Communication and Employibility
Skills
Personal attributes valued by employers
There are many jobs so the employer looking for specific attributes and the correct attitude that the employer will value, this is so the employer can see what the employee is capable of. The employer will check to see if the employee is able to be complete specific tasks that are related to the job. For some jobs, technical knowledge and skills may be necessary. The employer will be looking for knowledge of a good working procedures which will be expected from the employer. The habits that you have in your work space could have an effect on you being employed. For example being safe and keeping any risks at a minimum to set a good example as that is what your employer will be interested in.
General Attributes
Regardless on what job and its particular requirements as there is skills that everyone is expected to have called 'soft skills' , these skills will make you more capable to carry out the tasks for any job. Employers will look in particular at planning and organisation skills, verbal and written communication skills and time management and other skills such as problem-solving/creativity. The more skilled you are in these areas will intrigue the employers are in your abilities.
Attitudes
I have discussed about many different skills such as, technical skills and the other soft skills mentioned. There are more soft skills such as, independence, tolerance, confidence, integrity and determination. All of these soft skills are part of a person's temperament, which determines how they act and feel and also what play a big part on what kind of job they get. An example would be, a person with independence is able to act without relying on others so a good job choice for someone who likes to work independently could be a solicitor.
The Principles of Effective Communication
General communication will consist of an audience so that your announcement is communicated, the audience that you want to communicate to will be determined on the type of language you use and how you deliver your message. They may be some cultural differences between you and your audience or within your audience so that will need to be addressed. You may consider using different words or gestures from ones that you would usually use as the words or signs you would normally use may be misunderstood or seen as offensive between different languages or cultures.
Interpersonal skills
Interpersonal skills are different methods of communication. You may want to get your message across to your audience there may be issues or a barrier between communication. So verbal exchanges work for most people but those who cannot speak may sign a message, while someone who is deaf might rely on the reading of lips. The signing system is acts as an aid for communication with people who are deaf. You may want to express some emotion in your message so if you want to add anger into your message you could simply raise your voice, which could also indicate impatience. whereas a lowered voice can show indications of insecurity or fear.
Communicate in writing
Written communication requires special construction of message which can be hand written or typed. This form of communication is fundamentally different to any other forms of communications. It also requires grammar in a language (such as English) and a good knowledge of vocabulary so that the written word transmits the intended message to the audience. Emoticons are a way of communicating through different types of characterised faces through text message and on the social networks like Facebook. They are used to express a frame of mind. These are not suitable for serious communications, so if you were to message your employer you would use formal communication but emoticons are informal, so it would be a good idea not to use these.
Barriers to effective communication
To communicate effectively without barriers you will need to prevent the barriers or even reduce them as much as possible. For an example background noise need to be taking to consideration as even a slight continuous noise, such as the ticking of the clock can distract an audience.
-Distractions
Any distractions such as someone's mobile phone ringing or some arriving late to an assembly or a meeting can interrupt the flow of communication between the speaker and the audience which can cause them to stop listening to the speaker and lose concentration. As soon as this happens the speaker may hesitate and feel like he needs to repeat part of the message. To avoid these distractions you could simply ask your audience to make sure that their mobile phone are switch off or on silent mode, also make sure vibration is not on because the vibration makes a buzzing sound which will distract others. For someone who arrives late cannot really be helped, but the person who arrives late could be polite by waiting until the speaker reaches a pause or to enter the room as quiet as possible.
-Physical Barriers
An example of a physical barrier to communication is geographic distance between the sender and the receiver. Communication is generally easier over shorter distances as more communication channels are available and less technology is required.
-Location
Location serves as an environmental barrier to effective communication, in that different locations can effect knowledge, as well as create other physical barriers. In example of a physical barrier caused by location includes inadequate technology. So if someone wanted to create a PowerPoint for a meeting they will have to plan and then they go to the meeting location and it does not have the equipment needed to show their PowerPoint presentation, they will have a major communication problem to overcome. A way to other come this could be to rearrange the location which may postpone the meeting but this way you will be able to have access to you PowerPoint presentation at the new location.
-Lack of concentration
Lack of concentration from your audience will interrupt communication. It is important to keep concentration levels maintained despite any distractions. Also depending on the length of a conversation is important as the people can only take in so much information at a time and anything beyond that is counterproductive. For example, a short verbal disapproval might prove useful but the person is likely to lose concentration if it turns into a lecture. A way to keep your audiences concentration level maintained you could allow them to ask you questions on the what you have said or you could ask to see if the audience have listened and understood what you have spoke about.