Glossary

• Goal - This is the end result towards which your effort will be directed; provides general purpose and direction.

• Blog - An online journal, displaying comments and thoughts for all to see.  It offers the same benefits as a web page, and provides insight into one person’s view.  Individuals can access a worldwide readership without going through the medium of a publisher or the complexities of setting up a website.

• Skill - By having a skill, this is something that you are good at.  For example you could have good listening or good communication skills.  To develop a skill or learn a new one it is usually as a result of experience and training.

•  Determination - To have determination this usually means that you always want to do your best and that you won't give up easily.  For example I had to show determination when it came to doing my GCSE's as I had to try to keep revising and working to hard to achieve the grades that I wanted.

• Integrity - This is the concept of consistency of actions or methods.  It is regarded as the ability to show honesty and truthfulness or accuracy of your actions.

• Communication - This is being able to talk and communicate with different people that you meet or your co-workers.  Having bad communication skills means that you feel uncomfortable when you have to speak to someone.  Having good communication skills is very important when it comes to your job.  For example if you are receptionist and you don't really talk to the people that are coming in they may complain to the boss about you.

• Target - This is an objective or a goal for you to aim for which could result in you getting a promotion in your job for example.

• Independence – Someone who has independence is able to act without depending on others, e.g. for financial support, approval or assistance in completing a task.

• Dependability - Reliability is a measure of how dependable you are.  Most employers would prefer a worker who is reliable: who always turns up for work on time, does what is expected and makes no excuses if they can’t do what they are asked.
  
  
• Confidence - If you lack confidence, your approach to problem solving for example may be too cautious – you may not have the courage to try the best strategy. Confidence in your ability to meet the challenges you face can help you to achieve your goals. Other people’s confidence in your abilities can also make a difference to how your ideas are accepted. However, over-confidence or arrogance may mean that you do not think things through carefully enough while planning your strategy. You may miss a vital clue or skim over an important aspect, resulting in problems at some point. So, confidence is important but it must be based on genuine skill levels.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you create a blog?

To create a blog you need a domain name for it.  For example for my blog my domain name for it is http://communicationattributes14.blogspot.com/.  After doing this you have to follow the on screen instructions, which include adding your personal information such as your name and email address.  This should only take a few minutes and is not very hard to do if you follow the corrections carefully.  Once you have done this you can start to add new posts into your blog and add pictures and text.

Why would you add a new post into your blog?

The reason why you add different posts into your blog is you split up the information in the blog into sections so that it becomes easier for the person to read.  For example in my blog some of my posts are called Barriers to Communication, Skills and Attitudes.

Why do you add pictures into your blog?

I find that when pictures are used it helps to make the reader be able to understand what you are talking about better.  For instance, the picture shows an example of what is being explained.  By using pictures they also help to break up the information on the blog without the reader feel that they are reading lots and lots of information that maybe the don’t quite understand.  The images that I picked for my blog in particular help to justify the points that I have been making throughout the blog.

What are the steps to add a video into your blog?

To add a video into your blog is a very simple thing to do but it is a very effective tool to use in your blog.  You simply pick a video from You Tube for example; that you feel is suitable for what you are talking about and paste the URL into your blog.  This will place the video into your blog so that it can be watched.  The purpose of having a video in your blog is to emphasise the point that you are making and to help the reader to understand what you are talking about.

How can the template of the blog be changed?

Clicking on the template tool, which is along the side of the toolbar, can change the template of the blog very easily.  Depending on what your blog is about you should choose a template that will match the theme that you are talking about.  For example if your blog is about nature then you should pick a template that is green of fit in with it in some way.  From choosing a template this will influence the colour of text that you will have in your blog, as it will look more appealing if everything is matching.

What are the difficulties that people with disabilities face when communicating with others?
Some of the barriers that people with disabilities face on a day to day basis are greater than those with no disabilities.  For example those people that are deaf will find it very hard to communicate if they do not understand any sign language and also if the person that they are with does not know any sign language.

What are the barriers to communication?
Barriers to communication are things that prevent you from successfully communicating with someone.  The most common barriers to communication are physical barriers, language barriers and distractions.

What is the purpose of a blog?

The main purpose of a blog is for you to share any information that you want on a particular topic. Within a blog different users are responsible for writing the information that appears on the pages of the blog.  Then other users can list some of their opinions that they have on the particular subject that the blog is about.

What are some of the popular key skills that you would recommend that would be necessary for someone to have?
Some of the skills that I would recommend that you would have to have in the workplace are team-working skills, communication skills and listening skills.  All of these skills are equally important but they are all very important when it comes to your interview for a job that you are able to show these skills.


Why is it important that a workforce of people display a range of skills?
By having a skilled workforce it will mean that the work will be completed a lot more quickly and efficiently and there will be a less chance that there will be mistakes in the work.  By looking at the skills that each employee has you will be able to give them a position within the company that brings out their skills.

 

Principles of Effective Communication

To communicate it is a two-way process of giving and receiving information through a number of different ways.  Whether you are speaking informally to one of your co-worker or addressing a conference or meeting the following basic principles apply:

• You must know your audience.
• Know what the purpose and the topic that you are going to talk about well so you will be confident on what you are saying.
• Follow through with what you say.
• Present any information in different ways eg.PowerPoint.

Reducing Barriers to Communication

Having effective communication is really important in today’s working environment because companies nowadays often employ people for many countries and workforces are becoming more and more multicultural.

When speaking to someone you should always speak clearly.  For example in the volume of your voice so they can actually hear you, also in regards to the terms that you are using.  For example doctors will explain a patients condition to them in medical terms, which most patients are not familiar with so therefore the patient leaves very confused.  You shouldn't use slang or words that the listener is not familiar with.

You should always listen very carefully to what the other person is saying so that you are able to understand what they have just said instead of making it up and then you have misunderstood them.

3 Potential Barriers to Effective Communication

In every business or organization plays a vital part.  There can also be many barriers that can prevent us from communicating effectively.  I am going to present three different barriers to communication that prevent communication between people.

Some of these barriers to communication include:

• Distractions
• Lack of concentration
• Background Noise

Distractions

Distractions can often create a barrier to communication which in turn limits the amount of in-take of information of a person.  In some cases distractions could be unintentional such as spilling something or knocking something over, however they will still break the flow of the work that is going on.  Also if you are in a meeting that you are finding not very interesting and you are bored you may start tapping the table or fidgeting which could cause a distraction for the person that is speaking and they may loose their train of thought.  It also effects your level of intake.  

Distractions like this can be overcome by giving appropriate training in how to give presentations so that it is not so boring.

Lack of concentration

A lack of concentration can result in a loss of in-take in information, and will affect the group’s performance. It can be caused by multiple issues, including: 

• Being sat down for too long – Without regular breaks for small exercises and fresh air your mind will start to lose concentration after roughly 20-30 minutes.
• Interaction between the speaker and his/her audience is non-existent – If the speaker is not interacting with the audience, the audience do not feel involved and start losing interest and concentration as a result.
• Lack of breaks in the presentation – Breaks between slides or paragraphs in speeches are important to increase the concentration. If the presentation just continues onwards in a single monotonous tone without any pauses then the audiences’ concentration will slide quicker than normal.
• Content is not explained enough – If the content of a presentation is not explained in enough detail or it does not include active examples, then you become confused and your concentration begins to lapse.

 

Background Noise

Background noise can be both a good and bad thing. Soft, gentle music playing quietly in the background can often motivate people as it creates a more relaxed atmosphere, which people tend to strive better in.  However, different types of background noise, such as the running of a printer or coffee machines can block out what a speaker is saying, by diverting the group’s attention and affecting the in-take of information from the group.

There are several ways to overcome potential barriers, for example other people in call centres there are many people talking at the same time, and therefore there is a lot of background noise. Noise cancelling headsets so you can only hear the person you are trying to here are optimum for these kinds of environments. These are also useful for drowning out general office background noise such as computer buzzes or printers churning out paper.

There may also be background noise outside the building, such as construction work going on the site next door. The design of the building you are in can really help overcome background noise outside. Double glazed windows and solid insulation can help to reduce noise coming through the building.

In this video it shows a clip from The Two Ronnies showing the barriers of communication.

Attitude 1- Enthusiastic

My first attitude is that you should be Enthusiastic.

It is important for an employee to have a good amount of enthusiasm as this will make the employer feel that they actually want to do the work that he sets them.  Being enthusiastic can be hard to do everyday especially if there is something that you don't particularly like about the job, however it will be all worth it because your employer will defiantly appreciate  it.  

No matter who you are in a company you may have to be able to increase the levels of  enthusiasm. Especially in todays world were the majority of people are working to live, not live to work.  Also if the company that you are working for is not doing very well financially it can be hard to motivate the other workers.

Attitude 2- Efficient

My next attitude is Efficient.

A work day is not always long enough to get everything done. However, being more efficient at work does not always mean getting it all done. An efficient worker usually utilizes each minute of the day effectively and manages to complete the most important tasks. When this is achieved, an efficient worker feels satisfied that he/she had a full and productive work day. Being more efficient can be achieved quite easily if you have an organized methodology that includes some important steps

Attitude 3- Discipline

The third attitude is Discipline.

A very important attitude for an employee to have is discipline.  They may have to be hard on themselves if their boss has gave them a deadline to have work completed for.  For example if your friends want you to go out but you have work to get done then you should be able to have the discipline to say no to them as there will be many other opportunities for you to go out with them.  If they are you good friends they should be able to understand.  

Attitude 4- Honesty

The next attitude is Honesty.

Being a honest employee in the workplace is something that an employer would value very highly.  They want someone that can be trusted and isn't going to tell lies to save themself if they are confronted by the employer.  For example if you have made a mistake in  whatever you were doing in your work then you should just be hinest about what happened intead of lying.  The employer will think more of you if you just be honest from the beginning.

Attitude 5- Dependable

My final attitude is Dependable.

A boss wants someone that is will always be dependable and that they can trust.  It is also important in regards to your other co-workers as they may have asked you to do something important for them and you don't do it they may find it hard to trust you again.  Not only does the boss want you to be a dependable person in the workplace but also your fellow co-workers.  For example if somebody asks you to do something for them and you don't do it then they will not find you a very depedable person and may never want to help you if you ask them.

Skill 1- Communication Skills

My first skill is Communication skills.

It is very important that an employee must have good communication skills are as they need to be able to interact with all the other people that they work with.  This would be especially important if you were a receptionist for example, because if you didn't really speak to the people that came in they would probably complain to the boss.

Skill 2- Team-Working Skills

The next skill is Team-Working skills.

Employers always look for team players and most of CVs usually has a reference to teamwork.  Teamwork involves working confidently within a group, contributing your own ideas effectively, taking a share of the responsibility, being assertive - rather than passive or aggressive, accepting and learning from constructive criticism and giving positive, constructive feedback to others. 

When people view the others around them as a team, they are more willing to work together, pooling their skills to create the best possible result. Team building is one of the most important parts of your job, yet many of those in leadership roles are unsure about the right activities to do to build a great team.  For example if you have been put into groups to present an idea to the boss you must all be able to work well toghether or else no work will get done.  No matter if you like the people that you are working with you must still acknowledge any points that they are making.  Also you must not sit back and let all of the others do the not only their own work but also yours.

Skill 3- Listening Skills

My third skill is Listening skills.

Having good listening skills is very important in a job because it makes you more productive.  The ability to listen carefully will allow you to work better in a team-based envirnoment, be able to answer questions that have been asked, have a better understanding of an assignment and what is expected of you as an employee, resolve problems with customers, co workers and boss.  It is important that when someone is talking to you that you mantain eye contact with them and you must not interupt a person when they are talking to you.  For example if a person is talking to you and you are not listening to them you may misinterpret what they mean, or make up what you thought they said.   

Skill 4- Work Under Pressure

My fourth skill is being able to work under pressure.

You don't want to be like this poor man!

It is important in the workplace that especially if your job is that of a stressful one that you do not let it get the better of you and always try to keep calm. 

You need to be able to handle the stress that comes with certain jobs for examples if you have to meet any deadlines that your boss wants you to do. 

For example if you are a Surgeon you will have to deal with many stressful situations everyday.  This is because the life of patients are in a surgeons hands and one small error could prove fatal to the patients life. 

Skill 5- Time-Management Skills

My final skill is Time-Management skills.

A very important skill that an employer will look for in an employee is that their time management skills are very good.  They won't want to employ someone if they arrive at the interview late as they will think that if they can't even come to the interview on time how will they be able to get to work on time everyday.  It is important for the employee to always be organised and make sure that they will not be rushing about in the morning as they have done all the necessary planning the night before. 
For example if you are a bus driver then you really must be able to have good time management skills.  This is because they have to keep to the times that are on the timetable so that people are not waiting for long periods of time on the bus to come.