Why We Need Business Majors | Maya Sriram | TEDxBISV Youth
Summary
TLDRIn this insightful script, a high school senior named Maya defends her choice of majoring in business against common misconceptions. She argues that business isn't just fluff, but a field that values soft skills like problem-solving, communication, and awareness. Maya uses relatable examples, including a magician named Bob and his nephew's roommate situation, to illustrate how these skills are crucial for both organizational and individual success. She concludes by expressing her personal belief in the value of business as a major and hopes to encourage others to consider it seriously.
Takeaways
- 🎓 **College Major Misconceptions**: The script begins with the author's experience of being asked about college plans, highlighting a common misconception that business majors are less valuable compared to STEM fields.
- 🧐 **Business Majors Misconceptions**: There's a public perception that business studies lack substance beyond accounting and finance, undervaluing the importance of soft skills.
- 💡 **Importance of Soft Skills**: The author argues that soft skills, which are central to business studies, are crucial and often underappreciated.
- 🔍 **Problem Solving**: Problem-solving in business is compared to pattern recognition, involving gathering information and identifying solutions, not just academic exercises.
- 🃏 **Real-World Application**: The script uses the example of a magician, Bob, to illustrate how business skills like problem-solving can be applied to real-world scenarios to improve outcomes.
- 🗣️ **Communication Skills**: Communication is highlighted as a vital business skill, necessary for maintaining relationships and crucial in both personal and professional settings.
- 🤝 **Negotiation and Relationships**: The script emphasizes that effective communication is key in negotiations, forming partnerships, and managing teams.
- 🍽️ **Practical Example of Communication**: A scenario involving Bob's nephew dealing with a roommate's dish-washing issue showcases how communication can resolve conflicts.
- 👀 **Awareness**: Awareness is presented as the ability to observe one's environment and make informed decisions, which is essential in both business strategy and personal interactions.
- 🌎 **Global Awareness**: The script suggests that increased awareness can lead to better understanding and addressing of global issues, such as environmental concerns.
- 🏆 **Value of Business Education**: The author concludes by reflecting on the value of a business education, advocating for its practical applications and relevance to everyday life.
Q & A
What is the main concern of Maya's relatives and family friends when they talk to her?
-Maya's relatives and family friends are primarily concerned about her college plans and her choice of major, specifically questioning why she wants to pursue business rather than more traditionally valued professions like engineering, medicine, or law.
What is Maya's perspective on the public perception of business majors?
-Maya believes that the public perception of business majors tends to devalue the importance of soft skills that are central to business education. She argues that these skills, such as problem-solving, communication, and awareness, are often overlooked and underappreciated.
How does Maya define problem-solving in the context of business?
-Maya defines problem-solving in business as the process of identifying an unknown solution and using available information and environmental context to determine the solution. She contrasts this with the more straightforward problem-solving often found in academic settings, emphasizing the complexity and real-world application of business problem-solving.
What example does Maya use to illustrate problem-solving?
-Maya uses the example of a magician named Bob whose shows are not selling out. She explains how analyzing the situation and comparing it to successful magicians helps Bob identify the need to improve his charisma and audience engagement to solve his problem.
Why is communication an important skill in business according to Maya?
-Maya highlights that communication is crucial in business for maintaining relationships, negotiating, and establishing one's place in society. It's essential for making deals, forming partnerships, hiring employees, and going through with mergers, among other things.
How does Maya's script use the character of Bob to demonstrate the importance of communication?
-Maya's script uses Bob's situation with his roommate who refuses to do dishes as an example. Bob must communicate effectively to resolve the issue without letting resentment grow, showcasing the practical application of communication skills in everyday life.
What does Maya mean by 'awareness' in the context of business?
-Maya describes awareness as the ability to pay attention to one's surroundings and use that information to inform decisions and actions. It's about understanding the context in which business operates and making choices based on a broader perspective.
How does Maya connect awareness to personal behavior?
-Maya connects awareness to personal behavior by discussing how self-focus can limit our understanding of others. She suggests that with more awareness, we can better comprehend the actions of others and respond more empathetically, as illustrated by the character Oliver Henry Lawrence Lafayette Jr. when he observes a woman cutting in line and adjusts his reaction based on her apparent distress.
What is Maya's personal reflection on the value of a business major?
-Maya reflects that despite being a high school student, she sees the value in a business major because it teaches relevant skills like problem-solving, communication, and awareness that apply to both personal life and career. She hopes her perspective can encourage others to consider business as a viable career option.
What advice does Maya offer to those considering business as a major?
-Maya advises those considering business as a major to take her perspective with a grain of salt but to also consider the practical skills they would gain, such as financial management, self-promotion, and dealing with co-workers, which are valuable in various aspects of life.
How does Maya conclude her talk on the importance of business skills?
-Maya concludes by emphasizing the broad applicability of business skills beyond the classroom and into everyday life, suggesting that these skills can contribute to personal growth and societal awareness, and encouraging her audience to consider the value of a business education.
Outlines
🎓 The Value of a Business Degree
The speaker, a high school senior, discusses the shift in conversations with relatives and family friends towards college plans and career choices. There's a common misconception that a business major is less valuable compared to more traditional professions like engineering, medicine, or law. The speaker argues that business majors focus on developing soft skills like problem-solving, communication, and awareness, which are crucial for real-world applications. They emphasize that these skills are often undervalued but are essential for organizational and individual success.
🧩 Problem Solving in Business
The speaker delves into the first of the three key business skills: problem-solving. They explain that problem-solving is not just about complex math problems but involves identifying unknowns, gathering information, and applying knowledge to find solutions. Using the example of a magician named Bob whose shows aren't selling out, the speaker illustrates how analyzing successful magicians' strategies can help Bob identify areas for improvement in his performances. This example demonstrates how problem-solving is a fundamental skill in business, allowing individuals to adapt and succeed in various situations.
🗣️ The Importance of Communication
The second key business skill discussed is communication. The speaker points out that many people underestimate the importance of communication in both their personal and professional lives. They argue that humans are social beings who rely on relationships, and effective communication is vital for maintaining these relationships. The speaker uses the story of Bob's nephew, who has to address the issue of a roommate not doing dishes, to show how communication can resolve conflicts and improve living situations. The nephew considers various strategies, from trading chores to creating a chore schedule, to assertively placing belongings in the common area as a last resort, demonstrating the power of communication in resolving everyday problems.
👀 Raising Awareness in Business and Life
The final skill highlighted is awareness, which the speaker describes as the ability to pay attention to one's surroundings and use that information to make informed decisions. In business, awareness can influence strategic decisions based on economic conditions or market competitiveness. On a personal level, awareness can help individuals understand and empathize with others' actions, as illustrated by the story of Oliver Henry Lawrence Lafayette Jr., who initially reacts angrily to a woman cutting in line but then uses awareness to consider her possible reasons. The speaker concludes by reflecting on the value of a business degree, suggesting that the skills learned in business are not only applicable to the professional world but also to personal development and societal issues.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Business Major
💡Soft Skills
💡Problem Solving
💡Communication
💡Awareness
💡Perception
💡Pattern Recognition
💡Real World Application
💡Major
💡Career Option
💡Personal Reflection
Highlights
The shift in family and friends' interactions as a senior in high school.
The common misconception that business majors lack substance compared to STEM fields.
The importance of soft skills in business majors, such as problem-solving, communication, and awareness.
Problem-solving is not just for STEM fields; it's crucial in business for real-world applications.
The analogy of problem-solving to pattern recognition in business.
Introducing Bob, the magician, to illustrate problem-solving in business.
The realization that successful magicians engage their audience beyond just performing tricks.
The power of communication in maintaining relationships and its role in business negotiations.
Bob's nephew's dilemma with a roommate who doesn't do dishes, showcasing the need for communication.
The three potential plans Bob's nephew comes up with to address the roommate issue.
Awareness as a skill that involves paying attention to surroundings and making informed decisions.
The story of Oliver Henry Lawrence Lafayette Jr to demonstrate personal awareness.
How awareness can lead to understanding others' actions beyond initial judgments.
The broader implications of awareness for global issues and community well-being.
A personal reflection on the value of a business major and its practical applications.
An encouragement for considering business as a viable career option in college.
Transcripts
if you don't know I'm currently a 12th
grader in high school being a senior has
brought a lot of changes from my
schedule to my
priorities however I'd wager that the
number one change has been in how
relatives and family friends interact
with me see every single conversation
goes like this hey Maya how's it going I
mumble one or two sentences about how
it's all good while they pretend to be
interested then once I've done they nod
sagely for all of two seconds before
blurting out so what are your college
plans the conversation inevitably turns
to Major where I mention offhandedly
that I'm interested in going into
business there's always a moment of
shock where they realize that I'm not
going to be an engineer a doctor or a
lawyer but once that initial surprise
has passed they always ask me one
question and that's what do business
majors even
do what
indeed public perception of business
tends in the direction of it's just
fluff people believe that Beyond
accounting and finance there's not a lot
to be learned in the business field as a
whole there's a big tendency to devalue
soft skills which are the core of most
business majors and they're also where I
think a lot of the value is
derived see a typical major may have a
lot of content that needs to be
processed and memorized business instead
focuses is on soft skills like problem
solving communication and awareness
skills that can then be applied to the
real world in situations that need
them today I'm going to be illustrating
the importance of business as a field by
talking a little bit about some business
skills and how they're relevant to
organizational and individual
success first of all problem solving
when you hear the word problem solving
your immediate thought might be
something along the lines of math
science or engineering you might start
thinking about knowing the formulas
involved to solve a complex word problem
you may even see it as a more
masterminded is untake undertaking
involving solving formulas and um
guessing motivations and strategizing to
find hidden
clues in truth problem solving is a lot
more simple than that it involves having
an unknown the solution and taking into
account what you know and what's
available in your environment to figure
out what that solution
is of course it's not that simple
because it's not like the kind of basic
math problems that you might solve at
school where you're directly given the
information that you need to solve for
this x you have to collect all the
information from your environment take a
look at it and figure out what the
problem is to even begin to figure out
what the solution could
be in a lot of ways problem solving is
like pattern recognition if you're
facing a problem that you've seen a
similar one of in the past you can look
at Solutions and strategies that worked
then and apply them to your current
situation as
well to really illustrate that concept I
want to introduce you guys to a friend
that I brought with me
today this is
Bob Bob is a professional magician and
he is a very good one if he does say so
himself everyone who's ever watched one
of Bob's shows says that he is
absolutely incredible at what he does
there's just one problem his shows just
aren't selling
out it's hard to see what this has to do
with problem solving despite the fact
that we have a problem that we need to
solve I mean we can't really change
people's behavior is Bob just doomed to
fail not necessarily let's take a bit of
a closer look now there are obviously
other magicians out there who are
succeeding who are seeing consistent
full houses and lots of success so what
exactly are they doing that Bob isn't to
find out we can take a closer look at
some of the reviews that they're getting
from Their audience
members Bob's tricks are good which you
think would be the deciding factor in
who has more success but if you look at
what audience members are saying it's
things like oh my God he's so funny oh
my God she really engages the audience
wow I can hear them loud and clear since
the auditorium amplifies their
voice overall it looks like other
magicians are providing A Feast for the
senses while Bob is working out of a
cramped Auditorium and not necessarily
acting as charismatically as he could be
now he knows what he needs to change to
succeed bam problem solved it's just
like magic but it's
business now the second skill that I
wanted to talk about one that's
incredibly important in our world today
is
communication this is actually where a
lot of people get tripped up in their
career or their personal lives their
belief that if they just bring the
skills and or the paycheck everything
should be okay they can't communicate
they can't manage people although some
people believe that or wish that this
wasn't the case we live in a society and
it's really important that we act
accordingly humans are by Nature social
beings we need relationships that's what
our entire civilization was built off of
however these relationships don't always
go smoothly because we're flawed beings
that tend to focus on our own thoughts
and feelings to the detriment of
everyone around us communication is
necessary to maintain these
relationships whether that's expressions
of care apologies or even non-verbal
communication it's also incredibly
important to negotiation and
establishing your place in society this
is where business comes in because
communication is an essential skill when
you want to do things like make deals
form Partnerships hire employees go
through with mergers and so much more
it's also very useful on an individual
level when you want to do things like
collaborating with other people or
coming to decisions that everyone can
agree
on so you guys have met Bob I want to
introduce you to his nephew who is also
named Bob Bob is in his first year of
college with two roommates and by and
large the entire roommate situation
seems to be going smoothly there's just
one problem one of his roommates
absolutely refuses to do the
dishes Bob doesn't really want to say
anything because he thinks that would
make the situation awkward and just make
it all worse but he knows that if he
doesn't do something about the problem
his resentment will just fester and grow
until it explodes and definitively makes
the situation worse so this is where
Bob's communication skills come into
play he has to come up with a delicate
yet effective way to communicate to his
roommate that he needs to do those
dishes using his knowledge of human
nature Bob comes up with three potential
plans one of which he sure his roommate
will be amenable
to first he knows that his roommate's
goal is to avoid the chore of doing the
dishes so he offers up a simple trade
he will do the dishes and his roommate
can do something else he also think that
there's a lot of potential benefit that
could be gotten from a more objective
tangible way of tracking exactly who
will do what chore so he offers to work
with his roommate to create a chore
schedule now the third option is the
nuclear option the action that cannot be
ignored he says he put his roommate's
belongings in the art if he doesn't do
the
dishes now it may not be communicated in
the ideal fashion but it is being
communicated instead of letting the
resentment fester and grow like Bob was
afraid of earlier look at him using his
communication skills to better his
environment good for
Bob now the third skill that I wanted to
talk about today awareness is a little
bit strange because it's so abstract and
confusing what even is awareness is it
like something to do with meditation am
I breaking out the essential oils right
now not exactly awareness is a little
different it involves paying attention
to your surroundings and using that
information as a factor when making your
choices and work
decisions this is incredibly important
in business for example if you're
starting a business during an economic
downturn you're going to make different
decisions than if you were starting one
during a time of prosperity you might
choose to focus on Necessities rather
than luxury goods another example if
your business is part of an incredibly
competitive market you will make
different pricing and branding decisions
than if you had a monopoly over the
entire
area but this all seems so high level
that it may seem like only Executives
will ever have to deal with any of it as
for awareness on a personal scale isn't
that easy you see a truck coming you get
out of its way you see that colleges
want good grades you do well in
school but in truth humans could do with
a heck of a lot more awareness
have you ever noticed that the people
around you have a tendency to say the
word I all the time that's cuz we're
naturally self-focused we're the center
of our own thoughts and we see
everything in relation to
ourselves this isn't ideal for
understanding other people effectively
because we often unknowingly Force our
thoughts and feelings on other people
because we just can't conceive of an
inner world that's different from ours
with awareness though that can
change you guys met Bob and you guys
have met his nephew Bob so I wanted to
introduce you to our third friend today
Oliver Henry Lawrence Lafayette
Jr Oliver Henry Lawrence Lafayette Jr is
at work right now and he's standing in
line at his work cafeteria incredibly
hungry he's ready to grab food and just
Chow Down on whatever they have just as
he's getting to the beginning of the
line you notice there's a woman cut in
front of him now Oliver Henry laf John
Lafayette Jr is super mad he is about to
go up there and give that woman a piece
of his mind but then he stops and he
pays a little
attention it looks like the woman is
pale her face is flushed and she's
sweating
profusely who knows what's going on here
maybe she's diabetic and her blood sugar
is running low and she needs an
emergency snack as a picked me up maybe
she needs to quickly grab some kind of a
utensil to squash a cockroach she saw in
her disc maybe she's just a jerk Oliver
Henry Lawrence Lafayette Jr was mad at
first but do you see how that anger
turns to understanding with a little bit
of
awareness when you're in your bubble
everything can seem like a blight
towards you but when you take a step out
and just pay attention you can see that
there's a reason for every
action we as a whole could use a lot of
awareness we're messing up our
environment for generations to come
there are problems that billions of
people on the Earth are facing that
we're not doing anything about because
they don't affect us personally these
kinds of problems and the awareness of
these kinds of things goes beyond just
the economy or the market it's important
for communities and even the
world I wanted to end this talk by
telling you a little bit of personal
reflection the reason I wrote this in
the first place was cuz I wanted to
convince people that business is
actually pretty useful as a major it's
true that a lot of the skills that I
talked about today you would learn
directly in your classes if you were to
pursue business the business field for
example problem solving through case
studies communication through marketing
and awareness through economy and Global
Market studies you'd also learn a lot of
other skills like financial management
self-promotion dealing with co-workers
all skills that are incredibly relevant
to your personal life as
well obviously take everything I'm
saying with a grain of salt since I am
in high school and I haven't gone to
college yet but this is where I see the
value in business this is why I like
business and I hope that in the future
more people maybe even you will consider
it as a viable career option and maybe
even decide to pursue business in
college thank you
浏览更多相关视频
How To Become The 2.0 Version Of Yourself in 2023
Học nhiều thứ có phải là TỐT? | Radio #764
Töissä ICT-alalla Tampereella: Pauliina Mäkilä, vanhempi liiketoiminta-analyytikko
World Peace Is Not a Myth | Rut Yirdaw | TEDxSSE
PKK kelas XI materi Peluang Usaha #videopembelajaran #peluangusaha #produkkreatifdankewirausahaan
Why is MATH So Important?🤔 w/ Neil deGrasse Tyson #maths
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)