Learning module:13

Unit of competence: Utilize Specialized Communication Skills

Module Title: Utilizing Specialized Communication Skills
Occupational code: ICT DBA4 13 0710
LO1: Meet common and specific communication needs of clients and colleagues
LO2: Contribute to the development of communication strategies
LO3: Represent the organization
Lo4: Facilitate group discussion
LO5: Conduct interview
Trainees manual and information sheet for DBA level IV
Compiled by G.D
in 2007

LEADING WORKPLACE COMMUNICATION

UNIT PURPOSE
On completion of this unit, the trainees should be able to lead in the dissemination and discussion of
information and issues in the workplace.

 Process client requests and enquiries according to operational procedures

Recording information and messages

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 LO1: Meet common and specific communication needs of clients and colleagues
How to record information

It is vital that information from clients is properly recorded. There are a number of ways to do this. How many
can you think of?

 a database?
 a specially designed customer support program?
 pen and paper on a special work request form?
 pen and paper on a piece of ordinary paper?

The more organised and consistent the recorded information is, the more useful it will be. The last option
risks losing that piece of ordinary paper!

When to record information

The best time to record information related to a client’s request is when you first speak to the client. In doing
this, the information should be complete and accurate and you will have a chance to clarify information as you
speak. It also saves double handling the enquiry at another time, for you and the client.

The only downside is that you have to practice active listening skills while typing or writing. Computer
programs that prompt for information can help you in this way by ensuring important questions are asked

Passing on messages

There are a number of ways of relaying messages: phone message , Email and written message

What’s most important in all messages is that they are:

• received in good time

• accurate

• complete.

Always pass on messages as quickly as possible, and double check that you have all the information and all the
information is correct. Double-checking with the client may take a little longer, but it may save much more
time in the long run.

Referring and following up client requests

Sometimes if a client request is out of the ordinary you may need to refer it to a specialist or senior person.
Equally, a request might be for a service you cannot provide because

 you don’t have these skills

 you can’t leave your current location

 you don’t have time

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 In referring the request there may be time limits — it may be policy that the referral must be made within an
hour of receiving it at the help desk.

Keeping the client informed

Keeping the client posted is one of the key features of best practice in client service. It’s important to let the
client know the status of their request from beginning to end.

This includes every step in the process — from explaining why, if you need to put a client on hold or must
transfer them to another person, to letting them know what progress has been made if hardware needs to be
ordered for their system.

How can you keep clients informed? The organization’s policy on client service might state how often you
must contact the client, and by what means. Any updates or messages should be timely, accurate and complete

Follow-up procedures

Keeping the client informed can be included in a follow-up procedure. There may be a policy statement or an
item in your service level agreement that states what level or means of follow-up with the client is required. It
might include:

 phoning the client sometime after service has been completed

 sending out feedback surveys to all clients about the service they received; (some organisations make
a competition of it by offering a reward for clients who respond)

 sending an mail with options for the client to select either ‘Yes – Satisfied’ ,or ‘No – Not Satisfied’
responses and following up on unsatisfied responses (though this only gives a partial view of your
service standard)

 employing an independent person to carry out interviews with clients (either face-to-face or by
phone).

USE EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION SKILLS ACCORDING TO

ORGANISATIONALSTANDARDS

RECEIVING CLIENT REQUESTS AND ENQUIRIES IN A POLITE AND COURTEOUS

MANNER
Most jobs in the IT industry require you to interact regularly with clients in many ways, such as by:
 attending to customer enquiries, problems and complaints
 determining a client’s needs
 obtaining feedback from a client with regard to an installation, customisation, training or support
issue
 Providing a client with information or instruction.

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 Requests and enquiries come by email, phone, fax, letters and personal contact. In all cases you must establish
and maintain a polite and courteous manner. To be polite and courteous means to show good manners and to
respect the opinions and needs of others.
Verbal and non-verbal communication
The way you greet someone for the first time often determines the way that you will communicate with that
person in future.
It is vital that we greet clients in a professional manner. Often clients contact you because they are
experiencing difficulties with their computer system. They may have been trying to work out the problem
themselves or they may fall into the ‘I don’t want to know about these things anyway’ category. In order for
you to solve their IT problems, you need to be able to get them to tell you precisely what their problem is.

BODY LANGUAGE
Body language is one of the most important ways of expressing ideas. When you talk to someone face-to-face,
about 80% of the message that you send is non-verbal — that is, without words. That means that 80% of the
meaning of what you say is in the way that you project the message, and 20% of the message is the actual
words that you use. Non-verbal communication is usually referred to as body language.

Spoken language
The language you use when communicating with clients is also very important, not just your clarity of
expression (the way you speak, which is also physical) but the manner in which you speak.
Some companies, such as fast food companies and call centres, extensively train their employees in the use of
standard greeting techniques. They develop scripts for their staff to use when taking requests and enquiries
from clients. You have no doubt been on the receiving end of such techniques.

TECHNICAL VERSUS EVERYDAY LANGUAGE

People who work as IT professionals have a great deal of technical knowledge, which allows them to do their
job well. However, the clients you work with probably won’t share that knowledge; they just want their
computers and software to work!
This means that you should be careful about using technical words when talking to clients. Sometimes, if
you’re talking to someone who understands the terms then a highly technical explanation is appropriate.
However, technical words can often make clients defensive. This can make it harder to identify what’s gone
wrong or for them to understand your solution.
Common documents

LO2: Contribute to the development of communication strategies

Information is largely conveyed by documents. You need to know about the range of documents in workplaces
and how to produce them.

MEMOS
Memos (short for memorandums) are the means of conveying reminders or simple messages, and often the
same message is sent to all staff.

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 Memos are of less formal in appearance than letters and should have information about only one topic (which
also allows them to be filed accurately). The paper form of the memo is becoming rare as organisations
increasingly use email for this purpose.
Memos are concise. They generally have a header section with the date, names of the sender and receiver and
the subject of the memo. Memo headings replace greetings — they identify who the writer is and what the
memo is about. A memo doesn’t need to be signed by the author. You can see who has sent it from the heading.
EXAMPLE

To: Kim Jones

CC: Wendy Brown ‘CC’ stands for Carbon Copy. It comes from when a carbon
layer under the note would impress a copy on a duplicate
form. In this case, the main person you are sending the memo
to is Kim, but you are also sending Wendy a copy.
From: Robyn
Perkins
Date: 5/8/01
Re: Leave Re is short for ‘in regard to’ and means the same as
application ‘Subject’— what the memo is all about.

The body of the memo then has the main idea, secondary ideas and action.
The main idea of a memo should be the first sentence or paragraph. It might identify a problem or issue, or
provides information about organisational policies. Action is usually the final paragraph, with details of what
to do about the problem/issue and who to contact.

FAXES
It’s hard to imagine a business without a facsimile (fax) machine. Fax documents look somewhat like memos.
However, while memos are never sent outside an organisation, faxes are.
A fax is structured in a similar way to memos, while the header should include the number of pages being sent.

THE BODY OF THE FAX

The main idea is usually in the first sentence or paragraph and usually states the purpose. The secondary idea
then provides more detail about the purpose, and the final paragraph is the ‘Action’, which details of what to
do about the problem and who to contact.

LETTERS

Letters are still the most formal way to express our ideas.
The layout for letters and the accepted standards for punctuation have changed a lot in the last 30 years.
Electronic keyboards, word processors and spell checkers have changed the way we present our letters.
Each organisation will have its own standard layout for a letter and this will usually be kept as a template.
Whenever you start work at a new place, find out what their standard letter layout is.

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 EMAIL

The most recent form of widely used electronic communication is email. Like a letter, it’s in writing (which is
important!). Yet, it’s faster to send than a letter and it’s not as formal (it’s structured rather like a memo).
There is one disadvantage to email. You don’t control the format (the software program does this). However,
you can personalise your email to some extent by adding features like your own signature at the end. Many
organisations have a standard format for email signatures. These often include contact details for the person
sending the email.
The structure for workplace emails is usually the same as for memos and faxes, with a main idea, a secondary
idea and action to be taken.
Which email program have you used? You should have a program such as Eudora, Microsoft Outlook or
Entourage. The screen below is the New Mail Message screen from Microsoft Outlook.
Make sure you know where to put:
 who the email is for
 who the email is from
 other people who need to receive the email
 the subject of the email (often your application will prompt you if you haven’t).
The ‘Cc’ line in an email works the same as for a memo, and the people who receive the email know who else
has received a copy. The ‘Bcc’ line is for people who might receive a copy without a list of other recipients.
The body of the email, as with other short documents includes the main idea, secondary ideas, and any action
required. Larger documents or files can be sent as attachments (note that organisational policies might
restrict the type and size of attachments that can be sent).
Business etiquette

LO3: Represent the organization

Business etiquette refers to the unspoken rules that guide the way we communicate and behave. When we
communicate on the telephone, by email or any other form of communication, we should follow standard
etiquette.
TELEPHONE MANNERS
When answering the telephone, you should speak clearly and:
1 Use a positive tone and say ‘Good morning’ or ‘Good afternoon’.
2 State the name of the organisation you are working for.
3 Introduce yourself.
4 Ask the person how you might help them.

EMAIL MANNERS
Email also requires etiquette. You may find the email etiquette that your organisation expects you to follow is
a part of the IT policy. Otherwise, there are general rules:
 Always include a short subject line.
 Use one subject per email.
 Monitor any confidential content.

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  Check spelling (keeping an eye for word forms a computer spell checker might miss, such as ‘form’ for
‘from’).
 Keep formatting to a minimum including the use of backgrounds.
It is important to remember that when you communicate by email, the non-verbal communication is not
coming through along with the written message. If you are concerned that anything may be misinterpreted, it
is a good idea to explain it, or just keep it simple. It should also be noted that in many workplaces, email is a
formal method of communication and can be kept as evidence of your actions as with any other forms of
documentation.

USE QUESTIONS AND ACTIVE LISTENING TECHNIQUES

ACTIVE LISTENING
When you’re dealing with clients, you can’t tune out. It’s vital that you listen carefully and respond
appropriately. To do this, people often use a technique called active listening.
Active listening occurs when you focus on the message you’re receiving from the other person, without
thinking about what you want to say next. Your response to the sender is one that paraphrases what you’ve
heard. That is, you summarise what you’ve heard, and say it back to the sender in your words. This ensures
that you have understood the idea the sender wants to give you.

KEY PRINCIPLES OF ACTIVE LISTENING

Principle Description

Do more listening than Give the other person time to talk. Show that you
talking. are interested in what they have to say.
Show encouragement. Use non-verbal as well as verbal cues to show you
are listening. For example, maintain eye contact,
nod, sit upright and say ‘yes’ or ‘I see’ at
appropriate places, and use a positive tone of voice.
Avoid appearing tense. For example, avoid sitting with arms and legs
tightly crossed and speaking in a hurried and
agitated tone of voice.
Try not to agree or disagree If you feel you have to disagree, wait until the other
right away. person has explained and then disagree, but
provide reasons for your stand.
Show empathy. Imagine yourself in the other person’s position.
Respond to their feelings.
Be ‘other-directed’. In other words, don’t project your feelings or ideas

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Be accepting of the other
person.
Be non-defensive.
Paraphrase (summarise) what
the speaker is saying.
Be aware of the other person’s
sensitivities.
Reflect every now and again
on what the other person is
saying.
Show warmth and support.
Admit it when you’re lost.
on them.
This means being non-judgmental and non-
discriminatory.
Instead, admit any errors or oversights on the part
of yourself or your organisation and apologise for
that.
In other words, restate key facts, issues,
perceptions and interpretations. When you receive
a client request, even a simple one, it’s important to
check that you’ve understood it correctly.
If you need to ask questions of a sensitive nature,
ask them in a gentle, polite and supportive manner
and tone of voice. Assure confidentiality. Wait for
the right time to ask as well — that is, when the
other person is relaxed and you have gained their
confidence.
For example, you might say: ‘So you were quite
upset by that behaviour because you felt that it was
quite unfair?’ This shows the other person that you
understand how they feel and that their concerns
and feelings are valid.
Smile, where appropriate. Look concerned. Avoid
being cold or abrupt.
Avoid pretending to understand. Simply say
something such as: ‘Sorry, could you just say that
again?’ Clarify anything you don’t understand. This
lets the other know that you have been listening
and that you understand what they’re saying.

You’ll need to wait for an appropriate situation to arise to practise your active listening, but such situations
arise more frequently than you’d think. Reflect on these principles and make a genuine attempt to practise
them — it may not be easy, at first.
An alternative to this might be to carry out a role play, but you’ll need to find a partner — say a fellow student,
family member or friend. Set up a particular situation in which your partner can play the role of a client asking
you for help. You can then practise active listening techniques in handling the situation. You may also be able
to do this via a telephone or chat facility.

REFLECTIVE QUESTIONING

Lo4: Facilitate group discussion

Active listening is one technique you’ll need to practise. A related skill is to use reflective questioning or
listening.
Suppose you’ve asked a supervisor for advice on an incident, or you’ve passed a tricky question along to an
expert. Now you want to report back to the client, but you don’t clearly understand the answer or solution
you’ve been given.

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 If your supervisor’s feedback isn’t clear to you, you can use reflective questioning. This is the technique of
repeating the sentence with a few changes (paraphrase), but phrased as a question.
You will have heard the way some people ask a question, with a rising tone of voice at the end of the sentence.
Look at the following example.

Lance: So you say I should use reflective questions?

Olga: That’s right. A reflective question copies a sentence like an echo, but
changes the wording to say the same thing your way.

THE USE OF REFLECTIVE QUESTIONS

A reflective question allows the other person to correct and clarify any misunderstandings you have of the
message.
Reflective questioning can also be used with clients and when briefing other staff. If you echo back what a
client has told you, the client then has a chance to either agree with you or point out things you missed or
misunderstood. This is particularly important when trying to ascertain the facts when a client is making a
complaint.

OPEN-ENDED AND CLOSED QUESTIONS

Can you see how active listening and reflective questioning will help you in your client dealings? Now we’ll
turn to some other types of questions. We use different types of questions for different purposes. First we’ll
look at open-ended versus closedquestions.
Open-ended questions gather more information. Someone answering an open-ended question cannot answer
with a ‘yes’ or ‘no’, because it wouldn’t make sense. Closed questions do require a ‘yes’ or ‘no’, or a similar
response. These are used to clarify what you’ve received or to seek confirmation of the idea that you have.
Here are some examples of each.

Question style Description

Open-ended What kinds of products are you interested in purchasing?
questions What do you need the equipment for?
Closed questions Are you saying that your email system is not working?
Are you sure that you’re happy for your repayment levels to
fluctuate?

OTHER TYPES OF QUESTIONS

WHAT-IF QUESTIONS

Use what-if (or hypothetical) questions to explore the possibilities with the client (or on your own). You’ll
also be able to bring out any reservations that you or the client may have. An example of this is:
What if we do not have any flights that week? Can you travel the following week?

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 SORTING AND SIFTING QUESTIONS

Sometimes a client might give you a lot of information. This includes clients who:
 do not really know what they want
 are verbose
 do not get to the point
 talk in a stream-of-consciousness manner (don’t organise their thoughts in any way).
Some of this might not be relevant to their request and you need to sift through the information to arrive at
the client’s key issues or priorities. Here are a couple of examples:
Which one of these is a priority for you?
Out of all the features you’ve mentioned, are there ones that you are most interested in?

CLARIFICATION QUESTIONS

Sometimes what the client is saying may not seem logical or coherent. Information may seem contradictory.
Before you dismiss that information as useless, ask for clarification. Perhaps the client had not explained in
great detail because they had assumed that you had the prior knowledge to understand what they were
saying. Here are a couple of examples:
Which incident happened first?
Was it a pleasant or unpleasant visit?

PLANNING QUESTIONS

Sometimes your client will need your help to plan ahead. An architect’s work, for example, may involve
planning a house that will accommodate a growing family.
A Property Loans Officer’s work may involve planning repayments. He may ask the following question:
Do you want to pay off your loan sooner?

STRATEGIC QUESTIONS

Your client may need your help in working out how to proceed next. One such question may be:
Which position, out of the two we’ve discussed, would you like us to explore next?

ORGANISING QUESTIONS

These allow us to structure our information. Without a structure, the information would just be bits and
pieces without any discernable patterns. With a good structure you’ll be able to:
 see trends or themes
 see how one bit of information fits in with others
 compare and contrast.
Here are some examples of organising questions:
Which of these documents belong to you? We’ll put these in this folder.

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 Which ones belong to your partner?
Now which ones are in both your names?

PROBING QUESTIONS

Probing questions go deep into the issue or problem. They aim to dig out insights and uncover underlying
causes. Here are some examples:
What kinds of accounting tasks do you find difficult to perform manually?
Why do you find these difficult?
What are these tasks (give details of each)?
How long does it take you to perform each task?

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