Soft Skills - Problem Solving

hello friends welcome to this video on tutorials point today we will talk about problem-solving skills well problems are a part of our life all of us face problems at some point or the other in our life these problems can be personal problems at home with your parents with your siblings etc or it can also be professional problems which you might face with your co-workers your team members or your managers and bosses problems will always be there but we need to understand how to solve these problems in the most efficient and effective manner so that it leads us to be confident and mature human beings let's discuss what is on the agenda today well we will discuss on what is the problem we will define what problem-solving is all about skills to use for problem-solving certain barriers which might come in the way of problem-solving steps for problem-solving strategies and certain analytics which will we'll discuss to solve the problems and the role of brain in solving problems well we have a lot in store for us today on this module on problem solving so let's get started immediately well if we have to define what exactly is a problem in a global way certain phrases or certain sentences which you might have used yourself or hurt somebody else use it certain things like everything is going wrong for me nothing is right everything is going wrong for me he or she will never change you might say this to yourself there is absolutely no hope in this particular situation and I seem to have the world on my shoulders how many times friends have you used such phrases yourself well in a global sense a problem is all of these sentences when we use a problem if we have to define it means a systematic approach to defining the problem some questions or situation that present uncertainty perplexity or difficulty and creating a vast number of possible solutions without actually judging these solutions in simple terms a problem is a doubt a difficult situation which requires a particular solution and today friends in this module we will discuss certain strategies and certain steps how we can help to solve this problem in a better manner certain facts about problem solving well mr. peck has very nicely mentioned in his this statement problems call forth our courage and our wisdom in fact they create our courage and wisdom it is only because of these problems that we grow mentally and spiritually friends we would not have problems in our life nothing would be working out for us we would remain the way we are we would always never really think of growing in a spiritual mature mental manner so it becomes very important to understand that problems are not always negative don't think of them in a negative manner they can be very positive terms in fact we need to use these problems in a positive manner if you really want to grow into successful human beings so what exactly is problem-solving certain facts and certain things that we need to discuss with regards to problem-solving problem-solving forms a part of our thinking so it's always going to be there it's a part of our thinking consider to be the most complex of all intellectual functions requires modulation and control of more routine and fundamental skills now when we talk about problems you will talk about how to use different skill sets and how to use different knowledge ease to ensure that we are able to solve problems better a problem does not know how to proceed from a given state to a desired state problems will never solve by themselves in fact it is upon the person on whom this problem is there to take that problem from a particular place to another place so taking them from point A to point B depends on the person on whom the problem is there it is a part of a larger problem process that includes problem finding as well as problem shaping so problem solving is only a small part of the entire gamut of entire space of problems well we will now discuss certain skill sets which are required or which are rather used for problem solving you to be able to make judgments if it is something that you want to do meaning if you want to solve your problems better you need to be able to decide and judge what is right and what is wrong in a given situation so your power of judgment needs to be really strong you need to have great analytical skills it's something which you need to do for yourself if you want to solve problems better you need to be good at analyzing the situation thinking about the situation forming strategies around the situation etc you need to be able to decide better so decision-making part needs to be really strong in terms of how to take certain decisions with regards to problem-solving now these decisions need to be taken by yourself in consultation of course with a lot of other people also collecting the information and planning so all this becomes a part and parcel of the skill set which is used to solve our problems we need to plan better we need to strategize better and we need to collect all the information if you have certain skill sets which we have just mentioned that is what is needed to solve problems better well friends if barriers are not there nothing is a smooth cakewalk in this world so wherever problems will be their barriers or obstacles will also be there so let's understand what these barriers to problem solving are failure to recognize the problem a person might live in a complete delusion that there is no problem well you need to firstly accept the fact that there is a problem so failure to recognize a problem is the number one barrier to problem-solving conceiving that the problem is very narrow so we need to be thinking in a very more flexible way and adaptable way and not think in a narrow mind so we need to have an open mind with regards to problem-solving making a hasty choice and this is something which all of us do in our day to day life we really are in a quick way of finding the most immediate solution that we can without really pondering over the solution so we make hasty decisions and later on we might regret these so making a hasty decision is also one of the barriers failure to recognize or consider all the consequences we might not really be aware of what are the consequences which can happen if we solve this problem and failure to consider the feasibility of the situation or the solution we might not consider or give too much of a tidge on consequences or rather on feasibility of the solution we might make a decision in haste and that can go against us so friends these are certain barriers which can come in the way in your problem-solving process now problem-solving is a vast subject and today we are going to actually make you understand step by step procedure to solve problems and mr. Albert Einstein has said it very beautifully in his particular statement it's not that I am so smart it's just that I stay with the problems a little longer so in fact friends if you want to solve your problems better you need to spend a lot of time with these problems of yours don't be in a haste to get over them try and understand and spend as much time as you can with your problems it will only help you to solve these problems in a better manner the most important part of any problem-solving is accepting the problem and today we will talk about certain strategies which can actually help you find motivation and commitment to prepare you before you even enter into this problem solving procedure or process the first and the foremost is you need to list out the benefits now when you think about problems you might wonder what can be the benefits but trust me friends while you are talking about problems there might be certain benefits which are hidden which you might not even realize so you need to list out all of these benefits before you actually get into the problem-solving process you need to formalize your acceptance so accept that you need to walk around this particular you know problem and you need to also understand that problems need to be accepted you need to accept the responsibility for your life so be proactive take initiative accept that this problem is there in life and you need to solve it in the best possible manner create a worst case scenario think about it what can be the worst possible thing which can happen if you don't solve this problem or if you do solve this problem thinking about the worst case scenario can actually help you really narrow down on your problem-solving process and the last not the least identify what's really holding you back why aren't you jumping into the problem why are you holding yourself back is there any fear is there any phobia are you doubting yourself so ask all these questions before you actually get into the problem-solving process so friends this is how you accept the problem by pondering over all of these questions which we have just mentioned getting into the steps of problem solving well there are certain steps for problem solving the first and foremost being we need to understand what is a problem what are certain alternatives are certain other things regarding that problem the advantages and disadvantages of each of this alternative that we have identified for ourselves what is the solution and last but not the least how well is the solution really working and the last step we actually come to know whether a problem has been solved or not so let's understand in detail each and every step of problem solving now step one what is exactly the problem so certain questions friends you need to ask yourself when you are in this particular stage of the first step of problem solving questions to ask is what do I know about this particular situation you might have landed yourself in a situation and you need to think about what exactly is this situation do I know about it what results am i aiming for in this situation you need to think about the end goal what is it that you are looking for if this problem is solved and how can I define the problem now a friend's defining the problems at times is not an easy task you might think of a problem in your head but when you think about it and when you write it down the problem doesn't really exist it's all there in your mind so how do you really define the problem let's understand now certain ways of defining the problem so first and foremost you need to collect all the relevant information that you need for this problem-solving process so collect information from wherever you can try and get everything together which will help you define the problem clarify any background issues there might have been certain things in the past which might have happened so you need to collect all the background information like issues also what are the constraints certain do's don'ts with regards to that problem you need to define that are the needs sub problems now there might be a very big problem and under that there might be sub problems which you might have missed out so what I'm trying to understand is let's understand are there any sub problems and how do you deal with those sub problems within the larger problem so these tips and these questions will actually help you define the first step which is defining the problem now you might want to ask yourself certain questions to analyze these problems let's see what these questions which you need to ask yourself history of the problem how long has that problem existed has it just entered into your life or has it been there since a long long time you need to understand the time period of that particular module how serious is the problem well sometimes a problem might be a small thing but we make a big thing out of that in our minds so we need to understand how serious is the problem is it really worth giving your time and attention to what are the causes of the problem certain causes certain root things which might turn up over here so certain root causes of the problem what are the effects of the problem ultimately how will the problem affect you or not affect you what are certain symptoms of the problem well you need to ask yourself and rather I would say introspect on these questions with regards to problem solving and we are still in the first step of defining the problem so we are getting all this information introspecting and really spending a lot of time at this step which is the first step to get to know all that we can about the problem the step number two is what are the alternatives now once you have defined the problems you need to understand what are the alternatives now how will you get to know the alternatives you can actually speak to other people about it if it's a personal problem you can speak to your family members about it your siblings your friends and if it's a professional related problem related to your career related to your work you can actually talk to your co-workers your team members and any other person in your organization so talking to people really helps because it helps you to find the best alternative to that particular problem the second thing is spend as much time and get as many new ideas about solving that problem you need to really think out of the box here you need to innovate and think in a creative manner try and find out different solutions and alternatives to that particular problem and the last thing which you can do to find alternatives is location should be change so try and change the place where you are actually changing the location actually helps you to think of different alternatives as well some other alternatives that we can look at is external benchmarking so try and have a benchmarking that you want to define for yourself ask probing questions questions always help us to get the answers so you need to ask a lot of open-ended questions to yourself and to others questions beginning with what how where how etc these will in fact these will help you to narrow down on your particular solutions be willing to consider views different from yours at times friends what happened we are very stuck to our own way of thinking and if anybody else is giving us any solution or alternative we are very close to their views and opinions so I would rather say be open to other people's point of view because they might come up with something which probably you might not have looked into yourself and revisit abandoned alternatives at times we might have thought of an alternative and said bye-bye to it it's time to rethink those alternatives and get them back and probably just think beyond what you might have earlier seen so friends these are step two which will help you finding different alternatives for your particular problem step 3 with regards to the alternatives that you have just mentioned or written down find out what are the advantages and disadvantages of each of this alternative now try and think about the pros and cons for each alternative because this will help you get out the best solution or the best alternative which you might want to use with regards to problem-solving step number four is what is the solution so after you have actually listed down the advantages disadvantages and pros and cons of each solution and each alternative try and see what is the best solution so which alternatives would you like to pursue let's look at that evaluate and compare the alternatives as much as you can spend a lot of time with each alternative and try to compare each other combine the alternatives at times two or three solutions can be combined together to give you the best solution so that can be worked out try out each alternative in your imagination just try to play each and every solution in your mind visually think about having a discussion in your own mind and finding the best solution what steps can I take to act on the alternatives chosen after you have zero down on the best solution or the best alternative you need to also think about what are the steps which will help you find solution on this particular alternative that you have chosen step 5 and the last step for problem-solving is how well is the solution working their friends you will not know whether a problem has been solved or no until and unless you ask yourself whether the solution has been well received well by asking what is my evaluation asking yourself introspecting whether the solution has worked or not by asking what is your feedback on that particular problem and what adjustments are necessary after the problem has been solved you might have to adjust your life a little bit with regards to that particular problem so how well you have accepted the problem and how well are the adjustments that is an introspective question you need to ask yourself well friends now am I gonna discuss the most effective way of problem-solving after discussing the steps we now need to understand how effectively we can solve the problems when we have the left brain and the right brain every individual has a left and a right brain now these brains function in a particular manner so let's understand what is the role and function of a left brain visa ways what is the function and the role of a right-side brain let's decode left and right brain the left brain is more thinking in terms of logic they use analytics organization administration math science they view a lot of knowledge and facts so well if I have to decode a left brain person he's somebody who really thinks observes analyzes strategizes on a particular thing on the other side the right brain is actually very very emotional very sensitive spiritually they are very active intuition interpersonal skills they believe in a lot of art and music they believe in themselves and they always see the bigger picture now if I have to tell you that you need to use one side of your brain to decode any kind of problem the left side of the brain actually thinks about the problem too much they analyze this strategize and the really blow things out of proportion on the other hand the right side of the brain can get very you know emotional and intuitive so the best way to problem-solve is by analyzing the problem from the left-hand side of your brain and once you have decided how to solve the problem you need to use the right side of the brain to really let go of that problem and really become less emotional and sensitive about it well that brings us to the conclusion of this particular module on problem solving we have discussed a lot in detail today with regards to what our problems how to solve problems certain skill set required to solve the problems and certain steps to solve problems in a better manner also understanding the left and right side of the brain in helping us solve the problems well friends we hope that you have enjoyed listening to this particular module on problem solving thank you very much for listening to and do leave your comments in the comment box

Channel: Tutorials Point (India) Ltd.

Views: 136,893

Keywords: Soft Skills - Problem Solving

Id: uqhOnXOiwOg

Length: 19min 55sec (1195 seconds)

Published: Tue Feb 07 2017