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How to write answers in examination

Tips for Writing Answers in Examination

Question Bank-Unit-5

Short Question (Answer only in a maximum of fifty words)

1. Define leader and leadership.
2. Define leadership and its important traits.
3. Why communication skills are important for leaders?
4. What is the importance of listening and responding for a leader?
5. Define active listening and its importance for a leader?
6. Define mental health.
7. What are the symptoms of poor mental health?
8. Define factors that affect mental health.
9. How mental health affects a person/employee?
10. Define stress with an example.
11. What are various stress management techniques?
12. Define four As of stress management.

Long Answer Questions (Justify your answer  with suitable diagrams)

1. Define leadership and its various traits.
2. How communication skills are important for a leader?
3. What is the role of listening and responding in the life of a leader?
4. Define active listening and how can a leader become an active listener.
5. How active listening is important for a leader?
6. How can you define mental Health and its importance in an organization?
7. What are various factors that affect mental health adversely also write the symptoms of poor mental health?
8. Define stress and stress management techniques.

Mental Health- Importance, Factors, Symptoms, and Effects

Mental Health

Mental health is a state of well-being in which an individual

can cope with everyday stress,

work productively,

reach his or her full potential, and

contribute to the community.

Mental health, along with physical health and social well-being, is an essential component of overall health.

It is more than the absence of mental illness. Anyone can have poor mental health without having an illness. Even Anyone can have good mental health with a mental illness.

Five key points about mental health.

Mental health is more than the absence of mental illness

No one can have physical health without mental health.

Mental health helps in coping with stress.

Human performance and mental health are closely related.

Workplace wellness must be a top priority.

 Importance of mental health

Mental health and work performance are directly related to each other. A person with good mental health performs better. If a person has bad mental health, he cannot perform well. That’s why in today's world, employee mental health is a top priority for businesses. Positive mental health is important because it helps individuals

a)    To cope with challenges (Good or bad) at work and at home.

b)    To help employees perform well in their roles, manage stress, and boosts resilience.

c)    To allow each individual to reach his highest potential.

d)    To Cope with difficulties in life.

e)    To have basic cognitive and social skills.

f)    To recognize, express and regulate emotions.

g)    To empathize with others.

h)    To cope with changing roles, and responsibilities.

i)     To flourish in life.

Factors affecting mental health negatively-

 

Employee mental health can be negatively affected in the workplace due to:

1.    Inadequate health and safety policies

If an organization has poor mental and health policies then, definitely, the mental health of the employees will not be good. An organization must take feedback from employees on a day-to-day basis about the workplace (overcrowded or not/ ventilated or not/ adequately lit or not, etc.), materials or equipment (poor or good/ well maintained or not) they use.

2.    Poor communication and management practices

Poor communication and practices create trouble in the relationship, create poor mental health, and increase workplace stress. Management should adopt open communication policies so that honest feedback can be received from employees. It also helps to think of better solutions to the existing problems.

3.    Low levels of support for employees

Managers who don't help solve problems or share resources with employees can contribute to unmotivated, and overwhelmed employees. A team leader should demonstrate how to complete a challenging task and stay available for questions rather than expecting employees to figure out the problem or doubt themselves.

4.    Performance pressure

The constant higher expectations from employees put unreasonable pressure on them. It leads to an increase in workload and work hours, added stress, and emotional exhaustion.

5.    Job insecurity

Any threat to the job is the biggest negative factor to mental health. The fear of not being able to pay bills or care for families carries a significant threat to an individual's mental well-being.

Symptoms of poor mental health at Work

The symptoms of mental health problems can vary from person to person and according to the situation but it's important to be aware of any changes in thinking, feeling, and behaving. An individual may have difficulty focusing, feel stressed, irritable, unappreciated, or lack the energy and motivation to complete even the most basic task. Such activities show poor mental health. A few of the many symptoms are mentioned below-

 

a)    Unfocused aim

A person with poor mental health is unable to focus on his work or life. He wanders from one thought to another and cannot complete his task.

b)    Decline in performance at work and in life

A person with poor mental health struggles to perform his basic task or daily duties at work, at home, or in social life.

c)    Trouble concentrating and thinking

A person with poor mental health has problems concentrating on his task. He experiences difficulties with his memory, thinking, or imagining.

d)    Changes in appetite or sleeping patterns

Struggling with insomnia, sleeping too much, and sudden changes in eating, and drinking shows that a person has poor mental health.

e)    Changes in your mood

A person with poor mental health has strong mood swings. He feels hopeless, helpless, on edge, or experiences or even suicidal thoughts.

f)    Loss of interest in activities

A person with poor mental health shows sudden changes in his interest and favorite things. He loses interest in his hobbies or withdraws from friendships and social activities.

g)    Nervousness

A person with poor mental health becomes nervous and becomes fearful in certain situations for no reason.

h)    Increased sensitivity.

A person with poor mental health becomes more sensitive to sights and sounds and tries to avoid loudness and brightness.

i)     Unusual behavior

A person with poor mental health shows unusual behavior. He avoids gatherings. He becomes disconnected from his surroundings.

j)     Physically Discomfortability

A person with poor mental health feels physical discomfort like unexplained aches and pains. He complains of headaches, upset stomach, or muscle pain.

Negative effects of poor mental health

Many mental health problems can creep up slowly. People can get so used to feeling dull, anxious, and physically down at work that it starts to feel "normal". But ignoring the early signs of mental health problems won't make it correct; it will just become worse over time and leave a person vulnerable to illnesses and other health problems. Finally, it will damage job performance, relationships, and home life. Some of the negative effects of mental health are mentioned below-

 

 

1.    Demotivation and lack of focus

Poor mental health leads to demotivation and lack of focus. All these bring a lack of engagement with one's because due to poor mental health a person cannot regulate his thoughts and emotions.

2.    Low Productivity and job performance 

Healthy minds perform better. Poor mental health can reduce job performance because of a negative impact on behavioral skills, creativity, and resilience. Without these skills, an individual cannot perform well at his job.

3.    Reduced physical capability and daily functioning

Poor mental health increases social anxiety, reduces cognitive performance, and damages working memory. All such things negatively impact the daily living and physical capability of a person.

4.    Misaligned communication

Due to poor mental health, a person becomes emotionally weak and it affects his communication skills also. Poor mental health may lead to misinterpreting or overreacting to someone. A person with poor mental health may use a passive-aggressive tone, may become a poor listener, or may have a negative attitude.

5.    Poor decision-making

Poor mental health can lead to a lack of impulse control, unhealthy thoughts, and poor decision-making. Which in turn results in a negative environment in the organization.

Stress management

 Q. 1. Define Stress and its management Techniques.

Write an essay on four A’s techniques of stress management.

Ans- Stress

Stress is the emotional, physical, or psychological tension because of worry, frustration, anger, or nervousness. It is an unwanted or uninvited situation. It happens whenever there is an odd situation with an unexpected result. Happy events, such as a wedding, and unhappy events, such as work overload, can cause stress.

Types of stress:

There are two main types of stress:

a)    Acute stress:

The little stress that someone experiences daily is called acute stress. These are short-term stressors. Short-term stress can help avoid danger, The body releases a hormone, called cortisol, in response to stress. It alerts the brain, tenses the muscles, and increases the pulse rate. In the short term, this helps individuals avoid danger; and sometimes perform better. Acute stress can be manageable and sometimes may bring good results. For example, during examinations, students have the stress of their revision. This stress helps them to learn and pass the examination. 

b)    Chronic stress:

More severe stress that can be built up when someone is exposed to a stressful situation over a longer period is called chronic stress. Long-term stress can harm the mind and body. Cortisol can increase the risks of high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, depression, anxiety, diabetes, and menstrual problems. It can also worsen existing health conditions.

Stress management (Application of 4As)

(Strategies for coping with stress)

Stress is an unwanted or uninvited situation. It happens whenever there is an odd situation with an unexpected result. Happy events, such as a wedding, and unhappy events, such as work overload, can cause stress. When stress is going heavier one must find ways to reduce the stress because too much stress can make life difficult. Stress management is an effective tool to Reduce stress. It has four A's (avoid, alter, accept, or adapt) for coping with stress. The four A's of stress management are to avoid, alter, accept, and adapt.

1.   Avoid

This is the most straightforward strategy for stress management. Avoiding many things is always in control. One can learn how to avoid situations, environment, people, etc. One must be very careful while avoiding things. A lot of stress can be avoided by planning ahead & rearranging surroundings. Some examples are given below-

a)    Avoid aggression-

Be calm and cool. Listen and wait for your time

b)    Avoid Loosing control ( means Taking Control)-

Stress can be avoided by taking control of certain things in life.  For example- Avoid the route if traffic gives you stress.

c)    Avoid bothersome people-

Learn proximity rules and avoid irritated people. For example - sitting with people who irritate you.

d)    Avoid procrastinating things-

Never delay in doing work. It will heap up lots of work and increase stress.

e)    Avoid saying ‘yes’-

If the time is less and responsibilities are more, it is better to avoid saying ‘yes’ to less important things. For example-entertainment during the examination. 

f)    Avoid time killing-

Avoid doing unproductive work and killing your precious time.

g)    Avoid haphazard listing (means Prioritize a to-do list)- 

Preparing a to-do list with the priority of the work to be done. For example- Give priority to completing projects over watching movies.

2.    Alter (Change)

Alter means ‘change’. This is another technique for reducing stress. It is not easy to change oneself or another. But this technique sometimes works well. Alter unfavorable and unmanageable circumstances with wit, patience, negotiation, persuasion, and tactics.

a)    Alter emotional attitude

Change emotional attitude into emotional intelligence to reduce stress.

b)    Ask others to Alter their behavior

If someone's behavior hurts you talk to him/her directly in person and request him/her not to repeat the same again. For example- If someone insults you then and now, ask him to change this attitude.

c)    Alter yourself

Alter your habits and attitude, if required for a stress-free life.

d)    Alter Communication Style (Communicate openly)

Someone is best when he/she is honest. Always try to be honest in conversation. It helps to reduce maximum stress. For example - openly change the course of action if given instructions are difficult to follow.

e)    Alter the ‘I’ approach

Alter the ‘I’ approach to the ‘you’ attitude. It helps to build rapport with others.

f)    Alter Time management techniques- 

Try to change your working style and save time by grouping similar works together rather than doing those works one by one. For example- Alter your way of working and do two tasks simultaneously. Like replying to emails and messages while traveling.

g)    Alter shy nature (State limits in advance)- 

If you have limits, please inform others so that they may change according to your limit. For example- A request for a change in time schedule due to an urgent unplanned meeting.

3.      Accept

Sometimes you may have no choice but to accept things as they are. Accepting things can also reduce stress.

 

a)    Accept the past- 

Past incidents that cannot be altered. Accept the things which had happened and to reduce your stress talk to someone whom you think is your friend.

b)    Accept people and forgive them

Accept the people as they are by forgiving their mistakes.  Forgive others releases negative energy from the mind and body.  Accept people or things with their faults and start living with them.

c)    Accept the challenges positively

Take challenges positively and face them with courage and strategically.

d)    Accept positivity (Practice positive self-talk)

Negative thoughts attract many more negative thoughts. Positive self-talk can reduce stress and help maintain objectivity. For example - Accept positivity in self and talking to self about it.

e)    Accept and Learn from mistakes

Mistakes are inevitable and should be used as teachable moments. Don’t regret but learn from them. Accept your mistakes but don’t repeat them.

4.   Adapt (Adjust)

One of the reasons for stress is expectation. The technique of ‘Adapt’ means adjusting to a situation. If expectations/standards are not met, one feels stressed. hence one should adapt to the situation.  

a)    Adapt to the environment-A person must adapt to the environment, he is in.

b)    Adapt to any hobby- Hobby can do miracles and it also keeps someone away from negative thoughts.

c)   Adapt to 'no expectation' Tag- Nothing is perfect. Trying for perfection can cause feelings of frustration and guilt. Adjusting expectations can reduce stress.

d)  Adapt to exchange bad to better- Negative thoughts should immediately be replaced with positive ones. If you think positively, things turn out to be positive.

e)    Adapt to Reframe the issue - If something looks odd then start looking at situations from a different viewpoint. Take advantage of a bad situation and turn it into a nice way with planning.

f)    Adapt to mantra sayings- Mentally repeating confident sentences, such as, “I can do this,” has a positive effect on stressful situations.

g)    Adapt to happy resources- Rather than feeling stressed with a list of to-do, make another list of happy experiences, situations, and thoughts that can put things into perspective.

h)    Look at the big picture- if things are quite close then complete those but if things are quite far take them at rest for some time and take rest for a while.

 

 

 

 

 

ACTIVE LISTENING: COMPONENTS AND IMPORTANCE

 Active Listening

Listening: 

Listening is a skill in which sound signals are received and interpreted by the brain to understand the meaning of these signals. It is one of the four important language skills.

It can be developed by regular practice - consciously, carefully, and systematically. Interpretation of a message depends on the listener’s knowledge of the language & signals. Listening also depends on the listener's attitude toward the speaker. 

Active listening

One very effective type of listening is called active listening. Active listening is a way of listening in which the listener listens with full attention, understands messages completely, and responds to the speaker. In active listening a listener practices listening carefully, giving full attention to verbal and non-verbal messages, and then providing appropriate feedback to the speaker.

Important Components for Active Listening Skill

The biggest challenge for a listener is to engage in active listening.  Active listening can be done by

• Keeping the focus on the team members.
• Listening to team members’ speeches. 
• Avoid constant pings on cell phones or checking incoming emails.
• Being quiet and paying attention. 
• It involves body language, participation, and exploring the conversation.

There are many components that help in achieving Active Listening.  A few are given below-

1.  Pay Undivided attention

Undivided attention means- paying complete attention without any distractions. Giving someone undivided attention demonstrates respect. If a listener is not able to give full attention, he should reschedule the meeting. For undivided attention, a listener must

• Pay attention to what the other person is saying 
• Avoid thinking and planning while listening.
• Ensuring the phone is away or on silent mode to give the speaker undivided attention. 

2.  Use Body Language to show attention

In the process of face-to-face conversation, listening is supported by body language. This can be done through eye contact, nodding head, facial expressions, etc. The speaker can easily understand by the body language of the listener whether he is interested and listening attentively or not. Hence positive body language plays as an important component of active listening and supports a listener. The listener should face the speaker directly, sit or stand in an open position, smile, etc to respond to the speaker.

3.  Withhold judgment about the speaker

‘Withhold judgment’ means ‘not making any decision without listening to the speech carefully and completely. A leader must be receptive to new ideas, perspectives, and ways of doing things. He must maintain an open mind while listening and avoid jumping to conclusions. He must allow other people to express his opinion without interjections or criticism. 

4.  Acknowledge the words of the speaker

The listener must use a few indications like-‘uh huh’, ‘I see’, OK, etc. Such indications show that the listener is actively involved with the speaker. It also helps a lister to be focused.

5.  Don’t interrupt

The listener must not jump in the middle of the speaker’s turn. It disturbs the speaker and also shows impatience and disrespect to the speaker. It may frustrate the speaker too. Hence listener must wait for the conclusion of the speaker.

6.  Build rapport

The listener must show his engagement with the speaker’s words by asking some relevant questions or clearing his points. It helps to build rapport between the listener and speaker.

7.  Seek Clarity

Clarity is the base of effective communication. If a leader is not sure or does not understand what the person is saying then he must clear the points by asking a question. Open-ended questions are great tools for learning more about the person and expanding the conversation. (Open-ended questions mean questions either have question words or demand explanation.)

8.  Restate what you hear

Restating means repeating a statement in a different manner to clear any doubt, if any. Restating in a conversation shows the speaker that the listener is getting his point and is truly listening. It also helps the speaker to rectify any statement if not taken in the right way or does not align with what he is trying to communicate. It builds the trust of the speaker in the listener.

9.  Be authentic in response

The listener must be candid, open, and honest when responding to the speaker. He must not flatter or give fake gestures to the speaker. It shows that you are not actually listening. Hence, the listener must be true to his response.

10.            Share

Active listening begins with understanding and ends with being understood. It means first of all listener listens attentively and then he clears his own point of view. As the conversation progresses feel free to deepen it by contributing your own perspective, experiences, and ideas. This will build a rapport and positive relationship.

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 Importance/significance of Active Listening 

• Active listening enhances the information and knowledge bank of listeners.
• Active listening sets the foundation of conversation in all settings- at work, at home, in social contexts, etc.
• Active listening helps in engaging the attention of the listener.
•  Active listening helps a listener in responding empathetically.
• Active listening helps to develop good relationships with the speaker.
• Active listening gives emotional support to the speaker.

Importance of Active Listening for a Leader 

Active listening also helps in the workplace in many ways.  Effective leaders know when to speak or listen. Asking for team members’ opinions, ideas, and feedback shows that the leader cares about them and their opinions. Active listening also involves sharing, and actively taking part in the conversation by asking questions, inviting team members to explain, and taking notes. Active listening demands an uninterrupted environment.  

• Leaders can make better policies, correct decisions, and solve problems & grievances.
• Active listening helps to know and understand the activities of the competing organizations, also.
• Active listening in the same workplace helps to find false rumors that may damage the healthy environment and the reputation of the organization.
• Active listening creates a pleasing atmosphere for coordination among various departments at the workplace.
• Active listening helps to get constructive suggestions from the employees.
• Active listening helps to raise the employees' morale and creates a sense of togetherness.
• Active listening welcomes subordinates in the decision-making process and they contribute new schemes & useful suggestions. 
• Active listening increases capacity as a leader.
• Active listening shows that the listener cares and it builds trust.
• Active listening gives the listener a vision of the reality on the ground.

Importance of Active Listening in an Organization

Active listening is the best way to know about your client’s needs to create a successful strategy. feedback is needed to make well-informed decisions and steer the organization in the right direction. Good leaders are always active listeners.

Active (Attentive) listening has several immediate and important benefits for an organization, including:

a)  Promotes better business communication.

b)  Helps teams develop effective communication skills.

c)  Improves team members' morale.

d)  Reduces team members' stress.

e)  Helps resolve interpersonal conflict.

f)   Encourages employees to express their opinions and perspectives.

g)  Opens the door to new ideas and possibilities.

h) Perhaps most importantly, active listening increases employee engagement at all levels of the organization.

(How can we improve our listening)

Guidelines for Active listening

• Listen patiently to the speaker without judging it wrong or irrelevant.

• Simply use body language- like nodding your head and smiling,

• Give attention while listening and trying to understand the feelings of the speaker.

• Encourage the speaker to talk continuously.

• Keep tone neutral while giving a response and don't lead the speaker forcefully in a desired way.

• Give time for discussion to continue speech without interruption.

• Avoid direct questions and arguments during listening.

• Repeat the statement as a question when further clarification is required.

• Try to listen to the changing tone & volume of voice to find the real meaning.

• Concentrate on the speaker's facial expressions, gestures, and body movements.

• Refrain from merging official communication when listening for other purposes.