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U/; 8647 – Apply Workplace Communication Skills  Copy

U/S; 8647 - Apply Workplace Communication Skills.

Learning Unit1

US: 8647, NQF LEVEL 5 WORTH 10 CREDITS

APPLY WORKPLACE COMMUNICATION SKILLS

Unit Standard Purpose

A person assessed as competent against this unit standard will be able to:

Produce and respond to accessible written and oral communication in the workplace. This competence will equip individuals with the communication skills to operate more effectively in their workplace. It will contribute to more effective communication within the workplace environment.

Learning Assumed to be in Place

A person taking this unit standard is assumed to have acquired the competence described in the ABET communication standards at levels 1 – 3.

 


 

INTERPRET AND RESPOND TO ACCESSIBLE WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS IN THE WORKPLACE.

Learning Outcomes

(Assessment Criteria)

The assessment of a person against this standard should meet the requirements of established assessment principles.

It will be necessary to develop assessment activities and tools which are appropriate to the contexts in which the skills will be applied. These activities and tools may include an appropriate combination of self-assessment and peer assessment; formative and summative assessment; and portfolios and observations.

The assessment should ensure that all the specific outcomes, critical cross-field outcomes, and essential embedded knowledges are assessed.

Interpret and respond to accessible written communications in the workplace.

Workplace communication

Workplace communication is the process of exchanging information, both verbal and non-verbal, within an organization. An organization may consist of employees from different parts of the society. In order to unite the activities of all employees, communication is crucial. Communicating necessary information to the entire workforce becomes necessary. Effective workplace communication ensures that all the organizational objectives are achieved. 

The following are the factors influencing workplace communication:

  • Method of communication: Different people absorb information in different ways. To make sure that the information conveyed is understood by all, the method used for communication needs to be simple and clear. When presenting vital information, using pictures will make way for easy understanding. Preferring two-way communication is considered best for communicating. Adequate importance can be given for discussion, questions and clarifications.
  • Content: The content of the information plays a major role in workplace communication. The level of detail must be according to the grasping capacity of the audience. Giving too much detail may get the audience bored and too little detail won’t make them involved. Use of jargon while communicating is not considered good for effective workplace communication. 
  1. Frequency: While formal workplace communication that is done too rarely or too often is not good for an organization, frequent informal workplace communication has its benefits. A perfect balance is required for the proper functioning of an organization. Information must be communicated as and when required rather than holding unnecessary meetings frequently. At the same time crucial information must not be held till the last hour or day, instead they have to be communicated as early as possible to get the employees in tune with the objectives of the organization. 
  2. Skills: Getting the message across efficiently depends on the skills of the communicator such as presentation skills, group facilitation skills and written communication skills. Successful communication also depends upon the capacity of the employees to understand the information. This requires providing the employees some basic financial literacy like financial statements, sales, profitability, etc.

How are interpreting and translation related to communication? 

Interpreting and translation are communication processes which involve speaking, listening, reading, and writing to express and negotiate messages between participants in the communication exchange.

Whether we are at work, in the courtroom, during doctor-patient interviews, at the immigration office, conferences, business meetings, etc., we need to speak, listen, read, and write in any language to communicate.  For instance, other applications of language interpreting and translation uses can be seen in satellite and global positioning systems, world-wide assistance telecommunication(s) centers; geo conferencing, videoconferencing, videophones, teleconferencing; internet delivery of instruction on-line; email tutorials; intranet web-based education; audio computer-based tests for ESL listening skills, remote learning, multimedia, etc. Interpreting through spoken communication is used simultaneously or consecutively, on a regular basis in the business world, consulate offices, legal settings, in the medical field, technically, for liaison and group escorts, telephone transactions, conferences, etc.  Translation is also a written mode, a process of communication and a language tool on-line, on the internet and the World Wide Web, through machines, electronically, commercially, legally, medically, and otherwise.

The communication exchange and/or transaction consists of spontaneous dialogue interaction, involving turn-taking conversation, in two languages, a source and a target. It is usually goal-directed in the sense that there is some outcome or message to be negotiated. The interpreter is perceived as one of the parties to this three-way exchange, in which each participant’s moves can affect each participant and thus the outcome of the event.  The interpreter is a “critical link” in spoken triadic communication. Translation as a communication process also involves a three-way transaction for meaning between the writer, the reader, and the translator in a written format–it is a semantics exchange.  According to Random House Webster’s Dictionary, a translation is a rendering of the same ideas in a different language from the original text.  A translator communicates the writer’s message to the reader from one language to another through written text.  In the same way that a computer compiler decodes and encodes data from a high-level language to a machine language, a human translator decodes and encodes the assigned meaning of symbols from a source language to a target language.

Response to a Complaint when you are Not at Fault

Practice:

  • Brainstorm complaints that you have had.
  • Choose one to respond to.
  • Follow these guidelines. 

Tone:

  • Maintain a neutral tone and stick to the facts.
  • Be courteous.

Opening:

Thank the person for writing about the problem. Acknowledge the person and the feelings. People write complaints to be heard, to get sympathy, an apology, action, or some financial adjustment.

“I’m sorry” and “I regret” means you did nothing wrong.

“I apologize” means you did do something wrong.

  • Thank you for your e-mail expressing your disappointment.
  • I appreciate you letting us know about this.
  • I understand your frustration.
  • I regret you had trouble/difficulties.
  • We regret the misunderstanding/miscommunication about ….
  • We are sorry to hear about ….

Focus:

Relate to the specific problem. Explain why you are not at fault.

Do not suggest that the reader shares the blame, even if s/he does.

  • Unfortunately, this was beyond our control/out of our hands.
  • I’m sorry that we couldn’t do anything about.
  • Our handbook/policy/information says.
  • We were under the impression that.
  • The information you provided indicated.

Action:

Relate to what the reader wants.

  • I looked into what happened, and I learned that ….
  • Unfortunately, I cannot (do whatever the reader wants) but I can ….
  • ….is, of course, out of our control.
  • I will pass your letter on to …….

Closing:

End on a positive note.

  • We are committed to/take pride in high-quality customer service.
  • You are important to us.
  • We look forward to seeing you again and trust that (mention things from the letter that will be better.)
Response to a Complaint Apology

Practice

  • Brainstorm complaints that you have had.
  • Choose one to respond with an apology.
  • Follow these guidelines. 

Tone

  • Express your regret and concern, but not too much.
  • Don’t make excuses or offer long explanations.
  • Sincere apologies can help mend relationships.

Opening

Acknowledge the mistake.

  • We have received your letter of February 19, 2009 about ……..

Focus

Admit your mistake and accept responsibility for the error: the “pure apology” sentence.

Do not suggest that the customer share the blame (e.g. by suggesting s/he is too sensitive).

Do not blame someone else.

  • Thank you for notifying us about ….
  • We are sorry to hear about …..
  • We regret the error ….
  • I apologize for ….
  • Rarely happens.
  • You are correct.
  • That should not have happened.
  • I understand your disappointment/frustration.

Action

Be clear about the solution, adjustment or compensation (if asked and appropriate).

  • We will not charge you for ….
  • Enclosed is ….
  • We are willing to ….
  • As a token of our regret ….

Closing

Try to restore the customer’s faith. You could apologize again.

Explain how you will avoid similar problems in the future.

End on a positive note.

  • Again, my sincere apology.
  • We have high standards for ….
  • We are taking steps to ensure that this does not happen again.
  • We appreciate your business and hope that ….
  • We look forward to seeing you in the future.
  • You are welcome to call me to discuss this further.

Response to a Request for Information and/or Opinion

Practice

Write a response to this e-mail from your manager.

Department Heads:

In preparation for the managers’ meeting, I want to know your opinion about how the present economic situation has impacted your job and your department.

1.      What challenges have you faced?

2.      What changes have you needed to make?

3.      What challenges do you see in the future?

4.      What can we do to meet these challenges?

5.      What is positive about our current situation?

Please respond this week.

Thank you,

Christine

Follow these Guidelines:

  • Use a bulleted narrative format.
  • State your most important points early.
  • Be specific. Give examples.
  • Make sure you emphasize what a great job you are doing.
  • Be supportive of the challenges.
  • State the positive and potentially positive.
  • Be clear if you want your manager to do something soon.

Response to a Request for Information and/or Opinion

Practicing 3 Different Tenses

Write a response to this e-mail from your manager, (or a manager from an imaginary company.)

Department Heads:

We are updating the information we give to new employees about our company.

We want to know what you think is the most important information to include.

1.      What our company is like now: including the values, work environment, expectations etc.

2.      A description of our company’s background and history.

3.      What our company will be like in the future.

Please respond this week.

Thank you,

Christine

Follow these Guidelines:
  • Use a bulleted narrative format.
  • Be specific. Give examples.
  • Use the correct verb tense.
  • Question 1: Simple Present.
  • Question 2: Simple Past.
  • Question 3: Simple Future.
  • Underline each targeted verb tense. 
 

PRODUCE SIMPLE WRITTEN COMMUNICATION IN THE WORKPLACE.

Learning Outcomes

(Assessment Criteria)

The assessment of a person against this standard should meet the requirements of established assessment principles.

It will be necessary to develop assessment activities and tools which are appropriate to the contexts in which the skills will be applied. These activities and tools may include an appropriate combination of self-assessment and peer assessment; formative and summative assessment; and portfolios and observations.

The assessment should ensure that all the specific outcomes, critical cross-field outcomes, and essential embedded knowledges are assessed.

Produce simple written communication in the workplace.

How to Make Your Writing Communicate

Effective writing allows the reader to thoroughly understand everything you are saying. This is not always easy to do. Here are a few tips that will help you:

  1. Know your goal and state it clearly. Do you want the reader to do something for you or are you merely passing along information?  Do you want a response from the reader or do you want him to take action? Your purpose needs to be stated in the communication. Avoid information that is not relevant. Clarity is key!
  2. Tone can help your writing be more effective. Certain forms of communication, like memorandums and proposals need a formal tone. Writing to someone you know well would need a more informal tone. The kind of tone depends on the audience and purpose of the writing.
  3. Explain in clear terms what you want the reader to do. They cannot oblige if they do not understand. Also, they may not even want to try to help if the communication is vague and sloppily written. It is good to include why it is beneficial to them to do what you ask or to help you.
  4. Language needs to be simple. Do not overuse clichés, jargon, and expressions or try to impress with big words. Keep sentences and paragraphs short and concise.
  5. Less is more when it comes to length. Leave out words that do not contribute to the main focus of the communication. This can make the reader work harder to know why you wrote.
  6. Using an active voice will strengthen your writing. Sentences that are written in the active voice will flow better and are easier to understand.  Long, complicated sentences will slow the reader down, even more so if they are written in the passive voice. An active example is “I caught the ball.” and a passive example is “The ball was caught by me.” Active voice will engage the reader and keep his attention.
  7. Good grammar and punctuation are very important. It is a good idea to have someone else proofread your writing before you send it. If you cannot do that, then try reading it out loud.

Common Grammatical Mistakes

Effective writing does not contain errors. Here are some common grammatical errors that people make:

• Affect and effect – “Affect” means “to influence” and it is a verb, like “It affected his work.” “Effect” is a noun and means “result” like in “side effects.”
• Then and then – “Then” is an adverb which refers to a time, like “We ate and then saw a movie”. “Than” is used in a comparison and is a conjunction, like “My car is bigger than yours.”
• Your and you’re – “Your” is possessive, like “Is that your boat?” “You’re” is a contraction for “you are” like “You’re so funny.”
• Its and it’s – “Its” is possessive, like “Its shape is oval.” “It’s” is a contraction for “it is” like “It’s time to go.”
• Company’s and companies – “Company’s” is possessive, like “The company’s logo is colorful.” “Companies” is plural, like “He owns three companies.”
• There, their, and they’re – “There” is an adverb meaning in or at that place, like “There it is!” “Their” is the possessive form of the pronoun “they”, like “Their hair was soaked.” “They’re” is a contraction for “they are” like “They’re going to get in trouble.”
Effective writing in the workplace is an essential skill. The rules are basically the same for any type of writing, however there are some special issues which arise in the business context. Knowing the elements of good business writing can make or break a career. This article addresses some of these basic elements.

Know Your Audience

The key to effective business writing is to know your audience. Before you sit down to compose your letter, memo or report, think about the recipient of your document. What are you trying to say to this person? Organization is crucial. Outlines are an invaluable aid to writing a lengthy report or memo. Remember, time is in short supply for most business professionals. By organizing your thoughts beforehand, you can determine what exactly you are trying to say. Decide what details must be included in the report or memo. Look for graphic elements to add to your presentation, especially if your report contains many boring statistics. Statistics and research bolster your conclusions, especially if they are presented in a visually appealing manner. With the advent of modern word processing programs such as Microsoft Word and Corel WordPerfect, it is easy to include spread sheets, graphs and colorful clip art to your report, thereby making your work memorable and convincing. 

 After you have decided what the message is that you are trying to convey, work on saying it in concise language. Be brief, whenever possible. Avoid wordiness and unnecessary large words.

Strive for clarity in your writing and avoid vagueness (unless there is good reason to be vague). For example:  

  • Wordy – It is the responsibility of the recruiting committee to ensure that the goals of the hiring task force have been implemented. 
  • Precise – Our recruiting committee must meet the hiring goals of the hiring task force. 
  • Wordy – The hurricane had the effect of a destructive force on the manufacturing plant.
  • Precise – The hurricane destroyed the manufacturing plant. 

Avoid using vague words when a more precise word will do. Take a tip from the journalists. Tell the audience what you are going to say, say it using action verbs, then sum up what it is you have said — and say it in as few words as possible. 

Professional communication

Professional communication encompasses written, oral, visual and digital communication within a workplace context. This discipline blends together pedagogical principles of rhetoric, technology, and software to improve communication in a variety of settings ranging from technical writing to usability and digital media design. It is a new discipline that focuses on the study of information and the ways it is created, managed, distributed, and consumed. Since communication in modern society is a rapidly changing area, the progress of technologies seems too often outpace the number of available expert practitioners. This creates a demand for skilled communicators which continues to exceed the supply of trained professionals.

The field of professional communication is closely related to that of technical communication, though professional communication encompasses a wider variety of skills. Professional communicators use strategies, theories, and technologies to more effectively communicate in the business world.

Successful communication skills are critical to a business because all businesses, though to varying degrees, involve the following: writing, reading, editing, speaking, listening, software applications, computer graphics, and Internet research. Job candidates with professional communication backgrounds are more likely to bring to the organization sophisticated perspectives on society, culture, science, and technology.

Advantages of Written Communication

  • Written communication helps in laying down apparent principles, policies and rules for running of an organization.
  • It is a permanent means of communication. Thus, it is useful where record maintenance is required.
  • It assists in proper delegation of responsibilities. While in case of oral communication, it is impossible to fix and delegate responsibilities on the grounds of speech as it can be taken back by the speaker or he may refuse to acknowledge.
  • Written communication is more precise and explicit.
  • Effective written communication develops and enhances an organization’s image.
  • It provides ready records and references.
  • Legal defenses can depend upon written communication as it provides valid records.

Disadvantages of Written Communication

  • Written communication does not save upon the costs. It costs huge in terms of stationery and the manpower employed in writing/typing and delivering letters.
  • Also, if the receivers of the written message are separated by distance and if they need to clear their doubts, the response is not spontaneous.
  • Written communication is time-consuming as the feedback is not immediate. The encoding and sending of message takes time.
  • Effective written communication requires great skills and competencies in language and vocabulary use. Poor writing skills and quality have a negative impact on organization’s reputation.
  • Too much paperwork and e-mails burden is involved.
 PRODUCE AND RESPOND TO ACCESSIBLE ORAL COMMUNICATION IN THE WORKPLACE.

Learning Outcomes

(Assessment Criteria)

The assessment of a person against this standard should meet the requirements of established assessment principles.

It will be necessary to develop assessment activities and tools which are appropriate to the contexts in which the skills will be applied. These activities and tools may include an appropriate combination of self-assessment and peer assessment; formative and summative assessment; and portfolios and observations.

The assessment should ensure that all the specific outcomes, critical cross-field outcomes, and essential embedded knowledges are assessed.

Produce and respond to accessible oral communication in the workplace.

In seeking to free ourselves from the biases of a print-oriented culture, we need to consider, not only the kinds of media and discourse genre (e.g., narrative) that are most appropriate for oral cultures, but also the most effective ways to use those genres and media. What do non-readers like to see and hear? What do they enjoy listening to? Their choices will not necessarily be the same as those of print communicators. If the styles of presentation are ones which oral communicators prefer, then they will be more likely to listen, to understand, and to remember what they hear.

Basic Principles of Oral Presentation

Know your listeners and adapt your message to them.

  • Think about your audience’s demographics—age, gender, occupation, race or ethnicity, religion, cultural heritage, etc.
  • Consider what your audience already knows about your topic, how familiar they are with the terminology, how closely their views match yours, and how committed they are to existing attitudes and beliefs.
  • The best communicators are those who understand their listeners and adjust their message in order to “reach them where they are.” 

 Speaking is fundamentally different from writing because listening is fundamentally different from reading.

  • A reader chooses when and where to focus attention; a speaker must focus a listener’s attention on what he or she is saying at this moment.
  • A reader controls how fast he or she will move through a text; a speaker controls how fast listeners will move through an oral presentation.
  • Readers have the option of going back and re-reading; listeners must grasp material as the speaker presents it.
  • Readers have lots of graphic cues about order and importance of points and about the relationship among ideas; listeners rely on the speaker to be their guide and interpreter.

Understand your nervousness.

  • It’s normal: 3 out of 4 people say they feel nervous about speaking in public. It’s like getting up for an athletic contest: you want to do well, you’ve prepared, and you’re ready to go!
  • Your performance is important, but it’s not the main thing. The main thing is sharing your message—the ideas, feelings, information. It’s about learning together.
  • Nobody expects perfection. If you mess up something, just fix it and go on. Your audience is your partner: they want to learn from you; they want you to succeed.
  • Some nervousness is a good thing. Heightened activation can energize your presentation, enhance your alertness and animation, and boost audience engagement.
  • Use relaxation techniques if you think you’re too wound up. Before your presentation, sit quietly, focus on letting the tension go out of your body, breathe deeply from your abdomen (in for a 4 count, hold for 4, out for a 4 count). Do this for several cycles with normal breaths between so you don’t hyperventilate.
  • Smile. It’s a mood elevator.
  • If you think you are unusually nervous about speaking in front of people, contact the Oral Communication Center. We have methods for helping you understand and manage your anxiety.

Communication Skills: Responding to Verbal Attacks

One of the most valuable communication skills you can learn is the ability to respond when you are being verbally attacked. Most people who are verbally attacked respond in like fashion. Because they interpret what the other person says as a threat, they go into fight-flight mode and either hit back or run away. In hitting back, their brains short-circuit their thinking processes and so respond with words that they later regret. The damage is done, and the relationship suffers. In the skilled communicator, a verbal attack, for whatever reason, is dealt with in another way that defuses the attack, wrong-foots the attacker, and rescues the relationship. Here are 3 techniques that you can use to achieve these results.

Miller’s Law

When most of us are attacked verbally, we go into self-defense mode and argue back. We assume that what the other person is saying is unfair and we stop listening and focus on ourselves. Psychologist George Miller suggests that, in order to rescue the exchange, we should do something different: assume for the moment that what the other person is saying is true and find out what it could be true of. So, if someone angrily says, “You xxxxxx, you’re always ignoring me”, respond with, “Yes, I have a tendency to do things that do look like I’m ignoring people sometimes” and then listen to find out more.

The Boring Baroque Response

Another way to respond to a verbal attack is to use the Boring Baroque Response, or BBR. The BBR tactic is to give a long-winded explanation of why the other person may be right that simply takes the sting out of their argument. So, if someone angrily says, “You xxxxxx, you’re always ignoring me”, respond with, “you know, I was reading the other day in the New York Times, or was it “The Washington Post”, or maybe “The Herald”, about something similar, well it’s sort of similar, well, in any case, it struck me as similar…” and on and on. Do this while staring into space and in a straight way and you’ll defuse the tension and stop the exchange going downhill.

Computer Mode

The third way to defuse verbal attacks and not give the attacker any fuel to keep an argument going, is to use a tactic that originally comes from Virginia Satir and is called “Computer Mode”. In Computer Mode, you talk in platitudes, generalities, and hypothetical’s and avoid anything personal. Your words can even be meaningless. So, if someone angrily says, “You xxxxxx, you’re always ignoring me”, respond with something like, “Nothing is more distressing than talking to people who don’t respond the way you want”, or even, “We’re all like ships that pass in the night”. In doing this, you signal to your attacker that you’re not going to play the personal attack game no matter how much they want a response they can feed on.

It is now proven that hostile language can be as damaging to you as hostile actions. People who are exposed to verbal attacks get sick more, are injured more, take longer to recover, and suffer more complications. It’s toxic stuff. 

By managing your response with one of the 3 tactics above, you not only keep your health intact, but you also ride out a temporary aberration in your relationship and make you both safe to re-start it on a better tack.

 

 

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