A class session at IIM Trichy often goes without much pomp on most days. Students read up the cases and readings before coming to class and the professors encourage discussions during their lectures. The discussions could range anything from simple and straightforward to venturing into the more philosophical and psychological territories. While this may seem interesting to someone from outside, it is pretty much the typical day here. However, there was one course on Communication that differed from the norm. We had skits, roleplays and interactions that you would not see in a normal class. And it was one of these sessions that always stands out as a memorable moment for me.
The course concentrated on trying to improve the students’ communication, a skill very much necessary for a manager. We were given various tasks and assignments to work on that would help us identify common issues faced in communication. Some of the lessons were just interactive sessions while others had us doing small roleplays, debates and the like. One of our tasks during this course was for each group to prepare a skit showing barriers to proper communication. The two nights before saw the different groups all trying out their skits, planning dialogs and scenes and practicing them over and over. None of the groups knew what the other was going to put up but all of us were looking forward to watching our classmates nonetheless. It was on this day that we were able to see another side of our classmates as well.
We had everything from a Russian client demanding the production of a Vodka flavoured perfume to a sleepy office worker who couldn’t even manage to stay awake during a conference call with his boss. Hidden skills started to be revealed. Imitation, accents, inside jokes, comedy and some very good acting. The quiet ones weren’t so quiet anymore. The serious ones turned out to be some of the funniest. That day filled the class with laughter and mirth, allowing us to move away from the usual academic-oriented lectures, poking fun at our classmates for the acts they pulled. Perhaps it is occasions like these that we get to see the fun side of people we study or work with.
An ABG Company I would like to work for:
If I could choose an ABG company to work for, my choice would be a brand under Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Limited. This choice is not because I have experience in the particular field or have some expert knowledge of fashion. Rather it is because my choice of industry is often inclined towards something more artsy and creative. I always lean towards something that is linked to animation, music or otherwise similar fields. I believe that it’s not just the kind of work you do that you should enjoy but also the field in which you are working.
This article is written by Parvathy Ashok - Class of 2019