Aptitude
Interpersonal and Communication Skills
Interpersonal and Communication Skills — Quick Revision
One-page CGPSC CSAT revision for interpersonal and communication skills: models, barriers, EI, conflict styles and situation-question rules in tables.
Every framework and decision rule from Communication Skills, Interpersonal Relations at Work and Situation-Based Questions on one page, for the last week before Prelims Paper II.
How to use this sheet
Scan top to bottom the week before Prelims. Bold lines are the ideas examiners return to most often. If a line surprises you, go back to the topic page and redo its speed drill.
Communication — Key Facts
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Test of communication | Understanding, not transmission |
| Process | Sender → Encoding → Message/Channel → Decoding → Receiver → Feedback; noise distorts |
| Aristotle | Ethos (credibility), pathos (emotion), logos (logic) |
| Lasswell (1948) | Who – says what – in which channel – to whom – with what effect |
| Shannon–Weaver (1949) | Linear model; introduced noise |
| Berlo (1960) | SMCR: Source, Message, Channel, Receiver |
| Osgood–Schramm | Circular; both parties encode and decode |
| Non-verbal | Kinesics (body), proxemics (space), paralanguage (voice), haptics (touch), chronemics (time), oculesics (eyes) |
| Mehrabian 7-38-55 | Applies only to inconsistent messages about feelings/attitudes |
| Flows | Downward, upward, horizontal (same level), diagonal (across levels and departments) |
| Grapevine | Informal, fast, mixes facts and rumours; monitor and answer it, cannot abolish it |
| Barriers | Semantic, physical, psychological, perceptual, organisational, cultural, overload; filtering and selective perception |
| Active listening | Attend, don’t interrupt, paraphrase, ask, then respond |
| 7 Cs | Clear, Concise, Concrete, Correct, Coherent, Complete, Courteous |
Interpersonal — Key Facts
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Emotional intelligence | Salovey and Mayer (1990); popularised by Daniel Goleman (1995) |
| Goleman’s five | Self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, social skills |
| Johari window | Luft and Ingham (1955): open, blind, hidden, unknown |
| Shrinks the blind area | Feedback from others |
| Shrinks the hidden area | Self-disclosure |
| Transactional analysis | Eric Berne: Parent, Adult, Child; Games People Play (1964) |
| Healthy life position | I’m OK — You’re OK (Thomas Harris, 1967) |
| Thomas–Kilmann (1974) | Axes: assertiveness × cooperativeness; collaborating is high–high |
| Tuckman (1965) | Forming, storming, norming, performing; adjourning added 1977 |
| Getting to Yes (1981) | Fisher and Ury: interests not positions; BATNA |
| Assertive | Firm + respectful; “I” language |
Situation Questions — Decision Rules
| Rule | Detail |
|---|---|
| Read first | Your role + stem keyword (most / first / best / least) |
| Wrong-option types | Passive, aggressive, buck-passing, unlawful/partial |
| Five filters | Law, Proportion, Ownership, Effectiveness, Human touch |
| Priority | Law and integrity > public interest and safety > fairness > efficiency > relationships |
| Ideal shape | Listen – Explain – Act – Follow up |
| Best options combine | Immediate relief + root-cause fix |
| Feedback | Praise in public, correct in private |
| Escalate only when | Beyond your powers or a conflict of interest |
| Irregular order from superior | Point out the rule politely, offer a lawful route, seek written instructions |
Don’t Confuse
| This | vs | That |
|---|---|---|
| Hearing (physical) | Listening (attention to meaning) | |
| Paralanguage (voice) | Kinesics (body) | |
| Empathy (understanding from their side) | Sympathy (feeling sorry for) | |
| Assertive (firm, respectful) | Aggressive (firm, disrespectful) | |
| Collaborating (win–win) | Compromising (both give up part) | |
| Avoiding (no one’s concern met) | Accommodating (other’s concern met, own given up) | |
| Johari blind (others know, I don’t) | Johari hidden (I know, others don’t) | |
| Escalating what is beyond your powers | Passing the buck on what is within your role | |
| Firmness on rules | Harshness towards people |
Favourite MCQ trap: the strict-sounding option
“Suspend immediately”, “issue show-cause at once” or “call the police” look decisive but punish or escalate before understanding. Unless safety is at immediate risk, the best option listens, checks facts, acts within law and follows up.
Favourite MCQ trap: empathy as leniency
Waiving a mandatory requirement out of sympathy is not good interpersonal skill. Empathy changes how a rule is applied — explaining, helping, speeding up — never whether it is applied.
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