Btec Business Level 3 Unit 1 P1
P1
Attributes and Barriers
P2
Principles of Effective Communication
P3 & M1
Barriers
Unit 1 Communication and Employability skills
Table of Contents Contents
Introduction
I am working for a company called ICTIB and they have asked to do some research.
In my report, I will be clarifying thoughtfully why the attributes are valued and also the principles of effective communication.
I will be considering the following points to clarify this particular idea:
Specific Attributes (job related, good working procedures, security and work attitudes).
General Attributes (planning skills, organisational skills, time management, team working, verbal skills, written communication skills, numeracy and creativity). …show more content…
Attitudes (a person’s preferred attitude towards their work, for example: determined, independent, and motivated).
General communication skills: (cultural differences; adapting e.g. modulating voice, terminology, format, accuracy, engaging audience changing intonation…
Interpersonal skills (verbal exchanged, signing, lip reading).
Communicate in writing (‘smileys’ or emoticons, proofreading).
Notably, the reasons why I will be explaining how employers’ value attributes are because it can differ according to what different employers are regarding for a specific job.
For example, a car salesman wouldn’t need the same attributes as a nurse as they prefer to work in different surroundings.
Also, I think the reason why employers would value an employee’s attributes is similarly because of their own personal potentials as their skills will assuredly benefit the organisation and service.
As mentioned above, an essential example of an appreciated attribute would be a team player as they would aim to work in an appropriate environment and work for the team.
I will be giving four or five examples of job-related attributes, for example: nurses.
This will help be to understand the specific skills and procedures needed of particular jobs. To begin with, the general attribute skills valued by employer are; organisational skills this is important as it shows the employer that you are efficient, time management which shows the employer that you are motivated, communicational skills which all employees should have as it contributes to everyday life.
All employers suppose their employees to have a good knowledge of health and safety because if you cannot follow the rules of health and safety then you will put other in danger.
Specific attributes are different to general attribute as they fall into two groups’ job related and knowledge of good working procedures, these will be the main and basic skills which the employers expects the employees to follow.
P2 is all about principles of effective communication, the principles of effective communication depends on the type of communication that a person is using, there are some that apply in general, some that relate only to interpersonal communication.
For this section, I will be looking that general communication skills, interpersonal skills and communication in writing. (Communication and Employability skills for IT)
Meanwhile, P3 and M1 are both linked with P2 as it explains the barriers of communication.
I will be talking about different barriers to communication from general communication skills, interpersonal skills and communication skills. Once I have explained about the barriers, I will then developing this idea into another level and explain how it employees can overcome this situations by using many techniques.
Specific Attributes
There are various reasons why employers value specific attributes, this is mainly because specific attributes contributes to job related skills, working procedures, security and work attitudes (Bernadette, 2012).
Specific attributes fall into two different groups and are opposed to general attributes.
The two main groups
are:
The job-related attributes which is necessary to carry out the job
The knowledge of good working procedures which most employers expect you to follow
For some jobs, employers expect you to have a technical knowledge and they expect you to know about the job you are applying for, experiences is not necessary in some cases. An employee may demonstrate their technical skills through their academic studies or their vocational qualifications. Most employees ask for certificate to prove you skills. A nurse to should have an excellent skill with dealing with people as they deliver care for people of all ages and races. Also, good communication and observation skills are also compulsory as they need to be a good listener and pay attention to the patients care and medication. Communication is enormously important as it is the main central strength of a nurse because what nurses say and do is about a patient.
Likewise, another good attribute of a nurse is that they should respond rapidly to emergencies and other situations which may arise.
A police officer should have a strong sense of desire to work and serve. They also good have good decision making skills and should be physically fit. Similarly they also should be good at dealing with people and at different situation as they have a job to assist people in emergency and coordinates emergency management procedures. Their main aim is to prevent crime and create a safer society.
A computer engineer needs good technical knowledge as they test computer hardware which requires many technical supports. They will need to design, and test software also understanding the different operating systems. A good working procedure is important to them as they are working with computer; there are many health and safety linked in with working procedures, for example: they need to deal with hardware and electrical wires very carefully. An employer would value this skill because the employee would need no further training as he already as the skill required for his position.
Networking skills are also valued by the employers as computer engineers work in a networking field, it is important that they possess this specific type of skills or otherwise, you will not get the job.
To become a good teacher, there are numerous skills and attributes. Some of the most significant attribute is that they should be a good leader and should maintain a good relationship with the students. An outstanding teacher should not only be a worthy leader but a great listener too, students should feel free to ask a teacher anything and for advice as school life or university is an important part.
It is very important that the teacher establishes leadership skills so that the students will learn for it. All teachers should have unique teaching styles which will make it easy for the students to diverse.
A computer technician also needs good technical knowledge and should have suitable qualities. They should be have a respectable communication skills, for example; a computer technician at school should have a good knowledge of understanding and should communicate well to the teachers and students effectively, they should be a great listener as they may have loads of questions and technical questions to deal with.
Web designer should enjoy being creative and must have a passion towards computers at the same time. Employers don’t require specific requirements from an employee to become a wen designer but should have experience in other types of design, or must have done some sort training in web design. They should be punctual because they should meet clients to discuss what they want their site to do and answer their questions effectively, therefore, should have good communication skills. They should be able to deal with technical matters as they will be asked to test and improve the design and upload the site to a server for publication reasons. They also should have strong creative skills and the ability to explain technical matters clearly to people.
General Attributes
You general attribute, as mentioned before is about learning how to organise skills, planning, time management, persona; qualities and to write and talk about them with your employers. (Kealan, 2011)
One of the main skills valued by your employers is the team working skills. This skill will prove them your ability to work well with others. A good team leader will be extremely confident and will be open to working collaboratively.
So what skills are needed to be a good team member?
1. Good listener – by demonstrating to be a great listener will show the leadership in you, an employer wants someone who can listen to other enquires and ideas.
2. Dependable – employers value employees who continuously come to work and contribute their positive attitude to the company. Being a dependable worker displays that you value your job.
3. Loyalty – Employers consider people who will stay with the company thought the good and bad times.
4. Targets – Employers would value if you set yourself realistic targets for yourself as it shows that you know what you are capable of doing and will prove that they are prepared to take additional responsibilities.
Planning skills:
Employers would definitely value planning skills as most work is loaded around certain projects that must be completed, in order to do this, you should have a well orderly plan which will help you to reach your goal. An employer expects their employees to plan ahead if any problem occurred that could theoretically cause any distraction to the project.
Organising skills:
Employees in the workplace must have a good knowledge of organising as this skill is mostly valued by employers. This will allow an employee to determine the supplies they need and how to position certain matters. For example; a computer engineer should have good organising skills as he/she would be dealing with different files and hardware, they should be able to assemble the files. If an important detail is lost, then they should be prepared to face the consequences.
One of the most essential organisational skills is to meet all the deadlines set by the employers; this will show that you can use the time wisely. Meeting deadlines are linked with time management skills which are very important.
Some benefits of have a good time management are:
Getting more things done
Employers would value it greatly self-satisfaction
Having more time
Increases self confidence
Writing skills:
These types of skills are a vital part of effective communication. This skill slows you to communicate your message. An employer might want you to write a letter or a report which will require you to have good writing skill. They will suppose you to have the accurate grammar, punctuation and spelling which are the key points in writing skills. Writing skill is an almost universally required skill; most employers think that good writing is a symbol of good thinking if it’s written understandably and persuasively while writing that is not careful or clear can be a signal of uncertain thought.
Numeracy is being able to be good with number and other mathematical concepts. A high level of numeracy is required for some jobs and it’s actually part of our everyday day as it is the basic skill that most people need in a job, the basic grade in numeracy valued by employers is a grade C in GCSE.
(The global body for professional accountants, 2010)
Numerical skills are needed for accountants; they must be comfortable with number as most accountants’ job is to deal with money, banks and producing numerical data for different uses. Employers also want them to have good communication skills; they need to be confident at communicating technical information to others. Accountants often work in teams; they would need to have good leadership skills in order to work well with staffs and other people. They may encounter challenges so it’s important that they find a way to overcome these problems so problem solving skills are also unavoidable.
On the other hand, time management is also important for them as accountant often work on many projects at a time so they need to manage and rank their work to meet their aim and to satisfy their employer. Similarly, as it is important for many doctors to be able to communicate well with patients, carers and colleagues, they should have good communication skills. They need to show interest in people and should be able to make decisions after hearing about how other people think and feel. Also, they should have a rational approach to all patients and approach problems in a logical way – in order to do this; they need have good communication skills.
Lastly, one of the most essential skills a lawyer needs is to be a good team leader. For them, team work means working with other to reach the best outcome, their ability to work collaboratively with their clients is very essential as they will make loads of decision when dealing with different types of cases. (University Web Page , 2011) Leadership skills shows that a person is committed and will deliver inspiration to other people, most employers need leadership skills in employees so that they can rely on them or anything.
Also, communication skills are significant for lawyers as they need to question loads of people regarding a matter or a case; they should be able to speak will in a court with good and respectful manner.
Attitudes
Attitude is defined as an expression of kindness or unkindness towards a person, thing, or an event. In this case, it means a person’s preferred attitude towards work, for example: this could be motivated, lazy, determined and so forth. As humans, our attitudes may change every day according to the situation we are being place. For example; as we get older, it might be difficult to think the same way as an 80-year-old when you are only 20.
Confidence: this is an important attitude towards a job, and employers will surely value this concept because it shows that the employees are able to do the tasks and work really hard to reach their goal. However, too much confidence leads to many problems as it is seen as lack of respect to the employer. People have confidence in other people too, for example, an employer may have loads of confidence in an employee if he/she works really hard and put their 100% into their work. So as a result, confidence is important but it must be based on genuine skill level.
Patience: Patience is surely valued by employers as it means a person is peaceful and calm. If a bad situation happens in a company, then a good worker should deal with that matter logically and with great patience.
Commitment and determination: it is very important that an employee has determination and motivation in their work so that they are fully dedicated in the company and to the employer.
Appreciating your colleagues if they have done something grateful to you or to the company, saying thanks is a good attitude (this is needed in most jobs as it links with good leadership skills). (Positive Attitude , 2011) In order to produce an optimistic atmosphere in the company, all employees and employers should have a positive thinking attitude with general attributes, such as; organisation skills, communicational skills. Employers’ value when their employees work in a pleasant environment with great endurance and are not under any pressure and anxiety as their relationship and communication with the customers should be respectable.
Having the right attitude impacts many aspects:
Job performance
Trust
Self-confidence
Sales
Develops the relation between an employer and employee
Team spirit Summary of P1
To summarise, both general attributes and specific attributes are equally valued by employers. They expect you to have the skills required for your chosen job, this will prove them what you can do and what contribution you can make to the company, so they will be very careful when observing you basic skills and your attitude towards the job.
General attributes are very important because it includes many skills, but the attitude is equally important as it plays a huge role in a workplace. Employees should also aim to make the company successful, not just the managers – in order to do this, they should have a lively and positive attitude towards their work, and they shouldn’t just work for money and self-satisfaction.
Meanwhile, an employee should have a good attitude towards their work; they should be confidence with what they are dealing with and should have loads of patience. They also ought to show their attentiveness to their employers to prove their attitude which they will greatly assure and value. Each jobs requires different types of skills, an employer expect their employees to be a good thinker. All employees should take health and safety into account because it doesn’t only affect them, but their friends and people who work around them; therefore, they should react and should clearly be aware to use their skills at different situation.
One of the main key features of general attribute is good communication skills; all employers look for good, stable employees that they can depend upon. Good communication skills are important in all jobs as this is one of the main prospective an employer would value.
As a result, popular skills that employers want are; effective communication, problem solving, interpersonal abilities, team work, planning skills, leadership, self-management, accuracy, creativity, ability to learn, enthusiasm and so forth.
P2
Like I mentioned in the introduction, this section is all about PRINCIPLES OF EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION.
In my P2 section, I will be explaining about General communication skills, interpersonal skills and Communicate in writing skills.
Communication is important in all jobs and all relations. The main aim of effective communication is to pass on the message effectively in a way people would comprehend.
In the report published by Managing Director, (Bradbury, 2011), it mentions poor communication is the most frequently caused of disconnect and that the main aim of effective communication is to be heard and to hear.
You need to have good understanding skills and organisational skills in order to contribute to effective communication methods. Active listening means being focused entirely on the person speaking (this is interpersonal skills), you must not interrupt or start on another subject while they are talking, this will be seen as a poor communication method.
You also have to value the different cultures (general communication skills), people from different backgrounds may have different opinions and thoughts but you have to understand and create a suitable atmosphere for them.
General communication skills
Culture differences
Effective communication with people of different cultures is challenging, but an employee should learn how to interact and understand different culture in order to make a suitable atmosphere. Some words of signs may be misunderstood in a new language, so a culture difference plays a huge part of effective communication.
For example; as a company manager of an I.T institution, the manager should learn how to respect culture differences to make it an effective communication. He will be dealing with people from different backgrounds and cultures. There may be loads of applications from people who have different culture, so he should make the right decision by choosing the right person, in order to do this, he should respect and value everyone equally.
If you have travelled a lot before, you’ll probably know that there are huge culture differences in communication between people from different countries.
People who has job in a business filed, it is very important to them to understand culture differences. During their business meeting, various culture differences many come forth, it is important that they should know the correct way of addressing each person. For example; you should always address a person by their last name, unless they gave you the freedom to do so.
Adapting to suit an audience
Adapting to suit an audience is a key aspect of effective communication as the age and composition of audience can impact the way you communicate with them.
For example; during a business meeting, there might be people from different age group, some of them may have hearing problems, therefore you might raise you voice or use a microphone to make sure your message is effectively passed on. This will also maintain interest of all the audience.
Another example is; if you came up with a new project (new computerised program), you might present your message in a particular manner or deliver it electronically. You should be able to recognise which type of communication is required in each situation, for example; you may be selective in your choice of terminology.
Accuracy
In order to win the hearts and minds of each audience, you should have an adapted content and style of communication, it should be different each time, and this will definitely catch the interest of people. By including facts in your message will contribute to effective communication as this will prove that you are not a liar. If this happens, no one would listen to you. So to summarise, accuracy in communication is very significant, how well you communicate will show how well the audience understood. When aiming to provide accurate information, you should know the difference between opinions and facts.
Opinions - opinions can be strong or weak and may be influenced by knowledge, they can also vary from one person to the next.
Facts – these can be proved, these can be either true or false.
Engaging the audience
You will need to apply various techniques when interacting with different audience; this will maintain the interest levels of your audience.
For example; network managers have a range of responsibilities including evaluating, implementing. They usually need to make online engagement to interact with different audiences, to make the audience engage, you will need to;
Make a plan, set your goals
Enhancing you communicational skills
Maintain the new relationships.
But network managers also need to do oral communication for their project or appointments with costumers. In an oral communication, he can create interest pausing from time to time – long enough to take in what you have said.
They can also generate similar effect in written communication by;
Varying the sentence lengths
Using headline or bullet points
Make it simple and easy to understand but use effective and interesting words and phrases.
Usage of diagram and facts
Interpersonal skills
Positive Language
A positive communication skill benefits you to interact with people effectively; your positive attitude, body language, facial expressions can also convey a positive reaction.
To begin with, the word ‘yes’ is a positive response to a question. A positive body language can make a big difference in how you interact with anyone; this is because the audience will feel comfortable and it shows a sign of effective communication. Examples of positive body language are:
Standing up straight
Good eye contact
Effective expressions
Show interest
These examples will create a positive atmosphere to the audience. As mentioned above, body language also influences positive language. In an interview you would need to show confidence through body movement and position; sit straight up.
As a network worker, you should also use positive language to your customers all the time; this will build the relationship positively making them to contribute to your idea and the company.
Negative language links in with positive language, negative language can cause destruction in an effective communication. For example; if you are a web designer, a message or your design can be put across in a certain way that is rude or unnecessary. In this case, body language can also contribute to negative language; you are unlikely to have an effective communication with a client if you are too close to aggressive towards them.
Active engagement
In every job, all employees should be actively engaged; this will make the employers to value their interpersonal skills.
If you are actively engaged, it shows the employer that you are interested in your job.
There are many different ways and techniques to engage an audience, if you are a web designer, you should actively engage your audience so that they are fairly interested in your design.
Engaging an audience can be done by;
Using technology
Question and answer sections
Using different multiplicities of methods will make sure that you audience is completely engaged. If you are representing an idea of yours to the company, you should make sure that you are actively engaging the manager by using these ways. By paying attention to what the manager is saying is also a key point as this will make you react to the correct situation.
Communicate in writing
Written communication is hugely different from other type of communication.
As this is written communication, it requires good knowledge and accurate grammar skills.
Communications in writing skills are valued by all employers in almost any jobs as they are part of our everyday life. Writing something and effectively writing fall into two different groups.
The reader will form an opinion about you after reading observing your writing skills which includes; content, errors and presentation.
There are many times of writing skills;
Smileys and emotions
Grammar and spelling
Structure
Proof reading
Communicating in writing skills can help you in life, if you are trying to get a job, good writing skills will make you more valuable to the employers. For instance;
As a teacher, you should have a standard knowledge in writing skills, if a student asks about spelling, then you should be aware to respond effectively.
Moreover, emails that are clearly written makes you seem more intelligent and will make them carry on reading.
Smileys and emotions are important in writing skills as these express your feelings more thoughtfully white you are writing. This is especially important in web companies, as there are many keys available to show your feelings and emotions. Emotions are formed out of keyboard or characters, and are often make to resemble faces, for example; :-)
Smileys on the other hand are often graphical variation of emotions, for example;
Most importantly, smileys and emotions are considered as inappropriate when writing professional or formal letters or texts. For example; in a job application, you should never use emotions or smileys are it’s considered to be unsuitable.
Grammar and spelling
Grammar, spelling and punctuation are very important in written communication; this will make the text easier and understandable to read. It will also be seen as professional. Grammar will structuralise the sentences so they it will make more sense to the reader.
Summary of P2
To summarise; there are three types of communication skills
General skills, interpersonal skills and written communication skills.
General skills include culture differences, things like sneezing are frowned upon in Japan but it is totally normal in UK. Adapting is also key part to this particular skill as changing to suit a new environment, for example, this could be a job in IT where you are working in a small office all day. (2011)
Interpersonal skills are the skills we use to interact with each other. Good interpersonal skills allow us to empathise and build good relation with colleagues and clients, leading to a better working environment.
An example if interpersonal skill is lip reading; this is being able to see someone interpret what he or she is saying. Another example is your body language; the way you are sitting can say a many facts about you.
Written communication skills differ from the mentioned skills as this is the ability to write effectively in a range of contexts, grammar and so forth. It also links in with electronic communication such as SMS, email, chat rooms…
Capital letters are used at the start of a sentence or for proper nouns like Alex and India. There are also abbreviations like UK AND US, these falls into the communicating in writing skills. In written communication, capitalisation of complete words or phrases is taken to mean shouting, and is therefore to be avoided (except if you are intended to shout). (Communication skills for IT, 2011)
Barriers to effective communication – P3 AND M1
There are many barriers included in communication. Firstly, background noise is a noise that is heard by an individual or by a group of people; this may distract their conversation negatively. For example; if an I.T manager is doing a project, he/she may need a quiet smooth background noise.
Another example is lack of concentration, this means that someone cannot concentrate fully on what they are doing.
Examples of general communication barriers:
Culture difference – cultural barriers are brought because of cultural differences.
Language is one of the most noticeable cultural barriers because this difference can render people beings incapable of talking to each other. For example; as a network manager, you would need to communicate with different people with different cultures. Conducting a business in a country that speaks a different language can leave one feeling lost and completely out of touch (barriers)
Religion also links in with cultural barriers. Having different religions or castes can cause barriers to effectively communicate of a level. A person may feel uncomfortable communicating with people of different religions as they may have different viewpoints. Religious views impact the way one thinks and can cause different opinions. Due to this, you should overcome this by understanding the reasons behind these differences and tackle them with extreme care.
How to overcome cultural barriers? (Rampur, 2011)
There are many ways in which to overcome cultural barriers, firstly, you should also try to use a language your colleagues are familiar with. This will reduce the risk of confusion and lose of touch during communication. Secondly, you should always have great respect for people who share other cultures and understand their beliefs, for example; people from Japan and China have their own way of greeting each other, and therefore, you should have a knowledge of their beliefs and values which will result as effective communication.
Thirdly, you always should ensure that you do not include references which are related to specific cultures and finally treat everyone will equal respect.
Engaging with audience – barriers
There are many barriers that could be involved when an individual is engaging with audience.
For example; if a web designer is presenting his idea to the judges and audience, many distractions could occur.
Mobile phone going off during a presentation could distract – when this happens, communication will be ineffective and the speaker might feel the need to repeat part of the message.
So how do we overcome these types of distraction during a presentation?
Firstly, one way in which to overcome these types of distractions is to turn your mobile phone during a presentation. Secondly, watch your audience member if a distraction occurs; this will eventually prevent them from repeating the same mistake.
Planning ahead is another effective way to deal with distraction, for example; you should make a list of the distractions that could occur.
Finally, if anyone distracts you, you should learn to deal with it openly, preferably with humour if possible.
Interpersonal skills barriers – examples
Body language
There are many barriers involved in the way we interact with each other through our body language. Our bodies may give messages that contradict our words. For example; not looking at the person speaking, crossing arms or legs could count as being impolite.
Body language is an important component of effective communication and it is to our advantage to develop skills in this area in order to be a good communicators.
Although body language is nonverbal communication, but it can reveal loads about an individual’s feeling. Therefore, at a workplace, an employee also should maintain a suitable body language.
Written communication barriers
There are many written communication barriers involved if you are not careful; a misunderstanding can occur when the receiver of the message misapprehends the intention of the writer.
The structure also could cause problems; formatting your letter/text/fax correctly is very significant for effective communication. For example without a subject, your name can be grouped as a communication barrier.
Incorrect grammar or spelling errors could also be a communication barrier. This will distract the reader; this may result in job loss. But small errors can indicate that you are uneducated or careless.
Always remember to SPELL CHECK, and proof reading is enormously important.
Communicating effectively will take time. If you fail to dedicate the time, for example; if you reply late to a message, you run the danger of not communicating successfully.
An individual have to fully concentrate if they are writing something important. If they let something such as; background noise distract them, then everything could go wrong resulting to write effectively.
For instance, if an individual is applying for a certain job, he/she needs to write and show that they can communicate effectively; these skills are greatly valued by employers.
Before you send a written communication such as report, it is very important to review and proof read. But some barriers could occur at this stage.
Finding errors in your own work is difficult; this is one of the greatest barriers as your eye reads what your brain thinks.
How to overcome?
Ask someone else to read your work
Read the carefully and slowly
Read the piece line by line
Proofreading ensures that you are saying what you intended to do so. Having another person reading your work will make it more accurate and reliable.
Summary of P3 AND M1
Effective communication is important to everyday life, especially in a workplace. But there are many barriers that could affect the way you communicate. In order to be a good communicator, you will need to be aware of these barriers.
To communicate effectively, you need to be fully attentive, there are many distractions that could happen and these distractions can come in many forms. For example; there might be a back ground noise disturbing you while you are writing an important report.
Bibliography
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Communication skills for IT. (2011). barriers. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.ehow.com/info_7888574_cultural-barriers.html
Bernadette, M. F. (2012). BETC Level 3 in IT. In M. Fishpool.
Bradbury, B. (2011). Principles of Effective Communication . Halland Solutions .
(n.d.). Communication and Employability skills for IT. In Student Book. UK.
Kealan. (2011, 09 15). Blogspot. Retrieved 09 11, 2013, from Communications and Employability: http://kealancrilly.blogspot.co.uk/2011/09/attributes-valued-by-employers.html
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Attributes and Barriers
P2
Principles of Effective Communication
P3 & M1
Barriers
Unit 1 Communication and Employability skills
Table of Contents Contents
Introduction
I am working for a company called ICTIB and they have asked to do some research.
In my report, I will be clarifying thoughtfully why the attributes are valued and also the principles of effective communication.
I will be considering the following points to clarify this particular idea:
Specific Attributes (job related, good working procedures, security and work attitudes).
General Attributes (planning skills, organisational skills, time management, team working, verbal skills, written communication skills, numeracy and creativity). …show more content…
Attitudes (a person’s preferred attitude towards their work, for example: determined, independent, and motivated).
General communication skills: (cultural differences; adapting e.g. modulating voice, terminology, format, accuracy, engaging audience changing intonation…
Interpersonal skills (verbal exchanged, signing, lip reading).
Communicate in writing (‘smileys’ or emoticons, proofreading).
Notably, the reasons why I will be explaining how employers’ value attributes are because it can differ according to what different employers are regarding for a specific job.
For example, a car salesman wouldn’t need the same attributes as a nurse as they prefer to work in different surroundings.
Also, I think the reason why employers would value an employee’s attributes is similarly because of their own personal potentials as their skills will assuredly benefit the organisation and service.
As mentioned above, an essential example of an appreciated attribute would be a team player as they would aim to work in an appropriate environment and work for the team.
I will be giving four or five examples of job-related attributes, for example: nurses.
This will help be to understand the specific skills and procedures needed of particular jobs. To begin with, the general attribute skills valued by employer are; organisational skills this is important as it shows the employer that you are efficient, time management which shows the employer that you are motivated, communicational skills which all employees should have as it contributes to everyday life.
All employers suppose their employees to have a good knowledge of health and safety because if you cannot follow the rules of health and safety then you will put other in danger.
Specific attributes are different to general attribute as they fall into two groups’ job related and knowledge of good working procedures, these will be the main and basic skills which the employers expects the employees to follow.
P2 is all about principles of effective communication, the principles of effective communication depends on the type of communication that a person is using, there are some that apply in general, some that relate only to interpersonal communication.
For this section, I will be looking that general communication skills, interpersonal skills and communication in writing. (Communication and Employability skills for IT)
Meanwhile, P3 and M1 are both linked with P2 as it explains the barriers of communication.
I will be talking about different barriers to communication from general communication skills, interpersonal skills and communication skills. Once I have explained about the barriers, I will then developing this idea into another level and explain how it employees can overcome this situations by using many techniques.
Specific Attributes
There are various reasons why employers value specific attributes, this is mainly because specific attributes contributes to job related skills, working procedures, security and work attitudes (Bernadette, 2012).
Specific attributes fall into two different groups and are opposed to general attributes.
The two main groups
are:
The job-related attributes which is necessary to carry out the job
The knowledge of good working procedures which most employers expect you to follow
For some jobs, employers expect you to have a technical knowledge and they expect you to know about the job you are applying for, experiences is not necessary in some cases. An employee may demonstrate their technical skills through their academic studies or their vocational qualifications. Most employees ask for certificate to prove you skills. A nurse to should have an excellent skill with dealing with people as they deliver care for people of all ages and races. Also, good communication and observation skills are also compulsory as they need to be a good listener and pay attention to the patients care and medication. Communication is enormously important as it is the main central strength of a nurse because what nurses say and do is about a patient.
Likewise, another good attribute of a nurse is that they should respond rapidly to emergencies and other situations which may arise.
A police officer should have a strong sense of desire to work and serve. They also good have good decision making skills and should be physically fit. Similarly they also should be good at dealing with people and at different situation as they have a job to assist people in emergency and coordinates emergency management procedures. Their main aim is to prevent crime and create a safer society.
A computer engineer needs good technical knowledge as they test computer hardware which requires many technical supports. They will need to design, and test software also understanding the different operating systems. A good working procedure is important to them as they are working with computer; there are many health and safety linked in with working procedures, for example: they need to deal with hardware and electrical wires very carefully. An employer would value this skill because the employee would need no further training as he already as the skill required for his position.
Networking skills are also valued by the employers as computer engineers work in a networking field, it is important that they possess this specific type of skills or otherwise, you will not get the job.
To become a good teacher, there are numerous skills and attributes. Some of the most significant attribute is that they should be a good leader and should maintain a good relationship with the students. An outstanding teacher should not only be a worthy leader but a great listener too, students should feel free to ask a teacher anything and for advice as school life or university is an important part.
It is very important that the teacher establishes leadership skills so that the students will learn for it. All teachers should have unique teaching styles which will make it easy for the students to diverse.
A computer technician also needs good technical knowledge and should have suitable qualities. They should be have a respectable communication skills, for example; a computer technician at school should have a good knowledge of understanding and should communicate well to the teachers and students effectively, they should be a great listener as they may have loads of questions and technical questions to deal with.
Web designer should enjoy being creative and must have a passion towards computers at the same time. Employers don’t require specific requirements from an employee to become a wen designer but should have experience in other types of design, or must have done some sort training in web design. They should be punctual because they should meet clients to discuss what they want their site to do and answer their questions effectively, therefore, should have good communication skills. They should be able to deal with technical matters as they will be asked to test and improve the design and upload the site to a server for publication reasons. They also should have strong creative skills and the ability to explain technical matters clearly to people.
General Attributes
You general attribute, as mentioned before is about learning how to organise skills, planning, time management, persona; qualities and to write and talk about them with your employers. (Kealan, 2011)
One of the main skills valued by your employers is the team working skills. This skill will prove them your ability to work well with others. A good team leader will be extremely confident and will be open to working collaboratively.
So what skills are needed to be a good team member?
1. Good listener – by demonstrating to be a great listener will show the leadership in you, an employer wants someone who can listen to other enquires and ideas.
2. Dependable – employers value employees who continuously come to work and contribute their positive attitude to the company. Being a dependable worker displays that you value your job.
3. Loyalty – Employers consider people who will stay with the company thought the good and bad times.
4. Targets – Employers would value if you set yourself realistic targets for yourself as it shows that you know what you are capable of doing and will prove that they are prepared to take additional responsibilities.
Planning skills:
Employers would definitely value planning skills as most work is loaded around certain projects that must be completed, in order to do this, you should have a well orderly plan which will help you to reach your goal. An employer expects their employees to plan ahead if any problem occurred that could theoretically cause any distraction to the project.
Organising skills:
Employees in the workplace must have a good knowledge of organising as this skill is mostly valued by employers. This will allow an employee to determine the supplies they need and how to position certain matters. For example; a computer engineer should have good organising skills as he/she would be dealing with different files and hardware, they should be able to assemble the files. If an important detail is lost, then they should be prepared to face the consequences.
One of the most essential organisational skills is to meet all the deadlines set by the employers; this will show that you can use the time wisely. Meeting deadlines are linked with time management skills which are very important.
Some benefits of have a good time management are:
Getting more things done
Employers would value it greatly self-satisfaction
Having more time
Increases self confidence
Writing skills:
These types of skills are a vital part of effective communication. This skill slows you to communicate your message. An employer might want you to write a letter or a report which will require you to have good writing skill. They will suppose you to have the accurate grammar, punctuation and spelling which are the key points in writing skills. Writing skill is an almost universally required skill; most employers think that good writing is a symbol of good thinking if it’s written understandably and persuasively while writing that is not careful or clear can be a signal of uncertain thought.
Numeracy is being able to be good with number and other mathematical concepts. A high level of numeracy is required for some jobs and it’s actually part of our everyday day as it is the basic skill that most people need in a job, the basic grade in numeracy valued by employers is a grade C in GCSE.
(The global body for professional accountants, 2010)
Numerical skills are needed for accountants; they must be comfortable with number as most accountants’ job is to deal with money, banks and producing numerical data for different uses. Employers also want them to have good communication skills; they need to be confident at communicating technical information to others. Accountants often work in teams; they would need to have good leadership skills in order to work well with staffs and other people. They may encounter challenges so it’s important that they find a way to overcome these problems so problem solving skills are also unavoidable.
On the other hand, time management is also important for them as accountant often work on many projects at a time so they need to manage and rank their work to meet their aim and to satisfy their employer. Similarly, as it is important for many doctors to be able to communicate well with patients, carers and colleagues, they should have good communication skills. They need to show interest in people and should be able to make decisions after hearing about how other people think and feel. Also, they should have a rational approach to all patients and approach problems in a logical way – in order to do this; they need have good communication skills.
Lastly, one of the most essential skills a lawyer needs is to be a good team leader. For them, team work means working with other to reach the best outcome, their ability to work collaboratively with their clients is very essential as they will make loads of decision when dealing with different types of cases. (University Web Page , 2011) Leadership skills shows that a person is committed and will deliver inspiration to other people, most employers need leadership skills in employees so that they can rely on them or anything.
Also, communication skills are significant for lawyers as they need to question loads of people regarding a matter or a case; they should be able to speak will in a court with good and respectful manner.
Attitudes
Attitude is defined as an expression of kindness or unkindness towards a person, thing, or an event. In this case, it means a person’s preferred attitude towards work, for example: this could be motivated, lazy, determined and so forth. As humans, our attitudes may change every day according to the situation we are being place. For example; as we get older, it might be difficult to think the same way as an 80-year-old when you are only 20.
Confidence: this is an important attitude towards a job, and employers will surely value this concept because it shows that the employees are able to do the tasks and work really hard to reach their goal. However, too much confidence leads to many problems as it is seen as lack of respect to the employer. People have confidence in other people too, for example, an employer may have loads of confidence in an employee if he/she works really hard and put their 100% into their work. So as a result, confidence is important but it must be based on genuine skill level.
Patience: Patience is surely valued by employers as it means a person is peaceful and calm. If a bad situation happens in a company, then a good worker should deal with that matter logically and with great patience.
Commitment and determination: it is very important that an employee has determination and motivation in their work so that they are fully dedicated in the company and to the employer.
Appreciating your colleagues if they have done something grateful to you or to the company, saying thanks is a good attitude (this is needed in most jobs as it links with good leadership skills). (Positive Attitude , 2011) In order to produce an optimistic atmosphere in the company, all employees and employers should have a positive thinking attitude with general attributes, such as; organisation skills, communicational skills. Employers’ value when their employees work in a pleasant environment with great endurance and are not under any pressure and anxiety as their relationship and communication with the customers should be respectable.
Having the right attitude impacts many aspects:
Job performance
Trust
Self-confidence
Sales
Develops the relation between an employer and employee
Team spirit Summary of P1
To summarise, both general attributes and specific attributes are equally valued by employers. They expect you to have the skills required for your chosen job, this will prove them what you can do and what contribution you can make to the company, so they will be very careful when observing you basic skills and your attitude towards the job.
General attributes are very important because it includes many skills, but the attitude is equally important as it plays a huge role in a workplace. Employees should also aim to make the company successful, not just the managers – in order to do this, they should have a lively and positive attitude towards their work, and they shouldn’t just work for money and self-satisfaction.
Meanwhile, an employee should have a good attitude towards their work; they should be confidence with what they are dealing with and should have loads of patience. They also ought to show their attentiveness to their employers to prove their attitude which they will greatly assure and value. Each jobs requires different types of skills, an employer expect their employees to be a good thinker. All employees should take health and safety into account because it doesn’t only affect them, but their friends and people who work around them; therefore, they should react and should clearly be aware to use their skills at different situation.
One of the main key features of general attribute is good communication skills; all employers look for good, stable employees that they can depend upon. Good communication skills are important in all jobs as this is one of the main prospective an employer would value.
As a result, popular skills that employers want are; effective communication, problem solving, interpersonal abilities, team work, planning skills, leadership, self-management, accuracy, creativity, ability to learn, enthusiasm and so forth.
P2
Like I mentioned in the introduction, this section is all about PRINCIPLES OF EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION.
In my P2 section, I will be explaining about General communication skills, interpersonal skills and Communicate in writing skills.
Communication is important in all jobs and all relations. The main aim of effective communication is to pass on the message effectively in a way people would comprehend.
In the report published by Managing Director, (Bradbury, 2011), it mentions poor communication is the most frequently caused of disconnect and that the main aim of effective communication is to be heard and to hear.
You need to have good understanding skills and organisational skills in order to contribute to effective communication methods. Active listening means being focused entirely on the person speaking (this is interpersonal skills), you must not interrupt or start on another subject while they are talking, this will be seen as a poor communication method.
You also have to value the different cultures (general communication skills), people from different backgrounds may have different opinions and thoughts but you have to understand and create a suitable atmosphere for them.
General communication skills
Culture differences
Effective communication with people of different cultures is challenging, but an employee should learn how to interact and understand different culture in order to make a suitable atmosphere. Some words of signs may be misunderstood in a new language, so a culture difference plays a huge part of effective communication.
For example; as a company manager of an I.T institution, the manager should learn how to respect culture differences to make it an effective communication. He will be dealing with people from different backgrounds and cultures. There may be loads of applications from people who have different culture, so he should make the right decision by choosing the right person, in order to do this, he should respect and value everyone equally.
If you have travelled a lot before, you’ll probably know that there are huge culture differences in communication between people from different countries.
People who has job in a business filed, it is very important to them to understand culture differences. During their business meeting, various culture differences many come forth, it is important that they should know the correct way of addressing each person. For example; you should always address a person by their last name, unless they gave you the freedom to do so.
Adapting to suit an audience
Adapting to suit an audience is a key aspect of effective communication as the age and composition of audience can impact the way you communicate with them.
For example; during a business meeting, there might be people from different age group, some of them may have hearing problems, therefore you might raise you voice or use a microphone to make sure your message is effectively passed on. This will also maintain interest of all the audience.
Another example is; if you came up with a new project (new computerised program), you might present your message in a particular manner or deliver it electronically. You should be able to recognise which type of communication is required in each situation, for example; you may be selective in your choice of terminology.
Accuracy
In order to win the hearts and minds of each audience, you should have an adapted content and style of communication, it should be different each time, and this will definitely catch the interest of people. By including facts in your message will contribute to effective communication as this will prove that you are not a liar. If this happens, no one would listen to you. So to summarise, accuracy in communication is very significant, how well you communicate will show how well the audience understood. When aiming to provide accurate information, you should know the difference between opinions and facts.
Opinions - opinions can be strong or weak and may be influenced by knowledge, they can also vary from one person to the next.
Facts – these can be proved, these can be either true or false.
Engaging the audience
You will need to apply various techniques when interacting with different audience; this will maintain the interest levels of your audience.
For example; network managers have a range of responsibilities including evaluating, implementing. They usually need to make online engagement to interact with different audiences, to make the audience engage, you will need to;
Make a plan, set your goals
Enhancing you communicational skills
Maintain the new relationships.
But network managers also need to do oral communication for their project or appointments with costumers. In an oral communication, he can create interest pausing from time to time – long enough to take in what you have said.
They can also generate similar effect in written communication by;
Varying the sentence lengths
Using headline or bullet points
Make it simple and easy to understand but use effective and interesting words and phrases.
Usage of diagram and facts
Interpersonal skills
Positive Language
A positive communication skill benefits you to interact with people effectively; your positive attitude, body language, facial expressions can also convey a positive reaction.
To begin with, the word ‘yes’ is a positive response to a question. A positive body language can make a big difference in how you interact with anyone; this is because the audience will feel comfortable and it shows a sign of effective communication. Examples of positive body language are:
Standing up straight
Good eye contact
Effective expressions
Show interest
These examples will create a positive atmosphere to the audience. As mentioned above, body language also influences positive language. In an interview you would need to show confidence through body movement and position; sit straight up.
As a network worker, you should also use positive language to your customers all the time; this will build the relationship positively making them to contribute to your idea and the company.
Negative language links in with positive language, negative language can cause destruction in an effective communication. For example; if you are a web designer, a message or your design can be put across in a certain way that is rude or unnecessary. In this case, body language can also contribute to negative language; you are unlikely to have an effective communication with a client if you are too close to aggressive towards them.
Active engagement
In every job, all employees should be actively engaged; this will make the employers to value their interpersonal skills.
If you are actively engaged, it shows the employer that you are interested in your job.
There are many different ways and techniques to engage an audience, if you are a web designer, you should actively engage your audience so that they are fairly interested in your design.
Engaging an audience can be done by;
Using technology
Question and answer sections
Using different multiplicities of methods will make sure that you audience is completely engaged. If you are representing an idea of yours to the company, you should make sure that you are actively engaging the manager by using these ways. By paying attention to what the manager is saying is also a key point as this will make you react to the correct situation.
Communicate in writing
Written communication is hugely different from other type of communication.
As this is written communication, it requires good knowledge and accurate grammar skills.
Communications in writing skills are valued by all employers in almost any jobs as they are part of our everyday life. Writing something and effectively writing fall into two different groups.
The reader will form an opinion about you after reading observing your writing skills which includes; content, errors and presentation.
There are many times of writing skills;
Smileys and emotions
Grammar and spelling
Structure
Proof reading
Communicating in writing skills can help you in life, if you are trying to get a job, good writing skills will make you more valuable to the employers. For instance;
As a teacher, you should have a standard knowledge in writing skills, if a student asks about spelling, then you should be aware to respond effectively.
Moreover, emails that are clearly written makes you seem more intelligent and will make them carry on reading.
Smileys and emotions are important in writing skills as these express your feelings more thoughtfully white you are writing. This is especially important in web companies, as there are many keys available to show your feelings and emotions. Emotions are formed out of keyboard or characters, and are often make to resemble faces, for example; :-)
Smileys on the other hand are often graphical variation of emotions, for example;
Most importantly, smileys and emotions are considered as inappropriate when writing professional or formal letters or texts. For example; in a job application, you should never use emotions or smileys are it’s considered to be unsuitable.
Grammar and spelling
Grammar, spelling and punctuation are very important in written communication; this will make the text easier and understandable to read. It will also be seen as professional. Grammar will structuralise the sentences so they it will make more sense to the reader.
Summary of P2
To summarise; there are three types of communication skills
General skills, interpersonal skills and written communication skills.
General skills include culture differences, things like sneezing are frowned upon in Japan but it is totally normal in UK. Adapting is also key part to this particular skill as changing to suit a new environment, for example, this could be a job in IT where you are working in a small office all day. (2011)
Interpersonal skills are the skills we use to interact with each other. Good interpersonal skills allow us to empathise and build good relation with colleagues and clients, leading to a better working environment.
An example if interpersonal skill is lip reading; this is being able to see someone interpret what he or she is saying. Another example is your body language; the way you are sitting can say a many facts about you.
Written communication skills differ from the mentioned skills as this is the ability to write effectively in a range of contexts, grammar and so forth. It also links in with electronic communication such as SMS, email, chat rooms…
Capital letters are used at the start of a sentence or for proper nouns like Alex and India. There are also abbreviations like UK AND US, these falls into the communicating in writing skills. In written communication, capitalisation of complete words or phrases is taken to mean shouting, and is therefore to be avoided (except if you are intended to shout). (Communication skills for IT, 2011)
Barriers to effective communication – P3 AND M1
There are many barriers included in communication. Firstly, background noise is a noise that is heard by an individual or by a group of people; this may distract their conversation negatively. For example; if an I.T manager is doing a project, he/she may need a quiet smooth background noise.
Another example is lack of concentration, this means that someone cannot concentrate fully on what they are doing.
Examples of general communication barriers:
Culture difference – cultural barriers are brought because of cultural differences.
Language is one of the most noticeable cultural barriers because this difference can render people beings incapable of talking to each other. For example; as a network manager, you would need to communicate with different people with different cultures. Conducting a business in a country that speaks a different language can leave one feeling lost and completely out of touch (barriers)
Religion also links in with cultural barriers. Having different religions or castes can cause barriers to effectively communicate of a level. A person may feel uncomfortable communicating with people of different religions as they may have different viewpoints. Religious views impact the way one thinks and can cause different opinions. Due to this, you should overcome this by understanding the reasons behind these differences and tackle them with extreme care.
How to overcome cultural barriers? (Rampur, 2011)
There are many ways in which to overcome cultural barriers, firstly, you should also try to use a language your colleagues are familiar with. This will reduce the risk of confusion and lose of touch during communication. Secondly, you should always have great respect for people who share other cultures and understand their beliefs, for example; people from Japan and China have their own way of greeting each other, and therefore, you should have a knowledge of their beliefs and values which will result as effective communication.
Thirdly, you always should ensure that you do not include references which are related to specific cultures and finally treat everyone will equal respect.
Engaging with audience – barriers
There are many barriers that could be involved when an individual is engaging with audience.
For example; if a web designer is presenting his idea to the judges and audience, many distractions could occur.
Mobile phone going off during a presentation could distract – when this happens, communication will be ineffective and the speaker might feel the need to repeat part of the message.
So how do we overcome these types of distraction during a presentation?
Firstly, one way in which to overcome these types of distractions is to turn your mobile phone during a presentation. Secondly, watch your audience member if a distraction occurs; this will eventually prevent them from repeating the same mistake.
Planning ahead is another effective way to deal with distraction, for example; you should make a list of the distractions that could occur.
Finally, if anyone distracts you, you should learn to deal with it openly, preferably with humour if possible.
Interpersonal skills barriers – examples
Body language
There are many barriers involved in the way we interact with each other through our body language. Our bodies may give messages that contradict our words. For example; not looking at the person speaking, crossing arms or legs could count as being impolite.
Body language is an important component of effective communication and it is to our advantage to develop skills in this area in order to be a good communicators.
Although body language is nonverbal communication, but it can reveal loads about an individual’s feeling. Therefore, at a workplace, an employee also should maintain a suitable body language.
Written communication barriers
There are many written communication barriers involved if you are not careful; a misunderstanding can occur when the receiver of the message misapprehends the intention of the writer.
The structure also could cause problems; formatting your letter/text/fax correctly is very significant for effective communication. For example without a subject, your name can be grouped as a communication barrier.
Incorrect grammar or spelling errors could also be a communication barrier. This will distract the reader; this may result in job loss. But small errors can indicate that you are uneducated or careless.
Always remember to SPELL CHECK, and proof reading is enormously important.
Communicating effectively will take time. If you fail to dedicate the time, for example; if you reply late to a message, you run the danger of not communicating successfully.
An individual have to fully concentrate if they are writing something important. If they let something such as; background noise distract them, then everything could go wrong resulting to write effectively.
For instance, if an individual is applying for a certain job, he/she needs to write and show that they can communicate effectively; these skills are greatly valued by employers.
Before you send a written communication such as report, it is very important to review and proof read. But some barriers could occur at this stage.
Finding errors in your own work is difficult; this is one of the greatest barriers as your eye reads what your brain thinks.
How to overcome?
Ask someone else to read your work
Read the carefully and slowly
Read the piece line by line
Proofreading ensures that you are saying what you intended to do so. Having another person reading your work will make it more accurate and reliable.
Summary of P3 AND M1
Effective communication is important to everyday life, especially in a workplace. But there are many barriers that could affect the way you communicate. In order to be a good communicator, you will need to be aware of these barriers.
To communicate effectively, you need to be fully attentive, there are many distractions that could happen and these distractions can come in many forms. For example; there might be a back ground noise disturbing you while you are writing an important report.
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