IMPORTANCE OF WORKPLACE COMMUNICATION SKILLS Professional Year Program - Unit 1: Workplace Communication

overview The purpose of this introduction session is to get you thinking about what is workplace communication and its level of importance in the Australian workplace. This session is to just get students thinking about the importance of their communication skills and attempt to “sell” them on they idea that these are valuable skills which they need to invest in and seek to improve.

Overview In this session we will cover the following: What are workplace communication skills? How important are workplace communication skills? Outcomes of effective and ineffective workplace communication skills Who is responsible for effective workplace communication? Overview of the next 14 units

Workplace communication skills What are workplace communication skills? Ask the group what they understand of workplace communication skills: Some suggestions to get the discussion flowing: Write up a brainstorm or mindmap as participants share information Use a soft-ball and throw it around the room – when someone catches it they need to contribute The purpose of this activity is to gain insight into what the students already understand and share what others already know.

Workplace communication skills Workplace communication skills can be grouped into four main areas: Verbal Non-verbal Listening Written Following the discussion on what are workplace communication skills, discuss how they can commonly be grouped into the above four categories. You may also want to ask students for examples of each.

Workplace communication skills How important are effective workplace communication skills? Discuss with the group. Some additional/follow-up questions:- Which is more important…technical skills or communication skills? What are some of the impacts of effective workplace communication skills? What are some of the impacts of negative workplace communication skills? Some suggestions to get the discussion flowing: Write up a brainstorm or mindmap as participants share information Use a soft-ball and throw it around the room – when someone catches it they need to contribute

Workplace communication skills Outcomes of effective workplace communication skills can include: People understand each other Positive relationships Work gets done efficiently What else can you think of?

Workplace communication skills Outcomes of ineffective workplace communication skills can include: Misunderstandings between people Negative relationships Work is not done efficiently or the wrong work get done What else can you think of?

Workplace communication skills Who is responsible for making sure effective communication occurs place in the workplace? Managers? Supervisors? You? Others? Co-workers?

Workplace communication skills EVERYONE is responsible for ensuring effective communication in the workplace. However the person your should focus your efforts on is YOU!

Workplace communication skills The next 14 units (units 1 to 14) of the Professional Year Program focus on significantly developing your workplace communication skills. Some of the areas covered are below, please see your course outline for more information. Communicating with a purpose Communicating across cultures Impact of non-verbal cues Workplace media and communication channels Communicating in work teams to achieve goals Workplace meeting skills Effective writing skills for professionals Oral presentation skills