The PG Department of Business Administration (MBA), Public Speaking Club, St Agnes College (Autonomous), Mangaluru successfully organized a comprehensive Soft Skills program for the students of 1st MBA on 28 May 2024, at Seminar Hall, Centenary Block of St Agnes College (Autonomous), Mangaluru. The guest talk aimed to equip students with essential corporate skills, enhance their public speaking abilities, and prepare them for future professional challenges.
Ms Akshatha Shetty, Assistant Professor and Soft Skills trainer, Department of Computer Application (MCA), St Agnes College (Autonomous), Mangaluru, was the resource speaker of the day.
Fabiann and team commenced the official program by invoking God’s blessings, seeking divine favour for the Guest Talk success. The distinguished guests present at the event included the Resource Speaker Ms Akshatha Shetty, Ms. Arlene Fernandes, Staff coordinator, and Mr. Sanath Kumar K, Faculty from the Department of MBA. Vinston of I MBA extended a warm welcome to all attendees and introduced the Resource Speaker, Ms. Akshatha Shetty to the gathering.
At the beginning of the session, Ms. Akshatha engaged the students by dividing them into groups through an activity designed to encourage interaction among peers. She then explained the definition of success and elaborated on essential soft skills, including effective communication, flexibility, creativity, teamwork, and decision-making.
Ms. Akshatha emphasized that success hinges on effective communication, noting that it’s not just what you say, but how you say it. To illustrate each soft skill, she conducted various activities. She highlighted the importance of workplace flexibility and asked students to list alternative uses for a handkerchief, encouraging creativity. Sharing her own life experiences, she provided practical examples of creativity. Another activity focused on teamwork, teaching students how to negotiate with limited resources. She introduced key phrases to foster good team dynamics, such as “I admit I made a mistake,” “You did a good job,” “Give me your opinion,” “Can you please,” “Thank you,” and emphasized the mindset of “It’s not me, it’s we.”
The final part of the session focused on decision-making and problem-solving. Ms. Akshatha shared the story of Roger Bannister, the English neurologist and middle-distance athlete, to illustrate her points. She cited a Harvard University study, highlighting that when a person gets a job or promotion, only 15% of the reason is due to their intelligence or knowledge, while the remaining 85% is attributed to their attitude. She concluded the session with a powerful message: “Knowing is not enough; it is the application that brings about change.”
The orientation program garnered positive feedback from the first-year MBA students, who found the speaker engaging and the session highly valuable. It was interactive, with all students actively participating in the activities. Kavya from I MBA, expressed gratitude to the resource speaker for her time and for sharing such useful information with the students. The MBA Public Speaking Club looks forward to organizing more such events in the future, contributing to the holistic development of our students.
