English and Soft Skills

reviewed by S. Kumaran, India

Dr. S. Kumaran is working as an Assistant Professor of English at the University College of Engineering Tindivanam, a Constituent College of Anna University of Technology Chennai. He did his Ph.D research in the field of Ecocriticism and Indian Drama and received doctorate from Anna University Chennai. He has published more than 15 articles in reputed National and International journals and presented 20 papers in various conferences. Further, he has contributed research articles to different anthologies and attended several workshops.
E-mail: kumaran_johnson2000@yahoo.co.in

Title: English and Soft Skills
Author: Dr.S.P.Dhanavel.
Publisher: Hyderabad: Orient BlackSwan,
Year: 2010
No. pages: 124

English and Soft Skills, written by Dr S P Dhanavel, Professor and Head, Department of English, Anna University Chennai, is a noteworthy contribution to the community of students at the college level. This book contains ten units on different aspects of soft skills. The units include: 1. Listening Skill, 2. Teamwork Skills, 3. Emotional Intelligence, 4. Assertive Skills, 5. Learning Skills, 6. Problem-solving Skills, 7. Interview Skills, 8. Adaptability Skills, 9. Non-verbal Communication Skills, and 10. Written Communication Skills.

All these skills are given to the students primarily through short stories which are quite interesting and meaningful. The stories arrest the attention of the learners and sustain their interest and curiosity. The units do contain items such as Leading up to the Story, Understanding the Story, Understanding People, Understanding Places and Events, Vocabulary Development, Professionals and People, Self-Assessment, and Further Reading. As these teaching points ensure the wholesome development of the learners, they are the hallmarks of this book.

Leading up to the Story follows the lessons in each unit and it prepares the learners to receive the information the unit contains by providing background information to grasp the topic. By preparing groundwork for the topic, it inculcates the desire to discover the essence of the unit. Understanding the Story makes the readers realize their grasping power; further, it promotes thinking skills and encourages independent thinking. It also helps the learners test their ability to understand the story. Understanding People provides knowledge about people and helps the learners to handle relationship ingeniously and to become familiar with the characteristics of people. Understanding Emotions teaches how to respect emotions of people and to deal with them. Understanding Places and Events facilitates reasoning ability and aptitude of the learners through a critical analysis. Vocabulary Development is an easy way to master words useful for spoken English. The words and phrases included in this part are significant and appropriate to the current scenario of language use. Further, Vocabulary Development is one of the best ways to learn a language and it encourages dictionary usage too. Moreover, it creates interest in knowing about words and exploring the transforming power of words. Professionals and People updates knowledge about society and its members and makes the learners to be better counterparts. Using Words Accurately promotes acceptable usage of words and also points out common errors. Further, it enables command over language.

Thinking about Soft Skills informs about the nature of soft skills, their application and necessity. It also assists the learners to find out more about the prospect of learning soft skills. Proverbs on each skill in each unit is a novel attempt to teach soft skills. They inculcate moral values and teach professional ethics. Moreover, the item fixes the traditional wisdom into the knowledge framework of the present day world. Soft Skills at the Workplace brings industry or work environment to students and motivates them to be good employers or employees. They could cherish industrial experience in advance and equip themselves with pertinent skills. Real Life Experience is an opportunity to develop writing skills as it enables the learners to visualize their own experience and to identify the strengths and weaknesses in soft skills. Self Assessment is an opportunity to understand oneself and it gives scope for one’s own improvement. It is a chance for the learners to transform themselves as it makes them ponder upon the quality of their lives. Further, it develops the personality of the learners and promotes self-awareness.

This book provides ample opportunities for learning the nuances of English language and for putting the learning into practice. Adjectives, Noun Suffixes, Conjunctions, Direct and Indirect speech, and Active voice and Passive voice, etc., presented in the book are the promising ways to gain language proficiency. They reveal different facets of English language and sharpen one’s language skills. Role play is a wonderful means to develop confidence and communication skills. Activity builds confidence and makes the process of learning interesting. It helps the learners to put the knowledge they gained through the units into practice to improve their performance.

Understanding Ideas illustrates the power of ideas and demonstrates that ‘Ideas rule the world.’ Further Reading provided in each unit contains information to learn more about each soft skill. It proves learning as a journey and confirms that the insight of the learner depends on the depth of one’s reading.

Prof. Dhanavel has done a remarkable service by covering the prominent aspects of the ten core soft skills. For instance, Assertive Skills shows when and where to assert and reveals the pitfalls of passive behavior. Interview Skills makes the learners ready to face interviews. It even teaches the importance of résumé and helps to write an impressive résumé. Problem-solving Skills, the most needed and relevant skill for budding entrepreneurs, is given due credit and it also contains sufficient data. Non-verbal Communication Skills teaches the art of communicating without words.

Thus, this book distinguishes itself from its counterparts and proves to be a worthy and timely enterprise. Reading the book is a wonderful experience that lingers in the memory beyond comparison. In fact, the time spent with it is a brilliant investment to enhance one’s own personality. In sum, English and Soft Skills is an indispensable resource material for the development of every student into a successful employee or employer.

The Creative Methodology for the Classroom course can be viewed here