Level II

Unit of Competence: Lead Workplace

Communication
Module Title: Lead Workplace
Communication

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LO 1: Methods of communication
1. Methods of communication
1.1 Non-verbal gesture

Nonverbal communication is critical to the success of any workplace. It starts from the
moment an employee applies for a job and continues through the employment of that
particular employee. Realizing the importance of nonverbal communication can promote
teamwork, respect and efficiency in any workplace.

To deliver the full impact of a message, use nonverbal behaviors to raise the channel of
interpersonal communication:

 Eye contact: This helps to regulate the flow of communication. It signals interest
in others and increases the speaker's credibility. People who make eye contact
open the flow of communication and convey interest, concern, warmth, and
credibility.
 Facial Expressions: Smiling is a powerful cue that transmits happiness,
friendliness, warmth, and liking. So, if you smile frequently you will be perceived
as more likable, friendly, warm and approachable. Smiling is often contagious and
people will react favorably. They will be more comfortable around you and will
want to listen more.
 Gestures: If you fail to gesture while speaking you may be perceived as boring
and stiff. A lively speaking style captures the listener's attention, makes the
conversation more interesting, and facilitates understanding.
 Posture and body orientation: You communicate numerous messages by the
way you talk and move. Standing erect and leaning forward communicates to
listeners that you are approachable, receptive and friendly. Interpersonal closeness
results when you and the listener face each other. Speaking with your back turned
or looking at the floor or ceiling should be avoided as it communicates disinterest.
 Proximity: Cultural norms dictate a comfortable distance for interaction with
others. You should look for signals of discomfort caused by invading the other
person's space. Some of these are: rocking, leg swinging, tapping, and gaze
aversion.
 Vocal: Speaking can signal nonverbal communication when you include such
vocal elements as: tone, pitch, rhythm, timbre, loudness, and inflection. For
maximum teaching effectiveness, learn to vary these six elements of your voice.
One of the major criticisms of many speakers is that they speak in a monotone
voice. Listeners perceive this type of speaker as boring and dull.

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1.2 Verbal
Business professionals demonstrating effective verbal communication skills use spoken
words to convey a message clearly and concisely. To get a message across, the sender
needs to ensure the receiver correctly interprets the words. If not, confusion and conflict
typically results. By successfully delivering a message, business professionals describe
ideas, thoughts and directives that allow colleagues to work better together. Effective
verbal communication begins by acknowledging what the audience needs. By planning
what he wants to say, how he wants to say it and seeking feedback on how the message
was received, a business professional ensures successful communication.

Meetings
Verbal communication occurs in meetings when participants share their ideas. Effective
meeting organizers clearly define their objective, such as whether the intent of the
meeting is to make a decision, brainstorm ideas, approve a plan, communicate a change
or get a status report. At the beginning of the meeting, an organizer uses verbal
communication to state the priorities of the meeting, the desired outcomes and the
amount of time allowed to discuss each topic. By asking for additional input from
participants, she ensures the meeting remains relevant for everyone. The meeting
organizer also ensures that every participant gets a chance to speak without monopolizing
the agenda.

Presentations and Lectures

Using effective verbal communication, business professionals give presentations and
lectures to convey their expertise on a particular topic. Whether a business professional
provides instruction, describes a product to make a sale or communicates a vision or
strategy, he needs to keep the message clear by preparing adequately. Using vivid
language, descriptive examples and supplementary visuals, he ensures a successful
presentation. By using short words and sentences, speakers tend to avoid confusion.
Effective presenters allow time for the audience to ask questions and provide comments.

Workshops
Workshop organizers use verbal communication to direct the activities of participants. By
providing clear instructions for group, the facilitator ensures a positive development
experience. For example, a leader describes the rules for participating role-playing
exercises, talks about the scenario and determines how long the activity takes. Using
effective verbal communication, leaders guide participants in researching issues, solving
problems, negotiating solutions and making decisions.

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Conversations
Conversations typically involve two people discussing a topic. Effective verbal
communication occurs during conversations when the speaker acknowledges the
sensitivity of the subject, time constraints and types of questions the receiver might ask.
If the conversation occurs face to face, successful communicators use active listening
skills such as repeating back what the other person has said. They also resist the
temptation to interrupt and allow the other person to speak up as well to convey their
thoughts. If the conversation occurs by telephone, the participants need to pay even more
attention.

1.3 Face to face

Face to Face Communication
Conventional wisdom tells us that face to face communication is more effective than
other types of communication such as telephone or email.

The argument in favor of face time is that telephone or email communication lacks
important nonverbal cues to help us understand the message.

Comparing Types of Communication

The chart below shows a comparison of face to face communication with other types of
communication. Each column depicts a category of message cues as follows:

Words: the words that are spoken or written to convey the message.

Visuals: The visual aids (pictures, videos, and charts)that help understand the message.

Voice: The tone, inflection, and volume of the voice used to deliver the message.

Face: The facial expressions such as smiles, frowns, raised eyebrows, pouts, and all the
gestures we make with our face while delivering a message.

Body Language: The position and movement of the arms, shoulders, legs, head and
other body language.

Presence: This includes all the conditions of the room or shared space that may affect the
communication. Noise, likes and dislikes for a person in the room, proximity to other
people in the room, temperature, smells, what others are doing while the communication
is taking place.

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1.4 Two-way
Two-way communication
Two-way communication - uses communication to negotiate with the public, resolve
conflict, and promote mutual understanding and respect between the organization and its
public(s).

Two-Way Communication in Public Relations

There are different types of two-way communication in public relations; symmetric and
asymmetric.

Two-way asymmetric public relations...

 Can also be called "scientific persuasion"

 Employs social science methods to develop more;
 Generally focuses on achieving short-term attitude change;
 Incorporates lots of feedback from target audiences and publics;
 Is used by an organization primarily interested in having its publics come around
to its way of thinking rather changing the organization, its policies, or its views.

Two-way symmetric public relations...

 Relies on honest and open two-way communication and mutual give-and-take

rather than one-way persuasion;
 Focuses on mutual respect and efforts to achieve mutual understanding;
 Emphasizes negotiation and a willingness to adapt and make compromises;
 Requires organizations engaging in public relations to be willing to make
significant adjustments in how they operate in order to accommodate their
publics;
 Seems to be used more by non-profit organizations, government agencies, and
heavily regulated businesses such as public utilities than by competitive, profit-
driven companies.

Two-way communication is a form of transmission in which both parties involved

transmit information. Common forms of two-way communication are:

 Amateur, CB or FRS radio contacts.

 Chatrooms and Instant Messaging.
 Computer networks. See back-channel.
 In-person communication.
 Telephone conversations.

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1.5 Speaking to groups
Group Communication Methods
Communication can be defined as a method by which people share information, ideas and
opinions. Communication can be done on a person-to-person level or in a group. An
ability to understand what others are saying and bring your message across in a group of
people constitutes effective group communication. There are several methods you can use
to communicate better in a group.

Dialogue
o Dialogue is an exchange of information between people. Dialogue allows
each person of the group to easily express his ideas and get immediate
feedback from others. To make dialogue effective, allow other people to
finish their thoughts and respect other people's opinions. Listen carefully
to what other people say in a supportive way, encouraging all group
members to tell what they think about a particular comment.

1.6 Using telephone

Telephone communication lacks nonverbal cues. When we are having a phone
conversation, we don't have facial expressions or body language to help us decode
messages, so we must focus on every word being said, and the tone of voice that is being
used. We compensate for the absence of nonverbal cues by adding more weigh to the
words being said and the tone of voice being used.

The remaining types of communication on the chart are missing both, tone of voice as
well as nonverbal communication. They only use words and visuals. Does that mean that
the quality of the communication is minimal? Not necessarily, it means that the words
and visuals carry all the weight to ensure a message is clearly understood.

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1.7 Written
Written materials often bear the greatest burden for the communication of new ideas and
procedures.  Effective writing is the product of long hours of preparation, revision and
organization.  One book that follows its own rules is Strunk and White's Elements of
Style, a short book which argues persuasively for clarity, accuracy, and brevity in the use
of English.  Its entire philosophy is contained in one paragraph:

A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences,

for the same reasons that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no
unnecessary parts.  This requires not that the writer make all his sentences short, or that
he avoid all detail and treat his subjects only in outline, but that EVERY WORD
TELL.�

Clear, vigorous writing is a product of clear, vigorous thinking.  Clarity is born of

discipline and imagination. Kirkpatrick gives the following guidelines for using written
communication:

Use Written Communication When:

 The sender wants a record for future references.

 The receiver will be referring to it later.
 The message is complex and requires study by the receiver.
 The message includes a step by step procedure.
 Oral communication is not possible because people are not in the same place at
the same time.
 There are many receivers.  Caution:  the receivers must be interested in the
subject and will put forth the time and effort to read and understand.
 It is cheaper.  Caution:  the same as above.
 A copy of the message should go to another person.
 The receiver prefers written.

1.8 Using Internet

Types of Internet Communication
The Internet provides users with multiple means of communicating. Users may
communicate with friends, colleagues, news reporters, editors and even strangers. Today
there are more ways to reach out to people who were traditionally difficult to contact. As
technology advances, the means of Internet communications becomes increasingly
convenient and varied.

Social Networking

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o Members of social networking sites are able to send messages, comments,
links, articles and pictures to other members of the site. Communication is
not just between the sender and receiver, it is also available to other
members who have access to browse your site. These other members may
also make comments. This type of relationship is known as an Internet
community.

Online Phone Calls

o Skype.com is a website dedicated to providing online phone calls to other
Skype members. This type of communication is known as Skype-to-Skype
calling. Users communicate once they have downloaded the Skype
software program from the Skype website. Skype also allows users to
make video calls, through which users can see each other as they talk.
Skype allows members to make low, per-minute Skype calls to landlines
and cell phones.

Emails
o Email, also known as electronic mail, not only allows you to communicate
with other email users, but it also is a way to receive, for example,
newsletters, coupons, daily inspirational quotes and job postings.
Registered users have the ability to save drafts and past important emails
for future reference.

8
Self-Check 1 Written Test

Name:____________________

Date:_________________

Instruction: Answer all the questions listed below, if you have some clarifications- feel
free to ask your teacher.

1. What are the different between non-verbal and verbal communication? (3 points)

2. Explain types of internet communication. (5 points)

3. The processor’s speed has been measured in what? (2 point)

4. What is two way communications? (3 point)

5. What is the difference between telephone and written communication? (2 point)

6. _____________ is the type of communication method to negotiate with the public and to
resolve conflict. (3 point)
7. The _________ provides users with multiple means of communicating. (2 point)
8. Mention at least three methods of communication. (3 point)
9. List five types of non-verbal communication. (2 point)

Note: Satisfactory rating – 11 points above / Unsatisfactory - below 10 points

You can ask you teacher for the copy of the correct answers

9
ADMAS UNIVERSITY
MISRAK TVET COLLEGE

HARDWARE AND NETWORK

SERVICE
Level III

LEARNING GUIDE # 1

Unit of Competence: Lead Workplace

Communication
Module Title : Lead Workplace
Communication
LG Code : ICT HNS3 12 1110
TLM Code : ICT ITHWIII TTLM 0511

10
LO 2: Communication constraints
2. Communication constraints
2.1 Identify constraints
Anything that prevents understanding of the message is a barrier to communication.
Many physical and psychological barriers exist:

 Culture, background, and bias — We allow our past experiences to change the
meaning of the message. Our culture, background, and bias can be good as they
allow us to use our past experiences to understand something new, it is when they
change the meaning of the message that they interfere with the communication
process.
 Noise — Equipment or environmental noise impedes clear communication. The
sender and the receiver must both be able to concentrate on the messages being
sent to each other.
 Ourselves — Focusing on ourselves, rather than the other person can lead to
confusion and conflict. The “Me Generation” is out when it comes to effective
communication. Some of the factors that cause this are defensiveness (we feel
someone is attacking us), superiority (we feel we know more that the other), and
ego (we feel we are the center of the activity).
 Perception — If we feel the person is talking too fast, not fluently, does not
articulate clearly, etc., we may dismiss the person. Also our preconceived
attitudes affect our ability to listen. We listen uncritically to persons of high status
and dismiss those of low status.
 Message — Distractions happen when we focus on the facts rather than the idea.
Our educational institutions reinforce this with tests and questions. Semantic
distractions occur when a word is used differently than you prefer. For example,
the word chairman instead of chairperson, may cause you to focus on the word
and not the message.
 Environmental — Bright lights, an attractive person, unusual sights, or any other
stimulus provides a potential distraction.
 Smothering — We take it for granted that the impulse to send useful information
is automatic. Not true! Too often we believe that certain information has no value
to others or they are already aware of the facts.
 Stress — People do not see things the same way when under stress. What we see
and believe at a given moment is influenced by our psychological frames of
references — our beliefs, values, knowledge, experiences, and goals.

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2.2 Strategies and Roles to Constraints

Active Listening
Hearing and listening are not the same thing. Hearing is the act of perceiving sound. It is
involuntary and simply refers to the reception of aural stimuli. Listening is a selective
activity which involves the reception and the interpretation of aural stimuli. It involves
decoding the sound into meaning.

Listening is divided into two main categories: passive and active. Passive listening is
little more that hearing. It occurs when the receiver of the message has little motivation to
listen carefully, such as when listening to music, story telling, television, or when being
polite.

People speak at 100 to 175 words per minute (WPM), but they can listen intelligently at
600 to 800 WPM. Since only a part of our mind is paying attention, it is easy to go into
mind drift — thinking about other things while listening to someone. The cure for this is
active listening — which involves listening with a purpose. It may be to gain
information, obtain directions, understand others, solve problems, share interest, see how
another person feels, show support, etc. It requires that the listener attends to the words
and the feelings of the sender for understanding. It takes the same amount or more
energy than speaking. It requires the receiver to hear the various messages, understand
the meaning, and then verify the meaning by offering feedback. The following are a few
traits of active listeners:

 Spend more time listening than talking.

 Do not finish the sentences of others.
 Do not answer questions with questions.
 Are aware of biases. We all have them. We need to control them.
 Never daydreams or become preoccupied with their own thoughts when others
talk.
 Let the other speakers talk. Do not dominate the conversations.
 Plan responses after the others have finished speaking, NOT while they are
speaking.
 Provide feedback, but do not interrupt incessantly.
 Analyze by looking at all the relevant factors and asking open-ended questions.
Walk others through by summarizing.
 Keep conversations on what others say, NOT on what interests them.
 Take brief notes. This forces them to concentrate on what is being said.

Feedback
When you know something, say what you know. When you don't know something, say
that you don't know. That is knowledge. — Kung Fu Tzu (Confucius)

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The purpose of feedback is to alter messages so the intention of the original
communicator is understood by the second communicator. It includes verbal and
nonverbal responses to another person's message.

Providing feedback is accomplished by paraphrasing the words of the sender. Restate the
sender's feelings or ideas in your own words, rather than repeating their words. Your
words should be saying, “This is what I understand your feelings to be, am I correct?” It
not only includes verbal responses, but also nonverbal ones. Nodding your head or
squeezing their hand to show agreement, dipping your eyebrows shows you don't quite
understand the meaning of their last phrase, or sucking air in deeply and blowing it hard
shows that you are also exasperated with the situation.

Carl Rogers listed five main categories of feedback. They are listed in the order in which
they occur most frequently in daily conversations. Notice that we make judgments more
often than we try to understand:

 Evaluative: Making a judgment about the worth, goodness, or appropriateness of

the other person's statement.
 Interpretive: Paraphrasing — attempting to explain what the other person's
statement means.
 Supportive: Attempting to assist or bolster the other communicator.
 Probing: Attempting to gain additional information, continue the discussion, or
clarify a point.
 Understanding: Attempting to discover completely what the other communicator
means by her statements.

Imagine how much better daily communications would be if listeners tried to understand
first, before they tried to evaluate what someone is saying.

Address actual and potential constraints

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Self-Check 1 Written Test

Name:____________________
Date:_________________

Instruction: Answer all the questions listed below, if you have some clarifications- feel
free to ask your teacher.

1. What is communication constraints ? (3 points)

2. What mean by active listening? (5 points)

3. Explain the difference between poor retention and misunderstanding. (2 points)

4. What mean by lengthy message? (3 points)

5. list at least five communication barriers. (2 points)

Note: Satisfactory rating – 6 points above / Unsatisfactory - below 5 points

You can ask you teacher for the copy of the correct answers

14
ADMAS UNIVERSITY
MISRAK TVET COLLEGE

HARDWARE AND NETWORK

SERVICE
Level III

LEARNING GUIDE # 1

Unit of Competence: Lead Workplace

Communication
Module Title : Lead Workplace
Communication
LG Code : ICT HNS3 12 1110
TLM Code : ICT ITHWIII TTLM 0511

15
LO 3: Effective communication principles
3. Effective communication principles
PRINCIPLES OF COMMUNICATION

Communication is a two-way process of giving and receiving information through any

number of channels.  Whether one is speaking informally to a colleague, addressing a
conference or meeting, writing a newsletter article or formal report, the following basic
principles apply:

 Know your audience.

 Know your purpose.
 Know your topic.
 Anticipate objections.
 Present a rounded picture.
 Achieve credibility with your audience.
 Follow through on what you say.
 Communicate a little at a time.
 Present information in several ways.
 Develop a practical, useful way to get feedback.
 Use multiple communication techniques.

Communication is complex.  When listening to or reading someone else's message, we

often filter what's being said through a screen of our own opinions.  One of the major
barriers to communication is our own ideas and opinions.

There's an old communications game, telegraph, that's played in a circle.  A message is

whispered around from person to person.  What the exercise usually proves is how
profoundly the message changes as it passes through the distortion of each person's inner
"filter."

3.1 Maximizing opportunity for staff

How to Maximize Employee Communication
Staff should always know where they can find the latest employee communications. An
uninformed employee is often an unhappy employee. An unhappy employee is often
unproductive and won't benefit the company. Maximizing employee communication
through frequent staff meetings, direct leadership communication, written and online
communications and social media will make employees feel knowledgeable and that they
have a voice. Use all tools to maximize employee communication, as it is better to
provide too much information than not enough.
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Instructions
o 1 Hold staff meetings at least once a week. Each manager will lead a
weekly departmental meeting with all of his staff to discuss departmental
updates, issues and new policies and to recognize jobs well done. Engage
employees to open up and share their thoughts as it relates to the job, the
department and the company. Share this information with your company's
senior management.
o 2 Conduct monthly town hall meetings at different locations each month
and invite all staff. Senior leadership should facilitate and lead each
meeting. Have staff not located on-site participate by conference call.
Have an open questions-and-answers forum and provide information on
company updates, organizational changes and major changes in the
direction and mission of the company. Provide recognition to teams and
single out exemplary individuals.
o 3 Distribute an all-employee weekly newsletter. Send the newsletter via
email and post it online and in common areas in the workplace, such as
break rooms and kitchens. Include "hot topics" in the newsletter such as
major company news and company management and structural changes,
HR reminders about benefits and wellness programs, information on new
hires and news about new and existing clients.
o 4 Create an intranet site with all-staff access. Populate the site frequently
and include useful information such as your company policies and
procedures, training materials, press releases, benefits and payroll
information, financial information, forms and employee contact
information. Keep the site current to build credibility and make it user-
friendly. Staff will not visit often if the information is outdated and the site
is hard to navigate.
o 5 Engage employees through social media websites such as Facebook and
LinkedIn. Most young people use these tools daily, and have your
company present on them to provide information about your company
vision while allowing employees to connect with one another.

3.2 Communicating in complex situation

Whether you are communicating face to face or on the telephone, it can be a lost business
opportunity or a successful one, even in difficult situations with angry or irritated
customers, clients, vendors and co-workers.  Making the best possible impression is
critical to establishing good interpersonal relations and to developing a profitable
business.

Creating this favorable impression not only translates into satisfied individuals and
increased business profitability but also less workplace stress and frustration—for you

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and others.  As author Eric Maisel writes in his book, 20 Communication Tips at Work,
“Never treat work communications cavalierly…When you are at work, all
communications are meaningful and important.” We should not take our routine
communications with others for granted.  Every single communication situation can be a
win-win opportunity if we know and apply effective communication skills.

Three Stages of Anger

It is no small task to handle irritated and angry individuals.  But with some helpful
strategies to remember and utilize and a determination to remain professional, calm and
self-confident, employees can surmount this workplace obstacle.

There are there stages of anger often seen in individuals, characterized by the acronym
MAD:

 Miffed—An individual is irritated.  For example, a customer complains about a

business overcharge on his account or a late product shipment.
 Aggravated—An individual shows more than simple irritation but attacks you or
business, saying something like, “You can’t do anything right.”
 Destructive—A person’s anger is very intense, and may even be threatening.  The
individual may say he will close his account, sue your company, want you fired,
or demand to talk with your supervisor.

Most individuals are at the “miffed” stage.  Remembering the Golden Rule, “Treat others
as you would like to be treated,” should never be forgotten in all communication
situations, particularly difficult ones.

Eight Steps to Diffuse Anger

When you exhibit professionalism, it is helpful in alleviating anger in others.  Throughout

all situations, remember to stay calm and do not display heated emotion.  Keep the tone
of your voice caring, helpful and empathetic—not cold, indifferent or hostile.  Speak
slowly, while lowering your voice pitch slightly.   This technique will encourage the
angry individual to calm down more quickly.

These eight steps will also help you successfully in handling difficult individuals:

1. Don’t buy into the anger. Take the anger professionally, but not personally. 
Remember to separate the problem from the person, and focus on the problem.

2. Listen to understand. Hear the individual out without interrupting, as this makes people
even angrier. 

3. Show empathy. Impress an individual that you genuinely care about his problem or
issue.  Acknowledge his feelings and restate the facts.  Often, it helps to ask yourself,
“How is this person feeling?”  Annoyed, disappointed or frustrated?  Try to use the
appropriate descriptive word when you restate the problem.  For example, “I can imagine

18
how frustrated you are that your product shipment hasn’t arrived on time.  I will see what
I can do to expedite the shipment.”

4. Identify the other’s needs and wants.  Ask appropriate questions, both open-ended ones
to gather additional information, and closed-end ones to confirm information with a one-
word or “yes/no” answer.  Verify your understanding of the person’s problem by
restating the facts.

5. Offer options.  Aim to be positive, not negative.  Tell individuals what you can do for
them, without emphasizing what you can’t do.  It is helpful often to use the
“condition/benefit” formula, for instance:  “If you provide me with your invoice number,
then I can check on your order.”

6. Find a positive solution. Try to come up with suggestions to rectify the problem and
ask the individual for his input. Having the individual become involved in the problem
solution will make him feel better about you and your business.

7. Thank the person.  Express appreciation to the individual for bringing the problem or
issue to your attention.

8. Follow up on any commitments.  This is vital for maintaining and building better
interpersonal relations.  Be sure to check back promptly with the individual to confirm
that the necessary action has actually been completed.  Your professionalism will
assuredly stand out if you do this last step.

Complex or difficult situations may include:

 Situations involving people under stress, such as:

o post suicide clients
o drug and alcohol affected people
o disabled people
o hearing impaired
o personal threat
o aggression
o anger
o grief and loss

3.3 Documentation
• Communication and documentation is key for a successful project
– “If it is not written down, it did not happen!” (ancient wise saying)
– “If you wrote it down, you agreed to do it!” (not as ancient wise saying)
• Communication assures coordination of effort across stakeholders
– Agreement on how to proceed
– Tracking of progress
– Assure functioning interface between units

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• Written documentation provides the “glue” that stabilizes components and unifies
the project
– Helps assure “end-to-end” thinking
– Show agreement on roles, tasks, schedule
– Provides proof of performance

• Reports & presentations set precedent for acknowledgement of effort and / or

discoveries
• There are a multitude of written documents during a project
– Proposal of concept to funding agency
– Requirements Document to specify “ground rules”
– System Design Document to specify high level design
– Interface Control Documents to define subunit interfaces
– Risk Management Plan shows how project risks are controlled
– Preliminary Design Review (PDR) gives initial definition of project
– Critical Design Review (CDR) provides complete definition of project
– Flight Readiness Review (FRR) certifies payload for flight
– Mission Operations and Data Analysis for post-launch procedures
– Technical reports to track progress of project
– Science reports to present results publicly

Self-Check 1 Written

Name:____________________
Date:_________________

Instruction: Answer all the questions listed below, if you have some clarifications- feel
free to ask your teacher.

1. Write effective communication Principles ? (4 points)

2. What are the eight steps used to handle difficult individuals? (3 points)

3. What is documentation? (3 points)

4. What is complex situation? (5 points)

20
Note: Satisfactory rating – 8 points above / Unsatisfactory - below 7 points
You can ask you teacher for the copy of the correct answers

ADMAS UNIVERSITY
MISRAK TVET COLLEGE

HARDWARE AND NETWORK

SERVICE
Level III

LEARNING GUIDE # 1

Unit of Competence: Lead Workplace

Communication
Module Title : Lead Workplace
21
Communication
LG Code : ICT HNS3 12 1110
TLM Code : ICT ITHWIII TTLM 0511

LO 4: Lead workplace
4. Lead workplace
4.1 Listening for facts and feeling issues
Listening is the absorption of the meanings of words and sentences by the brain.
Listening leads to the understanding of facts and ideas. But listening takes attention, or
sticking to the task at hand in spite of distractions. It requires concentration, which is the
focusing of your thoughts upon one particular problem. A person who incorporates
listening with concentration is actively listening. Active listening is a method of
responding to another that encourages communication.

The process of informational listening focuses on the ability of an individual to

understand a speaker’s message. It is a huge part of everyday life, and failing to
understand the concept of informational listening can be very detrimental to one's
contribution to society, and indeed, detrimental to quality of life in general. Much of the
listening people engage in on a regular basis falls under the blanket of listening for
information. In the office, people listen to their superiors for instructions about what they
are to do. At school, students listen to teachers for information that they are expected to
understand for quizzes and tests. In all areas of life, informational listening plays a huge
role in human communication.

4.2 Short talk and presentation

How to Give an Effective and Powerful Short Presentation

You've been asked to speak for five to ten minutes on your specialty
and/or passion. You may be part of a panel with each panel member
given a specified time limit. Or, you may be one of several
presenters at a specialized conference and each of you will share part
of a keynote address. Or, you may have been asked to open a
conference session with a few words on the major topic. Or, you
have taken my advice and have joined a Toastmasters Club to perfect
your presentation skills.

Your first speech will be a four to six minute presentation with a

timer keeping track of every second. And, following that first speech, every other

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presentation - mostly short in length - will be timed. Personally, I feel that giving a short,
five to ten minute, presentation is one of the most demanding and difficult assignments.
In this article, I will share tips of how to deal with and ways I have dealt with this
challenge.

Start by accepting the time limit and making sure that you prepare for it. If we want
to be known as professionals, we must realize that when a meeting planner gives us five
minutes, he or she means five minutes. Yes, I know that there are always speakers who
don't pay any attention and take up much more of the time allotted. These are speakers
who are often not asked back, even if they are super on the platform. And, even when
they are terrific, audience members who are aware of the time limit start focusing on the
fact that the speaker is going way over his or her time and that is the part of the
presentation they remember.

Recently, I set up a panel of six community leaders. Each was told they had eight
minutes maximum. Five of them stayed under or right at that limit, while one - who was
passionate about his topic and a good speaker - went way over. After the event, someone
who wasn't there told me that he had heard that the speakers were all wonderful except
the one who went way over, "I heard that ___ spoke much too long." The same person in
question has asked me for five minutes at an upcoming meeting and I have put him off,
because I feel that I can't trust him to stay within five minutes. Our performances - both
good and bad - stay with us.

Realize that a short speech can be more compelling than a longer one, but takes
even more preparation. When we've been asked to speak about a topic we're passionate
about, how in the world can we say what we want and need to in five minutes? I feel that
it takes a lot more work, because we have to compress a topic down to its essence. There
are many questions to ask ourselves while preparing - and, by now, you know how
important preparation is.

Questions to consider include:

 What is my goal for this presentation?

 What is the most important message I want listeners to leave with?
 If I wrote a one sentence description of my presentation, what would it say?
 If I were to write a list of the keywords for the presentation, what words would be
on the list?
 What is the theme? And what are the three major points?
 What action do I want audience members to take upon hearing my presentation?

Even though I never suggest memorizing a presentation, I suggest for a short

presentation with a time limit to write out a draft or outline. Take the draft or the
outline, and either read or speak a sample into a tape recorder. Then listen and time your
presentation. You will get a good idea of how long it will take. By listening to yourself,
you will pick up the stronger and weaker parts. You will discover what to delete and what
to elaborate upon. A way to plan a five minute talk is to allow a minute for the opening,
one minute for each of the three points you want to make and one minute for the close. If
you think of it in five parts, it will be a lot easier to plan. Even if you have been given
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eight minutes, I still suggest planning for five or six. It never hurts to come in a little
under the time limit. Everyone will appreciate it. If there are other presenters involved,
you will stand out as the pro, because most of them will go over their time limit.

Get used to being timed and enlist the aid of a timer. The first time I spoke at my
Toastmasters Club, the timing made me terribly nervous. The way our club - and many of
the clubs - worked the timing was with colored lights. For a five minute speech, the green
light would come on at three minutes, the yellow light at four minutes, and the red light at
five minutes. It took me awhile to get used to the lights, but I feel that using them
improved my speaking and my awareness of timing. I planned my talks, so that when the
green light came on, I knew exactly how to use the final two minutes and, with work,
achieved ending right on time with a punch. For strictly timed presentations, I would ask
a friend in the front row to inconspicuously hold up a sign that says "3 minutes" then "2
minutes", then "1 minute." You will be amazed by how quickly you can gauge your own
time accurately. And, one of the quickest ways to get used to preparing and giving short
presentations that are powerful and punchy is to join a Toastmasters International Club
and work through the manuals.

You will also discover that working under time constraints will help you clarify the
messages in your presentations. What will seem a huge challenge in the beginning will
become one of your favorite ways of presenting. So, if you have an important point to
make, you will be able to honestly ask for five minutes at a meeting and only use five or
fewer. You will also find that when a group is looking for a succinct spokesperson, your
name will come to mind. Go for it! Let me hear how you fare. I love getting your
FEEDBACK!

4.3 Long presentations

Two types of long presentations are group presentations and long
individual sessions. With both, involving the audience is very important. Often you will
be introducing new content or helping to develop a knowledge area; in other words, you
will be engaged in a type of teaching.

You will therefore have to consider the needs and interest levels of your audience,
and include activities which help them absorb information better. Select from the links
below to see suggestions for improving audience participation.

4.4 Conducting interviews and meetings

CONDUCTING A MEETING

 START ON TIME!!
 Delegate the task of taking minutes if you haven’t a subcommittee secretary
 Review the agenda/obtain agreement on the meetings objectives and goals
 Revise agenda if necessary

Conducting Interviews
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You can collect data by going to published material, by conducting empirical research, or
by careful observation. However, you can also get information by talking with people
who have knowledge you want. Sometimes you simply want to know what their
experience has been; in other words, you want to collect their testimony as witnesses.
Sometimes you want their expert opinion, sometimes their knowledge of the facts. One of
the first steps in conducting an interview, after deciding who you want to interview, is to
figure out which of these kinds of information you are after. Let's go through some of the
steps involved in planning and carrying out an interview.

1. After determining who you want to talk with, consider what information you want
to get. It may even be a good idea to jot down a list starting with, "I want to find
out . . . ."
2. Make an appointment. Contact the person you wish to talk with far enough in
advance that he or she has time to get ready, but not so far in advance that their
schedules are not yet developed. When you make an appointment, you need to
introduce yourself and tell what capacity you are calling in, explain the
purpose of your call, explain why you would like to talk with the person, and
request permission to set a time and place. If you will be recording the
interview, ask permission to do so ahead of time.
3. Prepare for the interview by finding out about the person you will be interviewing
and by preparing questions to ask.
4. If you want witness-type information, a few open-ended questions which invite
the person to tell her story. Be ready with follow up questions like, "Could you
tell me more about that?"
5. If you want expert opinion, create more pointed questions, questions that suggest
particular issues you would to explore. Questions still need to be open ended,
something like, "I would very much like to know what your analysis is of so and
so." Be willing to let the person drift off to a neighboring topic, because she may
know more about the lay of the argument than you do, and she may be giving you
information you really wanted and didn't know how to ask for. Reserve a very
general question for the end, something like, "Have other things occurred to you
during the interview that you would like to say at this time?"
6. If you want facts, make your questions as precise as possible, making it clear that
you're after data. It is important that the person you are interviewing know ahead
of time that he or she will be asked such questions, because people seldom carry
that kind of data around in their heads. Reserve a general question for the end.
7. When it is time for the interview, be punctual--not early, and certainly not late.
8. Be forthcoming when you meet, introducing yourself and briefly reminding the
person why you wanted to talk. If you are unsure about how to spell the person's
name, ask about that and about their official title.
9. If you will be taping the interview, ask permission to do so.
10. As you ask the questions and listen to the responses, look at the person's face and
eyes to show that you are interested and that you value what you're getting. From
time to time make brief notes, but don't bury yourself in notetaking.
11. Try to get some direct quotes, saying something like, "I like the way you said that.
Can I quote you?" And then get the words down in quotation marks.
12. Reserve a general question for the end.

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13. Briefly summarize what you have covered and how you understand the
information you have been given.
14. Thank the person for his or her time and willingness to share.
15. Don't linger. If you promised to take only 30 minutes, then stick to your schedule,
but don't be rude. Say something like, "I promised to take only 30 minutes of your
time, and I see I have. Is there any last thing you want to add before I go?" You
might also say something like, "This has been very informative. If some other
question occurs to me, may I get back in touch with you?"
16. When you leave, spend time immediately writing down notes. Make sure you
have the date and place of the interview.

Self-Check 1 Written Test

Name:____________________
Date:_________________

Instruction: Answer all the questions listed below, if you have some clarifications- feel
free to ask your teacher.

1. Explain the difference between short and long presentation? (5 points)

2. What are the steps to conduct meeting? (2 points)
3. What is interview? (3 point)
4. ____________ is the absorption of the meanings of words and sentences by the brain.
(3 point)
3. Write at least six steps in planning and carrying out an interview. (2 points)

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Note: Satisfactory rating – 8 points above / Unsatisfactory - below 7 points
You can ask you teacher for the copy of the correct answers

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