SEC Unit II Guide PDF

**UNIT II** **Core Life Skill** **The set of ten core life skill can be categorized as below:** +-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+ | | a. **Soc | | b. **Thi | | c. **Emo | | | ial | | nking |...

**UNIT II** **Core Life Skill** **The set of ten core life skill can be categorized as below:** +-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+ | | a. **Soc | | b. **Thi | | c. **Emo | | | ial | | nking | | tional | | | Skill | | skill | | Skill | | | ** | | ** | | ** | +===========+===========+===========+===========+===========+===========+ | **1** | **Self-Aw | **5** | **Creativ | **9** | **Coping | | | areness** | | e | | with | | | | | Thinking* | | stress** | | | | | * | | | +-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+ | **2** | **Empathy | **6** | **Critica | **10** | **Coping | | | ** | | l | | with | | | | | Thinking* | | emotions* | | | | | * | | * | +-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+ | **3** | **Communi | **7** | **Decisio | | | | | cation | | n | | | | | skill** | | Making** | | | +-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+ | **4** | **Interpe | **8** | **Problem | | | | | rsonal | | s | | | | | relations | | solving** | | | | | hip** | | | | | +-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+ **Social Skill** **SELF-AWARENESS SKILLS** Introduction Human beings are complex and diverse and the improvement of one awareness is necessary to enhance communication, relationship and empathy. Self awareness It is the ability to be aware of our characters, personality and others traits. To become more self-aware, we should develop an understanding of ourselves in many areas. **[Key areas for self-awareness include our personality traits, personal values, habits, emotions, and the psychological needs that drive our behaviours.]** 1. Personality: We don\'t normally change our personalities, values and needs based on what we learn about ourselves. But, an understanding of our personalities can help us find situations in which we will thrive, and help us avoid situations in which we will experience too much stress. For instance, if you are a highly introverted person, you are likely to experience more stress in a sales position than a highly extroverted person would. So, if you are highly introverted, you should either learn skills to cope with the demands of a sales position that requires extravert-type behaviour patterns, or you should find a position that is more compatible with your personality. Awareness of your personality helps you analyze such a decision. 2. Values: It\'s important that we each know and focus on our personal values. For instance, if your first priority is "being there for your children\" or "your relationship with God,\" it\'s very easy to lose sight of those priorities on a day-to-day, moment-by-moment basis. During the workday, so many problems and opportunities arise that our lists of \"things to do\" can easily exceed the time we have to do them. 3. Habits: Our habits are the behaviours that we repeat routinely and often automatically. Although we would like to possess the habits that help us interact effectively with and manage others, we can probably all identify at least one of our habits that decreases our effectiveness. For example, if you are a manager who never consults your staff before making decisions, that habit may interfere with your ability to build your staff members\' commitment to the decisions and their decision-making skills as well. 4. Needs: Maslow and other scholars have identified a variety of psychological needs that drive our behaviours such as needs for esteem, affection, belongingness, achievement, self actualization, power and control. One of the advantages of knowing which needs exert the strongest influence on our own behaviours is the ability to understand how they affect our interpersonal relationships. For instance, most of us have probably known people who have a high need for status. 5. Emotions: Emotional self-awareness has become a hot topic of discussion recently because it\'s one of the five facets of emotional intelligence. Understanding your own feelings, what causes them, and how they impact your thoughts and actions is emotional self-awareness. **Self-Awareness in Relationships** Relationships are easy until there is emotional turmoil. This is the same whether you are at work or in your personal life. When you can change the interpretation in your mind of what you think you can change your emotions and shift the emotional quality of your relationships. Having a clear understanding of your thought and, behaviour patterns helps you understand other people. **Basic Processes Involved in Development of Self Awareness.** 1. Learn to look at yourself objectively: It\'s nearly impossible to actually look at yourself objectively, but it\'s always worth a shot. 2. Write your own manifesto: The main purpose of self-awareness is self-improvement, so it makes sense that you need to have goals. If you\'re struggling with that part, a manifesto is a great way to push yourself into figuring out what you want. 3. Know your strength and weakness: Understand where your strength lies and what your weaknesses are and learn how to improve on those areas. 4. Self-esteem and improve low self-esteem: the opinion you form about yourself is known as self-esteem. It is about how much one values oneself and think their worth is. Having low self-esteem can cause hindrance in the process of growing up. It is important to have high self-esteem to ensure a healthy physical and mental health. 5. Keep a journal: Our memory colours the past pretty deeply. If you want a more accurate gauge of yourself, a journal is a great way to get it. A journal makes you more aware of what you\'re doing and where problems might be coming from because you can document anything. 6. Perform a self-review: The self-review is one of those annoying little things we all do at work, but you can make them beneficial if you think of them more as a thought experiment. Instead of spending your time thinking about what you should improve about yourself, think about what your boss think you should do and what co-workers might say. **EMPATHY** Introduction The term \"empathy\" is used to describe a wide range of experiences. Emotion researchers generally define empathy as the ability to sense other people\'s emotions, coupled with the ability to imagine what someone else might be thinking or feeling. Empathy seems to have deep roots in our brains and bodies, and in our evolutionary history. Empathy it is the value of imagining one's life from their perspective. Empathy is important because it help us in better communication and in understanding and accepting others. Both empathy and sympathy are feelings concerning other people. Sympathy is literally "feeling with" - compassion for or commiseration with another person. Empathy, by contrast, is literally "feeling into" -- the ability to project one\'s personality into another person and more fully understand that person. Contemporary researchers often differentiate between two types of empathy: \"Affective empathy" refers to the sensations and feelings we get in response to others\' emotions; this can include mirroring what that person is feeling, or just feeling stressed when we detect another\'s fear or anxiety. \"Cognitive empathy,\" sometimes called \"perspective taking,\" refers to our ability to identify and understand other peoples\' emotions. **Steps for Empathy** 1. Learn to be a good, active listener. Listening requires us to, first, really want to know the other person 2. Understand what is involved in empathy responding. A good listener must respond, letting the talker know he/ she was understood. This responding is empathy. Good empathizer focuses on the talker\'s feelings, not on his/her actions or circumstances. **TEACHING OF EMPATHY (How to develop empathy)** 1. Be an example. People watch and learn from us. They learn from your character and behaviours as much as they do from your instruction. Be a consistent example of empathy, and exude a caring, compassionate, understanding attitude. They\'ll follow your lead. 2. Create the environment. It\'s important that you are trustworthy. If an understanding, trustworthy environment is established, then they\'re more likely to open up and display positive characteristics towards one another. 3. Include experience Experience are perhaps the closest thing we have to "Walking around in someone else\'s skin.\" They make us more human and develop our ability to understand and sympathize with others\' experiences. 4. Work on communication strategies. Feelings are very different from words. It\'s important that attention is given to help find the words to explain their feelings, in both their speaking and their writing. 5. Offer collaborative group tasks. Work together on specific tasks or challenges. Victory or failure gives us a collaborative experience that requires us to exercise those empathy muscles with our peers. 6. Identify shared values and differences. Discussions and activities go a long way towards helping see how they align or differ from others. Facilitate opportunities for to be open with one another and safely discover what others\' perspectives may be. 7. Free and structured play. Playing on the playground and in the classroom builds bonds between groups that open up the lanes for mutual understanding. Encourage students to play together, and even coach them on their interactions and consequences. **Communication/Effective Communication** Communication is the process of transmitting knowledge and sharing fact, thoughts, feeling and ideas. The term 'communication\' has been derived from the **[Latin word 'Communis\']** meaning 'common' or 'general'. Therefore, it can be said that communication is an act of sharing commonness or common understanding and experiences with others. Communication, at its simplest, is the act of transferring information from one place to another. It may be vocally (using voice), written (using printed or digital media such as books, magazines, websites or emails), visually (using logos, maps, charts or graphs) or non-verbally (using body language, gestures and the tone and pitch of voice). In practice, it is often a combination of several of these. **[Communication is of two types-verbal and nonverbal]**. Communication cannot be effective if we do not make use of the proper mode, ie the verbal and nonverbal. **[To communicate, we need a sender, a receiver, a medium and a message]**. The ability to communicate is vital for any successful endeavor. **Nature and Characteristics of Communication** 1\. Communication is a process of establishing mutual relation. 2\. In this, special attention is paid to \'discussion\' and \'exchange of views'. 3\. Communication is a **[two-way process/bipolar process]**, that is, it has two sides: a message-giver and message-receiver. 4\. Communication is a purposeful process. 5\. It comprises of psychological-social aspects (such as thoughts, views, emotions, feelings and sentiments etc.). 6\. Effective communication is a fundamental element in good teaching. 7\. The communication process comprises of perception. (If a message-receiver is not able to perceive the message in its right sense, then communication cannot be possible. 8\. It is necessary to have mutual interaction and feedback in the process of communication. 9\. Communication can be written, oral and symbolic. 10\. Communication is a continuous and comprehensive process. It means that speaking, listening and understanding, all three activities go together. Effective Communication is the ability to express the thoughts and feelings in nonthreatening ways. It is the ability to communicate our feelings, ideas, desire, needs, fears etc. with others effectively by which we are able to reach out to others easily in a way which does not offend the sensitivities of the listener. Good listening is an effective component of an effective communications. **[Commonly there are three type of listening: Active, Passive and selective. ]** We adopt different type of communication in our daily life depending upon the situation. **[There are three style of communication that are practiced. Aggressive, Submissive, Assertive ]** **Barriers in communication** 1\. Physical barriers-Noise, invisibility, environment and physical inconveniences, poor health, lack of attention. 2\. Linguistic barriers-Verbose, unclear words, unnecessary words. grinding words, wrong pronunciation, etc. 3\. Psychological barriers Prejudices, disinterest, wrong perception, unrewarding experience, more than necessary anxieties, incomplete curiosities. 4\. Background barriers Previous learning, cultural discrimination, previous work situation and environment. **The Importance of Good Communication Skills** **Developing communication skills can help all aspects of our life, from professional life to social gatherings and everything in between.** 1. Professionally: If you are applying for jobs or looking for a promotion with your current employer, you will almost certainly need to demonstrate good communication skills. Communication skills are needed to speak appropriately with a wide variety of people whilst maintaining good eye contact, demonstrate a varied vocabulary and tailor your language to your audience, listen effectively, present your ideas appropriately, write clearly and concisely, and work well in a group. Many of these are essential skills that most employers seek. As your career progresses, the importance of communication skills increases; the ability to speak, listen, question and write with clarity and conciseness are essential for most managers and leaders. 2. In personal life, good communication skills can improve your personal relationships by helping you to understand others, and to be understood. In your personal life, good communication skills can improve your personal relationships by helping you to understand others, and to be understood. Communication Skills -------------------- ### Interpersonal Communication Skills Interpersonal skills are the skills we use when engaged in face-to-face communication with one or more other people. Interpersonal communication skills are divided broadly into [**Verbal Communication**](https://www.skillsyouneed.com/ips/verbal-communication.html), [**Non-Verbal Communication**](https://www.skillsyouneed.com/ips/nonverbal-communication.html) and [**Listening**](https://www.skillsyouneed.com/ips/listening-skills.html). **Verbal Communication** Verbal communication is all about what we say, which is an important way of getting our message across.Verbal communication can be both written and spoken, but these pages focus mainly on spoken communication. **Non-verbal Communication** Using our voice is only the tip of the iceberg. We actually communicate far more information using [**Non-verbal Communication**](https://www.skillsyouneed.com/ips/nonverbal-communication.html). This includes non-verbal signals, gestures, facial expression, body language, tone of voice, and even our appearance. These can serve to either reinforce or undermine the message of our spoken words, so are worth considering carefully. ### Listening Listening is also a vital interpersonal communication skill. As we said above, communication is a two-way process. Listening is an essential part of receiving information. When we communicate, we spend 45% of our time listening. Most people take listening for granted, but it is not the same as hearing and should be thought of as a skill. Other Communication Skills -------------------------- Communication skills encompass far more than simple verbal and non-verbal communication, even in a wide range of circumstances. 1. **Presentation Skills** Many of us only use presentation skills infrequently. However, there will probably be times in your life when you need to present information to a group of people, either in a formal or informal setting. 2. **Writing Skills** Communication skills are not limited to direct interaction with other people and the spoken word. The ability to write clearly and effectively is also key to communication. This set of skills should not be limited to journalists or professional authors. Poor written communication can be frustrating for the reader and potentially damaging for the author -- would you buy a product from a website peppered with spelling mistakes, or full of incomplete or unclear sentences. 3. **Personal Skills** Personal Skills are the skills that we use to maintain a healthy body and mind. But they can also enhance communication. For example, [**Improving Your Self-Esteem**](https://www.skillsyouneed.com/ps/self-esteem.html) and [**Building Your Confidence**](https://www.skillsyouneed.com/ps/confidence.html) can help you to feel more positive about yourself and your abilities - including your ability to communicate. And feeling positive is the first step to acting more positively, and therefore effectively **INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS** An interpersonal relationship is an association between two or more people that may range from fleeting to enduring. This association may be based on inference, love, solidarity, regular business interactions, or some other type of social commitment. Interpersonal relationships are formed in the context of social, cultural and other influences. It is the skills which help us to relate in a positive way with our family members, friends and others The context can vary from family or kinship relations, friendship, marriage, relations with associates, work, clubs, neighborhoods, and places of worship. They may be regulated by law, custom, or mutual agreement, and are the basis of social groups and society as a whole. Interpersonal relationships are dynamic systems that change continuously during their existence. Like living organisms, relationships have a beginning, a lifespan, and an end. They grow and improve gradually, as people get to know each other and become closer emotionally, or they gradually deteriorate as people drift apart, move on with their lives, and form new relationships with others. **Qualities of Good & Bad Relationships** Some qualities of a good relationship may be evident from the moment we meet a person. Other traits develop along with the relationship, giving the relationship strength and stability. common **Characteristics of a good relationship:** 1. Rapport: where you feel comfortable or at ease with the other person. 2. Empathy: refers to the ability to see the world through another person\'s eyes, understanding his/her feelings and actions. 3. Trust: means that you can depend on the other person. When you trust another person you expect acceptance and support from him/her. 4. Respect: involves accepting and appreciating the other person for who he/she is. Mental Expectations, are seen as relationships grow; partners should have the same mutual expectations for it. The relationship should be headed toward the same purpose or goals for both people. 5. Flexibility: good relationships are flexible and can adapt to change. Circumstances change and you can\'t always carry through on plans you have made together. You sometimes have to make compromises and reassess your goals. 6. Uniqueness: the relationship stands out or is in some way special or different. Irreplaceability: each interpersonal relationship is as unique as the people in them and can never be recreated 7. Interdependence. The other person\'s life concerns affects you. 8. Self-disclosure: in an interpersonal relationship people share and entrust private information about themselves 9. Honesty and Accountability. Communicating openly and truthfully, admitting mistakes or being wrong, and accepting responsibility for one\'s self. **Qualities of Bad Relationships** 1. Avoidance: People in unhealthy relationships simply avoids facing reality. They become distant and will miss several occasions because they don\'t feel the need to be there. 2. Burnout: A relationship is at a low point or \"burnout\", it might make one of them feel trapped, tired, helpless, depressed or let down. 3. Compatibility issues: Incompatibility will make the relationship unhealthy, because you\'re not compatible, constant negativity 4. Devotional void: A lack of commitment can make for unhealthy relationships. Ex: when you treat your spouse as a roommate or friend. 5. Enthusiasm Dwindles: if a relationship isn\'t spontaneous and becomes predictable it itself will not be as exciting as it used to be. 6. Forgiveness Void: Those unwilling or unable to forgive are expected to have unhealthy relationships in the future 7. Just Say Yes: Those that feel that they can\'t say no to drawing boundaries and sustain limits will make their spouse less of a priority. 1. Friendship: Theories of friendship emphasize the concept of friendship as a freely chosen association 2. Family: Family communication patterns establish roles, identities and enable the growth of individuals. Family dysfunction may also be exhibited by communication patterns 3. Romantic: Romantic relationships are defined in terms of the concepts of passion, intimacy and commitment. 4. Professional: Professional communication encompasses small group communication and interviewing. 1. Attachment/ Affiliation Theory 2. Confirming and Valuing Relationship Theory 3. Social Exchange Theory Equity Theory 4. Minding Relationships Theory 5. Systems Theory. **Phases of Interpersonal Relationships** 1\. Orientation 2\. Identification 3\. Exploitation 4\. Resolution **ESSENTIAL SKILLS TO BUILDING STRONG RELATIONSHIP** 1. Relax Optimistically: If you are comfortable around others, they will feel comfortable around you. If you appear nervous, others will sense it and withdraw. A smile will always be the most powerful builder of rapport. 2. Listen Deeply: Powerful listening goes beyond hearing words and messages; it connects us emotionally with our communication partner. 3. Feel Empathetically: Empathy is the foundation of good two-way communication. Being empathetic is seeing from another person\'s perspective regardless of your opinion or belief. Treat their mistakes as you would want them to treat your mistakes. 4. Respond Carefully: Choose emotions and words wisely. Measure your emotions according to the person\'s moods and needs. Words can build or destroy trust. They differ in shades of meaning, intensity, and impact. 5. Synchronize Cooperatively: As relationships mature, the needs and values of the individuals and relationship will change. Career relationships will require the flexibility to meet changing schedules and new project goals. Cooperative actions provide synchrony and build trusting alliances. They are part of the give and take that empowers strong, enduring relationships. 6. Act Authentically: Acting authentically means acting with integrity. 7. Acknowledge Generously: Look for and accentuate the positive qualities in others. Humbly acknowledge the difference that people make to your life. Validate them by expressing your appreciation for their life and their contributions. If you let someone know that they are valuable and special, they will not forget you. Showing gratitude and encouragement by words and actions will strengthen the bonds of any relationship. **Components of Interpersonal Relationships** 1. Empathy; is the ability to feel with others is social situations, which can lead to the development of good interpersonal relationships. Empathy promotes an understanding of others. It enables us to form relationships with individuals who differ from us on a range of dimensions. It is the ability to understand someone else\'s point of view and to share their emotions. 2. Sympathy: is the ability to feel for others in social situations which can lead to the development of good interpersonal relationships. In common usage a person is said to display sympathy when he shows compassion or pity, when he responds to the signs of suffering in another creature with efforts to relieve and comfort it. Being sympathetic to others helps us to build good interpersonal relationships. 3. Sensitivity: is the ability to be sensitive to the feelings, emotions and needs of others in social situations, which can lead to the development of good interpersonal relationships. 4. Tolerance: is the ability to endure and respect feelings, views, attitudes etc, of others in interpersonal interactions irrespective of our agreement or disagreement on them. 5. Positive attitude: is the ability to see the positive aspects in others and appreciate them in interpersonal relationships. It is the ability to enhance interpersonal relationships by appreciating the goodness of others. Those who have positive attitude will never miss an opportunity to say a word of congratulations upon anyone\'s achievement. People with positive attitude have certain personality traits that are easy to recognize. They are caring, confident, patient and humble. They have high expectations of themselves and others. 6. Etiquette: is the ability to show behaviour that is appropriate to different social situations, which can earn respect and facilitate good interpersonal relationships. It is the ability to show the behaviour patterns that are appropriate to social situations leading to the development of good interpersonal relationships. 7. Healthy distance: is the ability to take only that much of liberty as the relationship empowers and demands In interpersonal relationships we will have to keep a healthy distance with others whom we come into contact with. It is a skill to be developed. Depending upon the relationship of the person we have to keep a distance. If we keep a healthy distance we will not have to repent later. Lack of Prejudice and Stereotypes is the ability to interact with people without being governed by preconceived notions about individuals/groups in any social situation. 8. Effective Communication: is the ability to express the thoughts and feelings in nonthreatening ways. It is the ability to communicate our feelings, ideas etc. with others effectively by which we are able to reach out to others easily in a way which does not offend the sensitivities of the listener. **PROBLEM-SOLVING SKILLS** **[What is Problem-solving skills]** Problem-solving skills are the ability to identify problems, brainstorm and analyze answers, and implement the best solutions. Any method of solving a problem scientifically, involving thinking, reasoning planning and execution by following logical steps is a Problem solving skills. Problem solving is all about using logic, as well as imagination, to make sense of a situation and come up with an intelligent solution. In fact, the best problem solvers actively anticipate potential future problems and act to prevent them or to mitigate their effects. ROSS said, "Problem solving as an educational device whereby the teacher and the pupils attempt in a conscious, planned and purposeful manner, to arrive at an explanation or solution to some educationally significant difficulty.\" Problem Solving aims at making students more observant, accurate, truthful, thoughtful and dexterous. The method lays the foundation of self-education and helps promote the spirit of enquiry and research among pupils. Problem solving involves scientific enquiry which is a search for truth and knowledge. The emphasis in problem solving too is on search rather than mere acquisition of knowledge. This scientific method is also referred to as the discovery approach to teaching and learning. **[STRATEGIES FOR IMPROVING PROBLEM SOLVING SKILLS]** The following techniques are usually called problem solving strategies: 1. **Abstraction:** Solving the problem in a model of the system before applying it to the real system. is the process of taking away or removing characteristics from something in order to reduce it to a set of essential characteristics.) 2. **Brainstorming:** (especially among groups of people) Suggesting a large number of solutions or ideas and combining and developing them until an optimum solution is found 3. **Divide and conquer**: Breaking down a large, complex problem into smaller, solvable problems. 4. **Means-ends analysis**: Choosing an action at each step to move closer to the goal 5. **Research:** Employing existing ideas or adapting existing solutions to similar problems 6. **Root cause analysis:** Identifying the cause of a problem 7. **Trial-and-error**: Testing possible solutions until the right one is found.