#69, Book Review of ‘English and Soft Skills’ by Dr.S.P.Dhanavel

‘English and Soft Skills’ by Dr.S.P.Dhanavel

Book reviewed by Dr.M.Renuga, Professor of English, Sona College of Technology, Salem-5, Tamilnadu.

Introduction

English and Soft Skills by Dr. S.P. Dhanavel is a one-of-its-kind book catering to the needs of youngsters, especially the college students, for developing their English language skills and soft skills in an integrated way through relevant extracts from world literature, particularly short stories.

Choice of Skill Sets

The first and foremost important feature of the book is the choice of skills. All the Soft Skills chosen are relevant to the work place. If a graduate acquires and practices these skills, he/ she will become an asset to the organization. Beginning with listening skill, the content includes team work, emotional intelligence, assertiveness, learning to learn, problem-solving, interview, adaptability, and non-verbal communication and written communication skills that are required for any workplace.

Approach

The most striking aspect of the book is its approach. With ten units dealing with ten different skills, the content is well structured. Each unit begins with a few questions to warm up, followed by a story. The set of questions given at the end of the story helps the students comprehend the story better. After this, there is a list of activities, some of which can be done by the students themselves individually or in groups and some can be conducted by the teacher. Since the activities are coherent, simple and comprehensive, navigating through them becomes easy both for the teacher and the taught.

Story Selection

Understanding the interest of the students, the author has chosen short stories as a genre and medium to teach soft skills. The stories, which are taken from renowned collections, are very interesting and appealing to the students. The concept of teaching/imparting skills through literature has been handled with a master’s touch.

Exercises and Activities

Exercises like understanding the story, people, places and events, vocabulary development and exercises on grammar are not only meaningful but also helpful in evaluating the students’ strength in comprehension and grammar. They do not begin abruptly with activities on soft skills. Exercises on soft skills are gradually introduced with a section on ‘Thinking about Soft Skills’. Then, light is thrown on the skills that the students are supposed to learn from the story under the title ‘Skills from the Story.’ The activities which follow this section are learner-centered which make them all the more interesting. The proverbs and the related exercises given at the end of each section are an eye-opener for the teachers and the students.

Next, the author brings in the application of soft skills in the work place. Everything becomes complete only when it is related to one’s own life experience. Under ‘Real Life experience,’ we have this wonderful opportunity to relate the exhibition or practice of soft skills to our life incidents. Another important exercise is ‘Self-assessment’ wherein the students can assess the degree or extent to which their skills are being utilized. This exercise adds value to the entire learning process because it helps the learners know their strength.

Conclusion

Thus, Dr S P Dhanavel’s textbook on English and Soft Skills is comprehensive as far as skill sets are concerned since the book deals with skills relevant to the workplace.  The approach which includes stories, exercises and activities make the book valuable and resourceful. The book is a precious tool to enhance the skills of the graduates and make them industry-ready.