Job Skills: Communication Skills Lesson — Written and Verbal Retrieved Sept 2016 from http://content.moneyinstructor.com/1531/communicationskills.html

Categories of Job Skills Hard Job Skills – teachable abilities - specific to a particular job. Ex: wiring a motherboard for a computer Soft Job Skills - consistent throughout the business and industry world. Ex: Person’s knowledge and relationship with other people , etiquette , “common sense.”

Common Forms of Business Writing Memorandums (Memos)/Electronic Mail (email) Letters Reports

Business Communication Your image, your reputation reflects: Your coworkers Your manager Your company

Communication… Is A Two-way Street Convey your own ideas clearly Listen closely and understand the ideas of others Must communicate well in writing or speech (many people can’t do both)

Listen (or read) Closely Most important element of good communication. . . “Treat others the way you want to be treated”. When you are speaking or have written a document - you want others to give their full attention Politely understand the information and opinions you are trying to express

Listen (or read) Closely (con’t.) Keep a notebook handy to jot down key points the other person is making. Writing key points help you remember written OR verbal It also helps you formulate questions that might arise from the communication.

Three C’s of Strong Writing Clarity Coherence Conciseness

Hearing and Listening Hearing is a physiological process and a passive activity. Listening is a mental process and involves understanding and retaining the message.

Elements of the Listening Process Hearing Filtering Interpreting Responding Remembering

Nonverbal Communication Considerations Physical appearance Written message or the sender Body language Space Size of an area, proximity to another, and obstacles Time Amount of time spent and punctuality

Goals of Business Communication Receiver understanding – message interpreted as sender meant it to be Receiver response – receiver responds to the message Favorable relationship – people involved relate to each other positively, personally, and professionally Organizational goodwill – the receiver has confidence in the organization and is willing to continue the business relationship

Clarity and Coherence Unorganized presentation will reduce your credibility and your reputation.  Your presentation will not be taken seriously. Coherent - hold ideas together. Good writing moves easily from sentence to sentence, from idea to idea.

Be Concise Don’t use phrases like “you know.” Don’t give too much information. Ex: Don’t explain how to build a clock when someone asks you the time. List the main points, list supporting ideas or information for each point. Organize the outline, make sure you haven’t forgotten anything…stick to it!

Consistency Definition – keeping the same pattern Formatting a document or your attitude - be consistent. Consistently present professional quality. Your style of communicating is the first impression people get about your attitude. Ex: When you go to an interview, do you wear old, grubby jeans and dirty t-shirt?

Consistency (con’t.) Your grammar and punctuation reflects the way you communicate. Your image reflects on your company and you.

Accuracy Language should be unbiased and respectful of all individuals regardless of race, gender, culture, age, ability, religion, or socioeconomic status.