Elevating yourself
with your
Elevator Speech
D
o you have a sixteen second bite to persuade people
to remember you or choose you against your
competitors? If not then go ahead prepare one and be
ready to encash it whenever and wherever required. You never
know when and where you encounter a right person who can
become a source of your success. Opportunities now a days are
moving and residing at various unusual places where we have
never expected them to be. It might be an escalator of a mall, lift
of an office or corporate parties. In this highly competitive
world every one wants to promote or sell one’s ideas, products
or services. Ours is now technologically driven markets. There
is also no shortage of ways to promote our business,
associations, products and services. There are TV commercials,
web banners, telemarketing, bulk e-mails, etc. But do we dare
to forget the basic good old fashioned “word of mouth”
marketing? It may be good old-fashioned but the fact remains
that it works better than other forms of marketing. Nothing is
more powerful than words provided you deliver it wisely,
skillfully and concisely. Here comes the role of elevator speech,
sixteen second sound bite that does so much more than just tell
people you’re a professional organizer. And to develop an
elevator speech is perhaps the most critical skill that one can
develop for professional and personal advancements.
Sixteen seconds is the average time one spends riding on an
elevator. It’s also the time one needs to introduce oneself, one’s
organization and the nature of services one provides to the
people. While preparing an elevator speech always remember
that your main aim is to grab the attention of the stranger whom
you want to persuade to use your product, services or ideas. To
captivate your listeners you have to cast your occupation in
most ennobling light,. Every elevator speech contains name,
2
Dr Archana Shrivastava
Asst. Professor
Business Communication Area
company’s name, benefit of your services, and description
about what you do and how you do and finally to involve the
listeners end with an open ended question. Your speech should
showcase your uniqueness. It should not concentrate on what
you do but on benefits that your product or services can provide
to them. Benefits include ways of helping others make money,
broaden market, help improving their quality, etc.
As a job-seeker also elevator speech well crafted and delivered
can help you get your dream job. You should have an art to
introduce yourself succinctly telling about your dreams, your
unique qualifications, and your skills. Sixteen seconds are
considered more than enough for your favourable first
impression, provided you deliver it in mnemonic way forcing
others to remember you.
Elevator speech is the demand of hour but it is useless to work
on this two or three minutes presentation if it is not perfectly
crafted. Prepare it before hand and memorize it. But see to it
that it sounds more natural and off-the-cuff. Finally don’t forget
to supplement your information with a piece of memento in a
form of business card, pen or leaflet holding your contact
information so that you remain visible to the stranger when ever
he/she thinks of networking with you.
So what are you waiting for? If you want yourself to be heard
and remembered by people start crafting and practicing your
elevator speech among your friends, in front of a mirror
continuously till you master this short form of oral
communication that can elevate you to the top of the world.
Use your sixteen seconds skillfully and get your message
across. Your elevator speech will definitely elevate you.
 or more so, we do assess these attributes based on appearance.
That's not to say you can forget about preparing for a
presentation, put on a nice suit, and you'll impress the
audience. All the ingredients -- knowledge, preparation, and
appearance — are necessary to make a good impression.

How to Dress Professionally

Should you go out and purchase a new dress every time you
have to make a presentation? Do you need to wear branded
clothes only to leave a mark on your audience? No, it is not at all
necessary!! One can look smart and elegant even in not so new
and branded clothing. The idea here is to understand that it is
not how expensive or new or branded the dress is, the idea is
how smartly you carry yourself The dress you choose should
reflect you, your identity and ideology; and not jumping on
bandwagon. You can always wear old, but the key is to dress up
in an impressive and panache style. Women can probably get
away with a nice skirt and jacket or a business suit, while men
can wear dress trousers and a jacket. Wear neutral colors —

A
big job interview is coming up and you are feeling very
dark blue or grey are good, don't wear large or glitzy jewelry,
confident. You have anticipated the questions they
and wear a button down shirt or a jacket so they have
might ask and have prepared some great answers.
somewhere to clip a microphone. Now about your hair. Your
Fresh copies of your resume are sitting in your backpack. Wait a
hair should be neat and clean. Try to keep it out of your face. As
minute! Did you say backpack? Are you really going to walk
for makeup (for you women out there), keep it simple and
into a job interview carrying a backpack? Next thing you'll say
sober.
is that you're planning to wear jeans and a t-shirt. Uh-oh. You
better ask yourself these questions before you get dressed.
Try to get a feel for where you are going to work before you go
shopping for your new work wardrobe. If you are unsure of
WHAT SHOULD I WEAR?
what the company dress code is, take some cues from the
DO I HAVE AN OUTFIT SUITABLE FOR CORPORATE
person interviewing you. You can also observe what your boss
ENVIRONMENT?
is wearing or take a tour of your new place of employment and
WHAT ABOUT MAKE –UP/ACCESSORIES?
note what the majority of people are wearing. Another strategy
is to simply ask. You can call the HR department, other
A Second Look at First Impressions
employees, your future manager/supervisor or your
No matter how good you look on paper, everything you do
interviewer, and ask them about the company dress code.
from how you treat each member of the interview team, to what
you’re wearing, to what you say or don’t say during the
Complement your Dressing with Non Verbal Cues
interview is noted, and taken into account in the hiring
As your mother mmight have told you, sit up straight. When
decision.
you slouch you look bored. If you're bored, how do you expect
Maybe the current trend toward casual dress at work has made
your audience to feel? You'll also look more confident if you're
people more lax about what they wear. In addition, many
sitting or standing up straight. Look like you're happy to be
people work from home where there are no rules regarding
there. Put a smile on your face. Don't fidget, bite your nails, or
dress. As a remote worker, I can tell you that I don't give much
play with any jewelry you are wearing. And of course — don't
thought to what I wear while working at home. While I don't
forget to breathe!
work in a bathrobe and fuzzy slippers, unless of course I'm
working at 1 a.m., when I give a presentation, though, it's a
Conclusion
whole different story. I try to look my professional best, in a
When attempting to project a professional image, your overall
skirt, shirt, jacket, and dress shoes. I make sure my hair and
goal is to create your own style while still looking competent
makeup are neatly done. In other words, I dress for success.
and commanding respect. With a little creativity and attention
to detail you can look professional at work without losing your
Why You Must Dress Professionally for Certain Situations ??
unique sense of style!
Maybe it's unjust to judge a book by its cover, but we all do it.
It's human nature. While the person in jeans may be as
Pallavi Jain
competent and as intelligent as the one wearing the formal suit,
PGDM- 2009-11
1
 Codename

“Ginger” The life and times of Dean Kamen

- Shiva
(PGDM) 2009- 11

O
n January 2, 1988, Alan T Brown, 20, was enjoying
his day, playing amongst the waves on the beaches of
Martinique. Before he could know, an undertow
pulled his legs out and flipped him upside down onto the hard
sand. As the salty sea water gushed through his eyes and ears,
Alan knew that something had gone terribly wrong. He could
feel his bones crackling under the heavy weight of water.
A sharp pain shot through his legs and back. Moments later,
Alan lay on the ground, the pain subsiding. This was the last
time when Alan T Brown ever felt pain. Paralyzed from waist
below, Alan was condemned to a life of drudgery by destiny.
The Six feet two inch man had lost all hopes of seeing a man eye
to eye ever again, until a miracle knocked his doors in 2005. It
was not an act of God, but rather that of a man; a man who
strived to bring about a change in the lives of the millions of
disabled around the globe. The inventor of the world’s first and all. In 1982, Kamen sold Autosyringe to Baxter
mechanized, stair climbing wheelchair, the “Ibot” – Dean International, a multinational health company, and made
Kamen. It was his marvellous invention that showed people like himself a fortune. The Worcester college dropout was now a
Alan, a way to live life in all its totality. multimillionaire.

Born to Jack Kamen, a comic book artist for MAD and Weird
Science Magazines, the super successful inventor and
entrepreneur, is today best known for Segway PT- an electric,
self-balancing human transporter. An innovator in his own
right, Dean Kamen is also known as the modern day Edison due
to his striking similarities with the great scientist. Like Edison,
Kamen, though a bright and ingenious student, never did well
in school. His grades all through his student life were average. “I
just remember thinking school was humiliating and
intimidating and frustrating. I hated school. I hated every aspect
of school. I don't like people telling me what to do. I didn't like
teachers judging me. There was no part of school that I liked.
And I just tried to get through it each day and get away,
” says Kamen. Post- School, Kamen joined the Worcester
Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in Massachusetts, but the banality of
classes took over him and he dropped off. It was during these
days that he made his first breakthrough – The Autosyringe; a
portable device that could be worn by patients who needed
round the clock medication, that administered timely doses of
medicine. The Autosyringe was appreciated and loved by one
Kamen, a relentless man he is, founded his own company
DEKA, where DE and KA stand for Dean and Kamen
respectively, and invested his fortune in a new project,
codenamed - Ginger. In 2001 Ginger was unveiled before the
world rechristened as the Segway Personal Transporter. The
Segway PT was the invention that made sure that Kamen’s name
would go a long way down the history lane. The Segway was an
instant hit. Though Kamen’s dream of a Segway in every home
remains unfulfilled, he is happy with the way things have turned
up. Kamen today has dozens of inventions to his credit from the
Ibot wheelchair to a portable Dialysis machine. Kamen has
always believed that his inventions have the power to redefine
the boundaries of our society. On being questioned on his later
project Kamen says, “We can't live anymore in a world which is
based on stuff and not ideas. If you want to live with the world of
stuff, we're all doomed. As we move towards 8 or 10 billion
people on the planet, there's a little less gold per capita. Each
one of us will continue to be fighting over an ever smaller
percentage of total resources, except it won't be just gold we're

2
 COMMUNIS
fighting over. It will be water and air. This is not a happy
thought.” DEKA is today working on a revolutionary way to
purify water for the Third world countries. Based on the Sterling
engine – a complex engine developed in 1816 by Scottish
inventor Robert Stirling (1790–1878) for transportation
purposes. Kamen concluded that the Stirling engine was not
right for his transportation machines, but could be definitely
used to produce clean water.
In addition to being the Pied Piper of technology, Kamen also
set up FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and
Technology) in 1989, to fuel the fire of technology and
innovation among children. In its first year of FIRST, Kamen
organized a robotics competition at a school in New
Hampshire. 28 teams participated in the competition. In 2004,
this number surged to 400 and became one of the hottest
competitions in USA for the geeky kind. Kamen’s philosophy
behind organizing the competition is that “Here, whether your
robot wins or not, you come away ... with an understanding of
what is possible in the world.” Today, FIRST is supported by
major organizations around the world, right from GE till NASA.
Kamen is a self professed workaholic. He owns and pilots two
Raytheon 390 Beechcraft Premier I jets, in addition to two
helicopters that he regularly uses to commute. Unmarried and
with no children what keeps Kamen going? Doesn’t he ever get
depressed?
“No. Rather than myself, I focus on the fact that two-thirds of the
human population of this planet does not have reliable access
to water or electricity. And it's that same two-thirds, it's that
same 4 billion out of 6 billion people that have very little
money. At least I can say, here these are productivity tools —
generators and water-makers. But I must find a way to deliver
them. When I fail to get there quickly, at least I can say to
myself, that's because it's a really big problem, and nobody else
got there yet. Marriage is not a big problem. So I'll keep trying
towards the former and get going ,” says Kamen before hoping
onto the latest model of his Segway PT and getting out.
Communication, is it!
Spotted in a toilet of a London office:
TOILET OUT OF ORDER; PLEASE USE FLOOR BELOW.
In a London Laundromat:
AUTOMATIC WASHING MACHINES: PLEASE REMOVE
ALL YOUR CLOTHES WHEN THE LIGHT GOES OUT.
In a London office:
AFTER TEA-BREAK, STAFF SHOULD EMPTY THE TEAPOT
AND STAND UPSIDE DOWN ON THE DRAINING BOARD.
Outside a London second-hand shop:
WE EXCHANGE ANYTHING - BICYCLES, WASHING
MACHINES, ETC. WHY NOT BRING YOUR WIFE ALONG
AND GET A WONDERFUL BARGAIN?
Notice in London health food shop window:
CLOSED DUE TO ILLNESS
Spotted in a safari park:
ELEPHANTS PLEASE STAY IN YOUR CAR
Seen during a London conference:
FOR ANYONE WHO HAS CHILDREN AND DOESN'T KNOW
IT, THERE IS A DAY CARE ON THE 1ST FLOOR
Notice in a field:
THE FARMER ALLOWS WALKERS TO CROSS THE FIELD
FOR FREE, BUT THE BULL CHARGES
Message on a leaflet:
IF YOU CANNOT READ, THIS LEAFLET WILL TELL YOU
HOW TO GET LESSONS
On a repair shop door:
WE CAN REPAIR ANYTHING (PLEASE KNOCK HARD ON
THE DOOR, THE BELL DOESN'T WORK)
People in other countries sometimes go out of their way to
communicate with their English-speaking tourists. Here is a
list of signs seen around the world.
At a Budapest zoo:
PLEASE DO NOT FEED THE ANIMALS. IF YOU HAVE ANY
SUITABLE FOOD, GIVE IT TO THE GUARD ON DUTY.
Doctors office, Rome :
SPECIALIST IN WOMEN AND OTHER DISEASES
Hotel, Acapulco :
THE MANAGER HAS PERSONALLY PASSED ALL THE
WATER SERVED HERE.

In a Nairobi restaurant:
CUSTOMERS WHO FIND OUR WAITRESSES RUDE
SHOULD WAIT AND SEE THE MANAGER.

In a City restaurant:
OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK, AND WEEKENDS TOO.

In a Calcutta Coffee House:

PEOPLE DISCARDING CIGARETTE STUBS IN CUPS WILL
BE SERVED COFFEE IN ASH TRAYS

1
 Interviews:
How to crack them?
Compiled By:
Puneet Dudeja, PGDM 2009
I was nervous! The interviewer was biased! I can’t make it! I am
a failure! I was not interested!
These are some statements people tend to give when they come
out of a failed interview. Yes, these are morale boosting at
times, but where is the reality? Everyone wants to succeed in
interviews every time. The confidence one generates in oneself
after a success is tremendous. We as students of an MBA college
would also like to crack all the interviews we appear for. How
to do that? No one can answer this and give us set techniques to
crack interviews. But, we can definitely hone our skills by
implementing the tips given below by experts .
10 Interview Myths
One important reason people fail at interviews is because of
several misconceptions, or myths, about what really happens
during the course of an interview. All of us know that the
purpose of interviews is for an interviewer to hire someone who
will perform well in a particular job, but beyond that few
people fully grasp how interviews really work and what makes
one candidate stand out more than another. 10 important myths
broken below:
• Myth no. 1: The best person for the job gets it: The best
person for the job does not necessarily win it—often it’s the
person who gives the best interview.
• Myth no. 2: Interviews are like school exams— the more you
say, the better you’ll do: Interviews are more than just giving
technically correct answers. They’re also very much about
building rapport. Remember, a smart answer is often not the
most detailed.
• Myth no. 3: Interviewers know what they’re doing: Not all
interviewers know what they’re doing; your job is to know
how to handle the good and bad interviewer.
• Myth no. 4: Never say ‘I don’t know’: It’s better to be honest
and admit ignorance than try to pretend you know an
answer and come across as disingenuous and less than
bright.
• Myth no. 5: Good-looking people get the job: Good looking
people win jobs—maybe in Bollywood movies, but on the
whole, employers are keen to hire talent over superficial
factors.
• Myth no. 6: If you answer the questions better than the
others, you’ll get the job: Being able to articulate good
answers in an interview is very important, and failure to do
so will almost certainly mean you don’t get the job.
However, interviews—as we’ve already seen—are much
more than just giving good answers. They’re also about
convincing the interviewer that you will be a nice person to
2
work with. To put it another way, it doesn’t matter how good
your answers are technically if the interviewer doesn’t like
you there’s not much chance you’ll get the job (unless your
talents are unique, extremely difficult to find or the
interviewer is desperate)
• Myth no. 7: You should try to give the perfect answer:
Striving to give the perfect answer can get you into trouble.
It’s better to give a good answer that’s to the point rather than
searching for perfection; besides, often there’s no such thing
as the perfect answer.
• Myth no. 8: You must ask questions to demonstrate your
interest and intelligence: Do not ask questions for the sake of
it. Only ask a question if you have a genuine query that has
not been covered.
• Myth no. 9: Relax and just be yourself: Interviews are formal
occasions requiring relatively formal behaviours.
Interviewers will expect this and may react negatively if they
don’t see it.
• Myth no. 10: Interviewers are looking for flaws: Interviewers
do not spend all their time looking for your flaws. They’re
more interested in getting an overall picture of who you are.
Avoid answering questions defensively. It’s much better to
see every question as an opportunity to highlight your best
points.
Common interview mistakes
All of us have made or might make mistakes during interviews,
and most of us have or will walk out of interviews thinking of all
the great things we forgot to mention and all the things we
shouldn’t have said. But the most important thing about
mistakes is learning from them—and not repeating them. Here
are some common interview mistakes:
• Failing to express oneself clearly: Often, because of anxiety
and wanting to say things perfectly, we try too hard and turn
what should be simple sentences into convoluted nonsense.
Simple language is always the most effective. Avoid trying to
sound knowledgeable by using jargon or complex
sentences.
• Not being aware of one’s body language: Many
interviewees succeed in alienating the interviewer because
they pay little or no attention to their body language. Body
language is an extremely powerful communicator, and
failing to use it effectively will almost certainly put you at a
 COMMUNIS
significant disadvantage. Eye contact, sitting position and
facial expressions are all very important aspects of
interviewing, and need to be thought through before the
interview.
• Failing to control those nerves: Sometimes people allow
their nerves to get so out of control that they fail to establish
rapport and even forget their answers. Feeling anxious
before and during an interview is common. In fact, a touch of
nerves can be a good thing. But there is no need to be the
victim of debilitating nerves.
• Failing to give appropriate examples: Failing to give
examples, or giving inappropriate examples, will spell
disaster. Before the interview, it is important to think of
relevant examples of what you’ve achieved and how you
went about realising those achievements. Saying that you
achieved something without being able to back it up with
specific examples will only get you a rejection letter. Your
examples need to be easy to understand, follow a logical
sequence and be relevant to the needs of the employer.
None of this happens without preparation.
• Trying too hard to please the interviewer: Whilst building
rapport and trust during the interview is critical, few
interviewers appreciate interviewees going overboard with
their behaviour. Obsequious behaviours are generally seen
as a form of deceit and carry little weight—in fact, they can
undermine your efforts to create trust.
‘Then, what does it take to convince the interviewer that you’re
the best person for the job?’ The answer to this question can best
be summarised in four parts:
• correct preparation;
• knowing the things that are important to interviewers;
• practising your answers;
• Perseverance
Conclusion
Performing well at interviews is not as difficult as many people
think. The key to success lies with correct preparation and
practice. Knowing what to prepare and how to prepare, then
giving yourself the opportunity to apply your newly acquired
skills, is a tried and tested formula for success. Remember, great
interviewees are not born with effective interview skills—they
develop their skills by following this formula: that the more you
think about your answers and the more you practice them the
better you will become. Great interview skills are not
developed overnight; they improve with time and correct
application.
Lastly, believe in yourself. Now that you know what to do
there’s no reason not to.
Good luck.
Random Lessons of Practical Wisdom through
Practical Observation (In alphabetical order)
Aesthetics: Illustrations of the human mind.
Boldness: When acquired enhances public visibility.
Character: Proportional to elasticity of demand.
Demand: Always in demand.
Education: A misguided concept of personal elevation.
Failure: Much said little done.
Goal: No matter how many goals you save, people will
remember only the one that you’ve missed.
Hurry: Crude version of deadline management.
India: A modern case study on chaos management.
Judgment: Verbal onslaught.
Knowledge: A lost commodity.
Leisure: On the verge of extinction.
Modernity: Widespread infection.
Neutral: May not be always safe.
Organized: The most unorganized in public appearance is
usually the most organized in personal life.
People: Mute witnesses.
Queue: Wait for your turn or perhaps wait for your fortune to
turn.
Rule: Always bigger than the Ruler.
Students: Misguided missile.
Time: Always insufficient.
Umpire: Taken for granted these days.
Victory: A tribute to human endeavor.
Workaholic: Indentured labor.
X: Ignoring this sign will be at owner’s risk.
You: Always the reason for one’s misery.
Zoo: An anthology of biological differences.
Written by :
Anshuman Srivastava
Manager – MDP & Events
BIMTECH
1
 Are You
Committing Fraud?
Rachna Chandra
PGDM (2009/11)

I t’s 1’o clock in the morning as you sit with your laptop in
your bed to start the assignment that is due in the morning
lecture. After spending the day hanging out with your
friends and finding innovative ways to waste time, as you finally
start doing something of any consequence you start questioning
the education system, blaming professor and almost everything
in the universe. You try snapping out of it and concentrating but
you are too tired. Just then your mobile rings and it’s your best
friend asking about the topic for the assignment. Call gets over
and your watch says 1:30 a.m. Panic sets in and just then you
have your own Eureka moment, the solution to all your
problems, the internet! You surf the net and cut/ copy, paste the
information available in the first few pages, change the font size
and your assignment is complete and ready for submission.
The above situation is a case of plagiarism or in other words an
act of fraud as it involves stealing someone’s work. According
to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, to “plagiarise”
means :
• to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's
own
• to use (another's production) without crediting the source
• to commit literary theft
• to present as new and original an idea or product derived
from an existing source.
disciplinary measures ranging from suspension to termination.
In most cases, plagiarism can be avoided by simply citing
sources and acknowledging the main material from which the
content has been borrowed. And while the internet has largely
been responsible for increasing the frequency of plagiarism it
also provides solutions to the problem. One can use plagiarism
detection software like JPlag, MOSS which are free to help in
identifying plagiarism within a work or a document. Also
available are web based systems such as Plagarismdetect which
is a free online plagiarism detection system.
So one can easily use the material from other sources as long the
references to the material are mentioned or use the software to
scan your work for any possible plagiarized material. After all
by using such software Sir Brian Vickers, a literature professor at
the University of London, settled a centuries old mystery over
the authorship of an unattributed play called The Reign of
Edward III which some scholars had been debating whether it
was written by Shakespeare. The verdict according to the
software was that the play is likely to be collaboration between
Shakespeare and Thomas Kyd, another popular playwright of
his time. So next time you use content from other sources, be
thankful for the plagiarism detection software, because
Shakespeare certainly must be.

But can words or ideas actually be stolen? According to law,

yes, as ideas and words constitute intellectual property and are
protected by copyright laws. Almost all forms of expression fall
under copyright protection as long as they are recorded in some
way (such as a book or a computer file). All of the following are
considered plagiarism:
• turning in someone else's work as your own
• copying words or ideas from someone else without giving
credit
• failing to put a quotation in quotation marks
• giving incorrect information about the source of a quotation
• changing words but copying the sentence structure of a
source without giving credit
• copying so many words or ideas from a source that it makes
up the majority of your work, whether you give credit or not

Plagiarism is considered a very serious offence. Within

academia, plagiarism by students, researchers or professors
consist of academic fraud and can also lead to expulsion. In
journalism, plagiarism is considered as a violation of
journalistic ethics, and reporters caught plagiarizing face