Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from 2013

The Hare and The Tortoise - New and Improved!

The Hare and The Tortoise Long ago when I was young and in school, I read a story, of the Hare and the Tortoise. They ran a race. We all know that the Hare rightly thought that the he was fast. But he was wrong in thinking that he could take his victory for granted. He fell asleep during the race. The Tortoise overtook him and won. Later on, the Management Gurus made some additions to the story. Having lost the race, the Hare does some contemplation. He is unhappy that in spite of the fact that he is a fast runner, because of his casual behavior he lost the race. Now he decided that true to his speed, he must win the race and gain back the lost self-esteem. So he went to the Tortoise. He said “Lets have another race”. The Tortoise agreed. And they had another race. This time the Hare, did not take it casually. He did not sleep on the way and won the race by a handsome margin. The Tortoise was sad. At the same time he felt that since his speed is slow, it was

Who drives your life?

You might say that the subject is a misnomer. Since it is your life, you only drive it. However, it is not always so. You continue to do certain things by force of your habit. And your habits are formed over a long period of time. Now, consider these questions. Do you always do what you want to? Even when you have possibility to choose, do you always make a choice as per your liking? If not. Why not? Most of us take decisions because of our considerations towards various other people. A husband may not like to do something, may not like to go to expensive places for eating out, may not like to spend too much money on fashionable clothes, and yet he does so because his wife likes these things. So, in this case, wife is the driver of husband’s life. Conversely a wife may not like to do certain things but she has to because of the wishes of her husband. This is so in most of the house-holds in Indian villages and is also true among many families in urban India.

Loyalty

Mark Twain Mark Twain was a unique American writer. One cannot find another writer who could laugh at the stark realities of life and who could succinctly identify the irony so very dominant in our lives. He once said, “If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and a man. ” It is ironic that the man who has evolved so much, who is civilized and educated over the centuries when compared to a dog miserably falls short of the quality of loyalty, which is so clearly visible in the pet animal. But, in the fast changing world concepts change. The big question is that for leading a happy, progressive life which are the principles that transcend the limits of time and space. What are the principles that we must stick to even today? What are the principles that need to be discarded or modified? Thus, our story of the dog and the man brings us to the core question about ‘loyalty’ and its

Pursuit of Happiness

Happiness is your own individual decision Total freedom to your pursuit of Happiness Age no bar for Pursuit of Happiness Everyone in his/her life pursues various objectives and goals with the ultimate objective of achieving happiness. ‘Pursuit of the happiness’, these words initial used by US president Jeffereson Devis. Subsequently they were made popular by Martin Luther king in his famous speech ‘I have a dream’. No doubt, everyone has a right to pursue happiness in whichever way the person likes. However, very often we are so much involved in daily routine that we are carried away by the string of events. In the process, we lose focus on what we are trying to achieve. It will be a good exercise for each one of us to reflect on  these words and work out and define what is how you plan to pursue your happiness. Firstly, we must understand that happiness is not just momentary pleasures of life. I do not say that pleasures of life should not be there. But that the

How do you manage your Time?

Time Management I had written a poem on time some time back. I repeat some of the lines of the poems to my students to find the message deserving careful consideration. The same lines are repeated: Value of time is often little known: For time’s inherent wealth scanty respect is shown. Any other possession if you happen to lose you can hope to get it back If you choose. Wealth of time will never return Simple lesson though many of us don’t ever learn. Every moment of time you must use to achieve anything, you may choose.   In the changing environment I think Time and its proper use have become critical. Fat salaries for corporate CEO’s require harsher targets for the team to achieve. Undoubtedly, this creates great pressure on him. He tends to lose the simple joys of life like quiet reflection in the morning besides yoga or exercise, spending quality time with his family and pursuing at least one hobby seriously that he loves the most. The good thing for the

Innovation!

Innovation is necessary not only for organisations but also for individuals! Unless an organisation has a specific innovation policy it will stagnate and gradually die. Most cotton textile mills have met the same fate. Clothing is one of the basic needs (Roti, Kapada aur Makaan) but now a day the clothing needs are met by garments manufacturers who prefer to secure their customers by procuring cloth from small manufacturer. Mills were used to manufacture a particular quality, colour style of cloth in large quantities only. They would sell the cloth to hundreds of thousands of retailers throughout the country. But times changed. Fashion came in. Fashion Designers came to the fore. They influence consumer with their innovations. Consumer habits changed. Instead of buying cloth and getting dresses stitched, they started wearing fashion garments. Everyone on the scenario was creatively engaged in innovation. But the mills did not innovate. Result is known to everyone.

What is Success?

In my last posting, we had discussed about the relative importance of knowledge, wealth and power in achieving success. We carried out a poll which ticked votes as 527 knowledge, 66 wealth, 50 power. But I had explained that the definition of success needs to be created in one’s own individual terms. Today, I shall talk further about success. What is success? Amassing Wealth; or becoming extremely powerful; or acquiring extensive knowledge? The common parameter for an individual’s success would be how he/she is able to achieve their goals. Indeed, when you set a goal for yourself and you achieve it you are successful. But what happens when you do not set goals? Or when you set goals which are unrealistic or unachievable? Another question that comes to mind is do you have to be successful according to your own parameters? Do you goals have to be according to your own liking and desires? Or does your family/friends and well wishers have any role to play? Should you/

What is most important for success - Knowledge, Power, or Wealth?

At our learning centre, we recently held a discussion on- “What is important for success- knowledge, power or wealth?” Importance of Power The participants in the discussions were entrepreneurs, corporate executives, bankers and others. Different views were presented by the speakers. Some considered knowledge as most important factor. They enumerated examples of successful people who had risen from being unknown to highly rated successful individual by consistently acquiring knowledge and gainfully using it. Knowledge in such cases did not necessarily mean any university degree or such other qualification. Knowledge, here, denotes application of mind of the practical knowledge received through any medium and using the same for earning name, fame and wealth. Steve Jobs is one such example. Our own Dhirubhai Ambani is another. Even Warren Buffet’s story is no different. It is rags to riches. While academic Knowledge has also helped lots of people to become successful

Smart Skills

Education is necessary, but skill is essential. Unfortunately, our education system per se is such that it hardly helps an individual develop skills. Much less the skills I think are most important for living life happily and successfully.  I am talking about two skills in particular - skill with oneself, and skill with people.  A child is born with some tendencies which may have a lot to do with his/her parentage. What is his father's attitude to life, what is that of his mother, and more importantly how their relationship with each other. While these factors continue to have their influence on the growth of the child, various other influences start playing an important role during the growing years. The teacher, the class mates, friends, relatives, and neighbors - all influence the child. It is hard to say how much these help in developing either of the two skills which I have mentioned above - skill with oneself, and skill with other people.  So what should

Personal Productivity

A few days back, we had a brain storming session on personal productivity. Organisational productivity is a subject that may attract more attention than any other in the management field. But what is personal productivity? Does it mean how does one manage his/her time? The answer is yes and no. Yes, time is an important aspect of personal productivity. Rather, it could be so provided your activities are aligned with your goals. And yet it is a lot more. Does it mean one’s achievement towards realization of personal goals? Not just that! Personal goals may change. Personal vision may change. And if one may say so personal mission statement if one ever cares to establish that – that also may change. When we talk of mission statement or vision or an organization, that hardly ever changes. But when we are talking of an individual, the factors that affect a person’s likes and dislikes, desires, drastically change with changing circumstances, or even without these. Accordi

Murphy's Laws

Most would think that Murphy was a pessimist.  His pessimism alone drove him to be a negative thinker.  In the circumstances, it is neither necessary nor prudent to take him or his laws seriously. What does Murphy say?  And what is the implication of his controversial laws? This is what I propose to share with you, today. Murphy's most talked about law is: 'If anything can go wrong it will.' Corollaries are interpreted by many as below: 1. Anything is not as easy as it looks. To me, this is a valid caution.  Often times a task appears a bit too easy.  It is so because we don't all the aspects.  Thereafter the difficulties that we face in completing the task leave us discouraged.  So, if we keep this dictum in mind, we shall be better prepared to do our own job surmounting whatever difficulties come our way. This attitude could be either due to casual conduct or being over optimistic, over confident and taking things for guaranteed.  Hope we all agre

What do you need?

What do you need Now a days, life is full of stress. Stress is the caused by multifarious reasons. Firstly, there is work pressure. This has increased due to the ever increasing competition. Life in the city is also becoming difficult due to distances and slow moving traffic. You take more time in travelling from home and to your work place than you ever did in earlier times.  Pollution is another major factor that saps your energy. On the one side you have less time for your productive work, with reduced energy level you tend to take more time in completing your daily tasks. So time-management becomes another issue. So what should you do? You cannot change the environment, the way the society is moving forward, the social conflicts are increasing. But you can certainly do one thing. Change yourself. Bring about a change in your personality, your perspective, the way you look at things, and the way you solve your daily problems. In order that you successfully do

Self-Confidence

Your confidence depends on how you have been influenced by people around you till now. Be it your parents, your teachers, your friends and others you have been meeting. Some of the influences have created positive impact. ‘Yes, you can do it and you must try’. This motivates you to act even if there is some risk. ‘No, you can’t do it’, ‘it is not for you’ ‘what will others say when you fail’- these are some of the negative thoughts, instilled by people around you, or due to your own brooding. These hold you back. Faith, Fear and Action are three most important ingredients of your self confidence. Today, everyone realizes the importance of self-confidence. Your career, your relations with others, your progress in life or even your reputation- all depend on your self- confidence. Your ability to overcome fears and your determination to take action even in adverse circumstances give it a boost. Anyone who wants to grow in life must develop ability to take some risk. Of

Stretched Goals

Setting Stretched Goals Today I’ll talk to you about the importance of goals in life. Anything that we do in life, we spend our precious time and money must bring about desired results. But often it does not happen. Why? Do we always try to figure out the reasons? If not, then why not? Because our goals are not clear. Because our desire to achieve the results is not so strong. So what should we do? Sit back and think that everything will be alright? Or, that our luck is bad? No! We must clearly define what we want to achieve. Write these clearly on our diary/journal. Make it known to the friends, family members, peers wherever it is necessary. Particularly to our well wishers. When we make our goals known to others, we become more committed. Then, we should create a strong desire within us to achieve our goals. We need to contemplate on these as often as possible. Further, we need to plan how to achieve our goals. Work out the plan and write it down. Spend some t

The Neutral No! - Negotiation Skills

How to win negotiations - The Neutral No. During Negotiations if you don’t agree with your opponent you have a right to say no. But it should be a ‘neutral’ No. What is a neutral No? It is not harsh. There is no anger in it. It is not even apologetic. If you are known to be a nice person, when you have to say No the best thing is to become neutral. It is important to remain on the issue and not allow any digression. It is equally important not to allow your ego to come into the picture. Often times, even when there is a possibility of a solution, it does not materialize simply because of individual egos. By sticking to the issue and remaining neutral you leverage you strengths. There are certain does and don’ts that you must follow while negotiating with difficult people: Your language should remain polite but firm. You should listen actively to what the other person is saying. You should try to assimilate the hidden meaning behind his/her words and strategize yo

Personal Productivity

A day well-spent is a day cherished. We always find some days in our life where we achieve much more; all that has been planned is easily taken care of. At the end of such a day, we actually feel refreshed. There is no sign of the fatigue that bogs us down on days where nothing much has been achieved. So what causes this seemingly strange paradox? The answer lies in our personal productivity.  Personal productivity is the output an individual can achieve given the time he has and the tasks he is supposed to perform. Personal productivity is very satisfying for the inner consciousness. It is a primary source of self-confidence for an individual and boosts his or her moral and raises the self-esteem. It is   the very foundation of success. An individual who is highly productivity on a day-to-day basis achieves a lot at the end of the week, more in a month, much more in a year and so on.  So why do people suffer from lack of personal productivity and remain busy in unp

Self Esteem

What is Self Esteem? Self-esteem refers to the person’s self-belief. It embodies how a person rates himself. If you rate yourself high and respect yourself, people will also respect you. At the same time if you are casual about your personality, people will take you for granted. When people take you for granted and do not care for you, you self-esteem suffers further. You start considering that you are insignificant. It is necessary that you have to always ensure that people respect your opinions.  If you do not know about something the best thing is that don’t give your opinion and accept that your knowledge on the subject is not enough to form an opinion. However if you know the subject and have an opinion and your opponent does agree, never argue. The best thing is to say that we agree to disagree. Let the matter rest there. When you are attending a meeting or a conference, you must participate actively. Remaining a mute listener will affect your self-esteem. Befo

Stage Fright!

Stage Fright is a much used term these days. In fact, almost every professional is required to design and deliver powerful presentations while confidently facing the audience. The basic question remains – What is Stage Fright? And how does one overcome it? Stage Fright begins with certain overt and physical symptoms. These include trembling of the hands, quavering of the legs, dryness of the throat, or just a feeling of the mind going completely blank. One needs to understand that these are only early signs of stage fright. If stage fright is controlled in its early stage it can be prevented from transforming itself into a strong and very real fear of the audience. In fact the speaker must take positive steps to overcome this situation.  Here is what can be done: Prepare: This is the first and most important way to overcome stage fright. Inadequate preparation is in fact an invitation to stage fright. Never make a presentation without full preparation.  Practice: It

Posture

  Posture Posture is a very important part of your personality. It’s necessary to develop an elegant posture- while standing, walking or even sitting. If the posture is not correct the breathing is also affected. It becomes shallow. Shallow breathing is not good for speech. The voice is impaired and becomes feeble. So even from the point of view of effective communication, good posture is a must. Recommended standing position of an elegant posture is described below: The feet may be slightly apart. The general disposition of the weight should be slightly forwards. The pelvis should be above the instep. The torso should be directly above the pelvis; neither in front of nor behind it. The abdominal muscles should feel braced without tension. The torso should feel raised, but not stretched, away from the pelvis. The shoulders should be directly above the pelvis and should be in line with the breastbone at the front. The head should feel well balanced immediately above

Developing Ability to Say No!

  Developing ability to say ‘No’ Often times, we are scared to say ‘no’ even if we want to, even if we need to. Suppose a friend asks you for ‘help’ to complete a project. You know that you are extremely busy and you don’t have the time for the ‘help’ requested. Being scared of offending a friend you just accept the request without proper thinking. This is lack of ‘assertiveness’. It will lead to a greater problem when the relevant time comes. If you help, you will consider in your mind that your friend is inconsiderate because your own work is suffering. If you don’t, your friend will be upset because you have gone back from your commitment and let him/her down. So, what should you do? Develop assertiveness. It’s developing your ability to say ‘no’ when you need to say ‘no’. But you have to say it in a manner that it does not offend your friend. You must use your language and articulate your inability in such words and such tone that your friend appreciates your

Act, Never, React!

3 Magical Words that can change you life. What do these words mean? Simply stated these mean that your words must simply stated these mean that you must always remain composed – Never exceedingly happy, and never heavily sad. Never react to a person, nor to any situation. It may so happen that someone has told you something which he or she should not have said. You may become angry and give it back in the same coin. But that will not solve the problem. It will aggravate it. Then what should you do? Should you take things lying down? No! Yet, you must practice to remain composed and ask your mind what you should do? You will mind will surely respond. You will be able to say  such words ‘cooly’ to your opponent that will work out to be a befitting response. The person will never dare to insult you again. Is it easy to acquire such strength in character? No it is not. But, it is quite possible by consistently reminding yourself that you must never ever react. You should

Voice Modulation

We hear a lot about voice modulation in the age of public presentations. What is modulation? And why is it so important? Voice Modulation is your ability, rather, talent to bring in variance in pace, pause, pitch, emphasis on the key word and the tone. Unless you modulate your voice while speaking to a group or even a lone listener, the chances are that you speech will not be effective at all. We have often seen some members of the audience dozing away while the speaker continues his/her speech. Now, I will explain- pace, pause, pitch, emphasis on the key word and the tone. Pace: if you speak very fast you will not be understood but, if you speak very slowly you tend to become dull and listeners will not like to listen to you. However, when you speak with a medium speech, though audience can understand you but the same pace of your words will render your speech monotonous. Pause: Just as in written text you have coma, full stop, paragraph and other punctuation ma

Are you Listening?

While talking on the telephone often you ask the listener - "Are you Listening?" If there is no sound of response such as 'hmm', 'yes', 'please go ahead', 'I understand', etc. you tend to feel that your words are falling on deaf ears. More so when you are negotiating on the telephone. But what happens when you talk face to face? The significance of your words is reduced to just 10 to 15%. 'How you say it?' - becomes more important than what you say. Even when you are articulate the efficacy of your words will not go down unless you compliment your words with voice modulation. Modulation is your ability to bring variance in Pace, Pause, Pitch, Emphasis on the keywords and the Tone. Further, you body language* too is extremely important for making the communication convincing and effective. Attentive listening to others is the key to build good relations. Listen to others and they will listen to you! *(facial expressi

Ethos, Pathos, Logos! - Part II

Yesterday I talked about ‘Ethos’ i.e. your credentials. Today, I’ll explain ‘Pathos’ & ‘Logos’. ‘Pathos’ represents the needs or the expectations of your audience. What does your audience need from you? If your communications satisfies this need, you are a good communicator/speaker. You must know the audience profile in order to establish their requirements. Age group, Gender, qualification, profession, general likes and dislikes. These all comprise the profile. Having understood the audience, it is easy to frame a suitable talk. When you are communicating to an individual, you have to put yourself in his/her shoes in order to define the needs. Lastly, it is ‘logos’. ‘Logos’ refers to your ability to be convincing. Your ability to influence people. You can do this with the following in mind. You must choose your words with discretion. Use simple language. Modulate your speech to hold attention of listener/listeners. Speak to express and not impress.

Ethos, Pathos, Logos!

Three simple but rather uncommon words. Three great words not only for the public speakers but for everyone, according to me. Today, I’ll talk about ‘Ethos’ What is Ethos? It reflects your credentials. I explain to my students like this. “Imagine that you are appointed Ambassador of your country to another state. The first job that you have to do is to present your authorization documents to the head of the state in which you are appointed Ambassador. Likewise, a speaker must present his/her credentials to the audience. The audience must know that you are the right person to speak on the subject. That you not only have the required qualification and knowledge to speak on the subject but also desire and enthusiasm to benefit the audience. This is about public speaking. But everyone is not a public speakers, you might argue. Just to explain further, I’ll ask you a question. Suppose, you have to make an important phone call. Is it not necessary for the person to know th

C.P.U.

Computers must have their own CPUs. The ability to process commands faster depends on the power of the C.P.U. Or the central processing unit windows remain as of now the most used system by ‘Commoners’ geeks, I am told, have better options. As the capacity/ power C.P.U. is increasing in a rapid pace, so is the desire for the makers of ‘programming systems’ to add addition features. These make the system heavy, and may cause the CPU fatigue. Every individual too, is equipped with a C.P.U. We can add more features to this unique C.P.U. by adding knowledge, and using it. What I call ‘application of mind’. The more you use the more powerful this C.P.U. becomes Instead of becoming heavier, the additional features or the abilities make the system lighter and decisions are made faster.

Equilibrium

as a child I had learned while studying science the importance of ‘equilibrium’. I do not clearly remember its definition. It meant to me the natural ability for a thing to stand up on its own – to maintain its stability. It was taught that if the center of gravity is closer to the ground, it increases the stability of anything in adverse circumstances. Like extreme push or pull, a jump or a fall etc. Today, I find that equilibrium is equally important for human beings. What is means to me is the ability to retain our feet on the ground. Extreme emotions may tend to shake the feet but adequate control of the mind helps us develop the ability to remain on the ground.

Habits Die Hard!

Habits die hard is commonly known. But forming new habits is equally hard. In the fast changing world that we are in today, we need ‘change’ more than anything else. Change in attitude and change in habits need to be priorities. Someone told me that if you do something at the same time daily, it becomes your habit. I have motivated some of my students, but the results are far from satisfactory. To form a new habit or to ward of the old one needs the following: Develop a strong desire to bring in the change. Set a valid reminder system. Define the milestones and the timeline.

Appraisals

On 8 th of this month I had to conduct a training programme for a small organization of less than 100 people. Appraisals are difficult to conduct, by are necessary for the organisation. This is when you sit in judgment on people you have to deal on day-to-day basis. This is when you, as a manager have to perform this arduous task. You naturally become extra careful. You don’t want to annoy a person who is an integral member of your small team. The biggest problem is whatever you do on that day of judgment sits as a permanent mark in the file of the person appraised. In 50s & 60s there used to be large families in our country. It was not uncommon to find 6 and 7 and 8 children in a house. Parents were expected to treat them alike but could they ever do. Here, children were also expected to contribute to the growth and development of the family. But were they treated alike?  Same love and affection of father and of mother? Not really! Some would become favorite of t

Magnifying Glass

Except for the watch maker, palmist or others who use it professionally, a magnifying glass reminds you of your childhood. I was particularly fond off burning paper or creating heat on a summer day.We friends would compete on the duration of time one could tolerate the focused energy produced by sun rays on hand. But today, the name magnifying glass symbolizes far greater importance in an individual's life. It signifies 'focus'. Focus that we often miss. Focus that can kindle a fire of desire in our minds. Desire when converted into a passion can bring about a total change in one's life and its purpose. Success is bound to follow in anything that you do!

Confidence

As a child, I always felt that I lacked confidence. Even now, in some situations I find that I do not measure up to my expectations. Yet, I have always admired ‘confident people’ and I continue to do. Considering that Confidence is a very importance part of our lives, I often contemplate about it. This happened at the Delhi Airport. I had checked-in well in advance, as per my habit. I was waiting to board the flight to Mumbai. As usual I was looking around to find ‘confident people’. There were many men and women – well dressed, upright and looking satisfied with their lives. But there was one gentleman who appeared exceptional. He was immaculately dressed in a dark grey suit. His broad shoulders and with his ‘chin-up’ added to his confident look. As I was brooding the flight was announced and we all boarded the plane. It was a comfortable smooth flight. All the usual things - the in flight safety demonstrations, service of snacks, tea and coffee went off very well. So

Seat Belts

 Wearing Seat Belts in cars became compulsory on 31st January, 1983. I do not know of any country where seat belts was prescribed as legal requirements before 1983. It is not that the concept of Seat Belt was new. Seat Belts had earlier been used for flights ever since commercial aviation began. However, when the manufacturers of the aircrafts were confident that once in the air the seat belts could be removed, flight instructions were accordingly modified. Nowadays, once again, it is recommended that during the flights passengers should continue to keep Seat Belts fastened. A Seat Belt to me is a symbol of caution and care you need to take while doing anything which is not devoid of risk. But there is nothing worthwhile that can be achieve without taking some risks. In fact not talking any risks in life is the biggest risk. So, to grow and progress in life and experience happiness of success, you need to take some risks. But always wear Seat Belts. Ensure that you take all possible p

Change Management

"People are always blaming circumstances for what they are. I do not believe in circumstances. The people who get on in the world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want and if they don't find them, they make them!" These words of George Bearnard Shaw are more relevant today than ever before. In the continuous changing society, it is imperative to rely on knowledge, process and technology - all three to keep pace with the change. Leaders must keep in mind the following aspects for effectively ensuring and properly implementing change in the organisations they lead. These are: 1. Innovation: The leader should have the the ability to innovate. This requires imagination, knowledge and perspective, and a thorough understanding of the organisation he leads. 2. Personal Involvement: It is necessary for the leader to be personally involved for the efficacy of the strategy to bring about change. He can not carry out the same by proxy. 3. The Leader sho

Stay Hungry! Stay Foolish!!

Steve Jobs apart from being a technical wizard, was a great human being. He knew that human ego hinders the progress of an individual. He know that knowledge is never bound by any limits. His continuous quest for knowledge, his ability to assimilate the same and to yearn for more, were the reasons for his phenomenal growth and progress. He would often say "Stay hungry, stay foolish!", and this would sum up his personality.

Interpersonal Skills

Our interpersonal relations with others depend upon various factors. Two most important factors are one - our behavior towards the concerned persons, and two and how we speak to the concerned persons.The contents of what we convey to our peers and friends will primarily depend upon our behavior. If our conduct to certain persons has been consistently good. It shows our regard towards them. But how we speak to them, is equally important if not more. The efficacy of our speech can be improved by making our speech articulate. Besides, we also need to become good listeners. People want that when they speak, total attention of the listener/listeners should be focused on their speech. Their ego is hurt if they find listeners inattentive. For more details visit: http://satishkakriconsultants.com

Words that moved a Nation - Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat - by Winston Churchill

A few days after he took over as British Prime Minister, Churchill made a brief speech about forming an administration consisting of members from all major parties. This happened on May 13, 1940. These were his words: “I say to the House as I said to the ministers who have joined this government, I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears, and sweat. We have before us an ordeal of the most grievous kind. We have before us many, many months of struggle and suffering. You ask what is our policy? I say it is to wage war by land, sea and air. War with all our might, and with all the strength God has given us, and to wage war against a monstrous tyranny never surpassed in the dark and lamentable catalogue. This is our policy. You ask what is our aim? I can answer in one word. It is victory. Victory at all costs: Victory inspite of all terrors, Victory no matter how long and hard the road may be, for without victory there is no survival…..” ----------------------------------------------

Five best practices for Interpersonal Skills

In a way our life depends on our interpersonal skills. If we are good at it, people help us. At home to we have peaceful life. However, if we are lacking in this highly desirable skill we are the losers both at home and at our work place. The first of the five 'Best Practices' may be termed as - At Never React. What does it mean? it means never react to a person nor to any situation, However gloomy or happy. It also mean that even if a person has said something which he/she should not have said; you just do not react and try to give back to him. But it does not mean that you keep quite and except these doing nothing. In fact you should use your mind and carry out those actions which your mind will certainly guide you. But it will guide you only if you remain cool. When you act, you use your mind. But if you react you loose your mind. 'Best Practice' No Two- Listen twice as much as you talk. We have two ears to listen but only one voice box which enable us to speak.

Seven Secrets of Public Speaking

Great leaders are great speakers. Public Speaking is an Art as well as a Science. One needs to understand what goes into making of a great public speaker. Today, I will talk to you about the seven secrets of Public Speaking. Secret No. 1: Confidence You must have confidence in yourself. You must respect yourself and value your opinions. You can only achieve this if you are not judgmental. It can be achieved if you have an open mind. Once you realise that like any other human being you can also make mistakes, you become confident. Again you become confident because you have nothing to hide and nothing to fear! Secret No. 2: Overcoming Stage Fright. Public Speaking dates back to the origin of history. Likewise stage fright has been felt by the Public Speakers from the time immemorial. There is no short cut for overcoming stage fright. We must realise that when we speak to audience it is not stage fright but it is heightened feeling. This is also a feeling we get whenever we are about to

Presentation Skills are the need of the hour!

Presentation Skills are the need of the time. Right from the time a candidate appears from a Job Interview to the time he moves up the Corporate Ladder into Senior Management; his requirements to develop and deliver powerful presentations only increases. The ability to engage the audience, communicate clearly and to ensure that the message is delivered is practice that must be assiduously developed into a habit. This call for a clear decision and positive action. The individual needs to put in the right kind of effort and needs proper guidance and assistance. Training is extremely important. You need to have the right guide to make you aware about your areas of strengths and shortcomings. Nimble Foundation offers training in Public Speaking and Presentation Skills. Visit www.satishkakriconsultants.com