1. Understand why communication is important in the work setting
1.1 People communicate by many ways including non-verbal highlighting facial expression, eye contact, body language, physical gestures such as touch, dress and behavior, along with verbal including tone and pitch of voice. The age and knowledge of a person one is communicating with, also dictates somewhat the amount of vocabulary i.e words and terms used too . People communicate to share ideas, information, educate, build relationships, express feelings and emotions, to be social, ask questions and expand their knowledge and share different experiences.
1.2 Effective communication affects all aspects of work. Talking to a child, parent, work colleague, friend or boss, takes on a variety of different levels of communication. Maybe more smiles are given when talking to a child rather than to a boss figure. Having a good understanding of effective communication in the work place, can help avoid misinterpretation and misunderstandings especially important in ensuing a safe work place. Talking and listening to work colleagues, children and parents builds professional and personal relationships, helping establish trust between all parties.
1.3 Observing reactions when communicating with people are especially important to ensure understanding on both parties. Maybe you have acknowledged that they may not be feeling well, are feeling sad or are excited about something through their body language. Reading someone’s expression can tell you a lot about the mood the person is in. Avoiding eye contact, can also indicate that the person feels uneasy. If someone is angry, they may need time to calm down, acknowledging peoples actions and reactions can help lift or diffuse a situation. It is not advisable to continue to verbally talk to someone from a different country who does not