Bunyaadi Tarbiyyat Guide

8/4/2019 Bunyaadi Tarbiyyat Guide

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/bunyaadi-tarbiyyat-guide 1/126

Concept & ApplicationTeachers’ Guide

First Step towards Nation Building

Bunyaadi Tarbiyyat By

Amjad H. Faizi

Institute of Safety & Human Factors F-63/3 Park Lane Block-5 Clifton Karachi-75600 Tel: (9221) 582-1355 & 582-1366



Thank you Sir!

I dedicate this humble effort to my father, Choudhry Faiz Ahmed.

He passed away when I was only 12 years old. Despite such a short time with him, I have always felt his presence, especially during difficult times in life. It may be figment of my imagination but my father has always been there to help shape my life. In more ways than one, for whatever reason,he remains part of my being!

He was physically large and very well-built person, with big penetrating eyes. He was tall almost awe-inspiring yet loving person. Yes, he was perhaps the most devoted, tender affectionate father a son could dreamof! Moreover, he was definitely one of the most exacting yet involveddisciplinarians one would ever imagine. Above it all, he always tried torole-model for all what he believed in or preached

I never found him falter or be irresolute from the basic values of fair playand honesty. Another endearing part of personality was his acute senseof humor. He was also man of letters, a poet in his own style, writingmostly in Persian.

His close friends included writers like late Ashfaq Hussain, Krishan

Chander, Hameed Nizami, Mumtaz Mufti, Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi andAhmad Bashir. His booming laughter, especially when with his friendswas so loud and contagious that it could be heard literally miles away.

I also remember him as one of the most patriotic persons I have ever met.He had a feeling heart and was willing to share all what he had! A goodclassy dresser, his overall approach to life has definitely left indeliblemarks on my person.

Thank you father!

I miss you so dearly

Amjad H. FaiziMarch 1, 2009

Preface



This book has been specifically devised for providing guidance to all teachers, lecturers andtrainers.

One may not realize it but most teachers, especially of school days, are considered the truearchitect of the destiny of their wards! May it be of an individual or a group of students!Teachers tend to have lasting effect on their students.

School teachers, lecturers and other trainers are normally expected to be the role models fortheir students. Students do look up to their teachers in more ways than one. Imprints left byteachers are normally indelible.

It is also an accepted fact that nations are built or destroyed, not by the impedingcircumstances or by its inept leaders, but also by its school teachers and trainers. A countrycan march towards prosperity or progressive future, only if its trainers realized the importance

of their own being as the role models. Most students excel only when they can proudly followtheir teachers.

As such, it would always be of paramount importance that all teachers, instructors, lecturersand/or professors exhibit themselves in an exemplary manner. It goes without saying thatstudents would always consider their teachers as most authentic icons of civilized behavior.

There is no doubt that our globe called Earth has shrunk beyond recognition. Today, we allare so visible to each other that most of the nations have already begun interacting. Suchclear visibility and prompt interaction has lead most people to evaluation of each others’attitude and behavior.

It is rather unfortunate that most nations in the world do not consider us Pakistanis as politeand cultured people. To them, we are not suave enough to be associated with. Fact of thematter is that most people consider most of us Pakistanis as rude and crude people. As wedisplay pathetic Civic Sense, our attitude towards life is considered fatalistic.

Our labeling as terrorists has a lot to do with our civic behavior. Not to forget that RoadSense is part of Civic Sense and cannot be ever improved without enhancing Civic Sense.To make matters worse, our Road Safety Performance is one of the poorest in the world.

Realizing this dilemma, Institute of Safety & Human Factors has taken upon itself to impartBunyaadi Tarbiyyat to the nation through Training all the Trainers. It is indeed a gigantic task.

However, we intend to deliver what is required of us. No effort would be spared to achieveour vowed objective! In fact, it is an involved effort at Nation Building.

Training of the Basics or Bunyaadi Tarbiyyat is the primary objective of this TrainingManual. This manual deals with the following subjects:

Civic Sense Road Sense Saving national resources Like Water, Gas, Electricity, Fuel etc Conserving Natural Habitat Courtesy & Deportment

Etiquette & Body Hygiene First Aid Emergency Evacuation & Fire Safety including Fire Drill



A few other important subjects of direct concern to most teachers like ResourceManagement, Planning school-specific campaigns for implementing Bunyaadi Tarbiyyat,Time Management and Applied Techniques for offsetting the ill effects of Human Factorsamongst students are also given due importance.

Objectives: Primary objective is to prepare the teachers for imparting effective training on all thesubjects as given above.

Secondary objective is to improve upon the personal skills of teachers and trainers.

Our Vision or Hamari Manzil:

Saaf, Roshan Pakistan

Our Mission or Hamara Raasta:Taaleem aur Tarbiyyat sath sath

Our Target Values or Hamaray Pehlay Qadm:

1. Safety2. Sifai3. Khush Ikhlaqi

Child is The Father of Man:

Accepted as universal truth, all the trainers of Bunyaadi Tarbiyyat would be motivated andeducated in such a manner that they, in turn, train the children to become responsible citizen.Efforts would be made to impress upon children that they start acting as role models for otherfamily members. Such gravitation would leave lasting impact on the society. It would be likebrining in a revolution from within.

National Education:

For reasons not known, we have always confused in between: Literacy Rate and Education.Whereas Education may be defined as quantum of knowledge the Literacy Rate is simply the

ability to read and write. It does not mean that an individual is truly educated.

To make matters worse, in most countries of the Developing World, we refuse to distinguishin between Education and National Education. To most educationists, National Education isin fact Civic Sense.

It is all too evident that in most countries of the Developing World, National Education or CivicSense has been paid scant attention. As a result, respective leaderships have failed toassign the requisite priority to the National Education. Such a pivotal lapse has prevented thenations to record any meaningful progress.

Road Sense; an Integral Part of Civic Sense:

Road Sense can never be improved without first infusing Civic Sense. Road Sense wouldalways remain an integral part of Civic Sense. And the issue of improving upon Road Sensecannot ever be ever tackled in isolation.



Like most other developing countries, Traffic Police of our country has also been striving toimprove the Road Safety Performance by improving Road Sense. But they have met withscant success. As a matter of fact, Road Safety Performance of the country is fastdeteriorating. And it would keep declining unless we assigned the desired priority toimproving upon our Civic Sense.

Two Definitions:

Civic Sense, as displayed by the populace is regarded as the most important indicator tomeasure the progress made or the potential thereof. Another indicator is the quantum ofRoad Sense. Unfortunately, in most countries of the Developing World, both indicators arenot within healthy range.

1. Civic Sense Learning to give others their Civic Rights before expecting

may be defined as:

2. Road Sense

Applied Civic Sense by all road users

would be best defined as:

As stated above, most law enforcement agencies in most countries of the Developing Worldkeep trying to tackle Road Safety issue without ever realizing that Safety Performance cannotbe ever improved without first inculcating Road Sense! And Road Sense cannot be evertackled as an independent issue. It is integral part of Civic Sense.

Reason for including subjects like Body Hygiene, Environment Safety, Human Factors, Inter-personal Communication, Active Listening and Assertiveness in this manual is to assist theteachers become more effective in their profession.

First Aid, Emergency Evacuation & Fire Safety:It is felt that all teachers should be well-versed in the above three subjects. During thetraining of Bunyaadi Tarbiyyat, all teachers would be provided hands-on training in First Aid.They would also be given intense briefing in conducting the Emergency Evacuation in case aneed arises.

All teachers, without any exception, would also be trained in Fire Safety. In addition, theywould be participating in Fire Fighting Drill. Towards this goal, Department of Civil Defensehas pledged their professional expertise and resources.

Safeguarding Natural Resources:If the teachers are to assume the responsibility of providing Bunyaadi Tarbiyyat, it is essentialthat they are aware of the issue connected with Natural Resources and EnvironmentalSafety. They need to impress on their students the dire need of conserving and preservingthe resources like water, gas, fuel and electricity.

Being Polite & courteous:

One cannot be ever considered cultured without first learning to be polite, courteous andwell-mannered. Moreover, international etiquette is fast becoming the normal requirementfrom others. As such, being courteous is the only behavior which is acceptable to civilized

people.

As such we need to learn all those finer points of day-to-day living and interaction with others.Etiquette as expected from others is now considered as part of professional training.



Unfortunately such is not the case in Pakistan. Most institutes do not prepare their students inthis important discipline.

Human Factors: The Deciding Factor:

Human Factors may be a new subject for most, although it has long been considered as theDeciding Factor. Human Factors, despite the apparent positive connotations of the two wordsis in fact the name a contagious disease which may afflict any given set of Human Resource.

In other words, Human Factors is the name of a viral disease, which can cause total or maybe fatal destruction from within. According to some involved studies, a little over 80% of allcorporate failures are caused by Human Factors.

Most business experts agree that productivity of any given set of Human Resource entirelydepends on the manner in which an organization addresses the menace of Human Factors.

The Module:

Theory and the Lesson Plan are the two parts of this module. Lesson Plan, as devised for themulti media presentation, is printed in such a format that participating teachers can easilytake notes on the same sheet of paper. No extra notebook would be required for the durationof this training.

As such it is also suggested that all teachers make optimum use of all the Slides asappearing during the presentation of the Lesson Plan. However, they may alter it for the easydigestion of their wards. Changing, altering or altogether devising an entirely new lesson planfor a specific age group is indeed expected.

It is also recommended that teachers incorporate more inter-activity amongst their students.Besides, practical demonstration of all finer points of different subjects may be planned forcontinuity.

Children need to be continuously reminded of their civic duties. Needless to mention that allteachers/trainers are expected to be the role models, not only in schools but also in theirhome and the community they live in!

Different chapters, dealing with various subjects are theoretic yet objective! Theory part ofdocument should be primarily used for reference purposes only. But this manual is not end-it-all! There is a lot more to learn.

The training would be conducted in a classroom-cum-workshop manner. All teachers/trainerswould be required to actively participate in class activities. Most such activities would revolvearound the subjects and the methodology required for effective transfer of knowledge to theirstudents. Teachers would also be taught different Facilitation Techniques.

Module Objectives:

Primary objectives to be achieved from the conduct of this training include:

Making all the teachers/trainers acutely aware of the exacting requirements of CivicSense and Road Sense as needed to be infused amongst their students

Preparing the teachers/trainers in order to train their wards for saving the vitalresources like water, fuel, gas and electricity

Training the teachers/ trainer in Fire Safety and provision of First Aid to their wards



Highlighting the benefits of courteous and polite behavior

Fine tuning the Finesse for ultimate success in life

Introduction of Human Factors to teachers/trainers as effective instrument for

improving training skills Improving the interaction amongst the teachers/trainers as well as with their studentsand parents

The module has been divided in four sections; Human Factors, Bunyaadi Tarbiyyat, Safetyand Personal Requirements.

Section One:

Human Factors is the new horizon teachers need to become aware of. This section wouldprepare them to hone their teaching abilities. Such abilities are considered requirement for

imparting Bunyaadi Tarbiyyat. Knowledge about Human Factors would help teachers emergeas role models.

This document introduces Human Factors as the Deciding Factor. It would help not only tounderstand the core issues like Inter-personal Communications, Active Listening,Assertiveness and Situational Awareness, it would also help prepare them to tackle theissues as a team and not only as individuals.

Section Two:

Bunyaadi Tarbiyyat, being the main area of concern, includes Civic Sense, Road Sense,Courtesy, Telephone Courtesy, General Decorum, Etiquette, Deportment, PersonalGrooming, Body Hygiene and Oral Health.

Methodology to save on national resources like water, gas, fuel, electricity forms anotherimportant part of this manual. Another area of concern is to preserve our natural habitat.

Section Three:

Section dealing with Safety includes Basics of First Aid, Emergency Evacuation and FireSafety. Fire Drill is the hands on training as Fire Fighter. It prepares the teacher to deal withabnormal and emergent conditions.

Section Four:Body Hygiene, Deportment and Time Management are the main subjects of the fourthsection. These subjects are to help the teacher in more ways than one. Not only the teacherswould improve quality of their own lives but they will also be able to help children improvetheir appearance and working.

The entire curriculum is augmented with forceful motivation. In fact all the exercises aredevised and thus geared to bring about a quantum change of attitude amongst participants.Role-play is planned and encouraged only to get the participant involved for discoveringpractical solutions to the issues.

We are positive that such involved training would definitely benefit all. It is also sincerelyhoped that all participants would take full advantage of this opportunity. We have no doubt inour mind that proposed training would change attitude, positively and forever! Besides, itwould help establish new professional ethics.



It is prayed that our effort of Training the Trainer becomes a resounding success. It is alsoprayed that trained trainers would become Role Models besides sharing their knowledge withall their colleagues, wards and others.

May you have the courage and wisdom to become beacon of light!.May God bless you with health & happiness, always!Amen!

Amjad H. FaiziMarch 1, 2009

* Humari Manzil

Saaf Roshan Pakistan

* Hamara RaastaTaaleem aur Tarbiyyat sath sath

* Hamaray Pehlay Qadm1. Safety2. Sifai

3. Khush Ikhlaqi

Emerging Times!

Arrival of a new millennium; dawn of the New Year; end of another month; oh Monday again!

Another week gone by! It is New Year again? Yes, pace of time is ever-accelerating! Most ofus stand bewildered. And some of us are going through life in a state of constant daze!

The fact is; either we are with the times or we are not! New demands of more times arebursting upon us at an ever-increasing pace. Year 2005 has dawned and WTO stipulations



are enforced. Today it is much more of a competitive world than ever before. It is free for all.No protection for the under-developed. Winner takes all. Our resources are about to usurped.That is if we do not improve the quality of our products

Rate of Change:

Yes, the world is changing and changing very fast! Time is being clocked at much faster pacethan ever before. It is passing us bye at such an accelerated pace! More so for thedeveloping nations than the countries of North! Alas, we are being left behind. Way behind!

Let us stop kidding ourselves into oblivion! Let us stop thinking of ourselves as super duperbreed of human beings. We are not! Qualitatively we are rather very ordinary! With timerunning out, even history is not on our side! We have only one plus point. Our inherentintelligence!

A few emerging facts of modern life need our utmost and urgent attention. And it is importantthat we give these facts very serious thought. Or else our dreams of real and lasting progresswould remain shattered!

Ground Realities:

Let us begin by accepting some obvious ground realities:

It is a vastly different world as compared to the last century. And the rate of change, worldover, is at ever accelerating pace.

Today, countries are invaded and dominated, more so economically as compared to invasionby armed forces. There are more economic invasions as compared to the use of militaryforce.

Economic invasions, even without any military invasion or incursion, can be very devastating,especially for the struggling countries like us.

In Pakistan, when it comes to quality and productivity, multi-national companies have adefinite edge over their competition by local enterprises.

We hope that above observations would get our minds ticking away. We need to catch yourfancy or else we will not be able to get across! Well, we do need to think things over. It is highenough time!

There is no doubt that our world of yesteryears has shrunk to become a very small globe.And every one living on this globe is beginning to take active notice of others. It seems thatnone can afford to live in absolute isolation any longer.

New Horizons:

Today nations are beginning to evaluate each other. The determination to compete positivelyis gaining strength. New heights are being scaled! New frontiers are being explored. For mostnations, excellence has become an achievable goal.

Behaviors and values of different societies are being placed on constant scrutiny. Nations aretrying to inter-act more intimately! New global society is slowly emerging.

Quality as Mainstay:

To this scenario, add another element. It is about the implementation of ISO-9000 & series,which is all about Total Quality Management (TQM). ISO certification and quite a number ofother Standardization Orders are bringing about a revolution in the working of mostorganizations.



With different organizations and business houses offering similar products, the competition isheating up. Sensible progressive management teams are looking for an edge over others.Where is the elusive edge; is an obvious question!

The only plausible answer is in; provision of superior standard of services than yourcompetitor. There is no other way! Customer is where the buck stops!

Emergence of CRM Solutions:

As such Customers’ Relationship Management (CRM) Solutions has burst upon thecommercial world as the new buzzword. There is great deal of urgency in finalizing CRMSolutions which would serve the best needs of a given business house. Huge amounts, worldover, are being invested in customizing CRM Solutions!

What does it entail to customize CRM Solutions? Let us briefly look at it!

Finding CRM Solutions involves the following:

Determining all the areas where a customer is likely to interact with any employee of a given

business house.

Collecting data pertaining to general or specific complaints, comments or suggestions asreceived from the entire spectrum of clientele.

Based on this data, isolating the weak areas, operationally, financially or otherwise.

Evaluating the attitude of employees towards the weak areas of operation, marketing orprovision of service.

Developing an interactive Feedback system.

Based on such feedback, developing customized software, which would ensure uniformity incorrective or remedial measures. Primarily it is an update of MIS (Management InformationSystem) to DSS (Decision Support System).

Continuity in training and recurrent training of all personnel who are directly or indirectlyinvolved in provision of customers’ service.

Based on above, an involved exercise to find total CRM Solutions sounds like a very goodprogram. But only if the personnel who come in contact with customers were initially trainedin providing a set standard of service! Or in other words, if the employees were service-minded!

Change of Attitude:

Considering that a whopping 75% of all commercial activities, all over the world are one wayor the other, connected with a provision of service to customers, it is high time that we alsotook a closer look at our attitude towards provision of personalized service to customers.

Our attitude towards our service-related assigned duties needs to be scrutinized. Primarilywe are not very soft-spoken people. We are mostly very loud and at times very rude andcrude. What is worst yet is our mind-set in providing personalized service to others.

We consider providing personalized service to others as personal insult. In this world ofbusiness, it is perhaps the worst harm we can inflict on ourselves. It is time to change it all. Itis time to change our attitude, positively and forever. And it is now or never! Or else we maybe simply wiped out!



Towards this objective, we have to start working for inculcating a polite behavior towards ourcustomers. And this can be done only if we realize the ultimate importance of a customer. Weneed to vividly focus on him/her and this can be done only if we are aware who our realcustomer is. That would be surely the first step towards realizing our dreams of true andlasting progress!

First Step!Profession of a teacher is too prestigious and respected! It cannot be equated with any other.Perhaps it is the most celebrated and appreciated one can adopt. Of course, it cannot beeasily linked with provision of services.

Right! No. Not really! We all do have customers! At times only internal customers like anofficer in-charge, Board of Directors etc. More often than not, we have combination of internaland external customers. But predominantly, we tend to have more of external customers thaninternal.

And it is mostly because of the external customers that one makes its living. After all more

than 75% of total global business rivets around provision of services to the customers.Who would imagine that even teachers have to have customer. How dare anyone think likethat! True, we share the sentiments. But can one imagine oneself to be a teacher or a trainer



without any students. Or would one still be a teacher if the parents of the students decided toshun the teacher or boycott the school or institute?

Recognition of Waseela-e-Rizq:

All of us, the professional teachers or trainers, need to realize that our students and theirparents are factually our customers. Without them, there would be no school or an institute.We must begin accepting that our students and their parents are our external customers andas such our real paymasters.

If it were not for our customers, none of us would have ever been employed at the schools.We must begin realizing that we are employed at our schools only because of the customers,the students, and not vice versa! If one was to remove our customers from the scene, therewould be no school, no institute, no business, no corporate functioning, no progress, and nonothing!

In fact customer is the one who puts the food on our tables. He is the waseela-e-Rizq as

created by God for our families. It is for this obvious reason that we have to begin looking atour students with a different perspective. Call a student, a client or customer; he is the bossof our bosses. Please make no mistake about it.

Boss of the Boss:

Just like any other boss, we need to please our customers. We need to play up to him. Weneed to serve him. We need to keep him happy and in good spirits. There is a world ofwisdom when we say; the customer is always right!

How do we keep our customers coming back to us? It does sound like a tall order. But in fact

it is not so difficult. All we need to posses is sincerity of purpose, correct application ofprocedures, well-practiced manners and the right quantum of applied courtesy. Not too muchto ask, we hope!

Most of us would endorse that internationally accepted etiquette and manners are fastgaining recognition. Courteous behavior is not only being valued, it is now considered thecutting edge over others.

Change of Heart:

Love and understanding amongst world populace is slowly replacing the long-standinghatred. Enhanced tolerance for each other’s views is beginning to take roots. But for the well-entrenched religious fanatics, the entire humanity would love to start a new era ofcoexistence.

Nevertheless, inter-communal hatred and sectarian divisions are on the decline! True spirit ofdifferent religions is being valued. A customer is being considered the most important factorin promoting business without a thought for his religion, creed or caste.

This book is an effort to build a solid foundation on which we can eventually erect the higheststandards of customers’ service. It is also an effort to help fine-tune our manners. Andhopefully it may act as a catalyst for developing better understanding amongst different

people. We pray!

To us, being polite and gracious are the two basic human traits every body should posses.There can be no exception to the rule! It goes without saying that etiquette and courtesy, asinternationally acceptable, must be consistently practiced to perfection.



Such a lofty goal can not be reached with vigorous training and recurrent training of allservice-related personnel. None can be left out of such training. Or it may become a case ofthat one fish which spoiled the entire pond.

We need to set the highest standards of applied courtesy and etiquette. We need to have

highest level of awareness for the varied needs of a customer. We need to be professionallycorrect when dealing with customers. All of it should be the corner stone of our corporatepolicies.

Counting of Benefits:

We need not count the benefits of being courteous. But we must realize that 75% of globalbusinesses are service-oriented and for continuity in success depend very heavily on appliedcourtesy, office decorum, etiquette and personal grooming of all the personnel who are hiredto provide customers’ service.

Special courses are devised and modules constructed only to ensure the polite and well-groomed behavior of all employees of an organization, even the ones who have nothing to dowith customers’ service.

Uniformity in inter-personal behavior helps promote service-oriented culture at the corporatelevel. It has long been established that only polite, well-mannered and properly dressedpersonnel consistently achieve assigned targets.

Besides, etiquette and polite behavior play a very important role in promoting inter-personalcommunication. Decorum is the foundation on which inter-action thrives and flourishes.

Customs of different societies and countries differ. But the main objective does not. And it is

to make others feel cared for and respected. And that is what makes most of us tick. To us,love begets respect. Pray we think alike!

This training module for providing enhanced customers’ service was envisaged by keepingour rich cultural heritage in mind. We have tried to enmesh our age-old values withinternationally accepted social practices.

While writing this book, we interviewed a number of senior citizens, consulted as many booksas we could lay our hands on and browsed through heaps of magazines. And yet we may nothave justice to this important topic.

But most of what you would find in this book has come out of our hat. However, our lessonplan has been geared to infuse an enhanced level of inter-action amongst all the participants.

Before we get on with our lesson plan, may we point out that all topics as dealt with in thisbook are not only teacher-specific. As a matter of fact these would encompass the entirespectrum of our day-to-day life. So use the lessons learnt as you may deem fit! Let yourfamilies benefit from your knowledge!



Section ONE



Human Factors,The Deciding Factor

Let yourself go!

This section of manual deals with perhaps the most important subject,The Human Factors. Scope and range of the Human Factors beingimmensely wide, hence the applications are also immensely far-reaching.

Knowledge of this new discipline, called Human Factors, besidesenhancing your performance as a teacher or trainer, would also helpimprove your functioning as a member of the society. And of course as avital member of your home!



As such, we have intentionally tried not to limit the scope of next fewchapters. As a matter of fact, at certain instances, we have tried to expandthe reach of this module to the exacting requirements of an efficient andproductive executive.

We feel that a wider range and reach would benefit you a lot more fromthe basics of this new discipline. Truth is that we have tried to constructthis module in such a manner that it benefits all; be it an executive,teacher, trainer or a member of the society!

Nevertheless, may we request you to stay focused on Bunyaadi Tarbiyyat during the course of this workshop! However, the possibilities ofapplication would remain wide open!

But, much before we start dwelling on the subject, let us look at the basic,

perhaps the most important ingredient of success, The Team Building!

As such, may we request you to expand and let yourself go with growingthoughts and applications thereof!

Basic Ingredient of Success Team Building

May it be a home, a school or a mega corporate house, cohesive functioning of a well-knitteam is the only way towards success! In fact it is a Do or Die situation! It does seem a harshstatement to start the first chapter of a Training Manual. Mellow it down; we would definitelylike to! But we better not. The subject is serious enough to call for very direct, matter of factapproach.

Even if we wanted to, it would not be possible for us to dilute the intensity of the subject. Sobear with us through the next page or two; and then you would get used to it! Of course, pun,even if not misdirected, is very much intended!

Biggest hurdle a writer has the fear of inadequacy. It is seldom easy to express oneself in itstotality. Yet one has to accept such challenges as a vowed duty, especially when objective islarger than life. Human Factors is such a goal! So we request your indulgence in more waysthan the obvious!

Yes, the globe has shrunk beyond expectations. Yet the style of overpowering the weak hasnot changed. We need to wake up from our deep slumber! We need to realize thatglobalization is one-sided affair! Heavily tilted towards the North! As such we must learn toprotect our national interests and safeguard our human and mineral resources. In fact the ill-effects of globalization can cause irreversible damage to the countries in the DevelopingWorld. In other words, it is matter of survival.



We need to learn the ways of the west. We need to realize why we have lagged behind. Dowe need to say that we are talking about their corporate business practices and not theirsocial values or the structure!

One major and compelling difference is their way of working. Not only they put in hard work

and are accountable for doing so; they also believe in teamwork. This belief is based onresearch and not on whims. As such it has become a way of life for them. We mean thecorporate life!

Developing cohesive teams; may it be in any area of industry or corporate business; is thetop priority task which is assigned to the captain of the team. We in the East also need toadopt their way of achieving assigned targets.

Reasons of Failures:

In early eighties, following a spate of corporate failures in the USA, extensive research wasconducted. Results were conclusive. It was established beyond shadow of doubt that

cohesive team functioning could have averted many failures. Investigators were very firm indeclaring that without inter-action one would lose the match even before the referee blew thewhistle.

Bringing the benefits of research conducted elsewhere is one our prime motive for writing thisbook. Our second source of inspiration is the extensive experience gained during threedecades of employment with the national flag carrier.

Thirdly, it is quantum of observations as laboriously collected during the past decade whileconducting Team Building Workshops. Additionally, there have been a large number of inputsas contributed by a wide spectrum of participants who attended our workshops. Hence this

book!

History of Team Building:

Right from the Stone Age, man has achieved higher rewards when working as a team. Noconqueror would have ever dared to step out of his abode but for the confidence in his/herteam. Call it an army if you like!

But an army is again a well-rehearsed team and nothing more! An effective army is anextremely inter-active, dynamic and cohesive team. And it is always the teamwork which winthe wars and not because of heroics of an individual or two.

In other words, importance of a team has been omnipresent. History of mankind is filled tothe brim with events, which may never have been recorded but for the development of go-getter teams.

There would have been no Alexander the Great, Changiz Khan, Salahuddin Ayubi, Richardthe lion-hearted, Columbus and scores of others but for their teams of dedicated personsthey so painstakingly built.

Even the spread of all the religions, without any exception, has again been due to intenseteamwork. Yes, the prophets did pass on their heavenly revelations but a dedicated teamalways carried the gospel.

But for the dedication of a team, a supreme quality infused by our prophets in their followers,the numerical following of a given religion may not have reached the mark as recorded.

And given the very spirit of a motivated team, it is all too clear that Almighty God also wishesall His creatures, including us, the humans, to work in harmonious groups. Well-rehearsed,



inter-active, cohesive and united teams are what He desires! Or so do we believe! Allreligions, without any exception!

Apart from all prophets, a few saints, philosophers and artists, there have been no human inour history who has achieved any notable landmark without depending on the working of a

trained and dedicated team. The fact is that we mortals are meant to co-exist & co-inhibit!And it is done better with the right mind-set than otherwise!

For example, let us think of any inventor; and one would like to conclude that all inventionswere the deed of one person. Believe it or not, all the inventions, one way or the other, werethe results of joint efforts of many. You may call them assistants, servants, wives or mereemployees; but we will always discover that inventors needed the support of a team. It isquite another matter that credit went to one person.

And for those who do not want to be bothered by the events of our history. Take the case of ahappy family. If it were not for joint efforts of parents, real happiness in a household mayremain an illusion. And it takes every member of the family to make life bliss. Even onemember of the family, for one reason or the other, if goes astray, the harmony intogetherness may be lost forever!

In short, success in every walk of personal, social, corporate or national life, directly andindirectly, depends on the cohesive and interactive functioning of the teams as built by thecaptains. It is always the inter-action and dynamism of a team that translates in success,whether resounding or not!

Accelerated Rate of Change:

Having concluded that, we need to become aware of another fact of our history! And it is

about the rate of change over the past eight thousand years, give or take one or two.

Over all these years, progress has come to humankind at a slow yet measurable steadypace. During all these centuries, the Intelligence Quotient (IQ) has recorded a gradual rise onthe time scale.

However, there has been a notable acceleration during the past two hundred years. Butnothing did prepare us for the huge explosion of intelligence, which we have been confrontedwith as being experienced during the past two decades. The era of Information Technologyhas left most of us dumb founded. We are completely at loss! Well, if not all, most of us are!

Today the pace of progress is so hectic that it is almost impossible to stay in-step. Not an

hour passes without registering a quantum leap towards ever-dizzier heights. It seems thatold theory of Big Bang is being re-lived. Literally!

And this hectic pace of life has created a sensitivity, which is creating an ever-increasingstress. Most of us are clamoring to keep pace but mostly in vain! Yet we keep trying as hardas we ought to! No wonder, most of us are so tired!

Void of Loneliness:

Never-ending continuity of this effort is creating a void around us. Size of this void is everincreasing. We are beginning to live within our own person. We are becoming increasingly

isolated. We are lonelier today than we were twenty years ago. The rate at which we areparting with our age-old friends is rather painful.



Our computer monitor has emerged as our closest acquaintance, if not the best friend! Howpathetically aloof, impersonal, distant, detached and remote we have become is the saddestcommentary of our times!

With nobody to turn to, with all our emotions remaining pent-up, we all are under tremendous

stress, which is mostly three-in-one: emotional, financial and social. No wonder, stress as auniversal disease has become the biggest killer in the history of human race.

With this scenario, we feel it is time enough to sit back and take serious stock of our life styleand working conditions. We earnestly need to reconsider our priorities, when at work or athome.

We hope it is already not too late to realize our primary requirements in order to maintain oursocial as well as the mental equilibrium. We definitely need to recapture the intimacy of ourrelationships, may it be as friend, colleague or a blood relation. We need to inter-act withothers. Relationships are not only the essence of our inner being but also form the very basisof real happiness.

Happiness, being state of mind, is increasingly becoming elusive. We wish to be happy butalas it is not the case. We are becoming increasingly unhappy. Somehow most of us haveforgotten what really made us happy during the not-too-distant past.

What is the difference in pleasures and happiness is yet another subject, which we would tryto explore at a later stage! But at the moment it would suffice to submit that true happinesscan not be ever achieved in the void of our prevalent loneliness. That computer monitor is avery poor substitute for the company of living persons; life personified!

Catalysts Of Change:

Team Spirit is the real catalyst for developing any progressive team. Without infusing teamspirit in a group of persons, there would be no team and as such no success! Franklyenough, may it be office, home or a playground, without inculcating team spirit, there cannotbe any lasting joy.

There are definitely other factors, which are extremely important but they become reactiveonly in the presence of the catalyst, team spirit. For example, if harmony in our family life is tobe desired, then we would need sharing as a catalyst. But it would not amount to anythingwithout team spirit.

For corporate success, sense-of-belonging may act as an extremely effective catalyst! In our

social life, responsibility-towards-others would make for a happy community.

But at times more than one catalyst is required in order to achieve different goals or targets.We hasten to add that all such goals or targets have to be of a collective nature. A selfishlymotivated objective would never cultivate a true or binding team spirit.

Motivation with objectivity is by far the best instrument which needs to be employed alongwith a given catalyst. Motivation , along with team spirit can move the mountains. Team spirit strengthened with motivation would bring about a positive and lasting change in attitude.

But for the purpose of this book, we would from now onwards, restrict our selves to corporatebusiness, may it be in manufacturing, production or service segments. All what is presented

from this point onwards would pertain only to team building as sought or desired.

The Corporate World:



True, our earth has shrunk to become a small globe. Values and traditions of different socialstructures and comparison of religions have become common topics. But what has notchanged, are the rules business! Profit taking is the prime goal and it would remain so.

For clear demarcation of business world, we may divide the entire business activity in three

segments: Production, Manufacturing and Provision of Customers’ Services. But themainstay of business is and would remain the Services segment.

It is estimated that 75% of total world business depends for its profitability on effectiveprovision of required services to the applicable customers.

We all know that standardization in services, production and manufacturing segments haslong been placed under global scrutiny with the stipulations of ISO-9000 & series. Quality dueto the concept of Total Quality Management (TQM) and ISO-9000 & Series is becomingincreasingly standardized. TQM is being pursued with vigorous zeal.

As TQM serves the cause of standardization of production and manufacturing segments,

CRM Solutions are being formulated in order to standardize the service procedures. CRMSolutions are fine-tuned by development of customized software.

An ever-increasing number of mega business houses are investing very heavily in finalizingtheir customized CRM Solutions.

Conclusion:

Let us sum it all up.

If our history was to reveal any lesson, if our current work-style is to be critically scrutinized, if

the extent of automation is to be re-assessed and re-evaluated, if our corporate targets are tobe progressively up-dated, if success is really and truly desired, then we do need to have avery close look at the functioning of all teams. And that does mean all teams.

As a matter of fact, higher an echelon of management more is the need of dynamism,cohesiveness and inter-action. Vigorous efforts at team building are now being consideredmandatory. At horizontal plane of top brass as well as the vertical plane of middlemanagement!

Business management gurus unanimously agree that desired progress may remain only apaper-plan if continuous efforts were not aimed at improving the inter-action amongst

different teams as placed under a corporate banner.With competition becoming increasingly global, with every product under constant scrutiny,with quality becoming increasingly standardized, the requirement for building cohesive,dynamic and inter-active teams has emerged as the crying need of our times. We all need toremember that it is a cutthroat competition out there. Today’s business is very seriousbusiness! In fact, it is do or die situation!



Failure is not DestinyIt Is often caused, even bought!

In corporate business, we have seen many astronomical rises, very steep take offs and alsomany spiraling descents and instant crashes. And we are talking globally, without restrictingourselves to the specific data as collected from the developed or under-developed world.

Determining an exact cause of a given corporate demise would be an impossible task. And itwould be even less likely that a failure occurred for only one reason! There is always morethan one cause for a failure.

But a corporate failure is very serious incident. It is not only the downfall of a business housebut it is also the beginning of an end. Especially for all those who are directly or indirectlyinvolved with such an organizations. With the unemployment rate steadily rising all over theworld, a corporate failure would also have negative effect on the health of the entire society.

All important issue of ever-rising unemployment is yet another reason we ought to look atdifferent mechanics of team building with a renewed insight. And especially in countries ofthe developing world; where compensation to the unemployed is not paid by the government;the failure or demise of a business house may mean a lot more misery than the west.

Regardless failure of any business house, may it be for any reason, is a grave event. It isalso an occasion to reflect. As such, it is only prudent to find out the causes of all suchfailures.

We must always investigate all corporate failures but only with the intent of avoiding arecurrence. Sufferings should not be allowed to spread.

When mega companies like Sperry Rand (remember Remington Rand typewriters?) arewritten off or Pan American Airways simply vanish in thin air, or for that matter Enron orWorld Tel declare bankruptcy and are closed for business under humiliating circumstances, it



is time to ponder. It is time to analyze and diagnose. It is time to reap lessons. It is time tofind ways in order to avoid a recurrence.

As the luck would have it, we may not ever be asked to determine the causes of such megafailures. Investigations into all such failures are routinely conducted by government-appointed

teams of hand-picked psychiatrists, psychologists and business experts. We are referring tothe west and not the developing countries. Here one can get away with murder!

Two Investigations:

It was during early eighties when governmental agencies in the USA became acutely awareof untimely demise of quite a few mega companies. Besides, big names in the world ofbusiness, there were numerous declarations of bankruptcy under chapter 11 which werebeing filed all over the country.

With signs of stagnation in the economy beginning to become all too evident, the shearnumber of corporate failures was causing great deal of governmental concern. Investigationprocess for finding the causes of such catastrophic failures had to be undertaken.

Coincidentally, at about the same time, two major accidents rocked the aviation industry. AtTenerife, 2 Boeing 747s collided on ground under adverse meteorological conditions; killing584 passengers. It was 1977.

The shock waves of this accident were still being felt when in 1978, a DC-8 of United Airlinescrashed at Portland. All the involved aircrafts were entirely serviceable and were being flownby hugely experienced pilots who were also training captains. NTSB was assigned the task ofinvestigation. It was given full support by NASA and FAA.

Hand-picked psychologists from the Ivy League Universities, experienced airlineprofessionals and business experts formed the investigation team.

Unusual Findings:

When the NTSB published the findings of its investigation, it immediately created a nationalstir. It was perhaps the most surprising investigation report.

It gave new dimensions for fact-finding efforts for the future investigators. The treatment ofinvestigation process was so different from the past routine. In-depth findings of this reportactually revolutionized the very procedure of investigations of all aviation-related accidents.

Publication of the second investigation report about corporate failures also revealed somevery unusual findings. However, basic findings of this report were very similar to the one aspublished by NTSB.

Let us examine a few of the similarities:

Chief Operating Officers of failed business houses were qualified and experiencedmanagers, just like the pilots-in-command of the aircraft involved in two accidents.

Team member of higher echelon of management were qualified and experienced enough, just like the co-pilots or the third pilots of the two aircraft.

There was nothing wrong in the management systems as employed by the bankruptorganizations, just like the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) of the aircraft whichcrashed.



Chief Operating Officers of the failed organizations were known to be autocratic in theirattitudes towards their subordinates, just like the pilots-in-command of crashed aircrafts.

‘Yes Boss’ culture was encouraged by the Chief Operating Officers of almost all the failedcompanies, just like the Pilots-in-command of those unfortunate aircraft.

The Most Startling Finding:

Perhaps the most consistent and as such truly startling finding concerned the working culture of all the demised organizations.

The boss in all the cases failed to knit a cohesive team! On the other hand, the subordinateshad also failed to be assertive enough to give meaningful inputs or offer constructivesuggestions to the boss .

As such decision making was restricted. It was considered the privilege of the boss . As suchit was left entirely on the judgment of the boss to make all the critical decisions. Naturally the

boss never bothered to invite or encourage subordinates to offer their opinions or givesuggestions.

In other words, the boss was a leader who demanded and expected to be followed. In almostall cases the boss was simply feared but not truly respected. Moreover the subordinates, inall investigated cases, never developed any sense of belonging. However, the boss neverseized to expect total loyalty from subordinates.

One-man Demolition Squad:

Almost in all investigated cases of corporate failures, the boss proved to be one-mandemolition squad. Not that destruction of the organization was ever intended; but the isolationof boss from the mainstream proved to be the deciding factor. In fact the boss had led theorganization to total destruction with out ever intending to do so.

It was also discovered that in rare cases when junior officers did try to put forth theircomment, suggestions or recommendations, the boss reacted very strongly. Such an effortwas ignored in such a manner that any future attempt in giving inputs was blocked for ever.

Same was the story in the investigation report as published by the NTSB. It was not that thepilot-in-command did not know how to fly or he had planned to crash the aircraft or theaircraft had any technical defect, it was only because the cockpit was not functioning as ateam. Inputs from other crewmembers were not ever encouraged or acknowledged. And

even when a crewmember did try to give his input, it was ignored with disdain.

It was also concluded that more often than not, junior officers just like a crewmembers did notknow how to be assertive enough in order to give their inputs. They were also never trainedto be assertive!

Sequence Of Destruction:

In most organizations, pattern of destruction was similar. Firstly, the initiative of all workerswas snuffed. It was simply not encouraged. Any subordinate showing any such signs, wasimmediately isolated or removed from his position or sternly advised to mind his own

business.Annihilation of Sense of Belonging was the other most important and notable occurrence.Workers were frequently reminded that they are paid for their part of work. And they shoulddo only what they are paid for! As such no one should harbor any feelings of ownership!



This was perhaps the worst blow to a given organization. Without any sense of belonging,good workers were constantly looking for job opportunities elsewhere. Obvious result wasfrequent departures and new arrivals!

With the evaporation of sense of belonging, stage was set for complete destruction and when

it came, it did come rather swiftly. Could-not-care-less attitude of workers quickly destroyedviability of systems. Hence the death tolls!

Lessons Learnt:

Investigation report as published by NTSB concluded that there were three major factors,which caused all the accidents. These were; Environment, Technical & Human Factors.

Second report suggested that there were also three basic factors in demise of anorganization. These were segregated in: Financial, Operational and Human Factors.

Percentage allocated to these factors was different but for the Human Factors. Investigations

concluded that Human Factors caused 80% of all corporate failures.

Human Factors, The Deciding Factor:

Human Factors, causing 80% of all corporate failures were termed as the Deciding Factor!Only four in number, these factors were prioritized as follows:

Breakdown of Inter-personal CommunicationsNon-active ListeningLack of Assertiveness

Poor Situational Awareness

A closer look at these factors would reveal a wealth of wisdom. Four factors hide a recipe ofsuccess! But there is also a warning to beware.

Any of these factors, signally or a combination thereof, if allowed to manifest, would certainlybreed disarray and eventual destruction.

It goes without saying that it is the Breakdown which is a factor and not Interpersonal Communications . It is the Lack of which is a factor and not Assertiveness .

In the same vein, Active Listening is not a factor but it is Non-active part which is the

damaging factor. Situational Awareness is the right quality to posses but being Poor atevaluating the prevalent situation is the negative factor.

No wonder these four factors, jointly called Human Factors, were considered a corporatedisease of the worst kind. But it was not enough! How to recognize that a company isbeginning to get affected by the Human Factors was the obvious question.

Companies needed to have better insight. They wanted to know the symptoms of the viruscalled Human Factors. Diagnosis being the first step towards curative efforts, symptoms isvery important! So let us look at few of such indicators!



Symptoms of DiseaseCalled Human Factors

There are glaring enough symptoms of corporate disease called Human Factors. And theseare visible enough much before affliction destroys the corporate functioning. Thesesymptoms or indicators can be wide-spread or restricted within a corporate body.

Contained or not, any single or multiple of Human Factors as detailed in the last chapter, candestroy any given set of Human Resource within a corporate body.

Vivid enough as the following symptoms may be, these are like cob-webs which are visibleonly to a visitor but not to the people living in a house. Unless one was to set out with theintent to clean the house from inside out!

These warning signs, the indication or the symptoms are easily identifiable. All one has to dois to remember the four Human Factors by heart. Of course one would require analyticalapproach but isolation of these warning signs is not a problem, at least not to a professionalmanager. Let us examine a few:

‘Yes Boss’ Culture:

Perhaps the worst of all the symptoms! It is indicative of a prevalent behavior amongstsubordinates, which shows that communications in between the in-charge and subordinatehave either stopped to exist or at best have become one-way traffic.

It is said that if you hate your boss, always say “Yes Boss”! And if you have reasons not tohate your boss, then learn to disagree but only after agreeing with your boss first!

Tricky; not really! One must never forget that Boss is synonymous with inflated ego . There ishardly a boss living who likes to be over ruled by his subordinates. So how dare you disagree

with him! A boss in the traditional mold would never let you forget who the boss around theplace is.Coming back to the subject; corporate environments where a subordinate is to be only seen and not heard , the breakdown of interpersonal communications is almost always complete. It



is such a working atmosphere in which the inputs from the subordinates are not encouragedor tolerated.

Evidently, it leads to a one-man-show situation as there is no scope of suggestions,recommendations, views or inputs. Subordinates, under such atmosphere tend to keep quiet

even when they see a mistake or blunder being committed by the boss. A sure way tocommit suicide along with boss!

In such organizations, employees are driven to such timid mind-set that inevitabledestruction, from within or without, is almost expected. And when it does happen, there ishardly a face who looks surprised.

Yes Sir or Yes Boss when uttered without objective resolve to obey in manner and spiritwould eventually emerge as one of the most damaging factor. It is a short cut to doom!

Excessive Memo Writing:

Memos are very effective instruments for coming to unanimous, profitable or administrativelycorrect decisions. Memos also help trigger constructive and at times innovative thoughtprocessing. Moreover, these can also help to keep an organization out of moral, legal oradministrative pitfalls.

Whereas memos, especially for reasons as briefly mentioned above as well as for thepurpose of record keeping are considered essential for the health of an organization; but amemo used for passing the buck or for the reason of personal projection or for the purpose ofslander; may become an un-manned projectile. Such memos are normally deplored.

Memos, especially when these are passed from one table to the very next; and when the

objective of writing a memo is more personal than being objective; or when the writer has anulterior motive; then memo is also the warning sign of complete breakdown of interpersonalcommunications.

It is observed that thicker a file more is the number of memos. Such unwanted yet officialcollection of memos always increases the extent of official confusion. Naturally the decisionmaking is not only delayed but is also adversely rather irreparably affected!

Professional jealousy is common enough amongst the highest placed. To a degree it is to beexpected! But when sheer animosity, although well-concealed, but reflected from the memos,begins to generate an atmosphere of mistrust amongst employees at large; it is time to sitback and take stock of situation.

Insulting or obnoxious memos annihilate the free and fair exchange of views. And as the timegoes by, one begins to look over the shoulder, without realizing that others are beginning todo the same. All this helps to dissolve initiative and sense of belonging in more ways thanone. Besides, it is such a waste of precious time!

Let us share a true story with you. It begins with our follow-up visit after we had conductedseveral Team Building workshops for a mega multinational pharmaceutical company. Thisextra ordinary narration comes from the Director of Quality Assurance of that company.

Case in Study:

“Prior to our Team Building exercise as conducted by your institute, we wrote memos as second habit; at times for reasons, which were more evasive than constructive!



For example if I sent a memo to Director Production pointing out color variation of a tablet being produced, he forwarded my memo to the Manager Production with his administrative remarks. Manager Production marked it to the Assistant Manager who in turn marked it to the supervisor.

The supervisor, instead of agreeing with my original observation, blamed it on the Purchase Department for supplying low-grade material. They were always careful in squarely placing the blame on others. As such use of the language in a memo was never matter-of-fact but rather diplomatic. And the memo was routed from supervisor, to the Assistant Manager to the Manager and back to Director Production.

Director Production, given a route to blame others, sent my memo along with his remarks as gathered from his department, to the Director Purchase. He in turn marked it to Manager Purchase and then on to the Assistant Manager, who disagreed with the observation as made by the Production Supervisor. And the memo was routed back to the Director Production.

Not willing to take the blame, the Director Production wrote back to Director Quality Assurance, saying that he did not find anything wrong with his production team. So Director Quality should tell him as to what standards were being employed for putting such a blatant blame on the Production Department. Or how many shades of color was found at variance by the Director Quality Assurance and may be it was just an old expired tablet, which had become discolored due to passage of time.

Thus the Director Production had thrown the ball very firmly and may be with a lot of disdain,back in the court of Director Quality Assurance. The entire process of writing memos back and forth would have normally consumed may be more than a month.

And then we attended a Team Building workshop with your institute. And now, instead of writing a memo to any director, I walk up to their office, highlight the observation and pronto a departmental meeting is called. With me present and objectivity very clear in our minds, we are normally quick enough to arrive at unanimous decisions.

Today, memos are still written; but it is with different spirit. And once joint decisions are made we own it by signing one memo! Instead of achieving nothing except gathering bad vibes for months at end, today we achieve our objective in few hours. There is no comparison of today with yesterday. And we would never go back to those days of excessive memo-writing” Unquote

We actually recorded this articulate person and then let him hear his recording. All we havedone from the above quote is to eliminate a few ‘ohs and ahs’ .

Our investigation of the company also revealed that even personal conflicts were on thedecline. Professional jealousy had also taken a tumble! Need we say that Jealousy is anegative trait! As such we rest our case.

Loss of Ownership:

Or Sense of Belonging!

We humans thrive on two words; My & Mine; my children, my house; my car; my people; my

city; my country; and then the very personal declaration; you are mine and only mine! Do wesound familiar?

We do! And there is no shame in accepting the obvious. It is the way we have been broughtup, lived our lives and thrived. And now some superior tells you that you are paid for what



you do and you have no further rights on the company; would you not be almost heart-broken.

In other words, for us humans, sense of belonging is synonymous with sense of ownership. Itis this feeling of commitment which makes us achieve the impossible. It is what makes us

tick!And this positive trait can be completely destroyed when job-security is made arbitrary by themanagement. With axe of termination always hanging on your neck, one would be veryquickly get transformed to a could-not-care-less person. Even though your productivityremains constant, it is a very dangerous symptom.

For short term, such mind set may not be too harmful for the management but if one was toplan for an expansion or hope for lasting progress, such a negative trait could turn out to beextremely detrimental for such a goal.

Besides, in organizations where sense of belonging has been throttled by the management,

the employees would go on rampage even they had half a chance. Theft and pilferagebecome a norm, with employees protecting each other from the management. Indiscipline isa way of life!

Activities of labor unions gain a great deal of strength from this symptom. With such ascenario, although management may succeed in blocking the disruptive activities for a shorttime; but not for too long! Unions thrive on such symptoms!

We can very safely conclude that lack of positive feeling of belonging, as shared by theemployees, always ends up as a long thorn in the hide of management. Period!

Island Mentality:

Organizations, for the sake of administrative control are divided in departments, divisions,sections and/or units. Specific functions for each administrative unit are allocated. Duties ofeach employee are demarcated. Instruments of measuring the productivity of mostdepartments are devised and then applied.

Management Information Systems (MIS) are developed with the sole purpose ofstrengthening the systems by applying continuous monitoring. Decision Support System(DSS) is the advanced version of MIS. Lately a lot of emphasis is being placed on updatingthese systems for more positive a control.

If sense of belonging amongst all employees is not in decline or in jeopardy, island mentalityseldom gets manifested at the organizational level. But it can not be used as a thumb rule.Primarily Island Mentality , for the sake of this discussion, is a case of misplaced loyalty withinthe existing structure of an organization.

For reasons not known, employees, over an extended period of time, become more loyal tothe department they are positioned in than the organization itself. They tend to defend eventhe wrongs of their departments. Rivalry with other departments begins to attain dimensions,which are not healthy.

Fault-finding with other departments becomes normal attitude. Finger-pointing towards all

other departments is unwittingly considered as vowed duty. In case of any corporate failure,other departments are held responsible. Mistakes are always made by others. Their owndepartment remains above board and as such without blame!



Such misplaced loyalty towards a department and not the organization, is an attitude which isnot constructive in any manner. When one begins to find faults with others, without owning upany responsibility for their own acts, slackness in their working or for meeting the targets isan obvious result.

Allegiance to a mere department instead to the parent organization, termed as islandmentality, also damages sense of belonging. Besides, one learns to shift the blame instead ofowning up mistakes. And mistakes we all make! No wonder, such a mind-set triggersinefficiency and virtual ineptness.

One needs to commit to the Vision and Mission of the parent organization and not try toprotect the short-term benefits or advantage for a mere department. Island mentality canerode the very character of parent organization. Allegiance must always remain for thecompany and not for persons, departments or divisions.

Evaporation Of Initiative:

It was a little over four decades ago. The place was Pakistan Air Force Academy, Risalpur.We were being trained as a fighter pilot. With dreams in our eyes, we the young aspirants, allin our late teens, sat there intently listening to our instructor who was lecturing us onLeadership Qualities.

“Very few of you are going to become fighter pilots. Rest would not make it! But fighter pilot or not, most of you sitting here in this class may become officers in Pakistan Air Force. That is if you do have the qualities to become at least an officer. Pakistan Air Force values its officers.

But one can not be an officer in PAF without cultivating a supreme leadership quality called

Initiative. All officers are expected to demonstrate correct Initiative whenever and wherever required. And there are no exceptions to the rule.”

Then he proceeded to define Initiative in his own words:

“Initiative is doing the right thing at the right time. You need to be knowledgeable and an upright person in order to make judicious use of correct Initiative”

After the class was over, we did try to find the exact meanings of word Initiative in thedictionary. True, it did not exactly match what our instructor had said. But we found ourinstructor a lot more comprehensive than the dictionary. “INITIATIVE: first step in undertaking: active role: power or ability to originate something” Dictionary concludes.

Initiative has always been considered a requisite quality for an officer. All managementexperts concede that for the organizational stability, officers with correct sense of initiativeare the ones who become the backbone of an organization.

But the organizations where initiative is considered a threat to the authority are doomed fordestruction. Initiative, correct and timely, is a virtue beyond comparison. It should behighlighted, appreciated and advertised but never despised, insulted, down-played or madefun of.

Initiative when exercised, without any intent of getting personal mileage or benefit, is not tobe ridiculed or discouraged; even if it went sour! Otherwise it is a warning us of a decadent

and self-indulgent corporate culture.

Frequent Departures & Arrivals:



The unscheduled and sudden departures of senior employees and arrivals of new faces,especially in the highly qualified and technical cadres of management, is a huge indicator ofthe unrest and undercurrents. Only a blind observer may ignore it!

On the other hand, frequent resignations and quantum of new appointees should act as a

loud and clear audio warning. It is not a case of rats leaving the sinking ship but a sure signof eroding sense of belonging.

Increase In Reprimands:

Other than a few known cases of indiscipline, most instances are caused, by supervisorylapses. As such any increase in the number of reprimand letters being issued to employeesis a very good indicator of the prevalent morale. Other disciplinary actions like ExplanationLetters or Show Cause Letters included!

Too frequent use of disciplinary actions, under the guise of effective management tools,shows a lack of leadership qualities as exhibited by the concerned superiors. It could also be

indicative of poor counseling or inadequate on-job training or both. As such, it is time toponder.

Unions’ Activities:

Rise in non-productive activities of the unions is indicative of the unrest being felt at the grassroot level. Ignoring it; would not make it go away. But analyzing the root cause may helprecover.

Unions, do represent the overall interest of the workers; even if was at times wrongly placed.Most of demands as put forth by unions are constructed with a view to give in some and gain

some.

These demands tend to become more impractical and unreasonable when the managementseizes to function as a cohesive team. Believe it or not, even the top-secret tremor within thehighest echelon of management is very quickly sensed and deciphered by the unions. Theyhave their way of knowing facts, even if not correlated!

There is no way management can hide a bad news from reaching the ears of unions.Disagreement amongst the upper cadre of management is perhaps the worst news forunions. It shows probability of disintegration. Contrary to common belief, unions do notcherish a weak administration. An unreasonably strong reaction or an unrealistic demand is

their way of saying; shore up! They want true professional to handle their affairs.The worst blunder management can ever make is to harbor enmity or ill feelings againstunions or associations. And the best approach is to consider it as an active and extremelyproductive partner in progress! There is no middle path.

But when hooliganism in union activities becomes every day routine, it is time for themanagement to start analyzing their own conduct. In all probability the all-damaging attack ofHuman Factors is lot more severe than earlier imagined.

Check With Company Doctors:

If company carries a panel of doctors or even one regular doctor, please stay in touch!Management needs to know the trend and number of cases relating to stress and stress-induced diseases. Regular consultation with the doctors, regarding the overall health of theemployees, may reveal more than expected.



Check With Customer:

Last but not the least it is the reputation of an organization and not only the product whicheventually matters. An organization with reputation of inner turmoil, turbulent union activitiesor bad management practices, would soon start losing its customers. And without a

customer, there is no company! It is as simple as that!!

Please do not allow it to become so simple yet so destructive! Learn to give yourself a regularwake up call. Look around for the cobwebs. And act now!

In nutshell, eradicate Human Factors before the very fabric of your company is destroyed.Otherwise you may find yourself in more trouble than ever imagined.

Brief History ofHuman Factors

We all know that to err is part of human nature. Human, occasionally tend to make mistakesin their judgment, in decision making and in their day to day working. It is considered part ofnormal living.

This trait of man has been the subject of involved research since 1890 when twopsychologists, Mr. Gilbreths and Mr. Taylor, simultaneously started working at two differentinstitutions. Their research revealed that productivity could improve only if the human naturewas harnessed. The term Human Factors was coined.

Although it was a broad term, which described only a few of the salient pit falls of human

nature but the identification of different factors was yet to be determined. Nevertheless onefact positively emerged that human could produce a lot more qualitative results only if theirnature was better understood and managed.

With the industrial Revolution firmly entrenched, the industrialists of that era began to takeactive notice of this human trait. By then it had already been established that productivity aswell the quality were directly connected to sustained positive behavior.

Working Conditions & Human Factors:

In 1924, Western Electric, a pioneering company established in the USA, carried out

research on the Working Conditions as provided to the work force. As a result of thisresearch, it was established beyond any doubt that improved working conditions; like betterlight; correct ventilation; control of noise; maintaining idea temperature in the work areashelped improve the productivity and also stabilized quality .

First and second world wars saw both sides striving for better results from their respectivefighting units. This need necessitated research into the earlier recognized areas of humanfallibility.

In 1945, knowledge gained through research on the Human Factors, for the first time, was

applied to the aviation industry. During early forties, military aviation had emerged as a mosteffective and potent arm of warfare. Allied as well the Axis powers had begun spending veryheavily on the development of fighter and bomber aircraft.



It had already emerged that the design and layout of the cockpit played a vital role indetermining the ultimate results as produced by pilots. Keeping this factor in mind, thefamous Cambridge Cockpit was unveiled in 1945. This model cockpit is the forerunner of allcockpits of today. Till the recent development of fourth generation aircraft, CambridgeCockpit of 1945 remained the basis on which every manufacturer built its airplanes.

Ergonomics and Human Engineering were the new words thus coined!

But the acute realization of the ill effects of Human Factors did not come till the tragedies ofTenerife and Portland. At Tenerife, two fully serviceable 747s, flown by two sets of competentcrew, collided on the runaway, killing 584 persons on board the two aircraft. Accident of DC-8, belonging to United Airlines of the USA, while landing at Portland, proved to be the turningpoint it the history of civil aviation.

NTSB, while conducting the investigation of Portland accident, with relevance to the tragedyat Tenerife, determined the cause , which was hitherto never been given any consideration.For the first time in the history of accident investigation, Human Factors were named as the

cause , unlike prevalent practice of calling it Pilot Error . Ever since, the world of commercialaviation has experienced a new insight into the working of all the cockpits.

The sudden demise of Sperry Rand, downward slide of Dupont, dissolution of Pan Americanand prolonged death pangs of Continental brought about an urgency never observed before.

We have earlier related the happenings after 1980 in chapter titled ‘Failures is not destiny, itis caused.’ As such we feel it would not do to repeat.

Human Factors, as identified and isolated, would be discussed in some details in the nextfew chapters. In the meantime, let us remember that 80% of all investigated corporatefailures are attributed to on major offending culprit, called the Human Factors.

Human Factors are the Deciding Factor! And make no mistake about it! Be aware and youwould remain prepared!



Salient Points AboutHuman Factors

HUMAN FACTORS is the name of a contagious and destructive disease.

HUMAN FACTORS cause 80% of all corporate failures, world over.

HUMAN FACTORS may afflict any given set of human resource within a given organization.

HUMAN FACTORS may be easily tackled by specially devised modules aimed at buildingthe team spirit.

Applied knowledge of HUMAN FACTORS would help change the working culture of anygiven organization.

Corner Stones ofTeam Building



First step towards Team Building is perhaps the most important factor in formatting acohesive team. To us, it is simple case of ownership and responsibility!

Obvious question is about the final responsibility for building a consistent and inter-activeteam! The onus of maintaining the dynamism of a given team can be decided only after it has

been established as to who has the ultimate responsibility for shaping a group of personnelinto a well-knit team.

The Captain:

It is such a privilege to be appointed the captain of a team! It is indeed an honor! But do werealize the responsibilities of a captain? Better yet, do we realize the responsibilities of acaptain for corporate success or failure?

Professional teams have multitude of officials to assist in getting the highest level ofperformance. Take the case of our national cricket team. It has a head coach, team manager,batting coach, bowling coach, fielding coach, physical trainer and a physical therapist. More

over the team is supported by national cricket team selection committee as well as the entireorganization of Pakistan Cricket Board.

With all the administrative and technical support made available, the responsibility ofmaintaining the morale, performance on the field and inter-activity amongst the teammembers firmly remains with the captain. As such the benefits of success or repercussions offailures squarely rest on the shoulder of captain. Public is the true judge of teams’performance.

Now let us look at corporate business scenario! Board of Directors, employees’ union,professional employees’ associations, different suppliers and vendors are there to support

the captain, called Chief Executive or equivalent.

Getting the required performance from different functionaries remains the responsibility of theChief Executive. Customers are the judge!

According to our observations, in most national business organizations, concept of teambuilding simply does not exist. It is mostly one-man show! Decision-making is centralized,with team members not allowed to function to their full potential.

Seth-mentality , a locally coined term to describe narrow mentality or penny-wise-pound-foolish approach, is the order of the day. As such it should not come as any surprise thatadhoc-decision-making plagues most of our national business houses. Bribery has been

made popular by this seth-mentality . Captains are no captains but only mini-dictators. Resultsare obvious!

No Vision, No Mission:

We reported at the reception of a multi-national pharmaceutical manufacturer and wereasked to wait before our contact came over to escort us! We took our seat.

There hung three frames on the opposite wall! Curious to read what was written, we drewcloser! One frame contained the Vision & Mission of the organization. The second wasconcerning the Training Policy and the third contained the Safety Policy! We were pleasantly

surprised! All three were well worded documents and extremely well-presented!Our contact officer came over to escort us to his office. And as we passed different corridors,we saw the same three frames repeated many a times. Sure enough the three frames alsohung very prominently in the office we entered!



Ever since, we must have visited over two dozen multi-national business houses as operatingfrom Pakistan! And we can swear by anything holy that all multi-nationals, without anyexception, prominently display their Vision & Mission in their corridors and offices, startingright from their reception office.

On the other hand, we have visited hundreds of our national institutes like manufacturingunits, production houses, banks, and other organizations; but none repeat none display theirVision or Mission.

Initially we were intrigued by this glaring difference. It seemed like such a trifle matter. Butsomehow it kept gnawing at us! We wanted to know ‘why’.

And then it struck us!

Vision when translated in simple words spells the ultimate goal , the manzil and the Mission ispath, which leads you to that manzil , the ultimate objective!

During our visits to multi-nationals we noticed yet another feature. And this was about theCorporate Target Values. When inquired about, we were told that target values were theshort term goals.

Looking at the big picture, the vision was the final destination, mission being the road to thatdestination and target values being the desired steps on that road leading to the destination.

For example one international bank had displayed the following at every prominent placewithin its premises:

VISION To emerge as global institute of finance

MISSION To provide personalized customers’ service

TARGET VALUES Excellence Innovation Standardization

Simple words, lofty aim yet achievable goals! No employee or a customer could avoid thewriting on the wall. More than mere words, it was a two-prong attack. On one hand it wasreminding the employees what was expected off them. And on the other hand it made the

customers aware of the service standards which were due to them. Beautiful indeed!

Closer scrutiny of above made a lot more sense! The management of the bank, besides all ofabove, had also given a definite sense of belonging to each employee, if only indirectly.Evidently there was an aura of ownership amongst the employees. What more can be asked!

Most Disturbing:

We are pained to report that all our national business houses, with exception of one nationalpharmaceutical company we visited last year, none had any vision or a mission and as suchno target values . Yes, we did see a few Mission Statements but those were so lengthy thatwe got lost reading those. What was intended eluded us!

We vividly remember that once we presented a Vision & Mission to a national air carrier. Itwas simple Vision of becoming a global air carrier with a Mission to offer safe, comfortableand economical air travel. We may have forgotten the actual words but not the direction!



We were very politely rebuffed with a declaration that a high-ranking committee had been setup to decide such matters. It was in the year 2000. It is now almost three years and thatnational institute keeps flying without any vision or manzil to reach! To us, it is a patheticshow of direction!

Operating with seth-mentality coupled with total blank for a corporate vision and mission, is avery grave situation. We are going into deep waters of future tidings with a rudder-less boat,not even a ship!

Coming back to the subject of team building, it is very earnestly submitted that a teambuilding workshop would not produce result unless corporate vision and a mission were to beadopted! Installing of vision & mission is mandatory!

In order to conclude, may we reassert that ability plus the willingness of the captain to build acohesive team and ownership of a corporate vision & mission are the three corner stones formeaningful team building effort. That is how pyramids of success are constructed!

Inter-PersonalCommunications

Let us recall the four Human Factors we detailed in a previous chapter! These are:

Breakdown of Inter-personal CommunicationsNon-active ListeningLack of Assertiveness

Poor Situational Awareness

During the preceding chapters we would discuss each factor separately. But in this chapterwe would learn only the mechanics of becoming a good communicator.



Prior to the relevant discussion on one of the most important subject of Human Factors, wewould briefly discuss human brain.

May we begin by submitting that our personalities start to develop right from our infancy! Ourpersonality traits are fine-tuned by our parents, early schooling and the existing life style. Our

early associations, friends and the existing social fabric also leave lasting imprints. Lastly it isour professional training which helps to shape our personality.

Brain is a very complex organ of human anatomy. It is where all decisions are made andorders given to various parts of the body for the execution of tasks.

We will avoid getting into minute details about its construction and functions. It is beyond thescope of this book!

Briefly, brain can be divided in two distinct lobes; right and left. Each lobe has differentfunctions assigned to it. Let us have a look at some salient functions assigned to these lobes.

Left Lobe:o Analyticalo Detailedo Individualistico Technical &o Controlledo Verbal (Written)

Right Lobe:

o Communicational skillso Artistico Emotionalo Intuitiveo Globalo Visual (Pictures)o Group activities

You would easily conclude that most of us, by dint of our training, are left lobe oriented or leftlobe dominated. Not that we can not be artistic. But somehow our professional training doesnot encourage the development of the right lobe. Unless one was trained at NCA Lahore or a

musical school!It is rather unfortunate that our society does not encourage the pursuit of fine arts. There isno future in such professions which are related to literature, music, painting or other fine arts.To us it is a national misfortune!

Instead of sounding reminiscent, let us go back to our subject: inter-personalcommunications. Good and effective communicational process consists of the followingsteps:

Sender transmits the message Receiver receives the message Receiver receives the message exactly as the sender intended

Receiver then provides Feedback Sender confirms the message is understood



In other words, inter-personal communications would include understanding of the message;not necessarily agreeing, but simple understanding of the message exactly in the manner thesender intended and so confirmed.

Effective inter-personal communications have three basic ingredients, which employ specific

personal faculties of the sender as well as of the receiver. Sending a clear message Application of active listening & Correct interpretation of the message received.

Above does not seem like a difficult task! All we have to do is to be articulate, good listenerand objective in our communications.

Several studies suggest that we spend about 80% of our time communicating with others.And the verbal communication is the dominant form of inter-personal communication. So whynot improve and perfect the art on which so many of our working hours are spent.

Effective communication helps us succeed in our relationships whereas poor inter-personalcommunications would strangle any kinship. It is also true that effective communication isone of the best vehicles, which collects and disseminate the much-needed information for thesake of maintaining healthy and constructive relationships.

Let us have a closer look on our personal preference, mode and methodology ofCommunicating.

Q: How often you are requested to `Say Again'?

(a) Seldom

(b) Often enough(c) Never(d) Only my wife says that when she is angry

Q: How would you describe your verbal communicational skills?

(a) Very clear, articulate(b) I speak fast but am very articulate(c) I tend to round off my words(d) I am tongue-tied in front of my wife

Q: Towards effective verbal communications, my barriers are:

(a) I am basically a shy person(b) When confronted with my seniors I tend to forget!(c) I get angry when I have to explain to my juniors(d) I am annoyed when I have to explain to my seniors(e) I have no barriers

Q: Some time in the past, you may have recorded yourself on a tape recorder andheard your self speak as play back. How would you evaluate your self?

(a) Husky & Pleasant

(b) At times shrill and strained(c) Rude & coarse sounding(d) I sounded just like my person(e) I would have liked to improve the timber in my voice.



All the answers to every question you responded to are correct and valid. But would you notlike to improve? Would you not like to sound pleasant, coherent, clear, well modulated andarticulate? Would you not like to overcome the communication barriers, especially at work?Of course, you would. Every one does! Who doesn’t want to be the best talker!

Good news is that you can! All you have to do is become conscious of your shortcomingsand then practice.

What you need; is a good quality tape recorder, which can record your voice. Keep recordingand listening to the playback till you are satisfied from within. Only one precaution needsbeing taken. Be your self! Do not try to put on an accent or be artificial.

Styles of Communication:

There are seven distinct communication styles, which may end up becoming your personalitytrait. Adopt the ones which would help you make friends.

Persons are known by their frequently used communication styles. Remember that some ofthe styles given below can factually become your communication barriers. Avoid those aspoison ivy! Different styles are:

One Way Two Way Probing (Questioning) Affirming Commanding Conventional Habits (of communicating)

You will agree that the best communication style would be a healthy combination of 2, 3 & 4.

What one needs to avoid is all but evident! In other words, most effective style is two way

communications, using a probe and affirmation.

Feedback is the automatic gain of two-way communications during which the sender has achance to check the authenticity or accuracy of the message earlier sent and also to takecorrective action if necessary.

Do not forget to put Feed back on proper perspective. It helps produce an accurateexchange, but not necessarily an effective one. And now let us do a small exercise.

Q: What is a good communication?

In which sender is articulate and with positive attitudeWhen no noise barrier has been noticedThe receiver has had no difficulty in receivingAll of above

Q: What is a poor communication?

(a) It is not timely(b) It is not clearly transmitted by the sender(c) It was not concise and to the point.

(d) Noises are barrier to the receiver(e) All of above.

Q: What is effective communication?



(a) It is clear.(b) It is concise(c) It is timely(d) Feed back has been given by the receiver(e) All of above

We know how you answered the above questions. Piece of cake! Weren’t they! Yes, theywere! But now let us consolidate it all. Towards this objective, we intend to be rather brief. Assuch we will try reducing the next few pages in bullet-points instead of writing lengthyparagraphs. Here we go!

Points to Remember When Sending:

Be very clear, not only in voice quality but also objectively. Do not send lengthy messages. Be precise and concise.

Send your communication well in time. Do not delay! Insist on feed back!

Points to Remember When Receiving:

1) Listen and listen well2) Confirm receipt of message3) Ask question if not clear4) Respond and provide feed back.

Barriers to be Expected When Sending:

1) Poor communication skills2) Your attitude towards the person who is receiving3) Starting to send before getting attention4) Distractions caused by environment5) Distractions, physical or mental wanderings6) Ambiguous or non-standard language7) Not enough information available or provided8) Lack of expertise or creditability.

Barriers to Be Expected From Receivers:

1) Complacent attitude of receiverInter-personal insensitivityOutside distractionsPhysical barriersForeign Language as a barrierAbsolute terminologyComplexity of the language



Exercise to DetermineSender's Responsibilities:

With all these barriers out of our way, let us do a different exercise. We want you to tick-markthe responsibilities, which in your opinion, every sender should have. Cross it if it is notapplicable. Please consider that you are the sender:

Clarify ideas before communicating Examine purpose of communication Consider communication environments Consult with others in planning your communications Be aware of emotional overtones Help to increase readability for the receiver

Follow up your communications Communicate for the future as well as now Support words with actions Be a good listener



Golden Rules for Senders:

So you know your responsibilities. But only knowledge of your responsibilities would not help,let us give you ten golden rules to be an effective sender!

1. Clarify your communication goals2. Clarify your ideas before communicating3. Remove barriers such as position or status symbols4. Remove your inter-personal barriers5. Develop your creditability6. Be sensitive to receivers needs7. Let your actions support your words8. Avoid communication overload9. Avoid being too sketchy10. Encourage Feed back

Only good communications are effective communications! It must always be borne in mindthat seventy-five (75%) percent of communication errors are the end-result of the receiverwho misunderstood!

Remember it is mostly the sender who is the root cause for the receiver to misunderstand!

Non-Verbal Communications:

In face to face communication, which is mostly the case in office, gestures also play a vitalrole in establishing effective inter-personal communications.

Facial expressions and body gestures can enhance the quality of inter-personal

communication or help strangle it.

Face being the mirror of feelings, eye contact is very important to help stabilize mutualunderstanding.

If one were to turn away from the speaker, it would be like saying ‘Shut up’. It is not only veryrude and crude, it may also signal to the speaker to end his communication or stop giving thefeed back.

It is time we realized that for becoming a good communicator all one needs to do is tobecome a good and intelligent human being. Mostly it is the use of common sense whichmakes you a good communicator.

In order to sum it all up, let us remember the following:

Maintain eye contact all the time when someone is talking to you. Do not show hostilitythrough your eyes. Use eye contact for the desired results.

Do not show anger by shouting. Never abuse! Do not unnecessarily, turn away your face when someone is talking to you. Avoid harsh ordering, admonishing or threatening way of communicating in public. Improve quality of your voice and become articulate. Make optimum use of the medium. Clarify communication goals.

Remove barriers. Develop creditability. Be sensitive to receivers’ needs. Avoid overload but avoid being too sketchy. Encourage feed back.



Remember your face is a mirror. Keep your facial expressions receptive and intense.Do not look bored. Show understanding from facial expressions.

So we have talked at length about being an effective communicator. Probably you knew it all!Anyway, we did manage to revise it all what you already knew.

Breakdown ofInter- personal Communications

Last two chapters dealt with Inter-personal Communications and Active Listening. Expertsfeel that these two positive traits can be easily cultivated. It is also said that without thesepersonal qualities, success may remain only a dream.

However, now we feel that causes of Breakdown of inter-personal communications should bediscussed with onus on remedial steps.

There are so many basic, important and primary reasons which contribute to the breakdownof inter-personal communications.

Although we would like to discuss this extremely crucial Human Factor as applicable in everywalk of human life rather extensively but for the scope of this book. As such we would restrictourselves to only corporate functioning. But it doesn’t stop you from applying the knowledgeto your every-day life!

Firstly let us examine what may produce poor quality of two-way communications. Followingis a good list:

Poor communication skills: We are talking about yours not others! Poor or ill-practicedquality of your voice, scant attention to being articulate or inadequate use of the mediumwould definitely result in poor communication skills.



Your attitude towards what you are about to communicate or your negative feelings againstthe person for whom the communiqué is meant for, can kill the communication before itbegan!

Starting to send before receiver is ready: Do not communicate to walls. Get the receiver

ready. First get attention. Confirm that you have receiver’s attention and then blast off! Butnot before! Do not waste your breath.

Distractions: Avoid being distracted by environments or your own mental wanderings orphysical movements. Remember to accomplish one task at a time. Either communicate or dowhat-ever-else. But not a combination thereof. Yes, do remember to reduce the noise level tothe minimum before you begin to talk!

Clarity of mind: Think before you speak! So true! Yes, think about objectives you want toachieve before beginning to communicate. Spend a little time in gathering your thoughts andthen prioritize. Select appropriate phrases for the required effect; use simple yet effectivewords; avoid complicated statements; stay away from controversies, and try to get the

receiver in similar frame of mind.

Get off the pedestal: Who doesn’t know that you are the boss? So you don’t need toreaffirm. It is essential that you put your subordinates at ease before communicating. Tryremembering that a ‘command’ is a different proposition than two-way communications. Andas you are at it, try being sensitive to the receivers’ needs. Empathies and you would reapricher results!

Straw on camel’s back: Over loading can be disastrous! At the same time be sketchy wouldamount to waste of time. As such strike a happy medium for desired results.

All said and done, all of above or any of above, would not amount to the breakdown of inter-personal communications. Slowing down of communications; yes, but breakdown; no!Ineffective communications; yes, but kuttee ; no!

Breakdown means breakdown, kaput, kuttee , no talk, no two-way communications! And thesad part of this phenomenon is that parties are not even aware of the fact that a breakdownof inter-personal communications has taken effect! It is a dangerous situation which can ruinthe entire working culture of an organization. It is such a corporate plague that it can destroyan organization from within. It is a slow poison. It is death toll for organizations!

No doubt it is an extremely important issue. As such it does need involved discussion. But letus first list the factors which are the primary causes for such a failure. These are:

Yes boss cultureExcessive memo writingIsland mentalityPointing fingersLack of professionalismKitchen cabinetsPersonal conflicts

A few these kuttee-makers were discussed in a previous chapter but only as symptoms of thedisease called Human Factors. Here we would like to show how breakdown of inter-personal

communications is caused because of one, all or a combination of the above.

Yes Boss Culture:



A culture which is normally perpetuated or initiated or/and encouraged by the boss! Any bosswho can not accept any answer other than Yes Boss from a subordinate is suffering from ahugely inflated ego. And eventually such a personality trait would sink him one day!

When a boss accepts nothing short of Yes Boss from his juniors, it is all but evident that he

would get no in-puts from subordinates. All working under him or her would clamp up! Theywould very quickly lose interest in the profitability and welfare of the unit, department and theparent organization.

Yes Boss culture if allowed to prevail for a long time, would erode not only the sense ofbelonging but also would annihilate initiative.

Such a culture would very quickly result in dividing the subordinates in small groups orindividuals. Such groups or individuals would continuously seek more gratification andrecognition from the boss for their faithfulness. Other groups would be always played down.Discrediting others would become order of the day. Mistrust would prevail all over! Moralewould dip to its lowest.

Ironic rather sad part of such a scenario is that the boss, always but always, remainscompletely ignorant of the prevailing morale of his subordinates.

From the myopic view, it is a very rosy picture. A misplaced sense of superiority emerges.The boss begins to feel that superman is his next of kin. Worst of all, he begins to believethat his actions have the total backing and acceptance from his subordinates. In other words,he has booked a permanent abode in Fools’ Paradise!

What is the end result of it all? Simple! It is a complete breakdown of inter-personalcommunications. Incidentally, the word communications here does not mean exchange of

pleasantries but means professional communications! And professional exchange of views istwo-way traffic. Yes Boss is one-way traffic! And this one-way is open only to the boss not tohis subordinates.

If Yes Boss culture is allowed to prevail, complete choking up of all in-puts from within isbound to occur. Decision-making suffers. Overall performance deteriorates!

It would be in the best interest of all managers that they remain vigilant of the pitfall calledYes Boss ! They should be very wary of the subordinates who always agree with them.Elimination of Yes Boss culture should remain on top of their priority list.

Such a culture is an invisible barrier which can completely block the flow of information. And

decision making can not be considered professional enough without availing or making bestuse of requisite information.

As far as the subordinates are concerned, they can also take certain steps to eliminate suchan injurious working ethics. It can best be done by becoming assertive; a quality which canbe easily cultivated with a little practice. We would be discussing Assertive Behavior a littlelater. But the point to remember at this stage is; do not allow Yes Boss culture flourish! It candestroy your organization.

Excessive Memo Writing:

What is our first reaction upon receiving a memo? That is even before we read it! Your guessis good enough for us! Our first instinct upon receiving a memo is always negative,reactionary! We want to get back at the person who sent us the memo; boss or no boss!



Our survey shows that 99% of employees feel the same way! So where is the constructivevalue of a memo? However there is no doubt in our mind that memos are part of recordkeeping and cannot be done away with.

We had earlier discussed this subject in a previous chapter. And we feel there is no much to

add here except for a few pertinent points.

You will agree that inter-departmental memos have a different urgency as compared to thememos which are generated from within a department. It is the later which causesbreakdown of inter-personal communications. Accepted that inter-departmental memosshould be curtailed; but the memos written from within the department, at times from the verynext desk, are really resented. These are the ones which can put a big spanner in inter-personal communications.

Discourage any temptation in indulging in any such hurtful activity. As habit or as part ofdepartmental culture, walk up to the person you would have sent a memo to; discuss theissue and then do the needful. Please do not pass the ball along! Such balls have a way ofrebounding back to you!

Once inter-activity amongst the employee gears up, you would discover that routine mattersare very quickly resolved! Besides, this would gain you creditability, professional recognitionand dependable friends. It would also help to improve inter-personal communications.

Island Mentality:

For reasons not known, employees, over an extended period of time, become more loyal tothe department they are positioned in than the organization itself. They tend to defend eventhe wrongs of their departments. Rivalry with other departments begins to attain dimensions,which are not healthy.

Fault-finding with other departments becomes normal attitude. Finger-pointing towards allother departments is unwittingly considered as vowed duty. In case of any corporate failure,other departments are to be held responsible. Mistakes are always made by others. Theirown department remains above board and without any blame!

Such misplaced loyalty towards a department and not the organization, is an attitude which isnot constructive in any manner. When one begins to find faults with others, without owning

any responsibility for their own acts, slackness in their working or for meeting the targets is allbut too obvious a result.

Allegiance to a mere department instead to the parent organization, termed as islandmentality, also damages sense of belonging. Besides, one learns to shift the blame instead ofowning up mistakes. And mistakes we all make! No wonder, such a mind-set triggersinefficiency and virtual inaptness.

One needs to commit to the Vision and Mission of the parent organization and not try toprotect the short-term benefits or advantage for a mere department. And island mentality canerode the very character of parent organization. Allegiance must always remain for the

company and not for persons, departments, divisions, section or small administrative units.

What is worst is the fact that such mentality erodes healthy level of inter-personalcommunications. Atomicity without cause or reason does choke up the lines of



communications. As such, keep the corporate Vision & Mission in mind and avoid thebreakdown of inter-personal communications.

Finger Pointing:

It seems to have become a national pastime! Besides we are a nation of cribbers. We tend tocriticize every one else except our own person. We have failed to count our blessing for thepast five decades. We do not value Pakistan as we should. We simply cannot appreciatepositive qualities or good fortune others may be blessed with!

What a way to go!

In corporate functioning, habit of pointing fingers at others tends to breakdown the inter-personal communications forever! There is no turning back because the seeds of hatred areso firmly planted. And to top it all, we have never learnt to apologize!

Honestly enough, we are at complete loss to suggest a remedy for this national affliction. We

very sincerely hope and pray that malady of finger pointing is recognized as a hugelydestructive habit and good sense prevails.

Suffice would be to submit that raising a finger at others renders us vulnerable to thereciprocal onslaught from our victims. It is but natural! And it keeps on, with no end in sight.In all such cases, not only professionalism evaporates but also the breakdown of inter-personal communications becomes irreparable.

Lack of Professionalism:

Our society has long accepted system of Parchi or Safaarish as a way of life. Merit alone isnot considered good enough. As such non-professionals or under-qualified persons areemployed to fill the vacancies of technically qualified.

What has this phenomena done to our national fabric is another question; but let us discusswhat it does to the working culture of an organization.

A non-professional or under-qualified person filling a seat of a professional very soondiscovers his or her shortcomings. And no sooner their inadequacy dawns on them, theyimmediately go in to a defensive mode.Such a defensive mode is counter productive. Such persons feel isolated, inadequate andare largely loners. No wonder their communications are sparse and sketchy.

If allowed to continue, the breakdown of communications is almost complete. So it is up tothe bosses to understand the situation. They should either be able to resist a Parchi orshould immediately arrange for on-job-training for such personnel. There is no other shortcut.

We do understand that it may not be always possible! In that case short courses can bearranged or intense counseling can be tried. But whatever, such persons should be broughtin the main stream as soon as possible. Or else they will definitely spoil the pond!

Kitchen Cabinets:

May be the two words would be confusing for a few! Kitchen cabinet is the inner circle whichcompletely surrounds or blankets a boss. All decisions are made by that inner circle. Thiscircle does not necessarily include the senior most persons. Factually inner circle is made ofthe cronies of a boss! Like the musaahibs to our kings, especially the ones who threw awayan empire!



Destruction from within is how we may define kitchen cabinets! When only a few areconsulted and the rest are always ignored, a feeling of dismay begins to seep in!

With kitchen cabinets firmly installed by the boss, the interest of the so-called outsiders startsto evaporate. They are no more concerned with corporate functioning or welfare of the

organization! Even the corporate Vision and Mission are forgotten.

As a matter of fact the outsiders, who may also yearn to be part of kitchen cabinet, eventuallyresign to their fate. As such the inputs from them stop to flow! A class-system of haves andhave-nots emerges.

No wonder, kitchen cabinets cause intense internal turmoil, which slowly but surely spreadwithin the department or an organization. Worst damage is done when the chief executive isthe person to form such kitchen cabinets. Normally this causes a steady decline in theprogress of the organizations.

Bosses who do not realize the destructive trend a kitchen cabinet sets should either learn theconsequences or be prepared for the ultimate misfortune.

Do we need to explain as to how kitchen cabinets strangulate the inter-personalcommunications amongst the rest? We think not!

Active Listening

We must begin by distinguishing in between listening and hearing. Whereas hearing is only aphysical ability, listening is sum total of hearing and understanding what was heard.

Just close your eyes and hear to all the noises in the air. You would be amazed at what all

you can hear! And these noises have been pouring into your ears for God knows how long.You have been hearing them. But not listening!

As such, listening is a mental ability, which can not be accomplished without the physicalability of hearing. Active listening is yet another matter. It is a notch above listening. And thisability is what needs to be honed, sharpened!

Employment of active listening would be dealt with in the following chapters. Here activelistening would be discussed as part of inter-personal communications. To us, it is one of themost important and an integral part of inter-personal communications.

No effective inter-personal communications would ever be possible without learning to

employ the art of active listening. Or one could say that inter-personal communicationscannot be effective enough without employing active listening.

Research has established that 75% of all communicational errors or miscommunications arecaused due to the fact that the receiver misunderstood the message; partially or in its totality.It is an over-whelming percentage and as such cannot be discounted or ignored.

It is further established that majority of communication lapses are attributable to non-activelistening. What is encouraging is the fact that personal quality of employing active listening isan achievable target. And once done, it goes a long way towards personal development.

By now it may have been noticed that we are not given to name-dropping, quoting frombooks or referring to different writers. It is only because we feel that outsiders cannot

comprehend our social and economic difficulties. It is almost impossible for them to put

themselves in our shoes.



As such, to us, their suggestions or solutions would not help solve our problems. It is not to

say that we refuse to learn from the learned! We do learn but are very selective in

applications.

But here we would like to reproduce what Keith Davis, author of Human Relations at Work

(McGraw Hill, 1977, Page 387) has suggested as Ten Commandments for good listening:

Stop talking and listen Put the talker at ease Show the talker that you want to listen Remove distractions Empathize with the talker Be Patient Hold your temper

Ask Questions Stop talking & Listen

Active listening implies that the sender and receiver, both of them, quickly get on to the samewave length or at a matching frequency in order to absorb and understand the real soul of themessage.

Moreover the involved process of active listening would definitely gain real momentum only ifwe were to:

Suspend premature judgment. Listen with understanding.

Listen with prompt response to feelings. Note the verbal and non-verbal cues. Rephrase the senders’ message. Put your self in sender's shoes.

Achieving effective inter-personal communication is not an easy task. At the same time it isnot a difficult proposition either. All it needs is the commitment from the sender as well as thereceiver. Does sound like a tall order!

As long as you would not allow your seniority, your position or your qualifications stand in theway, you will achieve what looks like a tall order.

Remember effective inter- personal communication is the first step towards achieving a muchimproved corporate performance. Besides, your personal growth also depends onestablishing effective inter -personal communications.

Self Evaluation Exercise

Please be very thoughtful when you answer the following questions. Every time you answer'NO', just stop there and think; how you would like to improve. Please do not be discouragedif you score more ‘nays’ than ‘ayes’! As a matter of fact, it may end up being a blessing indisguise.

All the nays you score would go a long way in learning what should have been learnt earlier.But then it is never too late. Do believe us that no body ever stops learning. Most of usaccept this fact of life; only a few deny it.



This exercise need not be shown to your fellow team member. For that matter any one else!But you must recall all your nays, today and always. This awareness would definitely herald avery healthy change in your life. Let us get on with the questions:

Q: Do you take full responsibility for the

success of communicative process in your office?Yes, it is my responsibility

No, the listener should listen more carefully

Q: Do you think that you have a clear voice,which does not prompt others to ask, ‘Say Again'

Yes, I do have a good tone of voiceNo, I am often asked to repeat myself

Q: Do you listen more often than you talk?

Yes, I am a good listenerNo, I like to talk more than listening to others

Q: Are you an active listener? Or doyou keep interrupting when others are talking?

Yes, I listen very carefullyNo, I interrupt often enough

Q: Are you willing to ask ifthe message is not understood?

Yes, I do askNo, I hesitate to ask. I’m a shy person.

Q: Are you open-minded enough toexamine the issues without blaming others?

Yes, I do own my responsibilitiesNo, others should also be held responsible.

Q: Are you analytical enough to see the positiveas well negative of all what is presented to

you without raising a finger at others?

Yes, I am!No, I like to depend on others’ decisions

Q: Do you always provide positive Feed Back?

Yes, I always provide feed backNo, it is not necessary

Q: Do you have good rapport with all team members?

Yes, almost all

No, I am rater selective

Q: Are you respected for your position?

Yes, I think so



No, it doesn’t matter to me

Q: Do you believe that what you say or how you say it wouldaffect inter-personal communication with other officers?

Yes, I do

No, it is up to others to understand me

Q: Would you try to remember all what has beenconveyed in the previous two chapters?

Yes, definitelyNo, I could-not-care-less!

Now count your ‘nays’ and reflect on the remedial steps to be adopted. Do not let go! It mightprove to be the chance of your life. It is a personal quality you must develop.

Meaningful progress in your chosen profession, without inculcating qualities of a goodcommunicator and active listener may prove to be elusive a goal.

With completion of this exercise, we have revised Inter-personal Communications as well theBreakdown of Inter-personal communications. How Active Listening helps in improving thecommunicational level has also been briefly dealt with. There are a few important points,which are yet to be discussed. We would try to cover these in the next few chapters.

In the meantime, may we assure you that lessons learnt towards improving inter-personalcommunicational skills would definitely benefit for professional as well as personal growth.Reflection on family and social life is also a distinct possibility. We pray it may be so!

With ill-effects of Human Factors becoming clearer, let us look at yet another damagingfactor; Non Active Listening.

Non-Application ofActive Listening

We must begin by learning to differentiate in between ‘Hearing’ and ‘Listening’ and thendifferentiating between ‘Listening’ and ‘Active Listening’. Message gets firmly driven homewhen we consider ‘Non-application of Active Listening’ to mere ‘Active Listening’. Do weneed say more?

Non-application of Active Listening is the second most damaging Human Factor on ourpriority list! Such a high rating is essential because of the fact that listening is such an integralpart not only of two-way communications but also the entire learning process.

Distractions, interruption, personal shortcomings, social taboos and cultural barriers areconsidered primary causes of non-active listening. But whatever the cause, this importantHuman Factor does trigger the breakdown of inter-personal communications, especially the

two-way process.

Listening being a combined exercise of physical and mental faculties, it is of utmostimportance that we look at the distractions which may cause non-active listening. Havingdiscussed Active Listening in the previous chapter, we would not touch upon the mechanics



of good listening. But we would definitely like to point the pitfalls which can definitelyterminate a valuable effort to communicate.

If we were to keep in view the ten golden rules for active listening as given in the previouschapter and were to remain mindful of what is now being discussed, we can very safely

guarantee that we would reap very rich dividends.Active application of few remedial steps would eliminate non-active listening positively andeffectively. And this would ensure the success of our two-way communications, which in turnwould deliver our desired results. Let us look at few important points.

Disinterested Facial Expressions:Try visualizing that you have been summoned by your boss and are required to explain anofficial matter. You begin very enthusiastically and are in full flow. And then you notice theexpression on the face of your boss. He seems to be somewhat bored with far-away andforlorn look in his eyes.

How would you react? Can you continue in the same vein? Would flow of your conversationremain unaffected? Would you not feel hurt and disappointed? And if this was not the firsttime and every time your boss had behaved in similar obnoxious manner, would you not wishthat you better change your job?

We do not need your answers! We know how it feels. But your boss definitely needs to learnthe norms of good management. He needs to know that his disinterested facial expressionshave choked your inside and you are feeling hurt. Additionally he is the one who isunfortunate to miss out on all the valuable information you were about to volunteer! He is abigger loser of the two.

Wise boss is all ears when a subordinate is making a verbal report. It is his source ofinformation. How does he analyze and then use the offered information is his prerogative. Itis the right of a boss to receive inputs from subordinates; a right which he can exercise onlywhen he maintains attentive and inquisitive facial expressions.

And now think of what you would do when you become a boss. Or if you are already one,how to receive your next visitor! We all need to learn. It is now or never!

Questions Not Asked:

You are called in and your boss wants you to make a report. You begin and you finish. Hisfacial expressions throughout your presentation were not negative yet he did not give anyfeed back. Or worst yet he did not ever inquire about any aspect of your report.

How would you feel? Satisfied with your performance! Or just a routine outing, a mereformality! Or somewhat disappointed at the show of the interest! Or all of above!

Again there is no need to answer! Your boss; may be without ever realizing it, has in factmanaged to discourage you. It is also possible that he has either not valued your effort or hewas simply too insensitive to your sensitivity. Whatever the case, it is bound to affect yourfuture outings with him.Asking questions, however simple they may be, is a known technique for making thesubordinates feel at ease. Not admonishing but inquisitive questions!

Even if there were no questions to be asked, the boss must encourage the subordinate bymaking small vocal gestures like; please go on; that’s a good; do explain it a bit more; would you like to elaborate; I may need more information ; what do you think I should do ; and so on!.



Small gestures, relevant questions, words of encouragement and prompt feed back go a longway in achieving the goals for which meetings are held.

On the other hand subordinates also need to become assertive enough to ask questions. Ifinstructions were received but not understood, it is the duty of the subordinate to ask! There

are no excuses!

Frequent Diversions:

It goes without saying that any distraction or interruption in the process of active listening canthrow any effort to communicate completely out of synch. Most annoying are the telephonecalls which suddenly and very rudely interrupt an intense conversation or a presentation.Unannounced visitors are no better!Every boss should set an office protocol, which should be strictly followed. Telephone callsand visitors should be curtailed during meetings. Of course, there would be deviations,especially if a higher-placed boss was to call during an intense meeting. In such cases, trypicking up the ends from where you had left off!

We have covered the mechanic of Active Listening and the pitfalls thereof! Now it is up to youto determine your modus operandi. But whatever you may decide, do not become a victim ofnon-active listening. It is where personal failures begin!



Lack of Assertiveness

Assertiveness is a newly coined word. As such it may not be located in most dictionaries. It isbeing described as the sum total of all good qualities of different behaviors. Furthermore, it isan acquired behavior through practice and application. And unlike other types of behavior,

assertiveness is not inherited, genetically or socially. To most psychologists, assertiveness isthe key to success.

Being assertive is the best possible way of relating with others. It is an acquired trait whichcan be easily developed only if one was to become aware of inherent weaknesses.

Relationship Awareness Theory holds that we act towards others as we do, only because weare seeking certain gratification in our relationships. According to this theory, behaviorpatterns are simply tools that people use to reach their considered goals.

There are four basic styles of relating to others: Altruistic-Nurturing (True Blues), Aggressive- Directing (Red Hots), Analytic-Autonomizing (Cool Greens) and Flexible-Cohering (Hubs or

Rainbows). And then there are blends like Aggressive-Nurturing (Red Blues), Judicious- Competing (Red-Greens) and Cautious-Supporting (Blue Greens)

Scope of this book does not allow us to get involved in detailed discussions on differentstyles of relating to others. But we must submit that neither a given pattern of motivation nora blend is inherently superior or better than any other pattern or a blend.

Each pattern of relating has its own set of strengths and weaknesses. And one can easilylearn to avoid most of personal weaknesses by simply recognizing the fact that a weaknessin fact is overdoing of a known strength.

To be confident is a strength but being over-confident or arrogant is a weakness. To be a

trusting is strength but being too-trusting or gullible is a weakness. To be cautious is definitelystrength but being too cautious or suspicious is a weakness. To be flexible is strength nodoubt but being so flexible that you do not have a view point is a weakness.

As such if you want to improve your relations with others, you not only need to know yourstrengths but also get to know which strength you may be overdoing.

Inculcation of assertive behavior is the direct outcome of self analysis and determination toimprove. One may not be able to change the basic style of relating to other but awareness ofpersonal strengths and weaknesses would automatically bring about a positive change.

Developing assertive behavior enables you to pursue your goals and at the same timeprotect your rights. It also enables you to achieve results without violating the rights of others.In other words, assertive behavior is the key to success.



Assertive behavior when allowed to take roots and flourish helps install a congenial,constructive and progressive working atmosphere within an organization. To us, it is vitalfactor for the health of an organization!

Literal meanings of Assertiveness are forceful enough to bring the message home. Dictionary

defines it as; Emphatic, Forceful, Insistent, Resounding with related words like; Affirmative,Positive, Certain, Self-assured and Confident.

Aren’t all these qualities what we all yearn to posses? Sure, these are! But is that the waymost of us are? Not always! At times yes but not always!

In order to determine as to how we relate to others, there is yet another important point toconsider. And it concerns with our eastern upbringing!

As compared to the western society, we definitely have different sets of values, norms andsocial expectations. Which social system is better, that is not the topic here!

But the truth is that we cannot divorce our childhood upbringing or for that matter our socialvalues. Fact is that we truly cherish these in order to be really happy.

For example, the respect we carry for our elders or seniors is so deep-rooted that it becomespart of our personality. Our responsibility to our parents, brothers, sisters and children is soomnipresent, binding and well-defined that our society functions even without a governmentalsocial security system as applicable in the west! It may be matter of opinion but to us, we aretruly blessed!

It goes without saying that most of our social values, as practiced in our day to day living, arequite different from that of west. And there is no reason we should feel ashamed for this. As amatter of fact, we ought to be proud for our heritage.

On the other hand, we should not place ourselves on a high perch and declare that westernsocieties do not know how to live. It would be grossly wrong. They are simply different fromus and that is all.

Mechanics of Assertiveness:

Coming back to the topic, being assertive implies a willingness to speak-up, ask question andresolve doubts. It also suggests an element of tact and mutual respect. But it definitely doesnot mean to be aggressive. What does assertiveness mean?

Assertiveness, to us, is obtaining desired results without becoming indecent, rude, crude or

impolite. We do not need to hurt others in order to get results.

When faced with a tough situation, we can determine our line of action by asking ourselvesthe following questions:

Can I make a point without being offensive?Can I be polite and still effective?Can I be tactful enough to deal with sensitive issues?

Initially it would be difficult to come up with 100% positive answers. But we would eventuallysucceed. We need to become comfortable with ourselves. Practice would give us a

semblance of perfection. True, it would not be overnight success but continuity in practice isbound to deliver results.



What we all need to learn the techniques of relating with others in such a manner that desiredresults are routinely achieved! There is nothing like 100% in relationships. There is alwaysgive and take! And towards this objective, we need to know our rights.

And as we are detailing our Rights, we need to consider the Rights of others. Our Rights and

Others’ Rights are in fact a two-way lane. There is only one Stop Sign! Rights need to be respected and as such protected.

When on this two-way lane, we must always remember to give others’ their Rights beforeexpecting. Let us examine what Rights we are talking about:

Right to express freely yet very politely Right to ask for information Right to be listened to Right to ask what is required for the task Right to be treated with respect Right to say ‘no’ and not feel guilty

Big question is about your willingness to grant these Rights to others! If you are able to do itwithout malice, there would be a very positive and immediate change in the attitude of allthose who work under you or for you.

There is no doubt in our mind that such an approach would create a very health workingculture. And before we give you a ‘go ahead’ for getting your rights, may we request you toanswer the following questions:

o Am I being honest to myself and the company?o Can I make my point politely enough?o Am I strong enough to deal with the issue?o Would my silence adversely affect the health or the image of my company?

Once you have quietly answered these questions, prepare yourself and then go confidentlyenough to your superior and exercise your rights. We need not tell you that selection of timeand place is very important for better affectivity.

Infusing Assertiveness:

It will go a long way towards improving the productivity of all personnel who work under you,if you would chose to infuse assertive behavior amongst rank and file. It would help infuse avery friendly and target-oriented atmosphere.

You may begin by calling a special meeting of all concerned and detailing all what you haveplanned and want to achieve in a given period of time.

During such a meeting you may request them to be more assertive in future. You may like tobrief them on their Rights as detailed above.

We recall a boss who was a very big achiever. Whenever a new project was envisaged,planned or executed, he would always call a meeting of all the persons connected with theproject. Office assistants included.

Details of projects were always different but his concluding remarks never changed. We can

still recall:“Ladies & Gentlemen; whatever and whenever anything out of the ordinary is noticed by any of you, please speak out without any reservations. I promise to hold you in high esteem for being open and forthright.



The very first time you see me free and available; please talk to me in person. Please be brief and to-the-point! May I also request you not to put it off till tomorrow!

And in case you find that I am not available, please write down your comments, observations or suggestion on a piece of paper and hand it to me personally. I would always need your

input to make good decisions. Thank you!” He was always so polite and yet we all knew him to be a very hard task master. Not a veryhandsome man but he was such a charmer that we always felt elated when stepping out frommeetings. He managed to give us a sense of ownership and as such a lot of responsibility.

He was always very friendly yet so firm. He was forgiving only when an honest mistake hadbeen made. But he was wrath of the God when you were being lazy, irregular or knowinglyviolated the rules. And above it all, despite the fact he was our captain; he was also a verygood team member.

Assertive as he was, he also had a few extra qualities. It was these qualities which endeared

him to one and all. He was respected not for his personality but for his behavior.

Let us list a few of his known and practiced norms. He was so consistent in his behavior. Forexample:

He was very expressive, with reasonablevocabulary and command over his delivery.

Was always prepared and did his home work. Never practiced favoritism, no kitchen cabinets. Always encouraged initiative even if

there were any serious repercussions. Always paid heed to all the suggestions,

comments, recommendations and observations. Shared in final decision-making. Always paid proper respect to all elders

even if they were his juniors. Confident but never over-confident. Upright and honest. Good communicator with known sense of humor. Always led from front. And in case of a failure,

took full responsibility. Always result oriented but also welfare minded.

Openly appreciative of good workers. Never insulted anyone in public. Very rough when admonishing in his office. Was acceptable amongst his peers.

Please have another closer look at his personality traits. We feel these were mostly acquiredthrough training and adoption! One could argue that he was an exceptional person. But thatis not true! He was no superman. Just an ordinary person who applied himself to the task!

We all can strive to follow. It is not such a daunting task. And there is nothing to lose. It mayseem like a difficult proposition; but it is in fact very easy to accomplish! But success is whereyou should be heading. And towards that cherished objective, most experts would be

unanimous: Be Assertive!



Poor or ScantySituational Awareness

In progressively productive corporate operations, which in turn are dependent on cohesive,inter-active and dynamic team functioning, all the team players need to be acutely aware ofthe prevailing situation.

As such, all the teachers and/or trainers are supposed to know the targets and policies of theschool as approved by the Board of Governors, Education Department and Boards ofEducation.

By team players we do not mean only the highest echelon of management. All personnel asemployed in an organization are to be considered corporate team members! We better notmake any other assumption!

Functions of an organization are pre-determined. Semi-autonomous departments are createdwithin an organization and specific tasks are allocated.

Considering the nature and volume of tasks to be performed, personnel are deployed, withclear demarcation of duties, which are individually assigned. Efforts are made to avoid over-lapping of responsibilities. Administrative authority is given to the key positions. However,

hiring and firing remains the prerogative of the higher cadre of management.But much before an organization is formally announced; policy matters like Corporate Vision,Company Mission, Standardization, Quality Assurance, Training Policy and Safety Policy aredecided. These policy matters form the corner stones on which organizations get established.

This is how business houses or other organizations are established, world over. But not inPakistan! Here the reverse process is applicable but stopping much before the adoption of acorporate Vision or Mission. As a matter of fact, most of our national organizations are likerudderless ships, which are going nowhere. We hope not in circles!

We need not go too far to qualify our submission! Take the examples of our two national

airlines, Pakistan Railways, Pakistan Steel, all the national banks etc. None of them has aVision or Mission ! And now look at all the multi-national companies operating from our soil.They all know where they want to be or plan to go!

Unfortunately we have not yet learnt to plan for the future. We tend to live from day to day.Adhocism has become our way of operating! We do not want to pursue our dreams. May bewe don’t have any!

When an organization operates without ever trying to look into future, the working conditionsstay fluid. There is no stability to policy-making. Decisions are taken only to suit a givensituation. Yes, a good leader may make a difference but only for a short time.

Without determining your final destination called Corporate Vision , no management,professional or otherwise, can ever select any suitable approach to reach the desired goal.



Such indecision at policymaking level tends to adversely reflects, not only at the overallproductivity of management, but also the out-put of the entire spectrum of employees.

In order to infuse the desired situational awareness amongst all, may we suggest thefollowing:

Adopt a Vision. Call it Hamari Manzil Decide upon Mission. Call it Hamara Raasta Select 2-3 as Target Values. Call these Mairay Pehlay Qadm Assign yourself time-limitedTargets Beware Of Human Factors Build sense of Camaraderie With Fellow Teachers/Trainers Share Information about your wards with other Teachers/Trainers

All of above, if incorporated in its true spirit and manner, would go a long way towardsimproving the overall Situational Awareness. We need not repeat that Situational Awarenessis important for the teachers/trainers as well as for the students. Every teacher/trainer needs

to know his/her Vision and Mission by heart. They also need to know the Targets as assignedby the Governing Board or the Government! Vision & Mission need to be displayedprominently.

To consolidate, it is suggested that Team Building projects be undertaken on regular basis.Towards this end Human Factors’ Training units may be established and Human FactorsFacilitators be trained. Attending at least One-workshop-a-year may be made mandatory forannual promotion.

Once comprehensive Situational Awareness is developed, total sense of participation wouldthe automatic outcome! Is their any better way to realize your dreams!



Section

TWO

Civic Sense Road Sense Courtesy

Etiquette & Personal Grooming









Important Note

Dear Reader,Two statements have influenced us most for writing this manual and devising therequisite module of training. The two statements, more like declaration, are:

Teachers are Nation Builders!Child is the Father of Man!

Yes, the teachers are considered as real Nation Builders! In this respect, they evenexcel the role of a mother. And understandably so! A mother deals only with her ownchildren! But a teacher influences children of large number of mothers.

Teachers, once motivated from within, can easily infuse Faith, mould Unity and bringDiscipline amongst the rank and file of their students. They can also teach theirstudents how to set priorities, not only in day-to-day working but also in their lives.

Moreover, for most students, a teacher acts as a catalyst for the generation of newideas. Most dreams are dreamt by the students under the guidance of their teachers.Often enough, teachers help students adopt their personal Vision and Mission

As such it would always be first and paramount responsibility of a teacher to providethe best possible Bunyaadi Tarbiyyat to students. In fact, they must guide and traintheir student as part of their vowed duty.

Teachers are the Nation Builder of the First Kind! As such, they must train and adoptthemselves as role-models. They must realize that a student needs to follow. Besides,every teacher, whether openly admitting it or not, also desires to be cherished andremembered by students. It is one reward every teacher seeks.

And once a teacher has done its duty then the application of second statementbecomes more meaningful. Yes, Child is the father of man! And with a teacherradiating as beacon of light, the above statement becomes more forceful! In fact, evenfateful!!

Yes, now the ball is in our court! We, the teachers, together as a team of professionals,can most certainly trigger a quiet yet extremely potent revolution from within. And weshould! Fact is that we all owe it to our selves, our families, community and themotherland!

Of course, it is a challenge. Nation Building would always be! Ignore or side-step thechallenge and we end up becoming a nonentity! A No Body! Accept it and we wouldensure that inner glow, called True Happiness.

All we have to do is; become Role Models! And be vigorously involved in providing theBunyaadi Tarbiyyat to all our wards. We must accept it as a challenge. Better yet,make it part of duty! May God bless you, always!

Amjad H. FaiziMarch, 2009



Oh God,Thank You for All the

Blessings You Bestowed Upon Me,

Especially the Life You Have Granted

My Dear God,Please Give Me Wisdom Enough

To Share All the Knowledge I Have Gained

I Pray To TheeTo Make Me The Beacon Of

Light For All Fellow Human Beings!



Civic Sense

Homo sapiens, the mankind or the human beings, right from the times immemorial, as amatter of fact ever since its creation, have always been afraid of the last episode of life. The

Death!Ever since, no effort has been spared by the humankind to attain longevity! Till to-date, notonly endless research is being conducted but also involved efforts are being made; only topostpone or side track the inevitable. The Death!

If we were to ponder it would not be difficult to conclude all the social developments,discoveries in food and produce, all the gadgetry and inventions, all innovations and systems’gain, in other words every bit of progress made by the Homo Sapiens ever since its creation,revolves around only one need: attaining longevity beyond imagination.

Where we live, what we eat, what we wear, all the machines, all the medicines, different

surgical procedures, life-serving amenities like electricity, gas & fuel, even our social set-upsand relationships have been discovered, devised, invented or developed, only to prolong ourlife. We want to be safe from the Death!

Wishful thinking! Yes, true, but who can stop us from searching the ever-elusive Shangri-La,the fountain of ever-lasting youth! It is the ultimate dream of every single human being. Dowe all agree? Barring a few true fatalistic, no doubt, we all would tend to agree, whole-heartedly!

Team Work:

We have often heard that Homo sapiens are social animals. Why? Have you ever wondered!Reason is same, self-preservation! Man living alone, would have been extremely vulnerableto all sort of dangers, from within and without.

Human kind was quick to conclude that by sticking together most dangers would be avoidedif not entirely eliminated. It is primarily for this reason that human beings, instead of livingalone, elected to live together in communities.

Demarcation and development of villages, towns, cities and countries, over all thesemillenniums speak volumes about this need of the Homo sapiens. Institutions of Marriage,Home and Society are the glaring exhibits of such insecure feeling.

‘Safety First’ has been the driving agenda for Homo sapiens ever since creation. And toachieve it mankind has had no choice but to initially accept the need of team work. And teamfunctioning cannot be effective if rights of each other were usurped or violated.

Mankind has been consistently developing systems, which would ensure cohesivefunctioning. It has long been concluded that alone we stand to perish. It is togethernesswhich would help us survive. Hence the development of Civic Sense!

Safety First:

The three ingredients considered essential rather vital for sustaining life are; Air, Water &Food. True? Of course! But then why would we do our utmost to avoid breathing in any

poisonous gas or would not drink the contaminated water or would avoid food which mayadversely affect our health.

One reason! Safety First! We need to accept ‘Safety First’ not as a slogan but as an earnestrequirement of all human beings. There should be no doubt in our minds that Safety does



come first whenever a human being is faced with any danger. Peril of death is what we dreadmost. Resultantly, omni-present need ‘Safety First’ has made the human being scaleunprecedented heights.

Civic Sense is all about safety! It is connected with life! It concerns about the welfare of your

family. It provides reason for meaningful living! Yes, it is all about you, your life plus your family. What matters to most of us; is the Life itself. Your own and of your dear ones!

Safety and that too your own, is a very involved matter. It is indeed matter of life and death.As such, may we invite you to seriously ponder at the words ‘Safety’ and ‘Civic Sense’somewhat more philosophically!

In our opinion, Safety needs to be equated with Civic Sense. Or else loss of someone else’slife may be considered intentional, even a murder. Or simply a suicide!

Safety First! We have heard the two words often enough. Haven’t we? Yes we have! Buthave we ever weighted the gravity of this short statement? Have we ever paused to think

about the seriousness of ‘Safety First’? Guess not!

What does Safety mean to us? Or what has it meant to the human being ever since itscreation? Well, Safety has been the catalyst of progress, from the stone-age to the present.How is that?

Civic Sense is the need of every human being, not only for safe guarding his/her own personbut also for preserving the home and as such the community where he/she lives. Or so it isbelieved and practiced all over the world except amongst the poor developing countries likePakistan, India etc. Guess we have become so desperate with our poverty that only an easy-way out is to pose as a fatalistic. It may be the burden of everyday living that we havedeveloped such a feeling. It is such a pity!

Establishment:

Most countries of the North, reaping the true benefits of Industrial Revolution, began the taskof reshaping their social structure and support systems immediately after the dawn ofnineteenth century. Initially it was slow progress but the pace picked up immediately after theSecond World War.

Well demarcated regulatory bodies were established as institutions for the sole purpose ofproviding constant vigil and the overview of different social functions as engaged by thepopulace and industry. Municipal bodies were assigned the task of garbage collection and its

final disposal. Police was trained to identify potential hazards in order to warn the publicabout the looming dangers. Moreover, the Governments sponsored intensive research indifferent areas concerning the safety performance and behavior of people.

All modes of transport were paid special attention. Different means of communication likeroads, marine, railways and airways were segregated into different regulatory bodies.Specialists were assigned to head these regulatory bodies. The staff was carefully selectedand adequately trained. Safety was the main subject of all such training. Incidentally, evenpipes were included as one of the established mode of transport.

In order to coordinate and govern all these regulatory bodies, independent Transport Safety

Boards were installed. The authority assigned to such boards flowed directly from the head ofthe state. For example National Transport Safety Board (NTSB) reports directly to thePresident of USA, and is responsible for all the modes of transportation as mentioned above.Such institutions, like NTSB, are required to independently investigate all the accidents asreported by different regulatory bodies.



All the Findings and the resultant Causes, thus arrived at, are then conveyed to theconcerned Regulatory Body; which in turn is required by the law to implement therecommendations immediately.

As such, in the working of all the regulatory bodies, ‘Safety First’ has become a way of life.

Such an approach has given birth to a well defined Safety Culture. It goes without saying thatwithout a stabilized safety culture, an enhanced safety performance is simply not possible.

No wonder, the Safety Performance of the North, is many times better than all the countriesin the developing world. We, dwelling in countries of the Developing World, cannot evenbegin to fathom the progress made in America’s and Europe. It is beyond our expectations orimagination!

Definition of Civic Sense:

Learning to give others’ their Civic Rights before expecting! This is how we define Civic

Sense. And we are not know-it-all! As such please feel free to improve upon it!

But the essence of above definition is the 'knowing' part of all Civic Rights. It goes withoutsaying that one can not give or grant a Right if one was not aware of it in the first place. Assuch, all the Civic Rights need to be etched on the mind of every single person of the entirepopulace.

Such uniform knowledge for each member of a given society is possible only if it was madepart of the initial training, may it be at home or early schooling. But, much before suchtraining of children is made a Norm , one need to know the true spirit of all such Civic Rights.

Definition of Safety:

And it brings us right back to the starting point; the two word slogan of ‘Safety First’. At thisstage we will shun the second word; ‘First’ and go on to ‘Safety’. What is Safety? How do youdefine it? The dictionary when describing Safety simply says: State of being Safe!

Wow! Safe from what! Even the dictionary is afraid to admit the obvious. Omnipresent fear ofdeath! But let us stop stringing the same tune. So what is Safety?

To us, it is simply ‘An Attitude !But Attitude towards what!

The answer would be: Self-preservation: Protection from dangers and hazards: Life itself!

And all three answers involve your own person and also the people around you.

As such, Safety is the sum total of your personal state of being safe and also of the peoplearound you. It also means removal of all dangers to your person and people around you. Inother words it means ‘State of being Safe’ for the entire community, society, the country, ourEarth!

Why Rules?

Apparently Civic Sense does look the need of the society rather the requirement of anindividual. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Clearing the mind with a long deep breath,you may conclude that continuous practice of Civic Sense is in fact an insurance policy for



sustaining healthy life. Your own life! Civic Sense is for you to benefit from. Society wouldbenefit only after you have registered a definite gain. And your direct gain is healthy living.

Once we have equated Civic Sense with our personal Safety, it becomes mandatory todevise rules which would ensure it. Rules, as a rule, are often opposed by most of us. But we

must make an exception this time.Rules devised to incorporate Civic Sense are actually meant to keep you healthy and as suchhelp prolong your life. Yes, others would also gain from such rules. Would you grudge it ifother gained after you had profited! We sincerely hope not! Because if you do, then we feelyou are badly stressed out and need medical assistance!

Let us have a look at some of the rules which help inculcate Civic Sense! There are manyrules and expectations but one basic rule is: Do unto others as you wish to be done by!

Do unto Others….

It simply means that reciprocation is all but natural. One has to be answerable and pay backfor all what one does! To every action, good or bad, there is an equally good or bad reaction.Jo doosron k liye gadha khodta hai, who khud uci Gadhay main …… One should never digpot hole for others lest one falls in them! In order to bring home the message, let us tryanswering the following:

Do you like to see garbage strewn around the front door of your home?Of Course not!Do unto others….

Do you like to be jumped ahead when you were standing in a queue?No, Of Course not!

Do unto others….

Do you like the walls of your office or home splashed with the peek-of-paan? Of course not!Do unto others….

Do you like getting hurt by slipping on a peel of banana or wet floor?Of course not!Do unto others….

Do you like people to walk on the road instead of pavement?Of course not!

Do unto others….

Do you like being shouted at on the road side?Of course not!Do unto others….

Do you like to breathe in the smoke as being emitted by a vehicle?Of course not!Do unto others…

Would you like to be hit in your eyes by a cigarette butt thrown out of a car?Of course not!

Do unto others…. Would you like your father or mother to hear your friends use vulgar language?

Of course not!Do unto others….



Would you like to see people scratching private parts of their persons?Of Course not!Do unto others….

Would you like the outer wall of your house painted with advertisements?Of course not!Do unto others…

Do you like to get close to people who have bad breath?Of course not!Do unto others….

Do we carry on? Questions like above are endless! And every question reminds us of whatwe miserably, entirely lack: Civic Sense! Best way out would be that we deal with the subjectof Civic Sense in an organized manner.

Inside Out!

Civic Sense is about co-existing. Nay, it is all about sharing. It prepares one to live together ina civilized manner. May it be as a family member, in a community, city or country!

Moreover, Civic Sense does help infuse tolerance. And trait like tolerance cannot beinculcated without first learning to grant Civic Rights to others. And granting of Rights toothers without first knowing about all such Rights may not be a plausible possibility.

Civic Sense is not only about learning to protect but also how to make optimum use of allavailable resources. May it be our roads, water, gas, fuel, electricity, forests, water bodiesand the populace at large! Road Sense is integral part of Civic Sense and cannot be dealtwith in isolation. As such, it is all about protecting our most valued and dearest gift of God!

Our children! Our future!

Civic Sense is also about learning to give and give unconditionally. It is about helping tomake life flourish and prosper. It is about bringing true meanings to our existence, our life. Itis all about being Happy, from within and without!

Just like the clique: Charity must begin at home, Civic Sense also needs to be first cultivatedat home. Only then one would practice it elsewhere. Parameters of Civic Sense need to firstunderstood and implemented at home.

Inculcating of Civic Sense would begin by first prioritizing and then learning to:

Resolve different health and social problems of self and the family by practicalapplication of Hygiene and showing tolerance towards others

Improve our Road Safety Performance by simply changing our attitude towards giving Right of Way

Conserve our natural resources like water, gas, fuel and electricity

Preserve our natural habitat

Improve the overall living conditions of the entire community

An analytical look at all of the above would help convince anyone that Civic Sense needs tobe first practiced at home and then elsewhere. It is an inside out effort. Make no mistakeabout it.

Rate of Reproduction!



All of us have had our fill from long sermons on bacteria, microbes and viruses. We know allwhat is there to be known. Besides, we have neither the time nor requisite patience to bearlong drawn lectures. True? Of course, very true!

By the way, do you know how the yoghurt, Dahi , is made? Of course you do! It is that special

bacteria, which under conducive enough conditions, can multiply at such an accelerated ratethat any quantity of milk can turn into yoghurt within minutes. Literally within minutes! You donot believe us! Do you?

Have you ever tried to make yoghurt in a micro-wave oven? We guess not! But let us assureyou that it takes less than thirty minutes to turn lukewarm milk in to yoghurt. Of course afterintroducing a tea spoonful of yoghurt to 5 kilos of milk! Amazing! Isn’t it? It is!

Can you imagine the reproductive speed at which a teaspoonful of bacteria turned 5 kilos ofpure milk into a tub full of bacteria, literally in minutes! Forget the speed, talk about the rate.Teaspoonful to 5 kilos in 30 minutes! Wow!

But it is a good bacterium! This specie of bacteria is exactly the same which dwells in ourlarge intestine. It is good only because it assists in the functioning of our digestive system.Did you know that? Yes, it is true!

Now, may we share another amazing, rather alarming fact that most bacteria are not asharmless as the one which converts milk to yoghurt! Majority of bacteria, in order to sustainlife, lives on human beings.

Most bacteria, microbes and or virus, survive rather flourish at a huge price to host, thehuman body. Above it all, most of these have parasitic tendencies. Fact is that most suchbodies and anti bodies eat on us live on us! End result is; they survive, we perish.

So much for generalities! We do need to become specific. As a matter of fact, we should beoutright personal. Do forgive us if you find us striking too close to home. We intend to!

Courtesy

Subject is such that we cannot deal with it without getting philosophical! Pray you will bearwith us! Let us begin at the very beginning.

Don’t you think that all of us, without any exception, through out our living days, keep strivingto achieve true and ever-lasting Happiness. It is the ultimate goal of every human. Yes, wewant to be happy, really and truly! But alas, this cherished objective remains elusive. Veryelusive indeed! At least for most of us! For most of our lives!



Happiness can best be defined as a state of mind. And it mostly relates to inner self, thegood human values. But unfortunately, when seeking Happiness, most of us tend to confuseit with Pleasures. Happiness and Pleasures are two different words, with different meaningsand different connotations.

Pleasures, always but always have a life span. Variable on the time scale, yes, but still with atime limit. Fact is that Pleasures tend to wane or fade away with the passage of time. Nopleasure lasts us for life!

But Happiness is everlasting, ethereal! Happiness, as state of mind, normally becomes partof our personality. The very feeling of being truly happy is like that soft glow which mayilluminates from within. But pleasure is like a flash, sudden outburst of light, always followedby darkness! Pitch dark!

For example, amassing wealth, purchasing property, buying clothes, a new car or for thatmatter demanding respect can be categorized as Pleasures. In other words, Pleasures canbe purchased and obtained by money and position. But attaining true Happiness is entirely

another matter.

The so-called Rat Race we all seem to have become part of, is nothing but our endlessstriving for attaining pleasures. And the more we run after pleasures, more distant webecome from Happiness. What a way to go!

In our opinion Happiness may be achieved only by learning to give willingly. WhereasPleasures can only be grabbed, may it be through simple purchase or outright acquisition.Pleasures are only the temporary relief!

If Happiness can be achieved only by learning to give; obvious question would be; what maybe given willingly, readily and always? This is perhaps one question we all should askourselves often enough. We may find true salvation in the answer.

Now let us think what can be given willingly and always! Let us see! Care, respect, love,consideration, understanding, admiration, appreciation, approval, time, advice andthoughtfulness are but a few words, which come to our mind.

And none costs any money! Yes, a bit of time, agreed but money no! But all of above has tobe given from within and not without! In other words, learning to love, respect, care, admire,appreciate, giving understanding and consideration would initiate us into being truly happy.

All religions teach us to love and care for our fellow human beings. In Islam, Haqooq-ul-

Abaad is given utmost importance. It is time and again stressed in Quran-al-Hakim that Allahmay forgive us if we did not pray five-times-a-day, or did not fast during the holy month ofRamadan or failed to perform Hajj. Because He is always benevolent and merciful beyondreckoning!

But not delivering Haqooq-ul-abaad is a cardinal sin and cannot be forgiven. Ever! Asviolation of Haqooq-ul-Abaad would perish the very foundation Islam is based upon.

As a matter of fact, in Islam, delivering Haqooq-ul-Abaad is a way of life. Failures are not tobe forgiven. And what is the best possible methodology to deliver Haqooq-ul-Abaad . Whatdoes Islam preach in this regards! It is all about learning to Give and Give unconditionally.

Based on love and caring, delivering of Haqooq-ul-Abaad is all about giving the Rights toother fellow-beings. And if giving is Happiness, Haqooq-ul-Abaad from this perspective isnothing but the instruments to be truly Happy. As such, it can be very easily concluded that



Islam wishes all its followers to be Happy. Truly Happy! Let us revert to our topic for thischapter; Courtesy.

Courtesy is also about giving! Giving to others, unconditionally !

Courtesy is not only a social norm but also essential requirement for provision of services!Today, Courtesy is considered the very foundation stone on which CRM Solutions areconstructed.

Service segment being the dominant part of corporate world, training in applied mechanics ofcourtesy has been made part of the induction process. Courteous behavior is considered pre-requisite of meaningful communications. In the business world it is generally believed thatonly courteous persons can be confident enough to be assigned major tasks.

Being courteous means being considerate and genteel towards others! Courtesy is also thestate of mind. Rest assured, such a state of mind would invariably make you a happier

person. As a matter of fact, a given group of persons or a society, which is courteous, mindfulof others’ feelings, genteel and considerate, is bound to be a happy lot.

All the etiquette and mannerism, which slowly evolves in any society, always stems fromcourteous behavior. Moreover, courtesy is considered the corner stone on which aprosperous society is built. Additional benefit of being courteous, Happiness!

Before we discuss the various ways to be courteous, let us look at some of the golden wordsby some famous persons! It may be a very good idea to commit these to memory. Thesequotes may prove to be the refresher course for this chapter. Some of the quotes are:

Every one gains where courtesy reigns

Do unto others what you wish to be done by

Courtesy is a good will builder

Actions speak louder than words

Courtesy begets respect

To every pleasantry there is always an equally pleasant response.

Golden words indeed! But please do not allow these words to remain mere words! Do givethese words of wisdom as much of importance as possible! As a matter of fact, adopt these

and you would always reap Happiness. No let us look at some other mechanics for beingtruly courteous!

Smile:

First step towards being courteous is learning to smile radiantly. A smile, which adds sparkleto your eyes! A smile, which begins from the corners of lips and spreads all the way up toyour forehead! A smile, which is neither frozen nor icy or plastic!

You would agree that a sullen face normally gets you an equal and opposite reaction. And itis not Newton’s law; it is the way humans are built! A grim face doesn’t add to your respect. It

may even fail you before you are started. But a sunny smile may launch a thousand ships.

A genuine smile, originating from within, is reflective of your personality and intentions. Asmile on your lips, with twinkle in your eyes, would help ease off any tension and would



normally get equally pleasant reaction. A well-intended smile is an icebreaker, equal of whichis yet to be found.

Sincerity transmitted through a smile not only helps relax the other person but it alsomanages to reduce your level of stress. And stress is the biggest killer of our times. All

doctors agree that laughter and genuine smile are the best cure foe most types of stress.Besides, some one said; it takes sixteen muscles to smile and forty-six to frown. Conserveenergy. Is it not what you would always like to do? However, energy thus saved must bespent constructively!

Do always remember that only confident persons can give genuine smiles.

Handshake:

It is a globally accepted gesture of good intentions and as such very important mechanic tobeing courteous. It is also true that some societies do not practice handshaking when

meeting others. But then such societies have equally important gestures for showingcourtesy!

Bowing from the middle of your body or putting the two hands together and saying a fewwords of greetings are also courteous gestures.

A handshake must be warm and firm but not too strong or too firm. One need never exhibitphysical fitness through a handshake. It would be impolite and as such discourteous.

Handshake is very polite gesture; it need not be a vigorous exercise. And it is not equated toholding hands either! While shaking hands, be polite, warm and remain short on shaking!

Make sure your hand is clean and dry before shaking hand. Hold the other person’s hand just long enough. But during this short time, try transmitting sincerity through touch. It can bedone only if you are so inclined.

Remember ultimate love is normally conveyed through a personalized touch. For examplethink about the touch of mother and a child or your spouse or whatever you may fancy; andyou would realize the comfort or warmth one receives from such a personalized touch.

All we need to do is to carry sincerity in our hearts and the handshake would automaticallybecome very warm and personalized. A proper handshake sets the tone of inter-action.

Eye Contact:Eyes are the mirrors of your personality. Eyes give away our true feelings. Eyes reflect ourfeelings and emotions. What we think is automatically transmitted.

The ways we look at others also reflect our intentions. Down cast look or veiled eyes arenormally regarded as evasive or secretive, intentions which are seldom conducive to beingcourteous. And a direct and frank look would make others reciprocate instantly.

A direct and respectful eye contact would help the other person to relax before he or shebegins to converse. A caring look would help others to speak frankly enough.

Eye contact is very important part of being courteous. Persons with corrective eye spectaclesthink that their eyes are not visible and as such do not pay enough attention to eye contact. Itis wrong. Proper eye contact also helps shape your facial expressions.



Regardless of the fact you wear corrective glasses or not, always make an eye contact whenyou start talking. And now put a smile in your eyes and the result may be most rewarding.Eyes transmit your person and intentions!

Tone & Quality of Voice:

A well-modulated and cultivated voice is music to ears. We must remember that cultivatingour voice is very important to our success in life. And being articulate comes with lot ofpractice and dedication to details! No wonder professional performers and actors go throughspecial courses to cultivate their voice.

Tone of voice has a lot to do with quality of voice. This subject is touched on elsewhere inthis book. But briefly, always try to talk from the pit of your stomach. Notice if you are nasal orshrill.

Tone of voice as personal trait is very important when communicating with others. A soft yetclear and articulated voice helps others, not only to understand better but also makes themfeel rather relaxed.

The manner in which one speaks is either forbidding or an invitation to communicate.Notwithstanding the quality of voice, your tone of voice would give away anger or mistrust.And if one was to do so, he would destroy all channels of communications.

It is often observed that expected or unexpected criticism also adversely affects the quality ofvoice. Being defensive or pessimistic would also produce same results.

Being an optimist and open to criticism is a pre-requisite of a good communicator. Thisquality is common to all good teachers and facilitators. In corporate functioning, inter-

personal communications would not flourish without this pre-requisite.

To be courteous, one needs to communicate. Ensure that your tone of voice, how wellmodulated, cultivated and articulate may it be, should never reflect your stress or anger. Youracceptance by others depends on the quality and tone of your voice. And you can alwayscultivate both!

Body Language:

Your stance, gait, movements of hands, facial expressions and dress code, all contribute toyour body language as being transmitted to others. Moreover, slouching in your seat, walkingclumsily, slumped shoulders, being ill dressed or merely looking aggressive would turn off

any one.

An ill-dressed person would neither be respected nor paid attention to. Appropriate dresscode for different occasions speaks volumes about your person. It is also indicative of yourself-respect. Dress code also shows the regards you carry for the organization you work for!

Excessive hand movements generally give you away as under-confident. The way onestands to greet or bid farewell; tends to reflect your politeness and etiquette.

Our bodies communicate. Others perceive you as being polite or aggressive by simplylooking at you. The way one walks up to a guest is indicative of the welcome being accorded.

Courtesy demands that not only you look presentable, but your gestures, facial expression,way of greeting, and the manner you stand or walk reflect your good intentions and finesse.Allow your body to become the medium of better communications.



We would get back to the important issue of body language in more details. Body Languageis not only an issue, which may affect Courtesy but it is also applicable to Etiquette and BodyHealth. Let your body language convey that you are a caring & courteous person.

Chemical Transmissions:

Being polite and pleasant is not really a tiresome errand. All one needs is a heart filled withgood wishes for one and all. What is reciprocated is the way one feels for others!

Most neuro-physicians insist that intents and true feelings, without a word having beenuttered, are instantly transmitted to others. Such chemical transmissions are instantlygenerated, and before one realizes it, these are received and responded. What one thinks ofothers is reciprocated without a word being spoken.

The only way out of such a dilemma is not to harbor any ill feeling towards others. It mayseem like a difficult proposition. After all we are human and are bound to have opinions andemotions.

But we are talking about being courteous. If that were the goal; then we would have to learnto cope with all such negative thoughts. And once you have decided to always put your bestfoot forward, the rest would be easy.

As a matter of fact it is easier done than thought! Besides, why build our stress level to suchdizzying heights! In other words, how others feel about you, would entirely depend on yourtrue feelings about them.

Be sincere to others and you would reap rich fruits of friendship. To be considerate is whatetiquette and mannerism are all about.

Instead of harboring grudges, learn to forgive and forget. Agreed, it is a difficult propositionbut not impossible! And the moment one realizes that ill feeling begets ill feelings and friendlythoughts positive reaction, the life begins to take a new turn.

Your thoughts about others, negative or positive, get transmitted at the speed of light! Thinkgood of other and you will definitely make life-long good friends!

Yes Sir, Yes Madam:

Appropriate use of a few specific words help create positive aura about you. However,extensive use of the same words may also yield negative results.

By practicing to say Yes Sir or Yes Madam reflects your training and up bringing. And makeno mistakes about it! It also helps others to evaluate you more positively.

Learn to disagree by agreeing. One need not be rude to contradict. One need not imposeopinions. One can always express personal views by first agreeing and then finding the rightopportunity to air one’s own views.

Words like Yes Sir and Yes Madam go a long way in putting others at ease. We all would

gain by using words like Please, May I, Excuse Me, Thank You etc. It shows that you are acultured and well-groomed person.

Do not ever leave a guest or a superior even a subordinate, without first excusing yourself.Your courtesy would always beget respect. Even amongst your close friends or family



members, practice the norms. Learn to pay respect by using polite, personalized, wellmodulated words!

Active Listening:

We need to differentiate in between words like Hearing and Listening. More often than not,we tend to hear and not listen. In from one and out from the second ear!

Perhaps the worst offensive behavior is being non-attentive. Diverting your attention orshowing signs as if you are not interested in what is being talked about is perhaps one of theworst habits.

Besides, how can one communicate without knowing the views of others! Inter-personalcommunications are a two-way process. Being courteous is no different. One cannot be everconsidered courteous enough without being an active listener!

Conclusions:

The preceding paragraphs have been an effort to revise what you already know. I guess it ismy way of reminding me of the finer points of leading a more fruitful life.

There is none who is perfect. Who doesn’t need to improve? Learning, as an on-goingprocess should never cease. And no body should give the final verdict or have the final word.Continued progress can be only through continued pursuit of knowledge and its aptapplication.

I earnestly believe that courtesy is an essential instrument of success. Courtesy is also bringsin more colors in to one’s life. It helps you make friends. It is a catalyst for achieving realhappiness.

Being courteous is not a difficult errand. It involves mechanics, which are pleasant to apply.Just the mere thought of becoming more courteous, invigorates the spirits. And it is as easyas learning the first alphabets, ABC:

Wear a warm smile to start your day. Shun the scowl as a bad joke.

Infuse care and respect in your eyes when you go for a firm handshake. Do not let your handgo limp when shaking hands.

Your whole person, the entire body should reflect all terms of endearment. Eradicate allhostile gestures.

Let the tone of voice re-affirm the warmth of your person, but not in a patronizing manner.

Select words, which would convey your intended respect; yet not be overly smooth to betermed as buttering!

Know the difference in between hearing and listening!



Telephone Courtesy

The contraption, invented by Graham Bell as a vehicle to carry communication over a shortdistance, has attained new dimensions in our lives. And its importance and impact isincreasing with every passing day.

Technological advances have revolutionized the instrument itself. Quality of transmission andreception has improved beyond expectations.

Unlike the past when one had to shout at the top of one's voice, telephone instrument oftoday transmits and receives even the faintest of a sigh. One can easily hear even thebreathing at the other end. One can easily differentiate in between sigh of pain or ecstasy!

No wonder one sees so many advertisements, luring the subscribers for making the mostIntimate calls. It is only because of the fact that the telephone instrument of modern era, notonly conveys personal moods but also the thought processing. As such, Intimate calls arenow a booming business, world over.

The fact of matter is that the instrument called telephone has become part of our body, anextension of our being. Unlike old times, telephone is no more a luxury but a necessity of life.



With the advent of digital technology and innumerable satellites all around our globe,landlines needed for telephone are about to become redundant.

Mobile telephones are already beginning to provide Internet services. It is not far into futurethat every one, including the school children would be carrying mobiles for education and

communications. Every person working in office or factory would have easy access to phonefor guidance or reporting.

Considering the importance of telephone in inter-personal communications and as suchbeing courteous, it is time enough to assign the top priority to the proper and effective use ofthe instrument.

Let us not waste time and get down to the business of being courteous on telephone:

Hold the telephone close to your ears so that you receive the desired quality of transmissionfrom the other end.

Mouthpiece of the telephone should be directly in front of your lips and not more than oneinch away when talking.

Check the quality of your voice. Do not screech or shriek. Learn to speak from the pit of yourstomach.

Have a close friend or your spouse evaluate the quality of your voice. Nasal voice isconsidered an irritant.

Do not be excited in a manner that heavy breathing can be heard at the other end.

Do not sigh on the telephone.

Be calm and composed. Know what you need to say or must convey.

When calling some one, don’t say simple Hello.

Wish appropriately like Good Morning, Good Afternoon, Assalam-o-Alaikum etc. And thenidentify yourself.

Do not wait for the person on the other side of telephone to recognize you. And do not everinsist. It is considered bad manners.

Having identified yourself, indicate whom you would like to speak to!

Keep the tone of your voice soft and be articulate.

Do not rush through.

Do not talk fast. Person on the other end of the line may not be accustomed to your way ofspeaking or quality of voice.

Be polite when receiving a call. Do not shout!

Let the telephone ring at least a couple of times before picking up the receiver. It gives timeto the caller to recollect his/her thought.

Always identify yourself or your organization or the telephone number on which the call isbeing received. With the introduction of CLI, chances of receiving obnoxious calls areconsiderably reduced. So feel free to wish the caller.



With the information technology changing our life styles so rapidly, it is important that welearn to use the telephone more politely. It is not too distant into the future when one wouldbe able to talk on telephone as well see the person on the other end of line. As a matter offact, it has already becoming a norm in the USA. Rest of the world is not far away.

It is time enough that we cultivate courteous habits when using telephone. After all it takestime to alter established habits. We need to begin now. Let us prepare for coming days.

Telephone is an extension of your person. As such learn to be as courteous on telephone asyou would otherwise! Telephone courtesy may lead to lasting relationships.

Office Decorum One must remember that good manners of the boss always get passed on to thesubordinates. And being polite or courteous is not being weak!

Every one needs to exhibit cultivated manners, especially by the boss. It helps subordinatesto realize that their boss is cultured and well brought up. Lest we forget that an uncultured,

rude behavior may inspire awe but not respect.

The fact is that subordinates look for good personal traits in their bosses. Leadershipqualities of a boss begin to get credence only after the subordinates start to evaluate himpositively.

Dress Code, Body Hygiene, Personal Grooming, Discipline, Courtesy, Etiquette and OfficeDecorum are the traits, which are closely observed by most subordinates. And let there be nodoubt in our minds. Every boss is a Role Model!

On the other hand a subordinate, who is cultured and well groomed, always gets to be

noticed by the boss. Besides, a courteous subordinate seldom gets the rough end of thestick. One must not ever forget that courtesy begets respect.



Office decorum is the mirror of one’s personality. It is reflective of education, grooming andthe quantum of courtesy one is capable of exhibiting. It also sets the tone of personalprogress.

Needless to say that the most important part of office decorum is being punctual! Without

being absolutely punctual, no amount of manners or courtesy can help a person to grow inany corporate atmosphere. It is the basic ingredient for development and progress.

Having said that we would like to detail a few salient areas, which require show of officedecorum:

Expect punctuality from your subordinates as essential part of their duty. Lead from front!

Learn Time Management. Without learning to practice effective time management, corporateobjectives may not be achieved.

Return all your calls and respond to all the mail received promptly.

Pending files and paper reflect inefficiency. Develop an adequate system and adhere to dailyschedule.

Keep your table tidy, especially if you are a smoker! Empty ashtray often! And wipe off yourtable.

Keep your table clear of files. It is only possible if you would be prompt in your office work.

Keep your office hygienic and clean. Do not be a litterbug. Pleasant surroundings promoteproductivity.

Do not slouch in your office seat. Learn to sit upright.

Do not entertain personal guests in your office

Avoid edibles being served in your office. Minute food particles are an open invitation to themice. And mice are known to damage a lot more than office equipment.

Keep your brief case immaculate and well organized.

When visiting others’ office, never put your brief case on top of the table.

Strictly abide by the dress code. Do not ever wear jazzy clothes, except on informal officeparties.

Always keep your shoes properly cared for. Polish your shoes on daily basis, paying specialattention to sole and heels.

When called for a meeting, go prepared with a pen and a scribbling pad.Before entering an office, take time to check and redress your grooming. First impressionalways counts. It takes only a few minutes but makes a huge difference to the objective ofyour visit.

Always knock and take permission before entering an office. This is applicable in allsituations. No matter if one has earlier sent the visiting card and you have been invited for ameeting.

With your first step into an office, do not forget to greet the person sitting behind the desk.

Assume a seat only when asked to be seated.



Dragging a chair noisily is considered bad manners.

Present your card with visible politeness. And when receiving a card, pay attention; learn topronounce the name correctly. If in doubt, request for correct pronunciation. Do not feel shy!

Never put the received card in your pocket or wallet or purse without looking at the name of

the person who is giving you his/her card. It is considered bad manners and very impolite.

In most countries, it is customary to place the visiting card in front as long the meeting last. Ithelps to address the visitor by name.

Always plan your visit well in advance. The person you are visiting may have a lot of work tocomplete and he would always like to meet his commitments. Do not over-stay!

Always make it a point to be articulate. Speak clearly and distinctly to your superiors as wellas subordinates. Always remember that the other person is not used to the modulation ofyour voice and he may not be able to understand your response to a quarry or an order givenor received.

Learn to give and receive feedback! In order for any communication to be effective, feedbackis mandatory.

When standing up from your seat, get out from the right side of the chair. And then quicklyreplace the chair on its original position.

Always remember to close the door behind you.

When leaving an office, wish the man behind the desk. And wish him well with all your heart!

Respect your juniors. Do not rebuke them in front of other workers. For the sake of decorum,privacy, especially when a subordinate needs to be reprimanded, may be consideredessential.

Do not use profanities within the earshot of your co-workers. Try to be very careful whenworking along with ladies.

Even if you are visiting office of your friend, do not use profanities when others are present.He/she needs your consideration in the presence of other persons. Give respect and you willget it back!

Do not make false promises.

Wear a smile in the morning and keep it on. Re-invigorate it, especially when entering anoffice, which is not yours!

Let other workers know that you care.

Practice all the norms of body hygiene. Be very careful about your body odor. If not sure askyour spouse or a close friend if he or she has noticed any body odor being emitted from yourperson. Please do not be shy! Be positive. Body odor is perhaps biggest turn off.

Odor emitted by your body hangs in the air for much longer a time than one may imagine.

Be careful about your oral health. Bad breath has a habit of hanging around in the closed

quarters of an office. Besides, bad breath can very adversely affect your private life. Yourspouse is the best judge! Do not hesitate to ask. Perform close up check often enough.



If a smoker, pay special attention to bad breath and smelly hands. Smokers must brush theirteeth and cleanse their tongue very regularly. Tea and cigarette is bad combination. Yellowdeposits on tongue can become a vicious source of bad breath.

Be very careful, especially when working in close vicinity of ladies. They have a lot sensitive

a nose than most men.Do not brag about your personal achievements. No body likes your self-projection, juniorsand superiors alike!

May we urge you to realize that office is where work is! It is the place, which provides breadand butter to your family. It is the place, which may fulfill your dreams.

Office is where one normally grows in stature and respect. It is the place where one spends90% of productive time. And for some, it is a place of worship like a mosque, church,gurdawara or a temple. Please do hold it in high esteem. Rest assured that rewards wouldkeep multiplying!



Etiquette & Manners Etiquette, a personal quality, is also a delicate feeling of being a refined and well-behavedperson. It is also a matter of pride, which is to be never shown or over-played! It is such an

important social norm, which would bring in immediate acceptance by all persons who maycome in contact with you.

We are definitely not born with etiquette or mannerism. It is neither a matter of genetics. It isan acquired quality, which needs to be developed and learnt from within. And for learning thistrait, one needs training; may it be from cradle or college.

Mannerism is a personalized behavior, aimed to make others feel respected and wanted.Such a behavior, in turn, certainly results in enhancing the quantum of our happiness andself-esteem.

Being polite is the first requirement of acquiring the desired etiquette. A well-dressed person

may look distinguished yet not be readily acceptable to others.

If you need to be noticed, respected and listened to, please ensure to:

Be polite and pleasant.Exhibit correct etiquetteDress up correctly

Importance of Etiquette:

Our world has shrunk, more so during the last few decades of the last millennium.International borders exist but the process of globalization is definitely gathering momentum.

No wonder the entire spectrum of corporate world is beginning to get more competitive thanever before!

Internets and e-mail has revolutionized all the old ways of communications. Remote controlwireless transmissions coupled with mind boggling and at times exploding technology inmanufacturing of new generation computers is here to stay. Era of information technologyhas begun.

With up-dated information being readily available, long established human habits are alsorapidly changing. The word international is being replaced with global.

Despite the fact that human behavior has begun showing more tolerance than ever before,

norms of accepted behavior are being scrutinized from the global point of view. Comparisonin behavior is beginning to make definite impact.

In our opinion, cultural values, cherished for so long, need never be abandoned. Distinctivecustoms of a given society must always be respected. But adequate knowledge about othersocieties, especially when it comes to etiquette is essential.

To us, forging ahead in the global environment may not be possible without learning aboutother societies. And towards this objective we need to look at various requirements.

Basic Requirement:

First requirement for acquiring desired level of mannerism is the quantum of forgiveness oneneeds to carry in one’s heart. Feeling offensive or harboring ill feelings may reduce anyone tolevel, which is potentially destructive.



It may be borne in mind that etiquette or mannerism is not a domain, reserved only for themale gender. Women have to take equal responsibility. As a matter of fact, it is mostly themothers who teach children the basics of etiquette and mannerism. Besides, women areprobably better teachers than men, as they tend to be a lot more tender, caring, giving andloving as compared to men! Of course there are exceptions to the rule.

How well mannered or well-dressed one turn out to be, would normally depend on initialtraining! However, continued improvement would always remain a distinct possibility. In thefollowing pages, we will deal with this obvious need.

Absolute Requirements:

Let us begin with few essential modes of human behavior. In our opinion these are the pre-requisites without which, no amount of training would produce the desired results.

The fact is that without basic qualities, your acceptability by other persons, or any societymay not be ever forth coming.

Be Polite & Pleasant:

Why not strive to be what one expects from others. And it is not difficult. All what is needed isthe awareness into one’s own sensitivity. Putting oneself in some one else’s shoes is in fact,though not always easy, would always help to improve

General Etiquette:

Progress is normally gauged from the quantum of civic sense displayed by a given nation.And civic sense is learning to give others their rights before expecting.

Civic sense displayed by a nation may be equated to the quantum of national discipline. Atindividual level, being civic is the cornerstone of a well-developed and cultured personality.

An element of Personal Safety is integral part of all manners or disciplined especially, whichrelate to the ladies, children or senior citizen. As such, behavior, especially with ladies,children and senior citizen, needs to be well rehearsed.

In the following pages, we have tried to be concise and to the point. At places, we may soundcurt but it is not intentional. Please do treat all such remarks as accidental. After all one hasto keep learning and we are no exception. Anyway, let us get on with it:

While on Road:While walking on the road;

Always keep the ladies and children on your side, which is away from traffic flow:

Always help Seat & Secure the ladies and/or children before you occupy your seat,may you be the driver or a passenger

Learn to give Right Of Way. As a cultured person; you are expected to!

Do not allow any child or infant to ride on front seat of a vehicle. Mothers carrying

infant, may also be requested to occupy rear seats.

Do not ever throw out any refuse or a burning cigarette butts from a moving vehicle.Besides being a litterbug, you may hurt someone.



Do not ever walk hand-in-hand on the roadside. It is considered a taboo, as it isassociated with homosexuals.

Never smoke while walking on the roadside, especially in congested areas of the city,as you may bump into someone and burn him.

While greeting friends, having met them per chance on the roadside, please beconsiderate for other road user. Get onto one side and vacate most of the sidewalk.

While driving, do not ever stop On The Road only to greet others. In extreme cases,pull up on the curbside, into a parking space, switch off the vehicle and then do yourgreeting routine.

Do not use your car horn for any reason other than the time you notice some oneviolating the Rules of Road.

Always overtake from the right side.

When on two-lane road, use the right lane for over taking.

Do not park next of fire fighting Hydrant or an entrance to a building.

Do not violate Red traffic light.

Try crossing the road from Zebra Crossing.

When approaching a round about, give right of way to the vehicles, which are alreadythere. In other words give right of way to vehicles on your right.

When faced with any abnormality or emergency, pull your car to extreme left of road.

Public Places:

While climbing up the stairs or an escalator, stay behind and let the children and/orladies climb ahead of you.

Coming down the stairs or an escalator, men should always be on the side of the lady,caring to let her be on the side of railing. Do Stay Ahead of children.

Never Walk Ahead of Ladies or Children, you can provide better protection when youcan see them all the time. Keeping them away from vehicular traffic is not the onlydanger you would like them to avoid. Protection is the name of game.

Littering for any reason, any place and at any time, is considered one of the worstsocial crime anyone can commit.

Immediately offer your seat to a lady, traveling with children. It is also applicable forchildren, found to be traveling alone.

In a restaurant, aircraft, a public transport or a cinema etc, first seat the accompanyingladies and/or children and only then take Up Your Seat.

Be the First One to open the door for ladies and/or children and then assist themwhenever required.

Never walk on the right side of your senior. His right hand should be kept free forgreeting others.



Do not ever try to embrace or pat-the back any senior in clear view of his/hersubordinates, even if he/she is your closest friend. Putting your arms around shouldersis no different.

Spitting In Public Places is perhaps one of the most offensive habits, which needs to

be curtailed. It speaks volumes about one’s background and up bringing besides beinga health risk for others.

Scratching yourself In open view of others would certainly give you away as a personwho does not wash often enough and is not hygienic enough.

Paan-Chewing, just like smoking, should be avoided in public. Spitting Out, afterchewing paan, is certainly one of the most offensive practices and should be avoidedalways.

Talking loudly or shouting In Public, besides being a distraction to other, does notreflect well on your person.

When required to form a queue, keep the ladies accompanying you ahead and not inyour rear.

` Open all doors for ladies and children by ensuring that the door is not opening into

their faces. Arrange accordingly.

Shun using profanity in front of women and children. In case you slip up, be quick toapologize.

Party Manners & Etiquette:

Inviting others or being invited by some friends or a relative, have different sets ofresponsibilities and expectations.

Informal and formal parties have different flavors and requirements. Official and stag partiesdiffer in moods and arrangements.

From dressing up for a party to saying good-bye, we would deal with the subject from theviewpoint of a host and as an invitee.

As Host:

Give sufficient time to the invitees for adjusting their schedule. Preferably an invitation beextended a fortnight before the date. Less than notice of a week is often considered lessconvenient.

Do not forget to mention the occasion like a birthday, wedding anniversary etc. It helps theguests to dress accordingly.

It is appropriate to mention the dress code at the time of extending invitation.

Always try to arrange a party, which has a convenient venue and timings. Weekends arebetter than weekdays. If approach to the venue is somewhat tricky, do not forget to enclose amap and telephone number. On the day of party, ensure that given telephone is kept free.

Other than official and family parties, make it a point to invite guests from a wider spectruminstead of only one profession or friends from office.



Arrange sufficient seats but never more than the total invitees. However, arrangements forcrockery, cutlery and glassware should be viewed differently. You may like to arrange at least50% more than the number of invitees.

Always plan the seating arrangements. Never seat guests from similar profession in one

group. Do not try to segregate ladies unless cultural requirements dictate otherwise.Dress up immaculately for your party. As a matter of fact, pay a lot more attention to yourbody hygiene especially dental & oral care. You would talk to so many people from closequarters that it would be advisable to use mouthwash after brushing. Dab Colognegenerously!

Complete all arrangements well before the time of invitation. You should be receiving all yourguests along with your spouse.

When introducing a guest to another one, always remember to introduce the males first. Incase of introducing a VIP or a senior officer, first take the name of junior and than of the VIP.

When greeting arriving guests, first introduce your spouse to them before mentioning thenames of guests to your spouse. Try relieving the guests from the burden of their gifts atentrance. Thank them and thank them well!

Never try to look at your watch while receiving guests. It amounts to belittling them. Yourguests are your honor. Treat them accordingly.

After escorting the guests to their seats, ensure that either you or your spouse stays in closevicinity of entrance. No guest should feel that he/she was not greeted promptly enough.

As a host, one should never be stationary for too long. Ask your spouse to do the same.

Move around from group to group. Better such a liaison is done separately

Try not to get entangled into long drawn conversations, especially of political or religiousorigins.

Announce service of food or refreshments by asking the guest of honor or the most elderlyperson to the table. Better yet escort such a person to the assigned seat. Let the servicebegin from the same person you escorted.

If seated, be the last one to be served. It may require pre-party briefing of the servicepersonnel. In case, it is buffet service, ensure all are served before you pick up the plates.

From the time first guest departs, stay in close vicinity of entrance door. Depending on thenumber of guests, you may like to see them off by escorting them to their vehicles. Yourspouse may share this pleasant errand.

Always thank your guests for gracing you. Mean it and mean it well!

As Guest:

Being invited as a guest is matter of honor. One sure way to reciprocate is by being punctual.Arriving on time is encouragement to the host. It makes him/her feel respected.

Always dress according to occasion and weather. Do not overdo it. But while getting readyfor the party, do think of all the people you would be meeting, and shaking hands with. Assuch it would be a good idea to freshen up properly, paying attention to body hygiene.Generous dabbing of cologne is not a bad idea. So is the use of a mouthwash.



Depending on the occasion, do not forget to buy a gift if so required or practiced. If not surewhat to take along as gift, a bouquet of freshly cut roses never misses the mark. Ifaccompanied by your spouse, it would be a good idea that a lady hands over the gift to alady. However you may carry the gift till the entrance.

Do not gossip. Avoid passing remarks about others, especially the ones who are not present.Such a behavior is considered obnoxious.

Do stay light-hearted. Do share jokes. Laugh as much as you can but without being too loud.

Do not try to humiliate others by trying to make fun of them. It is said that the best humor ispossible only when the narrator becomes the butt of a joke.

Do not talk shop with your colleagues. Other persons in the group may feel offended.

Do not stare! Be a gentleman and look it.

Apply Ladies First, as a golden rule and you would never go wrong. May it be while joining agroup of guests or being served, let the ladies and children get first choice.

Do not ever fill your plate to brim. You can always go for a second or third helping. But don’tever build mountains on your plate. Try to be tastefully selective. After all, parties are formeeting others and enjoying their company. Food must always be considered as a secondoption not the first priority.

Do not eat using your fingers instead of a fork or a spoon. We do not need to be basic atparties. Privacy of home is where one savors food using fingers, not a party. This would helpyou minimize the use of napkin.

Do not slouch on your seat. Sit up right. You may like to cross the legs only if your shoeswere not pointing to another guest, sitting next to you.

Try not to burp in front of other guests. Keep private habits very private.

Use toothpick only after covering your mouth with the other hand. Other guests do not needto count your teeth.

Courtesy demands that one does not leave a party unless guest of honor has departed!Emergencies not included.

Thank the host for having a good time and not for the quality of food served. One comes to a

party for being a good company to the host and other guests and not for culinary reasons.

Do not be last one to leave. But do not be the first one to leave. This honor is for the ChiefGuest.

Table Manners:

Table is one place where your manners are in full view. Often observations are minute andscrutiny is ruthless. And the impressions formed are lasting. What is more, table mannersneed practice. A lot of it!

In case you are the host, it is different. You need to make your guests feel at home. Pleasedo not frown at the table manners as exhibited by your guests. Do not expect your guests tobehave in line with your mannerism. Be patient and gracious. Make sure you do not everimpose your mannerism on your guests. It would be perhaps the worst show of youretiquette.



These pages would deal with the subject; assuming that you are the guest and have beeninvited to share food around a properly laid table.

It would be advisable that one learns all about different crockery, cutlery and glass- warebefore attending a formal party. There is a lot of variation. One needs to update oneself.

One should also know about the menu, how to order from it, the norms of a la carte, details ofmulti-course service and where to start when faced with buffet.

Not only table settings differ; even the service procedures are different. From a cocktail partyto a formal official dinner, there are a lot many variations, not only in table manner but alsothe dress code. Nevertheless, let us begin with a few basic manners:

Never approach a dinner table before the host has made appropriate announcement.

Do not be in a hurry; let the host lead you to a seat. You would normally be seated after theguest of honor has assumed his assigned seat. Wait for being seated

Always take your seat from the left side of the chair. Remember to be seated from left sideand vacating the seat from the right side of the chair.

Please do sit upright, pushing lower back against the seat. Try not to spread your legs too farunder the table.

Notice the table setting. You would be using the cutlery, always beginning with outer knifeand fork.

Only after the guest of honor has reached out for the napkin, pick up yours, which would beeither placed on the quarter plate on your left or would normally be located in your glassware,placed on the right side of dinner plate. Do not pick up the napkin from the glass, which isplaced on your left hand.

You may not start eating unless all guests have been served the first course, which isnormally a soup. However, hors d'oeuvres or appetizers are the exception to the rule.Nevertheless, wait for the guest of honor to start.

Once guests have begun taking soup, normal flow of conversation should be curtailedsomewhat.

Always use proper soupspoon, with scoops of soup being taken from the bowl, with

movements from inside to out and not vice versa. Do not tilt the bowl towards you when thelevel of soup has fallen.

Do not sit over your soup. The waiter would like to get done with this service as soon aspossible.

Bread served with soup may be buttered but only by using proper butter knife. Let the knifeon your right hand rest.

Table talk should be restricted to the guests, occupying seats on your right and left. Avoidtalking across the table.

Keep the tone and pitch of your voice down; audible only to the person you are conversingwith.

Table talk should be restricted to lighter subjects. Heavier subjects like politics etc. tend togive indigestion, especially to the host.



Do not ever put your elbows on the table and bend over. It is an up-setting and intimidatinggesture and should always be avoided.

Trying to reach for anything on the table, do not stretch yourself too far. Request the guest,

seated next to you, to have it passed on. Or you may draw the attention of the waiter for thesame. However, do not be loud, ever.

Expect the service to be given from your left. Clearing of used dishes would normally bemade from the right. Waiters are trained accordingly.

Do not grip your fork or the knife in your palm. Hold these delicately yet firmly with yourfingers and thumb. Let your knuckles not turn white. Learn to relax with knife in your hand!

At times, more than one glass may be placed in front of you. These are dedicated glasses fordifferent beverages. Do not try to change these as per your preferences.

Long stem glasses are for drinks, which are chilled before serving and short stem are fordrinks, which are served at room temperature. Straight glasses are for high balls. Forcocktails specific glasses are used, selection of which depends on the preparation andcontents of the cocktail. Soft drinks may be served in wide-rimmed glasses.

Having finished eating, place the fork and knife parallel to each other, with handles pointingtowards you! Any other positioning of fork and knife would mean that you are still waiting formore food to be served. Waiters are trained to recognize such a signal.

Desserts and coffee are the last courses to be served. So plan your meal accordingly. Do notfill yourself up. It may become uncomfortable later on.

Eat your food and drink your beverages quietly and slowly. Do not be in a hurry and never benoisy.

Take small bites. Do not ever cut large pieces of meat with your knife.

Keep your lips closed while chewing and make eating as graceful as possible. Any noisebeing emitted from your mouth is offensive to others. Be considerate.

You may smoke after leaving the table but only after getting the permission from your host. Aspecific area may have been reserved for smokers.

Napkin may be folded neatly when you leave the table. Place it on the quarter plate or at the

empty place in front of you.General:

Following is applicable when invited to formal parties.

Check the invitation card for dress code, which is normally mentioned on the invitation card.

Punctuality at formal occasions is expected. Be on time! Do not consider any exception tothe rule.

Prepare ahead, keeping in mind the weather and venue. Children are never allowed onformal parties.

Always carry the invitation card with you. It may help the host in welcoming as well leadingyou to the assigned seat. Flowers are a good gift to carry if the occasion so demands.

Confirm your participation well in advance. It can be don e by your secretary or in person.



If in doubt, check the address and chalk out your driving plan.

If driven by a driver, get off your vehicle right in front of the entrance. You may have to waitbefore your vehicle reaches the spot.

If self-driven, proceed direct to the parking. You should arrive at the entrance with your

spouse at your left side.

If valet service is provided, use it! And get off your vehicle in front of the entrance of thevenue.

Look for the reception line and keeping your spouse on your left, introduce her after you haveintroduced the host to her.

While introducing, use first name of your spouse and not the family name.

If led to an assigned seat, do not shift.

Ladies should not stand up from their seats when being introduced to gents or other females.

If desiring to mix amongst guests request your spouse to remain seated on the assignedseat. In such a case, do socializing while standing.

When being introduced to ladies, show courtesy by bending a bit and bowing your head inacknowledgement.

Do not offer to shake the hands of ladies unless they extend it first.

When shaking the hands of ladies, do it tenderly but warmly. Do not hold-on to a lady'shand.

Do not embrace any one on formal occasions. However, pecking is desired.

Do not waive your hands to guest who is at a distance. It may distract others! Simply walkup and meet.

Always hold a cocktail glass in your left hand. Right hand may be required for introductions.

Do not walk around with a glass in your hand.

If canopies' (bite-sized snacks) are offered, do not pick more than one. No plates please!

Do not talk with food in your mouth or cigarette in your lips.

Do not offer to light a cigarette of a lady unless seated next to her or requested.

On a buffet, do not rush to the dinner table; wait for the Chief Guest to be led first!

Let the host announce the dinner and occupy only your assigned seat. Take your seat fromthe left of the chair.

During a sit-down dinner, wait for the Chief Guest to start and look at the Chief Guest tofinish.

During soup service, do not talk.

Use your hands for bread and not a fork or knife. Butter knife may be used only for butter.

For table manners, please refer to chapter on Manners & Etiquette.

Do not over stay at the table after the Chief Guest has arisen from his chair.



Leave your seat from the right side of the chair.

Do not leave the venue before Chief Guest.

Do not forget to thank the host before leaving.

Just talk about the nice time you and your wife has had. Do not praise the quality of food ordrinks. It is not considered good manners.

Wait outside the entrance before valet brings your car

Hotels & Restaurants:

One tends to be rather indifferent or somewhat aggressive when utilizing the facilities ofhotels or restaurants.

The quantum and quality of service, one is rendered, is also determined by our behavior. As

such from the moment one enters such facility to the time it is vacated, we need to follow anestablished decorum.

Do not forget to tip the porter. In Pakistan, ten rupees per piece of baggage are consideredadequate. In Europe or the USA one dollar equals ten rupees. In Singapore one local dollaris good enough and so on so forth.

Tip the doorman as he ushers you in. it would set the tone of service you avail during yourentire stay.

Whenever using the services of concierge or room service be generous. 7% to 10% of thetotal bill is considered as appropriate tipping.

If staying more than one day, air your shoes and clothes by taking those out of suitcase.Clothes in an over-night hanger need not be disturbed.

Ask the maid to turn down your bed. And in case of hurry, always take down the bed coverfold it and place it out of sight, like cupboard.

Do not use hand towels or for that matter curtains etc to polish your shoes. Mostly housekeeping or concierge would attend to such an errand.

Do not ever try to cook in hotel rooms. Besides reasons of Safety, the aromatic smell of overcuisine can not be masked. And other cultures do not relish such smells.

If clothes need to be ironed, ask the concierge. However at odd times, you may ask the hotelto provide you with an electric iron.

Takeaways like shampoo, body lotion etc placed in the toilet are for yours to use and to keep!It is true for in-house magazine. (But not other journals)

Do not venture in the hotel lobby in Shalwar-Kameez. Outside Pakistan, it is consideredequivalent to Sleeping Suit.

Tip the porter generously when checking out. It would help to make your next visit morewelcomed.

Travel light, feel good!

When in restaurant do not be loud or obnoxious in calling out to the waiters or hostess. Tryto catch their eyes and they would surely attend to your needs.



In most good and reputable restaurants and bars there is time limit for last order. Do not tryto violate.

Unless in noisy bars, discos or sleazy joints, keep the pitch of your voice just audible enough!

Always try to order from the top of menu down-wards. It makes the task of order takers a lot

easier.

If ordering for others, identify each item and the guest for whom order is being placed and themanner it would be served.

In good restaurants, drink menu is presented first, followed by ala-carte and desserts. Tryordering in same sequence. However, you may skip the drink menu for food menu if sodesired.

Always check the bill before paying. You may have been billed extensively or mistakenly.

Toilets & Bathrooms:It is probably the weakest area in our general behavior. We tend not to be considerateenough whenever using toilet or bathrooms.

Gents should lift the seat of the commode before passing urine.

Every one should clean and swipe the seat after using it.

Every time one must flush.

The seat cover should be lowered after flushing.

Swipe-clean the basin after use.

Do no throw cigarette butts in the commode.

Do not try to dispose sanitary napkins or diapers in the commode.

Learn to use the garbage basket every time you need to empty the ashtray or discard anything else!

Do not throw the towels on the floor after using.

Do not spill water on bathroom floor. It is very dangerous for you and others who follow.

Keep toilet tidy to reflect your personality.



Personal Grooming

Have you ever pondered at words like bride and groom? Or why the word groom was addedto the word bride. Is it an after-thought? Or is it indicative of male ego? Or does it havesomething to do with the nature of male specie? I guess it is wrong to begin a chapter with somany questions. I just got carried away.

Fact is that most males do not consider grooming themselves as a manly trait. Or at leastthat is what they have been trained to believe. Yet in their heart of heart, they always yearn tolook more handsome than the next person!

Good news is that such absurd and hypocritical perception, nay conception, is changing andchanging fast. Male of today is beginning to take stock of his person and learning ways to

groom himself, which is not only essential but also befitting and beneficial.

Smart, well-groomed appearance, not only helps you look efficient, but also enhancespersonal confidence. Who does not know that we judge others by their first impression! Wedo tend to form our first opinion about others by evaluating how do they look or how welldressed they are. We are also judged in the same manner as we evaluate others.

It would always be worth our while to look our best. In case our appearance was casual oruntidy, all other qualities and qualifications may never get a chance to be noticed. But theimpact of proper grooming may make the difference in between success or failure.

Turn Illusion into Reality:Believe it or not, anyone can learn to create a brand new personality by changing hairstyle,regular facial up-keep, appropriate dress code, pleasant body language and observing strict



standards of body hygiene. A new ‘you’ need not remain only an illusion in your mind! Youare quite capable of turning it into a reality. Every one is!

One may begin by persistently reminding oneself how handsome and readily acceptable heor she can become! Begin by allowing yourself to relax from within. And it is not a very

difficult task.It would immediately begin to reflect from your person. And that is the beginning you arelooking for! Without dreams, life would become so meaningless. But dreams remain only adream unless one begins to work for realizing them.

Handsome is who Handsome Does!

Please do not look at the grammatical side of this quote. But you can always personalize it.But the truth is that by only personal grooming, we may never be considered handsomeunless our deeds matched our looks.

But along with intentions of behaving like a good human being, we definitely need to developsome personal traits. Qualities like articulation, intelligent conversation, and pleasantgestures and above all, being courteous, would help us qualify as being handsome.

All of the above-mentioned qualities should become integral part of our personality. Theseshould be part of our day-to-day living. Need we assert that no amount of fashion will makeus real charmer without practiced courtesy and mannerism.

Ugly mannerism, unpleasant voice, bored expression and poor grooming would certainlyaffect not only our personality but also acceptability. People are very quick at evaluatingothers. Do not under-estimate!

Let us get back to the topic of Personal Grooming. Before we start discussing the mechanicsand instruments, may we request you indulge in an involved self-evaluation!

Please stand in front of a mirror. Have a closer look at the face you see every day. Does itreflect a handsome, well-groomed person? By the way only men are considered handsome.Beauty is entirely the domain of women.

Very often we become used to the face in the mirror. We stop being critical or simply acceptthe so-called inevitable. That is a folly!

You must know if you have aged beyond years. You must ask your self if you are satisfied

with how you reflect or is there any improvement you would like to seek. Please do not everlull your self by accepting what is evidently below your own expectations. Believe you me, weall can improve and there is no better time to start than NOW.

Parameters:

Not only our face but also we must learn to be critical of our entire body. And we can start byhaving a very close look at our body and asking pertinent questions:

Hair - Damaged, oily or healthy?Skin - Smooth or greasy?Neck - Wrinkled or supple?

Hands - Wrinkled or smooth?Shoulders - Stooped or square enough?Arms - Flabby or muscular?Feet - Clean and well kept?



Waistline - Bulging or proportionate?Hips - Spreading or not?Voice - Uncultured or well modulated

Look at yourself again. And think how you got there?! Was it a simple case of age catching

up? Or you have been simply careless? Lest we forget, one is as old as one looks and feels.So do not lull yourself in believing that nothing can be done now. It is never too late to begin.All you need is to believe in yourself. Rest would become easy!

Body LanguageDeportment or posture, gait or carriage, attitude or outlook, training or dedication to theorganization, personal qualities or terms of endearment; all jointly contribute to what would benormally called Body Language.

Body language not only expresses our personal intentions and attitude towards others butalso is indicative of our physical condition and attributes.

Any disjointed, lazily loose-limbed person cannot be ever considered properly groomed, wellmannered or courteous enough. We do need to look healthy, smart and sharp! As such, if wewere to develop proper Body Language, we may kill three birds with one stone!



Please refer to Body Language as explained in chapter pertaining to Courtesy. Here wewould deal with the topic as a physical requirement, which may also help us towardsbecoming better mannered.

We all need to develop body language, which would be appealing enough. And in this

chapter, we would deal with the physical aspect of body language. Let us break down thebody language into different physical modes.

Deportment:

No amount of exercising would guarantee that one lives longer, but it would definitely ensurethat one lives better.

For persons who are on their feet all day long, there is nothing more important than to movewell, easily and gracefully. If one was to walk in a slouch or was to hold oneself in a badposture long enough, there is no doubt that one would tire easily. In addition one may strainthe back unnecessarily.

On the other hand, good deportment or correct posture would not only add grace to themovement but also give assurance to your person. A good posture helps fight fatigue.Besides, correct deportment also makes one look smarter.

The key to a correct posture or good deportment is suppleness. And one would only staysupple if regularity in daily exercising was made a routine.

As far exercises go, swimming is considered as the best exercise one can undertake at allages. Second best is walking. If one has been leading a sedentary life, it would be a goodidea to consult the doctor before adopting any regime of exercise.

Modern life, with so many conveniences, is not good for our backs. Wrong tilt of the car seat,lounging in front of television, bad posture in the office seat, are the major causes of mostback problems. Bad back prevents a correct posture.

Notwithstanding bad backs, regular exercise helps keep the muscles toned and tuned. Itimproves figure, adds to the personality, helps fight stress and stabilizes the posture. Andwhen referring to postures, let us examine a few:

Standing:Do not stand with your back caved in, hips sticking way out, head poking forward, shouldersslumped and chest constricted. Get that stomach tucked in; rest would come easy. Yes, it iseasy said than done. But a conscious effort is what is required. Become aware of your

paunch and your over all posture would improve.Learn to stand tall. One may practice it by standing against a wall and trying to touch it all theway. Be conscious of touching every part of your body, down from the top of your head, rightdown to your heels. It may need a bit of practice and awareness, but it is easy enough toaccomplish.

Then step away holding the same upright position but without any stiffness. Make it a habit.Your overall looks would certainly change for the better.

Sitting Down:

Do not slouch in any chair. Keep your body as upright as possible without looking stiff. (Thinkabout balancing an imaginary book on your head). Push small of the back against the backof the chair. Do not sit leaning on the base of your spine so that your shoulders are roundedand your whole body looks slouched.



Do sit erect with shoulders relaxed and as square as possible. But do not be stiff. Ensureproper light for your office table so that you do not need to bend forward. Try getting a foot-rest under your table so that your posture can be easily maintained.

Walking:

Always try walking as though you were balancing an imaginary book on your head. By doingso, you would find it easier to keep your feet pointing straight ahead. It would also help keepyour hips pulled-in your body weight, properly distributed on your toes.

Please do not slouch or bend backwards, with your weight on your heels. Be careful to keepyour feet from pointing side ways. Be conscious of your hips from surging back and forth witheach step. It is not a pleasant sight.

Exercising:

Regular exercise is not to make you lose weight but to help you remain supple. As we get

older, our muscles tend to contract and become weaker with our joints becoming lessflexible.

Exercising not helps to slow down the process; it also improves breathing and circulation. Doalways remember that we all should exercise by remaining inside our physical capabilities. Ifsuffering from any disease, do consult the doctor before adopting any regime of exercise.

For maintaining overall fitness, as per most experts in physical fitness, regular swimmingwould deliver the desired results. It is considered most rhythmic and bilateral exercise.Walking, hiking and jogging are next in recommendations. But whatever regular exercise weadopt, it must be remembered that bad posture is the most common crime committed against

the body.



Oral Health & Bad Breath

Staying in close company with any person who suffers from bad breath is perhaps worst timeone can ever have. It is such a turn-off! It is perhaps the most repulsive encounter, which

makes one shudder every time one is reminded!

It is such a pity that we hesitate to point out the ailment to the very person who is sufferingfrom it. Not that all bad breaths are emitted from sick mouths! Not really! But let us no jump toconclude that we are faced with some one who has a life style problem. Let us assume theworst!

Oral health, are two words which do not have much credence in the developing countries.May be, it is because of poor health care facilities or lack of general awareness or both. But,as compared to the west, we have not yet given enough importance to dental or oral healthcare.

Let us get to where we left off! More often than not, a person who is suffering with bad breathis the last one to know about it. Any person, without ever realizing it, may develop veryserious oral health condition. And one positive indication of this sickness is the foul-smellingbreath. Yet most of us consider it bad manners, or at best are shy, to signal out! We shouldalways be more concerned!

But any social restraint or personal shyness does not absolve us from being casual orignorant; at least towards our own health. May be the television advertisement of Close Uptoothpaste, in which one is shown to blow into the palm for determining the freshness ofbreath, should be adopted as a regular habit!

Why do we emit foul-smelling breath? Let us examine a few obvious reasons.

Gum Disorders:

A bacterium that attacks weak gums is the frequent cause of bad breath. And gums dobecome weak if not cared for! Bleeding gums are one ailment, which is not given enoughimportance. It is mostly ignored.

If gums are a problem it is important to have regular dental checks. And for that we need tovisit a dentist. How many of us have ever visited a dentist, we are not sure! Survey showsthat there is only one properly qualified dental surgeon for hundred thousand. Chinese DentalSpecialists are not included!

Weak gums are open invitation to a variety of bacteria. Different types breed there and veryrapidly at that. In other words the gateway to our body may be infested. All because we didnot elect to take care! We do need to guard the main entrance to our body. Who would notagree?

For providing the requisite protection, regular teeth cleaning and gum massage, morning andnight, with good-quality toothpaste followed by dental floss or water-jet would definitely help.

Do not forget to clean your tongue when brushing. After every meal, remember to brush yourteeth. It would definitely help reduce the chances of gum disorder as well reduce the chances

of bad breath.

Smoking:



Smokers owe it to themselves to care about their oral health. They have a lot higher chancesof contracting oral diseases. And as such more prone to emit foul breath!

There are special toothpastes for smokers! Nicotine deposits, if not regularly removed, mayhelp weaken the gums. Most smokers are also fond of tea. This combination produces a thick

yellowish layer on their tongues. It is yet another area of concern! This layer, not only maskssome of their taste buds, it may also provide a breeding place for certain type of bacteria.

Smokers; beware to brush your teeth very regularly. Use of mouthwash, breath-sweeteningsprays and tablets are highly recommended. Sugarless gums may also help! But do notforget to cleanse your tongue, at least twice a day. Do use a soft brush!

Digestive Problems:

Consumption of too rich arid fatty food, or constipation affects the quality of breath. Reasonsare obvious! As such we would refrain from elaborating.

Whatever the reason for persistent bad breath, one must always consult the dental surgeon.And we mean a dental surgeon, not the family doctor.

Please don’t ever hesitate to consult or inform. One may be exposed to a serious healthcondition, which would need urgent investigation and treatment. To be fore warned is anadvantage of many dimensions.

Very few persons would find the courage to inform us about our bad breath. As such it isadvisable to inquire from the spouse or a very close friend. Let us not talk about the genderof friend; but the choice is entirely yours!



Body Odor

Body hygiene is one subject, which is rather personal. As such it would require your involvedunderstanding. May we recommend that utmost attention be employed! You may like to

make quick mental notes and plan accordingly.

There are three main areas, which need your urgent attention.

PerspirationBad breathGeneral Cleanliness

Perspiration:

Body needs to perspire. It is only healthy to perspire. And every one does! But some personsperspire more than other. We would not discuss reason for such variation. But what do we

need to discuss is, the after-effect of perspiration.

And it can be described in two words, Body Odor; at times pungent or unpleasant or both.Baring our peculiar genetic make-up, other reasons for the excessive perspiration are;Nervousness, Tension, Fear, Stress & Heat. Another reason for profuse sweating is the on-set of heart attack.

Perspiration is essential part of body's cooling system. More so in hot climate! Millions ofsweat glands called ocarina glands are responsible for producing perspiration. The productcalled sweat is colorless, odorless and tastes somewhat salty.

Bad smelling odour is produced, not by the perspiration but by the colonies of bacteria, whichflourish in damp conditions. Such special kind of bacteria grows in the glands of armpits andgroin. And some bacteria smell more fowl than the other.

Only twenty percent sweat excessively. Others moderately! But hundred percent have bodyodor. There are no exceptions to the rule. If you are the lucky one who does not sweatexcessively, please do not kid yourself in believing that you would not emit body odor. Youdo!

There is only one way; we may avoid body odor. And that is by keeping our arms above ourhead the whole day long and at the same time spread-eagling our legs the widest! Pun isdefinitely intended.

We normally become used to our body odor or simply are not conscious enough. But if wethink that we do not emit body odor we are ignorant, nay inconsiderate.

One common remedy is to frequently bathe with quality soap. It would help destroy the odor-creating bacteria but only for a short time. Deodorant soaps, which are also readily availablein the market, produce somewhat better results. But not good enough to last youtwenty-four hours!

Body odor is not a new problem. Old civilizations have been aware of the menace.Deodorants were discovered and used. The best one being alum! It was excessivelyproduced and used. It is a very effective deodorant of yesteryears.

Deodorants:



Deodorants like alum reduce the growth of bacteria. Most types of odor-emitting bacteriadwell around the aporrine glands. Application of deodorants inhibits the functioning of odor-producing bacteria and as such the unpleasant odor.

Anti-per spirant, on the other hand, inhibit the production of perspiration and as such reduce

wetness. This in turn affects the growth of bacteria. End result is slightly better thandeodorants.

Prolonged use of a specific deodorant may begin to irritate the sensitive skin. Best solution isto change the brand of your deodorant. And when irritation is again felt, change back to thefirst or some new brand.

Mostly two types of deodorants and anti-perspirant are available, either in the forms ofaerosols or a Roll-ons. The roll-ons are reckoned to be the more effective because of betterskin coverage. These are also environment friendly!

Deodorant, manufactured by reputable houses, especially ones with anti perspiring

ingredients, normally provides better protection.

But the crux of issue remains the quantum of awareness. One must not forget that body odorhas a tendency to hang in there. It fills the atmosphere, especially in closed surroundings likean office. And it is not difficult to determine the source.

May we conclude by pleading! Please know that every one has body odor. You are noexception. But your awareness about your body odor can make all the difference. Be aware!Make the difference!!

Ladies Only:

In addition to body odor, ladies have additional concerns about their person. Unlike men, theyhave additional worries and responsibilities.

For them body hygiene is little more involved. Scope of this book does not allow getting intomore details. However it is strongly recommended that all ladies, starting from puberty,should consult their gynecologist on regular basis.

A gynecologist, if asked pertinent questions about body odor and other problems can providevery professional guidance.



General Hygiene

Last chapter was rather intimate and personal. But body odor due perspiration is not the onlyissue which needs our attention. There are other conditions! And any of these conditions may

affect our body hygiene in many a ways.

Some of these may even prove crucial. And if not paid enough heed, may lead to veryserious consequences. As a matter of fact, one may like to spell Body Hygiene as BodyHealth and vice versa.

Under this topic we would like to add skin and hair care under separate heading. Diet isanother topic we consider important enough for maintaining body hygiene. Stress is anotherimportant issue. But ours is only a layman’s opinion. If you need more details, you may like toconsult qualified professionals. And now let us briefly examine and discuss a few.

Eyes:Life being the ultimate gift of God; eyes are perhaps the most important part of our body. Lifeis colorless, listless and bleak without eyes. There is no other part of our body, which needsbeing looked after with more concern and as such, lots of application.

Eyes are very visible part. Every one who meets you notices your eyes. Even you wearcorrective glasses, eyes are nevertheless noticed. Your eyes add to facial expressions aswell to your personality.

Clear, direct and honest eyes convey your person very positively. And veiled or downcasteyes depict an evasive and may be not so an honest person. Or this is how others perceive

us!

So let us begin by taking a closer look! Do these eyes look tired? Are these blood shot? Howoften do you suffer from headaches? When was the last time you got your eyes checked byan eye-specialist?

If you are not satisfied with any of the answers, you need to take immediate remedial step.There is no time to waste. Please do not postpone to another day. It is now or never!

First step is to consult an eye specialist. Please do not delay it, especially if you experienceheadaches often enough. True, with age, eyesight does deteriorate fast! But age is not theonly determining factor. There are other reasons, including nutrition. But if you find reading

difficult or watching TV bothersome, it is definitely the time to visit the doctor.

Besides, persons with tired and bloodshot eyes are not considered attractive. One quickremedy is to splash your eyes with cold water. Colder the better!

You may also use some good quality eye drops but not without consulting your doctor.Please avoid self-medication. You do not need to endanger or temper with such a sensitivepart of your person. Over-the-counter medication, which is criminally allowed to flourish insome countries like ours, is yet another reason for being more careful.

Home-recipe of thin cucumber slices or specially made eye-packs can help your eyes feelrelaxed and as such make you look better. However all these packs should be used when

chilled.

But most important is the quality of your eyesight. Make periodic visits to your eye doctor aroutine. And it is not to your family doctor. It must always be an eye specialist. Just think whydoctors specialize for such small body part. It must be because it so very important.



Ears & Nose:

These two body parts stick out very prominently. And there is nothing much to be done abouttheir shape or disposition. Barring plastic surgery!

No doubt, these body parts are very visible. As a matter of fact, ears and nose have habit ofsticking out! And people have a habit of assessing you considering the shape. What a pity!Some times we are so unkind.

Hairs, which stick out of these body parts, are also visible to others. Any deposit caused byuncleanness would also be seen by others. Be aware and careful

By the way, have you ever been to an ENT specialist? ENT stands for Ear, Nose and Throat.Combined specializing in three important parts of body is possible only because these areinter-connected. ENT surgeons must be consulted whenever faced with any discomfortconnected to these body parts.

Hands:

Most hard working and productive part of our body! Sustaining life without hands is anunthinkable proposition. And yet scant attention is paid to hands.

Have you ever considered why surgeons scrub their hands so vigorously before enteringOperation Theatre? Is it a redundant habit or are trying to protect the patient they are aboutto operate upon?

We do not need to answer! Intentions were only to indicate the importance of part our handsplay in maintaining our body hygiene. Did you know that both the hands of every cook who

works in any reputable kitchen are inspected on daily basis? What do you think is checked?

Hands of all kitchen workers are inspected not only for the general condition but also for thecleanliness of their nails. Nobody is allowed to work in public kitchen that has diseased handsor is found with dirty nails. Mind you they are required to wear gloves despite the inspection.

Do we need to say more! As such may we request you not to ever ignore your hands! Theseare not only important for your general health but also for the sake of overall reflection of yourpersonality. How would you evaluate a person who extensively uses hands for gestures buthas dirty nails?

Question is how do we care for our hands? The best answer would be to have a closer lookat your hands, on daily basis.

You may begin to show care for your hands by massaging these with good quality handcream. Indulge in periodic manicure! Trim your nails on weekly basis. And above all usenailbrush every time you take a bath or go under a shower. We sincerely hope it is at leastonce a day!

Feet:

Cherish them and they will repay your tender loving care! After all they carry you the wholedaylong! Honestly enough, how often you have given serious thought to your beast of

burden, the feet? We are afraid not often enough!

Let us list a few steps, which you can easily accomplish:

Keep toenails trimmed.



Inspect your heels for cracks. Apply appropriate creams in case cracks have developed. Youmust learn to keep heels of your feet smooth and soft. It would add to your foot-comfort.

Check for corns, which easily develop because of tight shoes or extraordinary long walks. Ifcorns develop often enough, go to a pedicure expert. They are very well equipped to help

you!

Make it periodic routine for indulging yourself with pedicure by an expert.Do not ever wear socks when your feet are wet or damp.

If possible, lightly sprinkle good quality talcum powder in between toes before adorningsocks.

Often inspect the spaces in between toes. It is important! Be aware of a disease calledAthlete’s Foot. Frequent examination would keep you informed.

Never wear soiled or dirt socks. And consider every pair of socks as dirty and soiled at the

end of each day. Daily fresh socks keep your feet happy!

Try wearing only good quality socks. Man-made fiber does not allow the feet to breathe. Assuch always buy socks made from natural fiber like cotton, wool and silk.

Wearing proper shoes would not only enhance your comfort but also help enhance theawareness.

Do air your shoes regularly.

So much for your feet! Add a nightly massage with good quality cream and we can guaranteeyou sound sleep!

Daily Bath:

May be we should have begun the chapter with this topic. To us, it is the core issue when itcomes to maintaining body hygiene. A healthier you may not be possible without a daily bathor a shower. And a thorough bath at that! Not a fleeting affair!

And if you have any doubt, read no more! We accept our failure to convey what was required!Our sole objective has been to make you conscious of what your body requires from you.And a daily bath is the beginning of it all!

Use of a good quality soap or shower gel would rid you off not only the unwanted bacteria but

also help you feel rejuvenated, invigorated.

We do not advocate excessive use of water, as we are also acutely aware of the dwindlingresources of this lifeline. Yet, for an unhealthy you, life would become meaningless. So amiddle-of-road path has to be followed. We do need to adequately emphasize that all of us,without exception, should learn to preserve water.

There is no need to linger under the faucet. One can have a quick yet very purposefulshower. Let us highlight a few good points for a thorough shower.

If possible start off with warm water. It would assist in cleansing your body by helping to open

the pores.Quickly wet your hair and apply shampoo. Use only fingertips and not the palms of handwhile shampooing. Rinse thoroughly. Men or women with short hair may like to shampoo on



daily basis. There is no harm. Frequent shampooing does not make you go bald. But select amild shampoo.

By this time your body is ready for brisk going-over with quality soap. Pay special attention toarmpits and genitals. Do not forget washing behind your ears, in between fingers and toes.

Use a nailbrush when soaping your hands.

Finish your shower by turning the water as cold as possible and bearable. It would help youfeel invigorated beyond belief.

Do not step into an air-conditioned room without first drying your self up.

Always use a fresh towel. It would not only help you dry your person quickly enough but it isalso healthy. Towels are personal. Beware!

Do not rub your hair vigorously. When damp hair break very easily. However one may wrapthe hair in towel and then air-dry them.

Apply deodorant only when skin is dry and fresh from bath or shower.

We could go on for a bit longer. But what we are trying to convey is the fact that a healthyday would begin only with a purposeful bath or shower. Please do not take it lightly. Make agood beginning for better results at the end of day.

A hot or warm shower before sleep helps improve the quality of night in more ways than one.Sleep well and you will automatically start looking better!

Section

THREE

Personal



Skills

D

Basics of First AidFormal curriculum of First Aid is much wider in scope and application. In this manual, only ahumble effort is made to provide the basic knowledge to teachers or the trainers. It is being

done with the sole objective of saving lives of their wards. That is if an unfortunate incident oroccurrence so demanded! In addition to saving lives, other objectives are:

Objectives:

Prevent further injuryImprove recovery until professional medical help is obtainedProvide comfort and reassure patient

Basic Care:

In caring for a person who is ill or has been injured, the First Aider shall:

Lay the person down flat if possible, except as noted in specific conditions.

In case of injury, be sure all injures are found, paying special attention to bleeding, wounds,burns fractures and dislocations.

Keep the person warm to prevent shock.

Do not give an unconscious person, liquids. Even if person is conscious and requests fluid, orif a stimulant is needed, do give water, hot tea or coffee but slowly and in small sips.

Positioning of ill-injured Person:Face red – Raise the head.Face pale – Raise the legs (except head injury).Face blue – Give O2 (first aid oxygen)



·

Medical Alert Emblem:

Medical Alert Emblem is a metal disc worn by persons with known chronic ailments. It maybe worn around the neck or as a bracelet. In an emergency, look at the message on the back

which states the individual’s known ailments (Diabetic, Epileptic, etc.).

First aid is the emergency care given to sick or injured persons until regular medical orsurgical aid can be obtained. First Aid is temporary Aid until a physician takes over. But asthe person on scene you must:

Obtain medical assistance as soon as possible.

Keep the victim lying down, his/her head level with his/her body, until you have found outwhat kind of injury he/she has or how serious it is.

Look for sings of hemorrhage, asphyxiation, shock, wounds, fractures,etc. Be sure that youlocate all injuries.

Not remove any more clothing than necessary because you may increase shock.

Do not give any LIQUID or FOOD to an unconscious person: he/she might choke on it. Donot give any thing by mouth to a person who is vomiting or to one who has been injured inthe stomach, chest or head.

Keep the injured person comfortably warm but be careful not to apply too much heat.

Do not move an injured person unless it is absolutely necessary to do in order to prevent

further injury.

REMEMBER that it is better to do nothing than to do the wrong things,

SKILFUL first aid treatment saves Lives; but improper treatment, no matter how, well meant,is very likely to cause further injury or even death.

Administering First Aid in order of sequence:

First thing first! Do not change the sequence or you may cause irreversible damage. Givenbelow are the priorities., Never change the sequence!

I. BreathingIi. Bleeding· * Arterial Bleeding· * Venous Bleeding

Iii. ShockIv. Miscellaneous

In other words:

Revive Breathing-(in case of failure of Breathing)Stop Bleeding – (in case of Severe Bleeding).Treat for shock – (in case of Severe Shock).

Pulse Rate & Respiration Rate:

Adult Child Infant



Normal Pulse rate 60-80 80-100 100-120

Normal rate of breathing 18-20 20-24 24-28

Never use thumb to check pulse rate. Thumb has its own pulse ·

Examples Of Conditions Causing Fast Pulse And Fast Breathing Are:

Exercise, emotional conditions, fever, hemorrhage, shock, certain heart and lung conditions

Examples Of Conditions Causing Slow Pulse And Slow Breathing Are:

During rest, sleep and head injury cases.

C P R (Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation)

Check responsiveness

Open airway

Check for breathing: If no breathing, give four quick breaths

Check for pulse: If present continue mouth to mouth breathing

If absent, begin external chest compressions.

Continuing resuscitation at a compression ventilation ratio of 15:2 if alone or 5 : 1 ifworking with a helper till victim revives or a medical personnel takes over.

Ask “CAN YOU SPEAK”

If signs of air exchange are present encourage him to cough the object out. If no signs of airexchange:

Deliver four back blows followed by four abdominal thrusts

If no response repeat back blows and abdominal thrusts

If victim becomes unconscious during this condition carefully lower him to the floor on hisback.

Try to remove the blocking object from the throat, open air passage and try to give a breath.

If unsuccessful in raising the chest continue mouth to mouth breathing till breathing isrestored.

· If unsuccessful to add air into the lungs: repeat the whole process.

· To a pregnant lady deliver chest thrusts instead of abdominal thrusts.

BLEEDING· Apply pressure to the wound.· Elevate the wounded part if possible, unless it is broken.

· If direct pressure does not stop bleeding within 5 minutes,push on pressure points.

· In case of amputation or bleeding with shock, apply a tourniquetif other methods fail.



SHOCK

· Recognize shock, skin is pale, cool and clammy pulse is rapidand weak, victim is drowsy, restless and thirsty.

· Treat the cause and help the victim according to the symptoms.

· Treat the cause, keep him warm, and prop up his legs, if nohead injury or broken legs are suspected.

STROKE· Recognize the condition.· Put him in recovery position if victim is breathing normally.· If any sign of breathing difficulty administer oxygen.· Keep him warm and be sympathetic.

BROKEN BONES· Recognize broken bone.

· If any head and neck injury is suspected, do not bend his neck.· Clear air passage by lifting his jaw and tongue.· Control heavy bleeding.· Treat for shock, if apparent.· Immobilize the broken part.· Check the splinter part from time to time for increased pain,

decreased sensation, change in Color if any of them appear correct theproblem.

External cardiac compression:External cardiac compression is the name given to the artificial wayof keeping the blood circulating to the vital organs and particularly to the brain. The heart liesbetween the breast bone (sternum) atthe front of the body and the back bone (vertical column) at the back. Lie the victim face upon a hard surface like the floor and not a soft bed. This will keep the victim rigid. The breastbone can then be pressed down towards the backbone. The heart will be compressedand blood squeezed out into the circulatory system.

External cardiac compression with mouth to mouth resuscitation:When the heart stops the brain is deprived of oxygen with the resultthat the part of the brain which controls breathing quickly stops

working and the victim stops breathing. Like wise if the victim stopsbreathing, the heart will not receive oxygen and will not beat properly.If these two situations occur at the same time both external cardiaccompression and mouth to mouth resuscitation. The best method isto inflate the chest twice and then compress the heart 15 times. Thisshould be done at the rate of four times a minute.

CPR RATIO CHART

Lungs One person Two personsTwo chest inflation One chest inflation

Heart followed by followed by15 cardiac 5 cardiaccompression compression



Frequency repeated 4 times repeated 10 times a minuteStep by Step CPR

· Feel the carotid pulse ( in the groove of the neck ) This will confirmthat the heart has stopped. Quickly place the victim on a hard

surface and kneel beside him.

· Strike the lower breastbone sharply. This should be done with theside of the hand. It may shock the heart into restarting. Feel thepulse. If the heart is not beating then start external cardiaccompression.

· Compress the heartPlace the heel of the hand two thirds of the way down thebreastbone and press downwards. Considerable pressure is neededbecause the breastbone must be moved about four to five

centimeters each time. This should be repeated about 60 timesa minute.

· How do I know the heart is workingThe pupils in the eye will become smaller some color will returnto the face, a strong carotid pulse will be felt with each compression.

· How long do I carry onUntil the heart starts beating by itself again

ORAn ambulance man, nurse or doctor, or more experienced firstaider tells you to stop

ORYou feel completely worn out.

The victim is not dead until you have given up trying to resuscitatehim.

External cardiac compression in babies and young children:The hearts of infants are much smaller than adults and must be

compressed with less force. For instance, a baby of less than oneyear old needs about 120 compression each minute. But it takesvery little force to move a baby’s breastbone and one thumb is allthat is needed to produce the necessary pressure. It is also importantto realize that an infant’s heart is much higher in the chest and that the breast must bepressed in the middle and not over the lowerhalf.

ABC OF CPRAir Passage.

· Turn head to the side clear mouthof foreign matter.

· Lift up the back of the neck and tilt



the head backwards so that the chinis pointing upwards.

· If the victim breathes administerOxygen. If the victim does not breath.

· Pinch the victim’s nostrils closed.

· Place your mouth firmly over thevictim’s mouth.

· Initially give four quick full breathes.

· Maintain the victim’s head position,Check for exhalation of air. Check thepulse at the neck. If there is no pulse

nor breathing, begin External Heartcompression.

· If there is a pulse but breathing isinadequate continue mouth-to-mouthbreathing. For adults one vigorousbreath every 5 seconds. For smallchildren one shallow Breath every3 seconds and cover child’s mouthand nose with your mouth.

· Do not give up until the victim beginsto breath.

Circulation· If the victim is not breathing and

there is no pulse. Stretch thevictim flat on his back on the floor.

· Kneel at his side and strike thebreast bone sharply. If this doesnot start the heart beating:

· Locate the lower tip of the breastbone. Put the heel of your hand1 to 1.1/2 inches above the tip ofthe breast bone. Put your otherhand on top of the hand on thechest and press down the lowerthird of the breast bone 1inche.

· Release the pressure on the breast bone. Repeat this compressiononce every second.

· If you are alone with the victim stop after every 15 compressionand give deep breathes mouth-to-mouth.

· Continue this rhythm until help comes.· If assistance is available have the assistant give mouth-to-mouth

respiration every 5 seconds, while you continue with the heartcompression.

· Continue until the victim revives.



Lyrangotomy(neck breathers): Require mouth to neck instead of mouth to mouth or mouth and nosebreathing resuscitations.

Description· If artery is cut, blood may be bright, flow in spurts rather than

constant flow.· If vein is cut blood may be darker, flow will be constant and slow.· Severe Hemorrhage can cause death in a few minutes.

What to do?· First apply direct pressure to the wound. Fasten bandage compress

firmly or apply firm pressure with your hand.· If bleeding can not stop by direct pressure, use hand to compress

artery against bone at appropriate pressure point.· If hemorrhage can not be controlled by direct pressure or by

pressure points, apply tourniquet.· A tourniquet should be used only for severe life threatening

hemorrhage which can not be controlled by other means.· Actually, the use of a tourniquet is seldom required, or in cases

of partial or complete severance of a body part are the onlyinstances where application of a tourniquet may be justified.

· The present procedures for the use of a tourniquet will be asfollows:

· Place the tourniquet close to the wound, but not at the woundedge. There should be unbroken skin between the tourniquet andthe wound.

· Be sure it is applied tightly enough to stop bleeding. Improperlyapplied can increase bleeding and hasten death.

· Once the tourniquet is applied it should not be released, no matterhow long it has been in place, except by a physician. However, if no physician is

available for several hours the tourniquet should be momentarily released every 5minutes.· A notation should always be made and attached to the victim,

giving the location and the hour of the application.

· Improvised tourniquets should be made of flat material about twoinches wide (a cravat bandage, stockings or a belt). Don’t userope and wire they may cause injuries to the underlying tissuesand blood vessels.

SHOCK

Shock is the third emergency. Only severe hemorrhage and asphyxiationare more urgent.

Description

· Serious disturbances of circulation of blood in the body speciallyin the brain.

· Cause: Some degree of shock follows all injuries. Severe shockis probable in cases of Hemorrhage, burns, large wounds etc.

· Symptoms: Shallow, rapid irregular breathing, weak rapid pulse,



cold clammy skin, profuse sweating, extreme pallor as flue, pupilsof eye dilated. Weakness, Faintness, dizziness, lack ofresponsiveness in severe shock, unconsciousness.

What to do?

Treat the injured person for shock before beginning treatment foractual injuries except in cases of severe bleeding orasphyxiation. Warmth: keep victim comfortably warm but, do notover heat him. Light covering usually is sufficient.

WOUNDS

Description· Injury which causes break in skin.· Membrane or Tissue.

Types: Abrasion: Scraped or Rubbed.

Serious Types:· Incision: Sharp Cut.· Laceration: Torn uneven· Punctures: Stabbed.· Contused: clotting of blood under

the skin.· Gun Bullet: Small entry but

ruptured exit.

What to do?· Stop the flow of blood· Treat for shock· Treat the wound· Minor or surface wounds should be

treated by applying tincture ofmentholated and a sterile dressing.

· Serious or deep wound should be covered with a dry sterilecompressible bandage.

Precautions:· Do not wash or clean any serious wound.· Do not apply tincture or mentholated to serious wounds, to the eye, nose, mouthor genitals.

If in doubt, treat the injury as a fracture.

Types· SIMPLE: Single fracture.

· COMPOUND: Multiple fractures.

· GREEN STICK: Cracks inchildren’s.



· CLOSED: No break in skin.

· OPEN: External Wound.

Symptoms:· Pain and shock· Possible deformity of part.· Localized pain and swelling.· Loss of movement of effected part.

What to do?· Do not move patient until injured part is immobilized.· Treat the wound if fracture is open.· Splint the injured part.· Use rolled blankets or pillows, to extend from the joint above to

the joint below the fracture.· Apply clothing snugly, but not tight enough to interfere with

circulation. Use triangle bandage to support splint.

Description· Stretching or tearing of tissue around joint.

What to do?· Elevate the part and keep at rest.· Apply cold wet compress or ice filled bag in early stage (first

24hours).· Apply firm supporting bandage if victim must walk.

STRAIN

Description· Over stretching of muscles.

Symptoms· Sharp pain at seat of injury.

· Swelling of the muscle & cramp.· Further movement restricted or impossible.

What to do?· Place the limb in most comfortable position.· Apply hot compresses.· Apply firm supporting bandage.

· First degree – Skin reddened.· Second degree – Skin blistered.· Third degree – Skin deeply burnt or charred with tissue exposed.

Treatment of First or Second Degree Burns:· Put in cold water if possible. Apply clothes wrung out in cold water

or apply an ice pack if burned area cannot be submerged in water.· Do not try to remove any substance stuck to burn area.



· Do not break blister.· Blot dry and apply a dry sterile bandage.

Treatment of Third Degree Burns.Apply dry sterile bandage to keep air out and prevent contamination.

Do not put in cold water or apply cold applications.

Types:· Dry burns: caused by dry heat, flames etc.· Wet burns: caused by wet heat (liquid, steam etc.)

Chemical Burns:· Acidic or Alkaline Burns.· Acidic & Alkaline Burns to be treated with Alkaline media.

What to do?

· Minor Burns and Scalds (Wet Burns).· Apply wet cold applications or submerge in cold water for

approximately 20 minutes. Dry and apply thin coat of sterilizeburn compound and cover area with bandage compress. Giveaspirin for pain.

· Serious burns and scalds (Wet Burns)· Treat for shock before attempting to treat the burn.· The need for liquids is overwhelming in severe burn cases.· If medical aid will be available within 3 hours, wrap the victim to

clean sheet, treat for shock, and do not attempt treatment of theburn. Give aspirin for pain.

· If victim will not receive medical aid within 3 hours, remove clothingonly which adhere to burned area, apply sterile burn compoundto bandage compress and wrap smoothly around burned area.Give aspirin for pain relief.

· Wash off the chemical with clean water and remove contaminatedclothing. When all the chemical has been removed, treat as fora heat-burn.

BLEEDING FROM INSIDE THE Symptoms:

· Eyes: Vacant and lack luster· Pupils: Dilated.· Breathing: Shallow irregular.· Pulse: Weak or absent· Skin: Pale, Cold and Moist.

What to do?a) Keep victim quiet

· Have him / her sit up, with head tipped back slightly,loosen his collar and tell him / her to breathe through his

/ her mouth.b) Apply Pressure:

· Press bleeding nostril against middle partition of nose.Maintain pressure for about 4 to 5 minutes. Do not applypressure if the nose is fractured.



· Hold cold wet compresses, or ice filled bag over bridge ofvictim’s nose. Pack nostril with long gauze strip if bleedingis prolonged and get medical assistance.

Description· Break in the structure of eyeball, eyelids, or soft tissue around

eyes.

Foreign Object:· Dirt· Eyelashes· Insects etc.

What to do?a) For Foreign Objects in Eye.

· If object is under lid, instruct victim to gently grasp eyelashesand pull lid up and down, releasing over lower lid.

· If object can not be removed by these methods, do notmanipulate further.

b) For Burns of Eye:· May place eye ointment in effected eye. This is best done

by pulling eyelid down and squeezing ointment from tubealong inner surface of lid, after which, have patient to closeeyes and apply sterile dressing as necessary.

Precautions:· Do not attempt to remove foreign bodies with knives, toothpicks

or match-sticks.· Do not use dry cotton near eyeball.· Do not attempt to remove any object which is embedded or which

has penetrated the eyeball. Leave splinters in the place and get medical attention.

CONVULSIVE SEIZURE

Description

· May be due to epilepsy, brain injury etc.

Symptoms:· Extreme restlessness and irritability.· Total or partial loss of consciousness.· Convulsive muscular movements

(twitching, thrashing, jerking biting) lasting from a minute or twoto over a half hour.

· Involuntary action at bowel and bladder.

What to do?

· Protect victim from external injury; move him her away from adangerous place, but do not restrain his/her convulsive movements.

· Prevent victim from injuring him/her self. Place soft object betweenupper and lower teeth to keep him/her from biting tongue.

· Place pillow under head to prevent it from injury. Loosen all



constricting clothing.· Keep victim warm.· Watch breathing. Breathing may stop as convulsive movement

stop and then begin again spontaneously.· If it does not begin within one minute, start artificial respiration.

· Ensure clearance of breathing passage after convulsive movementscease. This may be done by placing patient on side with headturned to side. Do not disturb victim during sleep or unconsciousness, usually followed

convulsive seizure.

SHOCK

When the blood does not circulate properly to the tissues, they become deprived of oxygenand other essential food stuffs. Thevictim is then said to be “shocked” or “in shock”. This poor circulation of blood may be due to:

· Loss of blood: e.g. internal bleeding external bleeding.· Loss of fluid: e.g. from burns from severe vomiting or from severe

diarrhea· Loss of pumping power from the heart: e.g. heart attacks, heart

failure.

Following a very severe fright or severe pain: e.g. burst stomach ulcer after a seriousaccident.

ABC of SHOCK

It is important to be able to recognize shock. The victim in shockmay show any or all of the following signs:· Anxious and trembling· Blueness of the lips and paleness of the skin· Cold clammy skins· Dryness of the mouth· Eyesight blurred and concentration poor· Fast pulse· A victim in shock needs careful treatment:· Tight clothing should be loosened and crowds should be moved

away to allow the injured person to breath and relieve his anxiety.The victim must be laid flat to improve circulation to the brain.The legs should be raised to draw all available blood into theimportant part of the body and improve the circulation.

· Shock occasionally procedures difficulty in breathing, if this happensprop the victim up. The victim in shock never be given anythingto drink (water or alcohol, etc.) because an emergency operationmay be necessary.

FAINTING

This is a temporary and very mild form of poor blood circulation tothe brain. The person who has fainted usually falls to the ground,sweats, and has a fast pulse. Nothing need to be done except perhapsto loosen tight clothing and to raise the legs. The victim will recover



rapidly on his own.

Description· Brief period of unconsciousness with spontaneous recovery.

Symptoms – Face, Pale, Red, blue:· Nausea.· Dizziness.· Excessive Perspiration· Pale, Moist Skin.· Unconsciousness.

What to do?· Lower victim’s head. If he/she is unconscious, keep him lying

down, head lower than feet, or elevate feet above level of head.· Hold ammonia inhalant under victim’s nose.

· Administer Oxygen.· If he/she does not recover in a few minutes, get medical assistance.

CHOKING OF FOODS AND HEIMLICH MANOEUVRE

Description· Occurs in middle aged or elderly people. · Dentures may slip, thesensation of

swallowing food.Symptoms: · Breathing difficulty· Swallowing difficulty· Turns blue · Unconscious

FOR CONSCIOUS VICTIM:If victim can cough, speak, or breathe,do not interfere.

PERFORM ABODOMINAL THRUSTS:· Stand behind the victim.· Wrap arms around victim’s waist.· Make a fist with one hand and place the thumb side against

victim’s abdomen in the mid line slightly above the navel.· Grasp fist with the other hand.· Press into the victim’s abdomen with quick upward thrust.

Thrusts.· Each thrust should be distinct and delivered with the intent of

relieving the airway obstruction.· No pressure should be exerted against the rib cage with the

rescuer’s forearms.· Repeat thrusts until object is expelled or the victim becomes

unconscious.

CAUTION: Abdominal thrusts may cause injury. Do not practice on people.

Description· Vary greatly depending upon cause.



· May include pain in upper chest or chest and arms.· Faintness prolonged breathing difficulty.· Unconsciousness.

What to do?

· Administer Oxygen.· Keep victim quiet, if he/she has trouble in breathing, prop him/her

up. If he/she does not have breathing difficulty, keep him/herlying down. Do not let him/her move about.

· Reassure victim. If he/she carries medicine for such attacks, helphim/her take it.

· Get medical attention as soon as possible.

INSULIN REACTION: (HYPO GLYCAEMIA)

Description

· Insulin reactions occur in diabetic persons who have administeredtoo much insulin to themselves in relation to the amount of sugar.This results in a lowering of the blood sugar level which in turn,is manifested outwardly by profuse sweating, weakness, palenessof skin, rapid pulse, mental confusion in some cases, convulsions.

What to do?· Most diabetics will recognize symptoms early and will take sugar

in the form of candy, orange juice etc., to correct the situation.

If the symptoms come on and progress rapidly to the point ofmental confusion, a diabetic may not be able to help himself, inwhich case he should be encouraged to drink heavily sweetenedliquids. Most diabetics carry on their person a card stating thatthey are diabetics. It is a good practice to search such a card, onthe person if any one suddenly losing consciousness. If loss ofconsciousness, occurs before sweetened liquids can be administered,there is no alternative but to await expert medical care for further treatment.

LIFE CHECK PERSON FOR

· BREATHING· BLEEDING· BROKEN BONES· SHOCK

GENERAL



Fire & Smoke

A clear understanding of the basic principles underlying fire andcombustion is essential to anyone engaged in handling the firefighting equipment. Fire depends on three factors for existence andthese may be presented by the Triangle of Combustion shown below:

All three sides of the triangle are necessary to support combustion.a) A-CLASS (SOLIDS)

Ordinary combustible material, Example wood, cloth, paper, rubber,plastic.

b) B-CLASS (LIQUIDS)Is a fire of inflammable liquids, gases, grease, gasoline, paint and alcohol.

c) C-CLASS (ELECTRICAL)Is a fire of live electrical panels wires and circuits.

d) D-CLASS (METALLIC)Relatively uncommon, are fires in combustible metals asmagnesium, sodium and titanium.

FIRE PREVENTION

· Fire is made up of three essential elements:· Oxygen· Inflammable material· Relevant ignition temperature

FIRE PREVENTION recommendations are as follows:· Hot plates are excellent for keeping coffee hot but also for burning

loose papers. Please keep area around hot plates free of foreignobjects.

· Ovens should be checked carefully to see that there are no foreign



objects inside, especially at the rear near the heating element.Ovens should never be used as storage cupboards.

· Matches should not be left loose in the Kitchen or in any otherstowage areas.

· Burning cigarettes are a danger wherever they are.

FIRE EXTINGUISHING can best be carried out using the followingmethods:· Clothing material: use blanket / coats, to smother flames. (A

class fire)· Paper / rubbish: use water to douse flames.

· Grease/oil/gases: use CO2 or HALON. (B - Class fire)· Electrical: Use CO2 OR HALON, pull circuit breakers. Switch off

supply.· Oven fire: shut oven door, pull circuit breakers, use CO2 or HALON

if necessary.

REMEMBER:

· Always check for re-ignition after extinguishing

· Tips on how to fight a small fire safely:I) Don’t waste time, quickly size up the situation.ii) Get everyone removed from the area then fight it.iii) Stay low, out of heat and smoke.iv) Ventilate only after fire is out.v) Don’t leave the fire area even fire extinguished.vi) In case of smoke lie low as smoke is thicker at height.

ELECTRICAL FIRE:

· Turn the appropriate switch off.· Do not use water.

CLOTHING FIRE

· Smother with a blanket or coat.

Note: If your clothes catch fire, don’t run, STOP, DROP AND ROLL – Stop where you are, drop to the floor, cover your face withyour hands and roll over to smother the flames. OR if nospace is available, brush against a wall to smother the flames.

SEAT CUSHION FIRE· Smother with a blanket or coat.

· Remove the cushion and place it on the floor. (Use Water)

FABRIC / CARPET FIRE· Smother with a blanket or coats. (Use Water)



ASHTRAY FIRE· Pour water or any Non-flammable liquid.

FIRE STOPS WITH YOU

Working Together for Home Fire Safety: A Fact-sheet on Home Fire Prevention.

An overwhelming number of fires occur in the home. There are time-tested ways to preventand survive a fire. It is not a question of luck. It is a planning ahead.

Every Home should have at Least One Working Smoke Alarm (if possible). A working smokealarm can double your chances of survival.

Prevent Electrical FiresNever overload circuits or cords. Do not place cords and wires under rugs, over nails in hightraffic areas. Immediately shut off and unplug appliances that sputter, spark or emit an

unusual smell. Have them replaced.

Use Appliances WiselyWhen using appliances follow the manufacture’s safety precautions. Overheating, unusualsmells, shots and sparks are all warning signs that appliances need to be shut off, thenreplaced or repaired. Unplug appliances when not in use. Use safety caps to cover allunused outlets, especially if there are small children in the home.

Alternate Heaters

· Portable heaters need their space. Keep anything combustible atleast three feet away.

· Kerosene heaters should be only where approved by authorities.Never use gasoline or camp-stove fuel. Refuel outside and onlyafter the heater or generator has cooled off.

Affordable Home Fire Safety Sprinklers

When home fire sprinklers are used with working smoke alarms, your chances of surviving afire are greatly increased.

Plan Your Escape

Practice an escape plan from every room in the house. Caution everyone to stay low to thefloor when escaping from fire and never to open doors that is hot. Select a location whereeveryone can meetafter escaping the house. Get out then call for help.

Caring for Children

Children under five years are naturally curious, may play with matches and lighters.Tragically children set over 20,000 house fires every year. Teaching children that fire is atool, not a toy.



Caring for Older People

Every year over 1,200 senior citizens die in fires. Many of these fire deaths could have beenprevented. Seniors are especially vulnerablebecause many live alone and can not respond quickly.

FIRE STOPS WITH YOU

Fire Safety Lasts a Lifetime: A Fire Safety Fact-sheet for Older, Adults and their Caregivers

People over age of 65 face the greatest risk of dying in a fire. Older adults, their caregivers toknow that there are special precautionsyou can take to protect yourself and your home from fire.

UNDERSTANDING THE RISK

Why are Older Adults at Risk?· Decreased mobility, health, sight, and hearing may limit a persons

ability to take the quick action necessary to escape during fireemergency.

· Depending on physical limitation s, many of the actions anindividual can take to protect themselves from the dangers of firemay require help from a caregiver, neighbor, or outside source.

PLAN YOUR ESCAPE

Planning fire escape plans around one-s capabilities is a key element to fire safety!

· Know at least two exits from every room.

· If you use a walker or wheelchair, check all exits to be sure theycan go through the doorways.

· Make necessary accommodations, such as providing exit rampsand widening doorways to facilitate an emergency escape.

· Unless instructed by fire department, never use an elevator during fire.

LIVE NEAR AN EXIT

Although you have the legal right to live wherever you choose, you will be safest on theground floor if you live in an apartment building.

BE FIRE-SAFE AROUND THE HOME

The leading cause of residential fire deaths among older adults is careless smoking.

· If you must smoke, never smoke in bed or near an oxygen source,gas stove, or other flammable object.

· When cooking, never approach an open flame while wearing looseclothing and do not leave cooking unattended. Use a timer toremind you of food in the oven.



· Do not overload electrical outlets or extension cords.

· Never use the oven to heat your home. Properly maintain chimneysand space heaters.

· Take special precaution if you are on medication that makes youdrowsy.

KNOW YOUR ABILITIES

When it comes to fire - do not be scared, be prepared. Fire Stops with You!

CHECK LIST FOR FIRE PREVENTION

· Keep your area of work clean. Littering of paper etc.should be avoided.

· Keep your kitchen well-ventilated.

· Exhaust fan can remove smoke very fast. If smoke isthick, bend down to come out. Place wet cloth overnose and mouth.

· When you notice fire, do not panic, use your trainingas a fire fighter to fight the fire.

Documents

Bunyaadi Tarbiyyat Guide