← HCS syllabus
HCS (Haryana)Stage 1: Preliminary Examination
Interpersonal Skills Including Communication Skills
What the official syllabus says
CSAT (Preliminary Examination, Paper II):
- Interpersonal skills including communication skills.
Topics in detail
Communication: basic concepts
- The communication process: sender, message, channel, receiver, feedback
- Verbal and non-verbal communication: body language, tone, facial expression, gestures
- Written and oral communication; formal and informal channels
- Upward, downward and lateral communication in an organisation
- Barriers to communication: language, perception, noise, emotions, hierarchy, information overload
- Ways of overcoming barriers: clarity, simple language, checking understanding, feedback
- Active listening: attention, not interrupting, paraphrasing, asking clarifying questions
- Effective writing for administration: brevity, clarity, accuracy, courtesy
Interpersonal skills
- Empathy and understanding another person's point of view
- Courtesy, patience and respect in dealing with the public
- Assertiveness as distinct from aggression and from passivity
- Building trust and rapport with colleagues, subordinates and citizens
- Teamwork and co-operation; the role of a team member and a team leader
- Giving and receiving feedback and criticism constructively
- Emotional self-control and handling stress at work
Conflict, negotiation and persuasion
- Sources of conflict in teams and between departments
- Styles of handling conflict: avoiding, accommodating, competing, compromising, collaborating
- Negotiation: interests and positions, finding common ground, win-win outcomes
- Persuasion through reasons and evidence rather than pressure
- Mediation between disputing parties
Situations in public service
- Handling an angry or distressed citizen at a public office
- Dealing with grievances and complaints fairly and quickly
- Communicating with people of different backgrounds, languages and levels of literacy
- Explaining a government decision or rule to the people it affects
- Working with a superior who disagrees, or with an unco-operative colleague
- Communicating during an emergency or a disaster
Answering such questions
- Choosing the response that is respectful, fair, practical and within the rules
- Preferring dialogue and resolution over confrontation or avoidance
- Avoiding options that are rude, evasive, illegal or that pass the problem on without action
Styles of handling conflict
| Style | What it means | When it can fit |
|---|---|---|
| Avoiding | Withdrawing from the issue | A trivial issue, or when emotions need to cool |
| Accommodating | Giving way to the other side | When the issue matters more to the other side |
| Competing | Pressing one's own position | Emergencies, or when a rule must be enforced |
| Compromising | Each side gives up something | Equal positions and limited time |
| Collaborating | Working out a solution that meets both sides' interests | Important issues and lasting relationships |
How such questions are framed
Questions on this area usually describe a situation at work or in public life and ask for the most appropriate response. The better answer is generally the one that listens first, keeps the conversation respectful, solves the actual problem and stays within one's role. Answers that ignore the other person, escalate the matter without trying to resolve it, or give in to pressure against the rules are usually the weaker ones.
Overlaps
Empathy, emotional intelligence and attitude are also part of General Studies IV (Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude), and communication skills are judged in the Personality Test.