CRM Domestic Voice 661 Theory

Introduction to Business Process Outsourcing :: 1
Notes
1
INTRODUCTION TO BUSINESS
PROCESS OUTSOURCING
Today Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) is a household name and most families
of urban India has one or more family members working in a BPO. This industry
has added immensely to the economy of the country and is a booming sector. When
unemployment was haunting the country, the BPO industry came as a boon and has
helped many people to enhance the family income in a dramatic way, hence creating
lots of opportunities for freshers like you.
The BPO industry, being the most predominant industry, this lesson will give you an
interesting insight into how the industry came into being and how it has grown, the
various departments, the culture, the skills you must possess to make a great career
in this industry.
OBJECTIVES
After reading this lesson, you will be able to:

• describe the domestic BPO industry;
• assess the individual growth of an employee within this industry;
• adapt to the work culture of a BPO industry;
• identify the types of domestic BPO companies;
• list the various skills required for the industry.
2 :: CRM – Domestic Voice
1.1 DOMESTIC BPO INDUSTRY

Let us familiarise ourselves with the domestic BPO industry and its brief history.
Notes During the past few years, the country has seen phenomenal developments in its
political, social and economic infrastructure accelerated by the strong forces of
globalisation and the radical changes in Information Technology. The booming IT
segment comprising ITeS / BPO are the core sectors that have driven the country
into the epicentre of change.
You will find that Business Process Outsourcing is a planned and structured
arrangement between an organization and an outsourcing partner to perform services
which could otherwise be conducted in-house. You will notice that the supplier of
the outsourced services takes key responsibility of ensuring that the services assigned
to them, are duly performed and delivered as per the desired results of the
organization.
You may be aware of the term “Domestic business process outsourcing”. It is a
partnership between two businesses in the same country. It started in the late 90’s
where one company outsourced some elements of operations to another. You will
see some clear benefits of domestic business process outsourcing which are similar,
reliable and have constant legal and regulatory standards between the two
companies. Another advantage is sharing the same language and culture and it aids
in the implementation of the outsourcing model.
1.2 INDIVIDUAL GROWTH PROSPECTS

Fig 1.1 depicts the growth prospects for individuals in the domestic BPO sector:
Some of the career opportunities in the BPO industry are medical billing, medical
transcription, recruitment process outsourcing etc.
Fig. 1.1 : Growth Prospects

Hierarchy in a BPO
Vertical Growth
It refers to the growth pattern with respect to a single department/process in the Notes
BPO industry.
Let’s take a look at how one can grow up the ladder in a BPO.
Fig 1.2 : Vertical Growth
Horizontal growth We had a look at the vertical growth pattern. Now let us have
a look at the horizontal growth opportunities that a call centre agent can choose
from, depending on his skills and performance. The horizontal growth is with respect
to various departments in the Domestic BPO industry
Recruitment
Short listing resumes by identifying the right profile and conducting the selection rounds
Training
Product Training, Process Training, Soft Skills and Voice and Accent
Human resources
To prevent exploitation of an employee
Human Potential Management
Planning career growth of employees. All BPO’s have a high attrition rate. This function has to
ensure that it provides growth opportunities
Sales
Generating new business for the company
HouseKeeping
Maintenance & upkeep of the company premises
Finance
Managing the funds of the company and also looking at various options to raise money for the company
wherein the cost of funds is low
Fig 1.3: Horizontal Growth

INTEXT QUESTIONS 1.1
I. Choose the correct option

Notes
1. The full form of BPO is _____________.
a. Business Process Organisation
b. Business Process Outsourcing
c. Bharat Process Outsourcing
d. Business Progress Outsourcing
2. This industry has added immensely to the ___________ of the country and is
a ____________ sector.
a. business, booming
b. economy, growth
c. economy, booming
d. economy, growing
3. The training department deals with __________________.
a. maintenance and upkeep of the company premise
b. generating new business for the company
c. product training, process training, soft skills, voice and accent
d. marketing and sales
4. The sales department deals with __________________.
b. generating new business for the company
c. product training, process training, soft skills, voice and accent
d. infrastructure maintenance
5. The finance department deals with __________________.
b. product training, process training, soft skills, voice and accent
c. managing the funds of the company
d. get new contracts
6. The team leader is __________________.
a. responsible for making or receiving calls
b. responsible for the performance of his team Notes

c. responsible for all the processes
d. responsible for individual performance
7. The operations manager is __________________.
a. responsible for making or receiving calls
b. responsible for the performance of one process
c. responsible for all the processes
d. responsible for management decisions
1.3 WORK CULTURE IN THE DOMESTIC BPO INDUSTRY
The liberalisation of the Indian economy has given access to the arrival of the business
process outsourcing (BPO) culture. India has all the components to setup a successful
industry, starting from cheap and educated labour force in the form of our youth, to
information technology (internet and computer accompanied with telecommunication
skills) and we also have the potential clients and customers within our country.
The BPO, as such, has certainly provided a lot of employment opportunity for the
unemployed. It has also helped in reduction of the gender disparity by providing equal
opportunity to the female section of the society.
Now let us discuss some of the key attributes to understand BPO culture.
Energetic setting
In the present scenario, when you visit a BPO company, it has a vibrant environment,
generally the interiors and the overall infrastructure is set up to make people nice
and energetic. This exciting industry also involves a lot of hard work and specialized
skills to deal with all kinds of customers.
24x7 work environment
You will find a round the clock working culture in the BPO sector and people work
in both, day and night shifts. This is to ensure that the customer services are available
round the clock.
Perfect merger
In the BPO sector, you will find people with a perfect blend of professionalism and
friendliness. People are not treated as machines and are given equal opportunities
Notes
of growth in every sphere of learning. BPO companies create a friendly working
atmosphere so that the employees would not feel suffocated.
Rejuvenation channels
As BPO companies have long working hours, pressure to meet the deadlines and to
achieve targets, takes its toll on the well-being of the employees. You will see that
most of the quality BPO companies offer world class channels to de-stress the
employees and to motivate them. Entertaining events and parties are organized at
regular intervals so that the employees are relieved and invigorated to take the
challenges head-on. Domestic BPO companies have other recreational facilities such
as gym, sports and activity room and cafes as well.
Motivation and acknowledgement
BPO employees work hard to meet deadlines and targets. You will find that motivation
is a great booster when it comes to deliver high end results. In order to ensure that
the team is motivated, team leaders and managers keep the morale of the employee
high through encouraging words. Good and outstanding work is always recognized
and rewarded in the form of perks, incentives, gift certificates etc. You will never
feel the dearth of guidance and encouragement in this industry.
I. Match the terms with the right definition:
1 Energetic setting a Round the clock working

2 24x7 work environment b Channels to de-stress
3 Perfect merger c Booster to achieve great results
4 Motivation d Vibrant environment
5 Rejuvenation Channels e Blend of professionalism and friendliness
1.4 TYPES OF DOMESTIC BPO COMPANIES
The basic reason for outsourcing routine jobs in big organisations is to save money
on salaries, infrastructure and specialization. There are two basic functions that any
Notes
BPO company performs –
Inbound (Taking incoming calls)
Incoming calls means calls made by the customer to the call centre agent which is
customer service. Just to give an example, a person banking with HDFC bank would
call you to know the balance in his account or a customer may call up the customer
service to know whether his bank charges have been reversed, this gives the
customers a sense of freedom as they can get in touch with their respective service
provider any time anywhere.
Outbound (Making outgoing calls)
Outgoing calls focus on selling a product or service. In this type of calling, you will
call customers at random from the database and the BPO executive will sell a product
or service to the customer. If a bank has come out with new products, you can call
up the existing customers of the bank and try to promote the new service. This process
is called cross selling.
Types of BPO companies can also be classified in two major categories –
Domestic BPO companies

Domestic BPO companies handle sales and customer service only for Indian
companies.
Some key Domestic BPO companies in India
• ICICI Bank
• SBI
• Fabfurnish
• Amazon India
• Flipkart
International BPO Companies
International BPO companies handle sales and customer service for foreign clients.
Some key International BPO companies in India
• American Express
• Genpact
• Wipro
• TechMahindra
• HCL
Notes
• TCS
Both Domestic and International BPO companies can be classified into two major
categories:
Captive BPO and Third Party BPO

Captive BPO - In the case of a Captive BPO, the parent company will set up a
dedicated call centre for servicing its own clients. The objective of setting up a captive
BPO is to ensure that customers get excellent and quality service within the least
possible time.
Third Party BPO
Under this, you have one BPO or one company handling many accounts or processes.
To take an example, one BPO say XYZ, could handle 6 processes, of which 3
processes could be from U.K., 2 processes from U.S. and one process from
Australia. These processes can again be either inbound or outbound or a combination
of both. All third party BPO’s are rated each year by NASSCOM on the basis of
set parameters.
I. Choose the Correct Option:

1. Inbound BPO is where ____________.
a. You make calls to the customers.
b. You receive calls from customers.
c. You chat with customers.
d. You are supposed to hold call.
2. Outbound BPO is where ____________.
a. You make calls to the customers.
b. You receive calls from customers.
c. You chat with customers.
d. You visit clients premises.
3. Domestic BPO is ____________.
a. Business for International Companies.
b. Business for Local Companies.
c. Business for interrelated collaborations.

d. Business for small scale industries.
4. International BPO is ____________.
Notes
a. Business for International Companies.
b. Business for Local Companies.
c. Business for expanding companies.
5. Captive BPO is ____________.
a. The parent company will set up a call centre.
b. The parent company will not set up a call centre.
c. The parent company gets a franchisee.
d. The parent company hires local employees.
1.5 SKILLS REQUIRED TO WORK AT A DOMESTIC BPO
Before entering the BPO industry, you need to acquire the following skills:
1. Understanding the English language
2. Speaking a regional language
3. Confidence to be able to talk to any one
4. Flexibility with working in shifts
5. Communication Skills – Soft spoken
6. Adaptability
7. Working knowledge of computers
There are no specific educational qualifications required in order to work in a BPO

as a customer service officer / operator; call centre adviser / representative or
customer service representative. But some reputed industries demand basic IT skills.
If you think talking to customers is not possible for you,then BPO companies also
offer two types of non-voice jobs:
1. Data Entry: This requires updating organisation databases on various details

of customers and clients.
2. Transaction Processing: Answering customer queries and enquiries, and

responding to complaints over the e-mail.
WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNT
In this lesson, you have understood about BPO industry. Now you are able to identify
Notes
the individual’s growth structure within a BPO. You have familiarised yourself with
the work culture in a BPO. You have also learnt about the various types of domestic
BPO companies like inbound (taking incoming calls), outbound (making outgoing
calls) and international BPO companies.
TERMINAL EXERCISE
1. Case study
Rohan and Jatin are best friends and both of them have just completed their 10+2
and they are not keen on pursuing a regular bachelor’s degree and are going through
distance learning Bachelor’s degree. Due to different schools and family background,
the two of them are very different in their skills. On one hand we have Rohan who
was not a bright student in school. However he has excellent communication skills
and a dynamic personality. Because of his sociable nature and interest in music he
is extremely busy over the weekends due to his music classes, friends this is part of
a local band where he is the lead vocalist and it plays every Saturday in a local club.
On the other hand, Jatin has a timid personality and can hardly converse in English.
On the flip side though, he is great at accounts and mathematics and is very
meticulous, ambitious and focused. As recommended by one of their common friends,
who is already working for a BPO, both have contacted a consultant who claims to
get them a job at XYZ BPO, that hires for its contact centres and expert accounting
services.
The consultant has lined up an interview for both of them. Please look at the below
mentioned situation and share your response –
a) The consultant has asked Rohan to agree to be flexible in order to work over
the weekends and he has assured him that he will take care of this once he is
selected for the interview. What should Rohan do? Should he inform the
interviewer about his commitments over the weekend or should he say yes to
everything, thinking will be taken care of once he joins.
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
b. The consultant has asked Jatin to rehearse the answer to some of the key
questions that can be asked in the interview as the only interviews lined up for
the day are for voice processes (English). What should Jatin do? Should he go
for the interview after rehearsing the lines or should he ask his consultant to Notes
look for something that is more suitable to his skill set also; which other skill
sets do you think he can apply for?
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
2. Explain the key benefits of a domestic BPO.
3. List five different career opportunities one can have in BPO.
4. Describe the vertical growth process in the domestic BPO.
5. List out opportunities one has to grow horizontally in a BPO. Give details for
your choices.
6. What do you understand by the term – Rejuvenation channels?
7. What are the key components needed to set up a successful BPO industry?
8. Define the terms given below:–
a) Inbound
b) Outbound
c) Domestic BPO
d) International
e) Captive units
f) Third party BPO
ANSWERS TO INTEXT QUESTIONS
1.1
1. b. Business Process Outsourcing
2. c. economy, booming
3. c. product training, process training, soft skills, voice and accent

4. b. generating new business for the company
5. c. managing the funds of the company
Notes
6. b. responsible for the performance of his team
7. b. responsible for the performance of one process
1.2
1. d.
2. a.
3. e.
4. c.
5. b.
1.3
1. b. You receive calls from customers.

2. a. You make calls to the customers.
3. b. Business for Local Companies.
4. a. Business for International Companies.
5. a. The parent company will set up a call centre.
Basic Communication at the Workplace :: 13
Notes
2
BASIC COMMUNICATION AT THE
WORKPLACE
In order to effectively function and work in a BPO, you must possess effective
communication skills as most of your work will be dependent on the way you
communicate with your customers, peers and colleagues. Effective communication
is the key to success in not only the BPO but any industry for that matter.
This lesson will enable you to understand the various facets of communication starting
from the various types of communication, soft skills and voice modulation. We will
try and explore each aspect briefly to give you a fair idea of using your communication
skills effectively.
OBJECTIVES
After reading this lesson you will be able to:
• use greeting styles;
• explain soft skills as well as hard skills;
• modulate your voice according to the requirement.
2.1 INTRODUCTION TO COMMUNICATION
Have you ever felt that whatever you wanted to tell someone is not communicated
properly? If so, it is because of inefficient communication skills. Apart from the basic
necessities, you need to be equipped with habits for good communication skills, as
this is what will make you a happy and successful social being. This lesson enables
you to get a detailed picture of the need and importance of developing communication
skills and feel confident and empowered to face any type of situation in life.
Notes
Communication is a process where one sets out to convey a message to another
person through the medium of words, gestures or pictures. The purpose of conveying
the message is fulfilled only when the person receiving it has understood the message
fully.
Working on your language would bring you closer to achieving effective
communication. The term represents a process whereby, what is said by the sender
is received by the other person, understood properly and given an appropriate
response to.
Message Response
Sender Receiver
-Encodes Message-
Sent “You need help?”
-Decodes Message-
“We need help!” “We ’ll help you!”
As you can understand, speaking the language correctly will not be the only
requirement for this process. You would have to listen carefully as well.
All the conversations that we have in our lives are essentially based on these two
factors:
• Sending the messaging in a simple and coherent manner
• Receiving, understanding and responding to it in an appropriate manner
The process seems simple enough, and yet communication breaks down so many
times because people are unable to follow it correctly.
There are various reasons for the communication to break down. But, most of it
can be attributed to distractions and lack of knowledge. The distractions can be in
the form of background noise, work pressure, fatigue, personal reasons, faulty
equipment, inactive listening and lack of knowledge can be in the form of being
unaware of the accent of the speaker, poor technical knowledge, limited vocabulary.
These obstacles in effective communication can be removed through, concentrating,
listening more carefully, probing, to better understand the issue, compartmentalising
things, taking regular breaks and sleeping well, getting better equipment, practising
grammar and pronunciation, familiarizing yourself with the accent, paying attention
during training.
2.2 TYPES OF COMMUNICATION

Communication takes place by exchanging your views to describe your ideas and
experiences. Language, in the form of spoken words and sentences, is commonly
used for sharing our experiences with others. However, we can also use language
in the written form along with other symbols like pictures, colours, signs, sounds
and writings to communicate. Communication can also happen through facial
expressions, movements, clothing and so on. Thus communication using spoken

English is called verbal communication & communication through other forms such
as emails, letters and body language is called non-verbal communication.
We will now explore this further Notes
a) Verbal Communication
We use verbal communication for most purposes; some key forms of verbal
communication are our day to day conversations, telephone talk, interviews,
presentations, group discussions, and meetings.
Oral Communication - Oral Communication is more natural and is usually
used for responding to a comment / statement. In natural and informal situations,
we speak readily without hesitation in order to communicate with others; but
in a formal and official situation, many people feel nervous and cannot speak
easily. It needs training, practice and skill to speak effectively in a formal
situation.
Oral communication occurs in everyday situations . We need to have oral
communication in all our daily chores.
b) Non Verbal Communication
Written Communication: Written communication is used for many purposes.
Many types of documents are required for official work. All the written
documents have a format and layout which is fixed by the company or the
customer. Written communication happens in the form of email, memos,
circulars, minutes of meeting etc.
Body language – It is believed that sometimes our body talks more than our
words and hence it is integral for us to focus on our body language. We
consciously may convey a lot by using our facial expressions, gestures, eye
contact, clothing and posture, etc.
2.3 INTRODUCTION AND GREETING

Let us learn ways of Introduction and Greeting.
Greeting is something polite or friendly that you say or do when you meet someone.
Some examples are
Hello,/ Hi, …
Good morning/ afternoon/ evening.
Good/ nice to see you again.
I’m glad/ happy/ pleased to see you.
How are you? - Fine, thanks.
How have you been? - Very well.
How are things? - Not too bad, thanks.
In a BPO whilst talking to the customer you might have to follow a scripted greeting,
such as – Hi, thank you for calling XYZ(Company Name), my name is Anupama,
how can I help you?
Notes Introduction: Post the greeting; you must introduce yourself in a formal setting.
There are a few things to be kept in mind, especially when appearing for an interview.
1. Name and Location: I am XYZ (name) and I am from (name of city), the city
of (describe your city in a word or two). I relocated to Mumbai (place where
you completed your studies) for my studies and looking forward to joining ABC
BPO as fresher customer service executive (mention the position you applied
for).
2. Educational qualification: I am an undergraduate in the second year of B.Com.
I have completed HSC from PQR School with 80% from CBSE.
3. Work Experience: Mention work experience, if any but if you are a fresher,
you can skip this part.
4. Family: Few lines about your family (keep it short): I am the eldest son to my
parents. My father is a self-employed and my mother is a home maker.
5. Personality traits: Positive approach, politeness at handling even the adverse
situations will be an advantage for this job. I am a quick learner willing to get
exposed to new challenges.
6. Hobbies: I am an enthusiastic football fan. Apart from this, I find gaming, music,
and debates interesting. I hope I portrayed myself well. Thank you.
a. Things to be kept in mind while greeting someone and introducing
yourself-
Greet people politely with a smile and maintain eye contact.
Stay relaxed and answer the questions with confidence, but never jump
on answering if you do not understand the question.
b. Mention if you are unsure of anything that has been asked.
c. Speak with clarity and select your words wisely.
Never use negative sentences or words such as “ I do not like indoor
games”. Instead go for – “I prefer outdoor games more”.
Be fluent and take good care of grammar and pronunciation.
In a BPO, your communication skills and display of courtesy matters
a lot so maintain a humble tone throughout. Stay positive and answer
the questions in a professional yet enthusiastic tone.
Body language portrays more about you than what you speak. Sit
upright; maintain eye contact, lean forward for emphasis but never
backward. Do not look down.
2.4 SOFT SKILLS
First of all let us understand the term Soft Skills.
Soft skills are usually the ‘HOW’ of executing your job, so technically you may know Notes
what needs to be done or what you need to say, however how you do it is depicted
in the soft skills. These are the skills which characterise your relationship and
behaviour with other people and your approach towards life and work, which is why
these are also known as: ‘people skills’, ‘interpersonal skills’.
‘Hard skills’, on the contrary, is a phrase usually used to describe job-specific skills.
Professional skills like IT skills, accountancy, medical expertise or other skills that
can be taught and are tangible and can be easily assessed.
Ironically, for many people, soft skills become the hardest skills to develop as they
are very subjective in nature.
The Relative Importance of Hard and Soft Skills

Job-related expertise is vital in any profession. However, over the last twenty to
thirty years, understanding has grown that the soft skills may ultimately be more
important in determining levels of success.
Hard skills are the basic minimum necessary in order to operate in a particular
job. However, success in your career may depend on how you relate to other people
and to work.
Let us take an example.
Imagine you are a company producing something, Let us say cars. You come up
with a revolutionary new technology. Your cars are suddenly much better than others
and your profits go up.
But, after a while, your competitors get hold of the technology or they develop
alternatives. Suddenly, all the cars are same again and your profits are suffering.
You still need the new technology, but you also need a new competitive edge.
Hard skills are like your technology: anyone can acquire them, with training, and
they are necessary. Without them you will not be able to operate in the workplace.
Soft skills are your unique selling point and give you a competitive edge in the
workplace, and perhaps even in your personal life.
Let us now take a look at the most important Soft skills.

It’s hard to judge which of the soft skills are most important, but this list is broadly
what employers mean when they talk about good soft skills and the skills which
are most likely to enable you to build constructive working relationships with others,
or to be a constructive and helpful employee.
1. Communication Skills
Communication skills are always at the top of the ‘essential skills’ list in any job
advertisement. People with strong communication skills can build relationships,
listen well, and vary their communication to suit the situations and to enhance
Notes
the outcome. Communication skill also enables to form new client relationships
in an official environment, communicate ideas, and conduct reviews and increase
business as well as revenue for companies.
2. Decision making
If you want to succeed it is important to have the ability to make quick and correct
decisions. Sometimes the actual plan does not even matter; what matters is the
decision you have made considering the situation.
3. Self-Motivation
If new are self-motivated you move ahead by yourselves. You do not need close
supervision or constant push, you are good to work with because you are
generally positive about life and look for opportunities in situations. It also
helps in developing your personal resilience and adaptability to change.
4. Leadership Skills
Display of leadership skill does not necessarily depend on a designation,
leadership can be displayed in your day to day interaction with your colleagues
or peers, someone who can influence and guide people in the right direction
displays effective leadership skills.
5. Team-Working Skills
If you are a team player, you need to have good communication skills,
particularly good listening skills, together with an ability to build rapport with
others. A good team player does not think about his/her victories and failure,
for him/her it’s the team’s performance that matters.
6. Creativity and Problem Solving Skills
Creativity and problem-solving skills are highly valued because they are hard
to develop. There are many people who believe that creative thinkers are born,
not made, and there are certainly some people who find these skills much easier.
But, like other skills, you can develop them if you wish.
7. Time Management and ability to work under pressure
Many would say that these two skills, which often go hand-in-hand, are more
an attitude than a skill. However, they can also be developed and honed. Highly
valued by employers, they are also very useful for organising a family or a team,
and for making sure that the job gets done.
The list of soft skills is not exhaustive and any aspect related to human behaviour
and relationship can be considered as a soft skill which when developed can
create better association and camaraderie between people leading to overall
improved relationships which in turn improve the quality of work.

I. Match the following Notes
1. Influencing and guiding people a Time management
2. Using creativity to solve problems b Leadership skills
3. Listening skills to increase rapport c Decision making
4. Being able to make quick and correct d Communication skills
decisions
5. Managing time effectively e Team working skills
2.5 FLUENCY AND FIRST LANGUAGE INFLUENCE

We have covered soft skills; we need to find out the importance of fluency and the
impact of First Language Influence.
English is not a simple language. The letters do not always represent the same sound.
For instance,
• The letter ‘c’ in the word cut gives us the ‘k’ sound
• The letter ‘c’ in the word certain gives us the ‘s’ sound
That is why it is said that English is not a phonetic language. There is no one to
one relationship between spelling and sounds unlike Hindi which is a phonetic
language. The same letter may represent different sounds while different letters may
represent the same sound. Some words have the same spelling but differ in
pronunciation, for instance,
• Read [Present tense, rhymes with ‘reed’]
• Read [Past tense, rhymes with ‘red’]
Therefore, you cannot rely on the spelling of the word alone to understand the
pronunciation of the word. Speaking correctly and fluently would make one sound,
better, crisper, clearer, confident and more professional.
To achieve this, you must focus on the following areas –
• Pronunciation
• Grammar
• Modulation
• Rate of Speech
• Pause Management
You do not have to copy any accent. Instead, the effort would be to work towards
speaking a language that can be easily understood by everyone across the globe,
adopting any one particular accent would render you incomprehensible to the people
who follow the other accents.
Therefore, your aim should be to ensure that you move from one stage of the speaking
Notes English i.e. with FLI (first language influence) to the other.
What are these two stages?
• First Language Influence (FLI) – The speaker applies the rhythm, syntax
and phonemes of his native tongue, and therefore may not be very clear to the
listener.
• Global English – The speaker is comprehensible to everyone, regardless of

the accent, and is nice to listen to.
FLI could be of two types:
• Mother tongue influence – Is the influence of one’s first language [or native
tongue] on the other languages that you acquires later. For instance, people
from a certain region in the country who swap the ‘sh’ and ‘s’ sounds in words
[sugar, sure] would be a result of the mother tongue influence.
• Regional Influence – Is the influence of the region on one’s language. This

happens when someone from region A moves to region B and adopts the
language speaking style of the latter region. For instance, if I were to move to
US today, and a few of the sounds changed in a few months, or I started using
slang or vocabulary indigenous to the USA, then my language would have been
influenced by the region.
Reducing FLI or first language influence can be achieved through,
o Neutralizing the influence of the mother tongue and the regional influence,
on the language.
o Speaking in a manner that can be understood by everyone across the globe.
While one tries to become more proficient at speaking correctly, it would be

advisable to keep in mind that,
• Correcting your language is a process and not an overnight activity.
Hence, if the progress shown initially is minimal, you should not get frustrated.
Instead, you should remain patient and keep at it, because as the adage goes,
“practice makes perfect”.
2.6 VOICE MODULATION

Moving on from fluency we will learn the significance of voice modulation.
Let us understand the concept of voice modulation. Notes
The way we change the manner in which we speak and our volume according to
the situation that we are in, is called modulation. We modulate on the basis of,
• Who we are talking to
• The context of the conversation(what meaning we are trying to imply)
• The words that we are using
• The emotion that we want to convey
Usually, the following factors help you to modulate his or her voice:
• Volume
• Pitch [The first and the second points help in applying stress]
• Tone
• Pause management
• Rate of speech
Need to modulate
Modulation is important because,
• It lends weight to what you are saying
• Makes it more real
• One doesn’t sound robotic
• Makes you sound less monotonous and more human
Process of Modulation
One of the most important things to do in order to modulate effectively is to use
stress in the sentence. We do not stress each and every word in a sentence because
it would seem like we are shouting. We choose the words that we want to emphasize
based on,
• The meaning we want to convey
• The emotion we want to convey
There two types of words that you must keep in mind while modulating
• Content Words: words that carry the main content or meaning in a sentence.
These are the words that we emphasize usually when we modulate. These words
consist of nouns, pronouns, main verbs, adjectives, adverbs.
• Function Words: words that do not really carry the main content or meaning
in a sentence. They are in the sentence to make it grammatically correct. There
exclusion would make the sentence grammatically incorrect, but may not
necessarily affect the meaning. These words consist of articles, prepositions,
Notes conjunctions.
I. Fill in the blanks from the options given below:

i. FLI is a short form of ___________________.
a. mother tongue influence
b. regional influence
c. first language influence
d. foreign language influence
ii. English is a ____________ language.
a. phonetic
b. non-phonetic
c. artistic
d. phonemic
iii. _________________ is influence of the region on one’s language.
a. father tongue influence
b. regional influence
c. first language influence
d. mother tongue influence
iv. Correcting your language is a _________ and not an overnight activity.
a. instant
b. process
c. overnight
d. long
v. ___________________ influence of one’s first language [or native tongue] on
the other languages that one acquires later.
a. first language
b. regional
c. mother tongue
d. environmental
In this lesson you have understood the meaning as well as the importance of Notes
communication. You are aware of the various types of communication i.e., verbal
communication and non-verbal communication. You are also familiar with the term
soft skills and the difference between soft and hard skills. You have learnt the ways
to modulate your voice.
TERMINAL EXERCISE
1. Explain communication and its process.

2. Give details about the importance of voice - modulation.
3. Describe soft skills in detail.
4. List out the most important soft skills and their key attributes.
5. Write short notes on
a. mother tongue influence
b. self- motivation
c. team working skills
d. body language
2.1
I. 1. b
2. e
3. d
4. c
5. a
2.2
I. i. c. first language influence
ii. b. non-phonetic
iii. b. regional influence
iv. b. process
v. c. mother tongue
Notes
3
ADVANCED COMMUNICATION
AT THE WORKPLACE
In the previous lesson you have learnt about the basic communication skills at
the workplace. Since communication skills are the most crucial part of the BPO
industry we will make you aware of the steps of taking your communication to the
next level.
This lesson will enable you to understand the advanced aspects of communication
ranging from consonant sounds which help you gain clarity while speaking. You will
also get acquainted with vowel sounds and the various types of stress while speaking
a word as well as a sentence. You will learn about listening and the barriers to listening.
This will enable you to speak fluently. We will try and explore each aspect briefly to
give you a fair idea of using your communication skills effectively.
OBJECTIVES
After reading this lesson, you will be able to :

• identify consonant and vowel sounds;
• explain syllable and syllable stress;
• describe listening and types of listening;
• explain telephone etiquette as well as group discussion.
3.1 CONSONANT SOUNDS AND VOWEL SOUNDS, WORD STRESS

Let us discuss how using the consonant sounds and vowels sounds and word stress,
accurately, helps us to improve fluency and voice modulation.
Advanced Communication at the Workplace :: 25
As mentioned in the previous lesson, English is not a phonetic language, which in

simple terms means that a word spelled in a particular way, may not be pronounced
that way.
Or, to make it even more simple, the same letter can be enunciated in multiple ways, Notes
while different letters may be enunciated in the same way.
For instance,
• The letter ‘s’ in ‘sugar’, the letters ‘ss’ in ‘pressure’, the letters ‘ti’ in ‘station’
and the letters ‘ch’ in ‘chef’, all produce the ‘sh’ sound
• The letter ‘a’ in the words ‘woman’, ‘ant’ and ‘nation’ produces different sounds
We will now explore the consonant sounds, vowel sounds and word stress
patterns.
In order to learn the consonants and vowel sounds it is important that you get
introduced to the IPA chart (International Phonetic Alphabet), the sound of each
symbol is given against it.
IPA Chart
Fig. 3.1 : IPA Chart
a. Consonant Sounds
Consonant Sounds are sounds that are produced when there is a partial or
complete interruption of the flow of air by one of the speech organs [also
called articulators. e.g. tongue, teeth, lips, hard palate, alveolar ridge, soft
palate, uvula, velum, larynx].
Characteristics of Consonant Sounds

• These sounds are typically short and abrupt when used in speech
• These sounds are relatively sharper as compared to other sounds
Notes
Now look at the first two rows of the consonant sound grid, the consonant sounds
have been put in pair e.g. P&B, T&D. The first sound in each pair is aspirated or
voice less which means more gush of air whilst pronouncing the sound example –
P,B,T, K and the second letter in the pair is voiced or non-aspirated (without air)
which means it will be more crisp and clear and the gush of air will be less.
b. Vowel Sounds
Vowel sounds are sounds that are produced when there is no interruption in
the flow of air by the speech organs. They do, however, give it a shape when
being exhaled.
The need for vowel sounds

You need to study vowel sounds because you may be unfamiliar with some of
the sounds and end up enunciating them incorrectly. This would lead to the word
being mispronounced and would then impact one’s speech.
Also, there may be times when the sounds in the English language may be similar
to some of the sounds in one’s native language. Since, one is more familiar with
the native tongue; one may use those sounds while speaking English.
• For instance, swapping the ‘long i: ’ and ‘short j ‘sounds and pronouncing the
word ‘sleep’ as ‘slip’.
Long and short vowel sounds
Dipthongs
Notes
Long vowels and Short vowels

IPA Symbol Example IPA Symbol Example
I Tip i: Cheese
ε Pet a: Star
æ Ant : Force
c
Λ Cup u: Platoon
Λη Honk 3: Shirt
Pull
Ago
Diphthongs
′
IPA Symbol Example
eI Pain
aI Buy
I Soil
c
Stone
Scowl
I Beer
ε Stare
Tour
Word Stress Rules

There are two very simple rules about word stress:
1. One word has only one stress.
2. We can only stress vowels, not consonants.
Syllables & Syllabic Stress

What is a syllable?
Every word is either made up of a part or is a sum of parts. If these parts are not pronounced
properly or the sounds in the parts are not enunciated correctly, then the meaning that
the word is trying to convey would not be transferred properly to the listener.
These parts are called syllables. A syllable therefore,

• Is a unit of pronunciation that is made up of one or more than one sound.
o e.g. Ago: A-go [First syllable has one sound, the second syllable has two
Notes sounds]
• Can only have one vowel sound. It may have one or more than one consonant
sound.
o e.g. About: A – bout [First syllable only has a vowel sound, the second
syllable has a vowel sound and two consonant sounds]
• Every word has at least one syllable. E.g. Cat
How to count the number of syllables in a word?
• Count the number of vowel sounds in a word. The number of vowel sounds will
be equal to the number of syllables.
o e.g. Cataract: Cat-a-ract [three vowel sounds and hence, three
syllables]
• Jaw Drop Method: the jaw moves with each syllable that needs to be enunciated
as it encounters a vowel sound. To enunciate the next consonant sound it needs
to then move back to its original position.
Note: Syllables are always counted from left to right, as you read the word
on the page.
Syllabic Stress
How does one make out if the syllable is stressed?
The effects of stress can be very easily made out in speech. A stressed syllable
would generally have the following features:
• Pitch: The stressed syllable would have a different pitch. It is usually higher in
pitch than all the other syllables in a word.
• Length: A stressed syllable is slightly longer in length as compared to the other
syllables in the word.
• Loudness: A stressed syllable is louder than the other syllable in the word.
• This means that the speaker’s volume increases fractionally when s/he is
enunciating the stressed syllable.
Need for Syllabic Stress

It is important for the following reasons:
• Correct pronunciation.
• Clarity of speech.
• Correct meaning [the word ‘present’ can be used as a noun and as a verb, and
the only difference in speech is apparent through the change in syllabic stress]
• Maintaining the rhythm and music of the language.
• Listener’s perception. Notes
Patterns of Syllabic Stress
Penultimate stress
When a word ends with –ic, -sive, -sion, cian or -tion, the maximum or primary
stress is usually on the second last syllable.
o Democratic, economic
o Comprehensive, apprehensive
o Decision, incision
o Musician, mathematician
o Attention, detention
• Ante Penultimate
When a word ends with, -ity, -phy, -cy, -gy, -me.ter/me.tre, -ical, -ular, -
try/tory, my, the maximum or primary stress is usually on the third last syllable.
o Facility, capability
o Geography, choreography
o Democracy, decency
o Biology, physiology
o Kilometre, thermometer
o Technical, physical
o Molecular, perpendicular
o Geometry, dentistry
o Economy, polygamy
• In a Bi-syllabic noun, the maximum or primary stress is usually on the first
syllable
o Bottle
o Table
o Cycle
o Wicket
o Merger
o Finger
However, there are exceptions to the above rule. There are times when the maximum
or primary stress shifts to the second syllable in disyllabic nouns
o Cartoon
Notes
o Thirteen
o Stampede
o Canoe
• In a two syllabic verb, the maximum or primary stress is usually on the second
syllable.
o Debate
o Review
o Reduce
o Install
o Infer
o Address
However, there are exceptions to the above rule. There are times when the
maximum or primary stress shifts to the first syllable in two syllabic verbs.
o Edit
o Cancel
o Murder
o Budget
• Contrastive stress – There are a lot of disyllabic words that are spelt the
same way but pronounced differently as a noun and as a verb. As a noun, the
maximum or primary stress is on the first syllable and as a verb, it is on the
second syllable.
o Accent: The manager’s accent accented the speech.
o Addict: He is a play station addict; he got addicted a year ago.
o Conduct: You have to conduct yourself in accordance with the company’s
code of conduct.
o Conflict: The schedules should not conflict with each other; they might
lead to a conflict between the departments.
o Content: I am not content [adjective] with this document as it does not
have enough content.
o Contest: We have to contest the decision taken by the contest organisers
o Contract: We seem to have contracted a disease which is not covered in

the medical contract.
o Convert: I am not an android convert; you cannot convert me from being
an I-phone lover. Notes
1. Choose the correct option:

(i) A smallest part of a word is called a ________.
a. word
b. letter
c. syllable
d. alphabet
(ii) A syllable can have only _________.
a. two vowels
b. one vowel
c. no vowels
d. no consonants
(iii) Syllables are always counted from _________ as you read the word on the
page.
a. right to left
b. left to right
c. down to up
d. up to down
(iv) In a bi-syllabic noun, the maximum or primary stress is usually on
the___________.
a. first syllable
b. second syllable
c. third syllable
d. whole word
(v) In ___________________, the word is stressed differently as a noun and a verb.
a. penultimate stress
b. ante- penultimate stress
c. contrastive stress
d. stative stress
3.2 LISTENING
You will learn about listening, its various types and some key barriers.
Notes We listen every day, in fact every moment of the day. The first language that we
acquire is purely by listening that is why children who are deaf take longer to grasp
a language than others. Listening is the art of interpreting and analysing what you
hear and respond accordingly. It is the most critical part of the communication chain.
Listening is not the same as hearing. Hearing refers to the sounds that you hear,
whereas listening requires more than that it requires focus. Listening means paying
attention not only to the story, but how it is told, the use of language and voice, and
how the other person uses his or her body.
The Principles of Listening

A good listener will listen not only to what is being said, but also to what is left unsaid
or only partially said. Effective listening involves observing body language and
noticing inconsistencies between verbal and non-verbal messages.
For example, if someone tells you that they are happy with their life but through
gritted teeth or with tears filling their eyes, you should consider that the verbal and
non-verbal messages are in conflict, they maybe do not mean what they say.
In order to listen effectively one must -
1. Stop Talking
“If we were supposed to talk more than we listen, we would have two tongues
and one ear.” Mark Twain.
Don’t talk, listen. When somebody else is talking listen to what they are saying,
do not interrupt, talk over them or finish their sentences for them. Stop, just
listen. Prepare Yourself to Listen. Focus on the speaker. Put other things out
of mind.
2. Put the Speaker at Ease

Remember their needs and concerns. Nod or use other gestures or words to
encourage them to continue. Maintain eye contact but don’t stare – show you
are listening and understanding what is being said.
3. Remove Distractions
Don’t doodle, shuffle papers, look out of the window, pick your fingernails or
similar. Avoid unnecessary interruptions. These behaviours disrupt the listening
process and send messages to the speaker that you are bored or distracted.
4. Empathise
Look at issues from their perspective. Let go of preconceived ideas. By keeping
an open mind we can more fully empathise with the speaker. If the speaker
says something that you disagree with then wait and construct an argument to Notes
counter what is said but keep an open mind to the views and opinions of others.
5. Be Patient
Be patient and let the speaker continue in their own time, sometimes it takes
time to formulate what to say and how to say it. Never interrupt or finish a
sentence for someone.
6. Avoid Personal Prejudice
Don’t become irritated and do not let the person’s habits or mannerisms distract
you from what the speaker is really saying. Everybody has a different way of
speaking - some people are for example more nervous or shy than others, some
have regional accents or make excessive arm movements, some people like to
pace whilst talking - others like to sit still.
7. Listen to the Tone
A good speaker will use both volume and tone to their advantage to keep an
audience attentive; everybody will use pitch, tone and volume of voice in certain
situations – let these help you to understand the emphasis of what is being said.
8. Listen for Ideas – Not Just Words
Maybe one of the most difficult aspects of listening is the ability to link together
pieces of information to reveal the ideas of others. With proper concentration,
letting go of distractions, and focus this becomes easier.
9. Wait and Watch for Non-Verbal Communication
Gestures, facial expressions, and eye-movements can all be important. We do
not just listen with our ears but also with our eyes – watch and pick up the
additional information being transmitted via non-verbal communication.
3.2.1 Types of Listening
Let us now look at some types of listening -

1. Discriminative listening
Discriminative listening is the most basic type of listening, whereby the difference
between different sounds is identified. If you cannot hear differences, then you
cannot make sense of the meaning that is expressed by such differences.
2. Comprehension listening
The next step beyond discriminating between different sound and sights is to
make sense of them. To comprehend the meaning requires first having a lexicon
of words at our fingertips and also all rules of grammar and syntax by which
we can understand what others are saying.
3. Critical listening
Notes Critical listening is listening in order to evaluate and judge, forming opinion about
what is being said. Judgment includes assessing strengths and weaknesses,
agreement and approval.
4. Selective listening
Selective listening happens when the person hears only what they want to hear,
typically misinterpreting what the other person says, based on
the stereotypes and other biases that they have. Such biased listening is often
very evaluative in nature.
5. Active listening – it is the best form of listening where full attention is given
to what the other person is saying, this can be displayed by asking questions
or paraphrasing.
Let us now look at some key barriers to Listening

• Trying to listen to more than one conversation at a time, this includes having
the television or radio on while attempting to listen to someone’s speech; being
on the phone to one person and talking to another person in the same room and
also being distracted by some dominant noise in the immediate environment.
• You find the communicator attractive/unattractive and you pay more attention
to how you feel about the communicator and their physical appearance than to
what they are saying. Perhaps you simply do not like the speaker - you may
mentally argue with the speaker and be fast to criticise, either verbally or in
your head.
• You are not interested in the topic/issue being discussed and become bored.
• Not focusing and being easily distracted, fiddling with your hair, fingers, a pen
etc. or gazing out of the window or focusing on objects other than the speaker.
• Feeling unwell or tired, hungry, thirsty or needing to use the toilet.
• Identifying rather than empathising.
• Sympathising rather than empathising - sympathy is not the same as empathy,
you sympathise when you feel sorry for the experiences of another, to empathise
is to put yourself in the position of the other person.
• You are prejudiced or biased by race, gender, age, religion, accent, and/or past
experiences.
• You have preconceived ideas or bias - effective listening includes being open-
minded to the ideas and opinions of others, this does not mean you have to
agree but should listen and attempt to understand.
• You make judgements, thinking, for example that a person is not very bright or
is under-qualified so there is no point listening to what they have to say.
• Previous experiences – we are all influenced by previous experiences in life.

We respond to people based on personal appearances, how initial introductions
or welcomes were received and/or previous interpersonal encounters.
• Preoccupation - when we have a lot on our minds we can fail to listen to what Notes
is being said as we are too busy concentrating on what we are thinking about.
This is particularly true when we feel stressed or worried about issues.
• Having a closed mind.
3.3 TELEPHONE ETIQUETTE

You will now understand some basics of telephone etiquette. The word etiquette
means ‘manners’ and the word ‘telephone etiquette’ involves ‘manners’ while talking
on the phone.
Whether at work, at home, or on your mobile phone, here are 8 solid telephone
etiquette tips everyone should be displaying at all times.
1. Always identify yourself at the beginning of all calls.
2. Be sensitive to the tone of your voice.
3. Think through exactly what you plan to say and discuss BEFORE you place a
call.
4. Do not allow interruptions to occur during conversations.
5. Especially when leaving messages, speak clearly and slowly.
6. Build the habit of always turning off your cell phone ringer when entering a
meeting, restaurant, theatre, training class.
7. Always speak into the telephone receiver with an even and low tone of voice.
8. Do not allow yourself to be distracted by other activities while speaking on the
telephone,
3.4 GROUP DISCUSSION

Let us discuss some key elements needed to succeed in a group discussion. The
word group discussion literally means discussion in a group. However a group
discussion is a very powerful screening device to select candidates for a prospective
assignment or job. Usually, a group discussion takes place between eight to ten
candidates. All the candidates in the group can express themselves without hassles.
Each of them is free to express himself/herself the way he/she pleases.
Constituents of a Group Discussion:

A group discussion consists of the following parameters:
• Display of communication skills through knowledge of ideas regarding the
subject.
• Exhibiting leadership qualities.
• Positive and cooperative approach towards other candidates in the group.
• Addressing the group as a whole.

• Ability to stand up to physical and mental stresses and difficulties.
Notes Important Guidelines for Candidates Preparing For Group

Discussion:
• Always remember to keep the discussion on the mentioned subject on the track.
Bring it back on track once it is off the track.
• Do not over indulge in irrelevant discussion obscuring critical issues.
• Be tactful to control the over-talkative member.
• Do not let one or two members to monopolise the discussion.
• With your knowledge and ability, it would be useful to make original observations
that steer the group into discussing other angles to the topic.
• Be mature enough to handle criticism and provocation. Avoid personal
arguments.
• Candidates lacking self-confidence tend to converse with other members instead
of addressing the group directly. Avoid such sub grouping tendencies.
• It is very important to conclude each argument at the right time and in the right
time and in the right manner.
• If you are not sure about the topic of discussion, do not initiate, lack of knowledge
and a wrong approach creates a negative impression.
• Never interrupt another speaker when the session is on. Don’t try to cut others
short instead listen and speak when your time comes.
• Address the entire group in such a way that you create a favourable impression
on everyone.
• Maintain a good rapport with fellow participants. Non-verbal gestures such as
listening attentively or nodding while appreciating someone’s viewpoint speak
positively of you.
• Clarity in speech and expression is another essential trait for performing well in
the group discussion.
I. Fill in the blanks

a. Do not allow yourself to be _________ by other activities while speaking on
the telephone.
b. Do not allow ______________ to occur during conversations.
c. Think through exactly what you plan to say and discuss ________you place a
call.
d. Always _____________ yourself at the beginning of all calls.
e. When leaving messages, speak ________and _________. Notes
In this lesson you became familiar with the consonant as well as vowel sounds and
able to enunciate properly. You also understand the phenomenon of syllabic stress
and the segregation of syllable. You are aware of the difference between listening
and hearing, and can avoid barriers of listening. You are now familiar with manners
while speaking on the telephone and the process of group discussion.
TERMINAL EXERCISE
1. What are the different types of listening?

2. How can one become an effective listener?
3. Illustrate in detail the types of consonant sounds.
4. Differentiate between voiced and voiceless consonants.
5. Describe the different patterns of the syllabic stress?
6. What are some common barriers to listening? List any five.
3.1
I. (i) c
(ii) b
(iii) b
(iv) b
(v) c
3.2
I. a. distracted
b. interrupted
c. before
d. introduce
e. clearly, slowly
Notes
4
GRAMMAR FOR COMMUNICATION
English has become a household name and is required for communication between
friends, colleagues and at places. It has become synonymous with multinational
companies. If you know English it can certainly take you places, you can get a great
job instead of settling for an average one, with low salary.
It is not important for you to copy any accent. It is important, however, to
speak clearly with a great diction so that anyone can understand what you are
trying to say. This lesson will enable you to speak correctly (without making obvious
errors).
Grammar is the backbone of English, and like the backbone it helps you to perform
many functions. Grammar helps you to understand what’s wrong with the language
that you speak. It will help you to correct minor errors you make while speaking.
OBJECTIVES

• list parts of speech;
• identify tenses;
• use articles.
4.1 IMPORTANCE OF GRAMMAR

Grammar is a study of the rules of a language. It forms the backbone of a language
and it acts as cement that puts bricks of language together. In a nutshell, it provides
you the structure you need, to organize in order to coherently put your thoughts
Grammar for Communication :: 39
across. The knowledge of grammar enables you to speak correctly. It helps you to
correct common errors that are made while speaking.
Grammatical errors can easily confuse meaning. Some of the most common errors
in– Notes
sentence structure
subject/verb agreement
tenses
other basic mechanics and parts of speech.
You must realise that something as simple as a misplaced preposition can completely
change the meaning of a sentence. For example, “I will sit anywhere beside her”
vs. “I will sit anywhere besides her!”
The effective usage of grammar is vital in every aspect of life whether it is your
school, workplace, friends, family and employers. It is also equally important that
we speak grammatically correct language at home where children learn their
grammatical structures from us. This increases the need for improvisation as our
future generation might learn incorrectly.
Usage of appropriate grammatical structures is essential for understanding English
as a second language; this helps us in using it effectively. While correct grammar is
very important for you to succeed in many areas of your life, it is not meant to create
any gaps in the social world. It does not segregate, instead it opens doors by helping
us understand and be understood more effectively. While correct grammar is an
advantage in a job interview, it never causes segregation from the masses in casual
conversation for you.
To conclude, just as some discipline is necessary in our day to day life, rules of
grammar and structures are essential in our everyday life for creating effective
communication.
I. Fill in the blanks with words given in the box:

essential tenses, grammatical understanding,
sentence structure, rules sense, confuse meaning
a. Grammatical errors can easily ___________ and obscure ___________.
b. Grammar is a study of the ________ of a language that makes _______ of
the words.
c. Usage of appropriate ________ structures is essential for ____________
English.
d. Grammar rules and structures are ___________ in our everyday life.
e. Two of the most common errors are ____________ and ___________.
4.2 PARTS OF SPEECH- OVERVIEW
Notes
Fig. 4.1 : Parts of Speech
1. Noun
This part of a speech refers to words that are used to name, person, things,
animals, places, ideas, or events. You come across nouns everywhere, in your
day to day conversation.
Example: Delhi, chair, lion, Sita
2. Pronoun
A pronoun is a part of speech which functions as a replacement for a noun.
Example: I, it, he, she, mine, his, her, we, they, theirs, and ours.
3. Adjective
This part of speech is used to describe a noun or a pronoun. Adjectives can
specify the quality, size, and number of nouns or pronouns.
Examples: Smart, intelligent, small, new
4. Verb
This is the most essential part of speech, for without a verb, a sentence would
not exist. Simply put, this is a word that shows an action (physical or mental) or
state of being of the subject in a sentence.
Examples: eat, like, walk, sleep, run
5. Adverb
Just like adjectives, adverbs are also used to describe words; they describe an
adjective, verbs, and other adverbs.
Notes
Examples: slowly, fast, briskly
Very smart (Here very is an adverb modifying the adjective smart)
Walk slowly (here it modifies a verb)

Quite fast (here it modifies an adverb)
6. Preposition
This part of speech refers to words that specify place and time.
Examples – in, on, beside, at
7. Conjunction
Conjunction is a part of speech which links words, phrases, or clauses.

Examples – and, but, however
8. Interjection
This part of speech refers to words which express emotions. Since interjections
are commonly used to convey strong emotions, they are usually followed by an
exclamation mark.
Examples – Alas! Hurray! Oh!

4.2.1 PARTS OF SPEECH IN DETAIL
a) Noun
Let us begin with defining a noun.
You use the noun to identify a person, place, thing, event substance or quality.
Let us start with your name. Your name is classified as proper noun; the name
of your place is also a proper noun. All the things that you use daily are common
nouns like chairs, tables, pens etc.
Examples:
o I am married to Amit [person].
o Lucknow is a beautiful city [place].

o Looking at ships makes me nauseous [thing].
o Gold is a precious metal [substance].

o Your competence has not gone unnoticed [quality].
There are different kinds of nouns. Let’s discuss briefly.
Notes
• Proper Nouns refer to the names of people and places.
Sachin Tendulkar is one of the greatest cricket players in the world.
The Taj Mahal is one of the seven wonders of the world.
The best engineers are in Tata Consultancy Services.
• Common Nouns refer to the names of things that belong to the same group.
The buildings were destroyed in the waves.
The main points on the contract have to be finalized.
The assignments will require a lot of hard work.
• Abstract Nouns refer to things that are not concrete or tangible.
Honesty is the best policy.
He displayed a lot of courage in saving the child’s life.
I have never received such affection before.
• Collective Nouns represent a group of things or people.
The team has not performed really well this month.
The committee has decided to revoke the company’s license.
We have not met the jury as yet.
Another classification of Nouns is Countable & Uncountable Nouns - The
nouns that can be counted are called countable nouns and those that cannot be
counted are called uncountable nouns. Countable nouns can have numerical values
prefixed before them while units of measure are required to quantify uncountable
nouns
Water is quickly becoming a scarce resource. [Uncountable]
There are a lot of mouse pads in this training bay. [Countable]
There are so many stars in the sky. [Uncountable]
The papers were strewn about on the table. [Countable]
One and Many - Singular / Plural: You are familiar with one thing and many things.
Whenever Nouns denote a single person, place, thing, event, substance or quality
are called singular nouns. Note: It is important for you to note that when these nouns
are used in the present tense, the verb that is used along with them would always
have an ‘s’.
Amrita walks in the park during the week. (Singular)

This chair is made of plastic. (Singular)
Pencils are nowadays made of recyclable material. (Plural) Notes
• Singular nouns can be changed into plural nouns by adding ‘s’, ‘es’, ‘ies’ or ‘ves’.
Tree Trees
Trench Trenches
Baby Babies
Life Lives
o There are a few singular nouns which have irregular plural forms.
Man Men
Louse Lice
Woman Women
Child Children
b) Pronouns
Whenever you use another word in the place of a noun it is called a pronoun. We
cannot keep on repeating the name of the subject over and over again, it will sound
very funny, and that’s why we replace it with a pronoun.
Example
• Anand reached the milestone within the stipulated time-frame. He will now
send his work for review to the higher management.
In the above sentence, the noun Anand is being replaced by the pronoun ‘he’.
Though there are many kinds of pronouns, we will discuss the more important
ones that you will be using frequently.
Types of Pronouns
• Personal Pronouns: The pronouns that represent the three person forms are
called personal pronouns.
Examples: I, we, you, he, she, it, they.
Of course, in terms of speaking,
o I and we – refer to the person[s] who is/are talking
o You – refers to the person being spoken to
o He, she, it, they – refer to the people being spoken about
• Demonstrative Pronouns: Pronouns that are used to specifically single out

objects which they refer to are called demonstrative pronouns.
Example
Notes
o This analysis is very crucial to our domain. (near)
o That building is very old. (far)
• Indefinite Pronouns: are used to refer to indefinite number of people or objects
Example
o Most of the topics in the lesson plan have been covered.
o All the approvals are in place to change the systems.
Some of the indefinite pronouns in the language are:
• Something
• Anything
• Everything
• Everybody
• Someone
• Interrogative Pronouns: Pronouns used to ask questions such as ‘Who’,
‘What’, Which’ are called interrogative pronouns.
o Who is responsible for submitting this file?
o What happened to the project report that you were working on?
c) Verbs
A verb is the most important component of a sentence. Verbs help you to talk about the
action or the state of a noun or subject. You cannot create a sentence without a verb. It
would be incomplete.
For example:
- He ran to the store. - Here the verb ran describes the action of the subject ‘he’
- She is a creative person. - Here, there is no action being done. Instead the main
verb ‘is’ shows the state of the subject ‘she’ as being ‘creative’.
There are different types and classifications of verbs; some of the most important ones
are listed below:
Action Verbs
These verbs talk about what the subject is doing in the sentence. Action verbs are one
of the most easily identifiable types of verbs. To recognize them, you simply have to
look for the word in the sentence that answers the question ‘What is the subject doing?’
example -
- Rose is painting the kitchen walls.

The subject here is Rose, and what is Rose doing? Rose is painting. Hence painting
is our action verb.
Notes
- My dog is sleeping on the sofa.
The subject here is dog, and what is the dog doing? The dog is sleeping. So sleeping
is our action verb.
Non-Continuous Verbs
Stative verbs are verbs that describe a state rather than an action. When describing
states, they never take the continuous (‘-ing’) form. Here are some examples of
stative verbs and instances of their correct and incorrect usage.
STATIVE VERB CORRECT USAGE INCORRECT USAGE
Like I like you. I am liking you.
Love I love you. I am loving you.
Hate I hate you. I am hating you
Appear It appears to be cloudy. It is appearing to be cloudy.
Believe I believe in God. I am believing in God.
Fit This shoe fits me. This shoe is fitting me.
Remember I remember everything. I am remembering everything.
Auxiliary/Helping Verbs
There are certain verbs that are used with other verbs in the following cases:
o To form tenses
o To form the sentence in the passive form
o To form questions
o To form negative sentences
These verbs are also called helping verbs, as they ‘help’ the main verb to denote
the actions of the subject. They help in making compound tenses of the main verb
and also help in making negative statements, questions and passive voice statements.
Given below are the auxiliary verbs.

Be– verb is manifested
as is,am,are (present) Do Have
Was, were (past)
is, am, are does has, have
was, were do had
being, been did having
Modal Verbs
Modal verbs are a special category of verbs. They have two main characteristics:
There are 10 modal verbs in the English language:
Notes
• Can
• Could
• May
• Might
• Will
• Would
• Must
• Shall
• Should
• Ought to(rarely used now)
• These verbs do not take an ‘s’
Example: Bhaskar can finish the assignment today.
• The word ‘not’ is used to make the modal verbs negative in nature.
Example: Bhaskar cannot finish the assignment today.
d) ADJECTIVES
If we did not have adjectives in grammar, language would be very boring. An adjective
adds colour, size, quality, texture, and shape to any particular subject. You need to
know where and how to use an adjective to give your language a flair. An adjective
is a word that describes or qualifies a noun or a pronoun.
• This is a wonderful piece of work.
• He/She is very patient.
• Ramya is a diligent worker.
Types of Adjectives
⎯ Adjectives of Quality: short, tall, ugly, stupid, intelligent, beautiful
⎯ Adjectives of Quantity: some, little, enough, any
⎯ Adjectives of Number: third, five, nine, fourth
⎯ Demonstrative Adjectives: this, that, these, those
⎯ Interrogative Adjectives: what, which, whose
⎯ Possessive Adjectives: my, our, your, his, her, their
• Adjectives have three forms. These are called degrees of comparison.

There is the base or positive form, the comparative form and the superlative
form.
Example: Base form -Tall; Comparative – Taller; Superlative –Tallest Notes
A few guidelines govern the way these forms should be constructed and we
shall understand them in brief.
o Guideline 1:
If the positive form of the adjective has just one syllable, the comparative and
superlative forms are constructed by adding ‘er’ and ‘est’.
Positive Comparative Superlative
tall taller tallest
short shorter shortest
o Guideline 2:
If the positive form of the adjective has two syllables and ends with a vowel
sound, then the comparative and superlative forms would be constructed by
adding ‘ier’ and ‘iest’.
happy happier happiest
skinny skinnier skinniest
o Guideline 3:
If the positive form of the adjective has two syllables and ends with a consonant
sound, then the comparative and superlative forms would be constructed by
adding ‘more’ and ‘most’ before the words.
stupid more stupid most stupid
honest more honest most honest
o Guideline 4:
If the positive form of the adjective has three or more than three syllables
[regardless of the sounds that it ends with], the comparative and superlative
forms would be constructed by adding ‘more’ and ‘most’ before the words.
intelligent more intelligent most intelligent
beautiful more beautiful most beautiful
4.3 TENSES
You can speak correct English, if you know grammar and can use tenses correctly.
Tenses help you to tell the time of the action, possession or state of being. The verb
Notes in the sentence reflects the time. It is very important in the case of tenses to know
how the verb changes to reflect the tense.
There are two types of verbs that exist in the three forms that we had discussed
earlier.
They are called regular and irregular verbs. A few examples are given below.
• Regular Verbs:
o The verbs to which we add ‘ed’ to get the 2nd and 3rd forms are called
regular verbs.
• Irregular Verbs:
o The verbs that do not require ‘ed’ to form the 2nd and 3rd forms are called
irregular verbs.
PRESENT [ 1st] PAST [ 2nd] PARTICIPLE [ 3rd]

Consult/Consults Consulted Consulted
Increase/Increases Increased Increased
Inquire/Inquires Inquired Inquired
Trade/Trades Traded Traded
Simple Present Tense

In this tense, the verb always has an‘s’ if the subject is in the third person. No helping
verb is required in this tense.
Important: The verb used in this tense is always in the first form.
Usage: This tense is used when we are talking about one of the following things -
o A fact -The company is headed by Shyam. [Fact]
o A habit - We finish our projects on time. [Habit]
o When describing something - The presentation has vivid colours. [Description]
o When giving directions - Reboot the system first. [Direction. The subject ‘you’
is implied]
o Discussing a schedule - The meeting begins at 10 a.m. [Schedule]
o Narrating the story of a book or a movie - The book on Java begins with an
interesting anecdote. [Narration]
Present Continuous
As the name suggests, the action is going on. One thing you need to remember is
that the action does not necessarily have to happen in the forefront, can be happening
in the background example; I am completing my Graduation. In this tense, the main

verb always has an ‘ing’.
A helping verb (auxiliary verb) is always present, which is either singular or plural,
depending on the subject. Notes
Note: The verbs are always in the following form: am/is/are + verb [ing]
Usage: This tense is used in the following situations –
When the event is happening at the time of speaking - I am typing right now.
When something is in progress - We are developing a new software.
When something is going to happen in the future that one is very sure of - Victor
is going to Birmingham tomorrow.
When one is describing the irritating habits of someone - They are always
arguing amongst themselves.
Present Perfect
Whenever you use this tense, it is to suggest that you have just finished some action.
This tense usually does not have the timeframe. You must always use the present
perfect when the time of action is not important or not specified. In this tense, the
helping verbs ‘has/have’ are always there in the sentence.
The main verb is always in the third form.
Note: The verbs are always in the following form: has/have + verb [third form]
Usage: This tense is used in the following situations–
When something has just finished or gotten over - We have just finished the
call.
When something has been over for some time - Alex has already worked on
this slide.
When an event that started in the past is still going on - Barclays has had this
contract for 5 years.
When referring to an unfinished time [using words like so far, until now, this
month etc. Example The team has argued endlessly on this today.
Simple Past
You may be confused with Present Perfect and Simple Past as in both there is one
common factor that the action is complete. However, in Simple Past, the details
about the time or place that the action occurred are given or requested. In this tense
no helping verb is required.
Note: The verb is always in the second form.
When referring to an event in the past - We finished the maintenance of the
systems last week.
When referring to a habit in the past - We did a lot of analysis as junior engineers.
When referring to a habit that used to happen in the past but has stopped now
- We used to do a lot of analysis when we were junior engineers.
Notes
Past Continuous
As you can see from the earlier example in Present Continuous, anything that has
the word continuous means that the action is going on. The difference between
Present Continuous and Past Continuous is that in the Present Continuous the helping
verb is in the present tense and in the Past Continuous, the helping verb is in the
past. In this tense, the main verb always has an ‘ing’.
A helping verb is always present, which is either singular or plural depending on
the subject.
Note: The verbs are always in the following form: was/were + verb [ing].
When referring to an event that was in progress in the past - The team was
trying to understand the integration of the two programmes yesterday.
When referring to more than one event taking place simultaneously in the past
- While most of the employees were taking part in a fire drill, I was busy
supervising it.
Past Perfect
It is very easy for you to identify a Past Perfect tense as the helping verb ‘had’ is
always there in the sentence with the main verb is always in the third form.
Important: The verbs are always in the following form: had + verb [third form].
When comparing two events - The retail outlet had shut by the time we reached
the mall.
When referring to a point in time, but not the time period - The entire office
had shut by 6 p.m.
Important Note: There are many errors with the double past: for example; I did not
went to college yesterday. Here the correct sentence will be I did not go to college.
You need to be careful when and if you use the double past.
Other examples of incorrect usage;
• didn’t said
• didn’t knew
• didn’t spoke
• didn’t ate
How do you change this? It’s simple; the verb will remain in the base or the first
form.
Like
Notes
• didn’t said – didn’t say
• Didn’t knew – didn’t know
• Didn’t spoke – didn’t speak
• Didn’t ate – didn’t eat
Simple Future
You can use the simple Future tense to talk about any action which is going to happen
in the future. This is the only simple tense in which helping verbs are required.
Important: The verbs can be in two forms:
o will/may/might + verbs [1st form]
OR
o am/is/are + going to [or about to] + verb [1st form]
Usage: This tense is used in the following situations –
When referring to an action that one is fairly sure, will happen - We will get
the sign off from the customer.
When referring to an action that one is determined to execute - We are going
to get the sign off from the customer.
When referring to an action that one is unsure or uncertain of - We may get the
sign off from the customer.
Future Continuous
As previously mentioned, the word continuous refers to an action going on, in the
future continuous, the action will be happening in the future. In this tense, the main
verb always has an ‘ing’.
Note: The verbs are always in the following form: will/may/might + be + verb
[ing]
Usage: This tense is used in the following situation –
When referring to an event that will be in progress in the future and another
event also takes place - The team may be showing the presentation to the client
when you come over.
When referring to an event that will be in progress at a certain time in the future.
- We will be reviewing the project plan at 1 p.m.
The 12 Verb Tenses
Past Present Future

Simple I ate pizza yesterday. I eat pizza everyday. I will eat pizza
Notes tomorrow.
s + v1 + o s + v2 + o s + will + v+ o
Continuous I was eating pizza I am eating pizza. I will be eating pizza
when you arrived. when you arrive.
s + was/were + s + am/is/are + s + will be + (v+ing) + o
(v+ ing) + o (v + ing) + o
Perfect I had eaten all of the I have eaten all of the I will have eaten all of
pizza when you pizza. the pizza by the time
arrived. you arrive.
s + had + v3 +o s + have / has + v3 + o s + will have + v3 + o
Perfect I had been eating I have been eating I will have been eating
continuous pizza for 2 hours pizza for 2 hours. pizza for 2 hours when
when you arrived. you arrive.
s + had been + s + have/has been + s + will have
(v + ing) + o (v+ing) + o been+(v+ing)+ o
S= subject o = object v = verb (v1= present / v2 = past / v3 = past participle)

Tenses Table
Source: http://www.easypacelearning.com/all-lessons/grammar/1198-12-verb-
tenses-table-learning-english-grammar-tenses
4.4 ARTICLES
You need an article to identify either a singular object or words that are used before
nouns or adjectives that are in turn followed by nouns. They play two important
roles in the English language i.e. articles tell the listener whether the noun being
spoken about is specific or general in context and/or the number of the noun.
Example. I saw a car today.
[General context: It could have been any car, not necessarily a car that I have
seen earlier or a car that I know anything about. Also, the car is one in number.]
The car that I saw earlier today belongs to my friend.
[Specific context: The speaker is not talking about any car in general. S/he is
talking about a particular car that s/he saw earlier in the day.]
Note: ‘The’ can be used with singular as well as plural nouns depending on
the context of the sentence. Example The woman, the women
• Of course, we are all familiar with the fact that we use ‘a’ before a consonant
sound and ‘an’ before a vowel sound.
• A computer
• An office
• A university Notes
• An umbrella
Rules of Use
• Specific Context: The article ‘the’ is used when the speaker is talking about
something specific or is referring to something that s/he has already mentioned
before. This is true regardless of whether the noun happens to be countable or
uncountable, singular or plural.
Please pass the sugar on the table.
The sand on this beach is very dirty.
The ideas presented in the meeting are worth considering.
• General Context: In the general context, the rules are a little different for
countable and uncountable nouns.
Countable Nouns – If used in singular form, then ‘a’ or ‘an’ can be used,
depending on the sound that the word begins with. Example
• A door
• An accident
If the countable noun happens to be plural in nature, then ‘a’ or ‘an’ is not
used.
Uncountable Nouns – If the noun is uncountable, then once again ‘a’ or
‘an’ is not used.
• Other uses of ‘The’:
o ‘The’ is used before the names of geographical entities like oceans,
seas, deserts, rivers.
Example
The Atlantic Ocean
The Dead Sea
The Arctic Ocean
The Kalahari Desert
The Ganges
o ‘The’ is used before groups of mountains and islands.
The Rocky Mountains
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands
o ‘The’ is not used before names of mountain peaks.

Mount Kilimanjaro
o ‘The’ is not used before proper nouns in most cases.
Notes
It is used when one is talking about the proper noun in a very specific
manner and is trying to distinguish it from other proper nouns of the same
name.
Example
Smith, Joseph, Bangalore, XYZ [As they are Proper nouns ‘The’ is not
used]
The NIOS in Delhi has a larger building than the NIOS in Bangalore.
[Using ‘the’ to distinguish one building from another]
o ‘The’ is used before the names of countries if the words Republic, United,
Union, and Kingdom are there in the name.
Otherwise, names of countries don’t need to be preceded by ‘the’.
Example
The United Kingdom
The Republic of India
The former Soviet Union
Switzerland, Austria, Belarus
o If the noun or subject is mentioned or spoken about for the first time, we
use the articles ‘a’ or ‘an’.
When it is subsequently mentioned, the article ‘the’ is used.
Example
We have a situation here. [‘Situation’ is being referred to for the First time]
The situation was handled well by the team. [Subsequent mention referring
to the previous ‘Situation’]
A project is expected to come our way soon. [First time]
The project got cancelled. [Subsequent mention]
o ‘The’ is used before ordinals like first, third, tenth etc.
Example
This is the third time that the software has crashed.
The fifth person on the left is the new employee.
o ‘The’ is used before superlatives.

Example
Abbot Inc.is the best company to work for. Notes
This is the fastest interface system that we have.
I. Fill in the blanks in the right tense- from the verbs given in the brackets:
a. The boat (sink) ________, the steamer _________ (not sink) yet.
b. I (wait) _______ for her for two hours before I left for the market.
c. She (lock) ________ the door, however she __________ (not lock) the
windows yet.
d. They (clean) ________ the sitting-room. They______ (not clean) the bedroom
yet.
e. He (get) _____ the first prize in the race.
f. You ______ (leave) your purse behind.
g. We (pick) _______some roses. We ________ (could) pick any lilies yet.
h. We will be ___________ (shop) this weekend.
i. I _____ (would) made you some coffee, however I am getting late for work.
j. We_______ (read) this book, before it became a movie.
In this lesson, you have learnt the importance of grammar in order to learn the English
language. You are able to understand and differentiate between the various parts of
speech. You can understand the differentiation between Noun, Pronoun, Adjectives,
Articles and the sequence in a sentence. You have now understood the importance
of verbs and the futility of a sentence without it. You can comprehend the various
tenses in relation to grammar.
TERMINAL QUESTIONS
Notes A. Reading Comprehension

Read the passage and answer the questions, in the light of the passage.
My Working Day
I am Amrita. My working day starts very early. From Monday to Friday, I get
up at half past three and I have a shower and a cup of coffee. I usually leave
the house at ten past four because the car always arrives a few minutes early.
I get to the studio at about five o’clock and start work.
Good Morning Delhi starts at seven o’clock and finishes at nine o’clock. Then
I leave the studio at quarter past ten. After that, I get home at twelve o’clock.
A maid helps me with the housework and the ironing. I read a newspaper and
do some work.
Then my husband gets home at half past five in the evening and I cook dinner.
We stay at home in the evening. We don’t go out because I go to bed very early.
We usually watch television and then I go to bed at half past eight; I’m usually
asleep by nine o’clock.
At weekends, I don’t get up until ten o’clock. In the evening, we often see some
friends or go to the cinema. But I’m always get up early again on Monday
morning.
ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS

1. Describe Amrita’s morning routine.
2. What is Amrita’s profession?
3. Why does Amrita not go out in the evening?
4. Why does Amrita go to bed early?
5. How does Amrita spend her weekend?
6. How does Amrita spend her time after getting home?
B. Answer these questions in detail.
a) Why is grammar important for learning English?
b) How many parts of speech are there? Give details.
c) Describe some of the most common grammatical errors.
d) List the different types of nouns.
e) List some indefinite pronouns.
C. Give three examples in each of the below mentioned categories:

i. Adjectives of Quality: ______________________________________
ii. Adjectives of Quantity: _____________________________________ Notes
iii. Adjectives of Number: _____________________________________
iv. Demonstrative Adjectives: ___________________________________
v. Interrogative Adjectives: ____________________________________
vi. Possessive Adjectives: _____________________________________
4.1
a. confuse meaning
b. rules, sense
c. grammatical, understanding
d. vital
e. tenses, sentence structure
4.2
I. a. sank, has not sunk
b. waited
c. locked, has not locked
d. cleaned , have not cleaned
e. got
f. left
g. picked, have not picked
h. shopping
i. would have
j. have read
Notes
5
PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT
In the previous lesson you have learnt about grammar, parts of speech. This lesson
enables you to understand how you can work towards developing your personality
by using various techniques including grooming and body language. This lesson will
also give you an insight into presentation skills and gender sensitization.
OBJECTIVES
• explain the importance of developing personality;
• describe the various ways of developing personality;
• use effective body language and groom appropriately;
• define various aspects of presentation skills;
5.1 PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT
Personality development grooms you as an individual and helps you to make a mark
of your own. As an individual, it is important for you to have a style of your own,
which is presentable at all times. Personality development not only makes you look
good and presentable but also helps you to face the world with a smile.
Personality Development :: 59
It goes a long way in reducing stress and conflicts. It encourages you to look at the
brighter side of life so that you can face the worst situations.
It also helps you to develop a positive attitude in life. An individual with a negative
attitude finds problems in every situation. Rather than complaining and criticizing Notes
people around, analyse the whole situation and try to find an appropriate solution
for the same. Remember, if there is a problem, there has to be a solution as well.
Never lose your cool. It would make the situation worse.
Importance of Personality Development

A developed personality is very significant in the life of an individual. Everyone is
impressed by an attractive personality. Whether going for interview or having a
conversation within your friend circle, there are certain traits and characteristics
that you must possess to have an impressive conversation and make your mark. In
this competitive world you cannot succeed without influencing others. It is difficult
to get a job without influencing the interviewers with your personal as well as
professional skills.
Components of Personality Development

Self-confidence
A great personality boosts your confidence. Being appropriately attired and groomed
makes you less anxious when meeting a person. If you are in full confidence and
well in command of situation, then it becomes really easy for you to give out your
best performance. Also, your confidence enables you to have a hassle free
conversation that engages your listeners.
Communication Skills
Improving communication skills is a key factor in personality development. Good
communication skills are very important both for your personal and professional
life. Improving your speech strengthens the impact of your message. Along with
your speaking and language skills, you must focus on improving your pronunciation
and vocabulary. Effective communication also requires you to be a good listener.
Positive Attitude
Positive attitude is imperative for you to advance in life. A person with a positive
attitude always looks at the brighter side and is always on the developmental path.
An individual with a negative attitude finds problems in every situation.
Credibility
Dressing appropriately is also very important. Despite saying that you do not judge
a book by its cover, people do tend to judge people by what someone is wearing
and how. Your attire plays a vital role in your overall looks and your confidence as
well. Dressing up well does not mean wearing an expensive and branded clothes,
the price tag does not guarantee whether a piece of clothing will look good on you.
You must wear things that suit your body and are comfortable too.
5.2 WAYS OF DEVELOPING A PERSONALITY
Do you know that competition is increasing with each passing days and there is no
paucity of talented individuals with high academic results and willingness to work
Notes hard. Personality development here is a crucial ingredient for success. Individuals
ought to master the art of expressing their thoughts and feelings in the most desired
way through personality development. Personality development makes you a
confident individual and you are appreciated and respected wherever you go. Let
us lookout some of the instructions that can help you to enhance your personality.
Gain knowledge
Knowledge is power and it is very important in this competitive world. Nobody is
impressed with a person who does not have knowledge about his/her work as well
as surroundings and is unaware of what is happening around the world. Therefore,
it becomes necessary for you to enrich one’s general knowledge and to have mastery
in your field of work. It is very essential to keep yourself updated with the knowledge
of events around the world. You can enhance your knowledge by reading
newspapers, watching informative programmes on television, reading books and
magazines and being part of active conversations within your friend circles.
A Healthy Body
An important part of personality is your appearance and your physical health. It is
very important to maintain good physical health for a good personality as well as
for a healthy life. It is important to work out regularly and maintain a healthy
physique. A healthy and smart look is absolutely essential to create an impact.
Exercise regularly, play games, go for a morning walk or whatever suits your body
and psychology. Eat a balanced diet with fresh fruits and vegetables.
Smart Dressing
As mentioned earlier, physical appearance plays an important role in your
personality. A smartly dressed person is admired everywhere. You should pay a great
deal of attention while choosing the right clothing for you, it must suit your physique
and you should be at ease. One must not try to copy others, instead make a style
statement of your own and choose the clothing that you feel comfortable with. Good
attire must make you feel more confident and relaxed.
Speaking Style
We have discussed earlier that speaking style and expressions help in creating an
engaging conversation. Most of the successful people maintain a unique style in
speaking. They speak clearly and effectively. Be careful that you have a good
command over the language you speak. Do not make grammatical mistakes else
you may become a laughing stock. Focus on your pronunciation. Speaking power
is an essential trait of a good personality.
Notes
I. Fill in the blanks with the right option.
1. Personality development is a _____________ ingredient for success.
a. crucial
b. critical
c. causative
d. casual
2. Knowledge is ________ and is very important in today’s competitive world.
a. powerless
b. power
c. effective
d. valuable
3. A smartly dressed person is _______ everywhere.
a. attractive
b. adaptive
c. admired
d. acknowledged
4. Most of the successful people maintain a unique style in ____________.
a. dressing
b. speaking
c. working
d. narrating
5. __________________ plays an important role in your personality.
a. physical appearance
b. fair complexion
c. contacts
d. health
5.3 GROOMING
Being well groomed is not reserved for the wealthy or stylish. Anyone can be well
groomed; all it needs is some time and efforts. Self-confidence and being well
Notes groomed go hand in hand. We will now look at three very simple yet effective
methods of grooming which will help you to be well groomed for life.
Cleanliness and Hygiene
1. Take a Shower - A requisite for a well-groomed appearance is cleanliness.
Start every day with a shower and the soap of your choice. Do this unless
specified otherwise for medical reasons. Certain soaps are healthy for your
skin and contain less harmful chemicals.
2. Use a Deodorant - After cleaning your body, ensure that you smell fresh. Apply
deodorant after your shower. Spend time to find the smell that is right for you.
3. Oral Hygiene – You must brush your teeth twice a day once in the morning
and once at night. You should also floss once a day. Flossing twice a week will
also help. Flossing decreases your bad breath by removing bacteria build up in
your mouth.
4. Shave or Groom your Hair- You do not have to do this daily, however it is a
good idea to shave your face, legs and armpits on a regular basis. Men can
look well-groomed with facial hair, but it needs to be controlled and cared for.
5. Always carry the essentials. Always have a “survival kit “with you at all
times. You can use a strong zip lock bag and include items for dry skin, broken
nails or messy hair. Try to have - body lotion or Vaseline, mini comb, mints, mini
mirror, pins, hair bands, perfume or cologne, compact towel, for avoiding last
minute goof ups.
Dress up
1. Wear Clean Clothing – After cleaning and drying your clothes always fold
immediately to avoid wrinkles. Make sure there are not loose threads, the buttons
are intact, and the hem is clean.If you take care of yourself, take care of your
clothing.
2. Wear Clothes you like – If you do not wear an item of closing for a long time
throw it or donate it. When you enjoy the clothes you own, you tend to take
care of their condition more. Dressing in your favourite clothes will make you
look great and boosts your self-esteem.If you love a coat or pant but they do
not fit well, take them to an alteration store.
3. Dress in Style. Notice the trends around you by noting what someone wears
that strikes you as being well groomed. As a general rule, keep it simple. You
do not have to dress up every day, but you can go a long way by wearing
something simple that compliments itself and your body. When you know what
suits your personality use it to the maximum advantage. Don’t hesitate to wear
something that looks good on you.
4. Wear Clean and Polished Shoes. Shoes are always the first thing many people
look at. They tell a lot about a person. If your shoes become dirty due to dirt or
salt, clean them immediately.
Care for your look

1. Keep your hair cut and styled – Well cut hair allows you to present a confident
image. Even if you are trying to grow out your hair, cutting the tips will prevent
split ends and promote healthy growth. Do not be a stranger to your barber or Notes
stylist.
2. Trim your nails. Shorter nails look neater. If you have longer nails, keep them
in good condition. Never hesitate to take your nails to the nail salon. Do not
bite your nails. This does not make your hands look well groomed. Always
use clippers or take them to a nail stylist.
Tips
• washing your face twice a day can help with breakouts.
• moisturise your skin immediately after a shower to avoid your skin from drying.
5.4 BODY LANGUAGE

In the previous lesson on communication, we had established the fact that at times
our body can speak more than our words and hence it is integral for us to be mindful
of what our body language may or may not convey.
Nearly all body language behaviours and non-verbal cues include one or more of
the below mentioned elements. These elements alone or in combination, that
communicate powerfully to the people around you.
The Key Elements of Body Language
The eight primary elements of body language are listed as follows:
Face – Your face is a major source of expression when communicating with
others. It can smile, frown, remain neutral, show anger, show disgust, indicate
that you want to speak, and show interest.
Eyes – Your eyes are often the first piece of body language others see or notice.
They can be used to make visual contact, avoid visual contact, express feelings
based on intensity and length of eye contact and the like.
Posture – Your posture includes how you hold your head, shoulders, legs, arms,
and hips. Each of these parts of your body work separately as well as together
to send non-verbal hints. Examples include tilting your head, slumping your
shoulders, turning your hips sideways and the like.
Gestures – Your gestures can be related to verbal communication or unrelated
to verbal communication. For instance, you might wave at any person as a way
of saying ‘hello’, but you do not have to actually say the word out loud for the
message to be clear or, you might use hand gestures to emphasise a key point
during a speech or presentation – in this case, your gesture is related to verbal
communication.
Voice – Your voice is used to verbalize language, but is an integral part of your
non-verbal communication also. For instance, your tone of voice, volume,
emotion, pace and the like, all influence the messages you send as part of your
body language.
Movement – Your movement, whether using your entire body or just part of
your body, is both flexible and commanding. For instance, moving toward
another person may send a message of dominance or assertiveness, while
moving away from another person may send a message of avoidance,
Notes submission, or simply bringing the interaction to a close.
Touch – This is one of the most powerful elements of body language. It is
capable of communicating so many different messages, and can also be
interpreted in so many different ways. Touch is usually divided into four main
categories: friendship, professional, social, and intimacy.
Appearance – Your physical appearance includes clothing, neatness, body
shape, and anything else that provides visual messages and cues to other people.
For instance, you dress conservatively and soberly for a funeral, but casually
and informally for a party with friends.
As you can see, there are a huge number of variations that can be created within
each element of body language, and even more that occur when you combine two
or more elements. All of these elements connect together into body language in ways
that are both conscious and unconscious.
5.5 PRESENTATION SKILLS

Presentation is a method of communication that can be adapted in various speaking
situations, such as talking to a group, addressing a meeting or briefing a team. To
be effective, step-by-step preparation, method and means of presenting the
information should be carefully considered. A presentation requires you to get the
message across to the listeners and will often contain an influential element. It may,
for example, be a talk about the positive work of your organisation, what you could
offer an employer, or why you should be chosen for a particular task.
Elements of Effective Presentation

1. Preparation - Being prepared is the most important element. You must always
practice your speech. Before going into any presentation, you must check that
all the materials and equipment are ready and are in working condition. This
will help you to get an accurate picture of how you speak.
2. Anecdotes and Examples - Use personal examples and stories in your speech
whenever possible. Make sure your stories help to emphasize or support your
point. The stories must match your message. Use examples from your personal
and professional life to make your point.
3. Relaxation - To stay relaxed you should be prepared. Also, focus on your
message and not the audience. Use gestures, including walking patterns.
Practise the opening of your speech and plan exactly how you will say it.
4. Natural Humour – Do not try to be a stand-up comedian. Use natural humour
by poking fun at yourself and something you said or did. Be sure NOT to make
fun of anyone in the audience. People will laugh with you when you poke fun at
yourself but do not overdo it otherwise they might end up taking you lightly.
5. Body and hand positions - During the practice of your speech look for
Notes
occasions where you can use a gesture. Establish three positions of standing
and movement. Pick three positions, once on the centre stage, one to your right,
and one to your left. Do not hide behind the lectern. When you do move maintain
eye contact with the audience.
6. Attention to Details - Make sure you have the right location (school, hotel,
room and time). Make sure you know where you are speaking. Ask how large
an audience you will be speaking to. Make sure you bring all your visual aids
and plenty of handouts. Arrive early so that you can check out where you will
be speaking and make any last minute adjustments.
It is very important that you pay attention to even the smallest details. Do not
overplan a presentation. Remember “One who fails to plan, is planning for failure”.
5.6 GENDER SENSITIZATION

Gender sensitization primarily focuses on being sensitive towards the needs,
requirements and circumstances of the opposite gender. You must keep in mind the
basic distance you must keep with the opposite gender no matter what the situation
is. Unnecessary physical advances and inappropriate gestures can put you in trouble
and will act against you.
There is also a certain way and time of communicating with your colleagues. Calling
at odd hours and sending inappropriate messages are not taken in good stride at
any work place. All good quality organizations have a zero tolerance policy against
such inappropriate behaviour and it can lead to immediate termination.
Here are some key guidelines that one must follow when at work.
1. One must completely avoid:
unnecessary physical contact or advances.
a demand or request for sexual favours.
making sexually coloured remarks.
showing pornography.
any other unwelcome physical, verbal or non-verbal conduct of sexual
nature.
2. Raise an alarm with your HR if any of your colleagues expects any sexual or
non-sexual favour in lieu of the following -
Implied or explicit promise of preferential treatment in employment.
Implied or explicit threat of detrimental treatment in employment.
Implied or explicit threat about your present or future employment status.
Interference with work or creation of an intimidating/hostile/offensive
work environment.
Notes I. Fill in the blanks:

1. Gender sensitization primarily focuses on being _________ towards the needs.
2. Unnecessary _______________ advances and __________ gestures can
put one in trouble at one’s work place.
3. All good quality organizations have a _________ policy against such
inappropriate behaviour
4. One must keep in mind, the basic __________ one must keep with the
__________ gender, no matter what the situation is.
Now, you are familiar with the term personality development and the various aspects
of it. You have understood the importance of personality development. You are
familiar with grooming as well as hygiene. You are aware of ways of presentation
skills and the various elements of effective presentation. You have also learnt about
gender sensitization and the key guidelines of a corporate setup.
TERMINAL EXERCISE
1. ‘Developing your personality can help you to achieve success’. Explain this
statement by creating a story in 200 to 300 words.
2. Mention some key ways of developing your personality. Elaborate any two.
3. Describe the benefits of a good personality.
4. Explain the top three ways of grooming yourself and what steps should you
follow for daily hygiene?
5. How can you effectively take care of your looks?
6. List all the key elements of body language. Elaborate any four.
7. With respect to presentations, what do you understand by the below mentioned
terms?
a. Preparation
b. Natural Humour
c. Attention to Details
5.1 Notes
I. 1. a
2. b
3. c
4. a
5. d
5.2
I. 1. sensitive
2. physical, inappropriate
3. zero tolerance policy
4. basic distance, opposite
Notes
6
TEAM BUILDING
In the world of multi-national corporations and huge corporate set-ups of today, it

is impossible for you to work in isolation. You cannot achieve much if you work
alone, synchronizing your goals to that of your organisations is the only key to
success and this is possible if we work in complete synergy with our fellow co-
workers. You can achieve success only if you work together as functional and
progressive teams. In the previous lesson you have learnt about personality
development. This lesson focuses on how you can function as a team ensuring the
team members are aware of their roles, responsibilities and goals which are in sync
with that of the organisation to ensure individual as well as corporate growth.
OBJECTIVES

• define a team and team work;
• classify teams at work;
• identify the role of a team leader;
• do SWOT analysis.
6.1 IMPORTANCE OF A TEAM AND TEAMWORK
You are already aware of the word “team” in our everyday lives (school, college,
sports). Teams are created when individuals with a common taste, preference, liking
and attitude come and work together for a common goal. Teams play a very important
role in an organization and also in our personal lives. Though a common interest
Team Building :: 69
and ability is not always possible as we are all different human beings, however as
long as you are willing to accept the diversity amongst each other, the team functions
well. Achievement of higher goals and success is accelerated with the formation
of effective teams. The teams can work together by channelizing the task and
activities of each team member towards one common goal. Notes
There are a number of benefits of working in teams for both you and your
organisation. Not only it is a great opportunity for professional development, it is
also a means of making your work easier. Additionally, you can learn from each
member of the team. Every employee is dependent on his fellow employees to work
together and contribute efficiently to the organization. It has been observed that
the outcomes are far better when employees work in a team rather than individually.
Team work is essential for better productivity and a better bonding among
employees. Some of the key benefits are -
1. Increased efficiency - In a team, you are working towards a common goal or
a set of objectives. The whole process becomes more efficient. For example,
if there is a problem faced along the way, there are more ‘minds to brainstorm’
to solve the issue. Similarly, when you have multiple team members on board,
it allows you to get the work done faster with shared responsibilities. From a
management perspective, encouraging teamwork in the workplace will allow
your company or department to take on additional work, and in turn generate
extra revenue without having to hire more staff.
2. Idea generation - One of the greatest benefits of working in a team is the
stimulation and ideas that can result from team discussions. When you share
ideas with each other, there is more scope for creativity rather working on a
project individually. In an effective team environment, staff members feel
confident in suggesting their ideas. In a team brainstorming environment, the
notion of suggesting creative and unique ideas is welcomed. Teams also bring
people together from different backgrounds and by sharing different levels of
knowledge and experience, which can help in creating optimal solutions.
3. Share the Workload - When working in a team towards a common goal, the
workload is shared among all team members. Teamwork also allows for helping
another team member when you have finished your workload. It is important
to remember that you are all working towards the same goal – if you finish
your work before others you should offer your assistance in order to complete
the project.
4. Task Orientation - Tasks are accomplished at a faster pace when it is done by
a team rather than an individual. An individual will definitely take more time
to perform if he/she is single-handedly responsible for everything. When
employees work together, they start helping each other and responsibilities are
shared and thus, it reduces the work load and work pressure.
5. Work never suffers – Work never takes a backseat in a team. Suppose,

you are taking care of an important client and you are the only one coordinating
with them. In case, you had to take a long leave without anyone else being
equipped to handle the task. In your absence, the organization will lose the client.
If you work in a team, others can take charge when you are not there. The
absence of any individual does not impact the deadlines in the organisation.
Notes 6. Healthy Competition - There is always healthy competition among the team
members. Competition is always good for the employee as well as the
organization as every individual feels motivated to perform better than his/her
other team member. This helps in a way contributing to his/her team and the
organization.
7. Building Relationships - Team work helps to improve the relations among
the employees. Individuals work in close coordination with each other and thus
come to know each other better. Team work also reduces the chances of
unnecessary conflicts among the employees and every individual tries his/her
level best to support his/her team member. The level of bonding increases as a
result of team work.
8. Mutual gain - Team members can also gain from each other. Every individual
is different and has some qualities. You can always benefit from your team
members which would help you in the long run. Everyone aspires for recognition
and praise. You feel motivated to work hard in a team and to live up to the
expectations of the other members. Each member is a critic of the other and
can correct the other whenever the other person is wrong. You always have
someone to fall back on at the time of crisis.
Team and team work must always be encouraged at the work place. It strengthens
the bond among the employees and the targets can be met at a faster pace. Workload
is shared and individuals feel motivated to perform better than their team members.

I. Fill in the blanks with words from the box given below:
increased efficiency, mutual gain, motivated, healthy competition,
workload, accomplished
a. When team members gain from each other, it is called ___________.
b. When employees feel _________ to perform better than his colleague, it is
called ________.
c. When working in a team towards a common goal, the ________is shared
among all team members.
d. Task is ______________at a faster pace when it is done by a team rather
than an individual.
e. When there are more ‘minds to brainstorm’, it refers to __________
_________.
Team Building :: 71
6.2 TYPES OF TEAMS

Teams can be formed anywhere and anytime whenever the task is a little difficult
and complicated. Let us understand the various types of teams in detail.
1. Permanent teams- These teams perform on a permanent basis and are not Notes
dissolved once the task is accomplished. Let us understand the concept with
an example.
Rohit, Ram, Tina and Ana had a strong inclination towards branding as well as
promotions and hence were a part of the branding team within a leading
organization. They were primarily responsible for promoting their brand and
designing marketing strategies to generate maximum revenue for their
organization. They worked extremely hard and always managed to achieve their
targets well in advance, but their team was always in place and never dissolved.
Such teams are called permanent teams.
You will find that work or no work, the human resources team, operation team,
administration team etc., in any organisation always function effectively
throughout the year and hence are permanent teams.
2. Temporary teams - Unlike permanent teams, you will see that temporary
teams lose their importance, once the task is accomplished. Such teams are
usually formed for a shorter duration either to assist the permanent team or
work when the members of the permanent team are busy in some other project.
In case, there are short term time-bound projects, where the volume of work is
high within tight deadlines, a temporary team is hired to deal with the workload.
This may be done, if there is a shortage of manpower or skilled personnel.
3. Committee - Committees are generally formed to work on a particular
assignment either permanently or on a temporary basis. You will find individuals
with common interests, more or less from the same background and attitudes
come together on a common platform to form a committee and work on any
matter.
For example; Committees are formed to raise funds for a common goal, conduct
any sort of investigation, publishing a book and all other major tasks involved to
successfully organize any event or project. The committee members work
together and design strategies to successfully accomplish the task.
4. Organization/Work Force - Such groups are formed in organizations where
team members work together under the expert guidance of leader. You will find
that a leader or a supervisor is generally appointed from among the members
itself and he/she along with his team work hard to achieve a common goal. The
leader must stand by his team throughout and extract the best out of each team
member. The leader must not underestimate any of his team members and take
his/her team along to avoid conflicts.
5. Cross Functional Team - Let us understand this with the help of an example.
Recruiting and Human Resources are two teams which are inter-related. These
teams have common skill-sets and similar objectives. In case of crucial times,
team members can be moved within the departments to fill in any requirements
as their job roles are inter-related. Such teams are called cross functional teams.
Ideally, the employees should be more or less on the same level to avoid ego
hassles. Individuals from different areas come and work together for a common
objective to form a cross functional team.
6. Virtual Teams - You are aware of the term Virtual. The teams in this case
consist of individuals who are separated by distances and connected through
ICT intervention. Here individuals communicate with each other online through
internet. Sam at Los Angeles can form a team with Mandeep in India and Sara
Notes at Africa. All work for a common objective and the communication is totally
digital through internet by chat, Skype, and video conferencing. This is also
used commonly on national level, as teams can be based in any city or state.
You will notice that such teams are helpful when employees need to connect
with each other and are located at different places. It reduces costs as the place
and space constraints are done away with.
6.3 ROLE OF A LEADER

Leadership is a timeless practice of guiding others in pursuit of some goal,
destination or desired outcome. At the most basic level, you know that the leader is
someone who motivates, inspires and guides others towards the goal. The practices
of effective leadership are timeless, and the context in which the leader’s work varies
from time to time and even situation to situation.
A leader is an individual responsible for clarifying direction through strategy and
providing guidance and motivation to others. You will find that the leader guides
others to work towards executing the strategy; this is not dependent on the position
or designation the leader have in the organisation.
Here are the five important roles that you as a leader must play:
1. Communicator: The most effective leaders use all levels of communication
to reach their teams. You will proactively encourage the exchange of
information within the team. All communication whether verbal, written or
online communicate consistency and clearly defines what the organization
stands for. You as a successful leader will develop the art of selecting personal
communication styles that is open, honest, fair and appropriate to the different
situations and audiences. You as a leader will also develop the skill of actively
listening to others, including those with opposing views. You will carefully
and thoughtfully make course corrections as the need arises.
2. Thinker: Strategic thinking is required for an effective leader. You must
understand how the different functions of the organization work together. You
must also learn the strengths and weaknesses of their team and the opportunities
and threats they are facing.
3. Decision-maker: A leader should be in a position to take appropriate decisions
for their team and in turn the organisation. In taking important decisions and
prior to implementation, you as a leader must consider the impact of such
choices on the team and on all the team members in general. The decision maker
will use his/her expertise in solving any situations. The decision maker will
also provide the platform to study a range of solutions before selecting the final
one, thus making sure that the selected decisions fit within mission and goals
of the organisation.
4. Team-builder: An effective team-builder empowers team members to excel
Team Building :: 73
and provides appropriate support and timely feedback that will support employee
initiative. You will motivate the team members when your team member is low
in energy.
5. Image-builder: Consistent demonstration of fairness, integrity and Notes
professionalism builds the image of a team leader, thereby supporting
professional achievement. You will adopt an ethical approach to business and
personal dealings set the stage for trust, credibility and influence among peers
as well as team members.

I. Choose the correct option.
1. A thinker is _________________.
a. a person who makes decisions
b. a person who motivates his team
c. a person who thinks strategically
d. a person who thinks
2. A decision maker is _________________.
a. a person who motivates his team
b. a person who thinks strategically
c. a person who makes decisions
d. a person who is a team member
3. A communicator is _________________.
a. a person who speaks effectively
b. a person who thinks strategically
c. a person who demonstrates fairness, integrity
d. a person who responds to the other
4. An effective team builder is _________________.
a. a person who empowers team members
b. a person who takes appropriate decisions
c. a person who understands the opportunities and threats
d. a person who carefully and thoughtfully makes course corrections
5. An image builder is _________________.
a. a person who empowers team members
b. a person who encourages exchange of information
c. a person who demonstrates fairness, integrity and professionalism
d. a person who thinks strategically
6.4 STRENGTHS, WEAKNESSES, OPPORTUNITIES,

THREATS(SWOT) ANALYSIS
Personality is an essential step for making yourself more appealing to employers
Notes and customers. It also helps to boost your self-image. SWOT analysis helps you to
introspect your own self. Even though SWOT was originally used for business, it
can help assess a person’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats too. This
kind of simple analysis structure provides guidance. It looks at internal and external
factors.
Self-analysis is perhaps one of the most complicated things. But, it plays a very
significant role in personal progress. SWOT analysis will help you to learn more
about yourself. Carrying out a personal SWOT analysis is an important step
towards finding life and career direction.
Dig deep and identify what your own contributions really are. The analysis entails
finding out what you are good at and what you are terrible at. SWOT is a tool for
you. After you have learnt all the necessary details about yourself, you can make
an effort to make positive changes which will lead to new opportunities. Basically,
SWOT analysis provides a better picture of all pros and cons that you have.
The outcome will depend on how you react to the findings. For example, you can
react in two ways after you list all your weaknesses. You can either understand how
they can be threatening to not only your career but also your personal life, or you
can work to overcome the weakness. It is always wise to think positively. Act
proactively to turn the weakness into strength. Also, try to eliminate all threats. Give
importance to your strengths and take advantage of the opportunities.
The elements of a personal SWOT analysis

When you know about your positive and negative factors, it can help you make
changes more effectively. Typically, you just need to create a table to conduct a
SWOT analysis, divided into 4 columns. For each of the SWOT element, ask
yourself some questions.
A list of some example questions is given below:
Strengths
What benefits do you have which others do not have? This could include skills,
education, or connections.
What do you do better than anyone else?
What personal resources do you have access to?
What do other people see as your strengths?
Which achievements are you most proud of?
What values do you believe in that others fail to show?
Team Building :: 75
Are you part of a network no one else is involved in? What connections do you
have with powerful people?
Weaknesses
Notes
What work do you usually avoid because of lack of confidence?
What do people think your weaknesses are?
Are you happy with your education and skills training?
Do you have any negative work habits?
Which of your personality traits hold you back?
Opportunities
What new technology can assist you?
Can you take advantage of the market in its present state?
Do you have a network of strategic contacts to offer good advice or help you?
Could you create an opportunity by offering solutions to problems?
Threats
What hindrances do you currently face at work or in personal life?
Is any of your co-workers, friends and siblings competing with you for projects
or roles?
Is your job changing?
Can technological changes threaten your position?
Could any of your weaknesses lead to threats?
The Advantages of Conducting a Personal SWOT

The main purpose of a SWOT is to promote identified strengths, reduce weaknesses,
exploit the opportunities and have contingency plans to minimize threats.
There are many benefits and advantages of using SWOT analysis for personal
development. It is good for your success and betterment. Some of the most common
benefits of conducting a personal SWOT analysis have been mentioned below.
Helps to develop strategies to attain your goals
You can be better than your friends and colleagues
Shows where you currently stand on the path of success
Measures your scope of reaching desired goals
Enhances your career, life and personality
Helps to better understand who you really are as a person
Maximizes your strengths and minimises your weaknesses

Explores and also enhances your soft and hard skills
It helps you understand your preferences and personality traits
Notes
Focuses on your attitudes, abilities, skills, capabilities and capacities
This is how a SWOT analysis looks like -
Fig. 6.1 : SWOT Analysis
6.5 TEAM BUILDING EXERCISES
Team-building exercises can be a powerful way to unite a group, develop strengths,

and address weaknesses – but only if the exercises are planned and carried out
strategically. In other words, there has to be a real purpose behind conducting these
exercises – for example, improving the team’s problem-solving or creativity skills
of the team.
Benefits of Team building exercises:
These exercises help the team to break the monotony, and increase harmony. They
also enable the team to be able to build trust amongst each other. Such activities
must be conducted from time to time to increase the rapport among the team
members.
Team Building :: 77
In this lesson, you have learnt the importance of team and teamwork. You are able
Notes
to identify the types of teams. You are also familiar with the various roles of leader,
from a thinker, to a communicator. You are now able to conduct a SWOT analysis
to understand your strengths and weaknesses.
TERMINAL EXERCISE
1. What are the key ingredients of team building?

2. Explain teamwork and describe its importance.
3. Give short notes on
a. Healthy competition
b. Task orientation
c. Idea generation
4. Explain the following
a. Cross functional team
b. Self-Managed teams
c. Virtual teams
5. Give the advantages of conducting a SWOT analysis.
6. List the types of roles a leader should play. Explain any two.
7. Conduct a SWOT analysis for yourself.
6.1
I. 1. mutual gain
2. motivated, healthy competition
3. workload
4. accomplished
5. increased efficiency
6.2
I. 1. c
2. c
3. a
4. a
5. c
Notes
7
CUSTOMER SERVICE
In the previous lesson you have learnt about team building. In this lesson you will
learn about importance of customer service, types of customers. Customer service
is very critical for each industry. With the advent of numerous service providers for
similar products, the need for enhancing the customer services experience has risen
by many folds to stay upbeat and abreast with the rest of the competition. Companies
these days are taking steps to consistently improvise and enhance customer services
these days as it is the only factor that differentiates you from the others.
OBJECTIVES

• explain about customer service;
• list types of customers;
• handle customer’s query efficiently.
7.1 IMPORTANCE OF CUSTOMER SERVICE
Customer service is the process of ensuring customer satisfaction with a product

or service. Often, customer service takes place while performing a transaction for
the customer, such as issuing an certificate or updating credit card or debit card
details. Customer service can take the form of an in-person interaction, a phone
call, self-service systems, or by other means.
Customer Service :: 79
If we go back 15 – 20 years, there was a time when most houses had the landline
phones and people used to stand in long queues to pay the bill and still stick to it. The
reason was lack of options, however today if you do not like a particular brand of
mobile services, you can easily switch over to the other. Hence, it becomes extremely Notes
vital for the companies to give the best product and services.
We will now look at some Customer Service Skills that are vital for you to be
able to work in the BPO industry. In a BPO industry, we feel that “being a people
person” is of utmost importance. It is not untrue; however, we also need the skills to
“WOW” the customers that we interact with on a daily basis.
The following are the important points:
Patience
Patience is not only important to the customers, who often reach out to support when
they are confused and frustrated, but it’s also important to the services provider at
large. If you deal with customers on a daily basis, be sure to stay patient when they
come to you stumped and frustrated. Also be sure to take the time to truly figure out
what they want.
Attentiveness
The ability to really listen to customers is very crucial for providing great service.
Unless you pay attention you will never know what the real issue is. Not only is it
important to pay attention to individual customer interactions, but it’s also important
to be careful and attentive to the feedback that you receive at large.
Clear Communication Skills

Make sure you are getting to the problem at hand quickly. Customers neither need
your life story nor they want to hear about how your day is going. More importantly,
you need to be cautious about how some of your communication habits translate to
customers. When it comes to important points that you need to convey clearly to
customers, keep it simple and leave nothing to doubt.
Product Knowledge
You should know the product and its functionality in and out, just like a customer
who uses it every day would. Without knowing your product from front-to-back,
you will not know how to help customers when they run into problems.
Ability to Use “Positive Language”

Language plays a very important role in influencing others, and people (especially
customers) create perceptions about you and your company, based on the language
Notes that you use. It sounds superficial, but however, your conversational patterns can
truly go a long way in creating happy customers.
Acting Skills
Sometimes you come across people that you will never be able to please. There will
be times when you will deal with angry or frustrated customers who seem to want
nothing else but to pull you down. Every great customer service representative will
have those basic acting skills necessary to maintain their usual cheery persona in
spite of dealing with people who may be just plain complaining.
Time Management Skills

You should spend more time with customers, but there is a limit. You need to be
concerned with getting customers what they want in an efficient manner.
When you realized that you cannot help a customers then get help from your
organisation.
Ability to “Read” Customers

You won’t always be able to see customers face-to-face, and in many instances
you won’t even hear a customer’s voice. That does not exempt you from
understanding some basic principles of behavioural psychology and being able to
“read” the customer’s current emotional state. This is an important part of the
personalization process as well, because it takes knowing your customers to create
a personal experience for them.
A Calming Presence
There are a lot of metaphors for this type of personality: “keeps their cool,” “staying
cool under pressure,” etc., but it all represents the same thing: the ability that some
people have to stay calm and even influence others when things get a little hectic.
You must know that you cannot let a heated customer force you to lose your cool.
In fact, it is their job to try to be the “rock” for a customer who thinks the world is
falling down due to their current problem.
Goal Oriented Focus

This may seem like a strange thing to list as a customer service skill, but it is vital.
That’s because it leaves employees with goals and customer happiness can work
hand-in-hand with great customer service.
Ability to Handle Surprises Notes
Sometimes the customer support world is going to throw surprises. Maybe the
problem you encounter is not specifically covered in the company’s guidelines, or
maybe the customer is not reacting how you thought they would. Whatever the case,
it’s best to be able to think on your feet... but it’s even better to create guidelines for
yourself in these situations.
Persuasion Skills
Often you will feel that the customer is curious about your company’s product, rather
than having problems with it. To truly take your customer service skills to the next
level, you need to have some mastery over persuasion so that you can convince
interested customers that your product is right for them (if it truly is). It’s not about
letting potential customers slip away because you could not create a compelling
message that your company’s product is worth.
Closing Ability
To be clear, this has nothing to do with “closing sales” or other related terms. If you
are able to close with a customer means you are able to end the conversation with
confirmed satisfaction (or as close to it as you can achieve) and with the customer
feeling that everything has been taken care of (or will be).
Willingness to Learn
This is probably the most “general” skill on the list, but it’s necessary. Those who do
not seek to improve what they do, whether it’s building products, marketing businesses,
or helping customers, will get left behind by the people willing to invest in their skills.
If you keep the above mentioned points in mind, you will be able to give a “wonderful”
experience to your customers on each occasion.
I. Fill in the blank with the correct option
1. If you deal with customers on a daily basis, be sure to stay _________.

a. energetic
b. calm
c. patient
d. cold
2. The ability to really listen to customers is very ________ for providing great
service.
a. comforting
Notes b. helping
c. beneficial
d. crucial
3. The best customer service employee will have a _________ of how the product
works.
a. overview
b. close
c. deep
d. clear
4. A great customer service person will have the ability to handle ________ thrown
by the customer.
a. Surprises
b. Parties
c. Meetings
d. hurdles
7.2 MOMENT OF TRUTH
We will now look at an interesting yet integral aspect of customer service, which is
the ‘Moment of Truth’, a phrase, used for perception versus the reality of customer
services; we will explore this with a couple of examples –
Suppose, you have reached the market and are really tired and you see this untidy
stall serving tea. When you look round you find that it is the only outlet available in
that area. You are desperately in need of a cup of tea, however, looking at the shop
you are unable to make up your mind, nonetheless you go on and ask for a cup of
tea and to your amusement the vendor is extremely courteous and offers you a glass
of water and a biscuit along with tea. You also feel that it is the best cup of tea you
have ever had. In this case is the ‘Moment of truth’, the perception was to get a
shabby service and bad tea however the reality was very different and this would
compel you to come to this shop again in the future, what the vendor has given you
is exceptional service along with a good product.
The opposite is also true, so you go to this very posh looking restaurant and are
welcomed by a disinterested and poorly dressed waiter. Upon calling him you see
that he is taking the order very reluctantly, and what you get in turn is decent however
Notes
slightly cold food and when you request the waiter to heat it up a bit, he is rude and
unwilling. When you call the manager he also backs the waiter and is not willing to
heat up the food. You go out from that restaurant with an awful experience and you
will never visit or recommend it to anyone. So you see, despite being a fancy high-
end restaurant the experience was bad and dissatisfying, again here the ‘Moment
of truth’ was very different from the perception.
Good customer service creates a happy ‘Moment of truth’ for the customers and
vice versa. What you must keep in mind is that it is these moments of truth that
decide the longevity of the customer’s loyalty towards your organisation; hence,
giving expected and sometimes beyond expected level of service is the key to
success. Even one bad experience can leave the customer unhappy.
7.3 TYPES OF CUSTOMERS
You are already aware that customers play the most significant part in business. In
fact, the customer is the actual boss and is responsible for the profit of the
organization. Customer is the one who uses the products and services and judges
the quality of those products and services. Hence it’s important for an organization
to retain customers or make new customers and make business flourish.
Customers can be of the following types:

1. Loyal Customers- These types of customers are less in number but promote
more sales and profit as compared to other customers as these are the ones who
are completely satisfied. Loyal customers want individual attention and demand
polite and respectful responses from you. Some appreciation of their business
and long association with the organisation also keep them glued.
2. Angry Customers – These customers are hard to please because they are in
some way or the other unhappy about either the product or the services they
have got. They can sound harsh and rude and in most cases loud and angry.
The key for you is to let them vent and then empathetically try to resolve their
issue.
3. Discount Customers- Discount customers are also frequent visitors. They

expect discounts on regular products and brands and tend to buy only low cost
products. More the discount, the more they buy. They would also try to bargain
a lot with you and would always look for what additional products and services
they can get. They should be treated with patience along with assertiveness as
sometimes they may go overboard.
4. Impulsive Customers- These customers are difficult to convince as they are

spontaneous. They do not have any specific item in their product list but urge
to buy what they find good and productive at that point of time. Your effective
Notes selling skills and influencing skills can lead to actual sales.
5. Need-based Customers- These customers are product specific and tend to

buy items for which they have a specific need. They are frequent customers
but do not become a part of buying most of the times, so it is difficult to satisfy
them. These customers should be handled positively by you by showing them
ways and reasons to switch over to other similar products. These customers
could possibly be lost if not tackled efficiently with positive interaction.
6. Wandering Customers- These are the least profitable customers as sometimes

they themselves are not sure what to buy. These customers are normally new
in industry and most of the times would call only to confirm or cross check.
They investigate features of most prominent products in the market but do not
buy any of those or show the least interest in buying. These customers should
be properly informed by you about the various positive features of the products
so that they develop a sense of interest in the product and buy.
As an employee, you must always focus on all customers equally; however the
ways to handle each would differ. Strategies and handling techniques should
be renovated and enhanced for giving satisfactory services to these customers.
7.4 HANDLING CUSTOMER QUERIES
It is said that “the customer is always right”. The below mentioned steps will give
you an insight into the various ways to treat your customers and their queries
effectively.
1. Treat your customers well: Give your customers excellent service, a smile,
and ask if everything is to their liking. People enjoy being engaged in this way
and it helps even the most flustered customer to remember that they had a good
experience with you.
2. Ask customers: If they are looking for a particular item, or if you can do
anything to help them to find the right product or service. Customers who appear
confused, worried or helpless do need a hand. Even those who already know
what they’re looking for may need a hand in choosing appropriately.
3. Listen: This may seem straightforward but in sales and service, this is frequently
not the case. More often than not, people selling or providing services think
they already know what the customer is asking and switch off before the full
explanation has been given. This can lead to wastage of time. A frustrated Notes
customer and poor communications that will impact the business.
4. Be honest and straightforward: Nothing irritates a customer more than being

given vague answers and push-offs to queries about the products or services.
If you do not know the answer, do not guess. Tell the customer that you do not
know and you will immediately go and find out. They will respect you for that.
If you cannot get the answer, request the contact details of the customer and
offer to arrange a call back.
5. Stop conversations with other employees during a transaction: Once you
devote your time to a customer, whether it is to discuss a sale or any other product
or service, do not ignore the customer and make this a time to carry on a
conversation with another staff member. This is annoying to customers who
wonder if your mind is really on the job. Put aside all distractions and concentrate
on the customer at hand. There will be enough slow moments for you to pick
up conversations with fellow employees again.
6. If you can’t help, don’t hinder: It only makes matters worse if you try to
force the customer to buy your product. When you see that they have made up
their mind that your company does not have the item wanted or the price wished
for, do not leave a bitter impression on the customer’s mind by getting irritable,
disinterested or unfriendly with them. Support the customer’s decision to check
elsewhere but make it a hard choice by suggesting how your product or service
can make things better. You may lose the current sale but that is no reason to
lose future association with the customer.
7. Be willing to seek help: If things are really heating up, or the customer really
wants to talk to the manager, oblige. It will be very obvious to the manager that
it is a difficult customer rather than your sales or serving technique that is in
question.
Having said the above, a big question is whether the customer is always right? Not
always. Do not tolerate verbal abuse. Remember you are there to serve the customer,
but you are never the customer’s servant. If handled correctly, you can turn a
negative customer experience into a positive. With a good apology and a
demonstration that your company listens, takes responsibility for problems, and acts
on them, you can end up with a more loyal customer.

Notes
1. These customers are product specific and tend to buy items for which they have
a specific need. Identify the type of customers.
a. Loyal customers
b. Need-based customers
c. Impulsive customers
2. If you are unable to help the customer then what will you do:
a. You will hinder them
b. You will ask your seniors
c. You will stop speaking
In this lesson, you have learnt the meaning of customer service. You have also learnt
to identify with the importance of customer service with respect to a BPO segment.
Also, you have learnt the various skills that are required for a successful customer
service representative, identify the moment of truth and its importance with respect
to customer service.
TERMINAL EXERCISE
1. Case Studies
a. You have recently joined XYZ Corporation. Today is your first day on calls.
You are handling such calls for the first time and suddenly you get a
customer who is extremely unhappy and irate, he is constantly yelling and
is demanding to see the supervisor. What should you do, in this case?
b. Your customer wants you to waive the interest charges for the last month
as she was out of town and therefore could not pay her bill. You know that
this is not possible and due to the delay the interest charges have to be
levied. How would you tell the customer that you can’t help her? And/or if
the customer is not happy with the solution given by you how would you
deal with such situations?
2. List the key customer services skills, elaborate any four.

3. What should you do if you are unable to help the customer?
4. Explain ‘Moment of Truth’. Write one positive and one negative ‘Moment of Notes
truth’ that you have had as a customer.
5. List the different types of customers.
6. Elaborate the following –
a. Angry customers
b. Loyal customers
c. Impulsive customers
7.1
I. 1. c
2. d
3. c
4. a
5. b
7.2
I. 1. b
2. b
Notes
8
WORK LIFE BALANCE
In the previous lesson you have learnt about cutomer service. In this lesson you
will learn how to balance your work life. You must be aware that with the outbreak
of 24x7 working trends and the growing multinational companies, it has become
inevitable for people to manage their time appropriately. It is important for you to
understand that the compounding stress from the never-ending workday is damaging.
It can hurt relationships, health and overall happiness. This lesson will focus on
looking at ways to overcome these issues and obtain work life balance.
OBJECTIVES
• manage your time effectively;
• identify the causes of stress;
• describe anger management;
• balance your work and life.
8.1 TIME MANAGEMENT
In today’s competitive and fast paced life, it seems that there is never enough time.
However, since we can not get more than 24 hours, you must make the best of it
and there are many who are able to achieve so much more with their time than others.
The big question is how do they do it? The answer lies in good time management.
Work Life Balance :: 89
The highest achievers manage their time exceptionally well even when time is tight
and pressures are high. In this section we will throw some light on the various time
management techniques that can help you achieve more in the given time.
Good time management requires you to shift your focus from activities to results: Notes
being busy does not mean you are effective as well. You may spend your day in a
frenzy of activities often achieving less, because your attention is divided between
so many different tasks that lead to loss in focus and accuracy.
Good time management lets you work smarter – not harder – so you get more work
done in less time. Let us now see what we understand by ‘Time Management’’.
‘Time management’ refers to the way you deal with your time as to how you organize
and plan the time you wish to spend on specific activities. It might seem contrasting
to dedicate precious time on learning time management, instead of using it to get
on with your work, but you will see that some knowledge about time management
appropriately brings enormous benefits such as:
greater productivity and efficiency.
a better professional reputation.
less stress.
increased opportunities for advancement.
greater opportunities to achieve career goals.
More often than not failing to manage your time effectively can have some very
undesirable consequences such as:
missed deadlines.
inefficient work flow.
poor work quality.
a poor professional reputation and a stalled career.
higher stress levels.
Spending a little time learning about time-management techniques will have huge
benefits now and throughout your career.
Practise the following techniques to become the master of your own time:
A. Carry a diary and record all your activities for a week. This will help you to
understand how much work you can get done during the course of a day. You
can now easily do this in the calendar available on your computer or mobile.
B. Any activity or conversation that’s important to your success should have a
time assigned to it. Schedule appointments with yourself and create time blocks
for high-priority thoughts, conversations, and actions. Schedule when a task
begins and ends. Have the discipline to keep the time commitments.
C. Schedule time for interruptions. Plan time to be pulled away from what you are
doing. You may have a well-planned- day but in real time there will always be
something or other that comes at the last minute and needs your attention. So
always keep some extra time at hand.
Notes
D. Take the first 30 minutes of every day to plan your day. Don’t start your day
until you complete your time plan. The most important time of your day is the
time you prepare your schedule.
E. Take five minutes before every call and task to decide what result you want to
attain. Take five minutes after each call and activity to determine whether your
desired result was achieved. If not, what was missing? How do you put what
is missing in your next call or activity?
F. Practise not answering the phone just because it’s ringing and e-mails just
because they show up. Disconnect instant messaging at work. Don’t instantly
give people your attention unless it’s absolutely crucial in your business to offer
an immediate human response. Instead, schedule a time to answer email and
return phone calls.
G. When at work, block out other distractions like Facebook and other forms of
social media unless you use these tools to generate business.
H. Remember that it’s impossible to get everything done. Also remember that odds
are good that 20 percent of your thoughts, conversations and activities produce
80 percent of your results.
I. Fill in the blanks with the correct option:

1. Carry a ___________ and ___________ all your activities for a week.
a. pen, paper
b. diary, record
c. folder, record
d. pen, record
2. Take the first __________ of every day to plan your day.
a. five minutes
b. ten minutes
c. fifteen minutes
d. thirty minutes
3. Take __________ before every call and task to decide what result you want to
attain.
a. breath
b. pen
c. five minutes
d. ten minutes Notes
4. When at work,__________other distractions like Facebook and other forms
of social media unless you use these tools to generate business.
a. blot out
b. block out
c. distract
d. avoid
5. Spending a little time learning about ______________________will have huge
benefits now and throughout your career.
a. work life balance techniques
b. stress management techniques
c. anger management techniques
d. time management techniques
8.2 STRESS MANAGEMENT

We will now look at some effective ways of handling stress. With the enhancement
of work opportunities, responsibilities, performance orientation and competition
the stress levels are on at all-time high. Today’s youth is getting great work
opportunities at a very young age and this leads to an early advent of stress in their
lives. Hence, in order to strike a good work-life-balance, it is imperative for you to
manage stress.
Effectively coping with stress, managing stress and finding ways to reduce
unnecessary or unhealthy levels of stress are important life skills - skills that
everybody needs.
Negative stress, tension and anxiety are extremely common problems in our life.
You may feel there’s nothing you can do about stress. The bills won’t stop coming,
there will never be more hours in the day, and your work and family responsibilities
will always be demanding. But you have more control over stress than you might
think. Stress management is all about taking charge of your lifestyle, thoughts,
emotions, and the way you deal with problems.
Let us begin with understanding what is stress management?

We all respond to stress differently so, there’s no “one size fits all” solution to
managing stress. But if you feel like the stress in your life is out of control, it’s time
to take action. Stress management can teach you healthier ways to cope with stress,
it helps you reduce its harmful effects.
No matter how powerless you may feel in the face of stress, you still have control
over your lifestyle, thoughts, emotions, and the way you deal with problems. Stress
management involves changing the stressful situation when you can, changing your
reaction when you can be taking care of yourself, and taking out time for rest and
Notes relaxation.
The first step of stress management is to recognize the true sources of stress in
your life. It is easy to identify sources of stress following a major life event such as
changing jobs, moving home, or losing a loved one, but thinking about it every day
can be more complicated.
How do you currently cope with stress?
Think about the ways you currently manage and cope with stress in your life. Are
your coping strategies healthy or unhealthy, helpful or unproductive? Unfortunately,
many people cope with stress in ways that compound the problem.
Unhealthy ways of coping with stress

These coping strategies may temporarily reduce stress, but they cause more damage
in the long run:
smoking
drinking too much
bingeing on junk or comfort food
zoning out for hours in front of the TV or computer
withdrawing from friends, family, and activities
using pills or drugs to relax
sleeping too much
procrastinating
filling up every minute of the day to avoid facing problems
taking out your stress on others (lashing out, angry outbursts, physical violence)
It is vital that we learn healthier ways to manage stress. If your methods of coping
with stress are not contributing to your emotional and physical health, it’s time you
find out the healthier ones. No single method works for everyone or in every
situation, so experiment with different techniques and strategies. Focus on what
makes you feel calm and in control.
Some key steps to manage stress are -

Get moving
Physical activity plays a key role in reducing and preventing the effects of stress,
but you do not have to be an athlete or spend hours in a gym to experience the
benefits. Just any form of physical activity can help relieve stress and burn away
anger, tension, and frustration.
While the maximum benefit comes from exercising for 30 minutes or more, you
can start small and build up your fitness level gradually. Short, 10-minute bursts Notes
of activity that elevate your heart rate and make you break out into a sweat
can help to relieve stress and give you more energy and optimism. Even very
small activities can add up over the course of a day. The first step is to get
yourself up and moving. Here are a few easy ways:
• put on some music and dance around.
• take your dog for a walk.
• walk or cycle to the grocery store.
• use the stairs at home or work rather than an elevator.
• park your car in the farthest spot in the lot and walk the rest of the way.
• pair up with an exercise partner and encourage each other as you workout.
• play ping-pong or an activity-based video game with your kids.
Engage socially
Social engagement is the quickest, most efficient way to reduce stress. There
is nothing more calming to your nervous system than communicating with
another human being who makes you feel safe and understood. Of course, it’s
not always realistic to have a pal close by to lean on when you feel overwhelmed
with stress, but by building and maintaining a network of close friends you
can improve your resiliency to life’s stressors. On the flip side, the lonelier
and isolated you are, the greater is your vulnerability to stress.
Reach out to family and friends and connect regularly in person. The people
you talk to don’t have to be able to fix your stress; they just need to be good
listeners. Opening up is not a sign of weakness and it won’t make you a burden
to others. In fact, most friends will be flattered that you trust them enough to
confide in them, and it will only strengthen your bond. And remember, it’s never
too late to build new friendships and improve your support network.
Avoid unnecessary stress
While stress is an automatic response from your nervous system, some stressors
arise at predictable times. For example you commute to work, a meeting with
your boss, or family gatherings. When handling such predictable stressors, you
can either change the situation or change your reaction.
Avoid the stressor
It’s not healthy to avoid a stressful situation that needs to be addressed, but
you may be surprised by the number of stressors in your life that you can
eliminate.
• Learn how to say “no” – Know your limits and stick to them. Whether
in your personal or professional life, taking on more than you can handle is
a sure shot recipe for stress.
• Avoid people who stress you out – If someone consistently causes
Notes stress in your life, limit the amount of time you spend with that person, or
end the relationship.
• Take control of your environment – If the evening news makes you
anxious, turn off the TV. If traffic makes you tense, take a longer but less-
travelled route. If going to the market is an unpleasant chore, do your
grocery shopping online.
Adapt to the stress
Your thoughts have a great effect on your stress levels. Each time you think a
negative thought about yourself, your body reacts and considers it to be a
tension-filled situation. Resume your sense of control by changing your
expectations and attitude to stressful situations.
• Reframe problems. Try to view stressful situations from a more positive
perspective. Rather than fuming about a traffic jam, look at it as an
opportunity to pause and regroup, listen to your favourite radio station,
or enjoy being alone for some time.
• Look at the big picture. Take perspective of the stressful situation. Ask
yourself how important it will be in the long run. Will it matter in a month?
A year? Is it really worth getting upset over? If the answer is no, focus
your time and energy elsewhere.
• Adjust your standards. Perfectionism is a major source of stress. Stop
setting yourself up for failure by demanding perfection. Set reasonable
standards for yourself and others, and learn to be okay with “good enough.”
Accept things you cannot change
Many sources of stress are unavoidable. You can not prevent or change stressors,
such as the death of a loved one, a serious illness, or a national recession. In
such cases, the best way to cope with stress is to accept things as they are.
Acceptance may be difficult, but in the long run, it is easier than railing against
a situation you can not change.
• Do not try to control the uncontrollable— Many things in life are beyond
our control—particularly the behaviour of other people. Instead of
stressing out over them, focus on the things you can control such as the
way you choose to react to problems.
• Look for the upside— When facing major challenges, try to look at them
as opportunities for personal growth. If your own poor choices contributed
to a stressful situation, reflect on them and learn from your mistakes.
• Learn to forgive— Accept the fact that we live in an imperfect world and
that people make mistakes. Let go of anger and resentments. Free yourself
from negative energy by forgiving and moving on.
Find time for fun and relaxation

Beyond a take-charge approach and a positive attitude, you can reduce stress
in your life by nurturing yourself. If you regularly find time for fun and relaxation,
Notes
you will be in a better place to handle life’s stressors.
Don’t get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of life that you forget to take
care of your own needs. Nurturing yourself is a necessity, not a luxury.
• Set aside relaxation time: Include rest and relaxation in your daily
schedule. Don’t allow other obligations to encroach. This is your time to
take a break from all responsibilities and recharge your batteries.
• Do something you enjoy every day: Make time for leisure activities
that bring you joy, whether it be stargazing, playing the piano, or working
on your bike.
• Keep your sense of humour: This includes the ability to laugh at yourself.
The act of laughing helps your body fight stress in a number of ways.
Adopt a healthy lifestyle

In addition to regular exercise, there are other healthy lifestyle choices that can
increase your resistance to stress.
• Eat a healthy diet. Well-nourished bodies are better prepared to cope with
stress; so be mindful of what you eat. Start your day right with breakfast,
and keep your energy up and your mind clear with balanced, nutritious meals
throughout the day.
• Reduce caffeine and sugar. The temporary “highs” caffeine and sugar
provide often end in with a crash in mood and energy. By reducing the
amount of coffee, soft drinks, chocolate, and sugar snacks in your diet,
you will feel more relaxed and you will sleep better.
• Avoid alcohol, cigarettes, and drugs. Self-medicating with alcohol or

drugs may provide an easy escape from stress, but the relief is only
temporary. Do not avoid or mask the issue at hand; deal with problems
head on and with a clear mind.
• Get enough sleep. Adequate sleep fuels your mind, as well as your body.
Feeling tired will increase your stress because it may cause you to think
irrationally.
Overcoming stress is not easy. However choosing a lifestyle that reduces it is

always worth a try.
8.3 ANGER MANAGEMENT
Finally, we will now throw some light on overcoming anger by using some anger
management techniques. Anger is a normal, healthy emotion, but when chronic,
Notes explosive anger gets out of control, it can have serious effects on your relationships,
your health, your state of mind, and reputation too.
With an insight of the real reasons of your anger and some basic anger management
techniques, you can learn to keep your temper from overtaking your life and creating
problems in the long run.
Understanding anger and anger management
The emotion of anger is neither good nor bad. Like any other emotion, it conveys a
message and it tells you that a situation is upsetting, or unjust, or threatening. So
while it’s perfectly normal to feel angry when you have been mistreated or wronged,
anger becomes a problem when you express it in ways that harm yourself or others.
That’s where anger management becomes extremely crucial and important -
The aim of anger management is not to suppress feelings of anger but rather to
understand the message behind your emotions and express it in a healthy way
without losing control.
When you are able to manage anger, you will not only feel better, you will also
be able to get your needs met, to manage conflict in your life and will also be
able to strengthen your relationships.
Mastering the art of anger management takes workout, but the more you
practise, the easier it will become.
Let us look at some myths and facts about anger and anger management.
Myth: I shouldn’t “hold in” my anger. It’s healthy to vent and let it out.
Fact: It’s true that we must not suppress or avoid the feeling of anger, however
venting out too much can also be equally challenging. Anger shouldn’t be showcased
in an aggressive manner. In fact, outbursts only fuel the fire and reinforce your
problem.
Myth: Anger, aggression and intimidation help me earn respect and get what
I want.
Fact: Respect does not come from bullying others. People may be afraid of you,
but they won’t respect you if you can not control yourself or handle opposing
viewpoints. Others will be more willing to listen to you and understand your needs
if you communicate in a respectful way.
Myth: I can’t help myself. Anger isn’t something you can control.
Fact: You can not control the situation but you can control your expression and anger
can be expressed without being verbally or physically abusive.
Anger management: why is it important?

When anger goes out of hand it can damage your relationships, cloud your judgment,
get in the way of success, and have a negative impact on the way people see you.
• Anger hurts you physically - High levels of stress and anger makes you more
prone to heart disease, diabetes, a weakened immune system, insomnia, and
high blood pressure.
• Anger hurts you mentally - Chronic anger consumes huge amounts of your Notes
mental energy and clouds your thinking, making it harder to concentrate or
enjoy life. It can also lead to stress, depression, and other mental health
problems.
• Explore what’s really behind your anger- Anger hurts your
career. Constructive criticism, creative differences, and heated debate can be
healthy. But lashing out only alienates your colleagues, supervisors, or clients
and erodes their respect.
• Anger hurts your relationships with others. It causes lasting scars in the
minds of people you love most and gets in the way of friendships and work
relationships. Over the top anger makes it hard for others to trust you, speak
honestly, or feel comfortable—and is especially damaging to children.
Anger often stems from what you’ve learned as a child. If you watched others in
your family scream, hit each other, or throw things, you might think this is how
anger is supposed to be expressed. Anger is often a cover-up for other feelings.
In order to express your anger in appropriate ways, you need to be in touch with
what you are really feeling. Are your anger masking others feelings such as
embarrassment, insecurity, hurt, shame, or vulnerability?
If your first response in many situations is anger, it’s likely that your temper is
covering up your true feelings.
This is especially likely if you grew up in a family where expressing feelings
was strongly discouraged. As an adult, you may have a hard time acknowledging
feelings other than anger.
Anger can also be a symptom of underlying health problems, such as depression,
trauma, or chronic stress.
Clues that suggest that there’s more to your anger

You have a hard time compromising. Is it hard for you to understand other
people’s points of view, and even harder to concede a point? If you grew up in
a family where anger was out of control, you may remember how the angry
person got his or her way by being the loudest and most demanding.
Compromising might bring up scary feelings of failure and vulnerability.
You have trouble expressing emotions other than anger. Do you pride
yourself on being tough and in control? Do you feel that emotions like fear,
guilt, or shame don’t apply to you? Everyone has these emotions, so you may
be using anger as a cover for them.
You view different opinions as a personal challenge. Do you believe that
your way is always right and get angry when others disagree? If you have a
strong need to be in control or have a fragile ego, you may interpret other-
perspectives as a challenge to your authority, rather than simply a different way
of looking at things.
Notes 1. Recognize anger warning signs and triggers

Anger fuels the body’s “fight or flight” response so while you might feel that
you just explode without warning, there are physical warning signs that your
body is preparing to react. Recognizing these signs allows you to take steps to
manage your anger before it boils over.
Note how anger feels in your body– Is your stomach knotted, your hands
or jaw clenched, your muscles tense? Do you feel clammy or flushed? Is
your heart pounding or are you breathing faster?
Identify negative thought patterns that trigger anger– You may think
that external things—frustrating people or situations—are causing your
anger. But anger problems have more to do with negative thinking patterns,
such as having a rigid view of the way things should be and getting angry
when reality doesn’t match up. Or maybe you overlook the positive things
while letting small irritations mount? Or do you blame others for bad things
that happen rather than taking responsibility for your own life?
Recognize situations that trigger anger– Stressful events do not excuse
anger, but understanding how these events affect you can help you avoid
unnecessary aggravation. Does the traffic on your daily commute drive
you crazy? Think about ways to avoid these triggers or view the situation
differently so it does not provoke anger.
2. Learn ways to diffuse anger
Once you recognize the warning signs, you can take steps to manage your anger
before it spins out of control.
Even just a brisk walk around the block can release pent-up energy and enable
you to approach the situation with a cooler head.
Exercise relieves stress, lowers blood pressure, and releases powerful
endorphins that improve your mood.
It can also put some welcome time and space between you and the stressful
or frustrating situation.
Rather than focusing on your anger as you exercise, focus instead on how
your body feels as you move—such as the sensation of your feet hitting
the ground, or the feeling of the wind on your skin, or the rhythm of your
breathing.
If you know that you are going to be entering a situation that is likely to
make you angry, exercising beforehand can help keep your mood stable.
Manage stress
The more stressed you are, the more likely you are to lose your temper. But no
matter how stressful your life seems, there are steps you can take to relieve
Notes
the pressure and regain control.
Connect regularly with friends and family. There is nothing more calming
to your nervous system than communicating face to face with people who
care about you. Your friends do not have to be able to fix your stress; they
just need to be good listeners.
Practice relaxation techniques. A daily relaxation practice can help reduce

stress and boost feelings of well-being. Try yoga, progressive muscle
relaxation, or meditation.
Adopt a healthy lifestyle. Getting enough sleep, eating well, reducing your
caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, and sugar intake, and making time for fun in
your life can increase your resistance to stress and make it easier to manage
anger.
3. Manage anger within the moment

For example—taking time out to go for a walk or hit the gym may not be practical.
These tips can help you cool down in the moment:
Focus on the physical sensations of anger. While it may seem counter-
intuitive, tuning into the way your body feels when you are angry often
lessens the emotional intensity of your anger.
Take some deep breaths. Deep, slow breathing helps counteract rising
tension. Breathe deeply from the abdomen, getting as much air as possible
into your lungs.
Use your senses. Take advantage of the relaxing power of your senses—
sight, smell hearing, touch, and taste. You might try picturing yourself in a
favourite place or squeezing a stress ball.
Stretch or massage areas of tension. Roll your shoulders if you are tensing
them, for example, or gently massage your neck and scalp.
Slowly count to ten. Focus on the counting to let your rational mind catch
up with your feelings. If you still feel out of control by the time you reach
ten, start counting again.
Take a moment to think about the situation. Ask yourself: How important
is it in the grand scheme of things? Is it really worth getting angry about it?
Is my response appropriate to the situation?
Always remember, being angry will fetch you nothing but bad memories and bad
relationships whether it is personal or professional.
Notes I. CHOOSE THE CORRECT OPTION:
1. Do not try to control the __________.

a. uncontrollable
b. situations
c. people
d. challenges
2. __________ is the quickest, most efficient way to reduce stress.
a. societal engagement
b. social engagement
c. charity engagement
d. animal engagement
3. Anger often _________ from what you have learn as a child
a. surges
b. surpasses
c. stems
d. steams
4. Connect _________ with friends and family.
a. periodically
b. annually
c. bi-monthly
d. regularly
5. ____________ relieves stress, lowers blood pressure, and releases powerful
endorphins that improve your mood.
a. dance
b. music
c. exercise
d. cycling
Notes
In this lesson you have learnt the meaning and importance of work-life-balance.
You have learnt ways and tools to manage your time. You are comfortable with the
term stress management and can easily manage stress in a healthy manner. You
are familiar with the steps of managing stress. You have acquainted yourself with
anger-management and the various myths surrounding it. You are now aware the
impact of anger and the importance of anger management.
TERMINAL EXERCISE
1. Describe the benefits of time management.

2. Explain the first step towards recognising stress.
3. List some key steps to stress management.
4. State the consequences of inefficient time management. Give details.
5. Differentiate the following
a. Engage socially and get moving.
b. Find time for fun and relaxation.
6. Why do you think anger management is important?
8.1
I. 1. diary , record
2. First 30 minutes
3. Five minutes
4. block out
5. time-management techniques
8.2
II. 1. a 4. d
2. b 5. c
3. c
Notes
9
INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER
In the previous lesson you have learnt about work-life balance. In this lesson you
will learn basics of computer. In the past few decades, you have noticed that
computers have greatly influenced the life styles of a common man; in the office,
home, shopping center, library, theatre etc. It enables you to access bank accounts
from home, shop online, and quickly communicate with people around the world by
e-mail and Internet, Now-a-days, it has became an indispensible tool in everybody’s
life. In this lesson we shall be discussing about key components of a computer system,
basics of computer.
OBJECTIVES

identify key components of a computer system;
describe how computer works;
explain the concepts of various computing environments;
classify softwares;
9.1 WHAT IS A COMPUTER?

A computer is an electronic device that accepts data as input, performs a specified
sequence of operations (Process) as per the set of instructions (known as program)
to generate desired output as information.
Data Input Process Output Information
Fig. 9.1
Introduction to Computer :: 103
Data can be anything like marks obtained by you in various subjects, your name,
age, sex, height etc. Processed data is called as information such as finding out result,
generation of merit list, etc. The characteristics of computers that have made them
so powerful and universally useful are Speed, Accuracy, Reliability, Versatility, Storage
Notes
and Retrieval ability.
9.2 TYPES OF COMPUTER

Depending upon the size and power, computers are classified in various types.
Following are the description of several different types of computer:
9.2.1 Supercomputers
Supercomputers are large, powerful computers that help you perform specialized
tasks. Supercomputers are the fastest and most expensive computers and they
process huge amounts of information very quickly. Super computers are being used
to perform sophisticated mathematical calculations, track weather patterns, monitor
satellites, and perform other complex, dedicated tasks.
9.2.2 Mainframe Computers

The largest type of computer in common use is the mainframe. They are designed
to handle tremendous amounts of input, output, and storage. For example, consider
the airlines reservation system. One can get his/her air ticket booked at one of the
various reservation counters, each of which has many employees working at
computer terminals. A terminal is a special kind of computer that does not have its
own CPU or storage. It is just an Input/ Output (I/O) device that acts as a window
into another computer located somewhere else. The terminals are connected to a
database residing in and are controlled by a mainframe computer that can handle
the input and output needs of all the terminals connected to it.
A typical mainframe computer is characterised by vast amounts of memory with
many hard disks in several gigabytes range, one or more tape drives, etc. Early
mainframe computers were very large and required separate rooms to house them.
Today’s mainframe computers are significantly smaller.
9.2.3 Mini Computers

The best way to describe a minicomputer is that its capabilities lie somewhere
between those of mainframes and those of microcomputers. Like mainframes.
Minicomputers can handle a greater amount of input and output than microcomputers
can. Minicomputers are relatively inexpensive and ideal for academic institutions
and small business houses.
9.2.4 Micro Computers

Microcomputers are classified as small, inexpensive computers designed for personal
use and are the computers that most people typically use. Some of the most common
types of microcomputers include the following:
Desktop Computers are computers that sit on the desk, floor, table, or another
flat surface and have a detachable keyboard, mouse, monitor, and possibly other
pieces of equipment. Desktop computers generally fall into two main categories:
PCs or Macs. The PC, or personal computer—originally referred to as the IBM
Notes personal computer—is now manufactured by a variety of companies including
Hewlett-Packard, Dell, Intel etc. The Apple Macintosh computer, now known as
Mac, can perform the same functions as the PC.
Notebook Computers give you the ability to take their computers with them, making
their information portable or mobile. Originally referred to as “laptops,” this term is
slowly being phased out in favor of the more accurate notebook designation. Although
smaller than a desktop computer, notebook computers are not meant to be used on
your lap, due to the amount of heat they generate..
Tablet Computers might seem similar to notebooks; however, they have some
special features that set them apart. When used in the tablet configuration, you can
actually write directly on the screen using a special pen known as a stylus. Tablets
use advanced handwriting-recognition technology to convert handwriting to digital
text. Many also use speech-recognition technology, which enables the user to record
discussions or lectures.
Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) are the smallest of portable computers. PDAs
are also called palmtops. They are much less powerful than notebook or desktop
models and are generally used for displaying important telephone numbers and
addresses or keeping track of dates and agendas. Many can be connected to larger
computers to exchange data.
Note: With the fast changing technology, present day PCs are having the
capabilities of mainframes or minicomputers. Thus, the line of distinction
between different types of computers is getting, blurred day by day and his
rendering the above classification meaningless.
INTEXT QUESTION 9.1
I. Write True or False for the following:

(a) Processed data is called as information.
(b) PDA stands for Personal Data Assistants.
(c) Supercomputer’s are the most powerful computers.
(d) Desktop Computers are also called as Personal Computers.
(e) Notebook computers are originally referred as laptops.
9.3 OVERVIEW OF A COMPUTER SYSTEM

Every computer system has two main units:
(i) Hardware
(ii) Software
All physical parts of the computer (or everything that we can touch) are known as
Hardware. Software gives intelligence to the computer. Software is used to develop

applications that we use in our daily life like : Banking, shopping, games etc. So
Hardware and Software together make computer a perfect device to perform task.
Without Hardware, Software is waste and without Software there is no meaning of
Notes
Hardware. So to run an application both are required at the same time. For example
in a television the wires, switches etc. are the hardware while the programs, watched
on TV, is the software.
Although the hardware of a computer is capable of performing marvelous tasks, it
cannot actually accomplish any of them without the vital instructions that software
provides. In this section, we will look at the physical components of the machine,
the hardware and then turn to the software that brings life to the physical components.
9.4 HARDWARE
Hardware refers to the physical units of a computer, which includes electronic and
electrical circuitry, components and devices. Regardless of its shape, size or
capabilities, every computer that people use directly has same general design.
Computer Hardware = Processing Unit + Secondary Storage Devices +
Peripheral Devices
9.4.1 Central Processing Unit (CPU)
The complex procedure that transforms raw input data into useful information for
output is called processing. To perform this transformation, the computer uses
central processing unit. The processor is the “brain” of the computer, the part that
interprets and carries out instructions.
Every CPU has three basic parts (The relationship between different hardware
components is shown in Figure 2):
(a) Control Unit (CU)
(b) Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU)
(c) Memory Unit
CENTRAL PROCESSING UNIT
MEMORY UNIT
INPUT OUTPUT
DEVICES CONTROL UNIT DEVICES
ALU
(Arithmetic Logical Unit)
(..........Control of events ______Flow of data and instruction)

Fig. 9.2: Block diagram of different components of a computer
Mostly available brands of CPU are Intel – Core Duo, Pentium, Celeron, Centrino,
Core i5, Core i7; AMD (Advanced Micro Devices) – Athlon, Sempron, Turion;
Motorola
Notes Control Unit (CU)
The Control Unit (CU) is a component of CPU that control all the operation of the
processor. The control unit manages all the computer resources and coordinates all
the computer’s activities. It contains the basic instructions (called firmware) for
execution of programs. The instruction set, built into the circuitry of the control unit,
is a list of all the operations that the CPU can perform. In fact, the control unit can
be thought of as a traffic cop, directing the flow of data around the CPU and around
the computer.
Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU)
When the control unit encounters an instruction that involves mathematical calculation
or decision/logic, it passes the control to the second component, i.e., the arithmetic
logic unit (ALU). ALU carries out arthmetic & logic operations. The ALU includes
a group of registers - memory locations built directly into the CPU - that are used to
hold data that are being processed by the current instruction. For example, the control
unit might add two numbers (an arithmetic operation), or compare two numbers (a
logical operation). In addition, CPU has a number of registers for storing data and
instructions that are currently being processed.
Memory Unit
Computer memory unit is used to store data or information and instructions to execute
a program. There are two kinds of computer memory such as:
1. Primary Memory
2. Secondary Memory
Primary memory is an integral part of the computer system and is accessible directly
by the processing unit. It helps you to store program instructions or part of data for
immediate needs. These are much faster and expensive than Secondary memory.
Secondary memory such as Hard disk, Optical disks, Flash Drive etc. is located
external to the computer. These are less expensive and slower than the primary, but
it is quite useful to store huge volume of data on permanent basis and transferred to
the primary storage as and when required.
Let us discuss about primary and secondary memory in detail.
Primary Memory
Primary memory consists of mainly two types of memories:
(a) Random Access Memory (RAM)
(b) Read Only Memory (ROM)
(a) Random Access Memory (RAM)

The CPU, does not have sufficient storage space for the entire program as
well as for the data being manipulated by those programs. Therefore, the
control unit stores the data and instructions received from input devices into Notes
primary memory called Random Access Memory (RAM). Unlike human
memory, which can store information indefinitely, RAM holds information
only while the computer is ON. When the computer is turned off or reset, the
information disappears unless it has been saved on a storage device. Hence
RAM is often referred to as volatile or temporary memory. RAM is usually
measured in megabytes (MB) or gigabytes (GB)
(b) Read Only Memory (ROM)
Some of the data and instructions remain permanently stored into memory,
which cannot be changed. This memory is called Read-Only Memory (ROM).
A computer needs ROM, mainly, so that it knows what to do when the power
is first turned on. Among other things, ROM contains a set of start-up
instructions that check to see whether the rest of memory is functioning
properly, look for hardware devices, and look for an operating system. Since
this memory never gets lost, it is sometimes referred to as permanent or non-
volatile memory.
Secondary Memory (External Storage Devices)

Hard disk, tapes and optical disks come under most popular category of external
storage devices or ancillary storage devices. These devices are very sensitive to
environmental conditions (humidity and temperature) as well as to external magnetic
fields and need to be stored carefully.
Types of external storage devices are as follows:

1. Hard Disk
2. Magnetic Tape
3. Optical Disk
4. Flash Drive
1. Hard Disk
It is a non-removable magnetic disk enclosed in most PCs. It contains a stack

of metal platters, each coated with iron oxide, that spin on a spindle and the
entire unit is encased in a sealed chamber. The physical size and storage
capabilities of a hard disk vary. For PCs, the storage capacities vary from 20
GB to hundreds of GB.
2. Magnetic Tape
The best use of tape storage is for data that you do not use very often. A tape
is a long strip of magnetic material; therefore the tape drive has to write data
to it sequentially - one byte after another.
Magnetic Tapes are sequential access media, which means to get to a

particular point on the tape; the tape must go through all the preceding points.
In contrast, disks are random access media because a disk drive can access
any point at random without passing through intervening points. Therefore,
Notes tapes cannot be practically used for data that you need often. They are mainly
used for taking backup of hard disk. The tape capacity varies from few
hundred kilobytes to several gigabytes.
3. Optical Disks
The need for ever greater storage capacities has driven hardware
manufacturers to use optical storage technology as the main alternative to
magnetic storage.
In optical disks, a laser beam is used to read/write data on to the disk. Optical
disks can store video, text, music, and graphics.
Types of popular optical disks are as follows:
1. CDROM
2. CD-RW
3. DVD
CDROM
The most-popular optical storage medium is compact disk, read - only
memory.
CD-ROM uses the same technology that is used in music CDs. One cannot
write data to a CD-ROM but can always read it. The huge amounts of data,
such as dictionaries, encyclopedias, medical, legal or other professional
reference libraries etc., that normally would not change, is available on CDs
nowadays. A single CD can hold up to 650 MB of data. Larger CDs can store
up to 20GB.
CD-RW (CD-Read and Write) - Erasable Optical Disk
These are optical disks where data can be written, erased and re-written. This
makes use of a laser beam to write and re-write the data. These disks may be
used as an alternative to traditional disks.
Digital Versatile Disc (DVD)
Digital Versatile Disk or Digital Video Disc, a type of CD-ROM that holds a
minimum of 4.7 GB, enough for a full length movie. The DVD specification
supports disks with capacities from 4.7 GB to 20 GB (Approx).
4. Flash Drive
Flash drives are removable storage devices that use flash memory and connect
to the computer by a USB port. Available in several storage sizes ranging from
16 MB to 1 TB (Terra Byte), a flash drive is a quick and easy way for you to
save and transport files.
9.4.2 Peripheral Devices

These are the devices used to enter data/information into and out of a computer
system. Input/output (IO) devices are treated as peripheral devices.
Notes
Input Devices
The most commonly used input devices on a computer are the keyboard and mouse.
However, there are dozens of other devices that can also be used to input data into
the computer. Below is a list of computer input devices that can be utilized with a
computer or a computing device.
List of Input Devices
• Keyboard
• Barcode reader
• Biometrics (eg. Fingerprint scanner)
• Mouse, touchpad, or other pointing device
• Pen or Stylus
• Scanner
• Touch Screen, etc.
Output Devices
An output device is any peripheral that receives data from a computer, usually for
display, projection, or physical reproduction. An output device that can make a hard
copy of any information shown on your monitor. Another example of an output device
is a computer monitor, which displays an image that is received from the computer.
Monitors and printers are two of the most common output devices used with a
computer.
List of Output Devices
Monitor
Printer
Plotter
Projector
Speaker
Headphone, etc.
I. Write True or False for the following:

(a) CPU stands for Central Power Unit
(b) ALU is part of CPU
(c) All physical parts of the computer (or everything that we can touch) are
known as software.
(d) Primary memory is an integral part of the computer system and is

accessible directly by the processing unit.
(e) Secondary memory is more expensive and faster than the primary
Notes memory.
9.5 SOFTWARE
Computer hardware consists of the physical components of the system. However,
without software, computers would be useless as it would just be a collection of
mechanical parts. Software provides the instructions that tell the computer what to
do. It is a collection of instructions, called programs that enable you to interact with
a computer. There are two categories of computer software: System Software and
Application Software.
9.5.1 System Software

System software is a type of a computer program that is designed to run a computer’s
hardware and application program. System software provides the instructions
that the computer needs to run. It contains the directions needed to start up the
computer (known as the boot process), checks to ensure everything is in good
working order, and enables you to interface with the computer and its peripheral
devices so that you can use them. System software consists of two main types of
programs: the operating system and utility programs.
Operating Systems
The operating system (OS) is a special computer program that is present on every
desktop or notebook computer, in addition to others ranging from mainframes to
PDAs. The operating system controls the way the computer works from the time it
is turned on until it is shut down. Operating system manages the various hardware
components, including the CPU, memory, storage devices, and peripheral devices.
It also coordinates with the various software applications that might be running.
There are several popular operating systems available for home computers. They
include Microsoft Windows, Mac OS, and Linux.
Utility Programs
Operating system software is the most critical software on the computer, because
nothing can run without it. However, utility programs are another important
component of system software. These small applications handle many important
tasks involved with the management and maintenance of your system.
Utility programs can be used to help back up important files, remove unwanted files
or programs from your system, and schedule various tasks to keep your system
running smoothly. Some of these utilities are included with the operating system
viz. File Management (Add/Remove Program, Windows Explorer), Task manager,
Disk Cleanup etc ).
9.5.2 Application software

Software that can perform a specific task for the user, such as word processing,
accounting, budgeting or payroll, fall under the category of application software.
Word processors, spreadsheets, database management systems are all examples of

general purpose application software.
Types of application software are:
Notes
Word processing software: The main purpose of this software is to produce
documents. MS-Word, OpenOffice.org Writer and Word Pad are some of the
examples of word processing software.
Database software: Database is a collection of related records. The purpose of this
software is to organize and manage data. The advantage of this software is that you
can change the way data is stored and displayed. MS SQL Server, Oracle,
PostgreSQL are some of the examples of database software.
Spreadsheet software: The spreadsheet software is used to maintain budget,
financial statements, grade sheets, and sales records. MS-Excel, OpenOffice.org
Calc are the example of spreadsheet software.
Presentation software: This software is used to display the information in the form
of slide show. The best examples for this type of application software are Microsoft
PowerPoint and OpenOffice.org Impress.
Multimedia software: Media players and Real players are the examples of
multimedia software. This software will allow the user to create edit and view audio
and videos.
9.5.3 Open Source Software

Gone are the days when you paid a heavy price to purchase software as it was locked
to a particular vendor. But with an ever-increasing global internet community, with
a desire to contribute to the ongoing technological revolution, people started sharing
their knowledge and formed groups with similar technological interests and there
by developed a software called Open Source Software. It is made available freely
to everyone on the internet.
Open Source is a software whose source code is published and made available to
the public, enabling everyone to copy, modify and redistribute the source code
without paying royalties or fees. OpenOffice.org, informally referred to as
OpenOffice is the leading open-source office software suite for word processing,
spreadsheets, presentations, graphics, databases and more.
9.6 VIRUS
Viruses are malicious codes or programs that get installed on your computer
without your knowledge and against your wishes. The severity of a virus can vary.
Some viruses merely seem to be nuisances or might not even be obvious to the user;
some cause files to be corrupted or erased; and others are capable of shutting down
a computer and erasing the entire hard drive. Viruses infect a system and then attach
themselves to a program or file to spread to other users.
Viruses can be distributed in several ways. In the early days of computers, viruses
were spread by sharing infected floppy disks. Now, due to the ease in which files
can be shared over the Internet, viruses are able to spread much more quickly. One
of the most common ways to send a virus is through e-mail attachments. Security
experts recommend that you never open an e-mail attachment unless you have first
scanned it with antivirus software to determine that it is virus-free. Experts also
recommend that unless you know the sender and have been expecting the e-mail
Notes attachment, it is best to delete the attachment without even opening it.
9.6.1 How to protect your computer from a virus
You can protect your computer from viruses by installing an antivirus protection
program. Once installed on a computer an antivirus software monitors, detects, and
cleans any computer viruses.
Most popular antivirus softwares are: Windows Defender, Norton antivirus and
McAfee, and popular free antivirus programs include Avast and AVG.
INTEXT QUESTION 9.3
3. Write True or False for the following:

(a) RAM stands for Read Access Memory.
(b) RAM is usually measured in kilo byte (KB).
(c) The unit of memory “MB” stands for Microbyte.
(d) Microsoft Windows is an Application Software.
(e) Software’s that are available free of cost are called as Open Source
Software.
In this lesson you have learnt the different types of computer i.e., supercomputers,
mainframe computers, mini computers, micro computers. You have learnt about
types of memory (primary memory and secondary memory). Also you have learnt
about input devices (keyboard, mouse, scanner etc.), output devices and types of
software.
TERMINAL EXERCISE
1. Define Computer and it its types.

2. Draw block diagram showing different components of a computer. Explain
the various parts of Central Processing Unit (CPU).
3. Explain the various memory units of a computer system.
4. Write short notes on:
(a) Desktop Computers

(b) Arithmetic Logical Unit
(c) Peripheral Devices of Computer System
Notes
(d) Open Source Software
5. Differentiate between
(a) Hardware and Software
(b) Primary and Secondary Memory
(c) RAM and ROM
(d) System and Application Software
9.1
I. (a) True
(b) False
(c) True
(d) True
(e) True
9.2
I. (a) False
(b) True
(c) False
(d) True
(e) False
(f) False
(g) False
(h) False
9.3
I. (a) False
(b) True
Notes
10
INTRODUCTION TO OPERATING
SYSTEM
In the previous lesson you have learnt about what is computer and how it works.
This lesson introduces about operating system. An operating system is the most
essential system software that enables a computer to run and execute programs.
Without an operating system, you cannot get a computer to be of any practical use
since the computer’s hardware will not be able to communicate with any application
software. Operating System is the main software that makes it possible for you to
use the computer and have the tasks performed as per your need.
OBJECTIVES

explain the concept of Operating System;
identify various types of Operating Systems available;
describe Operating System and its components.
10.1 OPERATING SYSTEM

An operating system or OS is a software that manages hardware resources and
provide common services for computer programs. Without operating system, a
computer and software programs would be useless. Application programs usually
require an operating system to function.
As shown in figure below (Fig 10.1) the operating system manages the various
hardware components, including the CPU, memory, storage devices and peripheral
devices. It also coordinates with the various software applications that may be
running.
Introduction to Operating System :: 115
Notes
Fig 10.1 : Device Management by Operating System
10.2 MOST POPULAR OPERATING SYSTEMS

There are several popular operating systems available for home-computers. They
include Microsoft Windows, Mac OS, and Linux.
10.2.1 Microsoft Windows
Fig 10.2 : Windows Operating System
When referring to an operating system, Windows or win is an operating environment

created by Microsoft that provides an interface, known as a Graphical User Interface
(GUI), for computers.
Microsoft Windows was first introduced with version 1.0 on November 10, 1983.
Since its release, there have been over a dozen versions of Windows. The most current
version of Windows for end users is Windows 10. This is the most commonly used
operating system found on most of today’s desktops and notebooks.
10.2.2 Mac OS -
Notes
The Mac OS is an operating system that was designed for the Apple Macintosh
computer. It was developed by Apple Inc., who also created Apple I, as well as
a number of other more modern products including the iPod, iPhone, and iPad. The
main competition to the Mac OS is the Windows operating system, the most popular
OS by a large margin.
The Mac OS only runs on Apple desktop and Laptop computers. The first version of
the Mac OS, part of the “Classic” Mac OS series, was originally released in the
mid-1980s. The most recent version is called Mac OS X. As you can see in Figure
10.3, the Mac OS appears similar to Windows, because it also uses a GUI.
Fig 10.3 : Mac OS
10.2.3 Linux -
Linux is a free and open-source operating system developed by Linus Torvalds and
friends that was first announced August 25, 1991.
The system can be distributed, used, and expanded free of charge. In this way,
developers have access to all the source codes, thus being able to integrate new
functions or to find and eliminate programming bugs quickly. Presently, Linux is
successfully being used by several millions of users worldwide. The composition of
users varies from private users, training companies, universities, research centers,
and companies.
Ubuntu
Ubuntu Linux(released on October 20, 2004) - A popular variant of Linux used
with PC.
Notes
The Ubuntu project has a focus on providing a solid desktop (and server) experience,
as shown in Fig. 10.4. Ubuntu is currently working on expanding the Ubuntu
distribution to run on smartphones and tablets.
Fig 10.4 : Ubuntu Operating System
10.2.4 Android
Originally founded by Andy Rubin in October 2003 and later acquired by Google on
August 17, 2005. Android is a Linux based platform and free and open software
stack that has an operating system, middleware, and applications originally developed
by Google and released in November 5, 2007 for mobile platforms.
Since its development there have been many different versions (more than 15 as in
2016) of Android. The latest is Android version 6.0 (Marshmallow) released October
5, 2015
10.2.5 iOS
Originally known as the iPhone OS, iOS is the operating system that runs on Apple
iPhone, Apple iPad, and Apple iPad Touch devices developed by Steve Jobs during
Notes the 2010. The iOS is one of the most used platforms for mobile devices, only slightly
edged out by Android from Google
10.3 WINDOWS 10
Microsoft Windows 10 is the latest version of windows operating system, released

on July 29, 2015.
Windows 10 system requirements
1GHz processor or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64)

1GB of RAM for 32-bit or 2GB of RAM for 64-bit
16GB of hard drive space for 32-bit or 20GB for 64-bit
DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher.
10.3.1 Logging into Windows 10
The Windows 10 Start-up Screen (Fig. 10.5) after successful login to the system:
Fig 10.5 : Windows to startup screen
10.3.2 Windows 10 Start Menu

To open the Start menu, left-click the flag in the lower left corner of a Windows
screen or use windows key in keyboard (Fig. 10.6).
Notes
Fig 10.6 : Windows 10 start menu

The menu is resizable and can be changed either up and down or right and left by
placing the mouse pointer on the top or right edge. A double-headed arrow will appear.
Hold down the mouse button and drag to expand or decrease the menu in the desired
direction.
Notes
10.3.3 Structure of Windows 10 Start Menu
Start menu is divided into separate left and right sections. The left section has various
useful links for you while the right section contains tiles.
Left side of the Windows 10 Start Menu
Looking at the left section of the menu, there are six different areas or sub-sections.
1. The top area contains a logged in user account link.- This gives complete
information of logged your user details(name, picture) with the facility of
changing the account settings, lock your system, Sign out from the logged user
account.
2. The next section down is a list of the most used program- The menu contains
the programmes that are mostly used with an extension facility, pin the
programme to start(to be displayed in tile area at start), uninstall the program,
don’t show in the list. The programs in this section vary based on which
programs are most frequently used.
3. The third section is referred as File Explorer - When File Explorer opens,
you will land in Quick access. Your frequently used folders such as Downloads,
Desktop and Documents are listed there, so you do not have to dig through a
series of folders to find them. You can also pin your favourite folders to Quick
access to keep them easily accessible.
4. The fourth link in the start menu is Settings (Fig. 10.7) – To manage your
peripheral devices, accounts, display settings, network, updates and security,
time & language etc.
Fig 10.7 : Windows 10 setting screen
5. The fifth link is the Power – to Sleep, Shutdown and Restart your computer
system.
6. The bottom section is that a way to easily access installed programs. It is called
“All apps”. When you click this link, the left side of the Start menu becomes a
scrollable alphabetical list of programs and apps. This is shown below.
(Fig. 10.8) Notes
Fig 10.8 : Scrollalle alphabetical list of programs
Right side of the Windows 10 Start Menu

This right side of Windows 10 contains a collection of tiles. The default group of tiles
consists of various standard Windows apps such as Calendar, Mail, People, News,
Weather and others of the type that used to be called “Windows store apps”. Some
of these are “live tiles”. In other words, they are connected to the Internet and
periodically update.
Notes
Fig 10.9 : Right slide of Windows 10 start menu
Although Windows initially populates this area with default tiles, the right side of the
Start menu is highly configurable. All the default tiles can be removed and you can
pin your own selection of applications and folders here as tiles. Tiles can be customized
in several ways by right-clicking and using the context menu. An example of a tile
context menu is shown in fig. 10.9.
To remove a tile, right-click it and select “Unpin from Start” in the context menu.
There are four possible sizes for tiles and these can also be set in a tile’s right-click
context menu. If you do not want the live tiles to be updating, click “Turn live tile
off”.
To pin an application file or a folder, right-click it and use the context menu entry
“Pin to Start”. For example, you could pin programs and folders here that you
regularly use. Tiles can be dragged around the right-hand side of the Start Menu to
rearrange them in groups or however you prefer.
10.3.4 Windows 10 Taskbar
Fig 10.10 : Windows to Task bar
A bar located at the bottom of the screen called taskbar, is used to locate and launch
programs, view any program that is currently open, to check the date and time,
settings speaker volume etc.
If you take a closer look, you can see the following components.
First, we have the Windows icon – to launch Windows Start menu.
Next we have the preliminary Cortana box where you can type a query or use the
microphone icon to indicate that you will be using your voice to ask Cortana
something. Cortana is explained later in the lesson.
Next, we have the Task View icon that allow you to add multiple desktops.
The next icon on the bar is the Microsoft Edge – this opens up Microsoft’s famous
internet browser – Edge.
Next, there is an icon for File Explorer which allows you to get a view of your
files. Notes
Next, there is an icon for the Windows Store. This opens up the store in a window
that can be resized, maximized and closed back down. Windows store contains apps
that can be downloaded and stored for use.
Finally the Sytem Tray or Shell notification area is in the extreme right hand side
of the task bar.
Some of the common program icons displayed in the Notification Area include:Sound
(Speakers),Power Options, Network connection, Antivirus program, Action Centre/
Windows update notification, Date and Time Settings
10.3.5 Cortana in Windows 10

Cortana (fig. 10.11) is an intelligent voice-activated personal assistant. You can use
it to get weather forecasts, set reminders, tell you jokes, send email, find files, search
the Internet and so on.
Fig 10.11 : Cortana in Windows 10
To get started, type a question in the search box on the taskbar. Or select the
microphone icon and talk to Cortana.
10.3.6 File Explorer
Notes
The File Explorer program, formerly known as Windows Explorer (Fig. 10.12), has
been a core element of the operating system for decades. It helps you to work with
files and folders on your OneDrive, PC, and network.
The Quick Access area, which by default is the first section of the Navigation Pane
in the left-hand column, is essentially a “Bookmarks” bar for File Explorer. It shows
both your most recently-accessed folders and “pinned” folders, folders that you
manually assign to this area. You can do this with any folder in Windows: just right-
click or long-press any folder on any screen, then click “Pin to Quick access.”
Fig 10.12 : File Explorer
OneDrive, Microsoft’s cloud storage service, gets a dedicated folder beneath the
Quick Access area. Other folders on your computer are available in a tree view
below OneDrive.
File Explorer has a search bar, just like most modern Internet browsers. It’s an
integrated part of Windows, but when you use the Search function in File Explorer
itself, your search will be limited to the folder you currently have open (plus any files
contained in folders inside that folder). Notes
With Windows 10 Share feature (as shown in fig. 10.13), users have the opportunity
to share their content with local accounts and the world at large, all from the same
place.
Fig 10.13: Windows 10 Share feature
Also windows explorer has the option to email pictures, documents, and files to
anyone on your contact list in an instant.
10.3.7 Microsoft Edge -
Microsoft Edge, the new browser in Windows 10, is designed to deliver a better
web experience. It’s fast, compatible, and built for the modern web—designed to
work the way you do and help you get things done through easy sharing, reading,
discovery, and more.
10.3.8 Windows Defender

Windows Defender is the anti-virus software in Windows 10. The moment Windows
10 is installed, Windows Defender comes along with it. By default your system is
being protected, so there’s no need to download and install another anti-virus software
right away. Windows Defender uses real-time protection to scan everything you
download or run on your PC.
Notes I. Fill in the blanks.

1. ___________ enables hardware and application software to perform together.
2. Windows 10 provides _____________ as the default antivirus program.
II. Choose the best option.
3. Which operating system is used by Apple manufactured computers?
(a) Windows 10
(b) Mac OS
(c) Linux
(d) Android
4. ‘Settings’ item in the start menu can be used to ____________.
(a) Power down the system
(b) Change logged on user
(c) Select a file
(d) To change the language
5. ‘Power’ item in the Start menu can be used to ____________.
(a) Power up the system
(b) Change the logged on user
(c) Select a file
(d) To restart the computer
6. Logged in user can be changed from which item from the start menu?
(a) Power
(b) Logged in user account
(c) Settings
(d) File Explorer
7. Where is the Cortana Box located?
(a) In the file explorer
(b) In the files section
(c) In the most used list
(d) In the task bar
8. Recently opened files be immediately accessed through____________.

(a) Settings
(b) Most used Programs
Notes
(c) Quick access
(d) Logged in user account
In this lesson you have learnt what is an operating system and most popular operating
systems available in the market such as Mac OS, Linux, Android, iOS and Windows
10. Also You have learnt about, the Windows 10 Operating System and its various
components like start menu, taskbar, cortana, file explorer, one drive, Microsoft edge,
Windows defender.
TERMINAL EXERCISE
1. Define Operating System.

2. Explain the most popular Operating Systems available in the market.
3. Write short notes on:
A. Cortana in Windows 10
B. File Explorer
C. Task Bar
D. Structure of Windows 10 Start Menu
10.1
I. 1. Operating System
2. Windows Defender
II. 3. b. Mac OS
4. d. Change the language
5. d. to restart the computer
6. b. logged in user account
7. d. in the task bar
8. c. Quick Access
Notes
11
INTERNET AND E-MAIL
In previous lesson, you have learnt about operating system. In this lesson you will
learn about Internet and Email. The Internet began way back in 1969 when it was
called ARPANet (Advanced Research Project Agency Network) and was
exclusively for military purposes. It soon merged with non-government and academic
networks, which grew and eventually came to be called Internet in the year 1979.
Today you know it as simply a “network of worldwide computer networks”. It
is spread over 200 countries, used by about more than 3.3 billion people (data source-
http://www.internetlivestats.com/internet-users/), in India- 462 million people
uses it as in 2016. In the present age of Information Technology, you use the Internet
as a medium for accessing information on any topic you imagine, for buying
products and services ON-LINE. In this lesson we shall learn about Internet and
its usage, types of internet connections, and terminologies used in Internet.
OBJECTIVES
• define internet and its usage;

• explain different types of connections available to connect to Internet;
• describe the concept of Domain Name System;
• access different types of web pages, downloading files and software;
• use of various Internet services like chat, video conferencing, Social networking.
Internet and E-mail :: 129
11.1 INTERNET
The Internet or simply the Net is a worldwide network of computer networks. It is
an interconnection of large and small networks around the globe.
Notes
11.1.1 Applications of Internet
By using Internet facility you can:
• Exchange messages using e-mail (Electronic mail).
• Set up a site with information about your company’s products and services.
• Do ON-LINE business, shopping, entertainment, education/learning etc.
• Transfer files as well as software.
• Browse through information on any topic on the web.
• Communicate in real time (chat, video conference) with others connected to

the Internet.
• Carry out social networking.
11.1.2 Getting connected to Internet

To connect to the Internet you need a PC (personal computer) with requisite software
including a browser, a telephone connection or a leased line, a modem, which allows
the PC to communicate with the internet and thus with other computers.
Types of Internet Connections

You have to contact and signup with an Internet Service Provider (ISP) to connect
to the internet.
Dial-up
Dial-up is the basic type of connection available from ISPs. In Dial-up connection,
you use your computer, dial a phone number (provider by ISP) to get connected via
modem to server at provider’s end through which you access Internet. With this
type of connection, you cannot use a phone line for phone calls while you are
connected to the Internet. Dial-up connections are very slow (speed between 28 K
and 56K) and are the oldest connections. The only real benefit of a dial up connection
is that it is very economical for low amount of usage.
DSL
DSL stands for Digital Subscriber Line. It is an internet connection that is always
“on”. This effectively provides 2 lines so that your phone is not tied up when your
computer is connected. There is also no need to dial a phone number to connect.

DSL uses a router to transport data and the range of connection speed, depending
on the service offered, is between 128K and 8 Mbps or even more. DSL is the most
common form of home internet connection today and is also very popular for small
Notes businesses.
Cable Modem Broadband Connection

A cable modem can offer connectivity to the Internet over your cable lines. It is
considered as one of the best types of Internet connections available now-a-days to
the home user, they offer very fast and reliable connections with a fixed monthly
fee. Cable line offers an extremely high bandwidth connection to the Internet, speed
range from 512K to 20 Mbps.
Wireless
Wireless, or Wi-Fi, as the name suggests, does not use telephone lines or cables to
connect to the internet. Instead, it uses radio frequency. Wireless is an always on
connection and it can be accessed from just about anywhere. Speeds will vary, and
the range is between 5 Mbps and 20 Mbps. It is more expensive than DSL and
Cable.
Satellite
Satellite accesses the internet via a satellite in Earth’s orbit. The enormous distance
that a signal travels from earth to satellite and back again, provides a delayed
connection compared to cable and DSL. It is good for people who travel a lot or
live in a very isolated location who are unable to get any of the other “normal”
connection types. It tends to be the most expensive type of internet, and it is not
very fast. Satellite connection speeds are around 512K to 2.0 Mbps.
Cellular
Cellular technology provides wireless Internet access through mobile phones. The
speeds of this network will depends upon the service provider, but the most common
are 3G and 4G speeds.

1. The first network before Internet that was exclusively used for military purposes
called as:
A. Intranet B. Usenet
C. Extranet D. ARPANet
2. Internet is ___________________________________.
A. Network of networks B. Website
3. ISP stands for ___________________________________. Notes
A. Internet service provider B. Internet system provider
C. Internet System Policy D. Internet Service Policy
4. The most common basic type of Internet connection is:
A. Dialup B. Wireless(Wi-Fi)
C. DSL D. Cable Modem
11.1.3 How does the Internet work?

The thing that characterizes the Internet is how data is transferred from one computer
to another. Did you ever wonder what magical things go on behind the scenes that
result in a web page being displayed on your screen seconds after you request it?
How does the data get from one side of the world to another?
Fig, 11.1: Data transfer from one side to slide
Here’s what happens to a piece of data (e.g. a web page) when it is transferred
over the Internet:
• Piece of data is broken up into packets.
• A header is attached to each packet that explains where it came from, where
it should end up and how it fits in with the other packets.
• Each packet is sent from one computer to another computer until it finds its
way to its destination.
• At the destination, the packets are examined. If the packets are missing or
damaged, a message is sent asking for those packets. This continues until all
the packets have been received intact.
• The packets are reassembled into their original form.

Each computer connected to the Internet has software called TCP/IP (Transmission
Control Protocol/Internet Protocol), which is responsible for receiving, sending and
checking packets.
Notes 11.1.4 Internet Terminology

World Wide Web (WWW)
The World Wide Web (“WWW” or simply the “web”) is a collection of electronic
documents (called web pages) that are linked together like a spider web. These
documents are stored on computers called servers located around the world.
Web Page
A web page is an electronic document written in a computer language called HTML
(Hypertext Markup Language). Web pages can contain text, graphics, video,
animation, and sound, as well as interactive features, such as data entry forms.
Each page has a unique address known as a URL (Uniform Resource Locator)
that identifies its location on the internet. Web pages usually contain hyperlinks to
other web pages. Hyperlinks identify the URL to enable easy access.
Website
A website or site is one or more web pages, belonging to a particular company,
university, government or an individual. The first page is called as home page, which
acts as an index, indicating the content on the site. Home page of any website will
have the hyperlink of other webpages of that particular website .
Web Server
A Web server is a computer that:
• Stores web pages.
• Responsible for accepting request(s) from users and serve them with web
pages.
Some important web server programs are: IIS (Internet Information server), Apache,
etc. Web servers are connected to the Internet 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Hyperlink
Hyperlink, an element in an electronic document that links to another place in the
same document or an entirely different document or other resource.
Hyperlinks usually appear as underlined text and in a different color, but they may
also appear as graphics, such as buttons to click. Hyperlinks may link to different
place in the same web page or to a different web page, to play an audio or video
file, to download a file or document, to set up a message to an e-mail address, and
to link to other Internet resources.
HTML (Hypertext Markup Language)

Hypertext Markup Language is a language that consists of certain keywords called
‘Tags’, used for writing the documents on the web.
Notes
URL (Uniform Resource Locator)
Every page on the web has a unique address, called Uniform Resource Locator
(URL). A URL indicates where the web page is stored on the Internet. A sample
URL might look like the following:
http://www.learnthenet.com/english/glossary/url.htm
http - Hypertext Domain name - Directory File name of

Transfer Protocol - The server where the the web page
used to access where the page page located
HTML document is located
IP (Internet Protocol) Address

Internet Protocol Address (or IP Address) is a unique address that computing devices
such as personal computers, tablets, and smartphones use to identify itself and
communicate with other devices in the IP network. Any device connected to the IP
network must have a unique IP address within the network. The IP address is a
unique address, generally written in the format xxx.xxx.xxx. xxx, xxx
represents a 3 digit number that varies between 0 and 255. For Example:
192.100.8.56
To view your IP address you can use the ipconfig (IPCONFIG) command line tool.
To launch the command prompt from a Windows-based computer click: Start > All
Programs > Accessories > Command Prompt. Type ipconfig and press the Enter
key.
IN-TEXT QUESTIONS 11.2

1. The Computer system that stores web pages, responsible for accepting
request(s) from users and server them with web pages is known as:
A. Web Server B. Web browser
C. Client Server D. Database Server
2. Each page on the Internet has a unique address that identifies its location on
the server called as:
A. Web Page B. Host Address
Notes C. DNS D. URL
3. An electronic document on the net is:
A. Web Page B. Web Site
C. Document D. HTML
II. State True or False.
1. World Wide Web, also referred as Web
2. ipconfig is the command line tool used to view IP address of a computer system
11.1.5 DNS (Domain Name System)

Every host (computer linked to Internet) has a unique host number called IP address.
You can connect to any host through IP address only, but it is difficult to remember
the 4-digit number of hosts. To resolve this, domain-name is the only solution. Domain
name is a unique name of the individual host site on the Internet. With this
every computer on the Internet now has both a domain name and IP address. To
connect to any host through domain name requires some mechanism that will convert
your domain name into IP address.
DNS, Domain Name System is the standard for resolving names to addresses. It is
used mostly to translate between domain names and IP addresses. DNS is like
a directory.
UNDERSTANDING INTERNET ADDRESS
Addresses are just what they sound like a way to identify an area of the Net or an
individual on the Net uniquely. The truest (and most accurate) analogy would be to
your home address. This address, when provided fully, it uniquely identifies where
you live. If someone wants to either send you something or visit you, they must know
your address. It is the same way on the Internet. If someone wants to send you
something, such as e-mail, they must know your address. If someone wants to retrieve
something from a computer on the Internet, they must know the Domain name
(unique name to identify a host on the Internet) or the IP address of the computer.
For instance, www.nios.ac.in is the domain name of a host computer named nios
in the academic area (.ac) belongs to geographical domain India (.in).
www.nios.ac.in
Notes
www – world nios – name of ac – academic, in – India,

wide web the host site specify the type of country code
organization
As you read in from the right, the name gets more specific until you reach the name
of the individual host computer. The right most (in the above example .in - country
code) represents either a type of organization or a country. Example: www.yahoo.com
(.com – commercial organization)
Various Organizational and Geographical domains are as follows:
Organizational Domains
Typically, the highest level (rightmost) part of the full domain is a code indicating
the type of organization to which domain belongs. There are different organizational
domains indicated below:
Domain Purpose
ac academic institutions
com Commercial entities
edu Educational institutions
gov Government institutions
net Network resources
org Non-profit organizations
Geographic domains
This represents to which country the domain belongs. This code consists of only
two characters, which represent the international country codes. A few common
ones are:
Domain Country
au Australia
in India
jp Japan
uk United Kingdom
us United States
11.1.6 Web Browser

A web browser is the software program, used to access the World Wide Web. A
browser (also known as client software) retrieves data from remote web servers
Notes
and displays a web page. Through this tool user sends their request to Internet
server to access the information, Server processes the request and responds with
required information as a web page to the user. The most popular browsers are
Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Microsoft Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge
(in Windows 10).
The steps for connecting to a website are shown in fig. 11.2 and explained further.
1. Types a URL for a website in browser say www.nios.ac.in.
2. Your browser attempts to make a connection and sends the request to web
server.
3. The web server receives and processes the request.
4. The web server responds to the request with the home page of the website.
5. The webpage is displayed by your browser and the connection between the
server and your browser is closed.
Fig. 11.2: Interaction between a Web browser and a Web Server

Mozilla Firefox
To open browser Mozilla Firefox: click on start All Programs/Apps

Mozilla Firefox Notes
Type web domain address: www.nios.ac.in in the address bar as shown in Fig. 11.3.
Menu Bar
Address Bar
Sh. Prakash Javadekar

President NOS Society and Minister of
Human Resource Development,
Govt. of India
Scroll Bar
Web Page
Fig. 11.3 : Web browser
11.1.7 Search Engine

The Internet provides quick access to all sorts of information. A search engine is a
software designed to find information stored on a computer system such as the World
Wide Web, or a personal computer. The search engine allows one to ask for content
with specific criteria (typically those containing a given word or phrase) and retrieving
a list of references that match those criteria.
Some of the important search engines are:
Google (http://www.google.com ), Yahoo (http://www.yahoo.com ), etc.
Some simple tips that you can use to get the best search results are:
Do not get stuck on one search term or word or phrase. If your first search
does not give you the type of results you are looking for, try with different words
or different phrases.
To search the exact words in the resulting pages, use quotation marks around
a phrase in the search box.
Keep in mind that most search engines work with AND as the default operator;
Notes this means that any words you enter in the search box must exist on the resulting
pages.
Including a hyphen before a word means that pages that include that word will
be omitted from the search results. So if you search for: wise -geek, you will
be given pages that include the word ‘wise’ but exclude the word ‘geek’
The order of the words you enter into the search box affects results, so try to
enter the most important word first.
Case is generally irrelevant for searches, so searching for wisegeek or

wiseGEEK will provide identical results.
You can enter math equations such as 33/4 and search engine ill provide the
answer.
You can enter a unit conversion such as 33 Celsius in Fahrenheit and search
engine will provide the answer.
11.2 E-MAIL (ELECTRONIC MAIL)
E-Mail or Electronic Mail is a paperless method of sending messages, letters, video

and graphics from one person to another or many people at the same time via
Internet. E-mail is very fast, easy and much cheaper, takes only a few seconds to
arrive at the destination. It works 24 /7 i.e., 24 hours a day and seven days a week.
There are many free web-based e-mail services also available on the Internet.
A few among them are:
YAHOO! Mail (http://www.mail.yahoo.com), Gmail (http://www.gmail.com) ,

Rediffmail (http://www.rediffmail.com) , etc.
How does the E-Mail work?

E-mail passes from one computer, known as a mail server, to another as it travels
over the Internet. Once it arrives at the destination mail server, it’s stored in an
electronic mailbox until the recipient retrieves it. This whole process can take seconds,
allowing you to quickly communicate with people around the world at any time of
the day or night.
Sending and Receiving Messages

To receive an e-mail, you need an account on a mail server. This is similar to having
a street address where you receive letters. One advantage over regular mail is that
Notes
you can retrieve your e-mail from anywhere in the world, provided that you have
Internet access. Once you connect to your mail server, you just download your
messages to your computer or wireless device.
To send e-mail, you need a connection to the Internet and access to a mail server
that forwards your mail. The standard protocol used for sending Internet e-mail is
called SMTP, short for Simple Mail Transfer Protocol. It works in conjunction
with POP servers. POP stands for Post Office Protocol. When you send an e-
mail message, your computer routes it to an SMTP server. The server looks at the
e-mail address (similar to the address on an envelope), and then forwards it to the
recipient’s mail server, where it is stored until the addressee retrieves it. You can
send e-mail anywhere in the world to anyone who has an e-mail address.
Components of an E-Mail Address

Internet e-mail addresses typically have two main parts:
[email protected]
First there is the User ID (xyz.abc) that refers to the recipient’s mailbox. Then
there is a symbol @ (read it as “at the rate”). Next comes the host name (gmail),
also called the domain name. This refers to the mail server, the computer where
the recipient has an electronic mailbox. It is usually the name of a company or
organization.
The end of the domain name consists of a dot (“.”) followed by three or more
letters (such as .com and .gov) that indicate the top-level domain (TLD). This
part of the domain name indicates the type of organization or the country where the
host server is located.
Web-based E-Mail
With a web-based e-mail account, you can do it from any computer connected to
the Net, anywhere on earth.
To send and receive an e-mail, you need an Internet access and a web browser. To
access your e-mail, log on to the website by entering your user name and password.
You can read your messages, send replies, forward messages, and send and view
attachments. Most services offer online address books to store your e-mail addresses
and contact information.
Setting Up an Account
Creating a new e-mail account takes only a few minutes. You will have to provide
information about yourself and choose an username and password. Your username
Notes or ID becomes part of your e-mail address. If you open a gmail account and choose
“xyz.abc” as your ID, your address becomes “[email protected].” User names
can use letters and numbers, such as “pkp2006,” cannot contain any space, and are
limited in length, depending on the service.
How to send, read and reply to E-Mails
Type in the web address of your mail provider e.g. www.gmail.com – then click
on Sign In to log into mail by using your user ID and password.
Window to access Gmail
Window after Successful Gmail Login
Fig. 11.4 : Gmail Login window

Sending a message
• Click on Compose button. It follows the screen as shown in Fig. 11.5.
E-mail messages are similar to letters, with two main parts: Notes
The header contains the name and address of the recipient, the address of anyone
who is being copied, and the subject of the message.
The body contains the message itself.
In header section:
Type the e-mail address of the recipient in the “To:” field. For more than
one person, e-mail id should separate by commas. At least one.
Send message
Fig. 11.5 : Compose a mail

Type the receipient’s address in the ‘To’ field.
Type subject of your message in the “Subject:” field.
Use the large text box to enter the contents of your message.
In the “cc:” field, enter the email address of those to whom you would like to
send a “carbon copy” of your message. All other recipients of that message
will be able to see that the person you designed as a “cc:” has received a copy
of the message.
In the “Bcc:” field, enter the email address of those to whom you would like
to send a “blind carbon copy” of your message. This is almost similar to the
“Cc:” feature, except that “Bcc:” recipients are invisible to the “To:” and “Cc:”
recipients of the message as well as to each other.
Click on Attach files for attaching file(s) and Insert Photos to include
Photos if required.
Click on send button to send the message.
Reading and Replying to a message

• Click on the Inbox to Read/Reply a message. It follows the screen as shown
in (fig. 11.6):
Notes
Read mail
Forward mail
Fig. 11.6 : Read and Reply
Click on the subject of the message to read.
One can Reply/ Forward the message by clicking appropriate button.
11.2.1 E-mail Etiquette (Do’s and Don’ts)
Following etiquetes should be followed while working with four E-mail accounts.
Do’s Don’ts
1. Make sure your e-mail includes a 1. Don’t write in ALL CAPS., it

greeting and closing. reflects shouting emphasis.
GREETINGS
• Dear Sir/ Madam, 2. Don’t use multiple font

• Dear Mr/ Ms colors, fancy fonts, pattern
background that makes
• Dear Dr Notes
your mail harder to read.
(Note: First names are NOT used. Using
Miss or Mrs to address a woman is not 3. Don’t open an attachment
appropriate, as you don’t know whether from someone you don’t
she’s married or not, salutations are know. Attachment may
followed by a (,) comma,) contains a virus file that
affect your system.
CLOSINGS
• Yours faithfully, Yours sincerely, With 4. Don’t send an email out of
Best Regards. anger.
2. Include addresses in the To: field for those 5. Don’t share password over
who you would like a response from. email.
Include addresses in the Cc: field person 6. Don’t deliver a negative
to whom you are just informing. message by email.
3. Make sure your name is displayed 7. Don’t include incorrect or
properly in the From: field. broken links.
4. Be sure the Subject: field accurately
reflects the content of your email. 8. Don’t use the reply all
5. Do keep your emails short and to the point. button at will, only reply to
those who are intended for.
6. Use the spell checker. Never send email
with spelling errors 9. void the back-and-forth
7. When sending large attachments, always email conversation. If you
“zip” or compress them before sending. have to reply more than
8. Do provide a signature, contact twice, you should probably
information and company website. Use the speak to individual.
auto-signature option in email.
10. Don’t hesitate to say thank
9. Be more polite than when you speak. you.
10. When you are out of the office, set up an
automatic response that lets people know
you are not responding to your email
Always maintain decorum and discipline.
11.3 SERVICES PROVIDED OVER INTERNET

Social Networking
Social networking is the use of internet-based social media programs to make
connections with friends, family, classmates, customers and clients. Social networking
can be done for social purposes, business purposes or both. The programs show the
associations between individuals and facilitate the acquisition of new contacts. The
most popular Social networking sites include Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and
LinkedIn .
Twitter
This is one of the fastest-growing networks. You follow people you know or in whom
you are interested, they follow you, you exchange brief text-only messages. If you
say something interesting, one of your followers might’re-tweet’ it, which means
repeating it and saying who said it. So, some of their followers might start to follow
you too, and that’s how you meet new people.
Notes Facebook
Unlike Twitter, you get a page on the web and can use this for longer bits and pieces.
You can upload pictures, videos, play games, whatever you want to do. There are
Facebook applications for reviewing books, reviewing films, areas for private
messages and for more open discussions.
Google+
Abbreviated as G+, Google+ is a social networking service made available for invite-
only June 28, 2011.
Below are some of the current key features of Google+.
Circles - Section that allows each of your friends, family, acquaintances, and
others you know to be broken into groups allowing you share, communicate,
and view only your interests.
Hangouts - Video chat where up to 10 people can get together and talk with
each other.
Huddle - An Android, iPhone, and SMS feature that allows users to
communicate only within a circle.
Instant uploads - Android phone feature that automatically uploads photos
and video to a private album that allows for easy sharing later.
Sparks - Section that allows you to search by content your interests. For
example, a spark for “computers” or “computer hope” could be created.
LinkedIn
This is somewhat like a Facebook for professionals. This is a network for contacting
and keeping in touch with work colleagues. You may only contact people who are a
friend of a friend, or a friend of a friend of a friend, and so forth.
Instant Messaging
Abbreviated IM, a type of communications service that enables you to communicate
with another individual in real time over the Internet, Basically Instant messaging
(IM) is a type of online chat which offers real-time text transmission over the
Internet. However more advanced instant messaging can add file transfer, clickable
hyperlinks, Voice over IP, or video chat. Most popular IM software’s are Skype,
WhatsApp, and Yahoo! Messenger.
Skype (www.skype.com)
Skype is a computer program that can be used to make free video or voice calls
over the Internet to anyone else who is also using Skype. It’s free and considered
easy to download and use, and works with most computers. Once you download,
register and install the software, you will need to plug in a headset, speakers or USB
phone to start using Skype. Also, Skype enables file transfers, texting, screen sharing,
video chat and video conferencing. The service is available for desktop computers,
notebook and tablet computers and other mobile devices, including mobile phones.
Notes
WhatsApp
WhatsApp has become the most popular instant messaging app for mobile devices,
connecting more than a billion people worldwide. Using WhatsApp we can share
instant messages and multimedia files for free, and more interestingly, can have
unlimited wire calls. The app works on nearly all smartphone models and works on
Wi-Fi, 3G and 4G networks.
eLearning
“e-Learning can be defined as ‘learning facilitated and supported through the use
of information and communications technology’. e-learning’ essentially covers the
use of computers and technology as a vehicle for knowledge exchange within teaching
and learning.
The benefits of eLearning:

• The ability to provide distance learning (learning not on campus)
• A blended learning/teaching approach (using face-to-face and technology)
• The use of technology to support a wide range of educational activity.
On-Line Shopping
Online shopping or e-shopping is a form of electronic commerce which allows
consumers to directly buy goods or services from a seller over the Internet using a
web browser. It is convenient, faster and sometimes also cheaper. For instance,
rather than standing in a long queue and waiting for your turn to purchase a ticket,
people are finding it simpler to log on to a website and buy it. In some instances, you
may have to pay a premium for an online purchase but it is still preferred because
the convenience factor is higher.
Most Popular category for On-Line Purchases:
irctc.co.in - The site of the Indian Railways, where train tickets can be purchased
online.
Makemytrip.com – for Flight tickets, Hotels, Holiday Packages, Bus and Train /
Railway Reservations for India & International travel.
amazon.com - the online bookstore extended to multipurpose store
flipkart.com – on line shopping store of various products

IN-TEXT QUESTIONS 11.3
Choose the correct option.

Notes 1. ___________________ is a unique name of the individual host computer
on the Internet.
A. Domain Name B. URL
C. IP Address D. All
2. The domain is used for commercial purpose:
A. .com B. .comm
C. .edu D. .net
3. ____________ is a software program used to access World Wide Web.
A. Web Browser B. IP Address
C. Web Site D. gmail
4. Take the odd item out.
A. Yahoo Mail! B. Hotmail
C. Gmail D. Google
5. The most popular instant messaging app for mobile device is:
A. Skype B. Face book
C. WhatsApp D. LinkedIn
In this lesson you learnt about Internet and its various usage in personal and
professional life. We discussed the overview of Internet and its functioning, different
type of internet connection and its suitability of usage for different purposes. Also
various terminologies used in internet world with its application such as searching
for anything and everything in internet, e-mailing, on-line shopping, messaging,
chatting and communicating with others(Audio and Video) using various apps are
explained.
TERMINAL EXERCISE
1. What is Internet? How does it work?

2. What are the prerequisites to connect to the Internet? Explain the different types
of connections available to get connected to Internet.
3. Explain Internet Addressing Schemes and Domain Name System.
4. Explain the following terminologies used in Internet; WWW, Hyperlink, Web
page, Website and URL.
5. Yahoo and gmail offer free-email registration. Go to any of these sites and open
an email account in your name. Send an email to a friend whose address you
know.
6. What do you mean by a search engine? What are the two important search Notes
engines available on the Internet? What are basic tips to use to get the best
results while searching?
7. Explain Do’s and Don’ts in email communication.
8. Describe five popular online services available over Internet.
ANSWERS TO IN-TEXT QUESTIONS
11.1
1. D. ARPANet
2. A. Network of networks
3. A. Internet Service Provider
4. A. Dialup
11.2
I. 1. Web Server
2. D. URL
3. A. web page
II. 1. True 2. True
11.3
1. A. Domain Name
2. A. .com
3. A, Web Browser
4. D. Google
5. C. WhatsApp

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Introduction to Business Process Outsourcing :: 1

After reading this lesson, you will be able to:

1.1 DOMESTIC BPO INDUSTRY

1.2 INDIVIDUAL GROWTH PROSPECTS

Fig. 1.1 : Growth Prospects

Fig 1.2 : Vertical Growth

Fig 1.3: Horizontal Growth

INTEXT QUESTIONS 1.1

I. Choose the correct option

a. Business Process Organisation

b. Business Process Outsourcing

c. Bharat Process Outsourcing

d. Business Progress Outsourcing

6. The team leader is __________________.

a. responsible for making or receiving calls

b. responsible for the performance of his team Notes

d. responsible for individual performance

7. The operations manager is __________________.

a. responsible for making or receiving calls

b. responsible for the performance of one process

c. responsible for all the processes

d. responsible for management decisions

1.3 WORK CULTURE IN THE DOMESTIC BPO INDUSTRY

24x7 work environment

Motivation and acknowledgement

INTEXT QUESTIONS 1.2

I. Match the terms with the right definition:

1 Energetic setting a Round the clock working

1.4 TYPES OF DOMESTIC BPO COMPANIES

Inbound (Taking incoming calls)

Outbound (Making outgoing calls)

Types of BPO companies can also be classified in two major categories –

Domestic BPO companies

Captive BPO and Third Party BPO

Third Party BPO

INTEXT QUESTIONS 1.3

I. Choose the Correct Option:

c. Business for interrelated collaborations.

1.5 SKILLS REQUIRED TO WORK AT A DOMESTIC BPO

1. Understanding the English language

2. Speaking a regional language

3. Confidence to be able to talk to any one

4. Flexibility with working in shifts

5. Communication Skills – Soft spoken

7. Working knowledge of computers

There are no specific educational qualifications required in order to work in a BPO

1. Data Entry: This requires updating organisation databases on various details

2. Transaction Processing: Answering customer queries and enquiries, and

WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNT

2. Explain the key benefits of a domestic BPO.

3. List five different career opportunities one can have in BPO.

4. Describe the vertical growth process in the domestic BPO.

6. What do you understand by the term – Rejuvenation channels?

8. Define the terms given below:–

f) Third party BPO

ANSWERS TO INTEXT QUESTIONS

1. b. Business Process Outsourcing

3. c. product training, process training, soft skills, voice and accent

1. b. You receive calls from customers.