Lecture+5+ +interpersonal+and+transferable+skills+part+a

Interpersonal skills at work Interpersonal skills are skills used in interactions andrelationships between two or more people. They include such skills as:
Building rapport
drawing another person into a relationship
Building rapport
Building trust and respect
to maintain relationship and facilitate (make easy help) cooperation communication process communication methods

Interpersonal Skills At Work

relationships between two or more people.

They include such skills as:

Building rapport

Building rapport

drawing another person into a relationship

Building trust and respect

to maintain relationship and facilitate (make easy / help)

cooperation

Interpersonal Skills At Work – Cont’d…

They include such skills as:

Persuading or influencing another person

to do what you want them to do or to share your beliefs

Negotiating or bargaining

to reach mutually acceptable or compromise (cooperation / give and

take) solutions to problems

take) solutions to problems

Assertive communication

upholding your rights and get your needs met, without violating the

rights or ignoring the needs of others

Why are Interpersonal Skills Important?

You need interpersonal skills in order to:

Understand and manage the roles, relationships, attitudes

and perceptions operating in any situation

Communicate clearly with other people

Achieve your aims from any interpersonal encounter

ideally, allowing the other parties to emerge satisfied as well

Why are Interpersonal Skills Important? –

Cont’d…

In a business context, interpersonal skills are particularly

important for processes such as

To request (ask for)

To confirm (verify / prove)

To build the relationship

To achieve outcome (result / conclusion)

Communication Process

The Communication Cycle

Communication Process – Cont’d…

 a written message, for example allows the use of diagrams and figures

 a written message, for example allows the use of diagrams and figures

Need for interaction

 face-to-face and phone discussion is often used to resolve conflicts,

solve problems and close sales

Confidentiality

e.g a private interview or sealed letter or conversely the need of

disseminate or spread information widely and quickly (e.g via a

notice board, public meeting or website)

Cost

for the best possible result at the least possible expense

Communication Process – Cont’d…

 What factors in the intended recipient(s) of the message, or their situation,

will affect whether they receive, understand and/or respond to the message in the way you intend

Structure

 What content, emphasis, order and format will be most suitable to achieve

your purpose, given the audience factors?

Communication Methods

Main communication methods

(a) Written communication

 Letters, memos, e-mails, faxes and other documents

(b) Visual communication

(b) Visual communication

 including various charts and graphs

(c) Oral communication

 including the telephone

(d) Face to face communication

 Including body language

(a) Written Communication

Offer and accept goods and services

Convey and acknowledge satisfaction and dissatisfaction

(a) Written Communication – Cont’d…

Standard Letter Format

Standard elements of a modern business letter:

Greeting and complimentary closes

 By convention, the following greetings and complimentary closes should be used together.

(a) Written Communication – Cont’d…

Alternative Layouts

Two main styles currently in use:

Fully Blocked Style

 is the easiest to type and

therefore increases the

typist’s productivity.

typist’s productivity.

Everything starts at the

left-hand margin This

style is becoming

increasingly common

(a) Written Communication – Cont’d…

Alternative Layouts

Two main styles currently in use:

Semi Fully Blocked Style

 is much like the fully

blocked, but selected

elements are moved over

elements are moved over

for balance The date is

against the right hand

margin: the complimentary

close starts from the centre:

the subject header may be

centralized.

S

(a) Written Communication – Cont’d…

Legend:

Return Address: If your stationery has a letterhead, skip this Otherwise, type your

name, address and optionally, phone number, five spaces to the right of center or flush with the right margin Five spaces to the right of center is common These days, it's also common to include an email address

Date: Type the date five spaces to the right of center or flush with the right margin, two

to six lines below the letterhead Five spaces to the right of center and three lines below the letterhead are common If there is no letterhead, type it where shown

Reference Line: If the recipient specifically requests information, such as a job

reference or invoice number, type it on one or two lines, immediately below and aligned

with the Date (2) If you're replying to a letter, refer to it here For example,

(a) Written Communication – Cont’d…

On-Arrival Notations: Type in all uppercase characters, if appropriate You might want to include a

notation on private correspondence, such as a resignation letter Include the same on the envelope

Examples are

PERSONAL

CONFIDENTIAL

Inside Address: Type the name and address of the person and/or company to whom you're sending the

letter, three to eight lines below the last component you typed Four lines are standard If you type an

Attention Line (7), skip the person's name here Do the same on the envelope

Attention Line: Type the name of the person to whom you're sending the letter If you type the person's

name in the Inside Address (6), skip this Do the same on the envelope

Salutation: Type the recipient's name here Type Mr or Ms [Last Name] to show respect, but don't guess

spelling or gender Some common salutations are

Ladies:

Gentlemen:

Dear Sir:

Dear Sir or Madam:

Dear [Full Name]:

To Whom it May Concern:

Subject Line: Type the gist of your letter in all uppercase characters Be concise on one line If you type a

Reference Line (3), consider if you really need this line While it's not really necessary for most

employment-related letters, examples are below

SUBJECT: RESIGNATION

LETTER OF REFERENCE

JOB INQUIRY

(a) Written Communication – Cont’d…

Body: Indent the first sentence in paragraphs five spaces Type two

spaces between sentences Keep it brief and to the point

Complimentary Close: Type this aligned with the Date (2) What you

type here depends on the tone and degree of formality For example,

Respectfully yours (very formal)

Sincerely (typical, less formal)

Very truly yours (polite, neutral)

Very truly yours (polite, neutral)

Cordially yours (friendly, informal)

Signature Block: Align this block with the Complimentary Close

(11) Leave four blank lines to sign your name Sign it exactly the same as

you typed it below your signature Title is optional depending on

relevancy and degree of formality Examples are

John Doe, Manager

P Smith

Director, Technical Support

R T Jones - Sr Field Engineer

(a) Written Communication – Cont’d…

characters If you typed your own letter, just skip it since your name is already in

the Signature Block (12) Common styles are below

This line tells the reader to look in the envelope for more Type the singular for

only one enclosure, plural for more If you don't enclose anything, skip it Common styles are below

Enclosure

Enclosures: 3

Enclosures (3)

cc: Stands for courtesy copies (formerly carbon copies) List the names of

people to whom you distribute copies, in alphabetical order If addresses would be useful to the recipient of the letter, include them If you don't copy your letter to

anyone, skip it

(a) Written Communication – Cont’d…

- of relevant correspondence received

Important background details

- e.g I have been asked by my colleague, George Brown, to contact

you in regard to your enquiry about auditing services

(a) Written Communication – Cont’d…

Letter Content

Development of the message

- the middle paragraph (s) should contain the substance of your

response to a previous message, details of the matter in hand, or the information you wish to communicate.

- If you are making several points, start a new paragraph with each, so

- If you are making several points, start a new paragraph with each, so the reader can digest each part of your message in turn.

Closing paragraph

- letter must have the desired result of creating understanding or

initiating action Summarize your point briefly – or make clear

exactly what response is required.

- e.g 1: I look forward to meeting you to discuss the matter in more detail

- e.g 2: If you require any further information, please call me

- e.g 3: I will be contacting you in the next few days to arrange a meeting