Critical Thinking Circle III, Government College University Lahore
“7 skills for future, Adaptability, Critical Thinking, Empathy, Integrity, Optimism, Being Proactive, Resilience” – GCU Lahore
On 28th February, 2023, the third session of Critical Thinking Circle was held at GCU Women Development Centre in collaboration with Shaoor Foundation. In this session of CTC that was moderated by Final Year students, Javeria Amin and Hamda Mahmood and we happened to discuss the book “7 skills for future, Adaptability, Critical Thinking, Empathy, Integrity, Optimism, Being Proactive, Resilience” by Emma Sue-Prince.
7 Skills for the Future sets the scene for seven new soft skills that will propel one forward. Through a combination of scientific research, no-nonsense advice, practical exercises and case studies, this book shows gave a new meaning to every skill the author had discussed and the crux is:
- Adaptability – respond better to opportunities and change by being flexible and agile
- Critical thinking – think smarter, more resourcefully, creatively and collaboratively
- Empathy – nurture all your relationships by learning how to listen and be present
- Integrity – trust, values and honesty are the name of the game now as is authenticity
- Optimism – be the most positive person you know
- Being Proactive – respond rather than react and learn to reinvent yourself
- Resilience – make mistakes, bounce back, learn from experience and move on to the next challenge
Containing 7 chapters, this book extensively talks about these abilities as some skills to learn. Starting off, a very light yet powerful note of Adaptability, the writer explained what are the actual necessities of life that can make one grow and flourish in the future.
The audience loved the part that, the author dedicated her writing to her husband. One after another, the students shared their experiences and contributed to the discussion. Initially there were 10 participants but the number got increased eventually. Both the moderators,
Hamda and Javeria tried to take in account the common experiences and practices in order to explain the book. Co-In charge Women Development Center, GCU;
Naima Kazmi also shared her work place and home environment’s attitude and how important is it to behave and adapt according to the air. She talked over the fact that of molding into a specific surroundings is to welcome more opportunities. Furthermore, the book’s interesting factor was hidden in the fact that every skill was related to the previous one in a beautiful and comprehensive way. Along with the core team of WDC and other female participants, the male participants also contributed equally in the discussion.
Fahad Khan, unfolded his childhood experience in light of critical thinking and introduced some questions about his and author’s understanding of the term Critical Thinking.
Sajjal Fatima, continued with the questions of previous participant and carried the chapter of Empathy. She critically stated the common concept of Empathy is and how it can be put forward in every life sphere.
Hadia Abid along with Yasha Iftikhar debated over the next chapters of Integrity and Optimism respectively. The true conceptualization of the term Being Pro-Active was narrated by Ms. Sumera Khalil; In charge Women Development, GCU. Ms. Khalil see being Pro-Active as not doing more than required but changing and tackling the situation and your work aura according to the given conditions. The book also unveiled the need of the soft skills that are needed in order to excel and stand out in this fast paced world. Team WDC along with other attendees pin their ideas about the book and the fruitful session was concluded with an open ended question posed by the In charge WDC,
Ms. Sumera Khalil that, “Why are skills necessary to learn?” Overall the session lasted for 1 hour 10 minutes and gave students with the opportunity to speak up and narrate their understanding of the book.
