language), how do you best learn the second
language? By speaking, listening, reading, or writing?

SELF-TEST 02
3. What are the two passive communication modes?
a. Reading & Writing
b. Listening & Writing

AEC111-C01 Page 23
 c. Listening & Reading
d. Speaking & Listening
4. When someone learns a language, which mode of language
is likely to be the first way you learn?
a. Through speaking
b. Through listening
c. Through writing
d. Through reading

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 02

3. What is the main difference between passive and active
communication?
4. Give one example of each mode of communication in your
personal life. For example, what do you read? What do you
write? What do you speak about? Lastly, who do you listen
to and where? Use this outline to help you.
Reading:
Writing:
Speaking:
Listening:

01-03: THE LANGUAGE OF COMMUNICATION

Let us familiarize ourselves with some terms related to
communication. The first is a monologue. A monologue is
basically a long speech given by someone that prevents anyone
else from talking. It could mean talking out loud to yourself or
talking silently to yourself, also known as your inner voice.
Monologues fall under the category of speaking and they are
active ways to communicate. However, most communication
involves at least two people so monologues should be avoided

AEC111-C01 Page 24
unless you are asked to give a speech to your classmates at
school or your colleagues at work.

How many times have you been in a meeting and the person
conducting the meeting did not allow anyone else to talk, ask
questions or give ideas? Do you know how boring it is to listen
to someone giving a long monologue and you cannot interact
with that person at all? This is because in our basic nature,
humans are meant to actually communicate with others, in a
two- way conversation, one that involves speaking and listening
by both people, not just one.
The opposite of a monologue is a dialogue, which is a two -way
conversation with another person. A proper dialogue involves
two people in which both people have the chance to speak and
while one person is speaking, the other person is listening.
Think of a dialogue like a two-way street: cars are going in both
directions. Just like those cars, people are speaking in two
directions because one person is listening as the other person is
speaking. After you finish speaking, the other person can speak
next. So, the roles are reversed. Speaking in a dialogue can be
extended to a group of people in which one person is speaking
while the others are listening or smaller groups within the larger
group are speaking and listening to each other.

AEC111-C01 Page 25
Some examples of group discussions might be a debate at
school, a social function like a party where there are many
people talking, or a meeting at school or work where people are
encouraged to add information or ask questions.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES 03
 Reflection: Think about a situation in your life when
someone did not understand you. Why didn’t he/she
understand you?
 What is the importance of monologues or dialogues in our
life? Do you prefer monologues or dialogues? Why?

SELF-TEST 03
5. What is the definition of a dialogue?
a. A conversation with yourself and your inside thoughts
b. A conversation with at least two people where everyone
is both speaking and listening
c. A conversation with two people where one person is
doing all the talking
d. A lecture where one person is talking to another person
only through Skype

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 03

5. When are monologues important? Where have you seen
monologues?

AEC111-C01 Page 26
01-04: BARRIERS TO COMMUNICATION
Communication is very important to survive and to live a happy
life. However, many people do not know how to communicate.
You might think that it would be easy to speak and listen, but
there is much more in the process of communication.

Take for example someone who is speaking to you, but you do

not have any clue as to what he/she is saying. There is either a
problem with the person who is speaking or the person who is
listening. This is a problem when you talk with someone of a
different language, but this can even happen when speaking to
someone of the same language! How many times have you
spoken to auto rickshaw drivers in their language, but they still
do not know what you are saying, or those times you were
talking to your friend but she didn’t seem to understand you?
Problems can happen at either the giving (speaker) or the
receiving end (listener).

LEARNING ACTIVITIES 04
 Experiment: This week, think about a conversation you had
with your friend or family member. Ask him/her to repeat
exactly what he/she said to you. Did he/she understand
everything? Yes or no? If no, why?
 Experiment: Have a conversation with someone outside
where it is noisy and then talk to the same person in a quiet
environment. What was the difference? Did you understand
more in the noisy or quiet environment? Why?

AEC111-C01 Page 27
SELF-TEST 04
6. What is a barrier to successful communication?
a. Talking/listening while checking your Facebook
b. Talking outside where there is a lot of noise and horns
c. Yelling at your friend from across the room
d. All of the above
7. Why is successful communication important?
a. So that we can learn from one another
b. So that the other person feels respected
c. So that information is accurate
d. All of the above

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 04

6. Talk about an experience in your life when you spoke to
some people and he/she did not understand your message.
Why didn’t he/she understand you? Give at least two
possible reasons.

SUMMARY
In this section, you learned about why humans started to
communicate. We also explored ways communication is used, in
active and passive ways and within ourselves or with another
person or group. You also learned the basic communication
process and some barriers to successful communication.

REFERENCES
MOOC S
http://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-to-avoid-miscommunication-
katherine-hampsten

AEC111-C01 Page 28
YOUTUBE VIDEOS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hn1FRhNa-Ts

WIKIPEDIA
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groupthink

BOOKS
“Active Listening 101: How to Turn Down Your Volume to Turn
Up Your Communication Skills” by Emilia Hardman

COURSE COMPANION WEBSITE

Visit Here for Course Companion website for this course:

AEC111-C01 Page 29
UNIT 01-02: VERBAL AND NON-VERBAL
COMMUNICATION
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
 Recall the communication process and Plan to develop
your communication skills by using voice elements
effectively
 Define the terms verbal and non-verbal communication
and Identify the examples of verbal and non-verbal
communication styles
 Make effective use of body language in your everyday
communication
 Recognize the need for developing trust among your
colleagues, friends, and family members and Apply the
tips for developing trust
 Recall the process of giving and receiving feedback and
Apply the techniques for giving feedback
 Overcome the barriers to effective communication
 Explain the importance of ethics in personal and
professional communication
 Apply the tips on cross-cultural communication to
Communicate successfully with people from different
cultures

AEC111-C01 Page 30
INTRODUCTION

What do you mean by the term “communication?” When people

think about communication, they generally think about
speaking. Although speaking is only one mode of
communication, it is difficult to master. In this section, you will
unlock the secrets to become a great speaker.

02-01: ORGANIZING YOUR MESSAGES

How you speak is much more important than what you say. It is
important for the speaker to do some planning of how he/she
will speak so that the listener will be able to understand.
Otherwise, the listener risks not understanding the speaker.
Communication is a process and there are steps in the process
with the speaker and the listener. The communication process
starts from the time the speaker sends a message to the time the
listener receives a message.
The listener basically has to encode and decode the message in
his/her brain which means he/she is interpreting what the
message is until he/she can fully understand it.

AEC111-C01 Page 31
 1) Speaker 2) Listener 3) Listener
says encodes the gives a
something, words/gestures/ response
uses hand body language of message to the
gestures and speaker into a speaker in
body meaning he/she words,
language, to can understand gestures, and
listener body language
(decoding).
Listener gives
feedback to
speaker

Sometimes, the listener can encode or decode wrong. This is

what we call miscommunication, or communication that is not
successful. The communication process can turn bad with either
the speaker or the listener. The speaker can interfere with the
communication process by not communicating the ideas clearly.
The listener can make the communication bad by not actively
listening. Let us share some suggestions on how to improve the
communication process for the speaker.

AEC111-C01 Page 32
 What? I
don’t
understand

The first suggestion for the speaker is to share things that the
listener either needs to know or will be interested to know. This
is important because the listener can only handle (or process)
that much information. It is hard for a typical listener to
remember everything a speaker said.

Have you ever listened to someone speaking to you about things

that were not important to your life or talked to you about
subjects that were boring for you? How much did you
remember? Probably not a lot. That is why it is important for
the speaker to customize his/her message to what the listener
needs to know at that moment. Generally speaking, a typical
listener mostly remembers what the speaker said at the
beginning and end of his/her message. Knowing that, the
speaker should say the main points of their message at the very
beginning and at the very end just to make sure the listener
understands the most important points. What the speaker says
in the middle of the message could be details or extra
information about the main points. The best advice for formal

AEC111-C01 Page 33
communication is to keep the message short. This will make it
easier for the listener to understand your message better.

Also, many times we communicate in places that are noisy.

There are horns, other cars, other people and outside elements
like birds, wind, and maybe rain. This is why you must keep
your message short, because your listener may be distracted by
these elements. Or, in other cases, your listener may be
distracted by his/her own thoughts. For all these reasons, keep
your message short.
Humans love to communicate and some love the sound of their
own voice, so much that they use so many words, even words
that are not required when communicating. When speaking
informally with friends, it is OK to use words that have little
meaning or repeat certain words. However, in formal
communication, you should pay special attention to use of
words that are required for your message. Keep your message
simple. In business, time is money. The less time you use to

AEC111-C01 Page 34
communicate unnecessary things, the more time you have to do
business. Try not to repeat the same words. Eliminate useless
words like “sure,” “yeah,” “um,” “like,” etc. Imagine that you
want to invite your friend for tea. See the difference in these two
examples. Example A: “So, um, do you wanna like, go for tea?
Let’s go for tea!” Example B: “Would you like to go for tea?”
Example B uses less words and the message is direct. In example
A, the word “tea” is repeated and there are some useless words
like “um” and “like.”
Here are a few more suggestions for the speaker. If you would
like the listener to really understand, the speaker should tell the
listener how she/he can benefit from the message. For example,
if you are talking to someone and the topic or subject is
something that is not familiar to the listener, the speaker should
explain why it is important. This helps the listener to become
more interested. Think that you are a salesperson trying to sell
hair oil. You are talking to a customer from a different country
who does not know the benefits of hair oil. As a speaker, you
should talk about how hair oil can be beneficial to your
customer, who is also the listener. Lastly, if you can speak
slowly and pause as you are speaking, the listener will
remember more because it will give his/her brain more time to
process the information. This is very important when speaking
about a new topic that the listener has little knowledge in. If you
can see from your listener’s body language that he/she is not
understanding your message, you should pause more or use
simpler language.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES 01
 Experiment: This week, talk about a topic that your listener
has no knowledge of or awareness of. For example, if you
know your sister does not know anything about baseball,
talk to her about that topic for two minutes. Next, watch
your listener. What do you see your listener doing? What is

AEC111-C01 Page 35
 her body language telling you? Does she seem interested and
engaged? Why?
 Experiment: Next time you talk to your friend or family
member, ask him/her to count how many times you say an
unnecessary word like “um,” “eh” or “like.” If you cannot
find anyone, record your speech on your smart phone and
listen to it later.

SELF-TEST 01
1. Why is it important to know your listeners’ values and
interests when talking with them?
a. So they can have a conversation about their
interests
b. So that they will not be bored
c. So that they will want to communicate with you in
the future
d. All of the above
2. Scenario: You are meeting someone for the first time, and
you do not know what their interests are. What is the best
way to start a conversation with them?
a. Tell them about your whole life story
b. Ask simple questions about their life and share a
little about yourself
c. Talk about controversial topics like religion and
politics
d. Use all the difficult vocabulary words you are
learning in your class so you can show them you are
smart

AEC111-C01 Page 36
SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 01
1. Why is it important to talk about topics important to the
listener?
2. In business, why is it important to keep your message short
and direct (Not long and boring)? If you do not have any
experience in the business world, talk about why you think
it might be important.

02-02: USING VOICE ELEMENTS EFFECTIVELY

Let us take some time to talk about how you use your voice when
you are speaking, since how you speak is more important that
what you say. Many people do not know that your voice can
change a lot in speed, pitch, and volume. Let us talk about each
one separately.

First, let us talk about the speed of your voice. Speed is simply
how fast you speak. You can speak fast or slow. Your listener
will enjoy listening much more if the speaker changes the speed.
Imagine talking to someone who speaks at the same speed. You
make get bored listening to him/her. If you speak slowly at

AEC111-C01 Page 37
certain parts, your listener will anticipate the next word and
listen more attentively. On the other hand, speaking faster
shows you are excited about a topic.
Another element of speed is pausing. You can pause to add
dramatic effects. There is another benefit to pausing. Pausing
allows the listener to decode and encode (interpret or
understand) your message. When you pause, you are also
articulating your words or separating them, which makes the
message clearer. Many times, people speak so fast and th ey
forget to separate their words. Separating your words is called
enunciating. You are enunciating when you separate your words
with pausing in between each word. Enunciating or articulating
your words means to separate them. Look at this example. In
this sentence, each space means you need to put a pause. For
each period or comma, you need to add more separation:
“I need to go to the market.
I need to buy bananas, bread
and juice.”
Sometimes people who speak the same language can speak fast
with one another, but your speed should be reduced when
speaking with someone who has a different first language than
you.
The next element is pitch. The term pitch means the degree of
highness or lowness of speaking voice. Your voice frequency can
be a high pitch, like singing a high note or like an opera singer
or you can sing at a lower pitch.

AEC111-C01 Page 38
Women and children generally have higher pitches while men
have lower pitches. Your pitch can show how confident you are.

For example, a higher pitch typically shows you are not certain
about something and does not show confidence. You can also
raise your pitch when you want to ask questions. When you ask
a question, be sure to raise your pitch so that the listener knows
you are asking a question. Lowering your pitch shows
confidence.
Volume is the last element. It simply means how soft or loud you
speak. Volume is important and it will impact how your message
is received. Volume is on a spectrum of soft to loud.
Soft -------------------------------------------------- Loud

AEC111-C01 Page 39
For example, if you want your listener to hear you, you need to
speak loud enough. However, speaking too loudly might be
annoying for your listener and he/she may feel attacked.

Also, other people may be disturbed. You can also raise the
volume of your voice on a particular word to make it more
important. If you have a lower volume, your listener may not
hear you and you give the impression that you are shy. However,
one benefit to lowering your voice is that it requires the listener
to pay special attention to you in order to hear you. It is best to
change the volume of your voice to add variety and it is more
fun for the listener.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES 02
 Reflection: Which voice element is the most difficult for
you? Pitch? Volume? Articulation? Pausing? What can you
do to improve that aspect of your speech?
 Experiment: Read a paragraph in a book, magazine, etc.
Every time you see a comma (,) or a full stop (.) pause your
voice for one second. Also, make sure you pause in between
each word (enunciate). Do you notice a difference in your
articulation? Apply the same pausing exercise when you are
speaking to someone (without a book, magazine, etc.)

SELF-TEST 02
3. Scenario: You are talking to a person and you can see from
his/her body language that he/she does not understand you.

AEC111-C01 Page 40
 What is the best thing you can do to improve your
communication?
a. Speak so loud that others can hear you too
b. Change your vocabulary to match their skill level
c. Ask them if they have any questions
d. Make them feel comfortable by talking about a lot of
new ideas
4. What is the best way to speak to someone about a new idea
they are unfamiliar with?
a. Prepare by anticipating what others might ask and
be prepared to answer questions
b. Make sure to pause between main points so the
listener can fully comprehend your ideas
c. Listen to what your listener asks and read their
body language
d. All of the above

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 02

3. What is the definition of pitch? What are the different
pitches? Which pitch is important when talking to friends?
To your business partner?
4. What is the definition of articulation/enunciation? Why is
articulation important?

02-03: UNDERSTANDING NON -VERBAL LANGUAGE

As mentioned earlier, communication can be expressed by
reading, writing, speaking, and listening. What do you think
about speaking? Do you think about words? Yes, speaking
involves words but is also involves your body. You can “speak”
with your body! Research has shown that 93% of communication

AEC111-C01 Page 41
is expressed through our bodies, while only 6% is expressed
through our words. Speaking with our bodies is called body
language or nonverbal language. It is nonverbal because you are
not using your words.

Parts of your body that speak are your hands, legs , shoulders,
back, eyes, mouth, and forehead. Using your body can add more
meaning to your words and the body language helps the listener
to understand your message. There is a common phrase that
states “actions speak louder than words”. This could not be
farther from the truth. Let us go through some tips on using
your body language (actions) to help your listener understand
your message better.
The first element of body language is your eyes. Your eyes are
very important because the eyes can show what you are feeling
inside.

When our eyes are smaller, it means we do not believe

something or are skeptical. When our eyes get bigger, it shows
excitement or surprise. Also, you can either have good or bad
eye contact. Giving eye contact to your listener shows that you

AEC111-C01 Page 42
care about him/her as a person. Trust is also established
through eye contact, as the listener feels more comfortable with
the speaker who has good eye contact. However, if you stare at a
person for too long, you may be seen as aggressive. Also true,
your listener may not trust you or will feel at conflict with you if
you do not have good eye contact.
As with your eyes, there are other parts of your face that are
important with body language. When speaking to someone (and
even with listening), you should have a pleasant smile. Smiling
too much shows you have too much energy but a light smile
shows you are interested in what the person has to say and that
you are a happy person.

Smiling will also encourage people to feel more comfortable and

will participate in meetings and job tasks more. A person will
listen better if the person he/she is talking to is smiling and
he/she will also remember the message clearly. Smiling brings
positive emotions too, and both the speaker and the listener will
feel at ease.
There are other parts of your body that are important to notice
in your body communication. Your arms can add a lot of
meaning to your message. For example, when you want to say
something important, you should use your arms. Moving your
arms and hands makes your message less boring for the listener.

AEC111-C01 Page 43
 Imagine talking to someone who does not move his/her arms at
all; you might get bored. You can try this with your friends. Try
talking to your friend without moving your arms or hands and
see how your friend reacts. Then, talk to the same friend later
and use your arms and hands to show excitement at certain
points. Do you notice a difference? You will see that body
language is very important.
Your back or posture can also show the listener how lazy or
professional you are. For example, if you have bad back posture,
you may look diffident, lazy, or bored. Rather, straight back
posture shows that you are a confident person and you know
what you want to do or have a goal/mission. It also shows you
are attentive and ready to work. As with posture, turning your
back to someone while he/she is speaking is considered rude
and should be avoided at all costs if you want to maintain a good
relationship with anyone.

Lastly, how far away you stand from someone (distance) can
communicate things to your listener. Distance changes based on
the culture you are from. For example, in the United States of
America, people typically prefer to be one arm length away from

AEC111-C01 Page 44
others in business. This is the standard distance and it shows
that you are formal and respect personal boundaries. However,
if you stand too close to someone, your listener may feel
uncomfortable and/or think you have a personal interest in
him/her outside the workplace. That is why it is important to
learn about the standard distance that is accepted for the
culture you are interacting with. One way to know if your
listener is feeling comfortable or not is to look at the eyes as you
are standing next to him/her. If the eyes show he/she is
uncomfortable or scared, the speaker should increase their
distance more.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES 03
 Experiment: Have a conversation with someone and have
bad eye contact. Ask your listener how he/she felt. Then,
have another conversation with the same person and
maintain good eye contact. Ask him/her how he/she felt.
Ask your listener to tell you the difference in how they
reacted to you in each conversation (one conversation with
bad eye contact and the other conversation with good eye
contact).
 Experiment: Have a conversation with someone new from
the previous experiment. Do not have any facial expressions.
Ask your listener how he/she felt. Then, have another
conversation with the same person and smile and show
expression in your eyes. Ask him/her how he/she felt. Ask
your listener to tell you the difference in how he/she reacted
to you in each conversation (one conversation with bad
facial expressions and the other conversation with good
facial expressions).

SELF-TEST 03
5. Scenario: You have a job interview. What is the best body
language you can use during the job interview?
a. Use your hands a lot to show you are very excited

AEC111-C01 Page 45
 b. Smile when it is appropriate and use your hands
only when talking about things you want to show
importance to
c. Keep a neutral face the whole time to show you are
calm
d. Keep the distance that is appropriate for your
listener
6. What are some examples of aggressive body language?
a. Pointing your finger a lot
b. Turning your back to your listener
c. Starting or keeping your eye contact for too long
d. All of the above

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 03

5. What is the definition of formal body language? What is the
definition of informal body language? Give one example of a
formal body language. Give one example of an informal body
language (Hint: think about your posture, arm movement,
facial expressions, etc.)
6. Why is body language important?

02-04: DEVELOPING CREDIBILITY

You are familiar with the term trust? Trust is essential for
someone to have good communication with you. Trust has
another name, which is called credibility. If others believe what
you say with your words and body language, you have
credibility. Credibility is important in the workplace becaus e in
order for people to be open to new ideas and to trust someone
on your team, you have to have credibility with that person.
How can you know if you can believe someone in your team?
This is why credibility is very important. So, how does a person

AEC111-C01 Page 46
develop credibility? There will be certain things you can do
while you speak to someone that will help you to have
credibility.
The first thing you can do is to speak about facts, not people
personally. The more you can keep your information about
objective things, which are also known as facts, the more people
will believe you. If you give the correct information, people will
learn to trust you to get the right information. When you talk
about other people, it is easy to misinterpret or say something
that is not true.

So, it is important to speak about true things and do not discuss

things related to people. For example, if you are a team leader
and you need to discuss a report, you should talk about the
report only and do not focus on who wrote the report or put
blame on that person.
Also, make sure your listener understands you by asking if
he/she has any questions. When you are concerned about the
other person’s wellbeing, he/she will learn to trust you more.
You can ask your listener questions like: “Do you have an y
questions?” “Can I help you to understand anything?” Try not to
use words that your listener will not understand. If your listener
does not understand, he/she will remember less. Use the words
that are appropriate at that level.
Some other things that help credibility are body language and
empathy. Body language and your words can either go together
or apart. If you words match your body language, people will

AEC111-C01 Page 47
more likely believe you. Empathy is showing concern for another
person. If your listener believes that you care about him/her,
his/her opinions, and viewpoints, he/she will trust you more
and therefore have more credibility with you.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES 04
 Reflection: Has anyone ever lied to you or told you incorrect
information by accident? How did it affect you? How did
you feel?
 Reflection: Have you ever exaggerated something to make
yourself look better? In other words, have you ever added
extra information about anything (like a story) to make it
sound better?

SELF-TEST 04
7. Why is credibility important?
a. Trust is the only way to have good communication
among friends, family, or colleagues
b. People will make decisions based on what you say
c. People want to know you care about them
d. All of the above
8. Scenario: You just started a new class and you want to
develop credibility with your new teacher. What is one way
to do that?
a. Do not exaggerate or give information that is too
vague
b. Ask if your listener has any questions
c. Match your body language to your words
d. All of the above

AEC111-C01 Page 48
SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 04
7. In your own words, what is trust?
8. Explain a situation in which you did not trust someone.
Why? Was it something he/she said? Was it his/her body
language?

02-05: GIVING AND RECEIVING FEEDBACK

In the communication process, both the speaker and the listene r
need to work at understanding one another. This process is
called feedback. Feedback is defined as useful information that
is given to someone so that he/she can improve himself/herself.
The speaker should pay attention to the listener to make sure
he/she understands what he/she is trying to say. Also, the
listener should pay attention to the speaker. When this happens,
both the speaker and the listener are changing how and what
they say to better understand the other person. Feedback can be
given both through verbal (words) or non-verbal (body
language). First, I will talk about how to give verbal feedback to
someone.

Person A Person B

You can give verbal (spoken) feedback if someone asks you to

provide it. Telling someone how to improve can be a sensitive
topic so it is important to be sensitive to feelings. Perhaps you
are giving a presentation for work or school. You can ask your
team leader or supervisor for the feedback. If that is the case,
then the person giving feedback should be positive. A person
will receive your feedback better if you start with a positive
message. If you have something unpleasant to say, you should
make sure the message is as positive as possible. A good test of
your feedback is to ask yourself: “Will my relationshi p with the

AEC111-C01 Page 49
person still be good after I give the feedback?” If the answer is
“yes,” then you have provided feedback in a nice way that
maintained the relationship. If you have to give any feedback
that is not pleasant, a nice way to do it is to avoid using the
person’s name. Keep the negative feedback neutral. Pretend you
gave a presentation and you asked for feedback from your
friend. Look at these differences: Example A: “Deepti, you talk
too fast.” Example B: “Try talking slower.” Which one was
better? Example B was better feedback because it was more
positive and it offered a solution.
Where you provide the feedback and when are the important
factors to think about as well. The location is important. If other
people are present, perhaps that is not the best location for the
feedback because giving feedback can be a sensitive issue and
people’s feelings should be considered. A private location is
best. Talking about personal matters is not best shared with
other people. The person might feel embarrassed if that is the
case. Also, provide the feedback in a location where both people
will feel comfortable, such as a private office, coffee shop, or
another comfortable location.
In summary, when giving feedback verbally to someone, you
should avoid being negative. Instead, focus on the positive. For
example, instead of saying: “You are always late!” You could say:
“Please come on time.”
Do not attack a person when you are helping him/her improve
his/her communication. This can be done by avoiding sentences
that start with “you.” For example, “You are always late” starts
with the word “you.” This should be avoided. Also, never give a
criticism without providing a suggestion. “Please come on time”
is a suggestion to come back on time the next time.
Without knowing it or not, you are constantly giving feedback
through your bodies through non-verbal ways to person you are
speaking to. In the communication process, a listener is giving

AEC111-C01 Page 50
feedback through his/her body to the speaker. It is the speaker’s
job to read the body signals of the listener. You should look at
your listener’s eyes, posture, and forehead. Let us have more
details.

If your listener’s eyes are wondering around and not focusing, it

might be an indication that he/she is bored! It is your job as a
speaker to try and make your speech fun and interesting to the
listener. Try using easier vocabulary or words that he/she may
understand. Or, perhaps your listener has no clue what you are
saying. You should do a better job at making the topic
interesting and relevant (important) to your listener. Tell
him/her how he/she can benefit from the topic.
Communication can also be expressed in other ways. If the
listener’s back posture is slumped (not straight), that could also
be an indicator that he/she is bored. If his/her forehead is
wrinkly, it could mean the listener is confused. If any of these
things happen, the speaker is receiving feedback that what
he/she is saying either is not fun, important or interesting to
their listener. The speaker should change what/how he/she is
speaking.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES 05
 Reflection: Have you ever had to tell a person something
negative about himself/herself? How did he/she receive the
feedback?

AEC111-C01 Page 51
 Reflection: When someone disagrees with you or tells you
something negative about yourself, how do you usually feel?
Describe how you handle negative feedback.

SELF-TEST 05
9. Scenario: You are talking to a person and he/she crosses
arms in front of the chest. He/she seems defensive. What is
one thing you can do to help your communication?
a. Use “You” statements
b. Focus on the positive
c. Show empathy
d. Increase the volume of your voice
10. How can you change this statement into a better one to
increase communication? “You did not finish your work on
time.”
a. “You should not be late so you can finish your
work.”
b. “How can I help you finish your work on time?”
c. “When you do not finish your work, the department
cannot finish their deadlines.”
d. “I would like to know why you did not finish your
work on time.”

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 05

9. What is the definition of feedback (in the communication
process)?
10. Explain why it is important to give feedback in a positive
way. (In other words, what would happen if the other person
did not receive your feedback in a helpful way)?

AEC111-C01 Page 52
02-06: OVERCOMING BARRIERS TO COMMUNICATION
As mentioned before, communication is not easy. In fact, most
relationships get ruined due to lack of good communication. L et
us know some basics on how to have effective communication
with any person, at any time.

The words you use are very important. You should not use the
words that your listener will not understand. It is safe to assume
that if your listener speaks a different language than you, you
should choose words that are easier for him/her to understand.
This is also true if your listener has a different educational level
than you. Always use words that connect you to your listener,
not set yourself apart. If the words are too difficult or not
interesting, your listener will feel bored. As a speaker, always
look at your listener, especially his/her eyes. If the listener
looks like he/she does not understand, then the speaker should
change his/her vocabulary. For example, if the listener gives
feedback that his/her language skills are more developed (that
he/she can understand the difficult words), then you can choose
words that match his/her level. Or, if the listener looks
confused, then choose words that are easier for him/her to
understand. Just like vocabulary choice is important, using
words that are direct is better than words that are indirect. For
example, if you say “The meeting might start at 10 in the
morning,” that is not clear. You should say: “The meeti ng will
start at 10 am in the morning.” Words such as “like,” “about,”
“might,” and “maybe” are not always clear.

AEC111-C01 Page 53
A speaker has a hard job. Here is another suggestion. When you
are using words, make sure your body language is matching
what you are saying. For example, if you are saying something
exciting, your body should show excitement. If you are talking
about something you are concerned or worried about, your body
should show the same. The fact is that body language is 93% of
all communication, so your body should communicate what you
really want to say.
These days, there are so many ways to communicate. Can you
think of a few? There is face-to-face communication, emails,
texts, video calls and phone calls. When you are delivering news
or want to communicate anything, the speaker needs to think
about which tool or type of communication is best suited to the
message.

For example, when you are delivering bad news, it might be

best to use face-t0-face communication. If you need to deliver a
message about a meeting, perhaps it might be best to use email
so many people can read the message. A text is best for informal
things, like if you want to have lunch with your co-worker. If
you have something you need to say that is urgent and cannot
wait, a phone call is better than an email or text.
Lastly, the place where you talk to your listener matters a lot.
Can you imagine having a serious conversation with someone

AEC111-C01 Page 54
where the cars are honking and people are yelling on the
streets? Location matters! Generally, if you want your listener to
understand you fully, choose a place with little distraction, like
a quiet office or a corner in a public area. If the subject is
something personal and sensitive, then choose a place where
other people cannot hear you.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES 06
 Experiment: Talk to a family member or a friend. Say
something happy but cross your arms in front of your chest
and have a frown on your face (body language will not
match your words). After speaking with him/her for a few
minutes, ask your listener if she/he was confused by your
body language and the words you used.
 Experiment: Have a conversation with someone and
position your body so that you are not facing your listener
directly. Turn your back slightly away from the listener for
the entire conversation. After a few minutes, ask your
listener how he/she felt when you turned your back to
him/her.

SELF-TEST 06
11. Scenario: You are a supervisor and every time you talk to
your employee, they never seem to do what you want them
to do. What can you do to improve your communication?
a. Turn your cell phone off when you talk to your
employee
b. Use simple language that they can understand
c. Talk in a quiet location
d. Be direct with your requests and avoid words like
“maybe” and “might”
e. e. All of the above

AEC111-C01 Page 55
12. Scenario: You are working for a technical company and you
need a fast response to a question. Which way is best to get
the correct answer?
a. Sending a long email with a lot of words
b. Sending an email with only the main idea
c. Calling the person
d. Talk to the person in a noisy environment with a lot
of distractions

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 06

11. What is one barrier to having good communication?
12. What is one thing you would like to do to have better
communication? (Choose from this list: use better language,
make your message clear, match body language to your
words, reduce the distractions, or choose the correct mode:
text, phone call, email, etc.)

02-07: COMMUNICATING ETHICALLY

When you communicate, it is very important to restore the
relationship as much as possible. This can be difficult when
communication gets uncomfortable. One way to make sure you
have a good relationship with people is to always communicate
ethically. Ethics are the standard of accepted living practices.
Ethics help us to know what is good or bad. Without ethics, the
world would be a scary place and relationships would be
terrible. Ethics used to be a big part of a society, but in some
countries, ethics in business is hard to find. Let us share some
suggestions on how to communicate ethically to make sure all
your professional (and personal) relationships are healthy and
strong.

AEC111-C01 Page 56
When you communicate, you should always be truthful. There
are some exceptions to this. For example, do not share any
information that is private or confidential.

For example, if you are a hiring manager, you should not share
any personal information about potential employees to people
who do not need to hear that information. If others do not need
the information for their professional jobs, then do not share
that information. Also, do not talk openly about sensitive or
personal topics. In those situations, it is best to avoid the
conversations in those areas or move the conversation in a
different direction. Even a small lie is OK if the topic is not
about business. For example, if the relationship with your
mother is not well and your co-worker asks you about it, you can
say: “It is fine” even if it is not. If you do not want to talk about
personal things, you do not have to tell the full truth.
In other ways, people lie. And in certain situations, lying is not
acceptable. For example, in business, you should never say half
the truth. When you only communicate half of the truth, the

AEC111-C01 Page 57
other person is not receiving the full information and therefore,
it is considered lying. Business decisions are not always easy
and it is important to have all the information available to make
those decisions. Also, do not make something sound better by
adding things that are not true. This is called exaggeration.
Exaggeration can make something seem better when it really is
not. For example, if your team at work is working on a project
and it is not going well, you should not tell your boss: “Our
project is perfect.” Exaggeration makes people believe that
certain information is not true and they have an incorrect
perception of you.
Another part of being honest is to give all the information, such
as the good and the bad. In business, everyone wants to look
good and only talk about the good things. However, when you
are working on a project or discussing your opinions on
something or hiring a potential employee, all information is
useful. Just as you should not give half of the information, you
should also talk about the good and the bad, the benefits and the
setbacks, and positive and the negative. This is called a
“balanced approach.”

People say many things and it can be hard to know what things
should be considered honest or truthful. When you are listening
to someone, learn to make the difference between fact and
opinion. Opinions are things that people say that can change
based on the person. Opinions change but facts never change.
Facts are information you can find in a reputable educational
book, an encyclopedia, trusted sources on the Internet or
statistics. For example: “this is a very difficult work project” is
an opinion and can change. Maybe one person thinks it is
difficult but another person thinks it is easy. “There are 10

AEC111-C01 Page 58
people working on this project” is a fact, because you can count
and see how many people are working on the project. A fact
never changes. Many times in business, people may hear things
that they think are facts when they are really opinions. In order
to know the full truth, you must only trust facts.
In general, you should never take, steal, or listen to information
that is not intended for you. If you receive information that
helps your job or is related to a work project, then it is OK to
use the information for work purposes only. If the information
you have is used in any other way, for personal use, then it is
not ethical.

At work, it is easy to listen to a conversation that someone else

is having or to read information on someone else’s computer
screen. It is also easy to talk about someone at work to a friend,
maybe some personal information you know about them.
However, be an ethical person and do not misuse the
information in any way. Personal information should only be
used for work purposes by the people who need the information.
Last but not the least, if you want to be ethical, be true to
yourself. Be authentic. Do not agree with someone if you do not
agree. Do not say something just to be accepted by someone or
by a group. Do not agree to something unethical just to avoid an
argument. Being ethical also means to be true to yourself. For
example, if you have a different opinion, say it. Sometimes being
honest and truthful means to have a different opinion.

AEC111-C01 Page 59
LEARNING ACTIVITIES 07
 Reflection: Do you think businesses always use ethics when
making decisions? Why or why not? (Hint: Think about
decisions businesses make in relation to money. Are the
decisions always good for people?)
 Reflection: Have you ever confused facts as opinions? When
was the last time you believed something your friend said as
a fact (when it was really an opinion)?

SELF - TEST 07
13. Scenario: You are working at a telecommunication company
and your friend asked you for the personal phone number of
one of your clients. She says it is important and you have
the information, but it breaks the company’s policy. What
should you do?
a. Give your friend the information she needs because
you trust her
b. Tell your friend the truth and that it breaks
company policy
c. Ask your co-workers if they think it is a good idea
and if they say yes, then you do it
d. Share the information and tell your supervisor later
14. Scenario: You are a sales person and you are talking about
your product. Choose the sentence that sounds the most
ethical.
a. “Even though the other company’s product does
this, our product does a different thing.”
b. “I feel like this product is the best because it makes
my family happy.”
c. “This is the best product you will ever use in your
lifetime!”

AEC111-C01 Page 60
 d. “I don’t tell others this, but this product will change
your life!”

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 07

13. What is the definition of ethics in the business world?
14. What is a fact? Give an example. What is an opinion? Give
an example.

02-08: UNDERSTANDING CROSS -CULTURAL ISSUES

We live in a global world and it is getting more common to work
with people from different cultures and with different
languages. Even though English is becoming more global as the
language of business in many countries, it is easy for
communication to go wrong. If you are talking face-to-face,
through email or on the phone, you should practice some tips on
how to master communication with someone from a different
culture. These tips apply to both the speaker and the listener.
Further, these tips can also be used in general when talking to
anyone who might be from a different age, gender, or work
industry than you.

First, keep your message simple. If you are listening to

something and you have no clue what is being said, imagine how
frustrating it would be if your speaker kept talking and talking.
The shorter and simpler your message is, the better. Keep your
sentences short. The best way to do this is to share only the
main idea. Do not share extra information that is not required
for the listener. Look at these two examples. Which one is

AEC111-C01 Page 61
clearer? Example A: “Please come to the meeting at around 10
am so that we can talk about the changes to the project. Ten
people will be coming to the meeting and the meeting will end
before lunch.” Example B: “Come to the meeting at 10 am.” Even
though you both may speak English, for another person, English
may be a second or a third language. So, example B is better
because it is shorter and more direct.

Another suggestion for you when speaking with someone from a

different language is to speak slowly. When speaking with
someone who is from your same community, state, or country, it
is usually normal to communicate without slowing down.
However, in India, as in the USA and in other large countries,
there are many varieties of the same language. India also has
many different languages spoken altogether in the same
country. When interacting with such people, it is important to
slow down. A good suggestion for you is to separate each word.
Make sure you pause between words. Also, pretend like you are
talking to an older person who is hard of hearing. If you are
talking to your grandmother who is 90 years old who cannot
hear so well, you are going to slow down and speak louder. This
can be applied to speaking with someone who has a different
mother tongue than you.
In the communication process, it is important for both the
speaker and the listener to do their part in making sure that the
message is delivered. As we talked about, the speaker needs to
use simple words and keep the message short and clear.
However, he/she also needs to be aware of how the listener is
receiving the message. If the listener is looking confused, the

AEC111-C01 Page 62
speaker needs to change how they are speaking. Confusion can
be common when interacting with people from other cultures,
languages, dialects, and countries. It is especially important to
look at the eyes of your listener. If the eyes look lost or the eyes
are looking away, it might mean he/she does not understand.
Look at the body language too. If he/she is looking down at
his/her feet or he/she is moving the body or playing with the
hands, he/she might not understand you. Shifting the body
might be a sign that he/she does not understand fully and is
bored. If you see any of these signs, the speaker should slow
down, be more direct, use different vocabulary words, or use
your hands to help communicate his/her message.
When someone from a different language or culture is speaking
to you, his/her speech might be slower. It is easy to be impatient
and distracted and you might stop listening entirely. Do your
best to listen actively to this person. Do not think about all the
grammar mistakes and never correct the mistakes unless he/she
asks you to. Do not interrupt someone until he/she has finished
with the idea. It can be hard for a person of a different culture
to communicate and the communication process gets worse
when someone does not listen. There is a reason why you have
two ears and only one mouth.
Lastly, do not use words or expressions that are familiar in your
language but not in another person’s language. In American
English, there are many expressions that do not have literal
meanings. For example: “Yesterday, I ran into my friend at the
supermarket.” This does not mean that you crashed into your
friend. It means you saw your friend after a long time. Many
cultures have these expressions that are hard for someone from
a different culture to understand. Instead, use simple language.

AEC111-C01 Page 63
LEARNING ACTIVITIES 08
 Reflection: Have you ever interacted with someone from a
different culture? How was it? What were the difficulties?
Was it frustrating for you? Why?
 Reflection: Can you think of some examples of how your
cultural body language may be confusing to someone from a
different culture?

SELF - TEST 08
15. Scenario: You are working for a global company and you
have an interaction with your client from China. What is one
thing to avoid?
a. Only talking louder
b. Correct his/her grammar so he/she can speak clear
English
c. Speak slowly
d. Use simple language that is easier to understand
16. Scenario: After communicating with a client from Russia,
you are not sure if he understood your communication
correctly. What is one thing you should do?
a. Ask him if he has any questions
b. Call him and tell him every detail of your
communication, again, just so he understands
c. Speak normally like you would with any person from
your country
d. Smile and appear friendly and tell him it is okay if
he needs you to repeat the information again

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 08

15. Why is it important to understand other cultures in global
business?

AEC111-C01 Page 64
16. What is one tip/suggestion to improve communication
between two people of different cultures?

SUMMARY
In this section, we explored how to use your voice. You learned
how to organize what you will say to have the most impact on
your listener. You also learned how to use your body to match
what you are saying. We also talked about the communication
process and how to be successful and ethical. We also learned
how to develop trust with another person and how to talk with
someone from a different culture.

REFERENCES
MOOC S
http://ed.ted.com/lessons/your-body-language-shapes-who-
you-are-amy-cuddy
HTTP ://WWW .TED .COM /TALKS / JULIAN _TREASURE _5_WAYS _TO _LISTEN
_BETTER
YOUTUBE VIDEOS
HTTPS ://WWW .YOUTUBE .COM /WATCH ?V =S- MQ BZW HAH 0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDt10D5uFNQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuhJ24qm0tU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2MR5XbJtXU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_v36Vt9GmH8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fovrb4Y6OTI

WIKIPEDIA
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethics_in_business_communicat
ion

AEC111-C01 Page 65
BOOKS
“Body Language for Dummies” by Elizabeth Kuhnke

COURSE COMPANION WEBSITE

Visit Here for Course Companion website for this course:

AEC111-C01 Page 66
UNIT 01-03: WORKING WITH CUSTOMERS
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After successful completion of this unit, you will be able to
 Identify the basics of excelling customer service
 Describe the ways to develop empathy for better
communication
 Recall the types of questions and Ask effective
questions
 Master the art of saying “no”
 Recall and Apply the techniques for dealing with angry
customers or people

INTRODUCTION

In business, you will have to work with customers or clients.

Clients or customers are people who use your services. You
might call your customers or talk to them in person. You must
have great body language and verbal skills to work with
customers properly. Without good customer service, business
can be lost and relationships broken. When you are purchasing
anything or receiving any service, it is the people you always
remember. In this section, let us go through some basics of how
to work properly with people, especially from a business
perspective.

AEC111-C01 Page 67
03-01: UNDERSTANDING CUSTOMER SERVICE BASICS
First of all, the first impression matters. People always
remember the first image they have of you. If you are meeting
someone for the first time, a proper handshake is acceptable.
You should smile and look confidant. The customs might change
based on your country or region, so make sure to do what is
accepted in your culture. Smiling is usually considered friendly
all over the world and a nice smile will communicate that you
are a nice person.
Do you remember the suggestion that you should listen more
than speak? This is true because you have two ears and one
mouth for a reason. Customers and clients should be the most
important people you work with because they give you business.
Without them, your business has no future. Listening to angry
customers becomes very important, as upset people generally
want to be heard. If you start arguing or yelling at an angry
customer, the situation will only get worse. Listening is very
important in stressful times. But what does it really mean to
listen?
Listening should be active. Active means that you are focusing
on the words, the body language and the main point of the
listener. What are they really trying to say? Most peopl e do not
have active listening because they are only thinking of what they
want to say in response or they interrupt the other person.
Active listening is a skill that many people do not have.

AEC111-C01 Page 68
When you listen actively to your customers, even the difficu lt
customers who are not happy, you will learn so much about
them that you can ask them questions. Asking questions shows
that you were listening to them. They will feel respected if you
ask them questions about something they had said. For example,
you can ask: “When you said____________, what did you
mean?” “Tell me more about____________.” If your
customers or clients say something that you do not understand,
it is important that you ask them what they mean. For example:
“What do you mean?” “How would you like me to help?” After
asking a question, you need to listen. Do your best not to
interrupt.
Customers and clients have many options and might go to
another company. So, it is important to do more than the
customers expect you to do so that they will not leave you. When
you have better service than a different company with the same
products, your customers will stay loyal to you. This is called
“exceeding expectations.” If you exceed expectations, your
customers or clients will be happy. This means doing more than
the customers ask, even when they do not ask for it. For
example, if you work at a supermarket and your customers ask
where the milk is located, you should tell them where to find the
milk. However, in order to exceed expectations, you can ask
them: “Do you need anything else?” Or, imagine that you work
for a technology company. If your customers are not happy with

AEC111-C01 Page 69
your product, after listening to them, you could offer them a
different product or even a full refund.
When you work with customers and clients, making money
should not be the final goal. Building a relationship should be
the final goal. When you put time and energy into a relationship,
customers and clients will be so happy that they continue to
support your business. If you listen, ask questions, and solve the
problems of your customers, they will feel better. Relationships
can be hard to build if your customers are not happy. In order to
maintain the relationship, you should not transfer the customers
to another person or ignore them. Sometimes we pretend to act
busy or transfer the angry customer to another person.
Customers and clients like to work directly with someone. They
will appreciate it if you choose to listen to them and solve their
problem without ignoring them or transferring their call. The
best things to do are to listen, ask questions and solve the
problems directly.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES 01
 Reflection: Have you ever talked to someone (maybe a
friend or family member) and you stopped listening to
him/her? Why did you stop listening? What is something
better you could have done in that situation?
 Imagine that you work as a customer service representative
for a company. An angry customer calls to complain. What is
one bad thing you should avoid doing with that customer?
What is one good thing you should do to help that
customer?

SELF-TEST 01
1. Scenario: You are working at a company as a service
customer representative. You are on the phone with an
angry customer. He/she has called many times and you do
not know what to do. What is the best way to work with
them?

AEC111-C01 Page 70
 a. Say: “Please do not call again. I cannot help you.”
b. Say: “Sorry I cannot help you and transfer them to
your boss.”
c. Say: “I will do my best to answer your problem or I
will find someone who can help you.”
d. Share your frustrations because you cannot help
them
2. Scenario: You are working for a company as a salesperson.
It is your job to sell as much as possible. A customer comes
to your store and complains about the product. What is the
first reaction you should have?
a. Because the customer is upset, you also get upset
and frown
b. Smile and listen to the customer
c. Cross your arms in front of your chest
d. Tell them at this is a big problem

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 01

1. What is the difference between helping a customer and
debating/arguing with him/her?
2. In your own words, what does good customer service mean?
Give some examples of what good customer service looks
like.

03-02: COMMUNICATING EMPATHICALLY

Having a good relationship with your customers is very
important. When you start to work with customers, you will
need to make sure the relationship is maintained. You can do
this through showing empathy. Empathy means to show that you
understand another person’s emotions and feelings. Many times,
customers need to know that a company understands them,

AEC111-C01 Page 71
hears them, and wants to help them. If you can develop empathy
with your client/customer, then you will have a better
relationship and your communication will be better. However,
being empathetic (or developing empathy) requires skills and is
not easy for all people. Let us learn some ways to develop more
empathy with anyone you talk to.

First of all, if you are working for a customer service business, it

will be important to listen to your customers to understand what
they need and how they are feeling. Are they complaining about
a product? Do they need you to fix something? Do they hav e a
problem with a person or the product? In order to understand
how they feel, you first need to listen to them. You must be
100% committed to your listener.
After you understand your customers, you can begin to solve
their problems. When you solve a customer’s/client’s problem,
you should start the conversation in an empathetic way. You can
do this by acknowledging (or stating) his/her feelings. For
example, if your customer is not happy, the first thing you
should say should be: “I am sorry you are not happy.” You need
to acknowledge his/her feelings first. Another example might be
if a customer is angry because the product is not working
properly. As a customer service agent, you can say: “I am sorry
the product is not working properly and I can sense that you are
upset.” You should show concern for the customers’ feelings.
This is all part of empathetic communication.
When an angry customer comes into a store or calls a customer
care number on a product, there are still more ways to be

AEC111-C01 Page 72
empathetic. Another way to be more empathetic is to show
concern over a client’s efforts. For example, if a customer has
tried to find any solution to the problem, you should
acknowledge that. Usually, a customer has already tried to fix
the problem before he/she called the customer care number. In
any way you can, tell the customer he/she did a great job in
trying to fix the problem. For example, let us say that a
customer has called in to say that he/she tried to fix a problem
but it did not work. As we learned before, you should first
acknowledge his/her feelings. “I am sorry you are upset.”
Second, you should acknowledge what he/she already did to
solve the problem. You can say something like: “Good job in
trying to fix the mistake.”
The last thing you should do to help a customer is to solve
his/her problem. For example, if a customer calls in saying
he/she is not happy with a broken product, after acknowledging
his/her feelings and efforts, you should try to solve the problem.
The next thing that you should say should be: “I want to help
you solve this problem.” Do not be quick to transfer his/her call
to someone else. Do everything you can do solve the problem
first.
In summary, when working with angry customers, you should 1)
acknowledge their feelings, 2) acknowledge their efforts at
trying to solve the problem, and 3) help them to fix the problem.
Even with all of this, there is something more you can do.
As we learned, the language you use is very important. First, use
language that is focused on the listener. Sentences that start
with the word “you” help a listener feel empowered. What that
means is that the listener will want to do something to solve the
problem. Instead of saying boring rules and policies, tell the
listener what he/she can do to solve the problem. For example,
if a customer calls in to say that a product is broken and he/she
wants a refund, a bad way to handle the situation would be to
say: “Refunds are available for customers only after three weeks

AEC111-C01 Page 73
with the online form.” This is just a fact and does not help the
customer feel inspired and excited to fix the problem. A better
way to handle the situation would be to start a sentence with
“you” and include a positive action the customer can take. “You
can receive a refund up to three weeks if you fill in the form.” In
summary, the best way to help the customer is to use listener -
focused language: “You can” + specific action the customer can
take.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES 02
 Reflection: When you talk to your friends or family
members about a problem, do you think you use language
that is focused on blaming a person or on finding a
solution?
 Reflection: How often do you acknowledge a person’s
feelings when talking to him/her? Do you show concern for
his/her feelings?

SELF-TEST 02
3. Scenario: You are working for a telecommunications
company. An angry customer is on the phone, complaining
that her product did not work. What is the best way to
respond to her?
a. First, listen patiently and then offer a solution
b. First listen patiently then respond to their
emotional state by trying to see things from their
point of view
c. First, listen then say “I am angry.”
d. First, listen then say “We will not fix the problem
until you take some action steps.”
4. Scenario: You are working for a telecommunication
company. Which statement is the best example of listener-
centered language that you can use with your customer?

AEC111-C01 Page 74
 a. “We cannot solve your problem. Sorry.”
b. “I don’t think you handled the product correctly.”
c. “You can fix the problem by reading the manual
included in the product.”
d. “There is some rule about how to properly use the
product.”

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 02

3. What is the definition of empathy?
4. What is the difference between having a conversation
focused on the speaker (the customer service representative)
and a conversation focused on the listener (customer)?

03-03: ASKING QUESTIONS TO UNDERSTAND PROBLEMS

Part of being a good listener is to ask great questions. Asking
questions helps us to understand people so that we can help
them better. When you work with clients and customers, you
need to become good at asking questions. In fact, to have any
good conversation, you must ask questions in general. Imagine
any conversation in which one of you is not asking questions. It
would be very boring. Questions get information from people
and also help keep the conversation moving forward. Also, when
someone asks you questions, you build respect with someone
because he/she learns that you are listening. Would you trust
someone who asks you questions to understand a problem or
would you prefer nobody asks you questions? Let us explore the
types of questions you can ask. Let us talk about four types that
are useful in working with customers as a customer service
representative.
The first type of question is an open-ended question. This type
of question does not require any response. This type of question
does not need a “yes” or “no” response. These questions do not
start with “who,” “what,” “when,” or “where.” Open-ended

AEC111-C01 Page 75
means “open.” You are open to hearing anything. A great way to
start an open-ended question is: “Tell me more about
________.” This opens up the conversation and gets the other
person to speak. If you want to learn more about open-ended
questions, you can look them up on the Internet: “Open-ended
question examples.” This type of question is really useful when
working with customers who don’t know what the real problem
is. If a customer is calling and they he/she is not sure about the
real problem, you can ask open-ended questions to get him/her
to talk more to get more information. This is a great way to start
a conversation with your customer. First, ask an open-ended
question.
The second type of question is a closed question. A closed
question is opposite from an open-ended question. Closed
questions require direct answers about who, what, when, or
where. Another way to ask a closed question is in a way that
requires a “yes” or a “no” answer. Closed questions are useful to
ask when you need specific information from someone. Let us
say that your customer is not happy with a product. After letting
your customer talk, you can ask a closed-question. An example
of a closed question is: “Do you want a replacement product?”
The third type of question is a follow-up question. Follow-up
questions, as the name implies, “follow” other questions. For
example, if your customer is talking about something and you
want to know more information, you can ask a follow-up
question. An example of a foll0w-up question is: “When you said
you weren’t happy with the product, what would you like me to
do exactly?” Follow-up questions can be open-ended questions
but just follow something you heard. If open-ended questions
get a conversation started, then follow-up questions keep the
conversation going longer.
The fourth type of question is a feedback question. This type of
question is used when you need “feedback” or information about
your services or about what the customer needs. For example, if

AEC111-C01 Page 76
you provided some service to a client and you want to know
what he/she thought about your services, you can ask the
customer a feedback question. A feedback question might be:
“What did you think about the services?” “Were you satisfied
with the services?” “Would you like me to send you a
replacement product?” Feedback questions can be either open-
ended or closed questions. Both are OK. The main point is that
they gather information or feedback.
After any question, it is best to repeat what your customer said.
You can follow this formula: “You are saying
that_______________?” If you asked your customer a closed
question, for example, repeat his/her answer. For example,
think that the question to the customer is: “Do you want a
replacement product?” and the customer’s answer is: “Yes.” The
person talking to the customer should say: “You are saying that
you want a replacement product?” By repeating what you hear,
you are helping the customer to feel respected and valued.
Lastly, when asking questions to customers, you should help
them to discover the answer to their problem. An example of
how to do this might be: “Have you tried to do this? Have you
tried to do that?” It is better to ask questions about possible
solutions than to offer free advice to customers about how they
should do something. Even though it is common in India to offer
advice, international customers will feel more empowered if you
ask them questions about solutions.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES 03
 Experiment: This week, ask your friend some closed and
open-ended questions. Later, ask that friend which question
he/she preferred and why he/she prefers it
 In which situations is it best to ask open-ended questions?
Give at least one example. In which situations is it best to
ask closed questions? Give at least one example.

AEC111-C01 Page 77
SELF-TEST 03
5. Scenario: You work for a customer care center. One
customer is calling to complain about your product but you
are not sure what the problem is. What type of question is
best to start with to identify the problem?
a. Open-ended question: “Can you explain what the
problem is, please?”
b. Closed: “Is the problem with the battery?”
c. Follow-up: “Can you tell me more about what you
said about the product’s problem?”
d. Feedback: “What else would you like me to do for
you today?”
6. Scenario: You are working for a company and you want to
ask your co-workers about a detail of the project. Which
type of question is best to ask?
a. Open-ended: “What is happening with the project?”
b. Closed: “Is the report at least 2 pages long?”
c. Follow-up: “Can you tell me what happened after
you finished writing the report, please?”
d. Feedback: “Do I need to do anything more to help
you?”

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 03

5. What is the definition of a closed question? Give an
example.
6. What is the definition of an open-ended question? Give an
example.

AEC111-C01 Page 78
03-04: D ENYING REQUESTS
To deny means to say “no.” As a customer service agent, you
cannot say “yes” to every customer. “No” is a hard answer to
receive when you really want something. Saying “no” might be
necessary sometimes because you do not want to break the
company’s policy or rules. For example, if there is a rule in your
technology company that you cannot give refunds (money back)
on any product, then you will have to follow the rules. If an
angry customer calls and wants his/her money back, you will
have to learn how to say “no.” Let us learn the art of saying “no.”
First thing you need to do when learning to say no is to repeat
what the customer wants. Just like you repeat a customer’s
answer to your questions, you also repeat your customer’s
request. If the customer’s request is to receive a replacement
product, then you should repeat the request. For example, you
can say: “So, you are saying that you want a replacement
product?” By repeating your customer’s request, you are helping
him/her to feel better by making him/her feel validated before
you have to say “no.”
After you have repeated the customer’s request, give the reason
why you have to say “no.” Receiving a “no” when you want to
hear a “yes” is difficult enough. Customers or clients will feel
better if there is a reason for the denial. When you say “no” to
your customers without giving any reason, customers might feel
you do not want to help them. However, giving a reason WHY
you are saying no helps the customer.
After giving a reason, you should always tell the customer what
positive things you or he/she can do to help solve the problem.
If you want to keep your customer, always try to be positive.
There is usually a different option to solve the problem. For
example, if your customer wants a refund (their full money
back) and you cannot give a refund, maybe you can give a

AEC111-C01 Page 79
replacement product. Make sure you have explored all options.
This helps the customer feel validated and respected.
Lastly, if you have to deny a request in person, make sure your
words match your body language. If you want to sound polite
and nice, make sure your body language is saying the same
thing. This is important because if your words and your body
language are saying different things, people might not believe
you.
In summary, this is how you should deny a request: First,
rephrase the request (say their words in a different way of what
you heard). Next, repeat what your customers want in a
different way. Ask them to repeat the request if you are
confused. Then, give a reason for the denial. Say why you are
saying “no.” After that, give them a different choice. End the
conversation by giving any solution you see fit.
Mastering this technique is really hard to do but very important.
If you can treat your customers with respect, they will s tay with
your business for a long time.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES 04
 Reflection: Have you ever had to tell someone “no?” Was it
hard? Why or why not?
 Experiment: The next time your friend asks you to do
something, say “no.” Don’t give any explanation. Later, as k
your friend how he/she felt. When a different friend asks
you another favor, this time say “no” and give a valid reason
why you said no. Later, ask that friend how he/she felt.
Reflection: Did you find a difference in the first friend’s
response and the second friend’s response?

SELF-TEST 04
7. Which is not something you should NOT do when denying
customer’s requests?

AEC111-C01 Page 80
 a. Rephrase
b. Control
c. Explain
d. Refuse
8. What should be your goal when denying customer’s
requests?
a. Avoid disappointing them
b. Say “no” as quickly as possible
c. Follow your company’s policies/rules
d. Make sure the customer understands

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 04

7. True/false: To deny a customer means to say “yes” all the
time. Explain your answer.
8. When denying a request, what does it mean to change a “no”
to a “yes?”

03-05: COPING WITH ANGRY CUSTOMERS

Nobody likes to talk to an angry person, but in business,
sometimes customers get angry. Customers might get angry
when they do not receive something they want, when
communication is not good, or when the company makes a
mistake. Nothing is perfect and it might happen that a customer
gets angry. If you work with an angry customer, your first
reaction might be to get angry as well or to yell in frustration.
However, let us go through some tips on how to talk effectiv ely
to angry customers, as you are likely to have to do it for your
job. You might talk to an angry customer on the phone or in
person.

AEC111-C01 Page 81
First, remember not to take anything personally. Suppose you
work as a customer service representative for a company and an
angry customer calls you. The customer does not know you
personally so his/her anger is not directed at you. You might be
the first person to hear an angry customer’s words but the
problem is not your fault.

Knowing that the problem is not yours personally, you will be

able to take control of the situation in an effective manner. If
you take the customer’s anger personally, you might act
defensive. The first rule in working with angry customers is to
always be professional. Not taking anything personally helps
you to stay professional. You can solve a problem better if you
do not believe you personally created the problem.
If you are talking to a customer or client face-to-face, you
should talk to your angry customer in a private location. Angry
customers love an audience because it helps them to attack a
company. If other people get involved, the customer feels like
the company might do something about the problem. Have you
ever seen an angry child asking the mother or father to do
something for them in public? Sometimes, the child gets what
he/she wants because the parents do not want to cause a scene
in public. So, if you want to solve a problem effectively, try to
find a quiet place to resolve the problem. If you cannot find a
quiet place, do not be intimidated to give the customer what
he/she wants if you cannot give that to him/her. For example, if
the customer wants a full refund on his/her broken product and
it is against the company’s policy to provide full refunds, then
do not give the refund just to keep them quiet.

AEC111-C01 Page 82
As you are talking to an angry customer on the phone or in
person, the hardest thing to do (but also the most important) is
to remain calm. There is an expression that you cannot put out a
fire with another fire. If your client or customer is angry (they
are “on fire”), you should not add fuel to the fire by getting
angry as well. As humans, it is a natural reaction to get angry
when someone is yelling at you. In psychological terms, we call
this “fight or flight.” This means that when humans are put in a
stressful situation, their first reactions will either be to “fight”
or to “flight” (run away). However, in order to effectively help
that customer, you cannot run away. You need to stay with the
customer and remain calm (not fight).

Staying calm can be the hardest thing to do. You can

remain calm by breathing, keeping your voice steady (not yelling
in a high pitch), and not attacking the customer. Many times in
fights, people yell by saying things like: “you______.” They
might blame you for something. They might personally attack
you. It might feel as if they are throwing arrows at you and the
only way seems to fight back. However, resist the urge to fight
and be calm. If you are talking to your customer face-to-face, try
smiling to your customer. Use body language that is open. Do
not cross your arms in front of your chest, show concern or
empathy in your eyes, and smile. If you are talking to your
customer on the phone, never blame your customer by starting
sentences with “you.” You can only put out a fire by putting
calming water on it.

AEC111-C01 Page 83
In summary, anytime your customer is angry, has a problem, or
asks you to solve a problem, you should listen, apologize, and
help him/her solve the problem in a positive way. Do not forget
to say “thank you” to your customer when you have finished.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES 05
 Reflection: Have you ever spoken to a friend or a family
member who was angry? What was your first reaction when
speaking with him/her? Did you remain calm? Why or why
not?
 Experiment: The next time a friend or a family member
comes to talk to you about a problem he/she is facing (when
he/she is angry), say to him/her: “I am sorry you are going
through this.” Watch your friend or family member. How
did he/she react? Did he/she like that you apologized?

SELF-TEST 05
9. Scenario: You are a marketing manager of a company and
you have accidently wrote something that was not true
about your company’s services. A customer called in to
express his/her frustration. What is the best way to handle
this situation?
a. Blame your co-worker who was supposed to check
and verify the information
b. Say that you are very upset about the situation
c. Apologize to the customer
d. Put the customer on hold until you are more calm
10. Scenario: You are a customer service representative and you
have helped an angry customer resolve the issue. What is
the best way to end the conversation?
a. Minimize their problem (make the problem less
important)

AEC111-C01 Page 84
 b. Explain how you can help
c. Ask open-ended questions
d. Talk about the weather

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 05

9. When working with an upset customer, what do you think
the customer feels after you listened to them?
10. When you are speaking face-to-face, why is it important to
speak in a private location?

SUMMARY
The relationship between a customer/client and the business is
very important. Customers are very important to any business
and keeping them happy will help your business. In this section,
we learned how to listen to and understand your customers so
that they are happy. You can apply these skills to your friends or
family members as well.

REFERENCES
MOOC S
https://www.edx.org/course/culture-services-new-perspective-
kyotoux-002x-0

YOUTUBE VIDEOS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tn0veQ7_stI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACKbkmO9rLg

WIKIPEDIA
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Customer_service
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empathy

AEC111-C01 Page 85
BOOKS
“Customer Service for Dummies” by Roy Barnes

COURSE COMPANION WEBSITE

Visit Here for Course Companion website for this course

AEC111-C01 Page 86
UNIT 01-04: DEVELOPING PROFESSIONAL
TELEPHONE SKILLS
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After successful completion of this unit, you will be able to
 Acquire and develop your telephone skills required in
the business world
 Use your cell phone in a professional manner
 Make use of voice mail
 Explain the terms screening, holding, and transferring
phone calls

INTRODUCTION

Using a telephone is something everyone does every day. Most

people have cell phones and businesses have business company
phones. How you talk to your friends and family on your cell
phone is very different from how you should use the company
phones. If you have a job in a company where you have to use a
professional phone, there are certain things you will have to
master to be a professional. Using a company phone is not as
simple as using a cell phone. How you talk to your cus tomers
and clients on the phone is very important. Let us go through
some specific stages of how to use the telephone.

AEC111-C01 Page 87
04-01: PLACING TELEPHONE CALLS
First, let us say you need to call someone inside or outside the
company. It could be a customer, a client or a co-
worker/colleague.

How do you do that? First thing to do before you call is to know

the purpose of the phone call. Why are you calling? If you do not
know the reason why you are calling, it is a waste of time. In
business, time is very important. On a piece of paper, you
should write down: the reason why you are calling (the main
idea), some key details or specific information related to that
main idea, and then any questions you have for the other
person. For example, suppose you need to call a client for a
meeting. On a piece of paper, you could write something like
this:
 Main idea: Tell client about the meeting
 Details: Meeting is at 5 pm on Thursday. Come with
documents
 Questions: Do you have two forms of identity?
After you know why you are calling and have a plan, the next
step is to make sure you dial the correct number. Many times,
people call a number but do not look at the numbers carefully.
This means they might call another person and therefore waste
more time.
It is a good idea to allow the phone to ring at least five to six
times until you hang up. The reason why this is a good idea is
because many times, people who receive the phone call need

AEC111-C01 Page 88
more time to answer the phone if they are driving or busy at the
moment. When you call, wait some time.
 When the other person receives your call, do you know the
first thing you should do? Introduce yourself. Do not start
talking about the main idea/purpose of your call without
giving your name, company, and position. This allows the
other person to know who you are. If the receiving person
does not know you, how is he/she supposed to understand
the phone call? Here is an example of how to introduce
yourself properly: “Hello. Good
morning/afternoon/evening. This is __(your name)_____,
the __(job title)___for ____(your company’s name)___
company.” Here is the complete example: “Hello. Good
afternoon. This is Michelle, the secretary from Happy
Travels Travel Agency.”
 The second thing you should do after introducing yourself is
to ask if the specific person you want is there. For example,
you can ask: “Is this__(person’s name)__?” Or: “May I
speak with ___(person’s name)_____?” This makes sure
that you are speaking to the correct person. Why waste your
time talking to someone if he/she is not the correct person?
What if the customer’s father answers the phone? Make sure
you are speaking to the right person.
 The third thing you need to do is to ask if it is a good time to
talk. Many times, people are busy. When you ask, this shows
that you respect your customer. Here is an example of how
to ask: “Is this a good time to talk?” or “Do you have some
time to talk?”
 The fourth thing to do is to look at the notes you wrote down
before the phone call. Say the main idea, the specific
details/information that the customer or client needs to
know, and ask any questions you have.

AEC111-C01 Page 89
 Lastly, ask the customer or client if he/she has any
questions. Say thank you for his/her time. It might look
something like this: “Do you have any questions? Thank you
for your time. Have a good day.”

LEARNING ACTIVITIES 01
 Reflection: When making a phone call to someone, how
many times do you allow the phone to ring before you hang
up?
 Experiment: Practice introducing yourself on the phone
formally when you make a call to one of your friends. Use
the professional language used in this section. Use any
company and job title just for practice. For the reason why
you are calling, you can think of any reason like you want to
see if your friend is available for tea. For example: “Hi. This
is Michelle from Happy Travels Travel Company. Is Jyoti
available? I would like to invite her for tea. Can you tell her
to call me back?”

SELF-TEST 01
1. What does placing a phone call mean?
a. To receive a call
b. To make a call
c. To call someone
d. Letting the phone ring many times
2. Why is it important to introduce yourself when you call
someone?
a. So that the other person knows who you are
b. So that the other person feels more comfortable
c. So that the other person has a name if he/she needs
to follow-up with something (a reference person)

AEC111-C01 Page 90
 d. All of the above

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 01

1. Why is it important to keep your business phone call short?
Give two reasons.
2. Why is giving your first name, job title, and company name
important when making a business call?

04-02: RECEIVING TELEPHONE CALLS

Now, let us talk about how to receive a phone call in a
professional way. Many people think this is an easy skill, but to
do it in a professional way is a little more difficult.
First thing you should do when you answer the phone is to have
a standard greeting. This could be: “Good
morning/afternoon/evening. This is __(your name)___ the
__(job title)____from _(name of company)___company. How
can I help you?” This greeting makes it easy for the caller to feel
comfortable and to know who you are. And, because you are
saying this greeting for every phone call, it becomes easy. Here
is an example: “Hi. This is Gaurav, the director of Simple
Solutions.” As you can see, the greeting is very similar to the
greeting you use when you place the phone call. These
suggestions are for formal phone calls for work or business. If
you receive or give phone calls on your cell phone, you can
answer the same way.
When you receive a phone call, you are not the person who has
the plan. You are simply receiving the call in a nice way. Make
sure you listen to your caller and ask what he/she wants. Your
caller is the person who has the agenda of what he/she wants to
say. If the caller asks a question, you should answer. Many
people make the mistake of not paying attention when they
receive a phone call. They prefer to check their cell phones, look
around, eat food, or even worse, not listen. When you receive a
phone call, 100% of your energies should be on the caller. Your

AEC111-C01 Page 91
job is to listen and respond to what the caller wants. If your
caller is calling at a bad time, tell the caller that this is a bad
time. Give your caller a better time to call back.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES 02
 Reflection: When someone calls you, do you have a standard
greeting, like “Good morning/afternoon/evening!” or
“Hello. This is___(your name)______.” Is a greeting
important when receiving a phone call (in both formal and
informal situations)?
 Experiment: The next time a friend calls you, practice with a
standard greeting like your first name, a pretend job title,
and a pretend company. You can say something like this:
“Hello. This is (your name), the (your job title) from (your
company). How can I help you?”

SELF-TEST 02
3. Scenario: You are a receptionist at an office and it is your
job to answer the general phone line. One person calls and
you are not sure what the caller wants. What do you do?
a. You tell the caller you cannot help him/her and end
the conversation
b. You politely ask the caller what his/her business is
c. Ask them if you can put him/her on hold while you
ask someone at the office who can help him/her
d. Transfer the call directly to the manager

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 02

3. Which types of greetings are important for formal calls? For
informal calls? Give specific things you should say when you
receive a formal call (from a boss, manager, elder, or
teacher) and when you receive an informal call (from friends
or other family members).

AEC111-C01 Page 92
4. Why is it important to focus on your caller when you receive
a phone call?

04-03: USING VOICE MAIL

Let us know about how to use voice mail. If you have your own
phone when you are working at a company, chances are you will
have your own phone. Most business phones have a voice mail
system included on their phones. Voice mail is used when you
cannot answer a phone call. The caller leaves a message on the
voice mail. Voice mail is a system and it should be personal. For
example, if someone is calling and there is no personal voice
mail, then the caller has no way to know who that person is and
he/she cannot give important information. Without voice mail, a
caller has to call again and again until the person answers the
phone. How many times have you called someone and they did
not answer the phone and you had to try calling again and
again? That wastes a lot of time. Having a voice mail allows a
caller to call only one time if the person does not answer
because he/she can leave a message. There are specific elements
in a voice mail system that should be included when someone
calls. Let us know about them right now.

AEC111-C01 Page 93
The first thing that should be included is your first name, your
job title, and the name of your company. This allows the caller
to know he/she has called the correct person.
Make sure the voice mail greeting is short. Nobody wants to call
and then listen to a long voice mail message…he/she may get
bored. As I said earlier, you should have a simple greeting. Here
is an example of a short and simple voice mail system.
“Hello. You have reached___(your first
name)______the___(your job title)_______at_____(your
company)_______. I am not at my phone right now. Please
leave a detailed message and a phone number and good time to
return your call. Thank you. Have a nice day.”
It is better not to say your last name in your voice message
because you cannot trust everyone who calls, especially if you
answer phones for your job. Many receptionists who answer
phones should never include their last name on their voice mail
greetings or when they receive a call.
Lastly, check your voice mail at least once every day and return
your phone calls within twenty four hours. This is the standard
business protocol.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES 03
 Experiment: If you have not already, set up a personal voice
mail on your cell phone. If it is your personal cellphone, say
something like: “Hello. You have reached __(your
name)_____’s phone. I am not here right now but please
give your name, any important information, your phone
number and a good time to return your call. Have a nice
day!”

SELF-TEST 03
4. Scenario: You are in your work office working on an
important project at work that is due tomorrow. However,
you are having a hard time concentrating on the project

AEC111-C01 Page 94
 because you have been interrupted by a number of phone
calls. What should you do?
a. Make sure you phone has a voice message and listen
to the voice messages tomorrow
b. Answer every phone call because you think each call
might be important
c. Ask a friend to answer the phone for you
d. Look at the phone number and only answer the calls
that look important
5. What is the purpose of having a voice mail?
a. So that you can receive important information when
you are not answering your phone or are away from
your office
b. So that the caller does not have to try calling again
and again until you answer…they can simply leave 1
message and wait for your reply later
c. So that you can be prepared when you return the
phone call with the information the caller requested
d. All of the above

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 03

5. Why is it important to return any missed calls within 24
hours?
6. Is having a voice mail system important? Why or why not?
Think about voice mail for both formal situations (for your
work phone) and for your persona life (for your cell phone
or home phone). Are both important?

AEC111-C01 Page 95
04-04: LEAVING PROFESSIONAL MESSAGES
In many countries, when you make a phone call, you will have to
leave a voice message if the receiver does not answer the phone.
Or, you may leave a message with a different person if the
person you want to talk to is not available. There is certain
information that you must put in your message in order for it to
be professional and give the person what he/she needs to keep
business flowing.
If you have to leave a message on a voice mail system, you
should first remember to speak slowly and clearly. If you speak
fast and blur your words together, then the other person will not
be able to understand your message. He/she will have to waste
time calling you again just to ask about the information you
requested. Speak slowly enough so that the other person can
write the information down on a piece of paper with little
difficulty.

When you leave a message, you should say facts. We call this
objective information, because you are just sharing facts. Do not
share any personal feelings in a voice message. You can share
those things in person. You should only share this information:
your first and last name (there may be more than one person
with your first name), the date and time, why you are calling,
any information you need (the main points), your phone
number, and a good time to return your call. Repeat the phone
number at least twice so that the other person at least has the
phone number, which is the most important. This allows the
other person to know exactly who you are, what you need, how
to return your call, and when to return your call. The whole

AEC111-C01 Page 96
message should be shorter; less than two minutes is good. If the
message is long or includes information you can talk about in
person, the receiving person might get bored listening to your
message. For example, if you call because you need a document,
you should say you need a document in the message. You do not
need to go into a long monologue about why you need the
document or anything else that you can talk about in person. A
message is supposed to be clear, direct, and short. Here is an
example message you can leave:
“Hi Pratik. This is Michelle Jacobson. It is Tuesday March 16 th .
I need some documents for you to sign. Please call me back at
8564751224 Monday-Friday between 5-9 pm. Thank you.”
Opposite of a good voice message is a bad message. A bad voice
message does not have any information about what the caller
needs, is unclear, is spoken too fast and is not specific. Here is
an example of a bad voice mail message:
“Hi Pratik. I need that information. I am very upset that you
have not provided the information sooner. Call me back
anytime.”
In this example voice mail, the caller shared her feelings.
Remember, a good voice mail only includes facts. Also, the caller
said she needed “the information.” What information? It is not
very clear. Also, the caller did not provide her name, give her
phone number, or any specific time to call back. That is not a
good message at all.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES 04
 Experiment: Call a friend who has a voice mail system.
Practice leaving a professional phone message on his/her
cell phone. Include all the information required. Ask your
friend to listen to the message and to write the information
down on a piece of paper. Ask your friend if it was clear. If
your friend does not have a voice mail system, record a

AEC111-C01 Page 97
 message on your smart phone recorder and have your friend
listen to that. Did you friend understand the message? Was
your voice clear? Was the message short?

SELF-TEST 04
6. What is a voice mail?
a. A system that allows a person to record a message
when someone doesn’t answer their phone
b. An app for your smart phone
c. Mail for your voice
d. All of the above
7. Why is it important to speak slowly when leaving a voice
message?
a. So that the other person knows exactly what you
need
b. So that your message is clear
c. So that the other person doesn’t have to waste time
listening to your message again and again
d. All of the above

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 04

7. What is one benefit (good thing) of having a voice mail?
8. What is the difference between a bad voice mail message
and a good voice mail message? Give one example of a bad
message and one example of a good message. What is the
difference?

04-05: SCREENING, HOLDING, AND TRANSFERRING

PHONE CALLS
If you answer a company phone for your job, the next skills are
very important. You can also use these skills when you are on

AEC111-C01 Page 98
your personal cell phone. People who are receptionists need to
know if they should answer the phone or not. Even if they
answer a phone call, they need to know what to do if they cannot
help the person.
First, screening is a skill that means the receiver needs to gather
specific information before he/she answers the phone call. One
way the receiving person can get information is to see who is
calling. Most phones have a caller ID. This means the number or
even the name of the person will be seen on the screen as the
person calls. Screening is important because sometimes you will
be able to better help a person if you know who is calling. For
example, if you are a receptionist for a company and you know
the president or CEO is expecting a phone call from a specific
person, you can identify the caller from the caller ID. When that
specific person calls, you will tell the president/CEO to be
ready.
Another way to screen a call is not to answer the call. Instead,
wait for the person to leave a message and listen to the message.
See what he/she needs. In this way, you will be ready with the
information required by the caller when you call back. This ty pe
of screening is useful when you are not sure what the person
needs and need more time to process the request.
Holding a call means to temporarily put the person in a waiting
queue. There are a few reasons why you may do this. One reason
is that another important phone call that cannot wait came
through on the same line. Another reason why you may put
someone on hold is because the caller needs some information
you do not have and you need to get the information or ask
someone for help. You can say something like: “Please wait
while I get the information you need. I need to put you on hold
for a short period. Please hold.” The last reason why you may
put someone on hold is that you need to refer the caller to a
different person. You temporarily put the caller on hold while
you transfer him/her to a different person. For example, if you

AEC111-C01 Page 99
are a receptionist and someone calls and wants to speak to a
specific person, you tell him/her you will put him/her on hold
while you transfer him/her. You can say something like: “Excuse
me. I will temporarily put you on hold while I transfer you to
Mr. Sridharan.”
In summary, remember that when using the telephone, you need
to be very polite to your caller. Nobody likes to be put on hold
and so it is your job to be very considerate of the other person’s
time and feelings. Be always professional.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES 05
 Experiment: The next time your friend calls, politely tell
him/her that you need to put him/her on hold. Say
something like: “Sorry. I need to take this other call. I will
call you back shortly.” Later, ask your friend if he/she felt
respected. Is there anything you can improve on?

SELF-TEST 05
8. 41) What does “screening” mean?
a. To put a caller on hold
b. To transfer a caller to another person
c. To decide what to do with the phone call before they
answer it
d. All of the above

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 05

9. Imagine you are a receptionist of a large company. All the
general phone calls come to you first. Why is it important to
screen phone calls for the company?
10. What is a polite thing to say to a person before you transfer
him/her or put him/her on hold? What are some specific
words that are polite which you can use with your caller?

AEC111-C01 Page 100

SUMMARY
Many people use a cell phone for personal use, but not many
know how to use a phone in a professional manner. The skills
presented in this section can be used for a company but also for
professional conversations you have on your cell phone.

KEY WORDS
 Screening= the process of deciding if you transfer the
call, take a message for someone else, or put them on
hold
 Transfer= the process of giving the call to the
appropriate person
 Hold= Making the caller wait until you are less busy
 Place a call= to call someone
 Hang up= end telephone conversation

REFERENCES
MOOC S
https://www.coursera.org/learn/speak-english-professionally

YOUTUBE VIDEOS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCBF659RMtg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmXAqMQe0AI

WIKIPEDIA
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voicemail
http://www.wikihow.com/Greet-People-on-the-Phone
http://www.wikihow.com/Practice-Cell-Phone-Etiquette

BOOKS
“Effective Telephone Skills” by Thomas J. Farrell

AEC111-C01 Page 101

COURSE COMPANION WEBSITE
Visit Here for Course Companion website for this course:

AEC111-C01 Page 102

UNIT 01-05: IMPROVING INFORMAL
COMMUNICATION
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After successful completion of this unit, you will be able to
 Explain the importance of improving informal
communication skills and State the ways of
communicating informally
 Modify the way you listen to become a better listener
 Identify your problems while listening to others an Athe
techniques for becoming a better listener
 State the need for persuading others and Employ the
strategies to be a more effective speaker
 Explain the use of negotiation skills in formal and
informal situations
 Implement the techniques for managing conflict in
real life situations
 Recall and Use the techniques for participating in
meetings successfully and introducing yourself and
others effectively in your professional life

INTRODUCTION

Communication happens everywhere. Just focusing on

improving your communication skills at the workplace is

AEC111-C01 Page 103

important, but it is also important to practice your skills outside
the work. How you communicate in the canteen, with your
friends, and with your family members only adds to your success
at the workplace. They say work success is much more than the
technical skills you have. The soft skills, or people skills, that
you have are more important. These are also known as informal
communication skills. Your ability to make friends with
different people, your ability to persuade someone to do
something, and to manage conflict among your friends helps you
to be successful in your career as well as in your personal life.
This section will focus on how to improve your informal
communication.

05-01: COMMUNICATING INFORMALLY

When you are working, there are going to be both formal and
informal situations. You might go to the company canteen. You
might get tea or food with your colleagues/co-workers. Those
are examples of informal communication. All informal
communication falls into one of the three categories.
The first category is to inform. Informing means to talk about
yourself. Maybe you are talking to your coworkers about
something, like about your work projects or about what is going
on with your family. We are constantly promoting ourselves by
telling others who we are. Are you a family person? Do you like
dogs? Do you like to play cricket? We are constantly informing
others about ourselves. In the business world, letting others
know about your work projects makes it easier for your manager
to know what you are doing. It also informs others in the
company if they want to join you. Sometimes, promoting
ourselves in informal situations helps us to get better
opportunities.

AEC111-C01 Page 104

The second category of informal communication is to persuade
someone. Maybe you need more people to work on your project
so you persuade or encourage someone to join you. Persuading
simply means to kindly encourage or inspire someone to do
something. How many times have you used your skills to
persuade your friends to go to the movies with you? You can use
the same skills to persuade your co-workers to join your project.
These persuasion skills are also useful when you need to
persuade a future customer to adopt your product. Imagine that
you are working for a cell phone company and you need to sell
your product. How can you do that? Use your persuasion skills!

The last reason to communicate with someone is to promote

friendships and peace among others. Communication allows us
to make friends, communicate ideas, and be friendly with
others. Think about all your friendships you have. How did you
deepen your friendships? You probably spent a lot of time
talking, texting, and just hanging out. All the informal
communication you had with them helped to strengthen your
friendships. Anytime you have the opportunity to get to know
someone at your workplace, you should take those opportunities
to make more friendships. Some examples of how to promote

AEC111-C01 Page 105

friendships are: talking to colleagues at the canteen, visitin g co-
workers for five minutes at their desk, or talking to others
during lunch time, during tea breaks, during dinners, or work
events. Having better friendships helps you to have more fun at
work and also learn about more opportunities at work.

When you talk in informal situations, it is very important to

remember three things. First thing you need to remember is to
be professional. When you are professional, other people will
want to work with you. Professional people are confident,
positive, on time, and are trustworthy. Remember, any
conversation in the canteen or tea shop can help you get another
work opportunity. Being professional everywhere helps you to
have the best image. Even in informal situations, people are
always making opinions about you, so it is important to always
be on your best behavior and show the best version of yourself.

Another thing to remember is to always be positive. Being

positive is important because you will have good energy and
others will want to spend time with you and therefore give you
better opportunities.

AEC111-C01 Page 106

The last thing to remember is to always try and have the best
communication possible. Every time you talk to someone is an
opportunity to improve your communication, make friends,
learn something new, solve a problem, learn about an
opportunity, or persuade someone to do something with you.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES 01
 Reflection: Think about your workplace. Where do you have
most of your informal conversations?
 Reflection: Which purpose of informal communication are
you most comfortable with? Informing, persuading, or
promoting goodwill and friendships?

SELF-TEST 01
1. Scenario: You have been working for a company for two
years and you want the promotion being offered. What is the
best way to increase your chances of being selected?
a. Ask all your co-workers to tell you who they think
deserves the promotion the most
b. Make sure you tell your co-workers all the projects
you are working on and send a weekly email to your
boss, updating him on the projects you have been
working on
c. Make sure you go to office functions and eat lunch
with them to discuss work matters
d. Talk to your competitors and tell them why you
think you deserve the promotion the most
2. Scenario: You are upset that you did not get the promotion
at your office. What is the best way to handle the situation
informally?
a. Tell all your friends at the office who got the
promotion

AEC111-C01 Page 107

 b. Briefly tell your co-workers how you feel upset but
focus on the positive
c. Continue updating your manager on all the good
work you are doing
d. Ask your manager to identify weaknesses and work
on improving yourself

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 01

1. What is the difference between a formal and an informal
situation?
2. Why is it important to be professional in informal
situations?

05-02: LISTENING ACTIVELY

Why should we listen? We have two ears and one mouth, which
really means we should listen more than we speak. However,
many people are poor listeners. They do not listen or do not
know how to listen. Listening is hard to do because many people
prefer to hear the sound of their own voice.
Do you know that you only remember 25-50% of what you hear
in any situation? You either forget, misunderstand, or ignore the
remaining 50-75% of things. How terrible is that! Listening is
very important if you want to learn how to respect others, if you
want to hear about opportunities, be well-liked by your
colleagues, or avoid problems and conflicts. The best type of
listening is called active listening. What does it mean to be an
active listener?

AEC111-C01 Page 108

First of all, active listening is very active. This means that all
your attention should be on your listener. You can do this by
looking at him/her in his/her eyes and not doing anything else.
You should not be checking your phone, looking on Facebook, or
constantly looking at the people on the street. You should not be
focusing on your own ideas, how you will respond, or your
weekend plans. So many times when we listen, we hear someone
saying something and we only focus on how we will respond to
something he/say said. Instead of listening to the rest of the
monologue, we are thinking of a response to something said at
the beginning of the conversation and interrupt the other person
with our thoughts. That is not active listening.

Thinking: This “This

guy is boring! project is
This weekend, I really
am going to go interesting
shopping, see …
that movie, etc.
Basically, it
involves…”

The second piece of active listening is to use your body. You can
show through your body movements that you are listening. As I
mentioned above, you can lean your body into the other person
to show you want to hear them. Your eyes communicate a lot by
showing that you are genuinely interested. Your eyes should be

AEC111-C01 Page 109

wide and open, showing that you are excited about what they are
saying. Your eyes should be focused on the other person.
Looking away a little bit is OK, but most of your time you should
be looking at the other person. You can nod your head to show
you are following and smile or laugh when the speaker shares
something funny.

Another way to show the other person that you are listening is
to give the speaker feedback. Feedback simply means that you
are sending information to the other person that you understood
him/her. One way you can give feedback is to paraphrase or
summarize what the other person said. When you summarize
and paraphrase, you are not repeating the same words someone
used. Rather, you are using your own words to say what you
understood. For example, if your friend says to you: “My science
project is taking a lot of time and it is really hard.” You can say:
“So, you were talking about your project and it is causing you
stress.” Summarizing from time to time helps the other person
know that you were listening to him/her. Summarizing does not
mean to repeat exactly what the other person was saying; you
should use different words to explain how you understood what
they said. Another way to give feedback is to say: “So, I
understand what you were saying…” Simply repeating the
words someone said does not show them that you were listening.
It just means you are good at repeating words, not really
understanding the meaning behind them.
Another way to give feedback is to ask questions about what
someone said. Any time a listener asks questions, you know

AEC111-C01 Page 110

he/she was listening to you. Even if you understand everything,
you should ask any question, big or small, about what he/she
said. You can also say: “Thanks for sharing. I learned that….”

LEARNING ACTIVITIES 02
 Experiment: The next time your friend talks to you, see if
you can remember everything he/she said. Give your friend
a full summary of what he/she said. In your own words, give
a summary of what was said.
 Experiment: The next time you talk to someone, make sure
you give verbal and non-verbal feedback. Nod your head,
lean in, move your eyes, ask questions, and summarize what
he/she is saying.

SELF-TEST 02
3. What is the best way to respond to this situation? Your
colleague wants to talk to you about not getting the
promotion. She is complaining a lot. You don’t agree with
her.
a. You do not like all this negativity so you interrupt
her and tell her some things she can improve to get
promoted the next time
b. Politely tell her that you are working on a tight
deadline but you have a little time to talk
c. You continue doing your work while she is talking to
you because you are very busy
d. Instead of offering advice, when she has finished,
ask your colleague why she feels like she did not get
the promotion
4. Situation: Your mother consistently complains that you do
not really hear her. What is one thing you can do to become
a better listener?

AEC111-C01 Page 111

 a. Put your cell phone away when talking to her
b. Summarize what she said when she finishes
c. Smile, look at her eyes, nod your head
d. Ask good questions about what she said
e. All of the above

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 02

3. Explain the body language of a person who is listening.
4. Explain the body language of a person who is not listening.

05-03: SPEAKING PERSUASIVELY

Do you remember one of the functions of informal
communication? We can also communicate to persuade.
Persuasion means to cause people to do or believe something. In
the business world, you may need to convince customers to buy
your product. Or, you may have to convince/persuade your
coworkers to work with you on your project. You persuade
others when you are in an argument as well. Arguments are
statements that support your beliefs. For example, if you want
to argue that cell phones should be made with type A plastic but
another group wants to make the cell phone with type B plastic,
you will have to persuade the other group. In business, you
persuade others to believe in you, your ideas, and your product.
When you persuade people, you are not lying or manipulating
others to believe you. Rather, you are inspiring and encouraging
others to join you. That is the real persuasion. Most people try
to persuade you by forcing you to do something that you do not
want to do, but effective persuasion is much more difficult to
do. Let us share some tips or suggestions on how to persuade in
an effective way.
The first thing to remember is to know when you should
persuade others. Think about the person or the people you want

AEC111-C01 Page 112

to persuade. Is it your friends, your family members, your
boss/manager, your clients/customers, or your
colleagues/coworkers? A bad time to persuade is when these
people are too emotional. If they are upset, angry, overwhelmed,
stressed, or busy, that is a bad time to persuade them.

Persuasion is hard to do if people have negative feelings. So, a

great way to help the conversation be more positive is to say
something positive. If you are persuading your clients or
customers, that thing might be an offer, discount, or a gift. If
you are persuading your coworkers, colleagues or manager, a
good way to persuade is to tell them how they can benefit. What
good things can come from them joining you? For example, if
you are trying to get your coworkers to join you in a project, tell
them all the benefits of working with you on this project.

A positive attitude helps everyone. When persuading others, talk

about the benefits and what people can get from the experience.
If people know they have the skills to help you and they feel
encouraged to help, they likely will. If you tell people how hard
it is or how bad something is, they will not help you. If people
can gain something, they will also be very likely to help you. You

AEC111-C01 Page 113

can tell your colleagues that they can benefit by learning
something new, gaining new skills, or new experiences. Those
are some general things to say to people who may be unsure if
they want to join you.
When you have a new idea or product, not everyone will want to
join you. There is so much diversity in viewpoints and opinions,
and this is a good thing. Expect questions and opposition. If you
plan for this, you will be prepared to answer those questions.

Different viewpoints
and ideas

Lastly, remember to never lie when persuading others. If you are

a salesperson selling a product, never lie. This does not build
good customer relations. You might have asked a shop keeper a
question and he/she may have lied to you just to sell the
product. In ethical business, this is never acceptable and you

AEC111-C01 Page 114

will lose customers this way. Same is true in persuasion.
Honesty is very important to keep everyone happy.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES 03
 Reflection: How often do you persuade your friends to do
something they do not want to do? How do you ethically
persuade them to do what you want?
 Experiment: The next time a friend does not want to do
something, try persuading him/her with the techniques you
acquired. Choose a good timing, offer him/her something
positive, tell him/her how he/she can benefit, and do not lie
to him/her. Did it work? Why?

SELF-TEST 03
5. Scenario: You are a shop owner and you want to sell your
product. You want your customers to use your product and
not the competitor’s product (the other product of another
company). What is the best way to do that?
a. Tell them why the other product is bad
b. Tell them the benefits of your product in front, tell
them they can ask you any question they want, and
offer them a discount if they buy today
c. Be very generous and exaggerate the truth a little
bit just to win your customer
d. Ask three of your best businessmen to come up to
them right away as they enter your store

AEC111-C01 Page 115

6. Scenario: You are the president of your batch at your school
and you want to enforce a new policy about school uniforms.
Which is the best statement to use to persuade most people
to adopt your policy?
a. “I know that these uniforms may look traditional,
but they also make you look smart.”
b. “These uniforms will be the best thing to happen at
this school!”
c. “I will allow you to come up with some designs for
uniforms and we will vote as a class next week.”
d. “If you do not adopt the new policy, you must leave
the school.”

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 03

5. What is the definition of persuasion?
6. In which situations is it OK to persuade others?

05-04: NEGOTIATING EFFECTIVELY

When you negotiate, you are having a conversation with
someone in which you may have different viewpoints, opinions,
needs or goals. Those two different people try to solve a problem
together. Negotiation can be difficult because two different
people are trying to find a common solution to a problem. In
this way, negotiation involves working with someone you may
disagree with but it is necessary to work together to find a
solution. Think of all the world leaders in the government that
need to learn to work together to solve problems. Think of the
president of any company who needs to make decisions. Think
of the father of a family who needs to learn how to make
everyone happy in the family. Also, think of an employee of a
company who needs to work with a customer who is not happy.
People negotiate all the time and the negotiation skills are very

AEC111-C01 Page 116

useful in both formal and informal situations. Let us focus on
how to negotiate in the business world.
In business, hardly anything is fixed. Learn to accept that
everything is negotiable. When you make business decisions,
you can negotiate with both people involved. Business decisions
usually involve at least two people or two different groups of
people. Maybe it is a decision between a manager and his/her
employees or employees and their clients or between two
different employees. At any point of making a decision, you need
to learn how to ask for what you need. If you are not happy, then
you need to negotiate. Negotiation does not have to be a bad
thing. Negotiation can be a really positive thing because it
brings people together to solve a problem. Make sure you
negotiate with people who want to work with you.

Win: Group A gets Win: Person B gets

what they want what he wants

When you have your negotiation partner, you can start

negotiating. When you start the process, you should think win -
win. This means that you will only look for negotiations that
benefit both people. For example, if you want option A and your
business partner wants option B, then you should look for
another option. Maybe you both want option C.
In order to settle on a solution that benefits both parties
involved, you need to know your partner’s wants and needs. A
good thing to do is to spend some time each talking about your

AEC111-C01 Page 117

wants and needs. Then, you only find solutions that benefit both
your wants and needs.

Make a written list of your needs, wants, goals, and non -

negotiables. Write it down so that you do not forget. In order to
know about these things, you need to listen to the other person.
A need is something you need to be successful. A want is
something you would like to have but it is not as important as
something you need. A goal is something you want to
accomplish. Goals are like your needs and wants together. A
non-negotiable is something that you cannot accept and will not
tolerate if it is changed. Think of a non-negotiable as something
that you want fixed. You can make a list like this:

Needs Wants Goals Non-negotiables

Look at the things that are the same on your list and your
partner’s list. That is how you start your negotiation.
After looking at both the lists, you should identify other choices
that might be good for both of you. What are the other choices
that you have not thought of? Are there things you will be
willing to sacrifice or give up in order to think of another
choice? For example, maybe you really want option A but your
partner wants B. Both of you can give up or sacrifice your

AEC111-C01 Page 118

choices to choose option C. Sometimes negotiation involves
giving up both your preferences and first needs.

Exchange (switching/changing) also works. Is there something

that you can exchange? For example, suppose you are having a
negotiation with your co-worker. Person A likes to answer
phones and make calls but your partner (person B) prefers to
speak to customers directly but they are not doing the jobs they
want. If you do not like your job, you might be able to switch or
exchange jobs. This will only happen if you negotiate.
Lastly, make sure you negotiate when you do your homework.
Make sure to make the list of your needs and wants. Also, know
more about the issue that you are negotiating. If you are having
a negotiation about which materials to use for your cell phones,
you should do homework on cell phone material before you
start. Knowing more about the issue allows you to be a better
negotiator.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES 04
 Reflection: Do you ever negotiate? Have you ever disagreed
with anyone? Why? Did one person win(to get what they
want) or did both of you win (both get what you want)?

AEC111-C01 Page 119

 Experiment: The next time you have an argument or
disagreement with someone, think about how both of you
can win. Instead of thinking that only one person can win,
think about how you both can win.

SELF-TEST 04
7. Scenario: You and a client are trying to negotiate because
you both have different ideas on how to start the project.
What is the best way to handle the situation?
a. Since you usually win, allow your co-worker to do
anything he wants with the project. It’s easier and it
saves time if you do not fight
b. Tell him you acknowledge his ideas. Also tell him
yours. Find a way to make both happen in the
project
c. Know what you are willing and not willing to lose in
a negotiation
d. Come up with a new idea that you can both agree on
8. Scenario: You have been working in a company for several
years and you believe you deserve a better salary. What is
the best way to talk with your manager?
a. Tell him the salary you think you deserve based on
your experience and ask him to tell you what he
thinks
b. If he cannot give you more money now, ask him
what things you can do to become a better employee
c. At the beginning of the conversation, tell him that
you do not agree with his views
d. Tell him you will leave the company if you do not
get your promotion

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 04

7. What is the definition of negotiation?

AEC111-C01 Page 120

8. What are two things to remember when you negotiate with
anyone?

05-05: MANAGING CONFLICT

Everyone fights. This is normal in life. Not everyone can agree
with you on everything. Think of all the friends or family
members you have. Do you always agree with them? Probably
not. Since conflict is likely to happen, it is more important to
focus on how to handle the conflict. How will you work with the
conflict? Responding to the conflict is very important because
the problem will always be a problem until you can learn to find
the solution. Think of a conflict as a cycle that can only be
broken by finding the solution.

The problem will always be a problem until you can learn to find
the solution. Think of a conflict as a cycle that can only be
broken by finding the solution. The first thing to remember is to
think about the conflict in front of you. Ask yourself these
questions: who or what is actually causing the conflict? Why is
the conflict happening? Is there something inside or outside
that is causing the conflict to be worse? Think about the large
picture, not just about the small picture. Here is a visual to help
you:

The outside conflict: Things/People The (inside) conflict:

that are making the conflict worse your feelings, your
thoughts, your
Examples: the feelings of others, work
mistakes
pressure, etc.

AEC111-C01 Page 121

After you have looked at the conflict, you need to start the
communication process with that person. Many people in
conflict do not talk to the person they are angry at. They prefer
to avoid the conflict. They do not talk about what bothers them.
This is something you must avoid. Remember what happens to
the conflict that does not get resolved? It gets bigger. Resolution
makes things better. Make sure to choose a location and time
that works.
When you communicate, certain aspects are very important.
Make sure to be positive and show that you care about the
person. Try to not show anger or yell at the person. Do not
manipulate the other person into doing something he/she is not
comfortable with. For example, if you force the other person to
apologize or to accept your views, then it is not a real solution.
Both people have to feel comfortable and do things out of their
own free will.
Another suggestion to resolve conflict is to use objective
language, not subjective language. Objective language is
language that focuses on the problem, on the facts, not the
person. Subjective language is language that focuses on the
individual person. An example of subjective language is a
sentence that starts with: “you.” For example, “You are always
late!” is a sentence that is subjective language and it focuses on
the person, not on the problem. A better sentence is more
objective. It focuses on the facts: “The start time for work is at 8
am. Please be on time.” Never once did the person use the word
“you.”

Subjective Language Objective Language

Focuses on the other person Focuses on facts
Opinions, emotions, “you” Objective means information
Change based on the person does not change. True for
everyone

AEC111-C01 Page 122

Next, let us go through some practical techniques to have good
communication. The first technique is called: “divide and
conquer.” In this technique, you take a big problem and then
think of the smaller problems inside the bigger problem. You
can solve a smaller problem easier than a bigger problem. Think
of a puzzle: There are many smaller pieces of the whole puzzle:

The second technique is called: “brainstorming.” In this

technique, you and the person in the conflict think of all
possible solutions. Just think of any idea (big or small) and
write them all on a piece of paper. This is a good tool to think of
many ideas. Later, you can discuss which ideas are better than
the others.

Another technique is called “trial and error.” In this technique,

you will look at the list from your brainstorming. Try solutions
that you think will work. That is the “trail.” Then, if there are
problems with that idea, write down which problems happened
and try another one.

AEC111-C01 Page 123

The last technique is called: “analogy.” In this technique, you
talk to many people who have had similar problems. How did
they solve the problem? An analogy is something that is similar
to something else. Learning from others helps us to solve
conflicts and problems. They can offer experience and
suggestions.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES 05
 Reflection: When was the last time you had a conflict with a
friend or family member? How did you solve the conflict?
 Experiment: The next time you have a conflict with someone
or a problem at work, try one of the techniques: divide and
conquer, brainstorming, trail and error or analogy. Which
one worked?

SELF-TEST 05
9. Scenario: You had a fight with a co-worker at your
workplace. You are still angry. What is the best way to
handle the situation?
a. You feel that it is best to handle the situation now
even if you are angry. You raise your voice at the
other person, but at least he/she now understands
that you are angry!
b. After taking a break, you ask your co-worker what
the real problem is and you listen to it

AEC111-C01 Page 124

 c. You ask your co-worker if he/she would like to come
up with some solutions with you about how to best
resolve the problem
d. Tell your co-worker all the reasons that created the
problem
10. Scenario: You have a conflict with a co-worker. What is the
best statement to use to sound the most objective?
a. “You did not finish your deadline in time so now our
project is late!”
b. “The next time, please finish your deadline in time
so that our project will be on time.”
c. “It is upsetting when deadlines aren’t met. Please
find a way to finish earlier.”
d. “What are some reasons why you are not finishing
your work on time? How can I help you?”

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 05

9. In the business world, what is conflict?
10. What is one benefit of conflict?

05-06: DEALING WITH OFFICE POLITICS

Office politics are politics at your office. What are politics?
Politics are the interactions between people. So, office politics
are the interactions between people in the office. Office politics
are a part of the regular life in any office. Relations between
office members can either be good or bad. When office politics
are good, relations among people are great and business is good.
You can freely talk to others and you can learn about what other
people are doing for projects and how you can help them. You
may also hear of other opportunities at the office where you can
help out or where there are opportunities. When office politics
are bad, relationships are bad as well as business decisions.

AEC111-C01 Page 125

People are very isolated and will not be able to make better
partnerships. Let us know how to learn about office politics so
that you are prepared to use the relationships in a good way.

First thing you need to do to master office politics is to learn

about your company. Ask yourself these questions: do people
interact? How do people interact? Where do people have
informal discussions? Do they talk in the coffee shop, the
canteen, etc.
The next thing is to learn about which opportunities are
available at your company. Which opportunities will allow you
to share your skills? Which projects are available that match
your skills? Consistently look for opportunities where you can
grow and learn. You learn and grow when you share your skills.
In office politics, make friends with many people from all
departments. If you only hang out with the same people from
the same department, then you will only hear of opportunities
from a limited viewpoint. If you talk to many people, then you
will hear of many opportunities. The more opportunities you
hear about, the more likely you will be able to share your skills.

AEC111-C01 Page 126

While you are interacting with all these people, you should
remember to be professional at all times. Being professional
means acting your best. Your actions should be as if your boss is
with you at all times. How would you act if your boss was there?
Those actions should be what you should do if you are acting
professionally. Remember to act professionally in the canteen,
in the tea shop, inside work and outside work. Do not spread
negative energy to others and do not destroy relationships with
anyone. Do not spread gossip or talk about others behind their
back. Those are examples of not acting professionally. Office
politics can only be good and positive when we act
professionally. Remember to give respect. When we give respect,
we receive respect. Part of respect is not talking about negative
things about people and not gossiping.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES 06
 Reflection: Do you have many friends? How do you hear
about opportunities at school? At work? Do you look for
opportunities or do you wait until people tell you about
them?
 Experiment: The next time you start to gossip about
someone (talking bad things about them), change the
conversation and change the conversation to something
positive or politely walk away.

SELF-TEST 06
11. Scenario: You are new to a company and you are excited to
get involved. What is the best way to do that?
a. Look for projects that match your skill level
b. Make friends with all departments of the company
c. Only do the projects that your friends do
d. Write an email to your co-workers and tell them
why you are hesitant to get involved

AEC111-C01 Page 127

12. Scenario: You are new to a company and you want to have a
good image. What are some good questions to ask with your
colleagues?
a. What projects are you involved in?
b. I am really good at using Microsoft Word programs.
Which projects are available that use those skills?
c. What are some networking opportunities where I
can meet more co-workers?
d. All of the above

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 06

11. What is the definition of office politics?
12. Give one example of using office politics in a good way. Give
one example of using office politics in a bad way.

05-07: PARTICIPATING IN MEETINGS

Everyone who works will have to attend meetings. You cannot
avoid meetings. Meetings are times when more than one person
gets together to discuss something important. You discuss
important business related to your company and also learn
about opportunities in the company. How you participate in
meetings shows your boss/manager how you will participate in
the company. Decisions for offers, promotions, and other
opportunities might be made by how you participate in
meetings. Think of meetings as a place for you to show your
team leader and manager how great you are. If you are sleeping
in a meeting, it shows you do not care about the company. If you
are fully present in a meeting, then others will see you as a
valuable person. How meetings look like in India may be
different than how meetings look like in other countries. Let us
know about how to participate in meetings from an
international viewpoint.

AEC111-C01 Page 128

First thing to know is about time. Being on time in international
standards is five minutes early. You need those five minutes to
settle in, get your things organized, and to talk to others at the
meeting. Talking to your co-workers before the meeting allows
you to learn more about the opportunities in the company and
to make friends. You also have a chance to make more
friendships the more you talk to others. Being five minutes early
is much better than feeling rushed and arriving late. It is better
to feel relaxed and calm before the meeting starts.

The second thing to remember is to come prepared. Before the

meeting starts, you need to know the meeting agenda, or the
plan of the meeting. If you have the meeting agenda, you will be
able to mentally prepare for what is ahead. What is the topic of
the meeting? What is the purpose of the meeting? What people
are coming to the meeting? These things are important to know
so that you can prepare some thoughts, take notes, or write
questions about the topic. When the meeting starts, you should
listen to others, but you also need to share. Sharing your
opinions and ideas shows that you are an active participant in
the company. Meetings are a great place to show others in the

AEC111-C01 Page 129

company who you are and what a great contribution you can
make.

Respect is something you need to remember throughout the

whole meeting. Respect means listening to someone while
he/she is talking. Show with your body language that you are
listening to what the other person is saying and use some of the
tips on active listening. Respect also means not talking for too
long. If you talk for too long, others might get bored. Show
respect by allowing others to talk.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES 07
 Reflection: Have you ever attended a meeting? Do you listen
more than speak? What is one thing you can do to be more
prepared for the meeting?
 Experiment: If you are a student, start by arriving to your
classes five minutes before they start. Come prepared to the
class with the assignments completed and with questions
and thoughts ready for the teacher. Do you see that you are
learning more when you participate in all your classes?

AEC111-C01 Page 130

SELF-TEST 07
13. Scenario: You are a project leader and you want to have a
meeting with your colleagues. What is the best way to have a
great meeting?
a. At the last minute, tell your team that you want a
meeting now
b. Tell your team a week in advance (before) the
meeting and give them the agenda (meeting plan) at
that time
c. Talk as much as you want during the meeting
because you are the organizer and you have a lot of
things to say
d. If nobody participates during the meeting, ask small
groups to talk about questions that you prepared in
advance and discuss the answers as a whole group
14. What actions are to be avoided during any type of meeting
at your job?
a. Looking at your cell phone a lot
b. Only listening and not contributing anything
c. Use informal language to sound more relaxed
d. All of the above

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 07

13. What is the purpose of a meeting?
14. What is one thing you should not do during meetings?

05-08: MAKING PROPER INTRODUCTIONS

In your life, have you ever had to introduce someone? For
example, have you ever introduced a new friend to your current

AEC111-C01 Page 131

friends? You can make new friends if you get introduced or if
you introduce yourself to someone.

Making formal introductions at work is an important skill that

shows you have good people skills. For example, if you are
hosting an event, you should learn how to introduce all your
guests. When you do it the right way, more people will meet
each other. When you meet new people, you usually feel more
connected to a group and you have a better time. That is why the
person making the introductions needs to know the proper way
so that all people at the party will feel respected and appreciated
that you took the time to introduce them. Let us go through
some formal social rules or norms that should be followed to
make sure people get introduced in the right way.

First of all, introduce others as important people. For example,

you are hosting a party and are introducing new people at the
function to other people that you know. It is important to make
the person being introduced feel important. You can say
something like: “This is my very respected colleague__(person’s
name)___” or “This is my very respected friend__(person’s
name)___” or “This is my guest of honor_(person’s name)__.”

AEC111-C01 Page 132

Here are some of the social rules of how to introduce. Men are
usually introduced to women. Women should not introduce
themselves to men in formal social settings. Also, younger
people are introduced to older people. If you have one guest and
are introducing them to a larger group (maybe more than five
people), you should introduce them to each individual person.
First say the name of your guest and then go around the circle
and say the names of the people in the group. These rules apply
to both formal and informal situations.

In the business world, you need to remember the rank or the

order of business relationships. How you introduce others will
be decided by their placement in the company and not by their
age or by gender (man or woman) as it was in the previous
paragraph. The person with less authority should be introduced
to the person with more authority.

AEC111-C01 Page 133

For example, if you are hosting a work event and your manager
is there as well as your colleague who is an IT specialist (not a
manager), who has more authority? The manager. Because the
manager has more responsibilities, the IT specialist should be
introduced to the manager. You should physically bring your
colleague to where the manager is and introduce him/her to the
manager. You can say something like this: “Hello Mr.
Deshmukh. This is my friend Avinash who is in the IT
department.”

If you have any function where there are clients (people who
work with your business), there are certain rules to follow with
them as well. For example, if I receive financial advice from a
financial company, I am a client of that company. Sometimes,
businesses have functions to thank their clients for their
business. Clients should be introduced to the president of any
company. Clients should be introduced as the most important
persons because they give good business to the company. One
thing you can say is: “This is our client__(client’s name)____.
She has been a valuable customer for ___(put a
number)____months/years.” The customer or client should feel
special and be introduced to all the important people at any
client/customer appreciation function.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES 08
 Reflection: Has anyone introduced you at a party? Who did
they introduce you to? An older person? A younger person?
A man? A woman? A group?

AEC111-C01 Page 134

 Experiment: Next time you are new at a party, introduce
yourself to someone. If you are a woman, introduce yourself
to another woman. If you are a man, introduce yourself to
another man or a woman. You can say something like: “Hi.
My name is_________. I’m new here. What’s your name?”

SELF-TEST 08
15. Scenario: As a woman, you were invited by your colleague to
attend a business dinner and you arrived alone. What is the
proper behavior?
a. Before you talk to everyone, wait for the person who
introduced you to introduce you to the group
b. Talk to everyone informally because the dinner is
not during office hours so it is OK to be more
relaxed
c. You see your co-worker from a lower position and
you introduce her to your manager
d. Introduce your female co-worker to a male co-
worker

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 08

15. Who should introduce men at a work function?
16. Who should introduce younger people at a work function?

SUMMARY
This section was focused on how to improve your informal
communication. You learned how to become a better listener
and how to speak in a way that gets people’s attention. This
helps you to have better office politics. You learned valuable
lessons in how to work with people who may disagree with you,
how to participate in a work meeting, and how to introduce
others at a function.

AEC111-C01 Page 135

KEY WORDS
 Nod= to move your head up and down to show you are
listening
 Lean in= to tilt your body towards the other person to
show you are interested in what they have to say
 Negotiation=The form of communication in which two
or more people with different views, needs, and
wants meet to discuss the solutions that everyone
agrees to
 Party/Parties=The other person/people involved in a
decision
 Salary=The money earned at your job

REFERENCES
MOOC S
https://www.coursera.org/learn/conflict-resolution-skills

YOUTUBE VIDEOS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWe_ogA5YCU
(stop at 1:40)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WER63AY8zB8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saXfavo1OQo

WIKIPEDIA
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Active_listening
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Workplace_politics

BOOKS
“Negotiating for Dummies” by David Frohnmayer

COURSE COMPANION WEBSITE

Visit Here for Course Companion website for this course:

AEC111-C01 Page 136

 Yashwantrao AEC111-C02
Chavan English
Maharashtra Open
Communication
University

Brief Contents
Credits
Vice Chancellor’s Message
Related Programmes
Course Syllabus
Credit 02
Unit 02-01: Understanding Reading and Writing ................. 11
Unit 02-02: Uncovering the Secrets of Clear Writing ........... 22
Unit 02-03: Communicating with E-Mail and Memos ........... 44
Unit 02-04: Developing Reports and Proposals ................... 59
Unit 02-05: Writing for Employment.................................. 73
CREDITS
Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University
Vice-Chancellor: Dr E Vayunandan
School of Science and Technology
School Council (2014 – 2017)
01. Dr Manoj 02. Dr Sunanda 03. Mrs Chetana
Killedar More Kamlaskar
04. Dr Madhuri 05. Dr Madhavi 06. Dr Latika
Sonwane Dharankar Ajabani
07. Ram 08. Ar Vijay 09. Dr Narendra
Thakar Sohoni Deshmukh
10. Kiran 11. Mahesh 12. Dr Manoj
Garibe Bakshi Kulshrestha
13. Harsh --- ---
Gune

Development Team
Course Coordinator Book Writer Content and Language
Editor
Dr Manoj Killedar Michelle Jacobson Satish Kulkarni
B.E., M.Tech., PhD, B.A., M.A. (USA) M.A., M.Phil., B.Ed.
Director, AST, Experience 08 Years Emeritus Professor,
YCMOU, Nashik Sapat College of
Experience 32 Years Engineering, Nashik
Experience 39 Years
This work by YCMOU is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-
ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
 First Publication : 20-Nov-2016
 Publisher : Registrar, YCMOU, Nashik - 422 222, MH, India
Free Access for this book at: https://goo.gl/e6F69u
Send Your Feedback about this book to:
ycmoulr.feedback@gmail.com

AEC111-C02 Page 2
VICE CHANCELLOR ’S MESSAGE
Welcome to the “Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open
University (YCMOU), a Leading Mega Open University of India!
During Feb-2016, University Grants Commission proposes
“Choice Based Credit System (CBCS)” for the higher
education system of India. “AEC111: English Communication”
course of 04 Credits at “Semester 01” is an “Ability
Enhancement Compulsory Course (AECC)” for all
academic programmes at undergraduate level from any
university, as per the “Choice Based Credit System (CBCS)”.
For success in the world of work, English Communication skills
are important essential requirement for any student. Due to
this, YCMOU has developed following high quality learning
resource package (in “Self-Learning Material – SLM” format) for
this course:
1. Mobile Ready Text-Book: Total 19 Units
2. Mobile Ready Audio-Visual Lecture Modules: 90 Nos
3. Moodle LMS Ready Question Bank with
a. Short Answer Questions (SAQs):  200 Nos
b. Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs):  200 Nos
Above learning resource package is released for free access as an
“Open Educational Resource (OER)” under Creative
Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0
International License, that is, CC BY NC SA License.
I congratulate “Development Team” for the development of this
excellent learning resource package. We hope and believe, this
free high quality learning resource package will be immensely
useful for all students from any university.
Dr E Vayunandan
Vice Chancellor, YCMOU

AEC111-C02 Page 3
 R ELATED P ROGRAMMES

“AEC111: English Communication” course of 04 Credits at

“Semester 01” is an “Ability Enhancement Compulsory
Course (AECC)” for all academic programmes, as per the
“Choice Based Credit System (CBCS)” as proposed by the
“University Grants Commission (UGC)”.
This textbook is useful for “AEC111: English Communication”
course of 04 Credits at “Semester 01” of following academic
programmes of the Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open
University, Nashik – 422 222, MH, India.
1. School of Architecture, Science and Technology
a. V92: B.Sc. in Physics, Chemistry and
Mathematics
b. V96: B.Sc. in Actuarial Science

AEC111-C02 Page 4
 C OURSE S YLLABUS

Semester 01
AECC01 - AEC111: ENGLISH COMMUNICATION
PROGRAMME INFORMATION
SN Description Details
Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open
University
1 University
Nashik - 422 222, Maharashtra, India
Website: http://www.ycmou.ac.in/
School of Architecture, Science and
2 School
Technology
3 Discipline Science
4 Level UG
5 Course Used in V92: B.Sc.
Designed for Full (1) Instructional Template
6 Compliance to these
UGC Documents: (2) Templates of Syllabi for CBCS

COURSE INFORMATION
Sem Code Course Name Credits CAT EE TM Type Category
English 20 80 100 T AECC
01 AEC111 4
Communication

PRESUMED KNOWLEDGE AND LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Presumed Knowledge Learning Objectives
For successful completion of this After successful completion of this
course, student should have course, student should be able to
successfully completed:
 Communicate effectively in
 HSC (10+2) or equivalent English
from a recognized Board. OR  Think Critically
 10+3 Diploma (any stream)  Perform better in Team
awarded by any State Board of
Technical Education. 

AEC111-C02 Page 5
SYLLABUS FOR THEORY UNITS
UN Detailed Syllabus of the Unit Credit
Introduction: Theories of Communication, Types and
modes of Communication
Language of Communication: Personal, Barriers and
01- Strategies, Intra Personal, Inter Personal and Group
01 Communication
Speaking Skills: Monologue, Dialogue, Group
Discussion, Effective Communication/ Mis-
Communication
Understanding the Basis of Verbal Credit
Communication: Organizing Your Messages, Using 01
Vocal Elements Effectively, Understanding Nonverbal
01-
Language, Developing Credibility, Giving and Receiving
02
Feedback, Overcoming Barriers to Communication,
Communicating Ethically, Understanding Cross -Cultural
Issues
Working with Customers: Understanding Customer
01- Service Basics, Communicating Empathetically, Asking
03 Question to Understand Problems, Denying Request,
Coping with Angry Customers
Developing Professional Telephone Skills:
Exploring Professional Telephone Communication,
01- Placing Telephone Calls, Receiving Telephone Calls,
04 Using Voice Mail, Leaving Professional Messages, Taking
Calls for Other People, Screening, Holding, and
Transferring Calls, Developing Cell Phone Etiquette
Improving Informal Communication:
Communicating Informally, Listening Actively, Speaking
01-
Persuasively, Negotiating Effectively, Managing Conflict,
05
Participating in Meeting, Dealing with Office Politics,
Making Proper Introductions

AEC111-C02 Page 6
 Understanding Reading and Writing: Close
Reading, Comprehension, Summary Paraphrasing,
Analysis and Interpretation, Translation(from Indian
02-
language to English and vice-versa) Literary/Knowledge
01
Texts
Writing Skills: Documenting, Report Writing, Making
notes, Letter Writing
Uncovering the Secrets of Clear writing: Clarifying Credit
02-
Written Communication, Writing Solid Sentences, 02
02
Developing Effective Paragraphs, Mastering Punctuation
Communicating with E-Mail and Memos:
Understanding E-Mail Message and Memos, Composing
02- the Main Elements of Message, Creating Professional E-
03 Mail Message, Constructing Professional Memos, Writing
Request Messages, Writing Response Messages, Writing
Bad- News Messages, Technology Tools
Developing Reports and Proposals: Understanding
02-
Reports and Proposals, Planning a Report or Proposals,
04
Writing Proposals
Writing for Employment: Writing Effective Cover
Letters, Planning Resumes, Writing Chronological
02-
Resumes, Writing Functional Resumes, Requesting
05
Letters of Reference, Sending Follow-Up Messages,
Accepting or Rejecting Job Offers

Identifying and Defining Problems: Understanding

03- Problem Solving, Analyzing Problems, Determining
01 Causes, Simplifying Complex Problems, Identifying and
Managing Risks, Avoiding Problem-Solving Traps
Credit
Solving the Problem: Gathering and Analyzing Data, 03
Developing Alternatives, Evaluating Options,
03-
Implementing the Solution, Monitoring and Managing
02
the Solution, Using Adaptive Techniques, Developing
Ethical Solution

AEC111-C02 Page 7
 Thinking Critically: Understanding Critical Thinking,
03-
Assessing the Credibility of an Argument, Becoming a
03
Critical Thinker
Group Decision Making and Problem Solving :
Understanding Group Dynamics, Evolving From a Group
03-
to a Team, Using Divergent Thinking, Using Convergent
04
Thinking, Avoiding Common Group Traps, Working with
Large Group
03-
---
05

Working in Groups and Teams: Understanding the

Role of Team in Organizations, Defining the types of
04-
Groups and Teams, Recognizing Differences Between
01
Groups and Teams, Ensuring Team Success, Working
with Distributed Teams
Exploring Team Roles and Processes: Recognizing
the Need for Team Leadership, Selecting Team Member,
04- Credit
Choosing the Optional Team Size, Defining Common
02 04
Team Roles, Establishing Team Rules, Clarifying Team
Objectives, Making Collective Decisions
Building and Developing Teams: Understanding the
Benefits of Working in Teams, Fostering Relationships,
04-
Overcoming Resistance, Using Team-Building Activities,
03
Dealing with Difficult Team Member, Benefits of
professional networking
Presenting yourself Professionally: Meeting
04- Business Casual Standards, Maintaining a Professional
04 Wardrobe, Practicing good Grooming and Hygiene,
Improving Your Speech

AEC111-C02 Page 8
 Developing Your Interpersonal Skills: Networking
Professionally, Showing Basic Office Courtesies,
04- Recovering from difficult interpersonal situations,
05 Displaying Optimism and Enthusiasm, Developing
Diplomacy Skills, Interacting with others, Respecting
social protocols

LEARNING R ESOURCE D ETAILS

LR Title Edition ISBN
Code Author Year Publisher

Course Website Link for (1) Text-EBook (2) Mobile and Online
Lectures (3) Video Lectures (4) MOOCs (5) OERs (6) Discussion
Forum for online interaction (7) Live Virtual Class Lectures and (8)
Continuous Assessment Test

AEC111- https://goo.gl/e6F69u -
2016
WL (Copy and Paste URL in Browser) YCMOU

Books
AEC111- English Communication
2016
C02 Michelle Jacobson YCMOU

978-81-315-
AEC111- Soft Skills for Everyone
2010 1467-2
R01 Jeff Butterfield
CENGAGE

AEC111-C02 Page 9
AEC111-C02 Page 10
UNIT 02-01: UNDERSTANDING READING AND
WRITING
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After successful completion of this unit, you will be able to
 Describe some basic tools for reading
 Explain two different types of texts
 Compare and Use different styles of writing

INTRODUCTION

Reading and writing are basic tools for communication. But do

you know the different ways to read? Do you know the different
ways to write? Do you know the ways in which reading is used
with writing or speaking? This section will talk about the basics
of reading and wiring.

01-01: READING AND UNDERSTANDING

There are many ways to read something. Do you know how
many? Most times when we are reading a good book, we are
simply reading it without thinking about how we are reading.
How we read a book for enjoyment and a book for school is
different. There are some different tools for reading that help us
understand a text better. When you understand something, you
comprehend it. Let us first talk about something called close
reading.

AEC111-C02 Page 11
Close reading is a tool you can use if you want to look closely at
any reading. For example, if you need to learn new words,
understand the meaning behind the words (a deeper look), or
study a sentence structure, then a close reading is the perfect
way to read something. You read details about your text and
choose to focus on something specific in the text. In summary,
you are like a detective looking closely into the text to find
something.
The next two tools are summarizing and paraphrasing. These are
the tools you use in school and at work after you read
something. Your teacher, boss, colleague, or team leader might
ask you to summarize or paraphrase what you read. You can give
a summary and paraphrase by saying it or by writing it down.
For example, if you read a good book, you want to tell your
friend about it. You will tell him/her a summary of the book. Or,
in school, you read something on the Internet for your research
paper and you have to summarize what you read. Those are
examples of summary.
Let us know more about a summary and a paraphrase. A
summary is saying something with fewer words. When you
summarize something, you can say the same main ideas in
different words so you do not copy all the same words. The
important thing in a summary is to keep the summary shorter
than the original. Similar but different to a summary is a
paraphrase. A paraphrase is something you need to give after
reading something. A paraphrase is not shorter than the
original. A paraphrase uses different words from the original.
Here is a chart to help you remember the difference.

AEC111-C02 Page 12
 A Summary A Paraphrase

-is shorter than the original text. -is usually the same length or
longer than the original text.
-takes only the MAIN IDEAS of a
text and says them a different -takes ALL the ideas of the text and
way. says them a different way.

-can include some of the author’s -only includes your own words.
words from the original text.

For example, read this original text:

Michael Jackson was a little boy who grew up in the state of
Indiana, USA with his brothers and sisters. He grew up in a
lower to middle class family. His father encouraged the kids to
perform music. Michael and his siblings formed a band called
“The Jackson 5”. They became very famous. Later when
Michael was older, he started to compose music by himself. He
sold many albums and became the “king of pop music.” He had
many fans. His music is famous for touching many people’s
lives and spreading peace and goodwill. When Michael was on
tour in 2009, he died of drugs. Many people will miss him and
the music he made.
If I want to make a summary of this paragraph, it might look
like this:
Michael Jackson was a singer since he was a little boy. When
he was older, he became famous and sold a lot of music. He
died when he was an adult of drugs. His fans will miss him.
All the ideas are taken from the text and written in a different
way.
Now let us write a paraphrase, which will say the same things in
the original text with different words:
Growing up in the state of Indiana, Michael Jackson lived with
his brothers and sisters. They were not rich or poor; they were

AEC111-C02 Page 13
middle class. His father helped the kids to make music. His
siblings made a band called “The Jackson 5” which was very
popular. Michael grew up to be a very famous singer. He wrote
songs that many people loved. He is known as the “king of
pop.” While he was away preparing for his tour, Michael died.
His music will live on but many people will miss him.
All the ideas are taken from the text and written in a different
way.
Now let us talk about analysis and interpretation. These are two
different tools you can use for reading. When you read
something, you want to comprehend it or understand it. When
you are trying to understand something, you are analyzing it.
What do you see? What do you understand? What patterns do
you see? Do you see anything important? What are the main
ideas? Interpretation means to understand “why”. When you
interpret, you are trying to explain the reasons for something.
Why are they the main ideas? Why are the patterns there? The
“why” is just as important as the “what.” Analysis and
interpretation go together. When you look at something you are
reading, you are trying to understand it.
Next, let us talk about two different types of texts you might
read in school or at work. They are called literary and knowledge
texts. Let us talk about each one separately. Literacy texts are
readings that are used for entertainment. Maybe it is a poe m or
a story, but it is not real. When something is not real, we say it
is fictional. Examples of literary texts are poems, fiction, or
comics. These types of text tell a fun story to entertain us. Most
people enjoy reading literary texts because they do not have to
work too hard to analyze them. They are telling a fun story that
makes us happy. Opposite of a literary text is a knowledge text.
Knowledge texts are there to inform us of something. These
texts usually have facts and other information that is true. If
something is true, we say it is non-fiction. Some examples of
knowledge texts are encyclopedias, Internet websites that have

AEC111-C02 Page 14
facts, or school textbooks. Most people do not enjoy knowledge
texts because they might be boring and they are not
entertaining. They do not tell a story. Which type of text do you
prefer? Do you like literary texts, knowledge texts or both?
Lastly, let us talk a little about interpretation and translation.
These are tools that help you understand something you read or
hear, that is, in a different language. Translation is reading a
text in a language and translating the meaning into a different
language. For example, suppose Marathi is your first language
and English is your second language. You want to translate a
text/document from English into Marathi. This means to take
the Marathi sentences and translate them into English.
Translation is a written document that you make and it requires
that you read and understand the document in one language
before you translate it into the second language.
Interpretation is spoken. Interpretation is taking someone’s
words (in any language) and interpreting them into a second
language. Interpretation usually involves at least three people.
For example, person A speaks only English. Perso n C speaks
only Marathi. Person A and C cannot communicate and need an
interpreter. Person B (the interpreter) speaks both English and
Marathi. Person C will speak in Marathi. Person B will listen,
understand, and interpret the message in English to person A.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES 01
 Reflection: Which type of texts do you prefer: literary texts
or knowledge texts? Why?

AEC111-C02 Page 15
 The next time you read your favorite book, look at one
paragraph of at least five sentences and do a close reading.
Understand each word in the paragraph. Understand the
main idea of the paragraph. Is the paragraph describing
something? Telling you about something? What is the
purpose of the paragraph?

SELF-TEST 01
1. Scenario: You are taking a new English class and your
teacher asked you to look at the reading for new vocabulary
or words. What type of reading is this?
a. Literary text
b. Knowledge text
c. Close reading
d. All of the above
2. Scenario: You speak only Marathi and you want to
understand a document written in English. What can you
do?
a. Do a close reading with a dictionary
b. Translate the document into your second language
c. Interpret the document for someone else
d. All of the above

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 01

1. What is the definition of a close reading?
2. What is the difference between paraphrasing and
summarizing?

01-02: WRITING SKILLS

Writing is something we usually learn in school. Do you know
the different purposes of writing or the different styles? Each

AEC111-C02 Page 16
style of writing has a different purpose or reason. This section
will cover the basic ways to write.
The first style of writing is documenting. Have you heard of the
word “documentary?” A documentary is a film about something.
The documentary informs you about something. When you
document something, you create a record of it.

Have you ever taken a picture? In that way, you are

documenting what you saw. Imagine that you travel to a new
country. You might document what you see in the meeting. If
you are in a meeting, you can document the meeting by writing
about the main points from the meeting. Documenting is a
process in which you write about something you see or read.
Documenting can be both written and expressed through
picture. It is used in formal and informal situations. As
mentioned, you can document informally by taking pictures
during your vacation or by writing what you saw in your journal.
You can document formally by writing about something at work.
Writing a report is one example of a document that we will talk
about next.
Another style of writing is report writing. As the name says, you
are writing a report, usually for someone else. What is a report?
A report is an official document that gives information about
something that you give to your manager or colleagues. Later,
we will see more about how to write a report. A report is writing
about something you have seen, heard, done or researched. Let
us see an example of each. First, you can write a report of
something you saw. If you attended a presentation at work, you

AEC111-C02 Page 17
can document what you saw. Also, you are listening to the
presentation and heard it, so you can write a report about what
you heard. What were the main points? You can write a report
about something you did, like a work project. How did the
project go? Lastly, you can report on something you researched.
Did you read something on the Internet for your research
project? Did you find some information in a book? Those are
examples of things you researched and later write a report on.

Reports
Seen Heard Done Researched
can be on
things you
have:

Examples:
A A Project Information in
presentation, presentation, books, Internet
a lecture a lecture

The next purpose of writing can be for writing notes. Notes are
more informal than reports. That means notes are used only for
you or your friends, but not for your manager, boss, or teacher.
Most of the time, notes are usually for yourself. Notes are the
things you want to write down after you have seen, heard, done,
or researched something. So, notes are used in the same exact
situations as reports but they are informal, not formal. That
means you do not share your notes with your manager, boss, or
teacher. In real life, you have probably heard your teacher give a
presentation for school and you took notes. You use the notes to
study for the test. Another example might be when you re ad
some important information on the Internet and you take notes
in your notebook.

AEC111-C02 Page 18
Lastly, I will talk about letter writing. A letter is a formal
document that has an introduction, body, and conclusion. You
usually send a letter when you need to make a formal
announcement to a company. A manager can write a letter when
he/she hires a new employee and when the person accepts,
he/she can write a formal letter of acceptance. Another example
of a letter is when there are new rules that are being established .
A manager can write a letter. A letter is usually more formal
than an email.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES 02
 Reflection: Do you ever take notes in school? When? How do
you use the notes?
 Experiment: The next time your teacher gives a lecture, take
notes. Write down only the most important information. Do
not write in full sentences, only important words.

SELF-TEST 02
3. Scenario: Your Company is going to hire a new employee.
You need to write a document to officially welcome the new
employee. Which form of communication is the best to be
given to the new employee?
a. Note
b. Letter
c. Email
d. Document of your company’s projects

AEC111-C02 Page 19
4. Scenario: In your company, you need to take notes during
the presentation and give a formal documentation to your
manager about what happened at the meeting. Which form
of communication is best to be given to your manager?
a. Notes
b. Letter
c. Report
d. Email

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 02

3. What is one example of formal documentation? Or informal
documentation?
4. What is the difference between notes and a report?

SUMMARY
In summary, we learned about some different ways to read and
some different ways to write. In school, you will have to learn
close reading, summarizing and paraphrasing. You will also
have to take notes during lectures. When you interact with
different languages, you will need to translate and interpret
spoken words or documents. At work, you might need to write a
formal letter. Knowing the different uses of reading and writing
will help you to be successful in school and at work.

KEY WORDS
 Comprehension= to understand something

REFERENCES
YOUTUBE VIDEOS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxP1poQflkM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c69v4h2xPJo

AEC111-C02 Page 20
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcJ5f1s08wU

WIKIPEDIA
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Close_reading
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Language_interpretation

OER
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wg-qZjMhU4

BOOKS
“Summarizing, Paraphrasing, and Retelling: Skills for Better
Reading, Writing, and Test Taking” by Emily Kissner

COURSE COMPANION WEBSITE

Visit Here for Course Companion website for this course:

AEC111-C02 Page 21
UNIT 02-02: UNCOVERING THE SECRETS OF CLEAR
WRITING
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After successful completion of this unit, you will be able to
 Recall and Identify the steps of writing effectively
 Discover the secrets of constructing meaningful
sentences
 Write paragraphs effectively for academic and
professional purposes
 Define and Explain the important role of punctuation
marks in writing

INTRODUCTION

In the world of technology, many of us know how to send a text

message. However, the problem with cell phones and text
messages is that many people do not know how to make proper
sentences with correct grammar, spellings, and punctuations.
Many people use abbreviations like CU = see you or I luv u= I
love you or gm= good morning. As texting gets to be more
common, people forget how to form full sentences that are
spelled correctly. This will become a problem if you want to
write and stay competitive for international standards. As
business is getting globalized, it is important that you know how
to write properly in English.

AEC111-C02 Page 22
02-01: CLARIFYING WRITTEN COMMUNICATION
Writing is much more than putting words on a page. When you
write, you need to be aware of how your reader will understand
your writing. It is your duty as a writer to write in a way that
makes sense. Have you communicated your ideas in a way that
are clear and direct? Will your reader be confused after reading
what you wrote? If the reader is confused, the writer has not
done a good job of writing. Writing is not as simple as putting
words on a page; you need to think, write, change revise, and
write again. Let us talk about the tenets or characteristics of a
good writer.
The first thing a writer does is to know who he/she is writing to.
Who is your reader? Who is going to read your words? Knowing
who is reading your words will change how you write. For
example, how I write for a seven year old child will be very
different from how I write for a seventeen year old student.

Hmmm
mm

You will have to know many things about your reader. One
important thing you will need to know before writing is the age

AEC111-C02 Page 23
of your reader. As mentioned earlier, how you write for a young
child will be different from how you write for an adult. You also
need to know what you reader is doing in her/his life. Is he/she
a student, a businessman, a lawyer, etc.? Knowing what your
reader does also shows you what he/she might be interested in.
For example, if your reader is a seventh standard student, you
will want to write about things that seventh standard children
are interested in, like movies and fashions. If your reader is a
thirty- year- old IT specialist, he/she might be interested in
technical things.
A good tip for writing is to start writing about things your
reader knows and is interested in. From there, you can
introduce new concepts.
Start with these questions before you write:
 What does your reader know?
 What is your reader interested in?
 What is the age of your reader?
 What is the gender of your reader?
 What does your reader do?
The first two questions are important when you have to write
about something that your reader does not know about. What do
you do when your reader has no concept or idea of what you will
be writing about? You need to start by writing about things your
reader knows and also what he/she is interested in. For
example, imagine that your seventh standard teacher asks you to
write an essay on international birds around the world. Your
readers are other seventh standard students. However, most
students do not know much about international birds around
the world. You can start by writing about something the readers
know and like. For example, maybe you know that your readers

AEC111-C02 Page 24
all love animals. You can start to talk about animals found in
India.
You will also need to know why you are writing. What is the
purpose? Is the writing to inform someone, to entertain them, or
to persuade them? Persuade means to change their minds about
something. For example, if your purpose is to inform someone,
you need to make sure that every sentence is about informing
him/her about the topic. If your purpose is to persuade
someone, then your sentences should be about persuading
him/her. Check all the sentences to make sure that they all serve
that purpose.

Your sentences should be easy to understand and fun to read.

Do not write sentences that are too difficult or long. Your
writing should be fun. If your reader is falling asleep, is bored,
or confused, then you have not done your job correctly. Keep the
sentences shorter. Use vocabulary or words that the reader
understands. Also, see how you format your reading. Is the
reading attractive? Is there enough space between paragraphs?
Do you need to add pictures, graphs, or charts?

LEARNING ACTIVITIES 01
 Reflection: Have you ever written anything? What did you
write? For whom? For what purpose?
 Experiment: Try writing a letter to your friend about a topic
he/she does not have any knowledge of. How will you get
your reader interested in the topic? How will you transition
them from what they know (something familiar) to
something they do not know?

AEC111-C02 Page 25
SELF-TEST 01
1. In this list, which is not a typical purpose (reason) of
professional writing?
a. To summarize decisions
b. To persuade customers
c. To list rules/procedures
d. To talk informally
2. What is the first thing you should do before you write?
a. Find a picture to illustrate your words
b. Check for mistakes in grammar
c. Know who you reader is
d. Change the format of your document to look nice

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 01

1. Why do you need to know your reader before you start
writing?
2. Why is it important to keep your sentences simple and
short?

02-02: WRITING SOLID SENTENCES

Sentences are the basic building blocks to writing essays and
books. If you are master writing a good sentence, you can
master other harder tasks. Do you know how to make a
sentence?
A sentence is made out of two parts: a subject and a predicate. A
subject is WHO or WHAT the sentence is about. A sentence’s
subject can be about a person, a place, or a thing. A person
might be your friend. A place might be your city. A thing might
be your textbook. A subject is easy to identify because it is
usually at the beginning of the sentence and it is who/what the

AEC111-C02 Page 26
sentence is about. If a sentence is a movie, the subject is the
leading actor/actress. A predicate is harder to understand.
Think of the predicate as the remaining parts of the sentence. In
the movie example, the predicate is what the actor does or what
happens to the actor. The predicate contains something you may
know: a verb. A verb can be a state of being, an action that
subject does or an action that happens to the subject. Let us
have a look at the subjects and some possible predicates
mentioned below. In the predicate, the verb has been
highlighted.

Subject My friend Marion The beautiful The textbook

city of Nashik

Predicate went shopping is a holy city was thrown away (an

(action that the (a state of action that happened to
subject does) being) the subject)

Do you have a better understanding of how to write sentences?

If you are still feeling uncertain about how to make correct
sentences, refer to the references at the end of the unit.
After you are certain you can make a complete sentence, there
are some other things to understand when writing. One thing to
remember is to put the subject next to the verb. As I mentioned,
a predicate includes the verb. The predicate is a group of words
but the verb (the action or the state of being) should be next to
the subject so the reader is not confused. Here are a few
examples:
Example A: “The dog, including his best friends and other
street animals, ate the bones.”
Example B: “The dog ate the bone along with his best friends
and other street animals.”

AEC111-C02 Page 27
In example A, the subject (d0g) is far from the verb (ate). That
should be avoided. In example B, the subject (dog) is near the
verb (ate) and is a better sentence.
Another thing to remember when writing is to keep your
sentences short and simple. The reason why this is important is
because you want your reader to understand completely what
you are saying. If your reader is confused after reading, you
have not written clearly enough.
Consider these examples mentioned below. One sentence is too
long and goes on for a long time. The reader might be confused
where the sentence stops or the main idea of each sentence. The
main idea is not clear because the sentences talk about different
things. The other sentence is clear and direct.
Example A: The dog and his friends along with the other
animals in the street ate the bones on the street they had so
much fun eating the food on the street and started playing so
loudly the people on the street were scared of the dogs and the
people were going shopping to prepare for the holiday season
which was coming soon Diwali was on the way.
Example B: The dog ate the bones with his other friends. They
had so much fun eating the food. The animals were very loud.
The people on the street were scared of the animals.
The sentences in example A did not have any full stops. It was
confusing where one sentence stopped and another started.
Also, the sentences talked about animals and people. Which
theme (animals or people) was the paragraph talking about?
The sentences in example B were shorter. All the sentences were
about the dogs and the animals. The dogs/animals was the main
idea of all the sentences.
The sentences should focus on being positive. Nobody likes to
read negative sentences. The more positive your sentences are,
the more your reader will want to read. Look at these two

AEC111-C02 Page 28
examples. One is more positive and one is more negative, even
though they are about the same topic.
Example A: The boy did not like his vegetable so he asked his
mother for a different vegetable. He liked the second vegetable
better.
Example B: The boy hated his vegetable and did not eat any of
it. He yelled at his mom to bring a different vegetable. He
hated the first vegetable more than the second.
Lastly, try to add a little variety to your sentences. For example,
not all of your sentences have to have a subject, verb, and
object. You can add adjectives to describe the subject. You can
also put two subjects in your sentences. Some sentences can be
statements, which mean they end in periods/full stops. Some
can be questions, which means they end in question marks (?).
Some sentences can express excitement, which means they end
in an exclamation mark (!). You do not want your reader to be
bored.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES 02
 Experiment: Try writing a sentence. What is the main idea?
Now, write about the same topic but use different words.
Can you write the sentence in a different way?
 Reflection: Do you use many adjectives in your sentences?
Adjectives are descriptive words that describe subjects and
nouns.

SELF-TEST 02
3. How do make this sentence more direct and simple?
“Yesterday after lunch the students were complaining to the
teacher about the short break.”
a. Yesterday the students complained.
b. The students wanted a short break.

AEC111-C02 Page 29
 c. The students complained to the teacher.
d. All of the above
4. This sentence is too negative and long. How do you change
this sentence from a manager to his employees to sound
more positive and shorter?
“Don’t take breaks that are too long because they cause you
to miss important work and this causes the company to be
less productive and lose money and it makes the company
look bad.”
a. “Taking breaks that are too long are bad for you.”
b. “Missing work is bad for the company.”
c. “Please take shorter breaks so that you can help the
company.”
d. “Take shorter breaks next time.”

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 02

3. What is a predicate?
4. What are the three functions of a verb?

02-03: DEVELOPING EFFECTIVE PARAGRAPHS

After you have mastered sentences, you are now ready to turn
the sentences into a paragraph. What is a paragraph? A
paragraph is a group of sentences that share a main idea.
Typically, a paragraph has four to five sentences. You have

AEC111-C02 Page 30
written paragraphs if you have ever had to write an essay for
school. For work, you will have to learn how to write paragraphs
if you need to send a long email or write a report. Let us talk
about how to effectively write a paragraph.
A paragraph starts with the main idea. The main idea is also
known as the topic sentence. The topic sentence has the main
idea. If you do not have a main idea or a topic sentence, your
reader may be confused when reading your paragraph. Think of
the topic sentence as one sentence summary of what the full
paragraph is about. If your paragraph is about dogs, then the
word “dogs” needs to appear in your paragraph. The topic
sentence is usually indented by five spaces. If your paragraph
has two main ideas in it, you should make two paragraphs. Each
new main idea needs a new paragraph. If your paragraph talks
about dog and Indian festivals, those are two different topics
which require two different paragraphs. After you have talked
about the topic/main idea, you should end your paragraph with
the main idea again, using different words. Here is a chart to
help you remember how to write a paragraph:
Paragraph structure:
 First sentence: Start with an indentation (tab key). Say
the topic sentence. The topic sentence is what your
paragraph is about.
 Second to fourth sentences (the middle sentences):
These sentences give more information about the topic.
These are the details.
 Fifth sentence (or last sentence): Repeats the topic
sentence again in different words
*Typically, a short paragraph has four to five sentences.
However, you can include more sentences in your paragraph.
Generally, a simple paragraph has four to five sentences but it
can have more.

AEC111-C02 Page 31
Think of a paragraph as a table. The top of the table is the main
idea or the topic sentence. The four legs of the table are the
main ideas that support the topic sentence.
Main
idea/topic
sentence
Details /
support

Each paragraph has a separate main idea. If you have sentences

that are not about your topic, it is a bad paragraph and the bad
sentences need to be taken out. Look at the following sentences.
Which sentence does not belong?
India has a rich and interesting culture. Let us talk about the
Indian festivals, food, and dances. India has many traditions
in which festivals are celebrated. The most popular festival is
Diwali, the festival of lights. Everything is expensive during
Diwali time. All the things in the market rise in price. For this
reason, it is best to shop during the monsoon season when
prices are low. India also has a variety of food, which is a part
of the culture. In traditional days, people would eat with their
right hands. They use their hands to eat the food and do not use
forks or spoons, even with rice. The food is really healthy and
grows in farms. The district of Nashik is famous for onions and
grapes. The dances of India are also very interesting. The
dancers train for many years to preserve the dances and work
hard to practice the art. The dances are performed at the
festivals. In summary, India’s culture is very rich and
beautiful.
Which sentences do not belong in this paragraph? Well, the
main idea is in the first sentences. The main idea is about
India’s culture: festivals, food, and dances. Which sentences are
not about the festivals, food, and dances? The highlighted
sentences do not belong in this paragraph.

AEC111-C02 Page 32
India has a rich and interesting culture. I will talk about the
festivals, the food, and the dances. India has many traditions
that are celebrated. The most popular festival is Diwali, the
festival of lights. Everything is expensive during Diwali
time. All the things in the market rise in price. For this
reason, it is best to shop during the monsoon season
when prices are low. India also has a variety of food, which
is a part of the culture. In traditional days, people would eat
with their right hands. They use their hands to eat the food and
don’t use forks or spoons, even with rice. The food is really
healthy and grows in farms. The district of Nashik is famous
for onions and grapes. The dances of India are also very
interesting. The dancers train for many years to preserve the
dances and work hard to practice the art. The dances are
performed at the festivals. In summary, India’s culture is very
rich and beautiful.
Let us talk about the format of a paragraph. There are two ways
to separate paragraphs:
 One option is to indent the first line of a
paragraph without extra space between
paragraphs. (Option A)
 Another option is to insert an extra space
between paragraphs without indentation of the
first line. You can indent the paragraphs by
pressing the “tab” key on your keyboard.
Indentation means a space at the beginning of a
new paragraph. (Option B)
Option A:
This is a paragraph with an indentation at the
beginning of the paragraph. Indentation means space
at the beginning of a new paragraph.
This is a paragraph with an indentation at the
beginning of the paragraph. As you can see, there is no

AEC111-C02 Page 33
 extra space between this paragraph and the previous
paragraph.

Option B:
This is a paragraph without an indentation at the
beginning of the paragraph. This means there is no
space at the beginning of the paragraph.
This second paragraph does not have an indentation at
the beginning of the paragraph but you can see an
extra space after the first paragraph.
This book has no indentation at the beginning of paragraphs.
This book uses option B.
Paragraphs should not be boring. Do not repeat the same word
all the time. For example, you can use pronouns instead of the
noun. Nouns are people, places, and things. For example, nouns
can be: “Marion” or “India” or “My Dog.” These are nouns. In
your paragraph, instead of repeating the same words, you can
use pronouns. Marion becomes “she/her” and India becomes
“it.” My dog turns into “it.” You can also call the noun
something different. You can say “my pet” instead of “my dog.”
Pet and dog are synonyms because they are two different words
for the same thing. Or, you can add an adjective like “my
friendly dog.” Look at the types of pronouns in the reference
section at the end of this unit.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES 03
 Experiment: Think of a topic, like “Indian Culture.” Write
something about your topic. That is your topic sentence. For
example: “India’s culture is beautiful.” Next, write three to
four details about that topic.
 Experiment: Look at your paragraph. Have you repeated any
words? Can you replace those words with their synonyms?
Can you replace any of the nouns with pronouns?

AEC111-C02 Page 34
SELF-TEST 03
5. What is the definition of a paragraph?
a. A group of words that make a complete thought
b. The process of finding mistakes in writing
c. A group of sentences that are about a single topic
d. Writing that has been copied from someone else
6. Why is it important to have a main idea in each paragraph?
a. So that your reader understands what the paragraph
is about
b. So that your reader can understand the supports,
details, and examples
c. So that your reader isn’t confused about your
message
d. All of the above

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 03

5. What is the definition of a topic sentence?
6. In a paragraph, why is it important that all of the sentences
are about the same topic?

02-04: MASTERING PUNCTUATION

Imagine a person without a spine. Imagine a turtle without a
shell. Humans cannot function without a spine just like turtles
cannot function without a shell. Punctuation marks are small
things that make a big difference. Let us talk about how
punctuation can show form or structure to a sentence. We will
also talk about the different purposes of punctuation. Let us
understand the use of the full stop/period (.), the semicolon (;),
the comma(,), the exclamation mark (!), the colon (:), the
ellipses(…), the dash (--) and the parenthesis ( ).

AEC111-C02 Page 35
 Punctuation can show form. Punctuation gives

.
shape to a sentence. Let us know how full
stops/periods and commas add form to a
sentence. For example, periods are full stops that
help a reader know you have finished talking
about something. If you did not have any full
stops after your sentences, the reader would not

,
know when one idea stopped and another idea
began. See these shapes below. The circle is
always going in a circle. If you go into the circle,
you never know when to end. When you do not
want an idea to end, you can add commas, just
like in this circle. Your voice will pause when you read a
sentence with a comma. When you add a period, you are
stopping, like the second shape. If you are reading a sentence
with a period, you will stop longer than for a comma. A square
has four corners or four stops. Periods stop a sentence. When
one full sentence is finished, you stop it with a period.

Commas Periods/Full stops

When you add punctuation, you also add function or purpose.

Now, let us talk about all the main punctuation marks and their
purposes or functions.
Full stops/periods are easy because we use them a
lot. Periods separate full sentences. A full sentence

. has a subject and a predicate. Your teacher may

have taught you that a full sentence contains a
subject, a verb, and sometimes an object. The verb
and the object are a part of the predicate. When
you have a new subject, you should put a period
and start a new subject. Look at this long sentence. It has two
subjects so there should be some punctuation. The dog was

AEC111-C02 Page 36
hungry the cat was hungry too. The two subjects/nouns are
“the dog” and “the cat.” You should put a period (.) between the
two ideas or the two sentences. The dog was hungry. The cat
was hungry too.
If the two sentences are about the same thing or if
the sentences are connected in any way, you can

; add a semicolon to separate the two full sentences.

A semicolon (;) is put in between two full sentences
that are connected in some way. In my example,
the dog and the cat both share something- they are
both hungry. So, if the sentences have some sort of
relationship. You can add a semicolon. The dog
was hungry; the cat was hungry too.
Commas have other purposes. Another purpose of
a comma is to separate parts of the sentence that

,
are not a part of the full sentence. Look at this
example: The dog, who was hungry, ate a
bone. The full sentence is: “The dog ate a bone.”
The part in red is extra information and it is not
required for the full sentence. So, you can
separate that part with commas.
If you misuse commas, you might change the meaning of the
sentence. Look at these two sentences. One sentence has a
comma. The other sentence does not have a comma:
Example A: Let’s eat, grandma!

!
Example B: Let’s eat grandma!
In example A, the comma (,) is separating the full
sentence “Let’s eat” from the rest of the sentence
“grandma.” “Grandma” is only extra information.
The word “grandma” is not required to make a full
sentence. In this sentence, the person is calling grandm a to
invite her for food.

AEC111-C02 Page 37
In example B, grandma is required for the full sentence. The
subject is “Us,” (“let’s” is short for “let us”) the verb is “eat” and
the object is “grandma.”
The function of the exclamation mark is at the end of a sentence
to show excitement or passion.
Look at these two examples:
Example A: The child laughed.
Example B: The child laughed!
In example A, the sentence is a statement. The child laughed. It
is a boring statement. In example B, the writer wants the reader
to know that there is excitement to this sentence. So, the
exclamation point (!) shows that the function of that sentence is
to show excitement.
The function of a colon is to show your reader that

: you will add a list, an example, or a quotation. A

quotation is words from someone. Look at these
examples:
Example A: The father went to the grocery store. He bought:
eggs, cheese, milk, and biscuits.
Example B: The dog ate many things: a bone, a piece of meat,
and some his favorite fruit.
Example C: My mother told me: “Don’t be late for school!”
In all three examples, the colon is needed: for lists, examples,
and quotations. In example A, the writer is giving a list of things
the man bought at the store. In example B, the writer is give
examples of what the dog ate. In example C, the writer is saying
what the mother said. The writer is sharing a quotation.
The function of a question mark is to ask a question.

? A question is a sentence that usually starts with a

question word: who, what, when, where, why, or

AEC111-C02 Page 38
how or a form of the verb BE. Look at these examples:
Example A: My name is Michelle.
Example B: Is your name Michelle?
In example A, the sentence is a statement. The person’s name is
Michelle. No questions. In example B, the person is asking if the
person’s name is Michelle. A question mark shows that the
sentence is a question as well as the question word. In the
example, the question starts with a form of the BE verb. The
forms of the BE verb are: is, am, are, was, were, etc.)
The function of the ellipsis is more difficult. You

…
do not see an ellipses too often. The ellipses is not
used a lot. The ellipses is used with a quotation.
When you do not use the same words from the
quotation, you can put an ellipses to replace those
words. Look at this quotation:
My mother said: “I am going to the market to buy many things:
grapes, milk, biscuits, rice, chili powder, cups, plates, soda,
and vegetables.”
If you want to use this quotation but you do not want to use all
the words, you can use an ellipses.
My mother said: “I am going to the market to buy many things:
grapes, milk, biscuits…and vegetables.”
The ellipses allows you to make the original quotation shorter.
The dash is a little more complicated. The function

-
of the dash is similar to a comma. When you want
to separate parts of a sentence, you can use a dash.
You can use a pair of dashes in the middle of the
sentence to separate that part. You can also use a
dash to separate a piece of a sentence you do not
wish to use. Here are some examples:

AEC111-C02 Page 39
Example A: The teacher was very strict; she gave the students
a lot of homework-including writing five essays.
Example B: The teacher-who was tired- gave the students a
lot of homework, including writing five essays.
In example A, the single dash separates the last part of the
sentence: “including writing five essays.” That part of the
sentence is not a part of the full sentence before it.
In example B, the writer wants to show importance that the
teacher was tired. That part is emphasized.
The function of the parenthesis is to add
information that is not important to the sentence.
( ) This could be extra information. You also use
parenthesis to include references where you
found information. Look at these examples:
Example A: The mother was very tired (she only slept 4 hours
the night before).
Example B: The forest has eight species of birds (Wikipedia
2013).
In example A, the writer is adding a thought (or extra
information) that is not really important to understand the
sentence. In example B, the write is showing where he found the
information. He is giving reference.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES 04
 Reflection: Which punctuation mark do you know the least
about? Which punctuation mark do you use the most?
 Experiment: The next time you need to write a paragraph,
do not use a lot of periods/full stops. Look for two sentences
that are next to each other and that share a common idea.
Use a semicolon in between those two sentences.

AEC111-C02 Page 40
SELF-TEST 04
7. Why is it important to have correct punctuation in your
documents?
a. To add variety to your sentences
b. To increase the amount of white space (blank space)
on the page
c. To help readers understand the relationships
between words and sentences
d. All of the above
8. This sentence has bad punctuation. The comma (,) is not
correct. What is the correct punctuation mark to have in this
sentence?
“The employees were happy to be at work, they had a great
team leader.”
a. Ellipses (…)
b. Semicolon (;)
c. Period (.)
d. Dash (--)

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 04

7. What is the difference between a semicolon and a period?
8. What are two different functions of a comma?

SUMMARY
This section looked closer into how to write and some of the
basic mechanics for making sentences, paragraphs, and proper
grammar. These tips should be applied in any formal situation.
For example, use the grammar in school and at work. When you
write better, people give you more respect. Learning to write

AEC111-C02 Page 41
correctly is a skill that is deeply needed for the 21 st century,
even with all the technology available.

KEY WORDS
 Topic sentence= the first sentence of each paragraph. It
has the main idea. The topic sentence says something
about your topic
 Synonyms= different words that have the same meaning
 Pronouns= replace nouns
 Nouns= people, places, and things
 Tenet= principle
 Indentation= a space at the beginning of a new
paragraph
 Period= full stop

REFERENCES
MOOCS
http://ed.ted.com/lessons/comma-story-terisa-folaron
https://www.coursera.org/learn/grammar-punctuation

YOUTUBE VIDEOS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbhLKwZz5Ls
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3p6_9DZPi0

WIKIPEDIA
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semicolon
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellipsis#In_English
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dash
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comma

AEC111-C02 Page 42
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Full_stop
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pronoun

OER
http://www.time4writing.com/writing-paragraphs/

BOOKS
“Grammar in Context” Book # 1, 5 th edition by Sandra N.
Elbaum
“Writers at Work: The Paragraph” 1 st edition by Jill Singleton

COURSE COMPANION WEBSITE

Visit Here for Course Companion website for this course:

AEC111-C02 Page 43
UNIT 02-03: COMMUNICATING WITH E-MAIL AND
MEMOS
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After successful completion of this unit, you will be able to
 Write / Compose a professional e-mail
 Outline the steps of a professional memo
 Recall and Explain the way of writing e-mail request
messages in a professional way
 Summarize and Outline the basic steps of writing a
response message

INTRODUCTION

If you live in the 21 st century, you know what a computer is. You
have probably used the computer to do many things: look up
Internet sites, use YouTube, Facebook, etc. The computer has
granted us a lot of wonderful things. At work, you are likely use
a computer in some way or the other. This section will cover
how to write a professional e-mail, a professional memo, and
how to request and respond to things by an e-mail.

AEC111-C02 Page 44
03-01: UNDERSTANDING AND COMPOSING E -MAIL
MESSAGES
The invention of an e-mail made sending messages to people a
lot easier and faster. Imagine the days when the computer was
not even thought of. People sent messages through messengers
and later on by post. Finally, e-mail was invented so ensure the
messages get sent quickly. However, e-mails have created
problems for people because nothing is lost in e-mails and
everything is recorded. People must be careful about the words
they use to write an e-mail.
In the business world, e-mails are used to inform employees,
remind employees of things, make announcements, request for
information, respond to decisions, and to verify or clarify
policies. E-mails do a lot of things!
E-mail is a great tool that does many things. It could be to
inform employees of any change in the company, schedule
meetings, update people on your project or request information.
Think of an e-mail as an electronic letter or a written verbal
message. If you cannot tell someone in person what your
message is, you can say what you need to say by e-mail.
An e-mail is an easy tool to send a message to many people at
the same time. If you are a president of a company with five
hundred people, you do not have time to tell everyone about
policies and rules. So, e-mail is an effective way to send a
message to many people at the same time. Just be careful t hat
your e-mail is spelled correctly and only contains the
information you want to send. Can you imagine sending one
hundred people your personal photographs by accident? Make
sure you check the content of your e-mail before you send it.
Another benefit of writing an e-mail is that every e-mail is
recorded electronically. If you forget what your boss said one
year ago, you can check the e-mail archive. Also, every e-mail

AEC111-C02 Page 45
has a time and a date stamp, so you know exactly when things
happened, which is important in business.
Before you start to write an e-mail, there are many things you
need to think about:
 What is the purpose of the e-mail? The purpose can be
included in the title section of your e-mail. What do you
want your reader to know? For example, are you inviting
someone to something? Are you requesting information?
For example, suppose you need some documents. The
purpose is to receive documents. The subject line could
include those important words: Need Documents.
 Who is going to read your e-mail? Knowing who will
read your e-mail determines what kind of language you
will use. For example, if you are going to write an e-mail
to your friend, you can use more informal language.
However, if you are going to write an e-mail to your
manager or boss, your e-mail should include formal
language. Suppose you want to ask your colleague for
lunch. You can use informal language: “Wanna go to
lunch at 2pm?” If you are talking to your manager/boss,
your language should be more formal. Imagine that you
are informing your boss about your project. You can say:
“Good morning sir. I want to update you on a project my
team is working on.” Notice the different language. For
more examples of formal vs. informal language, look at
the links after this section.
Think of all the people you need to read your e-mail. Put those
e-mails in the “to” section. Do not include people who do not
need to read the e-mail. You do not want to waste their time.
Think of the people who need to read the e-mail only.
It is important to keep your boss, manager and team leader
informed even if they aren’t involved in your business projects.
If you want to keep people informed of e-mail messages, you can

AEC111-C02 Page 46
send them copies called carbon copies. A carbon copy is seen as
Cc. On the right side of the “to” box, you will see “Cc” and “BCc.”
The Cc field is good to keep people informed only. These people
are not directly involved in your e-mail messages but need to
keep them informed. You should always inform your boss,
manager, or team leader of your messages if the e-mail is about
work. You do not need to inform your boss that you are having
lunch with a co-worker but you need to inform your boss if you
are having a team meeting.
After you understand why you are writing an e-mail, you are
ready to start writing! An e-mail is composed of four sections:
the subject line, the opening sentence, the supporting details,
and the conclusion. Let us look at each section in more detail.

The subject line is very important because it is the first thing

people will see. What is the basic message you want to send to
your reader? Do you need documents? Put these words in the
subject line: “Need Documents.” If you need to schedule a
meeting, put these words in the subject line: “Schedule
Meeting.” Put the important words in the subject line. The
subject line does not include a full sentence; it only has the most
important words. The words you use in the subject line should
be very direct and specific. Look at this chart. The top line has

AEC111-C02 Page 47
titles that are not specific. The bottom line has titles that are
more specific.

Bad Subject “Important” “Problems” “Meetings”

Lines

Good subject “New Rules: “Problem with “Meeting

lines Important” the project” Monday at 8 am”

After you have decided an appropriate title, you are ready for
the first sentence of your e-mail. This is called the opening
sentence. The first sentence needs to include your main idea.
What is a main idea? A main idea is exactly what you are trying
to say. The first sentence is a full sentence that says th e same
thing as the subject line. If your subject line is “Meeting Monday
at 8 am” then your opening sentence could be: “All employees
must report to the meeting room Monday at 8 am.” Also
remember to add a warm-up sentence like: “I hope this e-mail
finds you in the best of health and spirits” or “Thank you very
much for sending…”
Remember that before you write your first sentence, you need to
choose a greeting. This is called a salutation. A good formal
salutation is: “Dear Mr./Ms.__(last name)____.” Mr. is for men
and Ms. is for women. If your message is to a group of people,
you can say: “Dear Marketing Department,” (or the name of the
department). Another general greeting is “Greetings.”
After your first sentence, you are ready to give support. This is
called “The Message Body.” Remember the table and the chairs?
The top of the table is your subject line/opening sentence. The
legs of the table are the reasons, the details, and the support.
In your message body, you need to remember some things:
 Keep your sentences short. The sentences should not be
too long, or your reader might get confused. In business,
the shorter, the better.

AEC111-C02 Page 48
  Separate your ideas in different paragraphs. Do you
remember that we talked about how to separate ideas
into different paragraphs? Separate your ideas. If your
e-mail needs two things, write them in separate
paragraphs. If you need to schedule a meeting and get
some documents, put the information about the meeting
in one paragraph and the documents in another
paragraph. If your reader has to read your e-mail more
than two times to understand it, then you have not done
a good job of saying what you want to say. Remember,
shorter is better.
Subject Line &
Opening Sentence &
Closing Statement

Message
body /
details /
support

The last section of an e-mail is called the closing statement. This

is the last thing your reader will remember. The closing
statement should include your main idea again using different
words. One good technique to use for your closing statement is
to include a request. If you need some documents, you can say:
“Please give the documents by September 20 th ” as your closing
statement. If your last sentence does not make a request, it is
not an effective closing statement.
You can end your e-mail with: “With respect, __(your
name)_______” or “Sincerely, ____(your name)______” or
“cheers, ___(your name)_______.”

AEC111-C02 Page 49
Include your first and last name, your phone number, your
school or company name and your e-mail so the person knows
how to get in contact with you.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES 01
 Reflection: Have you ever written an e-mail? To whom?
What did you need? What was your subject line. Locate the
e-mail and see if you have a good subject line, a good first
sentence, a good body, and a nice closing statement.
 Experiment: Try writing an e-mail to your friend or family
member. Use the techniques to have a good subject line,
opening sentence, body, and closing statement.

SELF-TEST 01
1. When you write an e-mail, what is the first thing you should
do?
a. Know the purpose (why you are writing the email)
b. Send a test (practice) message to your colleague
before you send the official email
c. Wait until you have strong feelings/emotions and
then send the email
d. All of the above
2. In this list, which one is the best subject for an email
message?
a. Questions
b. Re:
c. This is a private message
d. Meeting Friday at 10 am

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 01

9. Why is it important to have a good subject line?

AEC111-C02 Page 50
10. Why is it important to say your main idea in the opening
sentence and again in the closing statement?

03-02: CONSTRUCTING PROFESSIONAL MEMOS

A memo is a written document that delivers important
information inside a company. Memos are not as common as e -
mails, but it is important to know what they are. Memos are
good if you need written proof or evidence of something. Think
of a memo as a professional e-mail that has been printed. It has
all the same information as an e-mail but it is in the form of a
letter. Also, memos are only intended for people inside a
company, not outside.

Usually, memos are typed on special paper. This is called letter

head. The letterhead is special paper from your company with
the company logo. You should write the word “Memo” or
“Memorandum” at the top so that people know it is a memo.

AEC111-C02 Page 51
The first information a memo has on the paper is called a
header. A header is special information about the document. It
is usually of four lines and includes this information: the date in
long form, who the memo is for, who the memo is from and the
subject of the memo. The subject can be written in the form of
“Re” which means you are responding to something. The date
should be spelled out in a long form which means you spell out
the month but can include the number digits for the date and
the year. The “to” field should include the full name of the
person you are addressing. If you are addressing a full group of
people, you can write “The IT department” or “The Human
Resources Department” or “All Employees.” At the end of the
salutation, instead of signing at the bottom, all you need to do is
put your initials next to the “From” section.
Here is an example of a header:
To: Pratik Deshmukh
From: Michelle Jacobson (MJ in signature)
Date: September 6, 2016
Re: About your job interview

LEARNING ACTIVITIES 02
 Reflection: Have you ever written a letter to someone? What
is the same about the letter and a professional memo? What
is different?

SELF-TEST 02
3. In this list, which one is not part of a formal memo?

AEC111-C02 Page 52
 a. Header (top part)
b. Salutation (greeting)
c. Subject line
d. Names of people who will receive the memo
4. Memos are different from e-mails. You should send memos
only to:
a. Customers
b. People who do not like to receive e-mails
c. Clients
d. Other people who work in your company

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 02

11. What is the difference between a professional e-mail and a
professional memo? What is the same?
12. Why is it important to keep your memo short?

03-03: WRITING REQUEST MESSAGES

At the workplace, you need to ask people for things. One way to
do that is to write an e-mail requesting information. You might
need to ask someone about a meeting, a project, or to send you
something. You need to learn how to request something in a
professional way.
The first thing to remember is to be polite and direct. That
means to ask your question right away after your greeting. You
should ask your request in the first two sentences. For example,
if you need documents, you can say: “Hi Mr. Ugale. Please send
the documents by Monday. Thank you.”
The second thing to remember is this word: “why.” Knowing why
you are writing the request is important. What are you asking?
What is your purpose? If you want people to respond, you need

AEC111-C02 Page 53
to make your request. The easiest way to make multiple (many)
requests is to include a bulleted list. You can use this example:
 Request #1
 Request #2
 Request #3
You should always include a deadline in your request so the
person knows when your request is needed. If people do not
have a deadline, they might take a lot of time to give you what
you need. A deadline is very important if you want your request
to be granted. Try to be realistic. Do not request something
within twenty four hours if the person would really need a week.
Try to think about how long it will take to fulfill the request and
give the person an appropriate amount of time to fulfill the
request.
Lastly, it is important to be polite. When you request something,
it is easy to be viewed as rude or aggressive. When making a
request, be direct but use words like “please” and “thank you.”
You can use expressions like “I would appreciate it if you
could….”

LEARNING ACTIVITIES 03
 Reflection: Have you ever asked a friend or family member
for something? How did you convince them to fulfill your
request? Did they give you what you needed? Were you
polite when you made the request?
 Experiment: Try asking a stranger for something, like the
time or for a pen to write something down. Was it hard to
talk to a stranger? What language did you use?

SELF-TEST 03
5. What is the function of a request message?
a. To answer a question

AEC111-C02 Page 54
 b. To ask for information
c. To avoid personal contact
d. To say “no” to a request
6. What is the best way to start a request message?
a. Make the request in the first sentence
b. Apologize
c. Start with a greeting
d. Ask the reader to take action

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 03

13. Why is it important to be polite when making a request?
14. When making a request, should you be direct or indirect?
Why?

03-04: WRITING RESPONSE MESSAGES

A response message is a response to a request. When someone in
your company requests something and has a deadline, you
should respond to the message. Most request and response
messages happen in e-mail. Here are some tips for making a
response message in a professional way.
When you respond to someone through an e-mail, you should
click on the “respond” button. The subject line in the e-mail will
put a “re” before the subject. “Re” means “reply.” You are
replying to the original message.
In business, time is money. What it means is that you should not
waste time. When you write a response, you should not waste
time by repeating the original request. Start your e-mail
response by responding to the request. Do not repeat the
question.

AEC111-C02 Page 55
When responding, be positive. The other person should know
that you are happy fulfilling the request. Use expressions such
as: “I am happy to do this,” “I am happy to fulfill your request”
or “As you requested, I am happy to help you.”
Make sure you respond to every request in the original message.
It is important to answer all questions so that nothing is lost.
You can refer to the original e-mail if you forgot what the person
requested. Here is an example request and response message.
Pay attention to the highlighted parts.
Here is a sample e-mail request:
Subject: Vacation Package Options
To Happy Traveling Travel Agency:
I would like to request some vacation package ideas
for my family. We would like to spend only 34,000
Rupees for the package and are available May 15-
May 30. Thank you for finding available packages in
our budget.
-Gaurav
Here is the response to that request:
Subject: Re: Vacation Package Options
Gaurav:
Thank for you for request for the vacation packages.
Here are some package options available for you to
purchase with our agency within your budget and
timeline:
 Latin America cruise tour-30,000 rs
 Alaska wilderness camping- 32,000 rs
 European bus tour-34,000 rs

AEC111-C02 Page 56
 If you require any further help, please let us
know.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES 04
 Experiment: Look in your e-mail. Is there any e-mail that
requires a response? If yes, respond to it in a professional
way.

SELF-TEST 04
7. What is a good thing to do when writing response messages
in e-mail?
a. Always use the “Reply to All” button
b. Put your initials next to your name
c. Put your manager’s e-mail in the Cc line
d. Include the original subject in the reply
8. Scenario: You are working for a company and you receive an
e-mail that you do not have the information the person is
requesting. What should you do?
a. Wait for one week until you can properly respond
with correct information
b. Respond within twenty four hours saying you will be
delayed in your response until you can get more
information
c. Respond within twenty four hours with only half the
information the person requested
d. Respond within twenty four hours saying that the
person in the Cc field can properly answer his/her
request

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 04

15. When writing a response message, is it important to be
direct or not? Why?

AEC111-C02 Page 57
16. When responding, why is it important to respond to every
part of the original message?

SUMMARY
E-mails are an important part of any business life as well as in
your personal life. This section covered the basics of how to
write a professional e-mail, how to request something at work in
a professional way, and how to respond. Learning the skills in
using e-mails in a professional way will make work easier for
you.

KEY WORDS
 Verify= to prove, show, find out, or state if something is
correct or not
 Clarify= to make something easier to understand

REFERENCES
YOUTUBE VIDEOS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhMt-KYSlDA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHWM1AwgPWA

WIKIPEDIA
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memo

OER
http://www.gcflearnfree.org/email101/
http://www.gcflearnfree.org/beyondemail/direct-messages/1/

BOOKS
“Writing Effective Email” by Nancy Flynn & Tom Flynn

COURSE COMPANION WEBSITE

Visit Here for Course Companion website for this course:

AEC111-C02 Page 58
UNIT 02-04: DEVELOPING REPORTS AND
PROPOSALS
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After successful completion of this unit, you will be able to
 Explain the main uses of reports and proposals
 Compare and Contrast a report with a proposal
 Recall the basic parts of a report or a proposal in the
order or sequence

INTRODUCTION

Now it is time to learn how to put your writing skills into good
use! Have you ever heard the terms “report” and “proposal”?
Has your teacher ever asked you to write a report for your
school? You must have written a project report or a report of
some activity conducted by you in the school. In the business
world, reports and proposals are very common. It is very
important for you to learn the basics of reports and proposals.
After you have mastered writing sentences and paragraphs, you
are ready for reports and proposals. In summary, reports and
proposals tell information about a specific topic and
address/answer questions people might have about a project or
business idea.

AEC111-C02 Page 59
04-01: UNDERSTANDING REPORTS AND PROPOSALS
Proposals are written at the beginning of a project. For example,
if your engineering department is making a new design for a cell
phone, it will need to write a proposal for the manager/boss.
Think of a proposal as a written request form to get permission.
It is a long document that includes a lot of information that
answers potential questions from business partners. The
purpose of a proposal is to convince the business partners or
manager to accept your idea or project. You are going to include
any information they might need, including answers to their
potential questions.

Unlike proposals, reports are written at the end of a project and

include information about what the successes were and also the
things that did not work so well with the project or the idea.
Reports help business partners make future decisions to do
similar projects or to not do similar projects in the future. A
company might study the previous reports to know more. The
report will include the plan and the cost. It will also include any
recommendations for how to change the project in the future.

Proposal Project/Idea Report

/Solution

Internal or Informational
External or Analytical

AEC111-C02 Page 60
In the previous section, we talked about how to plan for writing.
Just as you plan before you write, you need to plan before you
write a proposal or a report. Here are some questions that you
must ask yourself:
1) What is the purpose of the report? Why do you want to
convince others to support your idea or project?
Is it important to know the purpose, so you should know which
style of writing to use. Are you updating people about a project?
Are you analyzing the solution to a problem? Are you persuading
others to support your project? Knowing the purpose helps you
shape what you will write.
2) Who is going to read your proposal? Someone inside the
company or outside the company?
This question is important to answer because it will change what
information you include in the proposal. If the proposal is for
someone inside the company, the report will focus on how to
change a process or procedure. It might include special
information about how to change a product. If the proposal is
for someone outside the company, the proposal will try to sell
products or services to a customer who requests for that
information.
3) Do you need to write a report or a proposal?
This question is also important because the reports and
proposals do different things.
 Proposals = written before the project starts to persuade
or convince others to support your project, idea, or
solution to something
 Internal proposal = a request from someone inside the
company to change a procedure or product
 External proposal = selling products to customers who
request for more information on a project

AEC111-C02 Page 61
  Reports = written after a project or idea is implemented.
The report give a summary of the good things and the
bad things that happened, the cost, recommendations,
and the conclusion
4) What information will be included in the report? Will you
write objective information or will you analyze the
information?
This information is important because there are two different
types of reports. Reports can be informational or analytical.
Informational reports = reports that share facts or objective
information. Objective means there is no emotion in the report.
There are no opinions or recommendations in this section.
Informational reports include objective summaries of what
happened in the project and provide answers to the questions:
who, what, when, where, why, how.
Analytical reports = reports that have data/numbers, your
analysis (the good and bad effects from the project), and a
conclusion (your final thoughts/recommendations). Analyze
means to talk in detail about something in order to understand
it.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES 01
 Reflection: Have you ever written a report for school? What
kind of information did it include? Did you include only
data/facts or did you include your opinions?
 Experiment: Imagine that you are working for a travel
agency. You want to send an external proposal to customers
who ask questions about India. Convince the customer why
they should travel to India. Include your reasons for coming
and the total cost for a fourteen day trip. You do not have to
write it down. Just give your reasons to your friend.

AEC111-C02 Page 62
SELF-TEST 01
1. What kind of document shows information in an objective
and clear way?
a. Electronic notes (notes taken from your computer)
b. Analytical Report
c. Informational Report
d. Interview
2. Which document gives different opinions, benefits,
disadvantages (negative results), and recommendations?
a. Analytical Report
b. Informational Report
c. Informational Proposal
d. Citation

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 01

1. What is the difference between an informational report and
an analytical report?
2. What is the difference between an internal proposal and an
external proposal?

04-02: PLANNING A REPORT OR PROPOSAL

Now that you have a basic understanding of reports and
proposals, are you ready to learn more? For example, do you
know how to structure the report or proposal? This section will
talk about the organization of the proposal and report.
The first thing to think about is how you want to organize the
report or proposal. Would you like to organize the ideas
together by time? Time is the order of when something
happened, usually from beginning to end. You can also organize
the ideas together by importance. This means you can put the

AEC111-C02 Page 63
more important information at the beginning and the less
important information at the end. Another way to organize the
report is by categories, or groups of similar information. For
example, maybe one category is products and another category
is data. Start asking yourself how you will organize the
information. You can do this easily by making an outline.
Here are a few examples of how to organize a report or proposal:

Purpose: to give information Purpose: to give information

about tours by Happy about the new products to
Travels Travel Company internal employees of
Technology XYZ
I: Introduction
1: Introduction
A: Background
A: Overview
II: Facts/Data
B: Background
A: Travel costs
2: Cell phone products
B: Travel activities A: Material
III: National Tours B: Cost
IV: International Tours 3: Conclusion
A: Pros (+)

Headings B: Cons (-)

As you can see from the outlines, you need to know your
purpose. What are you trying to accomplish with the proposal or
report? If you do not know your purpose, it will be very difficult
to write the report or proposal. Remember, the purpose could be
to inform, update, analyze, or persuade. Most proposals and
reports are written to inform the company of a solution to a
problem.
Each heading has some information that is useful for the report
or proposal. You can see that we have included facts, data, and
other useful information. Some other things you should include
in your report/proposal are: introduction, background, current

AEC111-C02 Page 64
situation, facts, possible solutions, summary of main points,
conclusion of opinions, recommendations, the benefits and
drawbacks (+/-), reference list, and appendices (references for
more information).
After you have made your outline, you are ready to write the
report and proposal. Usually, the headings will become your
paragraphs. For example, in the examples above, you can see
that the headings on the left outline are: introduction,
facts/data, national tours and international tours. So, the
paragraphs will be the introduction paragraph, the paragraphs
about the facts and date, the paragraph about the national tours,
and the paragraph about the international tours.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES 02
 Experiment: You are a team leader of a technology company.
Try writing an outline for a proposal for a new technology
product that your team wants to design. What information
will you include in your outline?
 Reflection: Have you ever written a report/proposal outline
for a school essay? Did the outline help you to write the
paper?

SELF-TEST 02
3. From your outline, what do headings turn into?
a. Main ideas
b. Topic Sentences
c. The start of the new paragraph
d. All of the above
4. Which of the following is not a section of a report/proposal
outline?
a. Background

AEC111-C02 Page 65
 b. Possible Solutions
c. Recommendations
d. Information about the company

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 02

3. Why is it important to talk about both the pros (the positive
things) and the cons (the negative things) in a proposal or
report?
4. Why is it important to make a plan before you start writing
a proposal or report?

04-03: WRITING REPORTS AND PROPOSALS

Reports and proposals are made from paragraphs. Typically, the
report or proposal has three sections: the beginning, the middle,
and the end. Let us talk about each section.
The first section or paragraph is the beginning. The sections
that need to be included in the beginning are: the title page, the
table of contents, the summary, and the
background/introduction.
The title page is the first page of any report/proposal. The title
should include the main idea. Choose a font that looks very
appealing and/or attractive. You should include your name and
your company as well as the date.

AEC111-C02 Page 66
After seeing the title page, the table of contents is the list of
where to find all the sections. From your outline, you can use
the headings to make the table of contents. For example: if your
outline headings are the introduction, facts/data, national tours
and international tours, those are included in the table of
contents. You need to put the page number that that content
starts on. The table of contents should be the last thing you
write because in the editing process, the page numbers change
all the time. After the report/proposal is written, you can write
the table of contents.

Table of Contents
Introduction………………………….pg. 3
Facts/Data…………………………….pg. 4
National Tours………………………pg. 6
International Tours………………pg. 9

Do you remember what we learned about how to make

summaries? Summaries are short and sweet and include only
the most important information from the full report. The
summary is one paragraph that shares the main points of the
report/proposal. It may also include the most important
observations, problems, and conclusions in a short version. If a
person is busy, he/she may only read the summary. A summary
is like the first impression that a person has of the report. It is
the first official paragraph he/she reads and it may be the only
paragraph he/she reads if the person is busy.
The first section also includes the introduction or the
background. This is a paragraph that helps the reader
understand why you are writing the report/proposal. The
introduction can also talk about the current situation that your
company is facing, the current problem, and the proposed

AEC111-C02 Page 67
solution to the problem. The introduction helps the reader
understand the problem so he/she is ready to read the middle
section of the report/proposal. For example, suppose your travel
company is losing money and you want to write a proposal to
increase the number of tours your agency provides. You might
include in the introduction the money your company is losing,
the problem of failing business, and give the solution to offer
more tours. The introduction does not have to give too many
details; the middle section will include the specific details.
After the title, the summary (shorter), and the introduction
(shorter), the author is ready to write the middle section of
the report and proposal. The body of the proposal includes most
of the information and there is usually more than one paragraph
in the middle section. Think of the summary and introduction as
the appetizers or snacks. The body is the main meal. This is
where you give the examples, details, alternatives, and
recommendations with full force. You can add charts and graphs
in this section as well. You are going to give details of each
section of your table of contents. You should have more than
one body paragraph. Each body paragraph should explain
different concepts. In the example above, one paragraph is the
facts/data, another paragraph is national tours, and the last
body paragraph is the international tours. When you write your
body, you should make reference to the information. In other
words, you should include the reference or the source of the
information. It will make reference to your sources that will be
in the last section of your proposal or report. The last section to
be included in the body is the conclusion. In your conclusion,
you summarize all your main points again and include your
recommendations of what to do next. Your reader is also likely
to remember the concluding paragraph, so make sure all the
main points are included in the conclusion.
The last section of your project or proposal is like the dessert
or the curd. This section includes the full reference list and the

AEC111-C02 Page 68
appendix. The appendix is extra information about something
connected to your report. The information might be too much
for the body of your report. So, instead of explaining it, you are
going to put a link in your appendix. This could be a book title
or a website link. If the readers want to learn more, they can go
to the appendix.
Here is an example of an example reference list:

Reference List
Deshmukh, Gaurav (14 March, 2013). How to Sell in a
Risky Market. Business Market World, 20-22.
Pawar, J. (2001). How to Get Clients. Retrieved September
15, 2016. http://businessesinreview.com

LEARNING ACTIVITIES 03
 Experiment: Practice writing a summary of anything you
like. Think of a good movie you saw. Can you write a 4 -5
sentence summary of the most important parts of that
movie? This practice will help you write summaries for
reports.
 Experiment: Think of any statement (like: Indians love
festivals). Can you support your statement with evidence?
Making use of the evidence helps you to write better reports.

SELF-TEST 03
5. What is the purpose/function of a proposal?
a. Give details of what a company wants
b. Avoid taking someone else’s ideas
c. Make friends with a future customer

AEC111-C02 Page 69
 d. Encourage/persuade people to try your product,
service, or idea
6. What kind of information should you include in the
introduction of a report?
a. References
b. A summary of the report
c. The purpose/function of the report
d. The author

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 03

5. Why is a summary important in the report/proposal?
6. Why is it important to share your recommendations for
solving a problem in a proposal or a report?

SUMMARY
This section covered the basics of report and proposal writing,
which are basic skills needed for the workplace. Understanding
the purpose of writing helps you write better reports and
proposals. Any skill you learn in writing at school will help you
become a better writer at work as well.

KEY WORDS
 Analyze= to study something closely
 To inform= to tell someone about something in an
objective way
 Objective= facts/data. No opinions
 Persuade= to convince someone/ to change their
opinions to support you
 Analyze= to look at something closely
 Recommend= to give an opinion/suggestion

AEC111-C02 Page 70
  Informational report= a report that presents
information in an objective way, free from personal
opinion. Facts only.
 Analytical report= a report in which the data is studied
and analyzed. Author includes a conclusion, discusses
pros (good things) and cons (bad things) from the
decision, gives alternative options, and gives
recommendations
 Pros= the good things about something; the positive
benefits
 Cons= the bad things about something; the negative
consequences
 Internal Proposals= proposals only for people inside a
company that discuss how to solve problems and gives
recommendations
 External Proposals= proposals only for people outside a
company. External proposals are advertisements in
detail about a product meant to persuade potential
customers who request information
 Reference List= a list of information about where you
found information
 Appendix= a section of extra information added at the
end of a book

REFERENCES
MOOC S
https://www.coursera.org/learn/writing-for-business

YOUTUBE VIDEOS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7tU3tKfjsE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTBwOMfh-_Q

AEC111-C02 Page 71
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbDASy8IUrA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFGNKJruxdg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbt6DlRboY8

WIKIPEDIA
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proposal_(business)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Report

OER
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/05/

BOOKS
“How to Write Reports and Proposals: Creating Success” by
Patrick Forsyth

COURSE COMPANION WEBSITE

Visit Here for Course Companion website for this course:

AEC111-C02 Page 72
UNIT 02-05: WRITING FOR EMPLOYMENT
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After successful completion of this unit, you will be able to
 Outline the major parts of a cover letter
 Outline the main parts of a resume
 List and define the different types of resumes
 Explain the need and use of reference letters
 Compare the different forms of sending follow-up
messages for the future use
 Use the techniques for formally accepting or rejecting
job offers in your life

INTRODUCTION

Many of you will be looking for a job at least once in your life,
maybe more than once. There are specific things that require
writing skills related to the job search. These are cover letters,
resumes, reference letters, and follow-up messages. All of these
have two things in common: employment and writing skills.

05-01: WRITING EFFECTIVE COVER LETTERS

Have you heard of a cover letter? A cover letter is also called as
“covering letter” in British English. A cover letter is a letter of

AEC111-C02 Page 73
interest sent to a company by a person who is interested in
applying for a job. Usually, you send your cover letter along with
your resume when you apply to the company for a job. A cover
letter is more personal than a resume. The purpose of a cover
letter is to tell the hiring manager which position you are
interested in, talk about your skills, and request an interview.
So, how do you write a cover letter? A cover letter has multiple
paragraphs. Like a memo, you will need a header. A header has
all the important information at the top. It will have the date
you are writing the letter, the complete name of the person who
is reading the letter, the job title of the person reading the
letter, and the address of the company you are applying for.
After the header, you need to start your letter with a greeting.
Many people make the mistake of not knowing who is reading
the letter, so they choose a standard greeting like “Dear
Sir/Madam.” These are general greetings that should be
avoided. Always know who you are writing to. You can put Mr.
for a man and Ms. for a woman + the last name of the person.
After their name, put a comma (,) or a colon (:).
Here are some examples:
Dear Mr. Deshmukh:
Dear Ms. Pawar,
Look at the colon or the comma.
The first paragraph of your cover letter should identify which
position you are applying for. This is important because a
company might have multiple jobs that they are filling, so
identifying the specific position is important. You should also
write how you found the job. Did you find it in the newspaper, a
specific website, or from a friend?
The second paragraph of your cover letter should talk about all
your skills that match the job. You should limit your skills to 3 -5

AEC111-C02 Page 74
only. Any more than 5 will be too much to talk about. What are
you good at or what have you done that relates to the job? All
the skills you mention in your cover letter should also be in your
resume. You want the hiring manager to choose you, so choose
only those skills that are good examples of what the job
requires. For example, if you know the job requires bilingual
skills as well as computer skills, you should talk about e xamples
of how you use those skills. A cover letter talks about these
skills in more detail than your resume. A resume may list your
skills but a cover letter describes them.
The last paragraph of your cover letter is about the next steps,
or the future. You are going to tell the hiring manager what you
want to happen next. If you would like the hiring manager to
follow-up with you in a week or if you would like to have a job
interview, you need to say what you want. You also thank the
hiring manager for taking the time to read your cover letter.
Here is an example cover letter:
4 May, 2015
Global Business Partners
Delhi, India
Dear Mr. Patak:
At the suggestion of Pratik from your office in
Delhi, I am writing to see if your company can use the
services of an administration assistant. I have 2.5
years of experience in the business industry and have
the education and experience required for your
company. I am also sending you my resume. Please
contact me for a meeting by next week. Looking
forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely, Jai Shrindar

AEC111-C02 Page 75
If you do not receive a response in two weeks, send your cover
letter again. The hiring manager will be happy that you took the
time to send it again and it shows you are interested. Make sure
your e-mail or phone number is included in your cover letter so
that the hiring manager can contact you. If you send your
resume with the cover letter, the resume has all your important
contact information.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES 01
 Reflection: Have you had to talk about yourself to another
person? For example, have you had to promote yourself?
Have you ever talked about your skills to a teacher or
anyone else?

SELF-TEST 01
1. What should you send with your cover letter?
a. Another letter
b. Resume
c. List of references
d. A formal acceptance
2. 28) Which of the following is a good way to end a cover
letter?
a. Suggest a time to have a phone call
b. Request an interview/meeting
c. Put your university date of graduation
d. Describe your skills (what you are good at)

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 01

1. What is the definition of a cover letter?
2. Is it important to use professional language when writing a
cover letter? Why or why not?

AEC111-C02 Page 76
05-02: WRITING RESUMES
A resume is the first thing a hiring manager will see, even before
your cover letter. A resume is usually 1-2 pages long which
includes your education, job history, skills and
accomplishments. You will have to write and rewrite your
resume many times because this document needs to have the
correct words and have good grammar and spelling. Resumes
can have different formats. Let us know about the different
sections you must have in your resume.
The first part of your resume is the heading. The heading is what
is at the top of the resume. Just like a memo or a cover letter, a
heading has the most important information at the top. For a
resume, the heading has your full name, address, e-mail and
phone number. The purpose of a heading is to help the
employers to contact you if they need anything or if they want to
offer you the job. The heading can have different formats. Some
people put it centered in the middle of the page. Some people
put it on the left side. Look at a few examples on Google images
and choose a format that is good for you. Here is an example
heading:
Ganesh Pawar
4456 Gangapur Road
Nashik, Maharashtra, India
938-584-4884
ganeshpawar@gmail.com
After the heading, the hiring manager will read the objective.
The objective is a summary of your most useful skills and how
they apply to the job. As there are many people applying for this
job, the objective will help the hiring manager see what special
skills you have that apply to the job position. The objective is

AEC111-C02 Page 77
usually one sentence or a list with bullet points of your most
important skills. Here is an example objective:
Apply my communication, teamwork, language, and computer
skills for a career in the hotel management industry.
 Bilingual in Marathi and English
 Excellent teamwork skills in working with hotel
employees for 5 years
 Proficient in Microsoft Word
After the heading, you should write your job history. The
employment history will use most of the space in your resume.
When you write a resume, you do not need to include every job
you have had. Only list the jobs that are the most important to
the job you are applying for. In other words, only list the jobs
that are related to or help you in the job you are applying for.
For example, if you are applying for a business job, do not list
the jobs you had at the supermarket or the jewelry shop if the
skills you learned there do not apply to the job you are applying
for. However, if the job responsibilities or the skills learned
apply to the future job, put it on your resume. Also, list the most
recent job first and go in chronological order in reverse. The job
section should include the job title, the company name, the
dates you worked at that job, and the major job responsibilities
you had at that job. When you write the job responsibilities, it is
important to use action verbs to start the sentence. The actio n
verbs are highlighted in this section. The employment section
can have different formats, so find the format that works for
you. Here is one example of what to include in this section:
Employment History:
Happy Travel Travel Industry
Nashik, Maharashtra, India
Administrative Assistant

AEC111-C02 Page 78
 2003-2005
 Answered phones
 Managed email account
 Organized meetings
You should also list your education. If you have finished your
PhD or masters degree, you should also list your bachelor’s
degree. However, if you do not have your bachelor’s degree yet,
you can list your secondary school or junior college. If you only
have your bachelor’s degree, just list that and not your
secondary school. Here is a chart to help you remember:

If you A high school A bachelor’s A masters A PhD

have… diploma degree degree

Then list on Your Your Your masters Your PhD,

your secondary bachelor’s & bachelor’s masters, &
resume… education & degree (in that bachelor’s
junior order) (in that
college order)

Just like the employment history, you should include your most
recent education first. The education should include the school
name, the city, state, and country of the school, and the year you
graduated. If you are currently still a student, you can write
“current.” Here is an example of an education you can list:
Education:
B.SC in Computer Science
2000-2002
YCMOU –Nashik, Maharashtra, India
Last but not least, you should write other skills you have that
relate to the job that you did not write in the objective section.
Some examples of skills you use for everyday jobs are: computer

AEC111-C02 Page 79
skills and language skills. You may have won some awards from
your previous jobs or at your school that you can include here.
This shows you are valuable in other areas.
Skills/awards:
 Trilingual in Marathi, Hindi, English
 “Best Employee of the Month” award November 2003
There are two types of resumes that you need to know about.
The two types of resumes are: chronological and functional.
Chronological resumes are chronological. This means that they
focus on the date. Everything in a chronological resume starts
with the most recent date and ends with the least recent date.
For example, if you have three jobs listed in your chronological
resume, can you list them in chronological order? One job was
from 2003-2005, the other job from 2005-2009, and the last job
2014-2016. Look at the ending date, not the beginning date, and
put them in chronological order. The chronological order of
these dates would be: 2014-2016, 2005-2009, and 2003-2005.
Remember, the most recent dates are first.
Functional resumes are a little different from chronological
resumes. Functional resumes focus on your skills instead of your
work history. This type of resume is good for anyone who does
not have a lot of work history but has a lot of skills. In this type
of resume, the work history is still listed, but at the bottom of
the resume. The resume will list specific skills that you have
acquired in school, at volunteer projects, hobbies, or jobs.
Think of three to five skills you have. These could be language
skills, customer relation skills, organization skills, management
skills, etc. After that, list every experience you can think of
where you did something related to that skill. Remember, you
have experience from your school, your volunteer projects, and
your past jobs.

AEC111-C02 Page 80
In general, there are some important things to remember when
writing any resume:
 Spelling and grammar are important. Check these before
you give it to an employer
 There are different formats to use with any resume.
Choose a format that you like
 Look at examples of resumes online to see the variety
 Start each sentence in the job history section and in the
skills section with an action verb. A list of action verbs
has been provided at the end of this section.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES 02
 Reflection: If you are a student, think of some valuable
projects you have worked on. What are some skills you
learned that you could include in a functional resume?
 Experiment: Go to Google and search for functional and
chronological resumes to see the different formats. Think
about which format you like the best.

SELF-TEST 02
3. What is the definition of a resume?
a. A long document (at least 3-5 pages) with no
structure or format that includes your talents and
goals
b. A formatted summary of your education,
employment history, skills and accomplishments
c. A specific list of all your education
d. A formal report for your boss/manager

4. Scenario: You have completed your master’s program at the

age of 24. You do not have a lot of work experience but you

AEC111-C02 Page 81
 have a lot of educational and volunteer experience. Which
type of resume is best for you?
a. Chronological
b. Functional

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 02

3. How is a functional resume different from a chronological
resume?
4. In a chronological resume, what are the sections required?

05-03: REFERENCE LETTERS

When you apply for a job, you give you resume and cover letter
to the hiring manager during your interview. The other thing
you need to bring is a list of three references. References are
people and who know you in your academic or professional life
who can talk about your character. References cannot be family
members. References are usually professors, teachers,
supervisors, team leaders, or colleagues/co-workers.
When you apply for a job, you need to think about people in
your life who can talk about how you are a good fit for that job
specifically. A reference is a person who promotes you. So,
choose your references carefully.
When you go for your job interview, have a piece of paper ready
with this information:
Reference #1: Full name
Job position and company name
Relation to you
How long you have known that person
Example:
Renu Joshi
Happy Travels Travel Agency
Co-worker- 5 years

AEC111-C02 Page 82
References might be required at one of two times: either during
your job interview or on the job application. Have the
information of three references with you at all times so you are
prepared.
Make sure to ask your references ahead of time that you would
like to use them.
The hiring manager might ask for your reference information.
The hiring manager will either call or e-mail the reference.
Sometimes, the references need to provide a formal reference
letter. Sometimes, a reference only needs to have a phone call
with a hiring manager.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES 03
 Reflection: Do you know three people in your professional
or academic life who can speak positively about you?

SELF-TEST 03
5. Who should you not ask for a letter of reference?
a. A person who used to live in your neighborhood/city
b. Someone you used to work for
c. University professor
d. Supervisor
6. 32) What should you tell your references?
a. Which job you are applying for and the company
b. A thank you letter or e-mail after they have finished
providing the reference
c. The status of your job-if you receive or don’t receive
the job
d. All of the above

AEC111-C02 Page 83
SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 03
5. Who is a reference person?
6. Why is it a good idea to have three references?

05-04: SENDING FOLLOW -UP MESSAGES

Many times after you fill up a job application or have a job
interview, you do not hear from a company. Did the company
forget about you? In these cases, it is OK to follow up. Follow up
means to inquire or ask again. Let us talk about what you should
do when you do not hear anything from a company after you
send in an application, after you have a job interview, and even
after you receive a rejection.
Many times, people apply for jobs online and never hear back
from the company. Those people do not always send follow -up
messages. Sending follow-up messages can be a great thing if
you do it in a professional way.

First, wait for two weeks after you send in a job application to
follow up. Many times, companies are busy receiving many
applications that they do not respond right away. That is why it
is important to wait for two weeks until you write the company
again. When you send a follow-up message, you can either call
or e-mail the company. The purpose of this follow-up message
is:
 To show you are still interested in the company

AEC111-C02 Page 84
  To repeat your skills and experience that apply to the
job
 Ask politely for a job interview
Try to remain positive in this foll0w-up message. Many times,
people are so negative and feeling sad that the company did not
respond right away. Always be positive and professional. Here is
an example of a response message to a job application:

You can also foll0w-up after having a job interview. If you have
made it to the interview stage, then congratulations! It will be
very important to do some things after a job interview. One
thing you need to do is to send a thank you. You can send a
thank you through an e-mail or through a note that you send in
the mail. Send the note within twenty four hours of having the
job interview. The purpose of the follow-up note is to:
 Show you are happy for the interview, even if it did not
go well
 Write a summary of the main ideas you discussed in the
job interview
 Briefly say why you are the best choice

AEC111-C02 Page 85
Here is an example of a thank you follow-up after a job
interview:

It is important to be always professional even if your interview

did not go well. Even after a bad interview, send a note to
foll0w-up to show that you are a professional person.
The last way to follow-up is after you get a rejection. Sometimes,
when you apply for a job and have a job interview, you will
receive a letter that either says you received the job or did not
receive the job. If the company has enough time, they will send
you a rejection letter. If you receive one of those, do not think it
is the end. Sometimes, there are chances for other
opportunities.
So, what should you do when you receive a rejection letter? Do
not panic. Many times, people think the door is closed and that
there are no other opportunities. They get depressed and give up
hope. There still might be other opportunities if the first choice
candidate does not accept the job. If that is the situation, the
company still might hire you for the position.

AEC111-C02 Page 86
One nice and important thing to do after you get a rejection
letter is to send a nice letter or e-mail to the company telling
them you are still interested in other opportunities that the
company has to offer. This shows the company that you are still
dedicated to and interested in the company.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES 04
 Reflection: Have you ever been rejected for anything? (Even
not related to school or work). How did you feel? How can
you help turn the negative feelings into positive feelings?
 Reflection: Have you ever written a thank you note? When?
To whom?

SELF-TEST 04
7. What should you not do (to the company) after you send a
job application?
a. Show how angry you are that the company took a
long time to respond to you
b. Say that you are still interested in the position
c. Request an interview
d. Describe your skills
8. Which of the following types of communication should you
not use after a job interview?
a. A personalized letter
b. A formal e-mail message
c. A text message from a cell phone

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 04

7. Why should you follow up with a company you are
interested in, even if you have a bad job interview or receive
a rejection letter?

AEC111-C02 Page 87
8. What should you do after a job interview?

05-05: ACCEPTING OR REJECTING JOB OFFERS

Imagine you are just offered a job. Your first instinct is to accept
the offer because you are very excited. However, you need to
learn to think carefully about the job. Before you accept or reject
the offer, it will be important to think logically instead of
emotionally. Here are some suggestions on what to do after you
receive a job offer.
Think about the job in a logical way. Think about these
questions:
 How does the job fit your lifestyle? How many hours is
the job each week?
 What is the salary?
 What is the work environment like? How late do people
work? What time do people start work? What is the
expectation at work? What do people wear (what is the
dress code)?
 Is there opportunity for you to grow? Will there be
positions at the company that allow you to take once you
get experience?
 Who will your manager/boss be? Do you like that
person?
 Will you work individually or in teams most of the time?

AEC111-C02 Page 88
After thinking about these questions, and you still think this job
is the best opportunity for you, you are ready to accept the job.
The first thing you should do is to send a letter of acceptance.
When you write a letter, it shows the company that you
understand all the terms and conditions of the job.
In a formal job acceptance, the first sentences are a formal
acceptance of the job offer. Show you are excited for the job and
list the job title. Next, you will summarize what you learned
about the salary and the rules and conditions.
Here is an example:
Dear Mr. Ugale:
Thanks so much for offering me the position of a
secretary at Happy Travels Travel Company. I am very
excited to begin working.
I understand that the yearly salary is 40,000 and that
I will read the employee handbook for the rules. I also
understand that I will be provided medical and dental
insurance. If I have any questions, I will be sure to ask.
Thanks again!
-Michelle Jacobson

If you are not sure if you should accept or reject the job offer,
you can ask the company if they are flexible on anything. For
example, suppose you like the job position but you do not like
the weekend hours. Ask the company if they are flexible. You
can include this on a letter that you write to the company.

AEC111-C02 Page 89
If you are 100% sure that you do not want to accept the job, you
need to send a rejection letter. You usually reject an offer if the
job is not matching what you want for your professional life or if
the rules are not flexible. It is important to remain professional
because the company might consider you for other better offers
that fit your needs and wants. Always be positive. Here is an
example of a rejection letter you might send to a company.
Dear Mr. Ugale:
Thanks again for your offer to be a secretary at Happy
Travels Travel Company. After thinking about it, I am
going to formally reject the offer. I am hopeful that I
will find something the suits my needs at this moment.
Thank you again for the offer. Good luck.
-Michelle Jacobson

LEARNING ACTIVITIES 05
 Reflection: Have you ever had to reject an offer? For
example, has anyone asked you to do something and you had
to reject them? How did it feel? Did you wait some time
before you rejected their offer?
 Reflection: Do you usually make decisions using your brain
or using your heart? The brain represents logic and the
heart represents your emotions.

SELF-TEST 05
9. What is the goal of any job search?
a. Getting a job interview
b. Making contact with a hiring manager
c. Rejecting (say “no”) the job offers
d. Being offered a job

AEC111-C02 Page 90
10. When you write a formal acceptance letter, who should you
write it to?
a. The manager of the department
b. The person who gave you the job
c. The president/CEO of the company
d. The recruiter who found the job for you

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 05

9. Why is it important to think about the job environment,
salary, rules and conditions before making a decision?
10. What should you do if you do not agree with the terms and
conditions of a job offer?

SUMMARY
This section covered the tips on writing for employment. You
will have to learn how to write cover letters, resumes, reports,
proposals, rejection and acceptance letters and follow -up
messages.

KEY WORDS
 Hear back= to receive a response
 Former= in the past
 Reference= the person who knows about your
skills/education/job history
 Reference list= a typed list of three people (name/job
company/how you know them/how long you have known
them) to give to the hiring manager during your
interview
 Reference Letter Request= a formal letter you write
to your references to ask them to write a reference letter

AEC111-C02 Page 91
  Reference Letter= a formal letter your references
write about how they know you and the skills you have
that they have seen in the past
 Follow-up (verb)= to give information or show interest
in something again

REFERENCES
MOOC S
https://www.coursera.org/learn/how-to-write-a-resume
https://www.coursera.org/learn/resume-writing

YOUTUBE VIDEOS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hmUC9X8Ho4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7vEutR_n8A&spfreload=1
0

WIKIPEDIA
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cover_letter
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R%C3%A9sum%C3%A9

OER
http://www.gcflearnfree.org/coverletters/
http://www.gcflearnfree.org/resumewriting/
http://career.opcd.wfu.edu/files/2011/05/Action-Verbs-for-
Resumes.pdf

BOOKS
“Writing Cover Letters and Resumes for Dummies” by Kate
Southam and Amanda McCarthy

COURSE COMPANION WEBSITE

Visit Here for Course Companion website for this course:

AEC111-C02 Page 92
 Yashwantrao AEC111-C03
Chavan English
Maharashtra Open
Communication
University

Brief Contents
Credits
Vice Chancellor’s Message
Related Programmes
Course Syllabus
Credit 03
Unit 03-01: Identifying and Defining Problems .................... 11
Unit 03-02: Solving the Problem ........................................ 35
Unit 03-03: thinking critically ........................................... 55
Unit 03-04: Group decision making and problem solving .... 70
CREDITS
Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University
Vice-Chancellor: Dr E Vayunandan
School of Science and Technology
School Council (2014 – 2017)
01. Dr Manoj 02. Dr Sunanda 03. Mrs Chetana
Killedar More Kamlaskar
04. Dr Madhuri 05. Dr Madhavi 06. Dr Latika
Sonwane Dharankar Ajabani
07. Ram 08. Ar Vijay 09. Dr Narendra
Thakar Sohoni Deshmukh
10. Kiran 11. Mahesh 12. Dr Manoj
Garibe Bakshi Kulshrestha
13. Harsh --- ---
Gune

Development Team
Course Coordinator Book Writer Content and Language
Editor
Dr Manoj Killedar Michelle Jacobson Satish Kulkarni
B.E., M.Tech., PhD, B.A., M.A. (USA) M.A., M.Phil., B.Ed.
Director, AST, Experience 08 Years Emeritus Professor,
YCMOU, Nashik Sapat College of
Experience 32 Years Engineering, Nashik
Experience 39 Years
This work by YCMOU is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-
ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
 First Publication : 20-Nov-2016
 Publisher : Registrar, YCMOU, Nashik - 422 222, MH, India
Free Access for this book at: https://goo.gl/e6F69u
Send Your Feedback about this book to:
ycmoulr.feedback@gmail.com

AEC111-C03 Page 2
VICE CHANCELLOR ’S MESSAGE
Welcome to the “Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open
University (YCMOU), a Leading Mega Open University of India!
During Feb-2016, University Grants Commission proposes
“Choice Based Credit System (CBCS)” for the higher
education system of India. “AEC111: English Communication”
course of 04 Credits at “Semester 01” is an “Ability
Enhancement Compulsory Course (AECC)” for all
academic programmes at undergraduate level from any
university, as per the “Choice Based Credit System (CBCS)”.
For success in the world of work, English Communication skills
are important essential requirement for any student. Due to
this, YCMOU has developed following high quality learning
resource package (in “Self-Learning Material – SLM” format) for
this course:
1. Mobile Ready Text-Book: Total 19 Units
2. Mobile Ready Audio-Visual Lecture Modules: 90 Nos
3. Moodle LMS Ready Question Bank with
a. Short Answer Questions (SAQs):  200 Nos
b. Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs):  200 Nos
Above learning resource package is released for free access as an
“Open Educational Resource (OER)” under Creative
Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0
International License, that is, CC BY NC SA License.
I congratulate “Development Team” for the development of this
excellent learning resource package. We hope and believe, this
free high quality learning resource package will be immensely
useful for all students from any university.
Dr E Vayunandan
Vice Chancellor, YCMOU

AEC111-C03 Page 3
 R ELATED P ROGRAMMES

“AEC111: English Communication” course of 04 Credits at

“Semester 01” is an “Ability Enhancement Compulsory
Course (AECC)” for all academic programmes, as per the
“Choice Based Credit System (CBCS)” as proposed by the
“University Grants Commission (UGC)”.
This textbook is useful for “AEC111: English Communication”
course of 04 Credits at “Semester 01” of following academic
programmes of the Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open
University, Nashik – 422 222, MH, India.
1. School of Architecture, Science and Technology
a. V92: B.Sc. in Physics, Chemistry and
Mathematics
b. V96: B.Sc. in Actuarial Science

AEC111-C03 Page 4
 C OURSE S YLLABUS

Semester 01
AECC01 - AEC111: ENGLISH COMMUNICATION
PROGRAMME INFORMATION
SN Description Details
Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open
University
1 University
Nashik - 422 222, Maharashtra, India
Website: http://www.ycmou.ac.in/
School of Architecture, Science and
2 School
Technology
3 Discipline Science
4 Level UG
5 Course Used in V92: B.Sc.
Designed for Full (1) Instructional Template
6 Compliance to these
UGC Documents: (2) Templates of Syllabi for CBCS

COURSE INFORMATION
Sem Code Course Name Credits CAT EE TM Type Category
English 20 80 100 T AECC
01 AEC111 4
Communication

PRESUMED KNOWLEDGE AND LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Presumed Knowledge Learning Objectives
For successful completion of this After successful completion of this
course, student should have course, student should be able to
successfully completed:
 Communicate effectively in
 HSC (10+2) or equivalent English
from a recognized Board. OR  Think Critically
 10+3 Diploma (any stream)  Perform better in Team
awarded by any State Board of
Technical Education. 

AEC111-C03 Page 5
SYLLABUS FOR THEORY UNITS
UN Detailed Syllabus of the Unit Credit
Introduction: Theories of Communication, Types and
modes of Communication
Language of Communication: Personal, Barriers and
01- Strategies, Intra Personal, Inter Personal and Group
01 Communication
Speaking Skills: Monologue, Dialogue, Group
Discussion, Effective Communication/ Mis-
Communication
Understanding the Basis of Verbal Credit
Communication: Organizing Your Messages, Using 01
Vocal Elements Effectively, Understanding Nonverbal
01-
Language, Developing Credibility, Giving and Receiving
02
Feedback, Overcoming Barriers to Communication,
Communicating Ethically, Understanding Cross -Cultural
Issues
Working with Customers: Understanding Customer
01- Service Basics, Communicating Empathetically, Asking
03 Question to Understand Problems, Denying Request,
Coping with Angry Customers
Developing Professional Telephone Skills:
Exploring Professional Telephone Communication,
01- Placing Telephone Calls, Receiving Telephone Calls,
04 Using Voice Mail, Leaving Professional Messages, Taking
Calls for Other People, Screening, Holding, and
Transferring Calls, Developing Cell Phone Etiquette
Improving Informal Communication:
Communicating Informally, Listening Actively, Speaking
01-
Persuasively, Negotiating Effectively, Managing Conflict,
05
Participating in Meeting, Dealing with Office Politics,
Making Proper Introductions

AEC111-C03 Page 6
 Understanding Reading and Writing: Close
Reading, Comprehension, Summary Paraphrasing,
Analysis and Interpretation, Translation(from Indian
02-
language to English and vice-versa) Literary/Knowledge
01
Texts
Writing Skills: Documenting, Report Writing, Making
notes, Letter Writing
Uncovering the Secrets of Clear writing: Clarifying Credit
02-
Written Communication, Writing Solid Sentences, 02
02
Developing Effective Paragraphs, Mastering Punctuation
Communicating with E-Mail and Memos:
Understanding E-Mail Message and Memos, Composing
02- the Main Elements of Message, Creating Professional E -
03 Mail Message, Constructing Professional Memos, Writing
Request Messages, Writing Response Messages, Writing
Bad- News Messages, Technology Tools
Developing Reports and Proposals: Understanding
02-
Reports and Proposals, Planning a Report or Proposals,
04
Writing Proposals
Writing for Employment: Writing Effective Cover
Letters, Planning Resumes, Writing Chronological
02-
Resumes, Writing Functional Resumes, Requesting
05
Letters of Reference, Sending Follow-Up Messages,
Accepting or Rejecting Job Offers

Identifying and Defining Problems: Understanding

03- Problem Solving, Analyzing Problems, Determining
01 Causes, Simplifying Complex Problems, Identifying and
Managing Risks, Avoiding Problem-Solving Traps
Credit
Solving the Problem: Gathering and Analyzing Data, 03
Developing Alternatives, Evaluating Options,
03-
Implementing the Solution, Monitoring and Managing
02
the Solution, Using Adaptive Techniques, Developing
Ethical Solution

AEC111-C03 Page 7
 Thinking Critically: Understanding Critical Thinking,
03-
Assessing the Credibility of an Argument, Becoming a
03
Critical Thinker
Group Decision Making and Problem Solving :
Understanding Group Dynamics, Evolving From a Group
03-
to a Team, Using Divergent Thinking, Using Convergent
04
Thinking, Avoiding Common Group Traps, Working with
Large Group
03-
---
05

Working in Groups and Teams: Understanding the

Role of Team in Organizations, Defining the types of
04-
Groups and Teams, Recognizing Differences Between
01
Groups and Teams, Ensuring Team Success, Working
with Distributed Teams
Exploring Team Roles and Processes: Recognizing
the Need for Team Leadership, Selecting Team Member,
04- Credit
Choosing the Optional Team Size, Defining Common
02 04
Team Roles, Establishing Team Rules, Clarifying Team
Objectives, Making Collective Decisions
Building and Developing Teams: Understanding the
Benefits of Working in Teams, Fostering Relationships,
04-
Overcoming Resistance, Using Team-Building Activities,
03
Dealing with Difficult Team Member, Benefits of
professional networking
Presenting yourself Professionally: Meeting
04- Business Casual Standards, Maintaining a Professional
04 Wardrobe, Practicing good Grooming and Hygiene,
Improving Your Speech

AEC111-C03 Page 8
 Developing Your Interpersonal Skills: Networking
Professionally, Showing Basic Office Courtesies,
04- Recovering from difficult interpersonal situations,
05 Displaying Optimism and Enthusiasm, Developing
Diplomacy Skills, Interacting with others, Respecting
social protocols

LEARNING R ESOURCE D ETAILS

LR Title Edition ISBN
Code Author Year Publisher

Course Website Link for (1) Text-EBook (2) Mobile and Online
Lectures (3) Video Lectures (4) MOOCs (5) OERs (6) Discussion
Forum for online interaction (7) Live Virtual Class Lectures and (8)
Continuous Assessment Test

AEC111- https://goo.gl/e6F69u -
2016
WL (Copy and Paste URL in Browser) YCMOU

Books
AEC111- English Communication
2016
C03 Michelle Jacobson YCMOU

978-81-315-
AEC111- Soft Skills for Everyone
2010 1467-2
R01 Jeff Butterfield
CENGAGE

AEC111-C03 Page 9
AEC111-C03 Page 10
UNIT 03-01: IDENTIFYING AND DEFINING
PROBLEMS
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After successful completion of this unit, you will be able to
 Identify the steps needed to solve problems at work
 Analyze the ways of solving problems in an effective
way
 Find out the root cause of a problem
 Analyze complex problems
 Analyze, Identify, and Manage risks related to work
 Use the tips to help you solve problems in an effective
way

INTRODUCTION

How do you handle life’s problems? How you solve problems in

your personal life is a good indication of how you might solve
problems in your work life. Problems are an inevitable part of
life. Your goal shouldn’t be in not experiencing problems. Your
goal should be experiencing and dealing with the problems in an
effective way and not avoiding the problems. Problems do not
have to be bad. Instead, problems can be an opportunity to grow
as a person.

AEC111-C03 Page 11
01-01: UNDERSTANDING PROBLEM SOLVING
Solving problems is a skill that can be learned. Problem solving
involves identifying what the problem is and then learning how
to solve it.
Having problems is something everyone will experience and all
people from all jobs will experience problems as well: an entry
level employee as well as a professional employee. It is
important to learn how to solve these problems. Many people
know how to react to problems but do not know how to
effectively solve problems.
The first thing you should learn when solving problems is how
to identify a problem. A problem is anything that is getting in
the way of your goal.
You ---------------------- Problem ---------------------- Your Goal
A problem is something that you have not solved or a question
you have not answered. If your company’s goal is to sell 200 cell
phones and the company only sells fifty a month, then that is a
problem.
Once you have identified what a problem is, it is time to solve
the problem. There are a few different approaches to solving the
problem.
The first approach is to use your intuition. Your intuition is your
inner dialogue, your inner voice, your instinct/gut feeling. It is
the “feelings” you have when something is not correct. You know
what your intuition is when you have a reaction to something.
Your reaction is your intuition. When there is a problem, you
can solve it intuitively. What is your first reaction telling you?
Intuition does not involve anyone else telling you what to do;
you listen to yourself. An intuitive approach is good for smaller
problems where you do not feel overwhelmed.

AEC111-C03 Page 12
The other way to solve a problem is a systematic approach. What
it means is that there is a procedure to follow. The procedure
involves steps and actions to take that are logical (do not follow
feelings). Systematic approaches are good for problems that are
larger and complicated. Sometimes a problem is too big for one
person to think about. If you use your feelings to solve those
problems, you might feel overwhelmed. Using a systematic
approach helps you to solve the complicated problem.

An example of a systematic procedure is to think of a similar

problem you had in the past. How did you solve that problem?
Using the solutions from the previous problem might help you
solve the current problem.
After you choose your approach, intuitive or systematic, you are
ready to make a decision. Here are the steps to take when you
have a problem, from start to finish:
1) What is the problem? Identify the problem
2) Get information about the problem: the who, what,
when, where, why, how related to the problem
3) Analyze the information and understand it: use intuitive
or analytical approaches

AEC111-C03 Page 13
 4) Think about possible solutions: use intuitive or
analytical approaches

5) Choose the best solution

6) Track the solution for some time to see if the problem is

solved

LEARNING ACTIVITIES 01
1) Reflection: Have you ever had a problem in your personal
life? School life? What did you do to solve the problem?
2) Reflection: When solving problems, are you more logical
(use your brain) or emotional (use your heart)?

SELF-TEST 01
1) What is the definition of a problem for a company?
a. A difficult choice you have with many options for
solutions
b. The difference between a professional and non-
professional
c. List of goals for a company
d. Not achieving something you want
2) In this list, what should you not do when you solve a
problem?
a. Know what the real problem is
b. Accept the first solution
c. Get information about the problem

AEC111-C03 Page 14
 d. Make a decision

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 01

1) In business, what is the definition of a problem?
2) When solving problems, is it important to have many
solutions? Why or why not?

01-02: ANALYZING PROBLEMS

What does it mean to analyze a problem? Analyzing problems

means to think deeply about them. Step #3 from the previous
section involves analyzing problems (#3: Analyze a problem).
Analyzing problems means to know the root cause of a problem.
A root cause is the source, the real reason for something. For
example, if you did poorly in your test, what is the real reason
for that? Maybe the root cause is that you were sick but your
teacher thinks the reason is you did not study. But you did not
study because you were sick. Look at this diagram:
Result: You did poorly on the test

Reason: You didn’t study. Why? You were sick

Root Cause: You were sick

Understanding the real problem (root cause) is 50% of the work.
The other 50% is solving the problem. So, how do you really
understand a problem?

AEC111-C03 Page 15
The first step in understanding a problem is looking f or your
roadblocks or speed bumps. Roadblocks or speed bumps are
things that slow you down or get in your way. You need to know
what your speed bumps are. Is your team overworked? Stressed?
Do you not have enough information? Look for road blocks.
Next, gather information. This is from #2 in the previous
section (#2 Gather information). You should talk to many
people related to the problem. What do people know about the
problem? Has anyone solved a similar problem in the past? You
can get information from websites, CDs, databases, books,
newspapers, observations, interviews, questionnaires, files,
conversations with colleagues, and informal surveys.

Observations are very powerful. Observations are what you see.

You can learn a lot about a problem by looking at people trying
to solve the problem or by looking at the problem yourself.
When you talk to people in interviews and informal surveys, it is
important to ask objective questions and not personal questions.
Objective questions are questions that are asked about things,
not about people. When you ask people directly about them,
they feel defensive. For example, a personal question might start
with this: Why did you…?

AEC111-C03 Page 16
How did you…? Try to avoid questions that start with “you.” If
you ask if someone is directly involved in the problem or if they
did anything wrong, they will automatically feel defensive.
Lastly, when understanding a problem, look at all the pieces of
information. Does anything seem “off?” Does anything not seem
right? If your intuition tells you something might be missing,
trust your intuition.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES 02
3) Reflection: When you have a problem, do you ask people
who might know some information? Do you think asking
other people questions is useful?
4) Reflection: When you have a big problem, do you look at
the smaller pieces inside the larger problem?

SELF-TEST 02
3) What is the first step in problem solving?
a. Make a decision
b. Look at your situation and think about what might be
causing the problem
c. Communicate your progress to your manager/boss
d. All the above
4) Scenario: You are a manager at a company and you see
you have many employees who are not getting their work
completed. You will ask questions to get to the source of the
problem. What might be the source of the problem?
(Assume they want to be at work)

AEC111-C03 Page 17
 a. Family problems
b. Weather-too hot
c. They don’t care about work (lazy)
d. You were sick the last two days

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 02

3) Is it important to know about a problem before we can
find a solution?
4) What does it mean to analyze a problem?

01-03: DETERMINING CAUSES

It is mentioned before that understanding the problem is 50% of
the work. When you try to understand a problem, you need to
understand the root cause. The root cause is the original cause
of the problem. There may be many causes but there is only one
root cause. The roots of this tree represent the root cause. The
leaves and branches represent the results that arise from the
causes.

Results/Effects/Symptoms

Root cause

When you understand a root cause, you need to learn about

symptoms and causes. A cause is something that causes
something else to happen. A symptom is something that you see,
like the results or the effects of something. For example, think
of this situation: You are at work and your sales are down. The

AEC111-C03 Page 18
business is not good. This is something you can see, so it is a
symptom. Now, think why…When you ask yourself: Why is this
happening? Then you are getting close to learning about the
root cause of something.

Symptom: Sales
are down

WHY? WHY ARE SALES DOWN? THE ANSWER IS THE CAUSE

Cause: ?????

Many people focus on symptoms, because you can see

symptoms. You cannot see causes. Causes are more difficult to
determine. When you have any problem, it is easy to see the
symptoms (the results of the problem) but causes might be
hidden. Here are some tips for finding the cause.
Make a map. This is also known as a concept map or a cause -
and-effect diagram. The technical term is a root cause analysis.
A concept map is when you write down what you see (the
symptoms). The symptoms could be the problems. What
problems do you see: the big and the small problems? Which
problems are connected? Is there a relationship between the
problems? Connect those problems with lines. Next, think about
what could be causing those symptoms/problems. Ask yourself
“why.” Why is this a problem? Write your possible answers
down in the diagram. Here is an example of how to ask “why.”
Problem/Symptom: Sales are down
Why? Employees are not selling product to the correct
customers.
Why? Employees are only selling to people in their city.

AEC111-C03 Page 19
Why? Their company does not have an office in a different city.
Why? It is too expensive to have a second office.
Why? There is no money
Why? The only company they have does not have enough sales
to make money

There is a chance that there is more than one cause for

something. When problems are complex, it is very much
possible that there is more than one cause because complex
problems are big. Some causes are related and have a
relationship. Look at your concept map. What is connected? Do
you see more than one cause?
After you have determined the causes, think about which root
cause is the most possible to handle right now. Which root cause
can your company work on first? For example, maybe your
company determines that the root cause is lack of technology.
Your company does not have the necessary technology to stay
competitive in the business. Technology costs a lot. Maybe this
is too expensive for your company. Think about how much
money and time it will take to handle the root cause.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES 03
5) Reflection: Think about a problem you had. What was the
cause of that problem? Was there more than one cause?

AEC111-C03 Page 20
SELF-TEST 03
5) Why does it help to make a visual picture of causes and
effects?
a. Helps you see what might be causing a problem
b. Helps you to identify many solutions
c. Helps you see connections between causes and
symptoms
d. All of the above
6) Why is it important to identify the real cause of a
problem?
a. It is because the problem will not fully be solved until
you can see what is really causing it
b. It is because it is easier to solve smaller problems
that are not the root cause
c. It is because it helps you to see how one problem is
causing other problems
d. All of the above

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 03

5) How is a symptom different from a cause?
6) Why is it important to make a cause-effect
chart/diagram/visual?

01-04: SIMPLIFYING COMPLEX PROBLEMS

What are complex problems? Complex problems are problems
that involve a lot of people, are new problems (no similar
problems in the past), and do not have one solution.
Applying what you learned about cause and effect from the last
section is important when learning about complex problems.

AEC111-C03 Page 21
This section is about how to look at and simplify complex
problems.

When you simplify something, you are going to break it apart.

This means to look at the smaller pieces of the larger problem. If
the complex problem is like a puzzle, then when we simplify the
problem, you look at the individual pieces.

The steps involved in solving any complex problem follow some

of the same advice from the previous section.
First, look at the causes and effects. Draw a diagram like the last
section. Ask the question: “Why” multiple times. If you do not
ask multiple times, you may not really understand the root
cause.
After you have looked at all your causes and effects, you are
ready to start looking at connections. What problems seem to be
connected? Is there more than one root cause?
Not all problems have equal weight. Some problems are more
important than others. You will have to think about many
factors when solving problems. Here are some of the things you
will have to consider:

AEC111-C03 Page 22
  Price: how much will it cost to fix the problem?

 People: how does this problem affect others in the

organization? The customers? The clients?

 Frequency: how often is this a problem?

 Weight: is the problem heavy (big) or light (small)?

 Connections: which problems are connected to each

other? Which smaller problems are inside the larger
problems?
Next, decide how you will solve the problems. In complex
problems, there is usually more than one problem. In complex
problems, you will need more than one person to help you solve
it. Which people can solve each smaller problem? Give
responsibilities to each team member. Think about a person’s
skill set. Which special talents or skills do people have that can
help solve the problem?

LEARNING ACTIVITIES 04
6) Reflection: Think of a larger problem in your personal
life, family life, school life, etc. What are at least two
smaller problems inside that larger problem?
7) Reflection: When you have a problem, do you ask people
to help you solve it? Why or why not? Are some problems
easier to solve by yourself or by getting help?

SELF-TEST 04
7) How do you solve a complex problem?
a. Look at the smaller problems related to the bigger
problem
b. Have confidence and solve all problems yourself
c. Talk to other people to get different opinions on the
solution

AEC111-C03 Page 23
 d. All of the above
8) After you find the smaller problems connected to the
larger problem, what should you do?
a. Think about which sub-problem (smaller problem) is
more important
b. Ask “why” it is a problem
c. Think of many solutions
d. All of the above

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 04

7) When solving problems, what does “analyzing” mean?
8) When solving problems, why is it important to know the
root cause/root problem?

01-05: IDENTIFYING AND MANAGING RISKS

Risks are things that have a chance to cause something bad or
unpleasant to happen. Have you ever fallen in love? That is a
risk. Have you ever applied for a competitive university? That is
a risk. Risks are things that could potentially cause us to lose
something. In the business world, all decisions involve risks.
Why? When you make a decision, you are affecting people. You
might affect people in a good or bad way. When businesses
involve money, you have the risk to win or lose money.
Businesses also involve people. You have the risk to win or lose
customers/clients. Business also involves investing time. You
have the risk of making your time count or losing your time.
Business projects involve a lot of effort. You have the risk of
making your effort count or of losing your efforts in failures.
This section will talk about how to identify a risk and also how
to manage them. Manage means to have control over something.
In business, the goal is to lower the risks in every decision you
make. This section will talk about the ways to lower our risks.

AEC111-C03 Page 24
First of all, in the business world, you need to be aware of any
possible risk. You need to think to yourself: what could cause
me, the employees, or the business harm? Suppose your
business has a problem and there are three solutions to that
problem. When you look at each solution, think about the risks
involved in choosing that solution. What are the chances that
the solution will fail? Is it OK if the solution fails? What are the
chances that the solution will succeed? What will happen if the
solution is a success? Asking and answering these questions are
important.

When you think about risks, you also need to think about
rewards. Rewards are benefits that result from taking the risk.
What good things will happen after taking the risk? You must
think about the potential rewards when making risky decisions.
It is said that you do not benefit in life or in business if you do
not take any risk. There is a continuum of risks. Some risks are
more dangerous than other risks. Taking healthy risks should be
the goal in any business endeavor.

Lower
risk
----------------
--------------------
One way to know if a risk is healthy or not is to test the decision.
This means, you choose a solution or you make a decision. Then,

AEC111-C03 Page 25
watch and see what happens. Are more good things than bad
things happening? Then it was a good risk. If more bad things
happen than good things, then it was a bad risk. When you test
your decision, you should only test small things, not large
things. For example, imagine that your company needs more
money. Your company has three solutions or ideas. One of the
ideas is to invest $1,000 USD into your company for making
new products. Before you choose that solution, you want to
make a test. Will the decision have good results? Instead of
investing $1,000 worth of new product, you can invest $50 of
product to see if the investment is good. If it is good, if the test
is a success, then you can invest more.

Risk Reward

Reward Not a good idea

Risk Best idea

You can also talk to people who have done similar things. Have
they made a similar decision? Was their decision a success?
Why? Was it a failure? Why?

Always have more than one option or more than one solution. If
one solution fails, then you will have another option. Nothing is
permanent in life or in business, and everything fails at some
point. So, it is important to have other options.
Lastly, when you manage a risk, you need a team of people to
help you. When you work with a team, you can each have

AEC111-C03 Page 26
responsibility so that one person does not have to do everything.
Also, more people means more support. Risks can be scary and
in business, risky decisions require a lot of different viewpoints.
When working with a team, make sure everyone communicates
so that everyone knows everything. You can have group
meetings and write group e-mails so that everyone knows
everything.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES 05
8) Reflection: Have you ever done anything risky? Did you
talk to someone before you did it? What was the result?

SELF-TEST 05
9) What is a risk?
a. A success
b. A possibility/chance to lose something
c. A reaction to a problem
d. A solution to a problem
10) What is the best type of solution?
a. Low risk & high reward
b. Low risk & low reward
c. High risk & high reward
d. High risk & low reward

AEC111-C03 Page 27
SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 05
9) In the context of seeing a problem, what is the definition
of “root cause?” In the context of seeing a problem, what is
the definition of “symptoms?”
10) Imagine that you are working for a company and your
sales are going down. What might be an example of a “root
cause” to this? (The symptom is that your company is losing
money, but what is CAUSING your company to lose money?)

01-06: TIPS FOR SOLVING PROBLEMS

As we discussed, problems are a normal part of any business or
in life. Problems happen. What is most important is to avoid the
large problems that can cause you a lot of hard and damage. Let
us go through some traps to avoid when solving problems.
Solving problems is not easy but it can be managed.
The first suggestion is to use both creative and logical thinking.
Creative thinking is thinking that is original and different.
Logical thinking uses a different part of your brain. Logical
thinking uses less emotion than creative thinking. Logical
thinkers are able to see facts and objective information about
something. Both logical and creative thinking are important.
When making decisions, talk to people who have creative and
logical thinking.

You also need to be flexible. If something is not working, be

ready to change your goal or mission. The goal of any decision
should be to find a solution that works over a long period of
time. If the solution is only working for a short period of time,

AEC111-C03 Page 28
then you need to change the solution so that it has longer
results.
a) Problem------ Short-term solution----- Same
problem again
b) Problem------------------------- Long-term solution
Another thing to avoid when making decisions is to avoid being
too positive or over-confidant. Being positive and confident is
not bad…However, when you do not think about the negative
things or possible bad things, then it is bad to be only confident.
A good decision-maker is a person who thinks of both the good
and the bad things. Your thinking needs to be balanced. It i s
more important to be realistic than over-confidant. So many
people have failed because they did not think of the bad effects
of a decision.

+/-
Something else to avoid when making decisions is to only think
about your own ideas. Successful people need to be open to
other ideas. In a team, it is important to listen to everyone’s
ideas, viewpoints, and solutions. There may be a solution you
have not thought about from someone else.

AEC111-C03 Page 29
The next thing to avoid when making decisions is to make a
decision too quickly. Do you remember the diagram at the
beginning of the section? If you make a decision too quickly, the
same problem might come back again. Many times, people are
too quick to make a decision because they do not like waiting
and being patient for a better decision. When they have a big
decision, people might feel anxious and try to solve the problem
too quickly. In other words, they might choose a solution that
only has temporary benefits and does not really fix the original
problem. They might choose a solution that has short-term
result rather than a long-term result. A long-term result is a
result that helps solve the problem for a long time. A short -term
result only helps for a short time until the same problem keeps
coming back. Your goal in any decision should be to create long -
term decisions. In other words, look at the root cause and treat
the root cause, not the symptoms.

Another thing to avoid when making decisions is Groupthink.

Groupthink is only thinking the same as the other members of
your group. If you are suffering from Groupthink, you are afraid
to say different opinions and viewpoints. Diversity is a good
thing, especially when making difficult decisions. Try to be
different and think different. Do not be afraid to speak your real
mind.

AEC111-C03 Page 30
The last suggestion for solving problems is to avoid bias. Many
people choose decisions that are easy for them to make but they
do not think about other people. This is called a bias. A bias is a
tendency to see something how you want to see it. You know you
have a bias when you have strong opinions about something and
do not think about other people’s opinions. When you make any
decision, you should ask yourself if the decision benefits other
people, not just yourself.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES 06
9) Reflection: When you make decisions, what is one area
you need to improve? Do you have a bias? Do you only think
in a positive way (and not a balanced mindset)? Do you only
make decisions with a short-term result? Do you forget to
include both creative and logical thinking? What is one area
that you want to work on?

SELF-TEST 06
11) In this list, which one is not an example of over-
confidence (too much confidence)?
a. Not thinking of how much time it will take to
complete a task
b. Asking a co-worker for their opinion
c. Not asking for help from others
d. Avoiding looking at all possible solutions to problems

AEC111-C03 Page 31
 12) Scenario: You are working in a team with four other co-
workers. You are trying to solve the problem of low sales
(not selling enough). What is an example of something you
should do to help solve the problem?
a. Be practical and real about how much time you need
to solve the problem
b. Ignore your co-worker because she has silly ideas for
the solution
c. Think of only one solution as a team that is the
easiest to try
d. You think you know the solution so you
convince/persuade others to believe in your solution
because it is the best

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 06

11) What is the difference between a good risk and a bad
risk?
12) Why is it is good idea to avoid problems before they
begin?

SUMMARY
This section focused on the ways to solve problems. The section
covered the points like how to analyze problems, how to find the
root cause of something, how to solve big problems, how to
manage risks, and make better decisions. This information will
help you in both your personal life and in your professional life.

KEY WORDS
 Bias = a tendency to believe that some ideas are better
than other ideas that is not fair/true to other ideas
 Clear = easily understood, no doubt

AEC111-C03 Page 32
  Logical = sensible, using reasoning, agreeing with the
rules
 Rational = based in facts, having the ability to think
about things clearly
 Realistic = very close to real
 Creative = the ability to think of new ideas
 Short-term results = results that only last for a short
period and fail to solve the root problem
 Long-term results = results that last for a long time
and fix the root problem
 Root problem = the original problem
 Symptoms = what you can see (eg: problems)
 Analyze = to look at something closely

REFERENCES
MOOC S
1) https://www.coursera.org/learn/project-risk-management
2) https://www.edx.org/course/career-edge-analytical-problem-
solving-fullbridgex-career4x

YOUTUBE VIDEOS
1) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrSDTWW1KhU
2)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvkYFZUsBnw&list=PLb1Y
dPkBtb0vECN0JgvipPu8NFAShh9-0
3)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOlW8j8MH10&index=5
&list=PLb1YdPkBtb0vECN0JgvipPu8NFAShh9-0

WIKIPEDIA
1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Risk

AEC111-C03 Page 33
2) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Causality

OER
http://ed.ted.com/lessons/working-backward-to-solve-
problems-maurice-ashley

BOOKS
“Solving Complex Problems: Professional Group Decision -
Making Support in Highly Complex Situations” by Alexander de
Haan

COURSE COMPANION WEBSITE

Visit Here for Course Companion website for this course:

AEC111-C03 Page 34
UNIT 03-02: SOLVING THE PROBLEM
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After successful completion of this unit, you will be able to
 Analyze the process of choosing data to solve problems
 Identify the types of data to collect
 Evaluate your choices for making decisions
 Acquire the techniques for finding solutions
 Discover the ways to manage solutions at work
 Develop techniques to manage a problem/solution
 Make ethical decisions in your life

INTRODUCTION

How do you solve problems? In the last section, you learned

about how to identify a problem. This section will go further
into exploring the problem and techniques on how to solve the
problem. If learning about the problem is 50%, then solving the
problem is the other 50% of the effort.
Solving a problem is not as easy as many people think it is.
Solving a problem requires a lot of focus and planning. Even
after you make a decision, you need to monitor the solution to
make sure you made the right decision.

AEC111-C03 Page 35
02-01: GATHERING & ANALYZING DATA
Solving any problem starts with getting information. The more
information you have, the better able you are to solve the
problem. It is important to get the right information because
bad information can lead to bad decisions. Likewise, good
information can lead to better decisions.
What kind of information do you need? Well, you need to know
what problem you have first. When you know your problem,
then you will know what information is required. Here is a good
question to ask yourself when you have any problem:
What information do I need to reach a good decision?
Answering this question will help you to understand what
information you need to gather. Where will the information
come from? How much will it cost to get this information?
After you look at the information, it is
important to keep an objective mind.
Objective means that you do not have
any bias. Bias is a strong opinion
towards anything. When you do not
judge the information, you can see the
information in an objective way. Do not have any assumptions
or thoughts about the information. Do not look at a fact and
dismiss it because you disagree. Let the information speak for
itself. This is hard to do. Look at the facts in the information.
What kind of information can you get? Here is a list of different
types of information:
1) Financial (money): company records
2) Process: employee notes/reports
3) Product/Service: customer surveys
4) General Advice: co-workers/colleagues, websites,
books

AEC111-C03 Page 36
When you find good information related to your problem, you
should take a note of where you found the data. This means to
write the source. The source is the location of the information.
You should write down this information:
 the book title
 the author
 the publishing year
 the page numbers where you found the information
 URL website link if it is a website
 The name, job title and date you talked to a person (if
you had an interview with anyone)
The source of the information is important if you are writin g an
essay. Each essay will have a reference page at the end of your
paper where all the sources are listed.
Also, think about
the difference
between new and
old information.
When you have a
problem, you should
first look for old
information. What
is old information?
Old information is
information that
people already know. New information is information that
people need to search for. So, how do you find old information?
You can find existing or old information by talking to people in
your company. Do they have any sources or information for you?
Talk to others about the same problem. What information can
you get from them?

AEC111-C03 Page 37
 As you talk to other people to gather
information, you can get suggestions from
them. What would they do if they were in
your situation? Getting support from people
becomes really important. Maybe they do not
have any information for you right now, but
maybe they can look for information for you.
After you have gathered all your information, now it is time to
analyze the data. Look at all the information from your books,
websites, and interviews with people. What can you learn? Is
there a pattern? What relationships can you see between the
pieces of information?

LEARNING ACTIVITIES 01
10) Reflection: When you have a problem, do you look for
information? Where do you look for information? What type
of information do you look for?
11) Experiment: The next time you need information about a
problem, talk to at least two different people. What
information do they know about the problem?

SELF-TEST 01
13) Before you start to collect information about a problem,
you should:
a. Look for information that you agree with
b. Ask your colleagues/co-workers if they have any
information for you

AEC111-C03 Page 38
 c. Make a fast decision because there is no time
d. Think about what specific information you need to
solve the problem
14) Before you start to collect information about a problem,
you should:
a. Look for information that you agree with
b. Ask your colleagues/co-workers if they have any
information for you
c. Make a fast decision because there is no time
d. Think about what specific information you need to
solve the problem

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 01

13) What is the definition of data?
14) When solving a problem, why is it important to talk to
other people who have solved the problem?

02-02: DEVELOPING ALTERNATIVES

When working on any problem, you will need to find a solution.
When looking for solutions to problems, there is always more
than one choice. There is always more than one option. If
someone tells you there is only one answer, they are usually
wrong. Why is it better to have many choices rather than only
one choice? Your goal is to make the choice that benefits most of
the people. So, if you have a problem and you have three
choices, you can think about which choice is best for the
majority.
Do you remember our discussion about creative vs. logical
thinking? Solving problems requires both creative and logical
thinking. So, how do you think creatively? Brainstorming is one

AEC111-C03 Page 39
tool people use to think in a more creative way. Brainstorming
allows you to think of many ideas.

With a partner or a group of people, get a piece of paper for each

person. Write the problem in the middle of the paper. Then,
think of as many ideas as possible that come into your mind of
how to make the solution. Write them down on the piece of
paper. Do not dismiss an idea because it seems too crazy. Just
write anything down that you think about. If ideas are connected
or have a relationship, draw a line to connect them. After some
time, you can share your ideas with the other people. What does
everyone think about the ideas?
Another way to think about other choices and alternatives is to
talk to as many people as possible. What do other people know
about the problem? Other people have other opinions,
experiences, and perspectives that you do not have. It is best to
talk to a lot of different people so that you avoid getting the
same opinions from the same types of people. For example, if
you work in the IT department, talk to other people in different
departments. Maybe they know something that you do not know.
Before you make the final decision, there are some things you
need to think about. The things you should think about before
making a decision are: time, money, and usefulness.

AEC111-C03 Page 40
Time is an important factor. How much time will that decision
take? Remember, in business, time is money. Spending time on
a solution is not bad. You just need to know how much time you
are spending on something before you do it.
The second factor is money. How much money will you spend on
each option? Spending money is not bad but you simply need to
be aware of how much money you are spending. Is your
company prepared to spend that kind of money on that option?
Lastly, you need to know how useful each solution would be.
Suppose your problem has three solutions. Look at each
solution: how useful is each solution to the clients/customers?
How useful is the solution to the company?

LEARNING ACTIVITIES 02
12) Reflection: Think about a problem you had in the past.
What was the problem? How did you find the solution?
13) Experiment: The next time you have a problem, look for
at least three different solutions to that problem. Choose the
best solution.

SELF-TEST 02
15) Why should you be creative when thinking of other
choices?
a. So that you can have many ideas
b. To enjoy new experiences
c. To stay with your original ideas
d. To avoid making a decision
16) What are cost, time, and usefulness examples of?
a. Resources
b. Problems
c. Techniques

AEC111-C03 Page 41
 d. Criteria

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 02

15) When making decisions, why is it a good idea to have
many choices for making the solution? Why is it better to
have three possible solutions than to have only one possible
solution?
16) Why is it a good idea to talk to many people before
making a decision?

02-03: IMPLEMENTING THE SOLUTION

Up to this point, we have talked about how to plan before
making a decision. Now it is time to make a decision. Most
times, it is better to make any decision than to wait for the
perfect opportunity to make a perfect decision. Nothing will ever
be perfect so it is better to make any decision than no decision
at all. In this section, let us talk about how to make a solution.
The first thing to do before making any decision
is to make sure you get approval from anyone
involved in the decision. These people would
include: your manager, your team leader, your
colleagues/co-workers, and the
customers/clients who receive your company’s services. If
anyone involved is not comfortable with this decision, it is OK to
negotiate or think of a better solution that benefits most of the
people.
Expect people to resist change.
Sometimes when we want to make
decisions, there will be angry people
who are happy with how things are.
Some people do not want change.
When you are getting permission, the

AEC111-C03 Page 42
best thing to do is to explain to everyone why certain decisions
are the best. If people can understand something, they are more
willing to accept your decision.
After you have got permission from the people involved, now
you need a plan for implementing the solution. Why do you need
a plan? If you do not have a plan, the solution might fail. What
things need to be done? What is the schedule? Who will do each
task? What will the solution look like when everything is
finished? Having this plan will help the solution to be
successful.
Once you start making the solution, slowly
your team will gain momentum and energy.
Keep the motivation by staying positive.
However, if something is not working, stop
and talk to the team members. Is there
something else you can do to have better
success? In the next section, We will talk
about how to monitor or manage the solution.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES 03
14) Reflection: When you have chosen a solution to a
problem, do you get opinions from other people about the
solution? Why or why not?

SELF-TEST 03
17) A good plan for applying a solution includes:
a. Chart
b. Schedule
c. List of ideas
d. All of the above
18) Communication of your ideas about the solution should
include:

AEC111-C03 Page 43
 a. Saying you do not have a lot of time
b. Other possible negative outcomes/results
c. Rules
d. Details or information about the solution

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 03

17) When making decisions, is it important to talk about the
solutions to your team? Why or why not?
18) When making a decision, is it OK to be very emotional?
Why or why not?

02-04: MONITORING & MANAGING THE SOLUTION

When you solve a complex problem, solutions are also complex.
Making solutions involves making difficult decisions and doing
difficult things. You also have to work with a team to make sure
the solution is a success. All of these things are involved with
monitoring and managing.
What is monitoring? Monitoring is watching something closely.
Monitoring is important because if you do not monitor, the
problem could come back or a new problem could arise.
You need to monitor the solution to see if it is working.
Monitoring can be difficult. Why? It is because what you are
watching may not be something tangible. Maybe what you are
watching is not something you can really see. Tangible things
are things you can see and touch. So, if what you can see is not
something tangible, it becomes difficult to monitor.
When you decide on a solution, you will
have to choose tangible things to monitor.
So, you can monitor the symptoms. Do you
remember the section on causes and
symptoms? The symptoms are the
effects/results of something. The symptoms are the things we

AEC111-C03 Page 44
can see. When you monitor, you pay attention to the outcome
(result) of the solution. You could monitor the money, the sales,
or the number of new customers. Ask your team leader what are
some good things to monitor. Here are some questions for you
to ask yourself when you are monitoring a solution:
-What + /- things happen with a particular solution?
-How is the solution in the short and long term?
Short term= a short time after the solution
Eg: one month
Long term= a long time after a solution
How often should you monitor a solution? That depends on the
solution. Some solutions only require a little monitoring, like
once a month. Other solutions require a lot of monitoring like
once a week. Sometimes, things need monitoring every hour.
Some solutions can see results after a short period and some
solutions require a long time to see solutions. Do not make the
mistake of changing a solution because you have not seen
results. Some solutions take a long time. Ask your team leader
how often you should monitor a solution.
When you monitor, you can ask other
people to help you. These people could
be the people who are affected by the
problem or solution. These people
could also be your co-workers or your
team leader. It is important to invite
others into monitoring the problem/solution because they could
help you find better solutions.
As you are monitoring, make sure you pay
close attention if the problem is being
solved. If the problem is not being solved,
you should make changes. Work on making

AEC111-C03 Page 45
changes as soon as you can. If you do not act quickly, the
problem might get bigger.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES 04
15) Reflection: Have you ever had a problem that did not go
away? What did you do to help the problem? Did you
monitor the solution?

SELF-TEST 04
19) In this list, what is something you should look at when
working on a solution?
a. Data about the problem/solution
b. Customer surveys
c. Advice
d. All of the above
20) What should you do if your solution is not working?
a. Wait for the problem to solve by itself
b. Change something
c. Talk to others and get advice
d. All of the above

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 04

19) Why is monitoring important?
20) Why is it important to know what you are monitoring?

02-05: USING ADAPTIVE TECHNIQUES

When you have a problem, we have learned that you need to
gather data, analyze it, and then explore possible solutions. This
is the traditional way to solve problems. An adaptive technique
is doing something that is different. Adaptive means doing
something different from the traditional way. Adaptive means

AEC111-C03 Page 46
changing the traditional way. When you use adaptive
techniques, it means you are not solving the problem the same
way everyone else is solving it. Trying something different is a
good thing.
A new way to solve a problem involves using different
techniques. One of them is intuition. The other technique is
logic and another is common sense. These adaptive techniques
can be useful but the traditional techniques are also useful.
When do you use traditional ways and when do you use adaptive
techniques? Maybe you should use both. Ask your team leader
what he/she thinks.

Traditional Techniques Gather data, analyze data, test

solutions, come up with alternatives

Adaptive Techniques Intuition, logic, common sense

Here is when you should use an adaptive technique:

 When the old way of doing things has not worked
 When you do not have a lot of time
 When the risks are low
 When the solution can be easily changed
 When others are there to support you
Here is the first suggestion of how to use
adaptive techniques: do the most
important things first. When there is a
problem, what are the most important

AEC111-C03 Page 47
things that need attention? You will need to decide which things
to do first and which things to do later.
Using common sense is an example of another adaptive
technique. According to common sense, when you have a large
problem, there are always smaller problems inside the larger
problem. When you have a problem, consider making smaller
decisions before you make a larger decision. When you ma ke
smaller decisions, you eventually help the larger decision. Many
people are afraid of making decisions because they are too big.
However, there are many other smaller decisions that can be
made before the larger decision gets resolved.

Intuition is a great adaptive technique that should be used more

often. What is your intuition telling you? Do you think you
should wait? If you are feeling stressed or overwhelmed, your
intuition is telling you to slow down. Sometimes, a problem will
fix itself. Other times, the large decision requires smaller
decisions. Or, do you need more information to make a
decision? Answering these questions requires to think about
what your intuition is telling you.

The traditional technique is to solve the problem with one

solution. A better way is to solve the problem using an adaptive
technique. This adaptive technique is to make sure you always

AEC111-C03 Page 48
have more than one solution. Do you remember the goal of any
decision? You want to benefit the most amount of peopl e.
Having more than one solution improves your chances for
success.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES 05
16) Reflection: When you have a difficult decision to make,
do you use more than one technique? For example, do you
use a combination of logic, intuition, common sense, and
analysis?
17) Experiment: The next time you have a problem, use
one of the techniques we talked about.

SELF-TEST 05
21) In which of the following scenarios should you not use
an adaptive technique to help you make decisions?
a. You do not have enough time
b. The solution is risky
c. The risks are low
d. All of the above
22) Scenario: As an employee of Happy Travels Travel
Company, you would like to talk about the rules regarding
the travel package with your international partners instead
of cancelling the tour package. Identify the tip which is
applicable to this example.
a. Thinking with your feelings

AEC111-C03 Page 49
 b. Thinking of important things first
c. Making smaller decisions
d. All of the above

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 05

21) What is the difference between traditional and adaptive
techniques?

02-06: DEVELOPING ETHICAL SOLUTIONS

Ethics are the standards of living that help people know what is
right or wrong. We say that if you have ethics, you know the
difference between right or wrong. What
is the right thing to do? Logical thinking
is thinking that is connected to related
thoughts. Logical thinking is a process
where one thought is directly connected
to a similar thought that makes sense.
For example, if you are hungry, what is your logical thought?
You should eat something. Logical thinking is thinking that
makes sense. In the context of your company, logically, it wants
to make money. However, what happens when the ethical and
the logical thoughts are not the same? What happens when your
company wants to make money, but it is not ethical when it
makes that decision? This section will focus on how to make
ethical decisions.
What are ethics? Ethics are standards of what is right or wrong.
What is right or wrong to do? Ask your company president or
team leader what the company’s ethics are. Here are some
questions to consider to determine your ethics:
 How much do I care about how my decision affects other
people?
 What is more important to me: money or people’s well -
being?

AEC111-C03 Page 50
  What will make me sad? For example, if losing a
customer makes you sad, you know you value customers
and making customers happy is a part of your ethics
 Does each decision bring me peace?
 How will the decision affect people in the short-term
(one week, one month)?
 How will the decision affect people in the long-term (six
months, one year, five years)?
When you make a decision, you need to think about the benefits
and the disadvantages. The benefits are like the positive things
and the disadvantages are like the negative things. Which one is
bigger: The costs or the benefits?
Ethics always involve people. People will always remember how
they felt when they had a discussion with someone or when
something was decided for them. Make sure to treat people with
respect because your customers and clients always remember
feelings. The most ethical decisions hurt the least amount of
people. They have more benefits than disadvantages.
When you have a strong sense of ethics, you will start to think of
other people easily. You will become less selfish and have less of
an ego. Ethical people maintain their relationships. When
making decisions, ethical people always think about how the
decisions affect others.

AEC111-C03 Page 51
LEARNING ACTIVITIES 06
18) Reflection: Do you have ethics? What are some of the
values you have in your school life/family life/work life? For
example, do you believe you should not lie? That is an
example of having ethics.
19) Reflection: How often do you think about other people
when you make decisions? Or, do you only think about
yourself?

SELF-TEST 06
23) Ethical solutions…
a. Have more positive than negative results
b. Only benefit a few people
c. Are always easy decisions
d. Have more negative results than benefits
24) Which of the following is an example of an ethical
problem?
a. Cut costs for your company and many employees lose
their jobs
b. Reduce the quality of your product to save money
c. Selling products in a new country even though it is
illegal
d. All of the above

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 06

22) What are ethics?
23) Give one example of when the ethical decision is not
logical (Eg: maybe something with money)

AEC111-C03 Page 52
SUMMARY
In this section, we talked more about how to make a decision.
You learned that making a decision is not easy and involves a lot
of thinking. Specifically, you learned about how to analyze data,
make ethical choices, consider other options, try solutions, and
manage a solution.

KEY WORDS
 Customers/clients= the people who purchase services
from your company
 Usefulness= how much “use” someone can get out of
something. Something useful is something people use a
lot, like a cell phone/smart phone
 Complex= complicated. The opposite of easy.
 Tangible= used to describe things you can see and touch
with your own eyes
 Intuition= your inner (inside) knowledge about
something. Intuition is your self-guide (not someone
telling you what to do)

REFERENCES
YOUTUBE VIDEOS
1) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAidvTKX6xM
2) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bNvs_qElIw
3) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPnTPK0c53w
4) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0lEj2d-ipE
5) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpIrTV-ZhdI
6) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEusrD8g-dM

AEC111-C03 Page 53
WIKIPEDIA
1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethics
2) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logic

OER
1) http://artificial-intuition.com/intuition.html
2) https://africacheck.org/2014/02/28/the-battle-between-
intuition-and-logic/

BOOKS
“Problem Solving 101: A Simple Book for Smart People” by Ken
Watanabe

COURSE COMPANION WEBSITE

Visit Here for Course Companion website for this course:

AEC111-C03 Page 54
UNIT 03-03: THINKING CRITICALLY
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After successful completion of this unit, you will be able to
 Assess your ability to think critically
 Plan to become a better critical thinker
 Examine whether an argument is credible or not

INTRODUCTION

Have you ever wondered why the world’s most successful people
are successful? It takes a strong mind to be different. Critical
thinking involves thinking that is different from the traditional
way of thinking. You must be remembering your school days.
The teacher might have told you to copy something from the
blackboard into your notebook but you did not know why. Also,
you might have been told that the answer is B but you might not
have known why. Critical thinking is thinking that really
examines and analyzes why things are the way they are. Critical
thinkers think deeply about something. They want to
understand something at a deep level. Critical thinkers are not
satisfied with a simple answer. This section will tell you how to
be a better critical thinker.

03-01: UNDERSTANDING CRITICAL THINKING

Humans were born with the ability to think, make reasons, make
judgments, observe people and places, and understand facts.

AEC111-C03 Page 55
Humans do these things automatically. However, critical
thinking is a process in which humans put more effort into
doing these things.
The first thing to know about critical thinking is that critical
thinkers do not always follow what everyone else is doing. When
everyone in a classroom says to someone: “Yes, you are always
right,” critical thinkers ask “Why? Is there another option?”
Critical thinkers do not always accept the standard answer. They
are satisfied without thinking for themselves. They decide
whether they should accept the answer, disagree with the
answer, or make a different judgment about the answer.

Is there I’m not sure

another I agree…why
option? do you say
that?

Here is a list of things that critical thinkers do:

 Ask questions: Why? How?
 Never assume
 Look closely at arguments
 Think of other options
So, now that you know what critical thinking is, let us
understand: when do you use it? When should you think
critically? You should think critically when you have some
problem that needs creative thought. Do you remember the
section on complex problems? Complex problems usually
involve critical thinking. Critical thinking should be used
anytime when there is a claim, argument, or issue. Let us know
each one separately.

AEC111-C03 Page 56
A claim is a statement that something is true or real. Anything
you say about something is a claim. Here is an example of a
claim: “Happy Travels Travel Company is the best company.”
You need to use critical thinking to see if the claim is true or
false. Ask yourself “why?” Why is Happy Travels Travel
Company the best company? You should look at data to see if
this claim is true or not. Many people falsely believe any claim
they hear and they fail to check if it is true or not.
Another opportunity to use critical thinking is when you have an
issue. An issue is anything that has different opi nions. For
example, allowing inter-caste marriages is an issue because it
involves many different opinions. Some people support this and
other people do not support it. Another issue is which language
is better: British English or American English? There are
different opinions on this issue as well. When there are issues,
you need to use critical thinking to decide what to believe.
Before you make your final opinion or decision, use critical
thinking skills. Think deeply about each side of the issue.
Lastly, you use critical thinking in arguments. An argument is a
set of statements that support your idea. Some people have
arguments because there are different statements from different
people. A statement is a claim or an opinion on something. So,
claims and arguments are similar. Think of the last argument
you had with a friend or a family member. The reason why you
had an argument is because each of you believed in a different
thing. Each of you believed different statements/opinions. In
critical thinking, the goal in any argument should be to
understand the other person, not to argue with him/her. What
can you learn about the other person and his/her opinions?
Lastly, critical thinking helps you to learn the difference
between facts and opinions. Facts are statements that do not
change. You can find facts in books, encyclopedias, trusted
websites, etc. Opinions on the other hand can change depending
on the person who says them. Here is an example of a fact:

AEC111-C03 Page 57
“Healthy dogs are born with four legs.” This statement is true
and can be found in books, websites, etc. Here is an example of
an opinion: “Dogs are the best animals.” According to whom?
Some people love dogs and other people do not like dogs. Let us
look at another example:
Example A: “Happy Travels Travel Agency is the #1 company in
America.”
Example B: “Happy Travels Travel Agency made 1 million USD
last year.”
Which sentence is a fact and which is an opinion? Example A is
the opinion because only some people believe it and other
people do not believe it. Example B is a fact because it can be
found in a report, in the official data, and probably on the
Internet. Example A changes depending on which people you
ask. Example B stays the same.
To summarize what we talked about, here is a chart to help you
remember:

Claim Issue Argument Fact vs.

Opinion
Goal Decide if the Ask questions Listen, ask Learn the
with claim is true and try to questions, difference
Critical by looking at understand and try to between
Thinking data and the other side understand fact &
information of the issue the other opinion
person

LEARNING ACTIVITIES 01
20) Reflection: Have you ever believed an opinion as a fact?
(Do you believe everything is true that you hear and read?)
21) Experiment: The next time someone makes a
statement, ask yourself if it is a fact or an opinion.

AEC111-C03 Page 58
SELF-TEST 01
25) What is a written or spoken statement that someone
makes about a topic?
a. Opinion
b. Claim
c. Argument
d. All of the above
26) What is a good scenario (situation) to use critical
thinking?
a. When you have to decide whether to agree or disagree
with your boss
b. When you have to solve a problem for your
department
c. When you have to work with your co-workers to
discuss many solutions to a problem
d. All of the above

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 01

24) What is the difference between a fact and an opinion?
25) What are two characteristics of critical thinking (what
are two aspects/parts of critical thinking)?

03-02: ASSESSING THE CREDIBILITY OF AN ARGUMENT

This section will focus on arguments. Do you remember our
discussion about arguments? By definition, an argument is a
statement about something. For example, my argument might
be: “India is a nice place to live.” Arguments take place because
people cannot agree on the claim, opinion, viewpoint or
statement. In the business or legal world, an argument is a set of
beliefs you have about something. For example, if you are in a

AEC111-C03 Page 59
court room, the judge may ask you to make your argument. You
need to present your opinions, evidence, viewpoints, etc. In your
academic life, your teacher may ask you to write an essay about
your viewpoint on something. For example, you may need to
support your argument with evidence. In other words, what do
you believe and why? Here is another example of an argument:
Argument: British English is better than American English.
*Now you need to explain why and give evidence about this
claim
When someone makes an argument or a claim, how do you know
if it is a good argument, even when the evidence has been given
to you? Let us go through some ways to know if an argument is
credible or not.
The first step to learning about arguments is to know the
evidence. Evidence is something that supports an argument.
Evidence can be facts or data. This data or the evidence can be
found in reports or proposals.
Next, you have to see if the evidence actually supports the
argument. For example, if you have the argument that your
company is very successful, the first step is to know the facts
and data. What do the data and facts tell you about the s uccess
of the company? You can look and see how much money your
company made the other year or how much sales your company
has. If you have evidence and it does not support an argument,
then it is not a credible argument. For example, let us imagine
that your argument is that the Tata Company is the most
successful company. Let us imagine your evidence is that Tata
has six satellite offices all over the world. You must decide if
that evidence has a direct relationship with that argument or
not.

AEC111-C03 Page 60
 Argument: Tata is
the most successful
company

Evidence #1 Evidence #2 Evidence #3

Now that you have evidence that seems to have a relationship

with your argument, you must decide if the evidence is good or
not. You must think about where the evidence came from. What
is the source of the evidence? Examples of good sources are
trusted books, websites, and experts. Experts are people directly
involved with the evidence. Experts have received special
education or training in a subject area. An expert is called a
first- hand source. If an expert of the information tells you
something, it can usually be trusted.

Expert
Person
receiving
the
= First-
information
hand
source

Sources that are considered bad are untrusted or unregulated

websites, outdated books, or people not directly involved in the
argument. Even Wikipedia cannot be trusted because not
everyone who writes on Wikipedia is an expert in something.
People who are not directly involved in an argument are called
second- hand sources. Second-hand sources are people who are

AEC111-C03 Page 61
not experts and who only know information because of someone
else. In the below example, person #2 is receiving second -hand
information from person #1. Here is an illustration to help you:

Person #1
receives the
Expert information
from expert

Person #2 receives
the information
from person #1
(not the expert)

Other examples of bad sources are blogs, non-educational

magazines, etc.
The last thing to do when assessing the credibility of an
argument is to think about what you know about the argument.
What you already know is a part of what we call background
information. Background information is the information you
have acquired in your lifetime through education, experiences,
and observations. When you hear an argument and the evidence,
what do you think about it? Does the evidence make sense bas ed
on what you already know? You can also be a good judge of
character.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES 02
22) Reflection: Think about an argument you had with your
friends or family members. What were the different
views/opinions? Did you arrive at a conclusion?
23) Experiment: The next time you have an argument with a
friend or family member, do some research on the
argument. Find good sources. What do the experts say?

AEC111-C03 Page 62
SELF-TEST 02
27) If an argument is true and the statements are based on
facts, what should the conclusion be?
a. True
b. False
c. Weak
d. Strong
28) Scenario: You are working for a company and you are
talking with your colleagues about whether or not to offer
more services to your customers. Many people are offering
suggestions but you do not know if they are good arguments.
What should you do?
a. Look at the data/numbers from last year to see what
your company did with the services
b. Accept all opinions and choose the opinion that
everyone agrees with
c. Ask an expert in your field/industry about what the
company did to solve a similar problem
d. All of the above

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 02

26) What is the difference between first-hand and second-
hand sources of information?
27) What are two factors of a credible argument?

03-03: BECOMING A CRITICAL THINKER

Thinking critically is hard to do. It is a skill that needs to be
developed over time. When you do not use critical thinking, you
may believe things that are not true or make opinions that are
not based on facts. Facts are information that does not change.
Let us explore how to become a critical thinker.
First, critical thinkers do not make assumptions. Assumptions
are beliefs people have when they do not make beliefs based on

AEC111-C03 Page 63
facts. When you believe everything you hear without checking
the source of the information, you have assumed. Making
assumptions is dangerous and should be avoided when using
critical thinking. Assumptions are easy to make when you do not
receive your information from a first-hand source. When you
receive information from a second-hand source, the information
may not be correct. Be careful about what you believe from
second-hand sources.
Second, critical thinkers think of other people when making
decisions. Making decisions involves other people and critical
thinkers know that there are many different opinions and
viewpoints that are valid. Critical thinkers value their own
opinion but also value other people’s opinions and viewpoints.

Third, critical thinkers realize that their opinions are influenced

by their culture, families, and friends. Imagine that outside
influences are like a big box. Your opinions and thoughts are
influenced by what is inside the box. You are a product of your
culture, the people you hang out with, and the time period you
live in. Critical thinkers try to step outside of the box. They talk
to people from different generations, cultures, and viewpoints.

Box: Your culture, generation, family,

friends, media, etc.

AEC111-C03 Page 64
Fourth, critical thinkers realize that not all experiences are the
same. For example, imagine that you were in an aeroplane and
there was a lot of turbulence. Imagine that this happened every
time you went on an aeroplane. You might assume that all plane
rides are bad because this is true in accordance with your
experience. This person might say: “Planes are dangerous.” This
is an assumption and is not based on fact. Critical thinkers
realize that each experience is independent of each other. Other
people have different experiences. A critical thinker would not
assume that all plane rides are bad.
Fifth, critical thinkers do not think that all effects have the same
results. Do you remember our discussion about cause and
effect? Something happens (the cause) and then there is a result
(the effect). Critical thinkers understand the real reason for the
effect or the result. They do not assume that all causes have the
same effect. For example, imagine that someone from your
company leaves. That is the result (the effect). What was the
cause? Do not assume that the company is bad. This is an
assumption. Maybe there is another reason.

Possible cause
#1: Person
received another
job
Result:
Someone left
Possible cause
the company
#2: The company
is bad

Possible cause
#3: Family
emergency/shift

AEC111-C03 Page 65
Next, critical thinkers always think about other options or other
choices. When someone tells a critical thinker
that there are only two choices, he/she asks if
there are other options. You can find other
options when you talk to other people with
different viewpoints. Maybe they offer solutions
that you would not normally think about.
Critical thinkers think about each statement made. Remember
that statements are opinions/viewpoints that you believe to be
true. Sometimes when we hear someone share his/her
statements, we make a mistake; we think that a lot of statements
means that the argument is strong. If someone gives ten
statements to support his/her argument and another person
only gives two statements, we believe that the person who gives
ten statements has a better argument. This is not true all the
time. A critical thinker should look at quality (good evidence,
facts, logic), not quantity.
Lastly, critical thinkers do not mix opinions and facts. Opinions
are statements that people make that are only true for them but
may be different for a different person. Facts remain the same
for everyone and can be verified in books and other trusted
sources. For example, “Tata Group is the best company” is an
opinion because some people agree and some people do not
agree. “Tata Group is worth 118 billion dollars.” This is a fact.
Some people think opinions are facts. This could not be further
from the truth. Always examine the evidence.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES 03
24) Reflection: Do you think that you are a good critical
thinker? Why or why not?
25) Experiment: The next time you hear someone speak
(your teacher, friend, family member, etc.) examine if
he/she is sharing facts, opinions, or both.

AEC111-C03 Page 66
SELF-TEST 03
29) Scenario: You are working for an agriculture company.
The production of wheat and corn has declined (gone down).
What should you do?
a. Assume that corn does not grow well in this soil
b. Ask all the farmers in the area what problems they
are having
c. Assume that farms in India will always have this
problem every year and think that your company will
fail as a result
d. Identify the circumstances/facts about what is
making this season difficult and take specific action

30) Scenario: In your company, your team is told that

there are only two solutions to solve the problem. What
should you do?
a. Look at the two solutions and also think of more
possible solutions
b. To save time, only look at the two solutions critically
c. As a team, only look at one solution critically and
spend little time looking at the other solution because it
seems to be complex/complicated
d. All of the above

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 03

28) What is the difference between a fact and an opinion?
29) What are three characteristics of a good critical thinker?

AEC111-C03 Page 67
SUMMARY
This section focused on how to become a better critical thinker.
We learned about what critical thinking is and what critical
thinkers do. Critical thinking is important in order to sharpen
your decision-making skills. These skills help you in your
personal and professional life.

KEY WORDS
 Imagining= to think of/create something in your mind
 Reflecting= to think quietly/to express your thoughts
& opinions
 Reasoning= the process of thinking about something
in a logical way
 Analysis= a careful study of something in order to
learn about it
 Evaluation= the judgment of something
 Complex= complicated/ not easy
 Assumptions= things you believe without having
evidence
 Thoughtful= thinking carefully about something
 Reject= to refuse to believe something
 Judge= to make an opinion about something
 Claim= something that someone says. May be true or
false
 Issue= any topic that people are talking about and have
different opinions about
 Argument= statements that people use to support what
they believe
 Egocentric= thinking focused on you only/ not
thinking of others
 Fact= something that is true for everyone
 Opinion= something that is true only for some people
 Verify= to check whether or not something is true
 Cause= some problem that causes something to happen

AEC111-C03 Page 68
  Effect= the result of the problem

REFERENCES
MOOC S
https://www.coursera.org/learn/critical-thinking-skills

YOUTUBE VIDEOS
1)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cum3k-
Wglfw&list=PLtKNX4SfKpzX_bhh4LOEWEGy3pkLmFDmk
2) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oAf3g5_138

WIKIPEDIA
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_thinking

OER
http://ed.ted.com/lessons/5-tips-to-improve-your-critical-
thinking-samantha-agoos

BOOKS
1) “The Art of Reasoning: An Introduction to Logic and Critical
Thinking” by David Kelley
2) “Thinking, Fast and Slow” by Daniel Kahneman
3) “The 5 Elements of Critical Thinking” by Edward B. Burger
Michael Starbird

COURSE COMPANION WEBSITE

Visit Here for Course Companion website for this course:

AEC111-C03 Page 69
UNIT 03-04: GROUP DECISION MAKING AND
PROBLEM SOLVING

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After successful completion of this unit, you will be able to
 Recognize the benefits of working with a group
 Explain how individuals transform from groups to
effective teams
 Apply the tips on thinking in creative ways for problem
solving and decision making
 Examine the negative consequences of groups
 Make a plan to work effectively with large groups

INTRODUCTION
What do you do when you have a
problem? Imagine that the
problem is a complex one. In the
business world, when problems
occur, individuals come together
in a group to help solve that
problem. Many business
decisions involve groups. Learning how to make decisions and
solve problems is becoming more and more of a group effort.
Groups can work together nicely and sometimes not so nicely.
This section will discuss how to be successful in group decision
making and problem solving.

04-01: UNDERSTANDING GROUP DYNAMICS

Complex problems are more difficult than small problems and
many times require a group to deal with them. Groups offer
more benefits than working on the problem by yourself. By
definition, a group is defined as at least three people who come

AEC111-C03 Page 70
together to solve a common problem. Group dynamics refer to
how well that group performs. The group may not work together
well all the time. There can be good group dynamics or bad
group dynamics. You may be asking yourself: how do you get the
best group dynamics? What are the things that make groups
successful? Let us go through some characteristics that
successful groups have, when making decisions and solving
problems.
The best groups have diversity. Diversity means differences.
Diversity can be seen in different ages, genders, skills,
educational level, and cultures. If you want to solve complex
problems, you need diverse people to help you make those
decisions. Below are two examples of groups making decisions.
Which group is more diverse?

Good Diversity Bad Diversity

If a group is deciding school policies A group deciding which

for a primary school institution, there technology products to sell to
might be both men and women young women should have
making decisions, which helps moms only older men in their group
and dads of kids feel that all because their products are
viewpoints are represented when used by young women
making decisions

It is important to have diverse groups because that is the on ly

way to get a variety of opinions. The most popular opinion or
solution may not be the best one. So, in order to have the best
outcome or solution, you need a diverse group. An unlikely
answer might come from an unlikely person
and it may be the best solution to your
problem. You should have creative thinkers,
logical thinkers, and critical thinkers. You
should also have people who are really good
at finding errors or problems in certain
decisions. These people might help you to prevent a big mistake,

AEC111-C03 Page 71
so people who are more critical are good in a group. When you
involve a lot of people in making a decision, every person feels
good at having a stake or a responsibility. That is why decisions
should be made in a diverse group and not alone.
Next, groups solve problems easier if there are people in the
group who have experience in the company. People may be
experienced in knowing the processes, rules, regulations,
company culture, and past successes and failures of the
company. When making decisions, it is important to have
someone who knows the history of the company. In order to
make the best decisions for the company, you need to know the
past. It is said that the key to the future is in learning about the
past. Maybe a past decision was not a good idea and people who
have been at the company remember this more than newer
people. To have good group dynamics, learn from the more
experienced people.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES 01
26) Reflection: Have you ever been in a group? Was it
diverse? Did you solve any problem in your group?
27) Experiment: The next time you need to make a big
decision, get a diverse group (at least three people) to help
you make that decision.

SELF-TEST 01
31) What is the definition of group dynamics?
a. Changes in a plan

AEC111-C03 Page 72
 b. How well people interact in a group
c. Learning about resources
d. Thinking about costs and benefits
32) Scenario: You are a manager and you are going to form
groups in your company to solve some problems. There are
at least three problems you want to solve. Each group will
solve a different problem. What should you do?
a. Only put the people who have experience of one
problem together
b. Group the people by skills/knowledge AND after
groups have solved the problem, share the solution with
everyone
c. Mix the groups with people who have different levels
of experience with the problem (some only have one
year experience and others might have 10 years
experience)
d. Mix men and women who have the same knowledge in
the same group to offer male/female perspectives

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 01

30) Why is it important to have a diverse group?
31) What are some ways to be diverse in a group?

04-02: EVOLVING FROM A GROUP TO A TEAM

Do you know the difference between a group and a team? Both
groups and teams involve many different people. These people
can have different viewpoints, opinions, and values. Working
with individuals can be difficult if everyone is trying to work
together and trying to make decisions. A group evolves into a
team when the members all work together towards a common

AEC111-C03 Page 73
goal. So, how do you get individual members to become a strong
team?
First, allow time to socialize. Members who feel comfortable
with one another will have an easier time making decisions and
solving problems. Making decisions
in groups involves trust and taking
healthy risks and socializing helps.
Socializing can happen inside or
outside of the work space. For
example, if you are a president of a
company or a CEO, you can arrange a meeting for everyone at a
restaurant or a fun place. Or, you can arrange a social hour at
work where you have snacks and opportunities to learn about
the team members.
Second, after group members feel comfortable in socializing,
you are ready to form an identity among your group. Allow
group members to form an identity. If you do not know your
identity, think about the purpose of the group. The job title can
be a part of the identity. For example, if you are in my group,
your identity can be “Michelle’s English students.”
Third, groups are formed when all group
members know their responsibility. The best
groups work together towards a common goal.
Each member has a piece of the larger project.
For example, for a group project, maybe one
person is an IT expert, another person is the
group leader and another person might be the editor. Make sure
all group members feel comfortable in the role/assignment that
they have. Group members should feel good about what they are
doing.
Fourth, successful groups feel comfortable in sharing their
viewpoints. Do you remember the part on socializing? If group
members do not feel comfortable with one another, they will not

AEC111-C03 Page 74
share their viewpoints. What happens when you have a different
viewpoint than the other group members? It takes courage to
share those viewpoints. If you are comfortable, you are more
likely to share those viewpoints.
Fifth, successful groups have something called synergy. Synergy
is creating something bigger than yourself
with other people. For example, if you have
a big project, you will need the help of
individual group members. You need
everyone’s individual viewpoint. By
themselves, group members cannot do big
projects. Everyone needs to work together.
When group members are effective, they can create synergy.
Sixth, groups are successful when they know each other. Making
difficult decisions and finishing projects is only possible if
everyone knows each other’s strengths, weaknesses, skills, etc.
For example, if there is a difficult project, a team leader will
know which people have skills in certain areas. If everyone does
what he/she is best at, the group can be successful.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES 02
28) Reflection: If you have a job, how well do you know the
people who work with you? If you do not know the people so
well, how can you learn about your colleagues/co-workers?
29) Reflection: Do you know your personal strengths (things
you are good at) and weaknesses (things you are not so good
at)?

SELF-TEST 02
33) What do successful teams do when the group members
first start to meet?
a. Schedule the next meeting
b. Create action plans

AEC111-C03 Page 75
 c. Get to know one another in a fun setting
d. Assign titles/tasks/roles
34) Scenario: You are working in a team and you do not like
your title/role in the group. What should you do?
a. Talk to the team leader
b. Talk to all members of the group
c. Hide your feelings and do the job you were assigned
even if you hate it
d. All of the above

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 02

32) What is synergy and why is it important for groups?
33) Why is it important for new groups to socialize?

04-03: USING DIVERGENT AND CONVERGENT THINKING

We learned before that every member of the group is unique and
special. People in groups can have both divergent and
convergent thinking. What is divergent and convergent
thinking?
Divergent thinking is thinking of many
things that may not have a
relationship/connection. When you think of the
word divergent, you can think of the word
“different.” Divergent thinkers think of
different things. A divergent thinker can have a
topic and think of different ideas emerging from that
topic/idea/problem.
Convergent thinking is different from
divergent thinking. Convergent thinking is
thinking that takes a lot of ideas and makes
relationships with them. A convergent

AEC111-C03 Page 76
thinker can take many ideas and understand the common ideas
among them.
Which type of thinker are you? Here are some tips on becoming
a divergent thinker.
Divergent thinkers make mind maps. This is also called
brainstorming. Take an idea/problem and write it in the middle
of the paper. Draw a circle around it.
Next, think of as much information as
possible connected to that idea. What
comes into your brain? Ask all group
members to do the same. Draw lines that
connect ideas that have a relationship.
Divergent thinkers also do something called free writing. Free
writing is exactly as it sounds: writing freely. Free writing is
beneficial because it is an activity
where you just write everything that
comes into your brain. The only
difference between free writing and
brainstorming is that brainstorming
involves pictures, circles, and lines to
connect ideas. Free writing is simply
writing. It allows you to be creative and think of many different
ideas.
Another tip for divergent thinkers is
journaling. Encourage group members
to carry a small journal with them.
When ideas come into your brain,
write them down in the small
notebook. Sometimes, the best ideas
can come to us when we are not in the office.
Now, let us explore some ways to become a better convergent
thinker. Remember, convergent thinkers are good at taking

AEC111-C03 Page 77
many ideas and summarizing them so that in the end, the final
decision is a summary or synthesis of all the ideas.
One activity convergent thinkers can do is to
separate ideas into three separate piles: yes, no,
or maybe. The goal is to see which ideas are good,
bad, or maybe for a different time. If you have a
lot of “yes” ideas, you need to think about which
ideas you should work on right now and which ideas can be
worked on later. Suppose you have a problem and after doing
some divergent thinking with brainstorming, you
need to choose only a few ideas. Look at each
idea and with the team, think if it is a good idea,
a maybe, or a bad idea. Later, look at the
notes/ideas for the “yes” and the “maybe”. Think if you can
combine any ideas or put more into the “no” pile.
Convergent thinkers are really good at understanding pros and
cons. The phrase ‘pros and cons’ means the reasons for and
against something. The pros and cons of something are its
advantages and disadvantages, favourable and unfavourable
factors or reasons. If you have an idea or a solution, convergent
thinkers think of the benefits and the disadvantages of each
idea. Are there more benefits than disadvantages? More
disadvantages than benefits?

In summary, it is important to use both divergent and

convergent thinking in order to make the best decisions in a
group.

AEC111-C03 Page 78
LEARNING ACTIVITIES 03
30) Reflection: Are you more of a divergent or a convergent
thinker?
31) Experiment: The next time you have a big decision to
make, make a list of pros and cons.

SELF-TEST 03
35) Scenario: As group leader of your team, you need to
come up with three creative solutions to a complicated
problem with the business. Which type of thinking is best to
get many ideas on paper?
a. Convergent
b. Divergent
36) Scenario: In your group, you want to use convergent
thinking. You have many great ideas on how to solve the
problem, but now you must select one solution that is the
best for the business. Which technique should you use?
a. Brainstorming/mind map
b. Journaling
c. Pros/cons list
d. Three piles: yes, no, maybe

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 03

34) What is the difference between convergent and
divergent thinking?
35) What is one benefit of convergent thinking? What is one
benefit of divergent thinking?

04-04: AVOIDING COMMON GROUP ERRORS

No group is effective all the time. Groups can make errors and
have problems too. If a group has good group dynamics, the

AEC111-C03 Page 79
group makes fewer errors. If the group has bad group dynamics,
the group is more prone to making errors. This section will
explain how to make fewer errors as a group.
The first error groups can make is not being organized. Not
being organized is called disorganization. Disorganization
happens when members of the group do not know what they are
supposed to be doing. They do not have a clear idea of what
their responsibilities are. Group members may not know who to
talk to when there is a problem. To make your work life more
organized, you should know exactly what you need to do and
who you talk to when you have a problem.
The second possible error is stress/tension. Stress/tension
happens when group members have too much responsibility
than they can handle. Stress can also happen when there is too
much disorganization in the group. To help, team leaders should
make sure that everyone in the group feels good. Do they need
more organization? Do
they need clear job titles?
Do they need less
projects/work? Do they
need more socializing?
Team leaders should find
out what the group members need. Team leaders should also
motivate their group members and be positive.
Third, another error groups can possibly make is thinking they
are the best. Sometimes, groups are so positive that they feel as
if nothing can go wrong. This is also a problem because it is not
realistic. Group members who ignore other viewpoints and
opinions make a big mistake. It is good to feel confident, but do
not think you are the best and therefore
do not need any help. Avoid this
common error. It is called the
Superman Complex. The goal of any

AEC111-C03 Page 80
group should be to learn from many types of people, to learn
from all viewpoints. Groups should invite specialists and talk to
people who have solved similar problems.
Fourth and last, the final error to avoid is Groupthink.
Groupthink happens when you start to think like all the other
members of your group. When you are afraid to express an
opinion/viewpoint that may be different from the group you are
in, you have suffered from Groupthink. To avoid this, always
remember to have an open mind. Also, do not be afraid to say
how you really feel.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES 04
32) Reflection: Which group error do you want to work on?
(Disorganization, stress, Superman Complex, or
Groupthink). If you are a student, think about which error
you make in group projects.
33) Experiment: The next time you think you have the
answer, ask someone else for his/her opinion.

SELF-TEST 04
37) What should you avoid in a group?
a. Disorganization
b. Stress
c. Groupthink
d. All of the above
38) When group members are afraid of sharing ideas that
may be different than the popular belief, what are they
showing?
a. Group analysis
b. Superman Complex
c. Groupthink

AEC111-C03 Page 81
 d. All of the above

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 04

36) Why is it important to avoid group errors?
37) Explain when confidence can be a good thing. Explain
when confidence is a bad thing.

04-05: WORKING WITH LARGE GROUPS

In today’s world, groups are getting larger as we work with
people from many different countries and cities. How are large
groups special? They require more organization and
communication. This section will give you some tips if you are in
a large group involving many people from different
departments/cities/or countries.
Large groups require better communication than smaller
groups. Larger groups need to know all the information about
the group members and about the projects. People need to know
about the other group members, their job titles, and what they
each do. You also need to know who to report to when you have
a question. The more information you know, the easier it is to
get things done. An easy way to do this is to pass information
electronically.
A large group needs to know which people work best together.
Usually in a project, you can divide group members by skill
level. Or, you can make diverse groups where different skills are
together in the same group (to encourage creative thinking).
Think about what a project requires and group the members
accordingly. For a large group to be successful, you must make
smaller groups within the larger group that have a common
identity.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES 05
34) Reflection: Have you ever worked in a large group?
(More than twenty five people). Was it difficult?

AEC111-C03 Page 82
SELF-TEST 05
39) As a team leader, before a meeting with a large group,
what should you do?
a. Give everyone the documents electronically
b. Allow everyone a chance to speak
c. Make sure everyone knows the task you are working
on at the meeting by explaining the purpose of the
meeting two days before it starts
d. All of the above
40) Which of the following is a useful tool when working
with large groups?
a. Online calendar
b. Skype meetings
c. WhatsApp
d. All of the above

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 05

38) What are the benefits of working with a large group?
39) What are some disadvantages of working with a large
group?

SUMMARY
This section focused on how to make decisions and solve
problems in a group. Learning to work with groups is a very
normal part of society and life. The more experience you have
working with groups, the more successful you will be in making
decisions and solving problems.

KEY WORDS
 Group dynamics = the interaction among group
members
 Logical thinker = a person who uses logic to make
decisions

AEC111-C03 Page 83
  Logic = a proper or reasonable way of thinking about or
understanding something
 Synergy = the combined energy of multiple people
 Socialize = to have fun with other people
 Pros and Cons = the reasons for and against
something, advantages and disadvantages, favourable
and unfavourable factors or reasons
 Disorganization = lacking organization, arrangement,
or planning

REFERENCES
MOOC S
https://www.coursera.org/specializations/professional-iq

YOUTUBE VIDEOS
1) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gl_0bGD5Jv8
2) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMesDq_rNOw
3) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtNOq1Bwtt4

WIKIPEDIA
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Group_dynamics

OER
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9FBK4eprmA

BOOKS
“The Divergent and Convergent Thinking Book: How to Enhance
your innovative thinking, an exercise book” by Dort Nielsen

COURSE COMPANION WEBSITE

Visit Here for Course Companion website for this course:

AEC111-C03 Page 84
 Yashwantrao AEC111-C04
Chavan English
Maharashtra Open
Communication
University

Brief Contents
Credits
Vice Chancellor’s Message
Related Programmes
Course Syllabus
Credit 04
Unit 04-01: working in groups and teams ............................ 11
Unit 04-02: exploring team roles and processes ................. 25
Unit 04-03: building and developing teams ........................ 50
Unit 04-04: presenting yourself professionally ................... 65
Unit 04-05: developing your interpersonal skills ................ 78
CREDITS
Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University
Vice-Chancellor: Dr E Vayunandan
School of Science and Technology
School Council (2014 – 2017)
01. Dr Manoj 02. Dr Sunanda 03. Mrs Chetana
Killedar More Kamlaskar
04. Dr Madhuri 05. Dr Madhavi 06. Dr Latika
Sonwane Dharankar Ajabani
07. Ram 08. Ar Vijay 09. Dr Narendra
Thakar Sohoni Deshmukh
10. Kiran 11. Mahesh 12. Dr Manoj
Garibe Bakshi Kulshrestha
13. Harsh --- ---
Gune

Development Team
Course Coordinator Book Writer Content and Language
Editor
Dr Manoj Killedar Michelle Jacobson Satish Kulkarni
B.E., M.Tech., PhD, B.A., M.A. (USA) M.A., M.Phil., B.Ed.
Director, AST, Experience 08 Years Emeritus Professor,
YCMOU, Nashik Sapat College of
Experience 32 Years Engineering, Nashik
Experience 39 Years
This work by YCMOU is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-
ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
 First Publication : 20-Nov-2016
 Publisher : Registrar, YCMOU, Nashik - 422 222, MH, India
Free Access for this book at: https://goo.gl/e6F69u
Send Your Feedback about this book to:
ycmoulr.feedback@gmail.com

AEC111-C04 Page 2
VICE CHANCELLOR ’S MESSAGE
Welcome to the “Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open
University (YCMOU), a Leading Mega Open University of India!
During Feb-2016, University Grants Commission proposes
“Choice Based Credit System (CBCS)” for the higher
education system of India. “AEC111: English Communication”
course of 04 Credits at “Semester 01” is an “Ability
Enhancement Compulsory Course (AECC)” for all
academic programmes at undergraduate level from any
university, as per the “Choice Based Credit System (CBCS)”.
For success in the world of work, English Communication skills
are important essential requirement for any student. Due to
this, YCMOU has developed following high quality learning
resource package (in “Self-Learning Material – SLM” format) for
this course:
1. Mobile Ready Text-Book: Total 19 Units
2. Mobile Ready Audio-Visual Lecture Modules: 90 Nos
3. Moodle LMS Ready Question Bank with
a. Short Answer Questions (SAQs):  200 Nos
b. Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs):  200 Nos
Above learning resource package is released for free access as an
“Open Educational Resource (OER)” under Creative
Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0
International License, that is, CC BY NC SA License.
I congratulate “Development Team” for the development of this
excellent learning resource package. We hope and believe, this
free high quality learning resource package will be immensely
useful for all students from any university.
Dr E Vayunandan
Vice Chancellor, YCMOU

AEC111-C04 Page 3
 R ELATED P ROGRAMMES

“AEC111: English Communication” course of 04 Credits at

“Semester 01” is an “Ability Enhancement Compulsory
Course (AECC)” for all academic programmes, as per the
“Choice Based Credit System (CBCS)” as proposed by the
“University Grants Commission (UGC)”.
This textbook is useful for “AEC111: English Communication”
course of 04 Credits at “Semester 01” of following academic
programmes of the Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open
University, Nashik – 422 222, MH, India.
1. School of Architecture, Science and Technology
a. V92: B.Sc. in Physics, Chemistry and
Mathematics
b. V96: B.Sc. in Actuarial Science

AEC111-C04 Page 4
 C OURSE S YLLABUS

Semester 01
AECC01 - AEC111: ENGLISH COMMUNICATION
PROGRAMME INFORMATION
SN Description Details
Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open
University
1 University
Nashik - 422 222, Maharashtra, India
Website: http://www.ycmou.ac.in/
School of Architecture, Science and
2 School
Technology
3 Discipline Science
4 Level UG
5 Course Used in V92: B.Sc.
Designed for Full (1) Instructional Template
6 Compliance to these
UGC Documents: (2) Templates of Syllabi for CBCS

COURSE INFORMATION
Sem Code Course Name Credits CAT EE TM Type Category
English 20 80 100 T AECC
01 AEC111 4
Communication

PRESUMED KNOWLEDGE AND LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Presumed Knowledge Learning Objectives
For successful completion of this After successful completion of this
course, student should have course, student should be able to
successfully completed:
 Communicate effectively in
 HSC (10+2) or equivalent English
from a recognized Board. OR  Think Critically
 10+3 Diploma (any stream)  Perform better in Team
awarded by any State Board of
Technical Education. 

AEC111-C04 Page 5
SYLLABUS FOR THEORY UNITS
UN Detailed Syllabus of the Unit Credit
Introduction: Theories of Communication, Types and
modes of Communication
Language of Communication: Personal, Barriers and
01- Strategies, Intra Personal, Inter Personal and Group
01 Communication
Speaking Skills: Monologue, Dialogue, Group
Discussion, Effective Communication/ Mis-
Communication
Understanding the Basis of Verbal Credit
Communication: Organizing Your Messages, Using 01
Vocal Elements Effectively, Understanding Nonverbal
01-
Language, Developing Credibility, Giving and Receiving
02
Feedback, Overcoming Barriers to Communication,
Communicating Ethically, Understanding Cross -Cultural
Issues
Working with Customers: Understanding Customer
01- Service Basics, Communicating Empathetically, Asking
03 Question to Understand Problems, Denying Request,
Coping with Angry Customers
Developing Professional Telephone Skills:
Exploring Professional Telephone Communication,
01- Placing Telephone Calls, Receiving Telephone Calls,
04 Using Voice Mail, Leaving Professional Messages, Taking
Calls for Other People, Screening, Holding, and
Transferring Calls, Developing Cell Phone Etiquette
Improving Informal Communication:
Communicating Informally, Listening Actively, Speaking
01-
Persuasively, Negotiating Effectively, Managing Conflict,
05
Participating in Meeting, Dealing with Office Politics,
Making Proper Introductions

AEC111-C04 Page 6
 Understanding Reading and Writing: Close
Reading, Comprehension, Summary Paraphrasing,
Analysis and Interpretation, Translation(from Indian
02-
language to English and vice-versa) Literary/Knowledge
01
Texts
Writing Skills: Documenting, Report Writing, Making
notes, Letter Writing
Uncovering the Secrets of Clear writing: Clarifying Credit
02-
Written Communication, Writing Solid Sentences, 02
02
Developing Effective Paragraphs, Mastering Punctuation
Communicating with E-Mail and Memos:
Understanding E-Mail Message and Memos, Composing
02- the Main Elements of Message, Creating Professional E -
03 Mail Message, Constructing Professional Memos, Writing
Request Messages, Writing Response Messages, Writing
Bad- News Messages, Technology Tools
Developing Reports and Proposals: Understanding
02-
Reports and Proposals, Planning a Report or Proposals,
04
Writing Proposals
Writing for Employment: Writing Effective Cover
Letters, Planning Resumes, Writing Chronological
02-
Resumes, Writing Functional Resumes, Requesting
05
Letters of Reference, Sending Follow-Up Messages,
Accepting or Rejecting Job Offers

Identifying and Defining Problems: Understanding

03- Problem Solving, Analyzing Problems, Determining
01 Causes, Simplifying Complex Problems, Identifying and
Managing Risks, Avoiding Problem-Solving Traps
Credit
Solving the Problem: Gathering and Analyzing Data, 03
Developing Alternatives, Evaluating Options,
03-
Implementing the Solution, Monitoring and Managing
02
the Solution, Using Adaptive Techniques, Developing
Ethical Solution

AEC111-C04 Page 7
 Thinking Critically: Understanding Critical Thinking,
03-
Assessing the Credibility of an Argument, Becoming a
03
Critical Thinker
Group Decision Making and Problem Solving :
Understanding Group Dynamics, Evolving From a Group
03-
to a Team, Using Divergent Thinking, Using Convergent
04
Thinking, Avoiding Common Group Traps, Working with
Large Group
03-
---
05

Working in Groups and Teams: Understanding the

Role of Team in Organizations, Defining the types of
04-
Groups and Teams, Recognizing Differences Between
01
Groups and Teams, Ensuring Team Success, Working
with Distributed Teams
Exploring Team Roles and Processes: Recognizing
the Need for Team Leadership, Selecting Team Member,
04- Credit
Choosing the Optional Team Size, Defining Common
02 04
Team Roles, Establishing Team Rules, Clarifying Team
Objectives, Making Collective Decisions
Building and Developing Teams: Understanding the
Benefits of Working in Teams, Fostering Relationships,
04-
Overcoming Resistance, Using Team-Building Activities,
03
Dealing with Difficult Team Member, Benefits of
professional networking
Presenting yourself Professionally: Meeting
04- Business Casual Standards, Maintaining a Professional
04 Wardrobe, Practicing good Grooming and Hygiene,
Improving Your Speech

AEC111-C04 Page 8
 Developing Your Interpersonal Skills: Networking
Professionally, Showing Basic Office Courtesies,
04- Recovering from difficult interpersonal situations,
05 Displaying Optimism and Enthusiasm, Developing
Diplomacy Skills, Interacting with others, Respecting
social protocols

LEARNING R ESOURCE D ETAILS

LR Title Edition ISBN
Code Author Year Publisher

Course Website Link for (1) Text-EBook (2) Mobile and Online
Lectures (3) Video Lectures (4) MOOCs (5) OERs (6) Discussion
Forum for online interaction (7) Live Virtual Class Lectures and (8)
Continuous Assessment Test

AEC111- https://goo.gl/e6F69u -
2016
WL (Copy and Paste URL in Browser) YCMOU

Books
AEC111- English Communication
2016
C04 Michelle Jacobson YCMOU

978-81-315-
AEC111- Soft Skills for Everyone
2010 1467-2
R01 Jeff Butterfield
CENGAGE

AEC111-C04 Page 9
AEC111-C04 Page 10
UNIT 04-01: WORKING IN GROUPS AND TEAMS
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After successful completion of this unit, you will be able to
 Explain the benefits of teams in relation to companies
 Define groups, teams, and committees and Describe
their uses
 Explain how to be successful in a team
 Make a plan to work with team members in different
locations

INTRODUCTION
Teams are needed in business to do
research, make new products, find
solutions to problems, improve quality of
services, and work on projects. Have you
ever wondered what makes a team
effective? What separates effective teams
from non-effective teams? This section
will focus on working with groups and teams.

01-01: UNDERSTANDING THE ROLE OF TEAMS IN

ORGANIZATIONS
Groups are more effective than individuals and effective groups
can help companies to be successful. Let us explore the ways in
which a group benefits a company.
An effective group reflects
a company. If a company
has a reputation of being
diverse, the teams should
also be diverse. If a
company has many

AEC111-C04 Page 11
departments, this can be reflected in different ways in a
company. One option is that a company can have separate
departments like marketing, IT, human resources, etc. Another
option is that a team can have members of different divisions
like one person each from IT, marketing, and human resources
in the same group.
The type of project will determine which type of team a company
has: members of the same division or members of different
divisions together.
Effective teams accomplish more than what an individual can
accomplish on their own. Do you remember the word ‘synergy?’
Synergy is the combined efforts of many people working
together for a common goal. Individuals cannot accomplish a lot
by themselves because they have a fixed schedule and limited
knowledge. A team can do more than what one individual can. A
team has multiple perspectives, a lot of combined experience,
and more than one person dedicated to the project. As long as a
team is working towards a common goal, a team will almost
always accomplish a lot more than a single person. Teams have
exponential growth.

Goal: Start a Person #2: Ask

new product customers what
Person #1: products they
at your
Research technology would like
types of company
products Person #3:
Contact
manufacturing
company (to make
the product) and
get prices

AEC111-C04 Page 12
Effective teams are committed towards the goal. If teams do not
know the goal or are working on other problems, they will not be
effective. Team members must know what
and why they are working on. If team
members are doing other tasks not related
to the project, they are wasting time. It is
important that everyone knows the goal or
the objective.
Effective teams are excited to work. Happy
workers stay at a company longer and
contribute more to a team. Happy workers
spread positive energy and encourage
everyone to give their best to their projects.
The best teams have happy workers.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES 01
1) Reflection: Have you ever worked in a group? What was
one thing your group did really well? What was one thing
your group did not do so well?
2) Reflection: Think about your friends (a group that you
have). Do your friends reflect the kind of person you are?
Yes or no. Why or why not?

SELF-TEST 01
1) In this list, which is not a positive thing about working
with a team?
a. Teams can find creative solutions
b. Teams can do more than a single person
c. Teams can create new connections and friendships
d. Teams work as individuals
2) Scenario: You are in charge of forming a team for your
company. There are many departments in your company.

AEC111-C04 Page 13
 You work in the IT services of your company. How should
you do it?
a. Only put the same people of the same age, gender,
and skills together
b. Mix the groups by age, gender, department, and skill
c. Put men of different departments together
d. Put women of different departments together

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 01

1) What are the three benefits of groups?
2) What is the definition of synergy and why is it important?

01-02: GROUPS, TEAMS , AND COMMITTEES

In a company, groups, teams and committees are all needed.
These are all required for a company to be successful. All are
different and serve different purposes in order to get most of the
work finished. So, what is a group, a team, and a committee?
A group is a lot of individuals who work independently of one
another. One person’s work does not affect another person’s
work. For example, if a company has a customer service
department, everyone’s work might be separate. All the
customer service agents might do the same type of work, but
everyone’s work is independent. Groups are
important if you want many people to
accomplish one task. Groups are good for
manpower. But, group members do not have
to communicate much. Groups are good for
simple tasks that require many people to either do the same or
the different task.
A team is defined as a group of individuals who work together
towards a common goal. The difference between a group and a
team is that a group has individual members working on

AEC111-C04 Page 14
separate projects. In teams, all people work together on the
same project. Teams are good for solving complex problems that
require many different people with special viewpoints and
opinions.
Here is a chart to help you remember the difference between
groups and teams.

Groups Teams
 A collection of  People work on the same
individuals goal
 Separate job  People share pieces of
responsibilities the larger big project
 Separate goals/missions  More group
 Less group bonding and bonding/unity
less group community  Rewards are based on
 Make decisions group accomplishments
individually
 Rewards are individual

Person #1 from Person #2 from

human relations finance
Project: Offer
department : Talk department: Get
new tour
to customers price estimates
packages for
about what they of vacation
Tour Company
want packages

Person #3 from IT
department : develop
a new website for the
company to show the
vacation packages

AEC111-C04 Page 15
Lastly, committees are groups of people who represent others
and make decisions. Think of a committee as a small
government. The committee will make
important decisions for the company
like salary, discuss problems, or
propose solutions. They will vote on the
issues and make a collective decision.
The best committees are from members
of the different departments. For example, if your company has
an IT department, a human resources department, and a finance
department, then the committee should have one person from
each department.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES 02
3) Reflection: If you are a student, does your school have a
student government? If you are working for a company, does
your company have a committee?
4) Reflection: Have you ever participated in a school
project? Did you form a group or a team?

SELF-TEST 02
3) What type of group talks about topics/things that matter
to the whole company/organization?
a. Work group
b. Committee
c. Team
4) A group focuses on individual tasks/responsibilities.
What does a team focus on?
a. Individual goals
b. Team accomplishments

AEC111-C04 Page 16
 c. Shared tasks/responsibilities
d. Decisions that affect each member

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 02

3) What are the main differences between groups and
teams?
4) Why are groups, teams, and committees required in a
company?

01-03: ENSURING TEAM SUCCESS

Do you remember group dynamics? A team can either be
successful or unsuccessful? Teams can be successful when there
are certain elements involved. A group can evolve into a team
over time.
First, all effective teams understand that each member is
important because every person works towards the same goal. If
a project is a pizza, then each member is like a piece of pizza.
Everyone is working towards a similar goal. Nobody should be
in competition because each person is important and does
separate work that is required to help the project.

Each team member can have a speciality and have a different

role. Let us explore the different roles or jobs each person can
have within a team.

Role: Good at:

Leader Motivating team members to finish tasks,
encourage others (not dictate), and making difficult
decisions
Secretary Helping leader with administrative tasks

AEC111-C04 Page 17
Facilitator Help other group members agree
Detail Recorder Writing documents/reports
Peacemaker Solving conflict within a group

Second, all members of successful teams

respect one another. Everyone values all
opinions because he/she knows that
diversity is a good thing. The best idea
might not be the most popular viewpoint.
Everyone listens to everyone speak and does not ignore other
viewpoints just because they sound crazy or weird.
Third, all successful teams have a deadline.
People know when projects need to be
completed. If groups do not have a finishing
date, then it becomes difficult for groups to
stay focused. Teams work better with a little
pressure.
Fourth, successful teams know all the
important information. Team members
cannot be effective if they do not know all
the information. You cannot make important
decisions if you do not have all the
information. The more information you know, the more
informed decisions you can make. Things that all group
members should know at all times are:
 The company’s mission
 The mission of the project
 The financial situation of the company (if they are
gaining or losing money)
 Changes happening inside the company (departments
changing, people leaving, opportunities for promotion)

AEC111-C04 Page 18
 Lastly, successful groups
have rewards. Rewards
are important for group
members to feel
motivated to work. If
there are no rewards or
prizes, group members might not want to work. Everyone wants
to be recognized. Recognition is when someone sees what you
are doing and compliments you or rewards you. Rewards can be
verbal or in the form of things. Here are some examples:

Verbal Rewards Tangible Rewards

 “Thanks for your hard  Higher salary (more
work.” money)
 “You are doing a great  A team party
job.”  Certificates, travel
 “Nice team efforts.” vouchers, luncheon
vouchers or coupons, gift
vouchers

LEARNING ACTIVITIES 03
5) Reflection: Are rewards important for you? Why or why
not?
6) Reflection: Do you work best if you have a deadline?
Why or why not?

SELF-TEST 03
5) Scenario: You are working in a team and the group
members are not being too successful. What is one thing you
can do to help?
a. The group leader can have an individual meeting with
everyone to make sure they are doing their jobs
b. Make sure you are doing exactly what you are
supposed to do

AEC111-C04 Page 19
 c. Organize a fun outing to a tea shop with your team so
you can all relax and talk in an informal setting
d. All of the above
6) What is the main difference between a group and a team?
a. A group has individuals working on different tasks
that may look similar and a team has a shared purpose
(everyone working on the same thing)
b. A team is larger than a group
c. Groups are more successful than teams
d. Teams have people from the same department and
groups have people from different departments

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 03

5) Why are deadlines important?
6) Why is it beneficial that each group member has a
different role?

01-04: WORKING WITH DISTRIBUTED TEAMS

Distributed teams means team members
who are in different locations. The team
members could be in different cities,
states, or countries. As business gets
more and more globalized, teams are
becoming distributed. Distributed teams
allow businesses to be multi-national
and work in different countries.
Distributed teams also encourage global

partnerships. Despite these benefits,

distributed teams have special challenges
that local teams do not have. Let us
explore the difficulties and the solutions
that distributed teams have.

AEC111-C04 Page 20
The first challenge is in organization. They are also in different
locations. How do you organize meetings? Due to the different
time zones, meetings will have to be fixed in advance. Electronic
communication becomes very important. E-mails and social
media need to be used to coordinate things. It is best if one
person coordinates all meetings and e-mail communication for
the whole team.
The second challenge is in communication. The more people you
have, the more communication you need among the people. The
solution is finding the communication medium that works for
everyone, depending on what you want to accomplish. Look at
this chart:

Communication Medium Purpose

E-mail Attaching files like reports/documents,
long messages
Text message/group chat For things that require a fast/quick
reply
Phone Calling When you need to explain things in
detail (that might be confusing in
text/email), for sensitive topics that
are more personal
Skype video calls For meetings

Lastly, distributed teams should meet at least

one to two times a year to build personal
relationships. The number of times you meet
with your distributed team is up to your team
leader. Teams with members in different
countries might have a difficult time meeting
due to distance. So, depending on the needs
of your team, try to meet as often as possible.
Electronic communication is fast, but
meeting face-to-face builds real relationships.

AEC111-C04 Page 21
LEARNING ACTIVITIES 04
7) Reflection: Do you have any family members in different
cities, states, or countries? How do you maintain the
communication? By e-mail, text, phone, Skype, face-to-face,
etc.
8) Reflection: If you are a student, think about how best you
communicate with your teacher. Do you prefer face-to-face,
phone calling, e-mail, etc.?

SELF-TEST 04
7) What does a distributed team have?
a. Members in different locations in the world
b. Long-term members (many years in the company)
c. Many contacts with other people in the organization
d. More unity
8) What is a problem for distributed teams?
a. Lack of (not enough) coordination
b. Difficulty in finding a common meeting time
c. Not enough technology
d. Members are not motivated when they can’t meet
facet-to-face

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 04

7) What is the definition of the term ‘Distributed Teams?’
8) What are the benefits of working with a distributed team?
What are the challenges?

SUMMARY
This section focused on how to work in groups and teams. We
learned that teams and groups are very useful in a company and

AEC111-C04 Page 22
in life. Everywhere we go, we will have to work with people at
some point of time. Most of us learn how to function in groups
in our social circles with friends, then at school, and also in
companies. Learning how to function in a team will help you to
be successful in life.

KEY WORDS
 Division = a department within a company, like
marketing, IT, human resources, etc.
 Deadline = the last day to finish something
 Recognition = to know or remember someone or
something for the work they do
 Distributed = spread out in different cities, states, or
countries
 Exponential = more and more rapid

REFERENCES
MOOC S
https://www.coursera.org/learn/leading-teams

YOUTUBE VIDEOS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8a7dw6plVC0

WIKIPEDIA
1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secretary
2) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facilitator

OER
http://www.ted.com/talks/roselinde_torres_what_it_takes_to_
be_a_great_leader#

AEC111-C04 Page 23
BOOKS
“Fun Telecommuting Facts (that you may not know)” by
Sqwiggle (e-book)

COURSE COMPANION WEBSITE

Visit Here for Course Companion website for this course:

AEC111-C04 Page 24
UNIT 04-02: EXPLORING TEAM ROLES AND
PROCESSES

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After successful completion of this unit, you will be able to
 Identify the traits/characteristics of team leaders
 Describe the process of choosing team members
 Evaluate the best size of a team and Define the
common roles of groups
 Frame rules/objectives for your team or group
 Make collective decisions in your professional life

INTRODUCTION
Do you remember that a group
needs time to evolve into a
team? A group needs to pass
through specific stages before it
can function as a team. Do you
know when a team is effective?
Effective team members will
have specific roles or
responsibilities that help them function as a team. This section
will focus on the most common group roles, how groups change
or develop, and how teams can be successful.

02-01: RECOGNIZING THE NEED FOR TEAM LEADERSHIP

Leaders are required for any group or team to function properly.
Leaders are people who motivate other people to change and to
be the best they can be. Do you remember some great leaders of
your country? These people had special qualities that made
them leaders and allowed them to do great things. You may have
needed to perform the job as a leader in school. At work, you

AEC111-C04 Page 25
will have other opportunities to be a leader. Good leaders are
required for a team to be successful. Let us explore the q ualities
of a great leader at the workplace.
First, the best people in the team are chosen as leaders. How do
you choose a leader for your group? Should the person who
speaks the most be the leader?
Leaders should be elected from
a group. This means that
leaders should be voted from
the group, like a democracy.
Team members are more likely
to respect a leader whom they elect. If you want to be a leader,
you should think about your relationship with other people. Do
you have a good relationship with them? If yes, then they are
likely to elect you.
Second, effective leaders help
everyone. After a leader is
chosen, it is the responsibility
of the leader to help everyone,
no matter what their role is.
Leaders should not just help
their friends; they should help
everyone. The best leaders meet the team members to know
their progress on their projects. The leader may be busy, but is
never too busy to personally know each person on his/her team.
Third, team leaders establish the communication link between
the group and the CEO/president of the company. The leader is
the elected representative of each group or department. The
leader represents the group. Think of the leader as the face and
voice of the whole group. The leader passes along all important
information to the highest level of a company. Also, if there is
any news from the CEO/president, it is the leader’s job to pass
that information to the group.

AEC111-C04 Page 26
 Group Members Company
Team Leader CEO/president

Third, effective leaders manage conflict.

A conflict is any problem that is in the
group. Maybe group members are
fighting. Maybe group members cannot
agree on something. An effective leader
sees conflict right away and tries to solve the problem before it
gets bigger. Leaders are not afraid of conflict. The best leaders
solve the conflict in a way that benefits everyone involved and
think of the best solution. A good leader will find the root cause
of the conflict/problem. The root cause/problem is the real
reason why the conflict exists.
Effective leaders have many special qualities that make all the
members work together. Leaders are not just good
communicators; they are also responsible people. Good leaders
have many qualities in combination. This means there are many
things that make the leader effective. Here is a short list. Can
you think of more?
 Curious (ask questions)
 Original/creative (new ideas)
 Organized (not confused)
 Punctual (on time)
 Dependable/responsible
 Sociable (knows about other team members)
 Tolerant/sensitive to other people
 Confident/Positive

AEC111-C04 Page 27
LEARNING ACTIVITIES 01
9) Reflection: Who is your favorite leader? What qualities
does this person have? (In other words, why is that person a
great leader?)
10) Reflection: Do you think you are a good leader? Why or
why not? What qualities make you a good leader?

SELF-TEST 01
9) What does leadership mean?
a. Giving information to many groups
b. Reaching an agreement with a group
c. Being independent
d. Motivating others to achieve a goal
10) Which of the following is not something a leader should
do?
a. Manage conflict in a group
b. Participate in all meetings
c. Communicate everything to higher
authorities/managers
d. Tell slow group members that they must leave the
team if they do not do their work

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 01

9) What are three qualities of a good leader?

AEC111-C04 Page 28
 10) Now that you know the qualities of a good leader, can
you guess the qualities of a good follower?

02-02: SELECTING TEAM MEMBERS

Who you choose to be in your team will decide
the success or failure of your team. Each
member is very important. Think of each team
member as a link in a chain. Each link needs
to be strong. The team is only as strong as the
weakest chain. If one link in the chain is broken, it affects the
whole team. So, choosing good team members is very important.
As for a team leader, there should be certain criteria for
choosing team members. Are skills important? Social
intelligence? What things should you look for when choosing a
team? That will depend on what you want. Let us look at some
general qualities that you should look for in any type of team.
First, you should choose positive people. Positive people make
you feel good about the project and help keep you motivated.
Positive energy is required in order to remain
happy about the project. Imagine having
negative energy all around you; negative
energy is heavy and does not feel good.
People are attracted to positive energy. When
a team is positive, more work will be
accomplished. People will be excited to start work every day.
The second criteria when deciding team leaders is to think who
knows the most information about the project. Team members
who have knowledge, experience,
and skills connected to the project
are necessary. Think about what
skills you need and then think of the
best person who has those skills.
For example, if you are doing an
international project, it is best to

AEC111-C04 Page 29
have members who have language or international skills. Many
people just choose team members who have the most experience
at a company. This is a mistake. Years at a company does not
mean that that person has the skills that you need.
Third, you have to think about how all the people work together.
Having the perfect people is nice, but it is not nice if those
people cannot work together. Group members need to feel
comfortable with one another if they are to make difficult
decisions and take risks together. This element, called synergy,
is very important. Synergy is created when all group members
can do more together than they can do apart.
How do different personalities work together (or not work
together)? Personality is important when thinking about how
people work together. You need to have balance in different
personalities. For example, if all group members like to talk
(and not listen), then you have a problem. Or, if all group
members are shy and do not like to talk, then also you have a
problem.
Work ethic is another element within your group members. Will
all group members work hard? Will one lazy person cause the
other group members to also be lazy? Think about how group
members will motivate (or not motivate) other group members.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES 02
11) Reflection: Think about your friends. Does each friend
have a different skill? Do your friends help you to make
good decisions?
12) Reflection: Do you have any special skills? For example,
do you have any language skills? Technical skills?

SELF-TEST 02
11) What is the most important thing to think about when
choosing team members?

AEC111-C04 Page 30
 a. Attitude/motivation
b. Skills
c. Experience
d. Friendship
12) What is the first thing you should you do before
choosing your team members?
a. Think about the employees who are loyal to the
company
b. Think about your team rules
c. Think about which skills you need
d. All of the above

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 02

11) Why is it important to think about personalities or
qualities when deciding group members?
12) What are two things to think about when deciding group
members?

02-03: CHOOSING THE OPTIMAL TEAM SIZE

Teams are required for finishing
projects, forming committees, and
communicating about business. Let us
explore how to choose the best team size
in each of those areas.
Research supports that the best team
size for managing projects is between five and ten members.
Here are some benefits of this group size:
 People who talk less might feel more comfortable in
talking. In smaller teams of three people or less, shy
people talk 23% of the time.

AEC111-C04 Page 31
  Group members can form bonds and friendships with
other group members
 Communication becomes easier
There are some problems with large groups:
 Shy group members might not be comfortable in talking.
In teams of more than 10 people, shy people only talk
3% of the time
 It is more difficult to form close relationships with
group members
 Communication becomes more difficult
If the team is a distributed team, this means the team uses
technology to communicate among the different members who
live in different cities/states/countries. In distributed teams,
members do not see each other face-to-face. Distributed teams
tend to be larger and the best size is between 20 and 25
members. With this group size, the communication will still be
manageable even if it is a little slower.
Let us talk about communication. To have the best
communication among group members, what is the best size?
Research supports that 12 or less members in any group is best
for communication. Communication in a large group is difficult
because there are more people who need to understand the
message. If you send an e-mail message, you must wait until
everyone has read the message. At meetings, more people will
want to talk and more viewpoints will be shared. Larger groups
of more than ten people usually have a more difficult time
communicating.
Let us talk about committees.
Committees are groups of people who
represent a company, like a
government. In a committee, more

AEC111-C04 Page 32
people is better because the more viewpoints that are
represented, the more diverse the opinions are, and the better
the decisions will be.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES 03
13) Reflection: Think about your school projects or friends
group. In a group/team, do you like to talk more or listen
more? If you do not like to talk, is it because you feel shy?
14) Experiment: Observe different sizes of groups. For
example, in school or in your community, observe as people
talk. Observe a small group of less than 5 people. Does
everyone talk? Next, observe a large group of more than 10
people. Does everyone talk?

SELF-TEST 03
13) What is true about group size?
a. Small groups are more effective than large groups
b. Large groups are better than small groups
c. Groups should have exactly 6 members
d. Groups should never have less than 3 people
14) Scenario: You are the team leader who is working with
20 people from the same location but the team is not
effective. They are not completing the tasks on time. What
can you do?
a. Split the group into 2 groups of 10 people each
b. Tell the group to work harder
c. Split the groups into 2 smaller groups based on skills
and task
d. Make sure everyone is communicating
e. C & D

AEC111-C04 Page 33
SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 03
13) What are two benefits of a large group?
14) What are two benefits of a small group?

02-04: DEFINING COMMON TEAM ROLES

In a team, members tend to find a role. A role is defined as a
specific job that that person does. Each person has special skills
or talents that allow him/her to be successful in different roles.
Let us explore four common team roles that members tend to
adopt.
The first role is a leader. Every group needs a leader. One leader
is sufficient for the group. If there is more than one leader, then
the leaders might disagree and fight. It is
best for unity to have one central leader.
The person who speaks the most should
not always be the leader. The person who
represents the group should be the leader.
The leader should be the spokesperson for
the group and the person who knows the group members well.
Sometimes a leader can be a shy person or a person who talks a
lot. This person needs to have a good relationship with everyone
and respect every member of the group. If the group members
do not like the leader, then that person should not be the leader.
The second role people can choose in a
group is a doer. A doer is a person who
likes to be active and “do” things. These
people work very hard and like to stay
busy. These are the people who like to start
new projects and are always doing something to help the
project. There can be more than one doer in the group.

AEC111-C04 Page 34
 A third role members might choose is a
thinker’s role. This role is good for people who
are very creative and like to think of new ideas.
Just as the doer likes to “do” things, a thinker
likes to “think.” Thinkers might be shy people
who do not like to talk, but like to think of new
ideas and write them down in their notebooks. A specialist is an
example of a thinker. A specialist is a person who has special
skills in an area, like a language specialist or a technology
specialist. There can be many thinkers in a group, each with a
speciality.
The last role in a team is the role of a socializer.
A socializer is a person who loves to talk and
make people feel comfortable. These people are
great at making friends and communicating
with them. Socializers are the best people to
work with clients and customers (the people
who use the company’s services/products) because they are
easily liked. There can be more than one socializer in the group.
How are roles decided? There are three options for this:
 Managers decide based on what they know about each
person
 People decide themselves what they are good at (skills,
experience, etc.)
 Doing what is necessary (what roles are needed to be
filled)

LEARNING ACTIVITIES 04
15) Reflection: Which role is best for you: leader, doer,
thinker or socializer? Is there more than one role you are
good at?

AEC111-C04 Page 35
 16) Experiment: Choose a role that is difficult for you and
try that. It is always a good idea to do things that are
challenging for you.

SELF-TEST 04
15) Which is a good role for someone who has a lot of new
ideas?
a. Leader
b. Doer
c. Thinker
d. Socializer

16) Scenario: You are in a team of three people but you are
working on a big project that requires a lot of different roles
(jobs). What should you do?
a. Choose more than one role that you might be good at
b. Choose another role that you are bad at
c. Ask your team leader what he/she thinks
d. Find a specialist who can help you who has skills in
that role

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 04

15) What is one benefit of each role?
16) In your opinion, why are all the roles necessary in a
team?

02-05: ESTABLISHING TEAM ROLES & CLARIFYING TEAM

OBJECTIVES
Rules are guidelines on how a team should function. Imagine a
city or a country with no rules. It would be difficult to know
what is right or wrong. Rules are necessary for everyone to know

AEC111-C04 Page 36
the expectations and for order to be maintained. Rules are
important, but they should not be the first thing that managers
and team leaders talk about. If your team leader focuses on rules
right away, the team might feel that you are a dictator. Rules
should only be made after all the group members feel
comfortable with one another. Also, rules should be made by the
group members themselves, with the help of their team leader. A
team leader can tell a group that they want some rules related
to: courtesy, communication, operation, and problem-solving.
The group members can brainstorm a list of rules in those
categories. Let us explore those four types of rules that teams
should have.
Type of Rules Ideas from Team Members
Courtesy Rules (team writes in ideas)
Communication Rules (team writes in ideas)
Operation Rules (team writes in ideas)
Problem-solving Rules (team writes in ideas)

The first type of rules is courtesy rules.

These rules are basic and apply to how
group members should treat one another.
Courtesy rules are very basic and can be
applied to any situation. Here are some
examples of courtesy rules:
 Treat other team members with respect
 Challenge others in a positive way (ask them questions
so they think of different things)
 Do not attack a person (do not be offensive)
 Do not attack others in your reaction (do not be
defensive)
 Help other team members complete tasks

AEC111-C04 Page 37
 The second type of rules is communication
rules. These rules are similar to courtesy
rules, but focus on how team members
should communicate with one another. Most
problems occur because of the lack of
communication rules. Here are some examples:
 Each person has a chance to speak
 One person talks at a time
 Stay focused on the topic
 No interrupting others
 Talk for a short time so others can speak
 When you are confused, ask questions
 Allow equal participation of all group members
The third group of rules is operation
rules. These rules are good for knowing
how to operate or function in a meeting.
There is a specific process that should
happen and operation rules should help
people know that process. Here are some
examples:

 Team meetings are every Tuesday at 10 am in

conference room B
 All team members are expected to attend meetings on
time
 Inform team members if you cannot attend a meeting
 The team leader needs to send the notes/agenda to all
team members to their emails
 Cell phones need to be on silent mode

AEC111-C04 Page 38
  End the team meeting by clarifying which person will do
which task
The last type of rules is called problem-solving rules.
These rules explain how to solve problems and make
decisions. Here are some examples:
 If you have a problem, ask a question or suggest a
solution
 Everyone needs to think of at least one solution
 Discuss issues/facts, not personal problems Eg: “You
are always late. You are lazy.” Instead, say: “Please
arrive on time to meetings.”
 Listen and keep an open mind before you make the final
decision
 Everyone needs to share his/her viewpoints
 It is okay to politely disagree
After the group has
finished making its rules,
the group leader/manager
should type them nicely
and put them in a place
where they can be seen so
that everyone knows the rules. When a team member breaks the
rules, the team leader should point to the team rules.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES 05
17) Reflection: Do you like rules? Why or why not?
18) Reflection: Look at the examples of the rules. Which
types of rules are the most difficult for you to follow:
courtesy, communication, operational, or problem-solving?

AEC111-C04 Page 39
SELF-TEST 05
17) Which of the following is a communication rule?
a. One person talks at a time
b. When you give a problem, you also have to give a
solution
c. Treat everyone with respect
d. When you are confused, ask a question
18) Situation: You are a team leader and you want to
establish rules for your team. What is the best way to do
that?
a. Decide the team rules yourself and tell the team
members on the first day that the rules can never
change
b. Since you are a new team leader, use the rules from
the previous team leader. Just copy those same rules
c. Ask the person who talks the most to think of the
rules for the group
d. After allowing the group to socialize and feel
comfortable, ask the team members to think of some
rules that will be good for their group

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 05

17) Why are rules important for a team?
18) Why is it a good idea for team members to make their
own rules (and not just the team leader/manager)?

AEC111-C04 Page 40
02-06: CLARIFYING TEAM OBJECTIVES
Clarifying means to make something clear or
known. Objectives are goals or things that a
team wants to accomplish. To clarify team
objectives means to know the goal or the
purpose of doing something. When a team
works on a project, they need to know the
purpose. If you do not know the purpose, it is very difficult for
you to stay motivated and excited. Imagine if you are in a car
and you do not know where you are going, or you are a sailor
and you do now know which direction to go; you will be lost. A
team must know where it is going if it is to be successful.
The first step in knowing the purpose/objective is to know the
big picture. The big picture is the end goal. What do you want to
accomplish? The team leader or manager should know the
purpose of the project. If you are lost and do not know the
reason, ask your team leader or manager. If everyone
understands the final destination/the end goal, all of them can
be excited about it and are more motivated to work.

Project Project End Goal /

Project Final
#1 #3
#2 destination

Second, the team leader or manager should know the small

details related to the big project. Inside the big project are a lot

Big Project

Small
Tasks

AEC111-C04 Page 41
of small details that need to be completed. Team members need
a detailed list of things they need to finish in order to be
successful in the project. The team leader needs to write down
the specific tasks/jobs for each person. Look at the pictures
below. The big project is the last circle and inside the circle are
a lot of smaller tasks that need to be finished in order to
accomplish the big project. You can also think of a puzzle as the
final project and each piece is a small part of that project.
Third, in order for groups to know
the objective/goal, they need to have
good communication with their team
leader/manager. Having a good
relationship with your team leader or
manager shows that you respect
him/her. Also, the manager can help
a team if they need other ideas or
any help. Sometimes, the objectives
change, so the manager needs to
communicate with the team about changes and updates.
Fourth, you should know your role. Do you remember the last
section on roles? Are you a leader? Doer? Thinker? Socializer?
Here are a few more roles: secretary, peacemaker, facilitator,
detail recorder. We discussed those roles in the previous
section. If you know which role you are given, it is easier to
work. Remember, a role should be something you are good at.
 Leader (helps everyone)
 Secretary (take notes)
 Facilitator (helps group members agree)
 Detail recorder (documents notes & reports)
 Peacemaker (helps resolve conflicts inside a group)

AEC111-C04 Page 42
 Lastly, in order to
achieve the objectives,
the groups should have
a deadline. Teams are
more successful if they
have a deadline or a
finishing date. This helps them to stay focused and be on task. If
you are not finishing things on time, maybe the tasks are too
difficult. Talk to your team leader/manager if you need more
time.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES 06
19) Reflection: Think about your school
projects/assignments. Do you always understand the
goal/purpose/objective of the project/assignment?

SELF-TEST 06
19) Why is it important to communicate with the manager
about your team’s project?
a. The manager can help you identify more problems or
solutions
b. The manager is the leader of the company and needs
to know everything
c. The manager deserves respect
d. All of the above
20) Why is it important to know the details/tasks of a team
project?
a. So that you know exactly what to do
b. So that the project is more successful
c. So that you can help other team members who need
your help

AEC111-C04 Page 43
 d. All of the above

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 06

19) What is the relationship between a small
task/assignment/detail and the “big picture” or
end goal?
20) Why is it important to have good communication with
your team leader/manager?

02-07: MAKING COLLECTIVE DECISIONS

Making collective decisions means to make a decision with other
people. When you work with teams, you will have to make
collective decisions with other people. Making a decision with
many people can be very difficult because people may have
different viewpoints and opinions. Let us explore some ways to
make collective decisions.
The first suggestion to make collective decisions is to set rules
for how you will make a decision. For example, you will have to
know which team members will be involved in making the
decision and you will also have to know how the decision will be
made. Here is an example of a chart of how one team sets its
own rules based on the type of decision:

Type of Decision Who Should be How to make the

Involved Final Decision
Financial Pratik Manager
Task Assignments Prasanna Vote (the whole team
decides)
Resources: Time, Gaurav Team Leader
money

Voting is a way for the whole team to be a democracy. When a

team votes, each member is important. If you are going to vote,
think about which type of voting your team will use. Look at this
chart to see the types of voting available for your team:

AEC111-C04 Page 44
Type of Vote How the Team Will Decide
Majority vote (majority = more
than half)
Raise hands
Unanimous vote (agreed by Write on a piece of paper
everyone)
Consensus (come to a decision) Secret Ballot (write on a piece of

paper in secret)
Ranking choices (1 st , 2 nd , 3 rd , 4 th , Group Leader decides
etc.) 1)_____________
2)_____________
3)_____________

When you make a vote, be very careful

about choosing the majority. The
majority means more than half. For
example, if there are 100 people, what is
the majority? Anything above 51 is the
majority. What happens when you make a vote and 51% of the
people vote “yes” and 49% of the people vote “no?” When the
majority is very close to the other number, this is not a fair vote.
If your team chooses the majority of only 51%, then 49% of the
people will be upset. If 70% vote “yes” and 30% vote “no,” then
it is more fair because the numbers 70 and 30 are not close to
each other.
Lastly, when making collective decisions, it is very important to
respect everyone’s opinion because everyone has a special
viewpoint. Do not be afraid to express your viewpoints because
every person has something to say and all points should be
respected. Good solutions come from multiple perspectives. If
people in the group disagree, then wait some time and discuss
later when people are ready to be flexible.

AEC111-C04 Page 45
LEARNING ACTIVITIES 07
20) Reflection: Have you ever made a collective decision at
school or at work? Was it difficult?

SELF-TEST 07
21) What is the definition of a collective decision?
a. A group making a decision
b. An individual making a decision
c. People vote on a decision
d. A majority decision
22) Scenario: You are a team leader and are trying to make
a team decision. However, only 60% of the people said “yes”
while 40% said “no” for the vote. Now the group is divided.
What should you do?
a. Let the 60% majority win. “Yes” is the winning side
b. Discuss more and vote in three days
c. The 60% voting members can persuade (convince) the
40% voters why they are right
d. All of the above

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 07

21) Why are collective decisions difficult to make?
22) What are some benefits of collective decisions? What are
some difficulties?

SUMMARY
This section focused on how to function in a team. Knowing the
roles and responsibilities of each group member helps the team
to be successful. The team also needs to know the
rules/expectations as well as the objective of the project.

AEC111-C04 Page 46
Learning how to function in a team is very important for your
success.

KEY WORDS
 Role = a set of behaviors required for a person eg:
mother role, sister role, leader role, etc.
 Democracy =a system where people vote for elected
officials
 Leaders = people with special power who are in charge
of a group
 Elect = to vote for someone
 Representative = the spokesperson for a company (the
face of the company)
 Qualities = characteristics/things that describe you
(Eg: smart, responsible, strong, etc.)
 Risks = unknown things
 Drawbacks = negative things about something
 Shy = people who do not talk often
 Benefit = a good thing
 Brainstorm = to think of many things/ to think a lot
about something
 Courtesy = polite behavior that shows respect for other
people
 Operation = the details, mission, post or process of
any team or project
 Reduce = to make something smaller
 Expectations = beliefs that people have about how
something will be

AEC111-C04 Page 47
  Common sense = the ability to think and behave in a
reasonable way and to make good decisions
 Challenge = to question or test something
 Objective = aim, goal, purpose, or target to be achieved
 Stay focused = to stay working/concentrating on your
task/job
 Clarifying= making something easier to understand
 Suggest = to mention something as a possibility
 Display = to show something in public
 Collective = shared or done by a group of people:
involving all members of a group
 Majority = a number that is greater than half of the
total
 Unanimous = agreed by everyone
 Consensus = a general agreement about something
 Ranking = putting things in an order of preference

REFERENCES
MOOC S
https://www.coursera.org/learn/problem-solving
YOUTUBE VIDEOS
1) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMPxxNDv42M

2) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6y4ryYQPJo

3) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkijGII-sCI

WIKIPEDIA
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voting

AEC111-C04 Page 48
BOOKS
“The 17 Essential Qualities of a Team Player” by John C.
Maxwell

COURSE COMPANION WEBSITE

Visit Here for Course Companion website for this course:

AEC111-C04 Page 49
UNIT 04-03: BUILDING AND DEVELOPING TEAMS
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After successful completion of this unit, you will be able to
 Explain how to interact with others successfully
 Identify and Overcome problems in group dynamics
 Recall and perform team-building activities
 Explain how to work with difficult team members

INTRODUCTION

How do you keep a team together for a long period of time? This
section will offer some suggestions regarding how to interact
with other members of a group so that everyone is happy
working in the team.

03-01: INTERACTING WITH OTHERS

Working with a group requires a lot of interaction every day
with a lot of people. However, do you know the basics of how to
behave with someone? When you meet someone, the person will
form an impression about you, so it is important to leave a good
effect on someone. Let us explore the basics of what to do when
you meet someone.
The first suggestion is to stand up when you greet someone.
When you stand up, you are showing respect. Imagine you are
sitting down at your desk and a friend introduces you to

AEC111-C04 Page 50
someone. It is polite if you stand up. If you remain sitting, it
does not show as much respect. You should stand up for both
men and women. If you cannot stand up (eg: if there is
something in your lap like a child or a computer), then excuse
yourself and say: “I am sorry I cannot stand up.”

The second tip is to smile and make eye contact with people you
talk to. This seems obvious, but many people forget to do this.
When you smile at someone, that person will feel more
comfortable with you and it shows that he/she can trust you.
Not smiling or not having eye contact makes you look suspicious
or untrustworthy.

The third tip is to have a strong handshake. In international

business, the handshake is a standard way of greeting others. A
handshake should not be weak because a handshake is like an
introduction. If you have a strong handshake, other people think
that you are a confident person.

AEC111-C04 Page 51
The next tip is to always be prepared to talk. If you are meeting
someone for the first time, have a small speech prepared that
includes your name, job title, and company. Here are some
examples of small introductions you can make to people if you
do not know what to say to them:
A) Gaurav-travel consultant with Happy Travels Travel Industry
“ Hi! I am Gaurav. I work for Happy Travels Travel
Industry as a travel consultant. I help corporate
companies plan their vacations.”
B) Jyoti- customer service with Tata Consulting Company
“Hello! Good morning. I am Jyoti, a customer
service agent with Tata Consulting Group. I help
customers with Tata’s products.”
If you are at a social function for work, some safe topics to talk
about are: sports, weather, and pop culture. Avoid sensitive
topics like religion, philosophy, or caste issues.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES 01
21) Reflection: Have you ever been to a party where you did
not know everyone? What topics did you discuss with the
people at the party?
22) Reflection: When you speak with someone, do you smile
and make eye contact? Why or why not?

SELF-TEST 01
23) How can you make your first meeting with someone
positive?
a. Shaking hands while standing up
b. Telling a joke that might be offensive
c. Staying seated in your chair
d. Answering your cell phone

AEC111-C04 Page 52
 24) What is a good topic to discuss with someone new at a
work function?
a. Religion
b. Politics
c. Bollywood industry
d. Cricket

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 01

23) What are the three things you can do to make a good
impression on someone?
24) Why is it a good idea to avoid talking about sensitive
topics at a work function? (religion, politics, philosophy)

03-02: FOSTERING RELATIONSHIPS & TEAM BUILDING -

ACTIVITIES
Teams are like a family. Members must learn to work together if
they are to be successful. Teams should have fun. This should
happen at the beginning of forming your team. When you are
having fun, you are more relaxed, relate better to others, and
make better decisions. Let us explore some ways to have fun at
work.
The first tip is to allow group members to
talk. Many times, the group leader or
manager makes the mistake of doing most
of the talking. If group members are to feel
good, they need to be active in the group.
During team discussions, the team leader
should ask each person to say something:
opinion, idea, or solution. Also, the team
leader should ask for help with the
leadership responsibilities. Team members
should feel like they are actively participating in the group.

AEC111-C04 Page 53
Second, the team needs to feel special. As a group leader, you
can ask your team members to think of a fun team name. Also, if
you have the money, you
can make shirts and
other apparel for the
team. Maybe everyone in
your team should wear
red. Also, the team leader should write encouraging notes to
each team member to acknowledge their hard work. This helps
group members feel good about their work. They are likely to
remain happy with the team.
Third, try to play some
ice-breakers. Ice-breaker
exercises are activities
that allow group
members to have fun and
learn from one another.
Ice-breakers ‘break’ the ‘ice’ or the barriers people have. These
activities are good to play when a team is new. Let us explore
some fun ice-breaker activities you can play with your team.
One activity is called “the interview.” Team
members interview one another. After the
interview is finished, each group member
introduces that person to the group. You can
use any question you want, but good questions
are about family life, friend circle, and hobbies.
Another activity is called “two truths and one
lie.” On a piece of paper, ask team members
to write two true statements and one false
statement. After team members have finished
writing, ask them to read the three
statements. Group members have to guess
which statement is false.

AEC111-C04 Page 54
The next set of activities is called warm-up activities. These
activities are for group members as they begin a project.
Starting a new project can be very stressful but there are a few
ways to make this enjoyable. Let us share three activities groups
can do as they begin a new project.
The first activity is called brainstorming. You already learned
that brainstorming is writing down as
many ideas as possible and connecting
ideas together with lines. This can be a
really good activity to solve a problem.
Write the problem in the middle of the
paper and draw a circle around it. Then,
write down possible solutions to that problem and draw circles
around those ideas. Ask group members to share their
brainstorming ideas with the rest of the group or with a partner.
The second warm-up activity is called
“research and share.” When you have a
project to work on, ask group members
to refer to the Internet or books. Find as
much relevant information related to the
topic as possible. This is the research
part. Next, ask group members to share their research with the
rest of the group. What did group members find that was the
same as other group members? What was different? This is a
good way to interact with other group members.
The last warm-up activity is called “learn from
a specialist.” A specialist is a person who
knows a lot about a specific topic. For example,
if your company needs to develop a new
technology product, you could invite a
specialist in technology to talk to your group. This allows group
members to feel comfortable with that topic so that they can
learn more about it.

AEC111-C04 Page 55
LEARNING ACTIVITIES 02
23) Reflection: When you work with groups, do you have
fun? For example, in your friends group, what activities do
you do that are fun? At work, can you use some of the same
activities to learn from other group members?
24) Experiment: Choose one activity: interview, two truths
and one lie, brainstorming, research and share, and learn
from a specialist. Use this activity with your friends group
or with your work group.

SELF-TEST 02
25) What are some ways to make the group members feel
special?
a. Make a team name
b. Write encouraging notes to the team members
c. Allow each group member to talk
d. All of the above
26) Why are team-building activities important?
a. Because they discourage you to do work
b. Because they help team members work together
better
c. Because they are only used to have fun
d. All of the above

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 02

25) How are ice-breaker and warm-up activities the same?
How are they different?
26) Why is it important to have both ice-breaker activities
and warm-up activities?

AEC111-C04 Page 56
03-03: OVERCOMING PROBLEMS
Problems are a normal part of any group. As a team solves
complex problems and makes decisions, there may be
disagreements. People may disagree with
the solutions and there may be different
viewpoints. Other people in the group may
feel as if their viewpoints do not matter.
Some people may leave the group and that
also requires change. As a group leader, you will have to manage
problems for your group. Let us explore how to work with
problems.
The first step in overcoming problems is to keep the
communication open with the group. If there is a problem, you
should tell the group that there is a problem and that you are
working hard to resolve the problem. The more information the
group has about the problem and the possible solutions, they
will feel better. For example, if there is a change in work
schedule or payments, a group leader should communicate that
to the group as soon as possible so that people are prepared.
Second, talk about the problem and the possible solutions. This
is important because people need to know that there is a
solution. This is called talking about the positive and negative
sides (+/-). The negative side is the problem or the change and
the positive side is the solution.
Thirdly, whenever there is a change or a problem, there migh t
be questions. Ask the group members if they have any questions.
This is important because people will feel better if they know
they can ask any questions. As a team leader or manager, do
your best to answer the questions. If you cannot answer the
question, then make sure to tell them about someone who can
answer their question later.
Fourthly, when trying to prevent problems from happening in a
group, it is best if team leaders and managers persuade (and not

AEC111-C04 Page 57
force) others to adopt changes. Usually, problems occur when
people disagree with someone or something. For example, if
your team needs to change their work schedule from 30 hours a
week to 40 hours a week, this change needs to be
communicated. If some people disagree with that, they may
leave the team. So, as a team leader or manager, it is important
to never force others to change. If you force others, you are
behaving like a dictator. It is best to motivate and persuade
others. Here are some examples of bad language to avoid and
some better language to use:

Forceful Language to Avoid Better Language to Use

A) “You must work longer A) “The new project requires more

hours to complete this work!” work and I would really
appreciate it if you could work
longer hours this week to get the
work done. It would be a huge
benefit to the team.”

B) “You will have to do B) “Would you be willing to do

different tasks on this new something different for the new
project!” project? The team would really like
you to work on this task just for
this project.”

Using sentences that start with “you” sounds like you are
blaming the person. People who blame others are attacking
someone and the other person feels that he/she needs to defend
himself/herself. Avoid blaming others and use polite language
or ask polite questions.

AEC111-C04 Page 58
Fifth, make sure rules and expectations are reviewed. Many
problems can be prevented if people knew the rules and
expectations. For example, if there is a rule that everyone must
report to the office by 9 am and someone comes to the office at
10 am, that person might upset the group. However, if the
manager knows the rules, he/she can politely tell the person
that he/she needs to come at 10 am. Make sure the rules are
seen by everyone so they know the expectations.
Sixth, managers should know what causes the
problems. What is the root cause? The root
cause is the original problem that causes all
other problems to happen. Managers should
understand the root cause in order to manage
the problem and prevent it from happening
again. For example, sometimes a team member who does not
want to work with someone else is because of a fight they had
two days ago

LEARNING ACTIVITIES 03
25) Reflection: Think about the time you had a problem with
your teacher, a friend, or a family member. Maybe you
disagreed with something. How did you resolve the
problem?

SELF-TEST 03
27) What are some reasons why people may not like working
on teams?
a. New teams require change
b. Teams cause many problems
c. People do not like social interactions
d. Team-building activities (getting to know the team)
are unsuccessful
e. All of the above

AEC111-C04 Page 59
 28) Scenario: You are a team leader and your team needs to
find a solution to a problem but it requires changing the
team members. The people in your original team are upset.
What should you do?
a. Answer any questions you have
b. Tell the group why there needs to be a change in the
team members
c. Ask the new team to be positive and encourage one
another as they help find the solution
d. All of the above

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 03

27) What are at least two reasons why problems might
happen in a group?
28) As a team leader, why is it important to encourage other
team members by using kind language and not forcing them
to change with bad language?

03-04: PROFESSIONAL NETWORKING

Teams are formed by relationships. How do relationships get
formed? By talking to others. As a team leader or manager, how
do you get people to talk? Networking is one way to get many
different people to talk. Networking is the process of talking
with many people with the purpose of talking about business. If
you are a president or CEO of a company, you can think of your
company as a big team. Maybe there are 500 people in this
team. Networking is useful for many people to learn about one
another. Here are the benefits of networking:
 Meeting many different people
 Exchanging business ideas with many people
 Learning about the people in a company

AEC111-C04 Page 60
  Learning about the departments/teams in a company
 Learning about job opportunities in a company
If you are talking to many people, it
can be a little difficult. As mentioned
before, you can make small
introductions like your name, your
company, and your job title. When you
meet someone you are interested in doing business with, you
can give him/her your visiting card. The visiting card has all the
important information on it.

After making simple introductions, you should ask some

questions. Ask the question that will give you the answer you are
looking for. If your purpose is learning about that person’s job,
you can ask the person why he/she likes his/her department and
the team. “Why do you like your job?” If you are looking at
switching teams, ask if he/she knows of any opportunities in the
company. “Do you know of any job opportunities at the
company?” If you are thinking of developing a new product, you
can ask a different question: “Have you ever developed new
products in your team?”
For every person who is a good business contact, make sure to
maintain the contact. Keep his/her business card and follow -up
with that person when needed.

AEC111-C04 Page 61
LEARNING ACTIVITIES 04
26) Reflection: When you need something for school or for
work, who do you talk to? For example, if you need help,
who do you talk to?
27) Experiment: This week, make a new friend at school or
at work. Introduce yourself.

SELF-TEST 04
29) What is the definition of professional networking?
a. Showing business etiquette
b. Following an organization chart
c. A social protocols
d. Creating and keeping business friendships
30) When is a good time to network with other
professionals?
a. When you look for a job
b. When you start a new job
c. When you want to get a higher or different position at
your current company
d. All of the above

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 04

29) What are the benefits of professional networking?

SUMMARY
This section focused on how to maintain a team. In order to
maintain a team, we learned that relationships inside a team are
very important. We focused on how to network and develop
relationships. We also explored how to reduce conflicts and

AEC111-C04 Page 62
problems. All of these skills can apply to your family as well as
working life.

KEY WORDS
 Untrustworthy=cannot be trusted
 First impression = the first thing you think about
when you meet someone for the first time
 Recognized = to notice something/ to see something
 Ice-breaker activities = activities that help team
members learn about one another if they are new
 Warm-up activities = activities that help team
members get prepared to start something new
 Hobbies = things you like to do for fun
 Statement = a sentence that says something about
anything or expresses an opinion or thought. (Can be
true or false).
 Networking = the process of meeting new people for
business purposes
 Apparel = formal clothing

REFERENCES
MOOC S
https://www.coursera.org/learn/business-english-intro

YOUTUBE VIDEOS
1) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAWN8U3q7eQ
2) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4Zu5ZZAG7I

WIKIPEDIA
1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statement

AEC111-C04 Page 63
2) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blame

BOOKS
“The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” by Steven R. Covey

COURSE COMPANION WEBSITE

Visit Here for Course Companion website for this course:

AEC111-C04 Page 64
UNIT 04-04: PRESENTING YOURSELF
PROFESSIONALLY

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After successful completion of this unit, you will be able to
 Explain the rules of professional clothing
 Explain how to maintain a professional wardrobe and
keep good hygiene
 Apply the given tips to improve your speech

INTRODUCTION
Do you remember that
your body language is 93%
of all your
communication? Included
in your body language is
how you dress and groom
yourself. What you wear
communicates a lot about you and your company. In order to
have good body language in the business world, we need to learn
about good grooming habits. Let us explore how to dress in a
professional manner.

04-01: MEETING BUSINESS CASUAL STANDARDS

How do you know what the business standards are at your
workplace? The human resources manager will have this
information. Do not have a guess at
your business dress standards based
on what you see other people
wearing. Other people may be in
different departments and have
different rules. Or, the people you
see may not be following the rules. Ask your manager or human

AEC111-C04 Page 65
resources department what the rules are for dress codes for men
and women. If you cannot talk to someone on the first day of
your job, dress more formally. A simple dress can look formal
with a suit jacket.
Each company may have many departments and it is important
that you know the rules for your specific department. For
example, the dress rules might be different for the IT
department and the human resources department.
The dress standards and rules also might be different based on
your industry or location. For example,
the medical industry might have a
completely different dress code than the
education industry. Even the same
industry, like finance, might have
different dress codes based on location.
The finance industry in New York City might be completely
different from the finance industry in Miami.
Lastly, a company may say
that the dress code is
‘business casual.’ This term
is very common in the
business world. Business
casual is a combination of
both traditional clothing and
casual standards. If traditional clothing is a suit, then business
casual will be the same thing without the jacket. If you are not
sure what business casual is, just go to google.com/images and
type in ‘business casual.’ You will get many ideas for both men
and women.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES 01
28) Reflection: If you are a student, what is your dress
code for school? If you work, what is the company’s dress
code?

AEC111-C04 Page 66
 29) Experiment: The next time you have a formal
presentation at school, wear a suit jacket. If you are a
woman, you can do the same.

SELF-TEST 01
31) The dress code can change with:
a. Location
b. Department
c. Industry
d. All of the above
32) Which outfit is best for the first day at work for the IT
industry (assuming that you do not know the dress code)?

a.

b.

c.

d.

AEC111-C04 Page 67
SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 01
30) Why is it a bad idea not to ask about the dress code on
your first day of work?
31) Why is it important to dress more formally on the first
day of work?

04-02: MAINTAINING A PROFESSIONAL WARDROBE

Like your career, you should also maintain your wardrobe. A
wardrobe is the set of clothes that you own. The clothing you
wear can add to your professional image. The clothes you wear
also contribute to your body language. Keeping your clothing
nice and neat is important for your career.
First, colours are important. For international business
standards, the best colours to wear to the office are: light or
dark blue, black, grey, white, dark brown and light brown. These
are the best types of colours to have in your wardrobe. With
those colours, you can make many different combinations of
different colours.
In every wardrobe, you should have professional pants, a jacket,
a blouse and long skirt (for women) and nice shoes. In the
Indian context, professional wardrobe for men can include pant,
shirt, and suit for men. For women, a professional wardrobe can
have a saree, salwar suit, salwar kameez, pant and shirt.
After you have selected your colours and garments, you need to
maintain them. Make sure that the garment is properly cleaned.
Refer to the cleaning label on the garment to see what it needs.

Bleach
Garment Label

AEC111-C04 Page 68
You should learn how to wash your clothing properly so that it
will last a long time. When you wash the garment, make sure to
separate the different colours. An easy way to do this is to
separate the whites from the non-whites. Anything that is not
white can be separated into dark colours and light colours. So,
now you have three piles: whites, non-white darks, non-white
lights. Make sure to follow the instruction on each garment to
see what it requires. Sometimes a garment requires that it be
washed separately or with similar colours. You may be able to
add bleach to your white colours to maintain their brightness.
Make sure to follow the instructions on how to use bleach. Other
colours can use regular washing powder. You can maintain the
quality of the garment while washing or drying by putting it
inside out. That means that the outside part is inside and the
inside part is outside. If a garment has this label: “dry clean
only,” that means the garment cannot be washed in water. You
need to bring your clothing to a dry cleaner. Those materials are
likely to be silk, wool, business suits, and other delicate
garments.

After washing, press your clothing so that it is wrinkle -free.

Ironing is important so that you have a professional look. If
your clothes are looking messy, people might not give you the
same respect.

AEC111-C04 Page 69
Here are some other suggestions. Hang your clothing on hangers
so that they continue to look smooth and neat. Shoes can be
maintained with a shoe insert.

Shoe Insert

Here are some other suggestions on how to have a professional

wardrobe:
 Have at least two business outfits so that when one is
dirty, you can use the other one
 Suits are good for interviews and other special events
 Make sure your accessories (earrings, bracelets,
necklaces, etc.) are matching your outfit and are not too
big
 Remember that T-shirts, short skirts, shorts, shoes,
sandals or athletic shoes are not acceptable
 Wear a different pair of shoes every day so that you can
maintain their quality

Clothing is a large part of your professional image, but

grooming and smell are another part of looking professional.
Here are some tips on grooming and smell to maintain at work:

AEC111-C04 Page 70
  When using soaps and perfumes, make sure to use a
light scent because some people are allergic

 You should groom your facial hair: beard or

moustache

 Maintain good breath-brush, floss and use

mouthwash

 Dust your shoes with foot powder to keep them

fresh smelling

LEARNING ACTIVITIES 02
30) Reflection: What professional clothing do you have?
Do you have anything in brown, black, white, blue, or grey?
31) Experiment: Go to google.com/images and type in
“business clothing men/women.”

AEC111-C04 Page 71
SELF-TEST 02
33) If your company has a rule of dressing in “business
casual”, what does that mean?
a. You can wear the same clothes that you do at home
b. You never need to wear a suit
c. You should wear clothes less formal than a traditional
suit and tie and more formal than jeans and t-shirt
d. You should wear a jacket or blazer, even if it is
wrinkled
34) In this list, which clothing item is not a common part of
business casual clothing?

a. Collared T-shirt

b. Athletic T-shirt

c. Comfortable and professional shoes

d. Slacks

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 02

32) Why is it important to maintain your clothing?
33) Why is clothing important for your professional image?

04-03: IMPROVING YOUR SPEECH

In the business world, what you say is not as important as how
you say the words. The manner of speaking is very important.
When you speak, you are speaking more than words. You are

AEC111-C04 Page 72
showing people your vocabulary level, your tone of voice, and
your pronunciation. People are judging you depending on your
manner of speaking. People may judge your level of education
and the level of respect they give you might be different
depending on how you speak. That is why speaking properly is
very important in the business world. Usually, the people who
can communicate clearly in the required language are preferred.
Let us explore some ways to improve your speech.
The first suggestion is to record yourself. You can record
yourself by using a recorder on your smartphone. Simply have a
conversation with a friend or family member. While you are
speaking, record the conversation. Then, listen to the
conversation. How do you sound? Is your message clear? How is
your pronunciation? Does your voice go up and down? Does it
stay the same? How does it sound?

Your voice

The second tip is to read out loud. This means that you need to
speak what you are reading. The next
time you are reading anything, practice
speaking the words. This is good
because you can hear what you say. Just
like recording, when you read out loud,
you can hear what you are saying. By
reading out loud, you are practicing your speech.
The third tip is to watch professional speakers. People who are
naturally good speakers are news anchors, professional
motivational speakers, and people in government who give many
speeches. The more you listen to them, the more you can copy or

AEC111-C04 Page 73
imitate their speech. Go to Youtube.com and find these people.
Watch how they speak.

The fourth tip is to speak slowly. Speaking slowly forces you to

pronounce every single sound and every single letter. Many
people speak so fast that other people do not understand them.
If you speak slowly, people can understand you more. Imagine
speaking to someone who speaks very fast. Even if you speak the
same language as them, there may be some things you do not
understand. Speaking with someone from a different culture can
be difficult, so speaking slowly is very important. If you cannot
speak slowly, put marshmallows into your mouth. Now try to
speak. You are forced to speak slowly.

The last suggestion is to increase your vocabulary. Each day,

learn a new word. If you are reading a book and do not
understand a word, find the word in the dictionary and look at
the meaning. With all your new words, try to use them in
sentences. Practice your speaking with your new words. It is OK
if you make a mistake; it is better to try speaking with new
words. People will think you are more intelligent if you have an
extensive vocabulary.

AEC111-C04 Page 74
LEARNING ACTIVITIES 03
32) Reflection: Do you speak fast? Slow? Have you ever
spoken with someone from a different culture or mother
tongue?
33) Experiment: Get a book. Choose a paragraph. Read the
paragraph. Record your voice with your smartphone. Listen
to the recording. How do you sound?

SELF-TEST 03
35) Why is it important to know a lot of words/have an
extensive vocabulary?
a. To make people find new words in a dictionary
b. To follow the rules of business casual standards
c. So that you can fully communicate your ideas
d. It improves your dictation

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 03

34) Why is it important to improve your speech?
35) What are two things you can do to improve your speech?

SUMMARY
This section discussed how to present yourself in a professional
manner. We explored how to dress professionally and how to
improve your speaking ability. Dress is a part of your body

AEC111-C04 Page 75
language and speech is important if you are interacting with
people. Both dress and speech are important if you want to
maintain your professional image at work.

KEY WORDS
 Dress code = the rules about how to dress
 Formal = conservative/traditional
 Garment = a piece of clothing, Eg: shirt
 Business Casual = a type of dress code that is not very
formal but also not casual. In the middle of both formal
and casual
 Grooming = To make something neat and attractive
(referring to hair in this book). You can have good
grooming or bad grooming.
 Hygiene = the things you do to keep yourself clean.
You can have good or bad hygiene
 Marshmallow = a light, soft, and round sweet

REFERENCES
YOUTUBE VIDEOS
1) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7Y9UIYrH -g

2) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8j4QI4dWFN8

3) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHb9Xwq29ro

4) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NqkmMqWyCE

5) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAU2zx2Ri_M

6) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sc4gh5gP1AE

WIKIPEDIA
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dress_code

AEC111-C04 Page 76
BOOKS
1) “It’s the Way You Say It: Becoming Articulate, Well -spoken,
and Clear” by Carol A. Fleming
2) “Business Vocabulary in Practice (Collins Cobuild)” by John
Sinclair
3) “Oxford Picture Dictionary” by Jayme Adelson-Goldstein and
Norma Shapiro

COURSE COMPANION WEBSITE

Visit Here for Course Companion website for this course:

AEC111-C04 Page 77
UNIT 04-05: DEVELOPING YOUR INTERPERSONAL
SKILLS

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After successful completion of this unit, you will be able to
 Recall and follow basic office courtesies
 Explain how to recover from difficult interpersonal
situations
 Describe how to be diplomatic in the office

INTRODUCTION
The success of your job depends not only on how well you do
your job but it also depends on how well you can relate to other
people. People who have a lot of
interpersonal skills can make
professional relationships with
their colleagues and managers
easily. If you have interpersonal
skills, you are usually more
successful at work, have less
conflicts with others, make better decisions, and make better
connections with people. If you have interpersonal skills, people
trust you easily. Let us explore how to develop your
interpersonal skills.

05-01: SHOWING BASIC OFFICE COURTESIES &

RESPECTING SOCIAL PROTOCOLS
Following the company’s rules is important. People at work will
judge you based on how you act or behave. Protocols are the
rules for fulfilling specific actions or behaviors. Think of
protocols as rules or etiquette. Social protocols are the accepted
ways that people should interact with one another. Let us

AEC111-C04 Page 78
explore how to behave nicely at the office and how to follow the
rules.
First, you must know what the rules are. How
can you follow the protocols if you do not
know the rules? Know the rules of the
standard behavior required for your team,
your department, and your company.
Remember, the best rules are established by the people
themselves. Many people disobey rules because they do not like
them. If you disobey the rules at work, you will be seen as
having bad character. So, if you do not like a rule, ask your
manager/supervisor/team leader if you can make a new rule or
change the old rule.
Second, know who your advisor or supervisor is. Many people
make things very complicated at work by not approaching the
correct person. For example, if you need help with a project or
you have a disagreement with a team member, who do you talk
to? What if you have a new business idea? Who is the correct
person to talk to? The answer is in the “chain of command.” The
chain of command is the line of authority to whom each person
needs to talk to. Many people make the mistake of doing things
themselves without getting permission from their supervisor.
Know the chain of command. Who do you report to? Ask your
team leader for the chain of command.

AEC111-C04 Page 79
The third way to respect social rules at work is to make friends.
Avoid talking to the same people. Many times, we talk to people
with whom we feel
comfortable.
Maybe you only
talk to your
friends at work.
This is a bad idea
because in business, everyone needs to learn about one another
and learn how to work together. You might have a project with
people you do not know. It is important that you learn to
interact with anyone. Learning to talk to new people might give
you new business ideas, new business contacts, or new business
solutions.
So, how can you make friends with other people? A nice way to
do this is something called “small talk.” Small talk is a
technique where you talk about simple things with new people.
For example, when you enter the office, you can give a standard
greeting like “good morning / afternoon / evening.” Or, “have a
good day/weekend/evening.” You can talk about simple/general
topics like weather, sports, and pop culture.
Fourth, if you want to have good
business etiquette, you need to
respect one thing: time. People are
busy. Do not waste time by talking
about personal things with others when they are busy. Finish
your work on time. Respect the deadline. Be on time for
meetings and appointments.
Fifth, to respect social protocols, you should have respect for
everyone. You do not need to make friends with everyone, but
you need to give respect and be polite.
Being polite means to be nice. Learn polite expressions like:
“please,” “thank you,” “you’re welcome” or “excuse me.” The

AEC111-C04 Page 80
more you use these expressions, people will like you. It also
shows that you respect others.
Also, remember people’s names. Remember people’s names and
call people by their name. Instead of saying: “Hey you!” Say: “Hi
Jyoti!” Using a person’s name shows respect. If you are talking
to your manager/supervisor, you can use “sir” for men and
“madam” for women.
It is important to give respect to everyone. Everyone is human,
regardless of their job. The cleaning staff and the supervisor
may have
different job
titles, but they
are also
human. People
make the
mistake of
giving respect only to people of higher authority, like their
teachers, bosses, managers, or supervisors. However, everyone
deserves your respect. The janitor, the cleaner, the cook, and the
administrative staff all deserve respect. If you give respect to
everyone, you would receive respect in return. Be a person of
good character and give respect. Call people by their names if
you can. Learn to say “please” and “thank you.”
Sixth, learn to be kind to everyone. Find ways to be nice. For
example, if you are in the elevator, hold the door for a person
who needs to come in. If
you are eating, wait for
the other person to
finish eating. If you see
someone drop something
on the groud, pick it up for him/her. If you use the last amount
of coffee at the office, offer to replenish the coffee and get more.

AEC111-C04 Page 81
Seventh, learn to respect public resources. Public resources are
things everyone uses. For example, do not use all the paper at
work. If you use the last paper, tell
someone to replace it. Or, if you are in
the washroom, keep it clean. If you
drink the last coffee, make sure you
make some more. Do not be messy with
public areas and always replenish the
resources that you have finished. If something is broken, make
sure you tell someone about it so they
can fix it.
Eighth, respect the privacy of others. If
someone is having a conversation that
seems private, do not listen to it. Also,
never read files on someone’s desk or look at information on
their computer screen.
Lastly, remember to give your company
all your talents and skills. If you are
really good at languages, make sure that
other people use your skills if they need
to. Make sure you help with projects that
need your skills. The more active you are in the company, the
more people will like you.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES 01
34) Reflection: At home, do you respect social protocols?
For example, do you talk to everyone in the family? Do you
give your skills to the family? Do you respect common
spaces and keep things clean?
35) Reflection: Do you show your skills at school? For
example, if you are good at technical things, do you work on
school projects where you can be technical? If you are good
at math, are you helping other people with math?

AEC111-C04 Page 82
SELF-TEST 01
36) In this list, which is not a way to show basic courtesy in
the office?
a. Keep to yourself and avoid social contact
b. Have small talk
c. Give your help
d. Honor the privacy of co-workers
37) In this list, which one is an example of how to respect
privacy, space, or resources at work?
a. Listen to a conversation of your c0-workers
b. Keep your dirty food plate on your desk for two weeks
c. When the department coffee is finished, offer to
get/make more
d. Ignore the empty paper tray in the copy room
38) What is the definition of a protocol?
a. A written policy/rule on how one should do
something
b. A regular workplace procedure
c. An unwritten (socially known) rule that influences
how people should behave
d. A document that your manager has
39) Why is it important to follow protocols/rules?
a. Protocols help projects go smoothly
b. Protocols help make you a better person
c. Following protocols shows that you respect your
company

AEC111-C04 Page 83
 d. All of the above

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 01

36) Why is respecting social protocols important?
37) Why is it important to give respect to everyone at work?

05-02: RECOVERING FROM DIFFICULT INTERPERSONAL

SITUATIONS
Everyone makes mistakes. It is very important to learn bow to
recover from the mistake. Mistakes can be normal when there is
bad communication, when
people misunderstand, or
there are other errors. If you
do not deal with the mistake
properly, you will hurt
someone and relationships might be lost. Let us explore how to
recover from mistakes.
The first step is to apologize in person. In today’s world of
technology, many people use technology to communicate like
texting, WhatsApp,
and Facebook. When
you apologize, it is
important to us face-
to-face communication
whenever possible. It
is OK to take a little time, but be sure to apologize as soon as
you can after making the mistake. If the other person is still
angry, you can wait for a little while, but do not wait too long.
Apologizing face-to-face shows you are more sincere and you
can see how the other person reacts. If the other person still
looks upset, then you can try and be more sensitive to his/her
emotions. Be patient if the person needs time to receive your
apology. Forgiveness can be a slow process. You can always
apologize, but do not expect the other person to accept your

AEC111-C04 Page 84
apology in the way you want. Sometimes, hurt people need more
time.
Second, do not blame other people for your mistakes. Take
responsibility for your part of the mistake. This is important. If
you blame others for your mistakes, you will never
learn from the mistake. Even if many people
contributed to the problem, you should apologize
for your part of the mistake.
Third, make sure you take actions so that you do not repeat the
same mistake again. You can also tell the affected people how
you will change your behavior. For example, imagine that you
are always late to work. Your boss is upset. You should apologize
in person. Next, tell your boss how you will find the solution.
Perhaps you can tell him that you will go to bed sooner, get up
earlier, and take an earlier bus. By telling others about how you
will fix the mistake, you are helping to preserve the relationship.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES 02
36) Reflection: Have you ever made a mistake? Which
mistake? How did you recover from the mistake? How is
your relationship with the person after apologizing?
37) Experiment: The next time you make a mistake,
apologize in person (not a text or e-mail). Also, tell the
other person how you will prevent the same mistake from
happening again.

SELF-TEST 02
40) When you send an e-mail message to a co-worker that
creates tension or anger, what should you do?
a. Apologize in person
b. Send a formal apology through an e-mail
c. Politely ask your c0-worker to forget about the
situation

AEC111-C04 Page 85
 d. Explain that your office mate (co-worker) made the
mistake
41) Which of the following is a nice way to apologize for a
mistake?
a. Very quickly, send a text message
b. Wait until next week to talk to the person you
offended
c. Explain how you will avoid similar mistakes in the
future
d. Take away the apology if it is not accepted

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 02

38) What is the difference between apologizing face-to-face
and apologizing with a text message? Which option is
better? Why?
39) Why is it important to take responsibility for your
mistakes?

05-03: DEVELOPING DIPLOMACY SKILLS

Diplomacy is the skill of dealing with people and getting them to
agree. You may think about diplomacy as being connected to
politics. Politicians need diplomacy skills, for example. This is
very true. Mr. Narendra Modi and Mr. Barack Obama need good
diplomacy skills. However, you also need diplomacy skills at
work. It is important to learn how to interact with others in
order to build good relationships and have less conflict. Let us
explore how to develop your diplomacy skills.
The first suggestion is to listen to understand. Remember that
you have two ears and one mouth. That means you should listen
more than you speak. When a person is speaking to you, you
should not listen to respond. You should listen to understand.
Understanding is something that many people do not know. If

AEC111-C04 Page 86
you ask a person to summarize what you just said, he/she may
fail. Always listen to understand. What was the person really
saying? What was the message? If you can really listen to
someone, he/she will feel respected. So, you have done a good
job of developing diplomacy skills. Only after you have listened
to the person and he/she has finished, should you begin to talk.

Listen to Wait for the Respond to

the other other person their needs /
person to stop respond to
talking the
conversation

Second, whenever you have a disagreement with someone, think

about how both of you can win. Many times, people think that
you can only have one winner and one
loser. This is the old way of thinking. The
new way of thinking is that you can have
two winners. For example, if person #1
wants option A and person #2 wants
option B, then maybe you can both decide
for option C. Win-win means both people
can get what they want, but it may require
flexible thinking. Ask the other person what they want or need.
For example, if you are working with someone in your team, you
can ask: “What do you need to feel good about this solution?”
Or, “What ideas do you have?”

AEC111-C04 Page 87
Third, in order to achieve diplomacy skills, you should focus on
your relationship with the other person. When you focus on the
other person, you make the person feel very good about himself
/ herself. People who feel good about themselves work harder.
Here are some suggestions on how to make other people feel
great:
 Give someone a compliment. Say something nice about
them like: ‘You look refreshed!” Or, “Nice shirt.”
 Recognize other people for their efforts. Say something
like: “Good job!” Or, “I really appreciate what you did
for the project.”
 Ask people how they are feeling. For example: “How are
you feeling today?” Or, “How is your day going for you?”

Fourth, in diplomacy, it is OK if you

disagree. How do you disagree while
respecting the other person? You can
agree to disagree. For example, you can
say something like: “You have a valid
point, but I have a different opinion. Let
us agree to disagree.” Or, “You have a good idea, but because we
cannot agree right now, let us agree to disagree.”

LEARNING ACTIVITIES 03
38) Reflection: Do you think you are a diplomatic person?
Why or why not? Give an example of why you are a
diplomatic person or why you are not a diplomatic person.

SELF-TEST 03
42) Why is diplomacy important?

AEC111-C04 Page 88
 a. Because maintaining work relationships is important
b. Because diplomacy helps intense
conversations/arguments become smoother
c. Because diplomacy helps your communication skills
d. All of the above
43) How can you make a win-win solution in a conflict?
a. Ask the people to stop competing (trying to win)
b. Separate the people physically into different loc ations
d. Ask people to choose sides (separate into different
groups)
d. Ask the people what they want and how they can get
what they want

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 03

40) What is the definition of diplomacy?
41) Give two reasons explaining why diplomacy is important
in business.

SUMMARY
This section focused on how to relate to people. Relating to
people is called interpersonal skills. We explored how to be nice
at work, which social protocols to follow, and how to be
diplomatic. Relationships are the central part of any business
and mastering these skills is essential to your success in any
company. Interpersonal skills are as important as technical
skills. Take time to develop your interpersonal skills.

KEY WORDS
 Etiquette = rules for proper behavior

AEC111-C04 Page 89
  Protocol = a system of rules that explain the correct
conduct/behavior
 Deadline = the last day to finish something
 Small talk = the discussion about neutral topics such
as weather, sports, pop culture
 Replenish = to fill again or replace something

REFERENCES
MOOC S
https://www.coursera.org/specializations/improve-
english
YOUTUBE VIDEOS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMvAPZGQb-c
WIKIPEDIA
1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diplomacy

2) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etiquette

3) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interpersonal_relationship

OER
http://www.gcflearnfree.org/jobsuccess/business-
etiquette/1/
BOOKS
“People Smart: Developing Your Interpersonal Social
Intelligence” by Mel Silberman, Phd.

COURSE COMPANION WEBSITE

Visit Here for Course Companion website for this course:

AEC111-C04 Page 90