Download - Communication Soft Skill
IBM Global Services India
1 © 2004 IBM Corporation
IBM Global Services
© 2004 IBM CorporationThe information in this document shall not be disclosed outside of IBM
IBM Confidential
Fundamental Soft SkillFundamental Soft Skill
Presented By: Amit Kumar RoyPresented By: Amit Kumar Roy
IBM Global Services India
2 © 2004 IBM Corporation
Program Objectives
To have a standardized program that enables ELTP's and ensures that at the end of the Program they have
Adequate skill levels to perform
Variance of skill levels among ELTP’s is reduced
Average perform capability of the team is high
Technology
Soft Skills and AttitudeApplication Domain Knowledge
3Dimensions of Enablement
IBM Global Services India
3 © 2004 IBM Corporation
Soft Skill Tips
Set up your Mail Signature with Necessary details Set up your "Out of Office" or “Out of Campus” when you are off. Technical Analysis Mails to Show your Experience not Inexperience Send Tasks Plan and Status Mails to keep all Stakeholders Informed Respond your Mails in One Business Day Review the CC and TO list Discourage large attachments. Zip it up Avoid Last minute surprises Always provide ETA and Workaround for blockers Minute the meeting you attend Avoid using SMS kind of Language in Business Mails. Always try and make the mail positive When you are upset with a mail try not to reply immediately.Give some time , review, try to remove emotions and send later. Use Goggle Desktop for Search functions .
IBM Global Services India
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Set up your Mail Signature with Necessary details
• Advantage A person who has not seen you
sitting remotely should clearly get the information from your signature.
• Disadvantage Without proper signature, it will
be very difficult to identity the people, and working application.
People may not be able to contact you in urgent situation.
• Required Format Name Role Designation ( Like EFMS-
Development, EFMS-Test, EFMS-System Engineering )
Sub team that you belong to ( Like EFMS-MS or EFMS-MIS or EFMS-TP or EFMS-ChildApps )
IBM location with Address Seat No Contact Numbers ( External call in
Number with Country and area code, Mobile Number )
Internet E-mail ( @in.ibm.com )
IBM Global Services India
5 © 2004 IBM Corporation
Good Examples
Example1:
Thanks and regards,Santhosh Vandyil
AT&T Account, ELTP Mgmt,IBM India Private Limited,Manyata Embassy Business Park,D2-Block,3rd Floor-MD2-3A-150Outer Ring
Road ,NagawaraRachenahalliBangalore-560045
Contact: Office: +91-80-402-56299 Mobile: +91-98458 85384 TieLine : 92 -21299 E-Mail: [email protected]
Example2:Thanks & Regards,Shraddha GargEFMS-Development,EFMS-MISIBM India Private Limited,Block - D2, Manyata EmbassyBusiness ParkSeat: MD2-3A-293Outer Ring Road, Nagawara - Rachenahalli VillageBangalore – 560 045, Karnataka, IndiaContact:Mobile : +91-9900211744Tel : +91-80-280-56148(Extn)
Email : [email protected]
IBM Global Services India
6 © 2004 IBM Corporation
Set up your "Out of Office" or “Out of Campus” when you are off
• Advantage The out of office message alerts the
sender to look explore for alternatives
• Disadvantage It may create a situation, when some
thing is urgently required, and no one is aware about that.
It will break the communication series.
• Required Format Starting when you will be out of
office When will you return back For the current activities that you are
involved in who is the backup with Email address and Contact no of backup ( # Backup should be aware of the same and it should be in consultation with your manager )
And you escalation path ( manager e-mail address and contact no)
IBM Global Services India
7 © 2004 IBM Corporation
Good Example
I will be out of office starting 29th August evening India/Morning EST and will be back on 2nd Sept. During this period I will not have access to my E-mails. Please contact the following backups during my absence
PA911:
Srinivas Piratla ( [email protected] )
Extn: +9180-402-56111
PB494 :
Srikanth Mulapudi ( [email protected] )
Extn: +9180-402-56112
In case you need additional support please contact my manager
Patil Devraj ( [email protected] )
Extn: +9180-402-56109
Mob: +919886530288
IBM Global Services India
8 © 2004 IBM Corporation
Technical Analysis Mails to Show your Experience not Inexperience
• Advantage It will provide the clear picture of
problem It will reflect your work done It will reflect your Experience
• Disadvantage It will reflect your work
inexperience It may confuse the second party to
approach to problem It will not reflect your effort to
analyze and solving the problem
• Required Format Problem Description Your conclusion Snippet of log file which aided the
conclusion Snippet of Sql Queries which aided the
conclusion
Snippet of Requirements which aided
the conclusion
IBM Global Services India
9 © 2004 IBM Corporation
Send Tasks Plan and Status Mails to keep all Stakeholders Informed
• Advantage Easy to trace your progress
• Disadvantage You may not able to complete your
task on time Work may get stuck in mid, because
of improper analysis of risk and issues.
• Required Format Your expected timeline of
completion of the activity Date associated with the timeline What do you perceive as Risks and
Issues for the same
IBM Global Services India
10 © 2004 IBM Corporation
Respond your Mails in One Business Day
• Advantage It will reduce the time zone problem Helped to resolve the problem with
Time Line Second party can approach further
in their respective Time zone
• Disadvantage It may delay the completion time. You may not able to complete the
task on time line.
• Tips For mails which is to keep IBM US
informed or requesting there help you should be sending the mails by India Lunch time. This will make sure that it gets the US SME attention by there start of business.
IBM Global Services India
11 © 2004 IBM Corporation
Review the CC and TO list
• Advantage It will not create the unnecessary
confusion TO will reflect,mail is required for
them, and CC will reflect, this mail is just for there information
• Disadvantage It may create mail war like “Please
remove me from list” It will eat some valuable time of the
person unnecessarily It will lead to unnecessary traffic
• Tips Critically review the To and CC list
of a mail. Are there so many people needed in the list. if not remove the unnecessary people
Critically review if the mail has large attachments
IBM Global Services India
12 © 2004 IBM Corporation
Discourage large attachments
• Advantage Reduce the unnecessary traffic Reduce mail server storage issue
• Disadvantage Recipients will get frustrated, if he
is accessing the network from home via a dialup or weak connection
Dialup and Home connectivity users will be blocked
The recipients will face lot of issues if you have large unzipped attachments in the mails
It will create mail server storage issue
• Tips Always use WinZip/Pkzip to zip
the large documents that you have attached
IBM Global Services India
13 © 2004 IBM Corporation
Avoid Last Minute Surprises
• AdvantageMentors appreciate
genuine concerns of delay however not at the last minute
• DisadvantageFrequent requests for
delay may be interpreted as the capability issue of the candidate
• TipsAlways keep your
lead/manager/mentor informed either by phone or by a mail if the work product is getting delayed with a valid reason for the same. Don’t come back on the last minute
IBM Global Services India
14 © 2004 IBM Corporation
Always provide Workaround for blockers
• Advantage Easy to trace the current status It will reduce the escalation Workaround will reflect the
required time to solve
• Disadvantage It will be difficult to get current
status It will show your inexperience
• Tips Current status ( Analysis/ Identified
the problem/Fixing In progress/Testing )
Estimated time of Availability Workaround for the problem ETA needs to be reviewed
and approved by your senior team members
IBM Global Services India
15 © 2004 IBM Corporation
Avoid SMS Kind of Language in Business Communication
• Advantage You tend to have a good start
with the Professional/Mentor with whome you are interlocking
• Disadvantage If not followed can be
misinterpreted as a communication capability issue of the candidate
• Tips Written Communication can
tell a lot about the person who is sending it.
Use formal language, follow case sensitivity and proper language constructs like sentences and punctuations.
IBM Global Services India
16 © 2004 IBM Corporation
Minute the meeting you attend
• Advantage Reflect the purpose of meeting Reduce the inconvenient because of
Date,Time and Location Provide the clarity for Participants
required Trace out the Absentees
• Disadvantage Participant will not able to get the
importance of meeting It may cause unnecessary
inconvenient, because the lack of date, time and location information
• Tips
The Minutes of the Meeting mail should have
Name of the Meeting Participants Absentees Date and Time Location Contents of the meeting also
needs to be captured. Which may be decision, comments and Action items
IBM Global Services India
17 © 2004 IBM Corporation
Pause and Respond
• Advantage You may able to send a mail,
without any emotional aspect
• Disadvantage Your business relationship may get
effected because of your mail
• Tips When you are upset with a mail try
not to reply immediately You can write the reply and keep it
in draft Give some time , review it yourself
and try and remove the emotions and send later.
IBM Global Services India
18 © 2004 IBM Corporation
Positive Mail
• Advantage It will show your Experience It will give a good relationship with
customer/other person Providing the workaround will give
a right path to approach further
• Disadvantage It will show your inexperience You may loose the support of your
customer/other person
• Tips Always try and make the mail
positive Try to see the problem in
customer's/other person's perspective and reply on the do ability of a problem and not stating that it is not doable
Think of the workaround that may remove the hindrance of the customer
IBM Global Services India
19 © 2004 IBM Corporation
Use Google Desktop
• Advantage This is a free software You can easy Download and Install Very easy to work on this It will reduce the time of searching
the documents
• Disadvantage Searching a document can eat a lot
of time It may bit reduce the speed of your
TC/TP
IBM Global Services India
20 © 2004 IBM Corporation
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