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Group Discussions (GD) are a robust way to teach not only communication skills to the students but also non-verbal communication, difference between assertiveness and aggressiveness, how to be polite, how to put across your points, how to encourage the reticent participants, etc. GD has been an important component of 'soft skills for professionals', course offered to second and third year engineering students at Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani. This paper focuses on the objectives of teaching the theory of GD and highlights the learning outcomes after all the GDs were conducted in the class. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present job scenario demands aspiring professionals to be highly focused and targeted in the area of their work, expecting them to be proficient in their one-to-one dealings with their peers, superiors and subordinates. It requires them to be highly skilled in this technology-driven world, demanding them to be proficient in life skills such as interpersonal, leadership, time management, negotiation, critical thinking and problem solving, which would enable them to deliver the best in their personal and professional life. One of the effective methodologies to develop life skills among the college students is through storytelling. Cinema has proven to be a successful medium to develop and sustain life skills among university students. As said by Syed Sultan Ahmed who uses cinema to teach life skills to students, "A lot of knowledge in the past was acquired from books. But today, we live in a world where a lot of content is relayed by the audio-visual media. It is the only medium that children can relate to and are naturally drawn to them".1 The paper attempts to explore the concept of life skills as understood and experienced by university students as part of their course structure. It deals with the concept of inculcating life skills among university students with a special emphasis on the case study of students at BITS, Pilani through certain specific course modules. This paper specifically focuses on the observations of the course Short Film and Video Production, and the findings show a substantial difference in their understanding and practical implication through the course modules selected as a part of course assignments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper discusses the strategies to develop the communication competence of the students through face-to-face conversation. It has taken up the case of Birla Institute of Technology and Science, one of the premier institutes in India, and has limited itself to the course on Business Communication offered to the students of engineering and sciences as an elective. It discusses an approach to teaching a significant communication component of face-to-face conversation and the skills acquired by the students during such situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Engineering education in India largely focuses on imparting knowledge in the respective technical areas. Undoubtedly, technical expertise is important for students aspiring to become successful professionals at their workplaces; however, apart from their technical expertise, they have to work with people from varied backgrounds. Hence, presentation skills, teamwork, negotiations, emotional intelligence and leadership skills are some of the soft skills required by the technocrats in their respective arenas to discharge their duties successfully. Right from the moment, they appear for the interviews, their soft skills come to the driver seat. In fact, even the hiring officials place the soft skills as a top priority for the job. Moreover, acquisition of the skill to communicate persuasively, positive attitude towards work, teamwork, etc. impart a finishing school touch to the students undergoing engineering education. The present paper discusses the multifarious soft skills the engineering students need to possess and the various ways in which these skills are imparted to them. The paper also discusses the experience of handling such courses in one of the premier institutes of India-Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani (Rajasthan). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]