Having emotions is human. It’s how you manage negative feelings that makes a difference. Here are some tips for controlling negative emotions…

Are you an emotional person? Are you easily prone to jealousy, sadness, fear, anger, and even rage?
If you’re emotional, it’s okay. Don’t beat yourself up if you’re more emotional than most people. Realize God gave you emotions and they’re to be used.
It’s when they get in the way of truth that they need managing. In other words, if you don’t get control of your feelings you can hurt others, as well as yourself. And, you can also be deceived, resting on how you feel, rather than what’s actually true.
Be Honest about Your Feelings
Being honest with yourself is the first step. Too often people stuff their true feelings to cover up the truth. This only leads to damaging addictions, such as compulsive overeating or substance abuses. In other words, if you’re feeling sad, don’t try to convince yourself you’re not.
Identify the Emotion and Determine the Source
First, you need to identify the emotion you’re feeling. Are you feeling sad? Depressed? Angry? Fearful?
Often teachers working with small children, as well as children with special needs, have a selection of faces (depicting a range of different emotions including anger, jealousy, sadness, happiness, fear, etc.) Teachers (as well as therapists) ask, “Which face describes how you feel today?”
Once you identify the emotion, redirect your thoughts and energies in a positive direction. Next, ask yourself, “Why do I feel this way?” Once you’ve traced your feelings back to the source, it gives you a better perspective, allowing you to be human.

How to Channel Your Emotions in a Positive Direction
A few good channeling techniques may include….

Removing yourself – Get away from what’s causing you to have negative emotions. Do anything to distance yourself from the person or situation making you upset.

Doing something positive – If you have righteous anger over social issues, don’t just have a meltdown but do something constructive. Write a letter to a newspaper editor expressing your opinions; write your congressional representative, etc.

Getting physical – Take a walk. Go bowling. Shoot basketball hoops. Run. Channel your bad feelings into something that releases endorphins. Neurotransmitters produced in the brain that reduce pain, endorphins can change a negative mood.

Breathing deeply – First, get comfortable. Then slowly take in deep breaths, breathing in from your abdomen. This helps to still a racing pulse, as well as calm your mind. Check your muscle tension (especially in the shoulders, neck, and jaw.) As you relax any tight areas, picture a peaceful scene, centering your thoughts on positive images.

Talking to someone –Whether it’s a trusted friend or professional, you need to talk out your feelings before you can heal. Look for a support group where you feel free to share your deepest emotions. The worst path you can take is to isolate and not reach out for help.

Journaling – Journaling (writing out your feelings on paper) is an excellent way to manage your emotions. You don’t have to show anyone what you wrote. It’s just between yourself and God. Then, after you’ve released what’s bothering you, tear up your paper if you don’t need to rehearse it.

Most of all, pray. Talk to God about how you feel. Pour out your heart to him, He knows all about it anyway, but it helps to verbalize your feelings.

10. Keep Things in Perspective.
Setting goals that are unrealistic sets you up for failure. While it’s good to set high goals for yourself, be sure not to overdo it. Set goals that are difficult yet reachable.
Consider these tips, but personalize your habits so that they suit you. If you set priorities that fit your lifestyle, you’ll have a better chance of achieving your goals.

www.olivegreens.in

Updating Your General Knowledge

1. Make it a habit to read at least two national newspapers every day.
2. If you don’t have much time, invest in a good yearbook which covers all important areas.

Mastering the Queen’s Language

1. English takes up 200 marks in the entrance test, so don’t take it lightly.
2. When you read newspapers and magazines, underline the new words that you come across. Maintain a diary to record these finds.

The Science of Success

1. Some of the topics that you must touch upon in Biology are diseases and causes, animal kingdom, plant anatomy and morphology.
2. The important topics in Chemistry are chemical analysis, inorganic compounds, periodic tables, equilibrium and thermodynamics.
3. In Physics, focus on electromagnetism, mechanics and thermodynamics.

Recommended Books

General Knowledge Refresher by O.P. Khanna;
Mathematics for NDA and NA by R.S. Aggarwal;
NDA Entrance Examination (Self Study Guide)
by Dr P.K. Mittal, O.P. Bisht and Neetika Goyal

Coaching Institute

NDA CDS Written Exam

www.olivegreens.in

The SSB recommends the candidate as a potential officer material, who after rigorous training in the National Defence for three years followed by specialized training for one year at IMA for Army, Naval Academy, Cochin for Naval cadets and Airforce Academy, Hyderabad for Airforce Cadets. The experience, maturity and familiarity with the service conditions, enable him/her to subsequently discharge the service obligations appropriately. The SSB’s adopts three different techniques to assess the same personal qualities of the candidate at his conscious, sub-conscious & non-conscious levels. These techniques are as listed below:-

(a)               Interview Technique

(b)               Group Testing Technique

(c)                Psychological Technique

It is interesting to understand, that though the above three psychological techniques and tools of assessment are independent in their application, these relate to the same set of personal leadership qualities at a desirable level in a candidate.  The requirement of applying the three techniques to a candidate is to provide a three dimensional view of his personality giving a greater degree of reliability to the assessment. It may be compared to viewing an object from its three different sides, so that an overall true picture is available, when assessment of the three assessors is finally put together. Further, certain traits and qualities are more prominently observed through a particular technique, eg, physical stamina, through GTO’s technique, as compared to other two techniques. Hence, the ‘grey areas’ of one technique are confirmed by the inputs received from the other assessors during the final Board Conference.

Olive Greens at Chandigarh is one of the premier institutes in India for training students for written examination as well as Services Selection Boards. All faculty members are ex members of Selection Boards and the Institute has full fledged infrastructure of an SSB.

In the span of 20 years or married life with an army officer, I got an opportunity to see life of army officers, got to know about their tasks, responsible, and environment in which they work. I also go a good chance to interact with many women officers. No doubt that they are performing the assigned tasks well and most of them are happy with their job. However, last month there was front-page news in a National Daily about women officers in Armed Forces. Unnecessary comparison was drawn between them and their male counterparts. I also heard that, efforts are being made to induct them into combat arms, possibly to make up the shortfall. Are we really ready to accept them and are the women capable of handling such tough and challenging role?

In a politically correct environment nobody dare to say that women are not capable of handling a job being done by men. Nobody is ready to accept that women and men posses different skills, aptitude and potential. Indian Armed Forces too have opened their gates for women to join officer cadre. There is no doubt that tin today’s world you cannot deny women of their right to join any profession. Many women have proved their excellence in armed forces too. Still I feel that does not qualify them to rub shoulders with male officers of combat arms. It is a debatable issue. It is worthwhile to discuss the employment and suitability of women officers to lead combat arms soldiers.

They Are Different

Neuro-Psychologists, behavioural scientists and neurologists like Allan & Barbara, Jodi Deluca, David Lewis etc believe that men and women live in different world with different set of values. They are biologically and psychologically different because of nature and nurture. Some of the significant differences brought out are,

• Female brains are smaller but still women rate slightly higher in general intelligence. Women have 30% more connections between left and right brain and have speech centers on both sides of brain. Therefore, they have superior sensory, equipment, which picks up and analyses information to decipher verbal, visual and other signals. They are accurate in their judgment at the intuitive level.
• Women can hear well. They are better equipped to pick up small nuances in body language, vocal cues, tone of voice and other sensory stimuli.
• Women are good conversationalists and talk emotionally while men are literal.
• The eye is an extension of brain. The X chromosomes provide colour cells to handle colours. Since women have two X chromosomes their colour perception is better. They eyes of women display more white than men, which gives a them wider peripheral vision. Whereas man’s eyes are larger than a women’s and his brain configures them for long distance tunnel vision. Hence, men can see over a greater distance and have better spatial skills.
• Men and women have different emotional needs. A woman’s sense of self is defined through her feelings and quality of her relationship. Women are involved in everything that can nurture life, healing and growth. Neuropsycholgists found that most women felt better after crying. In comparison, men are more concerned with actions, fighting and fast activities, whereas women prefer interactive and indoor activities. Women experience and recall emotional events more vividly.

The differences noticed are because men and women have evolved differently. Men hunted and protected while women gathered and nurtured. They performed different, roles, therefore, their bodies and brains evolved differently to suit their roles. Personality is due to nature and nurture. A recent research into the brain and its development revealed that out minds are configured like computers at around six to eight weeks after conception. Out basic operating system and its wiring is in place and several programs are also pre-installed, which leaves little room for change. Our environment, teachers and parents can only add data and run compatible programs. Therefore, the attitudinal differences, preferences and behaviour patterns of men and women are bound to be different. The ground realities also prove the differences and enable us to think about employing women in Army.

Ground Realties

• History shows that, very few women have excelled in areas where spatial ability and mathematical reasoning are required. However, they have excelled in arts, teaching, human resource, literature and fields where abstract reasoning is not necessary. Women are rising in ranks in industries like, IT, energy, media and hospitality due to use of feminity to their advantage. They have displayed their gravity-defined self-confidence, showed uncanny ability to identify and hone in one opportunity. They use their feminine side to manage employees and customers.
• All over the world only one percent of commercial pilots are women
• Very few armies have women officers in combat arms. Where there are women officers, they also have women in other ranks too. Very few women have proved their gallantry in the face of enemy.
• In our army, selection, training and employment norms and different for men and women officers. Women officers are not posted to field and high altitude areas because of related reasons.

Use Full Potential

It is amply proved that men women are identical but they are different. Not better or worse. They thin differently and have different priorities, preferences and perceptions. Indian Army introduced women into officer cadre into services and few arms like Signals and Engineers where they are not directly involved in fighting. Men and women should be equal in terms of their opportunities to exercise their full potential. The potential of women in terms of attitude, attitude and skill definitely does not suit their employment in fighting arms. Whereas these new paradigm leaders with their innate abilities can continue to function efficiently in services. Their superior sensory skills can be suitably utilized for certain assignments in Signals and their management skills and technical knowledge can be used for services in MES. Therefore, without getting prejudiced, a status quo should be maintained and the decision to allow women officers in combat arms should be thought over more scientifically.

Anuradha Gowardhan

]]> http://www.olivegreens.in/blog/2010/08/should-women-join-combat-arms/feed/ 650 http://www.olivegreens.in/blog/2010/08/time-management-a-need-of-the-hour/ http://www.olivegreens.in/blog/2010/08/time-management-a-need-of-the-hour/#comments Sun, 01 Aug 2010 07:50:58 +0000 admin http://www.indiatourandtravel.in/blog/?p=17 Time is an important and unique resource, which can neither be generated nor accumulated and nor does it appreciate or depreciate. It has to be spent in a fixed packet of 60 minutes an hour. Neither it can be slowed nor moved faster, nor it can be regenerated or reversed. All of us are well conversant with the phrase ‘time and tide waits for none’. It is an irony that such an important resource has been least understood, least talked and least taught to the executives, managers and officers who are generally hard pressed for the time. There is a need to manage this valuable resource, whether at home or at work. The sequence in which you perform tasks on an everyday basis will help in making you working day more productive.

Managing Your Own Time

If you want to use your time efficiently, to accomplish all that you need to do, you need to be aware of the current habits and attitudes that shape your use of time. Due to advent of new technology our attitude to time is also changing. The increase in options available has made it possible to do more in a day. It has also increased the pressure on our time. The following steps will help in reducing pressure:

• Assess Your Day. At the beginning of the day, plan your time, make a time log. Set aside time to review and prioritize demand on your time. Allow some thinking time in your schedule. Update your time log. Try and delegate tasks to others, which are not time effective for you. Use of time planners, computers, electronic diary etc to help maintain and monitor the time log.
• Avoid Interruptions. Make your working day as productive as possible by discouraging unwanted interruptions. It will help to screen telephone calls, avoid unnecessary mettings and organize your work.
• Positive Thinking. Use the power of positive thinking to make you plans successful. Make sure that every day you do at least one thing that you enjoy. Avoid stress by planning your time. Try to take out time for family and friends, hobbies and leisure activities.

Managing Organisational Time

To make the best use of your time, manage it as per your staff, colleagues and seniors. The organizational time can be divided into three categories:

• Boss Imposed Time.
• System Imposed Time.
• Self Imposed Time.

Boss Imposed Time. Those who have the gold make the rules. Bosses have golden rule clout. We do understand that it is to better if they are satisfied with out work. Hence time has to be devoted to satisfy the boss by keeping him informed about progress, achievements and to share his burden. A boss can be a time waster if he passes instructions poorly, keeps you waiting for an appointment, calls for frequent meetings and changes decisions frequently due to lack of planning. If we fail to invest sufficient time for the boss, it may result in more and more boss imposed time, which will result in availability of less time for other aspects. The following are some suggested measures to reduce boss imposed time:

• Know your boss well and produce results as per his expectations. Do not irritate him or make him nervous because it’s tough to work for a nervous boss. More so, if you are the one who is making him nervous.
• Brief him regularly at fixed time on the progress of the tasks assigned to you and report any unusual/abnormal/special happenings.
• Do not go to boss only with problems but do have solutions/recommendations/options, which have been properly thought out. This will help the boss the decide quickly.

System Imposed Time. It is the time spent on the administration and related demands from people. The red tape in administration takes time but is a part of the system and one cannot remove it. The following measures can reduce the system imposed wastage of time:

• Reduce your meetings with people to minimum. Meetings should be held to coordinate various activities and formulate plans after exchanging views.
• Entertain visitors at fixed time and restrict your conversation to specific problem.
• Use telephone judiciously and avoid unnecessary conversation to save time.
• Adopt sandardisation and carryout work-study to improve productivity by evolving simple procedures and techniques to deal with the work.
• Use of automation in systems helps in reduction in processing time and data is available at fingertips, which help in decision-making.

Self Imposed Time. It is the time spent doing the tings we decide to do and not those in response to the initiative of our bosses, peers and the subordinates. It is the only time when we have discretion to express our own individuality within an organisation. Therefore, there is a need to control the time wastage of self-imposed discretionary time. The following are some of the measures we can adopt:

• Gain confidence of boss by achieving results thereby obtaining more authority and discretionary power.
• Delegate responsibility to subordinates and decentralize the authority and make them self-reliant.
• Develop communication and rapport with the people in the system so that they understand your instructions and methods correctly.
• Plan in advance so that right things are done the right way at he first instance, instead of doing these over so often.
• Differentiate between working and supervising. Do not start working yourself where your guidance/ supervision is sufficient.
• Use of calculators, computers and electronic diaries will help to reduce the time spent on calculations and for maintenance of up-to-date data bank.

We must learn to manage our time, as it is the most precious resource. Most of us are extravagant in spending the time without realising that it is not elastic. We need to plan, perform and save the time at our discretion. Saved time can then be gainfully utilized for proactive measures like, advance planning, innovating and organizing the work and caring for family and friends. This will have a profound effect on how well you are organized in life.

Thomas Mathew

Strees in the modern day world has taken the shape of a demon. Problems related to strees are plenty, starting from illness to difficult states of mind, which makes a person depressed and de-motivated. It is important to be aware of how our body reacts to strees. The signals we use to protect ourselves from stress can help our own sense of well-being and our understanding of other-people. It has been proven that gaining a sense of control over our lives is a major step towards lowering the harmful effects of stress.

Stress Signals

Some of the body’s inner responses to stress are outwardly visible e.g. sweating, paling etc. There are other, “cut off signals” and “displacement activities “, which also reveal inner conflicts. These signals can help to resolve stress. Cut off signals are generally used when we need time to think or are not happy or comfortable with what we are hearing. Alcohol abuse, drugs and also indulgence in meditation are extreme examples of coping with stresses. In daily life generally we all employ short-term devices to regulate the amount of stimulation we are receiving through our eyes and ears.

Eyes. When we don’t want to see something, we close our eyes or remain in symbolic ignorance of what we are looking at. During conversation, someone who closes his eyes is probably trying to remember something. Children cover their face with their hands while watching fearful progammes on the TV. In between they peep through their fingers for a brief moment. Adults also do it during exams, trying to remember something. There are other subtle unconscious visual, cut off signals, which indicate withdrawal from a situation. These are:

• Shifty eye . Rapid glancing to and fro while taking gives the look as if the person is searching fro an exit or a better person to be with.
• Shuttering eye, Here the eyes cannot decide whether to open or close their lids, which produces a nervous flicker.
• The evasive eye. Staring into the air, or down at the ground, the person is unable to meet the gaze of another person. He seems to be in another world – so near yet so far away.

A person giving these signals indicates that the situation itself might be causing stress. We could also try to be more open and see that we receive fewer withdrawal signals from others.

Ears. There are many gestures to show that someone doesn’t want to hear what’s being said. Elderly people may pretend to be deaf so as to avoid conflict. Other such symbolic signals are rubbing the ear, pulling the earlobe, putting the finger inside the ear etc.

Displacement Activities

These are unconscious habits, which we perform to relieve tension. The understanding of these signals helps by providing us opportunities to strengthen our position during arguments etc. Interpretation of signals discussed ahead may help us discern the underlying truth.

Waiting. In a situation when people have to wait for something outside their control, they use displacement activities their control, they use displacement activities to lesson the tensions. People examine fingernails with concentration shake their legs, crack knuckles or bite their own nails etc when they are in the waiting rooms. The tense people perform such acts. Other than obvious distress signals like sweating, people waiting at the railway station will check and recheck their tickets etc, a highly stressed person is likely to be genuinely more thirsty and is likely to consume more liquid.

Smoking. In a habitual smoker, increase in stress often increases the number of cigarettes consumed. Nervous smoker will tap the cigarettes on an ashtray continuously. Smoker exhaling smoke in air in an upward direction is probably more confident than the one how exhaled downwards.

Yawning. A person tired of listening to an uninterested speaker starts feeling sleepy. A barely concealed theatrical yawn is used.

Other activities. Chewing the pens/pencils, twiddling thumbs, tapping feet or fidgeting unnecessarily, at times even rearranging sofa cushions etc are also ways of dispersing nervous energy. The death of a near/ dear one causes maximum stress. At times even pleasant events like holidays or achievements may prove stressful to someone who finds it difficult to relax.

Stress Management

Relieving the stress is very essential to lead a happy, healthy and normal life. Certain postures of unwinding the stress are leaning and sitting.

Leaning. It is shifting our weight from one side of the body to the other. Standing up straight demands an alert posture, which suggests respect for others despites personal discomfort. Learning while talking indicates that we are on the home ground and that we know the other person quite well.

Sitting. Defensive body posture while sitting, like sitting with legs crossed or with crossed/folded arms, may actually inhibit us from receiving beneficial knowledge. If some sits down and promptly folds their arms and legs, they are not at peace with themselves. He sends negative signal or probably is very shy. The most appealing posture to be adopted is legs side by side, with hands resting loosely in the lap.

Relaxation. Free the body from unnecessary tension; one can free mind too. Mind and body are so closely allied that they have to affect each other. Yoga and other physical exercises are effective methods for combating stress.

Sleep. Sleep is the most natural, universally available remedy against stress. We spend nearly a third of our lives asleep. Short sleepers tend to have high energy levels. The amount of sleep one should have differs from person to person. Certain sleeping postures, as per researches convey few traits as described:

• Foetal Position. Those who curl up in sleep with knees drawn up to the chest and arms hugging the body, generally suffer from some sense of insecurity.
• Semi-Foetal. Knees and arms loosely bent, it is relaxed position where sleeper displays that he is happy and confident.
• Jekyll and Hyde. With one leg extended and the other bent, this position indicates the dual personality of a person.
• Face Down. Some sleep lying face down with arms and legs stretched out. People who prefer to sleep in this position are punctual and orderly.
• Flat Out. Secure, happy and confident sleepers spread out and take up a lot of space while sleeping.

Conclusion

After knowing about the stress related body signals it becomes important to do self-analysis. If one finds oneself displaying the same signals, he can stop and think of taking practical steps to change situation. Gaining a sense of control over our lives is a major step towards lowering the harmful effects of stress inducing stimuli.

HS Randhawa

Identify the Nature of Shyness

Identify the nature of your child’s shyness. Children are shy in different ways for different reasons. Is your child shy in a group? Meeting new people? Does your child have trouble in public? Paying with other children? Making phone calls? Or, is your child having stage fear? Knowing the nature of child’s shyness will help you identify the specific skills your child needs to be more at ease in social situations.

There are a number of conditions that masquerade as, or can lead to shyness – many of which require professional attention. Children may struggle with non-verbal learning disabilities. Interfere with their ability to read social cues and understand how to enter and leave play or answer questions at an appropriate level. Other children struggle with extreme anxiety, while still others have difficulty establishing emotional bonds with other people. Most of these conditions benefits from supportive structured environments that emphasize the development of social skills. Strategies for managing anxiety, impulses and the ability to read the signs and interface succeeds most of the time. However, whenever you see your child failing time and again, it is time to step back. Give him space and opportunity to relate at an emotional level without being critical. The specific nature of the social skills and treatment strategies, however, is likely to vary with your child’s needs.

Be A Role Model to Your Child

Children learn by watching the people around them – Parents that means you! With time, your ability to approach others and put them at ease can help to put your child at ease too.

But what if you are shy yourself? Then there’s good chance your child is also shy. Since nearly 50% of adults are believed to be shy, it stands to reason that nearly 50% of children have at least one shy parent and in our society about 25% of children have two shy parents. It’s hard to role model socially when you’re struggling with shyness yourself. All you can do is do try. Make an effort to improve your social skills and let your children know that you are making an endeavour Share your experiences with your children and promote mutual learning. Practice new found handshake, conversation and introduction skills with your children, friends and family. Role modeling social skills for your children, even in the privacy of your home, can help them improve social skills and is likely to improve yours, as well.

Teach Social Skills

When it comes to social skills, the earlier you begin teaching them the better. The prevalence of shyness among children is believed to increase with age. The following steps may help to teach your children the require social skills.

• Encourage your children to play outdoors when they are young and seek out safe places for your children to interact with others and practice social skills ad they get older.
• Teach your children how to enter and exit groups and how to read other people’s signals.
• Help your children understand what it takes to make and keep a good friend.
• At home, teach etiquettes, practice smiling, compliment each other and shaking each other’s hands each time you greet each other. Make learning social skills a natural part of their life.

Creative Problem Solving

Shy people tend to worry a lot. They are afraid of failures. One of the most important things you can teach your children is that failure provides the feedback we need. This helps to become good at the things we choose to do and improves creativity. Teach your children to think creatively. Show them how to brainstorm and how to generate more than one solution for their problems. Prepare them for disappointment, but teach them to persevere until they find an answer that works. By teaching creativity and ability to learn form feedback will make your children self-confident. Thomas Edison was said to have tried thousands of filaments before he found one that worked. By the way he was shy too.

Go Step by Step

The surest way to help your child overcome shyness is to break things down into small enough steps. So you scratch your head and see what you can do to break you child’s activities into smaller steps that are easier to achieve. The key here is to ensure that whatever behaviour your child ends up doing turns out to be a success. Your job as a parent is to monitor and periodically adjust those steps to determine the size that’s best for your child. With practice, your child will be able to raise the size of his/her steps to higher and higher levels.

Identify Talents and Hobbies

Identify talents and hobbies that make your child feel special. The more things we do, the more interesting we become to ourselves and other people. This helps our self-esteem to grow. We have more things to talk about and, if nothing else, the activities give out brains a little exercise.

Encourage your children to develop passions early in life. Even if they don’t like the first few things they try, the journey will make them richer for the experience. Just know that the more things your children do in lie, the more things they will have to share with other people and it will be easier of them to connect. For a shy child, the ability to connect with another child is one of ht greatest gifts they can receive.

Identify activities that take advantage of your child’s strengths. Is your child athletic? Artistic? Neat and organized? Good at math? Loves to read? Good at building things? What holds his/her attention? What is least likely to discourage him/her? And find activities that take advantage of those strengths. If your child is very shy and unwilling to attend group activities, start with solitary activities at first – like music lessons, arts and crafts, project out of books. Then, as your child gains more confidence, arrange opportunities for him/her to get guidance from other adults and gradually – with time to share his/her work or simply let ht child describe what she/he is doing. Many children benefits by teaching their skills to children who are younger than them.

Help to Manage Emotions

Help your child learn to manage his/her emotions. Help your children understand that “feelings” like “failures” are something to learn from. These are signals that, like traffic lights, direct ourlives. When they’re green our feelings are good and it’s business as usual. When they’re yellow, we may be felling a bit shaky. It’s best to slow down and proceed with caution. However, if they turn red, it’s a sign that something isn’t working. It is simply a matter of stopping and rethinking what we are doing, so that we come up with a better plan. Never tell your child it’s wrong to cry or that she/he is not feeling what she/he is feeling. Teach your child to know his/her emotions, accept them as natural, know that hurt doesn’t last forever and that with time they too can learn the skills to cope.

Teach tolerance and respect for others. Shy people are notoriously judgemental – both of themselves and others. The more judgmental you are as a parent, he more opportunity your children will have to learn to internalize those judgements even though you may have intended to direct them at someone else. When shy children overhear parents criticizing other people, they assume that’s what everyone does i.e. criticize others. They learn that going out in public means you will be continuously judge. What’s more, by judging other people harshly, your child teaching their skills to childrne what she/he is doing/.an help them imprpove ld’ may come to believe that you are judging him/her harshly as well. In time, their world can become an unsafe place. When it comes to using criticism with shy children, remember…..”less is more!” The more forgiving you are of others, the more forgiving your children are likely to be of themselves.

If Needed Seek Professional help

While many children outgrow their shyness, many other carry it forward into adulthood. If your child is struggling—particularly if your child is challenged by a non-verbal learning disability or if you have a history of anxiety disorders, depression or substance abuse in your family—consider getting, professional help. The right support can help your child to get rid of shyness. This will help improve his/her development. In many cases, it will be fine to start by reading books or talking with other parents of other shy children. If these avenues fail or should you want more immediate help for your child, it’s best to consult a qualified professional who has expertise and is familiar with resources in this area.

A career in the Defence Forces as an officer has always had a place of dignity and respect amongst the youth, though not very high on the popularity graph as a career option these days. Not withstanding the exponential growth in white collar jobs in the last two decades, the reason to a large extent also depends upon unawareness among the youth regarding the options available, service conditions and quality of life.

A student finishing plus two examination can now opt for an engineering career in the Army or Navy through Technical Entry Scheme, which enables him to become an engineer at Army expense before getting commissioned as an officer. No UPSC examination is required for this entry. Besides this the entry through National Defence Academy , Khadakvasla after a UPSC written exam is still quiet popular. NDA provides world class training facilities which include a graduation in science/humanities stream from JNU. It gives one innumerable opportunities to develop one’s personality and cultivate new interests. In fact one can choose from over thirty different extra-curricular activities like aero-modeling, golf, gliding, sailing, wind surfing astronomy and many more.

A graduate can join through the Combined Defence Services examination as a regular/short service commissioned officer. Training for regular commissioned officers is carried out at Indian Military Academy , Dehradun, known as the cradle of Military leadership. Those desirous of joining the Short Service Commission get trained at Officer’s Training Academy at Chennai and serve for a period of five years. On completion of this term he can either resign or opt for an extension for five years or a permanent commission.

Engineering graduates can join in the pre-final or that final year through the University Entry Scheme or after completion of graduation through Technical Graduate Scheme without any written examination, by appearing before the Service Selection Board . In both the cases the candidate gets an ante-date seniority of two years and gets commissioned as a captain.

Women’s entry at graduate, post graduate or an engineering graduate level has been very popular and competitive. A woman officer now gets to serve up to fourteen years after being trained at OTA, Chennai. Entry is based on selection by the Services Selection Board . Women officers have performed well in all spheres with their male counterparts even under field conditions.

The Armed Forces have, over the time systematically focused on making the services more attractive, which include faster promotions, improved accommodation availability and quality schooling for children. The modernistic equipment profile in the services is highly challenging as well as exciting.

Above all it is the rich quality of life tempered by good discipline offered by the services which cannot find comparison. The glamour of large compensation in the private sector attracts a lot of young people. While some do make a pretty success out of it but in a majority of cases the pressure of prolonged working hours, often against the biological rhythm brings in a lot of dysfunction in their life. This leads to a quick burn out and avoidable stress related medical problems. It is time the new generation realized life is not about being in a hurry but to step back and enjoy the journey of life.

(PGDM, HDIT, PG Env & Eco)

W hat is OBL? – Osama Bin Laden! – not necessarily. It is an effective methodology for self and group development in the field of self awareness, team work, interpersonal relations, communication skills, leadership etc. This is ideally carried out away from place of work in unfamiliar settings.

Background

‘Outward Bound’ as a concept can be traced to the noted German born educational philosopher Dr Kurt Hahn who called it Gordonsoun activities. There had been some emphasis on sea training and coast-guardship at Gordonstoun, but when the school moved to its wartime home near Aberdovey, the idea of sea training and of learning from the sea took root. The first Outward Bound Sea School was founded in 1941 – and the practice of short challenging courses (26 days) for boys from industry – complete with a confidential report on their behaviour and performance under pressure – quickly became established.

The notion of ‘Action – Learning’ in Management Development relates to the experiment by Reg Revans after the Second World War in Britain . In order to meet the increased demand of coal there was a need to quickly develop fresh managers for the collieries and there was just no time to train them in the class rooms. The best way to overcome this problem was to take them to the coal mines and provide them the opportunity to observe the conditions in which other managers operated. They shared and compared what they had learnt. The same principle was effectively used in the Armed Forces in India , when the long training periods for officers had to be drastically curtailed due to the 1971 war. Cadets were sent direct to operational areas after basic training where, they were superimposed in the new environment with the new task and very shortly shouldered responsibilities with great success. The learning in both cases was exponential and results satisfying.

The foundation of ‘Action – Learning’ is based upon this process, which facilitates:

•  Learning from experience.

•  Sharing that experience with others.

•  Mutual criticism and advise among colleagues.

•  Implementation of the given advise.

•  Review of the action taken and learning of lessons there from.

People really begin to learn effectively when they are confronted with difficulties and have the opportunity to share constructively their concerns and experiences with others. This is the basis for assessing how to improve their individual skills and the tasks which they have to perform.

Is Traditional Training Outdated?

The traditional management education sessions are based on usual lecture inputs on concepts, ideas and research. They are followed up by historical standard case studies, together with experiential simulations. These simulations usually involve some role playing and group decision making. These are all supported by group discussions. Even though these programmes are enjoyable and contribute towards development of certain skills, the skills development occurs outside the context of normal work environment and exigencies of the situations. Rarely do these actually discuss real life managerial practices based on real life cases brought by real life managers who are present. Focus is on ‘there and then’ rather than on ‘here and now’ . Therefore, there is no significant transfer of learning from simulations to actual life situations.

David Klob’s Action Learning Cycle

Learning really takes place through the Kolb Cycle of Concrete Experience, Reflective Observation, Abstract Conceptualisation and Active Experimentation.

An experience forms the first step in the learning chain. The next step, reflective observation, is to reflect on our observations. The issue here is to connect with one’s inner feelings and ask, “What happened?” This helps to explore further and to draw out learning points.

The third step, abstract conceptualisation, is to form a link between the new experience and our previous knowledge. You need to ask here, “What is the significance of what happened?” This helps to build up a mini-theory. Finally, learning is completed when new ideas are tried out in practice. The question to ask here is, “What will I do as a result?”

There are several reasons why the outdoor model is considered very effective in training interventions. The major ones are that the training takes place in a new, unfamiliar environment and the participants feel completely disoriented initially. As a result of this, a greater sense of humility is induced and the `I know it all’ block is removed. The participants become more open to learning and can easily the experiential inputs to their job. Situations are so designed as to overcome personal limitations inculcating a sense of stretch through mastering challenges. These experiences also give those with initially low self-esteem, an opportunity to shine and emerge more confident through the mastery of difficult situations and the leaders learn how to really lead.

Outward bound learning has become a genre and corporates are increasingly taking to it. But the outdoors by itself is no training medium. Yes, it does expand experiences, but that by itself is not enough for transfer of learning. Everybody has experiences. If you live long enough, you’re going to have innumerable experiences.

The question is how much you’ve learned from the experiences you’ve had. In conducting experiential learning programmes, the reflection and debrief really become vital. The facilitator needs to watch events like a hawk. Later he brings up situations and discusses them. To draw learnings from every experience, no matter how small, is an art. And this is where facilitation skills become vital.

The ‘Outward Bound Learning’ is a wonderful learning medium. People are stretched in the outdoors. Activities should be difficult enough to cause pain and frustration . These are two of our most common blocks. Participants need to learn how to overcome them. Difficult activities teach possibly the greatest of human lessons — humility . And yet, conversely, in learning humility, self-esteem is built up. Participants learn that ‘to rise one must first learn to fall’ .

Debrief and Follow Up

Perhaps, most important aspect the participants learn is the relevance of reflection and debrief. To carry it back to their work areas and to their teams to bring out learnings from real day-to-day experiences. They learn how to build a real knowledge bank within the team and the company as well. The programme is concluded with a thoroughly deliberated follow up action plan, both at individual level and department level. If this is meticulously followed with the help of facilitators, it will ensure that learning is transferred to the shop floor, while irritants if any, are identified and gradually removed.

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