Professor M.S.Rao Born for the Students

© 2012 MSR Leadership Consultants India. All Rights Reserved. This is an educational blog for free sharing of knowledge, not for commercial use. The use of this material is free provided copyright is acknowledged and reference or link is made to the Blog http://professormsrao.blogspot.com This material may not be sold, or published in any form, or used in the provision of business services to a third party without permission. This blog is dedicated to the passionate students and teachers

Thursday, 26 July 2012

“How to Improve Your English Language?” - Professor M.S.Rao

“And yes, English is the most powerful medium of communication in the world: should we not then rejoice at the artists’ mastery of it, and at their growing influence.” – Salman Rushdie and Elizabeth West

Indian students encounter several challenges while communicating with others in English. Most of the educated Indian youth are keen to speak in English language to connect with others, and enhance their career prospects. But they often find it challenging to speak in English language. There are a number of reasons for this.

Students are scared of what others think if they speak in English wrongly as English is not their native language. Some people ridicule English speakers, and as a result, students are hesitant to speak in English language. They have apprehensions that they would make mistakes while speaking as most of them are overly concerned about grammar. The influence and interference of mother tongue is another cause for concern for students that prevent them from speaking in English although they have fascination for this foreign language. Here are the steps to follow to improve your English language:

Think in English rather than thinking in your native language. It helps quicken the process of learning English. We think throughout the waking hours, and talk to ourselves within our minds, and it is known as inner dialogue. Make use of this inner dialogue and thinking power to improve your English language.
Check the influence of your mother tongue. It is easier said done. However, by being conscious about it, and through practice you can overcome from the influence and interference of your mother tongue.
Read good books and newspapers, and pick up new vocabulary regularly. For instance, daily pick up 10 to 15 new words and understand their meaning from dictionary. Then, learn to apply these words into sentences as application of knowledge is more important than the acquisition of knowledge. Over a period of time, you will have a huge collection of vocabulary not only in your records but also in your mind, and you will be able to use it spontaneously.
Listen to the English news channels as it gives you not only knowledge about the current affairs of both national and international but also you can learn the usage of language and understand how to pronounce certain words thus improving your English accent. Here is a caution! Listen more and see less as we human beings tend to focus more on pictures and less on listening. When you listen rather than see you will be able to concentrate more and improve your English language amazingly.
Apply the acquired knowledge of vocabulary by reading and listening from news channels by speaking with others. You cannot learn swimming by reading books alone. You need to get into water to acquire the art of swimming. Similarly, you must practice with others by speaking in English language. Here is a caution! Don’t worry about making mistakes. If you are overly concerned about making mistakes you don’t develop the courage to speak in English. Hence, keep speaking in English language unmindful of the mistakes, and over a period of time you will find yourself speaking English fluently. Remember that a child learns walking by falling repeatedly. Similarly, you will learn any language by making mistakes initially.

Hence, follow these steps to improve your English language to get exposed to the outside world and grab opportunities.

“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.” - Nelson Mandela

Professor M.S.Rao

Founder, MSR Leadership Consultants, India

Email: profmsr12@gmail.com

Blog: http://professormsrao.blogspot.com

Born for the Students

Dear readers,

I would appreciate your comments about this article.

This is an educational blog for free sharing of knowledge, not for commercial use. Please don't cut articles from my blog and redistribute by email or post to the web. The use of this material is free provided copyright is acknowledged and reference or link is made to the Blog http://professormsrao.blogspot.com This material may not be sold, or published in any form, or used in the provision of business services to a third party without permission.

Tuesday, 24 July 2012

“Understand Your Personality Type through MBTI” - Professor M.S.Rao

"One cool judgment is worth a thousand hasty councils. The thing to do is to supply light and not heat." - Woodrow Wilson

We often judge others but it is essential to understand ourselves first. In this chapter, we will discuss various personality types based on Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). In 1921, Swiss psychologist Carl Jung (1875-1961) published his work Psychological Types. In this book, he suggested that human behavior is not random. He opined that behavior follows patterns, and these patterns are caused by difference in the way people use their minds. In 1942, Isabel Briggs-Myers and her mother, Katherine Briggs, put Jung’s theory into practice. They developed the Myers-Briggs Type Indicators which has been copyrighted. This is the origin of MBTI.

MBTI contains 16 personality types which are combinations of E/I, S/N, T/F, and J/P where E for Extroversion, I for Introversion, S for Sensing, N for Intuition, T for Thinking, F for Feeling, J for Judging, and finally P for Perceiving. MBTI helps you find out your study habits and helps you make your career decisions wisely.

The category of E/I deals with the way we interact with others, and the world around us. Extroverts prefer to live in the outside world, drawing their strength from other people. They are outgoing and love interaction. In contrast, the Introverts draw their strength from the inner world. They need to spend time alone to think and ponder. They are usually quiet and reflective.

The category of S/N deals with the way we learn and deal with information. Sensing types gather information through their five senses. They have a hard time believing something if it cannot be seen, touched smelled, tasted, or heard. They like concrete facts and details. In contrast, Intuitive types are not very detail-oriented. They can see possibilities, and they rely on their gut feelings. Usually they are very innovative people.

The category of T/F deals with the way we make decisions. Thinkers are very logical people. They don’t make decisions based on feelings or emotion. They are analytical and sometimes don’t take others’ values into consideration when making decisions. In contrast, Feelers make decisions based on what they feel is right and just. They like to have harmony, and they value others’ opinions and feelings. They are usually very tactful and diplomatic people who like to please others. They are very warm people.

The category of J/P deals with the way we live. Judgers are very orderly people. They must have a great deal of structure in their lives. They are good at setting goals and sticking to their goals. They are the type of people who would seldom, if ever, play before their work was completed. On the other hand, Perceivers are just the opposite. They are less structured and more spontaneous. They don’t like timelines. They play before their work is done.

Here are the suggestions for all these categories: The Extroverts must work on listening skills and ensure that others contribute to their group. The Introverts must get involved in a study group from time to time and must share their opinions and advice with others more often. The Sensors must try to think about the information in an abstract form and think about the information in the future tense. The people who are Intuitive must work on becoming more detail-oriented and look at information through the senses. The Thinkers must try to see information and data in more abstract terms and look for the “big picture.” The Feelers must strive to look at things more logically and work to stay focused. The Judgers must take their time in making decisions and look at the entire situation before making a judgment. Finally, Perceivers must become more decisive and finish one project before they begin another.

There is nothing like good or bad personality. Only thing you must learn is that people are different with different talents and skills. All these personality types change with age, experience and the nature of work one enters into. There is a possibility of extroverts becoming introverts, sensors becoming intuitors, thinkers becoming feelers, judgers becoming feelers and vice versa over a period of time. There are online tests to find out your personality type, and of which MBTI is one of them. You must undertake this test to understand what kind of person you are and what kind of career you fit in to excel personally, professionally and socially.

“The art of being yourself at your best is the art of unfolding your personality into the man you want to be. Be gentle with yourself, learn to love yourself, to forgive yourself, for only as we have the right attitude toward ourselves can we have the right attitude toward others.” - Wilfred Peterson

Reference

Cornerstone Developing Soft Skills by Robert M. Sherfield, Rhonda J. Montgomery and Patricia G. Moody Pearson Edition 2010

Professor M.S.Rao

Founder, MSR Leadership Consultants, India

Email: profmsr12@gmail.com

Blog: http://professormsrao.blogspot.com

Born for the Students

Dear readers,

I would appreciate your comments about this article.

“Broaden Your Circle of Friends” - Professor M.S.Rao

“Success is a six step process of connecting, communicating, understanding, networking, synergizing, and accomplishing the desired outcomes.” – Professor M.S.Rao

Students must learn to network with others to enhance their knowledge levels and find more opportunities. Those who go alone miss many opportunities while those who go along with others will find ample of opportunities in every aspect of life. By networking with others they get to know what is happening in this world and develop awareness about career opportunities.

Why do only a few people succeed while the majority fails in their lives? One of the major reasons is lack of connections with the right people at the right time. Whether you are in the film industry or IT sector or any industry, having connections will help others understand your strengths and approach you when they need specific strengths thus finding opportunities finally. Research shows that 85 per cent of the job vacancies are filled through network leaving a very few 15 per cent being advertised in the newspapers. It shows clearly the importance of connections. Those who have vast connections will reap rewards within a short time. In addition, in the corporate world there is referral recruitment where the working employees can refer their known people to their employers as they know the skills and competencies the people possess within their known circle. It works in two ways as the company minimizes its costs through time and money and the employee is also happy as he is able to help his known circle of friends. The employee who refers the prospective job aspirant to the employer will also get an incentive. Therefore, there are lots of advantages in having connections and broadening the circle of friends. If a drop of rain falls into an ocean it gets merged into it whereas the same raindrop falls into a shell it becomes a pearl. Therefore, in real life also, there are many people who don’t find opportunities due to lack of network.

Remember that in this networked world connections make a huge difference. Success comes only when the right person is in the right place and at the right time, and that happens only through network. To conclude, success is all about hard work, smart work and network. Hence, broaden your circle of friends to find more opportunities and achieve quick success.

"We cannot live only for ourselves. A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow men; and among those fibers, as sympathetic threads, our actions run as causes, and they come back to us as effects." - Herman Melville

Professor M.S.Rao

Founder, MSR Leadership Consultants, India

Email: profmsr12@gmail.com

Blog: http://professormsrao.blogspot.com

Born for the Students

Dear readers,

I would appreciate your comments about this article.

“Understand Your Learning Style” - Professor M.S.Rao

"Learning is a willingness to let one's ability and attitude to change in response to new ideas, information and experiences." - Peter Vaill

Every person has their own unique learning styles. If people recognize their learning styles they will be able to absorb the material easily and apply it effectively to reap rewards in their professional lives. In this context, we shall look at Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences which helps you understand various types of intelligences.

Howard Gardner is a Harvard University professor who developed a theory called Multiple Intelligences in 1983. In his book, Frames of Mind he stated seven intelligences and subsequently in 1996, he included the eighth intelligence. The eight intelligences are briefly mentioned as follows: Those who are good at visual/spatial intelligence are smart in pictures; those who are good at verbal/linguistic are smart in words; those who are good at musical/rhythm are smart in music; those who are good at logic/maths are smart in numbers; those who are good at body/kinesthetic are smart in body movements; those who are interpersonal are smart in people relations; those who are intrapersonal are self-smart; and those who are naturalistic are smart in environment. He reveals that people possess all these intelligences but predominantly they possess specific intelligences based on heredity. But these intelligences change with age, experience and environmental factors. If students are aware of these multiple intelligences they will be able to assess themselves the area in which they are strong so as to capitalize it effectively to enhance their learning capacities.

If you are a visual or spatial learner you must use visuals in your notes such as timelines, charts, graphs, and geometric shapes. If you are a verbal or linguistic learner you must establish study groups so that you will have the opportunity to talk about the information. If you are a musical or rhythm learner you must listen to music while studying, if it doesn’t distract you. If you are a logic or math learner you must strive to make connections between subjects. If you are a body or kinesthetic learner you must act out the information and avoid confining your study area to a desk or chair. If you are an interpersonal learner you must study in groups; share the information with other people; and teach the information to others. If you are an intrapersonal learner you must study in a quiet area or study by yourself. Finally, if you are a naturalistic learner you must study outside whenever possible and relate the information to the effect on the environment whenever possible.

There are online tests that help you find out your predominant intelligence levels to study and learn quickly. In addition, there are people who are visual learners, auditory learners, and tactile learners where visual learners learn by seeing, auditory learners learn by hearing, and tactile learners learn by touching and doing. Hence, find out which style is comfortable to you to acquire knowledge quickly and apply it effectively to achieve success in your life.

“Education is learning what you didn’t even know you didn’t know.” - Daniel Boorstin

Reference

Cornerstone Developing Soft Skills by Robert M. Sherfield, Rhonda J. Montgomery and Patricia G. Moody Pearson Edition 2010

Professor M.S.Rao

Founder, MSR Leadership Consultants, India

Email: profmsr12@gmail.com

Blog: http://professormsrao.blogspot.com

Born for the Students

Dear readers,

I would appreciate your comments about this article.