Business Admin

Unit - Communicate in a Business Environment

Learning Outcome 1 - Understand the purpose of planning communication

01.01 - The purpose of being able to communicate with one another is to be able to understand each other for several different reasons. One of the main reasons is, if you need help with something or don’t understand how to do something you need to be able to ask somebody else. So being able to understand someone is very important in daily life. Some people may make things sound really easy and others may make things sound really difficult, it’s how you communicate that makes things easier in life. Communication can come in many different forms, so how you interpret and listen will depend on how easy it is to understand them. Communication is highly important in the workplace, when I first started working in H M Williams; I had no idea of what to do or how to do things. I didn’t know anyone, so it took a while to get used to the working environment. To start off with I was asking lots of questions, simply because I had never done what I was asked before. I made sure to try and communicate with everyone, mainly to try and get to know them a little better, but also to understand the workplace more. We also communicate in business environments to listen to each other’s problems, and solve difficulties we face in day to day operations in our work and personal life. It helps us find solutions to problems that may come into our lives.

01.02 - It is very important to know who your audience is when you are going to communicate something. If you know who the audience is going to be, it will be much easier to communicate with them. Knowing who you are going to be talking to, allows you to plan what to say and how to say it. For example if you were giving a talk to a primary school, you would have to think of ideas that would make them interested. Using pictures are a good way of keeping children interested but also not using big words that they might not understand. Where I work it is very important to know who you are going to be speaking with, this way you can plan ahead. Not knowing who you are talking to can sometimes be very difficult. You need to make sure that you engage the person who is listening; you must try and relate to them, keeping them interested and engaged at all times. This enables you to get your point across thoroughly and effectively.

01.03 – There are many ways of communicating within the workplace, but also out of the workplace. This may be verbal or may be nonverbal communication. Below shows the types of communication that people can use…

Verbal Communication - Verbal communication is the most important communication within the workplace, talking to one another allows you to resolve issues and get them sorted straight away. We use this to communicate with one another on a regular basis. To understand people’s emotional state you need to be able to communicate with them through talking to each other, this way you can find out what is wrong with them and resolve the issue. This type of communication is used every day, in conferences, day to day work, seminars and general discussions.

Non Verbal Communication - Nonverbal communication is still important but not as important as verbal communication. Nonverbal can be, emails, faxes and sign language. These are used quite a lot within the workplace, emails are used to talk to clients, or if you want to talk to someone in the workplace, so instead of walking around the office to try and find them, you can email them. Sign language is usually used if someone has a hearing impairment and may require employees to go on a course to learn basic sign language skills, to help the person who has the impairment. Faxes are used to send documents from one place to another. We at H M Williams have a fax machine, so if someone doesn’t have an email address or doesn’t want to pay the postage they can put it in the fax machine to be sent through to the other person. Faxes can be used if items need to be sent through urgently.
Body Language - Body language is another way of communicating to somebody. Many people have a hard time with communication, and can find it difficult to tell others what they think or how they feel about something. Sometimes, they can’t find the right words to express the things they want to say. Body language however, is always honest and can always be counted on. Some people who are hard of hearing or talking can use sign language or facial expressions to communicate what they feel or how they feel. This makes communicating a lot easier for them, and also allows them to feel welcome and not different from other people.

01.04 - Communication is part of everyday life. We communicate to understand each other. One of the main times we communicate is when we are trying to explain something to someone. For example, if I didn’t know how to do something in the workplace, I would either email somebody or I would ask the person face to face. If communication didn’t exist, things were start to go wrong and potentially cause fatal accidents. There are many types of scenarios that you are placed in where you require communication…

• In the workplace - Communication within the workplace is required at all times. If there was no communication in the workplace things would start to go wrong and cause serious problems within the company. One of the times were you would require to communicate with someone would be when you have to talk to someone possibly unreachable within the practice, so you would have to find alternative ways of trying to communicate say an email or a telephone call. Emails are used greatly at H M Williams simply because it is cheaper but also saves on printing (if you don’t print the emails that is).
• If we require something - If we require something or need something we need to use communication to get hold of the item that you require. Talking to the person is one way of communicating, its fast and effective, allowing you to ask the person directly. Also calling someone is a good way of requiring something that you may need. For example, you may need to ask a client for certain information that you may not trust being sent by an email, say for example bank information. You would then call that person up and discuss this over the phone. On a regular basis here at H M Williams we are always calling clients up for information that we may not have or if it is urgent you will be able to collect the information straight away without a delay.
• When someone can’t communicate through speech - In certain circumstance you may not be able to communicate through speech, for example, if you have an employee who is slightly hard of hearing, you may need to use another area of communication to get through to them. Using sign language is probably the most easiest to use and by far the easiest probably for the employee as well.
• When a person is far away - Communicating with someone who maybe lives in another part of the country can sometime be difficult. There are many types of communication that have been invented to make this easier. One of the things that have been introduced recently is a program called ‘face time’ this is where if you have a webcam either separately or built into say a mobile. Once you have this you can then download the program, but both people have to do this. Once this happens you can then talk to each other for free and for however long you want. But you also get to see each other’s faces which I think is a very good idea. The only downside side of this is the fact that you have to have internet access which means buying a sim or something that will allow you to use or have internet access.

These are only some of the situations that we are placed under on a daily basis. Communication can come in many different forms. It depends on the person, on what type of communication they prefer to use.

Learning Outcome 2 - Understand how to communicate in writing

02.01 - There are many types of sources of information that can be used when preparing written communication. A person must be able to gather information to successfully prepare written communication. One of the main sources to find information would be the internet. These days there’s not much you can’t find on the internet. For example a student would require the internet to create a piece of writing for a teacher. A historian may require the need to use books to find out information on a war or something that happened in the past. Up until around 20 years ago, the idea of each person having their own computer was never really thought about. Computers now are typically used by most people, whether it’s to talk to someone or to find something out for a project or just for your own knowledge. The internet contains a wide range of information on different subjects. Other information sources such a books and newspapers etc. can also now be found on the internet making information easier to research. Not all people are interested in the internet when it comes to researching something. They still may require the use of books. A vast range of books can be found in libraries all over the world. So just think if your computer wasn’t helping there’s always going to be books to help out. Non written sources such as videos can also help when it comes to looking for information. Interviews that have been filmed can be used for research purposes. So if you are stuck on research there are always plenty of places to look for the information.

02.02 - Electronic forms of information can be anything from emails, faxes etc. This can be anything that is stored or can be transmitted electronically to or from another person. In an office environment you must be able to interpret information whether it is manual or electronic. At H M Williams we receive information that has been sent in via the computer, whether it is emails or faxes, these must be treated with care as they may have confidential information on them. Precautions are put in place to make sure that nothing can be lost or stolen. For example all computer information is backed up twice throughout the day, this makes sure that if there was ever an emergency the information would be safe. Another precaution in place is username and passwords placed on each person’s computer to make sure that if there was a burglary the information will potentially and hopefully will be safe. When required to send information electronically you must be able to decide on the best and most effective way of sending the information.

02.03 - Communication is a process that requires us to think, exchange thoughts, feelings and emotions through speech, writing or body language. The way we talk to someone depends on how well we know them but also where we are talking to them. We must talk to people in a way that will make them understand us. When using written communication we must determine what language is suitable and what audience we are typing to. If I was writing to a client about collecting their records, I would make sure that I use ‘Dear’ and ‘Yours Sincerely’. The correct language depends on the subject you are trying to put across. For example, grievances, minutes, complaints etc. Every issue has a way in which they need to be written.

• When writing always try to address in general to the organization rather than making it seem personal.
• Start a letter off by putting the positive points in first and then lead on to the negative points.
• Make sure you explain the facts straight rather than using doubtful phrases.
• Never use bold or underline text as this makes the text look aggressive and negative.

Putting the positives first makes the reader seem at ease, whilst putting negatives first would make the reader feel bad.

02.04 - Organising, structuring and presenting information is very important in the workplace. At H M Williams organization of documents is very important. Files have colour coordinated dividers which correspond to certain departments within the company. The files must be kept in date order. So if I had sent a client a letter I would place it under the correct divider and under the correct date. Presenting ideas to a team can be hard but if you plan ahead it should go well. Presentations should always be started off with an introduction to tell the audience what you are going to be talking about. Keeping documents in a certain order allows everyone to know where everything is stored allowing for less confusion. Presenting work step by step allows somebody to easily follow the text, resulting in less confusion.

02.05 - There are many ways of trying to check for accuracy of a written document, whether it is using the spell checker tool, proof reading you work or getting someone else to proof read your work, there is always a way of making sure your work is accurate.

Spell Checker/Grammar Check - Spell checker is one of the most common uses of checking for spelling and grammar. Spell checker isn’t always the best way of checking for mistakes. For example, if I was to write a letter I would start it off as ‘Dear’. If I was to spell ‘Dear’ as ‘Dere’ it would recognise that it is spelt wrong and would place a red line under the word indicating that it was spelt wrong. But if I was to spell ‘Dear’ as ‘Deer’ it wouldn’t recognise that it was spelt wrong simply because it is a word in the dictionary.

Create a template - Creating a template is ideal if you are working in a job that requires you to write letters of the same standard. Creating a template allows you to check for spelling mistakes but also allows it to be saved and used as many times as you like without having to proof read it. Checking for accuracy is very important within an organisation, making sure there are no mistakes throughout shows the clients that you have taken the time to make it presentable.

Getting help from someone else - Getting someone else to read your work can be very helpful. When you read you own work you tend not to pick out the mistakes you usually would. Another reader may look at your work and not understand what is trying to be said. They will pick out mistakes that you would not have picked up. You may have repeated yourself in a letter and may not have noticed it. Getting someone else to read through it, makes sure that when you send it out there are no mistakes or errors.

02.06 - The main purpose of making sure that your work is accurate is to simply make sure that whoever is receiving the work, that it is accurate and not full of errors. At H M Williams it is very important to make sure that work is of the highest standard. For example, on a daily basis employees are faced with having to deal with client’s figures and records. If someone was to have the wrong amounts or figures placed within their accounts etc. It could cause a lot of trouble for both us and the clients company. When clients receive something that has been created with mistakes in, they tend to distrust the person who has done the work, thus creating a bad name for both the employee and the company.

02.07 - Plain English is a form of language, which uses not slang. This type of language is easier to understand and is much clearer. Writing in this manner means the reader can understand the piece of writing without having to understand jargon or terms not categorised as being plain English. If I was writing to a client, which is one of my jobs within H M Williams, I would make sure that I used plain English. My letter would look like this…

Dear Mr Brown

Thank you for your letter dated 22nd April 2013. I have now enclosed your documents as required.

Yours Sincerely

Lee-Ann Deacon

A letter written in plain English should have no spelling mistakes or punctuation mistakes. I would only use slang if I was talking to a friend or texting them. Slang is usually used to shorten what you want to say. When writing or communicating with someone it is best to use plain English simply because if you were to use slang, they probably wouldn’t understand what you are trying to say.

02.08 - Proof reading work is very important within the workplace, whether you’re dealing with money or just writing letters to somebody. When writing a letter most people would just rely on the spell checker to check the work that they have just wrote. But some people don’t realise that the spell checker does not pick up ‘typos’. If I was to write a message and was supposed to write ‘from’ and I instead put ‘form’ the spell checker would not pick this up. At H M Williams proof reading information is very important. On a daily basis we deal with figures, we have to charge people money for the services that they have been given. For this to be correct, the correct figures must be inputted correctly making sure that the client pays the correct amount. Checking your work ensures that there are no mistakes made, but also makes the reader think that you have spent a lot of time doing the work.

02.09 - Work that is important and work that is urgent are two different things. Work that is urgent needs to be finished quickly but accurately. Work that is important needs to be prioritised and started as soon as possible. All tasks come with a deadline and must be finished within a timescale. At H M Williams work is placed on a board in the main office, client details are written on cards to show whose work needs to be done. Important items are given straight to a person to be started straight away. Urgent items are placed at the very top of the board to be started as soon as someone is free to do so. When I carry out my work I make sure that I ask if there is a time limit and when they require the work to be done. Once this is done I check to see what other work I need to do, if it is not important I will stop and start the new piece of work that is important. I make sure that I place the work I need to do in a book, so that when I come in the next day I can check to see what needs to be done.

02.10 - Every organization has a procedure that they must follow when it comes to saving and filing client’s information. Where I work we deal with a lot of confidential information that must be saved and filed correctly so that it does not get mislaid. If this were to happen then it could potentially cause a lot of trouble for the company. When information is stored on the computer it is always password protected so that only the designated users can find the information. Every client at H M Williams has their own designated file that contains all of the information required to successfully carry out the job needed. Different dividers are used for different sectors within the company…

• Correspondence – Red/Orange
• Accounts – Green
• Tax (Main) - Blue
• Tax (Other) – Pink
• Permanent – Yellow

Organizing the information like this allows each department to find the information quickly and efficiently without wasting too much time. The computers are slightly different in the way that the information is stored. Any information that has been received by post can be scanned into the computer. We use a program called ‘Open docs’ which is a program designed to allow for a paperless office. Information that is received from a client whether it is a return or information based on their accounts, this must be scanned into the computer and then saved into the corresponding file on ‘Open docs’. Learning Outcome 3 - Understand how to communicate verbally

03.01 - There are many different ways of verbally presenting information. The way in which you explain something can depend on how someone interprets that information. Verbally presenting information can sometimes be tough and requires us to plan ahead and think about what we are going to say. The easiest way to make sure that information is communicated clear is to use short sentences and simple language to ensure that the audience is going to understand what you are talking about. Planning ahead is one of the best tips as well, this ensures that you know what you are going to say on the day but also make sure that you won’t make mistakes when talking. The audience will know what you are trying to say and will be able to follow along easily. Different people understand information in different ways. Some understand by being shown how to do something, some by repetition and some like to hear what to do. At H M Williams I would rather be shown how to do something, so I can take down my own notes on how to do something. If I was chose to present something these would be the things I would do first…

• Determine who the audience is and then decide on what is the best way to present the information. In this case it would be to verbally communicate my information.
• I must then plan what I am going to say – Make notes diagrams etc. To make sure the audience fully understand what I am saying. I like to use presentations as I can use images, but also I can put notes down to prompt me when I am unsure of what to say.
• Finally I must then prepare myself correctly by making sure that I explain everything clearly without using the words ‘Um’ ‘I don’t know’. I must carry myself well and reassure the audience that I know what I am talking about.

These points allow me to produce a good speech and ensure that the audience fully understands the point of my conversation.

03.02 – Making contributions within a company is very important. When involved in a discussion you must be able to respect different views and learn to disagree politely. You must also a stick to the discussion topic and not introduce irrelevant information. If this was too happened you must be able to bring everyone back on the topic that you were first discussing. A way of bringing a discussion back on to the topic would be to say ‘just a final point about our last topic…’ or ‘That’s an interesting point, can we come back to that later?’ These are polite ways of trying to get everyone back on track instead of talking about something that does not relate to the topic you were first discussing. Body language is an important thing to think about when you are involved in a discussion. You must be able to keep it open, friendly and relaxed. Avoid gestures that may seem aggressive or offensive. Make sure that you don’t take offense to another speakers input. It may not be aimed at you but just a thought about everyone/everything in general. Putting forward different ideas and thoughts is an important part of any discussion. Discussion enables a company to improve and progress on its positives and negatives. Others may disagree with what you have to say but they are entitled to disagree or agree with you whether you want them to or not. Contributions within a company are extremely important for progression both for yourself but also for the company you work for.

03.03 – Listening is one of the most important skills in life. In order to perform my job to a high standard, I must be able to be a good listener. The extent to which I am able to listen will reflect upon my job but also on my performance, it will also portray the quality of my relationship with my fellow colleagues. To ensure that I am a good listener I take these points into consideration when talking to my colleagues but most importantly to clients within my workplace…

• I listen to make sure that I can obtain the correct information from someone.
• I listen to understand what others are trying to say.
• I listen because I want to learn.
• I listen because I respect the people I work with on a daily basis

Becoming a better listener will enable me to improve my work. This will then help me to be influential, persuasive and also to be a better negotiator when needed. There are many different methods of active listening…

• Listening calmly without interrupting, so that I let the other person speak and show them that I care and respect them.
• Asking others to repeat if I do not understand anything, in order to avoid mistakes.
• Taking notes of important points, so that I do not forget or miss out on any important points.
• Confirming what I have understood, so that there is no misunderstanding of information.

All of these points allow me to become a better listener but also enable me to respect my colleagues and also the clients that I talk to on a daily basis.
03.04 - The skill of summarising is an essential yet often overlooked step in the communication process. Whether people realise it or not summarising can add a whole new dimension to verbal communication both in a business and personal setting. Summarising is used to shorten what a person wants to say. They will include all of the important elements and leave out all the non-interesting things. Below are some of the reasons why we summarise information…
• We summarise to check each person understands what has been said at that very moment.
• We summarise to note any special or important points from the conversation that may need to be highlighted.
• Summarising is also used to bring a conversation to a close.
• Summarising is also used to refresh our memory of anything we may have forgotten.

It is vital when summarising that you are concise as possible. You don’t want to repeat the entire all over again or you will have the person you are talking to drifting off to sleep. There are a few points to remember when summarising communication:

• A summary must contain important facts obtained from the other person.
• A summary must contain information to be given to the other person.
• A summary must also contain any contracts or agreements made with the other person.

Mastering the skill of summarising will allow you to communicate like a professional. Using this skill will allow you to improve your communication throughout you working and personal life. So think about how you will communicate, and just ask yourself am I boring my audience.

Learning Outcome 4 - Understand the purpose of feedback in developing communication skills

04.01 - There are many different ways of getting feedback either off a co-worker or even your boss. Feedback is the very last process of communication and is required to improve both self-esteem but also your work ethic. Feedback allows us to know if our work was to a good standard or if anything needed improving. I think feedback is very important as I like to know how well I am doing within a company. It allows me to know what I can improve on and what I am doing well at. At H M Williams, I am doing various jobs for my co-workers. This means that I get given work to them and then have to relay this information back to them once I am finished. I then make sure that I get some sort of feedback from them so that I can show to others how well I am doing. One job I did was for my colleague Iain, for this I needed to create a spreadsheet on some meal dockets, this was roughly 10 months’ worth. Once I had finished this spreadsheet I emailed him, this was the feedback that I got back for the work I had completed for him…

“This looks splendid!! Give yourself a pat on the back!!!

Can you please make one small change to each month – I could do it, but you probably know a better way of doing it than I do. What I need is a total line just below the bottom of the last day in the month, which totals the month as a whole for each of your columns.”

This was very good feedback, I had to make a couple of changes to the work I had done, but apart from that, my spread sheet was good to go. Feedback within the office allows for a better work relationship with your colleagues, it enables you to have a positive attitude towards work, and makes you feel a lot better knowing that you did a good job in the first place.

04.02 - Feedback is very important within your everyday life. Feedback is useful and it can help a person perform and communicate more effectively. Feedback is necessary when a person requires guidance in regards to the behaviour or procedures; it is also used as part of the process of either correcting performance or praising and recognising good performance. Bosses and managers are usually the ones that use feedback; they use it so that they can find out how their behaviour impacts on others. Feedback must be given in a professional manner so that the person receiving the feedback can go away thinking I have don’t well or I need to improve on certain things. Bad feedback will make an employee feel rubbish and make them feel as if they cannot do their job correctly. Below shows some tips on how to give good feedback:

• Make sure that you have all the facts, information and data that will be required. Also make sure that it is organised for easy reference.
• Make sure there is a suitable area for you to give the feedback. It should be somewhere private and closed off from all other employees.
• Allow time and remove any distractions that may affect the feedback.
• Make sure that there is enough notification given to the person who is going to be receiving the feedback, whether it is good or bad. This will allow the employee to prepare themselves for what is going to be said.

Using feedback within an office allows us to improve on what we are doing. It also lets us know how well we are doing. Feedback is important both for the employer and also for the employee. Feedback allows us to modify our behaviour and develop ourselves so as to become more effective in our workplace interactions.