BASIC COMPETENCY : COMMUNICATIONS
UNIT OF COMPETENCY : PARTICIPATE IN WORKPLACE COMMUNICATION
MODULE TITLE : PARTICIPATING IN WORKPLACE COMMUNICATION
MODULE DESCRIPTOR : This module covers the knowledge, skills and attitudes required to obtain, interpret and convey information in response to workplace requirements.
SUGGESTED DURATION : 4 hours
QUALIFICATION LEVEL : NC II
PREREQUISITE : Receive and Respond to Workplace Communication (NC I)
SUMMARY OF LEARNING OUTCOMES: Upon completion of this module the students/trainees must be able to:
LO1 - OBTAIN AND CONVEY WORKPLACE INFORMATION:
LO2 - COMPLETE RELEVANT WORK RELATED DOCUMENTS:
LO3 - PARTICIPATE IN WORKPLACE MEETING AND DISCUSSION:
OBTAIN AND CONVEY WORKPLACE INFORMATION:
Effective Communication
Communication is the process of exchanging information and ideas. There are many means of communication. To be an effective and valuable member of your workplace it is important that you become skilled in all of the different methods of communication that are appropriate. This website looks at different types of communication and associated technology, but before that it is important to understand the communication process.
The Communication Process for communication to occur it must pass from a sender to a receiver. This must occur irrespective of the form of communication. For communication to be effective it must be understood by the receiver and be able to be responded to. This means that total communication involves speaking, reading, listening, and reasoning skills. As communications pass from the source to the receiver there is plenty of opportunity for its original meaning to change or alter.
Therefore listening, reasoning and feedback is an important part of the process as it is an opportunity for the sender to make sure the receiver has understood the message. The other consideration is the “noise” associated with the communication – what else is happening, what are the distractions, the baggage etc. Noise can have a big impact on the message the receiver decodes.
Parts of Speech
The words that we use can be divided into these classes:
noun – A noun is a type of word that represents a person, thing, or place, like mother, apple, or valley.
verb – A verb is a type of word that describes an action or a state of being, like wiggle, walk, run, jump, be, do, have, or think.
pronoun – A pronoun is a substitute for a noun. Some pronouns are: I, me, she, hers, he, him, it, you, they, them, etc.
adjective – An adjective is a word that describes something (a noun). Some adjectives are: big, cold, blue, and silly. One special type of adjective is an article, a word that introduces a noun and also limits or clarifies it; in English, the indefinite articles are a and an, the definite article is the.
adverb – An adverb is a word that tells “how,” “when,” “where,” or “how much”. Some adverbs are: easily, warmly, quickly, mainly, freely, often, and unfortunately.
preposition – A preposition shows how something is related to another word. It shows the spatial (space), temporal (time), or logical relationship of an object to the rest of the sentence. The words above, near, at, by, after, with and from are prepositions.
conjunction – A conjunction is a word that joins other words, phrases, clauses or sentences. Some conjunctions are: and, as, because, but, or, since, so, until, and while.
interjection – An interjection is a word that expresses emotion. An interjection often starts a sentence but it can be contained within a sentence or can stand alone. Some interjections are oh, wow, ugh, hurrah, eh, and ah.
Sentence Construction
A sentence is a collection of words that convey sense or meaning and is formed according to the logic of grammar. Clear, short sentences are preferable, and more effective, than long, complex ones.
The simplest sentence consists only of a noun, a naming word, and a verb or action word. For example, in the sentence “Mary walked”, Mary is the naming noun and walked is the action verb.
Mary is the proper noun in the example sentence above but can be substituted in following sentences by the pronoun she. A pronoun is a word that can be used instead of a noun when a noun has already been mentioned. Other pronouns are he, we, they and it.
Most sentences have a subject noun and an object noun. For example, consider the sentence “Mary walked towards the hotel”. Mary is the subject noun (a person or thing performing the action of walking), and the hotel is the object noun (a person or thing towards which the action is directed)
Adjectives describe nouns. Adjectives usually come before the noun.
They are sometimes known as ‘describing words’. When two adjectives are used to describe one noun, they are set apart with the use of a comma.
For example: The lazy dog dozed. The hairy, lazy dog dozed.
Adverbs describe verbs. The adverb should always follow the verb.
For example: Mary walked slowly. or Peter ran away quickly.
Tense
Verbs, or action words, are expressed in tenses; past, present or future. The tense of a verb is its setting in time.
For example: Mary walked (past tense) Mary walks (present tense) Mary will walk (future tense)
There are also other, more complex tenses not covered here. An important point is to be consistent in your use of tense. Decide whether you are explaining an event in the past, present or future and then be consistent in the use of that tense until there is a good reason for changing.
The incorrect use of tenses is one of the most common mistakes of grammar. For example, consider the following sentence: “Marianne describes the new techniques, how they varied in approach and attitude”.
The verb describes is in the present tense but varied is in the past tense. The correct tensing of the sentence should be: “Marianne describes the new techniques, how they vary in approach and attitude”.
COMPLETE RELEVANT WORK RELATED DOCUMENTS:
Types of Forms
In every workplace you will be required to complete forms. Each workplace will have forms specific to their requirements. You must make sure that you know which forms to fill in, when you need to use forms and where to find the necessary forms.
When filling in a form:
• read the form carefully
• fill in all the required details
• only include necessary information
• write clearly and simply
• check that you have completed it properly
• send or give it to the appropriate person, or file in the appropriate place
Work instructions are the most basic tool used in every business or organisation to help workers follow a sequence of steps. Inadequate work instructions are likely to result in a variety of problems in the workplace that could range from:
• returned products
• loss of materials
• customer complaints
• liability issues
• poor work performance
Work instructions can have a major impact on the effectiveness and productivity of a workplace. If instructions are difficult to follow, workers will make errors in implementing the steps.
A good work instruction is a detailed sequence of steps that workers need to follow each time they perform a task. The purpose of a work instruction is to organize steps in a logical and systematic way so that workers can easily follow it independently.
This means a consistent format for your work instructions is important. Workers can read the information faster and absorb it more quickly if it follows a consistent font and format. It also makes the development of further work instructions far simpler as you have a template to follow.
Technical Writing
Definition of Technical Writing
Technical writing is a type of writing where the author is writing about a particular subject that requires direction, instruction, or explanation. This style of writing has a very different purpose and different characteristics than other writing styles such as creative writing, academic writing or business writing.
Uses for Technical Writing
Technical writing is straightforward, easy to understand explanations and/or instructions dealing with a particular subject. It is an efficient and clear way of explaining something and how it works.
The subject of technical writing can either be:
Tangible – Something that can be seen or touched, such as a computer or software program, or information on how to assemble a piece of furniture.
Abstract – Something that involved a series of steps that aren’t related to a tangible object. One example of this might be steps required to complete an office process.
Some examples of technical writing include:
Instruction manuals
Policy manuals
Process manuals
User manuals
Reports of analysis
Instructions for assembling a product
A summarization of a long report that highlights and shortens the most important elements
Tips for Good Technical Writing
Regardless of the type of document which is written, technical writing requires the writer to follow the properties of knowing their audience, writing in a clear, non-personal style and doing extensive research on the topic. By including these properties, the writer can create clear instructions and explanations for the reader.
Know your audience. An expert in the field will understand certain abbreviations, acronyms, and lingo that directly applies to such a field. The novice will not understand in the same manner and, therefore, every detail must be explained and spelled out for them.
Use an impersonal style. Write from a third person perspective, like a teacher instructing a student. Any opinions should be omitted.
The writing should be straightforward, to the point, and as simple as possible to make sure the reader understands the process or instruction. This at times may appear as simply a list of steps to take to achieve the desired goal or may be a short or lengthy explanation of a concept or abstract idea.
Know how to research. Gather information from a number of sources, understand the information gathered so that it can be analyzed thoroughly, and then put the information into an easy to understand format to instruct those who read it. The more inexperienced your audience, the more information you will need to gather and explain.
Be thorough in description and provide enough detail to make your points; but, you also have to consider that you need to use an economy of words so that you do not bore your reader with gratuitous details.
A good technical writer can make a difficult task easy and can quickly explain a complex piece of information.
PARTICIPATE IN WORKPLACE MEETING AND DISCUSSION:
Participate at Work
Every workplace will have staff meetings/team meetings, formal and informal discussions.
When a business places a proper value on the time spent by people preparing for and attending meetings, it is quickly seen that they are a very expensive exercise.
Have you ever been to one of those meetings where no objectives were met, no actions were agreed upon and generally it was a complete waste of your time?
Effective meeting procedures are essential to ensure that the maximum output is gained from a meeting.
Some basic expectations are:
A clearly defined purpose to your meeting – Ask questions such as; Why are we meeting? What are we trying to achieve? Are we meeting for meetings sake? However, consider that at times the purpose of bringing people together for a meeting may be to achieve other important interpersonal objectives like team building, brain storming or group problem solving. Make sure that you clearly communicate the meeting purpose well before hand, this gives attendees time to gather ideas or research issues prior to attending the meeting.
Advise people of the meeting in time for them to be able to attend – It is amazing how often key people are left out of meetings or are not able to attend simply due to a lack of planning and sufficient notice.
Set an agenda – An agenda aims to keep discussions on track and to keep everyone focused on the issues. The agenda should be distributed to attendees before the meeting.
Start and finish on time – Make sure the meeting starts and finishes on time so participants feel that their time is valued and that they can plan for effective meeting participation to fit within their work load.
Manage the participants – It is important that every person feels their attendance and contribution is valued. People must be given the opportunity to express their opinion as well as recognizing they must also listen to others without interruption. Clear conflict management strategies must be in place.
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