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.