Attributes and Barriers
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Personal attributes valued by employers
Specific Skills needed
Technical Knowledge- This shows the employer that the individual has a vast knowledge with the software and hardware, it also shows them that they are familiar with the system and that they know how to use the system.
Health and safety- This is a very important skill, this shows the employer that the individual knows how to be safe in the work place and that the individual know all safety procedures such as what to do in the case of a fire and where the fire exits are located.
Working attitudes- It is important that the individual has a great working attitude towards the tasks give, this would show how much dedication the worker puts into their work and it also shows to the employer that the member of staff is always reliable and always up for a challenge and a new tasks. It also shows that the worker is enjoying working for the organisation.
General attributes
Planning Skills- This is a vital skill for an individual because it shows an employer that the individual plans for tasks and that they would think carefully and thoroughly about the task before doing the task.
Organisational Skills- It is important that an individual has good organisational skills because without organisational skills the individual would easily lose their documents and files and this could cause any problems for staff and customers. Also if the individual isn't organised it would be hard for other staff to work around them because of the mess they would have. This would decrease productivity for the individual because of the time it would take to look for the files and documents.
Team Management- It is important that an individual has good team management skills the reason for this is because it can help control the workplace and would also help increase productivity because of the individual being able to control the other employees and being able to help out other members of staff who need it.
Team Working- This is a vital skill because it is important that all members of staff in an organisation work together positively and help each other with problems which may occur in the workplace.
Verbal Skills- Verbal skills are important for an individual, it is important that an individual can speak fluently and clearly so both staff and customers can understand them clearly. If they cannot speak fluently and clearly then it could cause problems with requests and when talking to customers.
Written communication skills- This is the same as the verbal communication skills, if an employee cannot write clearly and using the correct grammar it could cause problems with orders and with documents which they have to fill in. This could cause further complications for the organisation.
Numeracy skills- Numeracy skills are a good skill for an individual to have, the reason for this is because it can help them solve numeracy problems without needing the use of a calculator, This would be a lot quicker than using a calculator.
Creativity-Creativity is also important because an individual can show the manager and employers what the organisation could do to help the organisation gain more profit.
Principles of effective communications
It is vital that an employee speaks clearly and uses the correct vocabulary and grammar to ensure that the customer understand what the members of staff are telling them. There are many ways an employee can communicate with an individual effectively.
General communication skills
Cultural Differences- It is important that when an employee is talking to a customer or a member of staff that they do not say anything which could be seen as offensive to their culture or religion or beliefs. It is important that an individual is aware of this because it could cause problems within the workplace and could give a bad impression of the organisation.
Adapting Your Voice- This is important if an employee is talking to a large audience, he would then need to speak a lot louder than he would if he would be talking to one employee.
Terminology- It is important that an employee uses the simplest words when communicated to an customer which may not know much about computers and thy would have to try to avoid using terms which they may not know.
Use of Technology- To engage the audience an employee should use the technology to show the customer what the device is like and how it works and the quality of the product. This would show the customers if the product is what they are looking for. However it could be seen as rude because of the employee taking more interest in the product instead of fully communicating with the customer.
Questions and Answers- This is a common and reliable source of gaining information of a customer, employees can ask the customer questions about what they might need and they customers can answer the question. The customers can also ask the employee questions about a product so that they know the product is right for them.
Attitudes
Attributes are skills which make a employee unique and are skills which would make an individual an asset to an organisation. Skills such as independence make an individual a key asset to an organisation and would make their role in the company a lot easier.
Determined- It is important that an employee is always determined so that they always do their task to the best of their ability and always attempt to complete the task.
Independent- It is important that employees are confident when speaking to other employees and customers, without confidence the employee would struggle to communicate effectively with other members of staff and even with the customers.
integrity- This is important because it shows an employer that the employee is a trustworthy member of staff and it also shows other members of staff that they are trustworthy and honest.
tolerance- It Is important that an employee is tolerant of the customers and the customers behaviour towards staff. However at times certain behaviour which could be seen as dangerous then the employee must request that the customer gets escorted of the premises.
dependable- It is important that an employee is dependable, this means that another member of staff such as a manager can depend on them to finish a task and help customers or even work on weekends when the company is at its busiest.
Problem solving- This is a very useful skill, it shows an employer that an individual is good at solving difficult problems and is always up for a challenge. It also shows that an employee is open minded.
Leadership- This is a vital attribute for a manager or an employee who works in a large group. A manager would need this skill to help them communicate with the other members of staff and would also need this to set an example of how to behave and be a positive role model for the other employees.
confidence- confidence is another important skill, it is important that an employee is confident around customers and staff, if an employee isn't confident then it would be difficult for them to report problems or communicate with staff and customers.
Motivation- This is also an important skill for managers, the reason for this is because an employee such as a manager should show motivation to their co-workers so that they works as hard as they can. They should also show a good example by working hard themselves to motivate others.
Interpersonal Skills
Verbal Exchanges- This is when 2 or more people talk to each other verbally.
Signing- This is very important for customers with hearing impairments such as deafness and not being to hear as well. This could help communicate with customers and employees with hearing impairments.
Lip Reading- This is a very useful skill for an employee to have, the reason for this is because if an employee cannot understand a customer or a member of staff then they can try to read their lips so that they can get an idea of what they were trying to say.
Body Language- It is important that an employee is aware of the body language of the customer and member of staff the reason for this is because body language can indicate the feelings and emotions the customer or member of staff is feeling. For example if a customer has their hands crossed and are quite fidgety it could show that they are getting annoyed and the employee could then ask them if they need any help and to relieve the customer.
Use of Intonation- It is important that an employee changes pitches and puts emotion into what they are saying. This is important for an employee if they are talking about something they feel passionate about.
Positive and Negative Language- This is important for an employee when the are describing something and when describing a product to a customer.
Active Engagement- This is to show the customer or other member of staff that the employee is listening to what they have to say. This is important to keep the conversation going.
Communication in writing
Emoticons- The sue of emoticons can show the reader how the writer is feeling however it would be seen as unnecessary and inappropriate when writing important documentation or important letters.
Letters- This is a great way for an individual to communicate with other members of staff and is also professional.
Fax- This is not a very common form of communication the reason for this is because there are more easier ways for communication and not many people own fax machines. Not many customers would own a fax machine so it wouldn't be a suitable way of communication between the organisation and the customer. however other organisation would most likely own fax machines so it would be a lot more convenient for them to use to communicate with each other.
Email- This is one of the most common form of communication, this is because there are a large amount of people who have email addresses and this is a very popular form of communication. This would make it easier for an organisation to contact their employees and to contact their customers.
Spelling and Grammar- It is important that an employee is aware of their spelling and grammar because it can effect a member of staff and a customer because they may not be able to understand what is being said.
Relevance- It is important that what an employee is saying is relevant to what a customer is asking, if they are not relevant then this could cause problems and could frustrate and annoy the customer causing further problems.
Proofreading- It is important that an employee proofreads any documentation and letter or anything which they have written or received to ensure that they make sense and that it is understandable and is not missing out on anything. This is important because if it is important documentation then it could cause problems for the organisation and the customer.
Note Taking- It is important that an employee takes notes of tasks which have been given to them and that they take notes of what the customer is telling them. Not only does it show that the employee is listening it also helps the employee remember the task and what the customer needs.
Barriers to effective communication
A barrier of communication is something which is making the conversation bad and isn't how a conversation should be. Barriers are things in the conversation which make it harder for the conversation to work and flow. For example talking to multiple people at the same time about different subjects could cause problems and could be seen as rude.
Barriers
Background noise- This can cause many problems for a customer and employee, the reason for this is because if there is a lot of noise then it can make it hard for an employee to communicate with a customer and other employees because of the noise making it hard to communicate and hear what is being said.
Distractions-It is vital that the employee pays attention to who they are having a conversation with and they do not become distracted. there are many distractions, around the workplace such as other employees talking.
Physical Barriers- problems such as body language and the movement and the way how the person the employee is talking with can show how they are feeling and can also show positive and negative emotions towards something. Talking not eh phone or via email would make this very difficult because the employee isn't able to see how the person they are talking to is feeling towards what they are talking about.
Location- This is very important the reason for this is because it is important that the employee isn't in a noisy and windy area which would make it hard for the customer to hear. It would make it harder fro the employee and customer to hear and would also be quite uncomfortable.
Lack of concentration- If an employee doesn't show interest or concentrate on the conversation then tis could be seen as being rude and could give the organisation a bad reputation. Also it could make it harder for the employee to take notes on what the customer may need and this could give the customer a bad impression of the organisation.
Reducing the impacts of the barriers
Background Noise- There are many ways an employee can reduce the amount of background noise for example they can talk privately in a room with the member of staff or customer.
Distractions- It is important that an individual is fully concentrating on the conversation to make the conversation successful. An employee should always have their phones switched off so that it does not distract them.
Physical barriers- This can be reduced by talking to an individual face to face, this would let the employee see the emotion, tone and how the customer may feel by looking at their body language.
Location- This can be reduced by moving to a quieter location such as a staff room or somewhere indoors where they could have a conversation without interruptions.
Lack of concentration- This can be reduced by being in a room alone with he person who they are talking with such a meeting room or a staff room. This will ensure the employee gives full attention to the individual who they are talking to.