Lesson 01: Obtain and Convey

Workplace Information
Effective Communication

Communication is the process of exchanging information and ideas. There are many means of
communication. To be an effective and valuable member of your workplace it is important that
you become skilled in all of the different methods of communication that are appropriate. This
website looks at different types of communication and associated technology, but before that it is
important to understand the communication process.

The Communication Process for communication to occur it must pass from a sender to a
receiver. This must occur irrespective of the form of communication. For communication to be
effective it must be understood by the receiver and be able to be responded to. This means that
total communication involves speaking, reading, listening, and reasoning skills. As
communications pass from the source to the receiver there is plenty of opportunity for its original
meaning to change or alter.

Therefore listening, reasoning and feedback is an important part of the process as it is an

opportunity for the sender to make sure the receiver has understood the message. The other
consideration is the noise associated with the communication what else is happening, what
are the distractions, the baggage etc. Noise can have a big impact on the message the receiver
decodes.

Parts of Speech
The words that we use can be divided into these classes:

noun A noun is a type of word that represents a person, thing, or place, like mother,
apple, or valley.
verb A verb is a type of word that describes an action or a state of being, like wiggle,
walk, run, jump, be, do, have, or think.
pronoun A pronoun is a substitute for a noun. Some pronouns are: I, me, she, hers, he,
him, it, you, they, them, etc.
adjective An adjective is a word that describes something (a noun). Some adjectives
are: big, cold, blue, and silly. One special type of adjective is an article, a word that
introduces a noun and also limits or clarifies it; in English, the indefinite articles are a
and an, the definite article is the.
adverb An adverb is a word that tells how, when, where, or how much. Some
adverbs are: easily, warmly, quickly, mainly, freely, often, and unfortunately.
preposition A preposition shows how something is related to another word. It shows
the spatial (space), temporal (time), or logical relationship of an object to the rest of the
sentence. The words above, near, at, by, after, with and from are prepositions.
conjunction A conjunction is a word that joins other words, phrases, clauses or
sentences. Some conjunctions are: and, as, because, but, or, since, so, until, and while.
 interjection An interjection is a word that expresses emotion. An interjection often
starts a sentence but it can be contained within a sentence or can stand alone. Some
interjections are oh, wow, ugh, hurrah, eh, and ah.

Sentence Construction
A sentence is a collection of words that convey sense or meaning and is formed according to the
logic of grammar. Clear, short sentences are preferable, and more effective, than long, complex
ones.

The simplest sentence consists only of a noun, a naming word, and a verb or action word. For
example, in the sentence Mary walked, Mary is the naming noun and walked is the action verb.

Mary is the proper noun in the example sentence above but can be substituted in following
sentences by the pronoun she. A pronoun is a word that can be used instead of a noun when a
noun has already been mentioned. Other pronouns are he, we, they and it.

Most sentences have a subject noun and an object noun. For example, consider the sentence
Mary walked towards the hotel. Mary is the subject noun (a person or thing performing the
action of walking), and the hotel is the object noun (a person or thing towards which the action is
directed)

Adjectives describe nouns. Adjectives usually come before the noun.

They are sometimes known as describing words. When two adjectives are used to describe one
noun, they are set apart with the use of a comma.

For example: The lazy dog dozed. The hairy, lazy dog dozed.

Adverbs describe verbs. The adverb should always follow the verb.

For example: Mary walked slowly. or Peter ran away quickly.

Tense
Verbs, or action words, are expressed in tenses; past, present or future. The tense of a verb is its
setting in time.

For example: Mary walked (past tense) Mary walks (present tense) Mary will walk (future tense)

There are also other, more complex tenses not covered here. An important point is to be
consistent in your use of tense. Decide whether you are explaining an event in the past, present
or future and then be consistent in the use of that tense until there is a good reason for changing.
The incorrect use of tenses is one of the most common mistakes of grammar. For example,
consider the following sentence: Marianne describes the new techniques, how they varied in
approach and attitude.

The verb describes is in the present tense but varied is in the past tense. The correct tensing of
the sentence should be: Marianne describes the new techniques, how they vary in approach and
attitude.

Lesson 02: Complete Relevant Work

Related Documents
Types of Forms
In every workplace you will be required to complete forms. Each workplace will have forms
specific to their requirements. You must make sure that you know which forms to fill in, when
you need to use forms and where to find the necessary forms.

When filling in a form:

read the form carefully

fill in all the required details

only include necessary information

write clearly and simply

check that you have completed it properly

send or give it to the appropriate person, or file in the appropriate place

Work instructions are the most basic tool used in every business or organisation to help
workers follow a sequence of steps. Inadequate work instructions are likely to result in a variety
of problems in the workplace that could range from:

returned products

loss of materials

customer complaints

liability issues
 poor work performance

Work instructions can have a major impact on the effectiveness and productivity of a
workplace. If instructions are difficult to follow, workers will make errors in implementing the
steps.

A good work instruction is a detailed sequence of steps that workers need to follow each time
they perform a task. The purpose of a work instruction is to organize steps in a logical and
systematic way so that workers can easily follow it independently.

This means a consistent format for your work instructions is important. Workers can read the
information faster and absorb it more quickly if it follows a consistent font and format. It also
makes the development of further work instructions far simpler as you have a template to follow.

Technical Writing
Definition of Technical Writing

Technical writing is a type of writing where the author is writing about a particular subject that
requires direction, instruction, or explanation. This style of writing has a very different purpose
and different characteristics than other writing styles such as creative writing, academic writing
or business writing.

Uses for Technical Writing

Technical writing is straightforward, easy to understand explanations and/or instructions dealing
with a particular subject. It is an efficient and clear way of explaining something and how it
works.

The subject of technical writing can either be:

Tangible Something that can be seen or touched, such as a computer or software

program, or information on how to assemble a piece of furniture.
 Abstract Something that involved a series of steps that arent related to a tangible
object. One example of this might be steps required to complete an office process.

Some examples of technical writing include:

Instruction manuals
Policy manuals
Process manuals
User manuals
Reports of analysis
Instructions for assembling a product
A summarization of a long report that highlights and shortens the most important
elements

Tips for Good Technical Writing

Regardless of the type of document which is written, technical writing requires the writer to
follow the properties of knowing their audience, writing in a clear, non-personal style and doing
extensive research on the topic. By including these properties, the writer can create clear
instructions and explanations for the reader.

Know your audience. An expert in the field will understand certain abbreviations,
acronyms, and lingo that directly applies to such a field. The novice will not understand
in the same manner and, therefore, every detail must be explained and spelled out for
them.
Use an impersonal style. Write from a third person perspective, like a teacher instructing
a student. Any opinions should be omitted.
The writing should be straightforward, to the point, and as simple as possible to make
sure the reader understands the process or instruction. This at times may appear as simply
a list of steps to take to achieve the desired goal or may be a short or lengthy explanation
of a concept or abstract idea.
Know how to research. Gather information from a number of sources, understand the
information gathered so that it can be analyzed thoroughly, and then put the information
into an easy to understand format to instruct those who read it. The more inexperienced
your audience, the more information you will need to gather and explain.
Be thorough in description and provide enough detail to make your points; but, you also
have to consider that you need to use an economy of words so that you do not bore your
reader with gratuitous details.

A good technical writer can make a difficult task easy and can quickly explain a complex piece
of information.

Participate in Workplace Meeting

and Discussion
Participate at Work
Every workplace will have staff meetings/team meetings, formal and informal discussions.

When a business places a proper value on the time spent by people preparing for and attending
meetings, it is quickly seen that they are a very expensive exercise.

Have you ever been to one of those meetings where no objectives were met, no actions were
agreed upon and generally it was a complete waste of your time? Effective meeting procedures
are essential to ensure that the maximum output is gained from a meeting.

Some basic expectations are:

A clearly defined purpose to your meeting Ask questions such as; Why are we meeting?
What are we trying to achieve? Are we meeting for meetings sake? However, consider that at
times the purpose of bringing people together for a meeting may be to achieve other important
interpersonal objectives like team building, brain storming or group problem solving. Make sure
that you clearly communicate the meeting purpose well before hand, this gives attendees time to
gather ideas or research issues prior to attending the meeting.

Advise people of the meeting in time for them to be able to attend It is amazing how often
key people are left out of meetings or are not able to attend simply due to a lack of planning and
sufficient notice.

Set an agenda An agenda aims to keep discussions on track and to keep everyone focussed on
the issues. The agenda should be distributed to attendees before the meeting.

Start and finish on time Make sure the meeting starts and finishes on time so participants feel
that their time is valued and that they can plan for effective meeting participation to fit within
their work load.

Manage the participants It is important that every person feels their attendance and
contribution is valued. People must be given the opportunity to express their opinion as well as
recognising they must also listen to others without interruption. Clear conflict management
strategies must be in place.

Sentence Construction
1. The Subject-Verb Structure (S-V)
Subject Intransitive Verb (Adverbial)

The boys jumped over the wall.

He sleeps during lectures.

Birds of the same feather flock together.

2. The Subject-Verb-Object Structure (S-V-O)

Subject Transitive Verb Object (Adverbial)

She teaches English at the university.

His car hit a tree this morning.

They will meet the boss next Monday.

3. The Subject-Verb-Indirect Object-Direct Object Structure (S-V-IO-DO)

Subject Transitive Verb Indirect Object Direct Object (Adverbial)

The woman gave her daughter a gift on her birthday.

The bank manager reluctantly granted the poor farmer a loan this morning.

Mr. Mendoza taught us Greek in those days.

4. The Subject-Verb-Subject Complement Structure (S-V-SC)

Subject Linking Verb Subject(ive) Complement (adverbial)

Hannah was a teacher in Delhi.

The old man looks happy today.

Those young people will become experts soon.

5. The Subject-Verb-Oobject-Object Complement Structure (S-V-O-OC)

Subject Transitive Verb Object Object(ive) Complement (Adverbial)

The PM appointed Mr X a minister in 2004.

The Inspector found the man innocent.

The landlord called the new tenant a crook.