jimtrue.com : school : CUL137 : Career Development: Communication Skills

Posted by Jim True on August 3, 2009 9:04 PM. Last Updated August 3, 2009 9:04 PM

Disclaimer for all material noted here is at the bottom of this web page.

Career Development: Communication Skills

Becoming Marketable in the Workplace

• Communication Skills
• Students need more than just good grades and a degree
• Good communication skills are a top priority with companies in evaluating a job candidate
• Communication
• is the giving and receiving of ideas and information
• There are three conditions that MUST exist for clear communication to occur:
1. People need to alternate playing the roles of sender and receiver
• Distractions
• Two talking at each other at the same time
• One person talking to another person who is talking to a third person on the telephone
• One focus talking to another while focusing on a task
• One person addressing a group in which a second person is chatting with a friend
• What to do?
• When someone is speaking to you, STOP what you are doing and work to clearly receive what the person wants to tell you
• If you want to communicate with someone, ensure that they are not distracted by a third party
2. Ideas must be supported by reasoning
• Ideas can be tough to explain so link your idea to solid and simple examples
• Give reasons behind your ideas to ensure they are clearly understood
• As the receiver: ask questions if you do not understand and repeat back what you thought you heard
3. Speak in Terms of your Own words
• Communication can involve tension, anger, fear or other emotions and can hamper your ability to speak clearly
• NEVER blame someone else for a problem
• To communicate effectively, the sender should say "I" instead of "you"
• Examples:
• "You did not lock the door!" may be come "I felt uneasy when I came into work this morning and found the door unlocked."
• "You always leave me out of the deal!" may become "I felt disappointed and left out when I realized that the deal had gone through without my input."
• Verbal vs. Nonverbal
• Verbally - expressing yourself by speaking words that others can hear
• Nonverbally: sending messages by the way you use your body, the way you walk, sit, gesture, twist your facial features, or move your eyes.
• Ways to improve verbal communication
• Choose communication
• Think before you speak
• Say it ASAP
• Optimum listening conditions
• Speak clearly
• Be precise
• Be brief
• Be honest
• Watch your tone
• Nonverbal Communication: Makes up 55% of a first impression: 35% is tone, 10% is words
• Important Insights
• Become aware
• use it, but don't confuse it
• Don't say anything with your body that you aren't willing to say with your mouth

Telephone Techniques

• Answer promptly
• Speak Clearly
• Use a positive, alert, "smiling" tone of voice
• Smile! Before you dial!

Answering Machine

• Do not place a message on your machine that you do not want your potential boss to hear
• Get the job first

• Email is now very critical in today's world
• It's being used more and more in the lines of communication
• the ability to use e-mail well has become crucial
• The need to communicate effectively and responsible increases
• email basic skills
• Use software applications to perform basic e-mail functions
• Compose clear, concise, complete, professional messages
• Use email to further job and organizational functions
• Comply with the organization's policies and procedures about computer and e-mail use
• Practice basic Internet Etiquette
• Manage the barrage of e-mails
• Follow generally accepted e-mall standards and adapt these standards according to their electronic community expectations for communication
• The purpose is to simplify, streamline, and enhance communications
• The first e-mail was sent 30 years ago by a professor at UCLA to a colleague at Stanford University, but it crashed the computer
• A few years later Ray Tomlinson sent the first successful e-mail message
• Using e-mail has introduced some challenges
• Is evolving from its original freewheeling style to a more businesslike professional style
• Is a powerful communication tool

Disclaimer: These are MY notes taken from classroom lectures while I'm in the classroom. While I'm perfectly happy to share my notes with my classmates and I know I take very good notes, you should still make every effort to attend the class and TAKE YOUR OWN NOTES. I will not transcribe everything the instructor says in the classroom, and I will NEVER post pre-exam reviews. My notes will not replace the value of actually attending class and taking your own class notes.I also cannot attest to their accuracy, other than they are what was provided in the lecture; you should not reference my notes as "expert opionion" by any means, and if you notice an error or omission, please do me the favor of e-mailing me with the correction and I will re-post my notes. End of Disclaimer.