This document provides information on communication skills and office etiquette for advancing one's career. It discusses the importance of maintaining positive workplace interactions and identifying behaviors that uphold etiquette standards. Examples are given of polite behaviors like greeting coworkers, saying thank you, being on time for meetings, and respecting others' workspaces. Rude behaviors that bother employees, like poor hygiene, gossip, and inappropriate jokes, are also outlined. The document also presents scenarios involving language use and noise distractions in the office and discusses how to best handle those situations. Overall, it stresses that proper communication and etiquette create a respectful and productive work environment.

1. Communication skills and office Etiquette
for Moving Up at work

2. • To define workplace etiquette and stress the importance
of creating a work environment conducive to positive
interaction among employees
• To identify behaviors considered important for maintaining
workplace etiquette
• To develop skills in addressing coworkers’ behaviors that
are unpleasant, rude or offensive
Objectives
“Rules governing socially acceptable behavior.”
“The practices and forms prescribed by social convention or
by authority.”
Etiquette: Some Definitions
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I say “good morning” to co-workers when I enter the office each
morning.
1. I clean up after I use the kitchen, cafeteria or snack area.
2. I say “thank you” when someone does something nice for me.
3. I arrive on time for meetings.
4. I keep my anger under control.
If I send an email message, I make sure that it is relevant,
appropriate, clear, and checked for spelling and grammatical
errors.
5. I am respectful of co-workers’ workspace, e.g., not using
their desks or computer, separating my belongings from
theirs.
6. I make promises to others that I am unable to keep
How Do You Score?

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What Bothers You the Most?

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• Have poor personal hygiene
• Leave old and/or spoiled food in the refrigerator
• Don’t clean up after using the office kitchen, sink,
restroom or appliances
• Leave trash or personal belongings in other people’s work
spaces
• Don’t follow through when they say they will do something
• Don’t acknowledge you unless you speak to them directly
• Use language that is overly familiar, e.g., calling you
“honey” or “dear”
• Wear clothing that is dirty, too casual, too seductive or
distracting in some other way
• Wear too much perfume or after-shave
Employees Are Bothered by Co-workers Who:

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More Examples
• Drop in on you while you are working and don’t ask if it’s okay to
interrupt
• Habitually arrive late at meetings
• Gossip
• Have outbursts of anger or yell and curse
• Say negative things about other employees behind their backs
• Brag
• Talk too much about their personal lives
• Speak too loudly on the telephone
• Eat food at their desks that has a strong smell
• Tell jokes that involve race, gender. religion, ethnicity or national
origin

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A few employees who speak a language other than English
sometimes communicate with one another in that language in your
workplace. Some employees think this is fine and none of their
business. Other employees feel uncomfortable and left out when in
the presence of these employees. What do you think? Does workplace
etiquette demand that employees should always speak in a language
that everyone can understand?
Scenario #1

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John’s co-worker in the next cubicle has a habit of
constantly clearing his throat, snorting and making other unpleasant
sounds. John has tried to ignore this behavior, but finds it
extremely distracting. Should John just work harder to ignore this
behavior (he wonders if perhaps the coworker has some health
problem that is causing this); counter-attack by making equally
unpleasant noises; speak to the co-worker; or go directly to HR to
complain?
Scenario #2

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You don’t have to read Miss Manners to learn how to have
good manners. Workplace etiquette makes the work
environment respectful, pleasant, and productive.

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Introduction
to Effective
Communication

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Objectives
➢To consider verbal and non-verbal communication methods
➢To understand and practise effective listening skills
➢To communicate in clear, respectful and non-judgemental ways
➢To know when to seek advice

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What is Communication?
The process of communication is what allows us to
interact with other people; without it, we would be
unable to share knowledge or experiences with
anything outside of ourselves. Common forms of
communication include speaking, writing, gestures,
touch and broadcasting.
Wikipedia definition
What does it mean to you?

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What you hear
Tone of voice
Vocal clarity
Verbal expressiveness 40% of the message
What you see or feel
Facial expression
Dress and grooming
Posture
Eye contact
Touch
Gesture 50% of the message
WORDS … 10% of the message!
The Communication Equation

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Understanding Communication
We are going to consider:
The 2-Way communication process
Effective communication skills
Barriers to effective
communication
InTrOdUcTiOn
I TO... U TO...

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• An Active Listener,
• An Effective Presenter,
• A Quick Thinker.
• A Win-Win Negotiator.
WHAT MAKES A GOOD COMMUNICATOR?

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PROCESS OF COMMUNICATION

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Written Communication Channels
Letters,
e-Mails,
Memos,
Reports.
• Verbal Communication Channels
– Face-To-Face meetings,
– Telephones,
– Video Conferencing.

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Strengths and Weaknesses
Verbal Communication:
Strength - Role of Body Language.
Weakness- Not possible to give long list of directions
Written Communication:
Strength - A proof of a communication
Weakness - Written words does not show a
person’s actual feelings.

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RULE:
• Make a group of Four.
• Sequentially assign a number to every individual.
• 1 representative Pick up on chit from the lot.
• Memorize the sentence and return the chit.
• Go back and utter the sentence to the 2nd person.
• No one else should hear the sentence.
• Then the 2nd person should utter it to the 3rd person and
so on.
• The last person should announce the sentence to all.
• And 1st person reads the chit.

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Only verbal communication can create chaos
while it reaches the last person.
Every person’s thought process influences the
individual understanding.
So be an active listener......
WHAT DID WE LEARN?

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1. Understand your own communication style:
High level of self-awareness to creating good & long lasting impression on
others.
Understand how others perceive you.
Avoid being CHAMELEON by changing with every personality you meet.
Make others comfortable by selecting appropriate behavior that suits your
personality while listening. (Ideally nodding your head).
2. Use Non-verbal Communication:
Smile,
Gestures,
Eye contact,
Your posture.

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3. Be An Active Listener:
• People speak @ 100 to 175 WPM but can listen intelligently @ 300 WPM.
• One part of human mind pays attention, so it is easy to go into mind drift.
• Listen with a purpose.
• Purpose can be to gain information, obtain directions, understand others,
solve problems, share interest, see how another person feels, show support,
etc.
• If it is difficult to concentrate then repeat the speakers words in your mind.
4. Give Feedback
• Remember that what someone says and what we hear can be amazingly
different.
• Repeat back or summarize to ensure that you understand.
• Restate what you think you heard and ask, "Have I understood you
correctly?"

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Source:
Why to communicate?
What to communicate?
Usefulness of the communication.
Accuracy of the Information to be
communicated
Encoding:
• The process of transferring the information you want to communicate into a
form that can be sent and correctly decoded at the other end.
• Ability to convey the information.
• Eliminate sources of confusion. For e.g. cultural issues, mistaken
assumptions, and missing information.
• Knowing your audience.

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- You have over 630 muscles in your body.
- Eye muscles are the busiest muscles in the body. Scientists estimate
they may move more than 100,000 times a day.
- You have over 30 muscles in your face to help you smile or frown. It
takes 17 muscles to smile and 43 to frown.
SO SMILE EVERYTIME YOU SEE SOMEONE.
- The strongest muscle in your body is your tongue. USE IT EFFECTIVELY.
- It takes the interaction of 72 different muscles to produce human speech.
FEW FACTS

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• Noise
• Inappropriate medium
• Assumptions/Misconceptions
• Emotions
• Language differences
• Poor listening skills
• Distractions
Barriers to communication

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Success for YOU…
…in the new global and diverse
workplace requires
excellent communication skills!

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