Definitions of Technical Terms

Definitions

Work ethic – Work ethics whenever an employee is expected to come to work on time every day and to work hard during their shift to get their work done as well being able to work with a team to get the job done. An example of this is myself going to my job on time every time my shift starts and being a happy employee and not complains during my shifts.

Soft skills – Soft skills are skills that can have an effect on how you communicate with others in the workplace. An example of this is creativity and flexibility. These skills can help make you a better team worker as these skills help the way employees work throughout the day by making them more effective at communicating. 

Goals – A goal is the result which you want to succeed in and normally requires a substantial amount of effort and whenever you have succeeded you will feel proud. An example of a goal that you may have set for example may be that you want to work in a job that you enjoy and this may be an engineer at Google.

Strategy - Strategy means a plan or a method that you have worked out to achieve a goal or way to overcome a problem. An example of a strategy may be that you want to finish a puzzle that is relatively hard to complete. So you decide to take some time out to research how to complete the puzzle.

Objectives - Objectives are similar to goals but instead are intended accomplishments or targets set.  An example of an objective using your own two feet and using public transport, travel from Rathfriland to Newry in one hour.

Prioritizing - Designate or treat something more important than other things. Prioritizing tasks can also be used to put tasks at the top of your to-do list. An example of prioritizing in a company may be that you are focused in on a major task that is necessary and needs to be completed to a high standard. By prioritizing your main focus around this task you will finish your project faster.

In-tray - In-tray means a physical box that holds paperwork. In-tray is useful as it allows you to keep all of your paperwork inside the box so that it won’t get lost during a busy day in the office.

Independence - Independence is being able to look after yourself without nee

ding others to help you financially or even asking for help or assistance in everyday.

Facts - A fact is either true or false. Facts can be recorded and used for hypotheses.

Opinions - Opinions are similar to facts only they can be strong or weak. An opinion can also vary from each person as everyone has their own views about how they feel.

Summarise - To be able to summarize up something you are able to simply shorten it down so that it is summarized. If you summarize something you are usually going to pick the main points out of all the points that you have and then write a bit more about them.

Paraphrase - Paraphrase means that you are going to reword text in a passage so that it changes the meaning of it. An example of this is "The signal was red" might be paraphrased as "The train was not allowed to proceed"

Open questions - An open question is a question that allows your audience to express how they feel with a long answer. An open question is looking for a longer more detailed answer and is the opposite of a closed question.

Closed questions - A closed question is similar to a closed question only it is asking for a much shorter answer usually, yes or no. These closed questions can be seen on surveys regularly as they are directed at getting an answer of you and not how you feel. 

Probing questions - Probing means that you are going to find out further information that you already have to try and narrow the responses from your audience to a number that is small that you can work with.

Diary - A private daily record of experiences that the writer may have been engaged with. This information is usually stored in a book. An example of this may be keeping a record of events for a duration of a few days up to maybe a year or even longer.
 

Targets - A target is an objective which can also be seen as a goal which you may have set to accomplish or at least aim for.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1 What are the main attributes that employers seem to be seeking in a prospective employee?

Employers are looking for employees that have good planning skills that are able to plan out their time efficiently and effectively. Employers are also looking for organizational skills, this are vital as they want to hire somebody that is organized and ready for work ahead. Numeracy and literacy skills are useful to employers as this shows that you can read and write and this can valuable in an interview. Employers are also looking for employees who are friendly and can work well with others in a working environment.

  

 Q2 What are “soft” skills and why do employers value them so much from prospective employees?

Soft skills are skills are valued so much as not everyone is the best at working in teams or own on their own and this helps make them valued. If an employee is able to work in teams, plan effectively, watch their time, have good manners and work well with others and be a leader you will have a good chance of getting a job.

Q3 What are the main barriers to communication?

Background noise, distractions and lack of concentration. Background noise is a barrier to communication as it means that your voice cannot be heard as clearly as you would like and this can block this information that you are sending. Distractions are also a barrier to communication as they distract people’s attention and this can also be barrier to communication because you do not have their full attention. Finally if people have a lack of concentration then they are not going to understand the message that is being sent.

Q4 What do the principles of communication depend upon?

The principles of effective communication depend on the type of communication that you are using. Someone who is deaf will not understand verbal communication whilst someone who is blind will not understand non verbal communication.

Q5 Why must you be sensitive to cultural differences or age differences in your audience?

You must be careful of your audience as a childs tv program needs humour and silly characters to keep the interest of the children when at all times, otherwise they will not want to watch the program. With different cultures you want to make sure that you do not offend anyone.

Q6. Why is negative body language a barrier to communication?

Your body language can be interpreted in many different ways and can act as a barrier as many people will think that you are angry and may not want to open up and talk about any problems. If you are standing in an aggressive way and are not relaxed people will tend not to chill and chat away as they may feel intimidated or scared.

Discussing the Potential Barriers to Effective Communication.

Environmental Factors

Environmental factors are a barrier because the environment can have an affect on the way we receive messages. An example of this could be that there is background noise from a local building site. We can close any windows to help block any noises that can be heard as this may effect the style of communication.

If we were trying to talk to a friend or relative in a house, we may experience some environmental factors and may want to combat this by trying to block background noises by either moving to a different spot where the noise isn’t as bad, or even just closing the windows. We  may also want to try and keep the temperature of a room so that it is not too warm as this can be a barrier of communication and can be easily solved by opening the windows to let air in or else simply not turning on the heating.

Emotional Factors

Emotional factors can have an impact on communication because of the way we receive messages. An example of this may be that some people may get angry all of a sudden because of someone’s body language. These factors can effect the way a person may communicate as they may feel that nobody is listening and may just want to forget about what message they are trying to get across.

Emotional factors that can affect communication for example may be your body language, you may not even realized that if you are slouched in a chair you are showing people that you don’t care and don’t want to listen to a lecturer for example. If you where to get angry all of a sudden for no apparent reason this may also be a barrier to communication as you are making someone else feel very uncomfortable and scared to speak out. To overcome these factors you would need to calm down and relax and listen to what others have to say as well as smiling and nodding regulary to encourage them to speak.

Hearing Disabilities

Hearing disabilities can have an impact on communication because on the way we receive messages. An example of this may be that someone who is deaf cannot interpret a message that is being sent.

If you suffer from any hearing disabilities you can still communicate with many others by using sign language to communicate by using your hands to make signals. You can also communicate to other people by writing notes and phrases on a piece of paper to communicate with other people as they are able to interpret from the paper

Principles of Effective Communication

Principles of effective Communication

Effective communication is the method of what enables us to interact with other people in different environments. If we did not communicate effectively we would be unable to share knowledge and experiences with anyone else, except ourselves. Some of the main types of communication you may have heard of include writing, speaking, touch, broadcasting and gestures.

There are two main types of questions that can be asked whenever we are communicating, open and close. An open question allows you to input more thought behind your answer. On the other hand a closed question is more of a simple yes or no. An example of and open question could be, “Do you like football?” This question can give many types of answer such as yes I enjoy football or even yes, I play regularly in a team. These are different examples of open and closed questions.

The famous quote, “If we were supposed to talk more than listen, we would have been given two mouths and one ear.” Mark Twain. This shows that listening is an important skill and that we should all listen to what other people have to say for a moment and that if we didn’t speak as much we would maybe listen to what some others have to say.

There are two examples of communication, verbal and non verbal. Non verbal communication is written information, emails, body language and even sign language. Verbal communication is phoning someone or speaking to them face to face. To get a message across you have a better chance if you are using verbal communication as you are physically telling them where as if you sent an email they may not understand the message.

Your presentation is how you like to show yourself and if you make an effort and dress smart, you will more likely grab someone’s attention and make a good impression for yourself. An organization will probably have a dress code which will be along the lines of a suit or dressing smartly by wearing a suit or tie.

Skills and Attitudes

Attitudes

Determination – By being determined you will be more focused on a task and work your way from start to finish because you want to succeed, to the highest possible level. By being determined you are also more likely to be successful in life and this is a valuable skill.

Independence – Being able to work well on your own initiate and get things done on your own without relying on others. This also shows that you can work on your own without much help and sort out any problems you face on your own.

Problem solving – From being able to solve problems you are able to figure tasks on your own and or in teams. This is a useful skill that most employees are looking for nowadays as you will face many tasks in the workplace.

Confidence – By being confident you are happy with your working environment and the people that are working with and around you. By being confident you feel more relaxed and this will have an output on your performance and will make you work better.

Self motivation – Being self motivated shows that you are working for success on your own and don’t care what anybody else has to say. This shows that you want to work because many people that are self motivated seem to be more interested and ready for work.

Skills

Dependability – From being dependable you can always follow directions, consistently be accurate, work independently and get along with other workers and customers. This is a valuable skill which employers look for.

 Honesty – In a working environment, you need to be honest. Employers want employees who tell the truth at all times and not steal from tills for example. If you are honest to your employee you will be better thought than of an employee who is dishonest and valued more.

 Positive attitude –Having a positive attitude can make you a better employee if you smile more frequently, don’t slouch and maintain a good posture and even speak with a pleasant tone. Employees can read this all from your body langue.

Willing to Work – Employers want someone who isn’t constantly dragging themselves into work late and look scruffy. Instead they want someone who is willing to work for you and have the ability and desire to communicate to other workers and customers. 

Uses Down Time Productively – whenever you are not busy at work or in-between major projects you should have something to keep you occupied and shouldn’t be sitting around wasting time. This may even be just reading the latest headlines in the news or thinking of a better way of doing something in the company.