Effective communication
Task 2 (P2)
General communication skills
Cultural differences
When communicating with people from around the world which is highly likely when working in the IT industry, it is very important to consider other people's cultural background. For example, religious beliefs may require that people take time away to practice during the working day. Both companies and individuals need to understand the cultural differences and consider how communication can take place when this time away is required. When communicating with people from a different cultural background.
Adapting your voice
When communicating verbally it is important that you address your audience in an interesting way. By adapting your voice so that you speak clearly that everyone can understand that you are considering their needs and will be more likely to communicate effectively with them. If you are very silent and losing people's interest, it is important to change your tone and regain their interest to communication effectively.
Adapting-Terminology
When working in the IT industry you may need to communicate with technical and non-technical colleagues as well as customers. If you were talking to a non-technical customer then you would need to adapt your language so you can explain things in a way that they will understand. When communicating with technical people in your team, it is important to use key technical terms to help explain things better by using the correct technical language.
Engaging-Use of technology
Sometimes it is better to have face to face communication rather than verbal. This may not be possible due of the distance between the parties that you want to communicate bu this can be made possible by using technologies such as Skype or Google Hangouts. Sometimes using technology such as email may be more accurate than a phone call as information shared and can be accessed for future reference rather than relying on note taking during a phone call. Communicating using technology can be more interactive and engaging also as more people can be directly involved and can communicate the part of the information required by them effectively.
Engaging-Question and answer
To ensure that everyone is involved in the communications process, it is always good to get everyone's opinions. Technical and non-technical staff work together to ensure they communicate the needs of a project successfully throughout the entire project life cycle. By getting everyone involved and considering their opinions throughout they will feel as they have a valuable allowance to make the project and communicate about the required information.
Interpersonal Skills
Verbal exchanges
You need to be confident in sharing information with others when working in the IT industry. To verbally exchange information you should speak clearly and listen carefully when others talk so that everyone is clear about work expectations discussed in conversations. Being an effective communicator will increase your social profile in the work place too and will be beneficial to you as you will make lots of contacts.
Signing
Sign language could be important when communicating with people with hearing damage. Some people take lessons in sign language to be able to communicate effectively in their workplace.
Lip reading
As well as signing, lip reading is an important communication skills as people with hearing damage can rely on this. AS a speaker you should be aware of this when addressing someone with a hearing damage and you may slow down your speech to ensure they can follow you.
Body language
People with good interpersonal skills often are very confident when addressing a group and will have very good body language. Having confident body language means standing position and being calm when talking to a group. Someone that does not have a good body language will not be able to get the attention of the audience.
Use of intonation
When communicating with others it is important to change the tone of your voice. For example when someone speaks to the audience with a very boring way, then he will not get a proper attention. It is important to change sometimes the tone of your voice so the others can find you more interesting.
Positive language
There are plenty advantages by using a positive language. Firstly it brings higher profile and also makes better bonds with other employees and the employer. All of the employers are expecting highly from their employees to use an appropriate and positive language inside the work place.
Negative language
Negative language brings many disadvantages in overall in the IT industry because it makes the employee look immature and disrespectful. The employers will be forced to decrease the level of this kind of employees because of the negativity.
Active engagement
It is important when working in a group to participate with all the members of the group. When everyone is active, that means that there is a positive understanding and efficiency between all the employees. Asking proper questions about a specific thing means that you are interested.
Communicate in writing
Emoticons
When communicating in writing it is very important to be professional. Smileys or emoticons should only be used for very informal messages between very close colleagues. It is a good way to give a positive chat and also to bring some fun but it should be limited. For example Smileys should be unavailable when writing to the employer.
Letters
When writing a letter it is very important to know how to layout the letter properly so it will look professional. It is also important to proof read it every time and make paragraphs so the letter will look tidy and make sense. The letter should be formal when writing about the work or writing it to the employer. When writing a letter to someone that is known, it is important to write at the end of the letter the word "Yours sincerely" and not known "Your faithfully".
Fax
In most cases, faxes are written electronically which make the contact details clear. If the employee wants to write the contact details with a pen, then he would have to proof read it and spell check it couple of times so it would look professional and to be clear enough to read.
Emails
When writing an email it is very important to write it formally if it is about the work. Grammars, spellings and proof reading should also take part when writing emails so it will be properly written and professional. At the end of every formal email there should be the word "Kind regards" which is highly respective towards the receiver of the email.
Spelling and grammar
Grammar: It is important to write every word correctly that will make sense and will be easy to read and understand. Proper grammar will also give a professional look and show that the employee has a good grammar knowledge.
Spelling: When using written communicating it’s important to ensure that you maintain a good spelling level. Google Docs is a good example of typing software which also highlights the wrong spelling words. Every time before finishing a letter it is important to check for spelling errors.
Relevance
When writing a message, it is important to write about the specific thing that is required to be included in the message. If the message includes plenty of other things that does not make any sense, then the reader will not understand what is the purpose of the message.
Proofreading
When writing a email or letter, it is important to proof read all the words so they can make sense and look professional. There should always be a spelling and grammar error correction before sending the letter or email to the employer or colleague.
Note taking
It is very important when being in a meeting to take some notes when the other employee talks. Note taking is a big advantage to keep some