Page 347 - Effective Communication Soft Skills Strategies For Success by Nitin Bhatnagar, Mamta Bhatnagar

Model Question Papers | 335

difficult to measure. Typically, included in the ambit of the soft skills domain are the
following things:

• Listening skills
• Communication skills
• Team-building skills
• Leadership skills
• Problem-solving skills
• Time management skills

• Persuasion skills
• Negotiation skills
• Analytical thinking skills
• Conflict management skills
• Assertiveness skills
• Feedback skills
• Counseling skills
• Presentation skills
• Mentoring

• Flexibility
• Self-awareness
The above list of soft skills are the skills relating to people’s issues. Soft skills, in other words
is the human capital. Raja, a B.Tech. graduate, from the Indian Institute of Technology has
problem in being assertive and his friends generally bulldoze him. While Padma’s profes-
sional skills are far more superior, she has difficulty in managing her time. Raja’s non-
assertiveness and Padma’s inefficient management of her time can be regarded as lack of
soft skills. Lack of such a skill is detrimental to the professional and personal success. Soft
skills are as important, and often, even more important than technological skills to the
success of an individual. One can achieve synergy if one has the combination of both hard
and soft skills.

c. Communication is always purposeful. We engage in communication to achieve
something functional. Communication serves different purposes at different times and
different settings. Some of the major functions of communication are:
i. Instrumental function – to achieve, or obtain something

ii. Control function – to get someone to behave in a particular way
iii. Information function – to express feelings

Bhatnagar_Model Question Paper.indd 335 2011-06-24 3:12:36 PM