Every employer is looking for people who have specific skills to perform that particular job. But it is not just what the employers are looking for. Other skills are universally sought by employers. People who have weaknesses can improve these within training, coaching/mentoring and professional development.
There are three groups of attributes and these are: Specific Attributes, General Attributes and Attitudes.





Specific Attributes are the job seekers specific qualifications for a specific job, work experience and the need to drive themselves forward.
General Attributes are things that are needed for every job not just a specific job. E.g. Planning Skills, Organizational Skills.
Attitudes are a person's temperament, what makes them who they are. E.g. Determination, Tolerance, Problem Solving.

Here is a spider diagram of the attributes explained above:

In this Blog I am going to describe five skills and  five attitudes.

5 Skills:

·     Organised-  A system can help you complete everyday tasks E.g. Within your desk area you have everything organised so that everything is in arms reach and keep everything tidy so that you don’t spend  time looking for it. You may also keep a diary as to know what you have to do each day.

Organisational skills break down into three areas:

• Assigning priorities
• Planning skills
• Time management, timetabling and working to deadlines

·        Time management- To manage your time correctly you must take control of your time using a diary or a PDA. Most people reply on a diary to keep them on top of what they are meant to do that day. People who use these techniques routinely are the highest achievers in all walks of life, from business to sport to public service. If you use these skills well, then you will be able to function effectively, even under intense pressure. In ICT you need good management skills to help to keep on top of jobs that come in to do.

·        Team working- Most people work in teams, But every team has a team leader and others in the team have specific roles to play. Being a member of a team brings responsibilities, you need to report to others in the team and keep them all updated. Team spirit is a motivating force that can help everyone in the team to perform better. For effective team management it is important that the team leader is more of a friend than a bose. To ensure that each and every team member is willing to participate in team activities. The team leader means that the they have to motivate the other people that are within that team.

·         Communication Skills- You need good communication skills in a team so that the flow of information can happen. Effective communication relies on verbal and written communication between the team. Within a good team everyone has to have good communication skills to be able to do everyday life and work. Communication skills cannot be taught but it means that people can point you in the right way to make your communication skills better. Within ICT it is important to have good communication skills and be able to communicate with other people in the group and with other members of staff and members of the public.

·         Numeracy Skills- Most jobs need a high degree of mathematical skills, If you need to do calculations you must be able to do them accurately. In ICT it is very important that people contain a GCSE qualification in maths. ICT requires employees to do calculations on Microsoft Excel and other software. Within ICT all staff most have a good knowledge of Numeracy and that they can be able to do there job effectively with the skills that they have achieved in there qualifications.

Click here to see introduction!

5 Attitudes-

·   Loyalty- A sense of loyalty to yourself and others. Means that people within the ICT section has a loyalty to each of the managers and staff above and below them. Loyalty means that people above you and other people within the staff can trust you with information and other important documents.It means that they can trust you to do your work correctly and without them having to keep an eye on you while you do your work.

·         Commitment- To begin a course of action and work and see it through till it is finished. In ICT not to give up when the work starts to get complicated but to ask for help and keep going on till you have the hang of the new software.
Commitment is good within an ICT business as it means that people are willing to work with people within the business and they are commited to the business and the work that is going on and to get it done on time.

·         Enthusiasm- To have a strong interest in or eagerness to do something. In ICT when a new software has been intoduced into the team you need to all be interested into using the new sotware and working as a team using it too.
This means that people within the business can work together and that tehy can hep each other communicate better and show an interest in everything that is going on. If your a team leader this means that you can show people how interested you are and to give them encouragment.

·         Common Sense- The ability to make a sensible decision not only based on knowledge but also good judgment. Common sense means that within an ICT business it means that people are using there knowledge, training to be able to use there own sense of mind to make decisions. It means that a team leader can show there common sense by making decisions that are good for everyone in the team and that they can make decisions on the spot.

·         Sense of humour- Everyone has a sense of humour, it is to be able to join with others or express what is funny.Within an ICT business means that people can have a laugh while doing there work and be able to get on together as a team and be able to communicate effectively.

Click here to see introduction!

Principles of Effective Communication

Principles of Effective Communication

Communication is a two-way process of giving and receiving information through any number of channels.  The information can come across to someone by using the most appropriate skills and these can be:

• Verbal
• Non-Verbal
• Interpersonal Skills

By using effective communication you can analyze your audience, The person can decide the medium to send appropriate communication to send the message back to the person.

It all depends on the type of communication that you use.

Verbal

In verbal communication is it more precise than non verbal communication.

Verbal communication refers to the use of sounds and language to relay a message. It serves as a vehicle for expressing desires, ideas and concepts and is vital to the processes of learning and teaching. In combination with nonverbal forms of communication, verbal communication acts as the primary tool for expression between two or more people.

It's up to us

When we speak, only approximately 10% of the words we use get through to others Spoken words are unlike written words where a person can go over a passage several times to ensure understanding It is our responsibility to make sure our message gets across to our audience. Therefore, if we want our message to be understood, we must be careful of the words we use.
When we communicate, we need to put ourselves in our listeners' shoes. Put yourself on the other side of the table. How would the message sound if you were not fully versed in the topic? Would you understand the message or would its meaning be lost on you?

 Choose words carefully

Very often when individuals are extremely well versed in a particular field, they might have a tendency to use industry jargon in conversations or presentations. While this might be comfortable for the expert, it often causes confusion on the part of the listener. If, for example, you are discussing computers, you might be talking about bits, bytes, CPU's and controllers. However, unless you are speaking to someone who is equally well informed about computers, that person will have no idea what you are saying.

Non-Verbal 
Non verbal communication is behavior, other than spoken or written communication, that creates or represents meaning. In other words, it includes facial expressions, body movements, and gestures.  Nonverbal communication is talking without speaking a word. It is very effective, maybe even more so than speech. Remember the saying, “Actions speak louder than words.”

Nonverbal communication, or body language, is a vital form of communication. When we interact with others, we continuously give and receive countless wordless signals. All of our nonverbal behaviors—the gestures we make, the way we sit, how fast or how loud we talk, how close we stand, how much eye contact we make—send strong messages.

Interpersonal Skills

For communication to happen, two or more people must be involved. One person expresses a message through words, signs, signals, facial and bodily expressions or even silence. The other person uses his/her senses to gather aspects of the message.

Barriers to Effective Communication

When two people are having a conversation and to be able to communicate effectively. There are several things that need to be reduced in order to be able to communicate properly.

There are several things that can affect communication and these are the following barriers.

The background noise can distract someone while they are trying to have a conversation. The slightest things can distract and this can be someone talking behind someone or a car that is driving past while two people are trying to have a conversation.

Both people need to maintain a good concentration levels from distractions. Everyone can only take in so much information at once and it is important that the length of the conversation is short and straight to the point. This is the same for the written communications as people can only take in so much that is written on a page.

E.g. someone could read the information on one page of A4 than a 2 page letter which they will lose concentration easier.

Distractions can also interrupt how a person can communicate. Easy things such as a phone going off can cause someone to lose concentration and the conversation to stop. As part of this the person who is trying to convey the message across to the person who is distracted by the mobile phone may have to repeat what they said as the person is distracted and may stop listening to what you were saying at that time.

Body language can be barrier to effective communication can this can indicate a negative attitude to the person that is trying to speak to you. Someone who has a negative attitude will have there arms folded and not talking much means that the person who is trying to speak to you may not want to talk to you as they get a negative vibe off you.

Mechanisms barriers of communication

Effective communication is incredibly important in today’s business environment because companies often operate in many countries and workforces are becoming more and more multicultural.  Employees who can effectively communicate in a global environment often find themselves being able to take on more and more difficult and complex work assignments, travelling and working in other cultures, and receiving promotions. 

What can you do to improve your communication skills in this global context?  Keep reading for recommendations on how to reduce barriers to effective communication in a global environment.  

Seek to understand the why of culture:  Not understanding why people do the things they do can be highly detrimental to companies and employees seeking to conduct business in other countries.  I have seen this happen and have realized the importance of taking the time to learn about other cultures in-depth in order to facilitate effective communication.  Action:  Spend time researching the culture, learn about the people and seek to understand the why behind why people do the things they do.  The more you learn about the other culture, the more proactively you can prevent potential miscommunication.

Seek to understand onstage and backstage behaviour:  People act a certain way in business when they know they are “onstage.”  These are the behaviours most commonly seen by others, especially those who are not familiar with the other culture.  However, there are also “backstage” behaviours which are usually unconscious.  Action:  Seek to understand the onstage versus backstage behaviours.  Doing so will help you further understand the “‘why” of culture.

Use a defined strategy to try and understand the culture:  I have found it to be helpful if I write down key questions I want to understand about each culture.  Then I follow the process of answering these key questions for each new culture.  Action:  Determine a strategy you will use to systematically learn about the new culture.  A great resource to use is the book, “When Cultures Collide:  Managing Successfully Across Cultures”, by Richard D. Lewis.

Seek to better understand yourself:  When we learn about something new, it’s a human tendency to compare the new against what we already know.  The better we know and understand ourselves, the easier it becomes to learn about new cultures.  Action:  Seek to understand yourself so that you can better understand others.

Be aware of and try to avoid certain behaviours:  As you research and learn about new cultures, be aware of and refrain from prejudice, bias, and discrimination.  These are behaviours that can negatively cloud your learning experience.  Try to keep an open mind because no one culture is better than another – cultures are merely different and unique.  Action:  Try your best to keep an open mind and non-judgmental attitude as you learn about other cultures.

Glossary of Technical Terms

Goal

The end result towards which your effort will be going to, provide general purpose and direction.

Independence

Someone who has independence is able to act without depending on others. E.g. for financial support, approval or assistance in completing a task.

Integrity

Another word for integrity is honesty and it is essential in most jobs as it means other colleagues and higher members of staff can trust you with important tasks as they trust you with what you are doing.

Interpersonal Skills

For communication to happen, two or more people must be involved. One person expresses a message through words, signs, signals, facial and bodily expressions or even silence. The other person uses his/her senses to gather aspect of the message.

Numeracy skills

All jobs require some sort of numeric skills although very few jobs only require a high degree of maths.

Organisational

This means the people need to be able to work anytime anywhere.

Perception

Is the way in which different ways that each person sees things through their own eyes.

Planning

This helps each person to keep an eye on their tasks at hand and it helps them sort out their schedules and to meet deadlines at the end of the day. Keeps people on track during the day to do the things that they need too.

Prioritising

Identify which tasks are most important and putting these at the top of your ‘to do’ list.

Soft Skills

Skills that manipulate how people interact with each other, e.g. analytical thinking, creativity, diplomacy, effective communication, flexibility, leadership, listening skills, problem solving, team building and a willingness for change.

Specific Skills

Specific Skills is a specific skill to work in a certain field.

Team working

This when each person individually work together as a group to complete a task that has been set. Team working means that each person contributes to the group with their own ideas and suggestions and the task is spilt equally between the whole group and everyone puts in the same effort.

Frequently asked questions

1.    Give three examples of soft skills.

Flexibility, Leadership and Teambuilding

2.    Describe a strategy for problem solving.

Plan a step by step guide on how to accomplish the task at hand

3.    How can you maintain the attention of your audience during a presentation?

In order to maintain the attention of your audience during a presentation you could maintain eye contact with the audience, to change the tone of your voice and also to use visual effects that engage the audience and make it more interesting for the audience. You could also encourage the audience to take part in your presentation to make it enjoyable for the audience. Not to fill to much in the presentation and have as little as possible on the slides as not to discourage the audience and stop them from engaging and learning.

4.    What are the differences between open questions, closed questions and probing questions?

An open question is an invitation to the other person in the conversation to take control of the conversation by talking back to the person that asks the question. An open question can be the following:

“How are you today?”

A closed question is the way a person expresses that a reply to a question is limited and is only limited to one or two words and these words can be the following:

“yes” or “no”

A probing question is used to extract the information that the person asking the question can get information that they wanted to achieve. It may be effective in this to repeat the question but the down side of repeating a question can be seen to the person that is answering the question as aggressive or impolite.

5.    Explain the purpose of proofreading. How else can you ensure the     accuracy of written text?

Before you send a written report for example it is essential that you review the work and check your work for accuracy. When you first create a report it is called a draft. Each time someone redrafts there report they should proofread it to check the document for errors. Arrange with someone to look over your work as with your own eye it is very tricky to find errors in your own work. Also read your work more slowly than you normally would and read it out loud and focusing on one word at a time. Also

read your report backwards line by line to see your errors yourself.