Page 24 - Apprenticeship book.cdr

B) Skills and competencies

Top communication skills
• Emotional intelligence is the ability to understand and manage your
emotions to communicate effectively, avoid stress, overcome challenges and
empathize with others. It's a skill which is learned over time rather than obtained.
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There are four main strands to emotional intelligence: self-awareness, self-
management, social awareness and relationship management. Each of these
strands is important in its own way and allows you to communicate confidently
with a variety of people.
• Cohesion and Clarity
Good communication is much more than saying the right thing; it is about
communicating messages clearly and concisely.
Before you start a conversation, type an email or begin a discussion, have in mind
what the purpose of the communication is and what information you hope to
obtain as a result. Lack of clarity and cohesion can result in poor decisions and
confusion.
• Friendliness
In any type of communication, make sure that you set the right tone. A friendly
tone will encourage others to communicate with you. Always try to personalize
messages, particularly when working with partners or fellow colleagues.
• Confidence
In all interactions, confidence (but not over-confidence) is crucial. Demonstrating
confidence will give customers faith in your abilities to deliver what they need, and
that you will follow through with what you have promised.
• Empathy
Within a busy work environment, everyone will have their own ideas about how
things should be done. Even if you have disagreements with your colleagues or
partners, their point of view should be considered and respected. Empathy is also
beneficial when speaking with customers in certain types of customer-facing role.
• Respect
Empathy leads into the next communication skill, respect. If you respect the ideas
and opinions of others, they will be more likely to communicate with you. Active
listening or simply using the name of the person you are speaking to can both be
effective. Make sure that when you type emails, you don't sound insincere or write
in a way that is insincere.
• Listening
Good communication is all about listening effectively. Take the time to listen to
what the other person is saying and practice active listening.
Pay attention to what the other person is saying, ask questions and clarify points,
PART 1 and rephrase what they have said so that you know you have understood
correctly.
• Open Mindedness
B) Skills and competencies Try to enter communications without having an agenda.
Strong communications require an open mind and a commitment to understanding
other people's points of view. If you disagree with the people you are speaking to,
try to reach a middle ground that benefits all parties.
• Tone of Voice
The tone of your voice can set the whole mood of the conversation. If you start
the discussion in an aggressive or unhelpful manner, the recipient will be more
inclined to respond in a similar way.
The tone of your voice will include the level of emotion that you use, the volume
you use and the level of communication you choose. page
• Asking good questions 23