Irving ISD Practicum Course

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COMMUNICATION
Practicum in Irving ISD

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SITE Term
Effective listening
Good organizational skills
Good communications skills
Being friendly
Communication

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COMMUNICATION: Skills Assessment
www.gvtc.org/workethicsonline
What type of communicator are you?
Next to each skill listed, rate yourself from 1 to 3 (1 = rarely, 2 =
sometimes, 3 = always).
_____When I’m speaking to someone face-to-face, I maintain eye contact.
_____When I’m listening to someone else speak, I maintain eye contact.
_____When I’m having face-to-face conversation, my body language is
friendly and relaxed.
_____I’m careful not to interrupt when others are speaking.
_____I take accurate phone messages when others are not home to
receive their calls.
_____When I answer the phone, I say hello and let the caller know to
whom they’re talking.
_____I know how to read others’ body language.
_____In class, I raise my hand before I answer a question.

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COMMUNICATION: Skills Assessment Part 2
www.gvtc.org/workethicsonline
_____In school, I’m careful to keep my voice down when other students
are studying nearby.
_____I’m respectful when I speak to my instructors and the school staff.
_____When a lot of people are talking at once, I don’t raise my voice but
wait quietly until it’s my
turn to speak.
_____When I’m introduced to someone new, I smile and give him or her a
firm handshake.
_____I stand straight and tall when I enter a room.
_____If I walk into a gathering in which I don’t know anybody, I walk up to
someone who looks
friendly and introduce myself.
_____People tell me I’m a good listener.
_____I enjoy talking to other people.
_____I know how to argue without getting angry or abusive.

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Communication
 Based on something that conveys meaning: the
message
 verbal (spoken or written)
 nonverbal (body language, physical appearance, or
vocal tone)
 context—or place and time—of the communication
 makes a big impact on how it will be received

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Communication
Non-Verbal
 People telegraph intentions and feelings whether
aware of it or not
 Unintentional senders
 Whatever goes on inside shows outside
 Conveyed messages go far beyond words
spoken
 Tone of voice
 Body language
 Comes particularly from the face, eyes, body,
clothing, gestures, and touch

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Communication
Non-Verbal
 Be careful to interpret signals correctly
 Crossed arms might be expressing defiance, but
might also just be feeling cold
 Check out facial expressions and other nonverbal
signs to determine correct reading
 Facial expressions help judge feelings
 Depend on face as most trustworthy indicator of
emotions such as happiness, surprise, fear, anger,
joy, sadness, disgust, contempt, interest,
concern, and embarrassment

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Communication
Non-Verbal
 Look at face for insight into person’s character
(for example, an “open, honest face,” a “strong
chin,” or “beady eyes”)
 Moustache, beard, or long hair might suggest
conformity or nonconformity, depending on time
and context
 Grooming of hair says much about person’s
meticulousness
 Narrowed lips or jutted-out chin might mean a
person is angry or defiant

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Communication
Non-Verbal
 Eyes convey much meaning
 eye contact—or lack of it—tells about confidence,
friendliness, honesty, or desire to dominate
 narrowed eyes suggest anger, irritation, or doubt
 pupils signify interest or disinterest
 pupils dilate when person is interested or excited …
grow smaller when person is bored or uninterested
 brow area and narrowing of eyes tell receiver much
 frowns, scowls, and raised eyebrows indicate
displeasure or intensity

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Communication
Non-Verbal
 Body is another rich source of nonverbal
confirmation or denial of our verbal message
 Draw conclusions about people before words
exchanged based on sex, posture, height,
weight, and skin color
 People stereotype others by thinking that tall people
make good leaders, overweight people are jolly, and
women are too emotional
 Notice how senders of messages hold their
bodies

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Communication
Non-Verbal
 Crossed arms a sign of defensiveness, defiance,
or withdrawal
 Hands on hips signal goal oriented or ready and
able to take something on
 Leaning back in chair with hands clasped behind
the head interpreted as sign of superiority,
smugness, or authority
 A slouched posture means humiliation, defeat,
or submission

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Communication
Non-Verbal
 Using arms, bodies, and legs to block sign of
territorial feelings
 Turning shoulder or body slightly away sign of
rejection
 Appearance discloses pieces of information
 Dressing immaculately … careful and detailed
 “Old-fashioned” dress … conservative opinions and
values
 Excessive jewelry … materialistic

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Communication
Non-Verbal
 Clothing during working hours tell what we do
for a living
 Blue-collar clothes designed to help or protect
 White-collar clothes are formal, little protection
 Most common form of social physical contact—
the handshake
 Indication of welcome, liking, acceptance, and
greeting
 Considered extremely rude not to accept an offered
hand

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Communication
Non-Verbal
 Method of shaking hands …
 Bone-crushing grip seen as desire to dominate
 Limp grasp sign of insecurity or negative outlook on
life
 Mechanical pumping up and down in series of
convulsive jerks suggests mental rigidity, strong will,
and inflexibility
 Be very careful with touching others at work
because of harassment issues

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Communication
Non-Verbal
 Nonverbal message readers …
 Look at totality of cues rather than isolated ones
(remember the crossed arms?)
 Take context (time and place) of message into
account
 Compensate for own biases and prejudices

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Communication
Oral
 Successful communicators
 Full responsibility for success in process
 Take responsibility for ensuring what’s heard is
understood
 Recognize barriers to good communications exist
 Speak in simple, grammatical, and understandable terms
 Give examples, ask for feedback, rephrase, and make it
easy to get true intent of communications

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Communication
Listening
 Without proper listening, communication does
not occur
 Effective listening is …
 Active participation in a conversation
 Helps speaker become understood
 Must hear and not assume what is said

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Communication
Listening
 Listeners …
 Passive listener …
 Attentive
 Does not assist speaker
 Active listener …
 Sit or stand alertly
 Maintain eye contact with speaker
 Concentrate on speaker’s words
 Make verbal responses
 Summarize parts for clarification
 Difference in speed: speak vs. listen …
time lag in conversations

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Communication
Listening
 Good listeners …
 Do not daydream during lag
 Use time to organize what is said and relate message
 Guards against distractions to message
 Speaker’s mannerisms, accent, dress or
grooming, language style, or delivery
 Distracting if not tuned out
 Avoid letting first impressions of speaker hinder ability
to hear message
 Don’t interrupt to interject own thoughts

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Communication
Listening
 Pay attention to tone of words and nonverbal
cues
 Effective listening …
 Concentrate so that competing external and internal
distractions are eliminated
 Probe and reflect by asking questions to seek
clarification and greater understanding
 Summarize (paraphrase) and feed back to speaker
what’s been heard

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Communication
Telephone Skills
 Easier to be rude to someone not seen
 Negative ways lack of telephone etiquette
impacts work ethics
 Anger, irritation, and frustration can be suggested by
tone of voice
 Ignoring calls and messages suggests that
unconcerned about clients and customers
 Transfer callers without trying to address concerns
show a disinterest, apathetic attitude
 Speak on phone with a smile in voice

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Communication
Telephone Skills
 Voices should be clear and distinct
 Demonstrate a service attitude by offering
assistance
 Do not transfer calls blindly: make sure caller’s
problem will be resolved
 Be discreet when using the phone
 Think through requests for information
 Give out information really needed by the caller

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Communication
Telephone Skills
 Taking telephone messages for others
 Do not hurry; may miss necessary information
 Incomplete messages are frustrating
 Repeat message to caller to ensure accuracy
 Callers placed on hold
 Ask permission first
 Offer to call back if unwilling to wait
 Irritates caller to be left on hold
 Apologize for having the caller wait when placed
on hold

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Communication
Telephone Skills
 Unhappy or angry customer
 Be very careful
 Let caller vent (spill anger)
 Ready to listen when finished
 Easier to solve problem
 Express understanding/concern when appropriate
 Nasty/foul language
 Warn caller to refrain or will hang up
 Do not have to listen, but warn caller

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Communication
Telephone Skills
 Summary
 Treat callers as you would want to be treated
 Treat them as if they were standing in front of you
 You are the company; company’s sole ambassador
during that phone conversation

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Communication
E-mail Etiquette
 Rules of Etiquette: Things to Avoid
 Profanity
 Use of slang or street jargon
 Any words or tone that can be misconstrued as
confrontational

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Communication
E-mail Etiquette
Why do we need email etiquette?
 Professionalism: by using proper email
language company will convey a professional
image
 Efficiency: emails that get to the point are much
more effective than poorly worded emails
 Protection from liability: employee awareness
of email risks will protect company from
costly law suits

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• Be concise and to the pointBe concise and to the point
• Answer all questions, and pre-empt further questionsAnswer all questions, and pre-empt further questions
• Use proper spelling, grammar & punctuationUse proper spelling, grammar & punctuation
• Make it personalMake it personal
• Use templates for frequently used responsesUse templates for frequently used responses
• Answer swiftlyAnswer swiftly
• Do not attach unnecessary filesDo not attach unnecessary files
• Use proper structure & layoutUse proper structure & layout
• Do not overuse the high priority optionDo not overuse the high priority option
• Do not write in CAPITALSDo not write in CAPITALS
• Don't leave out the message threadDon't leave out the message thread
• Add disclaimers to your emailsAdd disclaimers to your emails
• Read the email before you send itRead the email before you send it
• Do not overuse Reply to AllDo not overuse Reply to All
• Mailings > use the bcc: field or do a mail mergeMailings > use the bcc: field or do a mail merge
• Take care with abbreviations and emoticonsTake care with abbreviations and emoticons
• Be careful with formattingBe careful with formatting
• Take care with rich text and HTML messagesTake care with rich text and HTML messages
What are the email etiquette rules?
Part 1

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What are the email etiquette rules?
Part 2
• Do not forward chain lettersDo not forward chain letters
• Do not request delivery and read receiptsDo not request delivery and read receipts
• Do not ask to recall a messageDo not ask to recall a message
• Do not copy a message or attachment without permissionDo not copy a message or attachment without permission
• Do not use email to discuss confidential informationDo not use email to discuss confidential information
• Use a meaningful subjectUse a meaningful subject
• Use active instead of passiveUse active instead of passive
• Avoid using URGENT and IMPORTANTAvoid using URGENT and IMPORTANT
• Avoid long sentencesAvoid long sentences
• Don't send or forward emails containing libelous, defamatory, offensive,Don't send or forward emails containing libelous, defamatory, offensive,
racist or obscene remarksracist or obscene remarks
• Don't forward virus hoaxes and chain lettersDon't forward virus hoaxes and chain letters
• Keep your language gender neutralKeep your language gender neutral
• Don't reply to spamDon't reply to spam
• Use cc: field sparinglyUse cc: field sparingly
• Be concise and to the pointBe concise and to the point
• Don’t make an e-mail longer than needs to beDon’t make an e-mail longer than needs to be

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COMMUNICATION
Practicum in Irving ISD