To hone students’ problem-solving and communication skills, the SBM ITB held a training titled “Effective Communication & Problem Solving Skills” in collaboration with a training and consulting institution, MINDSET Indonesia.
The training was attended by around 160 students from the management undergraduate study program. Although held online, this activity contains not only theory but also a hands-on practice for all participants. They were divided into several groups to solve the given case or problem.
“We support co-curricular activities outside the classroom, one of which is through training,” said the Head of the Management Study Program, Nur Budi Mulyono, at the opening of the training on Saturday (11/12/2021).
Through the training, Nur Budi hopes that students will recognize a problem, explore problems and find solutions to these problems. Besides, Nur Budi also hopes that students have good communication skills to communicate their solutions. “You need communication to solve problems,” he said.
Students’ problem-solving skills are also developed through analysis games and group discussions in this training. In addition, in practicing communication skills and self-confidence, students are also encouraged to be engaged in forums to express their opinions and experiences in dealing with and solving problems.
Pusta Hery Kurnia, the trainer in this activity, explained the steps that students could use to solve a problem. He explained that the first action is to determine the problem to be solved.
“After the problem has been identified, next is determining the cause of the problem, developing alternative solutions, analyzing the best solution, and finally communicating and implementing & evaluating the solutions found,” he said.
In his presentation, Pusta also encouraged students not to avoid problems but to find solutions to the problems they faced. “If you want to be successful, you will go through problems first,” added Pusta, who is also the Managing Director of MINDSET Indonesia.
This activity was carried out for four hours consisting of three modules related to the creative Problem Solving Process. The output of the activity was to sharpen students’ business communication skills, develop analytical and creative thinking skills, and increase student confidence and skills in solving problems and making decisions in the business context.
