University Institute of Liberal Arts

and Humanities
Course Name – Communication Skills-II
Course Code – 24PCP-111

PROBLEM SOLVING AND DISCOVER . LEARN . EMPOWER

DECISION MAKING
 COURSE OBJECTIVES
The Course aims to:
Stress on students awareness of interpersonal communication skills and
appropriate usage of verbal and non-verbal expression in social and
1 professional environment.

Prepare the student for discourse in English, using a number of

2 communication strategies.

Introduce them to key concepts of Morality, Diversity & Inclusion

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Provide foundations for the placement process of the student.
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 COURSE
OUTCOMES
On completion, the students are expected to
CO
Title Level
Number
Present moral values, ethics and sensitivity for
CO1 Apply
diversity and inclusion.

CO2 Perform effectively in the placement process. Apply

Analyze and summarize information, ideas and

CO3 opinions using grammatically correct English to Analyse
speak effectively.
Evaluate facts to prepare research and short official,
CO4 Evaluate
technical or social reports.
Create communication material for an organization
CO5 dedicated to a social cause and use electronic/social Create
media to share concepts and ideas.

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 Pre Lab Questions

Q1. Have you ever been confused, baffled, unsure or lost while
making some crucial decision ?

1. Always

2. Never

3. Sometimes

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Wanderlust Worker
 Pre Lab Questions
Q2. Do you consider yourself as a quick decision maker?

A. Yes
B. No

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Are You A Problem Solver?

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 What is a Problem?
A problem can be defined as:
• A perceived gap between
the desired state and actual
state.
• It is Expectation v/s Reality
• Problems can also be
opportunities: they allow you
to see things differently and
do thing in a different way.

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 Pillars of Problem Solving

• A Can-Do Attitude: Positive

attitude utmost important to
solve problems.
• Listen actively to accurately
understand the problem.
• Facts alone should influence
you to make correct
decisions.

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 Poll Question 1

Positive attitude eases the process of decision making.

Do you agree?

1. Yes
2. No

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 Problem Solving (1/2)
• Problem solving is cognitive
processing directed at
achieving a goal where no
solution is obvious to the
problem solver.
• Critical thinking assists in
understanding the causes of
the problem, formulating and
solving the problem and in
decision making.
https://in.pinterest.com/
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 Problem Solving (2/2)
• When faced with a situation
that causes uncertainty,
perplexity or difficulty in
achieving your goal.
• It is a systematic approach
to defining the problem and
creating a vast number of
possible solutions without
judging these solutions.

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 Skills required for Problem
Solving
• Making judgments
• Analytical skills
• Decision making
• Collecting information
• Planning

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Stages in Problem Solving

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 Stage 1: Identify the problem
• Be aware of the problem to be
able to work on it.
• Gather information related to
the problem by defining in
terms of facts, causes,
resources, factors, criteria etc
• Look at your problem in
different ways - find a new
perspective that you haven't
thought of before.
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 Stage 2: Explore the problem
• Recognize every aspect in order to
figure out the best way to solve it.
Discuss with experts, ask questions to
peers and yourself, visualize the
situation, restate the problem in your
own words, explain the problem to
someone else.
• Construct a clear and accurate
definition of the problem by identifying
circumstances and barriers.

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 Poll Question 2

How imperitive is it to structure the problem before attempting to

solve it?

A. Very much
B. Not at all
C. Depends on the problem

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 Stage 3: Look for alternatives
• Brainstorming: Is a group problem-
solving technique that involves
spontaneous contribution of creative
ideas from all members of the group.
• When there is a time limit,
individuals think faster!
• Groups provide an opportunity for
greater innovation.
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 Stage 3: Look for alternatives
• Brainstorming or rapid listing forms an excellent discovery
process of alternatives .
• After mapping alternatives, be open to their possibilities.
• Make notes on those alternatives that:
- need more information
- are new solutions
- can be combined or eliminated
- will meet opposition
- seem promising or exciting

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 Stage 4: Decision Making
•This stage is a process of decision-making based on your
comparing the possible outcomes of your alternative solutions;
this is the “DO” stage.
•Decision Making: The act of narrowing down the possibilities,
selecting the best alternative, choosing a course of action for
implementation and determining the action’s potential
consequences.
•Weigh Alternatives
•Consider your intuition
•Making a decision to implement the solution
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Let’s Understand with an example!

In a small town, there are two railway tracks crossing, out of

which one track is in use while the other is not. A group of
children are playing on the track that is in use. On the track
which is not in use, only one child is playing. The train is
coming, and you are just beside the track of interchange.
Now you have to decide whether to change the track of the
train or not.

Analyze the case and make your decision!

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 Possible Alternatives
You can make the train change its course to the track not in use
and save most of the kids.

However, that would also mean the lone child would be

sacrificed.
OR
You can rather let the train go on its way.

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Stage 5: Implement the solution
• The process of
implementing the solution
occurs in 3 stages:
• Planning and preparing to
implement the solution
• Taking the appropriate
action
• Monitoring the effects

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 Stage 6: Evaluate
• The process has to be
monitored to make sure the
solution is going smoothly
• Any problem arising in
implementation must be
addressed quickly
• Review the success of the
action in terms of
achievement of goal.

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 Poll Question 3

Do you think the process of decision making can be creative?

If Yes, raise your hands.

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 Activity
Activity:
The student will choose one of the following scenarios:
1. Two of your team members are constantly disagreeing, and it’s starting to impact the
team’s productivity and overall morale. As the manager, how would you handle this
situation to resolve the conflict and keep the team’s energy and collaboration strong?
2. You’ve noticed a rise in employee turnover, especially within one department. The
reasons behind it seem to be poor management and limited growth opportunities. What
steps would you take to understand the root causes and come up with strategies to improve
employee retention?
3. Results from an employee engagement survey show that staff members feel disconnected
and unmotivated. As an HR manager, how would you go about identifying the reasons
behind this, and what actions would you take to boost engagement and keep employees
motivated and committed to the company?
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 Applications
• Will help students critically analyze a problem
• Will help them brainstorm and find possible ideas to solve a
particular problem
• Students will be able to take decision after thoroughly
analyzing the situation.

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 Assessment Pattern
Students are assessed on the basis of the following
parameters:
Content Assessment (12) Fluency of Speech (10) Confidence (8) Overall Assessment

•Relevance of the content •Syntax to be appropriate •Confidence level of students Regular Assessment
•Exemplifying the content •Sentences should be grammatically •Positive body language- Content: 12
•Adequate length of the accurate smile, eye-contact, Confidence: 8
content •Paralinguistic aspects to be taken into enthusiasm, gestures, posture, Fluency:10
•Coherence and logic consideration such as tone, rhythm, pitch etc. Total: 30
•Consistent flow of thought etc •Speaking without the help of One Mid Semester
•Creative and original ideas •Pauses to be used appropriately any written material Practical: 30 (Scaled Marks
•Monotone to be marked down out of 10)
•Intelligible and comprehensible End Term Practical: 40
pronunciation
•Fluency in language- voice clarity and
audibility

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 References
• https://www.celoxis.com/project-management/chapter/collabora
tion-pillars
• https://www.humorthatworks.com/learning/5-steps-of-problem-s
olving/
• https://www.bradford.ac.uk/careers/develop-skills/problem-solvi
ng/
• https://www.guilford.com/excerpts/wehmeyer.pdf?t

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THANK YOU

For queries
Email: [email protected]