COMMUNICATING IN THE

WORKPLACE

ITICOR0041A
 ELEMENT 1

ESTABLISH CONTACT
WITH CLIENTS
 LEARNING OUTCOMES

1. Receive requests and inquiries from clients in a

polite and courteous manner.

2. Create an effective service environment through

verbal and non-verbal communication.

3. Use questioning and active listening techniques

to determine client support needs.
 INTRODUCTION TO COMMUNICATION

• Communication - is the two-way process

of sending and receiving messages
(instructions, information, ideas, thoughts,
feelings, etc.) between two or more
persons to create a common
understanding.

COMMUNICATION DOES NOT ALL REQUIRE THE

USE OF WORDS.
 Key Terms in defining
communication
Communication is:
• A Process – this means it is an ongoing
activity, a series of actions that has neither
beginning nor end.
• An exchange /interaction between two or
more persons.
• Goal-oriented – the goal is to create a
common understanding.
Communication uses a number of different
channels including:

• Face-to-face
• E-mail
• Telephone
• Radio
• Television

Within these channels communication can

be verbal and non-verbal.
 What is meant by communicating
effectively?

An effective communicator:

• Better understands his/her work environment

• Works harmoniously with others
• Works effectively and efficiently
• Avoids accidents
• Avoids making mistakes
• Improves his/her productivity
People communicate for various
reasons:

• To make contact with others.

• To exchange information.
• To influence others.
• To resolve problems.
In a work environment who do we
communicate with?

• Internal and External Customers.

• External Customers are persons outside of
your organization who are the end-users of your
product.

• Internal customers on the other hand, are the

people in your organization who need to use
your services in the process of meeting the
needs of the external customer.
You may not always realize how many people you come into
contact with in the workplace.
The table below lists some of the persons with whom you may
interact as you carry out your routine job functions.

Internal clients External clients

Fellow workers Customers

Supervisors Suppliers
Managers Designers
Trainees Service Providers
Janitorial staff Contractors
Part-time staff Consultants
Casual staff Sales representatives
 The Communication Process
• The communication process takes place in various situations for different
reasons and has the potential for many different interpretations. It has
several components. These are:

• A sender or communicator (the person giving the message)

• A receiver or audience (the person/s who is getting the message)

• Message (the information being sent, content. This can be written or

spoken)

• Channel/Medium the way the message is sent e.g. fax, telephone, or

conversations, e-mail, letters, etc.

• Feedback tells how well the message was received and consists of (verbal
and non-verbal cues from the receiver to show he/she has understood the
message)

• Noise/Interference - the barriers or things that can stop the message being
understood.
Diagrammatically, the communication process can
be represented as shown below:
 Key Factors/Stages in Successful
Communication

• Conceiving the Message – what is the best means of getting

your message across? For whom is the message intended?
Ensure that your message suits the recipient(s) particular
needs.

• Encoding the message – decide in advance the medium (or

media mix) that will give you the best results. Will it be the
telephone, letter, or e-mail, memo, in person? Choose wisely.

• Selecting the communication channel – make an intelligent

decision regarding the channel selection before sending your
message. Consider such elements as speed, confidentiality,
simultaneous delivery of message, cost, accuracy, feedback
needs, complexity of message, etc.
 Key Factors/Stages in Successful
Communication (cont’d)
• Decoding the message – all incoming messages must be given
priority treatment, routed promptly and time must be devoted to
understanding their meaning. You must ensure that you do not act
as a block to the message as a result of hostile feelings towards its
sender, or from malicious rivalry, etc.

• Interpreting the message – Spend sufficient time on the

incoming message to ensure that you interpret it correctly.

• Feedback – Communication is incomplete without the element of

feedback; unless the sender is given prompt and unambiguous
feedback the communication is likely to be frustrated. No matter
how busy you may be, when you are the receiver of a message,
you must ensure that you give immediate feedback. In person- to
-person oral communication, this is not generally a problem; with
written messages, you must exercise self-discipline and courtesy
to ensure that you respond immediately to complaints, requests,
orders, etc.
 Breakdown in the Communication
Process
You will find that from time to time that your message was
not received as you intended.

When this happens the fault may lie in any one of several
areas:

• A breakdown at any one of the stages noted above

• Routing disrupted by interference of some sort.
• Context and background of communication may have
been misread.
• Conflict may have arisen as a result of a breakdown at
any one of the stages noted above.
 Communication Skills

• Mastery of the following skills is the hallmark of an

effective communicator; ensure that you spend the time
required to develop these competencies.

• Speaking
• Listening
• Questioning
• Using and observing body language (non-verbal
communication)
• Writing
• Reading
 You will need all the skills listed previously
to carry out the following communication
tasks at work:

• Communicating with external and internal clients

(including team members, supervisors and
management).

• Handling enquiries related to routine client support

needs.

• Clarifying and recording information (does not involve

technical problem solving).

TIP! Good customer service relies on the good communication

skills of employees.
ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS

 What is communication?
 Give the difference between an external and
internal customers.
 List the ways in which people communicate?
 What are the communication tasks you are
likely to perform in your day to day activities?
 Give three reasons for miscommunication?
RECEIVE REQUESTS AND INQUIRIES
FROM CLIENTS IN A POLITE AND
COURTEOUS MANNER

The nature of the industry in which you work is

one that has continuous client interface.

You will always be interacting with your

colleagues and perhaps external clients.

In other words, you are in an environment that is

highly customer driven. This means you
must be customer
focused.
 When a customer
approaches you with a
request or an enquiry,
he/she comes with
certain expectations
and needs.
Client Expectations

1. Product & Service:

• Right product
• Right price
• At the right time
• With a positive and helpful manner from
staff
Client Expectations (cont’d)

2. Treatment

• Treat them as individuals

• Treat them with respect and courtesy
• Treat them intelligently
• Listen to them
• Understand them
• Care about them
Client needs
To be understood (communication skills
are required)
• To feel welcome (be warm and friendly)
• To feel important. To be treated as
someone special. (always refer to them by
name)
• To feel comfortable. (Smile, be warm and
friendly, reassuring, if necessary)
• The way in which you greet your
client sets the tone for the exchange
and determines the way you will
communicate with him/her in the
future.

• First impressions tend to be lasting

and you never get a second chance
to make a first impression!
Therefore you want to ensure that you:

• Greet him/her with a smile

• Make eye-contact

• Be friendly
 The effective communicator is always
courteous and polite. S/he avoids:
• Interrupting
• Contradicting
• Irritating, unpleasant or discourteous speech
mannerisms, gestures or posture
• Fiddling with a pencil, doodling or indulging in other
distractions
• ‘Showing off’ to impress others
• Making someone look or feel ‘small’
• Being over assertive
• Losing his/her temper
• Being condescending
• Showing boredom or impatience
Instead s/he

• Listens because s/he understands that not listening to

someone is discourteous Pays keen attention,
considering the implications of what is being requested
or said. Looks at the client and provides him/her with
feedback to show understanding.

• Speech is appropriate to the circumstances. He/she

chooses his/her words and expressions carefully,
because s/he considers that people have different
personalities and backgrounds; that it is easy to offend
and difficult to overcome its effect.

• Body language matches spoken word

TIP! The polite and courteous handling of your clients promotes a positive image
of the organization and its employees.
 Organizational policies and
standards
One of the first things you should do when you join an
organization is to become very familiar with your
responsibilities and job functions.

Make sure that you understand clearly the company’s

policies and procedures that relate to things such as:

• Answering client support enquiries

• Answering the telephone
• Writing messages
• Handling on-line enquiries
• The company’s code of conduct
• Service standards
Get into groups and act out the following
scenario:

You are working at the Help Desk at Cyberspace

Solutions during a time when new computers are
being introduced.
One of the supervisors has difficulty using his computer.
• On Friday morning the help desk phone rings. • You
recognize your supervisor’s voice. He doesn’t greet
you nor identify himself; all you hear is: ‘my printer isn’t
working. It didn’t work yesterday, or the day before, or
the day before that. I have a conference to prepare for
and I want fixed now!!

handle this situation in a polite and courteous manner.

CREATE AN EFFECTIVE
SERVICE
ENVIRONMENT
THROUGH VERBAL
AND NON-VERBAL
COMMUNICATION
The key to creating an effective
service environment is to use
communication skills to maintain
a customer friendly atmosphere.
This will not be possible if you
confuse ‘service’ with
‘servitude’.
 Service - Assistance
or benefit given to
another.

Servitude - Slavery;
subjection; bondage.

 As you can see from the definitions above, there

is no meeting ground between the two terms.
 Hence every aspect of your communication must
send the message, “I am here to help you” and
“It is my pleasure to assist you.”
 Effective communication generally involves both
verbal and non-verbal messages.
VERBAL COMMUNICATION

Verbal communication
is the use of words in
a written or spoken
form.
 Written Forms
Written communication is one of the most reliable channels
of communication and is a very important part of a
business communication process.
Written communication in an office may include:

• Handwritten and printed materials (brochures, flyers,

posters)
• Electronic mail (e-mail)
• Internal memos
• Facsimiles (An exact copy or fake of an original. )
• General correspondence
• Telephone messages
• Documented information
 Effective Written Communication

There are 5 ‘C’s of effective communication:

• Clear: Write clearly so that the person reading it will not

be confused and the meaning is unambiguous. Use short
paragraphs, short sentences and simple language.
• Concise: Use as few words as possible to convey your
thoughts. Avoid repetition and omit unnecessary
information.
• Correct: Make sure you follow the rules and styles for
business writing and that the structure and format for
meeting the organization’s standards.
• Courteous: This is polite and respectful writing. Write a
letter to a customer in a business like yet friendly and
courteous manner.
• Complete: Make sure that all the relevant information is
included in the correspondence and that no details are
left out.
 Additional Guidelines
•
Respond to all correspondence in a timely manner.

• Be sure to observe the rules of grammar,

punctuation, and spelling

 TIP! Check the style and format of all written

correspondence. Both the hard copy and the soft
copy should be proofread and corrections made to
spelling, grammar, style and format before the
document is dispatched.
 ACTIVITY:
 Your supervisor has asked you to handle an
electronic request for 2 printers to be installed in
one of your regional offices immediately.

 However, you will not be able to fulfill that

request for another ten days when a new
shipment arrives.

 Respond to the writer of the request by e-mail.

 Oral Communication
This is the simplest form of communication.

However, it is not successful or effective unless the sender and the

receiver of the message understand the information in the same
way.
Good oral communication skills are critical because many workplace
activities require you to speak.

These include:

• Client/colleague reception
• Telephone conversations
• Taking part in meetings
• Handling inquiries
• Handling client support needs
• Clarifying information
• Making presentations
 Oral communication has two basic components-
‘what’ and ‘how’.

 ‘What’ relates to content, the skill in organizing

thoughts and ideas in a structured and
sequenced order that listeners can easily follow
and absorb.

 ‘How’ relates to the tone of the message, the

way you use your voice – intonation, expression
and emphasis –to promote its successful
delivery. Thus, successful oral communication is
a happy blend of organization and delivery skills.
 Thefirst rule of speaking is to think about
what you are going to say before you say
it.

Consider the following:

• What you want to say

 • How you want to say it
 • Whether the message is getting through

Ask yourself, is the message acceptable?

 Think first!!
 Prepare what you want to say.

 If
you don’t, you may have to start again
and the client will lose confidence in you.

 Avoidusing slang – it is unprofessional

and will annoy some clients
 How must you say it?
DO DON’T
Speak clearly. (Some clients may have Let your sentences trail off. (It gives the
difficulty in hearing you. Your mouth should impression that you are uncertain).
be free of chewing gum and other food).

Keep the volume moderate Use a sharp tone. (You could sound
aggressive).

Put expression in your voice and Do not sound monotonous or sing-

watch your rate of speech. song nor speak too fast. (Customer
may not be able to follow you).

Speak too slowly. You could sound

patronizing
 ACTIVITY:

 READPAGE 17 OF YOUR LEARNER

GUIDE
Non-verbal Communication
 Everything you do carries a non-verbal
message.

 For example, a well-typed letter on good quality

paper with an attractive letterhead will carry a
non-verbal message that this organization is
efficient and takes pride in its work.

 On the other hand, a few words hastily scribbled

on cheap and tattered paper with dirty
fingerprints on it will carry quite a different
message.
 The importance of non-verbal communication is
increasingly being recognized. Estimates vary,
but it is generally understood that only:

 7 per cent of any message is conveyed by

words.

 38 per cent of any message is conveyed by

vocal non-verbal communication (e.g. tone,
volume, speed).

 55 per cent of messages are interpreted by face

and body non-verbal communication.
Non-verbal communication may be
classified as:

 Body language – communicating with parts of your body.

 Voice - the quality, volume, pitch, tone, etc. of the voice hint at your
emotions and will indicate things about you that are not expressed in
the words.

 Space – how near or far you stand away from others (distance)
conveys a message. This varies from “intimate distances” with close
friends or family to “social distances” with strangers.

 Physical characteristics and appearance - a person’s build, hairstyle,

clothes and general appearance send very strong messages.

 Posture – indicates your feelings or attitudes at the time. Posture can

be open or closed (defensive).

 Symbols, signs, visual displays and signals

Non-verbal communication has
several functions. It may:
 Support or reinforce verbal messages – this clarifies the sender’s
intention.

 Contradict/invalidate verbal messages – when the non-verbal cues

send a different message from the words then the receiver tends not
to trust what is being said.

 Replace, or substitute for, verbal messages – using non-verbal

messages may be more appropriate in some settings/environment
as it may be impossible to send a verbal one.

 Regulate verbal messages – non-verbal cues can temper or change

the content of verbal messages. For example, a confused look on
the face of the receiver may cause the sender to rephrase or repeat
the message.

 Change the flow of the verbal messages – a speaker, in responding

to a non-verbal cue, may decide to talk faster or slower.
Generally, communication is most effective
when the non-verbal cues support/reinforce
the spoken word.

 Despite their power to communicate,

however, non-verbal cues can be
misinterpreted, particularly since they are
culturally biased.

 The following slide provides a list of the

non-verbal communication common in the
work environment and their usual
associated meanings in western societies.
 NON-VERBAL CUE ASSOCIATED MEANING

Gestures
Finger wagging Disagreement
Open palms with fingers pointing Emphasis; Very important
up, palms out and hands moving information.
forward.
Baton-like pointing movements of Punctuate words; Control.
the arms and hands.
Hand or finger covering the mouth. Embarrassment; Reluctance to
speak.