Ms.

Neha Nikam
 A social animal. Lives in a society. He cannot
work, survive or live in a society in isolation.
Society plays a vital role in his development.
 Inter-individual differences
 Differences that exist between one person and
another
 With regards to their physical characteristics,
intelligence, abilities, interests etc.
 Intra-individual differences
 They are differences among the various
characteristics possessed by the same person
 A person may be very good in singing but average
in acting
 Differences in physique
 Differences in intelligence
 Differences in ability
 Differences in aptitudes
 Differences in interests
 Differences in achievement
 Differences in personality
 Changes in sensory organs,
appearance etc
Physical
development

Changes in perception, reasoning,

memory, language etc

Cognitive
development

Psychosocial
development
Changes in personality,
emotions, relationships
 Prenatal stage--- period from conception to birth
 Infancy and toddlerhood--- from birth to age of 3
 Early childhood--- between 3 to 6 years
 Middle childhood--- age of 6 to age of 11
 Adolescence--- age of 12 to age of 20
 Young adulthood--- age of 20 to age of 40
 Middle age--- between 40 to 65 years
 Late adulthood--- 65 years onwards
Environmental Personal Psychological Organizational
factors factors factors factors

Age,
Personality,
Economic
Gender Attitude Facilities
environment

Change in
Abilities, Values Reward
Experience system
technology

Political Marital Leadership

factors status Learning stages

Cultural
factors
Education Thinking
Phases The role of environment

1) Prenatal

2) Postnatal
 Prenatal nourishment: A well balanced daily diet includes-
meat and meat alternatives (for proteins), dairy products,
bread and cereals, fruits and vegetables rich in vitamin C,
green vegetables and fats and oils.
 Intake 300 to 500 more calories than usual
 Should gain between 26 to 35 pounds
 Maternal drug intake medicines, alcohol, smoking etc.)
 Maternal illness
 Radiations: should be avoided especially during first 3
months
 Maternal age
 Paternal factors
 Parent-child relationship
 Ordinal position (birth order)
 Family life patterns
 School: first exposure to the external world!!
 Peers group
 Culture
“ The unique and relatively stable patterns of
behaviour, thoughts, and emotions shown by
individuals.”
-Baron and Greenberg
 HEREDITY

“ The transmission (transfer) of biological

characters from parents to their off springs
(children).”
-G. J. Mendel
 Robert McCrae and Paul Costa developed
the Five-Factor Model, or FFM, which
describes personality in terms of five broad
factors.
 The basis of this model is that there are five
basic dimensions that form the basis of all
other personality dimensions.
 People who are high on the openness continuum are
typically:
 Very creative
 Open to trying new things
 Focused on tackling new challenges
 Happy to think about abstract concepts
Those who are low on this trait:
 Dislike change
 Do not enjoy new things
 Resist new ideas
 Not very imaginative
 Dislikes abstract or theoretical concepts
 Those who are high on the conscientiousness continuum
also tend to:
 Spend time preparing
 Finish important tasks right away
 Pay attention to details
 Enjoy having a set schedule

People who are low in this trait tend to:

 Dislike structure and schedules
 Make messes and not take care of things
 Fail to return things or put them back where they belong
 Procrastinate important tasks
 Fail to complete the things they are supposed to do
 People who rate high on extraversion tend to:
 Enjoy being the center of attention
 Like to start conversations
 Enjoy meeting new people
 Have a wide social circle of friends and acquaintances
 Find it easy to make new friends
 Feel energized when they are around other people
 Say things before they think about them
People who rate low on extraversion tend to:
 Prefer solitude
 Feel exhausted when they have to socialize a lot
 Find it difficult to start conversations
 Dislike making small talk
 Carefully think things through before they speak
 Dislike being the center of attention
 People who are high in the trait of agreeableness tend to:
 Altruistic
 Have a great deal of interest in other people
 Care about others
 Feel empathy and concern for other people
 Enjoy helping and contributing to the happiness of other
people
Those who are low in this trait tend to:
 Take little interest in others
 Don't care about how other people feel
 Have little interest in other people's problems
 Insult and belittle others
 Individuals who are high in neuroticism tend to:
 Experience a lot of stress
 Worry about many different things
 Get upset easily
 Experience dramatic shifts in mood
 Feel anxious

Those who are low in this trait are typically:

 Emotionally stable
 Deal well with stress
 Rarely feel sad or depressed
 Don't worry much
 Very relaxed
 Authoritarianism: demanding strict
obedience of authority and rules
 Conventionalism/ Authoritarian submission/
Authoritarian anger/ Superstition/ Dominating
 Two types of people, strong and weak
 ‘The world would be a better place if strong
people were the leaders and weak were followers’
 Prefer stable and structured work environment
 Locus of control: if an individual control
events or events control him
 Two types of people, internals and externals
 Internals believe that they can control events
 Individuals with external locus of control have
high absenteeism rates, are less involved in their
jobs
 Machiavellianism: Pragmatic, Rational
 Deceive and manipulate others for personal gain
 Maintain emotional distance, persuade others
more
 Lie to achieve their goals
 Have high self esteem
 Better in bargaining
 Introversion and Extroversion
 Achievement orientation: working towards
excellence
 Never fully satisfied
 Set higher standards
 Take calculated risks to overcome challenges
 People who LACK achievement orientation like to
work in their comfort zone
 Self esteem: sense of self worth
 People with HIGH self esteem take more risks and
choose unconventional jobs and have favorable
evaluation of themselves
 Self monitors: to adjust his behavior to
external situational factors
 HIGH self monitors show considerable
adaptability and hence pay more attention to the
behavior of others
 Concerned about how they are perceived
 Risk taking: high risk takers are quick decision
makers with the help of less information
 Type A and B personalities:
 Type A people are impatient, eats rapidly,
obsessed with numbers
 Strive to think or do two or more things at a time
 Cannot cope with leisure
 A Johari window is a psychological tool created by Joseph
Luft and Harry Ingham in 1955. It’s a simple and useful
tool for understanding and training:
 self-awareness
 personal development
 improving communications
 interpersonal relationships
 group dynamics
 team development; and
 inter group relationships
It is one of the few tools out there that has an emphasis on
“soft skills” such as behaviour, empathy, co-operation,
inter group development and interpersonal development.
 A predisposition or a tendency to
respond positively or negatively towards
a certain idea, object, person, or
situation.

“Attitudes are evaluative statements or

judgments concerning objects, people
or events.”
 Attitude!? Everyone has it..about everything
 Feelings and beliefs of one or more individual
 Beliefs that are directed towards some
stimuli
 Attitudes result in behavior or action
 Types: positive, negative or ambivalent
 Difficult to change
 Strong influencer
 Affective or emotional component
 Behavioral component
 Cognitive or informational component
 Knowledge function
 Value expressive function
 Self esteem function
 Ego defensive function
 Impression motivation function
Co-opting approach
Friends
 ASK
 Observe non verbal SIGNS
 PARALANGUAGE
 Thinking

“Thinking is a deliberate exploration of

experience for a purpose that purpose may be
understanding, decision solving, judgement,
action and so on.”
-Edward de Bono
Thinking skills are a set of basic and advanced
skills and sub skills that govern a person’s
mental processes they are as follows:
 Focusing skills: ignore information that is
irrelevant.
Types:- Identifying problems
-Setting goals
 Information gathering skills: Collect relative
information needed for thinking.
 Types: -Observing
-Forming questions
 Remembering skills: Store and bring back
information when needed.
 Types: -Encoding
 -Recalling
 Organizing skills: Arrangement of
information
 Types:- Comparing
- Classifying
- Ordering
- Representing
 Analyzing skills: Examine information into
parts and relationships.
 Types:- Identifying features and components
- identifying relationships and patterns
- identifying main ideas
- Identifying arguments
 Generating skills: produce new information or
ideas.
 Types:- Inferring –Predicting –Elaborating
 Integrating skills: Connect and combine
information.
 Types:- Summarizing –restructuring
 Evaluating skills: judge the reasonableness of
ideas.
 Types: -Establishing standard
- Verifying
 Six Thinking Hats was created by Edward de Bono,
and published in his 1985 book of the same name.

"Six Thinking Hats" can help you to look at problems from

different perspectives, but one at a time, to avoid confusion from
too many angles crowding your thinking.

 It's also a powerful decision-checking technique in

group situations, as everyone explores the situation
from each perspective at the same time.
 Synthesists:
 Creative thinkers, who view the world in terms of opposites.
 Take risks and like changes
 They are not easily convinced
 They like to have a control
 Do things in a big way
 Encourage intellectual arguments
 They don’t like facts based discussions
 They question a lot
 Guesswork is the tool!

They can open up new ideas

They can opt out any time
 Realists:
 They are fast moving doers, corrective and result
oriented.
 They work on the basis of facts and believe that facts
should not be influenced by personal factors
 They rely on experts some times
 They are optimistic, frank and positive
 They like to have a number of projects at once
 They don’t like dull and humourless talks
 Their work is based on observation rather than theory
They can achieve concrete results
They have low tolerance for ambiguity
 Pragmatists:
 They are energetic and smart, appear restless and
are unpredictable
 They like to plan things, strategies
 They are frank and friendly
 They are experimental and good diplomats

They are tolerant to ambiguous situations

They agree quickly with others
 Analyst thinkers
 They like to gather information and measure it
scientifically to have better results or solutions
 They like stability
 They like logical evaluations and discussion
 They do not multi-task
 They may be too time consuming

They help us to look a problem from various perspective

They search for more data
 Idealists:
 They are future oriented and goal oriented
 They are helpful and believe in importance of truth,
faith and trust
 They try hard to convince people
 They like discussions about values, judgements and
emotions.
 They discourage conflicts

They encourage group participation

They avoid setting goals and standards
 Planning
 Conceptual skills
 Decision making skills
 Technical skills
 Leadership skills
 Supervisory skills
 Classical conditioning
 The Classical Conditioning Theory was
proposed by a Russian Physiologist Ivan
Pavlov. According to this theory, behavior is
learnt by a repetitive association between the
response and the stimulus.
 Conditioned Response (CR): a particular
behavior that an organism learns to produce,
when the CS is presented.
Operant conditioning
 Developed by B. F. Skinner, Operant
conditioning is a method of learning that
occurs through rewards and punishments
for behavior.
 Through operant conditioning, an individual
makes an association between a particular
behavior and a consequence
Social learning/ observation learning
 Proposed by Bandura, Social learning theory is a
form of learning in which individuals acquire new
behaviours or thoughts by observing others.
 Four processes of social learning
 Attention process
 Retention
 Reproduction
 Reinforcement (reward)
“Intelligence is the capacity of an organism
to adjust to an increasingly difficult
environment.”
- Spencer
 Intelligence quotient:
 The Intelligence Quotient (IQ) is just the measure of
intelligence and it is independent on self-assessed levels of
happiness.
 Intelligence can simply be defined as; doing the right
thing, at the right time, at the right place. This requires us
to be able to manage both our internal environment (us)
and external Environment (what surrounds us). It is more
than just knowing things.
 Emotional quotient:
 Managing emotions is more important than
managing your intellect.
 Research done by tracking over 160 high
performing individuals from different industries
and job levels shows, emotional intelligence was
two times more important in contributing to
excellence than intellect and expertise alone.
 Spiritual quotient:
 The intelligence needed for you to ask the most
critical questions is what you need. Why should I react
this way? Is it necessary to get in a fight? What am I
going to get out of it? The intelligence required to ask
most fundamental and basic questions in life and seek
answers is called Spiritual Intelligence or Spiritual
Quotient (SQ).
 The personality of the human being is guided by the 3
needs; the need of body, the need of mind and the
need of intellect. The power to control the three is
called intelligence, Spiritual Quotient (SQ)
“A process by which individuals organize and
interpret their sensory impressions in order to
give meaning to their environment”
 Perception is our sensory experience of the world
around us
 Perception is composed of six processes
 Receiving stimuli
 Selecting
 Organizing
 Interpreting
 Checking
 Reaction
 Perception is influenced by three factors:
 Characteristics of the perceiver, target, situation
 Selective perception
 Halo Effect: An individual draws a general opinion
either favourable or unfavourable on the basis of a
single characteristic of the target.
 Stereotyping: Judging on the basis of features of
the group of the individual.
 Prejudice: a preconceived opinion that is not based
on reason or actual experience
 Attribution: Attribution refers to judging the causes
of other peoples behavior
Why do people join groups??

Security
Status
Self esteem
Affiliation
Power
Goal achievement
 Formal leadership
 Roles
 Role conflicts
 Role expectations
 Role ambiguity
 Norms
 Status
 Size
 Composition
 Group cohesiveness
 Forming: Getting acquainted. This stage is
over when members start thinking being the
part of the group.
 Storming: High degree of conflict
 Norming: Close relationship. Agrees to find
solutions mutually
 Performing
 Adjourning
 Problem solving
 Work teams (routine work)
 Management teams (permanent)
 Cross functional teams
 Virtual teams
 Aligned
 Understood
 SMART
 Identifying risks
 Commitment by members
 “Power is the ability to make things happen in
the way individual wants, either by self or
subordinates. The essence of power is control the
behaviour of others”
 Formal power
 Legitimate power: positional power
 Coercive power: used by threats and punishments
 Reward power
 Information power
 Informal or personal power
 Expert power
 Referent power: An individual develops reference
power when other individual’s like and respect
him
“Motivation is the set of processes that arouse,
direct and maintain human behaviour towards
attaining some goal.”
-McFarland
 An internal feeling
 A person can’t be satisfied in parts
 Complex process
 Related to satisfaction
 Goal directed behaviour
 High performance level
 Low employee turnover
 Acceptance of organisational changes
 Also called as Motivation-Hygiene Theory or the dual-
factor theory, was penned by Frederick Herzberg in 1959.
 This American psychologis was very interested in people’s
motivation and job satisfaction
 He conducted his research by asking a group of people
about their good and bad experiences at work.
 He was surprised that the group answered questions
about their good experiences very differently from the
ones about their bad experiences.
 Based on this, he developed the theory that people’s job
satisfaction depends on two kinds of factors. Factors for
satisfaction (motivators/satisfiers) and factors for
dissatisfaction (hygiene factors/ dissatisfiers).
What do you think motivates your people to
come to work each morning?
 Theory X and Theory Y were first explained by
McGregor in his book, 'The Human Side of
Enterprise,' and they refer to two styles of
management – authoritarian (Theory X) and
participative (TheoryY).
 Theory X managers tend to take a pessimistic
view of their people, and assume that they
are naturally unmotivated and dislike work.
 As a result, they think that team members
need to be prompted, rewarded or punished
constantly to make sure that they complete
their tasks.
This style of management assumes that workers:
 Dislike their work.
 Avoid responsibility and need constant
direction.
 Have to be controlled, forced and threatened to
deliver work.
 Need to be supervised at every step.
 Have no incentive to work or ambition, and
therefore need to be enticed by rewards to
achieve goals.
 Theory Y managers have an optimistic, positive
opinion of their people, and they use a
decentralized, participative management style.
This encourages a more collaborative, trust
based relationship between managers and their
team members.
 People have greater responsibility, and
managers encourage them to develop their skills
and suggest improvements. Appraisals are
regular.
 This style of management assumes that
workers are:
 Happy to work on their own initiative.
 More involved in decision making.
 Self-motivated to complete their tasks.
 Seek and accept responsibility, and need little
direction.
 View work as fulfilling and challenging.
 Solve problems creatively and imaginatively.
Kurt Lewin’s Model: Guiding change through a
three step process
1. Unfreezing
2. Moving
3. Refreezing
 OD concentrates on people dimensions like
norms, values, attitudes, relationships,
organisational climate etc.
 Sensitivity training
 Survey feedback
 Action research
 Process consultation
 Team building
 Quality of work Life (QWL) projects
 8
Chapter

Guidance and
Counselling

Learning Objectives
After completing this section the learner will be able to:
zz understand the significance and scope of guidance and counselling
zz explain the basic concepts in guidance and counselling
zz have basic understanding and knowledge required for guidance and
counselling as a profession.

Significance
Every human being comes across challenges and stress that must be
faced. Sometimes, we feel the need for assistance and support to manage
the problems and find solutions. Traditionally, in India, such support was
readily and easily available through the family, particularly the joint or
extended family, and the strong social network. Besides these, moral and
emotional support was also available from teachers, friends and spiritual/
religious mentors. In the present, particularly urban, context there is an
increasing speed in the pace of life, fragmentation of family and socio-
religious support systems, and competitiveness. All such factors have
led to a greater need for assistance to help individuals cope with their
problems. Consequently, the field of guidance and counselling has evolved
into a professional area.

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 You may reflect that when you last experienced a problem, if you were
able to speak about it with someone whom you trusted, you felt better. The
person whom you confided in may have suggested certain steps to handle
the problem, which you may not have thought of. Sometimes the listener

Unit III - Human Development And

is able to guide you to look inwards and find solutions. In this manner,
sharing one’s troubles with a trusted person can help the individual feel
more capable of facing a situation. This is because seeking guidance from
others enables a person to examine the situation from various perspectives

Family Studies
and find appropriate solutions.
You may have seen or heard of people facing different types of challenging
situations. A friend may be upset with her poor grades in examinations, a
youth may be disturbed because his parents often quarrel with each other,
another person may be having difficulty with friends, some one else may
have financial problems. Many students on the threshold of college may
be confused about choices to be made for further studies and such other
issues. They are perhaps in situations which they are unable to deal with
by themselves. Here they would benefit from professional guidance and
counselling. These are processes that help people when they feel that they
are in a challenging situation and cannot find a way to cope with it.

Sandeep has appeared for the medical entrance examinations for

the last two years. He feels that if he doesn’t become a doctor, life
isn’t worth living. He has an artistic bent of mind, can paint very
well and is very creative. He could do well in a field which involves
creative and artistic/aesthetic activity. But in the medical exams he
faces repeated failure, experiences lack of confidence and a feeling
of inferiority.

Radha is a resident of a village. Despite the larger family’s

disapproval, her father sent her for senior secondary schooling to
an adjacent village. The young man to whom she is engaged has
a shop in the village. He often comes to visit her. Of late he has
been insisting that she goes out with him to a park. Radha is in two
minds. She likes the young man but is afraid of what people would
say. Her mind is in turmoil and there is no one to whom she can turn
for advice.

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 The above two instances depict the kind of challenges that young
people may face. In a survey conducted by the All India Educational and
Human Ecology and Family Sciences – Part 1

Vocational Guidance Association for assessing college students’ needs,

major problems reported by 50 per cent of the respondents were:
zz gap between expectations and performance,
zz lack of knowledge regarding careers and professions,
zz anxiety regarding the future,
zz lack of concentration,
zz inability to make friends or deal with members of the opposite sex,
zz lack of knowledge regarding sexual matters,
zz lack of information regarding one’s strengths and weakness,
zz lack of knowledge regarding one’s aptitude and abilities,
zz lack of resources,
zz lack of knowledge of effective learning strategies,
zz inability to forgive oneself for past mistakes.
The findings clearly indicate the need for professionals in the field of
guidance and counselling.

ACTIVITY 1
Make a list of problems you have faced recently, where you would
have felt much better after speaking with somebody about it. From
the list, categorise the problems in following categories. Personal/
Social/ Academic, You need not disclose or share the problems with
others if you do not wish to.

Note to the teacher: Please ensure that students do not feel compelled
to share intimate difficulties, other wise it can create more problems
for students among the peer group.

Let us examine the duties and roles of professionals in Guidance and

Counselling.

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 Basic Concepts

Guidance can be explained as assistance made available by competent

Unit III - Human Development And

counsellors to an individual of any group to help him/her direct the life
course, develop a point of view, make decisions and be better adjusted.
Guidance does not mean giving directions, nor is it an imposition of one’s
point of view on another person. The person, who is guiding another does

Family Studies
not take the onus (responsibility) of making decisions on behalf of the
client. We can see that guidance is more about assisting people to find
their way rather than giving instructions or ready made solutions.
Counselling is an interactive learning process in which the counsellor
(sometimes termed therapist), helps the counsellees (those seeking help) to
understand the cause(s) of difficulties and guides them to sort out issues
and reach decisions. The approach in counselling is holistic, addressing
social, cultural, economic and emotional issues. Counselling can be sought
at any time in life, although many people reach out only in times of change
or crisis. The qualified professional counsellor speaks with the counsellee
in a way to help that person solve a problem or helps to create conditions
that will cause the person to understand and improve life circumstances.
Counselling may be concerned with addressing and resolving specific
problems, making decisions, coping with crisis, improving relationships
and developing personal awareness. It also involves working with
feelings, thoughts, perceptions and conflicts. The overall aim is to provide
counsellees with opportunities to work in positive ways so as to live with
essence of well being as individuals and as members of the larger society.

ACTIVITY 2
Refer Boxes given on page 157 where the two young persons’ problems
are described.
Discuss with your classmates the nature of their problems.
Enumerate the solutions that you think would be best for them.

Counselling is a process involving responsibility and confidentiality.

Therefore, guidance and counselling experts have to follow certain ethical
principles. Counsellors must:
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 zz Act with care and respect for individual and cultural differences and
the diversity of human experiences,
Human Ecology and Family Sciences – Part 1

zz Must never take any step which is likely to harm the counsellee in
any way,
zz Respect the confidence with which the counsellee places trust in
them by not talking about their issues with other people,
zz Encourage the counsellee to increase self understanding,
zz Help the counsellee to increase and discover a range of choices and
alternatives for handling the crisis situations effectively
zz Practice within the scope of their competence and refer cases that
may need more intensive therapy to experts who are trained to deal
with these
zz Be aware of all the services available for people in difficult
circumstances so that adequate guidance can be provided in case
further referral is required.
Levels of Counselling: In day-to-day life you may have noticed that the
term counselling is being used informally to refer to any kind of information-
seeking interaction including appraisal of a person for careers. It may be
useful to understand that there are different levels of counselling as shown
in the box given below.
Informal Counselling: It is generally rendered by a person who may be
approachable and understanding, but may not be professionally qualified.
This empathetic person could be an aunt, uncle, friend or colleague.

Levels of Counselling

Informal Non-specialist Professional

Counselling Counselling Counselling

Non Specialist Counselling: It is the help provided by specialists of other

areas like teachers, doctors, lawyers, religious preachers who, along with
their respective specialisation, also wish to handle psychological problems.
They try to provide alternative ways of dealing with the problems of people
they come across in their daily interactions at work.
Professional Counselling: Professional counsellors are the ones who
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have received special training in counselling and have the required

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 qualifications. These counsellors deal with the person’s social, emotional
and personal problems. In the counselling process, the professional
counsellor may use different techniques. Let us briefly discuss three
techniques.

Unit III - Human Development And

How the counsellor deals with the counsellee is based on the mode of
approach and the techniques the counsellor uses. These are divided into:
zz Directive, counsellor-centred counselling: Here the counsellor plays a
major role and does all that is possible to get the counsellee to make

Family Studies
decisions in keeping with diagnosis of the problem.
zz Non-Directive or permissive or client-centred counselling: Here the
counsellor’s role is comparatively passive. The counsellee takes
an active part in the process of therapy. The person seeking help
is encouraged to gain insight into the problem with the help of the
counsellor. The counsellee takes the final decisions. Thus, this
counselling process turns out to be a growth experience for the person.
zz Eclectic counselling: Counsellors who advocate using this type of
counselling are of the view that directed or non-directed counselling
are at two ends of continuum. And counsellors should incorporate
suitable techniques from both the types of counselling mentioned
above as and when required, depending on the situation, the problem
and the temperament of the client.

Preparing for a Career

If you recall the times when you received help and guidance you may have
noticed that the listeners, whether they were teachers, friends or another
adult, had certain qualities in them that made you approach them easily.

Qualities of counsellor:
1. Sensitive to human problems
2. Empathy
3. Respect for individual variations
4. Being non-judgemental
5. Maintain confidentiality
6. Being approachable
7. Being firm yet friendly
8. Pleasant disposition
9. Understanding values and relationships
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 These qualities have to be combined with specific skills that the
profession demands. These are listening skills, analytical skills and good
Human Ecology and Family Sciences – Part 1

observation skills. A counsellor must possess the skill of working with

individuals as well as groups.
The fact that counselling is basically meant for people with some sort
of difficulty, makes it essential for the counsellor to have a disposition as
well as empathy towards people apart from being professionally qualified.
Having these qualities alone is not sufficient to become a professional
counsellor. One must undergo special training to acquire the necessary
skills. Professional counsellors usually hold a masters’ degree in Human
Development or Child Development/ Psychology of Education, along with at
least a post graduate diploma/degree in Counselling. During the course, the
trainees receive supervised practical training under trained Psychologists
or Counsellors as practical training is essential for developing the skills of
a counsellor. In India many reputed Universities and Institutes offer these
diplomas. After M.A. or M.Sc. one could also undertake further research
and obtain a Ph.D. degree. Professional counsellors hold a certificate
and are registered with a professional body which grants licences for
practising.

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 ACTIVITY 3
Match the phrases in column B with counsellors, qualities in column
A and enter the correct combination in column C

Unit III - Human Development And

A B C

1. Sensitivity a. I agree with you, but

to human please do not hit your

Family Studies
problems child again.
2. Empathy b. Just because he is poor it
(ability to does not mean Ravi would
empathise) have stolen the money.
3. Respect for c. It is normal of people to
individual have personal problems.
variations 4b
d. She seems to be cheating
4. Being non- on her parents but I must
judgemental keep it to myself.
5. Maintaining e. When I heard her story my
confidentiality eyes filled with tears.
6. Being f. Hello, how are you? Would
approachable you like to talk to me
about something?
7. Being firm yet
friendly g. Different people respond
differently to similar
problems in their life.

Scope
In your Class XI textbook of HEFS you had studied about life span
development. You must have noticed how at each stage there are challenges
that an individual must meet and resolve. Each stage of development
has specific characteristics as well as certain developmental tasks to be
achieved. Assistance and guidance can be a requirement at any stage. For
this purpose, it is required for counsellors to be specially trained in the
developmental needs and characteristics of individuals at a particular age.

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 CAREER AVENUES
Human Ecology and Family Sciences – Part 1

Career Counsellors: Some counsellors work with people of all ages

for vocational and career counselling.
School Counsellors: Schooling can also bring about adjustment
problems for children. A child may have problems with academic
achievement, with peers or with parents. Counsellors who deal with
such difficulties are called school counsellors.
Family Counsellors: They are specialists who work with parents,
children and other family members. They deal with specific issues
that arise due to conflicts between family members or between
generations. They also deal with behaviour problems of individual
family members.
Marriage Counsellors: They deal with different issues or problems
related to marriage, counselling for marital and before marriage
issues, or for personal compatibility, close relationships and
counselling for couples.
Life Skills Trainer: These days many people may need assistance
in the course of everyday life on account of stress at home or the
workplace. For instance, a well adjusted young person may want to
become proactive to optimise his or her potential.
Counsellors for Child Guidance: Some counsellors work with children
and are called child guidance counsellors.

Key Terms
Guidance, counselling, counsellee, counsellor, stress, coping strategies.

review QuesTions
1. What do you understand by the term guidance and counselling?
2. What are some of the important principles of counselling?
3. What are some of the common difficulties that students of your age
can have that may require counselling?
4. What are the different types of counselling?
164
5. How can one prepare for a career in guidance and counselling?

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 Practical 1
Theme: Conducting mock sessions in Guidance and Counselling
Tasks: 1. Preparing students for role play

Unit III - Human Development And

2. Role-play as counsellor and cousellee
3. Discussion of qualities of counsellor
Purpose: You have learnt about principles of guidance and counselling in

Family Studies
this chapter. This practical will give you the experience of being in the seat
of a counsellor and the person who receives assistance (counsellee).

Conducting the Practical

Students should form pairs and take the role of either a counsellee or
a counsellor after selecting any one issue. They should enact a mock
(imaginary) session while teacher and other classmates are observing. The
session should be discussed keeping in mind what you have learnt about
qualities of a counsellor.
(a) Career Guidance: A Class X boy wants to take commerce stream but
his parents insist on his taking up the science stream. The student
has come for help from you.
(b) Nutrition Counselling: Parents complain to you that their 5-year-old
child does not eat anything other than maggi noodles.
(c) Personal Counselling: A 14 year old comes for help saying he/she is
unable to make friends.

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UNIT 3 GUIDANCE AND
COUNSELLING
Structure
3.0 Objectives
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Concept of Guidance and Counselling
3.2.1 Definition and Meaning of Guidance
3.2.2 Definition and Meaning of Counselling
3.2.3 Principles of Guidance and Counselling
3.2.4 Relationship between Guidance and Counselling

3.3 Purpose of Guidance and Counselling

3.3.1 Stages of Educational Guidance
3.3.2 Areas of Counselling

3.4 Counselling Process

3.4.1 Phases/Steps in Counselling Process
3.4.2 Attributes of Counsellor

3.5 Let Us Sum Up

3.6 Key Words
3.7 Answers to Check Your Progress
3.8 Suggested Readings
3.9 References

3.0 OBJECTIVES
After going through this unit, you will be able to:
 define guidance and counselling;
 explain the principles of guidance and counselling;
 differentiate between guidance and counselling;
 list out the stages of educational guidance;
 describe the areas of counselling;
 explain the phases/steps in counselling process; and
 identify the attributes of a good counsellor.

3.1 INTRODUCTION
The concept of guidance has emerged many years ago and it is as old as human
civilization. In earlier times, guidance was offered to the young people by elders
in the family and the family priest gave guidance to those in distress. This practice 49
Teachers Role And continues even today, in India, where people acquire guidance from the family
Responsibilities for
Growing Adolescents priest, significant elders in the family, palmist, astrologer or numerologist in personal,
educational, vocational or political matters. Guidance, as an organized professional
activity, dates back to 1905 and this is because of the work of Frank Parsons,
Boston, USA. Author of the classic ‘Choosing a Vocation’ and his efforts to help
find the Vocation Bureau, made him a pioneer in the guidance movement in
America. Various social reformers followed Pearson and contributed to the guidance
movement. In India, guidance as an organized professional activity is more than
four decades old.
From the beginning we find that more experienced persons have been guiding less
experienced or inexperience persons. However, guidance at that time was limited
and life was also simple as compared to today. Due to the complexities in present
day lives, guidance has become an integral component for better adjustment and
this has called for specialized persons to give guidance and thus has helped
individuals to adjust to social realities and live happy lives. Guidance - unorganized
and informal existed in all places and at all levels and has been a vital aspect in
various spheres especially in the educational scenario.
In unit-1 and 2 of this Block you have read about the role of ‘Life Skills for
Personality Development’ and ‘Communicating with Adolescents’. In this unit, we
will be emphasizing on guidance and counselling, the need for it and discussing
about the difference between guidance and counselling. Studying the types of
guidance and counselling and exploring the steps in counselling process will also
be dealt with.
While reading through the unit you will come across activities and check your
progress questions, which will help you to keep track of what you have learnt in
the unit.

3.2 CONCEPT OF GUIDANCE AND COUNSELLING

To begin with, we will take a look at the meaning of the terms ‘guidance’ and
‘counselling’ and its need and importance. Next we will discuss the principles of
guidance and the difference between guidance and counselling. The term guidance
and counselling is being used in different context and can mean anything from
informal advice that is often given to close friends to formal counselling undertaken
by specially trained professionals.

3.2.1 Definition and Meaning of Guidance

The introduction would have given you an idea when and how the guidance
movement started. Let us understand the meaning of guidance. Guidance means
to guide or direct or to lead. Guidance is the assistance given to an individual to
help him, to adjust to himself, to others and to his own environment. In this way
guidance is a process of all-round development.
In the post-independent period, Indian Government, set up Indian Education
Commission (1964-66) who has defined “Guidance is a help to the students
in making possible adjustment to the situations in the educational
institutions and in the home and at the same time facilitates the
development of all aspects of the personality”.
50
Guidance aims to prepare an individual for his future life. Guidance And Counselling

Guidance is required at various stages of our development, right from birth till the
end, so that we can deal with life events. Guidance is needed most when the
individual enters the period of adolescence. The adolescent has to face various
challenges in the area of education, vocation, health, and personal life. If proper
guidance is given at this stage, his further development will be facilitated.
Activity 1
At any point of time have you approached an elder in your family or teacher
asking for guidance? If so, recall the incident and how was the experience?

3.2.2 Definition and Meaning of Counselling

Counselling has been understood and defined in a number of ways.
According to Cormier and Hackney (1987) counselling is defined as the “helping
relationship that includes –
a) someone seeking help,
b) someone willing to give help who is capable or trained to help,
c) a setting that permits help to be given and received.
Arbunckle has mentioned three points about counselling. They are:
a) Counselling is a process between two persons.
b) The basic aim of counselling is to help the person in solving his problems
Independently.
c) Counselling is a professional job involving professionally trained persons.
The following points below will give a clear picture as to what counselling is not.
What counselling is not:
 Counselling is not giving information alone, though information may be present
 Counselling is not giving advice
 Counselling is not influencing the clients’ values, attitudes, beliefs, interests or
decisions with or without any scolding, or compelling without the use of
physical force
 Counselling is not interviewing, though interviewing is involved.
Therefore, the main objective of counselling is to bring about a voluntary change
in the client.
Counselling can be of two types, individual or group. Individual counselling is
done face to face and Group counselling is done to a group of individuals. Group
counselling is a useful way of helping adolescents for addressing issues that are
related to peer group influence.
Who can benefit from Counselling ?
All of us irrespective of our age, sex and profession have been taking help from 51
Teachers Role And our elders, teachers and friends in solving certain problems. However, you might
Responsibilities for
Growing Adolescents have faced situations where you would have felt the need to take help from a
professional or trained and experienced person such as a counsellor. If we have
a problem that we are unable to solve and because of which not able to carry
on day to day activities, then we can go and seek professional help. All of us can
benefit from counselling provided we need such a professional help. Counselling
can also form an integral part of the healing process for those who have lost a
loved one, or who are suffering from a terminal illness, helping them to come to
terms with death and bereavement. Specialists are available for areas of specific
need, for example, Educational, Career Counselling, Family, Personal and Marriage
Counselling. Group Counselling is beneficial for people to share their feelings and
receive advice from those in similar circumstances such as victims and survivors
of disasters.

3.2.3 Principles of Guidance and Counselling

When you plan to guide an individual it is important to keep the following points/
principles in mind.

 Maintain dignity of the individual which is supreme. For example, providing

privacy while talking or calling the person by name.

 As each individual is unique and is different from every other individual. It

is best not to compare one person with another.

 Each person’s problems are different. The problems and causes are
interrelated, so a deep knowledge of the causes is essential.

 While giving guidance or counselling, the social setting of the individual is

essential. The community, language, place (whether the adolescent is coming
from a village, town or city) must be taken into consideration.

 It should be based on the attitudes and personal perceptions of the individual

 It helps the individual to enhance himself or herself.

 The individual has the ability to learn and can be helped to make choices that
will lead to self-direction and appropriate decision making.

 Each individual may, at times need information and personalized assistance

which is best given by competent professional personnel.

 It is a continuous and slow process.

 Thus we see that guidance and counselling is a continuous process, flexible

and dynamic process concerned with the ‘whole individual’.

3.2.4 Relationship between Guidance and Counselling

The Terms guidance and counselling, in some way or the other are related to each
other. They are similar in some ways and dissimilar in some other ways. Their
relationship is drawn as under.
52
1. Guidance is an organized service to identify and develop the potentialities of Guidance And Counselling

pupils. Comprehensive information about every (all the) pupil is collected

with the help of different tests/tools, resources, which are recorded and
interpreted.

The findings are communicated to the individual to help them to understand

themselves. Pupils are also given information about educational and vocational
opportunities available to them and are helped in their career planning and
development.

In counselling more often than not the informations are collected and shared
related to problem situations faced by the pupils. The individual is encouraged to
talk about her/his problem(s). The counsellor may also ask questions, seek his/
her views, and make observations. Information sought through guidance makes
the basis for counselling sessions. Based on the findings the individual is encouraged
to make suitable decisions and take actions to solve the problem(s). Thus,
information’s are gathered and shared in both the process but two are no same.

2. Guidance is helping individual to develop his/her potentialities for all round

development whereas counselling helps individual to deal with complex
problem situations and make adjustment/adaptations if necessary to lead
useful life.

3. Guidance is promotive and preventive whereas counselling is therapeutic.

4. Guidance can be given in any normal setting whereas counselling requires a

guidance may be done by any teacher or guiding person whereas counselling
can be done by skillful counsellor who has had professional training in
counselling.

5. Guidance may be done by any teacher or guiding person whereas counselling

can be done by skillful counsellor who has had professional training in
counselling.

6. Guidance is an integral part of education and assists in fulfilling in educational

organized as a specialized services to deal with problem situations faced by
students and may be of teachers.

7. Guidance includes some degree of counselling to help students deal with their
day to day problems which is done by teachers, parents, significant others.

Counselling includes guidance of individual which is done by Counsellors while

helping students to solve their problems. This means there is over lapping and
misuse of the terms.

53
Teachers Role And These distinctions are briefly presented in tabular form in Box.
Responsibilities for
Growing Adolescents
Difference between Guidance and Counselling
Guidance Counselling
1) To whom Students;Nurses Students; Nurses facing problems
given facing problems
2) By whom Tutors; Parent; Counsellors i.e., specially trained
given Counsellors professional people with
counselling skills.
3) Where Schools, home; In a special setting conductive to
everywhere;womb to giving and receiving help for
tomb. interviewing.
4) How given By way of giving Giving guidance with a view to
educational, enabling individuals to make
vocational decisions for himself/herself and
information and coming to terms with life……….
helping individuals to
understand
themselves
5) Purpose Optimum Helping individuals develop self
development of confidence and adjust to life
individual student for strategies and schooling problems.
ultimate development
for school.

3.3 PURPOSE OF GUIDANCE AND COUNSELLING

The purpose of Guidance and Counselling can be related to 1) Individual and
2) Society.
1) Individual Related Purpose
(i) To help students recognise and develop their potentialities to achieve their
educational aims and objectives and improve academically and to develop
positive attitude.
(ii) To help students aware about vocational and career opportunities available
regionally, nationally and internationally so as to help them make informed
decisions from among various choices.
(iii) To help students for all round personal and social development on the basis
of their interests, abilities and resources.
(iv) To help students recognise their capacities, develop self confidence and
adjust to academic, school, family and personal problems.
2) Society Related Purpose
(i) To develop good citizenship in students
(ii) To develop positive attitude towards family life and the society
(iii) To help in proper and best utilisation of resources.
54
 Guidance And Counselling
3.3.1 Stages of Educational Guidance
So far we have discussed the meaning of guidance, and counselling and the
relationship between guidance and counselling. The individual and society related
purpose of guidance and counselling was also discussed. As problems are of
various types from different spheres, we need various types of guidance services
to effectively solve the problems related to various aspects of individual and
society.
Educational Guidance is a process of helping students to achieve the self-
understanding and self-direction assisting them to make informed choices and
move toward personal goals. It helps the students in choosing the courses of
study, planning for their future on completion of their secondary/higher secondary
schooling and promoting proper adjustment. Educational guidance is required at
each level during the individual’s education.
Educational guidance has specific functions at different stages
a) Primary and Secondary Stage:
At the primary stage, educational guidance will help in assisting students make
a proper beginning in school and preparing them to enter the secondary stage.
At the secondary stage, educational guidance is intended to assist students to
make an appraisal of their interests, abilities, and skills, to make progress in their
education and to build motivation for study.
b) Higher Secondary Stage:
At this stage guidance helps in the selection of courses, (after std X) or vocation
in tune with their abilities and interests and understanding the objectives of higher
education and plan for their future career plans. Information regarding admissions
to polytechnic institutions, colleges and university and vocational information
provided will also help. Proper guidance will help in building a positive attitude,
bring about self-confidence and be able to cope with academic stress.
c) College and University Stage:
“What shall I do in life? And what am I best suited for”? This is a normal question
which we ask ourselves.
At the college and university stage guidance helps the pupils to selecting their
subjects of specializing, which help later on in choosing their career or vocation.
Career can be defined as the evolving sequence of a person’s work experiences
overtime. Each person has only one career. Vocation is a term for an occupation
to which a person is specially drawn or for which they are suited, trained
or qualified (Wikipedia).
We can see that guidance has personal and social significance. It aims to help an
individual in the process of his adjustment with himself and his environment.
Activity 2
When you were studying in Class X or XII, how did you decide what course
to take and what to specialize? Where you confused? Who counselled you
or directed you? 55
Teachers Role And
Responsibilities for
3.3.2 Areas of Counselling
Growing Adolescents Due to various problems and stress we experience in day to day life, the need
for guidance and counselling is vital to help individuals handle situations and
problems in a better way.
Here, the areas of counselling are classified on the basis of various problems and
problem situations that can occur to students in schools and colleges.

Health and
Living
Condition

Moral and Moral and

social social

Leisure
Educational

Vocational

Fig. 3.1: Area covered through counselling

1) Educational
2) Vocational
3) Health and Living Conditions
4) Personal
5) Moral and Social
6) Leisure
These areas are interrelated and sometimes overlapping. We will learn about each
of these areas so that we can have a better understanding of the role and functions
of a counsellor.
1) Educational
In this area students may face various problems. Some of the common problems
are given below:
 I do not feel like studying my lessons
 I am not able to understand what is taught in class most of the time
56
 I am too tired to study Guidance And Counselling

 I do not get enough time to study

 I am not able to concentrate while studying
 I have too many friends so I am not able to get time to study.
Educational counselling helps the student to get maximum benefit out of education
and solve their problems related to education and class room.
The following functions are performed by the counsellor :
i. Help the students to manage time and daily schedule
ii. Develop good study habits that are most appropriate to students.
iii. Help the students to understand their own interests and abilities.
iv. Provide career related information to help students make informed
decisions.
2) Vocational
There are various vocational opportunities available and along with it different
demands from different individuals. Students may face problems in this area such
as:
 I am not able to decide about the kind of job to take up
 I do not know what part-time job I can take up
 I do not like the work I am doing
 The working hours are too long
 I am not sure of my future
 I am not able to earn enough money in this job
 I am not confident about myself.
Vocational counselling assists students to select an occupation most suited to their
abilities, interests and aptitude. It helps them to prepare for it, enter it and progress
in it. It should begin at +2 level in the secondary schools.
The following functions of a counsellor are essential :
i. To help students to understand their abilities, interests, values and goals
ii. To provide information on various occupations and jobs available
iii. To help them be aware of the various programmes of financial assistance –
scholarships and loans for improving their prospects.
We shall now go on to the area of health and living conditions.
3) Health and Living Conditions
Some of the problems which are faced by the students in this area include:
57
Teachers Role And  Getting tired easily
Responsibilities for
Growing Adolescents
 Frequent headaches and cold
 Falling sick very often
 Not getting enough nutritious food to eat
 Have to take care of brothers and sisters at home.
Counselling in this area help students in taking care of their health, be aware of
good health practices and hygiene and make proper adjustments to the
environments. Counselling in this area will also help students develop interest in
games and other activities which will promote health and well being.
4) Personal
Every student faces certain personal problems about which s/he may be very
anxious. Counselling in this area will help them cope with the problems.
Some of the problems encountered in this area are:
 I lack courage and confidence
 I am always worried about something
 I have pimples on my face
 I have a dark complexion
 I am fat
 I wish I was like my friend- confident and smart
 I feel lonely
 I do not have any friends
 My elders always shout at me
 My parents expect too much from me
 My parents will not allow me to go out with other persons
 I want to be loved and cared for
 Nobody likes/loves me.
Activity 3
When you were an adolescent what were some of the problems you have
faced in the personal area. List them out.
In personal counselling, the counsellor helps students to understand and solve the
problems. Some of the specific functions performed by the counsellor in this area
are as follows:
i. Help students accept themselves and others
ii. Provides at the right time, hints or suggestions to improve personal
58 appearance
 iii. Help students build self-confidence and self-esteem Guidance And Counselling

iv. Help students develop interpersonal relationship skills

v. Provide advice on handling personal problems.
5) Moral, Religious and Social
Some of the problems arising in this area are as follows:
 I have been told that I am dishonest at times
 I lack moral values
 I am very confused if what I am doing is right or wrong
 I do not have time for religious worship
 I am forced to go to religious places and worship.
The role of a counsellor here would be to enable students to inculcate good moral
values and practice them in day to day life.
6) Leisure
Students need opportunities of self expression in which they can try out their
talents and express themselves. Some students are shy and they need
encouragement to make proper use of their potentials and talents. Counselling in
this area helps students to find opportunities for creative use of leisure time.
Counselling functions in this area is to provide opportunities in curricular and co-
curricular activities, to develop their interests which will provide avenues for
recreation.
Some of the problems faced may be:
 No time for recreation
 Lack of facilities to learn handicrafts
 Limited opportunities for sports
 Unable to participate in school competition.
In this section, we have categorized different problems according to the area they
belong to, but as mentioned earlier these problems are interrelated and many
times overlap. Hence, the counsellor must be able to go deep into the root of the
problem and identify the areas and different related problems to be able to help
the student to cope or overcome the problem.

3.4 COUNSELLING PROCESS

Counselling is about helping people who want to change some aspects of their
thoughts, feelings or behaviour to enhance their life, or simply to explore and/or
clarify their thoughts or feelings.
Counselling is a problem solving process. The counsellor helps students to
understand themselves, their potentials, the assets, the problems they are facing
59
Teachers Role And and making decisions to take alternative actions to solve their problems. In doing
Responsibilities for
Growing Adolescents so, the counsellor, follows certain series of steps or phases through some phases
and is referred to as counselling process.

3.4.1 Phases/Steps in Counselling Process

There are five different phases/steps of counselling process although it is difficult
ot divide such a complex process into clearly defined phases. These phases
include:
i) Establishing Relationship
ii) Making Assessment
iii) Setting Goals
iv) Interventions
v) Termination and Follow up.
The phases may overlap each other, e.g., the assessment may begin even while
the phase of establishing relationship is still going on or goal setting may start while
assessment it still going on. These phases are in progressive movement and
collectively described the counselling process, as depicted in Fig. 3.2.

Phase 5
Termination and
Follow - up Phase 4
Interventions Phase 3
Setting Goals Phase 2
Assessment Phase 1
Establishment of
Relationship

Fig.3.2: Phases of Counselling

i) Establishing Relationship
Establishing productive Relationship is the core phase in the process of counselling.
It affects the progress of the process and acts as a curative agent in itself. It
should be recognized that each counsellee-counsellor relationship is unique and
hence it is not possible to have a generalized that each counselee-counsellor
relationship. It includes such factors as respect, trust, and a sense of psychological
comfort which help in formation and sustaining good relationship. Although each
counsellor has her own style of building up a relationship, but a few guidelines will
be useful. These are :
Begins the phase with adequate social skills
 Introduce yourself
 Listen attentively and remember the client’s name
 Always address the individual by his/her preferred name
 Ensure physical comfort
 Do not interrupt the individual while s/he is speaking
60  Observe non-verbal communications.
The relationship is not established in just a single session but may require several Guidance And Counselling

sessions before s/he becomes comfortable with you and accepts you into his/her
inner world.
ii) Assessment
Making assessment is a phase in which individuals are encouraged to talk about
their problems; counsellor asks questions, collects information, seeks his/her views,
observes and possibly helps the individual to clearly state his/her problems. This
is the data collecting phase, and involves several specific skills such as:
 Observation
 Enquiry
 Making associations among facts
 Recording
 Making educated guesses and interpretations
 Recording of information should be done systematically.
iii) Setting Goals
Setting goals is phase based on educated based on educated guesses/interpretations
made in the previous phase. The major purpose of this phase is to provide
direction to the conditions, a course of action, or an outcome. Sometimes the
individual may be concluded. Setting goals may be of two types-immediate and
ultimate.
The process of setting goals is cooperatively done by the counsellor and the
individual.
It requires the skills of:
 Drawing inference,
 Differentiation, and
 Educating individuals to think realistically.
It should be emphasized that goals are not fixed for all time to come and can be
changed whenever new information is received or new insight is developed.
iv) Intervention
Intervention is a phase which is more influenced by the viewpoints a counsellor
holds about the counselling process. After setting goals the question that follows
is ‘How shall we accomplish these goals’? The intervention used will depend
upon the problem area and the nature of specific problem and the individual.
Hence, the choice of the intervention is a process of adaptation and the counsellor
should be prepared to change the intervention when the selected intervention is
not working. This is similar to medical treatment. When one treatment does not
work, the practitioner tries the alternative treatment. The counselling skills needed
are skills in handling the interventions, knowledge of its effects and ability to read
client’s reactions. Individuals can be asked in the beginning about what interventions
61
they have tried earlier so that other intervention can be used.
Teachers Role And v) Termination and Follow up
Responsibilities for
Growing Adolescents
All counselling has as its ultimate criterion a successful termination. It must be
done without destroying the accomplishments gained and should be done with
sensitivity, intention and by phasing. It is not unusual for the individual to have a
feeling of a sense of loss; hence termination should be planned over few sessions.
Follow-up appointments can also be fixed for some time.

3.4.2 Attributes of a Counsellor

In order to provide effective counselling services, the counsellor needs to
demonstrate certain attributes. Some of these attributes which makes a person a
good counsellor are as under:
i) Self-Awareness and Understanding: A person who has awareness of her
needs, motivation for helping, feelings, personal strengths and weakness acts
as a good counsellor. These people do not use projection (for example: “I
had a very aggressive counselee” instead of “I felt angry with the counselee”),
defensiveness (for example: instead of responding to the counselee’s feelings
to a question” whether counselling will do any good”, she may express her
personal feeling to insecurity by raising her voice or other non-verbal behaviour.
ii) Good Mental Health: Although no person is totally problem free but a
person with less problems of good mental health can be a good cousellor,
otherwise their own problems will jeopardize the a process of counselling.
iii) Sensitivity: A person who is aware of resources, limitations, and vulnerability
of other persons as well as is keenly perceptive to other persons feelings and
needs are considered to have sensitivity. A person having the understanding
of individual will act as a good counsellor. (A person who can put one’s foot
into other’s shoe).
iv) Open-Mindedness: A person who is free from fixed or pre-conceived
ideas. It does not mean that they have no personal values or beliefs, but they
are aware of their own values and beliefs and are able to distinguish them
from the beliefs and values of others. They do not thrust their values on
others.
v) Objectivity: A person with the ability of not getting involved with the other
person and at the same time, stand back and see accurately what is happening.
(Not to get drowned while saving others.)
vi) Approachability: A person who has some resemblance with other known
pleasant and friendly person, who is friendly, has positive attitudes about
others and can be approached without a feeling of apprehension.
Check Your Progress 1
a. What is meant by guidance?
.....................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................
62
 Guidance And Counselling
b. What is counselling?
.....................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................
c. Enumerate the areas of counselling.
.....................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................
d. List out the phases/steps in counselling process.
.....................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................
e. What attributes make a good counsellor?
.....................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................

3.5 LET US SUM UP

In this unit, you have read about the term guidance and counselling and understood
that it is a dynamic and continuous process. You must have understand that
Guidance is the assistance given to the individual in the process of development.
It is a service meant for all and has a role to play in every developing economy.
Counselling is helping the person to take decision to solve problems. You must
have also read the relationship between guidance and counselling and the differences
between the two concepts. By this you will be able to provide need based
guidance and preventive counselling to adolescents as steps of counselling process
has also been explained.

3.6 KEY WORDS

Vocation : is a term for an occupation to which a person
is specially drawn or for which they are
suited, trained or qualified.
Intellectual : involving thought and reason
Self-concept : All information and beliefs individuals have
about their own characteristics and
themselves
Occupational self-concept : Self concept related to one’s occupation 63
Teachers Role And
Responsibilities for 3.7 ANSWERS TO CHECK YOUR PROGRESS
Growing Adolescents
Check Your Progress 1
a. Guidance is the assistance given to an individual to help him, to adjust to
himself, to others and to his own environment. In this way guidance is a
process of all-round development.
b. Counselling aaccording to Cormier and Hackney (1987) counselling is
defined as the “helping relationship” that includes –
i) someone seeking help,
ii) someone willing to give help who is capable or trained to help,
iii) A setting that permits-help to be given and received”.
c. Areas of Counselling are:
i) Educational
ii) Vocational
iii) Health and Living Conditions
iv) Personal
v) Moral and Social
vi) Leisure
These areas are interrelated and sometimes overlapping.
d. Phases/Steps in counselling process
It is difficult to divide this complex process into clearly defined phases. The
phases are enumerated –
i) Establishing relationship
ii) Assessment
iii) Setting Goals
iv) Intervention
v) Termination and Follow-Up.
e. Attributes of a good counsellor
i) Self awareness and understanding
ii) Good mental health
iii) Sensitivity
iv) Open mindedness
v) Objectivity
vi) Trustworthiness
64 vii) Approachability
 Guidance And Counselling
3.8 REFERENCES
Books:
1. Barkhi B.G. & Mukhopadhyay, (2008- 10th Reprint), Guidance and
Counselling: A Manual, Sterling Publishers Private Limited, New Delhi.
2. Kochhar S.K., (2007), Educational and Vocational Guidance in Secondary
Schools, Sterling Publishers Private Limited.
3. IGNOU, School of Health Sciences, (2009), Nursing Education and Research,
BNS-111, Karen Press, New Delhi.
4. Singh Yogesh Kumar, Guidance and Career Counselling, A.P.H. Publishing
Corporation, New Delhi.
5. Sister Vishala Mary, SND, (2006), Guidance and Counselling (For Teachers,
Parents and Students), Chan. S & Co. Ltd.
Websites
 http://www.gkindia.com/therapies/Counselling.htm
 http://www.andrea-sheehy.com/whatiscounselling.htm
 www.rgniyd-ahdp.gov.in

3.9 SUGGESTED READINGS

 Barkhi B.G. & Mukhopadhyay, (2008- 10th Reprint), Guidance and
Counselling: A Manual, Sterling Publishers Private Limited, New Delhi.
 Kochhar S.K., (2007), Educational and Vocational Guidance in Secondary
Schools, Sterling Publishers Private Limited.
 Singh Yogesh Kumar, Guidance and Career Counselling, A.P.H. Publishing
Corporation, New Delhi.

65
Soft skills, or human skills, are becoming more in demand by
employers as customers typically prefer to do business with
organizations they know, like and trust. If you desire to excel
personally and professionally, you need to cultivate and
market your human skills. In this article, we'll cover the
definition of human skills, provide you with examples, give
ways in which to improve human skills and provide ideas on
how you might highlight your own developing human skills.

What are human skills?

Human skills are the skills we use to relate to one another. Someone who possesses
strong human skills is likely very adept at social media for business purposes. A person
with strong human skills easily engages the audience, potential customer or current
customer. They're able to connect with people and those people feel like they know the
individual personally.

People with strong human skills project a welcoming warmth that most people want to
be a part of. This is beneficial on a personal and professional level.

Examples of human skills

Here are a few examples of human skills:

• Communication
• Understanding body language
• Empathy
• Self-awareness
• Growth mindset

Communication

Good communication skills are the basis for any relationship. Without the ability to
communicate well, we often become confused and things get distorted. Skilled
communicators are trusted and they effectively convey a thought or need.

A good communicator can reach all levels of an organization from peers to

management. They will excel in both email and in-person conversations. The key to
good communicating is also strong listening skills. It's important to hear what people are
saying to you.

Related: 4 Types of Communication

Understanding body language

With much of communication being non-verbal, being able to read body language is a
very important skill to master. A person conveys emotions in the way they stand,
whether they make eye contact or not and even the angle of their head. You can study
the secrets behind decoding body language and apply those skills to areas like sales,
customer support and communication. With those skills, you'll know who is receptive to
your message and who needs a little more convincing.

Related: Nonverbal Communication Skills: Definition and Examples

Empathy

Empathy is one of the most celebrated soft skills these days. To be empathetic means
that you're able to understand the opinions and biases of others as well as how their
own history or position may influence their thoughts and reactions. This can help you in
areas like marketing and relationships, in general.

Being empathetic means you suspend judgment and concentrate on understanding

someone else's perspective. It can be very powerful in establishing relationships as well
as persuading others. For instance, it's helpful to understand their influences before you
design a campaign enticing them to do what you're asking.

Self-awareness

Self-awareness is understanding the biases and challenges you may have in your own
life. Our experiences often define our attitudes and being self-aware means you realize
and understand these things, giving you the ability to move beyond them.

Growth mindset

This buzz phrase is often used about innovation in business but a growth mindset can
also be applied to the way you view personal development. Claiming someone has a
growth mindset means they aren't satisfied with the status quo. For example, someone
with a growth mindset will be focused on becoming a better person and increasing their
knowledge personally and professionally. Many employers hire people who can
exemplify a growth mindset because that means the candidate is generally more willing
to change than someone who does not embrace growth.

How to improve human skills

Improving human skills often includes:

Receiving feedback

Ask for feedback to understand what areas offer the largest potential for improvement.
Organizations that use 360-degree insights into professional growth can help an
employee see potential areas of improvement from all levels.

Incorporate constructive criticism

Incorporate the learning opportunities and constructive criticism you received from the
feedback. Look for patterns and areas of improvement. If one person provides a
suggestion for improvement, there may be a personal bias behind the comment. But if
their comment is echoed by several sources, it's likely a good area to work on.

Create a plan

Brainstorm ideas with your manager, mentor or friend about how you can act on
suggestions. You are more likely to change your behavior and become better in the
suggested area if you plot a course of action on how you will do that. For instance,
wanting to become a better listener is only the beginning of making it happen. You must
create a plan on how you will no longer spend conversations thinking about what you
will say next. Instead, pay attention to what the other person is saying until it is your
time to speak.

Then instead of adding your opinion or experience, ask them for further clarification or
explanation of what they are saying. It will help you be a better listener and will make
them feel more valued because you are taking an interest in what they're saying.

Practice

If you want to become better at a particular human skill, you must try it more than once
to excel at it. Build a habit of your new practice to become successful at it. This means
incorporating the human skill in all aspects of your life personally and professionally. For
example, being a good listener in your personal life but not your professional one will
not help you fully master the skill. You need repetition, practice and reinforcement to do
that. Try a volunteer opportunity for additional practice. For instance, if you want to be a
better listener, volunteering at a nursing home creates the perfect opportunity to try your
new skill.

Get interview-ready with tips from Indeed

Prepare for interviews with practice questions and tips

How to highlight human skills

Whether you were born with them or you've worked hard to acquire them, employers
value human skills. To impress a hiring manager, you'll need to prove you have human
skills. In that situation, it's not enough to state that you're a good communicator, for
instance. You must give examples, but human skills can be difficult to illustrate. Here
are some ways you can highlight them:

Show the thought process

During an interview, you are in a unique position to be able to talk about yourself and
your accomplishments. Instead of every answer to an interview question being just
about what you did, speak to the thought process behind your actions.

Take a class

An easy way to highlight the mastery of human skills is to take a class in it and receive a
grade or certification. This can easily be added to a resume.

Volunteer

A volunteer position helps show the development of a human skill and can be easily
talked about in those terms. For instance, you could join a chamber of commerce and
sit on their ambassador's committee to get a better understanding of different leadership
styles so that you can improve your own.

Ask for additional work or assignments

Getting professional practice can help you improve in the area of your choice. For
instance, if you want to become a better communicator you may ask your supervisor if
you can help human resources on the committee working to re-design the company
culture. Sometimes there are interdepartmental groups and other special projects that
can help you work on your desired area for more practice.

What are Human Relations Skills?

By Indeed Editorial Team
Updated March 4, 2021
Published September 25, 2020

The Indeed Editorial Team comprises a diverse and talented team of writers,
researchers and subject matter experts equipped with Indeed's data and
insights to deliver useful tips to help guide your career journey.

Human relations is critical for developing and maintaining a positive work environment,
retaining employees and encouraging productivity. By making human relations the focus
of your management approach, you can effectively create a workplace culture in which
your employees can thrive. Developing your human relations skills can help you modify
your management style so it's human relations-centric.

In this article, we discuss what human relations is, why human relations is important in
the workplace and specific human relations skills you should focus on developing.

Related: Human Skills: Definitions and Examples

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What is human relations?

Human relations refers to the ability to interact in a healthy manner with others and build
strong relationships. From the perspective of managers in a company, it involves the
process of creating systems and communication channels to enable group employee
relationships as well as strong one-on-one relationships. Additionally, it includes the
process of training people for specific roles, addressing their needs, resolving conflicts
between employees or between management and employees and creating a positive
workplace culture.

Related: 7 Types of Workplace Management Theories

Why is human relations important?

Human relations is critical in business for a variety of reasons, including:

• Employee productivity: When relationships between a company's

managers and its employees are supportive and positive, productivity is
shown to increase. Additionally, when employees are dependent upon
each other with their work, it directly influences productivity. When
employees feel that they're treated with respect and recognized for
contributing to a company's success, they are more likely to produce
quality work.
 • Motivation: When employees recognize that performing job-related
tasks will allow them to feel appreciated and valued, they are more
motivated to do them.
• Positive perception: An employee's interpersonal and communication
skills impact the perception that other employees have about their ability
to positively contribute to the workplace. A positive perception of an
employee's work and attitude could create opportunities for future
advancement.
• Employee retention: Employees who feel they're treated respectfully
by their employer are more likely to continue working for them for a
longer period of time. By using human relations to establish a feeling of
mutual trust and value, a company creates an environment where
employees feel that they matter and are less likely to pursue other
opportunities.
• Creativity: In the workplace, creativity is often dependent on the
employee's ability to communicate and share ideas with their
colleagues. By creating a positive workplace culture and nurturing
workplace relationships and teamwork, a business can encourage
creativity and more quickly develop products and services to meets the
consumer's changing needs.

Related: Human Resources: Definition and How It Works

Get interview-ready with tips from Indeed

Prepare for interviews with practice questions and tips

Human relations skills

By developing key human relations skills, managers and employees both can build and
maintain stronger relationships within a workforce and maintain a positive work
environment. Here are the most critical human relations skills:

Communication

Communication is essential in any work environment. However, it's especially critical for
those in a leadership role. By being able to communicate effectively with employees,
you can ensure that employees feel valued and motivated in the work they're doing.
Managers can accomplish this through written communication like notes or emails as
well as one-on-one conversations. By conveying messages to others and listening with
the intention of understanding, managers can nurture feelings of trust. Additionally,
employees are more likely to feel close to their managers if they are willing to share
their own personal perspectives and feelings and encourage others to do the same.
Leaders should adapt the language to the situation. This often means modifying their
choice of words depending on who they're speaking with. For example, if they're
communicating with a high-level executive, they should use a more formal
communication style than if they were speaking with a member of their own team or a
customer. Another approach to modifying your communication style is to mirror the style
of the person you're speaking with. Look for interests that you have in common with
them and match their physical stance and tone of voice.

Empathy

Empathy is another important human relations skill that allows you to show genuine
interest in understanding the feelings or challenges that others are experiencing.
Empathy allows you to look at a situation from their perspective and help them feel they
can trust you. By looking at a situation from their point of view, you can show them
compassion and more easily find solutions to problems they may be having, if
appropriate. This can strengthen the relationship you have with them.

Conflict resolution

Conflict can occur in the workplace when you have a large number of team members
with different personality types, goals and worldviews. Managers, then, must have well-
developed conflict resolution skills. When conflict arises, you need to be able to listen to
the individual perspectives so that each person involved feels that they are being heard
and understood. Once the facts are presented, you then work with the parties to come
up with a solution that everyone is comfortable with. By developing strong conflict
resolution skills, you can actually help to strengthen the relationships of employees on
your team and maintain or restore harmony in the workplace.

Multi-tasking

Leaders must be able to manage multiple, sometimes competing, priorities while staying
on-deadline. They also are often interrupted with questions and face numerous
unexpected tasks on a regular basis. They are responsible for making sure that their
own work is completed and also for ensuring the work of their time is being completed in
a timely manner.

Organization

Leaders need to be able to manage their time effectively and work efficiently, especially
when they're working on multiple priorities that are time-sensitive. Organization impacts
all areas of a working environment. It includes a manager's ability to keep their physical
workspace organized as well as organize their processes so they are efficient and get
the desired results. Managers are typically responsible for maintaining employee
records and filling out paperwork. Organization skills are critical in order to be able to
manage all of these responsibilities.
 Negotiation

Negotiation skills are important for helping multiple parties reach agreeable terms.
Managers are often responsible for helping reach agreements between vendors and
their company, negotiating employment offers or even just managing opposing
viewpoints. The mirroring approach described above can help managers be more
effective negotiators.

Stress management

Because leaders are responsible for managing the expectations of stakeholders,

managing a team of people and prioritizing their own work to achieve company
objectives, they are periodically faced with stressful situations. For this reason,
managers need to be equipped with effective stress management skills and be able to
remain calm under pressure. By actively using stress management techniques and
modeling them for their team, they can help maintain a calm work environment, even
when a team is under high levels of pressure.

10 Human Relations Skills and How To Improve Them

Discover 10 Human Relations skills along with some of the best tips to help you improve
these abilities.

Career Insights

Published Aug 12, 2022

Human relations skills are the skills we use to interact with other people. They include
communication, empathy, negotiation and conflict resolution. Having strong human
relations skills is essential for both personal and professional success. In this guide,
we’ll discuss what human relations skills are, why they’re important and how you can
improve your own human relations skills.

HUMAN RELATIONS SKILLS

• Communication
• Conflict Resolution
• Active Listening
• Emotional Intelligence
• Interpersonal Skills
• Teamwork
• Leadership
• Problem Solving
• Negotiation
• Organizational Skills

CLOSE-

Communication

Communication is an important human relations skill because it allows you to connect

with others, build relationships and manage conflict. When you can effectively
communicate, you can build trust, resolve conflict and create a positive work
environment. Good communication skills also allow you to better manage your own
emotions and reactions, which can help you stay calm and collected in stressful
situations.

Building good communication skills takes practice and patience. It’s important to be
aware of your own communication style and to be open to learning about how others
communicate. You should also be aware of the different types of communication, such
as verbal and nonverbal, and be able to use them effectively.

Conflict Resolution

Conflict resolution is the process of resolving a disagreement between two or more

parties. It can be a difficult process, but it’s important to resolve conflicts quickly and
efficiently to avoid escalation.

There are many different types of conflict resolution techniques, but the goal is always
to find a solution that is acceptable to all parties involved. Some common conflict
resolution techniques include negotiation, mediation, arbitration and compromise.

Conflict resolution skills are important in any role in human resources, as well as in
customer service, sales and management. In these roles, you may be required to
mediate disputes, negotiate agreements or arbitrate disputes.

Active Listening

Active listening is a key human relations skill. It involves paying attention to what the
other person is saying, both verbally and non-verbally, and responding in a way that
shows that you understand. Active listening can help build rapport, trust and respect. It
can also help resolve conflicts and improve communication.

Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence is the ability to be aware and understand your own emotions and
the emotions of others. It’s about being able to regulate your emotions, respond
effectively to emotions and create positive relationships.
People with high emotional intelligence are better at managing their own emotions and
responding to the emotions of others. They’re also better at creating positive
relationships and working well in teams. All of these skills are important in human
relations.

Interpersonal Skills

Interpersonal skills are the skills we use to interact with other people. They include
communication, empathy, active listening, and more. Interpersonal skills are important
in every area of life, from personal relationships to work relationships.

Interpersonal skills are important in human relations because they help us build
relationships, understand others, and communicate effectively. Good interpersonal skills
can help you build better relationships, improve communication, and understand others.

Teamwork

Teamwork is an important human relations skill because it helps build relationships,

trust and communication between team members. When team members work together,
they have to communicate effectively, share information and resources, and work
together to achieve a common goal. This can help build trust and relationships within
the team, and can also help improve communication and relationships with other teams
or departments.

Leadership

Leadership is an important skill in human relations because it allows you to motivate

and inspire others to achieve a common goal. Leaders can inspire others to be better
versions of themselves by setting a positive example and providing guidance. Leaders
also need to be able to manage conflict and build relationships with their team
members.

Leadership skills are important in any field, but they are especially important in human
relations because they allow you to better manage and resolve conflicts. Leaders can
also inspire their team members to work harder and be more productive.

Problem Solving

Problem solving is an important human relations skill because it allows you to resolve
conflicts and improve relationships. When you’re able to solve problems, you’re able to
see both sides of the issue and find a solution that works for everyone. Problem solving
also requires good communication, which is another important human relations skill.

#####

Explain why Active Listening is an important Human Relations skill.

Active listening is an important human relations skill because it allows you to really hear
what someone is saying and understand their point of view. When you’re able to
actively listen, you’re able to build better relationships and resolve conflicts. Active
listening also requires good communication, which is another important human relations
skill.

Negotiation

Negotiation is an important skill in human relations because it allows you to reach

agreements with others that are beneficial for both parties. When you are able to
negotiate effectively, you can build relationships with others and increase trust.
Additionally, negotiation can help you resolve conflicts and improve communication.

To be a successful negotiator, you need to be able to understand the other person’s

needs, wants and expectations. You also need to be able to identify common ground
and find ways to compromise. When you are able to negotiate effectively, you can
improve the overall quality of your relationships with others.

Organizational Skills

Organizational skills are important in human relations because they help you keep track
of information, stay on schedule and manage your time. Good organizational skills can
help you be more efficient and effective in your work, which can lead to better
relationships with your co-workers and clients.

Organizational skills include the ability to set goals, make plans, use time effectively,
delegate tasks and manage your time. Good organizational skills can help you stay
organized, which can lead to less stress and more productivity. When you’re more
organized, you can better manage your time and meet deadlines. This can lead to
better relationships with your co-workers and clients.

How to Improve Your Human Relations Skills

1. Use “I” statements
When communicating with others, use “I” statements. For example, instead of saying
“You always interrupt me,” try “I feel disrespected when I am interrupted.” This will help
the other person understand how you feel and why, rather than putting them on the
defensive.

2. Avoid using absolutes

Absolutes are words like “never” or “always” that generalize a situation. For example,
instead of saying “You never listen to me,” try “I feel unheard when my ideas are not
given consideration.” Again, this will help the other person understand your perspective
without making them feel attacked.
3. Seek first to understand, then to be understood
This involves taking the time to truly understand another person’s point of view before
trying to explain your own. In order to do this, you must be an active listener. This
means giving the other person your full attention, making eye contact, and repeating
back what you heard to ensure understanding. Only after you have done this should you
attempt to explain your own point of view.

4. Brainstorm solutions together

Once you have both had a chance to share your perspectives, it is time to brainstorm
solutions together. It is important to remember that there is no such thing as a “right”
solution – the goal is simply to find something that works for both of you. Be open to
compromise, and avoid getting attached to any particular solution.

5. Agree on a plan of action

After you have come up with a solution that you are both happy with, agree on a plan of
action. This might involve setting a deadline, assigning tasks, or checking in with each
other at regular intervals. Having a specific plan will help to ensure that the issue is
actually resolved, and not just forgotten about.

What are Management Skills?

Management skills can be defined as certain attributes or abilities that
an executive should possess in order to fulfill specific tasks in an
organization. They include the capacity to perform executive duties in
an organization while avoiding crisis situations and promptly solving
problems when they occur.

Management skills can be developed through learning and practical

experience as a manager. The skills help the manager to relate with
their fellow co-workers and know how to deal well with their
subordinates, which allows for the easy flow of activities in the
organization.
Good management skills are vital for any organization to succeed and
achieve its goals and objectives. A manager who fosters good
management skills is able to propel the company’s mission
and vision or business goals forward with fewer hurdles and objections
from internal and external sources.
Management and leadership skills are often used interchangeably as
they both involve planning, decision-making, problem-solving,
communication, delegation, and time management. Good managers
are almost always good leaders as well.

In addition to leading, a critical role of a manager is to also ensure that

all parts of the organization are functioning cohesively. Without such
integration, several issues can arise and failure is bound to happen.
Management skills are crucial for various positions and at different
levels of a company, from top leadership to intermediate supervisors
to first-level managers.

Types of Management Skills

According to American social and organizational psychologist Robert

Katz, the three basic types of management skills include:
1. Technical Skills

Technical skills involve skills that give the managers the ability and the
knowledge to use a variety of techniques to achieve their objectives.
These skills not only involve operating machines and software,
production tools, and pieces of equipment but also the skills needed
to boost sales, design different types of products and services, and
market the services and the products.
2. Conceptual Skills

These involve the skills managers present in terms of the knowledge

and ability for abstract thinking and formulating ideas. The manager is
able to see an entire concept, analyze and diagnose a problem, and
find creative solutions. This helps the manager to effectively predict
hurdles their department or the business as a whole may face.
3. Human or Interpersonal Skills

The human or the interpersonal skills are the skills that present the
managers’ ability to interact, work or relate effectively with people.
These skills enable the managers to make use of human potential in
the company and motivate the employees for better results.

Examples of Management Skills

There is a wide range of skills that management should possess to run

an organization effectively and efficiently. The following are six
essential management skills that any manager ought to possess for
them to perform their duties:
1. Planning

Planning is a vital aspect within an organization. It refers to one’s

ability to organize activities in line with set guidelines while still
remaining within the limits of the available resources such as time,
money, and labor. It is also the process of formulating a set of actions
or one or more strategies to pursue and achieve certain goals or
objectives with the available resources.

The planning process includes identifying and setting achievable

goals, developing necessary strategies, and outlining the tasks and
schedules on how to achieve the set goals. Without a good plan, little
can be achieved.
2. Communication

Possessing great communication skills is crucial for a manager. It can

determine how well information is shared throughout a team, ensuring
that the group acts as a unified workforce. How well a manager
communicates with the rest of his/her team also determines how well
outlined procedures can be followed, how well the tasks and activities
can be completed, and thus, how successful an organization will be.

Communication involves the flow of information within the

organization, whether formal or informal, verbal or written, vertical or
horizontal, and it facilitates the smooth functioning of the
organization. Clearly established communication channels in an
organization allow the manager to collaborate with the team, prevent
conflicts, and resolve issues as they arise. A manager with good
communication skills can relate well with the employees and, thus, be
able to achieve the company’s set goals and objectives easily.
3. Decision-making

Another vital management skill is decision-making. Managers make

numerous decisions, whether knowingly or not, and making decisions
is a key component in a manager’s success. Making proper and right
decisions results in the success of the organization, while poor or bad
decisions may lead to failure or poor performance.

For the organization to run effectively and smoothly, clear and right
decisions should be made. A manager must be accountable for every
decision that they make and also be willing to take responsibility for
the results of their decisions. A good manager needs to possess great
decision-making skills, as it often dictates his/her success in achieving
organizational objectives.
4. Delegation

Delegation is another key management skill. Delegation is the act of

passing on work-related tasks and/or authorities to other employees
or subordinates. It involves the process of allowing your tasks or those
of your employees to be reassigned or reallocated to other employees
depending on current workloads. A manager with good delegation
skills is able to effectively and efficiently reassign tasks and give
authority to the right employees. When delegation is carried out
effectively, it helps facilitate efficient task completion.

Delegation helps the manager to avoid wastage of time, optimizes

productivity, and ensures responsibility and accountability on the part
of employees. Every manager must have good delegation abilities to
achieve optimal results and accomplish the required productivity
results.
5. Problem-solving

Problem-solving is another essential skill. A good manager must have

the ability to tackle and solve the frequent problems that can arise in a
typical workday. Problem-solving in management involves identifying
a certain problem or situation and then finding the best way to handle
the problem and get the best solution. It is the ability to sort things
out even when the prevailing conditions are not right. When it is clear
that a manager has great problem-solving skills, it differentiates
him/her from the rest of the team and gives subordinates confidence
in his/her managerial skills.
6. Motivating

The ability to motivate is another important skill in an organization.

Motivation helps bring forth a desired behavior or response from the
employees or certain stakeholders. There are numerous motivation
tactics that managers can use, and choosing the right ones can
depend on characteristics such as company and team culture, team
personalities, and more. There are two primary types of motivation
that a manager can use. These are intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.

Bottom Line

Management skills are a collection of abilities that include things such

as business planning, decision-making, problem-solving,
communication, delegation, and time management. While different
roles and organizations require the use of various skill sets,
management skills help a professional stand out and excel no matter
what their level. In top management, these skills are essential to run an
organization well and achieve desired business objectives.
When developing your managerial abilities, don't neglect those vital conceptual skills
When most people think about management skills, they often focus on things like organization,
delegation, and resource allocation. From the outside looking in, a manager's job can sometimes seem
focused on the small things in business: creating schedules, directing employees, and relentlessly
pushing a team to meet short and long-term goals. Few people ever consider the important conceptual
skills that managers use to achieve their objectives.
In this post, we'll explain why conceptual skills are so important and examine seven conceptual skills
that all good managers need if they want to be effective in their jobs. We'll also offer some tips that
you can use to enhance your own conceptual skills and expand your management abilities.

What are conceptual skills?

Conceptual skills include all those abstract thinking abilities that enable you to see the big picture,
consider new concepts, and apply them to solve new challenges. These abilities are used any time you
need to evaluate complicated situations or put new information into its proper context. They are the
skills needed to think through new scenarios, identify potential solutions, and create plans that apply
those solutions in a way that resolves problems.
Conceptual skills are also critical to ensure that people learn from past experiences and continually
refine their approach to problem solving as new challenges arise. These abilities are possessed by all
great problem solvers and are also vital for strategic analysis and planning. Without conceptual skills,
managers would be unable to adapt systems and processes to keep pace with unexpected changes.

Why are conceptual skills so vital for management?

No matter how well any workplace system is designed, evolving circumstances will eventually require
some form of adaptation if a business is to survive and thrive. Good managers need to be able to adapt
and apply new solutions to meet emerging problems. Conceptual skills provide managers with the
tools they need to harness their available resources and overcome any challenges. These skills become
even more important for managers in the highest levels of a company.
Managers who possess well-developed conceptual skills typically enjoy greater success with their
teams, as they are capable of understanding even the most complex situations and recognize how to
capitalize on opportunities. These managers are able to absorb new information, place it in the proper
context, and adapt workplace solutions to meet challenging deadlines and production needs. Their
ability to see the big picture helps them to navigate even the most challenging circumstances and
continue to lead their teams to success.

Seven conceptual skills every good manager needs

As noted, conceptual skills are not a singular ability, but a collection of skills that managers need to be
successful. To help you to better understand these abilities, we've put together a list of seven key
conceptual skills that every great manager should possess.
1. Abstract thinking
Abstract thinking is a vital conceptual skill, because it enables you to think outside the box even when
you don't have all of the information you need. When you can think in an abstract way, you can
connect bits of information to better understand varied circumstances and challenges. An abstract
thinker is able to make sense of complex information and ideas, step back and objectively analyze the
situation, and create effective plans that help their teams to meet any challenge.

2. Logical thinking
Managers also need to be focused on logical thinking, to ensure that their plans and solutions are the
ones that provide the most benefit to their companies. A logical thinker considers all of the most
relevant possibilities and factors as they make their decision. This enables them to properly assess the
pros and cons of any course of action.

3. Creative thinking
Creative thinking is vital for ensuring that cutting-edge ideas are not neglected during any thought
process. For managers, some measure of creative thinking can help to inspire the exploration of
possible solutions that might otherwise be ignored. Creative thinking also helps to bridge the divide
between abstract thought and logic, enabling a great manager to find a viable solution to almost any
problem.

4. Problem solving
Managers cannot wait for problems to solve themselves, but must proactively seek solutions to
challenges as they arise. Great managers are skilled problem solvers and are able to save time and
resources by identifying solutions in an efficient and effective manner. Problem-solving skills can
include a whole host of analytical, strategic, and planning abilities.

5. Communication
Effective communication is a key conceptual skill as well. It's not enough to be able to think outside
the box and apply logic to any problem-solving effort. Truly effective management also requires a
manager to communicate those ideas to others in a persuasive manner. Great communication builds
trust between team members, establishes clear boundaries of responsibility and authority, and helps to
motivate everyone to work toward common goals.

6. Time management
Time management may not seem conceptual in nature, but it's a necessary component of any
conceptual ability tool kit. Effective management of time is key to ensuring that work is organized and
that projects get completed on time. A manager who can't make efficient use of their time will struggle
to apply other conceptual skills in an effective way. Note that time management also includes things
like task prioritization, delegation, and goal setting.

7. Decision-making
The final of our seven conceptual skills is a key ability for all managers: decision-making. Managers
have to know how to make good decisions in a quick and efficient way. Regardless of whether they
use a values-based, fact-based, or intuitive decision-making process, their ability to choose between
multiple possible decisions is vital for a manager's success.

How you can develop your own conceptual abilities

If you want to grow and succeed in a management role, you'll need to develop your own conceptual
skills. Below are some effective tips that you can use to expand these skills in ways that can advance
your managerial career.

Observe other managers and leaders

Sometimes, the best way to improve your own skills is to follow in the footsteps of those who already
possess the abilities you want to develop. Identify successful managers in your orbit and emulate their
success. If you're fortunate, you may be able to get one of them to provide you with some tips and
insights to help in your development, or even become your mentor. A great mentor can help to guide
you on a path to greater success and is well worth the effort if you truly want to reach the next level in
your managerial journey.

Attend business seminars

These days, there's no shortage of business seminars to attend. Some take place in the physical world,
while others can be attended online. You can use Google to locate relevant seminars. Just pick the
subject matter you want to learn more about and sign up! Alternatively, you can take advantage of the
many podcasts and online videos that deal with skill development and other important management
issues.

Keep pace with changes in your industry

No matter what industry you're in, chances are that it is in a constant state of evolution. One way to
develop your conceptual skills is to consistently read trade journals and other sources of information
about changes in your industry. That will help to ensure that you're continually being challenged with
new information and new ideas.

Identify weaknesses in your company and try to find solutions

You can also exercise your conceptual skills by engaging in test studies in your own time. For
example, try to identify a weakness in one of your company's processes or systems. Then apply
various conceptual skills to explore different solutions that may improve those areas. You don't need
to necessarily present your ideas to your superiors, but can simply use this as an opportunity to expand
your conceptual ability.

Push your own boundaries

 Above all else, never stop pushing yourself. Skill development should be a lifelong endeavor,
especially for those whose aspirations include management or leadership positions. By constantly
exposing yourself to new ideas and pushing yourself to expand your abilities, you can ensure that your
conceptual skills can meet any new challenge that comes your way.

Add examples of conceptual skills on your resume

As you can see, conceptual skills are among the most critical abilities managers rely on to successfully
perform their duties. Understanding how these abilities are used at every level of managerial
responsibility, and the importance of developing your own conceptual skills, is an important step
toward ensuring that you have the management skills you need to advance your career.

What are Technical Skills?

Skills on your resume can be broken down into two main categories:

• Soft Skills: Also called interpersonal skills, these are your social and emotional
abilities. They affect how you interact and communicate with other people.
• Hard Skills: Hard skills are also called technical skills. They are a person’s
technical abilities and are often industry-specific.

Technical skills are hard skills because they are quantifiable in some
way.

Usually, a hard skill can be either learned or taught.

Why Should I Include Technical Skills on

My Resume?

Writing skills on your resume is a good way to highlight your personal

and professional strengths to employers.

The key to including skills is to list both hard and soft skills.
 By doing so, you show employers that you are both talented and a
team player.

Certain industries require more technical skills than others.

These industries include:

• Information Technology (IT)

• Software Development
• UX and Web Design
• Engineering
• Healthcare
• Marketing

However, all industries have specific technical skills they look for.

What Are the Best Technical Skills I

Should Add to My Resume?

All businesses have industry-specific technical skills they look for.

To determine the best technical skills to add to your resume, you must
examine the requirements of the industry you are entering.

For instance, if you are seeking a job as a software developer,

emphasizing that you are skilled in using programming languages will
be key.
Of course, all industries have certain technical skills they seek in
applicants.

There are thousands of technical skills that you can learn and develop
– far more than we can cover here.

The key is to read the job description thoroughly to identify the

employer’s desired skills.

It is Friday evening and you are about to call it a day! Suddenly, your boss walks up to you
and reveals that you will have to present the Quarterly Marketing Strategy on Monday. Your
world comes crashing down! Weekend plans for dinner and movies are at once replaced by
preparations for the presentation. Your reaction to this? Disturbed and Nervous, to say the
least.

Relax. If presentations drive you into a panic mode always, it is time to take a chill pill.
Firstly, the presentations are really important. It is perhaps the best way to communicate a
strategy, an idea, news, a long-term plan to the entire team so that everyone is on the
same page. Therefore, a presentation has to be highly impactful. With a little preparation
and a few other approaches, you can also master the art of presentation.

We bring to you 7 magical tricks that will help you to nail any presentation that you conduct.
So, here they are

(1) Practice! Practice! Practice

Nothing prepares you better than thorough practice. Making the presentation and inserting
relevant data is simpler, but the challenge is to communicate it to the audience. For this,
you must spend a lot of time to practice speaking eloquently. You need to understand which
points to quickly discuss and which points to emphasize. You can record your practice
sessions or ask a friend to give you feedback on them. You can also practice your speech
with various hand gestures or movement to create a lasting impact. Proper practice will add
that extra confidence when you make the presentation.

(2) Be a Storyteller

Nobody wants a stereotype presentation, where the speaker is mechanically going through
the slides or reading it. To engage the audience and drive your point across, you can try to
weave a story around the numbers or strategies. Not only will it make this interesting for the
audience, but it will also easier for you to communicate your idea. The story can be
impromptu or you can consider adding it to your script during a practice session. What can
make things more interesting is a dash of humor. If you include a few jokes into your
presentation, which are in good spirits, you are sure to win those brownie points!
Some examples of incorporating stories in your presentations are:

You can also check useful resources like:

How to Use Storytelling in a Speech | Public Speaking

(3) Use Voice Modulation

We always think that data and content are the backbones of a good presentation. They are
surely important but not everything. Nothing impresses audiences more than an honest and
baritone voice. You have to sound compelling and convincing. The pitch of your voice
should change according to the situation you are talking about. If you are talking about the
annual results, the company’s achievements or some crucial targets, you have to slow the
pace of your speech and use a deep voice. If you are talking about an upcoming event or a
new collaboration, you need to convey that excitement. On the other hand, if you are talking
about recent job cuts, you need to sound a little somber. Adding a personal touch makes all
the difference.

Check out a few helpful videos You Tube like:

Importance of Voice Modulation

Voice Training Exercise | Easy steps to improve the sound of your voice

(4) Avoid Information Overdose

The idea of a presentation is to giveaway things in a crisp and condensed manner. You
cannot stuff the slides with enormous data or include too many slides unless it’s really
important. Try to give bite sized information rather than shoving numbers down the
audience’s throat. For this, you need to do rigorous editing of your slides. If you feel a point
is too tangential or less relevant, skip it. Another way to use the lesser relevant data is to
create another presentation on the sub-topic rather than cramming it in the main slides.

(5) Make It Interactive

A presentation doesn’t have to be a monologue. You can always include the audience
through a comment or question/answer session. To keep the audience engaged, you can
place the sessions strategically during the course of the presentation rather than reserving it
for the end. Invite suggestions, queries, and comments or conduct a small survey. The
more involved the audience is, the more successful your presentation will be. Also, be
prepared for dicey questions. It will help you to get a better grip on the subject.

(6) Smile and Eye Contact

This may sound simple but is a very effective trick for good presentations. When you smile
and make eye contact with the audience, you are being your confident self and establishing
a rapport with them. This works both ways. The audience is able to relate to you and the
subject better, and you feel less nervous. Presentation is not just about the slides, but also
about the way you connect with the audience.

(7) Remember the 10:20:30 Rule

Popularised by Guy Kawasaki, a global marketing veteran, the 10:20:30 has been the rule
of thumb for presentations since 2005. It says your presentation should not have more than
10 slides, it shouldn’t be longer than 20 minutes and the font size shouldn’t be less than 30.

Coming to the slides, presentations are no longer restricted to Power Point. Today, Prezi
and Haiku Deck are also widely used by many organizations. However, the bottom line is to
keep it as short as possible. As for the time of the presentation, today’s audience has a
shorter attention span than ever, hence you need to keep it crisp and convey the core
message within 20 minutes. Lastly, the font size specification is to make it legible, appealing
and impactful to the human eyes.

Problem-Solving Skills: Definitions and Examples

By Indeed Editorial Team
Updated 12 February 2021
Published 30 June 2020

The Indeed Editorial Team comprises a diverse and talented team of writers,
researchers and subject matter experts equipped with Indeed's data and
insights to deliver useful tips to help guide your career journey.

When employers talk about problem-solving skills, they are often referring to the ability
to handle difficult or unexpected situations in the workplace as well as complex
business challenges. Organisations rely on people who can assess both kinds of
situations and calmly identify solutions. Problem-solving skills are traits that enable you
to do that. While problem-solving skills are valued by employers, they are also highly
useful in other areas of life like relationship building and day-to-day decision making.

1. What are problem-solving skills?

2. Examples of problem-solving skills
3. How to improve your problem-solving skills
4. How to highlight problem-solving skills

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What are problem-solving skills?

Problem-solving skills help you determine the source of a problem and find an effective
solution. Although problem-solving is often identified as its own separate skill, there are
other related skills that contribute to this ability.

Some key problem-solving skills include:

• Active listening
• Analysis
• Research
• Creativity
• Communication
• Dependability
• Decision making
• Team-building

Problem-solving skills are important in every career at every level. As a result, effective
problem solving may also require industry or job-specific technical skills. For example, a
registered nurse will need active listening and communication skills when interacting
with patients but will also need effective technical knowledge related to diseases and
medications. In many cases, a nurse will need to know when to consult a doctor
regarding a patient’s medical needs as part of the solution.

Examples of problem-solving skills

To solve a problem effectively, you will likely use a few different skills. Here are a few
examples of skills you may use when solving a problem.

Research

Researching is an essential skill related to problem solving. As a problem solver, you

need to be able to identify the cause of the issue and understand it fully. You can begin
to gather more information about a problem by brainstorming with other team members,
consulting more experienced colleagues or acquiring knowledge through online
research or courses.

Analysis
The first step to solving any problem is to analyse the situation. Your analytical skills will
help you understand problems and effectively develop solutions. You will also need
analytical skills during research to help distinguish between effective and ineffective
solutions.

Decision-making

Ultimately, you will need to make a decision about how to solve problems that arise. At
times (and with industry experience), you may be able to make a decision quickly. Solid
research and analytical skills can help those who have less experience in their field.
There may also be times when it is appropriate to take some time to craft a solution or
escalate the issue to someone more capable of solving it.

Communication

When identifying possible solutions, you will need to know how to communicate the
problem to others. You will also need to know what communication channels are the
most appropriate when seeking assistance. Once you find a solution, communicating it
clearly will help reduce any confusion and make implementing a solution easier.

Dependability

Dependability is one of the most important skills for problem-solvers. Solving problems
in a timely manner is essential. Employers highly value individuals they can trust to both
identify and then implement solutions as fast and effectively as possible.

How to improve your problem-solving skills

There are several methods you can use to improve your problem-solving skills. Whether
you are searching for a job or currently working, improving your problem-solving skills
and associated abilities will help make you a strong candidate and employee.

• Acquire more technical knowledge in your field. Depending on your

industry, it may be easier to solve problems if you have a strong working
technical knowledge. You can gain more technical knowledge through
additional coursework, training or practice.
• Seek out opportunities to solve problems. By putting yourself into
new situations, you are more likely to be exposed to opportunities to
solve problems. You may find there are opportunities to volunteer for
new projects in your current role, on another team or outside the
workplace for another organisation.
• Do practice problems. Practice and role-play can be useful tools when
learning to develop your problem-solving skills. You can find
professional practice books for your industry and problem-solving
 scenarios online. Practice how you might solve those problems and
determine if your potential solutions are viable.

For example, in customer service, you might find a scenario like, “How would you
handle an angry customer?” or “How do you respond when a customer asks for a
refund?” Practicing how you might handle these or other scenarios common in your
industry can help you call upon solutions quickly when they arise on the job.

• Observe how others solve problems. You may have colleagues who
are skilled problem solvers. Observing how those colleagues solve
problems can help you improve your own skills. If possible, ask one of
your more experienced colleagues if you can observe their techniques.
Asking relevant questions can be helpful in applying them in your own
career.

How to highlight problem-solving skills

Showcasing your problem-solving skills on your resume and cover letter can help
employers quickly understand how you might be of value to their team. You might
consider only showcasing problem-solving skills on your resume if it is particularly
relevant to the position you’re applying for. Customer service, engineering and
management positions, for example, would be good candidates for including problem-
solving abilities.

Problem-solving skills for resume

On your resume, you can highlight your problem-solving skills in several locations: The
“skills” section, the “achievements” section and by giving specific examples of problem-
solving in your “experience” section.

In the skills section, you may want to list key problem-solving skills that you possess
instead of simply writing down the more generic term “problem-solving”. For example,
you could list specific technical skills you possess that would help you solve problems or
soft skills associated with problem-solving such as your research abilities or decision-
making talents.

Remember, stories are powerful. Keep specific examples in mind of times you solved a
problem. This is not only useful on your resume but will also help you answer interview
questions like, “Tell me about a time you overcame an obstacle.”

Problem-solving skills for cover letter

Your cover letter is also an excellent opportunity to elaborate on your problem-solving

skills. Here, you can give a brief example of a time you solved a problem successfully.
Alternatively, you might identify a challenge that this potential employer is seeking to
solve and explain how you would address it.

Related: 7 Powerful Ways to Start a Cover Letter

For example, if a job posting mentions that the company is looking for someone to help
improve their social media presence, you can identify ways you might aid in increasing
awareness of the brand through various social media platforms.

Your problem-solving skills will be a benefit to you in every step of your career. From
resume to application, interview to job duties, the ability to solve problems effectively as
they arise will make you a valuable asset on the job and a highly sought after candidate.